Persevere, Part 2

Today on Summit life with Jeannie Rios as a believer you will struggle with indwelling simple rest of your life the greatest things experience such unsuccessful struggles with almost broken the despair for words by him. Writer probably never been written that will move up cigarette here prone to wander, Lord, I like after author and theologian JD Greer. As always, I'm your host Molly benefits if you've been in church for any length of time you've probably seen people you thought were genuinely saved passionate about Jesus serving in the church talking the talk and walking the walk and they seem to turn away from God completely. How is that possible, you just leave the faith like that pastor JD addresses this question today on Summit line. As he continues our teaching series called Christ is better. Today's message is titled persevere and pastor JD is answering the question, can a believer ever lose their salvation Bible budget to get out of 62 jet researchers one therefore let us leave the elementary doctrines of Christ on the maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and faith toward God's instructions about Washington's layout of and the resurrection of the dead eternal judgment. In verse four, for it is impossible, in the case of those you been once enlightenment tasted the heavenly gift is your Holy Spirit Lord God of our lives, and then I thought a way to restore them again.

Repentance workers by once again sunk on the road or mold while what does that mean is another problem for theirs versus Dr. C at first it sounds like you lose your salvation.

You can fall away.

Second, it sounds like if you do lose it, you can never get back impossible to renew them again to repentance, so the first question people ask about this passage is talking to busy talking to say people result in unsafe people and what the author is saying to them is essentially this if you seen the glory of Jesus, and you been convinced of the truth of his resurrection, only to return intentionally to the vomit of your sin. What else is there left for me to say what could possibly be more convincing the Jesus death and resurrection. What greater argument is there that God could use besides the fact that you deserve to go to hell because you with the five believe that Almighty God came and stood in the way of his own justice to take it into his body was humiliated and tortured for you.

That does not move you what else is there left for me to say if ever hearing the gospel only more thorns of rebellion are produced in your heart. What else can God do what else can I say he's exasperated you will reside. What else is left for me just to say it doesn't move you if you can hear the story about God who took on his own route for you as a movie as I understand I understand those of you in here only believe the gospel. That's what you walk away. I understand that you veteran here who are like the horse I believe in God came and died for my sin course.

I believe I deserve the wrath of God. Of course I believe that there is one God who created everything and read it all into existence as Google the word of his mouth pulled up all by the word of his power and and holding molecules. My body together.

He was a business, course, I believe that I deserve help, God came in and was ripped to shreds and humiliated for my sake, so that I could be say. I believe all that it is a movie that much doesn't make any sense to me at all since the writer you are is what else is there left for God to say, if you believe that move you the gospel is that you were so bad that Jesus had to die for you that you were C was so loving that he was glad to die for you. Only one of two responses is appropriate to that for you to walk out into five believe and say that's not true, or for you to fall at your feet your fall at his feet in abject worship only one of those two responses makes any sense at all.

So I interpret this passage is the author giving a bewildered general warning to a congregation, a congregation that like all congregations like this one is filled with the genuine and superficial believers, not a description of one particular person is not attempting to layout the mechanics of individual salvation. If you were doing that he might abuse different terms so enlightened become partakers of the Holy Spirit tasted the goodness of God's word. These are statements about the movement as a whole, and everyone who has shared in that movement as tasted of those things, at least to some degree because my first observation about the passage.

Here is my second number two in this passage we see that the faith that saves is the faith that endures to the end. In this passage we see that the faith that saves is the faith that endures to the end faith that fades no matter how luscious its firstfruits is not a sign of saving faith. Faith that endures to the end is if salvation is really taken place in your heart never fades away you stumble. Yes, you fall often but you always get back obligated Jesus.

Now I know I know that raises some questions for some of you about what that means when you stumble or fall. What that means when you go through a season when your faith cools, to get to those questions in a second. But first before I get to this question is can we consider what that statement it is impossible to renew those who follow it. Repentance me to have a heart statement and it so talk about what that means now get those questions you just asked first corporate is impossible to restore those who follow a good repentance and sick response to the son of God own heart holding up what is that many. We quickly got me what you listen. The rider cannot mean that those who fall back into simple habits after they are saved have forfeited their chances of salvation that is even the greatest Christians fall back at old simple habits in the Bible the greatest Christians in the Bible fell back into old simple habits sometimes really bad once and sometimes for long periods of time. It's called backsliding. Dockside is a church or that his major slide back into old simple ways. Peter, for example, three years after he started following Jesus went to the course of the evening in which he did not Christ three times after the Holy Spirit came to him and he was the head apostle.

He went to a several month period where he was a racist.

So much so that the apostle Paul had to get up in his face in front of everybody and say you're the head apostle and you're a racist. That God brought them back to Paul's traveling companions got them.

John Mark abandoned the mission field because it got difficult and he was scared so he left me talk about bad you leave the apostle Paul and you just go home because it's hard like that guy go back to the church. And what about your brother John Mark who was on the mission field with all and got scared so we came back home yet. Here's a guy who clearly put his hand to the plow and turned back, a guy who was not willing to embrace the four locations across yet we find out later in the New Testament the John Mark was not only restored Christ. He was also put back on the mission field in the ministry of King David committed adultery, murder, then lied about it and refused to repent about any of those things for about a year. Abraham the writer of Hebrews 6 uses at the end of this chapter. Look at 15 Abraham example persevering faith Abraham doubted God so severely that he told another man's wife was his sister. So the best I could sleep with her. So enjoy Abraham that's not just a moral life is a dirt bag maneuver.

Oh yeah, this is just my sister usually better to marry her. Tell me you made is that yet Abraham is the father of our faith. All these believers. All of them were brought back to repentance restoration a great usefulness for the kingdom of God. Jesus said, John 637, that no one who came to him, no one would ever for any reason ever be cast out. After which means that if you are willing to repent, you will always receive many of my friends my tattoo you know Pierce got friend he repents God perceives him no one. John 637 no one ever comes to Jesus who he for any reason ever turns away and what does the writer mean when he says it's impossible to renew those who fall away to repentance. Whatever member that is making a general statement to a congregation right and what he is what he's talking about.

Listen, is that Scripture in several places speaks about rejecting God's voice so often and so decisively that God finally honors our refusal and leaves us alone forever. God said in the book of Genesis chapter 6, my spirit will not always strive with man in the gospel of Luke, Jesus refers to this as the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit where you say no to God so deliberately so decisively and so persistently that God finally says will then have it your way. And Jesus says that is a sin that is a rejection for which there is no forgiveness. If you are worried that you have committed that blasphemy you probably haven't the final falling away to which Jesus and the writer of Hebrews are referring includes the removal of any desire to be reconciled to Jesus is God, after all, who puts in us the desire to come to him. Does your fear about having reached the point of no return is really good proof that you have. If you want to live.

He will always receive you always. He will not cast out for any reason you come to him. However, furthermore, we should never give up on somebody, for whom are preying on the basis that we think the spirit of God is no longer striving with him. People tell me that before (also because obviously the spirit of God is no longer striving them if and when that happens to a person. We cannot know it. We do know is that the Bible is full of stories of God saving people who look to everybody else like they were beyond all hope.

The purpose of these warnings church. The purpose of these warnings is not to help us diagnose stubborn people so that we stop praying for them.

The purpose of these warnings is to help us feel the urgency of the situation so that we start doing so more persistently the only time we can ever conclude that God spirit is no longer striving for someone is when they are dead when they're dead you stop praying for him. Until then, we have the responsibility to pray and they had the opportunity to first let me tell you about this resource created exclusively for arsenic like listeners just like God was always there for the giant faith that we find in the Bible.

Our new study that you do the same. These challenges make us uncomfortable back instead of fearing then we can remember everything that Jesus has done this study includes 10 short session to help shout apply and pray through what you're learning here on the program and in your personal study of Hebrews Christ is better follows very closely with our on your teaching. This resource is a perfect companion to be theory programs. Reserve your copy today by calling 866-335-5220 or visit us online at JD Greer, now let's get back to the final minutes of our teaching today once again initially. I wonder if there's somebody here listening to me right now who is never come to Christ. You hear all these warnings you say I must what happened to me. I fell after being enlighten and now it's impossible for me to repent or you see the writers analogy about the rain. Traditionally thorns and thistles. And you think with a little old me. I heard the gospel not in repent, is the sole of my heart corrupt and fatally flawed is my heart fundamentally bad and I am savable the Bible, however, never, never, never tells us to try to diagnose the spiritual state of our anybody else's heart and it certainly does not have a sarong to speculate about the providences of God selecting degrees what it says to us, repent, repent, Hebrews 315. If you hear God's voice obey it today if you're listening to this right now the choice is still yours. You have the opportunity and the obligation right now to repent and if you obey it. God will save you the gospel message, listen the gospel message is that your heart is indeed fatally flawed. The soil of your heart is indeed corrupt, spiritually dead. To be exact.

But the good news of the gospel is that God makes Denhardt's new God takes parts of stone is equal 3626 and turns them in the hearts of flesh, he brings back life from the dead he transform sole pharisaical Jesus hating murder enemy number one of the early church in the Paul is greatest spokesman and advocate.

You can do that for you to use have to ask. So don't turn what the writer intended to be an encouragement don't turn with the writer intended to be an encouragement to repent into a discouragement from it is not trying to help you determine your election status is trying to communicate to you the seriousness of the gospel that you heard and urge you to obey it today.

Verse nine that we speak this way, beloved getting your case, we feel sure better things. Things that belong to salvation will make you fall away. Why we seem the evidence will God did in your heart for God is not so injustice overlook your work in the love that you show for his name and serving the saints as you still do. He saw so much for your fourth searcher for their lives love for God's name love for God's people is that I've seen the evidence that God has been working you watch and that evidence of how strongly God's been working you is my assurance that that work is going to continue on for the rest of your life, and that your faith is not the kind that will fade because of seeing how real it is, is in excess of the writer of Hebrews is saying is us all the power of God come into you. I saw the significance of the change and that is my assurance that it's going to go on forever because Philippians 16. I'm confident that you began to work in you will continue to the day of Jesus Christ is the faith that endures is the faith that saves I'm confident better things for a lot of because of seeing the evidence of your love for God and love for others. Verse 11 we desire each one of you now show the same artist as that of the full assurance of hope until the she would say, persevere, persevere. By persevering you prove that the salvation that took place and he was actually real. That's the irony of this whole thing by heeding the warning you show you have the hope, but not more you show the hope was never yours to begin with those you are genuinely saved what he'd warning them not all way that you are not able let you do what you will following you will not be saved. You cut the irony in all that if you heed the warning. It's because you have the hope they don't heed the warning. Could you never have the because the faith that saves is the faith that endures once you are truly saved you never lose it. What you're saying. You also never stopped following Jesus. So what did once saved always say, but also once saved forever.

Following when grew to one of my favorite theologians is like this.

Listen the perseverance of the saints means that all those who were truly born again will be By God's power and will persevere as Christians until the end of their lives, and that only those who persevere until the end have been truly born again or slightly less academic setting definition of faith that fizzled before the finish was flawed from the first when I first tried a phase that fizzled before the finish was flawed from the first. Now your question, I noticed some of you have struggles with sin 1.

I now like sometimes I fall back. Sometimes I struggle sometimes I doubt sometimes my faith grows cold. Does that mean I'm not saved.

Every Christian has time for the backslide in the slim well do it technical anytime you see in your your backsliding.

I do it dozens of times every day doesn't mean that you're not saved. So the question becomes this how long can you backslide before you conclude that your faith was never real how long what's was the magic number segments is that it five years, maybe 12 years and the soul.

Jesus was. We went to the temple that make that as evidence or for 33 years old was he doesn't tell you backslide.

Okay, we just don't know. We just don't know because the Bible never tells us there's no clear answer Bible never gives us a time limit. Like I mentioned a few minutes ago. Some of the greatest Bible heroes like David leader other people. They fell back in the sand for a pretty long time before God brought them back to their senses and on the other hand, there are others. The apostle John says he went out from us because they were not others.

The reason they fell away as prison were genuinely saved and would like the word of the work they want to see described quickly and faded away. So how do you know you tell me how you know what, for some people the life changing their conversion was so significant in their laps in the sand was so brief, but it's pretty obvious their conversion took place in the past and that this lapse in the sand was a temporary, backsliding that seems to be the case with the people.

The writer of Hebrews is addressing is obvious that you really were born again by curing this is a temporary lapse for other people. The opposite is true.

There was hardly any life change after their initial profession of faith. At some point they got reawakened of the gospel in a short understand about with their true conversion even though they technically pray the sinners prayer a long time ago.

The past we see this happen all the time in our church.

We people coming here so you not rub in place where the gospel and I made the initial response I got saved I was older confirm here whatever and then they come here for the first time.

If I can understand the gospel in my heart is awakening to it and I thought my faith really became real busy for Thursday was pretty obvious that this was the time of their conversion.

Not that time in the past but prayed some ritual prayer. So a lot of people, it's obviously the way but for a lot of you know the answers not really that obvious you're not sure if your reawakening of the gospel was simply repentance from it, backsliding was your true conversion to just don't know exactly what I conversion was help me.

I'll tell you at the end of the day doesn't matter when you were converted, vivid age matters that you are converted. Salvation is not praying a prayer.

Salvation is a posture of repentance and faith toward Jesus. Yes, it begins at a point but knowing that point is not essential right knowing when you were seated is helpful but knowing that you're seated now that's what's essential listen to me as a believer you will struggle with indwelling sample.

The rest of your life. But I know that because the greatest saints experience such bitter unsuccessful struggles with sin but it almost drove them to despair to love probably true words by him. Writer probably never been written that will move up cigarette here prone to wander, Lord, I feel it's prone to leave the God I love. Here's my heart Lord take and seal it, seal it for the courts of that kind of prayer that kind of struggle is evidence that God is really saved you because yes, you struggle with sin but the trajectory of your life is you fall but you get back up, looking for Jesus all payroll customer versus Proverbs 2416 Columbus, the righteous man of righteous man falls seven times and gets back up again.

The righteous man is not a man who never falls.

The righteous man falls seven times, get back up, get your belief in the gospel is demonstrated best by what you do when you fall your belief in the gospel is demonstrated not by the fact that you don't fall about what you do when you fall yes righteous people struggle with sin a lot and they say prone to water board. I feel it, but to get back on looking at Jesus. So the question for you right now is what's the present pastor of your heart, not you have a card in your Bible that was signed by your grandmother and tear stained by Billy Graham.

That's not the question.

Do you have a present posture surrender and trust in Christ finish work. This chair mentioned again right represents a back Jesus to pay for all your Sam thought that he is Lord you're in one of two positions in relation to that share only one right you were either seated and submission to his Lordship, or you are standing in defiance against him say that you're still gonna control your life, you're either seated in the belief that he is paid at all, and he's your full hope of heaven and you're sure that if he died. You go to heaven because he paid it all.

Or you are standing in the hope that you can be good enough to earn your own way to heaven. You can only be in one of those two categories in a matter what prayed in the past. Right now, are you seated in repentance and belief, or you standing in rebellion and unbelief.

You gotta be one of the other. So which are you, which are you the faith that saves the faith and endorse what is the present posture of your heart.

Surrender to Christ, or is there a part of you that you're holding back if you aren't sure where you're at with Jesus you have to wait another minute talk to God asking you to control and offer him your entire life and talk to someone at your local church said they can help keep you accountable help you grow. Be sure to check out all of the helpful resources@gecareer.com and when you team up with us by donating today. We'll say thanks by sending you our brand-new resource this month, the book of Hebrews takes us on a journey that compares and contrasts Jesus to key historical people in advance from the Bible through these comparisons we see superiority. This is why we named our newest Bible study, Christ is better.

It is a 10 session work that includes some helpful insight and deeper reflection questions meant to give greater understanding deep in your faith for your copy today when he began by calling 866335 228-335-5224 you can give online@jdgreer.com now you're there you can also browse God covers topics about real life issues with wisdom straight from God's word and when you subscribe to our email list your blog posts straight to your inbox. JD clear.com hi Molly that's encouraging you to join us Friday is our message. Jewish holiday for you right here on my