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2nd Timothy chapter 2, I'll begin
reading in verse number 8. Remember that Jesus Christ of
the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my
gospel wherein I suffer trouble as an evildoer even into bonds
but the word of God is not bound therefore I endure all things
for the elect's sakes that they may also obtain the salvation
which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. It is a faithful
saying, for if we be dead with him we shall also live with him. If we suffer we shall also reign
with him. If we deny him he also deny us. If we believe not, yet he abideth
faithful, he cannot deny himself. So tonight we're looking at this,
this is the topic of the lesson within this theme of Finish Strong,
Don't Get Over Your Salvation. I want to say some things I think
that are important to understand in our Christian life in general
and then as introduction and foundation to this particular
lesson. There's an old statement, I'm sure you've heard it, it
goes like this, you stay successful the way you got successful. A
lot of times people get successful and then they start failing because
they forget how they got successful, the foundational things. When
you quit doing the things that made you strong in the Lord,
now we're applying this now in a spiritual way, when you quit
doing the things that made you strong in the Lord, then you
will stop being strong in the Lord. So you did these things,
these things allowed you to be strong, and then later in our
Christian life we stopped doing those things, and then can't
figure out why didn't we finish strong? Because you stopped doing
the things that got you strong to start with. Now notice a couple
things, we don't always give you some things right in introduction,
this time we will. Notice this, our entrance into
the Christian life occurred when we put our faith in Christ alone
as our Savior. That's pretty, I think, basic.
Hopefully that's not news to a Wednesday night crowd. How'd
you get saved? You put your faith in Christ.
That began you in the Christian life. That's how you became successful
to start with. Did you earn your salvation? No! Wait, let me worry there
for a moment. Did you earn your salvation?
No. Did you inherit your salvation?
No. Was it given to you by someone
else? I mean, some other human being? No. Could you pray to
the saints to get it? Could you pray to Mary to get
it? Who's the only one who gave you salvation? Jesus. God. He's the only one. So we
went to Him. That's how we gained our salvation.
So our entrance into the Christian life is when we put our faith
in Christ alone as our Savior. Now, why is that important? All
other truths that follow our salvation are based on the truth
of our salvation. This is probably one of the things
that trips people up. They get saved based on certain
understanding of Scripture, and then they want to walk away from
that, and then, like, those, like, okay, well, that's got
me saved, now what's going to grow me? The same thing that
got you saved. Grace and faith. We don't deserve
to be saved, and you don't deserve for God to work you into life
and to make you like Christ. He does it out of His grace,
and we do it by putting our faith in Him. Faith is not simply a
mental hoping, but it is an acknowledging of what the Bible says, and then
aligning our actions, believing that God will keep His words.
So all of the truths that follow our salvation are based on the
truth of our salvation. This is why it's important for
people to have a strong understanding of salvation. weak understanding
of salvation produces weak understanding of sanctification. When people
don't understand what got them saved, they're going to have
a hard time understanding how they grow as a believer. So those
things are important. That's why if you're witnessing
someone, I don't necessarily think you've got to take hours
and hours, but don't just try to rush to it and just say, okay,
you want to get saved, just say this prayer. You need to give them some understanding
of what it means to get saved. First of all, because that's
probably important to get saved, but also it helps them as they
go forward in their Christian life. Salvation is the foundation
upon which all of the truths of the Christian life are built
upon. just as a spoiler alert that's
really that verse that statement right there you're going to see
in the next and I'm not teaching next Wednesday. I will be leaving
town on Monday and coming back on Friday. So Wednesday night
Brother Mailey will be a week from tonight Brother Mailey will
be preaching in the following Sunday morning and Sunday night
he'll be preaching. And so if your garden is already
done with it and you got all your tomatoes out, just letting
you know, you might have a reason to use them. So salvation is
that foundation. So that's what's going to, the
next lesson I teach is we're gonna come full circle and talk
about that again as we connect some more dots to that. But understand,
this concept, okay, I don't think we consider enough. We just say,
okay, yeah, I got saved, and then we try to move on, not really
thinking about how important this concept is. So hold your
place there. Let's look at some verse, and
we're going to look at quite a bit of verses this evening. 1 Corinthians. because this also
sets us up for the next lesson. 1 Corinthians 3, which we won't
see as many verses, we'll do probably more applying some of
these verses in the next lesson. 1 Corinthians 3, look with me
at verse 10. And we'll go down to verse 14.
According to the grace of God which is given unto me as a wise
master builder, I have laid the foundation and another buildeth
thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
Now what is this foundation? Verse 11. For other foundation
can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. He's the
foundation of our salvation. This understanding of the gospel,
who Christ is, getting saved, so forth and so on. Now if any
man build upon this foundation, this foundation of our salvation,
Jesus Christ, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble, these
are the different ways you can build, good, bad. Every man's
work shall be made manifest, for the day shall declare it,
because it shall be revealed by fire. This is the judgment
seat of Christ. And the fire shall try every man's work of
what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he has built
thereupon, he shall receive a reward. So salvation is that foundation
which all the other truths of the Christian life are built
upon. Thus, then, to finish strong requires us to be reminded about
the truths concerning our salvation, and then renewing our commitment
to these truths. It's not that you get saved again,
then saved again, saved again. I'm not saying that. I'm saying
is we understand the truths of salvation, and then as we go
forward, we don't just walk away from that. We carry those truths
with us and add to them, because that's the foundation. So these
truths of salvation is the foundation. Without these reminders, if we
don't purposely remind ourselves of these truths, it's easy to
let these truths slip away and then endanger our commitment
to living for the Lord and to finish strong. These are the
truths we cannot let slip away. Grace and faith and all the things
that work around it to our salvation. Look at another verse, Hebrews
2. Hebrews 2, look at verse 1. Therefore
we ought to give them more earnest heed to the things which we have
heard, lest at any time we should let them slip, just slip away,
just drift away. That's the idea, like a boat
being taken away by the current or by the tide because it's not
anchored down, it just kind of floats away. For the word spoken
by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience
received a just recompense or reward. How shall we escape if
we neglect so great salvation? Partially that means if you don't
get saved, but I think mostly the way Hebrews is written, it
means if you do not take heed, that's what it says in verse
one, therefore we have to give them more earnest heed. If we don't
take heed of our salvation, what it means, what it requires of
us, and building upon it. I think that's the more focus
of that verse. How shall we escape if we neglect
so great salvation, which at the first began to be spoken
by the Lord and was confirmed to us by them that heard him?
And so our salvation is that foundation which all these other
truths are built upon. Now, with all of that in mind,
by way of introduction of foundation, I want to give you five things
to consider about not forgetting. Don't get over your salvation.
Don't get beyond your salvation. I'm glad when we have our Wednesday
night prayer time that Brother Maley always takes time and emphasizes
how we should be praising the Lord for our salvation. Because
the truth is, we should be. It should be an amazing thing
every day. When you first got saved, and
depending on your own testimony, maybe you're young and it didn't
all make sense at first, but when you got to that point, when
you understood what it meant to be born again, saved from
your sin, headed for heaven, saved from hell, and you said,
man this is wonderful! The thing is, every day we should
feel the same way, if we think about it. Are you saved today
like you were yesterday? Aren't you glad? Let me ask you,
how much sin have you done since you got saved? But yet you're
still saved. Because it's not your works,
it's His work that saves us. So these things should excite
us. And then we build upon it, that's how we grow. That's the
process of sanctification. So what do we want to consider?
Well, let's go back now to our text, 2 Timothy chapter two. And I would suggest to you, and
this is kind of the proposition I'm making, if I use a sermonic
or homiletical term, the proposition I'm making to you is that the
more we understand, the more we think about, the more we consider
our salvation, and then building upon it, the more apt we are
to finish strong in our Christian life. So, 2 Timothy chapter 2,
verse 8. Let's look at our first consideration.
Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised
from the dead according to my gospel." He was raised from the
dead. You ever consider what that means?
Let me ask you, how dead was Jesus? Was he dead-dead or just
kind of dead? He was dead-dead, wasn't he?
Mostly dead-dead. I know the show. He was dead-dead. He was like when on Star Trek
and they would say, he's dead, Jim. He was dead-dead. Well,
when he came back to life, how alive was he? Was he kind of
alive or alive-alive? He went from dead-dead to alive-alive. By whose power? By the Father's
power, that is true. Who else? The Holy Spirit! Yep,
he raised him. Who else? He raised himself by
his own power. Because whatever the Father does,
the Holy Spirit does, the Son does. They're three in one. So
here begins our first consideration. Number one is this, salvation
reveals the power of God to accomplish His will in our lives. When we
think about our salvation and what it meant for Jesus Christ
to raise Himself from the dead, the power that He exhibited there,
we ought to realize that's the power at work in our lives. God may not work in my, sorry,
let me just read actually what I wrote down, not what I'm skipping
ahead. This same power that worked in us at salvation continues
to work in us so that we can finish strong for the Lord. We
should never forget what that salvation accomplished. Jesus
was able to raise himself from the grave. And that same power
now is working in us. Sometimes you say, I don't know.
I don't know how God can. Let me ask you, how can God raise
himself from the dead? by His own power. And that's
the power that is at work in your life. That's why you can
live for Jesus. That's why you can do God's will. That's why
you can be faithful. That's why you can finish strong.
Because it's not my, did my power save me? No. Did your power save
you? No. His power saved you. His
power saved me. And His power is still at work
in our lives. That's why we consider our salvation
and realize this. Go with me to 1 Corinthians 15.
1 Corinthians 15 and look with me down at verse
21. 1 Corinthians 15 verse 21. These are somewhat lengthy passages
we're going to be reading just so we get the whole concept and
context of what's being said in them. First Corinthians 15
verse 21, For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection
of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even
so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man his own
order, Christ at first roots, afterward they that are Christ's
at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he
shall have delivered up the kingdom of God, even the Father, when
he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
For he must reign till he has put all enemies under his feet.
The last enemy that should be destroyed is death. For he hath
put all things under his feet, but when he saith all things
are put under him, it is manifest that he is accepted which did
put all things under him. And when all things shall be
subdued in him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto
him, and that put all things under him, that God may be all
in all. Else, what shall they do which
are baptized for the dead? If the dead rise not at all,
why are they then baptized for the dead? And he's making this
argument, which I'm not going to get into all the length of the
argument he's making, but he's saying that this is the power of God. He's
able to accomplish everything, because the same power that was
working him, that raised him from the dead, is the same power
that he is going to use to accomplish his will. So this same power
that worked in us at salvation continues to work in us so that
we can finish strong for the Lord. We're not done yet, Romans
8. Again, same argument being made
in another different passage. Now my hope is, as we read these
verses, when you get discouraged, because if you're going to do
the Christian life right, you need to finish strong. It does
no good to live for Jesus ten years, and then quit, and then
flounder the rest of your Christian life. You need to finish strong
in your Christian life. But there's going to come to
a time when you're going to say, I can't, it's impossible, I'm at a point
where I can't get beyond it. And that all may be true, but
it's not your power, it's His power working in you that accomplishes
that. So we get to a point where I
can't, you haven't got, okay, when you get to the end of what
you can do, you've not gotten to the end of what God can do.
He can still do what needs to be done in your life so you can
finish strong. Romans 8, verse 8. So then they that are in the
flesh cannot please God. It is not our power, our flesh.
But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that
the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit
of Christ, he is not of his. Either you're saved and have
the Spirit of God. If you don't have the Spirit
of God, you're not saved. And if Christ be in you, the body
is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead
dwell in you, Okay, now he's going to look at the power of
the Spirit raising him from the dead. But the Spirit of him that
raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you. He that raised
up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies
by his Spirit that dwells in you. Therefore, brethren, we
are debtors not to the flesh who live after the flesh, for
if you live after the flesh you shall die, but if you live, sorry,
but if you through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body,
you shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God,
they are the sons of God. For you have not received the
Spirit of bondage again to fear, but you have received the spirit
of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself
bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God,
and if children, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs
with Christ. If so be that we suffer with them, that we may
also be also glorified together." So God, the Holy Spirit's working
in us, we got him at salvation, he's working in us, and continues
to work in us. So when you struggle in your
Christian life, remember that the hardest work has already
been accomplished. So when you get to a point, you
say, I don't know how I'm going to live for Jesus. I had this
struggle with this sin, or struggle with this problem, or struggle
with this person. The hardest work to be accomplished was your
salvation. Everything else is a piece of
cake. Just like, how hard was it to raise someone who's dead
three days and three nights? Humanly, it's impossible. With
God, all things are possible. So whatever you're going through,
you say, this is too hard. There's nothing harder than saving
the soul of a sinful man. That's the hardest work, and
God's already done that for you. And so, when you're struggling
in your Christian life, remember that the hardest work has already
been accomplished. And that same power can finish the work of
your salvation, which is now your sanctification. That's the
finishing of your salvation. Philippians chapter 1. Flip in chapter 1. Look with me at verse 6. Being confident, I like that,
being confident of this very thing. What? That He, which has
begun a good work in you, that's your salvation, will perform
it, complete it, bring it to completion until the day of Jesus
Christ. That's the confidence, that's
the faith. My faith isn't I can, my faith
is He can. He's promised and I live based
on what God has promised, not what I understand or can figure
out or I can do, but what He has promised He can do. 1 Peter
chapter 1. 1 Peter chapter 1. So salvation reveals the power
of God to accomplish His will in our lives. So we consider,
we don't get over our salvation, we consider our salvation. That
power that was at work to save my soul is still at work to sanctify
me and make me like Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1, look with me at verse
3. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy
has begotten us again into a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus
Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled,
and that fate is not a way reserved in heaven for you, who are kept
Now, these are believers who are kept by the power of God
through faith unto salvation, ready revealed in the last time.
Now, unto salvation, that is not salvation from our sins.
I don't want to re-teach past Bible studies, but just so you
know, we talked about Salvation, as far as saving from the penalty
of sin, this is now what we would call sanctification. It's saving
us from the—that was the penalty of sin. Now we're fighting against
the power of sin, so God saves us from the power of sin. Eventually
we're going to be saved from the very presence of sin. That's
glorification that's in heaven. He's talking about sanctification
here. who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation,
ready to be revealed no last time. Wherein ye greatly rejoice,
though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through
manifold temptations, that the trial of your faith be much more
precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire,
might be found in praise and honor and glory at the appearing
of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen, you love, and whom
though now you see him not, yet believing, you rejoice with joy
unspeakable and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith,
even the salvation of your souls." That's, again, what he's talking
about is sanctification, that power, victory over the power
of sin, and eventually the glorification, the absence of sin itself, the
removing of sin itself. So salvation reveals the power
of God to accomplish His will in our lives. That's the first
lesson. Okay, second lesson. Looking at salvation, understanding
how it helps us to finish strong. One is we think about the power
of God at work. 2 Peter chapter 2. What's the
second thing? Okay, so we're looking at five.
Number one, we consider our salvation. We don't want to get over it
because that power at work is still at work in my life. What
else? Verse 9. wherein I suffer trouble as an
evildoer, even in the bonds. But notice what he says next,
but the word of God is not bound. I'm in bondage, and he's writing
this from prison. He's literally in bondage, but
he says this, but God's word is not bound. In other words,
what God can do with me is not bound. They may put chains on
me, but they can't put chains on God. God can still work in
this situation. That brings us to number two.
Salvation reminds us that God is not limited in what He can
do. Now if we took time, we've done this before on Wednesday
nights, we haven't done it for a few years, but we've gone through,
remember when we did this when we went through different testimonies,
different people got and gave their testimony, we kind of just
part of the prayer time there. And if you remember, everyone
who's truly born again is truly born again the same way. You
came to an understanding of your sinful state, you're headed for
hell, Rightfully so. You looked at your sins not as
something that was just a problem, but it was sending you to hell.
You repented of it. You said, Lord, I'm a sinful
being. I deserve hell, but I know you died for me and come in my
heart and save me. So some form of that is what
happened. But then what brought you to
that was different. Remember the testimony of Paul
Becker? You know, the guy holding up
the sign, something about you've got to be born again, or I don't
know, all runners are going to hell if they don't get saved,
whatever that sign said. And it clicked in Paul's mind. He said, you know, what does
it mean? He's not here to give his testimony, so I'm doing the
best I can. So he just said, you know, and
the guy witnessed him, and he got saved right there. Well,
that wasn't your testimony. That was his testimony. You have
your own testimony. But here's what happened. God
worked to bring you to that understanding. Either he brought someone in
your path, he brought you maybe in a church service, or somehow
he connected you, he broke you, he humbled you, he did something. Everyone gets saved the same
way, that's through the gospel. But the events that bring us
to that point can be unique. And God is not limited by what
he can do to bring someone to that. Some people can be like,
yep, God would never humble me. Don't challenge God, because
God may rise to the occasion. And so God has ways of working.
So salvation reminds us that God is not limited in what He
can do. God is an amazing God. He invents ways to get your intention. Some people are like, nothing
God could do would ever change me. You know, you might be surprised. And here's what we tend to do.
Well, what they went through I could handle. But God may not
give you what they went through. He's gonna give you something
totally different. He's a very inventive God. So salvation reminds
us that God is not limited in what He can do. Now how does
this apply to verse nine? We'll give you a moment, I'll
hopefully make the connection. God may not work in my life because
of my own lack of faith. That's one of the limitations
of the Lord. Not because He's weak, but because
He has limited Himself. your lack of faith, God says,
well, I'm not going to work then. Not that I can't, but he won't.
He himself has limited himself. We see that in the children of
Israel. He wanted to do so much more, and he didn't because they
wouldn't exercise faith. We're reminded of that in Romans,
I believe. So God may not work in my life
because of my own lack of faith, but here's what we need to understand.
He can work in my life despite the lack of faith of others.
Just because I live in 2024 and in 2024 no one loves Jesus, everyone's
a heathen. Okay, that's not true, but that's
kind of how we approach it. Our nations, which it seems to
be from appearance, our nation seems to be trending away from
God. Would you kind of agree with that? I don't think we're
in a state of revival right now. And we could say, well, how can
God work in my life? Look at the nation I live in.
Their lack of faith doesn't stop God. Only your lack of faith.
As long as you are seeking the Lord, God can work in our lives.
So salvation reminds us that God is not limited in what he
can do. He has ways to accomplish what he needs to accomplish.
Men, now watch this, men may limit us But they cannot limit
what God can do in us through His power. Even if they come in and shut
down this church and arrest all of us, it doesn't stop what God
can do. Because here's what we think.
We think the only way that God can work is if everything goes
our way. Sometimes when nothing goes our way is when God works
the best. Because it's not us, it's Him.
We give lip services, it's not me, it's Him. But when He does
it without us, we're like, oh, how can it happen because I'm
not involved? Because it's not us, it's Him. Now I'll give you
an example, biblically, about this here in a second. In fact,
understand this, God can use the very attempts against us
as the means to work in us and accomplish His will. You say, well, I work at a job,
and in my job, no one's saved, they all hate God. But that doesn't
stop you from being a good testimony there. Maybe in your family,
you feel like you're the only one who's trying to live for
Jesus. You say, well, no one else cares. Okay, but it doesn't
stop God. In fact, sometimes the very things
that people are throwing against us to stop us, God grabs hold
of and uses it to accomplish what He wants to accomplish. Consider this. Now we could use
several examples about this. We could think about Esther and
Haman. Remember Haman is going to hang
Mordecai and the only one who got hanged was Haman. Now we
can think of several occasions about this, but I am going to
stick with Paul since he is the one teaching this. In Paul's
previous arrest, not this particular one in the Mammothine prison,
but in the previous one at the end of Acts, the book of Acts,
when he's arrested there in Rome, that first arrest. In Paul's
previous rest, his bondage did not stop God working. It actually
provided an opportunity that only the bondage would provide.
How do you bring the gospel into Caesar's household? I mean, it's
kind of a closed community. You don't just kind of, you know,
I'm here to witness to Caesar. It doesn't work that way. How
do you get into Caesar's household and witness them and bring the
gospel really into the very throne room of Satan there? You do it
by getting arrested wrongfully, being treated unfairly. But the
Word of God is not bound. So Paul says, they may put me
in bondage. They can't put the Word of God
in bondage. Nothing stops what God can do when we yield and
let the Lord work. Let me show you what I mean.
Go with me to Philippians 1. Philippians 1, verse number 12. But I would ye should understand,
brethren, that the things which happen in me have fallen out
rather into the furtherance of the gospel. Now he's writing
this from prison. This is his first arrest. And
many of the brethren of the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds,
are much more... Sorry, verse 13. I skipped a
whole verse. Verse 13. So that my bonds in Christ are
manifest in all the palace and in all other places. The palace,
that would be Caesar's place. And many of the brethren of the
Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to
speak the word without fear. Again, he's talking more. We're
going to just stop there. Go with me to chapter 4, verse 21. Salute every saint in Christ
Jesus. The brethren which are with me greet you." So again
he's writing from jail and saying to this Philippian church, the
believers who are with me are sending you greetings. What are
these believers? Verse 22, all the saints salute
you, chiefly they that are Caesar's household. Satan thought he had
the victory. He puts Paul in jail. God says,
that's exactly where I want him. Now he can get the gospel right
to Satan's stronghold. What I'm saying is God's Word
is not bound. Just like God used circumstances and events that
maybe you would never imagine to bring you to himself at salvation. God can use similar circumstances
and events to enable us to finish strong. You may say, there's
no way I can finish strong for the Lord. The Lord can do whatever
the Lord needs to enable you to finish strong when we submit
and live for Him. Number three. Back now to 2 Timothy
again. In chapter 2, verse 10. So, it
reveals His power, it reveals that nothing stops Him from getting
done what He needs to get done. What else is this, don't get
over our salvation, remembering our salvation, what it means
in our sanctification, finishing strong for the Lord. Well, verse
10, Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they
may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with
eternal glory. Number three, salvation encourages
us to be faithful like those who witnessed to us were faithful. What do I mean by that? Go with
me to Acts 22. Acts 22. Now you're turning there so you
already know the answer to the question I'm going to ask you anyways. What Christian do you think may
have had a major impact on Paul's salvation. Stephen. Now he didn't get saved there,
but it made an impact on him. Now we know that from Acts 22,
because we know he's there at least. Verse 19, and I said, Lord, now he's He's
talking, this is later in his ministry, so he's reflecting
back, okay? So he's reflecting back on what
had happened, and now it brings us to that part of his testimony
he's giving. And I said, Lord, they know that
I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed
on thee. And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed,
I also was standing by and consenting to his death and kept the raiment
of them that slew him. Paul never forgot about the martyrdom
that Stephen endured. He also understands this, that
the reason that the Word of God was able to be spread was because
these early believers endured persecution. Paul's persecution. Paul went and basically said,
you change, you give up, you turn from Christ, or you're done
for. And they wouldn't. They stayed faithful. They kept
staying faithful. And Paul understands, here I am today as a saved person
because these people endured. They endured what I did to them.
They put up with the persecution. They stayed faithful. Even as
son to death, they stayed faithful. So I, therefore, need to endure
just like they endured. Someone witnessed to me, and
I need to endure so I can witness to someone. So we think about
our salvation. What was it that brought our
salvation? It was people enduring, people who finished strong, people
who lived for the Lord. So, therefore, I must do the
same, because that's how I got saved through the human instrumentality
of that. So since God uses human instrumentality,
so if you're saved tonight, someone played a part in it. I know all
glory and honor and praise goes to the Lord. You couldn't have
got saved apart from the Lord, you can't get saved in addition
to the Lord, it's the Lord and the Lord only, but God uses people.
Someone witnessed to you, whether it's a family member, a preacher,
a soul winner, someone gave you the gospel. And so just like
God used human instrumentality in your life, Every believer
is not only indebted to God for his salvation, but also the faithfulness
of the one who brought him the gospel. That Saturday morning,
knocking on the door while I'm watching Bugs Bunny and my mom's
answering the door, led me to where I'm in today. What if those
two ladies, one being the pastor's wife, what if those two ladies
got to where, because they're coming down, well they might
have been going up, I don't know, I didn't really watch which way they came.
It's a hill, they're either going up or down, I can tell you that.
So I'm on the side of the hill, whole bunch of trailers going
this way, whole bunch of trailers going this way, in the trailer park, and
then it goes around more, whatever. And so, let's say they're going
up, and they're walking up the hill. What if they got halfway
up the hill, and they're like, man, it's a Saturday, it's hot,
it's hill, we're tired, what if that was my door that was
the next one, and they said, nah. We've done enough for tonight. As far as I know, they never
came back to Berthiel and locked the doors again. I'm glad they went at
least to one more door, which is my door. So when I'm tempted
not to endure and tempted to give up and quit, I've got to
say, wait a minute, they didn't quit. I shouldn't quit. So that remembrance, when I consider
how God used people in my own salvation, encourages me to stay
faithful as well. The response to that debt should
be our own faithfulness and endurance that causes us to finish strong. Romans 1. Romans 1. I told you I have a
lot of verses. I'm tempted to skip some, but
I'm not because a lot of this is foundational to the next lesson. At least in my mind it is. Romans
1 verse 8. First, I thank my God through
Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout
the whole world. For God is my witness, whom I
serve with my spirit in the gospel of the Son, that without ceasing
I may mention you always in my prayers, making a request that
if by any means not linked, I might have a prosperous journey by
the will of God to come unto you. For I long to see you, that
I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established.
That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual
faith both of you and me. Now I would not have you ignorant,
brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, but was let
hitherto." Now the word let is used different there. We means
allow. The old definition actually means to disallow or to hinder.
So when he says, but was let hitherto, was hindered, was not
allowed to happen, something stopped him from doing it. So
he could, but even though he wanted, he couldn't, but he kept
pushing that way. That I might have some fruit
among you also even as among other Gentiles. I am debtor,
this is why I keep pushing, this is why I keep enduring, I am
debtor, both to the Greeks and to the barbarians, both to the
wise and the unwise, so as much as in me. I'm ready to preach
a gospel to you that are in Rome also. He had this understanding
that I have a debt. They did their job, I need to
do my job. So salvation encourages us to
be faithful like those who witnessed to us were faithful. Again, back
to 2 Timothy 2. What else does this, considering
our salvation, not getting over our salvation, helps us to finish
strong? Well, verse 11 and verse 12 is
what we'll look at. It is a faithful saying, for
if we be dead with Him, we shall also live with Him. If we suffer,
we shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He will also
deny us. Now all of those are statements
basically saying, this is what God has promised, and this is
the result of that. For if we are dead with Him,
we shall live with Him. So we die to ourselves, we live
unto Christ. If we suffer, we shall also reign.
There's a crown that is earned through suffering for him. There's
a crown that we want. If we deny him, that would now be kind of
the negative. He would deny us, not necessarily that we lose
our salvation, the way he's talking about, but there's a lack of
him working our life and talks about the judgment seat of Christ
and so forth. Again, a lot of things being
taught. We're trying to stick to the main theme here. So what
does this teach us? Number four consideration. Salvation
opens to us all the other promises of God. How did you get saved? God made a promise, and you took
Him up on it. For whosoever shall call upon
the name of the Lord shall be saved. The Bible said it, you accepted
it, acted upon it. That's faith, and God kept His
part. He saved your soul. That's exactly
how we go forward in our Christian life. The same faith in what
God has promised God will do. It's an interesting thing. We
get to a point in our Christian life where we're like, I don't
know, God will or not. Did He promise? You're trusting, now
watch, you're trusting the Word of God to save your soul for
eternity. But you struggle with God taking
care of you today. That doesn't really, that's not
reasonable. That's fear. That's not faith. Faith says
God promised it and that's what I'm going to build my life on.
I don't always know how it's going to be. I just know God
has said it. That's the confidence I have. That's what I build my
faith on. Our salvation was received because we placed our faith in
the promise of God concerning salvation. That faith then opened
to us all the other promises of God as we continue to exercise
that same faith. Ephesians 2. Another reason to show you these
verses, I don't want you to believe it just because I'm up here saying
it. It's got to be scripture tied to it. Ephesians 2 verse
11. Ephesians 2 verse 11, In other
words, you weren't the Jewish people. No one thought you had
any hope, but yet the gospel came to you. that at that time ye were without
Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers
from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God
in the world. But now, in Christ Jesus, ye
who sometimes were far off are now made nigh by the blood of
Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath
broken down the middle wall of partition between us." This is
what God had promised. It's an Old Testament promise
about being enlightened to the Gentiles, and it's being fulfilled
now in Paul's time. having abolished in his flesh
the enmity even the law of commandments contained in ordinances for to
make in himself of twain one new man so making peace that
and that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross
having slain the enmity thereby and came and preached peace to
you which were far off and to them that were nigh for through
him we both have access by one spirit into the father Now, therefore,
because of the promise of salvation, now we're just like the Jewish
people. We have the God in heaven like
they did. We have access to God like they
did. Now, therefore, you are no more
strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints
and of the household of God and are built upon the foundation
of the apostles and prophets, just like the Jewish people are,
Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone in whom all
the building fitly framed together grow unto a holy temple in the
Lord in whom ye also are building together for an habitation of
God through the Spirit." Do you ever consider who we are as Gentiles?
We're the wild grapes grafted in. We look in the Old Testament,
we think about Abraham, we think about Moses, those are Jewish
people. But yet we attach ourselves to
them because we are now, as Gentile people, engrafted in by the promises
of God, and we accept the promises even of the Old Testament as
ours because of the promise of salvation. So the promise of
salvation opens into us all these other great promises that God
has made. We do not receive from God because
we are worthy, but because we are His, and we have faith in
what He has promised. 2 Peter 1, verse 1. Simon Peter, a servant and apostle
of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith
with us through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ.
Grace and peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge
of God and of Jesus our Lord, according as his divine power
is given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.
This would now be the sanctification. Through the knowledge of him
that has called us to glory and virtue, whereby given to us exceeding
great and precious promises. That by these, these promises,
you might be partakers of the divine nature. That's how we
be like Christ. That's how we finish strong.
The promises of God. Having escaped the corruption
that is in the world through lust, and beside this giving
all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,
to knowledge temperance, to temperance patience, to patience godliness,
to godliness brotherly kindness, to brotherly kindness charity.
This is all that growth process. For if these things be in you
and abound, they make you that you shall neither be barren nor
unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. You'll
be a mature believer, finishing strong. But he that lacketh these
things is blind and cannot see afar, and hath, watch, forgotten
that he was purged from his old sins." You forgot about God's
great promises. Wherefore the rather, brethren,
give diligence to make your calling and election sure. For if you
do these things, you shall never fall. You will finish strong."
So we can finish strong because we know that it is Christ in
us that makes us worthy, and not our own works. These are
the promises of God that we hold on to. Just like the promise
of salvation wasn't us, it was in Him, so the promise of Him
meeting our needs, and growing us, and maturing us, and enabling
us to finish strong are the promises of God. When he can do it with
salvation, he can do it with sanctification. Fifth and the last consideration,
2 Timothy. All these things as we reflect
on salvation and then add to it now this idea of finishing
strong, sanctification. 2 Peter chapter 2. If we believe not, Yet, He abideth
faithful. He cannot deny Himself. So what
if we don't? What if we don't trust Him? What
if we don't have faith in Him? What if we get away from this?
It doesn't change who He is. You don't change who God is.
You walk away from God, God is no less. You lose, not God. Brings us to our fifth consideration.
Salvation brings us to the understanding that God is sovereign. And we
must submit to Him. There is no compromise in this.
There is no, I give a little, God gives a little. We'll kind
of meet in the middle. There's no middle. God never moves. As soon as God changed, He no
longer be God. He's immutable. There's no changing. I'm the
same yesterday, today, forever. I'm the Lord, I change not. Therefore
you sons of Jacob are not consumed. God does not change. So we understand
He's sovereign, therefore we submit to Him. All that God has
planned and purpose will be accomplished. Everything that God has planned
and purpose will be accomplished. Now we don't always understand
how He's going to do all things, but He will do all things. He will
do exactly what He's planned and purpose to do. Watch this. What if Kamala, Kamala, Kamilia,
whatever, whatever. I know they get all upset when
you don't say it right. I don't, whatever. Kamala. I know that's not right. What if the Vice President, Vice
President Harris, wins the election? Can that stop what God is doing?
No. What if our nation goes full-blown
socialist? Well, it may not have far to
go to get there. It doesn't stop what God is doing. I don't know,
I said, I don't always know what God is doing. I don't know what
God is doing. Neither do you. That's why you submit. See, what
we think is this, we think we need to get, okay, God's driving,
I'll get in the passenger side, I'll get my phone out, get the
GPS, and I'll tell God which way to turn. God doesn't need
your help. Best thing for you to do is open
the trunk, get in the trunk, shut the trunk, and wait until
you get where God wants you to be and get out of the trunk and
do what God tells you to do. Just submit. Okay, God is sovereign. Just like God is sovereign in
your salvation, He's sovereign in your sanctification. Did you
help God to save you? Nope. You didn't help God a bit. He did it all on His own. All
you had to do was submit and accept Him as Savior. Just like
we can never change God's plan of salvation and have to be saved
His way. Some people, I'm not Calvinist
in any way, shape, or form, but I understand God is sovereign.
And God is only going to save you the way He has planned to
save you, which is by His grace. It's through Christ and Christ
alone. People say, well, what does it mean that we're elected?
That means God has chosen the only way of salvation that's
through Jesus Christ. And we can say, well, there is no other
way. Well, if God wanted another way, He could have made another way.
He didn't make another way. He made one way, and that's through Jesus
Christ. If you're going to get saved, that's the way you're
going to get saved. You can be as sincere as you want. You will die and be sincerely
in hell unless you come through Jesus Christ. So Christ is the
only way because that's how God is decided. And just like we
can't change God's plan of salvation, so too we can never change God's
plan for our lives and must serve Him the way He wants to be served.
Just like I couldn't do anything to change the plan of salvation,
I can't do anything to change God's will for my life. It is
what God wants. I must submit to it. I can sit
there and stomp my feet, and I don't like it. It doesn't matter
if you like it or not. It's God's will for your life.
You submit and you do what He's told you to do. And it may not always be fair
in your eyes. It may not always be the way
you want it. There are things that God brings in people's lives
that are very harsh, very hurtful. But God allows it because it's
His will. I don't know why. I don't think He gets kicks. I don't think He gets His thrill
from us suffering. But sometimes it's our suffering
that glorifies Him. Because He uses it in ways we
don't understand. So we have to be faithful even in the difficult
times. The only way a person goes to heaven is to do it God's
way. And the only way a person finishes strong is to do it God's
way. God will never change his word
to fit you or to fit me. To do so would be to deny himself. And the Bible says in verse 13,
he cannot deny himself. God never does that. So when I think about salvation
and the sovereignty of God, it had to be exactly what God said
through Christ and Christ alone. I couldn't change it one iota.
So too is my sanctification. I've got to do it God's way.
God's not going to meet me halfway. Well, Lord, I'll do it this way
if you can do some things I want. That's not the way it works.
You throw yourself at the altar. That's Romans 12, 1 and 2. You
just surrender your life to Him. You submit to Him, just like you
did to salvation. Lord, I'm tired of trying to save myself. Please save me.
And when you get into sanctification, Lord, I'm trying to run my own
life. Lord, you run it. You control it. It's the same thing. So salvation brings us to this
understanding that God is sovereign and we must submit to Him. I'll
give you three final thoughts and we're done. The cross is
the beginning of the Christian life, but is also the continuance
of it. What does that mean? Those who
want to follow Christ must bear the cross as they follow. In other words, the cross is
to go with them. Jesus says, you want to follow me? You've
got to bear your cross and come after me. That means the cross
I'm carrying with me throughout my Christian life. It's not just
I go to the cross and get saved, toss the cross to the side, here
I go! No, I bring the cross. In other
words, the doctrines of salvation continue to work in my life even
after I'm saved because that's how I build into my sanctification. These doctrines that we're talking
about, these understandings we're talking about. And here's the
last statement. When we get away from the cross,
we are in danger of not finishing strong. That's why we got to
remember what happened at salvation. Don't get over your salvation. All right, that is our lesson
for tonight. Somewhere along the line, I trust
the Lord has spoke to your heart. Let's pray. Ask the Lord's blessing
and we'll be dismissed. Father, we are thankful for our
salvation. We make that a part of our
Don’t Get Over Your Salvation
Series Finish Strong
| Sermon ID | 102424022515821 |
| Duration | 51:23 |
| Date | |
| Category | Midweek Service |
| Language | English |
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