🎵Music🎵
Alright, well we're there in 1 Peter chapter number 3, I'm sorry chapter number 1.
I want you to look down at verse number 3 here in a second.
But before I start I need to clear the air with a couple of things.
First of all, Pastor Anderson gave me some of his time.
Alright, so I'm going to go until about 8, a little bit before 8, so don't be looking at the clock.
We figured that out, alright.
The other thing, just to clear the air, just so you're not distracted.
Alright, 5 foot 4, okay.
You don't have to spend the entire night wondering, you know.
I'll just let you know and then that way we can just, you know.
Some of you are tall, good for you, alright.
So was Saul, you know, and Goliath, so good.
Alright, 1 Peter chapter 1, are you there?
Look down at verse number 3, notice what the Bible says.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
Tonight I am preaching on the subject of eternal security.
For those of you that maybe are not familiar with that, that is a doctrine that teaches that once you're saved you're always saved and you can never lose your salvation.
And I want to start in this passage because I like the wording here in verse number 4.
It says, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away.
Notice this word, reserved in heaven for you.
Today my wife and I and our youngest daughter were traveling here and our flight got delayed and we barely made it.
But you know, as the shuttle bus picked us up from the airport and dropped us off in front of the hotel, when I was walking into the hotel I was worried about a lot of things,
but one thing I was not worried about was whether or not we had a room to sleep in tonight.
You know why? Because we had made a reservation.
There was a reservation waiting for us.
And the Bible says here that we have an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away reserved in heaven for you.
Pastor Dilello mentioned that as well, the reservation that we have in salvation.
Notice verse 5, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time.
The title of the sermon tonight is How Logic Proves Eternal Security.
How Logic Proves Eternal Security.
And the reason for that is because, you know, we serve a very logical God.
You don't have to turn there, but in Isaiah chapter 1 and verse 18 the Bible says this, come now, let us reason together, saith the Lord.
The Bible says that we can reason with God, we can logic with God, and not in a questioning type of way, but we can study the Bible, we can learn what the Bible says,
and then we can logic through those doctrines, we can logic through those teachings and see how they make sense and see how they're easy to be understood.
And tonight what I'd like to do is give you six statements. I'm going to give you six statements tonight that kind of prove how the doctrine of eternal security,
not only is it biblical and it's scripture, and we're going to see that from the word of God tonight, but it just makes sense.
It's a logical doctrine. Logic itself, along with the word of God, will prove eternal security.
Now, I'd like you to write these statements down. I'll give them to you several times.
If you've got a pen handy or if you don't have a child sitting on your lap or something like that,
they're a little wordy, but I'd like you to write them down. Logic proves eternal security. How or why?
Why does logic prove eternal security? Number one tonight, I'd like you to write this statement down.
If any sin, here's how logic proves eternal security. If any sin can cause you to lose your salvation, then every sin can cause you to lose your salvation.
Something that people who believe you can lose your salvation don't understand is that if any sin can cause you to lose your salvation,
then every sin can cause you to lose your salvation, because today you've got people who think,
well, only certain sins or only major sins or only big sins can cause you to lose your salvation,
but I will submit to you tonight that that is not the case. You're there in 1 Peter.
Go to the book of 1 John, 1 John chapter 3. If you're there in 1 Peter, you're just going to go past 2 Peter into the book of 1 John, 1 John chapter 3,
and look down at verse number 4, 1 John chapter 3 and verse 4. In 1 John chapter 3 and verse 4, we find a verse that defines sin for us.
It's always good to allow the Word of God to serve as its own dictionary, allow the Bible to define itself.
And here in 1 John 3, 4, the Bible says this,
Whosoever committed sin transgresseth also the law, for sin is the transgression of the law.
The Bible defines for us here that sin is the transgression of the law.
The word transgression or transgress means to go beyond the limits or to cross boundaries.
We would say, you know, that sin is the breaking of God's law.
Now when it comes to sin, here's what you need to understand.
And when it comes to the breaking of God's law, here's what you need to understand.
There are sins of commission. That's when you break God's law, right?
That's when you break the thou shalt nots.
But there are also sins of omission.
That's when you fail to do all of those thou shouts, everything God has commanded us to do.
Go to James chapter number 4.
If you go backwards there, you're going to, now do me a favor, keep your place there in 1 John,
because we're going to leave it, we're going to come back to it.
So put a ribbon or a bookmark or something there.
But go to James chapter 4, and you're going to go backwards.
You're going to go past 1 John, 2 John, I'm sorry, 2 and 1 Peter, into the book of James.
And then do me a favor and put a ribbon or a bookmark there, because we're going to go back and forth.
James chapter 4 verse 17, notice what the Bible says.
Therefore, to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
So notice, not only do we sin when we transgress God's law,
but we sin when we don't do that which we know we should do or we ought to do.
A perfect example, soul winning.
You know you should go, but you don't go, that's a sin.
Look, you're not right with God if you're not a soul winner.
You're not following Christ if you're not fishing for men.
And the Bible says, therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
So there are sins of commission.
That's when we do something wrong, we break a law, we break the thou shalt not.
But there's the sins of omission.
That's when we don't do what we should do.
Here's the point that I'm trying to make, and here's what I want you to understand.
Go to Galatians chapter number 5.
When it comes to eternal security, it's a very important doctrine,
so it's going to be kind of like a Bible study tonight.
We're going to be flipping a lot of pages, going to a lot of different areas.
But go to Galatians chapter 5.
While you go there, I'm going to read to you from Romans chapter 7.
And let me say this, and here's what I'm trying to help you understand.
Sin is defined as the breaking of God's law,
whether by transgressing it or by not doing what God has commanded us to do.
What you need to understand is that because of that,
sin is directly connected to the keeping or the breaking of God's law.
How do we know when we sin?
It's connected to have we kept the law of God.
That's why you're going to Galatians 5.
Let me read for you from Romans chapter 7.
But in Romans 7, Paul said this,
Is the law sin? God forbid.
So notice he is connecting the idea of sin and the law.
The Bible says,
So there's a connection between the laws of God
and the sins that we perform when we break the laws of God
or when we fail to keep the laws of God.
Why is that important?
Why do we need to understand that?
Here's why.
Once you add the keeping of any part of God's law to salvation,
then you have to keep every part of God's law for salvation.
You say, prove it.
Are you there in Galatians chapter 5?
Look at verse 1.
Notice what the Bible says.
The yoke of bondage.
Now here Paul is speaking to these individuals
who in their minds,
they believe that they have to be circumcised
in order to be saved.
They are adding the keeping of the law to salvation.
Now here's what you need to understand.
We could replace if ye be circumcised
with anything that people want to add to salvation today.
We could replace it with if ye be baptized.
We could replace it with if you repent of your sins.
We could replace it with if you live a good life.
We could replace it with if you go to church.
And it would still be true if ye be circumcised,
Christ shall profit you nothing.
He says, look, you can't add the keeping of the law
and expect that Christ is going to profit you something.
You say, why?
Look at verse 3.
For I testify again to every man that is circumcised.
He says, look, I'm talking to everyone
who wants to add the keeping of the law of God to salvation.
For I testify again to every man that is circumcised.
Notice what he says, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.
You say, why does he say that?
Because once you commit, once you commit yourself
to keeping any part of the laws of God,
you have committed yourself to keeping every part
of the law of God.
For I testify again to every man that is circumcised
that he is a debtor to do the whole law.
Notice, Christ has become of none effect unto you,
whosoever you are justified by the law,
ye are fallen from grace.
It's interesting because the people who teach
that you can lose your salvation
often want to use that phrase, you've fallen from grace.
But the context, the passage, is actually the opposite.
He's saying, look, when you're trying to add,
because they'll say like, oh, no, no, you can fall from grace.
That means you can lose your salvation.
No, actually, when you try to add works to salvation,
that's when you've fallen from grace.
Because it's either all grace or it's all works,
but it's not a mix between.
You can't mix the two.
So here's what you need to understand.
If any sin, if there's any sin,
because today people will say, well, you know,
I try to live a good life, I try to do right,
you know, but if I find some major sin,
you ask somebody, do you believe you could lose your salvation?
And they'll say, well, you know, if I walked away from God
or if I killed somebody or if I committed suicide,
you know, if I didn't repent from it,
then maybe I could lose my salvation.
Here's the problem with that.
If there's any sin that can cause you to lose your salvation,
then every sin will cause you to lose your salvation.
See, the Bible says this.
It says, for whosoever shall keep the whole law
and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
Now, look, that verse is not teaching,
because people like to take that verse and say,
oh, that verse is teaching that all sin is equal.
That verse is not teaching that all sin is equal.
All right?
And if you think that somebody stealing a stapler
from their work, which is wrong, you know,
but if you think that somebody stealing a stapler
from their work is equivalent to a serial killing cannibal,
okay, you need to really think that through.
You really need to add some, you know,
logic to that argument, because that makes no sense,
and obviously I'm not preaching on that this evening,
but the Bible says, for whosoever shall keep the whole law
and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
What is that verse teaching us?
It's not teaching that all sin is equal,
but it is teaching that all sin will send you to hell.
Any sin will send you to hell.
Here's the point that I'm making.
If you can lose your salvation by any sin,
then you can lose your salvation by every sin,
and here's the point.
You're a sinner, I'm a sinner, you sin today,
I sin today, we sin every day,
and if you can lose it for any reason,
then we would all lose it and no one would go to heaven.
See, eternal security makes sense,
because if you say and if you teach
and if you believe that there's any reason
why you can lose your salvation,
if there's any reason why you can lose your salvation,
then there's every reason why you could lose your salvation.
If anything can cause you to lose your salvation,
then everything can cause you to lose your salvation,
and that's why logic proves eternal security.
Let me give you a second point.
Go to 1 John chapter number 3.
1 John chapter number 3.
Look at verse 1.
If you kept your place there in 1 John,
go to 1 John chapter 3.
Here's point number 2 if you're writing,
if you're taking notes.
How does logic prove eternal security?
Well, we saw, number 1,
that if any sin can cause you to lose your salvation,
then every sin can cause you to lose your salvation.
Here's point number 2.
A good father disciplines his children.
Listen to me.
A good father disciplines his children.
A good father does not abandon his children.
A good father disciplines his children.
A good father does not abandon his children.
Now, I don't know if you know this,
but at salvation, you became a child of God.
1 John chapter 3, are you there?
Look at verse number 1.
Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us
that we should be called the sons of God.
Isn't that wonderful,
that we might be called the sons of God?
Now, our disposational friends,
they're confused about that phrase.
You know, they think that sometimes
when it says sons of God, it actually means devils.
It actually means demons, fallen angels, all right?
They're a little confused about that.
But let me just, you know, assure you
that every time the Bible uses the term sons of God,
it's talking about believers.
It's talking about a saint.
It's talking about someone
who has called upon the Lord for salvation.
You're there.
Notice what he says.
Therefore, the world knoweth us not,
because it knew him not.
Verse 2.
Beloved, now are we the sons of God,
and it doth not yet appear what we shall be,
but we know that when he shall appear,
we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
The Bible says in 1 John 1-12,
But as many as received him, to them gave he power
to become the sons of God,
even to them that believe on his name.
When you got saved, you became a son of God.
You became a child of God.
Now, here's what you need to understand.
Go to Hebrews, chapter number 12.
You're there in 1 John.
Go to Hebrews, chapter number 12.
While you go there, let me read for you from Matthew, chapter 7.
Matthew, chapter 7 and verse number 11 says this,
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children,
how much more shall your Father, which is in heaven,
give good things to them that ask him?
Here's what he's saying.
If you, if it's possible for us as human beings to be good parents,
how much more is God the Father a good parent?
Let me just ask you.
Is God the Father a good father?
I mean, is God the Father a good parent?
Is he someone that cares for us, that loves us,
that takes care of our needs and he's there for us?
Well, if that's the case, then here's what you need to understand.
Here's what every good father does.
They discipline their children when they do wrong.
Hebrews, chapter 12 and verse 6 says this,
For whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth,
and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
So listen, you know, people say,
Oh, well, you know, if you go down the road of sinning and doing wrong,
you're going to lose your salvation.
Now, wait, wait a minute.
If you could lose your salvation,
then that means that your father, who's God the Father, abandoned you.
That's not a good father.
You know what a good father does?
When you do wrong, when you're in rebellion,
when you're sinning against him, you know what he does?
He gives you a heavenly spanking.
He gives you a spiritual beating, you know, to use a biblical word.
The Bible says that for whom the Lord loveth,
he chasteneth and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
So it doesn't make sense to say when you got saved,
you became a child of God, you became a son of God,
God became your father, you were born again into the family of God,
you were born again into the heavenly family,
but then, oh, you rebelled or you messed up or you sinned
and he just abandoned you.
That doesn't make any sense.
You know what makes sense is what the Bible says,
that your heavenly father chastens you,
that your heavenly father corrects you,
that your heavenly father disciplines you,
but your heavenly father does not abandon you.
Hebrews chapter 13, look at verse 5.
You're there in Hebrews?
Look at chapter 13 and verse 5.
Notice what the Bible says.
Hebrews 13 and verse 5.
Let your conversation be without covetousness
and be content with such things as ye have.
For he hath said, and you may wonder to yourself,
you know, what is the connection between covetousness
contentment and this following statement?
But here's the following statement,
I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.
That's eternal security.
You know, when I got saved, I became a child of God
and God looked down at me and said,
I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.
And if he ever leaves me, if he ever forsakes me,
that would make him a liar and that would make him a terrible father.
But you know what?
A good father, which we know our heavenly father is a good father,
he does not abandon his children, but he will discipline his children.
When they do wrong, when they rebel, when they go down the wrong road,
he will chasten them, he will correct them,
but he will not forsake them.
And I'm not preaching on this, but you know what?
I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.
What does that have to do with covetousness and contentment?
Look, when you know that God will never leave you nor forsake you,
everything you've got is good enough.
I don't have to sit there and covet somebody else's house
and somebody else's car and somebody else's wealth.
And what they're doing in the world.
You know what?
I don't have to look at the world.
I don't have to look at the unsaved.
I don't have to look at unbelievers and covet what they have.
I can be content with such things as I have.
You say, well Pastor Jimenez, you don't have much,
but you know what I've got?
It's God.
You know what I've got?
It's the Holy Spirit.
What I've got is salvation.
And when he said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee,
I got more than I deserve.
And I got more than I'll ever need.
So you know what?
Quit looking at the world.
And quit coveting their stuff.
And quit thinking to yourself, well you know,
if I didn't do this soul winning thing on Saturday,
then I could go work more.
And if I didn't do this Sunday morning, Sunday night,
Wednesday night, then I could do other things.
If I didn't go in the ministry, then I could live in a nice house.
You've got God.
That's all you need.
I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.
You know how logic proves eternal security?
You say, how?
Well, if anything can cause you to lose your salvation,
then every sin can cause you to lose your salvation.
Well, you say, how does logic prove eternal security?
Well, a good father disciplines his children.
A good father does not abandon his children.
Number three, go to 1 John.
Go back to 1 John if you kept your place there.
Here's point number three.
Salvation, salvation is everlasting.
So if it ends, it did not last forever.
Doesn't that just make logical sense?
Salvation is everlasting.
So if it ends, it did not last forever.
You're there in 1 John chapter 5.
Let me read for you from John 3, 36.
You know it.
He that believeth on the Son, what's that next word?
He that believeth on the Son, let's say it together.
Half everlasting life.
He that believeth on the Son, half everlasting life.
And he that believeth not the Son shall not see life,
but the wrath of God abideth on him.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that hearth my word
and believeth on him that sent me, half everlasting life.
You know, the Bible tells us that when you got saved,
everlasting life is not something you're going to have one day.
It's something you have.
The word have means you own it.
You possess it.
It's in your possession.
You are holding it at that moment.
And the Bible tells us, thank you, sir, appreciate it.
The Bible tells us that we have, or we have, everlasting life.
We get it the moment we believe.
He that believeth on the Son, half everlasting life.
So here's the thing.
If God gives you everlasting life, starting right now,
eternal life starting today, if it ever ends,
then it didn't last forever.
If it ever ends, then it was not everlasting.
See, that doesn't make logical sense.
All throughout the Bible we're told that the gift of God is eternal life.
All throughout the Bible we're told that salvation is everlasting life, eternal life.
And look, salvation will last forever.
It's everlasting life.
So if it ends, it did not last forever.
Right there in 1 John 5, look at verse 10.
He that believeth on the Son of God hath to witness in himself.
He that believeth not God, he that believeth not God,
you say, well, is it an option to not believe God?
You can choose not to believe God,
but here's what you're saying when you choose to not believe God.
He that believeth not God hath made him a liar.
When you choose to not believe,
when the atheist chooses to say, I will not believe,
they're not saying, I don't believe in God.
They're just saying, I believe God is a liar when he says that he is God.
It's not an option.
You either believe or you don't believe,
and if you don't believe, you're calling God a liar.
He that believeth not God hath made him a liar
because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.
You're calling him a liar because you're not believing the record that he gave of his Son.
What is the record? Look at verse 11.
And this is the record.
What is the record that God hath given to us eternal life
and this life is in his Son?
See, when you say, no, it's not eternal,
no, it's not everlasting, no, it will not last forever,
here's what you're doing.
You're calling God a liar
in hope of eternal life, which God that cannot lie promised
before the world began.
See, God promised everlasting life.
God promised eternal life.
And if it ever ends, if it ever stops,
that would make God a liar.
And you know, there's one thing God cannot do.
Well, there's several things God cannot do.
One of the things God cannot do is he cannot tell a lie.
Now, George Washington could lie,
but God can't lie.
God that cannot lie, he cannot lie.
He promised, he gave us everlasting life,
which God that cannot lie promised before the world began.
See, so if salvation, if salvation, which is everlasting,
if salvation, which is everlasting, ever ends,
then that would mean it did not last forever.
That doesn't make any sense.
That's not logical.
You know what's logical?
Is that when you got saved, he gave you everlasting life
and it'll never end.
It'll never stop.
He will never take it away.
You know what makes sense?
Is that when you got saved, God became your Heavenly Father
and he will discipline you but not abandon you.
You know what makes sense?
That there is no sin that can cause me to lose my salvation
because I sin every day.
And if there's any sin that can cause me to lose my salvation,
then every sin will cause me to lose my salvation.
And we're all sinners.
See, we like to be, you know, proud and arrogant
and hypocritical because you talk to these people
that say they can lose their salvation,
and they're like, well, you know,
I believe there's some things you could do.
And they always give you a list, right?
You ask them for the list, they give you a list,
and you know, here's the truth.
They will always give you the list
of the things they're not doing, right?
So, you know, you ask one guy like,
well, what can you do to lose your life?
Well, you know, as long as you're not a drunkard,
as long as, you know, as long as you're not a drug addict,
as long as you're not, you know, this and that.
But then you'll talk to someone who's a drunkard,
and they're like, well, you know,
as long as you don't beat your wife.
You know, it's like they're always just putting the list
just, you know, right where they can get to it.
No, no, no.
Look, if anything can cause you to lose your salvation,
everything can cause you to lose your salvation.
It makes sense. It's logical.
Eternal security is actually a very logical doctrine.
Number four.
Go to John chapter number 10.
John chapter number 10.
Matthew, Mark, Luke, John.
John chapter 10.
If anything can cause you to lose your salvation,
then everything can cause you to lose your salvation.
A good father disciplines his children.
A good father does not abandon his children.
Salvation is everlasting, so if it ever ends,
it did not last forever.
Here's number four.
How does logic prove eternal security?
Number four.
If I can walk away from God,
if I can walk away from God,
because, you know, people, you'll talk to people.
Oh, you believe you can lose your salvation?
Oh, no, I can't lose my salvation,
but I can walk away from it.
You know, God will never take it away from me,
but I can return it.
I can give it back.
Here's the problem with that.
If I can walk away from God,
that would make me stronger than God.
What do you mean?
Well, look at John chapter 10, verse 28.
This is Jesus speaking,
and I give unto them eternal life,
and they shall never perish.
By the way, once he gives eternal life,
if you ever perish, that makes him a liar.
Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
Jesus says, when you got saved,
you got placed in the hand of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And he says, look,
neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
Verse 29, my father which gave them me
is greater than all.
Now, focus in on that.
He's greater than all.
Is there anyone greater,
according to this verse,
than God the Father?
This is Jesus speaking.
He's greater than all,
and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
You know when you got saved,
you got put in the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ,
and then God the Father put his hand over that
just to make sure,
just to make sure none would be lost,
just to make sure.
And here's what he's saying.
He's saying, my father which gave them me
is greater than all.
I love it because Jesus here,
it's like, you know, you and I do this.
You know, when you were in school at the playground,
you know, my daddy can beat up your daddy.
Well, Jesus is saying,
my daddy can beat up your daddy,
and he's greater than all.
He says, look,
my father which gave them me is greater than all.
Don't miss this.
And no man,
no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
Now look, when it says no man,
you know that includes you two?
Aren't you a man or a woman?
Aren't you a human, right?
Aren't you a person?
The Bible says no man is able to pluck.
So people get this idea.
They say, well, no, no.
He won't take my salvation,
and I cannot lose my salvation,
but I can walk away from my salvation.
Well, here's the problem with that.
He's holding on to you,
and no man is greater than the Father,
and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
So look, if you can lose your salvation,
then I don't know.
We're going to have to start worshiping you, I guess,
because if you can walk away from your salvation,
you know what that makes you?
That makes you greater than God.
That makes you stronger than God.
You say, oh, well, you know,
I don't know that I can keep my salvation.
You don't have to keep it.
He keeps it for you.
It is His strength.
It is His power.
It is His mind that keeps us saved.
My Father which gave them me is greater than all,
and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
Go to Romans chapter 8.
You're there in John, Acts, Romans.
Romans chapter 8.
Romans chapter 8, verse number 38.
Romans chapter 8 and verse 38.
Someone said this.
My faith may fail, but his grip won't slip.
Amen.
Say, I'm worried about my salvation.
You're worried about God?
You don't need to worry about God.
God's got it handled.
Well, guess your word.
God's good, all right?
He's got it.
Romans chapter 8, verse 38.
For I am persuaded that neither death nor life
nor angels nor principalities nor powers
nor things present nor things to come
nor height nor depth nor any other creature,
no creation, there's nothing created in this earth
that shall be able to separate us from the love of God
which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
You know how nothing can separate you
from the love of God when you're saved?
There's no creature.
There's nothing that can separate us
from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
There's nothing that can take it.
If we can walk away from God, then that would make me
stronger than God, and that just doesn't make any sense.
Go to Ephesians chapter number 1.
You're there in Romans?
1 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians.
Ephesians chapter number 1.
Here's point number 5.
Ephesians chapter number 1.
Logic proves eternal security.
How?
How does logic prove eternal security?
Well, if any sin can cause you to lose your salvation,
then every sin can cause you to lose your salvation.
Well, a good father disciplines his children.
A good father does not abandon his children.
Well, salvation is everlasting, so if it ever ends,
then that means it did not last forever.
Well, if I can walk away from God,
then that would make me stronger than God.
Here's point number 5.
If I can lose my salvation, if I can lose my salvation
based on the things I do, then my faith is really on me,
not Christ.
If I can lose my salvation based on something I did,
then my faith is really on myself.
It's not on Christ.
Are you there in Ephesians 1?
Look at verse 13.
In whom ye also trusted.
After that ye heard the word of truth.
Have you noticed how it's always about
he that heareth my words after ye heard the word of truth?
That's all a reference to the gospel, my friend,
to the soul winning.
Look, people don't get saved because you hand them a track.
People don't get saved because you hand them a Bible.
The natural man understandeth not the things
of the Spirit of God.
Paul said, he asked for a prayer request.
He's asked for boldness.
He said that I may open my mouth boldly to make known
the mysteries of God.
Why?
Because we must go and preach.
We must go and explain.
We have to open our mouth and boldly preach the gospel,
for I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ,
for it is the power of God unto salvation.
To everyone that believeth, to the Jew first
and also to the Greek.
So look, salvation doesn't just happen
because God is a Calvinist and just makes it happen.
All right, we must go.
We must go and preach.
We must go and explain.
We must go with the word.
And here he says, in whom ye also trusted,
after that ye heard the word of truth,
the gospel of your salvation, in whom also
after that ye, notice this word, believed.
I want you to notice he said, in whom ye also trusted,
and then he says, in whom ye also believed.
The word trust and believe are used interchangeably.
Why is that?
Because when we say believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
and thou shalt be saved, when we say that salvation
is by faith in Jesus Christ or by believing in Jesus Christ,
we're not talking about believing like he exists.
We're talking about trusting him.
That's what salvation is.
My faith, my belief is on him in the sense
that I'm trusting that he is the one that's going to save me
or he is the one that has saved me from my sins.
And by the way, works, works, because people get
these false ideas about works.
Works is when you are earning it,
and therefore you are trusting how you earned it.
It's not just because you asked for it.
Oh, if you asked for it, that's a work.
No, look, if you're asking for a free gift, it's a free gift.
The works part is when you're earning it,
when you're doing something to try to attain it.
Because look, you're either trusting him
or you're trusting yourself.
You're either trusting him, and here's what you need to understand.
In whom you also trusted, after that you heard the word of truth,
the gospel of your salvation.
In whom also after that you believed,
you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise.
You got saved the moment you believed,
and what did you do when you believed?
You trusted him.
Here's what you need to understand.
When somebody says, well, you know,
I'm saved by Jesus Christ, but if I fill in the blank,
I could lose my salvation.
As soon as you say, but if I commit suicide,
but if I walk away from God, but if I murder someone,
but if I commit adultery, but if I do X, Y, and Z
and don't repent of it, but if I, as soon as you say,
but if I, now we are revealing who you are really trusting.
Because look, if my salvation is dependent on if I,
who am I trusting? It's me.
I'm saved by Jesus Christ as long as I don't commit adultery.
I'm saved by Jesus Christ as long as I don't commit murder.
I'm saved by Jesus Christ as long as I don't commit suicide.
Now look, all of those things are terrible sins.
No Christian should be doing any of those sins.
But listen to me, you're either saved by Jesus Christ or you're not.
You're either trusting completely in whom you also trusted.
You're either trusting completely in Jesus Christ or you're not.
And if you believe you can lose your salvation,
then your faith is not really on Jesus Christ.
Your faith is on yourself.
And look, here's what you need to understand.
People who fight us on eternal security,
people who reject eternal security,
people who do not believe in eternal security are not saved.
They're not saved because they're not trusting in the finished work of Christ.
They're trusting in themselves.
And that's why this is so important.
When you go soul winning, because the old IFB,
the way they taught soul winning,
which I'm thankful for the fact that they went soul winning
and the fact that they taught us to go soul winning back in years ago.
You know, many of them have given up on soul winning altogether.
But you know, the major problem that the old IFB had
and those that go soul winning in the old IFB still have
is that they just forget this whole idea about eternal security.
They don't even bring it up. They don't even talk about it.
They pray with people and then afterwards they kind of explain it.
If they even do that, they might mention it.
If they even do that, here's the problem with that.
When you fail to explain eternal security,
you are doing a grave disservice to the individual you're giving the gospel to.
Because in their minds they may be thinking,
Oh yeah, faith in Jesus and as long as I,
faith in Jesus and as long as I don't,
or as long as I do, or as long as I whatever.
And here's the thing, we've got to get that settled.
It's not Jesus and as long as nothing.
It's Jesus, period.
It's Jesus Christ alone.
It is His, look, in whom He also trusted.
You're either trusting Him or you're trusting yourself.
And if I can lose my salvation,
if I can lose my salvation based on the things I've done,
then my faith is not really on Christ.
It's on me.
I'm trusting myself.
And I'm not saved.
And you're not saved.
You're not saved.
Number six.
Logic proves eternal security. How?
Here's point number six.
If I have to keep my salvation by how I live my life,
then salvation is of works.
If I have to keep my salvation by how I live my life,
then salvation is of works.
You know the verses, Ephesians 2, 8, 9,
for by grace are you saved through faith,
and that not of yourselves.
It's not of yourselves.
It's not something you produce.
It's not something you do.
And that not of yourselves.
Why?
Because it is the gift of God.
A gift by definition is free.
You don't have to earn it.
The word grace means free.
It didn't come from you.
It means you got something you did not deserve.
For by grace are you saved through faith,
it is the gift of God, not of works.
Lest any man should boast.
Salvation is not of works.
Now here's what people say.
They'll say, oh yeah, no, no.
I believe that salvation is not of works.
It's a free gift.
I receive it, but then once I have it,
once I have it, then if I commit suicide,
then I could lose it.
Then if I, fill in the blank, then I could lose it.
Here's what you need to understand about that.
If I asked one of these young guys here,
and I said, hey, listen, I'm going to pay you 30 bucks
to wash my van.
Okay?
Now when they worked to wash the van,
I didn't give them a gift.
They earned that money.
Okay, but let me ask you this.
Does it make a difference when I give them money?
I mean, if I say, hey, you're going to wash my van,
and when you're done, I'm going to pay you $30.
Did they earn the $30 if they do the work,
and then I pay them?
I'm not trying to trick you.
Is that true?
They said, amen.
They earned it, right?
What if I said, hey, you know what, wash my van,
I'll pay you $30, but you know, I got to go run some errands,
and I think you'll be done before I get back.
I'm going to give you the money now.
Okay, but here's the thing.
You better wash that van.
Because I'm not God.
I'm coming back for that $30.
He said, you know, he said he'd never take it away.
That's not what I said, right?
Look, if you're going to earn it, now look,
if I paid them before, does that make it any less earning?
Now look, if I have to do good works,
oh, no, no, no good works before salvation,
but after salvation, you better live right.
If I have to do good works before or after, it's works.
It's not free.
If I have to work for it at any point,
then the Bible says it's not of works.
The Bible says salvation is a free gift.
The Bible says it's not something we earn.
And look, today, people get this idea,
and they say, oh, no, well, Pastor Mendez,
well, if you truly believe, then you'll do the works.
Here's the problem with that.
Paul said, in fact, go to Romans chapter 4.
I know you know the verse, but let's look at it.
Romans chapter 4, verse 4.
Romans chapter 4 and verse 4.
Notice what he says, not to him that worketh.
Romans chapter 4, verse 4, not to him that worketh.
Now, we didn't get to verse 5 yet, right?
Verse 4 is to him that worketh.
That's our Catholic friend.
That's our repent-of-your-sins Baptist friend.
That's our, you know, charismatic friend, right?
Your charismatic friend.
I ain't got no charismatic friends.
Not to him that worketh is a reward.
What's a reward?
The reward is a gift, a salvation.
Not to him that worketh is a reward,
not reckoned of grace, which is free, but of debt.
Why does it say that?
Here's why it says that.
If you're going to try to work your way to heaven,
you're going to be in debt the rest of your life.
You're never going to pay it off.
You're never going to pay off your sins.
It doesn't matter how many good things you do,
you will never undo.
Even if there's just one bad thing you've done,
you will never undo that.
Now, to him that worketh is a reward,
not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
Now, we get to the Baptist, verse 5.
But to him that worketh not.
Now, look, it doesn't say but to him that worketh a little bit.
It doesn't say but to him that worketh somewhat.
This guy did nothing.
He never went soul winning.
He never went to church.
He didn't show up for the soul winning conference.
He did nothing.
He got saved, and that's all.
But to him that worketh not, but here's what he did do,
but believeth on him that justifies the ungodly.
His faith is counted for righteousness.
So, oh, no, if they get saved, you know, they will do works.
Well, Paul didn't think so.
Paul said it's possible for someone to do no works,
and all they did is believe, and guess what?
They're saved.
Because salvation is not of works.
Because salvation is not something we earn
on either side of the equation,
and it's not something we have to do.
Now, look, should we work?
Should we do right?
Should we, you know, look,
shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?
God forbid.
But, you know, the flip to that is if we continue in sin,
grace will abound.
Moreover, where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.
You know that God has more grace than you've got sin?
Now, look, should we continue in sin that grace may abound?
God forbid.
But if we continue in sin, grace will abound.
That's eternal security.
And, look, if I have to keep my salvation,
if I have to keep my salvation by how I live my life,
if I have to keep my salvation by the things that I do,
then salvation is not a free gift.
It's of works.
Look, you're there in Romans 4.
Look at Romans 3.20.
Therefore, by the deeds of the law,
there shall no flesh be justified in his sight,
or by the laws of knowledge of sin.
By the deeds of the law,
there shall no flesh be justified in his sight.
Look at verse 28.
Therefore, we conclude that a man is justified by faith
without the deeds of the law.
Romans chapter 11.
Turn there quickly.
Romans chapter 11.
Look at verse 6.
Romans chapter 11, verse 6.
Say, Pastor Anderson, it sounds like you're winding down.
Nope.
Pastor Anderson gave me another 20 minutes.
But let me make this point,
then I want to make a couple more points, all right?
Bonus points.
Romans 11.6.
And if by grace, and if by grace, grace is free.
And if by grace, he says if it's free,
then it is no more of works.
Works is earning it.
Here's what he's saying.
If it's free, you can't earn it.
Doesn't that make logical sense?
If it's free, you can't pay for it.
And if by grace, and it is no more of works,
otherwise grace is no more of grace.
Look, if it's free, you can't pay for it,
otherwise it's not free.
But if it be of works, if you can earn it,
then it is no more grace.
If you can earn it, then it's not free anymore,
otherwise work is no more works.
Doesn't that just make sense?
Doesn't that just make logical sense?
Now, let me end by just giving just a couple of thoughts
as far as we talked about how logic proves eternal security,
but I want you to understand a couple of things
about the logical balance to eternal security.
A couple of thoughts about the logical balance
to eternal security.
We touched on one already,
so I'm not going to spend a lot of time on it.
But oftentimes, people will throw at us,
you know, those who don't believe,
oh, you're one of those ones they've always saved.
And they'll say, you're giving people a license to sin.
Now, last I checked, people didn't need a license to sin.
They're doing well just on unlicensed sinners,
you know, just doing it all on their own.
Oh, you're giving people a license to sin.
You know, you're telling people they can sin.
Now, remember, a good father disciplines his children.
My son, despite not the chastening of the Lord,
neither beware of his correction,
for whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth,
even as a father every son whom he receiveth.
Look, we're not saying, hey, be not deceived.
God is not mocked, for whatsoever a man soweth,
that shall he also reap.
We're not saying you can do whatever you want
and nothing's going to happen to you.
What we're saying is you can do whatever you want
and you're never going to lose your salvation.
You can do whatever you want
and you've got an inheritance reserved for you in heaven.
But you know what?
On this earth, God does chastise.
On this earth, God does correct.
On this earth, God does courage.
On this earth, you do reap with yourself.
So make sure, you know,
because if people get hung up on this idea,
like, whoa, you're just saying you can do whatever you want,
make sure people understand, no, wait a minute.
A heavenly father disciplines his children.
A good father disciplines his children.
But he does not abandon his children.
There's another logical balance to eternal security
I want you to look at.
Go to Romans chapter 1.
Yeah, you guessed it.
You knew I was going to figure out a way
to bring in reprobates into this sermon somehow.
You ever watch Psychopath reprobates?
No.
Now, honestly, oftentimes people will attack eternal security
by saying, so you just think that some person,
just some pedophile can just, you know,
molest children and rape people and kill people.
You know, but they got saved,
so they're never going to lose their salvation.
You know, there is a balance to the doctrine of eternal security,
and it's called the reprobate doctrine.
Now, the reprobate doctrine does not teach
that people are going to lose their salvation,
but it does teach us that there are certain sins
that people commit, and when they commit those sins,
we can identify the fact that those people
may not be able to commit.
We can identify the fact that those people were not saved,
have never been saved, they're rejected of God.
Are you there in Romans 1?
Look at verse 26.
For this cause, notice these words,
God gave them up.
For this cause, God gave them up unto.
Notice these two words, vile affections.
Vile affections.
People sometimes, they'll attack us, they'll say,
Romans 1 doesn't mention pedophiles.
Okay, a grown man being attracted to a child,
would you call that a vile affection?
Because if you wouldn't call it a vile affection,
you need to get away from me.
But if you say, yeah, that's a vile affection,
well, then it's in Romans 1.
Then Romans 1 covers it.
For this cause, God gave them up unto vile affections.
For even their women did change.
Here's the words, here's the key, the natural use.
What it's teaching us is there are some unnatural sins.
Now, there are some things that are natural.
There are some, there have no temptations taken you,
but such as is common to man.
There are some things that we're all tempted of,
but there are some things that are unnatural,
for even their women did change the natural use into that,
which is, notice these words, against nature,
and likewise also men, leaving the natural use of the woman
burned in their lusts, one toward another,
men with men, working that which is unseemly
and receiving in themselves that recommence of the error
which was me.
And even as they did not like to retain God
in their knowledge, notice these words,
God gave them over to a reprobate mind.
The word reprobate means rejected by God
and without hope of salvation.
You say, is that what the Bible defines?
The Bible and dictionary.com.
That's what it means.
Rejected by God and without hope of salvation.
That's what the Bible says.
These people were rejected.
Look, anyone that gives themselves to unnatural sins,
it's not just homosexuality.
Let me say this.
Homosexuality is unnatural.
It's not normal.
It's a vile affection.
It's disgusting.
But you know, that includes pedophiles.
That includes bestiality.
That includes your Jeffrey Dahmers, your Ted Bundy's.
So when anybody looks at these people, they say,
well, these people are just so disgusting and so terrible.
But they said they got saved.
No, having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof.
No, you say, oh, they got saved in prison.
They're lying to you.
They didn't get saved.
They were rejected of God.
They were rejected by God and without hope of salvation.
See, there is a balance.
There is a logical balance to the doctrine
of eternal security.
What is it?
It's that God will discipline you.
So we're not giving you a license to sin.
God will chasten you.
God will correct you.
God, you will reap what you sow.
But also, the other logical balance to eternal security
is the reprobate doctrine.
Not that these people lost their salvation,
but they were never saved to begin with.
They were rejected by God.
And there are some people that we need to just identify
the fact these people are not saved.
So look, when somebody, sometimes it breaks your heart.
You're talking to someone at the door,
and maybe they don't come out and say it,
but it becomes real apparent that maybe they themselves
were abused as a child.
And they're saying, well, wait a minute.
You're telling me that anybody can just do anything?
I'm not saying that we should go to Romans 1 at every door.
Please don't start that, all right?
But sometimes it is appropriate.
Sometimes it is appropriate to explain to people,
you know what?
There are some very vile and wicked people in this world.
God has rejected them.
There's no salvation for them.
There's no eternal security for them.
It's a logical balance to this idea of eternal security.
Let me give you one more verse.
Go to Jude in verse number 24.
There's one chapter in Jude, Jude 24.
Jude 1, 24.
I love this verse.
Jude 1, 24.
Now unto him that is able, now unto him that is able,
I love these words, to keep you from falling
and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory
with exceeding joy.
I love that song that we sing in the hymn book.
I brought a copy of it.
It's page number 264 in your hymn book at home, I'm sure.
I love the words.
You ever just sit down and think about the words of these songs?
It says, free from the law, oh happy condition,
Jesus hath bled and there is remission.
Cursed by the law and bruised by the fall,
God hath redeemed us once for all.
Now are we free?
Listen to this.
There's no condemnation.
Jesus provides a perfect salvation.
Come unto me, oh hear his sweet call,
come and he saves us once for all.
Children of God, listen to this,
children of God, oh glorious calling,
surely his grace will keep us from falling.
Passing from death to life at his call,
blessed salvation once for all.
Once for all, oh sinner receive it.
Once for all, oh brother believe it.
Cling to the cross, your burden will fall.
Christ hath redeemed us once for all.
Let's pray together.
Heavenly Father, thank you, Lord, for allowing us to study your word.
Thank you, Father, for allowing us to be able to look at the Bible.
And we believe it just because it's in the word of God,
but we can reason and we can logic
and we can see that it just makes sense.
And Lord, I pray you'd help us to always keep this doctrine of eternal security
at the forefront of our minds, especially as soul winners.
Lord, help us to believe it, help us to preach it,
help us to teach it, help us to not be ashamed.
And thank you, Father, for giving us security in Christ.
We don't have to worry, are we doing enough?
Have we messed up?
But we know that we are secure, that you can keep us from falling.
We love you, Father.
In the matchless name of Christ, we pray.
Amen.