Joseph Prince - Can You Lose Your Salvation? - Part 1
Thank you, Jesus. Today I wanna share with you something that is one of the biggest questions that people will always bring up when it comes to the gospel of grace, even among believers. I've touched on this topic a number of times. I have alluded to it, you know, real quick many a times. But this time, I feel like it demands a message by itself to answer this question. Anyway you preach the gospel of grace, you know, the slander and the calumny that people bring against the gospel of grace is amazing, is almost like you can preach the law and no one is stirred, amen. You can even preach what kind of food to eat, Jewish dietary laws, and people are happy. But when you touch on grace, it's almost like the flesh of men, you know, pretending to guard holiness, okay? Cannot take grace, because grace gives all the glory to Jesus and none to men, amen?
And in heaven one day it's gonna be worthy is the Lamb. Worthy is the Lamb only. Not worthy is the Lamb and secretly, "and me," you know? 'Cause we're always talking about God's part, man's part, God's part, man's part, God's part, man's part. Man has his part to play, you know. People like to say, "Man's part," but the problem is that when you say that, what happen is that your focus is on man's part to play. It is amazing how we can snatch legalism out of a simple passage of grace, even, for example, I was just sharing with the pastors the other day that people with legalistic eyes, eyeglasses, when they read the Bible, they will see the prodigal son who took one step home and the father ran towards him. The father kissed him, the father, you know, just loved on him. And the father says, "Bring forth the best robe". The father did everything. The father said everything.
The son only said, "Father, I've sinned," all right, but the father kept on, you know, just ignoring his words and just loving him, amen. Instead of the father, we focus on the son. "Yeah, but he took one step. It's an important step. Let's focus on the step". It's not the teaching of the step. The son saw the goodness of the father in his house and the generosity of the father's heart, amen. His step was a response. That's where you get the word "responsibility," amen. When you see something good, then you respond, amen. Amen? Can I have a good "Amen"? Husbands, love your wife. Wives, submit. Submission is a response to the love of the husband. No one say "Amen" to that. Yeah, y'all women, you all had a chance to say "Yes," right there and shout "Amen". Praise God, amen?
So the thing is this, all right? It's amazing how we can look at some grace, I know we say, "Jesus did everything at the cross. He went through hell to deliver us from hell that we may have heaven on earth, heaven in our hearts", amen? Love, joy, peace, the abundant life that money cannot buy, all the riches in this world cannot buy the life more abundant, the full life, amen? And we just have to receive it. "Ah, yeah, yeah, you see? You have to receive it". But you see, some people's receiving is not strong, Pastor.
All right, faith is a hand that takes. So we look at the hand. We look at the hand. And all the while it's focusing on Jesus, until when you take, you're not even conscious that you are taking, amen. If you have a picture of the Lord giving to you, let me tell you this, most people take. I know Singaporeans. If they know it's a free gift, handed out to them, I know most of them will take, amen. So we are not stupid, are we? Okay, but the thing is that the failure therefore lies, unfortunately, many a times, in the pulpit. We have not elucidated, we have not, you know, elaborated on in detail the work of Jesus on the cross, how beautiful he is, amen. Love is awakened when we see how beautiful Jesus is. Faith, all right, springs eternal when we see the finished works. Can I have a good "Amen"? Praise the Lord.
Ladies, I know that you have put works to your faith, you'll go shopping the moment your husband says, all right, over the phone, "Hey, we have just become millionaires," amen? Next, they talk about corresponding actions of faith. Next thing you do, you go shopping, amen. Someone stops you and say, "Are you practicing faith"? You say, "What"? "Are you practicing faith"? You say, "What is that"? "You're actually going shopping because you're acting like you're prosperous, right"? "No, no, I am prosperous. My husband just called me and I know my husband will not lie, all right? He told me that we just made millions. So my first action is to go shopping, but now you call it an action. I didn't realize it was an action of faith. It was just a response".
Ladies understand that. But then we scrutinize it. You see, if you hear a word from God, you must have works. You must have works. We never told that lady when she heard that her husband made millions that she must have works. She flowed in works, amen, amen. Faith is like a blank check that God gives us, amen? We, you know, it all depends on how rich the person issuing the check is and the bank of heaven, God's check, is inexhaustible, exhaustless, amen. So we sign it, why? Because we are the bride of Christ. When we marry Jesus, hey, you know, everything that belongs to him is ours.
That's why we say, "In the name of Jesus, demon leave this person," signing the check, and Jesus enforces it, amen. We say, "In the name of Jesus, be healed," and Jesus enforces it. Can I have a good "Amen"? I mean, you ladies understand that. You know, you'll take your husband's checkbook or whatever and you, you know, I mean, your husband's resources rather, you don't wanna sign, you know, illegally, but when you sign, legally, all right, you sign based on your husband's resources. I mean, nothing stops you. You don't stop and say, "Now, this an act of faith. I believe I have enough faith to believe in my husband's resources". No, no, because you know your husband. So let's get to know the Lord that our faith becomes unconscious. Can I have a good "Amen"? Praise God.
All right, this question that begs an answer is a question that many earnest souls, all right, sincere believers, have battled with. Whenever they hear grace, many people are sincere, they ask the question, "What about this verse? What about this passage"? So I want to touch on this passage, preach on it, and free you from all the stumbling blocks. You know, one of my ministries is to dissolve doubts, you know? If you read the Daniel's gifts, one of Daniel in the Bible, one of Daniel's gifts is dissolving of doubts. And I prayed that many years ago. I don't know why that particular phrase, "dissolving of doubts," the King said to Daniel, "Dissolving of doubts is in you". He's able to dissolve doubts, all right? It's a gift.
So I asked God for the gift many years ago, all right? And I enjoy seeing believers have their doubts dissolved, amen, their obstacles removed, amen, and all the stumbling blocks taken out of the way, okay? So today gonna remove this big stumbling block that has caused sincere souls to be stumbled, amen. And it is this question: What about Hebrews 6? How many heard that question before? Wave. What about Hebrews 6? Okay, just wave. Don't be shy. Just wave. What about Hebrews 6? All right, you read Hebrews 6 and you're wondering what is going on?
All right, let's read Hebrews 6 first and then you understand what's going on, all right, as we go on. "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened," keep the word "impossible" in mind, okay? "It is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they shall fall away," it is impossible "to renew them again to repentance". That's the idea there, okay? "Since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame". It's impossible to renew them to repentance.
Now, there must be an answer here because whatever it is we must be consistent with Scripture, let me just tell you this. All Scriptures are profitable, all right? Don't be afraid of passages that seems a bit obscure, all right, and don't shun them. Wait on the Lord because all Scripture is designed to build you up, to strengthen you, to comfort you. There are Scriptures, these are Scriptures of warning, amen, but this warning we can learn from it as well. But don't forget, we must always interpret Scripture by the anointing of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that teaches us all things, amen, amen. We don't run to this teacher, this leader, that man, whatever, and we go to the Word of God and we let the Holy Spirit show us, all right?
Down through the years, I've had this brought up to me and I just kind of wish that I had more time to elaborate and finally I said, "I've just gotta make time on a Sunday to do this, amen. It's gonna help answer lots of questions". If you're not familiar with this passage, let me tell you this. Whatever arguments and whatever divine reasonings we're gonna bring up, okay, during this course of teaching, you're gonna prepare yourself to answer some questions that other believers may ask you, amen? In a way, New Creation Church, whether we call it or not, we're actually a school. This church, you know, many of you, you come every Sunday. You don't realize you are in school, amen.
We are in the school of the Holy Spirit. And the things that you learn many a times, you know, the only thing that we don't give you long, long, long assignments, okay, essays and all that for you to fill in, amen? The result is that life's transformed. God has ordained by the foolishness of preaching to sozo. It's amazing, God has ordained that by the foolishness of preaching, all of heaven's goods that Jesus purchased for us, is all at the disposal of God's people via, through, the means of preaching, amen. For example, the Bible says, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit"? Galatians 3. "Did you receive the Holy Spirit by the works of the law, by works," argon in Greek, effort, lots of effort, strenuous work, "by works of the law, or by the hearing of faith"?
Now many people say works are more important than hearing. You don't just hear and hear. But the Bible says it's by the hearing that you receive the Holy Spirit. Everybody that receive the Holy Spirit under Paul's ministry, all right, none of them were perfect. None of them were people that kept the law perfectly. So Paul challenged them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit, in other words, under my ministry because you kept all the law or because of the hearing of faith"? Then the next question, God that ministers to you, the spirit, and works miracles among you... how many want God to keep on working miracles in your family, in your life, in your career, c'mon?
It says very clearly in Galatians 3, "God that ministers," and the word "ministers" there, and working miracles is a constant, is a present tense. "God that constantly ministers to you the spirit and constantly works miracles among you, does God do it by the works of your works of law or by the hearing of faith"? It seems to indicate, like, without the hearing of faith, God doesn't supply. God has limited himself by the preaching of the word to supply his people. That goes to show where you go, who you sit under is very important. It can mean between life and death. Can I have a good "Amen," all right?
So make sure you attend churches, all right, this is not the only church. There are many good churches, that preach the gospel, amen. And be careful who you listen to. If anyone rob you of your blessed assurance and there are people who make fun of that wonderful hymn, "Blessed assurance". God wants us to have blessed assurance. And you will see later on, God want to have strong assurance, amen? So let's back right into it. So we see that this is a warning Scripture, okay? Let's not be afraid of it. So let's look at it. First and foremost, what book is this under? Hebrews. Say it. Hebrews. Who are the Hebrews? The Jewish people, all right?
Now, it's also written for us, but it's not written to us. It is written for us in the sense it's for our benefit, but it is, don't forget, it was directly written to the Hebrews, all right? Let me prove to you, from the very beginning of the book of Hebrews chapter 1, verse 1, "God, who at various times, in various ways, spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds". Now stop. "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers". Now, "fathers" here. Who's "fathers"? Yeah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. It is not your father, it is not my father, amen? So he's writing to people who are Jewish people, you understand, all right? He's telling them, "God, the true God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, are the fathers, as well as all the other fathers".
So, keep the book in its context, all right? He's writing to Jewish people, all right, who are, listen carefully, they are not believers. All of them are not believers in the sense that they are born again, but these Jewish people, they have a mental assent that Jesus is the Messiah. Many of them, this was written about AD 63 or AD 64, according to scholars. In AD 70, the temple was burned down. So about approximately 7 years before the temple was burned down, Paul wrote the book of Hebrews and I believe Paul is the author. So, Paul wrote the book of Hebrews, okay, to warn them. And many of them believe Jesus is the Messiah, but they also go to the temple. They still offer temple sacrifices. They are not believing all the way to the point of new birth, to the point of regeneration. They have a mental assent, yeah, Jesus, they're checking him out first, amen.
So Paul is writing to them and telling them, and many a times he will address them almost as if they have come so close, more close than any sinner, and yet not all the way, okay? Listen carefully. The book of Hebrews is a beautiful book. It is a book more of compares... sorry, contrast than compare, okay? For example, it is more of a contrast. Jesus compared to the angels in chapter 1 of Hebrews chapter 2. Jesus is better than the angels. Jesus compared to Moses in chapter 3 of Hebrews, Jesus is better than Moses. Why? Moses was a servant in the house; Jesus is a Son in the house. Law came through Moses; grace came through the Son. Never forget that. Some people make Moses more superior than Jesus. They make law more superior than grace. You cannot. The moment Hagar tried to take over Abraham's house, out she goes, all right?
So now, listen. Chapter 4 talks about Jesus giving us a better rest than Joshua. Joshua brought them to a physical land, but Jesus give us the life more abundant, the spiritual land that flows with milk and honey called salvation, amen. It affects our temporal life and the life to come, amen. So, he's better than Joshua in Hebrews 4. Then, Hebrews 5. It tells us very clearly, all right, Hebrews 5, Hebrews 6, he's better than Aaron. He's a better high priest than Aaron. Aaron died; Jesus cannot die. Aaron can be a unselfish priest watching over your needs, but he's getting very old and he dies. Jesus will never grow old, he will never die, he watches over your needs forever. He watches over you forever. He lives under the power of an endless life.
So in chapter 7, all right, it's also comparing the old promises or old covenant. We have better promises, amen. On and on and on, we have a better covenant, better promises, amen. Until even in Hebrews 12, the great Hall of Faith, they put all the heroes of faith of the Old Testament, David is there, Abraham is there, Moses is there, Jacob is there, all of them there, then it says, "God provided something better for us. It's through Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of faith". So remember, the book of Hebrews is a focus on Jesus, amen. It's all about Jesus and our blessings, our inheritance, our riches, because of Jesus. So now, we come to Hebrews 6. Okay, do you know, number one, that actually there are two words for impossible, "For it is impossible"? See the word "impossible for those who were once enlightened"?
Now, many people, when they say Hebrews 6, it's all about those in Hebrews 6, they fell away. So they take it as these are believers who fell away and there's no place for repentance. Now the funny thing is this. Those who believe that these are believers, in other words, they are born again, in other words, they are saying that you can be born again and can lose your salvation tomorrow, all right? That's what they're saying. These people who use this passage to preach that you can lose your salvation, all right, then you come under conviction and under fear, then they open up the pulpit for you to come forward. But if you read this Scripture carefully, it says it's impossible. If you fall into this category, it's impossible to renew you to repentance and yet they tell you at the end you can repent.
So it's obvious, all right, right now, let me just assure you, Christians, believers, can fall away, yes, they can, what you call, backslide, fall from grace, all right? But when you come back to the Lord, all right, there is always abundance. There is always his goodness. There's always his heart and his kisses. You understand that? There is no such thing as a believer gone so far in sin he cannot go back. It's impossible for him to repent. No, this is a special category and I tell you why. To fulfill this category, these people must first "they are once enlightened". Enlightened. Enlightened is short of regeneration. You can be enlightened, you can be sitting down here, all right, listen to me preach. At the end, you leave the place and you say, "I'm enlightened," all right? "I know more about Jesus now. And you know what, maybe he's the Son of God, maybe he's not the Son of God, but I think he's the Jewish Messiah," all right?
You're a Jewish person, whatever it is. That doesn't save you. You are now enlightened. Enlightenment is amazing, you know? Just because someone is not saved, but he's enlightened, doesn't mean, okay, that there's no moral effects. You look at the nations of Europe. Ever since the Reformation, the Reformation is when Martin Luther stood up and says, "The just shall live by faith". He restored the gospel of grace, amen, to the church. And since then, you mark since the Reformation what happened to Europe. The nations of Europe experienced because they received the Bible, just by receiving the Bible, whether they're saved or not, the preaching of the gospel went throughout Europe.
All the Reformation preachers went around Europe because part of Reformation believes that you must go out and preach and win souls, amen. So they went throughout the nations. Some people were saved, some people were not saved. Whether they were saved or not, the very fact the nations receive the Bible, all right, has a moral effect, has an enlightening. It causes that nation to progress. I'm telling you, church, where the true gospel has been preached, whether people believe or not, even those who don't believe, there's a moral effect. It's called enlightening. Enlightening is short of regeneration. You are enlightened but you've got to believe all the way, amen? Believe in Christ all the way. Do you understand? Is it clear? All right?
Now, Saul, the first king of Israel, was he enlightened that God is the true God? Yes. Saul, the first king of Israel, did he prophesy? Yes. But you know something? He lost it all. Okay, a better person, a better example, is Judas Iscariot. Judas followed Jesus everywhere. Was he a disciple? Yes. Now, the Bible says Jesus's disciples came back after they cast out devils and healed the sick, and they said, "Even the devils are subject unto us through your name". Jesus says, "Don't rejoice in this. Rejoice your names are written," right? Remember that? So the disciples cast out devils. Are you listening, people? All the disciples cast out devils. They healed the sick. Are all the disciples saved? They are disciples but are they saved? Have they been born again, before Jesus died? They cannot, because Jesus has not yet died. The price for your new birth has not been paid.
So all the disciples, they were followers, they were disciples, but they don't possess eternal life. When Jesus rose from the dead, do you still remember? Judas wasn't there. He hung himself. Jesus saw his disciples. What did he do? He breathed. He says, "Receive the Holy Spirit". That's when they were born again. Then later on, on the Day of Pentecost, they received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Are you listening, people, all right? So they were followers before Jesus died. They were disciples, but they were not born again. They were not regenerated, okay? Are you regenerated? Are you truly, truly, truly born again? Are you saved, amen? In the world you have a penalty, then there's a save. But here, we are saved first so there's no penalty, amen, hallelujah. Praise God. Okay? Are you saved? Truly saved? How does one become saved? You put your trust in Christ completely for your salvation, that he did everything. His blood cleanses you. You put no trust in your efforts, amen.
So watch all these people. I'm gonna read, because of time, all these qualities that they had. They were once enlightened, they'd tasted, the key, the operative word here is "tasted". They were tasters; they were not drinkers. Drinkers are saved. Tasters, no. You know, there are people who come to our church to taste my teaching. They wanna check me out, you know? Sometimes, people from public-speaking sectors, orators, they come here to check us out. Bible school send their Bible students to check us out. Doesn't mean they believe in what we are teaching. They just wanna see why in the world this young punk, hey, still young. Yo, man. All right? They think it's some sort of psychology, you know? His hypnotic eyes, you know? "There's something to do, it cannot just be God. It must be something else. Ah, he is doing something".
One guy says, "Don't look into his eyes. Don't look into his eyes," you know? And look, you can hardly look into my eyes. God made me in such a way when I was born, all right, my eyes are deep set, so you can't even see my eyes, even when you want to. I got raccoon eyes for yo', amen? Someone told me, "Go and get plastic surgery," you know? But God ordained me to look like this. You hardly can see my eyes. Someone told Billy Graham, "I know what is it, when you preach in stadiums and people come forward to receive. It's your eyes". In those days, they don't have those huge JumboTron, those huge LED screens, back then. And Billy Graham smiled and says, "Only those who are a few rows in front can see my eyes". And he'd keep on telling them, "It's the power of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit. It is not some psychology," amen? Amen? It's not some human gimmick. It is the Holy Spirit. It is Jesus that's drawing the people. Can I have a good "Amen"?
By now, you all know my England is not very good. By now you all should know. I know some of you speak impeccable British English, you know. But God chose me, not you, okay? So I must accept that, amen. I told you God used the weak things to confound the mighty, okay? So, enough of that, but let's go on. These are tasters. They are not drinkers. Jesus says: "If any man thirsts, let him come unto me and," taste? No, "Drink". When you drink, you assimilate. When you taste, you... "It has a bit of dash of the little cinnamon taste and just a bit low on the acidity, mm". I can do that, you know? You just go through the motion, like, just say, "A bit of this, a bit of that," you know? Y'all see. But how many understand tasters and drinkers? We are all drinkers. We are drunk on the Holy Spirit, man. Some of us drank too much, hallelujah. But these are tasters.
Jesus said to the woman at the well, "And the water that I shall give the person," all right, "whoever drinks this water, the natural well, will thirst again. But whoever drinks the water that I shall give him, shall never thirst". Drink, the operative word for salvation, okay? But look at it, look here. It's "tasting the heavenly gift," all right? "Become partakers of the Holy Spirit," in the sense that they move in the gifts of the Spirit. Now, let me just stop here and tell you: Do you know that you can be unsaved and still move in the gifts of the Holy Spirit? Back then, among the Jewish people, the disciples, for example, they all moved in the gifts of the Holy Spirit but they were not saved.
There were many people who followed the disciples, just like Saul. When Saul was in the presence of prophets, King Saul, he prophesied, amen. But notice, he wasn't saved, all right? Judas cast out devils, all right? He followed Jesus, he cast out devils, he healed the sick, but he wasn't saved, amen. It's possible to have gifts operating. That's why they call it gifts, amen. The Jewish people have these gifts. Now this, from the book of Hebrews, okay? Among the Jewish people, those followers of Jesus. Even they acknowledge Jesus from afar, if they move among the gifts, they can operate the gifts. Are you listening? If they believed... now this is what happened to Judas: He cast out devils. He has tasted the power of the heavenly gift. He's tasted the Holy Spirit, become partakers of the Holy Spirit's gifts.
Now watch this. "And they have tasted the good word of God". Did Judas hear the best preaching ever? I said did Judas hear the best preaching ever? Did Judas sit in every sermon, never miss a...yeah, he was there all the time, yo. He was there all the time. When Jesus preached, Judas was there. He only tasted it, okay? "And tasted the powers of the age to come". This is the millennial age. That means everyone healed, no demons inhabiting anyone. That will be the millennial age when Jesus comes again. But now we have a prelude. They have tasted all these things. It's been the era of power, power gifts. They have tasted. Now he says this: "If they shall fall away, to renew them again to", it's impossible to renew them again to "repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame".
Now, notice, these people believe in Jesus, in a sense that he's the Messiah. These, I should say, these Jewish people believe in Jesus as their Messiah, all right, mentally, but they have never come to him for salvation. In other words, they acknowledge him mentally, and the book of Hebrews was designed in such a way as telling him, "Look, leave everything. He's better than angels, he's better than Aaron the high priest, he's better than Moses. Leave all these things of the law behind. Go all the way with Jesus". All these things that you read in Hebrews 6, R.A. Torrey, an American evangelist, a prolific author, some of you heard Torrey, R.A. Torrey. R.A. Torrey says this passage is "a quickening shot of regeneration". There is a quickening, there's an enlightening, that came so close, but it came short of regeneration, okay? The very words of Torrey is "quickening short of regeneration".
You know of people like that? They come so close. Now, in the 1800s, in the 1700s, there is a phrase they used in England, all right, among the great men of God like Charles Spurgeon. Today we don't use them anymore. We should bring this back again, okay? They used the word "possessors" versus "professors". Now these professors are not professors from the university, okay? Professors are those who profess. Possessors are those who possess. Do you profess you are saved but you don't possess it? It's possible just because someone says, "I'm a Christian," doesn't make him a Christian. Sometimes, it's a cool thing to say you're a Christian, amen? But do you possess eternal life? Do you possess salvation? So they always talk about false professors, amen, as contrast with possessors. Are you with me, amen?
Profess or possess? These people are professors. They joined the disciples. I'm sure they were there for some meetings, but they never commit themself. They always go back to the temple. They always offer sacrifices. In other words, they have a mental assent of someone that was just pondering whether Jesus is really, even thinking about Jesus as a possibility as a Son of God, there is an enlightening. Already there's an enlightening, even though he's 34. Are you with me? All right, notice this phrase, "impossible for those," all right? See the word "those," all right? "Those". Then "if they shall fall away," they, verse 6, can you see that? "to renew them". See "them"? Okay, those, they, them. Those of you who are English teachers, I solicit your help, all right? Third party, right?
Now, if I'm writing a letter to you, what am I doing? I'm talking to you as a believer, let's say, if I'm talking to you as a believer, I don't use the third party, I say "you," right? "You/I," relationship. But notice, I stopped talking to you for a while and say, "It's impossible for those". I'm referring to a third party. "If they shall fall away". "They, them". Are you with me? Do you understand so far?
All right, now if you drop down, okay, from verse 6, you just drop down, verse 7, it tells you "the earth that drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receive blessings from God; if it bears thorns and briers, it's rejected near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned". Warning these professors, these people who have a mental assent about Jesus the Messiah, but not saved. He's telling them, "Your end is to be burned. You're coming close to the curse," all right? "You're coming close. It's dangerous, you're near to being cursed". But verse 9: "But, beloved," now, for the first time, the word "beloved" is used. Whenever you find the word "beloved," it is always written to Christians.
That's why 1 John chapter 1 don't have the word "beloved". 1 John chapter 2 begins, "Beloved," all right? Whenever the word "beloved" is used, it's written to the believer, it's written to the church. It's as if the Father is calling you, "Beloved". Today, we say, "Darling". Who is the beloved? Say, "I is beloved". "I is the beloved". All right, "But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you". Ah, you appeared finally. Same passage. Now watch this. All the while, he's saying it's impossible for those. If they fall away, for them, "but beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, things that accompany salvation". With you, you have salvation. And the qualities and the results and the effects that follow you are salvation effects, hallelujah. Do you see it?
I am just reading things in context. Church, I'm just reading things in context. These people are tasters. They were not, but oh, man, they came so close. I said they came so close. I wonder how many people have come to the church to taste. Many. After they taste, they drank four or five cups and now they are drunk in the Spirit. But how many have come, tasting and going away worse? You know why worse? Now they're enlightened about Jesus. They see the full place of the light of God's love and God's goodness, the new covenant of grace, unmerited favor, and then they turn their back to the darkness. Their darkness is worse than the ones who were never enlightened. And that's why these are the people that give Christianity a bad name. They come to church, all right, because they wanna keep a business or get prospects.
People come to church for all the wrong reasons, or to find a life partner. Whatever reason you come, all right, I know the majority of us is all for Jesus, man. I'm talking about the exception, all right? Now, doesn't mean, just because someone comes to church, they're born again, all right? You go to McDonald's, don't make you a Big Mac, okay? So, there's no salvation by diffusion, osmosis. You gotta personally put your trust in Christ, okay? You got it? Now, the thing is this. It's possible for these professors to come, they hear, even they come for a number of weeks, you know? Sometime they come a number of weeks, they're enlightened. They want information. They don't believe Jesus is the Son of God, for example, but they believe Jesus is a good man. They believe that his teaching is very good, but they never experience the blood that cleanses. It's only Jesus's moral teaching. They wanna learn. They wanna learn how, you know, Jesus's ways of life or whatever, okay? But they're short of regeneration.
You know, these people are enlightened, okay? When people see them, sometimes churches even give them a position of authority. They become leaders, you know? And unfortunately, one day, this guy goes crazy, all right, starts believing something else, starts to live a terrible lifestyle of sin openly, okay? And people start, they say, "Look, see, see. You see, this guy is a Christian, but he end up believing something else. Look, he's a Christian, and now he's living a terrible lifestyle of sin," all right? But what Charles Spurgeon and all those people say, "In the beginning, he was never a possessor. He was a professor".
You know, you can take a pig. Peter's illustration's like this: You can take a pig wallowing in the mud. Take the pig, wash the pig. Wash the pig. Give it a good shower, all right? Dress the pig up like people dress their dogs. Dress the pig up in robes of righteousness, I mean, white robes, and make the pig, all right, say "Baaa". And you say, you know, baaa, But listen, we are sheep. We baa, right? So you dress him up, you can train him to say "Baa," he'll baaa, but his nature want to oink, you know, he want to snort. His nature has not changed. So he can remain in church like a sheep for a while, looking like a sheep, dressed like a sheep, amen. But sooner or later, got a chance, he will go back to the mud and wallow in it.
One thing about sheep that they have said to me... I'm not a shepherd but they have said this to me, even in Israel, one thing about sheep is that when they fall into mud, they do fall into mud, you can fall into mud, but they don't feel at home in the mud. They always feel like, "I failed God". They want to get out. They want to be washed. Cats are the same, they don't have to be dirty. But pig, you throw them in the mud, they say, "Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Praise the eternal name of Jesus". Praise comes flowing, and don't need a worship leader, all right? I don't care how pretty Miss Piggy looks, she's a pig, okay? How many understand that? That shows their natures never change, all right? The Bible says the dog goes back to his own vomit. He was a dog. Never became a sheep. These are professors and you will find later on they actually know about Jesus. You read that. Peter says they know about Jesus, in Peter's letter. But the dog went back to his vomit, still a dog. The sow went back to wallowing in the mire. It's still a sow. Okay, are you with me, church, c'mon.
Now let me just tell you this, all right? Scripture is amazing, all right? Notice the way God quickly comes in and say, "But, beloved," he's calling you the believer now, the true believer, the one who are regenerated, who have experienced the new birth and the sealing of the Holy Spirit. Now, when I say "beloved," you all shout "Amen," okay? Everyone that's watching this. Beloved! Beloved! God the Father calls you, "Beloved," all right? We are persuaded better things for you, right? "Concerning you, we are confident of better things concerning you". Now, he just got through talking in terms of third party it's impossible for them, for those, if they fall away, all right, to renew them. He's talking to you, right? Understand or not?
Now when I talk to you, okay, I'm a doctor, I come out and say, all right, to you, and you're the nurse. I say that "well, we just found out that this person has stage 3 cancer". You say, "Oh, no, but". The nurse says, "You mean, I'm gonna die"? I say, "She has stage 3 cancer. It's impossible for her to be well without treatment," all right? "And I tell you, it's impossible for those with this, this, this, this, all right, for her, impossible for her to be well without treatment," and you collapse in front of me "Oh no, I have stage..." "Hey," and doctors don't say "beloved," you know, but "Beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you". Understand or not? Starting to come to church, we learn the simplest things.
How many of you know that the things of God are simple? It takes theologians to mess us up, sorry, amen? You know, there are many good theologians, you know? Many good theologians and I choose to think I'm a theologian as well, amen. Theo is, you know, God. Logy is study of God, okay? So there are many good theologians, okay? If you're a theologian, don't get mad, okay? But I know there are many theologians who believe in the gospel of grace. They believe in the centrality of the person of Jesus Christ, all right? These are the good theologians, amen? So don't forget, the professors and the possessors, okay? In other words, you can never lose your salvation. There is no security. Joy and insecurity cannot coexist. You cannot have a home full of insecurity and everyone is joyful.
"Joy is a flag flown, high from the castle yo, Daddy, yo, Mom, from the castle of my heart". If you're whacking them, you're scolding them, you'rem "One of these days, I might just disown you". There is no security. Then he goes, "Hey, Dad, joy is a flag. The joy of the Lord is my strength". You don't find families like this smiling, laughing, all right? Because that kind of family, you need an environment of security. Are you listening? That's why the moment insecurity comes in, a woman who thinks her husband is unfaithful, the moment insecurity enters her heart, there goes the joy, there goes the smile, there goes the, you know, she's quiet. Her friends ask her, "Why are you so quiet nowadays"? There's no such thing as insecurity and joy coexisting. The Bible talks about fullness of joy, being joyful. "These things I speak unto you that your joy might be full". What happened? 'Cause there are people who have helped our insecurities. Then they make fun of blessed assurance.
"There are Christians who sit on their blessed assurance". You would expect such language from the people of the world, not from within the church. It's almost as if we are so afraid to give the believer security. "Well, you give them security, they might just go ahead and sin". You know something? People who are insecure sin more. Now I need to give this to you, this statement, all right? Always remember, not just joy and insecurity cannot go together, all right? Remember this: never allow an obscure passage of Scripture rob you. Like, this is an obscure passage, okay? It can be explained, yes, all right? But you need to take time to explain. Don't ever let an obscure passage rob you of the joy and confidence of clear Scriptures, like, "For God so loved the world". Clear? "That he gave his only begotten Son". Clear? "That whosoever". Clear? "Believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life". Clear? Clear, amen.
Now, never allow obscure passages rob you of the joy of clear passages. Do you understand? When you read a obscure passage, know there's no contradiction in the Bible. There's seeming contradiction. There's no contradiction, okay? Then just leave this aside, pray about it, all right? Who knows, today is an answered prayer for many. Somewhere along the way, God will give you the answer, okay? But never allow your clear passages to be obscured by obscure passages. Another one I want to give you, you must see up here, is John 10. I love this one. Jesus is talking, Jesus says, "My sheep", let's all say this together. "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow me". Keep on reading. "And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish". Stop. When Jesus gives you eternal life, what happens to you? You will never perish. "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish". Clear?
Now, the word never, in the Greek, is the word ou me, ou and me. Now, two words, ou me. Ou me means never, certainly not, not at all, by no means. It's actually two Greek words for no. In the Greek, there are two words for negation, no. One is ou, one is me, but when you put ou and me together, wow, it strengthens the denial. It means never, ever, cannot, by no means. Jesus says, "If I give you eternal life, once you have eternal life, you will never perish". By no means, okay?
"Pastor Prince, I know a friend, used to be a Christian, used to be this", blah-blah-blah-blah. Number one, we do not know if he's a professor or a possessor, but let's say he's a possessor. He is saved, all right? He left the Lord and all that. You'd be surprised. Even though he live a lifestyle of sin, salvation is more solid than his lifestyle. And maybe he dies young, all right? But in heaven, you're gonna see him. You're gonna see him, because salvation is not because of what he did. He will never perish. Every sheep of Christ is as secure as Christ can make that sheep. As safe as Christ himself. Hmm? Okay? Then he says, "Neither shall anyone snatch them". Someone says, but you know, he says, "Neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand". So they say, but no one can snatch them out of Jesus, me out of Jesus's hand, but what if I jump out? You ever hear that?
It's amazing, you know. It's amazing how when God tried to comfort someone, they always find something, the legalistic mind will find something to rob them of the comfort, all right? So let's use the example they say. Yeah, no one can take me out of Jesus's hands, but I can jump out. Are you a anyone, or are you a creature? Are you an anyone? Neither shall anyone, that includes you. In fact, the word here has... not even the word man in the Greek. It means anything. Any, it just say any. Neither shall any pluck them out of my hand. That includes yourself. That includes Satan. That includes all his cohorts. No one can snatch you out of Jesus's hands. Before they can touch you, they must touch Jesus. "My Father," Jesus says, "who has given them to me", given all of you to Jesus. "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand".
So now we are doubly covered. Look at this. We are in Jesus's hands, we are all in Jesus's hands, and nothing can snatch us out. No one can snatch us out of Jesus's hands. Watch this. And my Father's hands also. That's how safe you are, okay? Now, please, take the sweet comfort that this passage brings. Enjoy it, all right, in all its divine clearness, in all its simplicity, receive it and be happy. God wants you to be happy. And remember this, no other passage of scripture, no other passage of scripture that you read, all right, can by any possibility contradict the plain statement of our Lord. So when you read something that seems to contradict eternal security, that means what? We don't understand the context, we don't understand what it's referring to. Never, there's no such thing as a passage contradicting the plain statement of our Lord. Is this plain? Aren't you glad you came to church today?
All right, I gotta bring this to a close. So let's drop down to the Hebrews 6. Head back to Hebrews 6. "For when God". Now, we are still in Hebrews 6, can you believe it? I'm gonna show you how people are conscious of the first impossible. It's impossible to renew them, right? It's impossible. But actually, there are two impossibles in Hebrews 6. The other one, it's impossible for God to lie about blessing you. That one nobody memorizes. I feel like saying when people ask me things like, "What about Hebrews 6"? I say, "Amazing, isn't it"? God has said it's impossible for Him to lie when He says, blessing I'll bless you. Amen. But this is from Hebrews 6, right? We are just going verse by verse, all right?
So we drop down to verse 13, "For when God made a promise to Abraham, because God could swear by no one greater, God swore by Himself, saying, 'Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.'" Everyone who wants this, just say amen. Receive it. "'Surely blessing I will bless you, multiplying I will multiply you,' and because God cannot swear by anyone greater, God swore by Himself". You know, God cannot swear by anyone greater than Him. God cannot say, "I swear by the moon and the stars", because He made the moon and the stars. He's above the moon and the stars. So, you know, we swear by the moon and the stars, like the song. But God says, when God wants to swear, God looks around and God says, "Yeah, I'm the only one. No one greater than me," amen? No, He doesn't even look around, man, He knows.
All right, He swears by Himself. "Surely blessing I will bless you, multiplying I will multiply you". It's a sworn oath. Keep on reading. "And so after Abraham had patiently endured, he obtained the promise". Even though his body says impossible, even though his wife's body says impossible, he obtained the promise. Next verse, "Men indeed swear by the greater". Yeah, I swear, you know, men swear on their mother's grave and all that kind of thing, all right? "And an oath for confirmation is for men an end of all dispute," right? When men swear, all right, and they swear on something that people know that, you know, then it's an end of all dispute, of all controversy. "Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise", that's to all of you, "the immutability". Immutability means unchangeableness, okay? Unchangeableness "of His counsel, confirmed by an oath, that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie".
When God says He promised to bless us, alright, so God swore, surely blessing. The language in Hebrew, "Surely blessing I will bless you, multiplying I'll multiply you". Whenever the Hebrew uses twice, all right, it's intense. God is swearing by Himself. "Surely blessing I will bless you, multiplying I will multiply you". You understand? Now, does God have to swear? Think, church. Does God have to swear? Man has to swear, but does God have to swear? No, why? God's Word is truth. God cannot lie. There's a verse in the New Testament that says God cannot, not will not. Will not means God can do anything, but He will not. God cannot lie. His Word is truth.
So when God swears, wow, wow, there's a double ironclad guarantee. He's swearing so that He determined to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the unchangeableness of His oath. It's for our sake He swore, so that you know we can have... what can we have? By two unchangeable things in which it's impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation. There it is. There it is. You see, I don't understand this mentality to keep the church insecure. I cannot understand that. I cannot understand this fleshly reasoning. If the church is too secure, all right, they will sin. They will go crazy. If they know they cannot lose their salvation, they will go crazy, all right? The day that I knew that I cannot lose my salvation, I became a pastor, all right? I don't know about you, it seems like you've got more faith in man's reasoning than in God's reasoning, than in God's way. God gives strong consolation.
I'm telling you, people with children who are fully secure grow up to be great citizens, great people. A marriage that's secure, all right, is a marriage that flourishes. Somehow, it's an issue of control to leave people insecure. Amen. I've got people even telling me, if you tell them everything, they will never come back years ago. In our church, people keep coming back. We give them plenty of assurance, they still come back. See, all this fleshly reasoning is from the devil. God wants you to have blessed assurance, regardless of those who are making fun of Him, all right? God wants you to have blessed assurance. God wants you to have strong consolation, not just consolation, strong consolation. And you get it when you realize, what does it take to assure you? God doesn't have to even swear, but God swears, I promise you, I'll bless you. Lift your hands and say, Father, I receive them. I receive your blessing. I receive your multiplying. Whoa!
Some of you are asking for it, praise God! Get ready! Someone 50-plus might get pregnant, watch it, watch it, all right? He promised to bless you, he promised to multiply you. Not just in terms of children, but also in terms of, if you have a business, expansion. It's multiplying, we all want to multiply. We all want to multiply. God's ordained way is always be fruitful and then multiply. Your company also has this principle, you must be fruitful before you can multiply. Multiplication always comes after you're blessed. Okay? Okay, bring this to a close, praise God. Verse 19, okay, wait, wait, not finished yet. "We might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us".
I wish I can just stop here and talk to you about the cities of refuge in the Old Testament, because it's the book of Hebrews. In book of Hebrews, Paul reasoned with them from the Old Testament. He brings out the types, the menorah, the lampstand, the Ark of the Covenant. He reasons them by the high priest because they understand they are Hebrews, they are Jewish people, amen? And Paul is telling them in the book of Hebrews to leave the school of Moses and join the...go forward to the school of Christ. Moses is a servant, Christ is the son, the son has come, amen? So don't go back to the temple. In fact, in 7 years after that, those who didn't heed what Paul said by the Spirit in the book of Hebrews, they had no temple to go to. The judgment came, okay?
Now, the cities of refuge in the Old Testament. Let's say you murder someone in the Old Testament, let's say you kill someone unwittingly, all right? It's not, it is not deliberate. They call it homicide, okay? Now you've got to flee from the avenger of blood. That means the guy's relative, his brother, whoever, wants to kill you now. So you've got to flee. And God says to Joshua, when you enter the land, one of the things you've got to do, one of the first things in fact, God said, ordain six cities of refuge throughout the land so that the moment the guy who killed the guy's brother, he's running away from the brother who wants to kill him, he must enter, and the cities of refuge must be nearby. He must run to a city of refuge.
The moment he's in the city of refuge, no one can touch him. And when he's there, he lives among the Levites, he lives among the priests. The city of refuge is run by the priests. And the priests eat the best of the land, by the way, all right? And he actually becomes a gainer, all right? So the picture here is that we, we are running from the avenger of blood, amen, because we've all sinned. I said we've all sinned, all right? So we are running from the avenger of blood, and guess what? You know, we've all found Jesus as city of refuge. And we live within His resources, amen. And by His resources. Can I have a good amen, church?
Alright, let's finish off verse 19 and 20. "This hope we have an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek". So don't forget, he used the word anchor now. In other words, Jesus Christ is the anchor for our souls. Now, as sure as Jesus sits on the throne, no force, no power can remove Him from the throne. Just as sure we have this as an anchor for our souls. Nothing can remove you from God's love, from God's salvation, from His life, from His love, amen? Oh, hallelujah. Now, two more verses we close. What's the first verse of Hebrews 4? Look up here. First verse, Hebrews 4, "Let us therefore fear". Last verse, "Let us therefore come boldly".
Now, it's like God to put many a times, you know, in the same passage, sometimes in the same chapter some of the strong words of warning, okay, against the professors, and yet at the same time some of the deepest words of comfort and consolation for His people, okay? Now, here's writing to His people, "Let us therefore fear, lest we come short of His rest," right? But ends will be what? Let us come boldly. I think we've got to learn to be like God. Never end on a negative. When you leave your house, say something nice to your wife. Say something, all right, that'll make your words sing throughout the whole day in her mind, all right? Whatever you do, make sure that you end on a good note. The whole chapter begins with verse 1, let us therefore fear, ends with verse 16, let us therefore come boldly. You find this contrast always in Hebrews 6, impossible to renew them and now impossible not to be blessed. Turn to your neighbor and say, it's impossible not to be blessed.
So, Pastor Prince, why this contrast? Listen carefully, I'll close with this. Why this contrast? Why? Because God wants us to know. Hebrews 6, it's impossible to renew this man to repentance. At the end of Hebrews 6, it's impossible for God not to bless you. So man and God, okay, now we know. When it comes to men, when we think, we men, okay? When we think of who we are, what we are, where we are, we have every reason to be afraid. But when it comes to God, His grace, His goodness, His tender mercy, His faithfulness, we have every reason to have fearless confidence and boldness. That's why I don't like this man-centered preaching, Jesus-centered preaching, amen?
When we think of the world with all its dangers, temptations, and snares, we have every reason to be on our guard for ourselves and our children. But when we think of the throne of grace, "Let us therefore come boldly", let's finish it, "to the throne of grace". Give them the whole verse, "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace". All right, the first verse, ignore the first verse, look at verse 16, "Let us come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy". When you think of the world with all its temptations and dangers, you're on your guard. But when you think of the throne of grace, with its inexhaustible supply, and there's a high priest on that throne, He's most merciful, He's faithful, and sympathetic, we can rejoice and come boldly to receive his ample supply for our deepest needs.
Come on, church, hallelujah! Praise the Lord! So, when you come to focus on man, you look in the newspapers, man, man, man, man, what man has done, of course you are depressed. Come to church and hear what God has done, what Jesus has done, what God is doing even now, and what God will do, amen. When we think of ourselves, we are depressed. When we think of God, man, you are at rest. Hallelujah! Give Jesus a praise, amen! Come on, church! They shall never perish! Amen! Beloved, we are persuaded, we are confident of better things concerning you, things that accompany salvation. He gave you eternal life. You will never perish.
Every head bowed, every eye closed all across this place. Friends, if you are here today and you don't have this assurance, you don't have this strong consolation that you are saved, that your spirit has been regenerated, you are a new person on the inside. That's what Jesus came to give us. He didn't come to make bad people good, he came to make dead people live. And all of us were dead in our sins, our trespasses, so Jesus came, and when Jesus died on the cross, God took your sins and mine and God laid it on Jesus. He didn't just die for our sins, He died as us.
So our old Adamic self died at the cross. He was buried, and on the third day God raised Jesus from the dead bodily, and the Bible says we are risen with Him. That's how we got born again. As far as God is concerned, it happened already. It's up to you to believe. So if that is you, you say, "Pastor, I want this salvation. I want to know that should my heart stop beating at any time, there is no maybe, there is no perhaps, but an assurance, heaven is my home, God is my Father, and all my sins are forgiven". So if that is you wherever you are right now, okay, I want you to pray this prayer from your heart. We'll help you pray this. Say this from your heart:
Heavenly Father, I come boldly to You, to Your throne of grace, the throne of unmerited favor. I thank You. You have more supply than I have needs, I need to be saved. I am a sinner. I need Jesus as my Savior. I repent, turn away from unbelief, and I put my faith in Christ as my Savior. I turn away from my own efforts to save myself, and I put my complete trust in Jesus Christ, my Savior, whose blood was shed, cleansing me from every sin. Thank You, Father, that You raised Jesus from the dead. Jesus Christ is my Lord and my Savior. Thank You, Father. I am truly saved, eternally secure, forever saved, greatly blessed, highly favored, deeply loved in Jesus's name. And all the people said amen.
Hallelujah. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, amen. Lift your hands all over this place. Praise the Lord. Everyone that is watching this, I want you to say this, all right, this coming week: It is impossible for my family and I to escape God's blessings, His goodness, and His favor. Amen, amen.