Security to Live By

SECURITY TO LIVE BY
1 John 5:11-14
November 29, 2020

Have you ever been in a conversation with someone and somewhere along the way you say, isn’t it going to be wonderful when we get to heaven? And they say something like, “well, maybe or I sure hope so”

• Some have trusted Jesus Christ for many years but walk through life for some reason lacking eternal security.
• God wants us to be absolutely confident.

Eternal Security – what do we mean and where do we get such confidence and truth?

A phrase not actually in the Bible but it summarizes a truth found in the Bible.
• A truth that says once a person has placed their trust in the blood of Jesus Christ, shed on the cross as payment for their sin, as their entry into heaven, then that person is immediately granted salvation and their place in eternal life with the Lord Himself.
• Believers can never lose their salvation regardless of what a believer does or doesn’t do.
• Bible teaches our eternal life is not based on our human performance day by day (works) – but rather what Jesus did for us on the cross – it never changes.

In a recent sermon, Pastor Rich noted that people often live without regard for God’s promises. Why would we do that – why would we put ourselves in the position of missing out on God’s promises?

Promise of eternal security is one you can live by.

1 JOHN 5:11-14

I. God Promises ‘Eternal Security’

Why would someone call themselves a Christian, a follower of Jesus – and not live life celebrating this promise but in-stead questioning it?

I want to show you many scriptures to support what we are talking about – that our eternal life really is eternal security.

John 5:24; “Truly, truly, I say to you, the one who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.

A. Jesus speaks to us in present tense

When Jesus says truly, truly I say to you…”has” is in pre-sent tense – immediately granted. “Has” eternal life – not after we die – not after a period of time – not if we don’t “back-slide” –

• Eternal life “has” = right now, we will not get any more eternal life when we get to heaven than right now!

Rewards in heaven, yes – we can talk about that another time – but salvation in Jesus Christ – that was settled on the cross for all those who confess Him as Lord & repent of your sins.

C.S. Lewis – unbelievers often have a hard time discussing death & heaven because “heaven” is an actual place. Heaven is the place for people who already “have” eternal life. A place we go when we leave this world as we know it. To dis-cuss life in any other place is uncomfortable.

John 3:36; The one who believes in the Son has eternal life; but the one who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”

John 6:47; Truly, truly, I say to you, the one who believes has eternal life.

B. God lays to rest any doubt about heaven

Look at John 5:24 again – this time the NIV translation

John 5:24; “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.
(NIV)

• Key words here are “crossed over” – not present tense
• Greek – it’s perfect tense
• Perfect tense in Greek is rarely used – so when it is used it’s important and significant – what does it mean?
• A completed action – all done – there is a result that goes on irreversibly, indefinitely, and irrevocably…

Illustration – like a dot on a pc of paper

Psalm 103:12; As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our wrongdoings from us.

Allow me to retranslate this verse,
• the person who believes in Jesus has eternal life and will never be condemned, that person has crossed over, is crossed over and always will be crossed over from a state of eternal death to a state of eternal life.

Hebrews 10:16; “This is the covenant which I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put My laws upon their hearts,
And write them on their mind,”

II. God’s Promises Are Recorded

He enters into a covenant contract; remember John 5:24 – irreversible – what are the terms of that covenant? –

Remember what I said about looking at the entire body of work in scripture, not a verse that fits ones desire to de-bate.

Hebrews 10:17; “And their sins and their lawless deeds I will no longer remember.”

Philippians 4:3; as well as the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.

Romans 8:1; Therefore there is now no condemnation at all for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Micah 7:19; He will again take pity on us; He will trample on our wrongdoings. Yes, you will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

I Corinthians 6:19; Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own.

Galatians 4:6; Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba! Father!

Romans 8:33; Who will bring charges against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies;

Ephesians 1:13; In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spir-it of the promise,

God knows exactly who we belong to per the spirit of god – the Holy Spirit – we will be redeemed to God Himself “if” you have truly asked Him to be Lord of your life. Telling someone you are a Christian is not sufficient.

A. “Never perish” eliminates the critics

John 10:27-28; My sheep listen to My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.

• If you could do something that would cause you to lose your salvation Jesus would not use the word “never”.
• His word does not contradict Himself.

If the critics are correct, then His word might say, most of the time, allot of the time, odds in your favor… you won’t perish.

• By saying “never” He is saying there is nothing you can do to lose your salvation.
• Nothing anyone else can do to cost you your salvation – God promises to you! Eternally Secure!

Illustration – Tombstone

What better news could you want today or to tell your Christian friends than “you will never perish”.

Some of us are legendary when it comes to our ability to self-destruct – If you are one of these folks who find a way to mess things up – you can’t even mess this one up – a prom-ise that is irrevocable?

Some of you here or online may not know Jesus personally – there is no better offer in the world or in the news, than this offer from Jesus Himself. What are you waiting for?
• Tomorrow has no guarantees – I do believe we can start by agreeing on that.

B. The enemy has no power over truth

As a Follower of Jesus Christ – if you genuinely prayed and gave your life to Jesus Himself – these are the impossible things that would have to happen for you to lose your salvation:

– SOMEONE –
1. has to cast the indwelling Holy Spirit out of your life.
2. has to pull God’s engagement ring off of your finger.
3. must cancel your adoption papers as a child of God and separate you from the love of God.
4. has to talk God into remembering your sins and lawless deeds after He told you He won’t.
5. has to sneak into heaven and erase your name out of the book of life.
6. would talk God into rewriting Rom 8:1 in the Bible so that it now reads; Therefore there is now no condemnation at all for those who are in Christ Jesus “except” in the fol-lowing circumstances…
7. has to scuba dive down and dredge your sins up from the sea for God’s attention again.
8. has to turn you from a sheep to a goat in the sight of al-mighty God.
9. has to snatch us right out of the hand of Jesus Himself
10. And most importantly, someone must make a liar out of Almighty God because He has made a covenant, a con-tract, a legal agreement – with us – where is it?

• B I B L E – and what that document says is, if you will trust Jesus Christ and what He did for you on the cross, I am going to give you eternal life and you will never perish.
• God would have to be a liar for you to perish – and that is never going to happen!

Today, we only dealt with God’s irreversible promise for life in heaven for those who believe in Him – ask Him into your life, repent of your sins and know His death on the cross was a covenant of assurance for you.

Pastor Rich also said recently; you won’t see too many peo-ple hang on their wall – 2 Timothy 3:12.

2 Timothy 3:12; Indeed, all who want to live in a godly way in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

C. Live life filled with eternal security

No matter the debate or who it’s with – I recommend this simple question:

When this conversation is over and we go our separate ways, and something tragic happens to you and just like that you are gone from this life, can you tell me absolutely, cate-gorically, without a sliver of doubt, that the moment you leave this life you are going to be in heaven with God?

Illustration

When you walk out of the door today & every morning – if you are not afraid to die – then you are not afraid to live!

This is freedom in Christ in the day we live in right now.

• If you don’t already claim to be a follower of Christ, today is the day – your Christian friends or someone here would be honored and blessed to pray that prayer with you – SO THAT this amazing promise of eternal security can be yours as well.

The news on eternal life and eternal security just doesn’t get any better than this. Grab ahold of it for your own life, without a doubt, so you can live with confidence.