Safe From Apostasy (Hebrews 6:1-12- Jeff Kliewer)

Amen, let's all stand and worship the lord Prayer today lord

We pray that you open our eyes and our hearts lord for the word that you have for each one of us today lord that We'd be moved to seek a deeper relationship with you to time in your word lord

Father, we ask that you bless this time in worship Of your word lord and in song lord that it just be a pleasing sound to you and Again, lord stir our hearts lord to seek

After you more and more every day lord to seek your will and just to be strengthened and encouraged during this time

Lord that we just be moved to continue in your word Thank you in jesus name.

We pray. Amen I saw

This poor man And lord Let us pray

God thank you so much for salvation in jesus christ Thank you for the new birth

Thank you god that no one and nothing can snatch us out of your hand We thank you that you set your seal upon us a seal of ownership guaranteeing our redemption

Until you take possession of all that belong to you your inheritance Thank you god that those that you predestine you also call

Those that you call you also justify And those justified are also glorified

There's nothing that can break this And there is nothing that can separate us from the love of god that is in christ.

Jesus neither height nor depth nor angels nor demons things present things to come

Nothing in all creation can separate us from the love of god that is in christ. Jesus Thank you for this god that you will complete the good work that you began

And so we are secure in you Because of your finished work

Thank you for that. And now lord as we open your word to What is one of the most dire?

warnings in all of scripture We pray that we would be comforted by your love

And yet spurred on to maturity That we would take this warning to heart and not think ourselves above it

Not take it flippantly But recognize how serious it is So that we would both both rest in christ

But also grow toward maturity In jesus name we pray. Amen So there have been many attempts

To stop the gospel from its progress many threats from the outside to the christian faith

In the writing of the book of hebrews, we are about in the 60s ad and at that time

The emperor of rome is nero and nero

Is an enemy to the christian faith In fact, there will come a point in time where he will burn the city of rome

Because he wants to rebuild it and he will blame it on the christians Of course paul and peter are both martyred in rome

At this time and so many christians are departing from the faith because of the threat of persecution

Persecution didn't stop with nero After him there was one named trajan in the 100s

He's famous for having martyred ignatius of antioch Threw him to the lions

But before dying ignatius said christianity is greatest when it is hated by the world

The threats from the outside were not able to extinguish the flame of the gospel in the 300s

Diocletian was the emperor of rome and he set off the worst persecution of the christians of all there were 10 waves

Of roman persecution and the diocletian one in the 300s was absolutely the worst

They would burn all the bibles destroy all the churches and kill those who preached the gospel

His aim was to completely eradicate the roman empire of christianity of course the blood of the martyrs is

The seed of the church and they were unable to stop the progress of the gospel It's just like daniel foresaw.

Do you remember daniel's vision when he saw the kingdoms of the earth pictured as a statue?

And there were a clay feet and bronze legs and different kingdoms were represented in this statue

Well at the end of daniel's vision chapter 2 He sees a stone a rolling stone.

Maybe that's where that band got its name But this rolling stone comes down and smashes that statue to pieces to powder and the wind blows it away

And then the stone becomes a mountain and fills the whole earth The kingdom of christ will conquer the kingdoms of this world

Amen Jesus pictured it as a mustard seed When jesus began gathering disciples to himself even in the upper room, there were only 120

But look today where over 2 billion people name the name of christ The mustard seed would grow to become a tree and the birds of the air will find rest under its branches

The threats from the outside could not Stop the progress of the gospel in the 600s muhammad came and led the muslim

Religion, which really advanced over the christian world by the sword It even overtook spain at one point in the 800s al anduza or something like andalusa spain

Was run by muslims So there was a great threat coming from Muhammadan religion

And there were other kinds of threats in the 1300s. There was a plague That wiped out 50 to 60 percent of christendom

Now, can you imagine what that would do to somebody's faith? You've trusted in god and yet sons and daughters

Fathers and mothers were killed by this plague 60 percent of the christian world killed in the black death

In the 1500s after the reformation began the counter reformation became bloody and violent

And threats to the gospel came from the outside even in our country which was founded on the gospel in a sense that even if many of the

The founders of our country were either deists or at least theists of some nature many were christian

The ideas of the gospel were underneath the founding of america, but wasn't america also founded in a time of war?

the revolutionary war And then on american soil in the 1800s the civil war.

Can you imagine what that did to the faith of some? And yet christianity continued to prosper

The gospel then in the 1800s really made progress to the ends of the earth David livingston to africa and how many missionaries laid down their lives on african soil hudson taylor to china adniram judson to burma

Missionaries going to the ends of the earth and now the gospel has penetrated to almost every country

On the planet. In fact, there are christians on in every country on the planet

In the 1900s because of higher criticism European countries began to reject the worldview of the bible and accepted some kind of militaristic nationalism precipitating world war one the war to end all wars

Can you imagine what that did to the faith of some? Then world war ii many other wars and today

I think the biggest threat that we're facing here in america from the outside Is not an invading power

It's not even physical war But an ideological war against the christian faith what happened last week with big tech

Censoring the voices of they of the people that they don't like That's really concerning That will result in a attack on the christian message

Because what we preach from the bible in the full counsel of god is not popular to big tech

And so if they can silence some it could be that others will be silenced before long

And christians will be made to feel like we're on an island That there's not very many of us

Because our voices won't be heard in the public square But true pulpits will still be ablaze with the gospel

And true christians will still be preaching christ and him crucified And even if it doesn't look like it in the media the gospel will be speeding forward

Because threats from the outside can never extinguish the flame of the gospel

Greater is he who is in us than he who is in the world The gospel will continue to run but I tell you there is a greater threat than the external ones that come against the gospel

And that is the internal threat of becoming lethargic It is the threat of gathering in the name of christ

Feeling that you've done your religious duty And going off to live like the devil It is the threat of drifting

Away from from god in your heart The threat that's inside of each of us

The tendency to sin. Do you feel it? The old psalmist did remember prone to wander lord.

I feel it prone to leave the god I love Take my heart lord and seal it seal it for thy courts above All of us are sinners

And the danger of falling away from christ now that is a danger that we need to talk about We're going to look at it now in hebrews chapter 6

Verses 1 to 12. It's a passage about apostasy Falling away from the faith

It is one of the most debated passages In the history of the church for 2 000 years

And for that reason nowadays, it's something that most preachers won't touch with a 10 -foot pole But I love our church because you want the meat, right?

We talked about this last week We don't want to just live on milk. We want the meat of god's word We want to dive deeply into the text because some of you as we read these words will say i'm not exactly sure what it's saying

Isn't that exciting that today you can come to a deeper understanding of god's word and you can leave

Understanding words of scripture that you did not understand when you came in Let's pray toward that end let's read god's word and pray that he opens our eyes

So picking up on the thought from last week, we can't just be slow to hear we've got to press on in our doctrine otherwise

We could fall away Verse 1 of chapter 6 Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of christ and go on to maturity

Not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works And faith toward god and instruction about washings

And laying on of hands the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment And this we will do if god permits

For it is impossible In the case of those who have once been enlightened

Who have tasted the heavenly gift? And have shared in the holy spirit And have tasted the goodness of the word of god and the powers of the age to come

And then have fallen away To restore them again to repentance

Since they are crucifying once again the son of god to their own harm And holding him up to contempt for Land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it

And produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated receives a blessing from god

But if it bears thorns and thistles it is worthless And near to being cursed

And its end is to be burned Though we speak in this way yet in your case beloved

We feel sure of better things things that belong to salvation For god is not unjust

So as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints as you still do

And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end

So that you may not be sluggish but imitators of those who through faith and patience

Inherit the promises It's difficult, isn't it? There are really three paths through this passage of scripture that have been taken for 2 000 years

One of them is the arminian position the idea that someone can lose their salvation

Those taking this interpretation would say that the picture of verses three to six is

Believers who have genuinely been born again But they fall away and they lose their salvation and they go to hell

That's one view A second view is a modern calvinistic variant of Calvinism that really came out of dallas seminary and the dispensationalist if you read the bkc the bible knowledge commentary

The person who writes the book of hebrews commentary in that Takes the second view and this is that It is a saved person

Who falls away in the sense of drifting from the faith no longer gathering maybe not even naming the name of christ anymore

But the end Is not hell This is only like a disciplinary kind of judgment that falls upon them

Get it So it's not someone who loses their salvation. It's somebody who drifts and backslides from the faith and therefore

God's going to have to discipline them The fire is the fire of refining that ultimately they're going to come back or else they'll die and they'll be okay when they get to heaven

And then there's the third view which is the right one Which is the view that I take

It's not what makes it right But this is the kind of the the reformation view of the text and what

I think is consistent with all of scripture And this is the view

That what you have in verses three to six is someone who comes very

Very near to salvation In fact each description that you have

Is written the way it is To make the point that they are in the congregation.

They are gathering they are tasting They are experiencing And they in every way shape and form look the part of a christian you would have no way of knowing

That they would be among the apostates but one day they deny the lord jesus christ They walk away from the faith.

So this is not the picture of someone who stumbles in sin because everybody here will stumble and sin This is the picture of an apostate

Who only looked the part And their end is to be burned. It is a picture of eternal damnation

When we see that word burned at the end of verse eight So this third view

I would say the key to Unlocking this passage is verse nine Go with me there though.

We speak in this way yet in your case beloved. We feel sure of better things Notice this phrase things that belong to salvation things that Accompany salvation things that go with salvation

Salvation Which begs the question what is salvation To be saved is to be rescued by the lord jesus christ

It is when a sinner is forgiven and god proclaims over them to telestai

That god's wrath toward a sinner like me has been satisfied in the blood of christ's cross

And there is no more wrath remaining for the sinner Because christ has stood in my stead

Born the penalty in his body on the tree This is to be born again

It is a gift from god An irreversible gift because god himself accomplishes the work in the heart of the believer

There are those who are born of the flesh Meaning you're born you come into the world, but there are also those who have a second birth

The second birth the new birth from heaven is transformational The holy spirit himself begins to reside in the heart of the believer

And so ephesians 1 13 says having believed you were marked in him with a seal the promised.

Holy spirit The new birth Is a supernatural work not of man, but it is to be born from above john 1 12

Now if this is the case that god gives a new birth There will be evidence

That you have been born again Your life will be transformed when god comes and saves the sinner

God's work of salvation is noticeable. In other words, it bears fruit. You will see that this person is different And one of the fruits of salvation

Is perseverance in the faith? Accompanying the supernatural work of god

Is his preserving work? He preserves those who belong to him.

He keeps us Jude 1 23 he holds on to those that he has saved

It is a fruit and so I say the key here look at chapter 6 verse 9 the that last phrase

Things that belong to salvation Is set over and against those who fall away

Falling away indicates that the person was not saved because what accompanies salvation did not happen in their case

So let's look at it now from verse 1 and following therefore Let us leave the elementary doctrine of christ

And go on to maturity Not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward god instruction about washings laying on of hands resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment

So we're told we need to move beyond basic doctrines So why? Does the author of hebrews pick these six things?

He picks these six things because the temptation of The hebrew believers was to fall back to judaism

The book is called hebrews So what he's writing to is a group of people who came out of judaism

They still have that hebrew ethnic identity and the temptation is to go back to the temple

Which by the way is going to be destroyed in 70 a .d. They only have a couple years left. They don't know that The temptation is to go back to judaism

So you have basically the conversion experience beginning to end pictured here

Repentance and faith. That's how somebody gets saved. That's the basic starting point washings and laying on of hands that pictures the laying on of hands from priestly ordination or in the temple we're told in Leviticus 1 4 he shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for sin

In judaism you bring your sacrificial animal you lay your hand on its head and that animal stands in your place in christianity, the work is finished no laying on of hands except to commission

Preachers of the gospel for ordination and things of that nature last week We asked tim robinson to come up and myself and and eric laid hands on him in second service

And prayed for him in his role as youth director That's laying on of hands in the new testament sense.

And then there is resurrection and eternal judgment So we're looking at last things so from beginning to end.

These are basic How is it basic? Well, either you're going to go with the christian Belief salvation through repentance and faith

Laying on of hands baptism is the corresponding initiation, right And then believing in the resurrection of the dead and eternal life through christ.

That's basic Whereas in judaism you have all the ritualistic things that are standing in juxtaposition

So that's why those things are listed but I digress because what are we supposed to do? Move on This is where we're not supposed to get stuck

We got to get beyond this. So let's look at verse three This we will do if god permits

Evidently, he's permitting right now Because i'm about to do this And you guys are here and wow, there's a lot of you here praise the lord god is doing something

It's him permitting you to be here his preserving power that has you still gathering in his name

So if he permits well What would be the counter to that? For It is impossible

In the case of those who have once been enlightened who have tasted the heavenly gift shared in the holy spirit

Tasted the goodness of the word of god and the powers of the coming age and then have fallen away a six -fold description of a particular identity group

Now our culture is obsessed with identity groups Only the things of over which they obsess are meaningless

How much melanin do you have in your skin meaningless? Not an important identity group how much money do you have economic class meaningless here is an identity group that matters

Are you saved or are you not? Do you belong to christ or are you still in your sin?

Those are the two big identity groups saved and unsaved But there's a third identity group pictured here

And that is people who look like they're saved They say they believe even and in some sense they do believe but they're not saved

And this should be a check on our spirits right now I Try to take the same tone

In my preaching as the text if the text is very somber and serious. I try not to joke a lot

This is serious It could be that some are gathered here today and you look like a christian

Look the same as everybody else You think you're a christian But in the end you will be burned

Jesus dealt with a group like this turn back with with me to john chapter 8 Verse 30

This is fascinating right here John 8 30 As jesus is speaking catch this many believed in him

Many believed in him and in our context growing up in american evangelicalism.

They believed and they can quote john 3 16 For god so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever

Believes in him shall not perish But have eternal life They can quote that verse

There's many who believe in him in this sense. So this is an open and shut case right according to john 3 16

They believe where are they going? Heaven wrong Because keep reading verse 31 so jesus said to the jews who had believed him

Do you guys feel the force of that? Especially because john's context his whole reason why he writes

I write these things so that you may believe that jesus is the christ and by believing have life in his name John's whole point is believe in in the lord.

Jesus christ Those who believe will be saved and others will not But notice verse 31

Those who had believed him He says these words follow it if You abide in my word you are truly

My disciples now, he doesn't say you have to earn salvation by abiding

He says the abiding the continuing the persevering in the faith will prove forth

That you've truly been saved now notice these who believed in the small sense of believed

Notice what happens to them? They like what he's saying right here He's telling them good things

But notice what happened He tells them you will know the truth and the truth will set you free and something about them something about that Poked them the wrong way

Look how they respond They answered him We're offspring of abraham

And have never been enslaved to anyone That was a sore spot. He touched the sword. You do not tell them that they're enslaved

Because they are they're still enslaved by rome, but they don't really want to admit it It's a false political allegiance

Not only that they're enslaved to sin and they don't know it How is it that you say you will become free?

Something just turned in the text, didn't it? Did you see that? Now they're questioning jesus.

They liked what he had to say up into a point as a preacher of the gospel Most of the culture likes most of what

I have to say And most people can come in and love the morality And how you raise your children to be respectful and they love the golden rule do unto others as you would have them do unto you

Love your enemies judge not lest you may be judged people love much of what the bible has to say

But there comes a point where something that jesus says Cuts them the wrong way

They reach this point If we had time to spend in this text because we need to get back to hebrews You would see that this only escalates from this point forward by the end of chapter 8

Jesus is saying john 8 58 before abraham was even born. I am they are so offended that they pick up stones to stone him

The same people that the text says believed him Now are trying to kill him

That's important It means that there's a sense in which someone can be enlightened and yet not

Have the new birth It's only an intellectual enlightenment. There's some belief something they like they're attracted to it.

They're in some sense believing They're here And they like what the preacher's saying

But they're not born again They have tasted the heavenly gift But they have not drunk

And received that fountain of living water into them They have

Tasted the goodness of the word of god. That's why they like to come to church

Something they like about it They don't gather at the mosque or the synagogue they gather where in the assembly of the saints

They've tasted the powers of the coming age They've seen miracles

They felt the presence of the holy spirit there was some feeling in them Wow, something is happening in this building when singing how great there are thou art

They saw how the people sung and they realized that's not how they sing frozen or some other song

There's something different about the way these christians sing and they felt it and they wanted to be a part of it

Do you see so go back to hebrews 6? This is the identity group the reason that there's six points of references

The first five all positive because it's trying to underscore the point of how close they came tasting but not drinking

And here's the essential point in verse 6 then have fallen away

So that's the identity group next. What's the assertion? Second point second big point the assertion

Is that it's impossible To renew them again to repentance now that Is scary

Look at the beginning of verse 4 the sentence actually begins there for it is impossible And then you have this six -fold description of who we're talking about but continue the sentence for it is impossible

To restore them again to repentance. That's the point Does that mean that someone who apostatizes who leaves the christian faith?

Cannot come back Impossible the word impossible

Is a dunatan And what you'll discover as you study that through the new testament

Is that what is impossible? Cannot in any way shape or form be done by man

Is possible with god? Notice the passivity of verse 6 to restore them

Meaning the person who's gone apostate they once gathered in the church now they curse and I know people like this

People who curse the name of christ that I baptized It's amazing and it breaks your heart

The passivity here is they are the ones being acted upon It's impossible for you to do anything to to restore them in other words

When you brought them the gospel You preached christ in him crucified you use the scripture as your sword you prayed in the spirit and they came

Now They leave all of that behind preacher Evangelist father mother sister.

What do you have left to win them? Answer nothing.

It's like they've been inoculated To the gospel They grew up with it.

They heard it all the while They seem to be getting it You thought they had it

But now they've gone off into sin They want nothing to do with it What can you do answer nothing?

With man, this is impossible. This is a dreadful state We're being warned of the condition of an apostate someone who's been there done that And now wants nothing to do with it

It's a very dire warning But keep reading Here's the rationale Since they are crucifying once again the son of god to their own harm you notice what they are doing

They're the active ones here And so the idea is they are responsible. This has become a very personal thing to god

In rejecting the son of god They stand condemned before god. They stand before the one with whom they have to do.

Nobody can help them Even the word doesn't seem to touch them at all It's them and god

They're responsible It's a scary place to stand before the hands of the living god

That's the rationale. What are they doing? Well, they gathered with the christians They looked apart guys

There are so many people in your life right now that watch you all the time

They know you're a christian They've seen you post verses on facebook They know that you go to church

And they watch you And those who have not come to christ they would love nothing more than for you to stop worshiping christ

And if you begin to attack the very faith you once preached you then are subjecting christ to open shame

He was put to shame on the cross once for the sins of the world If you reject that offering for sin, there is no other

There's no other sacrifice to be made. He's never coming again. He died once he is coming again to judge but never coming again to die again

See, this is the the horror. This is what's so despicable about this crime

They're subjecting him to open shame The world now is mocking, huh?

It didn't work for him. Did it? Oh, he he got into that christian thing for a while But now look at him

He's back in the world And that mockery is a very serious thing that's what's in view here now at the end we're going to close

By praying because remember here's the point What is impossible? For man is possible for god

He does bring the prodigal home remember the book of luke chapter 15 The prodigals do come home and when they do it's the father that runs and welcomes

So we're going to pray for prodigals as we close in prayer, but just the big idea here Let's keep going with the flow of the text

We're on to verse seven now This is the analogy to the ordinary.

This is how christianity should ordinarily progress for land that has drunk The rain that often falls on it and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated receives a blessing from god

This is how we gather in the church. We believe what's written every single word Which is in harmony with itself and we grow

The ordinary course is that our kids will come to church and they will grow up hearing the gospel

And that will be like water to them and their life will bring forth fruit And this is the ordinary course now the special case of apostasy

Which is what the passage is about verse eight If it bears thorns and thistles it is worthless

And near to being cursed and its end is to be burned that's scary

And we can't water it down by saying well, this is only a burning Which is refining

No It in fact deliberately says its end

Is to be burned. This is final condemnation And these are people who gathered in the church and thought that they were saved

It is a dangerous thing to toy with sin Many people abuse grace

Many people mistake the christian message for a prayer that you pray and signing

A decision card Walking an aisle at the greg lorry festival not to pick on greg, but any kind of evangelistic festival

And assume that because I did that i'm going to heaven Many people will be lost because of that deception you see

Genuine conversion results in perseverance in the faith growing in godliness You will never be perfect, but you're striving to be like him

And he's conforming you to his image and you're continuing in the faith those who reject christ even if they were baptized even if they

Looked apart to everybody else They will be lost That's the point of the text.

I like the analogy of the buzzard and the fox

There was a buzzard That saw a dead fox On an iceberg a small iceberg on a river and that river was progressing towards a waterfall

And so Seeing that it was easy game the buzzard flew down And landed on that iceberg and began to feast on the dead carcass of the fox a free meal

What could go wrong? And delighted himself in that And he could see the waterfall in the distance, but he had plenty of time

So he continued to feast on the carcass of the fox As he heard the roar of the waterfall approaching he started to think

I better go soon, but not quite ready Eat as much as I can after all I have wings

What's the big deal about a waterfall I can just fly And so the buzzard waited to the last second

But when he tried to jump he found that his feet were frozen by the ice

And he was stuck and he went over to his doom Parents don't tell that one right before bed

One doesn't end well But that's the point of the passage, isn't it?

So many christians abusing grace thinking you know what I am going to live however I want for the course of my life

I'm going to indulge the flesh flesh feed on that dead carcass of sin And that's where I'll find my delight

And right before I die i'm going to say sorry because jesus died for my sins sadly many of these will find out

That before they ever get to the point of repentance their feet have frozen

And they have no more place for repentance esau found that out. We'll learn later in hebrews when he sought repentance, but it was too late

They won't even want to repent when they're 85 years old and they've begun to hate christ They've turned away from the teachings of the bible they'll never come back that's the danger of apostasy.

It's a slow drift It's a moral drift too here what's what's in view here is not so much a doctrinal turning

It's a a drifting in the heart not progressing in the doctrine being slow to hear

Not interested in things like this. I'm noticing everybody is really into the text today. I'm not seeing a lot of yawning

That's a good sign because last week's warning remember Don't be slow to hear you've got to pay attention if you continue like that.

You're safe from apostasy As you continue to grow in the faith grow in the doctrine, but the verse 8 person is burned

And worthless and cursed cursed is hell. That's that's a strong warning So we finish here

We talked about the key to the text 9 and 10 things that belong to salvation and By the way in verse 9,

I love how the author turns and reminds the congregation That he loves them

And this is beloved I expect better things of you The expectation is that all of us will continue in the faith

This is loving to give this warning. It's sometimes people think it's hateful to say the things that the bible hate speech

No, it's loving to speak what the bible says beloved Then it says in verse 11 and 12, this is the charge

We desire each one of you to show the same earnestness To have the full assurance of hope until the end

So that you may not be sluggish but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises

So the charge is to be earnest that word sluggish in verse 12

It's the same greek word as chapter 5 verse 11 Remember the rebuke not to be dull of hearing

Not to be sluggish of hearing That's the charge to be earnest in continuing to pursue christ

Not to think that you've arrived and that you've kind of mastered this whole christian thing been there done that that is the path

To destruction But the humble path where you beat your chest and say lord have mercy on me the sinner

Recognize that you're not worthy worthy. You bring nothing to the table and you continue to look to him

Now quick warning if you turn too inward And you just look at yourself You'll get stuck there

But what the book of hebrews does again and again is it calls us to look at christ The one who did make atonement for our sins

The one who's better And we look to him again and again We stay there

We have to keep coming back to the foot of the cross Remain there That's the place of safety

So I said during the sermon that we would close in prayer Because the big thrust of the passage is that there's nothing you can do

For the apostates in your life that you love Is there somebody in your life that used to claim to be a christian used to gather

And assemble in the body but now rejects the faith there's nothing you can do to save them but God What's impossible for us?

Because they're inoculated to our weapons You can't just i'm not sending you to go beat them over the head with the bible

They're not going to want to hear it. They think they've already got that mastered No pray

So we're going to close in prayer And I want you to just take some time to think about People who are under this kind of condition nothing you can do to restore them, but god can

It's possible with him pray that he would bring the prodigal home Change their heart and actually give them the new birth that they once thought they had real salvation

Let's pray God this passage from hebrews 6 is truly sobering

It is scary in a sense, but we thank you that your perfect love casts out fear We thank you that we don't have to earn salvation.

We don't even have to keep our own salvation Rather it's you

Who keeps us? Keep us Thank you lord for saving us

Thank you for the golden chain of redemption that absolute promise that the one that is justified will be glorified

Keep us close to you god drawing closer and closer every day Maturing in your word not drifting help us lord.

We also pray for apostates in our lives God it breaks our heart to think about those that Once Worshipped you and in so many ways they looked apart.

They looked enlightened they seemed

To be among us as believers, but now they've left Show very little interest in anything

From your word God right now hear the prayers of your people as we cry out to you for them in the silence lord and as the music plays

Just listen to the prayers of your people and please god be merciful to do what only you can

God of the impossible we pray that you would bring the prodigals home In jesus name amen

Let's stand and sing how great thou art. That's a fitting one to close with Is My savior god

Is P .s.

I no longer say once saved always saved i've started to say if saved always saved

Because of that passage so just a good way to sum it up if saved always saved

God keeps the ones who are genuinely born again and persist in the faith. We're going to close with romans 8

Verses 31 to 39. So eight verses just to read To remind us of his keeping power.

What then shall we say to these things? If god is for us Who can be against us?

He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all How will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

Who shall bring any charge against god's elect it is god who justifies Who is to condemn

Christ jesus is the one who died More than that who was raised who is at the right hand of god who is indeed?

intercede us Who shall separate us from the love of christ? shall tribulation or distress or persecution

Or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written for your sake we are being killed all the day long

We are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered no In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us

For I am sure that neither death nor life Nor angels nor rulers nor things present nor things to come

Nor powers nor height nor depth nor anything else in all creation