(Depressed Disciples) Lost Again Unjustified — Willie Mullan

On Jewish altars slain to give the guilty conscience peace, or wash away the stain. 117, please. This evening, I think that a great many of the saints of God, born again, blood-bought saints, martyrs of thine, I believe a great many of whom are upstirched and annoyed and distracted and depressed because of the false teaching that's called being lost again.

I'm going to tackle this for you, tackle all the problems along with it. I have to take the coat off. She said before I came out that I could take the coat off this week. You see, I wasn't, I hadn't a minute said right last week to McCoy, you see him sitting down there.

Chuck McCoy, they called. He was in at the door, the town man. He has the coat off, he said, so I asked her could you take the coat off. She said, well, take the coat off, but don't take the shirt off.

Justification by Faith and the Security of the Believer

All right, now this is what we're after this evening, this false teaching about being lost again. So here's a question for you. Can our faith still become lost today? Now I know that right across the country you'll get people who will say, yes.

And I know that you'll get just as big an army on the other side who will say, no. And I've heard the book says, no. I've got to prove that from the book. Not just me that's talking. Make sure you're getting what the book says.

And I say that the book says, no. Here's another question for you. Can we justify it? See, if you're sitting down there this evening and you're a believer, by faith we will justify it. Therefore be justified by faith.

And you know what justified means, don't you? It means that I stand before God just as if I'd never sinned. Can the justified become unjustified? But let's look at Romans chapter 8 just for a moment. Letter to the Romans.

And we're at chapter 8. And I think everybody in the meeting knows Romans 8 and 28. At least you ought to know it. And it reads like this. And we know. And let's stop with the word we because Paul has himself in there.

He's the writer. And he says we know. And he's writing to believers in this great letter. So he's saying and we believers know that all things work together for good for them that love God. And I hope we know that.

I believe that with all my heart. That since the day I trusted the Lord that our God is working all things together for my good. And we know that all things work together for good for them that love God.

For them who are recalled according to his purpose. Because when God called me out of darkness then he had a purpose in the back of his heart. But we'll get on to the purpose in a moment or two. For whom he did foreknow he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Moreover whom he did predestinate then he also called. And whom he called then he also justified. And just watch the phrase then he also justified. And whom he justified. And watch for he. Then he also glorified.

What shall we say then to these things? If God before us who can be against us he that spared not his own son but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect?

I'll have to get this phrase quite clear. It is God that justifies. Who does the justifying? It is God. If I could point you off a text now Mr. S. and what God doeth is forever. So the question's nearly answered but I think we'd better tease us a bit for some who are in the meeting.

And the way I want to tease you about it I want to look at the preface of God for the elect. And then I want to look at the performance of Christ for the believer. And then I want to look at the persistence of the Spirit for all the saints.

And then of course I want to tackle the problems that some of my friends turn up so often. Because there are problems to be met here. We must meet the monastery in person. Now let's look at the purpose of God here in Romans 8.

The Purpose of God for the Elect

We'll read verse 28 over again. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God for them who are called according to his purpose. You see there came a day when God called me. Of course you should be making your calling and election too.

And I can go back to the moment when I was called. And I was called out of darkness. And I was called into marvelous light. Now the day that God called me he had a purpose in calling me. You see the phrasing?

Them who are called according to his purpose. So we must get this purpose out into the open. For whom he did foreknow he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son. Now that was the purpose God had when he called me.

God called me out of darkness. And the whole purpose wasn't just to make me a Baptist minister or a teacher of the books. The whole purpose of God was that one day I should be conformed to the image of his Son.

That was what was in my heart and mind and purpose of God. Now just calm down and follow the truth. If this is what God purposed for me that he would make me like his Son one day is there anything that will upset the purpose of God?

That's a common thing. Because I can tell you that neither sin nor Satan nor faith nor scum nor spirits I don't know anything that can upset the purpose of God. Because if God in his heart and mind purposes such things whatever is going to upset it must be bigger than God.

I don't know anything bigger than God. Maybe you do. But I don't. I think when the Divine Eternal Almighty Creator stands up and he purposes something I would like to know what's going to upset it. I don't think that anything will upset it.

Now I want you to get the hold of that. You see this is the purpose of God. He called me according to his purpose. Now I want you to notice this predestination. You see the verse begins like this. For whom he did foreknow of all this when we talk about election and predestination and sovereign choice when I say that I was chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world some who argue with me immediately jump and say well did God elect you and were you chosen before the foundation of the world and others were left to perish now don't disagree.

That would be putting the blame on God that God saved me and damned others. Now don't you do that for my God that I'll tell you that God so loved the world. No it just means this that the way back there in eternity before the world began there is no world, no planet, no sun, no moon, no stars, no nothing.

God is there, he must be there in eternity. He called me he can see down the angels God can't see the only form of the beginning is not God. Don't take me back to a place where God didn't know he wouldn't be God.

Now he's God, he knows and he foreknew that a thing like me would be gone in a place like Newtown Arms and that I would grow up in the middle of the little kitchen house and that I would be a drunkard and that I would be a disgrace to my family and that nobody on God's earth would want me.

But he also foreknew that there would come a day when the gospel would come to me in all its clarity and I would respond. Yes he foreknew and because it is foreknowledge therefore he could predestinate he could settle my destiny before it ever began now predestination.

And whom he foreknew he did predestinate and whom he predestinated then he called the kingdom of all which is holy when I was called. And whom he called then he justified and he said this to you whom he justified the house of men he glorified not on your lips whom he foreknew then he did predestinate and whom he did predestinate then he called and whom he called then he justified and whom he justified then he glorified.

I don't think you can argue against the purpose of God but we'll get deeper into this as we go along let's look at the performance of Christ for the believer. I think you could argue easily from the purpose of God.

Christ's Once-for-All Offering

Let's go to Hebrews chapter 10 please letter to the Hebrews and we're at chapter 10. I would think this is one of the great chapters of the New Testament and almost every word here is valuable and we must be very careful with the reading Hebrews 10 verse 1.

For the law having a shadow of good things to come when we talk about the law read about the law in this book you have to be very careful because you see the Ten Commandments is sometimes called the law.

In fact the Ten Commandments are the moral law and of course the sacrifices they were the law too because it's the law of the orphans. Now what's he talking about here. Is he talking about the Ten Commandments or is he talking about the sacrifices.

You'll easily find out for the law having a shadow of good things to come and not the very image of the things. It's only the shadow, it hasn't the image can never result sacrifices. Oh he's talking about the ceremony of life.

He's talking about the law of the orphans. And he's trying to point out that those sacrifices you know they were just shadows. They foreshadowed something that was going to take place but they were not the substance.

They were only the shadow. And of course he points out that the law having a shadow of good things to come and not the very image of the things you get these two words can never. You see the offering the lamb put upon the altar or the bullet slain by the altar or whatever offering you like to think about.

Not all the blood of beasts on Jewish altars slain can give the guilty conscience peace or take away the stain. That's what we were saying. They can never. They were only shadows. They weren't put there to take away things.

They were foreshadowing something. And so he says can never with all sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the commerce there onto perfect. You could never get perfection through that you could bring the lamb and it could be offered and your faith could be in someone who's going to be the lamb who will come and eventually do this.

But this is only the shadow. But your faith in the shadow cannot make the perfect. Of course you would know that if all sacrifices can never because they're offered year by year make the commerce there onto perfect.

Then the writer here is Paul and he begins to argue. This is how you get light. You know by asking questions he says for them would they not have ceased to be offered. That's a good question. You see if I brought a lamb and I put it on the altar and it made me perfect I wouldn't need to offer it anymore.

Would I for them would they not have ceased to be offered. If this lamb could make me perfect then I wouldn't need to offer it year after year. Well it's just good reasoning isn't it he says. For them would they not have ceased to be offered.

Because that the bishops once purged should have no more conscience of sin. You see if placing the lamb on the altar could make me perfect or purge me from or through me. If you like or give me no more conscience of sins.

What a wonderful thing it would be. But it can't do it he says. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. And then he comes to this conclusion. For it is not possible that the blood of goats and of goats should take away sin.

Of course you would know that I don't need to tell you. But they did this in the old economy. This was the law of offerings. And they brought the lamb and they put it on the altar and they shed its blood.

And it was a shadow. But it was not a substitute. And the shadow can't take away sin. And it can't purge you and it can't make you perfect. But he's using a lot of good words. Isn't it. Is there something coming on after the shadow that can do it.

You think tight now in case you get into trouble here. Because that's what you boys are teaching. You're teaching that it was never gone such as you're teaching that you can be lost again. Now let me get down to it very carefully with you.

Now you can see this that the lamb on the altar are the blood of bulls and goats. It is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sin. Therefore just because there were shadows in the past had proved.

Therefore when he cometh into the world who are we talking about. Now we're talking about the Lord Jesus now. Therefore when he cometh into the world he says sacrifice and offering. He's talking to God.

Sacrifice and offering. Thou wouldst not sacrifice and offering could never satisfy God. Thou wouldst not. But a body of God prepared me. Oh did you get a hint of something there. What was this body given to him.

For was this body going to do what all the other offerings couldn't do. Just think a wee bit now let me help you as we go along. But a body of God prepared me. I think you ought to see something here.

You know he's just about to come into the world. He's the eternal son. He is a person he's talking to the eternal father. And I want you to get this. He's saying you must sacrifice and offering didn't satisfy me so to him.

But a body of God get it all in. Now in case you get mixed up in the Godhead get round me. Then you woman of talk what happens to the Jews as they're out in person. See there's the father and the son.

And then we're talking about a body being prepared and being prepared for the son too. Thou hast prepared me. What's this body being prepared for. Let me say to you that when people deny the virgin death they make my blood run cold.

Because I happen to know these verses. They don't tell me that a German soldier prepared this body. It's trite, it's blasphemy. It's horrible. It's detestable. They need to stand against it. Don't they.

It's horrible living here. He said in God's offerings. We're back at the old economy. I'm sacrifice for sin. All the other offerings thou hast had no pleasure. Oh you know it's true. They were shadows of something that was to come that God couldn't be satisfied with that.

Not all the blood of beast from Jewish authors left. Then said I I come in the volume of the book that is written of me to do thy will. Oh God. You see if you take this book this whole volume you know right from Genesis right through to Revelation it's all written about him written about how he would come where he would come to how he would be born and deathly again.

And every step is written there in the volume of the book that is written of me. And the reason why he came he came to do God's will. I come to do thy will. Now you'll find out that verse 8 and verse 9 these two verses are parentetical in some of the good old Bibles they're not parenthetical just to prove that it's parenthetical.

Let me do this. Read verse 7 carefully. Now God said I know I come in the volume of the book that is written of me to do thy will oh God. And then you leave verse 8 and 9 out there parenthetical. And then you go to 10.

Let me read verse 7 and then go on to 10. Then said I know I come in the volume of the book that is written of me to do thy will. Oh God. By the which will we as we believers are sanctified. That's what we were like last week.

We are sanctified through the offering of the body of Christ. And you've got this because it's written plain enough. You know. And you see the old offerings they're no use. They can't do the job. No. But there was one who came.

I come to do thy will. And this was the will of God by the which will we believers are sanctified. That would mean set apart. You remember we were at it last week. We're set apart. That's it. By the offering of the body of Jesus.

Are we or are we not. You just answer the questions. That's all. Don't argue against the word of God. There are people who go away from these meetings and call me everything. But they're not prepared to face the word of God.

Come and tackle me. Do you see. I'll strip you to the bones. Oh yes. One fellow went home last week said he's mad my dear friend I'm preaching this book. You pay attention to the book. If I pray for the book you come and tell me you you're trump.

You are not able to read it. I will take no nonsense from you now. And you think you'll get off of that. Your trouble is that you're not prepared to bow to the word of God. Are we getting this. The old offerings couldn't do it.

It's impossible for the blood of bull to do it. Isn't it. Then he said I will I come. For Jesus is coming to do thy will. Oh God. By the which will we are sanctified. Through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ.

Set apart once for all. You see I'm sanctified tonight because I went into some back room and shut my eyes did something. I'm sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus. Are you. You come and tell me now I'll tell you yes I am.

You know I'm set apart by the offering. So wonderful offering it was. It was the death of God's Son and the uncross of the Lamb of God. We're not finished with this yet. You see verse 10. I want you to watch all the words by the which will God's will we we believers are sanctified are set apart through the offering of the body of Jesus.

Once for all. I've just written down the verse 14. For by one offering oh not one every year. For by one offering he the Lord Jesus has perfected forever. Then that I'm sanctified. Then that I'm set apart through the offering.

You see this. You know this is as clear as anything to me. It's like ABC to me. I can see the old offerings. They were wonderful. But they couldn't do the job. They couldn't make you perfect. They couldn't purge you.

They couldn't give you a clear conscience at all. Oh but he came and the will of God was that by the one offering he should set us apart. And look at this bitch. Watch it again verse 14. For by one offering he has perfected forever.

Say those two words in your mind. Now did he or did he not. You see there's the fellow who keeps us lost against us and me. And I just got down to this nice and easily. And when I came here I could see him gazing at it.

And I said now John you tell me what these two words mean. Perfected forever. You think this is getting saved for a day or two days or six days six months. I want you to tell me John what perfected forever means.

He says I don't know. I said you tell me I can get any wee fellow in this meeting. Any one of you just stand up. Who do you know what perfected means. Do you know what perfected means. Do you know what forever means.

Can you be perfected forever and lost against a chance of the deepest dark comes from hell. I'll tell you why. I'm saying that because it denies the cross. I don't think that people who talk of being lost again knows anything about the work of the cross.

I'm perfectly sure they know nothing. I'll tell you if you knew the cross work of Christ you'd never talk blabbers like that. You know you'd think that when we got saved we had to sort of hold on. This was an old reading you often used to say to Dr. Ryan you know you have to do your best and hold on tight.

And he was reading to her about Noah building the ark. He read about Noah building the ark. And then the day came when God shut the door. And he says we held on outside. And the boys that held on to the end were saved.

She says it doesn't explain any such thing. It does, this one says here they held on outside trailed behind the ark. You let go and were finished. It says God said that, it's not in the book. He says it must be, that's what you preach.

He says do you never even thought that God put them inside and shut the door. Did you? Ah we're in Christ and we're safe too. I'll tell you what's more. We're as safe as God can make us. I'll tell you what's better than all my talk.

Face it then forever. You try to break it. Come round and have a go with me. You're not being able to start man. You'll have to say I don't know what it means. If you read passages forever in the Belfast Telegraph you'll know what they were talking about.

But when it doesn't fit your cursive doctrine you don't know. I tell you it blocks for me the deepest tie. Yes I would think if you look at the purpose of God if you look at the performance of Christ.

The Spirit's Persevering Work

Let's go a bit further. Let's look at the persistence of the spirit for the moment. Have a look at this. This is Philippines. And it's the first chapter Paul's letter to the Philippines. It's chapter one.

Let's read a little bit to get the proper connection Paul and Timotheus the presence of Jesus Christ to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are in Philippi with the bishops and deacons as a New Testament church.

New Testament church has got saints and they're only saints because they're in Christ. And it's got bishops and deacons. The word bishops just means elders or shepherds. And it's got deacons to look after the material things of the church.

And that's what composes a New Testament church. It's got saints and elders and deacons. And Paul writes and says Grace be unto you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God upon every remembrance of you always and every prayer of mine for you all making requests with God for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day on till now being confident of this very thing.

This is something that Paul was confident about that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it. Or if you've got a good marginal bible there will practice it until the day of Christ. You see I believe that when I was saying we were talking about sanctification of the spirit last week and I took the big man at my left hand here as an example Harold McKeown talked about the mighty chaperone there when everybody went out and I said that the spirit had laid hold on him.

And that's what you call sanctification of the spirit. The spirit was separating him off from the cross and the thing that he needed was belief of the truth. And that's how you could say it through sanctification of the spirit which comes first not second.

And belief of the truth. Now I'm confident that the spirit that began a good work in him then will finish it very confident about that. For the spirit that convicted him and the spirit that set him apart that night from the crowd and the spirit that opened his eyes to see that Christ was all that he needed.

And the spirit that has led him on since. And the spirit that seals him tonight and will seal him until the day of redemption. I'm sure the spirit that began the work will finish it. I don't think there's any problem.

You see these three things. Do you see the purpose of the father. Do you see the performance of the son. Do you see the persistence of the spirit. Do you see the triune God coming out to work for our eternal salvation.

Doesn't it. I think you ought to see. I think that would answer all the questions. And I don't think that anybody should be upset about it at all. Now there are some problems. At least some people think they're problems.

The Vine, Fruitfulness, and Chastening

Let's have a look at them. The branches in the vine sometimes are a problem. Let's go to John 15. An old doctor brought this up to me. Once John 15 our Lord Jesus Christ is on the way to Gethsemane and he stops to preach.

Probably one of the greatest messages he ever preached to the saints talking to his own on the way to Gethsemane. Judas is not there. That's the 11th. And he says I am the true vine. It's time to tell them that all the sufficiency that they need for all the steps of the journey can be found in him.

And my father is the husband man. He's talking about the expectancy of the father. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit it taketh away. And every branch that beareth fruit he purges it. Thus it may bring forth more fruit.

You see you have the sufficiency of the son and the expectancy of the father because he's the husband man he's expecting fruit. And you can see the responsibility of the branches. And we don't want to waste time there.

He says now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you abide in me. And I in you of the branch cannot bear fruit of itself except it abide in the vine. No more can ye except ye abide in me goes over it again.

I am the vine. Ye are the branches. He that abideth in me and I in him. I like this little word. The snow bringeth forth much fruit. For without me ye can do nothing. You see I believe that when you say you see they are one of the branches of the vine.

And you there you see for a purpose too because God wants you to bear fruit. Now when you come to fruit bearing in this book you have to be very careful because we're not talking about evangelical fruit bearing.

Paul wrote a letter to the Romans. He said I long to come that I might have some fruit among you. Ah well that's evangelical. He was one of the three popes James. That's all right. Then he was writing to the Philippines.

He was talking about them giving to the gospel. And he called it fruit. And it was fruit that was laid up that they would be the warden. For that's a practical thing. You know not evangelical. It's practical.

But what our Lord Jesus is talking about here is spiritual that we who are in Christ ought to abide in him. It simply means we ought to trust him more and more and more and more. Because the only way that the branch can bear fruit is to depend on the vine.

And surely depend is trust. It has to trust in spring and summer and autumn and winter. And of course there's a bit more to the abiding life than just trusting the Lord. For the old wonderful portion that John uses is he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him.

And the wood dwelleth is abideth. And where you abide is where you dwell. And you have to keep his commandments to dwell. So you trust and obey. And if you trust the Lord all the time and obey the Lord then you reflect something of the duty of the Lord.

Isn't that true. That's what he's trying to teach them on the way to Gethsemane. It's a great message for us. And then he said this to them. Verse 6. If a man abide not in me he is cast forth of the branch and is withered.

And men gather them and cast them into the fire under a bird. And old Oscar came to me and said you know some of the branches in the vine. You would say they were saved. I say they're all saved. Yes. He said well some of the men love getting put under the fire in the vine.

He said that's right. Doctor. He says they're in the ground. I said I'm afraid you're not reading it. Right. Doctor can you not read. Or have you not glasses or something. He says I can read also. We'll read it over again.

You talk to me as if God was taking them and putting them into hell. That's what you're trying to talk about. Let's read it over again. If a man abide not in me he is cast forth of the branch and is withered.

And men gather them. And old Oscar came to me and said please don't deny the men. They're not God. Men gather them and cast them into the fire. Now what sort of a fire do men cast them into.

I'm not trying to read hell into this.

You see it's fairly true that there are folks who have placed their trust in the Lord Jesus and they're really saved. But they're like demons. You know they get their eye on the world and fall in love with the world and they forsake the Lord.

They're in love with the world and they do things that they shouldn't do. And I'll tell you this if you're a believer in this religion you know the whole world, the whole scepter the whole business, each scepter.

And if you're doing things you shouldn't do you know I'll tell you what they'll do with you. They'll take their testimony and burn it. You're not bad in truth at all. You're living like a sinner. So I've known saints who live like sinners.

Talked to a wee woman not so long ago. She said he'd take his baby out and goes and sits in the meeting like a saint at home. He's always like a bear. Do you hear. Won't lose none if he's just caught on.

It won't do. It is men. It is men. There's nobody going to hell in this passage. Oh we do read it into it. Don't we when we can't read. I don't think we need to waste time on that one. Let's have a look at Hebrews chapter 6.

Hebrews 6 and the Meaning of Apostasy

This is where they talk me through all the time. And I'm sure some who are here who think you can be lost again want to go through it as fast as they can. Alright we're at Hebrews chapter 6 for you. We'd better go back to chapter 5 just for the moment at verse 12 Paul's writing to these Hebrew believers understand Paul when they, for the time he offered me teachings is he but one to teach me again what to be the first principles of the oracles of God.

And I've become such that of need of milk and not of strong meat. For every man that uses milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age.

You know the difference between a babe and full age. Of course you do them that are grown up. Strong meat belongeth to them that are grown up. Even those who by reason of youth have their extensive exercise to deserve both good and evil.

And because of that it is therefore, therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ. Let us go on, on to perfection. Let's go on and grow up not laying again the foundation of redemption from their deaths and the faith toward God of the doctrine of baptism the laying on of hands and the resurrection of the dead and the eternal judgment.

And this will we do if God permits. For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened and of the heavenly gifts and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost and the peace and the good word of God and the powers of the world to come if they shall fall away to renew them again unto repentance seeing they crucify for themselves the Son of God afresh and put them to an open shed.

So this is the whole problem. You see some people come to me and they say you see it talks here about those who were once enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gifts and have been made partakers of the Holy Ghost if they shall fall away to renew them again unto repentance.

Therefore they really think they've got something in their hands here and again. The problem is with the reading. I shall read it for you in a way that you will get the sense. Paul is the writer here.

And he says therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ. Let us. Did he put himself in the us layer? Yes the truth is true. It is true. Isn't enough. Go on unto perfection. So he says let us believe with warmth not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God of the doctrine of doctrine the laying on of hands the resurrection of the dead the eternal judgment.

And this will we do. He put himself in the we let us believers go on to perfection. Let's go up to the actual wording. This will we do. For it is impossible for us who were once enlightened. I didn't say that did I?

I shall tell you that he changed the word going down from verse 1 and 2 and 3. He says us and we. And then he says it is impossible for those. Oh that's a different club from us and we talking about another club altogether.