They Were Never Saved To Begin With (1 John 2:19)

Moore's Corner Church

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Thank you for listening to this message from the ministry of Morse Corner Church in Leverett, Massachusetts.

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Morse Corner is a non -denominational church that is committed to the preaching and teaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

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Our church was founded in 1896 by two students of the famous evangelist

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D .L. Moody. We seek to encourage and edify the body of Christ through the proclamation of God's Word through the ministries of the local church.

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If you'd like more information, visit our website morsecornerchurch .com. We hope you enjoy the message.

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Don't you know sometimes people get mixed up in things. If you listen to false teachers it can be very easy to get confused and you start to get led astray and that's when a faithful believer who knows what's what has to try to bring the person back.

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That's the job of the faithful shepherd and Paul is that faithful shepherd trying to bring the Galatians back in right relationship with the

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Lord. All right now for this statement that I made that Pastor MacArthur quoted and this has been the doctrine of this church as long as anyone can remember.

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If somebody falls away they were never truly they didn't lose their salvation it's just they were never truly saved to begin with.

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We need to prove that from Scripture. So let's turn to 1st John 2, 1st

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John 2 and verse 19 is is the text. I don't want to say it's a proof text but it is.

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So we'll move into the second part of the message dealing with those who say that you can lose your salvation.

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So I do not believe that is what Paul is teaching in Galatians chapter 5. He's worried about them.

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He's warning them but being really concerned about someone is totally different than saying hey they lost their salvation.

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Two totally different things not the same at all. Now let me say one more thing.

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I believe whenever the gospel is is preached this needs to be stressed and that is when you believe in the gospel when you place your faith in Christ it needs to be stressed that you must okay you must hold fast.

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In 1st Corinthians 15 1 through 4 Paul gives the most clear definition of the gospel anywhere in Scripture and he says that exact thing.

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He says hold fast otherwise you have believed in vain.

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So without a doubt a true believer will but a believer must keep the faith.

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Amen? You must keep the faith. I remember one of the first sermons I ever preached was on the security of the believers probably the fourth sermon

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I ever preached here and it was for a special event. It wasn't a

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Sunday morning service but after preaching on the security of the believer a woman came up to me afterward and she said

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I was so delighted to hear that I really needed to hear that because my daughter you know she said the sinner's prayer when she was four years old and but now she's in her 40s and she's an atheist but I'm so glad to know that she's still going to heaven.

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I was panicked. I thought what did I say or what what didn't I say that that had a real effect on me.

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I said I need to be make sure that I'm being very careful in what I say.

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You must keep the faith. Here's the great thing about it

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God gives you the ability to keep the faith. You know it's not because of you and I'm I'm so strong and spiritual it's

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God working in you who preserves you. First let me just read the verse 1st

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Corinthians 15 1 & 2 moreover brethren I declare to you the gospel which

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I preached to you which also you received and in which you stand by which also you are saved if and you notice the if there is the condition if you hold fast that word which

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I preached to you unless you believed in vain. And what does it mean to believe in vain? It's empty.

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It's meaningless. It's an empty profession that lacks any substance.

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Don't you know there's two two billion professing Christians in the world. Two billion.

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A lot of empty professions. In James chapter 2 he talks about this how faith without works is what?

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Dead. It's it's not a real saving faith and Judas Iscariot of course is the prime example of this somebody who started out as a follower of Christ anyone would have looked at him he's a follower of Christ but then what?

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He fell away and he denied Christ. And does the

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Bible picture Judas as one who lost his salvation? No it pictures him as one who is a devil from the beginning.

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What's the sermon about? This whole question of can you lose your salvation?

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You know this is a really important topic. So let me just lay it out on the line and be clear no a believer cannot lose his or her salvation.

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Full stop. Period. End of conversation. So we can all just go home.

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Now we got another 15 minutes to go. A believer cannot lose it but here's the rub okay there are people who think they're saved but they're not.

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There are people who are deceived and the thing about people who are deceived they don't recognize that they're deceived.

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So how do we make sure that's not us? You know I don't think

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I've ever doubted God's existence in my life and I don't believe

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I was ever on the verge of you know losing my faith or anything like that but I've never been in a position where I just assume that I can't be wrong.

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You know I think we all need to recognize you know am I wrong about some things or am

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I the one guy who just knows everything and has it all figured out? You have to acknowledge that you could be wrong about a few things.

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Why do I say that? Here's what the scripture says 2nd Corinthians 13 verse 5

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Paul tells the church members at Corinth examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith.

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Test yourselves 2nd Corinthians 13 5 2nd Peter 1 10 Paul says be even more diligent to make your call in election sure.

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I would be concerned about someone I don't need to do that I know I'm good I know I know I'm good I don't need to test myself

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I don't I don't need to examine myself well the scripture says we should consistently be examining ourselves.

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You've heard of the term once saved always saved right? Technically that's true but for some people

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I think it leaves kind of put cracks the door open to something that might not be good or the term eternal security you've heard of the term eternal security again that is true

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I personally this is my personal opinion I much more prefer the term perseverance of the

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Saints. None of these terms are biblical by the way once saved always saved that's not a phrase in the

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Bible eternal security the concept is there but that phrase is not in the Bible perseverance of the

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Saints admittedly is not in the Bible but perseverance of the Saints closes that crack that a true believer must persevere a true believer must keep the faith and of course we do that because you could call it the preservation of the

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Saints either way. All right I told you to turn to first John 2 I didn't forget. So what about this idea that we're saying this proves they're falling away proves they were never saved to begin with look at first John 2 starting in verse 18 the

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Apostle says little children it is the last hour as you have heard that the

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Antichrist is coming even now many Antichrists have come by which we know that it is the last hour and when he when he says last hour he's talking about this the last days this is it's it's it's sort of confusing because it's been 2 ,000 years and he's saying the last hour but it's the last age okay the the last days and he says many

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Antichrists have come so this is a reference to false teachers he's calling them

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Antichrist so these are men who are once considered brethren in the church but now look at verse 19 they went out from us but they were not of us for if they had been of us they would have continued with us but they went out that they might be made manifest that none of them were of us so these people were accepted as teachers in the

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New Testament Church so in order to be accepted as a teacher they must have had a credible testimony and profession of faith they must have been saying the right thing at some point but then it came out that they started preaching false doctrine and they departed from the faith and they they left the assembly and went out and tried to corrupt people so did they lose their salvation is that what

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Paul saying no what does he say he's saying that they're falling away was proof that they were never really a true believer to begin with notice what he says none of them were of us is not what he says and it's saying that John affirms that true

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Christians will persevere because if they had been of us they would have remained with us very simple the unbeliever departs as they are never really one of us to begin with they fall away they were one of us if they were they wouldn't have done that so that's that's the proof

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I will admit to you it does look like from man's perspective it does look like people lose their salvation if you want to disagree with that you can but from again from man's perspective it can appear that people lose their salvation here's the thing about God he he knows better he knows the heart doesn't take him by surprise the

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Lord looks on the heart what did Jesus himself say let's have a verse that affirms that you can't lose it ok let's have a text for that John 647

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Jesus said most assuredly I say to you and let's not miss that most assuredly

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I say to you he who believes in me has what everlasting life if you believe in Jesus you have everlasting life let me ask how long is everlasting oh yeah forever that's not difficult right well if it comes to an end it really wasn't everlasting right right let's turn to Hebrews chapter 6 this is one of those texts that people misunderstand and they say

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Hebrews chapter 6 teaches you can lose your salvation this might be the most common passage on this

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Hebrews chapter 6 but yeah Jesus says he who believes in me now that you have to believe in the true

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Jesus and the true gospel there are things we could talk about there but you have let's not forget that you have they have everlasting life you don't say you will have it there's plenty of passages we can look at they have not someday maybe ok most assuredly

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I say to you he who believes in me has everlasting life it can't end that settles it right there let's look at Hebrews 6 4 through 6 the author of Hebrews which

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I believe is the Apostle Paul but we don't need to argue about that this morning says for it is impossible for those who are once enlightened have tasted the heavenly gift and have become partakers of the

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Holy Spirit and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come if they fall away remember it's impossible if they fall away to renew them again to repentance since they crucify again for themselves the

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Son of God and put him to an open shame so this is a proof text this is obvious you can lose your salvation

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I was never really impressed with this argument there are verses that are much more difficult to deal with than this how do

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I know this isn't teaching you can lose your salvation again it doesn't explicitly say that that much is clear how do we know what he's saying what do we do it's all about what context right look at verse 9 all you gotta do is read a few verses ahead look at verse 9 but beloved he says we are confident of better things concerning you yes things that accompany salvation though we speak in what in this manner so if they fall away though we speak in this manner what is it's a hypothetical what he's saying is if a person if a true believer lost their salvation they would never be able to get it back since it would require that Jesus would have to die all over again and that ain't gonna happen thanks for listening

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I'm pastor Michael Grant from Morris Cornet Church if you'd like to listen to the complete message or if you'd like more information about the ministry visit our website