SNBS #010 - Relationship of Faith and Obedience PART 2

Good evening, everybody, and welcome to Sunday Night Bible Study with Brother Josiah Shipley.

Tonight we are on part two of a two -part series called Relationship of Faith and Obedience.

You can go check out last week, go to YouTube, Whitney and Ministry, or check on Facebook for last week, which was part one.

But just a quick recap of where we're at. Well, first off, let me tell you where we're going with the next few weeks, and then

I'll recap last week's lesson. So we've got tonight, which is about this, and mostly about eternal security and assurance.

And then after this, I haven't decided what we're doing next week, but very soon we're going to start a series on the life of the apostles, and we're going to start with Paul.

So, Siri heard me, we're going to start with the Apostle Paul, so we're doing like a biography on the life of the

Apostle Paul, and eventually we'll get back into a book study. We'll find some book that we're going to end up studying. Okay, so that's where we're going.

After we finish this series, we may do something next week a little different, just a one -week lesson, and then after that we're going to start a series on the life of Paul.

We're going to keep doing these videos. The only Sunday night I'm going to take off is the July 5th weekend.

I think it's July 5th, that Sunday night. We won't have the video that night. Okay, very good.

So let me recap you with last week's lesson, but I do strongly encourage you to go watch it.

What we're talking about is something I think the church, even with good intentions, gets wrong a lot, and that is the relationship of faith and obedience.

So, you'll have some in the church say something like, well, if you prayed the prayer one time, the sinner's prayer one time when you were five, you can live the rest of your life however you want because you are once saved, always saved.

And it doesn't matter if there's any change, doesn't matter if you're a new creation, doesn't matter about holiness, doesn't matter about obedience, doesn't matter about following Jesus, none of that matters.

If you prayed that prayer, you're good forever. But praying a prayer is nothing beyond and end all of salvation.

Salvation is about submitting to the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember, for whosoever calls on the name of the

Lord, but honor Messiah as Lord of your hearts. But if you confess through your mouth the Lord Jesus, if He's not your

Lord, He's not your Savior. You can't have it both ways. Everyone wants Jesus as Savior. Not everyone wants

Jesus the Lord. It's a dual package there. And then we have people on the other side that say, yeah, not only do you have to obey, but if you don't obey perfectly all the time, then you have lost your salvation and you're going to hell.

And that's not biblical either. So we're trying to find the biblical balance. And last week, we covered a lot and I think we answered those questions.

So today, I want to talk about, okay, so how can you be eternally secure and or assured of that salvation?

So here's what we got. Last week, we went over Ephesians 2, 8 through 10 a lot. And that says this.

For it is by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works so that no man can boast.

For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared ahead of time that we should walk in them.

Notice that good works don't happen until salvation. The good works don't save you. They never have.

Faith. You are saved by grace through faith. However, true faith, that faith will be followed by those good works in verse 10.

See, verse 8 of Ephesians 2 says you're saved by grace through faith. Verse 9 says you're not saved by works.

Verse 10 says but good works will follow true conversion. Because if any man be in Christ, he's a new creature.

Old things have passed away, behold, all has become new. And remember, and I know we're quoting a lot of verses tonight, but we're just trying to get it in your mind.

2 Corinthians 4 was when we spoke about the God who said let light shine out of darkness has shone in our hearts.

He has made a new creation just like He did back in Genesis 1. Now a new creation does not mean a perfected creation because we still live in the fallen world and we still have our depraved desires, our depraved nature, and our depraved bodies.

But we have a new spirit and a new heart living in this bodily tent, as Paul described. So now we're at war.

Before salvation, you weren't at war with your sin. Even if you felt guilty, that wasn't the Holy Spirit, that was your human emotion.

If you are indwelled by the Holy Spirit, you feel conviction. If you're a believer, you know what I refer to. So when we say the process of sanctification is becoming more and more like Christ and made more holy,

Martin Luther said it like this, the more holy and sanctified a man becomes, the more disgusted he is with the sin that remains.

We never reach sinless perfection, but our sanctification is a constant upward trend. Even though there's hills and valleys where you go down, it's a constant upward trend.

It's never just flat. James calls that a dead faith. If you have a faith that shows no good works and no desire to repent, that is not a real faith.

It's a false faith. It's a dead faith. And that faith can't save. True faith is always followed by good works, and our analogy last week was that electricity and the light.

Remember? Electricity, when we cut the electricity on, the light comes on, but we know which one preceded the other.

The electricity was first, and then the proof of that electricity was the light. The faith is first, and the proof of that faith is the light, okay, is the works.

Okay, now, assurance and eternal security. Once saved, always saved is not my favorite term, because it's not found in the

Bible. I'd rather use biblical terms and biblical verses. So, what is the difference between assurance of salvation and eternal security?

Well, eternal security means that your eternal destiny is secure. Assurance of salvation is, how sure are you of that?

You see, someone can be really saved, someone can be eternally secure, but they can have doubts, okay?

So, with that being said, what I want to show you is from the Bible, that if a person is truly converted, truly saved, truly regenerated, born again in the

Spirit, then their salvation is eternally secure, okay? So, let's look at a few examples of that.

John chapter 5, verse 24 is where we're going to start. John chapter 5, verse 24. We've got a lot of verses to get through tonight, guys.

Slow down, get a little scatterbrained. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not come under judgment, but has passed from death to life.

Whoever hears my word and believes on him who sent me has eternal life and will not come under judgment, but has passed from death to life.

I want you to think about this. What does the word eternal mean? Word eternal. What does the word eternal mean?

It means it lasts forever, with no end, right? Guys, if you could lose your salvation, could it really be called eternal life?

So, if someone has eternal life, and then you think that they have lost their salvation, then that life was not eternal.

Eternal life means eternal life. Just like all means all, eternal means eternal.

Whoever hears my word and believes. Okay, so all you have to do is believe? Yes, but true belief is followed by obedience.

If you love me, you will keep my commandments. Okay? Just like John 3 .36

says. Okay, so there's John 5. One chapter over, we're in John 6.

And this is a beautiful passage of scripture. This is John chapter 6. Just continue in your Bible. Hey y 'all,

I encourage y 'all, when there's Bible studies, get your Bibles out, get a pen, get a paper, write them down. The scripture references are more important than anything

I'll ever say. Next chapter over, John 6 .35 -47.

I'm going to read this whole section. John 6 .35 -47. Jesus said to them,

I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me shall not hunger. And whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that have seen me and do not believe.

All that the Father gives me will come to me. And whoever comes to me, I will never cast out.

Alright, I lied. I'm going to skip around a little bit. Verse 39. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all he has given me, but will raise it up on the last day.

Verse 40. For this is the will of my Father, that whoever looks on my Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.

Let's just stop there. Whoever looks to the

Son for life and believes has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.

Does Jesus lie? Well, Jesus is God, and the book of Hebrews says

God does not lie. If Jesus says that anyone, listen, think, please listen to me, because there's a lot of people out there that think you can lose your salvation as if you ever found it in the first place.

God found you. You can't lose something you never found. If someone has eternal life, someone truly believes,

Jesus says, I will raise him up on the last day to be with him in heaven.

Wrap your head around this. Jesus doesn't lie. So anyone who has ever had eternal life, anyone who has ever truly believed, will be raised up on the last day by Jesus.

If someone ever fell away from that and lost their salvation, then Jesus would be a liar.

And my Jesus is not a liar. Someone says sometimes I go too fast and I don't explain it well enough, so let me say that again.

John 6 says that all that the father gives the son will come to him, and the son will never cast them out.

Jesus. And all that he's given him, he will lose none of them, but will raise them up on the last day.

He secured your salvation until the last day. Similarly, Hebrews chapter 10.

Oh, this one's one of my favorites. Hebrews chapter 10. All right,

I'm going to read verse 11 through 18. Hebrews 10, 11 through 18.

And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sin.

But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sin, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting for the time until his enemies should be made his footstool.

Verse 14. Listen to this. For by one single offering, he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

And the Holy Spirit bears witness for us, saying, after this, this is the covenant I will make with them after those days, declares the

Lord. I put my law on their hearts and I'll write them on their minds. And he adds, I will never remember their sins and lawless deeds anymore.

When there's forgiveness of these, there's no longer an offering for sin. I will never remember their sins and lawless deeds.

Doesn't mean he has amnesia and forgot. He doesn't hold them against you because they were laid on Christ Jesus at the cross and he carried them away.

But did you notice verse 14? For by one offering, he has perfected forever for all time those who are being sanctified.

Jesus doesn't lie. If he says he's perfected forever, that means they're perfected forever.

And they don't reach that perfected state until they've died. But in the mind of Christ, they are already his.

And he will be raising them up on the last day. Just like 1

Peter 1. We're going through a lot of scripture. I just want to make sure everyone understands. 1 Peter 1, 3 through 5.

And the point we're proving again is the doctrine of eternal security. And eternal security is that your eternal destiny is secure.

If you have put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ and believed on him as Lord, master of your life,

God will give it all to you. It's all yours. You are eternally secure.

And that doesn't mean you can pray your prayer one time in G .A. camp or R .A. camp and then live the rest of your life however you want it.

Because true faith is followed by obedience. Remember that last one. 1

Peter 1, 3 through 5. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through a faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

It says this salvation is imperishable. Imperishable means it can't die. Undefiled, or uncorrupted, it means nothing you or anyone else can do can touch it.

And unfading, it's just as strong day one as it is now. Did you notice where it's kept? It's kept in heaven.

It's not even in your possession. If it was in my possession, I would screw it up. If it was in my possession,

I would screw it up. We'll talk more about that on point C. So guys, eternal security is the fact that true believers are eternal secure.

Assurance is how sure you are of that. Guys, sometimes we have doubts.

Sometimes we look at our failures. Sometimes we look at the failures of others and we doubt. You know, will

God really forgive me? I've sinned even after I've been saved and I know better. Take your focus off what you have done and put it on what

Christ has done. Guys, Jesus wasn't surprised when you sinned.

He still wasn't surprised when you sinned. Why don't you think about this? When Jesus called the apostle

Peter, Peter, you know the one that would deny him three times? He already knew that Peter would do that.

And all those three years of walking with him, he never treated him as if he had already betrayed him.

When Peter betrays Jesus in that sense and denies him, not only does

Jesus forgive him, Jesus doesn't say, I told you so. He just says, okay boy, go to work.

That's just like me and you. God's never surprised at our sin. He just expects our repentance and get back on the horse and keep going.

Believers are eternally secure, perfected forever. And that salvation is not kept by us, it's kept by God.

He is the author and perfecter of our faith. Our faith didn't originate with us.

We love him because he first loved us. That's why we love him, because he loved us first.

And if your salvation was up to you, you would have never been saved. And if your salvation or my salvation was up to me to keep,

I would have screwed it up a long time ago. But God, who is rich in mercy because of his unfailing love he had for us, made us alive even though we were dead in sin.

If he did that when we were dead in sin, how much more when we're alive and we're just struggling with it? Romans 5, 8,

God demonstrates his own love toward us and that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. What's the difference between someone who never really believed and went back to their old life and someone who really believes in sins?

Well, the righteous man falls down seven times and gets up eight. In other words, repentance is the difference.

Guys, when I sin, when a real believer sins, which I do often,

I feel convicted of that sin. I feel the Holy Spirit knocking on my heart saying, Josiah, you shouldn't have done that, you need to make that right.

Repentance doesn't mean just feeling bad. Repentance means to turn the other way back towards God, to forsake that, leave all that behind like Paul said, and look forward to what's ahead.

Repentance is not, oh, I'm sorry, but I'm going to do it again tomorrow. Repentance is fighting back. Last week we didn't get to it, but I think one of the most commonly used words incorrectly in the

Christian life is the word struggle. Oh, well, you know, I struggle with that sin. Well, do you really? What does the word struggle mean?

The word struggle means to fight. You see, Christians do struggle with sin, and a real believer can struggle with sin, so long as we have the same idea of what the word struggle means.

Struggle means to put up a fight. If you're just sinning willfully and feel no conviction about it, putting up no fight about it, don't feel like repenting and plan on continuing in that sin and don't care about it, that's not a struggle, that's a massacre.

That's you wallowing in your sin. A struggle means you're putting up resistance. The Bible speaks a lot.

Paul himself in Romans 7 talks about his struggle with sin. But there's a fight being put up against it.

That's why whenever people are like, can a real believer struggle with whatever sin they want to use?

Homosexuality or drunkenness or whatever, right? Yes, so long as we have the same idea, or the biblical idea of what the word struggle means, as long as there's a fight being put up.

Guys, whatever kind of sin we're struggling with,

God knew that before he saved us. The difference is, are you fighting against it or are you just living it?

What about those who reject, who fall away, if you will, who once believed and now they have run away from it?

They've turned away, they no longer believe. What about those people, Josiah? Are they still saved?

The ones who say, I don't believe in God anymore. I used to, but I don't believe in God anymore. The Bible actually answers that question.

Go to 1 John 2. 1 John 2, 18 -20.

Antichrist is coming, and now many antichrists have come. People that are against God.

We're not talking about the antichrist. When it says many antichrists, we're talking about people who turn away from God.

We'll see. Therefore we know it's last hour. Verse 19. For if they had been of us, they would have continued with us.

But they went out so it might become plain that they all are not of us.

Listen to that again. These people who are in the church left. They left the church.

They went out from us. But they were not really of us. Because if they had really been of us, they would have remained with us.

And I'm not talking about church like you can never leave your local church congregation and go to a different church.

I'm talking about the church, God's church. Those who leave and say they don't believe anymore, the

Bible says they were never really of us. They may have joined the church.

They may have even done good works. They may have had a religious experience, but they weren't regenerated by the

Holy Spirit. Matthew 7, Jesus says the same thing. He says many will come saying,

Lord, Lord. And I will say to them, depart from me, worker of iniquity, because I never knew you.

Just because someone goes to church doesn't make them a Christian. Our pastor says, sitting in a church doesn't make you a

Christian any more than standing in the garage makes you a car. So just because someone says they're a believer and then rejects it later and says,

I don't believe anymore. And the Bible says they were never regenerated of the heart. They were Christians by mouth, but not of the heart.

And that's not a real Christian. Doesn't mean they can't be saved later.

It simply means that they were not real believers from the get. Okay. Lastly, Zechariah 3.

Zechariah 3. This is a pretty cool passage.

We're going to read a little bit of Zechariah 3. We're on point C. What if I mess up, Josiah? Well, you're going to.

You're going to. We all are. We all fall. I think of that old hymn.

We sang it in staff meeting a few weeks ago here at WIT. Come Thou Fount.

That's what it's called. I wonder if Andrew's done a hymn history on that yet. I'm not sure. Prone to wander,

Lord, I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love. Here's my heart,

Lord. Take and seal it. Seal it for Thy courts above. You see, the other group of people in 1

John, it's not just that they've messed up and they're, you know, walking away and rebelling right now.

These are people that have totally rejected and say, I don't believe anymore. I want nothing to do with it. But here we're talking about what about when

I mess up? I'm prone to wander. I'm prone to disobey. I'm prone to leave the God I love. God, here's my heart.

Take and seal it. If it's in my hands, I'm going to mess it up. I'm going to fail.

I'm going to fall. And this is why accountability at a local church is so important, to help you not fall as much.

What about when we mess up? I want to spend these last few minutes talking about Jesus interceding for you.

Interceding. Okay? So, remember, in the

Old Testament, you would have the priest make a sacrifice for his sins to cleanse himself, and then make a sacrifice for the sins of the people.

Okay? In the blood of that, the priest would intercede between God and man and pray for the sins of the other people.

Notice that he would intercede between God and the people. Then the

Bible says, but there is one mediator between God and man, and that's Christ Jesus, himself human, who gave himself a ransom for all in testimony at the proper time.

That's in 1 Timothy 2. So, Zechariah chapter 3, let me show you what we got here.

Chapter 3, verse 1. Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.

And the Lord said to Satan, The Lord rebuketh you, Satan. The Lord has chosen Jerusalem to rebuke you.

Is this not a bran plucked from the fire, or a stick plucked from the fire? Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments.

And the angel said to those who were standing before him, Remove the filthy garments from him. And he said to him,

Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure garments.

And I said, Let them put a clean turban around his head, and they put a clean turban on his head, and clothed him with garments.

And the angel of the Lord was standing by. Satan stood there to accuse. Joshua was covered in filthy garments.

And the Lord told Satan, I rebuke you. You can't have or accuse him.

My son has paid the price for him. By the way, check out who the angel of the Lord is.

Genesis 22, it's Jesus. They put a clean turban on him, clean garments.

His filth was removed, and the righteousness of Christ was put on him. It's a picture of imputation, is what this is.

Now watch this guys, this is so cool. Stay with me, I know I'm all over the place a little bit. Romans chapter 8, verse 34.

Interceded, and said, God, don't punish them, here's a sacrifice in their place. And they would do this day after day, year after year.

Romans 8, verse 34 says this, I'm going to start in verse 33. Maybe the best chapter in the Bible.

Romans 8, verse 33. Who will bring a charge against God's elect? It is

God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus, the one who's died. More than that, who is raised.

Who is at the right hand of God. Who indeed is interceding for us.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Guys, I -N -G means right now, right?

Jesus didn't just intercede for you when you died. Because if it was just that simple, then it would have only paid for the sins up until the time you were saved.

But listen, He's interceding for us right now. By one sacrifice,

He's perfected forever those who are being sanctified. You know why? Because He's at the right hand of God right now, interceding for you and our sins.

Right now. This is why you don't have to get re -saved after you sin.

This is why you're like, oh Lord, forgive me for that sin. Because if I die really quick before I ask for forgiveness,

I'll go to hell. He's interceding for us right now, ladies and gentlemen. He's at the right hand of God, interceding for us right now.

You know why? Because unlike those lambs who once they died, or those priests who when they left that office, they couldn't intercede for you anymore.

He's at the right hand of God right now, interceding for us. Let me give you a beautiful picture of this and we'll be done. Hebrews chapter 7.

Hebrews chapter 7. Last scripture. Hebrews chapter 7, 15 -25.

Hebrews chapter 7, 15 -25. This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek.

Who has become a priest not on the basis of legal requirements concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life.

For it is witness of him, you are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness.

For the law made nothing perfect. But on the other hand, a better hope is introduced through which we draw near to God.

And it was not without an oath. For those who formerly become priests were made such without an oath. But this one was made a priest with an oath by the one who said to him,

The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind. You are a priest forever. Verse 22.

This makes Jesus the guarantee of a better covenant. The former priests were many in number because they were prevented by death from continuing in office.

But he, that's Jesus, holds his priesthood permanently because he continues forever.

Verse 25. Consequently, he's able to save to the utmost, completely, those who draw near to God through him since he always lives to make intercession for them.

Alright, let me explain that because that was a lot. First off, Melchizedek is a cool figure in the

Bible. He's mentioned again in Hebrews and in Genesis chapter 14. You can go read about him. Melchizedek wasn't supposed to be a priest by birth.

He wasn't because he wasn't in the line of Aaron. He was a king priest. And you can go read about him later.

So was Jesus. Jesus wasn't a priest on earth, right? He was from the tribe of Judah which was a kingly line.

But he wasn't a priest. John the Baptist came from that line. But Jesus, his cousin, came from the line of Judah.

Now, think about this. Jesus, unlike those other priests, when they died, they couldn't intercede for anyone.

You had to have a new priest. But since Jesus ever lives, he lives forever, to make intercession for us just like that priest did before God, Jesus is standing at the right hand right now just like we read in Zechariah 3 saying,

No, Satan, you can't have that one. You can't have that one because I'm interceding for his sin right now.

Jesus didn't just die for your sins and then whenever you mess up again, he's got to go re -die again for your sins.

Because Jesus died for your sins, sat down at the right hand of God, is waiting for his enemies to be made his footstool, and is interceding for you and me, if you're a believer, at the right hand of God right now.

So just like in that courtroom picture in Zechariah 3, go back and read that whole chapter. Just like in that courtroom, if Satan tries to accuse you,

Jesus says, Nope, he's mine. I'm interceding for him right now. He's mine. Yeah, I know he messed up after he got saved, but I knew he would do that.

And I paid for that sin too. For by one offering, he's perfected forever those who are being sanctified.

In summary, guys, I know we were a little bit all over the place tonight. I want you to go back and read these. Here's what we're saying.

True faith will be followed by obedience. And in this human state, that obedience will never be perfect.

But God bought you with his blood. He bought all of you for your whole life.

And he knew all the sins that you would commit. And he has prepared for your good works.

And when you fail, when you disobey, when you fail, and when you disobey, he is interceding for you at the right hand of God right now.

So you can get back on that horse and keep on moving forward. And repent. He has bought that for us.

He's bought a guaranteed salvation. Not because of who you are, but because of what he's done.

Our Jesus doesn't lie. And when he says, All that the Father gives me, I will raise every one of them up on the last day.

And when he says, All those who have eternal life will not come into judgment, but have already passed from death to life.

He means it. Those who fall away are those who never had to change their heart in the first place. We all will sin, just like Paul, just like Peter.

The question is, will we continue to live a life of repentance? And we can through Jesus. Alright guys, you're eternally secure.

And you're supposed to obey. The best way that God said for us to do that is to be part of a local congregation.

And have people hold you accountable. And of course, we'd love for you to come to Witten. But wherever you're at, You need to be part of a local congregation that holds you accountable.

So that you can go up and be honest and say, Guys, I'm not perfect. I mess up all the time. And have them hold you accountable to that.

Alright, done with that. I'm not exactly sure what we're going to get to next week. But we'll start the life of Paul and the rest of the apostles pretty soon.

I love you guys. Please put in the comments if you need further clarification. I feel like tonight might be one of those nights since we had to read a lot of scripture.

I would like you, please, if you've stuck with me this long. To go back and read

Zechariah chapter 3. Read the whole chapter. There's some really cool stuff in there. And go back and read

John chapter 6. Verse 35 -44, I think it was.

I love you all very much. I hope this is helpful. I hope these are very encouraging to you. I know we cover a lot of different topics.

Sometimes we do book studies. Sometimes we do topical. I hope these are helpful to you. Help me make them more helpful.

Put in the comments or message me how I can help you more. That's what I've been trying to do. Some people are talking about the whiteboards.

The past few weeks I've been doing some whiteboards. I hope that's helping. Love you all very much. I think we're good here.

Let's pray. Lord, thank you for all you've given us. Forgive us for where we fail. If there's anything in any heart of anyone listening to this right now, pray you get rid of it.

God, we do love you and we want to please you. Help us to love you more and please you more. In the name of Christ, we pray.