Eternally Secure – Part 2

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Now, here's today's podcast, From Pathway to Victory. God wants you to be certain that you are saved. How can you have that assurance? Well, that's what the book of 1 John is all about. And we're going to look at 1 John and what the apostle says about how to be eternally secure. Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor, Dr. Robert Jeffress.

When a high-profile Christian leader publicly renounces his faith, or maybe a stalwart believer in your local church is exposed for leading a life of sin, sometimes you can't help but wonder, is it possible to lose your salvation? Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress explains how you can know if you're really saved. Now, here's our Bible teacher to introduce today's message.

Dr. Jeffress. Thanks, David, and welcome again to Pathway to Victory. In his brief letter of 1 John, the apostle gave a reason for his book. He said, These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

You see, in the first century and even today, people struggle with a nagging feeling that perhaps they're not qualified to enter into the kingdom of God. And on today's program, I'll explain how you can know with absolute assurance that you are eternally secure. Now, before we begin, it's important for me to remind you that today is the very last day to request a one-of-a-kind devotional for you and your family. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me. He also taught us that once we make this decision to trust Him with our life and our eternity, we are forever secured in the palm of His loving hand. This offer from Jesus to become saved is wide open to everyone, but it's on God's terms, not ours. It's critically important for every member of your family to understand this non-negotiable arrangement. And my devotional, Not All Roads Lead to Heaven, will ground your loved ones in the foundational belief that Jesus is the only way to heaven. And it will equip your family to share these truths in a compassionate and compelling way.

I'll be happy to send a copy to your home right away when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. David and I will give more details later on, but right now, let's turn our attention to 1 John 5 and verse 13. I titled today's message, Eternally Secure. So how can you know whether you're a genuine believer? Here is the single greatest verse in the Bible to know whether or not you are truly saved. John said, these things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God in order that you may know you have eternal life.

My friend Steve Lawson wrote a little book called Absolutely Sure. And one of the chapters of that book, he talked about the five words or phrases in this verse that are key to assurance of salvation. The first word, critical word in this verse, is the word know. These things I have written to you that you may know you have eternal life. The second key word in this passage is the word written.

These things I have written to you. You know, our faith doesn't rest on changing feelings. Our faith rests on the written word of God that never changes. And that leads to the third word, the word believe. These things I have written to you who believe. Now, what does it mean to believe? Listen, believe is not intellectual assent to a certain set of facts about Jesus.

Let me remind you of something. Did you know some of the greatest professions of faith in history have been made by demons? In Matthew 8 29, the demons at Gadarenes said, what do we have to do with you, Jesus, the Son of God? Demons know the right truth about who Jesus is. But does anybody here today believe demons are going to be in heaven?

No. It's not believing the right things about Jesus. The word believe means to trust in, to cling to, to put your whole faith and trust in.

The best illustration I know of what the word believe means is found in John chapter 3 when Jesus was talking to Nicodemus. Remember, Nicodemus wanted to know how he could know that he had eternal life. And Jesus talked about the importance of being born again by believing in the Son of God. And Nicodemus didn't understand that. So Jesus used an illustration that Nicodemus as a Jew was familiar with. He said in John 3 verses 14 to 16, for as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of God be lifted up that whoever believes in him might have eternal life. Nicodemus recognized the story immediately.

He came from Numbers 21. Remember how the children of Israel, because they were being disobedient to God, were bitten by the fiery serpents that God sent. And those fiery serpents, the bite, the venom was killing the children of Israel. And so they went to Moses and they said, Moses, have mercy on us, intercede with God, save us. And so Moses went to God and God said, all right, this is the way of salvation.

You make a bronze serpent, put it on the end of a pole, hold the pole and the serpent up in the air and tell the people this. If they will look at the serpent, they will be healed. Look and live was the message of healing. And all those Israelites had to do was to acknowledge that they were ill and dying.

And by faith, look at God's provision that had been lifted up and immediately they would experience healing. Now that's the illustration that Jesus used of what it means to believe. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up that whoever believes, whoever in an instant recognizes his need for salvation and trust in Jesus to provide that salvation, whoever believes in him shall have eternal life.

Do you know what the next verse is? Verse 16, for God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him shall have eternal life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God.

And that leads to the fourth phrase in this verse, the Son of God. How are we saved forever? It's not just by faith in general. It's not belief in general that somehow some way everything is going to turn out okay. Faith always requires an object. And that's why John specifies the object of belief.

Those who believe in the name of the Son of God. Our faith is in Jesus Christ. And the fact is our faith is only as reliable as the object of our faith. And it's true in our salvation. Our salvation doesn't depend how much or how little faith we have. It depends upon the object of our faith. Our faith is only as effective as the object of our faith. Let me illustrate that for you if I could for just a moment.

Because this will help you understand this very misunderstood concept of belief and how it relates to salvation. You know I've got this chair here and I could look at this chair and I could make all kinds of professions of faith about the durability of this chair. I could say I think this chair is well built. I could say I think it's capable of supporting me. I could say all of that without this chair actually supporting me. As much as I profess faith in this chair to be able to hold me up, is it supporting me right now?

No. For me to really believe that this chair can support me, I have to put my whole weight in this chair. It is only when I sit down and rest completely in this chair is this chair rather than my own effort supporting me. That's the same way with salvation. To believe in Jesus for salvation means to put your whole weight, to trust completely in Jesus and not yourself for your salvation. One time I was using this illustration in my first church in Eastland and on our platform we had those old big pulpit chairs like we used to have in our old sanctuary and all those big, huge wooden chairs. I was making the point that faith is only as reliable as the object of our faith until I began to sit down in one of those pulpit chairs and as soon as I sat down I started hearing this cracking and creaking and in about 15 seconds the entire chair collapsed and I was there in a very unpastoral position on the ground before the congregation. Trust me, they never forgot that illustration. Our faith is only as reliable as the object of our faith.

And that's what he's saying here. We have to believe in an object. That object is a person, the name of the Son of God. And by the way, will you notice the emphasis on the word the name of the Son of God?

These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God. I was talking to a seminary student. He had just graduated. He was Muslim and he had converted to Christianity. And he felt like his mission in life was to go back to the followers of Islam and to tell them the truth of the Gospel.

And then he made this comment to me. He said, You know, Pastor, one of the greatest hindrances to witnessing to Muslims is our unwillingness to refer to God as Allah. If we would simply use the term Allah in our witnessing to Muslims, we would win many of them to Christ.

And I said, Sir, you are mistaken. God and Allah are not the same. Names mean something. God is not whoever we think he is. God has a name. And God's Son has a name. And his name is Jesus Christ. You know, there are people who say, Oh, you know, there are going to be all these people in heaven. We never expected to be there. And we never believed would be there because they've not particularly believed in the name of Jesus.

They believed in God. They just called him by some other name. Have you ever heard that before? And they say, you know, a name isn't that important. Really?

Think about how ludicrous that is. Names aren't important. The name of a person represents the essence of that person. Let's just suppose, for example, that all this week, we had been advertising that our preacher this Sunday is going to be Dr. David Jeremiah. Dr. David Jeremiah is coming to preach. And so you sit down, and you look at the program, and there's the message title, Eternally Secure, Dr. David Jeremiah. And when the sermon time comes, I step up in the pulpit and begin to preach. And after the sermon, you come up, and you're trying to be polite and not show your disappointment. And so you say, Well, pastor, we saw Dr. Jeremiah was going to be here. Is he sick?

Is something wrong? Oh, no, I say. David Jeremiah is just another name that I go by sometimes. Sometimes I go by David Jeremiah, sometimes Chuck Swindoll, sometimes Joel Osteen, sometimes even Al Sharpton. I mean, I use a different variety of names, but we're all the same people.

That's ridiculous. Names mean something. They represent the essence of a person. Our Savior has a name. His name is Jesus Christ. He is the God-man who came and died and rose again that we should have eternal life. And there is no salvation apart from belief in the name of Jesus Christ. Now let me show you something I found this week.

I was actually working on another series of messages for next year, but I'm going to give you an advanced preview. Look at this in Acts chapter four, verses eight to 12. Remember it's the story of Peter and the apostles who were healing people in the name of Jesus Christ, and the Jewish authorities were furious, and they arrested them and said, you've got to quit speaking that name of Jesus. That name of Jesus is very offensive to us.

You can heal if you want to. Just don't use the name of Jesus. How many people today do you hear say, oh, you can pray. Just don't pray in Jesus' name.

That is very, very offensive. Notice what happened, verse eight. Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, rulers and elders of the people, if we are on trial today for a benefit done to a sick man as to how this man has been made well, let it be known to all of you and to all people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ, the Nazarene whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by this name, this man stands here before you in good health. He, the name, is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which has become the very cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven by which we can be saved except the name of Jesus.

Do you hear that? Over and over and over again, it is through the name of Jesus Christ. Now listen to me. There is no indication in Scripture. There is no allowance in Scripture that there will be anyone in heaven who is not trusted in the name of Jesus Christ.

Now, will you let me climb up on my soapbox for 30 seconds longer here? The next time I hear a staff member or a deacon stand up in this pulpit and pray a prayer that ends this way and we pray this in your name, oh God, I'm gonna throw up. That is a weak, weaselly, wimpy way to pray. God has a name. It is through the name Jesus Christ that we have confident access to God through the Father. Don't be a wimp.

Don't wimp out. Don't be politically correct. You tell people the name by which they can come to God through. It is the name of Jesus Christ. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God.

And that leads to the last phrase. These things I have written to you that you may know you have what? Eternal life.

Isn't it interesting? He doesn't say that you may know you are saved. He said these things I've written to you that you may know you have eternal life. In the verse right before that, 1 John 5, 12, he says, he who has the Son has the what? Life.

He who does not have the life does not have the Son. So in other words, the way to know if you're eternally secure, if you're saved, do you have eternal life or not? Where you say, well, I don't know that until I die and find out where I wake up. Am I in heaven or hell? Then I'll know whether I have eternal life. No, no, no, no, no, that's too late.

That's too late. Eternal life does not refer to a quantity of life. That's what most people think. They think, oh, having eternal life means you're gonna live forever.

No. The fact is everybody's gonna live forever. It doesn't matter what you believe.

It doesn't matter whether you're a Baptist, Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, Hindu, Mormon, atheist. Everybody's gonna live forever. The Bible says we're eternal beings.

It's the location of our eternity that makes the difference. Some will spend eternity in heaven with God. Some will spend eternal life.

Eternity in hell with Satan, but everybody's going to live forever. Eternal life does not refer to a quantity of life. It refers to a quality of life. It's the quality of life that Jesus was talking about in John 10-10 when he said, the thief, Satan, comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly. When Jesus and John talk about eternal life, they're talking about this abundant life, a life that is filled with joy, contentment, a life that is marked by obedience to God, a life filled with a desire to know God better, a life that demonstrates self-control, a life that is marked by love, not hatred toward other people, a life that forgives rather than engages in bitterness. That's the eternal life he's talking about. And John is saying the best way to know whether you're eternally secure or not is to ask yourself, do I have that life? It's not something you get when you die. It's something you're supposed to be having right now. Again, 1 John 5-12, he who has the Son has this life, this kind of experience.

He who doesn't, doesn't have a life. Now, you may be thinking, well, pastor, you're contradicting yourself. You just said a few moments ago, our salvation doesn't depend upon experience.

I'm talking about feeling when I talk about experience there. Now, John's saying here, the proof of your salvation is not your feeling. It's tangible fruit in your life. That's a great way to know whether or not you're saved. Is there tangible fruit like love and joy and peace and obedience and desire to know God? Is that fruit being produced in your life? That's evidence that you have the life-giving Spirit of God inside of you.

If there is no fruit, there's no Spirit. You don't have the Son of God residing in you. That's why Paul said in 2 Corinthians 13 verse 5, you wanna know whether you're saved or not? Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith.

Examine yourselves. Or do you not recognize this about yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you unless you indeed fail the test? Jesus said you can perform a self-exam to see if you're really a Christian. Test yourself right now to see if you're in the faith.

What does he mean, test yourself? He's not talking about give yourself a theological test. Don't get out a piece of paper or a blue book and say, okay, can I list 10 reasons for the virgin birth of Christ?

Or can I distinguish between the term premillennial, postmillennial, and amillennial? He's not talking about a theological exam. He's talking about test your obedience to God.

How do I know that's what he's talking about? That's the whole purpose of 2 Corinthians. Paul was concerned that these Corinthian Christians were living in such a way that didn't match up to their profession of faith. And that's why he said in 2 Corinthians 12 verse 20, for I am afraid that perhaps when I come, I may find you not to be what I wish and may be found by you to be not what you wish, that perhaps there may be strife, jealousy, anger, tempers, disputes, slanders, gossip, arrogance, and disturbances. That's why Paul said you better test yourself to see if you're into faith. Paul was just echoing what James said in James 2 verses 14 and 17. What use is it, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but he has no works, can that kind of faith save him?

Absolutely not. He says in verse 17, even so, faith, if it has no works, is dead being by itself. The Bible is clear. Faith without any fruit is a dead, non-existent faith. The way to know whether you're truly eternally secure is do you have evidence of that eternal life right now in your life?

Test yourself to see if you're in the faith. Some years ago, Northwest Airlines had a special promotion. They called it a mystery fair. You could pay $59 and receive a ticket to a mystery destination. You wouldn't find out where you were going until the day you got to the airport.

Kind of an interesting concept, isn't it? Thousands of people took advantage of the mystery fair and most of them were happy with their destination. Everybody except one customer who was wanting to go to New Orleans but ended up with a fair to Minneapolis in the wintertime.

And a reporter said he was going through the airport waiving his ticket saying, I've got one ticket to the Mall of America that I'll trade for anywhere. You know, mystery fairs are fun for a weekend vacation. But there is one day in your life you don't want to be holding a mystery fair ticket. And that's the day of your death.

To close your eyes for the last time here on earth without an absolute assurance of your eternal destination that's a risk no sane person would want to take. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know you have eternal life. Do you know?

Are you absolutely sure? It gives me great satisfaction to know that the Holy Spirit is working in the hearts of men and women all around the world at this very moment bringing them into the kingdom with a confidence that cannot be shaken. Because Jesus Christ made a way for us our eternal destiny is absolutely secure. This is the mission of Pathway to Victory. We're committed to sharing the hope of the gospel until the day of Christ's return. And we can do so because we have an audience of generous givers who share this passion to pierce the darkness with the light of God's word.

And so to say thank you for your generous support of Pathway to Victory today I'm going to send two very helpful resources to your home. The first is a brand new devotional I've written for you and your family. It's called Not All Roads Lead to Heaven 100 Daily Readings About Our Only Hope for Eternal Life. This daily devotional will equip your loved ones to stand strong in their beliefs and to share the good news with their friends as well. Telling the truth about God's plan of salvation is a privilege when it's communicated with clarity and compassion. My devotional will inspire your loved ones to bring light to a dark world.

And it's yours when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. And second, when you respond today I'll also include a helpful resource called Christianity Cults and Religions. In this resource I highlight the key beliefs of biblical Christianity and compare them to 16 other false religions. It's designed to expose how Mormonism, Islam and other false teachings stack up against historic biblical Christianity. This is the very last day to request this special offer so David will come in just a moment to share how you can contact us today.

David? Thanks, Dr. Jeffress. Today when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory you're invited to request your very own copy of the brand new devotional Not All Roads Lead to Heaven 100 daily readings about our only hope for eternal life. To request your copy call 866-999-2965 or visit online at ptv.org.

Now when your gift is $50 or more we'll also send you in addition to the brand new devotional the original best selling book by Dr. Jeffress on which this series was based Not All Roads Lead to Heaven. To request this special package of resources call 866-999-2965 or visit online at ptv.org. If you'd prefer to write here's that mailing address P.O.

Box 223609 Dallas, Texas 75222 Again that's P.O. Box 223609 Dallas, Texas 75222 I'm David J. Mullins Wishing you a great weekend then join us again next week when Dr. Jeffress begins a series on the end times titled Perfect Ending that's Monday here on Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. Imagine waking up to the sight of Alaska's majestic coastline or spotting wildlife from the deck of a luxurious cruise ship. Experience these unforgettable moments on the Pathway to Victory Cruise to Alaska with Dr. Robert Jeffress.

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