Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. In the race of the Christian life, it is possible to be certain that you will finish at last in heaven. Knowing your destiny makes all the trials of life bearable. The Assurance of Salvation. That's our focus on today's broadcast.
Stay with us. From the Moody Church in Chicago, this is Running to Win with Dr. Erwin Lutzer, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line. We're in a series on how you can be sure that you will spend eternity with God. Pastor Lutzer, tell us about today's message your calling held in God's hands.
Dave, I want to answer your question by asking everyone who is listening, A question. And that is this. Would your day go better today if you knew that you were held in the hands of God and in the hands of Christ? I think the answer to that question is yes, and that's exactly what the Bible teaches: that when we are one of God's sheep, We are held in the hands of God and we are also held in the hands of Christ. It is hands in harmony.
And in today's message, what I want to emphasize is that there can be that deep sense of assurance that we belong to God and we belong to God forever. That's why we're making a resource available for you that I think is going to be of tremendous blessing. and it will bring assurance to all those who read it. It's a book entitled How You Can Be Sure That You Will Spend Eternity with God.
Now this is so critical, if you have a pen or pencil, I want to simply give you some contact info. You can go to rtwoffer.com.
Now if you didn't have time to write that down, well, following the message, I'm going to be giving you that contact info again. But knowing that you have eternal life, and that you will be with God forever is the most important assurance that any human being could have. Uh For by grace we are saved, the Bible says. It is a word that is used interchangeably with the word conversion or being born again as we learned last week. But the question I want to ask you today is, how many times can you be saved?
Do you ever need to be saved? Again. Yeah. There are those who say that they can lose their salvation. Ted Turner who is known to many of us and who received the Humanist of the Year award, a number of years ago, said that he was brought up in a Christian home and was saved seven or eight times and felt better.
when he lost his faith and when he had it.
Well, how many times Can you be saved? There are some people who say that you can lose your salvation. You can come to saving faith in Christ. You can be sealed with the Holy Spirit of God. And then, because of backsliding and rebellion, you lose your status with God.
And if you died, you'd be lost.
Some people say that this happens, as a matter of fact, whenever you sin again. Can you imagine that? Can you imagine if we lost our salvation every time we sinned? You know, in churches that believe that, I remember a woman who was in our home told us that she came from a tradition where that was the doctrine. and there was a town drunk.
who got saved every Sunday and then got drunk again every Monday. And after he got saved one Sunday morning, the pastor said, You know, the next time you get saved, we ought to shoot you.
Now he did have a point. Ha ha ha. After all, if he got shot after he was saved, he'd be in heaven. If he got shot on Monday, he'd be lost.
So do him a favor. And blow him away right after he believes. Mm.
Well, if that was the gospel, I can assure you it would not be good news at all. I was riding on a plane one time and a man said, I can't stay saved, he told me. He said, I'm on furlough from living the Christian life. And then there are those who say, no, you don't lose your salvation after you sin some sins, but if it is willful sin. John Wesley, whom we admire for many other things, held a view similar to that.
It has to be a willful sin, it has to be knowingly done. And I'm saying to myself, John Wesley must have been more righteous than I am because sometimes I sin willfully, knowing what I'm doing. And if there's anybody who says that they have never done that, you can come up later and you can privately confess the sin of lying to me. The fact is that we all sin, sometimes deliberately sin. And then, of course, there are those who say no, only in the case of extreme apostasy.
Now if you were here last Sunday evening, you know I looked at those passages of scripture that appear to teach that one who is saved can lose his or her salvation. Today, what I'd like to do is to emphasize that the preponderance of evidence in the Bible is that those who are truly saved will stay saved and God will take them all the way to heaven, however many bumps there may be along the way. And the reason is... Because the work of God in salvation is so deep. Involves so much of God's sovereignty and God's purposes that He would not leave to chance, nor to even our own wandering, the possibility.
But his eternal plans and uh purposes would be frustrated.
So today we're going to become builders, and what we're going to do is to sink three D pillars right into bedrock. And upon those pillars we shall see that the doctrine of security rests. Romans chapter 8. is our passage. Romans chapter 8.
All those who have been saved more than six weeks, to put it positively, should be able to quote Romans chapter 8, beginning at verse 26 and through to verse 29.
Someday, if I live long enough, what I'd like to do is to preach an entire series of about 10 messages on these verses. Today, we get the overview. This is the scenic route. Let's take a look at what the Apostle Paul is saying. First of all, he's saying that our security really rests.
in the very plan of God. In the very plan of God. We have to pick it up here in verse 29. And what I'd like you to do is to notice five big words that Paul uses. to show the work of God in salvation.
Don't be afraid of big words because sometimes big words have big meanings. And these are five big words with explosive And big meanings. Notice it says, for those whom he foreknew, that's the first big word. You say, well, to foreknow something means just to know ahead of time. No.
God knows everything ahead of time. This word foreknowledge is never used of events. It is only used in relation to people. Because the word foreknowledge as it is used in the Bible does not mean simply to know ahead of time. It means that God foreloved these people.
For example, Romans chapter 8 verse 2, 11 verse 2 rather. God hath not forsaken his people whom he foreknew.
Well, he foreknows everybody if you're just talking about omniscience. What it means is God has not forsaken those whom he has chosen, those whom he has foreloved. You realize that if you're saved today, you were foreknown and you're included in this text. The second big word that is used is the word predestin, which means predetermined. It says, for those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that Christ might be the firstborn among many brethren.
That word predestinate means to mark out ahead of time. It was sometimes used of surveyors who would come to a location before anybody showed up. and they determined that a street would go here and an avenue would go the other way. And they determined all of that before the inhabitants began to move into town. God says That those whom I foreknew are the ones also whom I have predestined and marked out ahead of time, that they will be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, that Christ might be the firstborn, but that he might have many brothers.
And that's what the text is saying, is before we were born, it was predetermined that we would be like Christ.
Now, notice the third big word. It is the word called.
Now, think this through. Here we have the first two words in eternity past: God forenew and God predestined that we would be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. The word called speaks about our present experience. It is the effectual call that leads people to saving faith. Nicole Chapin, who used to be a Buddhist, whose testimony we just heard here.
Do you notice that the first words out of her mouth were: The Holy Spirit drew me to Christ. Nicole, I don't know who discipled you, but they had some really good theology. Really good theology. That is the effectual call. And now, notice what happens after we are called.
What happens? These him he also justified. That's the other big word. And may I say that if you have not been here consistently for the messages in this series, I would like to encourage you to get the message on justification and the message on grace and the others that fit into this series. Justified means that God declares us to be as righteous as He Himself is.
And I pointed out that unless you are as righteous as God, you will never get to heaven. Never. And it is only because we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ, which is the righteousness of God. Not that God accepts us.
So after we are called We are justified. And then the text says whom he justified, the very same number. are the ones whom he glorified.
Someday we're all going to have glorified bodies. We're going to look a lot better than we look now. We all have to do the best we can with what we have, and with varying degrees, we succeed. But someday we're going to be glorified. What does the text say?
That we might be like Christ, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. And I want you to notice. that the word glorified here is in the past tense. God says, consider it a done deal. Whether that's good English or not, consider it a done deal.
You are glorified.
Now follow this. Here are five beautiful links in a golden chain. The first link begins in eternity past, those whom he forenew and those whom he predestined. And then you have the word called, which has to do with our present experience. And now we have been justified, and in God's sight, we have been glorified.
It goes from one spectrum of eternity to the other. and follow carefully. The very same ones whom he foreknew are the ones whom he glorified. I don't believe that there is any slippage. I don't believe that anyone is falling through the cracks.
I don't think that God's purposes are frustrated because of our sins, and, may I say it, Though I'm going to receive letters about it, even because of our backslidings, grievous though that may be to God, God's purposes will be fulfilled. And he will take those whom he foreknew all the way to glory. And God says, you are. Already there. What is the first pillar upon which our security rests?
It is the plan. of God. I hope that during this series of messages on salvation, you become absolutely convinced to the depths of your soul and spirit. That salvation not only represents God at his best, But that salvation is a mighty work. of a great and wonderful God.
It rests on the plan of God. Secondly, Notice that salvation rests on the pardon of God. That is the second pillar that goes down to bedrock. He says in verse 31, which is somewhat of a transitional verse, What shall we say then to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?
Do we have any takers? Is there anybody who's going to come against those whom God has decided to align himself up with? What a challenge. And Of course, the answer is: if God is for us, who is against us? What shall we say to these things?
Well, all that we can do. Is comment on them with breathless wonder. That's about all we can say. If God is for us, Who is against us? And he says in verse 32: He who did not spare his own son, but delivered him up for us all, will he not also with him freely give us all things?
If God has given to us the best that He has, will not all of the secondary blessings simply be thrown in for good measure? If someone gives you a beautiful diamond, will they not also give you the box? in which it came. Or will they say, I give you the diamond, but You can't have the box too. Unthinkable.
They go together, and the diamond is more valuable than the box. If a woman is willing to give up her precious son in adoption, will she not also give the new parents the crib? in which he has slept? God who spared not his own son. His precious son, Whom he so greatly loved, will he not also with him give us all things?
The answer is yes. But now we're talking about the pardon of God. And Paul visualizes a courtroom, and I want you to visualize it with me. There is, of course, the judge. Who is God?
There is the defendant, the one who is being accused, and he's sitting over here. No intention to point deliberately at you, Chris, but he's sitting over here. And then over here, there is the accuser, the prosecuting attorney. The gavel sounds. And the courtroom is open for debate.
The devil takes out his briefcase because it is filled with the sins that we have committed. And he reminds us that he does not only have a briefcase, but immediately outside the door, there is a U-All trailer. Filled. with all kinds of material. That will prove us to be sinners.
And so the debate begins. And his accusations are not general. He does not say, now, this person here is a great sinner. Oh, no, no, no, no, that would never do. He gets very specific.
Because you see, the devil knows all the hidden sins that you and I, if they were exposed, would be overcome with shame. The devil knows those things. And furthermore, God knows them. God knows them. And so the accusations begin, and they are very specific, and they are very detailed, and they are very shameful, and they are very, very ugly.
What can the defendant do? What does he do?
Well Notice the text. Who will bring a charge against God's elect?
Some people don't like that word, but Paul evidently did. I just don't know why he had this love with that word. God is the one who justifies. Who is the one who condemns? Christ is the one who died, yea, rather, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God the Father, and He intercedes for us.
How shall we as the accused handle these accusations? Shall we say, no, they aren't true? That of course is not even an option in this court. It may be in a Chicago courtroom. It may work for some alderman.
It may work for some members of Congress, but it doesn't work in the presence of God. The issue here is not truth. The issue is justice.
Well, then we can begin to minimize our sins and say, God, if you only understood, don't you realize I'm better than other people? Don't you realize I did try to serve you? Don't you remember I walked forward in a meeting? God, God, I did pray once. Don't you remember during the war?
Lord, what will I do? Yeah. Satan has marched in. And he's winning. The court case.
If the defendant is wise, he will do the only thing. That is wise to do and that is to punt the ball to the defending attorney. and say, Jesus, I can't handle this. You handle it for me. Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect?
It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemns? It is Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen again and is even at the right hand of God the Father, reminding God the Father that salvation was purchased, that the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanses from all sin, and that Jesus died for some messy and very ugly sins. And God the Father accepted the payment. Justice has been satisfied, and the defendant is acquitted, and he can go free.
Five bleeding wounds he bears Received on Calvary. They pour effectual prayers, They strongly plead for me. Forgive him, oh, forgive, they cry. And let not that ransomed sinner Die. This past week a man called me on the telephone.
Asked My advice regarding counseling a woman who had an affair Christian woman.
Now suddenly in the slew of despond and despair. and depression. Not all depression is because of sin and guilt, but a lot is. How do we as Christians handle it? I do not merely mean handle the outworking of reconciliation with her husband that is going to be very painful under any conditions.
I'm talking about how do we handle it theologically so that this woman can look into God's face again and be cleansed and be redeemed. You see on one level As a Christian, She is as pure as Christ, clothed in his righteousness. Even though A sinner. And she needs to see that. If she does not see that, she will be driven into despair.
On another level, she must also see that in experience she has sinned grievously, and she must ask forgiveness, not that she might again receive the holiness of God, which she now has as a free gift already. but that she might be reconciled to the Father. whom she has wounded so deeply through her sins. You see, there is the objective, there's also the subjective cleansing, and the cleansing has to do with the purging of the conscience so that she not only is pure before God, but that she knows she is. And of course She also has to confess to her husband.
My purpose in giving that illustration is not to do counseling necessarily, but rather to help us to understand that there is a sense in which we receive the legal righteousness of God when we believe on Christ and truly trust Him, but at the same time, realize that when we fall into sin, we must repent. and we must come back to the Father. And we must always in our experience do all that we can to pursue holy living.
So, in that sense, they are two sides of one coin.
Well, I mentioned at the beginning of this broadcast that I've written a book entitled How You Can Be Sure That You Will Spend Eternity with God. Very critical. I hope that you have a pen or pencil handy, because I'd like to give you some contact info. We're making it available for you for a gift of any amount. Here's what you do: you go to rtwoffer.com.
That's rtwoffer.com. And because this is so important, I'm going to be repeating that in just a moment. Or you can call us at 1-888-288-888-888-8. Yeah. 9337.
Remember the title of the book, How You Can Be Sure That You Will Spend Eternity with God. Here's what you do. Go to rtwoffer.com. or you can call us at one eight eight eight two one eight ninety three thirty seven. I want to express my love for you.
For the fact that many of you support this ministry, it's because of you running to win is able to go around the world in 50 different countries. and seven different languages. And I want you to consider joining hands with us as together we run toward the finish line, knowing we have a Savior who has saved us from our sins. You can write to us at Running2Win 1635 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois, 60614. When Babe Ruth pointed to center field, he knew where that ball was going.
and Christians can know where they're going after death. That's because our assurance of salvation is built on three pillars in the scriptures.
Next time on Running to Win, more about those pillars. Running to win is all about helping you understand God's roadmap for your race of life. Thanks for listening. For Pastor Erwin Lutzer, this is Dave McAllister. Running to Win is sponsored by the Moody Church.
