None Can Take You Out of God’s Hands
Believing What
You See
Instead of What
You Know
28 and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man snatch them out of my hand.
29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to snatch them out of my Father’s hand.
30 I and my Father are one.
Introduction
Thanks for welcoming me in sharing God’s Wisdom, His Ways, and His Instructions.
For those of you who may not know, I am John Dainwood, a Licensed and Ordained Minister and Member of the 1st Baptist Church, in Dickinson Texas. And I am often asked the question, Can I lose my salvation, after professing Jesus as my Lord and Savior.
Today’s sermon will address that issue…
But first: Let us begin in prayer:
Lord, the enemy is ever-present, and powerful, in his attempt to deceive the world and everyone in it. He has warped Your Sacred Word, and produced many avenues of false doctrine to deceive the intellectuals and laymen alike, and to create doubt as to the simplicity of the doctrine of salvation.
Please allow me to speak the truths, of what You have done and accomplished on our behalf, and the ability to speak it in such a way as to make it both, acceptable and undeniable…
Open our hearts, minds, and souls, to Your Sacred Word and give us the strength and the wisdom and the faith to accept it, embrace it, and be blessed by it…
Thank You Lord for all you have done and will do in each of our lives and in the world in general.
Amen.
I
The title of today’s message is None Can Take You Out of God’s Hand.
There are many that believe that you can lose your salvation, once it has been asked for, given, and received… This causes many to doubt whether they are saved because of whatever sin they may have already committed, or be trapped in at present, or that they may commit in the future…
This is a lie from the pit of hell and from the father of all lies, satan… There is only one unpardonable sin and that is Unbelief and Rejection of the Witness of the Holy Spirit – Blasphemies against the Holy Spirit – in what God and the man Jesus have accomplished, and demonstrated, to offer you salvation for all of eternity…
That, however, is a sermon unto itself…
But let me ask you a question, or two to begin today’s message:
- How long is ever-lasting? Is there a single spot anywhere along an ever-lasting timeline that halts or stops? Well, if there is, then it cannot be an ever-lasting timeline, can it?
- Does eternal mean non-stop… ever-continuing… ever-present??? I think it does.
- Does never-ending mean without end… on-going… never-ceasing??? Yes, I think so.
- Do any of those words and phrases include the possibility of pausing and starting again? No, they do not.
Yeah. I know. I’m sorry for the redundancy and for the hammering I did to drive the point home. But with so many doubting, and being taught to doubt their salvation, I felt the need for overdrive in this message.
Your salvation is secure and once you are saved you are always saved – and there is yet another phrase for never-ending: always saved – but you don’t have to take my word for it; let us look at the scriptures which proclaim it:
John 10: 28-29
28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.
29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.
1 John 5:13
13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
John 3:16-18
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
Hebrews 13:5
5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,
“Never will I leave you;
Never will I forsake you.”
Well, that’s it, you can never lose your salvation, and I find it very interesting that God, Himself, thought this issue important enough to practice redundancy to drive the point home. Yet, there are still those who doubt their salvation and, more importantly, there are those that teach Salvation Lost…
There are a number of scriptures upon which they attempt to lay a foundation for this belief, but for this particular sermon, we will address a single block of text that is often used…
Some point to Matthew 7:21-23 as proof that you can Lose your salvation because of sin:
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and, in your name, perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
So, what does it mean: but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven?
Well, God’s Will is God’s Desire… Yes??? So, to do God’s Will is to do what God desires of, and from, us… Yes??? But where do we find that answer? Well, it is clearly stated in Scripture:
2 Peter 3:9
9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not WILLING that any should perish, but that ALL should (What?) COME TO REPENTANCE…
“…Not Willing that any should perish, but that All Should Come to Repentance…” So, plainly, doing The Will of God is Coming to Repentance, so that you will not perish.
According to the Holman’s Bible Dictionary, Repentance is defined as follows:
A feeling of regret, a changing of the mind, or a turning from sin to God…
It is the turning from oneself, to God. It is to put on the Mind of Christ, who consistently thought of the Father, and proclaimed: Thy Will Be Done, Not Mine.
If you sincerely turn to God, through accepting Jesus Christ as Lord, you are acknowledging, and repenting, for your sin… you are doing the Will of the Father… but what of evildoers? Does that include anyone or everyone who sins? No, it does not.
The phrase away from me, you evildoers is just one of many pieces or parts of scripture that are lifted, or plucked, from the whole passage in order to bend the scriptures to say, or mean, other than what is clearly stated…
The context of this block of scripture is revealed by the phrase: I never knew you.
I never knew you is Jesus telling those He is speaking to that they were never saved. Notice He does not say, get away from me those I once saved but now condemn…
No. You cannot lose your salvation, once you have accepted it as the free gift it is. However, there are – and will be – many in that day who will say, Lord, Lord! Didn’t we do this or that, in your name, didn’t we do many good things in your name, for whom a saving relationship with Christ never took place…
You cannot lose your salvation, but many in that day will think they are saved, and will not be — because they never have been… instead of asking for, and receiving, a relationship with Christ, they were trying to work for the right to be in his presence for eternity…
The Jehovah Witnesses come immediately to mind, though they are certainly not the only ones Jesus is speaking to in this scripture… They believe that Jesus was the Arch Angel Michael… they do all sorts of benevolent and good things, yet, they do not believe that Jesus was and is who He says He is… and they deceive many, many, people into believing that Jesus was not God the Word become flesh for the forgiveness of sin…
You see the problem these works, yes??? THEY did this or that in the name of Jesus. But a genuine, saving, faith is one in which we submit to the authority of God, through total submission to, and a personal relationship with, Jesus… We ask Him to take over our lives, and then we allow Him to work through us to accomplish His Kingdom Purposes – in and with – our lives…
It is not us doing good deeds and wonderful works to impress Jesus and earn the salvation, which scripture promises is the Free Gift of God… Salvation is freely sent usward. It is not us doing good works and sending or giving them to God in order to purchase our salvation…
The entire chapter of Matthew 7 is speaking of Fake Christians (those who have never came to a saving faith in Christ, but think they have). It speaks to:
- Judgmental People. Religious Hypocrites… who act religious but have no relationship with Christ.
- False Disciples (those who teach a twisted narrative, which is – in reality – False Doctrine).
- Those who believe they can purchase Heaven through doing enough good works and Christian things, to earn it…
These so-called Followers of God, point to other scriptures to support their you-better-be-careful-or-God-will-take-away-your-salvation false teachings, manipulations, and holier-than-thou interpretations.
If Salvation is a Free GIFT – then, by its simple definition – it cannot be bought or earned or traded for…
If something is purchased, or bought by one person, and given to another, does the person receiving the gift have the obligation to reimburse the giver???
Or, does the receiver of the gift assume the debt incurred by the purchase OF the gift???
Or, must the recipient of the gift pay – again – for that which has already been paid, for by the giver???
And does the receiver forfeit ownership of the gift, simply because it was bought by someone else???
OF COURSE NOT!!!
Well for Christians, Jesus Paid it All; He paid the price for all sin, for all time… and all we have to do is accept the gift He purchased for – and offers to – us…
So, here is one more question: If you buy a gift for someone, who will not accept it, do you force them to take it???
OF COURSE NOT!!!
And Neither Will God force you to accept HIS Freely Offered Gift — And, make no mistake: He IS going to honor your choice to decline the offer, if that is what you choose to do.
Okay. So, just who are the people to whom Jesus will say, I never knew you, get away from me you evildoers!?
They are the very ones that are leading others down the path of destruction with their false doctrine and their seemingly good works, and sometimes because of the very way they are living their own lives…
You can live your life well by Earthly Standards. You can even spend your whole life doing good things – in your own strength and by your own intent – and you will have done it all without Jesus.
You will have done it without allowing Him to know you and without appreciating (much less accepting) the eternal gift of salvation, that He Paid Such an Extremely Awful Price to Offer You… And you will have done it all without attributing your good works to God, so that others may see, understand, and long for your relationship with God.
Oh, you might ask: Well, if I spend my life doing good things for others, how can God justify sending me to Hell. This, too, is a twisted falsehood, spread by the uninformed and the deceived.
God does not send you to Hell and it is precisely because He IS Just that He consistently and persistently offers you – at various points along your entire life – the choice to not go to Hell…
He paid the terrible price to avoid HELL for you, but if you refuse to accept the gift, you will have chosen to be eternally apart from God, by rejecting both His Offer, and the Sacrifice made on your behalf, for the price of admission into Heaven.
So, everyone for whom Hell awaits, will have chosen to not accept the eternal gift that was bought, paid for, and offered them… They will have committed the only unpardonable sin… they will have disbelieved and rejected the witness of the Holy Spirit — and the simplicity of the Doctrine of Christ.
We are all given multiple opportunities – throughout our lives – to accept and believe His offer by way of T.V., Radio, the Internet, Church, the witness of others, through His Word and even by dreams — this sermon is yet another example… another opportunity.
It is God’s desire that not one should perish, but He is bound by His Own Truth and the Injustice that would occur if He took your freewill… He is bound by His Word & Promises to honor YOUR desire to reject and live without Him, and that is what sends you to Hell — It’s Your desire to reject Him – not His desire that you go to Hell.
Remember: It is His desire that not one should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
You, yourself, will have chosen to reject God, and it will be you that stands before Him when He is bound – by His Own Words & Integrity – to honor the choice you made to reject Him — for all of eternity.
That is first and foremost.
II
Secondly; let us look at a life of good deeds, without God. What have they accomplished, in the broad scope of eternity???
The answer is very definitely not — NOTHING… A life of good deeds, without God, will have accomplished much, and the failure of the doer of the deeds to recognize the unintended results will not mitigate the circumstances.
THEY will have done ALL of THEIR good, and not God through them. So, what – exactly – does that mean?
It means that many, many, people who have watched them doing good things, without Christ; those who have watched them enjoy the worldly benefits acquired without acknowledging God, will never come to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ…
Other people will point to the lives of those doing good works, and tell others, See? They have a good life; we don’t need God…
So, Let’s Make it Personal, just to drive the point home…
If this is what YOU choose, you will have lived your life in a way that may cause those watching to never consider the truth of their eternal condition, or that will cause them to reject the truth of John 14:6, which states;
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
In this way, you will have lead others, who may lead others still, into a Non-Saving Relationship with God, Almighty… You will have been the deciding factor of the many who go to Hell because they were deceived the good works you did without God doing them through you.
And Listen – Hear This – We either have a Saving Relationship with God, or an Adversarial One. There is no in-between… Jesus, Himself, declared Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters (Matthew 12:30).
You may ask, What??? I thought you Christians taught that either I have a relationship with God, through Christ, or I don’t…
That, too, is misinformation (something the Father of All Lies… The one that roams the earth, seeking whom he may devour, consistently places before us: 1 Peter 5:8).
Make no mistake: Everyone on the planet has a relationship with God… And it is entirely left up to you to decide the type of relationship you have with God — whether you be for God, or Against… and Nobody else can decide that for you… but you will decide… you will choose to have a relationship where you are with Him for all of eternity, or a relationship that separates you from Him for all of eternity… there is no in-between.
III
By now, you may be thinking, where is the encouragement in all of this?!?
Ah, but this IS encouraging — Don’t you see? Matthew 7 is not proof that you can lose your salvation — you cannot.
Salvation is not something you have to work for, or pay for… and that IS encouraging…
Those People to whom Jesus is speaking in Matthew 7 have chosen to disbelieve God, and to reject the gift He freely offers. They are the ones who disbelieve God and nullify His GIFT by trying to work their way into Heaven.
Sin must be paid for… The account must be settled. You will either accept the payment Jesus made on your behalf, or you will choose to have to pay the debt yourself…
So, let me ask just a few questions to sharpen the focus of this message:
Your house, or your car, or anything else, has to be paid for… Yes???
The owner doesn’t care who pays for or settles the bill — but the debt must be settled… Yes???
It is just the same with you and Jesus and God the Father. The very big difference is that, God the Father has provided a way for you not to have to pay. His desire is to settle your debt in full and all you must do is ask and believe and it WILL be done…
Know, however, that the debt must be paid. If you reject His offer, you will be required to make payment in full, and it will take you all of eternity, and still you won’t be able to even pay the interest charged…
Well, there you have it. But how do you know that the payment of Jesus is accredited to your account with God??? How do you KNOW that you ARE saved??? How do you know that you are NOT one that will hear Jesus say, Away from Me, You Evildoers???
What must you DO to BE saved???
Declare Jesus Lord of Your Life, and Believe in the Resurrection for the forgiveness of sins… That is ALL that is necessary.
Romans 10: 9-10 states, very clearly:
9 that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
When your heart is lined up with the words you speak… when your desire is to have Jesus be your Lord and Savior and you declare him as such, while believing in the resurrection for the forgiveness of sin, the righteousness of Jesus is extended to you because of your belief…
Genesis 15:6 declares:
6 Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.
Accept God and Believe. That really is all there is to it… Confess Jesus as your Lord and Savior and believe that God raised Him from the dead… there is nothing else to be done.
And that, my friend, is Very, Very, Good News…
Please remember that Romans 5:15 and 6:23 declare that salvation is a gift, and that John 10: 28-29, 1 John 5:13, John 3:16-18, and Hebrews 13:5, define the unending length of time for which you will not be condemned, nor forsaken… and the length of time for which your are saved (Everlasting, Eternal, Never-ending).
I give them eternal life…
I write these things that you may know that you have eternal life…
For God so Loved the world that whosoever believes shall have eternal life…
God did not Send His Son into the world to condemn but to save…
NEVER will I leave you; NEVER will I forsake you…
THAT is Encouraging… Yes???
Does any of those Promises of God sound like you can lose your Salvation??? No. They Do Not and You Cannot.
Remember Hebrews 6:18: God cannot Lie.
Romans 10:9-10, as well as Matthew 7:21-23, guarantee that you do not have to – nor can you – work for or earn salvation… It is a gift freely Offered to You by God, Almighty… The very One that designed and executed the way for your sins to be paid for, in full…
Jesus Christ, is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6).
So, if you have already professed salvation, be encouraged and know in your mind, your heart, and in your soul, that you are saved and that you cannot lose your salvation… EVER!
If you are NOT saved, however, simply pray this prayer – right where your are – and invite Christ to be your Lord and Savior:
Oh God, I am a sinner, just as everyone else is, but I now confess Jesus as my Lord and I believe that you raised him from the Dead to defeat sin and death and save all who would simply believe, including me.
Please send the Holy Spirit to teach me, guide me, and call to remembrance all that You Have Said, as You promised in John 14:26…. Amen, Amen and Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, your name has been written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, and it cannot and will not be removed. Not ever.
You are now guaranteed eternal life in the Presence of God and all that is good.
You have not only asked for and received salvation, but you have also asked God to teach you and help you remember scripture, that will equip you to walk evermore closely with God and enjoy His Power and Peace and Love more and more.
And if you still have a nagging bit of doubt as to whether you are able to believe unto Salvation, please pray the prayer of the father of the boy who was possessed — the father who wanted, desperately to believe, but feared that – what belief he had – would not be enough…
In Mark 9:22-25, in answer to Jesus, the father responded:
22 “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”
23 “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”
24 Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”
25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”
So, You See? Jesus Helped the Man, who earnestly asked, with his unbelief. He rewarded the man’s sincerity by granting his request — even though he struggled to completely believe, but wanted to, very deeply… He will do the same for you.
Congratulations to all who have become Christian. But to all who have not: Please do so, that we may, together – with those that have gone before us – spend eternity in the very dwelling place of Love and those that know how to, and do, love each other…
Oh! What a Wonderful World that Will Be!!!
May God Bless & Keep You & Yours, Always!!!! Amen!!!
