155-Can Christians Lose Their Salvation?#
155-Can Christians Lose Their Salvation?
(JP Text Group - Organized by Yun Dan Feng Qing)
New Testament Book of Hebrews 10:10-14:
10 By this will, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, we especially thank and praise you! We come seeking Jesus Christ because you want to bless us! You want to strengthen us through your word! We need your word to supply us every day! Your word is our strength! It is our help at all times! We completely surrender this time to the Holy Spirit, guiding each of our hearts! Help us to know you more deeply through your word!
Holy Spirit, renew us in our hearts, helping us to abandon our original thoughts, and continuously know Jesus through renewal! Because we believe that Jesus is developing with the times, thank you and praise the Lord! We completely surrender the following time to you! Especially bless every brother and sister who comes seeking you! In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray! Amen!
Hallelujah! Before we start today, greet the person next to you and say: You don’t need to worry in Christ! If you know you are in Jesus Christ, what is there to worry about? When people worry, it is because they are uncertain whether they are in Jesus Christ. When uncertain, they will doubt, does God love me? Does He hear my prayers? Is He willing to heal me? Is He willing to help me? Because they are uncertain about where they are, such questions arise.
I once posed two very important questions to others, and today I want to share them with you. The questions are what God asked Adam after he sinned.
The first question: Where are you?
Where should Adam have been? In the Garden of Eden, he was indeed in the Garden of Eden. Originally, Adam was in God's love, in God's provision, in God's abundance, Amen! But where was Adam later? He lost that glory, so at that moment, when Adam heard God's voice, his first reaction was to hide. He did not want to see God anymore.
Brothers and sisters, if you feel that you cannot get too close to God because it is too dangerous, you need to determine where you are! Are you in Christ? This is the first question God asked Adam: Where are you? If you often ask yourself this question, many problems in your life will be answered. For example, after you pray, ask God, where am I? If you are sure you are in Christ, believe that your prayers will surely be heard by God! If you are sure you are in Christ, then when Jesus places you in Him, no one can pull you out from inside!
The devil desperately wants to pull you out of Christ, but he does not have that ability! So be sure you are in Christ.
The second question is, Who told you?
Do you remember this question? Adam said, "I heard your voice, and I was afraid; I was naked." God asked: Who told you? So today, when you say God is going to strike me, I want to ask you, who told you? When you say God is going to discipline me with sickness, I want to ask you, who told you? Isn’t it simple? It can resolve many doubts in your life. You need to determine whether the words you hear come from the Bible. Are they from Christ? I believe you have already distinguished between the Old and New Testaments.
Everyone who comes tonight is someone who is relatively solid in the Bible. Since you have distinguished between the Old and New Testaments, then you can be sure you are living in the words of Christ, under grace! Amen! When you know this, you need to determine whether it is indeed the words of Christ that say this. If you understand these two questions, it will be very difficult for the devil to deceive you in life.
Who told you? When others say, "I am not sure if I have salvation today," who told you? When God says you are saved in Christ, you will never lose your salvation! The devil may say it’s impossible; you might lose it… You need to ask yourself if it is God who told me this? Hallelujah!
The scripture we just read mentions something: “We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” Here it mentions a question about God's will, which confuses many people, including Christians. Sometimes we find that after praying for a while, things do not come to pass, and we start to consider that this is not God's will. So many preachers say you need to pray according to God's will.
When you ask them what God's will is, they say, "You pray about it yourself..." If it is like this, we will really be confused. Originally, they told you to pray according to God's will, and when you say you don’t know, they tell you to pray about it yourself... It feels a bit like passing the buck...
The Bible never tells us to think for ourselves or to figure it out ourselves... That is not the word of the Bible! The Bible indeed has many of God's wills, but God's will always has a contextual structure. Looking at today's text, what is God's will?
Verse 9 mentions: I have come to do your will. So what is God's will? We need to look back to verse 5: Therefore, when Christ came into the world, you see that when Jesus Christ came, it was to fulfill God's will, right? Although the Bible has many of God's wills, here we need to understand what God's will truly is.
Verse 5 states: When Christ came into the world, he said, ‘Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; burnt offerings and sin offerings you have not taken pleasure in.’ Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God.’ In simple terms, when you see what Jesus did, that is God's will!
A very obvious characteristic of Jesus in this world is that He accepts everyone! He does not condemn anyone! Another important point is that He does not curse anyone! Because His curse is too terrible. You see, Jesus never tells jokes; I can tell some jokes, but Jesus never does. Do you know why? Because His mouth is not just golden; it should be called a mouth of pure gold! It is so powerful! A curse from His mouth will immediately come to pass.
Brothers and sisters, do you know why many times we can say whatever without consequence? Many people say, "Lord, give me that authority, so that whoever I lay hands on will be healed, whatever I say will come to pass." God says no! Because many times what you say does not align with the Bible. Many times we are cursing ourselves and cursing others. If God gives us that authority, saying whatever will come to pass, it is likely that in two days, there will be no one left in the world.
Jesus came into the world to fulfill God's will! Amen! In the Old Testament, sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings were not what He desired. Why does God not like them? What does the parenthesis say? They are all offered according to the law, Amen! The role of the law is to make you aware of sin! Amen! The second role of the law is to let you know that you cannot do it yourself, and then lead you to Christ, so that you may be justified by faith! Amen!
If you take Jesus away from here, the law can only lead you to death. Jesus Christ is too important for each of us! After Jesus Christ appeared, we were condemned under the law, knowing we could not do it. The law says there is still a way out, leading us to Jesus, to Christ, who says you no longer need to offer sacrifices, no longer need to offer sin offerings, because He is the sin offering. He is the ultimate lamb! This lamb is so powerful, powerful to the extent that it surpasses all the abilities of all the bulls and sheep offered before, Amen!
Under the law, if you sin, it will accuse you, it will curse you, but under the grace of Jesus Christ, He will continuously give to you! When we sin under the law, we self-condemn! When a person is under grace and sins, God says, "I still love you, I will give you strength to overcome sin." At that time, you will love Jesus more and more! Hallelujah! After you sin, God wants to give you more grace, continually supplying you; this is the will of the Father!
This is what is mentioned here: I have come to do your will. Amen! You see, after Peter sinned, it was quite serious, right? Under the Old Testament, Jesus said: Whoever denies me before men, I will also deny before my Father. Did Peter really deny? Not just once, but three times, three times, with solid evidence!
But after Jesus Christ died and resurrected, He went to find Peter. Did He bring up this question? This is the grace of Jesus Christ! Today, as we live in Christ, even if you make mistakes, God treats you as if you have not made mistakes and still gives you His grace! Hallelujah! In such a situation, Peter was willing to dedicate his life to Jesus! Although I cannot, although I made mistakes, you still love me; this is called grace! This power allowed Peter to complete his life journey!
I believe that in China, once the true grace of Jesus Christ is proclaimed, everyone will be willing to draw near to Jesus. Therefore, the purpose of Jesus coming into the world is to fulfill the will of the Father! In simple terms, it is to remove the curse of the law and provide us with grace! There is one more important point: We have been sanctified by this will.
We rely on the will that Jesus Christ has fulfilled all the requirements of the Old Testament law on the cross, right? In simple terms, being in Christ is God's will! By this will, through Jesus Christ's once-for-all offering of His body, we are sanctified!
Brothers and sisters, in many places now, there is still a teaching that says, although you are saved now, you must strive to be sanctified for the rest of your life... Brothers and sisters, how can you be sanctified? Let me give a simple example: Suppose there is a dog that wants to strive to become a human. How can it strive to become a human?
...Let us strive for sanctification; no matter how hard you try, you will fail. Why will you fail? Because you are relying on your own efforts; this is the devil's trick. The Bible tells us: By relying on Jesus Christ's once-for-all offering of His body, we are sanctified. You have already become a holy person! It is not about striving; this is a trick of the devil.
In the Garden of Eden in Genesis, the devil deceived Adam and Eve in this way, so do not be fooled today. At that time, the serpent began to tempt Eve, saying, "Eat, and you will be like God." Brothers and sisters, this is a huge lie. Why is it a huge lie? Because Adam and Eve did not need to strive; they already possessed the image and likeness of God. When God created them, they were already made in the image and likeness of God. The devil said, "If you eat this, you will be like God," but in fact, you do not need to eat that; you already have the image of God. Today, you are the same; do not be deceived by the devil's tricks. You are not striving to become holy; no matter how hard you try, it is impossible; you are already holy.
Returning to what we just said, you are already holy in Christ. In Greek, the meaning of holy is set apart. Under the Old Testament priesthood, there was a group of people set apart for God. What kind of people? Are the Levites any different from us? Did they grow an extra head? Did they grow an extra pair of hands? So why are they God's people?
It is simple; God set apart this tribe for Himself. They are a group of people set apart, and on their priestly heads, it is written: Holy to the Lord! Were they striving to become such holy people? They were set apart for the Lord, and they are holy. The original meaning of holy is set apart, Amen! Do you need to set yourself apart? When you accepted Jesus, God set you apart, Amen!
Let me give another simple example. What kind of table is this? It seems our spiritual life still needs improvement... This is a holy table. Do you understand? Brothers and sisters, why is it a holy table? Why is it a holy piano? Because they are set apart. This table is not for you to talk about Buddhist scriptures or Taoist texts; it is set apart to speak the words of Jesus Christ. That piano is not for you to play while hiding under a car, not on the car...
It is not for you to sing those kinds of songs; it is for you to praise God. So these things have already been set apart for God. What about this temple? The holy temple! Hallelujah! And you? Saints! This is the title the Apostle Paul gives us, saints! Amen! So you are not striving to become a saint; when you accepted Jesus, you were already a saint. In simple terms, you are a holy and beloved person! Do you all understand what holiness is?
When Jesus Christ offered Himself once, you were set apart, and you received a very glorious title called saint! It is not that I no longer sin, or that I behave well, and then I become a saint; that is never possible. Because it is not based on what you have done; it has nothing to do with you. You only need to believe. That is to say, Jesus Christ offered His body once, and that made you sanctified! Verse 11 says:
And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
Why do priests stand there? And they stand every day? Jesus Christ is different; you see verse 12 says: But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. The work of these two people seems very different; the priest stood for about fifteen hundred years, while Jesus Christ offered Himself once and sat down. Can you distinguish why one stands and the other sits? It is simple; I want to ask you, why are you sitting now while I am standing here? It is simple because I am still preaching. Why is he sitting there? Because he has finished speaking. Do you understand, brothers and sisters?
I want to use the simplest words to explain the complex things in the Bible, so that many people can understand the grace of Jesus Christ! The reason the priest stands there is that the Bible clearly states: He repeatedly offers the same sacrifices, but these sacrifices can never take away sins. So every year, every day, he must stand in that place. Jesus offered Himself once, and that eternal sin offering sat down, representing that His redemptive work was completed. Amen! You are sitting here today because your external work is completed. So you sit and enjoy rest. I am here speaking because I am still working. When my time is up, after I finish speaking, I will go down and sit there. This proves that my work is completed.
Jesus completed His work and sat down at the right hand of God, Amen! In the Bible, "the right hand" does not literally mean the right side. Someone asked me, "Teacher Ren, if Jesus is sitting on the right, who is on the left?" This question is a bit difficult to answer... Because in the Bible, the right hand does not refer to a place; it refers to a place of victory, a place of glory. The Israelites regarded the right hand as their strength, their victory, and their glory. So God says you sit at my right hand. Amen! After Jesus completed His work, He sat at the right hand of God. If you understand the redemption of Jesus Christ, you will know that you can never lose your salvation, Amen!
Verse 12 shares with you: But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins. Brothers and sisters, how many times did Jesus Christ offer Himself? Are you sure it was once? Please do not turn it into several times; many prayers are wrong, "Lord Jesus, please quickly go to the cross and shed your precious blood to cleanse my sins again..." It would be terrible if we had to nail Jesus every day... This would make us worse than the Jews; the Jews offered the blood of bulls and sheep once a year, and we start offering every day.
"Jesus, hurry up!" Jesus went up, and you went to sleep... The next day you sinned again, saying, "Jesus, hurry up!" and keep putting Jesus up there, making Him bleed every day. But how many times does the Bible say? Once! Amen! What kind of sin offering did Jesus offer once? An eternal one! That is amazing!
You all know it is an eternal sin offering! I will ask everyone a very basic conceptual question: What is eternity? How far is eternity? Infinitely far, infinitely far; eternity is a circle... I will explain what I think eternity means: eternity is without time! Amen!
So when Jesus Christ offered Himself as a sin offering to God once, you became holy forever! In simple terms, there is no time limit that can make you an unholy person; within the scope of no time, you belong to God forever! Hallelujah! We are now in a realm of time and space.
Someone may ask, "Teacher Ren, where is your God? When did your God start?" This is wrong because time is too limited. So let me simply explain that time and space are created by God. You cannot use time and space to ask God. When Jesus offered Himself as an eternal sin offering, He did not do it within the confines of time; He offered the sin offering for us in God's eternity. Jesus did not offer Himself in the earthly temple; He offered Himself in heaven, where there are no time constraints.
For us humans, there is past, present, and future, but God has no such concept; there is no time for God. When Jesus Christ offered Himself once, in God's eyes, you are eternally complete, eternally holy unto Him! Amen!
Verse 14: For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified! The meaning of forever is that there are no time limits. You say, "I sinned yesterday, I’m sorry," there is no time... You say, "I made a mistake just now," I’m sorry, there is no time with God; I have already been justified by God forever, eternally complete in God's eyes! He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified! Remember: you are beyond time! What God has offered you is such an eternal sin offering!
Many times, we shorten this time, turning it into the past. We forget, brothers and sisters, this refers to eternity. The Holy Spirit is afraid we will forget, so it says: The Holy Spirit also bears witness to us, for after saying, ‘This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds.’ Alright, has the New Covenant begun?
Those days refer to when Jesus Christ offered Himself as the eternal sin offering on the cross; that day began, right? After that day, I will no longer remember their sins and their lawless deeds. Why? Because you have already been eternally perfected! Do you understand? Why has God stopped condemning you today? Because you have already been completely cleansed. How long is the effect? Forever! You must remember this!
Even if you remember nothing else today, just remember one word: forever is enough! Hallelujah! Glory be to our God! Verse 18: Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. Is this a past matter? In God's view, I have already forgotten this sin issue. Amen! So do not let anyone say again, "You did such and such..."
You say, "I’m sorry," and God has forgotten. Moreover, He has forgotten it forever. Don’t expect me to remember; I don’t want to remember these things. I only want to remember what Jesus Christ said, that once He was offered, He made me eternally complete. Hallelujah!
So the priest stands, and Jesus sits down. Amen! Jesus Christ has already completed salvation on the cross. It goes on to say: Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus. In the Old Testament, no matter how holy the priest felt, when he entered the holy places, he was not confident; he was afraid. According to Jewish historical records, the high priest entered the holy places once a year. If there was a veil in between, because we are in the New Testament, the veil is gone. If in the Old Testament there was something blocking the way, you could not enter directly. If you did, you would be killed.
So when the high priest entered the holy places, he had to tie a rope around his ankle and had bells on his waist. The high priest would enter the holy places, come before the mercy seat to serve God, and offer sacrifices with the blood of bulls and sheep. If God saw that he had even a little bit of uncleanness, "bang," he would be killed. So no one entered the holy places without fear.
But you are different because Jesus was offered once, and you are no longer the same. Here it says: Brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, today, because of the precious blood of Jesus, you can enter the holy places with confidence. Amen! In other words, you no longer need to worry that God will kill you. You no longer need to worry that God will say, "You have a sin that you haven’t clarified; I will deal with you..." You no longer need to worry about this issue because of the blood of Jesus! Amen! Because of the precious blood of Jesus, your salvation is secure!
Matthew 26:28: For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Hallelujah! The blood of Jesus Christ was shed to forgive your sins. So has His blood been shed? Therefore, your sins have already been forgiven. If you are still unsure, let’s look at the next verse, Ephesians 1:7: In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.
Do you know why God has given you His abundant grace? It is because of Jesus Christ. Whenever you pray to God, saying, "Lord, I am not relying on my actions today for you to hear my prayers; I know it is because of the blood of Jesus Christ." I believe you will surely hear my prayers because I am in Christ, because I am in your abundant grace, and my trespasses have all been forgiven by the blood of Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 2:12-13: At that time, the Bible also has a way of distinguishing the scriptures; you need to look at the time. That time refers to the past. At that time, you were without Christ; now, with Christ, that would be terrible... You need to rethink the question of where you are. At that time, you were without Christ, outside the commonwealth of Israel, strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
So brothers and sisters, if you see people around you who have no hope and no God, who are suffering and in despair, quickly invite them into Christ! Amen! To be more specific, quickly invite them into the new creation, so they can become new creations. Hallelujah!
Here they can hear a special message: Jesus Christ was offered once, and he is eternally complete. At that time, he begins to receive God's abundant grace. You see, formerly you were far from God; now, please note, when the Bible mentions "now," it is given to you. Now where? In Christ Jesus, through His blood, you have been brought near. So brothers and sisters, your relationship with God is now very close!
In other words, it is closer than 502 glue. You cannot pull it apart... Amen! It is not by your effort to stick to God, or by good behavior to please God; it is by His blood. Amen!
Jesus Christ shed His precious blood on the cross, and you have drawn near to God. The next verse also says: Not by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered once for all into the holy places, securing an eternal redemption. Remember this "eternal"! Here is a comparison; in the Old Testament, they used the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on the unclean person, and that person became clean. A person who is unclean can be sprinkled with a bit of cow ashes and become clean.
What about us now? We are not using the ashes of goats and bulls; we are using the blood of Jesus Christ! Amen! The ashes of the red heifer sprinkled on you will blow away with the wind; it has a time limit, right? How long is the effectiveness of the blood of Jesus Christ? Forever! When you remember that this blood is eternal, it goes on to say: How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God! Right?
Brothers and sisters, if you still think God is not pleased with you today...
Quickly think about what "eternal" means. If you say, "I sinned today, God probably doesn’t want to hear my prayers," you need to think that it is not based on your own actions. It is by the blood of Jesus Christ that will purify your conscience.
I have always said that those who understand Jesus Christ under the New Covenant are blessed! Because when they come to church, they do not carry a heavier burden; under the law, there is a characteristic: no matter who it is, as long as they go to the priest, they will definitely not have a good outcome. Those who come to find the priest will definitely be condemned. But if you come to find Jesus, your problems will be resolved. So you come seeking Jesus Christ; when you come, you will have many worries, fears, and anxieties in your heart.
After you come here, after the words of Jesus Christ pour into you, you will go out saying, "Ah, now I am at ease. Tonight I understood what eternity is; I am at ease. I am forever in Christ. By the blood of Jesus Christ, I am forever accepted by God. I am forever holy, forever righteous, because there is an eternal Spirit living in me, Amen!
When you understand that you have such an eternal assurance, His blood cleanses your heart, not by your actions striving to cleanse your heart, removing your dead heart, your past dead behaviors, how are they changed? It is by correctly believing that the eternal Spirit lives in you, and you are eternally pleasing to God in Christ; your actions will change.
To serve the living God, do you know what this phrase means? It is passive; when you understand that such an eternal Spirit lives in me, every day I am joyful.
It makes me want to serve God; I am so willing because being with God, singing hymns, sharing His words brings me greater joy, I am so willing to go. It makes you, meaning it lets you know that your conscience has been cleansed, and you will be willing to draw near to Jesus, willing to serve Him.
Unlike in the past when you had to serve God, if you do not serve God, God will discipline you; whether you want to or not, you have to... Actually, I was taught like this at the beginning. A prophet spoke to me; you will serve God in the future. I said no, I will not go, not even if I die. They said, "Do you think you can escape from God's hand? You run, and one day God will pull you back, and you will lose everything. If you don’t believe, you will not come back..."
At that time, this seed was planted in my heart, and I was very worried. Although I have returned now, it is definitely not in that way. Amen! Because I know the blood of Jesus Christ has brought me forgiveness, and I willingly serve the Lord Jesus. Because I want to share this good news with more people.
So we are forgiven of sins by the blood of Christ. What if someone does not believe? What if they do not believe in the blood of Christ? Some people say our daily prayers, "Lord Jesus, hurry up and go to the cross, shed your precious blood again, and cleanse my sins..." What about those who do not believe?
Hebrews 10:26-29: Many people do not understand this verse, 26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Let’s read up to here; this makes many people misunderstand that my salvation may not be secure.
The scripture says, because we have received the knowledge of the truth, if we deliberately sin, brothers and sisters, let me ask you, after you believed in Jesus, have you ever sinned deliberately? No? Wow, you are too good; really not? To be honest, it’s okay; don’t worry, the one standing on the stage is not the high priest, so you don’t need to worry. Actually, we all have times when we sin deliberately, meaning you clearly know that this thing should not be done, but you still did it. Anyone who believes in Jesus in this life has this possibility; except for Jesus, no one is without sin. But how do we understand this verse? The scripture says, if we deliberately sin after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there is no longer a sacrifice for sins. Do you know why this verse makes people afraid? Because these people do not understand what eternity is, Amen!
If you understand what eternity is, this verse will have no effect on you. First, you need to know that this verse is not to be interpreted like this because what is the conclusion at the end? Verse 27 says: But a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. This means that if we deliberately sin after believing in the Lord, we are running together with the enemies...
The devil is too relaxed; he does not need to work hard to tempt you every day because as long as you deliberately sin, you run to him. How regrettable would this salvation be? One moment you are in Christ, and the next moment you run to hell, so now there is a religion that says there is an elevator between heaven and hell. Today you sin, and you are thrown into hell; you repent, and "whoosh" you go up. Tomorrow you sin again, and you are thrown down, burned for a while, and when you repent, you go up again, based on this verse...
If you have received the knowledge of the truth and deliberately sin, there is no longer a sacrifice for sins, and you will burn with the enemies. If that is the case, let me ask you, how many people would not want to repent when they enter the fiery flames? Everyone would want to repent; after burning for a while, everyone would want to repent... But the Bible does not write it like this. We need to understand this passage because after we have received the knowledge of the truth, actually knowing the truth and receiving the truth are two different things.
Romans 10 says, Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. The verse goes on to say, "But have they not heard?" Indeed, they have heard. You say, how many people do not know Jesus today? Everyone knows; just go out on the street and ask, "Do you know Jesus?" They will say, "I know..." Some even say, "Oh, isn’t he the one who was crucified naked?" I say, "You know quite well." Then you should accept Him. They say, "No, no, no..."
They know Jesus; many theologians know Jesus, even more clearly than we do about Jesus being crucified, how painful it was to shed blood, how long He died, and how He resurrected three days later, but they just do not believe. Can they be saved? The Bible never says that if you hear and know, you can be saved. Has it ever said that? It says how can one be saved? It is by faith you are justified!
You must know and then believe; the premise is that you must know in order to believe. In other words, not everyone who knows is a believer. There are two types of people who know: one knows but does not believe, and the other knows and believes. If you know and do not believe, the sacrifice for sins is of no use to you.
So I have always said that our God is omnipotent, but there is one thing God cannot do. Do you know what that sin is that God cannot forgive? Today we can talk endlessly, using the whole Bible to tell others what eternity is. Once it is done, it is forever. We tell others in a grand manner, "Come, Jesus Christ loves you; He has cleansed you with His blood; He is willing to bless you..."
They say, "I do not believe." We tell them how good Jesus is to them, and they say, "I do not believe." What can God do? Isn’t salvation first given to the Jews? They do not believe, so what can God do? Jesus desperately hoped that His hometown, the Nazarenes, would be saved. He went to His hometown to preach the gospel to them, but they did not accept it. Do you say they do not understand Jesus? They understand too well; they played naked in the streets, but they just do not accept it. For those who reject Jesus, the sacrifice for sins is of no effect. Amen!
Jesus was offered once; He shed His precious blood so that all your sins would be forgiven. You say, "I believe," then you are in Christ. It is that simple; once you go in, you cannot come out. Hallelujah! Brothers and sisters, remember, once you go in, you cannot come out. Let me give you a simple example; everyone knows the story of Noah’s Ark, right? When the time came, the animals went in one by one, and Noah's family of eight also went in, and the door was closed by God.
The Bible clearly states that God closed the door. If Noah had closed it, there would still be a chance to open it, but if God closed it, it cannot be opened. At this time, Noah's family was saved, and the people outside drowned. They were inside the ark. What I want to say is that the ark symbolizes Jesus Christ. We are all in Jesus Christ. The ark swayed on the water for a year. For example, if old Noah fell down with his cane, did he fall to the bottom of the ark? He was still in the ark. Congratulations, brothers and sisters, if you understand this, you can be at ease.
You are in Christ; even if you fall, you are still in Christ! Hallelujah! Now you can be at ease! Forever at ease! Amen! Old Noah saw that his son was disobedient and kicked his son; did he sin? So you can be at ease. Amen! You are in Christ, and God will take responsibility for you. You may fall, but you are still in Christ because God will lift you up, Amen! Old Noah may fall; he has a son who will lift him up. So if you fall, do not forget that there is someone around you. Therefore, we need a body; we need a church. If we fall, the people around us will lift us up. Hallelujah!
This is what the Bible says: Two are better than one; if one falls, the other can lift him up. So you are blessed to be in this church; thank the Lord!
Actually, I really know that living in this world, you often face some attacks from the outside and become weak. So when you come to gather on Sundays, when you come to gather on Fridays, do you feel your blood boiling when you hear the message? That is standing up. This is the power of the words of Christ! Amen!
Let’s look at the second main point: Salvation is not by works, but by faith!
Acts 13:38-41:
38 Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39 and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. 40 Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about: 41 ‘Look, you scoffers, be astounded and perish, for I am doing a work in your days, a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.’”
So brothers, let it be known to you that the way of forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you by this man. Who is this? Jesus brought the way of forgiveness of sins. You need to ensure that the message you hear is the way of forgiveness of sins. In many places in the country, there is too much of the way of condemnation. Condemnation is based on your actions. You did this wrong... and that wrong... your home is a mess, so God does not hear your prayers, so God does not love you, so God is far from you... God wants to discipline you with sickness... These situations are all condemnation; this is the characteristic of the law.
The way of forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you by this man. After Jesus Christ, all that is brought is the way of forgiveness of sins. In the past, if you were relying on yourself, today we talk about those who have not accepted Jesus; they are also under the law. They are not living under the law of the Ten Commandments; they are living under their own laws, living under the laws of the world. The world's system tells you that without effort, there will be no results, no harvest; there is no free lunch in the world. But there is a free dinner; people do not believe there is something free.
In Christ, it is free, freely given. In the past, relying on the law of Moses could not justify you, no matter how hard you tried. No matter how hard you tried, you could not be sanctified. Now, relying on this man, it is not about what you do; it is about believing in this man, and you will be justified! In other words, whoever believes will be saved! Amen! Whoever believes in Jesus will be justified by God.
Do not rely on our works. Finally, let’s look at a passage from Matthew 7:21-23:
Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
Is this passage directed at believers? We just said that salvation is not by works. In other words, relying on works cannot lead to salvation. In this passage, there are many ways to interpret it, but I want to share from another angle. Everyone who calls me ‘Lord, Lord’ will not enter the kingdom of heaven, proving that some people call ‘Lord, Lord’ but cannot enter. What is the reason? They rely on works because it says, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
I have shared with you before that the will of the Father is to let you know that what you could not accomplish under the law, what could not justify you, Jesus came and offered Himself. If you believe, you are saved. And it is forever! Is this not the will of God? So only those who do the will of my Father will enter. When we think of doing the will of the Father, we immediately think we have to do something, but what God is saying here is: Only those who do the will of my Father will enter means you believe! Amen! Under grace, it is not about what you do that pleases God; it is about your belief! Just believing is enough! Hallelujah!
Only those who do the will of my Father will enter. On that day, many will call ‘Lord, Lord’ but will not enter. At that time, they will start to boast to the Lord Jesus: "Lord, Lord, did we not preach in your name?" You see, I have spent my whole life preaching your word; you say I cannot enter...
Is that the meaning? The next part says, "Did we not cast out demons in your name?" Did I not enter? Did I not do many mighty works in your name? These are all works.
Some time ago, I saw a statement on WeChat; does such a person not deserve to enter the kingdom of heaven? The title means this. This person built many churches in China, donated a lot of money to the poor, and helped countless people go to school. Does such a person not deserve to enter the kingdom of heaven? According to human reasoning, they should enter the kingdom of heaven, but they cannot enter! It is not by your works; it is by believing in Jesus Christ's blood that you can enter, Amen!
I will clearly tell them, brothers and sisters, they are not you; I will clearly tell them, "I never knew you." Let me give a simple example. For instance, the Eastern Lightning heretics cannot enter. Here it says, "I will clearly tell them, you cannot enter; I never knew you." Amen! Do not apply this verse to yourself. Tonight, you understand what eternity is; the blood of Jesus Christ has cleansed you, making you eternally justified!
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, thank you and praise you! Thank you for preparing this time for us to worship and praise you, to receive your words, to receive your provision, to understand the mysteries of your words, and to receive your blessings!
Bless every brother and sister who comes before you seeking you tonight, let them be filled with your supply and strength, and let us live victorious lives with your supply and power! Live out the likeness of Christ on earth, and glory be to the Father! In Jesus Christ's name, we pray! Amen!