October 19, 2003

Sunday Night

Intro: This first part of this chapter is a continuation of what has foregone in the previous verses of chapter five. This passage is written to christians who were not growing because they were satisfied with the status of their life.

The teachings that they were satisfied with, is seen in verses 1-3. The Apostles is not making light of these doctrines but rather stressing that once learned they needed to press forward...

The controversy of verses 4-6 is the main focus of this message tonight. The dividing point is between those who believe that it is impossible for a child of God to so fall away as to be lost again... and those who believe that it is possible to fall away from Christ so as to be lost again.

The word "impossible" means unable to be done. He uses this word in this book two more times: Heb 6:18 , Heb 11:6 So we can see that if words means anything, then we see that it is not possible for one of the elect to so fall away from Christ to be lost.

1^ST. Once enlightened... The greek lexicon that I use says this of the word: to enlighten, spiritually, imbue with saving knowledge The word "imbue" means to saturate someone with a clear understanding.

David said: Psalm 18:28 For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.

David also gives a clear defining illustration in Psalm 97:4 His lightnings enlightened the world: the earth saw, and trembled.

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They were enlightened to know: vs 18

They were enlightened to see: vs 19

They were enlightened to understand the cause: vs 20-23

Once a sinner sees, hears, understands, they are already saved by the grace of GOD, how could they fall away? It is impossible...to say the least.

2^nd. They have tasted:

Peter said: 1 Peter 2:3 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord [is] gracious.

The argument that Armenians use is that you can choose to be enlightened, to taste, but if you don’t like you can refuse it. There is no way that a true believer who has tasted of the LORD will not love him.

He is precious: 1 Peter 2:7 Unto you therefore which believe [he is] precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,

He is precious because of who he is, what he hath done for me, what he is doing for me, and what he shall do for me, and not only me but for all his chosen people...

David appealed to his generation and I appeal to you tonight: Psalm 34:8 O taste and see that the LORD [is] good: blessed [is] the man [that] trusteth in him.

3^rd. Made partakers of the Holy Spirit:

This word partaker means to share in; if this is so, how could one fall away so as to be lost forever again...Peter shares this insight into the word "partaker" 1 Peter 5:1 The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:

Also he says in another verse that we have been partakers of the divine nature of God...

This is not mere conviction, this is not a mere light about the gospel, this a true illumination of the gospel and Christ and the Holy Spirit working in their hearts...

4^th. Tasted the good word of God:

Psalm 119:103 How sweet are thy words unto my taste! [yea, sweeter] than honey to my mouth! No unsaved person would say that about the word of God, in fact the word of God to the lost is bitter, and does not taste good at all.

A. It taste good because it further illuminates us:

B. It taste good because it strengthens us..

C. It taste good because we grow thereby..

D. It taste good because it reveals to us God’s plan for our life.

E. It taste good because it lays in our hearts a solid foundation.

5^th. Tasted of the powers of the world to come:

We don’t know much about the world to come but we do know that it is coming, and that it is going to be greater than any earthly experience we have thus far experienced. Note what Jesus said about the world to come: Mark 10:29-30 And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, 30 But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.

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So I have given five reasons why we cannot fall away if we are really saved by the grace of the Lord.

This is were the writer uses an hypothetical situation...let us look at and see how absurd it is to teach that a christian can be lost after they are saved.

1^st. They could not be saved again:

Note the word he uses... "renew them again" can not be saved but one time and that is it. Oh yes you can sin against the Lord and fall away from him in person sinning but not in a total apostasy.

2^nd. He gives the reason:

The repeating of salvation would dishonor Christ and his one time sacrifice on the cross for his people. He died one time. Hebrews 9:12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption [for us].

Conclude: Tonight I want to conclude with one of my favorite passages in regard to this whole text: