Arriving at the Wrong Place

Introduction

You know, sometimes you just can’t win for losing. I did something this morning that probably no preacher in America has ever done. I quoted from Pride and Prejudice. And it’s not enough that I would do that from a chick flick. But I didn’t get the quote complete. And so there were complaints. It wasn’t just incandescently happy, it was completely and perfectly and incandescently happy. And the point of that context was that she could only be called Mrs. Darcy when that condition was present. So, as a result, Steve is going to watch Pride and Prejudice with Terry, as neither have seen it. I can’t wait for the report on this. Great to see so many tonight.

You know, that’s a little disconcerting. Especially when your watch says it’s the time you were supposed to be there.

As this year I’ve been flying on airplanes for some reason more than I ever have. And I thought about this sitting in the airport. Wouldn’t that be something if somehow, and I’m glad there’s all kinds of fail safes involved, so that you can’t get on the wrong plane, because you know when you’re up in the air, it can be sort of hard to tell where you’re actually going, but not if you’re connected to Southwest Wi-Fi, because you can follow the plane as it goes to the destination. But if you’re on another airline, you could actually be on the plane and not know for sure where you were going. Wouldn’t it be tragic if you were dying to get to a certain place and you found yourself 2,000 miles somewhere else?

Even more tragic is to find yourself or to not find yourself. That would be even worse. To be in the wrong place spiritually. For your theology, which Aaron has been really upset since this morning when I threw out my three arguments from 1 John, the moral argument, the social argument, and the convictions argument, he’s all upset because in his engineer mind, the convictions argument doesn’t work with moral and social. It needs a different name. And so he was working on it and he tried doctrinal. I didn’t like that. I rejected that for a couple of reasons. And then he texts me this afternoon, and he says, theological. So, okay, we’re going to change it for Aaron so he can, his engineer mind can embrace this. It’s moral, social, and theological.

Okay? Okay, he’s happy now. Let’s good. Where was I going with that? I think I was just throwing that in. When you find yourself in the wrong place theologically, that’s where I was going with that. I got so wrapped up in wanting to do that. That not only could your convictions be wrong, but your behavior also. That’s where I was going. It can be a combination or one or the other. Either your convictions are wrong or your behavior is wrong, and you can wind up in the wrong place or the wrong destination. That’s all I want to start tonight by just talking about your spiritual trajectory. Where are you headed? Where are you headed as an individual? Where are we headed as a group of people?

1. Call Upon Him in Truth

One thing is absolutely critical. Gary Henry wrote an article this week. I just happened to see it. Somebody posted on Facebook from Psalm 145 and verse 18. It was a great article. The Lord is near to all who call upon him. Now, not everyone who calls upon the Lord is going to be saved. Everyone who acknowledges the Lord is not going to be saved. We know that from the Sermon on the Mount. But that’s not the end of the sentence. The Lord is near to all who call upon the Lord with this clarification to all who call upon him in truth. And he makes this observation in the article. The biggest determinant, and that’s that’s a big word. The biggest thing that determines. The biggest determinant in righteous behavior, right behavior in our lives, is the knowledge of God.

That’s a good thought. What you know about God, what you know about his truth, his word, will be a huge determinant in where you end up. But it is not just enough to acknowledge truth. To be to be right about so many things. The Pharisees were right about a lot of stuff. Have you noticed that? They were right about a lot of stuff, but they were in the wrong place spiritually. That concerns me. That concerns me that there could be people in our time, may it not be any of us, who are right about a lot of things that God teaches us in his word, but we have not responded appropriately or thoroughly to that message. It is not enough that we can simply give the right answers to a lot of things.

Can I stop right here and just say, it is not enough to be able to give a hundred right answers or a thousand right answers. Because it is easy to give right answers. It is a much harder thing to modify thinking and behavior to conform to truth. Show of hands.

It’s a lot easier to dissect truth and to repent. It’s a lot easier to teach the plan of salvation as it’s written in the New Testament, God’s plan of salvation, than it is to pursue submission to every aspect of the will of God. And that’s really what we were talking about this morning when we talked about pursuing the course of being conformed to the image of God’s Son. Those who believe in the name of the Son of God are attempting to do this very thing. And our spiritual trajectory, our accomplishment of those things, is going to relate to our confidence in God. How much we trust Him. How fervently, how passionately, how devotedly we trust Him. That affects our trajectory as we press toward the mark, as we saw this morning.

2. Can This Book Be Trusted?

So are we arriving at the right place spiritually? I have this book in my library. In fact, I showed it to you from the pulpit in a sermon not very long ago. I decided instead of bringing the book, it’s heavy. I just show you a picture of the cup. And I told you at that time that my friend Tommy Peeler, who teaches Bible at Florida College, I saw this book on his bookshelf when I was visiting in his office one day in December. And he said, Let me tell you about that book. He said, it’s sitting on Rick Barnes’ desk, who is, okay, this is a positive for Aaron and our Tennessee people, Ben. Yeah, Ben’s going like this back here. It’s sitting on Rick Barnes’ desk.

He is the head basketball coach of the University of Tennessee who underachieved in the national tournament. Oh, sorry. Gotta dig in there. And the point Tommy made, and it’s a valid point. I mean, what kind of guy is this that he’s concerned about knowing precisely what God’s Word says and dealing with some of the more difficult topics in the Bible, passages that cause us to wonder, you know, what’s God saying here? Is this a contradiction? Is this book, can this book be trusted? Because I got to tell you how important this is. There are so many people in our times who are questioning the reliability of God’s word. Is it really from God? Is it really from our Creator? Or is it just the product of man?

There are people who have sat in pews like this for decades who are now coming to the conclusion that this book is just the product of a man, of men, that it is not from God. And they will stumble on the very things that this book tries to address. And the reason why this topic is so prevalent is because the Bible call to morality and holiness is severe. This book is asking a lot of our behavior. Remember the word repentance on the screen before? A lot of people don’t want to do that. They want to do what they want to do, and they don’t want to change. Most people don’t want to change. Unless it’s their idea. They don’t want change to be forced upon them by another source.

And so this book presents a tall challenge when it comes to morality, faithfulness, commitment. You know, we’re talking to a generation that is really struggling with commitment to the local church. I look out over this audience tonight and I say to myself, this is a pretty good crowd for Sunday night. It says a lot about who you are. About your devotion to God and your even more than that, your devotion to each other. And a lot of people would say, You crazy people went to church this morning. What are you doing here again tonight? You mean you’re actually going to go Wednesday night again? And you do that every week. So when we talk about God’s expectations of us, a lot of people are not really into that, and if they can somehow find a reason to discredit this and say, oh, this is just the product of man, then I then I can do whatever I want.

So that’s where people are. Can the Bible be trusted? I’m not trying to sell this book. As you’re about to see, I don’t agree with everything in this book. But there’s some helpful stuff. And he just sort of goes through the Bible and addresses various things that come up. And one that I noticed is in the book of Esther. And I’ve never really entertained this question, but it was it right for Esther to take part in a pagan beauty contest and become part of Xerxes’ harem. Well, I never really thought about that. Here she is paraded before Xerxes, a Persian king, and she becomes one of his wives. Should an Israelite have done that? But he draws the conclusion from Esther chapter 2 and verse 8 that she may not have been a volunteer.

And there are other factors like the times of this ignorance God winked at, perhaps, as we look at the story of the judges and some of its flawed heroes and some behavior, even in regard to David, the great king, who was a man after God’s heart, that perhaps it could fit within the scope of leniency because they did not live under the air of grace. I don’t know. But there are other explanations. And the story of Esther proves this. God used Esther’s position to secure the welfare of his people. That’s the point of the Esther story. That’s why it is mentioned how she ended up in the great king’s harem. Because she’s going to help preserve, with the help of her cousin Mordecai, the lives of God’s people in another country.

Then he entertains in the very next chapter, because Job follows Esther. Was Job an historical person or just a fictional hero? And when you think about the heroics of the story of Job, you can perhaps see why people draw the conclusion this, okay, what a legend. I mean, this guy who was afflicted in this extremely severe way, and then God ultimately speaks to him out of a whirlwind, and of course that presents problems for people who don’t believe in the supernatural. And then he restores the fortunes of Job. So is he really an historical figure? Or is this just a made-up story, a legend? Well, if the book of Job is mere legend and not a real story, you’ve got some problems with some other parts of the Bible.

Ezekiel 14 and verse 14 would be one. Though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in the city of Jerusalem, it could not be spared. Why would you, why would you reference a non-real figure for that for that point, Ezekiel? Or have you considered the patience of Job? James 5 and verse 11. Again, that would be nonsensical if we’re not talking about a very real historical figure. I found this interesting on Proverbs 22 and verse 6. As you can see, I was just sort of working my way through the book for this sermon. But I thought this might be helpful. Now I’m going to read to you here for just a second, so listen carefully. Does this verse furnish, and that’s train up a child in the way he should go when he’s old, he will not depart from it?

It’s a familiar text for most of us. So, okay, so if you teach your children properly, if you do your work diligently, you will only get a good result. Now, most of us would say it’s a maxim. Proverbs are maxims. They’re not, they don’t always come true. These are things that are generally true. But he says this does this verse furnish us with an ironclad guarantee that all the children of conscientious, God-fearing, nobly living parents will turn out to be true servants of God. Will there never be any rebellious children who will turn their backs on their upbringing and fall into the guilt and shame of a Satan dominated life? One might construe the verse that way, perhaps, but it is more than doubtful that the inspired Hebrew author meant it as an absolute promise that would apply in every case.

These maxims are meant to be good, sound, helpful advice. They are not presented as surefire promises of infallible success. Children are to be accepted as sacred trusts from God. I wanted to read that part just to remind you of how awesome it is to be a parent of children. They are to be trained, cherished, disciplined with love. Highly recommend that, parents. They are to be guided by a consistent pattern of godliness, followed by the parents themselves. That’s an important point. Impressing on them that they are very important persons in their own right because they are loved by God. Oh, Sean said, God loves us all. Because they are loved by God, and because he has a wonderful and perfect plan for their lives. Parents who have faithfully followed these principles and practices in rearing their children may safely entrust them as adults to the keeping and guidance of God and feel no sense of personal guilt if a child later veers off course.

3. Give Preference to the Major Prophet

They have done their best before God. Well, I’m not sure that we ever do our absolute best, but we attempted to do so. And he concludes the rest is up to each child himself. I think that’s a pretty good quote. And I would just say, young people, honor the instruction that your parents have given you. Of all the decisions you’ll make, the decision to serve the Lord all your days will bring your parents such great joy. It’s what they want for you. Because they really do love you. Just want to mention Matthew 27, and this is because it came up recently. Oh, this is a contradiction. Contradiction in the Bible. Look at this, Matthew 27. We got a contradiction. Matthew 27, verse 9. The field has been called the field of blood.

That’s where Judas went and hung himself. Then that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying, and they took the 30 pieces of silver.

Jeremiah didn’t say that. Zechariah said the 30 pieces of silver. And he did. The price of the one whose price had been set by the sons of Israel. And they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord directed. Now, that’s not in Zechariah. That’s from Jeremiah. So why does he say Jeremiah? Well, what’s interesting is that’s not the only time that happens. In Mark chapter 1, different author, different gospel narrative. The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet, behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way. That’s Malachi. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, make ready the way of the Lord, make his path straight. That’s Isaiah.

Okay, that’s the same formula we saw in Matthew 27. Now notice what they could have said, but didn’t. It could have said Zechariah and Jeremiah. Because that’s the word. He could have said, Mark could have said, Malachi and Isaiah. Apparently there’s something going on here. Apparently, it was common in such quotations to give preference to the major prophet. And many would testify that was the practice. You’re quoting multiple prophecies, but you identify, it’s like, hey, go back and look in the scroll. At about three-quarters of the way through the scroll in Isaiah, you’ll find this quote. You know, we look at Isaiah, it’s Isaiah 40, verse 3. They didn’t have that. They handed Jesus the Isaiah scroll and he opens it and reads from the text that he wants to read from.

4. Theology and Already Derived Notions

I mean, folks, it’s in the Isaiah scroll. Apparently, it was customary to just give preference in a quotation to the major prophet. Okay. I want to conclude tonight with Hebrews. Because here’s the question that’s entertained. Can a born-again believer ever be lost? And so he’s struggling with what Hebrews seems to be saying can happen to a believer that faith can be forfeited and an individual be lost. So he’s got to come up with an answer for that because that’s difficult. And what happens to the author here, I don’t agree with. He allows theology, his belief that once a person is saved, he is therefore irrevocably saved. Forever. At the moment of belief, at the moment of coming into union with Christ, you are saved and saved forever.

That’s once saved, always saved. And I’ve always said about that doctrine. That if I believed the New Testament was teaching that, you’d be hearing that from me a lot. Because that makes evangelism a lot easier. You get people into Christ, it’s a done deal. Or is it? Hold that thought. Let me tell you what happens in Bible study. This is what happens with commentaries. This is what happens with books like this one that has some tremendous benefits, as I think we’ve already seen in some of the things I’ve cited. There are many more things like that. It’ll be helpful to you to understand difficult passages. But here what happens is theology, what one conclusions one has already drawn about the Bible. Beliefs that people have, beliefs that are extensive throughout culture, theology and already derived notions.

You know, I’ve already come to these conclusions. Boy, you’ve got to be careful with that. We have to be careful with that too. I’ve already developed a conclusion. Don’t you dare tell me that it’s different than the conclusion that I’ve already drawn. Because I’ve drawn the conclusion. If I’ve drawn it must be right. Pride. Be careful of pride. Theology and already derived notions drive conviction and understanding. I’ve got to see it this way because I already believe the doctrine of one saved, always saved. And so they start with John 10. Okay, wait a minute. Whatever we’re going to say about Hebrews, we’ve got to go back to John 10 and verse 28, because that’s where our theology comes from. John 10, verse 28. And I give eternal life to them.

Oh, that matches this morning’s point on eternal life. And I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand. What a beautiful thought. And it is. Once they’re mine, no one can snatch them out of my hands. Actually, this is very similar to the teaching of Romans 8 that we all love. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Who’s powerful enough to do? What force is there in the world powerful enough to separate you from the love of Christ? Not even death, not even life. There’s not anything so strong that it can separate us from the love of Christ. Nay, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

But to suggest from just these two texts that once one believes and is baptized and embraces the forgiveness of sins and the washing of regeneration, that one’s ticket to heaven is permanently stamped.

And specifically in the book of Hebrews. And so we might go, but John 10 28 says this, and Romans 8 35 says this. Once you’re in, you’re in. And once you’re in, you can’t be out. Well, that’d be okay if you didn’t have. Let me just suggest there’s something else going on in those two contexts in John 10 and Romans 8. The point is that there is not any force anywhere powerful enough to separate the faithful from the king. Okay. That’s the implication. It’s not just, it’s not just one who is in Christ. It is the one who is devoted. It is the one who listens to the voice of the good shepherd. Earlier context in John chapter 10. If you are faithful to the good shepherd, there is no force in this world powerful enough to separate that union.

5. Those Who Have Fallen Away

And that’s really what the book of Revelation is saying. But that’s for another time. How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? Wait a minute. We’ve received salvation. How shall we escape if we neglect so great escape what? Escape judgment. That’s what. Be careful. That within you is not developed an evil heart of unbelief. Departing from the living God. Those who have tasted the powers of the age to come. And the good word of God. They fall away. Fall away. Repeat me. Repeat those words. Fall away. It is impossible to renew them again to repentance. To renew them again to repentance. That means they had repented once. They had come to the Lord. But it is impossible to renew them again. Once you reject this, there’s nothing else.

It’s not like there’s an alternative plan B, that you can embrace. There’s one plan, it’s God’s plan. You reject that one? Because we would say, you’re toast. If we go on sinning willfully after receiving a knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins. If we go on sinning willfully. Now, these passages, as we saw this morning, are not designed to discourage the believer. That’s not the point of these passages. In fact, what we saw from the book of Hebrews this morning. This is not intended to undermine confidence, because he’s going to go on to say, you have need of endurance so that when you’ve done the will of God, you may receive what is promised. We’re not of those who shrink back.

This, I wouldn’t have had to run over here.

This is not designed to discourage. It’s a warning. He said, This isn’t us over here. This isn’t us. This is us. That’s who we are. So they are instead designed to produce sobriety, diligence, and perseverance in a holy walk before God. The holiness without which no one will see the Lord. We could have had that right here, Hebrews 12 and verse 14. And here’s where you could insert 1 John again. Just insert the whole book. Yeah, let’s insert it. Right there. So the writer makes the argument then from chapter 6. This is, I have never heard this before. Let’s go. Let’s look there just quickly, Hebrews 6, so you can get the full quotation. I sort of paraphrased it because I’m getting in a hurry here.

Let’s read it. For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come. And then have fallen away. Okay, you can’t fall away from something you were never in. And then if fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance since they again crucified to themselves, the Son of God, like we did before our conversion when we sinned against him and caused his death for our redemption, since they again crucified to themselves the Son of God and put him to an open chain. How horrible it is to turn your back on him after you had once turned your back on him, embraced him, and then turn your back on him again.

You put him to an open chain. It’s even more disgraceful what we’ve done. But the argument he makes is that he’s not talking about one in Christ who does this, but one who’s just simply been in the presence of Jesus. Like Judas. Judas tasted of the Holy Spirit. He cast out demons. He tasted of the good word of God. He heard, he heard the words of Jesus. He tasted the powers of the age to come and tasted of the heavenly gift. Let me tell you why that illustration doesn’t work. Judas was not outside the fold of covenant people.

Judas was a covenant person. He was an Israelite. It’s not someone who was outside who got a little experience of Jesus and then rejected. He was inside. So that really doesn’t fit. Judas has illustrated. But let me tell you, here’s what he says. Eventually, a time of testing will come along in the career of every professing believer. I don’t know that I would have ever used the word career. I’ve never seen Christianity as a career. Sounds like an athlete or something or a business person. Eventually, a time of testing will come along in the career of every professing believer who has tried to take Jesus as Savior without also taking him as Lord as the one he intends to live for and is willing to die for.

And the spuriousness of his conversion will become apparent. Okay, so if you don’t stick with it, then your conversion was never real. Your conversion was spurious because you never really intended to take Jesus for Lord. Now you might have thought you did, but you didn’t. He argues that the truly regenerate cannot turn away. He says, the believer who receives Jesus as Lord in all sincerity and truth will never sincerely or willingly go back into the practice of sin, will never trample underfoot the Son of God. 1029. How much severe punishment do you think he will receive? Who has considered unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified and trampled underfoot the Son of God and insulted the Spirit of grace? This is somebody who was in Christ, Hebrews 10 29.

But he says, if you’re in Christ, you’ll never do that. But that’s precisely the Hebrew writer’s concern. That’s precisely his concern here. And it’s also reemphasized by Paul in Romans 6, for what it’s worth. Read Romans 6. He finally says this. Since he never really faced up to the claims of Christ to total lordship over his life, he was a mere counterfeit Christian right from the start. Because he’s trampled underfoot the Son of God. He was never really the real thing. He was a counterfeit. God is never satisfied with counterfeits. That’s true. He only accepts the real thing.

Even by the most pious of people. And while that’s true, God can’t be deceived by counterfeits. Do you hear? Do you hear the lack of security? In someone who believes in once saved, always saved? Because if you somehow become degenerate again and quit walking with the Lord, you know what they’re going to say about you? Well, you were never really saved in the first place. I’m here to tell you.

6. Repent and Pray, Change Your Course

That’s really ironic, isn’t it? You can’t have confidence that you’re really saved if at any point you lose your way. His best attempt to get around the dilemma of backsliding is to suggest that the Holy Spirit will not leave the truly regenerate alone, who has retreated to his or her former bondage slave rebellion and defeat, but will draw that one back to repentance. Well, that’s an attempt to explain difficult passages, and he fails. But if you wanted to make the case from other passages, Paul said in 1 Corinthians chapter 9, run in such a way that you may win. Because if he does not buffet his body and make it a slave, he too would become a castaway. He says in verse 27, we’re saved by the gospel if we hold fast.

1 Corinthians 15 1 and 2, you might want to just jot these down. And then there’s Simon the sorcerer who’s converted to Christ in Acts chapter 8, who finds himself in the gall of bitterness and the bondage of iniquity. Here’s one who is in Christ, who is now in bad shape spiritually. Peter said, Oh, no worry. Don’t worry, you’re the real thing. And since you’re the real thing, you’re going to keep going along the right path and you’re going to be saved. That’s not what he said. He said, repent and pray. That goes back to my very first slide, repentance. Repent and pray that, if possible, underline that. That if possible, the thought of your heart might be forgiven to you. If possible. There’s an inference there.

The inference is, hey, Simon. If you don’t repent and pray, this doesn’t get fixed. You’ve got to change your course. You’ve got to change your trajectory. And we’ll find ourselves in that situation a number of times. Where the course we’re on is not precisely what the Lord wants, and we’re going to have to repent and pray and get back on the course. Oh, by the way, there’s this. Paul tells a whole region of churches. As long as you’re trying to mix the law with the gospel, you have changed the gospel. And he says, you are fallen from grace. I don’t see how you can get any more clear than that. In regard to the doctrine of once saved, always saved. Okay, just a couple concluding thoughts.

Conclusion

You’ve listened well. Don’t want to be in the wrong place. Can I just tell you this? Whatever book you read that’s written by men. And I know I’ve been preaching for a while. Listen to this. Whatever book you read written by men, whether it’s a class book or a commentary, I get irritated when people say, Don’t read commentary, just read the Bible. I’ve said things about commentaries on Facebook, and inevitably someone says, I just read the Bible.

I want to tell you, I couldn’t have imparted some of the stuff I’ve imparted to you in the last decade. Helpful information. Had it not been for the studies of other people that I’ve read. Books, commentaries. I read commentaries for every class that I teach. They are helpful. They have thrown open my eyes to insights that I had missed. Don’t respond like that. But I will say, you absolutely must read critically and carefully. Just because the guy in the book, Alleged Discrepancies, helps me with some difficult passages. That’s why I threw in some things I liked. Doesn’t mean that I need to embrace or should embrace everything the guy says. Or everything that’s in a classbook. Oh, there’s something in this class book I don’t agree with.

Pitch it in the fire. Burn it. Any work of man could well possess flaws. I’m thinking about writing a book. Did you know that? Maybe by the time I’m 75, I will. It’s going to be, I know what’s going to be on. It’s going to be on Zion. Imagine that. I’ve never read one on Zion. I’m going to write. Lord will. I’ll probably read it later and go, nah, I wasn’t really that correct about that thought right there. But at the time, I thought it was. That’s why you’ve got to be careful when you put things in print. Whatever you read, that’s not the Bible. This book can be trusted. Read critically. Carefully. Faith and action. That’s what we’re seeing. Because faith without works is dead.

If we continue to walk in faith, our salvation will be assured. Walk in faith. Don’t ever stop. Don’t ever stop serving God. Don’t ever stop serving others. Don’t ever stop praying and meditating about where we are, about where we need to be. Don’t ever stop making thinking and behavior adjustments. Don’t ever stop making thinking and behavior adjustments. We’re not all we should be yet. And that’s why we’re here together. We come here together to help each other make thinking and behavior adjustments. So that we can continue to be people who have faith in works that are pleasing to God. Are you on the right path? Can we assist you tonight? Let’s stand and say.