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Preparing yourself for the study of God’s Word
Before we begin, only if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (that is; you have believed [trusted] in Him for His promised gift of eternal life) John 3:16, John 6:47 as a few examples; it is very important to prepare yourself to learn God's Word so the Holy Spirit can teach you as to what your reading or hearing is true or false. To be taught by the Holy Spirit you must be filled with the Holy Spirit which means abiding in Christ. To place yourself in fellowship with God the Holy Spirit [also called abiding in the Christ], take a moment to simply name, cite or acknowledge [confess] your known unconfessed sins privately to God (i.e.; with your thoughts directed only to God the Father). Why? Because you cannot grow spiritually if you’re not abiding in Christ [in fellowship with Him] when you take in bible truth.
1 John 1:9, says: “If we confess [meaning to simply name, cite or acknowledge to God the Father] your sins [known unconfessed sins], He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins [known sins] and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [all unknown and forgotten sins];” NKJV [New King James Version]; we call this REBOUND; read the full doctrine as to “why” we need to use 1 John 1:9 to grow spiritually. Left click the following link to learn more and fully understand the doctrine of Rebound; which answers the question, why do I need to keep confessing my sins all the time? REBOUND
If you have never personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, that He is the Son of God, the promised Messiah, as your Savior (that is, believed in Him for eternal life), the issue for you is not to name your sins; the issue for you is to simply exercise faith alone in Jesus Christ alone eternal life; when you do, you will instantly receive Eternal Life: John 3:16, 5:24, 6:47, 20:30, 31.
John 6:47 says: "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me [Jesus Christ] has everlasting life." NKJV
Notice again what Jesus said in John 6:47: "…he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." It doesn't say, "will have"; it says, "has." Therefore, the very moment you believe in Jesus Christ for His promise of everlasting life, you have it (it's really just that simple; nothing more and nothing less), and it can never be taken away from you (John 10:28-29). Furthermore, the gift (Ephesians 2:8c) of everlasting life (also called eternal life in scripture) is available to every human being; there are absolutely no exceptions.
John 3:14-15, 16, 17, 18, says: "14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." NKJV
Let us now bow our hearts and take a moment to prepare for worship and learning God's Word. If there is any known sin in your life, this is the time to just cite it privately to God the Father with your thoughts directed towards Him. With your head bowed and your eyes closed, you have total privacy in your mind and soul:
Study to show yourself approved to God!
Grace Bible Church
Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries
The Tree of Life is a weekly teaching summary:
God’s Word is taught Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday
STUDY TITLE:
Weekly Bible Study, January 22, 2024, The Doctrine of Eternal Security.
The Doctrine of Eternal Security..
Jn 15:1, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
Here is Jn 15 beginning with the unity that exists between the LORD and the believer and the LORD and HIS logistical support for following HIM and HIS kingdom.
Jn 15:2, “Every branch [believer] in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes
away; and every {branch} that bears fruit, He prunes it, that it may bear more
fruit.”
What does this mean as far as the free will is concerned? It means that every
believer has the opportunity to glorify the LORD simply by keeping things simple.
Jn 15:3-4, “You are already clean because of the word which He said that
He is the one who has spoken to the disciples. Abide in Me [that is to have some fresh
abundant life which is made inside of us] and I in you. And I in you. As the branch
or the believer cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so, neither
{can} you, unless you abide in Me.
Fruit that is fresh is food that you desire as you live in Jn 10:10, when the
life that we have is life abundant.
Jn 15:5-8, “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and
I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone
does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch, and dries up; and they gather
them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and
it shall be done for you. By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit,
and {so} prove to be My disciples.”
As you live or abide in HIM, your thoughts start to align with HIS thoughts.
When that happens the things you desire are in HIS plan for you to have and so,
you are able to ask what you will and receive it because it is in HIS will for you to
have it.
Jn 15:9-12, “Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide
in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I
have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have
spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and {that} your joy may be made full.
This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.”
This is to love one another unconditionally, impersonally. Not because there
is necessarily something you love in the other person but because you love Christ
and that is HIS command. This agape love is different than a personal love phileo.
Jn 15:13-15, “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life
for his friends. You are My friends, if you do what I command you.
No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master
is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My
Father I have made known to you.”
Jn 15:16-18, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you,
that you should go and bear fruit, and {that} your fruit should remain, that
whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He may give to you. This I command
you, that you love one another. If the world hates you, you know that it has hated
Me before it hated} you.”
This is that agape, impersonal love. And again the principle of living in HIS plan for your life.
Jn 15:19-21, “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but
because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the
world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than
his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My
word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My
name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me.”
Now, I want to focus today on the fact that we should be alert because there
are always individuals who distort passages like Jn 15:2. “Every branch in Me
that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He
prunes it, that it may bear more fruit.”
The verse is used to by ignorant believers to say that you can lose your
salvation. But do you see the word salvation in this verse? What about those who
say that verses 2 and 6 are teaching about who can lose their salvation?
Jn 15:2, “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and
every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it, that it may bear more fruit.”
Jn 15:6, “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch,
and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are
burned.”
You don’t see the word “lose” because our LORD is teaching HIS disciples
the importance of the principle of abiding which refers to our fellowship with our
LORD and not our salvation.
Do you see the word “sin” in these verses? So, when a believer does
willfully sin, he does not lose his salvation, he loses the principle of abiding or
fellowshipping with our LORD.
In Heb 10:23-26, Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without
wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate
one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as
is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the
day drawing near. For if we go on sinning willfully [and we do] after receiving the
knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,
Why does there no longer remain a sacrifice for sins?
Heb 10:27, (The High Priest, our LORD) does not need daily, like those
high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins, and then for the sins of
the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.
Do you see the word salvation in Jn 15:2, No
.
So, there are those who distort passages like Jn 15:2, Every branch
[believer] in Me that does not bear fruit, He [TLJC=The Lord Jesus Christ] takes the fruit away.
The question is what did our LORD mean when HE said that if we do not
bear fruit that He will “take away” the branches or the believers.
Then in Jn 15:6, they also distort the verse when it says that “If anyone
does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch, and dries up; and they gather
them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.”
Notice that our LORD said to those who do not abide in HIM are thrown
away as a branch, and dries up; it does not say that they are found and they gather
them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
I also need to be sure that all of you understand that you cannot lose your
salvation and we will approach this subject very carefully by using the word
“Approach.”
By approach I mean as you are living the spiritual life, you proceed to
advance toward the goal that is set before us you as Php 3:14 says, “I press on
toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of GOD in Christ Jesus.”
To do this you have to make sure that you do not fall away from the LORD
but believe that you can live the spiritual life as you forget what lies behind and
reaching forward to what lies ahead.
Our “first approach” concerning the Doctrine of Eternal Security which I
call the Positional Approach: Rom 8:1; Eph 1:3-6; Jud 1.
The positional approach is that every believer is in union with Christ and is
perfect in their position, but not in their condition.
Rom 8:1, There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in
Christ Jesus.
Notice, if you are “in Christ,” then this verse says you will never be
condemned or judged by GOD no matter what you think, say, or do or what others
think, say, or do.
Why?
Because there is no condemnation or judgment for those who are en
Christou Ieesou or in Christ Jesus.
Now, there is conviction by GOD the Holy Spirit, which is legitimate guilt,
but there is a condemnation which is not one of them. Conviction comes from the
ministry of GOD the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit conviction always gives us a way out
in which the grace of GOD is magnified and reconciliation is the goal of GOD the
Holy Spirit.
It is the Spirit verses Satan. Carnality verses charity. Conviction verses
condemnation. It is life spiritually or death experientially.
Now, even though our lives will be judged according to the word of GOD;
(Jn 12:47-48), it is an evaluation of our works not condemnation for our sins.
Jn 12:46-48, “I have come as light into the world, that everyone who
believes in Me may not remain in darkness. And if anyone hears My sayings, and
does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but
to save the world. He who rejects Me, and does not receive My sayings, has one
who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.”
Let me give you a few passages that make this clear.
First of all, we have our LORD’s word on the type of judgment we will face;
Jn 7:24, “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous
judgment.” Notice that there is such a principle called a “righteous judgment.”
In Jn 3:17, the Lord Jesus Christ addresses the subject of judgment when
we read: “For GOD did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that
the world should be saved through Him.
Jn 5:22, “For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all
judgment to the Son,”
Jn 12:47-48, “And if anyone hears My sayings, and does not keep them, I
do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. He
who rejects Me, and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the
word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.”
Even when our LORD had to judge us which was really HIS way of
evaluating the lifestyle that we live; HE did so with grace and honor motivated by
agape love, which we saw earlier.
Look at Jn 8:15-16, “You people [in context the Pharisees] judge
according to the flesh; I am not judging anyone. But even if I do judge, My
judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and He who sent Me.”
Of course, most of you have heard these passages throughout the Word of
GOD and when we are told that we are “in Christ” that is our position and not our
condition. Therefore, our position in Christ guarantees that there is no
condemnation for any of us who have been saved.
Look how clear the apostle Paul gets right to the point; Rom 8:38-39, For I
am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things
present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other
created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of GOD, which is in Christ
Jesus our LORD.
I love how Jude deals with this subject in Jud 1:24-25, Now to Him who is
able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His
glory blameless with great joy, to the only GOD our Savior, through Jesus Christ
our LORD, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and
forever. Amen.
Now, what we have noted so far really has to do with the fact that we share
what Christ has and we share who Christ is.
1Jo 3:1-2, See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we
should be called children of GOD; and such we are. For this reason, the world does
not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of GOD,
and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears,
we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is.
Now, our LORD is seated at the right hand of the Father and we share
everything that HE has and everything that HE is. Rom 8:29, “For whom He
foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that
He might be the firstborn among many brethren;”
Here are some examples of these blessings we have “in Christ.”
Christ is absolute Righteousness; 2Co 5:21.
Christ is elected, we share HIS Election, Eph 1:4.
Christ has a destiny; we share HIS Destiny, Eph 1:5.
Christ is the Son, we are in union with Christ, we share HIS sonship; 2Ti
2:1.
Christ is the heir; we share HIS heirship; Rom 8:16-17.
Christ is sanctified, we share HIS sanctification; 1Co 1:2.
Christ is a King; we share HIS Kingdom; 2Pe 1:11.
Christ is the High Priest; we share HIS Priesthood; Heb 10:10-14.
Let me remind you that the Bible says that we will all have to face, not only
deserved suffering but also underserved suffering as well; Php 1:29; 1Pe 3:12-18.
1Pe 3:12-18, For the eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, And His ears
attend to their prayer, But the face of the LORD is against those who do evil. And
who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good?
But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, but (instead) sanctify Christ as LORD in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence. and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.
For it is better, if GOD should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong. For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to GOD, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the Spirit
The following link is to a good news message describing how one can receive eternal life: Ticket to Heaven, it was written for anyone not absolutely certain about their eternal future.
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