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We're in Chapter 17 of the Perseverance of the Saints. Does anyone need a copy of the Confession? Right behind you to Leslie. Anyone else? Roger as well. Chapter 17 of the Perseverance of the Saints. Once again, we won't I have time to look at every single clause, every single word, but the blessed thrust of the doctrine as it's captured here in the confession, reflecting the biblical witness to the perseverance of the saints, divine preservation of the people of God. Three paragraphs, I'll read all three and then we'll have a look at this doctrine.

Those whom God hath accepted in the beloved, effectually called, and sanctified by his spirit, and given the precious faith of his elect unto, can neither totally nor finally fall from the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved, seeing the gifts and callings of God are without repentance.

Whence he still begets and nourisheth in them faith, repentance, love, joy, hope, and all the graces of the Spirit unto immortality. And though many storms and floods arise and beat against them, yet they shall never be able to take them off that foundation and rock, which by faith they are fastened upon. Notwithstanding, through unbelief and the temptations of Satan, the sensible sight of the light and love of God may for a time be clouded and obscured from them, Yet he is still the same, and they shall be sure to be kept by the power of God unto salvation, where they shall enjoy their purchased possession, they being engraven upon the palms of his hands, and their names having been written in the book of life from all eternity. This perseverance of the saints depends not upon their own free will, but upon the immutability of the decree of election, flowing from the free and unchangeable love of God the Father, upon the efficacy of the merit and intercession of Jesus Christ and union with him, the oath of God, the abiding of his spirit, and the seed of God within them, and the nature of the covenant of grace, from all which ariseth also the certainty and infallibility thereof. And though they may, through the temptation of Satan and of the world, and the prevalency of corruption remaining in them, and the neglect of the means of their preservation, fall into grievous sins, and for a time continue therein, whereby they incur God's displeasure and grieve His Holy Spirit, come to have their graces and comforts impaired, have their hearts hardened and their consciences wounded, hurt and scandalize others, and bring temporal judgments upon themselves.

Yet they shall renew their repentance and be preserved through faith in Christ Jesus to the end.

Amen. Well, it's a wonderful doctrine, wonderful words that capture the biblical witness to the blessed truth that God keeps his people by virtue of the finished and perfect work of the Lord Jesus Christ and the abiding spirit given by the exalted Christ to his people. Three paragraphs, so three simple headings. We'll look first at the blessed reality of perseverance, Secondly, the immovable ground of perseverance. And then thirdly, those difficulties that may be endured in the life of the Christian.

And I want to start by some words of C.H. Spurgeon with regards to the certainty of salvation and therefore the abominable idea that a saint can lose his or her salvation. This is Spurgeon. I could never either believe or preach a gospel which saves me today and rejects me tomorrow, a gospel which puts me in Christ's family one hour and makes me a child of the devil the next, a gospel which first justified and then condemns me, a gospel which pardons me and afterwards casts me down to hell. Such a gospel is abhorrent. to reason itself, much more is it contrary to the mind of God, whom we delight to serve.

It's a blessed reality that God keeps his people, a blessed reality that the God who is promised to save keeps his promise, that one who is immutable, that one who never changes, that one that we just... To those first sets of clauses that we read in paragraph one, for whom he foreknew, those whom God hath accepted in the Beloved. That's also captured in, moreover, whom he predestined in verse 30, those whom he hath accepted in the Beloved. These he also called, those who are, the confession, effectually called, and sanctified by his Spirit, and given the precious faith of his elect unto, can neither fall away or be, who will not finally fall away from the state of grace but will be eternally saved. So we see the blessed reality that God predestines those unto salvation and in time then carries them along by his grace for his glory unto the very end. So the subjects of perseverance are those whom we have seen in the previous chapter and none are lost along the way.

There aren't Some who are predestined that, ah, they're not called in time because of something inherent to themselves or something like that. No, all that are predestined are in time called. All of those who are called are subsequently justified. All those justified are subsequently sanctified. All those sanctified persevere unto the end and are ultimately glorified. And so none are lost along the way.

The doctrine of the perseverance of the saints, and that rests not upon the inherent wisdom, intelligence, or strength, or efficacy of the saint. It rests upon the God of the saint, the one who preserves them by his grace and for his glory. Secondly, we see the definition of perseverance here. So what is perseverance?

It's captured first in that initial clause and then it's expanded upon. Notice it's stated first negatively. Well, in fact, it's stated Yeah, excuse me, it's stated first negatively, so those, the elect, affectionately called, sanctified, given the faith, can neither totally nor finally fall from the state of grace. So perseverance is first negatively stated, they cannot fall away. Then it is positively stated, but shall certainly persevere there into the end and be eternally saved. And we have this wonderful clause taken from Romans 11, Seeing the gifts and callings of God are without repentance. Now, at first blush, that sentence might seem strange. Well, wait a minute. So God gifts us a bunch of salvific blessings, but not repentance?

No, it means that God does not change his mind. The gifts and callings of God are without repentance. God does not change his mind. He does not relent. When God has determined a thing, that God of most lovingness does not pull back and change his mind on that. He is immutable, and gloriously so. The one who abides with us is the one who himself is immutable and his gifts and his callings are without repentance. Meaning again, that he does not change his mind. Those whom he has elected, he will in time call, he will justify, he will sanctify, he will glorify.

If we're to think of some of the most glorious passages that speak to the perseverance of the saints, every time that I It's listed here, in fact, John 10, you can turn there. But every time that I work through this particular chapter, which, I don't know, might be eight-ish times now, I always turn to one of my favorite biblical passages, not only on this doctrine, but in the entirety of the Bible. just a blessed passage, excuse me, that speaks to the great shepherd holding onto his sheep, letting none out of the blessed and sovereign grip of his hand. Notice the shepherd knows his sheep might be your title in your Bible, but verse 22 of John 10, Now it was the feast of dedication in Jerusalem and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch. Then the Jews surrounded him and said to him, how long do you keep us in doubt? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you and you do not believe.

The works that I do in my father's name, they bear witness of me. But you do not believe because you are not of my sheep. As I said to you, my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. and I give them eternal life. And notice, they shall never perish, neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand. My Father who has given them to me is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of my Father's hand.

I and my Father are one. What blessed comfort we have in those words, and what blessed theology we have in those words. The God of heaven and earth, Father, Son, and Spirit, hold us in their inviolable grip, and no one can snatch them out of their hand.

That includes us against the Arminian, you know, or the Arminian has an asterisk there. Well, yeah, no one can snatch us out, but we can wriggle ourselves out of there. It's garbage. The God of heaven and earth keeps us and holds us for his glory's sake. It's not about us.

It's about the glory of the Savior. It's about the glory of the Triune God. It's about the Divine One who has promised to save, who has promised to keep, and who does so. And it's grounded in the context here, this blessed consubstantiality of the Son with the Father. The triune God, mighty, almighty in His glory, majestic in His sovereignty, keeps us in that inviolable grip.

I give them eternal life and they shall never perish, neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand. What a blessed shepherd we have in the Lord Jesus Christ. And we see here the the definition of perseverance is expanded upon with a number of more words and clauses, with more words and clauses, but also with these, with sort of anecdotal realities regarding the challenge of the Christian in this lower world with respect to sin and Satan. But first off, notice some of the expanded language here. So negatively stated, perseverance is defined as the saints of Christ will neither totally nor finally fall from the state of grace positively, but shall certainly persevere there into the end and be eternally saved, seeing the gifts and callings of God are without repentance. Quick pause button. Remember that our perseverance depends upon the immutability of God, and we'll see that again in paragraph two. But here, the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints is directly linked to the divine perfections, and specifically divine immutability.

The expansion here is seen in this language, whence he still begets and nourisheth in them faith, repentance, love, joy, hope, and all the graces of the spirit unto immortality. Notice this language, he begets and nourisheth in them. He not only begins a good work, but he continues that good work. He gives us these blessings of salvation, and he nourishes them.

What a blessed God that we have, and we'll see here in, well, we'll see here before paragraph three, but there's a particular clause in paragraph three that's very important that we'll see near the end. the means by which God nourishes us, but he nourishes in us faith.

He doesn't depart from us, but he engenders within us by his spirit, by divine grace, faith, repentance, love, joy, hope, and all the graces of the spirit unto immortality. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. All the graces of the Spirit unto immortality, the realities and the unmatchable blessings of faith, repentance, love, joy, and hope. And that's what we have as Christians, hope, not in ourselves, but in the God of hope, in the God who gives, in the God who nourishes, in the God who works within us these blessed things of faith, repentance, love, joy, and hope, and all the graces of the Spirit unto immortality.

And we see here We see here then that there's this end those statement. And this is to bring not gloom but encouragement because we know the reality, the realities of this lower world. We have a devil that assails us. We have a world that allures us. And we have our own flesh that seeks to pervert things, that remaining corruption. And so we see here, and though many storms and floods arise and beat against us, this is the reality that we have prior to the glory of Emmanuel's land, is that that threefold enemy, or those three enemies, the world, the flesh, and the devil, are sort of animated here as storms and floods that rise and beat against us. We have the flesh lusting against the spirit, but thankfully the spirit against the flesh wins the day.

Yet they shall never be able to take them off that foundation and rock which by faith they are fastened upon. Isn't that a wonderful statement? We're on the rock of Christ. We're on the rock of the triune God. We don't stand upon a sandbar and the storms and the floods rise and beat against us such that that bar gives way and we sink into the ocean. We have a God who is the rock, our rock. It's not us who are rocks.

It's not us, the strength of our faith. that is that which prevails against the storms and floods that rise up, but rather it is the rock that we stand upon. I like what Horatius Bonar says here. This is an extended quote, but speaking about that it isn't the strength of faith that keeps us. but the God who gives us faith that keeps us. An extended quote, but I think a wonderful one.

The strength or kind of faith required is nowhere stated. The Holy Spirit has said nothing as to quantity or quality on which so many dwell and over which they stumble. remaining all their days in darkness and uncertainty. It is simply in believing, feeble as our faith may be, that we are invested with this righteousness, that is, the righteousness of Christ in justification. For faith is no work, nor merit, nor effort, but the cessation from all these and the acceptance in place of them of what another has done, done completely and forever. The simplest, feeblest faith suffices, for it is not the excellence of our active faith that does aught for us, but the excellence of him who suffered for sin, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God. His perfection suffices to cover not only that which is imperfect in our characters and lives, but that which is imperfect in our faith when we believe on his name.

Many a feeble hand, perhaps many a palsied one, was laid on the head of the burnt offering. But the feebleness of that palsied touch did not alter the character of the sacrifice or make it less available in all its fullness for him who brought it. The priest would not turn him away from the door of the tabernacle because his hand trembled, nor would the bullock fail to be accepted for him to make atonement for him. because his fingers might barely touch its head by reason of his feebleness. The burnt offering was still the burnt offering, and the weakest touch sufficed to establish the connection between it and him, because even that feeble touch was the expression of his consciousness that he was unfit to be dealt with on the footing of what he was himself, and of his desire to be dealt with by God on the footing of another, infinitely worthier and more perfect than himself.

That's the blessing that we have. We stand upon the footing of another. We don't stand upon the strength of our own footing, but much rather We shall never be able, they shall never be able, the storms and the floods, to take us off that foundation and rock which by faith we are fastened upon. We have this continued language that speaks to that particular reality, unbelief, the temptations of Satan, sensible sight, the light and love of God may be clouded for a time, obscured from us, Yet this wonderful language answers, he is still the same, that is God, and they shall be sure to be kept by the power of God unto salvation, where they shall enjoy their purchased possession, they being engraven upon the palm of his hands and their names having been written in the book of life from all eternity. some of the language that Christ uses to, that speaks to his own disciples in his earthly ministry. That they should rejoice, not that they cast out demons, not that they do these wonderful miracles, but rather that their names are written in the book of life. Their names, our names, believers, have been written in the book of life from all eternity. And it's indelible ink. It's indelible divine ink that can never be erased.

We have, secondly, this glorious ground, this efficacious ground, this foundational reality in perseverance in paragraph two. And this is the stuff of a hundred studies because it's so glorious. The paragraph itself is about less than half the size of the previous one, but packs so much glory in it. What is the ground? What is the foundation of our perseverance?

We could say that three things here are largely emphasized in the paragraph. That perseverance, first, does not hang upon the operations of the redeemed man or woman. Secondly, that perseverance is assured by the unchangeable nature and plan of God. And thirdly, that this communicates an immovable certainty and is the very foundation of the victory of perseverance. And so notice what we find here.

First, there's this negative statement. And by negative, I don't mean bad, but using the language of negation, this perseverance of the saints does not depend or depends not upon their own free will. So rightly, rightly stated here, and properly stating here, is the reality that it is not man who is at the center of perseverance and preservation. It's the God who preserves. It's the God who grants the graces by which they persevere. This perseverance of the saints depends not upon their own free will. Another quote by Spurgeon was something like this.

He's speaking against the doctrine that Christ can lose one for whom he dies. And he says, if such a doctrine is true, if we can say in this context, if perseverance of the saints is not true, then the cross quakes, the blood falls powerless to the ground, and redemption is a matter of perhaps. We see here foundationally, or we could say definitely not foundationally, is it man who is the final arbiter and determiner of salvation? Neither is he ever an arbiter or a determiner of salvation.

From first to last, midst and throughout, salvation is of a triune God who saves without a helper, and that's what paragraph two is speaking to us here. So first off, positively, we see that perseverance depends upon the unchangeableness of the divine decree. This perseverance of the saints depends not upon their own free will, but upon the immutability of the decree of election. Now bringing the reality of immutability connecting the previous clause, if you will, where the gifts and callings of God are without repentance. Remember, that meaning without, that God does not change his mind in the determination of a thing. So it brings together the reality of the God who does not change to his decrees not changing. If God does not change, then neither do His blessed and eternal decrees.

And notice that the confession of faith here like the Bible, capturing what the Bible discloses, is saying that this predestination, election, is not some cold mechanistic reality, but much rather this following clause, it flows from the free and unchangeable love of God the Father. The free and unchangeable love of God the Father, in love, having predestined us unto adoption as sons by Jesus Christ. And so it is the fact that God is unchanging and most loving in that immutability that we enjoy the perseverance of the saints, that divine preservation from a God who is glorious in his perfections. upon the immutability of the decree of election flowing from the free and unchangeable love of God the Father.

You know, the confession could just stop there because if that's the case, then the doctrine is the case, and it is the case, therefore the doctrine stands. God is unchanging and so therefore too is his perfect decree of election that flows from his free and unchangeable love.

Notice that In time, connected to the execution of those decrees in time, it rests upon the perfect work of the Lord Jesus Christ, upon the efficacy of the merit and intercession of Jesus Christ and union with him. So there's two things there first. that first there is the work of the Lord Jesus Christ in time. And we see the perfection, or we see the perfection of perseverance, the reality of perseverance in a number of places connected to that. I mean, you could turn to the book of Hebrews, but we can think about others while you're turning there.

The outset of Matthew's gospel, We have the statement in the angel's announcement of the forthcoming birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, you will call his name Jesus for he will save his people from their sins. From the outset of the gospel witness, the certainty of Christ's salvation is stated by that angelic announcer. He will save his people from their sins. In Hebrews chapter 7, you can turn there first, in Hebrews 7, speaking about the greatness of Christ as high priest, which is ultimately a single sentence summary of the book of Hebrews, the greatness of Christ as our high priest, the one who goes before us securing salvation.

Notice at Hebrews 7, in this transition between the priests, the Levitical priesthood, to the high priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is of the order of Melchizedek, at verse 20 of Hebrews 7, and inasmuch as he was not made priest without an oath, For they have become priests without an oath, but he with an oath by him who said to him, the Lord has sworn and will not relent, you are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. Psalm 110. Verse 22, by so much more, Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant.

So we're gonna read more, but we can pause on that for a moment. I keep looking at that clock. Hey, I got a lot of time. Let's pause here for a moment because we have our first evidence of perseverance. Christ is the surety of a better covenant. The confession uses the language in a little bit here on the nature of the covenant of grace as being foundational to our perseverance, which not only principally speaks to the glory of salvation by Jesus Christ, But if we could say tertiarily, speaks to credo baptism as the only way for that sacrament to be administered.

If the nature of the covenant of grace is such that all those accepted in the beloved will be kept until the end, then it's only those who are accepted in the beloved that should be given the sign of the covenant. The paedobaptists have the same language in paragraph two, and it speaks against them. That clause betrays their own sacramental commitments, because the nature of the covenant of grace is such that it is inviolable. It's not simply only promissory such that some of the recipients, the promises held forth, but some could fall away because they're externally connected, which is dumb, to the covenant of grace. But rather, it is the case that the nature of the covenant of grace is such that it is inviolable.

And that's the very promise of Jeremiah 31, 31 to 34. It's not like the covenant that was made beforehand, that you broke, though I was a husband to you, says the Lord, but, and he gives these blessed realities regarding salvation, the knowledge of the Lord, the law written upon the heart, the forgiveness of sins, the better covenant, the new covenant is a covenant that cannot be broken and the new covenant is the covenant of grace fulfilled and ratified.

But all that to come back to this, Christ is a surety. So if the divine one who assumed our humanity and executed redemption perfectly is a surety, he is sure to keep his people unto the very end. Notice the language of preservation, perseverance, perfection of redemption continues. Verse 23, also there were many priests because they were prevented by death from continuing, but he, because he continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. And there's this glorious therefore statement. Therefore he is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

And so coming back to our, there's other passages in Hebrews 9 and 10 that we could go to that speak to the same blessed reality, but notice coming back to the confession, our perseverance then depends upon the efficacy of the merit and intercession of Jesus Christ. It depends upon the perfection of his work, and it is perfect.

If the perseverance of the saints is wrong, then Christ fails as a savior. He is not the Savior. He is not able to save to the uttermost. He does not then always live to intercede for his people. And so Hebrews 7.25 becomes a lie if perseverance itself is wrong, but it's gloriously correct, revealed by God, and captured in the perfect life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. the efficacy of the merit. Christ has won for us, by his perfect life, death, and glorious and victorious resurrection, a salvation that cannot be lost, that cannot be stolen away.

And the subsequent reality of his merit and his ongoing intercession is that we are united with him in salvation. So both the merit, his ongoing intercession, I guess it'll be three. I don't think you can use both for three things. So his merit his intercession, and the union that we have with him that comes upon the heels and by the efficacy of that merit and intercession is a blessed evidence and reality that we will persevere unto the very end.

The confession then goes on to speak regarding the oath of God. This perseverance of the saints depends upon the oath of God. And it's just four words, but it captures a glorious theology. And if you're in the book of Hebrews still, if you turn just back one chapter to Hebrews 6, the wonderful language of God being a divine oath keeper. And here we see what we've noted already, the immutability of God linked to the hope that we have and the steadfastness that we have as saints of the Most High. Verse 16 of six.

For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute. Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become high priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek. So there you see the oath of God resting behind salvation as this anchor, as this thing that declares the steadfastness of our faith, not by virtue of us, but by virtue of the God who keeps us. This blessed immutability of God, both in his character, in his counsel, or better than character, in his divine perfections, in his counsel, and in an oath that he did not have to make by virtue of the fact that he cannot lie by his very essence, but nevertheless, he makes an oath to declare to man the hope that he has in the salvation promised. What a wonderful thing we have. The oath of God, and we see here that confession continues as it mounts, clause upon clause, to argue for the blessedness of perseverance, the abiding of his spirit, and the seed of God within them.

Christ promised his spirit, remember in his earthly ministry in the upper room, it's good for you, it's profitable for you, it's to your benefit that I go because I'm going to send you another helper, another comforter, I'm gonna send you the spirit who you will have for the disciples, for the apostles in a peculiar way. not shared by us, such that they went about their apostolic ministry, inscripturated the New Testament and those sorts of things, but shared in the sense that the Spirit is given for nourishing in the faith, for that initial blessing of the giving of faith and repentance, that initial conversion, and then the nourishing of faith, love, joy, hope, and salvation throughout the days of the saint. So the abiding of the spirit and the seed of God within them, that seed of God is probably not referring to the Spirit that was just stated, but the principle of grace that is implanted by the Spirit in us that's nourished by God. And then lastly, we see here, and upon the nature of the covenant of grace, we already noted why or what that is.

The nature of the covenant of grace, how is it that the perseverance of the saints can depend upon that? Because it is inviolable. The Paedo-Baptist scheme is such that it is like a covenantal Arminianism. The covenant of grace, you can fall out of that external attachment that you have with it, being an unbelieving child of believing parents. But the nature of the covenant of grace, again, is such that it is inviolable. Why? Because it's ratified in the very blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And so, therefore, the one who is a member of that covenant cannot fall away because it is only true believers, those who have been predestinated, those who have been called, those who have been justified, those who are being sanctified, and those who will ultimately be glorified who are members of the covenant of grace. and so it is inviolable.

You can turn to the book of Jeremiah for a moment. Not 31, we did refer to that already, but we're gonna read a connected passage in Jeremiah 32. It's a wonderful language in Jeremiah with regards to the new covenant and its inviolability. Notice in Jeremiah 32 at verse 40, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from doing them good, but I will put my fear in their hearts, notice, so that they will not depart from me. A member of the covenant of grace is one that will not depart from the living and true God.

And again, not by virtue of their splendor, not by virtue of their glory, not by virtue of their intelligence or wherewithal, but rather because of the God who puts his fear into their hearts and who does not turn away from doing them good. What a wonderful thing that we can rely upon. Even though the storms and the floods rise up against us and beat against us, we can know that it is a sovereign God who is not turning away from doing us good. Whatever comes upon us, God isn't biting his nails in the heavens hoping that things work out. God has ordained things that we might be formatively shaped in our Christian walks, and he keeps us and preserves us even through those storms and those floods, which he himself sends. He is the one who raises up the stormy winds that lift up the waves of the sea, Psalm 107. He's also that same Psalm who calms the winds so that its waves are still. And so we can rely upon the God who does not turn away from doing us good.

And so we can know, notice this last clause of paragraph two, from all which ariseth also the certainty and infallibility thereof. So the certainty of the perseverance of the saints and the infallibility of the perseverance of the saints comes from all of these things. We can know as believers. the certainty of perseverance and the fact that it will not fail by divine aid, by divine grace, by divine empowerment because of all of those blessed things beforehand stated, which are a wonderful handful of theological glories that we ought to contemplate, contemplate until that blessed day.

Thirdly and lastly then, we can note the difficulties that the saint endures in persevering. That's what's captured in paragraph three. Notice we have some things that are stated that are foundational causes of what we could say some backsliding. in paragraph three, notice, and though they may, through the temptation of Satan and of the world, the prevalency of corruption remaining in them and the neglect of the means of their preservation fall into grievous sins and for a time continue therein. So we have these, the reality of this not falling away, but the reality of these stumblings, the reality of these strugglings, the reality of these things that may obtain with regards to our walk in this lower world. And notice one of them, we can't spend time on all of them, but as I noted earlier, with regards to nourishing them, where God begets and nourishes in us faith, repentance, love, joy, hope, and all the graces of the spirit, we see here that this is how he does it. That if we neglect the means of our preservation, that means that we neglect the blessed and safe confines within which God nourishes us in our faith, repentance, love, joy, and hope.

So, you know, we could think anecdotally of a situation or, you know, reflect upon a possibility. You know, someone who says, you know, man, I'm really struggling. The temptations of Satan, end of the world, they're creeping up on me. The floods and the storms have come.

And, you know, we find out that they're not reading their Bibles, they're not coming to church, and they're not availing of the means of grace. Well, we see here that that is a reality whereby, or those things are realities whereby, a Christian can fall into grievous sins and continue for a time therein. And so, one of the blessed, ordained realities We could say principally the ordained reality and context within which God keeps us and nourishes us is within the context of the gathered church.

On the Lord's day, the preaching of the word, the sacraments, the baptism in the Lord's supper, prayer, the singing of psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, the reading of the scriptures, God has given us these things so that we might be nourished and strengthened in our faith.

God has also given secondarily family worship, the family altar, the private worship. In chapter 22, we have that spoken to. The primary means whereby God nourishes faith and preserves his people by grace dispensed is within the context of Sabbath worship. And as well, we see here In chapter 22, paragraph six, neither prayer nor any other part of religious worship is now under the gospel tied unto or made more acceptable by any place in which it is performed or towards which it is directed, but God is to be worshiped everywhere in spirit and in truth, notice, as in private families daily and in secret, each one by himself. so more solemnly in the public assemblies, which are not carelessly nor willfully to be neglected or forsaken when God by his word or providence calleth thereto. We see captured there the blessed ordained means whereby God nourishes his people in faith, repentance, love, joy, and hope. in private families daily, in secret, each one by himself. Principally and more exaltedly, we could say, the confession uses, so more solemnly in the public assemblies. And these are not to carelessly or willfully to be neglected.

Why? Because it's there that the God of free and unchangeable love It's there that the God of immutability, it's there that the Christ of perfect merit and intercession, it's there that the abiding spirit meets with us and nourishes us and strengthens us in our walk with Christ. And so we see some of those strugglings, we see some of those causes of stumblings in our Christian walk. And we ought to note that the hearing of the word, the seeing of the word in the sacraments, fellowship with other Christians assembling together and exhorting one another in our walk with Christ, that's also indispensable. One of the reasons to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together as is the manner of some. is that together, in that horizontal reality, whereby as an assembly we bring our vertical honorings and praises, we avail of the building up of our faith, one with each other. We're united for the cause of God and truth, and so therefore, the neglect of the means of our preservation is a way by which we can fall into grievous sin and Not ultimately fall away, though. We might continue in that sin for a while, but notice the yet they clause at the end.

There are a number of things that sadly can prevail because of remaining corruption and the prevalence of certain things, but the final clause of the final paragraph, yet they shall renew their repentance and be preserved through faith in Christ Jesus to the end.

That's a glorious promise that we have connected to the God of immutability, connected to that blessed God of free and unchangeable love, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who dispenses upon us His preserving graces. Just a small exploration into the doctrine of perseverance. Brethren, if you're a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, your perseverance does not depend upon your own free will, but upon the immutability of the decree of election flowing from the free and unchangeable love of God the Father. That's glorious. Upon the perfection of the merit and intercession of Jesus Christ, the abiding of the spirit, the seed of God within you, that principle of grace, the nature of the covenant of grace, and the oath of God, which is foundationally so glorious.

He will keep his people. He puts the fear of God within us, he causes us to walk in his statutes, he will not depart from us, and we will be preserved unto the very end. Praise God, praise his Christ, and as we go into worship in a number of minutes. Let's together as a gathered assembly praise that God who keeps us. Let's pray.

God, thank you for time in doctrine. Thank you for time in your truth. We rejoice in your preservation. We thank you that you do keep us, that you have called us in time, and that by virtue of the perfection of the work of Christ, you have saved us and that you keep us by the abiding of your spirit, by the abiding intercession of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, by that principle of grace that you have implanted and that you do nourish. And we rejoice in the nature of the covenant of grace, we rejoice in the oath of God, and we thank you for the certainty and the infallibility of the perseverance that we have that is not of ourselves but is from you. Go with us into worship, help us to honor and praise you. might you be the recipient of the praises of your people here and throughout the world and we pray in Christ's name, amen. Any questions about any of that? We have two minutes and 49 seconds. Questions? How are you supposed to know? Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

I mean, I think, you know, you won't know with the infallibility by which God knows, but like you just said, pearls before swine, and evidence may be that they vehemently reject and spit in your face and engage in such violence against you that it could be evidence.

But I think the emphasis that the Bible has with the simplicity of believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved, conversely, we can know, though fallibly, that those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ are his people. And so it's with that knowledge we ride out our Christian lives, not with focusing on whether or not we can or cannot know who the elect and who the reprobate are. I think it's good to go with where the Bible goes in that those who confess Christ, those who name the name of Christ, believe in him, we can bear a measure of confidence that those are his people. And those who vehemently and violently oppose, we're okay suspecting that they are reprobate, but in our fallibility, we should pray. We should pray for God to save, and we should pray also for God to judge those who would oppose them with such vehemence.

So give it a whirl anyway, and then back off if they're going to punch you in the face. Yep. Yeah, you don't want to get punched in the face, that's for sure. You preach the gospel, you speak to men and women, boys and girls, the gospel, and if there's such opposition that you need to get out of the way like the apostles, you kick the dust off your feet and you move on. Yeah. Anything else? Yeah. Yeah, well, I think there have been two approaches, and Jim, you can correct me if I'm off here, but there have been two approaches to the warning passages. One that they are for Christians, and one that ultimately they're not for Christians.

And, you know, for example, in the book of Hebrews, there are warning passages, and then you have this transition to clauses such as, but we believe, better things for you, brethren, or something like that. So that the warning passages are for those who are such as those in the book of Hebrews who can apostatize, who aren't falling away from grace, but are in the context of covenant engagement, the life and the spirit of the church, but are not truly saved. And then, you know, you can see the Apostle Paul then transition to those who are themselves believers or brethren. So I think the weight of warning passages, though, can be used for seasons and times, such as those that we read up in paragraph three, where the, you know, the storms and the floods do come to set before us the holiness and the righteousness and the majesty of God in His judgment. But those who are, yeah, those who are confidently within the inviolable grasp of Christ need not worry. Jim, from your vantage point with regards to the warning passages I've read where some say that they apply to Christians, some say they don't necessarily because they're being applied to those who can apostatize.

I think the Hebrews ones deal specifically with Jews or those with Judaic leanings. It's like the discipline of the father. God uses discipline in our lives. God warns us the way that good fathers warn their kids about running with scissors or doing stupid things. I don't think there's anything wrong with that and that's one of the means that he uses for our perseverance.