Turn with me, if you would, in our Bibles to Ephesians chapter 1, as we read together verses 3 through 14, a passage of Scripture which we also use in support of unconditional election. But now today, too, as we finish our short series on the canons of Doroth, the five points of Calvinism, we consider it as well for the perseverance of the saints. Ephesians 1, beginning at verse 3 as we give our attention to the Word of God. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love, He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ in accordance with His pleasure and will. to the praise of His glorious grace which He has freely given us in the one He loves. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins in accordance with the riches of God's grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. And He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Christ to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will, in order that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be for the praise of His glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the Gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, Who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession to the praise of His glory? And for our confessional reference, if you would turn with me to page 109 in the back of the Psalter hymnal. Page 109 as we now give our attention to the fifth head of doctrine of the Canons of Dort. And as we consider this teaching, we want to consider Articles 3, 8, and 12. 3, 8, and 12. Article 3 being on page 109. Article 3 reads, By reason of these remains of indwelling sin, and also because of the temptations of the world and of Satan, those who are converted could not persevere in that grace if left to their own strength. But God is faithful, who having conferred grace, mercifully confirms and powerfully preserves them therein to the end. Turning over to article 8, Thus it is not in consequence of their own merits or strength, but of God's free mercy, that they neither totally fall from faith and grace, nor continue and perish finally in their backslidings, which with respect to themselves is not only possible, but would undoubtedly happen. But with respect to God, it is utterly impossible, since His counsel cannot be changed, nor His promise fail, neither can the call according to His purpose be revoked, nor the merit, intercession, and preservation of Christ be rendered ineffectual, nor the sealing of the Holy Spirit be frustrated or obliterated. In Article 12, this certainty of perseverance, however, is so far from exciting in believers a spirit of pride or of rendering them carnally secure, that on the contrary, it is the real source of humility, filial reverence, true piety, patience in every tribulation, fervent in prayers, constancy in suffering and in confessing the truth, and of solid rejoicing in God, so that the consideration of this benefit should serve as an incentive to the serious and constant practice of gratitude and good works, as appears from the testimonies of Scripture and the examples of the saints. dear people of God as we have taken time over the past two months or so to consider the deep doctrines of the Bible as discussed in our confessional statement the canons of Dort as we've done that we have come face to face with the sovereignty of God that our God is the orchestrator of all things and salvation is all by His design and it is carried out by the power of His grace And now as we come to the letter P in that familiar acronym TULIP, which stands for Perseverance of the Saints, as we come to that, now God's sovereignty is magnified in even greater measure. The believer's true comfort, you see, is driven all the way home, if I may say, all the way to our heavenly home. The question here, you see, is whether or not God, who has sovereignly and graciously redeemed His people, who has begun a good work in them, as Paul says, whether God is able and willing now to bring it to completion. Is salvation really the work of God from beginning to end, from its beginning in God's eternal counsel of election, to its consummation in the perfection and glorification of the believer in the life to come? The question before us this morning is this. Is it true that once saved, always saved? Or is it possible to lose genuine salvation? Now, a number of years before the Synod of Dort even actually met, Arminianism was split on this question. Among those who held to this teaching, these teachings, the teaching of the Arminians, there was no unified agreement. However, by the time that the Synod did meet in 1618-1619, the Arminianism of the day did conclude and did teach that there is no biblical warrant for teaching perseverance of the saints. In other words, just as the believer's election depends upon him or her meeting the conditions of faith and repentance, and just as it is up to the believer to cooperate with the Spirit in salvation, In the same way, the believer's completed salvation depends upon his or her ability to stay the course until the end of time. Of his own free will, of his or her own free will, to continue on in the faith. Beloved, sometimes one will say, I just can't live with this or that kind of pressure. It's too much for me to take. And let me tell you something, that if our completed salvation, if our persevering all the way to the end, to heaven, depends on us, then we will all die under that pressure. But praise be to God that His Word teaches us God's grace eternally preserves His saints in the gift of salvation. We consider the believer's comfort in this doctrine. Also the believer's certainty with this doctrine. And finally, the believer's response to this doctrine. Now, boys and girls, what does it mean? What do we mean by perseverance? What does that mean? What does it mean to persevere? Well, it means to continue in something. It means to keep on going no matter what the opposition or no matter what discouragement there may be against it. The illustration that I used this morning was running long distances. When I was in high school, that was the furthest thing from my desire. I hated it. Two, three, four miles. Who wants to do that? I was 16. A car is for that purpose. Not running. But a runner must persevere. A runner might be agonizing. Every muscle in his body might be hurt. His feet might be aching. He might be out of breath. But a runner perseveres to the finish line. To persevere means to not give up in something no matter who or what tries to get you to give up. It means to accomplish the goal that one is working hard to achieve. It means to endure to the end. And therefore, perseverance of the saints, beloved, means that God's elect people stay in the family of God. And one day they will reach the goal of perfection and glory in Christ. One day they will live forever in heaven with God. And this deep doctrine congregation teaches us how it is that saints in Christ do not lose their salvation. And it teaches us that believers cannot eternally forsake God who has chosen them and holds them safely in His hand. This is the believer's comfort in this doctrine. And this comfort is magnified in the first few articles of this fifth head of doctrine as we are reminded of our continual struggle in this life with sin. Yes, that magnifies our comfort. You see, sin is still very present in us in this life. I hope not one of us here would deny that fact. And the baptism form even alluded to that. This constant death. Article 1 says that He, God, also delivers from the dominion and slavery of sin, though in this life He does not deliver them altogether from the body of sin and from the infirmities of the flesh. True believers continue to engage in that conflict with sin. And even the most faithful of the saints, as the Heidelberg Catechism says, have but a small beginning of new obedience in this life. And we know what John says. He says, if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. And sometimes, and this is hard for us to accept, hard for us to understand, but sometimes God even allows His people to follow their own selfish way so that they fall into serious or grievous sins as article 4 points out. Sometimes God permits serious sin, falling into serious sin with the result that the believer very highly offends God as article 5 says. Incurs a deadly guilt. Grieves the Holy Spirit. Interrupts the exercise of faith. very grievously wounds their consciences and sometimes for a while loses the sense of God's favor. It does happen that a child of God, it appears at times, may have never ever been in God's grace. And we really don't have to look too far to find biblical examples, do we? In fact, Scripture makes it very clear to us as it places before us the serious sins of two of the most godly men that we read about in the Bible. Namely, David and Peter. But Article 3 of the canons of the fifth head of doctrine supports the biblical truth that left to ourselves, we will fall. Once again, by reason of these remains of indwelling sin and also because of the temptations of the world and of Satan, those who are converted could not persevere in that grace if left to their own strength. But God is faithful, who, having conferred grace, mercifully confirms and powerfully preserves them therein, even to the end. Now, beloved, we pray, don't we? Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Why? Because by the gracious illumination of the Holy Spirit, we know that in our weakness, if left to ourselves, we will fall. Paul says, for the good that I will or want to do, I do not do. But the evil that I will not or do not want to do, that I practice. Now you might say, now stop right there. The reading of this point says the comfort of this doctrine. But this doesn't sound very comforting, does it? Talking about our continued difficulty with sin. talking about the possibility that any one of us might also fall into grievous or serious sin. Where is the comfort in that? And that's true. It's not very comforting. But the comfort is what God can do and does do for His elect. Notice again the second half of article 3. But God is faithful, who having conferred grace, mercifully confirms and powerfully preserves them therein, even to the end. You see, we call this doctrine the perseverance of the saints, but it becomes very clear to us that we can't persevere on our own, in our own strength. So then, if it's true, and it is true, if it's true that the believer perseveres in the faith, how does he do that? Well, there's only one way. By the preservation of God's powerful hand. You see, we are unfaithful, but as Article 3 points out, God is faithful. And those who do fall into serious or grievous sin, even for a short time, in them that imperishable seed which has been implanted into them, it remains there. That is not removed. It may just be a seed yet. There may not be much growth. But the imperishable seed cannot and will not be removed from them. In Ephesians 1, verse 13, Paul says that believers, are marked in Him, that is in Christ, with a seal. The other version says that believers are sealed in Him. And we know that when a king, as we read throughout Scripture, when a king put his seal on something, that seal was not to be broken. And we've been reminded again this morning of that sign and seal of God's covenant faithfulness as the sign and seal of baptism has been placed upon Michaela. That God's promise cannot and will not be broken. Salvation, eternal life for those who repent and believe of their sins. The seal of God, His Holy Spirit, is sure. It cannot, it will not be broken. Perseverance is the work of God's preservation. 1 Corinthians 1 says that our Lord Jesus Christ will also confirm you to the end. And this is sure because as Paul says in verse 9 of that chapter, God is faithful. And in 1 Corinthians 10, verse 13, we find that familiar verse that so many of us have held on to in times of trial and difficulty. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man. But God is faithful who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape that you may be able to bear it. Scripture is clear that it is God who keeps or preserves His saints in the salvation that He has given to them. We find Christ's high priestly prayer in John 17. We refer to it often. In verse 11, our Lord prays, Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. And then He supports this request in the very next verse when He says, While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom you gave Me I have kept, and none of them is lost except the son of perdition that the Scripture might be fulfilled. If you're familiar with Jude's epistle, you know that he opens it with these words, to those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ. And he ends his epistle, now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy. And what does Peter say? He talks about that living hope, that inheritance which is reserved in heaven for those who are kept by the power of God. Believers who are kept by the power of God for that salvation. Once again, beloved, how do saints persevere at all, even on a day-to-day basis, let alone all the way to the end? What makes saints able to overcome temptation and sin and any obstacle of Satan that He might use to throw at them to try to knock them off of and keep them off of that narrow path forever? The only answer is the powerful, preserving hand of God who is faithful. And that's our comfort, beloved, that He is faithful when we are unfaithful. Our comfort is that we know we fall into daily sin. And even when we fall into grievous sin, that we are humbled by the power of the Holy Spirit and that God in His grace brings us to confession of our sins, repentance of our sins, and restores us in the gift of faith that He has implanted in us. He mercifully confirms with His grace when we are flooded with doubts and tears. When we are weak, He powerfully preserves us in His gift of salvation all the way to the end. And the more you grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, the more comforting this is. Why is that? Because the more the believer grows in faith, the more he then understands his true condition apart from God, and the more he is saddened because of his sin. And you see, the true believer cannot continue in grievous sin. Again, we sin daily. We are saddened and humbled because of our sin. But God's people cannot fall into grievous sin habitually. they repent by God's grace, even as the Bible makes it clear to us that David repented and Peter repented. And the more you understand your sin and misery, the more you will understand that you cannot persevere. Yet how comforting it is that when by grace through faith you can confidently confess, I can't persevere, but God can and does preserve me for the sake of Christ Jesus. And beloved, how can we be so confident about this? Well, because God's Word speaks in such a way that this eternal life that believers look forward to is theirs already now, today, in principle. And therefore, there is certainty for the believer in this doctrine. Article 8 explains that this perseverance and preservation is not accomplished by the believer. In fact, it goes so far to say that as it talks about the believers falling away, totally falling away, and continuing in sin, it says, with respect to themselves, is not only possible, but would undoubtedly happen if left to ourselves. But then in strong, confident language, it adds, but with respect to God, it is utterly impossible. And this is talking about saving grace. With God, it is utterly impossible for the true believer to lose the salvation that God has given to him. Jesus says those comforting words of certainty in John 10, My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me, and I give them eternal life, and 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. And notice how the writers of the canons in article 8 tied this certainty with some of the other deep doctrines we have considered. They make it clear that the believer's falling from grace is not possible because his, that is God's, counsel cannot be changed, nor his promise fail, neither can the call according to his purpose be revoked, alluding to unconditional election, nor the merit, intercession, and preservation of Christ be rendered ineffectual, speaking of His atonement, nor the sealing of the Holy Spirit be frustrated or obliterated. Irresistible grace. And beloved, this is so certain because of the God we serve. He alone is sovereign and no one can undo what He does. He is changeless. His promises are sure. And of course, we can't understand that, can we? Because our purposes constantly change. Sometimes, many times in a day. His election cannot and will not change. We break our Word. But God's Word is truth. The same yesterday, today, and forever. Our work is insufficient and constantly there is room for improvement. But Christ's atonement is perfectly complete and effective. No one can change that. And God's people have been sealed with the Holy Spirit, His irresistible grace. Again, Scripture speaks of the certainty of preservation as a reality. Something that's very real today. God's Word teaches us that fellowship with Christ through faith means that one has entered and already experiences eternal life, although in part in this life. We remember John 3.16, For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. And in verse 36 of that chapter, he who believes in the Son has everlasting life. And in 1 John 5 we read, and this is the testimony that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life. He who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. Beloved, we have eternal life today. We don't have to wait for it. It's not a maybe. It's not an if you do this or that. But for those who truly believe, this is our comfort. It's in our hand today. Scripture's teaching is clear that the future blessing of eternal life is the believer's now and forever, never to end, never to be taken away from us. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. The believer's present possession of Christ by grace is a guarantee of that which will be His in the future in full measure. How do we know? The Holy Spirit is a down payment. As Paul says in Ephesians 1, verse 14, he ends verse 13, The promised Holy Spirit is that seal. He goes on, who is a deposit, guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession. The believer is sealed in Christ with the promised Holy Spirit. Therefore, that divine down payment which we have today and that future inheritance are intimately tied together. They cannot, they will not be separated. And this is the truth of Scripture. The perseverance of the saints by the preservation of God is a comforting doctrine for believers because it is a sure, a certain reality for believers. And Asaph makes that clear in Psalm 73 when he says, I am continually with you. You hold me by my right hand. You will guide me with your counsel and afterward receive me to glory. You know what he's saying there? Grace for today and glory for eternity. So then finally, what then is the believer's response to this doctrine? After all, if it's true that once saved, always saved, and again, that's true. If it's true that once saved, always saved, is there any room left for responsibility for the believer? Is there a responsibility left for us? Now it's true again that this doctrine has been attacked on this account. Those who held to the teaching of Arminianism back in 1618 and 1619, as well as many today, claim and maintain that this doctrine does no more than make believers careless and indifferent and indulgent in sin. Our own catechism says that, the Heidelberg Catechism, with regard to good works, that, well, you know, if our good works merit us nothing, and our salvation is only of grace, then doesn't this make men careless and profane? The answer is absolutely not. It's true that many of us have known those who, as confessing Christians, and maybe some of us fell into this for a time, they claim that I can profess Christ, then I can live like I want. I can live ungodly and still be ushered safely into heaven. But this is wrong, plain and simple. And the canons work hard to teach the truth of Scripture that this kind of reasoning is in error. Paul says in Romans 6, verses 1 and 2, What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not. How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? You see, God's people have died to sin. Therefore, it's impossible to live in it. And as Ephesians 1 verse 4 says that God's people were chosen to be holy and blameless in His sight. You see, once saved, always saved, has to be understood properly. we need to understand that God's gracious gift of preservation leads the believer into and moves the believer's responsible task of perseverance. In other words, God's preservation of the believer is the catalyst for the believer's persevering. Article 12 begins this way. This certainty of perseverance, however, is so far from exciting in believers a spirit of pride or of rendering them carnally secure. And Article 13 adds, Neither does renewed confidence of persevering produce licentiousness or a disregard of piety in those who are recovered from backsliding. Again, as the Heidelberg Catechism says, in no way does it make men careless and profane. Instead of making the believer careless and indifferent and indulgent in sin, the one who is born again is more conscious of his sin and offense to God and is more humbled by it. Article 13 adds, after saying that it does not do that, but it renders them much more careful and solicitous to continue in the ways of the Lord which He has ordained that they who walk therein may keep the assurance of persevering. To say that this doctrine makes one lazy and careless is not a proper understanding, but a perversion of perseverance. As David points out in Psalm 51, the sins of a true believer cause him grief. In Psalm 32, David says that day and night God's hand was heavy upon him. The one in sin grieves because he has displeased God and provoked His wrath, as David says in Psalm 38. And then as he also says in Psalm 32, His joy is not restored until he has confessed his sin and received forgiveness from God. The truth is, this deep doctrine of the Bible, this truth of perseverance, causes the believer to hate sin more and more and delight in that which pleases God more and more. The road of sanctification is characterized by perseverance. And instead of being lazy and careless and willfully indulging in sin, As John says, whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for his seed remains in him, and he cannot sin because he has been born of God. And although congregation believers still sin, they do not keep on sinning willfully. Why? Because they have the Spirit of God. And they abide in Christ. And notice again how Article 12 pulls us together. this certainty of perseverance is the real source of humility, filial, that is, childlike reverence, true piety, patience in every tribulation, fervent in prayers, constancy in suffering and in confessing the truth, and of solid rejoicing in God, so that the consideration of this benefit should serve as an incentive to the serious and constant practice of gratitude and good works. The certainty of perseverance guides and directs the Christian's life and lifestyle. Scripture does not teach an easy, once saved, always saved complacency. Instead, it emphasizes the responsibility of the Christian to live a life worthy of his calling. Jude 20 and 21 says, But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, Looking for the mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And notice the command there. The command is to keep yourselves in the love of God. It doesn't command you and I to put ourselves in the love of God. The believer is in God's love by the grace of God. And we know that Philippians 2 says, we touched on this last week, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. And Paul is talking, I believe, about persevering by God's preserving hand. The perseverance of the saints is the fruit or evidence of the preservation of the saints. The perseverance of the saints is the fruit of the unconditional election of the totally depraved sinner by God the Father. It is the fruit of the atonement of Christ and of the irresistible grace of the Holy Spirit. And then, beloved, how does God preserve His people in the faith? By His Spirit and His Word. His Spirit is sealed unto us, as we've considered. And as Article 14 points out, His faithfully preached Word is indispensable for us. Boys and girls, why do we bother coming to church and sitting under the preaching of the Word if God has all things worked out anyway. And nothing can change that. Isn't it a waste of time? Well, because not only did God elect some from the foundation of the world, not only is Christ's atonement completely effective for those elect, not only is God's grace irresistible, and not only do the elect certainly persevere all the way to glory, but He has also chosen the means by which He effects all of this in the lives of His people. The preaching of His Holy Word applied by His Spirit, God has chosen through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. God preserves through the preaching of His Word and Beloved in many churches, including this one. He does that morning and night on Sunday. Let's be honest here. Many, many in the church today have bought into that lie that's being taught in the church that the fourth commandment is no longer applicable for us who live in the New Testament age. That as the High Liberal Catechism says, every day we are to wrest from evil and sin, which is definitely true. But nowhere has the fourth commandment, keeping the Lord's day holy, been canceled from God's commandments. It's the Lord's day, not the Lord's morning. not the Lord's hour. And God has given to us this day not to participate in the things of the world and to become like them, but He's given to us this day, set aside one day in seven, that we might participate in those things which draw us closer to Himself. God called you for worship this morning, not me. And God will call you for worship again tonight. It is not our right to worship. It is our privilege. And we are not to despise the meeting together, the assembling together of God's people, but we are to take advantage of every opportunity that God gives to us. Through the faithful preaching of His Word, you see, God not only begins faith by His grace, but He also builds our faith with both the knowledge of the Gospel and also the sure conviction of His saving grace. And beloved, one gives evidence of persevering by being involved in the life of the church and in the ministry of the church even outside of worship services. One gives evidence of persevering in the faith in how He conducts His home life. Life at school, life at work, and life in the neighborhood. One who is in Christ delights, not maybe will delight, But one who is in Christ definitely delights in His body, the church, and delights in that for life. If you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ by God's grace, then it is your delight to live for Him. You can do no other. To do His commandments implicitly. Striving with the help of the Holy Spirit to be faithful to God's commands in every detail. Not out of a sense of legalism, but out of gratitude. Then it is also your desire to do His commandments impartially. Every single one. Not picking and choosing which ones you think might apply to you and which ones don't. Striving to do His commandments cheerfully because as God says in His Word, His commands are not burdensome. Then also striving to do His commands perseveringly all the time. And your comfort is the certainty that God will preserve you so that you persevere in the faith until the day of Christ Jesus. And beloved, if you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, I can say to you with full confidence, you cannot and you will not lose your salvation and therefore you are called to live in a way that reflects the joy of that salvation. Are you truly persevering in the faith that God has given to you? If you don't believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, then instead of persevering in the faith, you are persisting in sin and shame, fighting against God, and I must warn you that He will now lose. You will. Those who live away from God in this life will be cast away from Him for eternity. And His call to you is to repent of your sins and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ while it is still the day of God's grace. And again, His promise cannot, will not be broken. you will persevere. Jesus alone is the priceless treasure and only His elect can confess pain or loss or shame or cross shall not from my Savior move me since He deigns to love me. Amen. Shall we pray? Father, we thank You and praise You for Your Word. And we pray too at this time that You would remove the devil far from us who tries to apply this Word wrongfully to make us disagree, to make us argue and become defensive. But apply Your Word, we plead powerfully and effectively by Your Holy Spirit that we might not only hear Your Word, we might listen to it and obey it. Father, we confess that sometimes we do fall into that trap of thinking, Oh, Lord, I have been so sinful. How can You love me? How can You save me? Surely that cannot be. But we thank You for Your Word, for Your mercy, Your grace, Your peace, which gives to Your people the assurance that You are the One who restores us, who sets our feet on the solid rock, who strengthens our faith until the day of Christ Jesus. We thank You, O Lord, for Your priceless treasure, Jesus Christ. In His name we pray. Amen.