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Transcript of message from TV Broadcast 462 -- taken from Closed Captioning Text -- Brother Thomas: I'm going to continue the subject that I started last Sunday. Can a saved person be lost, or ever lost? Paul's done got the title down, so that'll be it. I'm going to give you 3 verses of scripture in John chapter 10. Jesus said--John 10 verse 26through 29. Jesus said, "But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand." You know, you would think that when Jesus says He gives us eternal life that'd be sufficient, cause how can you terminate that which is eternal? In addition to that, He says they shall never perish. It makes you wonder how people can believe you can have it and lose it. Jesus was exactly like Adam was before he sinned. Hear me now. That's why 1st Corinthians chapter 15 refers to Him as being the last Adam. And He says, "The last Adam was made a quickening spirit"--life-giving spirit, that's right. What does it mean then? "Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became..." See, that becoming the author of eternal life had to await that perfection, whatever it means. That's in Hebrews, chapter 5. In fact, you look up that word. I believe it's used about 22 times in that book alone. The greatest definition of it is complete. It means complete. Of course, we're not complete, you're not complete until God possesses your life--until He comes in and takes up His abode in us. I know that's quite unusual for you to hear something like this, but nevertheless it's true. Let's go over to Matthew chapter 3 verse 13. "Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him." Incidentally, it goes back to Hebrews chapter 5. "Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered." That word suffer does not necessarily mean to be in pain, but it's something that you yield to, something that you obey, something that you respect. And so, here then he suffered him--it means John, after Jesus told him, suffered it to be so, "For thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Now, after Jesus was baptized--and I can tell you why He was baptized. Mr. Scofield can't. Here's what he says. "Why One who needed no repentance should insist upon receiving a rite which signifies confession and repentance is nowhere directly explained." It's a mystery to him. Now he suggests something--they're always good at suggesting something. Something they don't see by revelation, they suggest. I don't need it. If you was dying out here and I say you're in bad shape. I don't know what to do--but I suggest. You wouldn't want no suggestion, would you? ( laughter ). He says, "It may be suggested,"--may be--"that Jesus was now to receive His anointing with the Holy Spirit unto His three-fold office of Prophet, Priest and King in the Levitical order." That's a bunch of bull. Pardon me, folks, whoever you are who hear this. I'm afraid I'm rather--somebody said rough as a cob at times. But I've got to be me. I can't be you. I'll tell you why Jesus was baptized. In the first place, John was God's representative in the earth at that time. Jesus didn't by-pass that. He respected the Father in submitting to John's baptism. And another thing, He identified Himself with His Body. He's the Head of that Body. He should be the Head of every church. I believe He is the Head of this church. Praise God! I recognize Him as the Head. Then, Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Spirit of God. Can you imagine that? You wonder sometimes about your trials. God may order it. And you need it. That's why He says over there, if need be you are in manifold temptations. God controls everything. Hallelujah! "And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread." He could have done it. "But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." You know where Jesus got that from? Jesus knew the scriptures--Deuteronomy chapter 8. "Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple." You see this was all in the spirit. It wasn't bodily. It's like Paul says. He was caught up into the third heaven. Satan knew He was weak and he could do these things at that time. He set Him up there, "And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written." Now he give Jesus the scriptures. Boy, man has got all kinds of scriptures for his excuses. Only thing is, he twists them and perverts them. So Satan says, well He's a Bible believer, I think I'll quote one on Him. He said, "It is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again." You've got to fight the devil's scripture with the scriptures and the true interpretation. "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." Doing something, just to show you can do it. Now, when you bring that box of snakes in here to be handled, there's a door out the back I'm going out. I have a little faith, but I'm not gonna handle a rattlesnake to show you how much faith I've got. -- Brother Jimmy Robbins: Amen. That's tempting God. -- Brother Thomas: Sure it is. Same thing. Alright, let's go on. So Jesus was baptized. That's where He was perfected. That's where He was complete. He never preached a sermon before then. Think about it--never preached a single sermon before then. That's where His work...He was about 30 years old at that time. Now, let me give you some other scriptures. I'm trying to complete what I started last week for the sake of people who I feel will be blessed by it. Incidentally, that message last Sunday Brother Jimmy tells me is going like hotcakes. And this one will go like hotcakes, too. Cause you don't here this kind of preaching. I'm not bragging on me. In Hebrews chapter 3 and in verse 7 through 19, I'm gonna read all this. "Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith..." That's another thing. It's not what I say, it's not what you say or what some other man says. Is the Holy Ghost saying it? Is the Holy Ghost inspiring him? Is he anointed? If it is not from God, it's nothing. That's what we've got in the world today. It's called Babylon. That's why we've got over 2,000 different groups claiming to be the church--cults, denominations, sects, what-have-you--all claiming to preach the gospel. So it's what the Holy Ghost says, not what I say. "To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.)" Now He's talking about the children of Israel when they came out of Egypt. See they wandered around there. They went right up to the very threshold of the land. They sent 12 spies over there to look it over. And they come back and said it's a wonderful land, flows with milk and honey. They brought back some of the grapes. Two men was carrying them, it was such a big bunch of grapes. But then out of the 12, 10 began to make an evil report--negative. That's sort of like a lot of people joining the church. They soon find this wrong, that wrong--the old preacher, I don't like this--old sister so-and-so, I don't like her. She's so snooty, she won't hardly speak to you. He or she thinks they're something. Same identical nature. As you study what happened out there, they murmured against Moses and Aaron. Did a lot of things. They were in rebellion. Korah and some of them, God opened up the ground and swallowed them down. You've got to realize this is what He's talking about--what happened in the wilderness. And yet, they saw God, power, demonstration of His power. They were witness to it through Moses and Aaron. In verse 10, He says, "Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways." Do you think God just wants you to come to church? If I were ask you today to quote me three scriptures, how many of you could quote them? You have to learn the Word, live by it, apply it, use it. Hallelujah! In verse 11, He says, "So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest." God's rest is something He gives. That's what the Lord said to Moses, "My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest." Peace. It's wonderful not to have to worry about your destiny, your soul--know it's taken care of. Praise God! Then in verse 12, He says, "Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God." Now, I want you to notice what causes people to depart? -- Congregation: Unbelief. -- Brother Thomas: Unbelief. Just look at some of the folks that's been among us. Oh, they've got excuses. Just about all of them can tell you what's wrong. But you know the real problem? -- Congregation: Unbelief. -- Brother Thomas: Unbelief. They didn't believe what we were preaching. They didn't believe in overlooking people's faults. I believe in overlooking faults. I don't get hung up because you have faults. Praise God! Hallelujah! That's the purpose of the ministry. If you were all perfect, I'd be out of work. ( laughter ). I wouldn't have nothing to do. I'd have to go to Acapulco or someplace. ( laughter ). -- Congregation: You've got plenty of work. -- Brother Thomas: I don't think I'm gonna run out anytime soon. But that's true. Praise God! You don't stop loving people because they're not right. You don't stop being concerned about them. I'm concerned when I'm coming down here. I try to get in touch with everybody I can. Laura there, I always think of her. I see she's here with Jeff today. I hope Jeff will keep coming, because what we have is greater than silver or gold! ( congregational amens ). It's greater than anything in this world! Praise God! But going on here, I want you to see. "But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end." Praise God, I'm holding mine. I'm steadfast. I've never stopped believing. I've never contemplated going back to the world. I've never one time said I think I'll go back to the world and see how it is out there. Praise God! I know what it's like. I'm asking for grace to overcome here, not that. Now, let's go on down here in chapter 3. I want you to notice verse 17, "But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest." Listen to this. There's a comma after rest. "But to them that" what? -- Congregation: Believed not. -- Brother Thomas: "Believed not." That's a type of salvation--that rest is. Verse 19, "So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief." That's why people join the church, especially where I'm preaching, and then they get mad and leave. They never get it. They never get what we're talking about. God never reveals it to them. And you know, God cannot reveal it to you until you reach the place where you will to do His will. ( congregational amens ). Walter and Christie it's good to see you, Bob and Jackie. These are some of our folks from up north--the cold, cold north--North Carolina and South Carolina. Do you live there? South Carolina right on? Thought you did. Well, praise God! Good to have you. Now folks are gonna be flocking in here in this meeting. Let's be praying for them that God's angel will follow them down, cause we don't want them to have a wreck or anything. Praise God, we have God with us. I'm glad God "is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them." Hallelujah! Praise God! Now, let's notice some other things. Let's go over to 1st John, chapter 2. What I'm trying to get over to you is this. One that's truly saved, born of His Spirit, by the incorruptible Word of God--that's also translated immortal Word of God--you get the Life that's in the seed. You don't plant tomatoes and get cucumbers. Now you may sow seeds of religion and get some religion. But it's got to be Christ. It's "Christ in you, the hope of glory." You don't have any hope of glory if He's not in you. Praise God! John says in verse 19--no doubt this is the same John that wrote the book of John--"They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us," listen to this, "they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us." Is that plain? Let me give you another scripture. Hebrews chapter 10, verse 38 and 39...no let's see what I've got down here. This is a good scripture. Verse 37 through 39, just the last two verses is all. "Now the just," listen to this, "Now the just shall live by faith." And that's in the Word of God. "But if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him." Now listen to the rest of this. "But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul." There's a difference, you see. Believing to the saving of the soul is one thing. Joining the church and getting religion is something else. Very few believe to the saving of the soul. That's why Paul says, "I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day." You commit it to Him. You put the keeping of your soul in the hands of God when you come to Christ, in the realization that He paid your sin debt. "It is the gift of God; not of works, let any man should boast." Hallelujah! "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." In other words, if our works are not the result of being made a new creature, skip it. Praise God! I don't serve God because I have to. I want to. I don't serve God because I'm afraid I'll lose my soul's salvation. I don't serve Him out of that at all. Don't doubt my salvation. Praise God! Never doubted it. Don't have to doubt it. It's in that hands of Him and nobody can pluck me out of His hand. He who holds the world in His hand, holds more than that. I was thinking the other day about God and how big He is. Of course, you know, I've discussed a few times this universe and how big it is. Did you know God is bigger than the universe? ( congregational amens ). That's something, isn't it? He's bigger than the universe. Praise God! That's something when you think about it. There's not a single person in this Bible, not one, that ever lost his salvation--not one. Now, I want to clear up one little thing, though. This is about Judas Iscariot. Some people may think Judas was saved and then lost. Judas was never saved. In John chapter 6, this is where Jesus had just said to those following Him, "Except ye eat my flesh and drink my blood...." 
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