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Transcript of message from TV Broadcast 463 -- 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 26 through 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. I'd say this, the real problem is they're spoiled. I don't want to say none of them are saved. I can't say that among any group but I'll tell you this, many of them are going to be saved in spite of the doctrines they've been taught. It won't be because of it. And the only thing I know of in the world that will establish you and strengthen you and anchor you is the Word of God, insomuch that Jesus said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God." That's what we live by. That is our life. It's "life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh." 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. I don't doubt my salvation. Praise God! I've never doubted it. I don't have to doubt it. It's in the hands of Him and nobody can pluck me out of His hands. ( congregational praise ). He holds the world in His hand and He holds more than that. I was thinking the other day about God, how big He is. You know I've discussed a few times this universe and how big it is. Did you know God's bigger than the universe? 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. ( congregational amens ). Not one. Now I want to clear up one little thing about Judas Iscariot. Some people may think that Judas was saved, then lost. Judas was never saved. In John chapter six, this is where He had just said to those following Him, "Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you." That's in verse along 55, somewhere there, through 56. But I want you to come on down to verse 60. "Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?" And then He comes back to the subject that they were interested in. He said, "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. Then he says in verse 64, "But there are some of you that believe not." That's the problem. Just joining the church or going along with it don't mean a thing. "But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him." See that? "And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father." That's another thing. That fits right in with the 44th verse where Jesus said, "No man can come to me, except the Father which has sent me draw him." I'll tell you what's happening. They're getting people into religion that's not being drawn by the Holy Ghost. And, "God is a spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." And whenever people try to come to the Lord without being drawn, you're not doing them any good. That's no more than joining the Kiwanis club or something else. "From that time," verse 66, "many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him." They didn't believe. They didn't see Him. They didn't see who He was. "Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will you also go away?" And this is a good thing here. "Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life." I believe it should be that way today. I believe this, when people really come in here and hear the word of God and fellowship and be among you, if God is there, I believe they'll say just what Peter did. Where we gonna go? You've got the words of eternal life. Do you believe that? ( congregational amens ). Amen. Amen. And of course Peter went on to say, "And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve." Judas was never saved. He never believed. That's why he could betray the Son of man. And that's also why people, a few, stay a long time under our ministry and yet when they leave they can turn and fight you. --Brother Jimmy Robbins: They weren't right. --Brother Thomas: No, they weren't right. Of course they weren't right, not at all. I'll tell you what, I want to give you a scripture now. I don't know that I've ever shared this with you. It's in Hebrews chapter 6. If you can lose your salvation--let me say this--which you can't, but I'll just pose that question because I want to give you a scripture. If you can lose your salvation, you can never be saved again and the people who believe that doctrine are saved over and over again. They're saved and they're backslidden and they're saved again. That's what they think. You see here, we have to understand most people go places and God's not there, the Word's not there, the Spirit of God's not there. They can go any time they want to. It don't make no difference but I'm talking about where people are really exposed to where Christ is at, the one who said, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." He's in our midst. Hallelujah! Let me say this once again. If you can lose your salvation, I say that you could never be saved again. Turn with us to Hebrews 6. "Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection." Once again, let me say this. These words, beliefs or perfect in this book of Hebrews all mean the same thing in the Greek. It means complete. "Not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgement. And this will we do, if God permit." Now I want you to notice verse four especially, "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost...." That don't mean you've received it but you've experienced being among those that have it. That means you've tasted the good Word of God. You may have went along with kind of a positive attitude for a while. It just took certain things to happen. Then you left. It's impossible he says, "for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to came, If they shall fall away," watch this, "to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame." Now if a contention is that you can lose your salvation, and then get it back, lose it and get it back, what about this scripture here? --Brother Jimmy Robbins: Can't never get it back if that's the case. --Brother Thomas: If that's the case, you could never get it back. Then he says, verse 7, "For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God." Now you see, he's using that as kind of a imagery, "earth drinking the rain that comes upon it." That earth can also produce good things that you can eat but it also will grow briers and thorns. "But that which beareth thorns and briers if rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned." That's talking about people. It ain't talking about thorns and briers, it's talking about people. It's talking about people who in spite of their exposure to the good things of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ, his people and the Spirit of God in his people, or in a preacher that's preaching with the anointing, that reject that and go out and still live their life. God says it. I don't say it. "It's impossible to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame." What it's saying there, when you reject the gospel, when you're fully exposed to a gospel that God has inspired and God has given you and brought you by his divine sovereignty to hear and to be a part of, and then you reject it, it's impossible. There's no place else to go. It's like Peter said there in John chapter 6, "Lord to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life." Praise God! I'll tell you, you've got a type of this there in the Old Testament when they come out of Egypt. I mentioned this previously. They went up to the very threshold of the land. They went in and got the fruit of it and brought it out but they fell back. Two of them said if God's for us we be well able to take it. And you'll be well able if God's calling you. And they fell back and they listened to the ten more than they did to the two. I believe it was Joshua and Caleb. But nevertheless, they wandered in those wilderness 40 years. Their carcasses fell in that wilderness. And you will die in your sins if you reject this gospel. I didn't say that, God says it. He knows whether you're going to reject it or not. Hallelujah! That's why, coming on down now, in chapter 4 of Hebrews the writer of this book said, "Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into rest," this is salvation rest, "any of you should seem..." to get and lose it. Is that what it says? --Brother Jimmy Robbins: "Come short of it." Never did get it in the first place. --Brother Thomas: That's exactly right. You see, this whole book, you've got to see it. God woke me up yesterday morning, way before daylight, quickening this. This book was written to Jewish professors of Christianity. Of course the writer, I believe, is Paul. He's trying to get them to see that there's no other way. If they're gonna come to Christ they have to come to Christ. He's the Lord. He's sent of God. He's the Savior. He died for your sins. There is none other. You couldn't go back to all that stuff they did there under the law. Hallelujah! "Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them," listen to this, "did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it." What I preach will not profit you one cent if you don't believe it. I don't mean just with your head, believe with your heart. ( congregational amens ). You'll die in your sins and yet, God knows that too. I said this the other day and I want to repeat it. You know, I didn't understand a lot of these things when I was converted. That's why God had to get me outside the camp where He could teach me. But we're sinners like a man coming up to the door of the kingdom and written across the door says, "Whosoever believeth." He said, well, praise God, that's me. He walks through and turns around and he looks up over the door on the inside of the kingdom and there he discovers, "Chosen in him from the foundation of the world." Praise God! We're not doing anything that surprises God. ( congregational amens ). Hallelujah! Now I do want to elaborate on some other things. In Colossians chapter 2 verses 8 through 10, this is Paul. He says, "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world and not after Christ." Now listen to this. "For in him," that's Christ, "dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete..." if you hold out faithful till the end. That ain't what it says? "And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power." Everything that God has and is He's put in the hands of His Son, Christ. He even created this world. He created the universe. All things were made by Him and for Him. Praise God! And He can give life to those who trust Him. But I want to go back to that word spoiled. Let's consider it just a little bit. "Beware, lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of this world, and not after Christ." Lot of spoiled people today claiming to be Christians. I would say maybe some of them are. I love to give people the benefit of the doubt. However, if they're not born again they're still in their sins. I don't care if they belong to 50 churches. It don't make a bit of difference. For instance now, how could they be spoiled? They can be spoiled by teaching this rotten doctrine that salvation is not eternal. I don't see how they ever come to faith. When a person believes he's got to do certain things to be saved and do certain things to keep it, right then you get him started out the wrong way. That spoils him. Praise God! We've got an eternal God. We've got an eternal Savior. ( congregational praise ). And God does not give any kind of life except eternal life. ( congregational praise ). You may be disturbed. You may be upset. A lot of things that happen to you will stop short of that rest. When He comes in there is a great rest. It's peace like a river. I experienced it. I know it. It's good. It's wonderful. Nothing will take the place of it. Praise God! Let me show you that that word spoiled in the Greek means taken captive. It's like the spoils of war. It means someone who's taken captive during the war, like the little maid that waited upon Naaman's wife. She'd been carried over there during a war. And she waited on Naaman's wife. She's the one who spoke up about the prophet back in Judah. This is a different kind of captivity. In some way it spoils you. It's possible I believe for some of these people to be saved. For instance now, some people believe in this, especially our Pentecostal brethren. They believe you get saved. Then you're supposed to get another experience which is sanctification. Then you get another experience on down the line which is the baptism of the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in other tongues. And they work to get you into all these experiences. However, they don't agree themselves. 'Cause there's one of them, they believe you just have two, salvation and then baptism. They leave out that sanctification. Then we've got some more that believes in that second one, sanctification and don't believe in the other. So it's a Babylon. It's confusion. Just nothing but confusion. I'm glad we're complete in Him. ( congregational praise ). Hallelujah! I'm glad that He has made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. Everything you need is in Christ Jesus. ( congregational praise ). You are complete in Him. Mind you, I want to reiterate, if you're in Him you have His righteousness. How righteous are you before God? As righteous as Jesus is. 
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