Do You Believe God's Word As He Does?

Do You Believe God’s Word As He Does?

Scripture: John 1:1-5; Genesis 1:1-3; 18:9-14;

I want to say upfront that I am grieving my brother and you will hear some of that in this message. I started this message three weeks ago but it changed after my brother died. My brother Delrick had received a cancer diagnosis in July and his decline was very rapid. After he was diagnosed he made it clear to all of us that he did not want anyone moping around and being all depressed about him. He said if God healed him it meant he had more work to do. However, if God did not heal him then he would die and be forever in His presence. He made it clear he was good because, for him, both were a win/win situation. Delrick was very private in life and it made sense that he did not want a funeral, just a family and friend’s visitation and then a burial. But, surprisingly he had written something he wanted read at his burial and I want to read it to you before I go into this message because it will provide some clarity as to why this message changed upon his death. This is what he wrote:

“If you died today, do you know where you’ll spend eternity? I did. Prior to 2016, my eternity would have been in Hell. The Bible says that all liars, fornicators, adulterers, etc. will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. If I had died back in 2016, because I was doing those things and some, I would have died in my sins. True, like some of you here today, I was raised in church with the belief “once saved, always saved” however, that isn’t the case. Would you like to know where I am? I’m at home in my Father’s house. I’m in the mansion prepared for me. I’m where I want to be, safe in God’s quiet, peaceful house. I no longer suffer the pains of my earthly body. I’m in the presence of my creator. I see face to face – God. Would you like to know what I’m doing? I’m engaged in the sweet enjoyment of my redeemer. I’m singing hallelujahs to Him Who sits on the throne. Would you like to know the company I keep? It’s better than the best of earth. Here are the holy angels and the spirits of just men made perfect. I’m with my family and friends who came before me. Lastly would you like to know how long this will last? Forever and ever! You have a choice to make while you’re still breathing. Heaven or Hell.” Delrick J. Johnson

As I said, my brother was a very private person but since 2016 he would tell anyone who listened that he loved God and that they needed to be saved. Now the reason I wanted to open with what he wrote is because of what he said about once saved always saved. You see, my brother, like the rest of us, grew up in church and we were taught once saved always saved. We watched how other Christians lived with one foot in the world and one in church because they believed after they were baptized nothing they did mattered or affected their salvation. I know I am beating a dead horse with you all, but someone needs to hear this. My brother began to read the Bible for himself – separating out all the things we had been taught and just looking for God to reveal Himself through His word and God did. My brother reached his conclusion without my help. My brother told me that he chose to believe God’s word as God does – not as man does, but as God does. The title of my message this morning is, “Do You Believe God’s Word As He Does?”

When my brother decided to believe God’s word as spoken by Him without man’s interpretation and add-ons, he knew if he did not make some changes to his life he would die in his sin and go to hell – he confessed this to anyone who would listen, especially our family members who are not saved. Do you recall the message I delivered two weeks ago about our becoming watchmen after we are saved and how as a watchman we need to be sounding the alarm about the coming judgment to those who are living in sin and thinking they are saved? My brother became a watchman, especially for our family and his friends. He wanted them delivered from their sins and be saved because we do not know when we will take our last breath. I want to share a story this morning to illustrate why this is so important. I had a conversation two month ago with one of my first cousins. He is a little older than me and not in the best of health. He had recently been in the hospital extremely sick. On this occasion he actually died but they were able to revive him. My cousin, prior to this incident, professed that he was saved and that he love Jesus despite how he was living. You see, he too lived with the belief that once saved always saved. Prior to this incident he would have told you he was ready to go “whenever God called him home.” But that night in that hospital when his heart stopped and he died, he did not go where he professed that he would go upon his death – he actually went to hell. He told me he saw Satan face to face and he knew he was condemned. His brother confirmed to me that the doctors said that they had lost him. They were able to get him back and he knew that God had mercy on him one more time and he was trying to do better. We are living in the days when we must stop trying and start doing! He lived his life believing once saved always saved and yet when he died he went to hell. I know some of you might be thinking he wasn’t really saved and you would be correct. But that’s not the problem. The problem is that he sincerely believed that he was saved until God showed him that he was not. How many people do we know that are in the same situation?