A Saved Person

Matthew 16:24
... Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone wants to follow me, he must deny himself, pick up his cross, and follow me continually.

If you want to know what it means to be "saved" it means someone who finishes what they started. Being "saved" is not some 5-15 second teary eyed event on one day of your life. To be saved is to FOLLOW THE LORD CONTINUALLY. See the difference? One event is a one day event, the other event is an every day event. Huge difference wouldn't you say?

What's another way to say "follow me continually?" ABIDE IN ME:

John 15:1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. 9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. 10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. 11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

Matt 3:10 The ax already lies against the roots of the trees. So every tree that isn’t producing good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. (SPEAKING TO RELIGIOUS LEADERS...)

1 John 2:24... What you have heard from the beginning must abide in you.

Did you read that one carefully? See that word MUST in there? What does the word MUST mean? Do we really need theological degrees to figure this out? Do we need to argue endlessly over what the word MUST means? When you are told that you MUST do something and you don't do it, what happens...............?

Psalm 91:1 ... He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

1 John 4:13
... This is how we know that we abide in him and he in us: he has given us his Spirit.

Abide: 1: to wait for : await 2 a: to endure without yielding

You see what "abide" means? Its NOT a one day event. Its an every day event. It means to wait for, to endure without yielding. So what happens when you do NOT endure and you do yield? Then you are no longer abiding. Go re-read John 15 for what happens to those who no longer abide in Christ.

It has been written here this week that the "once saved always saved" doctrine is a doctrine of devils. It is a license to sin based around Satan's intimate knowledge of human nature. Present humans with a seemingly "win/win" situation and they'll bite almost every time. OSAS tells you that you can sin all you want to and still be saved. Enjoy the sin today, enjoy heaven tomorrow with a few less rewards. Jesus might be upset but he'll understand and forgive you so what's to worry about? That's it in a nutshell.

When I wrote about "OSAS" earlier this week I bypassed a hammer meets the head of the nail statement from the Lord himself about this doctrine of devils. Read this:

Jude 1:4 For some people have slipped in among you unnoticed. They were written about long ago as being deserving of this condemnation because they are ungodly. They turn the grace of our God into uncontrollable lust and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus the Messiah.

Think long and hard about what the Lord says to us there. They turn the grace of our God into uncontrollable lust. That's another way of saying with their doctrine they hand you a license to sin. If I'm wrong, then you tell me what the Lord is referencing here when he says some people who slipped in unnoticed have turned the grace of God into uncontrollable lust? I know..I know...you can't be sure what he's talking about but its definitely NOT what you or your "church" are doing right? It's always somebody else, some other place, some other church..never yours.

Well, the Lord is speaking to somebody there in Jude 1:4. Unfortunately for most people today, they'll do what they always do and blow off the Lord's warning as something that might give them a "spirit of fear" and go on living a lie instead. We are told in Matt 7:14 that only a few will make it into heaven, but MOST people think they will make it in. See a problem with that? In Matt 7:21 we see MANY churchpeople (they call Jesus "Lord") turned away from the Lord yet the MANY in todays "christianity" think there is no problem with what they or their "pastor" are doing. See a discrepancy in there anywhere?

The Lord loves His creation and because he loves it, he gives us both his rewards and his warnings laid out clearly for all to see. Todays religious systems seem to have an eye only for the rewards with a complete disregard for any and all warnings. I understand this since if the "pastor" says anything that might give someone a "spirit of fear" then attendance goes down, which means $$$$$ goes down which means the warnings of God are not allowed in the door. So we get what we have today which is a false gospel stripped of any and all warnings, candy coated and buffed to a high sheen for consumption by the masses.

WATCHMEN

The so called "watchmen" in todays world are so busy with what Satan is doing they have no time to focus on the Lord, his Word, what HE is doing today. The Lord tells us clearly what "watching" according to the Lord is, but who is listening?

1 Peter 4:7 ... But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.

Mark 13:33
... Take care, keep watch with prayer: for you are not certain when the time will be

Did you read that? WATCH WITH PRAYER. How do we watch? WITH PRAYER. Who is the focus? JESUS IS. There's a whole slew of "christian watchmen" who seem to be experts of current events and satanism/witchcraft 101 who are absolutely novices in the Lord. Do you think the Lord is pleased with this?

We watch with prayer. Is there anything wrong with watching current events? No, we can see bible prophesy unfolding all around us in the events of the day however.....PRAYER, THE LORD is the primary focus. Anything that distracts us from him first, first love (rev 2), seeking first the kingdom of God, it doesn't matter what it is, if its jockeying for first place in your heart mind and spirit then it needs an immediate downgrade. Jesus comes first and he will not tolerate second place. He is God Almighty, why should he have to accept anything but 1st place with us?

If we put first things first, everything else will take care of itself. He is first. grace and peace