Abundant Entrance or Scarcely Saved? - Frank Brancato

An abundant entrance or scarcely saved.

And the reason for this is often times, people look at these

passages of scripture and think that they're really contrary to

each other. Now just a little background

over the years, it's been several years.

I've actually dealt with both of these passages separately but

for a long time now I wanted to have a sermon that dealt with

both of them and find out exactly what Peter divinely

inspired by the Holy Spirit. It was saying in each one of

them. The first passage we want to

notice the second Peter chapter 1 and verse 11, where Peter says

2 Peter 1 · chapter mention

for. So an entrance will be supplied

to you abundantly into the Everlasting Kingdom of our Lord

and Savior. Jesus Christ, I really don't

know of a more encouraging passage.

As we look to the trials of our life and understand that Peter

is saying that the child of God, one day is going to have An

abundant entrance into the Everlasting Kingdom.

But then again, what about this passage?

What about First Peter chapter 4 and verse 18 where Peter said

1 Peter 4 · chapter mention

now if the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the

ungodly and The Sinner appear? I got to tell you what I've

always heard in my life among some.

And even as a little boy, I remember this.

Somebody one time interpreted this passage from the pulpit

like this and said the righteous.

That's the Christian that's true.

The righteous is going to barely make it in other words, you

remember what Jesus said? And few there be that find it.

So sometimes people look at that passage and they say this is

what it means. If the righteous is barely going

to make it another words, just a few of us are going to get in

Then The Sinner and the ungodly have absolutely no hope at all.

But is that what he's talking about?

And is that what scarcely means are both of these talking about

the same event, or is one of them talking about something

else will notice that in detail as we move along.

But first of all, let's notice from 2nd Peter chapter 1 verses

5 through 7. This is just before that passage

in our text Peter said. But also for this reason, giving

all diligence add to your faith virtue, and to Virtue knowledge,

and to knowledge self-control to self-control perseverance to

perseverance, godliness to Godliness, brotherly, kindness

and to brotherly, kindness love. You know we look at these

Christian Graces or these Christian virtues.

This is very important because understanding these helps us to

understand what Peter said directly out after that.

And by the way if you're looking for a passage of scripture that

will help you practically live a Christian Life, it is right

here. If you want to know what the

Lord wants from your life, in terms of your growth, it's found

right here from verses 5 to 7. Let's talk about them very

briefly, we've done. This in the past.

So very briefly at this time. Here they are.

He said, add to your faith virtue and virtue.

Literally means, moral excellence.

In other words, what you're doing is you are making

excellent, the quality of your spiritual life, you are changing

yourself. You're not going to follow the

ways of the world. And by the way, the Greek word

that comes up with that word Virtue is very, it's not very

common in the Bible, but it's very common in in secular Greek.

And it literally means to perform heroic Deeds.

It means to do things that are excellent.

What does Peter say add to your faith?

When you're baptized for the remission of your sins and moral

Excellence, it has to be based on something, though, and that

is knowledge, that word knowledge means correct in

sight. That means that you understand

the word of God in the proper manner.

And you properly apply it in your life, too.

This is a perfect understanding. If you look at the very

definition of knowledge, that would shoot down, any theory in

the world where people would say, well, what's true for you

is true for you and what's true for me is true for me, this is

knowledge of the word of God. It's correct in sight of it.

So I need to pursue, moral Excellence based on proper

knowledge. You know what that's going to

do. That's going to give me the

strength to have self-control. Everybody needs self-control.

It literally means to hold yourself in.

Have you ever been angry? I don't know what your

weaknesses are, but if you have an angry and you didn't hold

yourself in and you didn't demonstrate self-control and

maybe you said something or did something that you shouldn't

have because you were angry. If we pursue this, notice based

on proper knowledge, we're going to have the strength to have

holding oneself in then, perseverance.

It leads to endurance and that means literally to endure or do

what's, right? It'll be based on godliness

which is reverence, it's having a practical awareness of God.

In every aspect of your life that will be Demonstrated and

brotherly kindness which is brotherly, affection, and the

ultimate is agape self-sacrificing.

Love Okay, I was very brief about that.

Be very brief about this too. Have you ever stopped to

consider? This is not just a one-time

thing and it doesn't just go in One Direction.

Notice how it goes the other way too.

And this is very important in the context of what we're

studying, if I have the proper agape love in my life, it will

demonstrate itself in brotherly kindness.

It'll be based upon having a practical awareness of God.

In every aspect of my life. It will do.

What? It'll give me the courage to

persevere with endurance to do, what's right?

I will have the strength to hold.

Hold myself in and have self control.

It'll be based on proper knowledge.

Correct, inside of the word of God, as I pursue, moral

excellence in my life. Very very practical things.

All right, all that being said as we keep it in context, we go

to the next two verses. This is what Peter said.

If you'd if these things are yours and abound What.

Thanks. Those things.

If these things are yours and abound, you will be neither be

Barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord, Jesus

Christ for He Who lacks these things and short-sighted even to

blindness and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old

sins, then in verse 10 for if you do these things, you will

never stumble. That's the new King James.

The King James says, you will never fall.

Did you hear that? You will never Fall.

Now, this doesn't mean you will never sin, everybody sins.

We have an advocate with the father.

Jesus Christ, the righteous. If a man says he has no sin, the

Bible says he's a liar and the truth is not in him.

So we all have sinned. It doesn't mean you'll never

make a mistake. It means you will never fall.

Notice you will never stumble. In fact, Barn says, what this

means is you will never stumble. Meaning you shall surely be

saved. So if we continue to grow in the

knowledge of Christ, adding these virtues to our lives, then

we have God's promise, we will never fall and this is one way

we can know that we have eternal life.

I love this. Passage is so encouraging.

And first, John chapter 5 and verse 13.

John 5 · chapter mention

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.

Okay. Sometimes, you know things

because Cuz that's just your perception.

Sometimes I might say that. I know something but it's just

my perception. The problem is perception, can

be mistaken or perception? Can be wrong.

The word no here in this passage is found 13 times in the Epistle

of First, John. And it literally means this, it

means to know for certain in the here.

And now, what's that mean, does that mean that you can know

you're saved? Yes, that means that you can

know that you are saved. Does that mean that when I go to

bed tonight and I ask God to clear my slate and forgive me

for anything. Perhaps then I have done said or

thought or left undone and ask God to forgive me of those.

James. Does that mean that I have

confidence When I close my eyes? That if the Lord comes back?

While I'm asleep, I get to go to heaven.

Yes, that's exactly what that means.

There's a difference though between assurance and arrogance

and there's a difference between confidence and can seat.

You can have confidence got to make a point though about being

saved. You know, the Bible talks about

we are saved by grace as true. It doesn't contradict anything

that we're saying here, we are saved by grace.

Absolutely. And what that means is, I could

never deserve it or earn it. In fact, the Bible says that if

I do all that is commanded a required of me.

What am I? I am still deemed an

unprofitable servant saved by grace.

Let's understand what unprofitable servant literally

means it be like this. It'd be like, if I, for example,

hired Chris as a painter and I said Chris I'm going to pay you

ten dollars an hour and I go to work for Jack holiday and I

contract out Chris's Services. I'm going to pay Christian but I

said kill Jack holiday, I'm going to charge you $30 an hour.

Chris Osborn has just become a profitable servant to me.

In other words, he is doing more for me than I'm doing for him.

So what that means is when you talk about being a child of God,

there's no way in the world that I could ever do more for Jesus

than he's done for me, I cannot be of more value to Jesus than

he is to me. Because, without Jesus, I am

lost. That's what that means.

So, what it's saying is we're still not going to deserve it

but we've obey the word of God. And when we do, we need to

understand. We're still an unprofitable

servant saved by grace. But this word no means to know

for sure. Certain that we have eternal

life. All right.

We can believe in the in that very fact.

Now, don't misunderstand me, please.

Please hear what I'm saying? we don't believe and preached a

doctrine of once saved, always saved because that's

unscriptural, Because a man can fall from grace and be lost.

So a man can fall anybody can fall and be lost.

I'm not preaching a doctrine of once saved always saved, but

let's be very careful not to also of the flip side of that

preacher doctrine of once saved and forever lost.

You can know you have eternal life now there are conditions in

1st. John Chapter 2, there are

John 2 · chapter mention

conditions and we're going to sum it up in a general passage

Now by this, we know that we know him.

Now this word no is the same word right there.

It means to know for certain. So what John is saying is by

this, we can know for certain that we know meaning we have a

relationship with how many people in the world would love

to have a Relationship with God. How many people in the world?

Think they have a relationship with God?

But John said there's a condition.

He said this we may know for certain that we have a

relationship with God if we keep his Commandments.

He who says I know him and does not keep his Commandments is a

liar and the truth is not in him but whoever keeps his word.

Truly, the love of God is perfected in him by this.

We know that we are in him. The love of God is perfected in

him. Hold that thought for just a

minute. I'm going to get to that phrase

in just a second, but first of all, two things, keeping his

Commandments is the same thing as keeping his word and keeping

his word is the same thing as keeping his Commandments.

Do you know why God's word is in his Commandments and God's

Commandments is in his word? That's the condition.

God commands are expressed in his word.

This is a Perpetual action, but what about this phrase right

here? The love of God is perfected in

him. Now, you can read various

Scholars, I have on this very sentence and sometimes they are

at odds with one another as to what he's talking about.

For example, is this saying, is this God's love for man?

Or is this man's love for god? Well, let's notice what it says,

but whoever Keeps his word. Truly, the love of God is

perfected in him? Is that God's love for man?

Well, let's take a look at it in John.

John 3 · chapter mention

Chapter 3 and verse 16. The Bible says that God.

So loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that

whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have

everlasting life. When did God loved us?

When we were yet? Sinners, and when we were yet,

sinners Christ died for us, okay?

So it cannot mean that my obedience to God perfects God's

love for me. It has to mean my love for God

has to In fact, by the way, this is actually better rendered.

The love for God is perfected in him.

When you keep his Commandments, your love for God.

Is perfected in you. It's Proof of Your Love and the

word perfected, their, by the way, means to be fully developed

fully developed. Talk about love for just a

minute. You know, love is a greater

motivator than fear, don't, you think?

All the years of coaching, I've known a lot of coaches that were

loud. And over the years, I got less

and less loud. And sometimes coaches,

especially Old School coaches, they coached where the

motivating factor was driven by fear.

In other words, make the player afraid of you and therefore,

he'll perform. All that does is make the player

play. Tight uptight tense nervous.

And, by the way, you will do greater things out of love than

you will ever do out of fear. Absolutely.

I believe that I believe that you will get more out of a

person when they do it out of love and respect, then if

they're afraid of you and that's what the Bible is talking about

here we get to the point in our Christian growth, our Christian

Life, where we've grown in Christ and guess what?

Now everything we do is motivated and driven by our love

for God, we're going to do greater things.

Now, I will say this, when you obey the gospel, you hear the

gospel preached and you realize I'm in a lost condition, aren't

you a little bit afraid of that? Because you won't be lost, sure,

but as you grow in Christ, love starts taking over.

Love Takes Over fear, love is the motivating factor and by the

way when you do that, it is perfected in you.

It is fully developed. Now, when you do all of that,

let's go back to Second Peter 1 and 11.

I love this for. So an entrance will be supplied.

Lied to you abundantly into the Everlasting Kingdom of our Lord

and Savior. Jesus Christ, let me just ask

you something really quickly. Does that right there?

Look like just barely squeak in. Does that look like barely make

it to you? Don't you see here?

The entrance is supplied abundantly into the Everlasting

Kingdom. In other words, we Supply the

virtues abundantly and God supplies the entrance in the

same way. When these things are bound, by

the way, a bound means exist in large, quantities or large

amounts. Abundantly is Extreme

quantities. So, our part is large amounts of

obedience. God's part is large amounts of

entrance into the Everlasting Kingdom, okay?

You might be wondering if there's a lot of

misunderstandings today about things that Daniel spoke of

Chris preached on Daniel not long ago.

I just want to notice one passage because I want to

notice. What is this?

Everlasting Kingdom? What is the connection with that

to Daniel chapter 2? In Daniel chapter 2 and verse

Daniel 2 · chapter mention Daniel 2 · chapter mention

44. And in the days of these Kings,

the god of heaven will set up. A kingdom that's the church

which shall never be destroyed. And the kingdom, that's the

church. Shall not be left to other

people. It shall break into pieces and

consume all these kingdoms and get this and it shall stand

forever. The Everlasting Kingdom of

second. Peter 1, in 11 refers to the end

of the world. When the kingdom in Daniel 2:44,

Daniel 2:44

the church will be delivered back again to the father.

Now, Daniel foretold of a time of an indestructible Kingdom

established on earth, that is the church.

The kingdom is indestructible, it will always exist, it will

continue to exist and it's what Jesus Will.

Dover to his father, it will abide forever.

You know, I find some really encouraging things about this.

Don't ever think. For one minute that the church

is going anywhere. It's not.

Now, I know that sometimes members of the church they fall

by the wayside, they fall away, maybe they turn their back on

what's right? But the church itself, the

church as a whole that is the kingdom that Daniel prophesied

about and that's what will be handed over to the father.

In the end, the church is going nowhere.

It is indestructible, it will last forever and that's why

Peter calls it. An everlasting Kingdom.

This is hard times. You may remember this, some of

the older folks might remember times in life when things were

really bad and sometimes we that are younger.

We think we understand things that are bad.

We don't have a clue not in this country.

We don't even have a clue. We don't know what a hard time

is not really. And even the older folks that

might remember a time back in the depression or back in other

periods of time and there were persecution.

There was things that went on those hard times and the church

always what? It always grew.

Have you ever considered that every time, there's hard times,

the church grew in history, you know why?

It's not going anywhere and it doesn't matter what a man thinks

he can do. He can't destroy it.

Cannot cannot it will last forever.

Okay? So what happened between Daniels

prophecy and what Peter said when he said about the

Everlasting Kingdom, abundant entrance?

Let me notice five quick things. First of all, number one, Jojo

and Isaiah all prophesied about the establishment of the

Kingdom. As the church, many years later,

John, the Baptist. What did he say?

The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand and that phrase at hand,

literally means close enough that you can touch it, it can be

perceived by the senses. It's that close.

Then what happened? Here comes, Jesus, Jesus comes

on the scene. He also says the Kingdom of

Heaven is at hand close enough to touch it, but Jesus, add some

things too. Jesus, then says, some of you

will still be living when you see the kingdom of God, come

with power. It's going to come in their

lifetime long long time ago. What else, Acts chapter 2, the

Acts 2 · chapter mention

very first gospel sermon was being preached to those that now

had an opportunity to respond to it.

And they were offered the gospel.

They were offered the Plan of Salvation.

They were baptized for the remission of their sins.

Three thousand Souls were saved and Jesus added them daily to

the kingdom or the church. And finally, from Acts chapter 2

Acts 2 · chapter mention

on this Kingdom folks. Don't let people think there's a

kingdom coming. The kingdom is always spoken of

as already in existence. So the point for us is this to

be in the Everlasting Kingdom that we've talked about, you got

to be in the Kingdom or the church today in this life, the

kingdom will be delivered back over to the father.

When he comes in first Corinthians, 15 and 24, notice

then comes the end when he delivers the kingdom, that's the

church to God the father, when he puts an end to all Rule and

all authority and Power, so, An abundant entrance Everlasting.

And you know why it's Everlasting?

It's Everlasting because it's eternal You know, God gave us

the concept of time. But God doesn't care about time.

God is not concerned about time, he gave time for us.

He wants us to redeem the time. He wants us to make good use of

the time. But time is something for us.

It's not for God. God does not deal with time and

care about time, but when you talk about Everlasting, you are

talking about something that is eternal, you're talking about

something you cannot count. I cannot count.

And you know why it's Everlasting.

Here it is. Those that are saved forever in.

Eternity, will have no worries at all.

When that be great, wouldn't it be great to finally not have a

worry or a care in the world? Think about all the stress, you

might have. And all the worry.

You have get this. If you make Heaven, you were

going to be saved and you will have no worries.

But on the other hand, those that are lost, will have no hope

for all eternity. So that is the phrase abundant

entrance into the Everlasting Kingdom.

So what does the phrase mean scarcely saved?

What's that mean? Well, first of all, it does

scarcely. Saved mean is it referring to

the end of time? When it says, if the righteous

scarcely be saved, where shall The Sinner and the ungodly

appears that the end of time? No, no, it is not.

It's referring to something else.

First Peter chapter 4 beginning in verse 17, please notice the

1 Peter 4 · chapter mention

context and stay with the flow here for the time.

Has come for judgment to begin at the house of God.

And if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those

who do not obey the gospel of God.

Now, if the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the

ungodly and The Sinner? Appear.

Now Peter is talking about. He is writing this letter in

about ad, 65 or possibly ad 66. He is writing about an event

that's about to happen in ad 70. They were understanding the fact

that they were under great persecution.

He's writing this letter about 80-65 about something that's

going to happen in ad 70. What's the event in the event?

Is the destruction of Of Jerusalem.

That's the event. The destruction of Jerusalem.

Now, Jesus spoke of this event, too.

In Matthew chapter 24, notice this is Jesus predicting the

Matthew 24 · chapter mention

destruction of the temple and beginning in verse 1, verses 1

and 2. Then Jesus went out and departed

from the temple and his disciples came up to show him

the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, do you

not see all these things? Assuredly I say to you.

Not one stone shall be left here upon another.

That shall not be thrown. Rome down.

Now, here comes verse number 3, and verse number 3 is their

response. To what.

Jesus just said in verses 1 and 2, very important to stay with

the context very important. So here comes verse 3, this is

so misunderstood in the religious World, here it is.

Now, as he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to

him privately, saying, tell us when these things be Be what's

these things? Those things?

Those things. What shall these things be when

is it going to happen and what will be the sign of your coming

and the End of the Age? Incidentally the King James says

the end of the world so people say oh what's the sign of the

end of the world? Know that word is better.

Rendered age notice they asked three questions.

Please get this. This is not two events.

They're not asking questions about two events.

They're asking questions about one event.

What's the event? What Jesus just said in verses 1

and 2? They asked the following

questions about that one event. Tell us when these things be,

what things, what he just said, in verse 1 and 2.

What else? And what will be the sign of

your coming? That is a phrase often times

used in the Bible, referring to judgment.

Or Vengeance. What's he talking about?

What Vengeance, what judgment, what?

He said in verses 1 and 2? Talking about the destruction of

Jerusalem and the third question, what's going to be the

end of the age? Tell us those things, three

questions. One event.

Now Jesus gave the following. He gave five remote signs.

And he gave one immediate sign to remember this to all those

that want to apply these words to the end of time, show us the

end of time and all of that Jesus gave five remote signs and

one immediate sign to the event that they were inquiring about.

And that is the destruction of Jerusalem, okay?

Here's number one, here's number one.

There were going to be false Christ's In Matthew 24, verses 4

Matthew 24:4

and 5. And Jesus answered and said to

them, take heed that no one deceives you for many will come

in. My name, saying I am the Christ

and will deceive many, that's the first sign it's going to

happen. Jesus said that's a remote sign,

okay? Here's another one.

It's going to be worse. You know.

People do all. Look look the wars.

It's going to happen and of times coming that way song about

Matthew 24, verse 6 and you will hear of wars and rumors of wars.

Matthew 24:6

See that you are not troubled for all these things must come

to pass, but At the end is not yet.

Here's another one. How about this famines famines

for it's in verses 7 and 8 for nation will rise against nation

and Kingdom against Kingdom and there will be famines

pestilences and earthquakes in various places.

Get this. And all these are the beginning

of Sorrows. What else?

How about Affliction, verses 9, and 10.

Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you.

And you will be hated by All Nations for my name's sake.

And then many will be offended will betray one another and will

hate one another. Again these were remote signs

but then there's another one. There's another one.

And by the way, this one makes it absolutely proof positive

that it's referring to something that happened in the first

century and is not going to be something's going to happen

later on. This is it?

You know, what is divine inspiration?

How do I know that Mark's account Mark 13 and 11?

But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry

beforehand or premeditate what you will speak.

But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that for it is

not you who speak but the Holy Spirit.

Here's another one in Luke 21, 14 and 15.

Therefore settle it in your heart's, not to meditate

beforehand on what you will answer for.

I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your

adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist all of this

happened. Obviously, in the first century

in addition, in addition before Jerusalem fell The gospel was

preached to all the world. He considered that before

Jerusalem fell and AD 70. The gospel was preached to the

whole world, Matthew 24:14 and the gospel of the Kingdom will

Matthew 24:14

be preached in all the world as a witness to All Nations and

then the end will come Well the end is the destruction of

Jerusalem. These were the remote signs.

What about the immediate sign? I love this.

And by the way, just watch from now on through the rest of the

lesson. Watch the handiwork of God

because I believe that none of these things were possible

without God. He gave him five remotes.

I he always telling them you're going to be persecuted, you can

have some hard times going to happen and even God's people are

going to be persecuted. But here are the remote signs.

And when you see these remote signs understand they are a sign

of that day but the end is not near now.

He's going to give an immediate son.

How we going to know Lord. How are we going to know when

it's actually going to come? Here is the immediate sign.

Matthew, 24:15, I love this. Therefore, when you see the

abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel, the Prophet

standing in the Holy place, this right here means standing in

Jerusalem, Holy place, there is a phraseology referring to

Jerusalem. What he saying is when you see

the abomination of desolation, spoken of by, Daniel the Prophet

standing in Jerusalem, He told him to flee.

He told him to flee. Look at Luke's account.

Luke 21. Look at this. but when you see

Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know it's the Desolation,

it's desolation is near then let those that are in Judea flee

where to the mountains Let those who are in the midst of her

depart and let those who are in the country in her.

For these are the days of Vengeance that all things which

are written. May be fulfilled.

That's the immediate sign. He said when you see the armies

coming, Get out. And flee.

And by the way, misunderstanding, this passage

and trying to make it to the end of time, is the reason that

sometimes people in the religious world have sold their

possessions. Oh, IMA.

Look around, is kind of bad going on.

Bad stuff going on today. Bad stuff going on today.

I'm so my position. Lord must be come back.

There's Wars and famines and pestilence that and go stand on

a Mountaintop only to have to walk back down.

You know why? Because they try to make that

passage mean the end of time. They try to make the end of time

something that you can attach signs to, that's not what the

Bible says. In fact, the Bible says nobody

knows when that day is going to be except the father only.

So when the Lord comes back, we don't see signs.

We have something else. Bible says, it's like a thief in

the night. Unannounced.

But the signs here were regarding the destruction of

Jerusalem. Jesus said these words and Luke

21 and a t-33. Okay.

Now fast forward in your mind. 80-65, Five years before the

ultimate destruction. And persecution is on Peters

mind. His pain is Guided by the Holy

Spirit and he spreads ink on parchment and this is what he

says, stay in the context with me. 1st Peter, 4:12 through 16

Beloved. Do not think it strange

concerning the fiery trial which is to try you as though some

strange thing happened to you. But Rejoice to the extent that

you are partakers of Christ's sufferings and when his glory is

revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding Joy, if you are

reproached for the name of Christ.

Blessed, are you for the spirit of glory?

And of God rests upon you on their part.

He has blasphemed, but on your part he is glorified but let

none of you suffer. Suffer as a murderer, as a

thief, and the evil doer, or as a busybody in other men's

matters, yet, if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be

ashamed but let him glorify God. In this matter, he said all that

and here's our text, he said all that and here's our text

persecution was on his mind 80-65 and then he said this For

the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God.

And if it begins with us first, then we'll be the end of those

things who do not obey the gospel, and then there's this.

Now, if the righteous one is scarcely saved, where shall the

ungodly and The Sinner appear? That's the context.

Watch this though, this right here.

Does not mean barely and a few of us that is a

misinterpretation of the word scarcely.

Scarcely means with difficulty, that's what that means.

What he's saying is, if the Christians in that time and AD

70 are going to with difficulty be spared and not go down to the

destruction of Jerusalem. Where's that going to leave the

ungodly? And where's that going to leave

the center? If the righteous one is

scarcely. Safe.

James McKnight says it like this.

When God best punishes the nation, if the righteous Jews,

who believe in Christ, that's Christians with difficulty.

Can be saved from the destruction of Jerusalem.

Where will the ungodly and the sinful part of the nation show

themselves saved from divine. Vengeance.

Some of you have heard me say. as we wrap up our lesson, Of

what happened? And I, again this has to be the

hand of God. This is amazing.

Josephus records and he was there.

Josephus records. That when Rome came and took.

Jerusalem. He said that 1.1 million Jews

were killed. He said 110,000 more were taken

captive. But then he said, for whatever

reason is, I said it, what forever, whatever?

Reason Rome pulled back. the armies of Rome pulled back and

Josephus a historian said and every Christian got out scarcely

saved. With difficulty.

Every Christian got out. Now, Josephus didn't know.

I would imagine Why Rome pulled back.

But why not give it the credit that it's due?

ROM pulled back I believe because that's exactly what God

wanted. How did they know, how are they

prepared? You know, why?

They were prepared because 37 years before.

Jesus said, here are five remote signs and an immediate sign.

And when you see the immediate sign get out, and that's what

they did. And you know what God did?

He just had old Rome, pull back a little bit and the Christians

got out. so, so, Applying to us today that passage the righteous

scarcely being saved is not talking about the end of time.

It's not talking about eternity. It's not talking about the

Christian today. What is talking about the

Christian today is what Peter said about the Seven, Christian

Graces or virtues. If these are things that are in

my life and they are abounding in my life, Then this.

We will be neither be Barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of

our Lord, Jesus Christ for He Who lacks these.

Things as short-sighted even to blindness and has forgotten that

he was cleansed from his old sins.

So what else are we going to have?

If we do these things, we are not going to stumble ever, we're

gonna fall. I'm Gonna Fall Away. and

finally, for an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into

the Everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

So, I don't know how it's going to be, you know, I've heard

people say, you know, I'll just be a sweet, a street sweeper in

heaven, I would too. Or I just want to barely make it

in if I can just barely squeak in, that's all I want.

I just want to get in, you know, I feel that way too.

But that's not what's going to happen.

If I make it, it will be an abundant entrance into the

Everlasting Kingdom. That's what it says.

I don't have to put that blow the doors off.

I don't know. But it's an abundant entrance

into the Everlasting Kingdom. Can you know?

You're saved? Yeah, keep his word, keep his

Commandments. Keep those things in your life

have Jesus Christ. Be the advocate with the father.

When we sin ask, God to forgive us in the blood of Christ

washes, that's in a way to yes. Yes, we can know with assurance,

that we have eternal life. Are we keeping his word?

Are we keeping his Commandments? Are we obeying?

What he said to do in our Christian Life?

But before all that. The only way that all of those

things become a benefit to you is first of all, you got to

contact the blood. Without blood, without being

covered by the blood. You can't be saved the way to be

saved, is simply by being covered by the blood.

How you do that? You come believing in Jesus, you

repent of your sins, you make a change in your life.

You confess the precious name of Jesus Christ.

You say the words, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of

God. Those are steps that point

toward, or lead to the point of salvation.

But the only way you're saved is in baptism when you go down to

the water, Very grave of baptism, first Peter 3:21, the

1 Peter 3:21

like figure, whereunto even baptism doth also now save us.

You know why? That's when you get the blood

and that's the only place you get the blood.

And then you have it for the rest of your life.

And if you live Faithfully unto death, you're going to get an

abundant entrance into the Everlasting Kingdom.

We thank you for listening to our podcast, put on by the

Church of Christ at 22:15 plans. Road in Bakersfield, if you

would like any additional information, or you would like

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