Speaker(s): Justin Schaller
Sermon 12902
Date: 2025-04-06
Time: Sun 6:30 pm

 

P. Justin Schaller –

Good evening. It is, thank you. I want to hang out with you more often. I like that attitude. It’s a blessed evening. Great to be here this evening. Let’s just open up with a word of prayer. (Prayer). Amen. So, I want to take you just through a few passages tonight and talk about just the subject of eternal security. And this is the subject that
many of us know very well and we’ve been taught very well in the subject of eternal security.
And we can just leave it at times in the sense that we have received Christ at some point in the
past.

We know that we’re going to heaven. Praise the Lord. There’s not all churches that preach that
and teach that. And when you come across people that are believers and they don’t have that
teaching, could be a very scary place for that person to be. And we need to give them an
answer, the sense of why we believe in eternal security, and the Bible has a lot to say about it.
And people that don’t have that doctrine and they don’t have that understanding are missing in
the epistles and in the gospel very clearly where Jesus is proving the point again and again that
we are eternally secure.

And I want to just give an opening just in John chapter 18 and we can just look at a few verses
and then we’ll look at a few other verses. We’ll see where we get but we just want to be led
tonight. John chapter 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19 are really covering just one day. This section
of scripture is so important that John dedicated a large portion of his gospel just covering this
period of time with Jesus and his disciples.

And we have to understand that these disciples had been with Jesus as we know for over three
years and they had an understanding that when they were in close proximity to Christ they
knew his power, his authority and just like many of you, if you’ve left your family for a period of
time that can be a hard thing to do. And, with the disciples they were going to lose Christ and
Christ was trying to get through to them that he was going to leave even though even to the
end they didn’t understand that fully. But Jesus knew that he was going to be leaving them and
he wanted to comfort them.

And it’s amazing that he wasn’t giving them some sort of law, he wasn’t berating them, he
wasn’t telling them not to screw up but rather he was comforting them. And he was saying to
them that I’m gonna leave but when I leave another is going to come and he’s going to teach
you and just like I have been teaching you, the Spirit’s gonna now teach you and he’s gonna
comfort you and he’s gonna give you the power to be able to do what I’ve commissioned you to
do.

And this period of time as we know is right before Passover, right before Jesus is gonna go to
the cross. We have his Passover meal and Christ is there with his disciples and one of them
being Judas is filled with the devil at that point. Just when Jesus is talking about the comfort of coming and filling the disciples, Satan comes and fills one of his disciples. And as they leave
the upper room and they’re walking from this place that is close to the temple if you’ve ever
been to Jerusalem, you can see that it’s very close to the temple area.

And when Jesus leaves and he’s walking now to the Garden of Gethsemane and they’re passing
by the temple, there’s this amazing chapter in John chapter 17 where we see this prayer
that Jesus has, and it must have been that the disciples heard Jesus praying this prayer
and no other place in the gospels do we see Jesus – actually – the words that he’s saying to his
Father but in John chapter 17.

And it’s an amazing portion of Scripture and I just want to look at one verse in John chapter 17
and verse 12. As they’re walking, leaving the upper room and going to the Garden of
Gethsemane, Jesus stops, and he prays. And in verse 12 he says, while I was with them, he’s
praying to his Father because he’s saying to his Father, these sheep that you’ve given me, these
11, I have not lost any of them. And now that I’m going to leave him, going to go to the cross, I
want you Father to protect them and to keep them. And he says in verse 12, I kept them in your
name.

We could just stop right there just for a moment. The disciples were not following Christ on
their own accord, but they were being kept by their shepherd. Jesus did not allow one of them
to be lost whatsoever but he was keeping them by his power. And he says, I kept them in your
name which you have given me, and I guarded them and not one of them perished.

And then he goes on to say that I want you Father to keep them when I’m leaving and I’m going
to be in the grave for three days. I want you to be keeping them. You can see that the Father
knows the sheep because he gave them to the Son, and the Son is the one who has the power
to be able to keep them, but the Holy Spirit isn’t there yet. So, he is praying and saying, Father,
please just keep my sheep.

Now when you get to John chapter 18, John puts this story in there to prove the point of what
Jesus just prayed in John 17. So, let’s read it in verse one in chapter 18. And remember we’re
talking about eternal security and we’re just going to hit a few principles here tonight.

In verse one, when Jesus had spoken these words, meaning the words in chapter 17, he went
forth with his disciples over the ravine of the Kidron. If you’ve been to Jerusalem, you know that
the upper room where they had the Passover meal was in the city of David most likely right
adjacent to the temple. And when you look at the temple, you can look across the Mount of
Olives and there’s this great ravine there. And through it is this Kidron Valley and there’s a little
brook that passes through. And on the other side of the Kidron, there was a garden there.

Now we know the Mount of Olives and the day of Jesus, the Mount of Olives was really private
property for people that lived in Jerusalem that didn’t have any area to be able to grow their
own crops or vegetables. So, they would rent space or own space over on the Mount of Olives.
And this area was where Jesus would go when he was in Jerusalem.

Most Passovers or festivals when he would come to Jerusalem, he would go to Bethany, which
was about two miles East of Jerusalem over the Mount of Olives. But during this week, he is
there in the garden. And this garden is particular because someone owns it. So, it must be, it
was one of the disciples. It was someone that they knew, but Jesus had access to this area.
So, Jesus goes to the garden with his disciples and he goes there, not because he’s trying to
escape, but he goes there because he knows that Judas knows that he will be there. John wants
to point out in his gospel that Jesus is not the victim, but Jesus is the one who is in full control
over all of this.

And so, in vs. 1, they went to the garden and Jesus entered with his disciples. Now Judas also,
who’s betraying him, knew the place. It’s interesting, Jesus could have gone to Bethany. He
could have gone on anywhere, but he had strength and courage that he knew this was the plan
of God and he was going to go exactly where Judas knew where he was going.

And so, Judas comes, it says in verse – I don’t have actually the verse and it’s in the flow of the
text. I just have it here, but Judas comes, and he was betraying him, and he knew the place
where Jesus had often met there with his disciples.

“Judas then having received the Roman cohort” – Roman cohort are the soldiers. A cohort can
be anywhere from 200 to 800 soldiers and officers. These officers were the temple police, the
ones that were protecting and basically kept control over the temple, especially during the
festival periods. But this was a huge group of people. From what I’ve read, it’s anywhere
between 600 to 1,000 men, armed men that are coming there.

You have to think that these priests and also the Romans knew that Jesus had power. Judas also
knew that Jesus had power and they came fully armed with all of their weapons, ’cause look. It
says, “having received the Roman cohort and the officers from the chief priests and the
Pharisees, they came there with lanterns, torches and weapons.” “And Jesus knowing all things
that were come upon him went forth.”

I love that phrase because he has this divine determination and resolve that he is going to face
exactly what his Father has planned for him. And he knows that that plan is a plan where he’s
going to suffer, yes, in his flesh, but he’s also going to suffer divine wrath that’s going to be
poured out on him. Everything, every sin that has been committed is going to be placed on
Christ and Christ is the one who steps and goes forth.

So, Jesus is there, he’s in Gethsemane, he’s with his disciples and I’ve always wondered
why did he bring his disciples there with him during this period of time? Because they could get
in trouble as well. But I think that Jesus brought them there so that they could see that he was
in full control and that he was not going to be arrested over false charges, but rather he says in
John chapter 10, no one takes my life, but rather I lay my life down from my sheep. So, this is a
picture that he’s going to teach his disciples here and he’s going to show them that he is the
one who is in full control.

So, in verse four, they come to him all arms, let’s just say it’s 800 men, and he says to them,
whom do you seek? And they answer Jesus the Nazarene. And then he makes this amazing
statement that we see in the book of John, the I AM, the Old Testament word or name for God.
And he says, whom do you seek? They say Jesus and he says I AM. And as soon as he says that
word, I AM, the One who has created all things and also the One in the book of Revelation that
will come back with a sword coming forth from his mouth and will wipe out all of his enemies
with one word, spoke this word I AM, and everyone fell over. He simply speaks the name of
God and they all just tumble.

And this is a beautiful thing, and this is the point that I want to bring out. And this is interesting
because he asks them who they’re looking for. And Judas, we know from the other gospels,
came to Christ and kissed him. I just think of the courage and the defiance that Judas had, and
he had that only because the devil was inside of him. And what he did was that he didn’t come
and kiss his hand, but he kissed his face like a friend would kiss his friend's face. It’s the first
time that the devil could get that close to the Son of God and he did it in defiance by kissing
him.

Jesus again says, who are you looking for? Whom do you seek? And they say, we are seeking
Jesus and he says, I AM. Now this is an interesting point because Jesus says twice, who are you
seeking? You have to understand that they’re coming with authority. They’re coming with a
warrant, and they’re coming with one name that they’re looking for. And Jesus wants to make
the point to everyone that is there that they only have the right to touch him and no one else.
And that’s why he says in vs. 7. I AM. You take me: therefore, let these 11 disciples go. You
cannot take them. You have no right to take them. You have no official warrant to arrest my
disciples. That’s an interesting thing. He’s protecting them in that moment.

But we know with Peter, Peter had his own plans and he had his own ideas of what he should
be doing. And even though Christ is protecting him in that moment, he goes out and pulls a
sword and tries to take on these 800 or however many there are, and he tries to take them all
on and he pulls out a sword and he goes for the head of this one slave servant named Malchus
who is the slave servant of the high priest. And he tries to take his head off, but he misses, and
he cuts his ear off.

And Jesus is just thinking, Peter, I’m already protecting you. You don't have to try to defend
yourself. I’ve already cleared you and I am going. You should be going but I’m going in your
place and I’m protecting you. And this just sets up another amazing miracle. Jesus’s last physical
miracle that he does on earth is that he comes up to Malchus and he gives him a new ear. And
it’s an amazing picture to me because if you read, if you did anything against the high priest or
his servants, it was capital punishment.

He would face stoning. That’s why Jesus said to him, if you’re going to live by the sword, you’re going to die by the sword because it says in the Old Testament, if you take someone’s life, it’s life for life. It’s capital punishment. And Peter goes out and he tries to defend Christ and he’s always going against what the will of
God is even though in his mind he thinks he’s doing what is right. Jesus has to cover up his
tracks, and he gives Malchus a new ear.

And it’s a beautiful picture and this is what the picture is. If Malchus didn’t have an ear, he would have evidence against Peter and he could go to the high court, the Sanhedrin and say this man cut off the high priest servant’s ear, but there was no evidence because Christ covered it up perfectly and made it seem as though that nothing
happened. So even if they said Peter did that, there is no evidence, therefore he could not be
charged. Jesus is protecting his sheep.

Now here’s the question. Why did Jesus say you can’t take them? Because if they were
arrested, this is the picture. If they were arrested and went through the trial that Jesus went
through, their faith would not be enough because even when they weren’t arrested, they still
lacked faith in what was happening before them.

That’s why Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:13, God does not give us a temptation that is greater than
what our faith is able to handle. Jesus here in John chapter 18 is showing that he is their high
priest and he is keeping them, and he is covering them, and he is protecting them.

When we think of eternal security, we think we say a prayer and God puts our name in a book
and that is true and it’s all according to his plan. And that is true, but the thing that sometimes
we can forget is that God is continually keeping us until we receive our full salvation.

Look at in Hebrews chapter seven and I just want to bring this point, just to prove the point to
you tonight. In verse 25, we know that when we are saved, we are justified, and we are sealed
with the Holy Spirit, but we are not yet fully saved. Meaning that we have not yet received our
full salvation, which is that we will be perfect like Christ. Therefore, we are in this time that we
are still moving towards that salvation in that day and Jesus is the one who is keeping us to get
us to that point.

And look at in Hebrews 7:25, “wherefore also he is able to save to the uttermost them that
draw near unto God through him.” How is he able to save to the uttermost? Uttermost just
means to the finality, to the end to our glorification. He is able to save to the uttermost.
How does he do it? He does it in verse 25, “seeing he ever lives to make intercession for them.”
Jesus is the one. If Jesus disappeared, if Jesus was not sitting at the right hand of the Father, if
Jesus was the one who dropped the ball, you would lose faith.

What’s another principle, Luke chapter 22? One that we know so well. He says to Peter,
Peter, you think you’re the one who is keeping your salvation? Let me just prove the point to
you, Peter. The devil is seeking to sift you always. He is seeking to sift you, to take you out, so
that you will become like a Judas, but you’re not going to be Peter. Why? Because I am
continually praying for you. I am the one who is keeping you.

Jesus is the one who is our high priest, and I just wanna just pull a few points out just about
this. Because the plan of God -let’s look at this verse. Just turn to 1 Peter. How are you guys
doing tonight? You with me? Okay, 1 Peter, we’ll get going here. First Peter chapter 1. The
Trinity, since we are in the Trinity, that is our eternal security. And I’ll just go through these
points and just follow these with me.

The Father has the plan. The Son has the ability to cover sin, to pay for sin, and to keep us. And
the Spirit is the one who is ever living to make intercession inside of us, groaning with groanings
that cannot be uttered in Romans 8. But in 1 Peter 1, and this is an amazing thing, who in Luke
chapter 22 did Jesus prove this point to? To Peter. And what was the point? Peter, if it was your
faith, if it was you trying to keep your salvation, you would lose it because you have no power
against the devil. He would tempt you, and you would be out of here in two seconds. He would
sift you.

But what is Jesus proving to Peter? He’s proving to Peter that Jesus is the one holding on to a
salvation. And it is not something that he’s just sitting there not doing anything, but he’s ever
living to be our high priest, every second, every moment. And if he stopped, I would lose my
salvation. That is the depth of eternal security.

Now look in 1 Peter chapter one. In vs. 3, that is your new birth, you have been born again.
And you were born again, what, to a living hope? How? What is our living hope? The
resurrection of Jesus Christ, meaning that when Christ was raised from the dead, he was the
first fruit. He was the first example of what I will be in the future. When I am born again, yes,
I’m saved, but it’s really to an eternal hope that I’ll be like Christ.

In vs. 4, that is your inheritance. What is your inheritance? That you will be like Jesus. When he
rose on the third day, that’s your inheritance. And that inheritance is incorruptible, can’t die.

And it’s perfect and it’s sinless. It can never fade away, he says. Look it. It’s undefiled, it doesn’t
fade away, but where is it tonight? It’s reserved in heaven. Your final salvation is reserved in
heaven. What is your final salvation? That you’ll be like Christ. But where is it? It’s in heaven.
But who’s keeping it?

Vs. 5. Who’s keeping your final salvation? God is. How is he keeping it by his power? In our
sanctification, in our life. What does that look like? It means that Jesus in 1 John 2:1 is sitting at
the right hand of God as our defense lawyer and he is saying, my blood covers even the sin
that I commit right now. That if I didn’t have him, I would fall out of my salvation.

So, he says in vs. 5, it’s being guarded through faith unto a salvation ready to be revealed in the
last time. Salvation’s in heaven. It’s being guarded by God and one day you will see it and it will
be revealed. But here’s the problem. As believers, we sometimes don’t know. Sometimes, we
can question it. Does God question it? No, he never questions it because he knows he’s the one
who’s guarding it. So, look at what Peter says. And remember in Luke chapter 22, he already
went through this experience, so this is why he’s writing it.

And look at what he says in verse six, “wherein you greatly rejoice.” You can’t rejoice over
anything greater than having eternal life and being like Christ. He says, “though now for a little
while, if need be.” Now this is a thing that he just didn’t slide in there. He says, if need be.
What does he say? You have been put to grief and manifold trials. What was the trial that Peter
had? He was sifted for a period of time so that he could see in John chapter 21 when Jesus
restores him, and he told him he would restore him that Jesus is the one keeping him. If need
be, you go through a trial. What is a trial?

A trial in the New Testament is always to prove the authenticity of the true salvation. That’s
what a trial is for. And God ordains it, and Peter says, look at what he says. He ordains it that
the proof of your faith is that that God needs to prove your faith or is it rather that God wants
to prove to you that he is the one who is supplying the faith to keep you. That is what he is
trying to prove. It’s not that he wants to prove you to say, do you really have enough faith? No,
that’s not it.
It’s like someone who is on the other side of the planet wants to get a message to someone
who’s in prison as a POW and they just wanna write a letter to them to let them know that they
are safe and they’re gonna be rescued.

He always wants to comfort us. And how does he do it in 1 Peter 1? He does it through trials.
What does that mean? He does it through trials. It means this. Peter goes through the trial. He
knows, he knows without a shadow of a doubt, If it wasn’t for Christ keeping him, he would
have been back in Galilee fishing for the rest of his life.

But he says, the trial proved to me that when I went through it, I know in my own natural self, I
would have been out of here, but for whatever reason, I am kept, and I love Jesus. Look at what
he says. “That the proof of your faith being much more precious than gold that perishes.” Why
is the trial more precious than gold? Because it’s proving to you that God is the one who is
supplying everything you need to keep you to the end. That’s why it’s more precious than gold.
And look at what he says. “Though it be proved by fire” – again, God is not the one who is up
there testing us to make sure.

He is the one who is proving to us through the refining fire when we come out, it is Christ who is keeping us. And then he says, “may be found under praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
And look what he says, I love this. “Whom having not seen you love.” That is the proof. John
chapter 21, Peter is guilty, he’s condemned, he is thinking he failed. He is out of the kingdom of
God. He failed Jesus. He was the worst. But who did he love the most?

When Jesus came on that seashore and called out to Peter to come have breakfast, Peter was
the first one out of the boat. 1 John 3, God knows all things. I don’t. He will prove to me, when
your heart condemns you, God is greater than your heart because he knows all things. What
does he know? He knows you’re his sheep. You might not know it. And he will prove it to you.
And what is the proof? Its that even though I don’t see him, people go through tremendous
things and they can think, am I a believer? God ordains certain things so that when you come
out the other side, you still say, I love you Jesus. I want nothing more. I just wanna see him. He
is my only hope.

And it says that, “on whom though now you see him not, yet believing.” Didn’t he say to
Thomas, blessed are the ones who didn’t see me yet believe? How do you know that you’re
eternally secure? Because God has trials for you, so he can prove to you his faithfulness to you,
that he’s keeping you and that you’re his sheep and he’s proving it to you through that
suffering. So, when you come out the other end, you say, I love Jesus even though I don’t see
him. What a beautiful picture.

And then vs. 9. That’s eternal security. Last verse from Romans 8. You guys are doing great.
Thank you for just your concentration. Romans 8. This is an amazing portion too. This could be
just a whole message right here. Remember, the book of Romans is written like a lawyer would
build a case. He starts off in chapter one, two, and three and just condemns all of humanity.
And then he moves into chapter four that it’s by faith. Then he moves into chapter five, talking
about sin. And then chapter six, talking about the resurrection and how Christ overcame sin.
Then he gets to Romans 7. And what is he talking about in Romans 7? But he’s talking about a
believer who is still trapped in this humanity and he’s still a sinner.

What is the devil used to try to tempt us to believe that we are not saved? In condemnation.
What does Paul start off Romans 8:1? There’s therefore now no condemnation. But then he
goes through in Romans 8, he talks about groaning. And he talks about us as believers that
groan, but then he also talks about the Spirit that is inside of us that groans. Amen.

And look at what he says in Romans 8. It says Spirit makes intercession for us with groanings
which cannot be uttered. Longing for the glorious liberation of the children of God. That the
Spirit inside of us is groaning. Now that phrase groaning is this idea of inaudible or inexpressible
things. Like Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12 that he was caught up into, or 2 Corinthians, he was caught up
into the heavens and he heard things that cannot be uttered. It means that there are phrases or
words or descriptions that the human language does not have the ability to communicate.
And when you become a believer in Christ, God the Father will prove your salvation to you
through trials. Jesus Christ will prove it to you in the fact of his atoning work on the cross and
he sits at the right hand of God.

And the third one is that the Spirit is inside of us and is groaning. Now what does that mean?
Well, if you read it in the flow of the text, human beings groan. Believers groan because we are
saying, ah, Roman 7, I am in this body of flesh. I can’t wait to be delivered from it. And we groan
within ourselves waiting for our adoption or our full salvation. But then he says the Spirit is
groaning just like we are, but his groaning is inside of us and his groaning is this inexpressible
heavenly communication with his Father.

Look at what he says. Again, we can read it in verse 23, verse 24. Meaning that I want to be
delivered to my full salvation. And he’s saying, yes, you do, but you have to wait a little bit
longer. And I go, no Lord, I want to be like Christ right now. I want my full salvation. He’s saying
it’s secure. You’re going to get it. It’s in the future. I cannot lie. I cannot compromise against
what I’ve said. And you have the Father with the plan, the Son who is the Advocate, and now
the Spirit.

Vs.26. Infirmity just means weakness in the flesh. Our inability of faith to believe for the hope.
Do you see the flow of the text? He’s talking about the hope of salvation in the future. And
there can be times that I’m weakened in my sin that I don’t have that much faith. I look at the
future and it looks bleak. But the third person of the Trinity is inside of me. And what is he
doing? He is helping me in my fleshly weakness.

For we know not how to pray as we ought. I love that portion too because I actually don't know
what I would pray for to keep me in my salvation. Like Peter wouldn’t be praying for the devil
not to sift him because he doesn’t know the future. I don’t even know five minutes ahead of
time, let alone what’s going to happen in a year. But the Spirit does.

And let me just say this, if Jesus allowed his disciples to be arrested and crucified like he was, is
he saying that they wouldn’t have faith because it didn’t correlate with his plan? I think he’s
making a point there. Not that that could ever happen, but he does it through this process that
he allows in human life for things to happen, but he orchestrates certain things so that I
wouldn’t be tempted beyond what would make me lose my faith in a practical way.

You can say, I just need to know I’m going to heaven. Praise the Lord. That’s all you need to
know. Why are you going into this so deep in the sense of what could happen, what could
happen? Because the Bible lays it out. And the more I understand what he’s actually doing in
me to keep me, makes me want to fall on my face and praise him even more. That’s why I want
to know.

And look at what he says in vs 26. The word intercession means a person. It’s like a compound
word, but it means coming to someone else’s aid. It also means in the Greek, someone’s in such
a dire situation they don’t have the resources to be able to get out of it, but someone comes to
their aid to rescue them. Could be a place in my life that I am so weak in my faith, but the Spirit
is inside of me, groaning to the Father, because look at what he says. He’s interceding for us
with groanings which cannot be uttered.

And he that searches the heart. Can’t go into an Old Testament. We know it. Who is the one
who searches the heart? It’s the Father. Psalm 51, Lord, search my heart. It’s always, 1
Chronicles. It’s always, 1 Samuel. It’s always the Father. God Himself who searches the heart.
Vs. 27. This is the Trinity working in me to keep me to get to the place of full salvation. “And he
that searches the heart knows what is the mind of the Spirit because he makes intercession for
the saints according to the will of God.”

If you just say a prayer and your name’s written in the book, then why is the Spirit groaning
keeping you? Why is Jesus as an Advocate? And why is the Father searching out to prove to you
that you’re saved? I don’t think they’re just up in heaven not doing anything. I think their whole
work is to keep us because Paul says he that began a good work will bring it to completion
according to his will.

So, everything in life, if the end result is I’m gonna die one day, is there a resurrection? Yes,
there is. Where am I gonna go? You’re gonna be like Christ. Everything in life is orchestrated so
that it will be proven to me that I’m being kept by God. In verse 28, we know to them that love
God, all things work together for good, even through trials. That’s why Paul or Peter says, it’s
way better than a hefty bank account. It’s way better than everything that you could even
imagine in material things because what you have is an eternal security that has been bought
by Christ, that is being secured by Christ, that has been planned by the Father. That you are one
of his sheep and he will not lose one.

And it is all based upon the working of the Trinity, that the Spirit is groaning inside of us, that
Christ is at the right hand of the Father, and the Father is proving to us, yes, you are one of my
children.

Because he says it – just in closing – we know to them that love God, all things work together for
good, even to them that are close to us, called according to his purpose. For whom he
foreknew, he also foreordained to be conformed to the image of his Son. It’s all his plan. It’s all
his working. It’s all his power It’s all his doing, and he is bringing it to completion. And we just
agree with it and walk in it and are being conformed to the image of Christ, and one day we will
be fully like Christ. It is secure. As well as how we live. (Prayer). Amen.

 

Please enjoy these sermon notes from the messages preached at Greater Grace Church in Baltimore. These notes are provided to aid in your study and understanding of the Word. Note that these notes do not represent complete, word-for-word transcriptions. Also, they may contain omissions as well as some errors in spelling and structure, etc., as we attempt to provide them as soon as possible. Our hope is that these notes serve as a way to help you search and connect with messages on related subjects and passages. Thank you for your interest in the ministry of Greater Grace.