 To those of you who believe you can lose your salvation, I simply say, good luck. As Christians, we really do not believe in luck. As a matter of fact, we understand that we've got a providential God who is working in our lives, who does not sit back and watch us just live our lives and just see what's going to happen. He's got us not watching TV. He's not entertained by the ups and downs, the trials, and the tragedies as well as the successes in our lives. He's not entertained by that. He is actually actively involved. If we believe that the enemy is involved, he is trying to do everything that he can to thwart us. As Peter says, roaring like a lion, walking around seeking whom he may devour. What do we think that God is doing this? So he's just sitting back watching, seeing it unfold and saying, hmm, I wonder what's going to happen? Or is he actively involved? Well, obviously we know he is actively involved. But to someone who says that you can lose your salvation and we have free will, well then, even though we don't believe in luck, I say they must believe in luck. And so I wish him good luck. Why would you say that, Cory? Well, the question is going to be, what in the world does the Holy Spirit do in you? I know what the Bible says he'll do in us. I know what he's doing in me. The Bible is clear. God has stated that when he gives us his Holy Spirit, matter of fact, it's a prophecy going back from Deuteronomy. We see it in Jeremiah. We see it in Hosea. We even see it in Ezekiel. We bring this passage up again. This is Ezekiel 36, 27. He says that I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes. Now, here's my question. Who is putting what spirit in us? God is the one that says I will put what? His spirit, my spirit, the Holy Spirit. We do believe that this spirit is the Holy Spirit. And what will he do in us? In this case, he's speaking about Israel. We find out in John 1 that all of us who are children of God, we have been born of the Spirit. And so this reply is not just Israel, but he's going to make it also apply to Gentile beliefs as well. And so what will his Holy Spirit do? Cause us to walk in his teachings, his ordinances, his statutes. And so that is a promise for those that believe that you will somehow not be affected by the Holy Spirit, that it has no role in your life, or it's a limited role at best and greater is he that's in you, is not the Holy Spirit, but greater is you that's in you, or greater is he that's in you, is actually you, your will. I reject that sort of the Bible, but again, if you reject that, that's fine. Good luck. Paul tells us in Ephesians 1.13, he says, In him you also, after listening to the message that's placed in our faith in Christ, the gospel of salvation having also believed you were sealed in him with what? With who? The Holy Spirit, who or he is given as a pledge of our inheritance in view with a view of the redemption of God's own possession to the praise of his glory. In other words, we have been given the word that uses this deposit, this earnest money, this good faith deposit God has given, which is the Holy Spirit, until we reach our possession. What is our possession? Ultimately, to be with the Father in eternity. And so we have been given the Spirit to keep us, to grow us, to walk us, as Ephesians says. As a matter of fact, he is refining us, he's growing us, he's perfecting us as we have been sanctified according to Hebrews 10. And so this is what the Holy Spirit is doing. If you don't believe that the Holy Spirit is doing this in you, that he won't be successful, well then I say to you, good luck. Jesus makes a statement emphatically, I might add, in my new favorite passage, John 10.5. Speaking of a sheep who are believers, he says that one before I start there first, he says that we will, the sheep, we will follow him. Why will we keep following him? As a matter of fact, why? Because we know his voice. And look what he says, my new favorite verse. A stranger, they simply will not follow. And this is the most, this is one of the most emphatic ways that you could say that this won't happen. As a matter of fact, it negates the future possibility. How do I know it negates the future possibility? Because as I said, they simply will not follow. This is in the future tense. This word here that's highlighted for you on your screen, is achaluthe susin, which is they will follow. But this ume, this delegation, they absolutely at no point in time, ever, ever, ever in the future will follow a strange voice or a stranger or anything strange. This word that's used for stranger is just anything that's foreign. So it could be you name it. It can be porn. It can be some sort of addiction. It can be money. It can be greed. It can be wrath. Whatever it is, however the enemy wants to whisper to you, speak to you, you simply will not follow if you disagree. And you believe that you have the free will to follow. Well, then my statement to you again is good luck. Now because we are believers, we're told that in 1st John 5, that he says that whoever is believed, the ones that are believing that Jesus is Christ, that person, that very same person, all of us that are believing that we have been born of God. Peter tells us in 1st Peter 1, 3 that all of us who have been born again, he caused us to be born again. Going back to what Ezekiel spoke of and John as well in John 3, that the Holy Spirit regenerate our hearts and cause us to be born again, born of the spirit. And because of that, going back to 1st John 5, he says that those who are believing ones, the believers, we have been born of God. Now the issue is what does that mean? Well go to verse 4. He says whatever is born of God, that's us, overcomes the world. We are overcomers and this is the victory that we have that has overcome the world, our faith, our believing has brought this about and that was brought about because God causes. And so what are we going to do? He says that we are going to overcome the world. As a matter of fact, Revelation 3 says that because we are overcoming ones, he says that we will never ever ever be blighted out. But if you disagree and you think that you can walk away, you think that through something on your own, through your own fault, that God can't hold you that it's up to you to keep walking, it's up to you to have faith, it's up to you to keep believing, it's totally up to you and the Holy Spirit, his work is there but not as great. And that when the Bible says that he who began a good work in you, that he will complete it, well the only way that he can complete it is if you do your job, if you believe that and you believe that you can turn your back on him and the Holy Spirit does not have the power that you think he does or that the Bible says he does and I know he does, then I simply say to you my friend, good luck.