How To Keep Saved

Introduction
I. To be saved, must obey the gospel.
1 Pet. 4:17 -  “For the time [is come] that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if 
[it] first  [begin] at us, what shall the end [be] of them that obey not the gospel of God?”
II. 
Thes. 1:7-9 -  “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be 
revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that 
know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished 
with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;”
III. Many obey, but later turn back to the world.

IV. Keeping saved is as important as being saved.

Body
I. Realize that the Christian can apostatize.

    A. Knowing that one can fall should cause one to be cautious.
    
    B. Bible teaches possibility of falling.
        1. Simon - Acts 8:5-24    ( R E A D )
        2. Galations warned of falling from grace.  
Gal. 5:4  - ”Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; 
ye are fallen from grace.”
        3. Instructions for one who errs. 
            a. 
Gal. 6:1 -  “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an 
one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.”
            b. 
James 5:19,20 - “Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let 
him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul 
from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins."
        4. Bible teaches even worse fate to turn from the truth.  
2 Pet. 2:20-22 - “For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the 
knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and 
overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.  For it had been better 
for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known [it], to turn 
from the holy commandment delivered unto them.  But     it is happened unto them according 
to the true proverb, The dog [is] turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed 
to her wallowing in the mire.”

II. Cease to Practice sinful or doubtful things.

    A. Live as a new creature.  
2 Cor. 5:17  -  “Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are 
passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
    B. Walk in newness of life.  
Rom. 6:4 -  “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was 
raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”
    C. Sow to the Spirit.  
Gal. 6:7,8 -  “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a  man soweth, that shall he 
also reap.  For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to 
the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.”
    D. Watch associations.  
1 Cor. 15:33 -  “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.”
III. Keep in touch with God.

    A. Let God speak to you daily.  
2 Tim. 2:15 -  “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be 
ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
1 Pet. 2:2 -  “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.”
    B. Speak to God daily.  
Lk. 18:1 “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and 
not to faint;”
        1. 
Thes. 5:17 -  “Pray without ceasing.”
        2. Ask for forgiveness.
        3. Ask for guidance and needs.     
Matt. 6:9-14 - After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed 
be thy name. 10Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11Give us 
this day our daily bread. 12And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13And lead 
us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and 
the glory, for ever. Amen. 14For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will 
also forgive you.
        4. As you speak to God, give thanks for blessings, etc.

    C. Worship God.  John 4:24
Heb. 10:25-26 - Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some 
is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. 26For if 
we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more 
sacrifice for sins.
IV.  Put God first always         
Matt. 6:33 - “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things 
shall be added unto you.”
        A. Don’t compromise with error.

        B. Put God before pleasure, loved ones, company, work, etc.
Lk. 9:23  -  “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and 
take up his cross daily, and follow me.”
14:26,27 -  “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and 
children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.  And 
whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.”33 “So likewise,
whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.”
V.    Be doers of the word  
        James  1:22 - “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”
  
        A. Show faith by works.  (James 2:14-26)

        B.  Visit the needy (poor).  
James 1:27 - “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the 
fatherless and widows in their affliction, [and] to keep himself unspotted from the world.”
        C. Meet with the saints or forsake not the assembly.  Heb. 10:25

 VI.  Never Quit Growing

    A. Desire sincere milk of the word.  
1 Pet. 2:2 - “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto 
unfeigned love of the brethren, [see that ye] love one another with a pure heart fervently;”
    B. Add to faith, virtue, etc.  
2 Pet. 1:5-11  - And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue 
knowledge; 6And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience 
godliness; 7And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 8For if 
these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor 
unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9But he that lacketh these things is 
blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. 
10Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: 
for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: 11For so an entrance shall be ministered unto 
you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
    C. Take advantage of Bible studies, etc.

    D. Avoid lukewarmness.  
Rev. 3:15-16   - I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or 
hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
    E. Be faithful   
Rev. 2:10 - “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast 
[some] of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou 
faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.”
VII. Keep your eye on the goal.

    A. Heaven awaits those who remain faithful.

    B. Remember price paid to save us.  
John 3:16 -  “For God so loved...”
Eph. 5:25 - “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave 
himself for it;”
    C. Remember the Lord’s promise to return.  
1 Thess. 4:16 - “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice 
of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first;”
    D. Faithful to be like God.  
1 John 3:2 -  “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall 
be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”
    E. Be like Paul.  
2 Tim. 4:6-8 -  “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I 
have fought a good fight, I have finished [my] course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is 
laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at 
that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”
Conclusion
I. Remember, the latter end is worse than beginning, if we turn away.  
2 Pet. 2:20-22 - “For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the 
knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and 
overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.  For it had been better for 
them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known [it], to turn 
from the holy commandment delivered unto them.  But it is happened unto them according 
to the true proverb, The dog [is] turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed 
to her wallowing in the mire.”
II. If you have sinned, then confess and begin anew.
1 John 1:8,9 - “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in 
us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all .”