Reverend Ben Cooper's Podcast
Reverend Ben Coopers podcast, offers an inviting space for listeners to explore Christianity and spiritual growth with wisdom, humor, and a deep commitment to biblical truth. Through Rev. Ben's engaging conversations with guests, the podcast not only explores the timeless wisdom of the Bible but also tackles the pressing issues of life, faith, and hope in a way that is accessible, thought-provoking, and enriching. Whether you’re seeking spiritual nourishment, answers to life’s big questions, or simply a place to reflect on your faith, the Rev Ben podcast is a valuable resource on your journey.
In each episode, Rev. Ben guides listeners through profound theological reflections, personal stories, and practical insights drawn from the Bible and the broader Christian tradition.
Reverend Ben Cooper's Podcast
God's Unyielding Plan of Salvation (#702 - Elim)
Can salvation really be a choice, or is it a destiny prewritten by divine hands? Join us as we navigate the fascinating and sometimes controversial concept of predestination in our latest episode. By drawing from biblical scriptures like Romans 8 and Ephesians 1, we explore the idea that your path to salvation might not be as much in your hands as you think. We challenge the conventional belief in free will by considering God's sovereign plan, which may have been set in motion before the world began.
Throughout our discussion, the transformative and unearned nature of salvation stands at the forefront. We emphasize that this divine gift cannot be achieved through personal effort or religious practices, but through God’s grace alone. John 6:44 serves as a cornerstone, illustrating how belief in Christ follows God’s initial call. Dive into the delicate interplay between faith, belief, and predestination, as we ponder the role of free will in the divine process.
Finally, get ready to embrace the comforting embrace of God's irresistible grace. With reflections from the Gospel of John, we explore the enduring power of being "born again" and confront the notion of "once saved, always saved." Acknowledging human imperfections, we celebrate the unending grace that continually renews believers. We invite you to take solace in the joy and gratitude of this divine truth, trusting in God's grace and the purpose he weaves throughout our lives.
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This podcast offers insight into faith, prayer, Bible teachings, courage, hope, gospel truths, salvation, grace, redemption, kingdom living, worship, discipleship, devotion, prophecy, community growth, and ministry impact, inspiring listeners with Christ-centered discussions and a commitment to kingdom culture.
https://www.pastorbencooper.co.uk/
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Speaker 2:God bless you, wherever you are across the world. You know, grab yourself a Bible and let's just come before our God and our King. You know this isn't going to be very popular tonight, because we all seem to think that we have a choice. There is something in this world that we don't have a choice with and it's not of this world. So, if you've got a Bible, turn with me this evening and we are going to go to the Gospel of John, and we're in chapter 6, the Gospel of John, and I'm going to pick it up from verse 43. So, wherever you are, let's get straight into the Word of God. God bless you and thank you for joining us across the world. We see so many people, wherever you are scattered at this moment in time. May God bless you and strengthen you in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Whatever your day has been looking like, whatever your day has been reflecting, you know God has been with you and he says I will never leave you nor forsake you. But let's get straight into the gospel. You know we're looking at salvation. We're looking at salvation, the power of salvation. Do I have a choice? Do I have a choice to follow this Christ? Do I have a choice to be a Bible-believing, spirit-filled believer, and the choice is actually no. You don't have a choice. You have no choice. That is Scripture. That is fact, that no one has a choice to reject salvation. I have a choice to go to church. I have a choice to whether I'm going to follow the Word. But what happens is something that is so powerful and it is beyond human articulation, it's beyond human control, it's beyond the realms of what we call our choice. You know, there are certain things in this world that we can choose. There are many things that we can choose and many things that we decide to do and not to do. But there is something that cannot, cannot be changed, and there's a word that sits out there. It's in the gospels, it's in romans 8, 29, 30, it's in ephesians, chapter 1, 5, and it talks about predestination. And when you break down what the bible talks about predestination, it means it's already been foretold, it's already been forgiven. This ruffles a lot of feathers in people. People say, well, I've got the choice. You have the choice to go to church, you have the choice to to go to been foretold, it's already been forgiven. This ruffles a lot of feathers in people. People say well, I've got the choice. You have the choice to go to church, you have the choice to go to the Lord's house, but you do not have the choice, you do not have the say-so.
Speaker 2:This is quite a powerful scripture that we're going to go to in just a few moments. We do not have a choice whether we are going to be saved. We have no choice, we have no power. You know, we think that we're in charge of our destiny. We think that we, we're in charge. What does jeremiah 29 say? For I know the plans I have for you, declares the lord. You know there are plans over your life. There are, there are markers in your life, probably around about 12 destinational markers in your life. And the first key marker in your life and what I need to understand, and whoever's online with me this evening, is that we have no choice about salvation.
Speaker 2:You might get close to the scriptures and go well, actually, the bible says that uh, john 3 16 for god to love the world, that whoever shall believe in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. Belief, belief is secondary. Belief can only come once Christ, through God, has called you because there is a drawing. There is a drawing. The drawing starts, and I'm not talking about pen to paper, I'm not talking about the crown drawing. I'm talking about a drawing. God draws you and the Bible tells us before the very foundation of the world, I knew you, I created you, and there is a redemption plan and redemption plan came into this world Even when the two fell in the garden of Eden. The plan was already in position. But there is no choice. I'm afraid to say you can fight me all you like for the scriptures, but you will come to the actual pinnacle. But you will come to the actual pinnacle. You'll come to the point that you cannot choose your salvation, whether you go down the road, a Calvinist or Armenian, whatever way, you want to fight it all day long.
Speaker 2:Let me tell you this the scripture is true. The Bible does not lie. God cannot lie. That is something that is clear. God does not lie and salvation comes from God and salvation is given. So when we look at belief, when you put the two together, when you look at salvation and you look at the word belief, well, you say, well, I've got the choice to believe. But when you look at the power of belief, you don't really have that choice, because the God seed is dropped in your spirit before you even understand, before we even understand. You can go to church and you can praise him, you can worship him and you can do all the bells and the whistles, but that won't get you in any further into the kingdom of God because it's not by works. And if time permits, we've got so many scriptures, the more I started reading this earlier, I just could not get my my noggin around it. How powerful salvation is that no man, no human being, can choose and reject God. It's impossible Salvation. You can be religious, you can go to church, you can go do all the bells and the whistles, but salvation comes to you.
Speaker 2:Now we're going to start. We're going to go straight into the Gospel of John, chapter 6, verse 43. And the reason I picked out 43 and 44 is just 43 just opens up the door, it just opens up the envelope for us to get in and it says stop grumbling amongst yourselves. Jesus answered. Now, this is it verse 44. No one can come to me unless the father who sent me draws him and I will raise him up in the last days. Just just spend a bit of time. Grab your coffee, grab a cup of tea. Do you know what I mean? And and just have a look at that scripture, verse 44 no one can come to me.
Speaker 2:I cannot go to god. I can, I can go church, but the reason I'm going to church, what is the reason that I'm going to church? What is the fact of the matter? That I'm going to church? Because I'm seeking. I can only seek when predestination actually comes into the timeline of humanity, when you understand what predestination means. If we was just to break that down, it is. It is simple, it is pretty easy to understand. Predestined, it has been decided beforehand, determined beforehand. You cannot change that. You're in your life at some particular point somewhere. It doesn't matter how you call yourself the greatest atheist in the world, it doesn't mean anything because God is the one that flicks the heart. No man has the power to change the heart of themselves. God turns it.
Speaker 2:And the question is in John 3, 3, that we've been pushing out. We've been podcasting, we've been preaching, we've been sermonizing, we've been doing all that sort of stuff. The texts and emails and things have been coming in. People have been saying Pastor Ben, I want to be born again. How do I become born again. The scripture is clear you cannot, I cannot, create that. God gives you that. If you are looking at that, if you are questioning that, if you are asking those sorts of questions, you are born again.
Speaker 2:It doesn't sit in the hand of the preacher and the teacher. It doesn't sit in the hand of anyone else. No one can come. When you look at the scripture, verse 44, no one can come to me. Now, church is a raise from this area of text. Church is not even on the fabric of this page. I love the fact that I have no choice, that God has saved me. God has saved me. God has saved me. But there are many out there that will wrestle the predestinational teaching and the theological text and they will skirt around it. They won't accept that there is no choice. They will not accept that there is no choice over salvation. You know God calls everyone to church.
Speaker 2:It doesn't sit in the power of the human being to say hang on, I've got a light bulb moment. Sunday morning I'm going to go to church. I think I want to be a Jesus follower. What happens is is the power of the Holy Spirit through God, through the living word, stirs you and it flicks your heart and it turns your heart over and what happens is the autonomy in the physical suit, the earth suit in which we walk in, suddenly the mind and the brain and the concept and the way of thinking becomes alert, because the spiritual is always first. When you look at creation, what was first Was the material world before spiritual? No, the spiritual world was well before the material world came into being.
Speaker 2:So when you look at the scriptures, it's extremely clear. Let's just turn that volume up a little bit there, that's better. So when you look at the scriptures, it's extremely clear that I cannot refuse. I cannot refuse. You are born again. Because it's not in your hands, it's not within your capabilities. You know, when you look at the scripture, it says believe, but I can only believe when the seed of faith has been dropped in.
Speaker 2:There is so many scriptures on this and we have to take it at the foundational point. And the foundational point is where we are in John 6, verse 44. Foundational point is where we are in John 6, verse 44. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. You know, you have been, you're being drawn. It's not your choice. It's not your choice.
Speaker 2:Now. We are not talking about church. Church will not get you born again. Church will not get you saved. The preaching won't get you saved. The preaching will encourage you. The preaching will open your heart more. The preaching will open your ears and open your eyes to the scripture. But the salvation sits in one place, and one place only, and that sits in the very presence of God. And it sits with God and not with Christ. Even though Jesus is the Savior of the world, salvation is given as a gift. So we have to really look at this. Salvation is critical for me to understand that I do not have the power to say no. I have the strength and I might have the physical capabilities to say. And what happens when the light bulb goes on Suddenly? It's a strange moment. Everything gets in a spin.
Speaker 2:But just because we go to church doesn't mean to say that jesus is waiting for you. Christ created you. So when you look at this scripture, it says no one can come to me. Jesus says I am the way, the truth and the life. No one can come to the father except through me. And this is in verse 44 as well. It says no one can come to me unless the father who sent me.
Speaker 2:So when you go back in the, the basic understanding, the gospels of jesus christ, when you go into the gospel of john, chapter one, it says in the beginning was the word we're very familiar with that. And then if you stay in the gospel of john, chapter one, and you drop down a little bit further round about verse 14, I won't turn it over because time doesn't permit, but you have a look, stuart's online, he'll flick that up. John, chapter 1, verse 14, the word became flesh and the Bible tells us very, very clear that God sent his one and only son. And then we might look at John 3, 16 and go well, actually the Bible says for three, 16. And go well, actually the Bible says for God so loved the world that whosoever shall believe in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. You can only believe when you have been given the gift of faith to believe. It's so close together, it is razor tight. It is razor tight so the other scriptures become alive and moving in our lives.
Speaker 2:People may go, yeah, but Pastor Ben, I've got the power of free will. Does any human being think that they can resist and hold back the power of God, the same God that said let there be light and there was. Does any human being think that they have the power to resist? The Bible talks about repentance. The Bible talks about repent. I can only understand about sin and repentance.
Speaker 2:Once I'm a Bible believer, spirit filled, blessed and highly favored in God, because before that I don't realize I'm a sinner. I'm just in the world, doing what the world is doing. So when you look at the scriptures, the scripture clear no one can come to me, so no one can get to god through christ unless there is a drawing. See, the drawing starts before the foundation of the world. And what happens? Through predestination, you are predetermined to receive salvation. Let's just go for the 1st of November 2025, that someone on that date is going to be saved, not because they entered into church and said the sinner's prayer, because someone tell me this.
Speaker 2:When people are in the persecuted church and they go to bed in their family's home as Muslims and they don't know Jesus Christ and they wake up understanding the full deity, the father, the son, the holy spirit, where's the preacher? Where's the teacher? Where's the podcast? Where's the bible study? Where is it all? Because it comes from above. Quickly turn. I won't turn there yet because I'm still where I am. John 3.3.
Speaker 2:The Bible is extremely clear Salvation comes from God and God alone, and it is a gift. You cannot return the gift. You might fight church, you might fight religion, you might fight going in and out of church. You might decide I'm not going today. Something else is on. I'm going to Bluewater. I'm doing this, I can't be bothered to get out of bed. A, b, c, d, that's your choice. But you do not have a choice when it comes to salvation. But why do we say I do you know Armenians and all that stuff that goes along with that? Calvinists, we got all that stuff batting around there.
Speaker 2:But at the end of the day, the scripture is clear no one can come to me. Now we understand what that means no one can go to god through christ unless the father who sent me. No one can get to jesus. Jesus is the savior of the world. All things are held together by him. He sustains all things. So when you look at verse 44, it says no one can come to me unless the father who sent me draws him. Firstly, there has to be a drawing, there has to be an awakening, and that starts before the fabric of time. The Bible says before the foundations of the world.
Speaker 2:I knew you, I predestined you. If you take the timeline of your life, if you was to lay it out across the table and you was able to graft your life, you will find. If God gave you a revelational knowledge, you will have a pen marker in your life where God opened up your heart. It is not the power of lips. I'm going to church today. I've decided to follow Jesus Christ. I've decided to be a Christian. You know, you can't decide.
Speaker 2:Now we have to be careful of the word Christian Christianity, because that is being taken out of context in every area. What we need to say is I am a John 3, 3. I am a born again, I am a spirit filled. And what does it mean to be born again? When you look at that, even the understanding of that text alone, it tells us very clearly. The scripture tells us what does it mean to be born again? Born from above, because it comes from above. And where does it come from? It comes from God, it doesn't come from the church. Let me rephrase and let me tell you what I just let me backpedal a moment.
Speaker 2:In the persecuted church. There are uncountable people being saved by the gospel of jesus christ, not because it's being preached, but because revelational knowledge has been given when they are sleeping at night the Muslims, those that are serving Allah, those that are serving Buddha, those that are serving other foreign gods. When you look at this scripture, it's absolutely unbelievable. When you experience this, you've got to be born again. Nothing to do with church. Church will not get you born again. Ministry will not get you born again. You know it doesn't matter, because the Bible says it's not by works, so that no one can boast, it is by the gift of God. If you have a Bible, turn to Ephesians, chapter 2. We're going to skip further forward and we'll come back in just a few moments. Let's have a look in the book of Ephesians. You do not choose to be saved. God has already chosen you. Ephesians, chapter two. Let's flick through the scriptures and let's see what it says.
Speaker 2:I know that this is upsetting a few people. This will upset a few people because we think that we have choice and we think that we have the power and the capabilities to receive God, but God drops it within. So what happens is when you've got that marker in your life and you suddenly understand. Oh, hang on a moment. What happens is your belief starts to move, your faith starts to move. Suddenly, it's like having an electric shock. You become alive. You are awoken in your innermost being. Your spirit comes alive, not because you decided to go to church and you run down because the preacher said a few words and because you're crying it's got nothing to do with that is because god has set you free before you even understood what church means. There is no one on planet earth that has the power and the capabilities of receiving uh, refusing, sorry salvation. Salvation is given if you look, if you're with me, sorry, turn that has the power and the capabilities of refusing salvation. Salvation is given If you're with me.
Speaker 2:Turn to Ephesians 2, and let's just see what it says. Ephesians 2, let's go to verse 8. It says there we are. Verse 8, for it is by grace. You have been saved through faith, and this is not from yourself. It is the gift of God. Verse 9, not by work, so that no one can boast. Another drumbeat on predestination.
Speaker 2:Jesus says to Nicodemus you must be born again and for some unknown reason, the Pentecostal movement has taken that literally and has pressed that across the pulpits in certain areas of ministry and it is saying that run to the front of the church today, come and give your life to Jesus. I can understand where that comes from. I can get that to a slight degree. But you can be sitting in the field, you know. You can be reading a newspaper and God will speak through the grass and God will save you. In the middle of a field, you can be driving your van, you can be at home, you can be completely not recognizing and not understanding God and then suddenly out of nowhere. You've only got to look at the birth of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit came out of nowhere and they was not capable of speaking in tongues until the Spirit enabled them, because everything comes from above, it does not come from within.
Speaker 2:If I think that I have the power to say today, jesus, is the day that I'm going to call you into my life, that is just crazy language. That is just I'm off my rocker. It is impossible. You are born again, you are saved, your name is stamped in the land book of life and it's not by your own doing, it's not by you. You might be refusing, you might be just flicking through the socials. You might be flicking through the world of podcast and you might be just capturing this and thinking what's he going on about? There's no such word as coincidence. There's no such word as luck. It is.
Speaker 2:You are blessed and you are saved by the grace of God when you unpack verse eight of Ephesians, chapter two, for it is by grace that tells us that no one deserves it. It is by grace that you have been saved through faith. Okay, hang on a moment. So it's through faith. So I have faith. To choose or not to choose? No, you have no faith. Until the gift of salvation is given Before faith, before understanding in God, before anything or any questioning about this triune Godhead that we serve, no one is in front of God, no one is ahead of God. Salvation is deposited and then, once salvation is deposited, without us actually realizing that, as that salvation, that seed that sits in your spirit and your heart, consumes your whole life and your whole body, suddenly you go, maybe church. Maybe there's problems, maybe there's issues, maybe there's things gone on in your life, maybe your family have gone to church. You know you're not going to church because of your family. You're not going to church just because of or you might have got dragged along on this and that. Yeah, that happens here, there and everywhere. But what I'm saying to you is that salvation doesn't sit in the power of the church, because the persecuted church tells us, and this book tells us outside of church, because when you look at this, when God, through Christ, spoke to Nicodemus, the church wasn't even in existence.
Speaker 2:When you look at the thief on the cross, that biblical text absolutely is just phenomenal. It is just so powerful about the murderer, the thief on the cross, the criminal on the cross. He did not do, he wasn't on a WhatsApp group, he didn't go to church, he didn't do an alpha course, he didn't do a doctorate in theological studying. There was no pastor, there was no preacher, there was no scripture around, because the word, the scripture, was hanging on the cross next to him. The living word was taken to the cross.
Speaker 2:Jesus said within a twinkling of an eye, you will be with me in paradise. You know there is no human being on earth can hold back the power of God. When it comes in, when it comes into the human being there, it is like electric flowing through the body. It might even make us think strange, it might even make us act strange, it might even think, and it takes us backward, because it's not the normal run of life. You know, the Bible says Jesus says to the, to those on the shoreline of Galilee, come and follow me. What did they do? They followed him because there was no choice. There was no choice, they just followed. They gravitated to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. The Bible says that they dropped their nets, they left everything and they followed Jesus.
Speaker 2:Let's get back to these scriptures, you know, let's get back to this scripture that we're in. So we're in Ephesians, chapter 2, and we're in verse 8. For it says for it is by grace, you have been saved through faith. You only have faith when faith is deposited and when faith becomes alerted in your innermost being, when, suddenly, the predestinational marker, the stone in your life, that time and that normally is that someone says do you want to receive a Bible, do you want to receive Jesus? And maybe it's on the streets, maybe it's in church, maybe you've been taken to church, maybe you've not even been in church, but you've had an encounter with God. You know, there are areas of life where you will find that that was predestined, an awakening predestination you know already foretold. Salvation is already foretold. It is forgiven.
Speaker 2:You can't resist the power of salvation. You are saved. You can fight it, you can throw your stuff at the camera, you can shout, you can send me emails, you can text, you can come around here and give me an idea if you like, but it don't erase the fact that you can't escape the power of God. You can't escape the power of God. Let me tell you again you are saved because he decided to save you. You can wrestle with that, you can fight with that, all you God. Let me tell you again you are saved because he decided to save you. You can wrestle with that, you can fight with that all you like. And it says for it is by grace.
Speaker 2:You have been saved through faith and this is not from yourself, Nothing to do with you, nothing to do with me, nothing to do with church, nothing to do with humanity. It has come from above. It is the gift of God. Then it goes into the world of religion and church, not by works, so that no one can boast. Some ministers can't boast, preachers can't boast, people working in ministry and working in religion. It's got nothing to do with what hours we spend within the building and what we do for the church, because it comes from above. You have been saved, you have been rescued, you have been set free, you have been given a hope, you have been given a future. And it's been predestined before the fabric of time, before time itself, before God said let there be light. God had a marker on your life for you to be saved.
Speaker 2:You might go to the largest church, you might go to a big church, a great church. You can go to any church you like. I'm not really bothered. You do not have a choice in receiving salvation. I'm not really bothered. You do not have a choice in receiving salvation because salvation comes first. And as soon as salvation has been alerted, as soon as your body recognizes, suddenly faith becomes real, belief becomes real. And then suddenly I have all these questions and all these answers.
Speaker 2:You have been given the gift of salvation, not because you've prayed for it, not because you've cried for it, not because you've run to the altar for it, but because God determined that somewhere in your existence, walking this earth as a human being, your body will be alerted to the power of salvation. Not because you've gone to a great convention, not because you're listening to the greatest preacher that walked the earth, not because you bought the latest book, but because god forechose you. God gave you a hope, god gave you a future. When you look at this scripture, it says we're going to flick through in just a few moments. It says, for it is by grace, you have been saved through faith. Salvation is before faith. Salvation is before belief. Salvation is before church. Salvation is before the preacher.
Speaker 2:So you have been given salvation, but when salvation has been alerted in your innermost being, what and how is that alertment? What comes alive in my spirit? What is it? What actually is that? It's the predestinational date that God has marked on your life for you to say who is this? Jesus, the sinner's prayer. Maybe you've prayed the sinner's prayer. Maybe you was, as they say, you was, led to Jesus. Someone may have spoke to you about Jesus. Maybe someone gave you a Bible. Maybe someone gave you a text. Someone prayed over your life, but before all of that, before all of that, salvation was dropped in. So when salvation was dropped in, that person that prayed for you, that scripture that was given to you, that time that you was online, that time when that scripture dropped down on your feed, or that time you realized that I've got to get to church. That was a moment, the human me, the human me, suddenly realized that god is real.
Speaker 2:So, as we're in these scriptures, I just want to read that first part that we was in. And we was in the Gospel of John and we started off in the Gospel of John, in the Gospel of John, chapter 6, and I just want to read verse 44. No one can come to me. Just hold your thought a moment on that. No one can come to me. Just hold your your thought a moment on that. No one can come to me unless the father.
Speaker 2:So it's all about the heavenly father. Salvation is about the heavenly father. Salvation sits with the heavenly father. No one can come to me unless the father who sent me. So the father is in full control, this triune, godhead, father, son, holy spirit. And the bible says and god said let there be light. And there was, you know. And jesus says I am the way, the truth and the life. No one can come to the father except through me. And that was only made possible through the sanctifying work of the cross of Calvary, because the cross had to come into existence not because God needed that for himself, but he needed to make a visual declaration to the world and to make everything in visual formation because that's how we look at life, that's how we get through life, that's how we see life. God brought everything into into existence simply so the human being could get an understanding, and and see, and and articulate and and just work things out.
Speaker 2:There is power. In the name of jesus, you are saved. Do you realize you are saved? Do you realize you might be flicking on this podcast? You might be flicking through the socials tonight across the other side of the world. Jesus Christ has saved you. Before you even got into church, before your friend or your brother, your sister or your mom prayed for you, before anyone, before you heard a message, before you found something to do with church on TikTok, the social networks. God saved you and you have no power to resist him. There is no choice. Thank god, there is no choice, and it says there really clearly in verse 44 no one can come to me unless the father who sent me draws him. God draws, god draws you, you have, you have, I have. The human being has no authority and has no power to resist salvation.
Speaker 2:We went to the book of Ephesians, chapter 2, and we went in verse 8 and 9 and it is for by grace, you have been saved. If you have a Bible, turn to John 3, 3. John 3, 3, from verse 3 through to 7. Jesus says you must be born again. You must 7. Jesus says you must be born again. You must be born again, you must be born again. He makes that clear, so simple and so easy. And it says you can only be born again when it comes from above.
Speaker 2:So we need to get a grip. I need to get an understanding that salvation is outside of the realms of the human being. Salvation is outside of the hands of the church. It is outside of the hands of religion. Salvation is in the power of God through Christ Jesus. We need to come to an understanding that I am saved, once saved, always saved.
Speaker 2:That is a saying that flips many people off the edge. What do you mean? You can't lose your salvation. You can't lose it. We're all sinners saved by grace. And even after salvation guess what? Guess what happens after salvation? We still sin. We still sin after salvation. That is why we have redemption. That is why we have the power of the blood of Jesus, because all are sinners saved by grace, even after salvation, even when you might look at it like this, I went to that crusade. I give my life to Jesus.
Speaker 2:On this day, at that particular point, I've got a marker in my Bible. That was the day I decided, you know, as soon as we get back to work, to life, you know, suddenly something comes on the TV, something comes on the phone, something comes in our lives. You know, effing and jeffing, saying this, saying that we are all sinners. We are all sinners. Pride, the pride that is out there. No one, from the point of salvation, lives such a pure life, because the Bible says there was only one pure and his name was Jesus. We're all sinners, even until the point to which we die, we will continue to sin. Yes, our lives are cleaned up. Yes, our lives are swept through. Yes, our sins have been taken to the cross of Calvary. But God is always rescuing us from something or some area of life of failure, because we are sinners saved by grace. Just because we are saved, does that actually mean just because we are born again, does that actually mean to say, am I that foolish to think that I will never sin again.
Speaker 2:Thoughts, pride, arrogance, anger. What about unforgiveness? What about not forgiving people? What did they say to Jesus? How many times should I forgive? How many times A continuation he said how much pride do we have in us? Pride is sin. You know the pride of life, you know pride is the biggest thing out there when you look at someone that has been saved. No one can live this life completely sin-free. It's impossible. But by grace, by the potter's will, by the love of God, by the journey of being born again, spirit-filled, blessed and highly favoured. Spirit-filled, blessed and highly favoured.
Speaker 2:Look at what the Bible says. You might be living a life that there is no sinner. You're trying. But what does the Bible say? Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Without faith, moaning oh, woe is me. You know every word, word, every area of life. So, as soon as we are saved, yes, our lives are different because I am a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come. But then why does paul say a wretched man am I, why do I do the things I hate and why I cannot do the things I know that I should be doing? You know, life is powerful Predestination. There is no choice. You are saved. You can't resist salvation.
Speaker 2:The scripture is clear that God draws, God draws, and then, through revelational knowledge, god reveals and then, as he reveals, suddenly on a razor's edge. As soon as we realize, hang on, faith drops in. I believe. But you cannot have faith, you cannot have belief, until salvation comes to you first. So salvation comes to you. So when jesus was talking to nicodemus, he was making things extremely clear nicodemus, you must be born again. He was making the clearest statement on earth and we understand what nicodemus said and the conversation that went back.
Speaker 2:But when you analyze and you look at that scripture, you can bounce in and out of church. You can say I'm going to church tomorrow and not go. It doesn't affect your salvation. You might not even pick your Bible up and not read it. It doesn't affect your salvation because it is by grace you have been saved. It is by grace, not by work, so that no one can boast. You have been saved by the grace and the power. God is sovereign. God is sovereign.
Speaker 2:If you look in the book of Romans 8, 29 and verse 30, it talks about predestined and it talks about being adopted. In Ephesians, chapter 1, verse 5,. We've been predestined and we've been adopted and we've been grafted in. You have, and I have, no power. You are grafted in, whether you like it or whether you don't like it. And then I can hear all the bells and the whistles flying across everywhere, certain people listening to this and capturing this podcast and I thank you for your email before you even send it to me.
Speaker 2:In the name of Jesus, it's really important to understand that you cannot resist salvation, you can resist going to church, but there has been a seed of faith dropped in your heart. There's been a measure of belief dropped in your heart. There's been a measure of belief dropped inside of you. The Bible says whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. How and who is the Lord? I can only know that there is someone called the Lord when salvation has been dropped into my spirit. Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Those scriptures come into existence once God gives me the marker in my life. That is the day that that human being, their autonomy, their earth, suit the skin that they walk in, their mind, their consciousness, their soul. Their autonomy, their earth, suit the skin that they walk in, their mind, their consciousness, their soul, their body, everything about that human being on that day, at that particular point, wherever they are across the world. That is the second, the millisecond that Jesus went. Body, be alert to salvation, and then we might go.
Speaker 2:I'm going to church on Sunday. I'm going to go to church. I'm going to go and find who. I'm going to go to church. I'm going to go and find who this Jesus is. Jesus already found you. Jesus was already at the cross for you. He's been to the cross. The cross has been fulfilled. He's sovereign. He's sovereign. He's all power, he's all God, he's all King, he's all savior. He's the savior of the world.
Speaker 2:And when, when you look at predestination, it clearly tells us that you were grafted in and you were adopted for his good pleasure and his good will. Wrestle with that one. There is no choice. It's his will and it's his good pleasure that you are saved. Your name is stamped in the Lamb's book of life.
Speaker 2:We cannot go on a church program to become born again. You might go on a discipleship course, you might go on an alpha course, you might do all the courses under the sun, but those courses, those church leaders, have no power over your salvation. It has no power. The alpha course, great and as powerful as it may be, the discipleship course, great and as powerful as it may be the discipleship course, as great and as powerful it may be, the prayer team, as great and as powerful they may be, the preachers that preach and bring the message, as good and as powerful that may be, has nothing to do with your salvation, because salvation has been given to you. Salvation was given to you and you cannot resist it. There is a time in all of our lives when our bodies, our minds and everything becomes alerted to this eternal God, this triune Godhead, father, son, holy Spirit.
Speaker 2:We're going to come to the table. We've just got a few moments. We're going to come to the table, we're going to take a few moments out. You know, wherever you are across the world, there is so much to say on this, maybe, if God tarries, and maybe we'll continue this through on the next visit, as we come across the mics and on the visuals and all that sort of stuff that we do here. But I'm glad to say I love to tell you this and there will be people pinging me later on today how dare you say that I cannot resist. There is no choice. Let me tell you loud and clear, world, there is no choice of salvation. You have no choice. And somewhere in your life, atheists, somewhere in your life, parliamentarian, somewhere in your life, agnostic, somewhere in your life, humanist, somewhere in your life, muslim, somewhere in your life serving Buddha, allah, serving all foreign gods, somewhere in your life, jesus will mark you. Suddenly you'll stop serving foreign gods. Suddenly you'll stop serving Allah. Suddenly you'll stop serving the gods of the world. Suddenly, out of nowhere, god will reveal himself to you. May God bless you and strengthen you wherever you are. But we're going to come to the table. Come to the table with me this evening. Come on, let's get to the table.
Speaker 2:Wherever you are across the world, let me tell you again atheists, let me tell you, whoever you are out there, coming from other world religions, god loves you. There is only one way to the Father. There is only one way to the God of Israel. There are little gods and you might serve little gods. You might serve because they are little gods. They are nothing compared to the God of Israel. They are nothing. All roads don't lead to the God of Israel. There is only one way. There is only one way and his name is Jesus, and God draws you, god draws me to Jesus Christ.
Speaker 2:Come to the table with us tonight, wherever you are across the world, and I'm happy and clappy to tell you. I'm absolutely over the moon to tell you, whoever you are on the other side of the camera, you cannot resist salvation. You can say, you can do what you like, but you are saved, you are blessed, you're on your way to heaven. Why would I want to fight that? Let's break bread.
Speaker 2:Father. We thank you for this bread. Bless this bread tonight, lord, in the mighty name of Jesus Christ that symbolizes the body of Christ, spirit of the living God. We worship you and we adore you. Tonight, god and forevermore. You are the king of glory, you are the great I am and, lord, I thank you that there is no human being on earth that has the strength to resist salvation. Thank you, jesus. Bless this bread. Amen, god is with you. You've been chosen. You've been chosen. I haven't had the time to get even unwrap and even lift the lid of the baked beans off tonight. I haven't had the time to even just lift the lid off of everything, but you're saved, father. I thank you, lord, for this cup that symbolizes the blood of Jesus. Cleanse me from all sin in Jesus' name Amen.
Speaker 1:Amen.
Speaker 2:Thank you, jesus, thank you, holy Spirit. You are saved, you are blessed. Sins and sickness and disease has been nailed to the cross of Calvary because God sent his son. So there's a sending and there's a receiving. And there's a sending and there's a receiving and there's a giving. God is with you. You'll never be able to resist him. You'll never be able to push back salvation. No matter what you do or whatever I do on this earth, god has saved us. God is with you. You are blessed. You are rich in Christ Jesus. He is the saviour of the world. He's with you wherever you are. Let's just take a moment, just to reflect and just remind ourselves the first scripture that we went in the gospel of john, chapter 6, verse 44 god draws. No one can go to jesus until god draws you to him. To him he draws you. So you cannot.
Speaker 2:I cannot get myself saved by an alpha course. I cannot get myself to be born again by keep praying, because I I'm saved before I prayed. I was saved before the alpha call started. I was saved before the discipleship course was started. I was saved before the Alpha course started. I was saved before the discipleship course was started. I was saved before the preacher delivered the message I was saved before I went to church. I was saved. I was known before the beginning of time because of redemption. The redemption plan is over your life.
Speaker 2:It's time to smile tonight. You can't work this out, just surrender. And what do you mean, pastor Ben? Just pray a prayer as we come to the close. Father tonight, will you take the fear away? Will you take the fear away? Will you take the worry away? Because, lord, all this biblical stuff, it confuses me sometimes. Jesus and I keep having to say the sinner's prayer and I keep having to say lord, how do I become this born-again believer? And Jesus said it so simply, so simply to Nicodemus it comes from above. God has already dropped it on you. Try and find a place through prayer, through worship, through being still of trusting in the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Wherever you are this evening, we thank God for your lives. May God bless you and strengthen you in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. We will see you soon. Thank you to everybody that's gathered across the world this evening, wherever you are, whatever your time zone is. May God strengthen you and carry you. In the mighty name of Jesus Christ.
Speaker 2:You can listen to this stuff. It will go up very, very soon on Spotify. It will go up on Apple Podcasts, google, it'll be on Alexa. It's on all the normal places. The podcast will go up soon, it will get uploaded. But let me tell you this one more time you cannot resist salvation. God is with you. It's not about going into church. It's not about running the hoover around the church. It not about works. It's not by works. It is by grace, and there is grace sitting over you tonight. There is grace sitting within your heart tonight, because it is by grace you have been saved, not by work, so that no one can boast. God bless you wherever you are. Again this evening, the the hand of God is over you. You are saved. Your name is stamped in the Lamb's book, god bless. I'm off to see a man about a dog. Take care, see you soon.
