Last week, we saw where God did give up on the people during Noah's time and for the Tower of Babel days.

But for the most part, God's grace has been around since the days of the garden frolic!
Then in Jesus' time, blasphemy of the Holy Ghost was a serious issue.  But we also saw that other blasphemy, as bad as it was, it was all still forgiveable.

During Moses' time
Exodus 34:6 - And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
Numbers 14:18 - The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.

Opportunities today for salvation - still!
Romans 2:4 -

Opportunities for salvation even to the 'vessels of wrath!'
Romans 9:22 -

Paul was a pattern to us for longsuffering!
I Timothy 1:16 -

Even still during the Tribulation
II Peter 3:9 -

A reprobate is a person abandoned to sin!
To reprobate is to abandon to wickedness, destruction and eternal destruction  - abandoned to error, or in apostasy - to disapprove with detestation or marks of extreme dislike; to reject!

 
The Lost:  We can see more and more that the world's thinking is perverted - worthless - Godless - makes no sense - pretty much reprobate anymore.

There is little if any interest in 'righteousness' let alone doing what's even just best for America anymore.

There can not really be any serious thinking going on out there when we consider what goes on in the daily news these days...

The Saved: Then the second concern: "Is it possible for the Lord to give up on you if you are a consistent messer-upper?"  In other words, can we go reprobate?

If we just keep feeding the flesh, does God eventually just give up on us?
If we develop our own itching ears?
If we turn away from the truth?
If we depart from the faith?
If we give heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils?
If we fall into temptation and a snare?
If we fall into foolish and hurtful lusts?  (they do drown men in destruction perdition, ya know...)
If we err from the faith?
If we pierce ourselves through with many sorrows - by coveting after money - filthy lucre?
If we turn to profane and vain babblings & oppositions of science falsely so called?
If we put the Book down?

Romans 1:21-25  God gives them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own bodies between themselves!

Romans 1:26,27  God gives them up unto vile affections:

Romans 1:28  God gives them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient, etc. (convenient: Fit; suitable; proper; adapted to use or to wants

• Note: as they did not LIKE to retain God in their knowledge.  Their conscience is seared (from childhood and on up?)  They have no inner battle!  They have pleasure in these things!  They CHOOSE to go this way!
• Note: Don't you still occasionally do some of those things still? Read 29-31.  Let's see - WORTHY of DEATH!  Can you go reprobate?

• Note:  men of corrupt minds, REPROBATE concerning the faith!
• Note:  see verses 1-7 for a detailed description.
• Note:  corrupt minds?  more detailed description on those folks in I Timothy 6:4,5
• Note: Don't you still occasionally do some of those things still?

• Note:  'They' - look at verses 10-15 - unruly and vain talkers and deceivers; they subvert whole houses; they teach wrong things for filthy lucre; they are liars, evil beasts, slow bellies; they teach Jewish fables and commandments of men; they turn people from the truth.
• Note: They are defiled and unbelieving! (verse 15)
• Note:  Their good works are worthless in God's eyes!  Romans 8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God!  Their good works will have sin on them! THEY along with their works will burn!

• The lost world is heading towards the Tribulation!  Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.  II Thessalonians 2:9-12
• How will they ever hear?  Plant the seed and water it!  It is God that giveth the increase.  In today's days of apostasy, don't look for any grand increase - GAIN IS NOT GODLINESS!
• They won't have that opportunity unless WE are there for them!  Romans 10:14,15 - How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

I figure there are times that many of us think we ought to be - or maybe even could be - or even worse, ARE!
You may think that there is no hope, even though you thought you were once saved... etc.

1.  Paul does ask the Corinthians to examine themselves!  Prove themselves!  Don't ye KNOW that Jesus Christ is in you?  If not, then yes, you are reprobate!
II Corinthians 13:5 - Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

• Note:  examine / prove - but not by feelings, blessings of prosperity, success or failure, someone else's opinion - SCRIPTURES!
• Note:  are you having any battles within? Romans 7:15-25

• I Thessalonians 1:1-12
• I Thessalonians 4:1,2 - Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more. For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.

• Note:  Do you only appear approved?  Do you play the game?  Only you and God know! (through the Book, you'll know)
• Note:  Though we be as reprobates?  What is that?
• That is a conceit killer!  Our flesh is still like the flesh of the lost except we have been cut away from it!  Colossians 2:11-13
• Dog flesh! All of us!  Yes, you and me too!
• Some folks are just better flesh trained than others!  Some are more willing - more obedient, etc. They love their masters more, etc.
• Note: II Corinthians 12:7 - Lest Paul be exalted through the abundance of the revelations, he was given a thorn in the flesh!
• we still have the flesh to deal with, lest we also be exalted through the abundance of what we learn from Paul!
• we must try to accept verses 9-11!
• Note: Lest ye fall!  See Galatians 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.