THE MOST ASSURING CHAPTER IN THE BIBLE

let's open our Bibles to John 10 as you're turning there I would encourage you if you've never picked a favorite chapter of the Bible to start thinking about that and I would present this as one for you to consider I have a problem because whatever chapter I'm studying intensely becomes my favorite one so you know so they're all favor at all eleven hundred and eighty nine but if you don't yet have your initial favorite this chapter explains to us our relationship to Christ in in the most unique way that spills over to tie together all of the ways that God describes us as his people in the context of him being a shepherd us being his flock his sheep and those who lead his church to be shepherds and in just this whole concept Jesus here crystallizes John 10 it's a wonderful chapter but as we especially look at John 10:22 we're looking at what may be the most comforting assuring and hope-filled passage in the whole Bible it's here that Jesus explains we belong to him I don't know if you can remember way back you know in public school days I remember that you know on every in hazlet we used to always play Red Rover and you know that's where you you hold hands and hope there's no girls in the group you know and you go like this and you try and run and brake you know the the arms they're like a fence and and we used to pick up teams and you know what it was so neat to not be the last person you know that nobody wanted and you just got on that other team it was wonderful to be picked and belong you know that you're wanted well the ultimate expression of that is right here we belong to him Jesus explains that that that we he calls us my sheep that just our sheep not just less sheep mine and that that is a huge thought here Jesus says you are my sheep you have eternally secure life yes he there half of Christendom struggles you know there's the Arminian side they struggle with fearing their using their salvation most of them 99% them get it right back but they fear they lose it and and the the misperception is that they got it it's kind of like you got something at Walmart you lost it no salvation isn't something you got it was given installed by the Lord and if he installed it we or anyone else can't uninstall it see that's that's the essence of what that's why it's such a favorite chapter the more we understand what Jesus says about us as his sheep about shepherding and what it means to belong to him the more amazing it becomes and and by the way sheep that word sheep occurs 40 times in the New Testament 21 times and the gospel by John 16 times in this chapter see this is the motherlode of understanding this concept that he is our Shepherd we are his sheep well Jesus by the way in chapter 10 verse 22 is walking in the winter time it's so neat when we can connect with when this event happened where it happened how it happened I mean this is specifically we're only about two weeks off from being exactly in the same spot of our calendar as Jesus was in his 2,000 years ago it's the winter and Jesus is walking on the great porch of Herod's temple and if we look at the words that John wrote down in verse 22 on we can pinpoint exactly where this is in the life and Ministry of Christ where it is in the annual calendar and where it is geographically and even culturally they're celebrating a festival of lights that we call today it's on December 9th coming up Hanukkah that's an old celebration it's 2200 years old and there Jesus is there as they're celebrating that so it's amazing when we can follow the clues to the historical and cultural and geographic context of an event and so that's what we've done chapter 10 of John's Gospel we're gonna read 22 231 and as as we read this you follow long I'm going to read it I want to see how clearly Jesus says who belongs to him and how he assured those that belong to him that no one and nothing can take that salvation away okay chapter 10 22 let's all stand you follow along remain standing we'll pray and that was verse 22 the feast of dedication in Jerusalem and it was winter and Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch then the Jews surrounded him and said to him how long do you keep us in doubt if you are the Christ tell us plainly jesus answered them I told you and you do not believe the works that I do in my father's name they bear witness of me but you do not believe because you are not of my sheep as I said to you my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me and I give them eternal life and they shall never perish neither shall anyone snatch them out of my father's hand my father who has given them to me is greater than all and no one is able to snatch them out of my father's hand I and my father are one now verse 31 then the Jews took up stones again to stone him now if you were last time they were doing the same thing when we were in John chapter 9 and this is the third time actually in chapter 5 chapter 8 and now here they're trying to stone him why because of what he said he says I'm equal with God we're not the same person we're one in essence were different persons the son is not the father the father is not the son but we are one one God in three persons and they said no you're not and they want to stone him what a wonderful let's bow before the Lord thank you Father for this truth that were actually reading a transcript as if a news crew recorded this we can see it we can hear it and we know it hasn't been edited and ruined it's the real thing this is a message that you gave and that you have captured by inspiration and delivered to us and preserved and now you make it speak to our hearts because it's your word and I ask that it would speak to our hearts today some need to realize that there in the church but they're not a Christian because they're here and they need to realize that they they're a Christian look-alike they can talk like us and they can they can do a lot of the things we do but they don't really hear your voice and you don't really know them and for others they they know you but there's something muffling your voice and they need to repent and turn and and experience a renewal and for others may this just be a deepening encouragement of the truth of us being called your sheep and so whatever level we're on may you meet us and may you change us and work in our hearts we pray and be exalted and glorified for Jesus sake amen may be seated as you're seated the first lesson is Jesus taught the truths that we're looking at in verses 22 on in John 10 in the month of December unbelievable almost two weeks from right now 2,000 years ago Jesus was actually talking we know right where he was I mean if you've ever seen in the news you know the Dome of the rock and in the background if it's looking to the east you see the eastern gate that's where Jesus was walking it was called Solomon's portico the fall it says in verse 22 it says it was winter that there it meant rainy cold rainy season some snow but but regular winter rains and so that's why he's in this portico area that's why he he is under cover so that he can address people without them getting wet and they can listen for a long time and and what's amazing is this spot got so associated with Jesus saying you're my sheep I'm your shepherd you're my flock and I'm going to shepherd you this is where the early church meant it says in acts 311 and acts 5:12 that this is where they met in Solomon's porch or portico so it's just amazing to think that first of all it's the cold and rainy season and secondly it's during the month of December because if you look at verse 22 feast of dedication aka and our time period Hanukkah was the time that commemorated an event 170 years before Christ's birth when the alexander the great's one of the four divisions of the greek empire Antiochus from the the the Syrian division came down conquered Jerusalem and took a big pig slaughtered it and let its blood pour all over the altar to defile the temple he thought he'd done in Judaism but one of the priests but by the last name of Maccabees the Maccabean priests came out of his priesthood and became a general and led the Jews to drive out the the Syrians right out of the country and started the the whole Makka bein time period of reigning and that that celebration of cleansing the temple for eight days they they had the light you know eight is a number of new beginning so they burned the lamp oil for eight days the the candelabra as they cleaned the temple and those eight days become today the eight days of Hanukkah which Jesus celebrated two thousand years ago but what's what's amazing is is in this chapter starting in verse one Jesus speaks more about sheep and us as his sheep and what that means than anywhere else in the Bible and so this is a favorite chapter well first truth my sheep is Christ powerful term for believers remember jesus said if you're a believer you're my sheep you're not just a sheep you're mine you're mine you ever had someone you meet little people like this and you touch you go no mine well that's the negative side the positive side is the possessive reality that Jesus said I know you you belong to me you're mine you know people look for relationship and you know security and feeling that that being needed Jesus said you're mine you belong to me beautiful thought when we think about Jesus he came as a lamb he calls his church his flock he calls himself the true the good the great the chief Shepherd Jesus relates like we're sheep and he's a shepherd he calls those who lead his church in his stead Shepherds under Shepherds Veck Peter 1st Peter 5 says that we are all under shepherds - the chief Shepherd Jesus Christ in fact that's one of our Sunday night queue and any things what what is the description of the leadership of the church they're called a Piscopo which is overseer elders are there called elders pres Buderus or they're called pastors which is the greek word poem mane which means a shepherd but those three terms are synonymous in fact Paul says I'm writing to the elders and he proceeds to call them Shepherds overseers and elders so in God's mind elders and Shepherds and overseers are the same group of people and there's a plurality of these godly men who Shepherd the church but there's only one designation of Christ that fills the New Testament there's only one term that goes all the way through the New Testament that ties together how he looks upon us Jesus never calls us Christians Jesus rarely calls us believers he sometimes refers to those who follow him as disciples and he often calls them his servants but universally from cover to cover we were referred to in this shepherd and sheep idea Psalm 100 entry into his gates with Thanksgiving and into his courts with praise because we're the Sheep of his pasture I mean even in Genesis 48 when Jacob was dying he said that the great Shepherd led me all my life as long for David wrote the 23rd psalm Jacob knew God as a shepherd so this this is a huge powerful term for us it's the most integrated term woven into the very fabric of not only the New Testament but of the early church they looked on themselves as his sheep that's why they love to meet where he taught this message and they wanted to find Christ as their Shepherd and follow those those under shepherds that were leading the church and so this is a beautiful term but Jesus calls us as believers more by this one term here in the gospel then anywhere else in the Bible so it's it's very important but next point why does God call us his sheep I mean why isn't call swales you know or mighty stallions you know or Eagles you know why is he focused on he's the Shepherd we're the flock of his sheep what is it about sheep that God uses that term so universally for us well one thing the thing about it maybe because she for the most helpless creatures known in the world of zoology of the major animals that people know about sheep are the most helpless they always lose their way and in the amazing aggregation of entertainment and instruction that modern man calls the circus you can see almost every known animal perform but you'll probably never see any sheep performing any tricks I mean we can get cats and dogs farm animals anything that can be caught in a trap can be taught to perform for the amusement of man with the apparent exception of sheep you can even get a rat a mouse but you can't get a sheep to learn something and repeat it perhaps the Lord God considering the utter helplessness of the human family just shook his head and said we're just going to call humans sheep and and it could be but what does Jesus see in us as a sheep I mean if if he calls a sheep if he says I'm the shepherd if you're the Sheep you're my flock what to us who only find sheep under saran wrap on styrofoam you know at Harding's I mean what is the picture we're supposed to have you know we're all wrapped up and cold you know I mean what is the idea of sheep when God says that's how I see you well just some truths number one as sheep we need his constant guidance if you know anything about sheep sheep are utterly helpless they can't find their way without a guide if there's pasture right in front of them the sheep are apparently incapable of finding it for themselves they have to have someone come down and guide them and that's that's the idea that we as his sheep need constant guidance that's why God looking at humanity said in Isaiah 53 that all humanity are like sheep that have gone what a stray yeah that's just we're in constant need of guidance secondly as sheep we need constant cleansing now most of us I mean our our understanding of things is so driven by you know storybooks and fairytales and movies that we don't really know much about sheep I mean sheep are the dirtiest animals associated with humans the natural tendency of wool in its raw and wild state is to just suck up and hold any defilement that gets near it there is a very unpleasant odor that's natural to sheep I remember Bonnie and I as I was speaking down to New Zealand once and and we went to you know there's more sheep in New Zealand than anything but hobbits or I mean anything but chief I mean they're just more sheep than people in New Zealand and we went to giant sheep farm oh yeah I mean it it's unpleasant and and it's just there's just unique odor and then mud dries on their pelt in the most bedraggled patterns I mean when we take people to Israel and and and they want to see a flock of sheep when we happen to see one out there and the in the shuffle ah we'll stop the bus and they all run off and they start taking pictures but if they look at those pictures I mean they're just looking at waves of dirt that that are clinging to those sheep in the most bedraggled imaginable and the adherence of mud to the sheep is persistent no matter how dry the mud becomes it never powders and falls off you can't get it off the Sheep it's just they just are magnets to dirt and above all the creatures associated with the life of man the Sheep is unquestionably the dirtiest and any poet or any writer that sings the praises of snow-white sheep has probably never seen them in their natural condition because as the sheep cross through their journeyings together in flocks the dust of their passing coats them until sheep become the same color as the terrain they're walking through because they become walking dirties sheep are the only animals that are totally incapable of self cleansing the dirty or a sheep gets the more helpless it becomes and that's why it says the Lord is my shepherd and he leads me to stilled waters it's because a sheep can't go ploughing through like cattle through a river if a sheep goes in the river it it they lose they they lose their balance they are top-heavy because it fills up with water their feet go up and they sink to the bottom because they're like a sponge they're afraid of water they don't take baths they don't do anything thirdly as sheep not only are we in constant need of guidance and constant need of cleansing but we need constant care now I want you to think about something because we've all heard of sheep sheep are among the most tender of creatures they're always suffering hurt and pain when she / processed at meat markets it's rare to find a pelt that isn't scarred and when they skin the pelt off a carcass that isn't bruised you know it's kind of like going to the farmers market and you get this beautiful peach I mean it's just perfect and you want to get it home but by the time you get it home it has a bruise on it you go I didn't do anything - it's just bruised that's how sheep are they're easily hurt scarred bruised sheep spend half of their day bleeding because of their physical distress and the rest of their time bumping into something else that hurts them again they have no ten no natural joy there's just you almost feel tender about them because they're so helpless in fact the only redeeming thing about a sheep is its utter helplessness and an inability to do anything you want to help it so that leads us to the next truth our Good Shepherd saw and utterly in need of guidance utterly in need of cleansing utterly in need of care people and our great Shepherd died to redeem and rescue and save helpless sheep who can't cleanse himself who can't get rid who can't naturally have no ability to self cleanse and we're the dirtiest as humans we're the dirtiest because we are made in the image of God and we we are gravitated towards sin and we absorb it and so our Good Shepherd died the only way to rescue sheep headed to destruction was to come down and show them the way out and that's exactly what God did in Christ as John the Baptist when he saw Jesus he said he is the lamb he became a lamb to lead the Sheep out of the destruction they were headed towards and so Jesus was the Lamb of God the perfect personal fulfillment of all the Jewish sacrificial system so chapter 10 verse 1 as his sheep we are so helpless so incapable of cleansing or protecting ourselves jesus said I'm going to come save you so what's the point chapter 10 is this true sheep hear the voice of Jesus Christ as their Shepherd and they follow him now now what this is all about is we're looking at and if you wonder how we got here we were going through the book of Revelation in fact had the best time this week you know last week mark mule and I came up and gave everybody an exhortation take your tract out of the bulletin there's still some in fact yesterday we did a funeral in here and I was noticing some of the people who don't come to church here we're pulling out the track and reading it during the funeral I thought oh that's great we got our pews loaded with tracks but remember we prayed to give one I prayed over mine dutifully folded up put it my wallet on Tuesday someone called in and they said they told the secretary they said came to church a couple weeks ago when he was talking about cannibals and murderers and everything really bothered me and I need help I think I'm I'm bad like like what he was talking about so they just slotted them in never heard of the person never met them they came in and when they told me their story of what they have done with their life it sounded like they were in Africa a hundred years ago the way they had lived and after listening usually listened for about a half hour and just take notes of everything they're telling me and identify what they're talking about in relation to the Bible but I said could I pause you for a second I said I found out who I've been praying to give this to and I pulled out my tract and I went through that tract with him and you know what happened is it was totally the Lord it always is don't just say it once at all if you ever lead some of the Lord and they get saved it's the Lord I mean that person was so needy and they came so needy that I said you can receive Christ today they can't they got right down on their knees right in front their chair pushed the chair out of the way got on their knees and their first words were I know how wretched and wicked and sinful and in need of salvation I am I thought you could do a class on how to get saved you know it was beautiful but do you know how that happens that person was hearing the voice of their Shepherd and they knew they were helpless they knew they needed cleansing they knew they needed care for their soul Jesus says and let's just go through this look at verse 1 a believer enters through Jesus if anybody's getting saved Jesus is saying if you want to know if you're really going to heaven if you're really saved you gotta come this way number one you enter through Jesus most assuredly I say to you he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs up some other way the same as a thief and a robber in other words you're not a sheep you're a your bad if you don't come through the door Jesus said I'm the door and so the lesson here is a believer enters through Jesus look at verse three a believer hears Christ's voice that's why they enter they hear his voice to him the doorkeeper opens and the sheep hear his voice and he calls his own sheep by name and he leads them out that to us again we've never seen this we it sounds pretty poetic what does it mean it means what it says I mean it used to be in the old days when I first went to Israel back in the 80s they still had sheep markets and they used to have this well and they'd have I mean there'd be a thousand sheep milling around in bare Sheva I mean you know Abraham's well he's the one he built four thousand years ago is still there and they still use it they pull water up and they put it in troughs and all these sheep mill around and you'll see ten or twelve Shepherds that are getting ready to sell their sheep and they'll all be around and there's just this milling mass of nine hundred or a thousand sheep and and one of the shepherds is busily putting water in the trough and in his sheep are drinking the water and then they get pushed out of the way and as soon as he realizes all of his have had enough he starts walking away and as he walks he whistles and turns back and says a few words and it's the most amazing thing to watch a thousand dirty you know dusty creatures and all of a sudden about eighty of them they go and they their little ears go up and they keep listening to that whistle and they up they see him and against the crowd they start going and the eighty of them go against the flock and bump and push until they get outside the perimeter and there they go after their Shepherd because they heard his voice and he knows which ones are his and they know which Shepherd is theirs you know we live in a world of identity theft do you know what that's about we've lived in a circle wider than people that can know and recognize us I mean if I see you you can't lose your identity with me I I see you I know you you know you we're a part of a relationship but if you're talking to someone like I did last week sometimes credit-card and I called the little number on the back and I don't know if I got Pakistan or you know Tibet I'm not sure where it was couldn't understand a word they said and I said how do I know it's you they says how do I know it's you I said you don't you know and they said tell me your Social Security I says no tell me yours you probably not even have one you know it's just I mean we're outside the circle of even knowing we can't trust but the Shepherd spends his time with the sheep and all yesterday's whistle and they they recognize his voice and they they follow him and that is exactly a believer hears Christ's voice keep going to verse 9 a believer has been saved by Jesus it says in John 10 9 I am the door if anyone enters by me now what is this Jesus says I'm made of wood what is this door thing know there was the there are these sheep pens piled rocks about eight to ten feet high in kind of making an enclosure that left a little narrow you know 24 to 36 inch entryway and the Shepherd would stand there and only let his sheep in he knew every one of them he counted them every time knows them and they jostle and push and get in when the last ones in he takes his cloak puts it around him and sinks down and he becomes the door he blocks that entrance so they can't get out and no predator they can't get over the walls and they they would have to come over his dead body and over my dead body is what the idea of Jesus being the doorkeeper he is the door and he's guarding them and he says that's how you get saved you only come in verse 9 with me letting you in see people don't save themselves and that's why if you don't save yourself you can't unsaved yourself he has to install the operating system and he's the only one that can uninstall it and he said I never will keep going to verse 10 here's what happens if you are really saved if you're really in his fold in his flock in his enclosure have come through the door john 10:10 the thief doesn't come except to steal and kill and destroy by the way that's a description of Satan if you want know what the world is the world loves and feeds on killing stealing destroying you know the young man that cried out to the Lord this week they said what's got you in trouble he said I've spent 20 years wasted with the destroyer and he named all these games these monsters and bloodshed and death and destruction and and he said and now it's haunting me I said well you know what's haunting you look at verse 10 the devil his goal in life is to steal and kill and destroy and if you belong to Christ you don't like stealing and killing and destroying and you will not entertain yourself with killing and stealing and destroying and you won't spend endless money getting more and more killing and stealing and destroying things to entertain your mind you will rather want to now hear the devil's voice of killing and stealing and destroying you want to hear your good Shepherd's voice in the word you know I a lot of people don't like the Bible because they're listening to Devil's voice of killing and stealing and destroying and immorality and witchcraft and everything else that's in the media they think it's neutral nothing's neutral either it's for God or it's against there's no middle ground with God there's the god of this world and there's a true and living God and you can't be in both camps no one can serve two masters but verse 11 I am The Good Shepherd I mean the end of verse 10 when you come to him you have life and look at the end you haven't more abundantly a believer has abundant life they are not killing and stealing destroying they are having this and this is a favorite word of Paul's it's parasu and it means all overflowing abundant it's kind of like there's just it's just bubbling up and and there's more right after it it's just flowing out that's the kind of life we're supposed to have did you know that the church for centuries has been characterized by as Saint Francis used to say it says preach the gospel everywhere you go and if necessary open your mouth what is he talking about Christians live such an extraordinary abundant life that people wanted to be like them they in fact it started back in the book of X if people looked at the disciples and he said these men have been with Jesus they're acting like him they're they're thinking like him they're responding like him they're they're not afraid and they're bold and they're like Jesus and by the time we get to chapter 11 of X do you know what they call him little Christ Christian was a disparaging term it meant you're acting just like Jesus and that was a compliment to the followers of Christ because that's what we want what does Jesus say when you're following me look at the end of verse 10 you have life that's abundant you say well I don't have life that's abundant well there's one of two answers to your dilemma either you don't have his life or something is stifling it and muffling it you aren't hearing his voice you don't have an appetite what's going on sin separates us from the blessings of all that God has done for us in fact when a Christian who's really born-again persists in sin they feel like an unbeliever and they act like one too and that's we're gonna cover tonight so I won't cover it now look at verse 11 a believer trust in Christ life laid down for their sins see what it says in verse 11 I'm the Good Shepherd and the Good Shepherd what gives his life for the Sheep that's why we all have a Thanksgiving testimony someone laid down their life for me I mean in the news yesterday talked about this heroic woman who who died saving her three children dragging him out of a fire and was overcome and killed and in the news media is hailing her as a hero and and she was heroic yes but she only saved him for however many more years are gonna live someone went in and dragged us out and saved us forever see that that 11th verse is our Thanksgiving testimony he gives his life for the Sheep and look at verse 14 the if he dragged you out and if he saved you a believer is known by Jesus and personally knows Jesus I mean if some rescues you you're drowning or you're in a fire or you're hanging somewhere you know I shouldn't I have to be very careful because I think in pictures and I was so bad when I was little my dad used to lead teenage boys to Canada and I was so bad that one time they strung me up by my feet in a tree and I will always remember the face of that college student that came and cut me down out of that tree he rescued me and the person that rescues you and saves you you remember them if you're conscious I was nearing unconsciousness but I remember him very well I was still conscious when he cut me out of that tree but the one look what it says it says that that I know my sheep verse 14 I'm known by my own we personally know Jesus God has no grandchildren he doesn't have stepchildren it doesn't have those that are not personally related to him you can't come to Christ through someone else you come personally you know him he knows you continuing down to verse 26 then when this salvation occurs a believer belongs to Christ see what he says in verse 26 you don't believe because you are not of my sheep you remember when the the Shepherd goes whistles and calls a few names and starts walking Jesus said you're not in that group you're not following me you're not you don't belong to me you're still milling around the well dirty you're not one of mine that you don't believe you're not one of mine a believer belongs to Christ they're his sheep look at verse 27 there's three big truths in verse 27 a believer responds to his word God's Word and the the scriptures my sheep hear my voice that's one of the beauties of soul-winning you read the Word of God and the most unlikely people they just it's like the first time they hear it and they go yes and I mean if they just become burden for their sins and they become sorrowful and and godly sorrow works because they hear his voice my sheep hear my voice secondly look at the middle verse 27 a believer not only responds to Christ's word they know Christ personally I know them now people can brag about who they know but you know if you know them when the persons around do they know them as their recognition is there can you see a response that that person knows them or do they just purport to know them jesus said if you're mine I know them and then look at this the end of verse 27 a believer responds to Christ's word knows Christ and look what happens they follow me see we have a real Nets tonight's question-and-answer time we have a whole group of people that say they belong to Christ he whistles calls her name and walks that way and they're going that way see repentance is that when I got saved I was going this way but when he called my voice or when he called my name I heard his voice I now look at the end of verse 27 follow him maybe not perfectly we got hung up in the weeds we got lost he goes out and finds us but the direction of our life is we're in his flock and we're following him keep going to verse 28 last wonderful thing in this wonderful chapter a believer is eternally secure verse 28 I give them we don't buy it we don't earn it we don't deserve it we don't you know somehow attain to the position where we merit it it's a gift and only those who receive salvation as a gift are really saved but I give them eternal life and they shall never perish now it's very interesting this is the sixth time Jesus says never and I have a mark down in my Bible it's wonderful to study the never-never sub Jesus he says they'll never hunger never thirst never walk in darkness never be entangled again and never never perish now what's interesting about this is they shall never perish that word in verse twenty eighths the same word that's in verse 10 where it says the the devil came to kill and steal and what destroy same word jesus said you're never gonna be destroyed in fact with my little friend this week with all the video games and monsters and demons in there is it you know what I said the destroyer will never be able to destroy you you're never gonna be destroyed because first John 4:4 graders he who is in you Christ then he who's in the world the evil one the devil not only will we never perish neither shall any one verse 28 goes on to say snatch them out of my hand verse 29 my father who has given them to me is greater than all and no one can snatch them out of my father's hand and I and my father are one amazing believer is eternally secure real quickly before we go go on to chapter 11 because when this event takes place when we hear his voice and begin to follow him Jesus says if you have the real thing the real deal look at chapter 11 verse 25 we realized Jesus is the resurrection the life and he who believes in me do you notice the present tense of salvation Jesus emphasizes not that you did something back then a lot of people do something back then but if it's not in the present it's not real because Jesus said a believer is someone who believes right now in me though he may die yet shall he live look at verse 26 and whoever lives and believes in me that's in the present tense see salvation is a past event and by the way salvation biblically is always described as happening never that it's always been you know you're eternally before the foundation the one no that's not how the salvation is presented a New Testament it's presented as you confess you receive you repent you are safe you call you're saved boom on the spot instant don't confuse people saying or you've always been saved you haven't always been saved you were born lost every one of us born lost we become his children but to as many as receive him to them he gives John 1:12 we've already covered that so they live and believe it's in the present tense they will never die then Jesus says at the end of verse 26 do you believe this look at verse 45 and many of the Jews who had come to Mary had seen the things Jesus did and they believed that was their entry point they believed and if there are true believers they will keep living and believing in him one more look at chapter 12 I love this here's the last one John chapter 12 verse 25 believers if they're real believers hate the world serve God and begin walking through life as sons of light look how Jesus says at verse 25 chapter 12 he who loves this life will lose it but he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life what is that you mean you have to sleep on a nail bed you know and wear sack cloth and and only eat the vegetables you don't like and skowl all the time you know to hate everything no no you see God has said love not the world nor the things in the world if anyone loves the world the love of the father's not in them first John 2:15 through 17 so we have the world and the love of the world and the things in the world in the god of this world and being conformed to all of that and then we have God see there's nothing neutral Satan is behind he's the god of this world he is behind the media he's behind the music he is behind the fashion he's behind the culture the custom and Christians if they're not careful begin conforming to a shape to a direction to a habit to a way of life that is Satan's originated God hasn't we know what God loves God is a God of order God is a God of discipline you know we have a culture nowadays everyone is fashionably late you know what that is that is undisciplined and it's not godly see but everybody is so we are and you say oh that's not anything to do with the Lord oh it has much to do with the Lord the Lord wants orderliness in every part of our life God is a God of order not of confusion Satan loves confusion God is orderly and so what he says is look at verse 25 if you if you come to me you will hate your life in this world hate being in any way conformed to what displeases my Savior I want to please him I don't want to displease him I want to be conformed to his image I don't want to be conformed to the image of the god of this world and so we hate any as says in sin Corinthians 7:1 any filthiness of the flesh of the spirit and we want to go through life perfecting Christ's likeness how do we do that ourselves no we yield and allow him to do it but it doesn't end there look what it keeps going look at verse 26 if anyone serves me let him follow me all of a sudden Olli do we busily keep from any defilement being allowed in to contaminate our lives but we it isn't just everything I don't do it's what I do do I'm serving God I want to hear his voice every day I want him to be the Alpha the first thing that I orient my life to I want him to be the Omega the last thing I think about and listen to and he's the final word on everything he begins and ends my life that's how I serve him but look at verse 36 last point while you have the light believe in the light that you may become sons of light woo true believers hate the world serve God and walk through life as sons of light that's that's Ephesians 5 we are to not even talk about the things that they do in darkness and if we're not even supposed to have a hint of that in our life we shouldn't be entertained by it and we shouldn't be totally engrossed in learning the words I mean I'm amazed at how many people know every word to every song they don't even think about what they know and those songs are about godlessness and immorality and rebellion and pride and they know that but you for the life of them couldn't squeeze five verses out of them they're not walking as sons and daughters of light jesus said you are drawn to the light you love the light I am the light you'll be characterized by the light so that's the Gospel according to Jesus and that's what Jesus who is the authorized distributor says if you got the genuine thing this is what you have this is how it works and if it's not working I am the one who can repair it and that's why we've gathered today let's stand for word of Prayer as you're standing I have two two little mini announcements number one as I told my friend that came in this week I said did you know you didn't have to make an appointment on Tuesday to come talk about how to get saved I said did you know you can call on the Lord wherever you are he says yeah but he says I didn't know where to look I said okay I'll show you but did you know Jesus is here and he's wherever you are and if you have a spiritual need if you realize you don't have spiritual ears you don't even hear reach out for him it says next 17 is not far from anybody you can reach for wherever you are you can reach him that's how close he stays to all of us number two if you want to talk to a real person that knows Christ they're always elders in Titus 2 women here and they come at the end of service and and some are also at the visitor reception that we have in the fellowship center that was the first announcement come the invitations open the second one is the persistent question can a true believer live in sin to the end of their life and still go to heaven has a lot of ramifications because if they're a true believer and they're living in sin the Bible says they're something we're supposed to do we're not supposed to ignore it do you how many people are living in fornication you know there in those college days and they're just living with someone or they're you know in those 30 days and haven't gotten married yet do you know what the Bible says if they're a Christian you're supposed to do first Corinthians 5:11 not even eat a meal with them so they'll be ashamed say are you still living with her I can't eat with you you're not welcome at Thanksgiving dinner in our house if you're persisting you're Christian and you're in fornication well that's not Christian no that is Christian it's unchristian to not and we're in talked about the application of what the Bible says about sin and a believers life and that's what our Q&A series is about tonight it's very interesting let's bow for word of Prayer father I thank you for the living and abiding word of God may we be characterized as sons and daughters of light serving you and hating any contamination from this world and living out the divine life that you gave to us and you sustained within us by your grace and well thank you for what you do as we say yes to you and the precious name of Jesus we pray and all God's people said amen god bless you go

Channel: DTBM

Views: 14,468

Rating: 4.8903227 out of 5

Keywords: Bible, God, Jesus, Christian, teaching, biblical, teach, sermon, trinity, church, lesson, traditional, truth, true, divine, theology, freedom, guilt, testament, pure, interpret, spirit, holy, John, Barnett, christ, father, heaven, hell, doctrine, doctrinal, sinful, forgive, forgiveness, history, teachings, chapters, verses, discover, the book, ministries, dtbm, Dr. Barnett, controversial, repent, helpful, sin, the, book, dr, john, doctor, barnett, training, videos, series, resources, savior, god, jesus

Id: x_xZgtgrOGo

Length: 48min 11sec (2891 seconds)

Published: Thu Apr 30 2020