Keeping Grace – Wednesday Service
Keeping Grace – Wednesday Service
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father we thank you for this another opportunity to minister to these your precious sheep thank you Lord that Revelation knowledge will flow freely uninterrupted and unhindered by any satanic or demonic force and father I pray that you will speak through my vocal cords and think through my mind none of me all of you it’s in Jesus name we pray and everybody said amen well give the Lord a big hand [Applause] clap you may be seated I’m going to be swift tonight thank you guys for showing up but I want to get you in get you in
your house all right dog on crew I’m telling you boy I came here R to call like what they doing here amen John chapter 10: 1 and let’s read a little bit here I’m going to talk to you about keeping Grace not for you to keep it but I’m I’m going to show you how Grace keeps you and this is very very powerful I think it’ll it’ll U really make a mark in your life that cannot be erased amen all right John chap 10 verse 1 he says verily I say unto you he that entereth not by the door into that sheep
fo but climbeth up some of way the same as a thief and a robber verse two he says but he that entereth in by the door is The Shepherd of the sheep and then verse three he says to him the Porter openeth and the Sheep heareth his voice and he calleth his own Sheep by name and he leadth them out let’s talk about what it means God’s uh uh uh keeping Grace God’s keeping Grace now I do know that Grace is essential for our regeneration it’s even essential for the glorification that’s granted but
it’s essential for the keeping of the believer during the believer’s Earthly life Grace is what keeps the believer during the believer’s Earthly life and so in his ministry of Grace and Truth here’s what Jesus does Jesus does not fail to lay particular emphasis on this part that he will keep you during this Earthly life now that did something to me just to know that God has committed himself to keeping me while I am alive now coming to the point of realizing that that God God’s grace is essential
then for my life and so God’s keeping Grace it’s I picked John chapter 10 we’re kind of picking up with some of the stuff that we talked about in the in the Book of John uh but here it pictures as a shepherd’s care for his sheep and he Compares that with the believer’s dependence upon God as the dependence of the sheep is upon the shepherd so you see this illustration you look at how the Sheep is totally dependent upon the shepherd so likewise it should be an illustration on how we as Christians and
Mankind should be dependent upon God so this is a true picture of the relationship of God and man so let’s talk a little bit if you will about sheep so we can see there’s a lot of things we are we can relate to maybe two or three things we can’t but I want us to really dive in on this illustration and hope it does with your heart what it what it what it did with mine okay so first of all sheep are known for their defenseless their defenselessness and their helplessness okay they’re prone to stray from the
flock somebody say wow they are s they are a symbol of of weakness think of that the Sheep is a symbol of weakness of All Creatures they are in need of protection guidance and sustenance sheep need of protection guidance and sustenance their very existence is one of dependence at all time and in all things upon the watchfulness and the keeping care of the shepherd now this dependence of the sheep upon the shepherd it’s a perfect picture of the believer’s complete dependence upon God’s grace man if we
can get that if we can get the Believers to understand to live a life of complete dependence upon God’s grace just like the Sheep exist completely depending on the shepherd my goodness then you’ll be taken care of yes but the Sheep according to verse three the Sheep Hearth the shepherd’s voice and they according to verse four follow him let’s read that again he says to him the Porter openeth and the sheep hear his voice the sheep hear the shepherd’s voice I don’t know how we EXP expect to
exist as people who depend upon God when we don’t hear the voice of Our Shepherd okay he calleth him calleth his own Sheep by name we’ll look at that in a moment but think about it every sheep he said he called by name and you know he knows all of us by name well I’m I’m getting ahead of myself all right now it is to this state of weakness it is to this state of defenselessness and helplessness that Grace addresses itself and so in the Good Shepherd you’re going to find all that is needed by the
Sheep everything the Sheep needs you find it in the shepherd praise God now there’s a there’s a tender relationship between the shepherd and the Sheep uh verse three let’s just keep nickling it in the first place there is ownership you notice he said my sheep and then if you look at down in verse 27 he he says it again my sheep so the Sheep are his own and he calls them my sheep they are therefore not their own so the Sheep is therefore not its own because God says you’re my own and consequently for the Sheep they
they they uh they do not have a will to do as they please of course you know as human being you’ve been made a free moral agent to to unfortunately do some things but when you have a relationship with the shepherd you you could probably get very close to this as well I I don’t want to do what I I I want to do I want to do what the shepherd is trying to get me to do the Sheep they’re not free to go away from him the shepherd He calls them by name verse three not he doesn’t call them collectively collectively he
calls them individually my goodness each one is personally known and each one is personally valued by the shepherd He leads them out he puts them forth and goes before them I mean look at this picture this picture of love this picture of devotion this picture of care that’s coming from the shepherd and this is the same picture that God has over our lives a picture of love a picture of devotion a picture of care a lot of times we’re thinking you know God wants all of that from us and we don’t we don’t we don’t even realize that
that’s what he’s given to us God wants to show you devotion and love and he wants to show you care praise God Amen so he knows his sheep verse 14 read that real quick he he knows his sheep he knows his sheep he knows their temptation he knows their failure the Bible says 14 I’m the Good Shepherd and I know my sheep and I’m known of my sheep do you know him you know he says he says I know I know all I know all about him I know their Temptations the shepherd knows your tempt the shepherd knows all of our
Temptations and you to try to act like you the shepherd knows you the shepherd knows your Temptation and and and that used to that used to kind of bother me like oh he know everything about me yes he does why because he knows the root issue of how to get you on the right path and do you with and he working on that thing so the shepherd knows all your failures but he also knows everything that you need he knows all about you and knowing he who is God who is omnipotent God cannot fail to provide the right thing at the right time I tell you your
God will provide the right thing at the right time don’t have to worry don’t have to get upset God will provide the right thing at the right time some of you trying to figure out when is this going to come through when is that going to happen you got to remember the shepherd knows his sheep glory be to God so the outpouring of this loving provision to care look at what it is it’s care his provision to care for the Sheep is all in the purpose of him coming to this world that’s why God wrapped himself up in in
a earth suit to come to this world so he can care for us you just got to realize that he cares for us glory to God say that out loud God cares for me God cares for me all right notice in verse 10 you’re familiar with this scripture he says I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly now we’ve had a lot of different interpretations for that but uh you know I’ve come that they might have life and not not only life but he said what Abundant Life and and that’s
the purpose for Grace the purpose of Grace is life and Abundant Life That’s the purpose for grace and though the law promised life to those who did to did to those who did that which was commanded by them in the Book of Leviticus uh let’s see 18 Galatians chapter 3 uh no one was able to fulfill its demands in the law and therefore the Commandment in the law which was unto life was found to be unto death you know that’s in the New Testament thought to be under life go there Romans 7 and 10 Romans 7 And1 it
was it was uh thought to be unto life but it it it you know the Commandment was unto death he says in the Commandment which was ordained to life he says I found to be unto death and therefore life for mankind listen is impossible it’s impossible apart from Grace it’s impossible apart from Grace So consequently the law knows nothing of the intimate relationship between God and man that’s Illustrated with the shepherd and the Sheep the Shepherds care for his own this is always intended to be an intimate
relationship it cannot be a relationship where you’re only dealing with trying to keep the rules and and and and the regulations it it has to be it is it it is and and and God’s intent was for it to be an intimate relationship with him and so the person who’s under the law is not kept by the power of God nope nor can it be kept by the power of God because under the law man depends upon his own strength he can’t be kept by the power of God because he depends on his own strength he’s not dependent
on God he’s depending on his own strength and I tell you it can be kind of scary to walk away from what I’m telling you about those who live under the law and to start depending on God but I’m telling you you’re not going to be able to live this life uh apart from the grace of God remember what Jesus said in John 10:1 he says I’m the Good Shepherd the Good Shepherd giveth his life for for the Sheep now when people heard that that they thought Jesus was nuts in fact the scripture if you read the entire
John 10 they they thought he was a mad man because this giving of his life does not mean that he gave out his Earthly life in a sympathetic sacrificial service for his fellow men that’s not what it was it’s not like some of the our Our Heroes and and Dr King and all these people you know it it it it was not that kind of a a sacrifice it is something vastly more than that it means that he actually died in order that the Sheep so he did it for the Sheep so that the Sheep might have life and so that the Sheep might have
life more abundantly his death was required for us to have life and to have life more abundantly so that there will be no excuse for misund the meaning of this he said I laid my life down in verse 17 I laid my life down that I might take it up again he could not take back his works of compassion he could not take it back he did take his life when he Ro arose from the grave it is this Resurrection Life it is of of this this the the Good Shepherd now we’re talking about Jesus by which the Sheep are kept it’s the
resurrected life that he keeps the Sheep everything that was made available because of his resurrection that’s how he take care of us hallelujah look at verse uh Romans 5:10 uh in Romans 5:10 he says for if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his son much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his life so that’s what happened with his life we saved by it we are we are um made Sound by his life we are delivered by his life and so these words I laid down my life they they’re even bigger in verse
18 he says no man taketh it from me but I lay it down of myself I have power in verse 18 He says to lay it down and I have power to take it up again you follow what I’m saying no one else has ever even said these words I have power to lay it down I have power to take it up again I mean he only could he he’s the only one that could even speak these words because of his sinlessness he was not by the law guilty before God and when he gave his life ladies and gentlemen it was to satisfy for others the demands of the law so
that those who believe on him might be might become the OB objects of Grace that they might become his sheep and partakers of Abundant Life provided by him as the Good Shepherd his death and God’s provision in Grace for those who become his sheep are inseparable you can’t separate his death and God’s provision for everybody that by Grace becomes his sheep glory be to God you taken care of God’s got you regardless of what you find yourself going through remember Romans 8:32 Romans 8:32 he that spareth not his own son but
deliver him up for us what all how shall he not with him also freely give us what all things so I believe that these All Things Must necessarily include all that is needed for the safekeeping of the Sheep you you you we translated all kinds of stuff but he’s in context he’s providing all things necessary for your care than my God I gave you my son for your care and I’m going to give you everything else for your care cuz I care for my sheep Lord have mercy you ought to go home and sleep peaceful tonight because
you’re in God God’s care say that say I’m in God’s care I’m in God’s care say it again I’m in God’s care I’m in God’s care he gave me his son he gave me his son and everything else I need and everything else I need to keep me to keep me I am in the Sheepfold I am in the sheep and he takes care of his sheep he take care of she and he knows me individually he knows me individually he doesn’t just call the Sheep collectively he calls them individually God is going to start talking to y’all you hear me
he’s going to start saying some stuff to you you you will hear his voice and you will know him you ain’t got to go ask five people was that God was that the devil or was that me you going to know him all right I apologize let me let me get back with so when when Jesus spoke of lying down laying down his life for the Sheep there was a division when he said this amongst the Jews and many of them said this guy got a devil and verse 20 he has a devil and he’s mad now to the legalistic Jewish person and that the legalistic Jewish mind
dependent upon self-righteousness and human Merit I mean when you do that that’s the death of the shepherd as a condition for Life uh I mean it’s it’s just first of all for Jewish people to hear that that’s just madness madness but legalistic people are also going to be going around thinking you just can’t do that you got to do something else for that to happen got to got to find Merit in this life because of the death of another according to the legalistic view cannot be grasped by that mind which is
saturated with the the thought that life is a reward for doing that which is good and righteousness under the law if you do that that’s good and if you do what’s righteous under the law that’s how the Jewish legalistic mindset said worked but John chap 10 flip there John 10: 27- 29 look at what he says here man this this kind of Set It Off for me John chap 10 verse 27- 29 he said my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me if you want to ask me what success in life is about it looks like this my
sheep hear my voice I know them they know me they follow me all right and I give unto them eternal life Jesus and they shall never perish neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand all right did y’all see that now ain’t nobody going to pluck you out of his hand ain’t nobody going to pluck you out of his hand all right now watch this my Father which gave them me is greater than all all right ain’t nothing GNA be greater than God and no man is able here it is again to pluck them out of my father’s
hands all right so dependence on the part of the Believers and provision on the part of God that’s like the gospel dependence upon the part of the believer and provision on the part of God that’s it we try to complicate stuff God going to provide and you going to depend I don’t know how to say no no no we might as well go and God going to provide and you going to depend I need to say that again that just make me I love stuff when simplify some of us been saved for 40 years been doing all this stuff all
these notes and it’s real simple God is going to provide and we going to depend yes sir my sheep hear my voice I know them they follow me so when he calls they listen to him I say I say they listen to him I say I say cuz God calling some of you ain’t listening huh when he calls they listen to him and as he calls they follow so here’s the question what’s the meaning of follow him again we come up with so many things we throw at stuff and we missed out the context what is the meaning of following
him because to a lot of people and I don’t won’t Crush no toes but it means oh obeying Christ’s commands to follow his examples or his teachings that’s what a lot of people say well to follow him is to obey his commands and follow all of his teachings H see the the the the figure the figure here is the Sheep following a Shepherd that’s the figure we’re looking at the Sheep following the shepherd so why do sheep sheep follow a Shepherd can y’all cut that off please why do sheep follow a Shepherd
think about that they I’m talking about the Sheep follow shepher I’m here I’m in the weather report the sheep say it’s too it’s too much rain out there for me to follow them tonight why do sheep follow a Shepherd all right is it to do something for the shepherd why do Fe why do why do the Sheep follow the shepherd to do something for the shepherd do you think the Sheep following the shepherd to do something for the Shepherd no there’s but one reason why the Sheep follows the shepherd and here it
is to be fed and to be cared for y’ that that’s the only reason I follow to be fed come on say it to be fed to be fed and to be cared for and be cared that’s it following is an expression of complete dependence upon the shepherd yes sir yes sir that’s what following is it’s a complete dependence upon the shepherd I’m following him to be fed you feed them sheep and watch they won’t go away you ever heard somebody say please don’t feed the it depends on what country in don’t feed
them now there’s nothing that you can do to earn this part if you if you try to start earning all of this then you’re adding laot of Grace and and you don’t want to do that but by following you commit yourself to the sh Shepherd’s care and protection you commit yourself to it I’m following him to be fed I’m following him to be cared for and as I do that I’m committing myself to the care of and the protection of the shepherd so this is a perfect picture for believers it’s a perfect picture for believer’s position