A Message of Hope and Assurance

Q: What does the Bible say about searching the scriptures?

The Bible instructs believers to search the scriptures as they testify of Christ. In John 5:39, Jesus commands, 'Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.' This is a vital practice for believers, as it allows them to discern truth from tradition and to grow in understanding of God's grace and mercy. The Bereans are commended in Acts 17:11 for their eagerness in examining the scriptures daily to see if what Paul preached was true. This encourages Christians to personally engage with the Word of God and not simply accept teachings from others without examination.

Q: Why is believing the Scriptures important for Christians?

Believing the Scriptures is essential because it is through them that God reveals His truth and grace. Believing the Scriptures is fundamental to a Christian's faith, as Romans 10:17 states, 'So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.' This reliance on Scripture shapes our understanding of God's character and His plan for salvation. It guards against false teachings and reinforces the believer's assurance in Christ's atoning work. As noted in the sermon, Jesus mentioned His sheep hear His voice and they follow Him (John 10:27). This highlights the importance of personal belief in the Bible as the primary means by which God communicates His will and promises to His people.

Q: How do we know salvation is a work of God?

Salvation is a work of God, as it is by His grace and purpose that we are saved. The Bible teaches that salvation originates from God's sovereign will and purpose as outlined in Ephesians 1:4-5, which states that He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. This underscores the historical Reformed view that salvation is not based on human merit or decision, but solely upon God's grace. Romans 8:30 also describes this divine work, stating, 'Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.' This process demonstrates that all aspects of salvation are carried out by God's will and power, fulfilling His eternal plan.

Q: Why is Christ referred to as the good shepherd?

Christ is called the good shepherd because He lays down His life for His sheep, ensuring their safety and eternal life. In John 10:14, Jesus proclaims, 'I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.' This designation reflects His role as protector and caretaker, who not only guides His followers but sacrificially gives His life for them, as evidenced in John 10:15: 'As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.' The significance of this metaphor emphasizes both His authority and His deep, personal commitment to the salvation of His people, contrasting with the false shepherds who fail to care for their flocks. His sacrifice ensures that those who belong to Him will never truly perish and that they are eternally secure in His care.

Q: What is the significance of Christ's assurance in eternal life?

Christ assures eternal life to His sheep, signifying their security in salvation. The assurance of eternal life is a crucial doctrine in Christianity, as expressed in John 10:28, where Jesus declares, 'And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.' This promise highlights the security and permanence of salvation for those who belong to Him. It is not contingent upon their works or faithfulness but rests entirely on Christ's sacrificial act and His unbreakable covenant with the Father. The Scripture reassures believers that they are forever held safe in His grasp, which should cultivate profound peace and confidence about their eternal destiny.

And I plan today to bring to
you in the simplest way I can, in words easy to be understood,
a message of hope and assurance. I feel it's not ours to argue
doctrine. That's a useless effort. It's
not ours to debate with today's religionists. It's not ours to
contend or be contentious concerning the grace and mercy of our God.
But it's ours, I believe, to do three things. Number one, read his word. Read
his word. How we rob ourselves of blessings
when we do not read his word. We sang that song, what peace
we often forfeit, give up, because we do not carry everything to
God in prayer. And what joy and peace and faith
we forfeit when we don't read his word. And read it, and this
is difficult, but it must be done. Read his word with no preconceived
notions. traditions or ideas. It seems
like before we get to the Word, we're brainwashed with all these
traditions and customs and religious notions. Isn't that right? Search the scriptures. Search
the scriptures. They testify of me, Christ said.
Search the scriptures. The Bereans were more noble. and the others because they searched
the scriptures to see if these things are so. I told the group last night who
honored me with their presence at this dinner celebrating our
40th anniversary, I was called as pastor of these people 40
years ago tomorrow. I told them this. When I heard
Brother Barnard preach the gospel of God's grace in 1950, the first
thing I did, and God didn't reveal the truth to me because I did
this. I did this because he revealed
the truth to me. I got in the scriptures and stayed
in them for days and days and days and days to find out if
that man was telling me the truth. Don't take the word of a human
being. Take the word of Christ. Isn't
that right, Larry? Search the scriptures. And then
secondly, believe the scriptures. Don't add to the scriptures.
Believe the word of God. God is not speaking today to
men in an audible voice. And any preacher that says, God
said this to me, if it's not what God said to him in the word,
God didn't say it to him. That's so. God, who at sundry
times and in divers manners spake to our fathers, by the prophets,
hath in these last days spoken to us by his Son. And that's
it. His Son. You want to hear from
God, you'll have to hear from the Word. And believe it. Receive it. Don't look for a
new revelation. Look for a revelation that's
old, but may be new to you. But it's old, it's in the scriptures,
isn't that right? And then when God gives us the
opportunity, search the scriptures, receive the scriptures, believe
them, preach them. Paul said, necessity is laid
upon me, I must preach the gospel. Woe is unto me if I don't preach
the gospel. I've got to. Necessity is laid
upon me, I must preach his word. So let's turn to his word, John
chapter 10. Let's see what the Lord said.
For his glory, for the good of our souls, for the good of our children. Oh, how children are influenced
by parents. How they're influenced by their
parents. May God give us the grace to start early. And by
our devotion to our Lord and our devotion to his gospel and
his word, set an example for our children. John 10, 14, I
am the good shepherd. I know my sheep and have known
of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even
so know I the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep. and
other sheep I have which are not of this foal, them also I
must bring. And they shall hear my voice,
and they shall be one foal and one shepherd. Therefore doth
my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take
it again. No man taketh it from me, but
I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down,
I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received
of my Father. There was a division therefore
again among the Jews for these sayings. These sayings, it wasn't
what our Lord did that caused their hatred and division. It
was what he preached. It was what he said. And many of them said, he hath
a devil. He's mad. Why do you listen to him? Others
said, these are not the words of them that hath a devil. Oh
no, these are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a
devil open the eyes of the blind? Now watch this. And it was at
Jerusalem, the feast of the dedication, it was winter. And our Lord Jesus
walked in the temple in Solomon's porch. He had had these things
to say. And they had heard him and all this division and controversy
had sprung up as a result of what he had preached. There was
a division because of what he said. And he walked out there
in the temple in Solomon's porch, evidently walking alone. You
know, isn't that something? Here's the Lord walking in his
temple. He came unto his own, and his
own received him not. He was in the world, and the
world knew him not. Here's the Lord of glory walking in his
temple in Solomon's porch in the wintertime. And the Jews, listen, these Pharisees,
these religious, oh, what bondage religion can put a man in. What
horrible, what freedom Christ can give him. He sets us free. Gives us liberty. But what bondage. Bondage. Religion's a bondage.
Brings men into bondage. And these men were in bondage,
and they came round about him. They were scholars, theologians,
students, graduates of various seminaries, taught the scriptures,
argued the scriptures, debated the scriptures, stood on the
street corner and prayed, bragged about their righteousness, tied
their income, went to the synagogue every Sabbath day, and they came
to him. Not like the leper came and fell
at his feet and worshipped him. Not like the Canaanite woman
who cried for mercy. Not like Bartimaeus who said,
Jesus, our son of David, have mercy. Not like the woman who
slipped through the crowd and touched the hem of his garment,
but they came with argument, debate. They said, how long? How long dost thou keep us in
suspense? If thou be the Christ, the Messiah,
the one of whom Moses wrote, of whom the Old Testament speaks,
tell us plainly. You don't speak to the Lord that
way. You don't speak to the Lord that way. He said, I'll be merciful
to whom I will. I'll be gracious to whom I will.
You don't speak to our Lord that way. You don't command God to
do anything. Tell us plainly. You just don't
do it. You read sometimes over there
in the book of Genesis the prayer of intercession of Abraham when
he was interceding for Lot and the city of Sodom. Remember the
prayer? Oh, the humility. Oh, the humility. But these fellows don't know
anything about humility. They don't know anything about
grace. They're religious. They're moral. And the Lord Jesus
answered them. Listen to it. The Lord Jesus
answered them. He said, I told you. I told you. How many times did he tell them?
John the Baptist told them. The disciples told them. The
Father told them. This is my beloved Son in whom
I'm well pleased. I told you. Over and over again,
they had been told. I thought as I wrote that down,
how many times have you been told? A lot of times. Is he the Messiah? Is he the Christ? Is Jesus of
Nazareth the promised one? Is he that prophet, that priest,
or that king? I told you. Moses told you. Moses wrote of me. If you'd believe
Moses, you'd believe me. Abraham saw my day, rejoiced. David told us, Isaiah told us.
Abel still cries from the ground, his blood, God said, he speaks
this day. He told you. People write me
all the time, say there's no preacher of grace in our community.
Don't you have a Bible? The Bible's full of preachers
of grace. Paul's still preaching, if you'll read it. John's still
preaching. Peter's still preaching. They're
still preaching. Read on. Our Lord said, I told
you. I told you. And you didn't believe me. You
believe not. There's the problem. You believe not. The works that
I do, The works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness
of me. This is no ordinary man. The
blind see, the lame walk, the deaf hear, the dead are raised,
the scriptures are fulfilled. Nicodemus said no man could do
the things that you do except God be with him. Surely the centurion
said this man is the Son of God. This is no ordinary man. The
works that I do, they bear witness of me. John the Baptist bears
witness of me. The Father bears witness of me.
The Scriptures bear witness of me. Verse 26, but you believe
not. I told you, and you believe not.
God sent you signs and wonders and miracles, and you believe
not. You believe not. The Scripture says the Jews seek
a sign. Well, God's given sign after
sign. Wonder after wonder, miracle
after miracle, words from heaven attended his life on earth. The
angel announced his birth. The angel announced his coming
into the world. The Father spake from heaven.
When he died on that cross, all sorts of things occurred. If
a man's looking for a sign, there's plenty of them. The Greeks seek
after wisdom. There's no wisdom like the wisdom
of Christ. He is the very wisdom of God. He's the wisdom and the power
of God in redemption. How can God be just and justify? Christ is the answer to that
question. If a man dies, shall he live again? That's answered
at Chandra Tatyapti too. Is there any other way? Tell
me, is there any other way? The Jews seek a sign, he said
we gave them a sign. The Greeks seek after wisdom,
Christ is the wisdom of God. Is there any other way? I ask
you. I preach that Christ is the Redeemer, Christ is the Atonement,
Christ is the Sacrifice, Christ is the Way, the Truth and the
Life, Christ is our Hope, Christ is our Life, Christ is our Intercessor,
Christ is our Lord and Savior, Christ is all we need. Tell me,
is there any other way? Give me another way. Well, be
baptized. That won't help me. I've been
baptized before. Well, come, bring your candle
and come to the table and let some fellow dressed in these
superstitious rags make all kind of signs and burn some, make
some smoke float through the air and make some signs and dip
a wafer and stick it on your tongue and that'll do the job.
I'd have that. That didn't help me. That didn't
even make me feel good. It made me feel eerie, you know,
like something strange was going on. Like I was in a haunted house
or something. You don't find God in buildings
made with hands. Don't go in these creepy, old,
moss-covered, thick-walled mausoleums and find God. Get out in the
sunshine and smell a rose and watch a
bird fly through the air. and hear the breeze blow through
the trees, and stand by a rippling brook, and see it dash over the
waters, look into the heavens, and see the clouds floating by,
and feel the rain dropping in your face, and know God! Is that
right, Ian? That's where he is. But he's
stupid. making merchandise of the souls
of men, dressed in their spooky, look like Ku Klux Klansmen without
masks on, pointed hats and sheets and creep around through these
moss-covered buildings and make all these silly signs at folks
and call that God. God's not in that trash. That's
exactly right. The wisdom of God. I'll take
you to Calvary as the wisdom of God. And I'll tell you, he
didn't die in the temple, on the temple square. He didn't
die in the city of Jerusalem. It took him outside the walls. That's where you'll find Christ.
You won't find Him in religion, and you won't find Him in these
buildings that are stamped with His name. You'll find Him outside
the wall. Let us go, therefore, unto Him,
Tom, without the good. And if you find Him, that's where
you'll find Him, outside religion, as we know it. He said, I told
you, listen, and you didn't believe me. Verse 26, you didn't believe
me. Till you didn't believe me. I
can think of several reasons why folks don't believe him.
Want me to give you a few? I sat down yesterday and I thought,
why don't he have inconclusive evidence? Talk about proof. He's the Messiah. He's the Christ. He's the scent of God. He's the
fulfillment of all these things. Why do not men believe him? You
know why? I'll tell you one reason. They
do not know. the character and holiness of
God. They just do not know it. I can tell by men's actions and
attitudes that they are totally unaware of the power and holiness
and majesty and righteousness of God Almighty. God Almighty. God's in the heavens, you upon
the earth. Let your words be few. I tell
you, if we were mindful of the holiness of God, of the greatness
and character of God, of the sovereignty of God, how he controls
all things, even the breath you breathe, the steps you take,
everything about you, your salvation or condemnation is in his hands. If we believed that, we would
have a totally different attitude and demeanor in his presence. When thou comest to the house
of God, the wise man Solomon said in Ecclesiastes, Keep thy
foot, be not rash with thy mouth, lest thou utter the sacrifice
of fools. Let thy words be few. God's in
the heavens and thou upon the earth. Men don't know the character
of God. If they did, they'd run to Christ.
They'd run to Christ. They'd flee to Christ. They'd
cast off their garment like Peter did out there in the water a
hundred yards from shore and start swimming. That's what I'd
read. They'd start swimming. They'd cast off their garment
and throw away their beggar's cup like Barnabas and even in
their darkness they'd stumble over their own feet to get to
Christ, if they knew the character of God. And I'll tell you another
reason they don't come. They don't come because they
don't know their own nature. Nature. Oh, how wicked is our
nature. How evil is our nature. God said
the best man on earth, the very best, the best that man can do
is abomination in God's sight. I mean the best. There's none
righteous, none that doeth good. We inherited a nature of evil
from our father, Adam. We're sinners by birth and sinners
by nature and sinners by choice. Even our righteousness is a filthy
rag. If we knew the holiness of God,
the righteousness of God, and the wickedness and filthy rags
that we claim are our best deeds, we'd hide them behind our back
rather than broadcast them. The old Pharisee stood in the
temple and said, I tired, I fast twice a week, I give alms to
the poor. He's presenting these dirty rags
in God's presence and saying, Lord, accept them as my righteousness.
If he knew, if he knew, like Christ said to the woman at the
well, if you knew, if he knew the character of God and knew
the condition of those rags, he'd hire them, wouldn't he?
He wouldn't go stop them. Don't call my name. Don't tell
it! Don't present it to God. Let
thy blood be propitiation for me on the mercy seat. Don't,
God, don't observe. Don't bring me into judgment. Folks don't know that. And consequently,
because they don't know the holiness of God or the wickedness of their
own hearts, they just do not know. There's nothing, nothing
that you personally wouldn't do. If God took the restraining chains
off you, that's restraining grace. If God Almighty, I'm talking
about everybody here, I don't care who it is, there's nothing
you wouldn't do. If God took away that which restrains
you, that which he has given you to restrain you, parental
teaching, conscience, laws, laws of the city. I'll tell you an example. If
every policeman and judge and lawyer and highway patrolman
and officer of the law and magistrate and justice died tomorrow, I
wouldn't want to live in this town. I wouldn't want to drive
on that highway. I wouldn't want to step out this
door. You take the restraints off a natural man and he'll turn
a little city into hell. Just like that. That's what happens
in these riots. That's what happens when the
officers and magistrates are not there. That's what happened
when young men and women joined the army or navy back in World
War II and got overseas where there were no restraints. Boy,
you talk about a bunch of devils. And that's what you'd be if God
let you go. So we don't know that. We may
know it and we won't admit it. the holiness of God, the wickedness
of the flesh, and therefore we do not feel a need for a Redeemer. I don't need Christ. I don't
need a mediator. I don't need an intercessor.
I don't need a blood sacrifice. I don't need one to intercede
before God for me. I do. Oh, I do. Do you? I do. I do. Somehow men imagine that
by their own works, and their own righteousness, their own
deeds, and their own morality, and their own restraint, taking
credit for what they didn't do. will enable them to find acceptance
with God so they are ignorant of God's holiness, and Paul said
they'll go about to establish their own righteousness and will
not, will not, will not submit to the righteousness of Christ.
No, and they never will until God takes theirs away. But our Lord sums it up. Verse
26, He said, But you believe not. I told you I told you. I told you. And the works that I do in my
Father's name, they told you. And you believe not. But our
Lord sums it all up with these words. I'll tell you why you
don't believe. I'll tell you why you don't believe. This is the essence of it all.
Underscore it. You believe not because you're
not of my sheep. That's why you don't believe. Do you hear this morning saying,
well, I believe, then you're one of his sheep. That's right. That's right. You see, salvation's
of the Lord. He planned it. I wasn't in those
council halls of eternity, but I do know that known unto God
are all his works from the beginning. And Almighty God purposed in
an everlasting covenant in the councils of eternity before the
world began, before he ever hurled a star into space, and before
an angel was ever created, or the morning stars ever sang together,
or a seraphim ever talked about his holiness, God Almighty made
Christ the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world.
He purposed before the world began to redeem a people. And that salvation which he purposed
and decreed was carried out in time by the will and power of
God. When Adam and Eve fell, it was
God who announced the seed of woman. When Adam and Eve still
shamed and naked in their guilt, it was God who slew a lamb and
covered their nakedness. It was God who said, slay a Passover
lamb, typical of Christ. It was God who said, lift up
a brazen serpent. It was God who said to Moses,
I'll stand on that rock, you smite it, and water will come
out. All the way through the Old Testament, God typified and
pictured his redeeming grace and love in his own lamb, Christ
Jesus. Then in the fullness of time,
God sent him into the world. We didn't ascend into heaven
and bring Christ down. He sent him into the world, made
of a woman, made under the law. It pleased the Lord to bruise
him. Christ said, no man, you read
it a while ago, takes my life from me. Men can't kill God, but God can bruise him. God can
make his soul an offering for sin. I kill, I make alive, God
said. And when Christ hung on that
cross, not all the soldiers in the Roman Empire could take his
life. Not a one. But God the Father
did. He made his soul an offering
for sin. God planned that salvation and
God executed and carried out that salvation. And God was pleased
to nail his Son to the cross. They did what God determined
before to be done. And that same salvation, which
he planned and executed and carried out, he'll apply. That's right. God, Paul said,
who separated me from my mother's womb. Boy, as he walked through
this earth in his rebellion and sin, he didn't look like a separated
man, did he? As he railed on Christ and railed
on the church and hailed men and women who believed in the
prison, he didn't look like a separated man. He wasn't in the flesh,
but he was in the grace of God. If you're one of his sheep, you've
been one of his sheep from the foundation of the world, and
he'll find you, boy. And you can run this way and
that way and the other way, but I'll find my sheep. He said,
Other sheep I have that are not of this Jewish fold here, them
I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and they shall
be one fold. I like the shalls and the wills
of this book. Not maybe, perhaps, depending
on what you think, do or say. Mostly, they shall believe. Thy people shall be willing in
the day of thy power. You don't believe because you're
not of my sheep. Noah was, he found grace in the
eyes of the Lord. Blessed is the man whom thou
choosest, David said, and caused it to approach unto thee. Oh,
how blessed he is. Matthew 16, our Lord said to
his disciples, what are they saying about me? Well, the disciples
said, they're saying all kind of things, all manner of things,
you this, that or the other, John the Baptist, Elijah, one
of the prophets. What do you say? What do you say? Peter said, ìI say youíre the
Christ. Youíre the Son of the living God.î And my Lord said,
ìOh, how blessed you are. Flesh and blood didnít reveal
that to you. You didnít learn that from another man. My Father
which is in heaven revealed that to you. Blessed are your eyes,
they see, and your ears, they hear. Oh, Bob, if you believe
on Him, how blessed you are. Danita, if you believe on Him,
how blessed you are. Isn't that right? How blessed
you are. John, he picked you out, out
of the dunghill, out of the mowery clay. You didn't choose him,
he chose you. You believe not, he said to that
bunch of religious fascists, go on arguing religion, go on
playing the game, go on singing your songs, go on tithing your
income, go on playing church, keep doing it, keep arguing,
debating. You're not of my shape. I never
knew you. Lord, we preached in your name,
I never knew you. Why we cast out devils, I never
knew you. We did many wonderful works,
I never knew you. Verse 14, he said, I'm the good
shepherd, I know my sheep. I know my sheep. Well, let me
read to you these verses, down here in verse 27. You see, he
said, my sheep, my sheep. You believe not, you don't believe
me. But my sheep, my sheep, they're mine. How many times in this
10th chapter he talks about my sheep, my sheep, my sheep. You see, my sheep hear my voice. They hear my voice. How does
God, how does Christ speak today? Through his word. They hear my
word. My sheep do. They won't argue with you. They
listen. They hear it. They rejoice in
it. They'll go a long ways. I preached last week in North
Carolina. There's some people who drove an hour and a half.
One preacher drove two hours to come down there and sit and
listen to me preach for 45 minutes. And he got in his car and drove
two hours. Bob, you know how they drove, how they came from?
Paul Edwards' congregation came from Rocky Mount, Virginia, all
the way down to Winston-Salem. Hear me preach. But I tell you,
a sheep will drive a long ways for a little clover. He sure will. And another voice
he won't listen to. He can't stand it. I got a letter
from a dear young lady this week in another city, and she said,
I went to church after church trying to hear the gospel. One
place I went, I was the only person there with a Bible. The
only person in the building with a Bible. She said, I just got
up and walked out. Isn't that sad? They won't hear another
voice. They know the difference. My
sheep hear my voice. He said down there, another shepherd,
they won't follow. They know when you're preaching
the gospel, and they know when you're not. They know clover
from... a goat will eat a tin can. He'll
eat anything. It doesn't matter, he'll eat
anything. But not a sheep. He won't eat a tin can. He won't
eat rags. He won't eat paper. God leads
him by the still waters in green pastures, and he loves that. Word of God. And I know them. How long has God known you? Well,
how long has God known everything? You reckon Almighty God learned
something today? You reckon He... I did. I did. But He didn't. And what I learned, He revealed
it to me. And he already knew he was going
to reveal it to me. And he revealed it to me when
he was pleased to reveal it to me. I know them. I've always known them. I've
always known them. And he said, and they follow
me. They follow me because I call them. They follow me because
I reveal to them who I am. They follow me because I give
them both the will and desire to follow me. That's why you're
following Christ. It is given unto you, not only to believe
on him, That's the gift of God. But to suffer for it. And then
he said, I give them eternal life. I give them eternal life. You see, the word eternal here
is used only to distinguish the kind of life it is. Everybody's
going to live eternally. But this eternal life distinguishes
the life which he gives. It's the life of God. It's the
life we lost in the garden. When God said to Adam, in the
day you eat, you die, he died. He didn't die physically. He
died spiritually. And that's the life we lost.
And he restoreth my soul. I give them life. The life I
have in heaven, I already have. That's right. I'm going to lay
aside this tabernacle, this body, this natural flesh, but the life
that I'll enjoy in heaven I already have. I give them eternal life. He that believeth on the Son
shall, he didn't say shall have everlasting life, he got it.
H-A-T-H, that spells got it. That's right. He hath everlasting
life. I give them eternal life. I give them the life of God.
This is the record God hath given us eternal life, and this life
in His Son. He that hath the Son of God hath
life. He that hath not the Son of God,
it doesn't matter what he has. He doesn't have life. And they'll
never perish. They'll never perish. How can
one perish for whom Christ died? Who can lay the thing to the
charge of God's elect? If God be for us, who can be
against us? Who is he that condemneth? They'll never perish. Listen.
And neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. How can
you imagine such a thing? Who can separate us from the
love of Christ? You see, my Father, verse 29,
gave them me. There's two-fold meaning here.
He gave me to them, and He gave them to me. That's what He's
saying, Terry. My Father gave them me. He gave me to them. He made me the surety of the
everlasting covenant. He made my blood the blood of
the everlasting covenant. He made me the great shepherd
and the good shepherd and the chief shepherd. My father said,
this is my son. I will set my king on the holy
hill of Zion. But my father not only gave me
to them, he gave them to me. Take the book of John, chapter
17. Look over there just a moment.
John 17. This is holy ground. This is
Christ praying. This is Christ talking to the
Father. John 17. He said, My Father gave them
me. He gave me to them. He gave them
to me. John 17.2. As thou hast given him, thy Son,
power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as
many as thou hast given him. Verse 6, I have manifested thy
name unto the men thou gavest me. Verse 8, I have given unto
them the words which thou gavest me, and they have received them.
My sheep hear my voice. And they have known surely that
I came from thee, and have believed that thou didst send me, and
I pray for them. I don't pray for the world, I
pray for them which thou hast given me. They are thine, and mine are
thine, and thine are mine, and I'm glorified in them. My sheep, my Father gave them to me." And
then he said in verse 28, Verse 29, My Father gave them
Me, and He's greater than all. He's greater than all. Don't
even use the devil's name in the same sentence with God Almighty. Try not even to give him a thought
when you think and consider, My God is greater than all. God
said, I am God. Beside Me, there's none else.
I kill, I make alive. I wound, I heal. I bring down,
I lift up, I the Lord do all these things. I've spoken it,
I bring it to pass, I've purposed it, I'll do it. Is anything too hard for God?
Then who shall separate us from the love of God? Shall tribulation,
shall life, suffering, death? No, in all these things we're
more than conquerors through him that loved us. I'm persuaded
neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor
things present, nor things come, nor any other creature can separate
us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. Why? Because
my Father's greater than all. And no man, no, that word man's
in italics. You put in there anything you
want to. And no whatever is able to pluck them. out of my Father's
hand. And then here's the thing. I and my Father are one. What the Father purposed, the
Son purchased. What the Father willed, the Son
accomplished. What the Father decreed, the
Son said, I come not to do my will, but the will of Him that
sent me. This is the will of Him that sent me. that of all
which ye had given me, my sheep, I should lose nothing, but raise
it up at the last day. Art thou the Christ? I told you. I told you. Do you believe? Well, I tell you, if you do,
I know one thing about you. You're His sheep, because His
sheep believe.

A Message of Hope and Assurance

What does the Bible say about searching the scriptures?

Why is believing the Scriptures important for Christians?

How do we know salvation is a work of God?

Why is Christ referred to as the good shepherd?

What is the significance of Christ's assurance in eternal life?

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A Message of Hope and Assurance

What does the Bible say about searching the scriptures?

Why is believing the Scriptures important for Christians?

How do we know salvation is a work of God?

Why is Christ referred to as the good shepherd?

What is the significance of Christ's assurance in eternal life?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

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