Intro: The next time you go to the airport I want you to observe the people that are around you. See if you can tell the difference between the people who have confirmed tickets and those who are on standby.
-You may notice that the ones w/confirmed tickets are relaxed, reading newspapers, talking and laughing on their cell phones or they’re asleep. What are the people who are on standby doing? They’re hanging around the ticket counter. They’re pacing around w/an anxious look on their face. A lot of times their sucking down as many cigarettes as possible!
-Now what’s the difference between these 2 types of passengers? You know what it is? It’s the confidence factor. The guys w/the confirmed tickets are able to relax b/c they know they’re getting on that plane. But the people who are on standby aren’t real sure, so they’re nervous the entire time!
-I think this gives a pretty good example of what it’s like for people who have confidence that they’re in a relationship w/Christ and people who aren’t for sure. If you don’t know which category you fall into, think @ it like this. If you knew that in 15 minutes you were going to stand in judgment before Almighty God and learn your eternal destination, what would your reaction be?
-Would you smoke and pace? Would you say to yourself, “I don’t know what God’s going to say? I don’t know if He’s going to say, “Welcome home, child,” or if He’ll say, “Depart from me; I never knew you.” Did you know God desires for us to know whether or not we have a relationship w/Him?
-That’s why John wrote in 1 John 5: 13-“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” God doesn’t desire for us to live in doubt but He desires for us to live w/confidence.
-That’s why we’re continuing our series “Cliff Notes for Xians.” There are some real basic things @ the Xian faith that we need to know. B/c if we know these things then it will enable us to live w/confidence concerning our faith.
Sermon Idea: Living in doubt isn’t a whole lot of fun. So it’s my hope today as we go thru our passage of Scripture that we’ll see some assurances we’re given to demonstrate we belong to Christ; that we’re truly believers. As you’ll see from our verses today, these words of assurance won’t be coming from me but instead they’ll be coming from Jesus.
TEXT: JOHN 10: 27-29
Bckgrd: Chapter 10 is pretty much a landmark chapter in the Bible b/c it’s here that Jesus declares rather clearly who He is. He’s our shepherd, He’s our Savior. Jesus making the comparison of Himself to a shepherd doesn’t speak to us so clearly but it did to Jesus’ audience. Israel had many people whose occupation was being a shepherd. And the people knew what role a shepherd played in the life of a sheep.
-He was the sheep’s guardian and protector. And that’s who Jesus is for those of us who are His followers. And it’s in this analogy that we’re given 3 assurances that demonstrate we belong to Christ.
-So if you’re wondering if you’re a believer or not; if you’re wondering if you’re going to go to heaven when you die, this Scripture should help you be able to answer that very important question.
-The 1st assurance that demonstrates we will always belong to Christ is:
DIV. 1: CHRIST KNOWS US (v. 27)
Exp: Does Christ know you? The word “know” in our text isn’t speaking of just an intellectual awareness. It’s in reference to an intimate relationship. So I’m asking if God knows you intimately. You might wonder, “How in the world is God supposed to get to know me intimately?” The only way He’s going to get to know you intimately is if you become one of His sheep.
A. Before we get in to how we become one of His sheep, we need to understand the analogy of Jesus being the shepherd and His followers being His sheep. This analogy would’ve made a lot of sense to the people Jesus was talking to b/c this society was a rural society.
1. In Jesus’ day shepherds had very close contact w/their sheep every day. As a matter of fact it was almost like a 24 hour a day job. The shepherds made sure sheep had something to eat and drink every day. They took care of them when they were wounded. They bandaged their wounds.
a. They kept them clean. They even gave their sheep names to be able to keep up w/them. And if one of the sheep strayed, the shepherd would go looking for that sheep to bring him back into the fold.
b. Could you see how being around the sheep that much enabled the shepherd to know his sheep intimately? Let me try and give you an example. I know a lot of you in here. But I don’t know any of you like I know my wife and kids! I know them a lot better than you. Why do you think that is?
2. B/c I spend time w/them. And by spending time w/them there are a lot of things I’ve discovered @ them. I know what my kids like to eat in the morning. I know the places Emily likes to eat. I know what they all look like in the morning and how their breath smells!
a. In short, I KNOW them. I know a lot of you but I don’t KNOW you. Does that makes sense? Well, Jesus KNOWS His followers. But those who aren’t His followers, He doesn’t know. Jesus said in Matt. 7: 22-23-“Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from Me, you evildoers.”
b. That verse has always gotten my attention. But you know what the good news of this verse is? If Jesus “knows” you, then He’ll never turn His back on you. And that means that when you die He’ll bring you into heaven. You can have 100% confidence in that fact.
B. Once you’re a part of the flock, the shepherd’s not going to kick you out. Once you’re a part of the flock you always belong to the flock.
ILLUS: In essence, being a part of the flock is being a part of the family. John 1: 12-“Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.” Once you’re in someone’s family, you can never NOT be a part of someone’s family.
-I have 3 children. Hank’s 11, Glyn’s 6 and Janie’s 4. Emily and I are their parents. Now what if Emily and I decide that we don’t want to be their parents any more? What if decide, after looking at how much college is and seeing how quick they’re growing, that we don’t think we can afford having them be our children.
-Is there anything we can do that will remove the fact that they are our children? Absolutely not! They can have their names changed, they can move into someone else’s home and move to a different state, but Emily and I will ALWAYS be their biological parents. We will always be their natural family.
1. The same thing is true concerning Christ. Once Christ knows us, once we submit our lives to His leadership, He can never UNKNOW us. We’ll always be a part of His family.
Reit: The 1st assurance that demonstrates we will always belong to Christ is Christ knows us. The 2nd assurance that demonstrates we will always belong to Christ is:
DIV. 2: WE WILL BE OBEDIENT TO CHRIST (v. 27)
Exp: What did Jesus say His sheep; His followers do? He said they listen to His voice and follow Him. Earlier I said that a shepherd is pretty much w/his sheep 24 hours a day. During that day he’s intimately caring for the sheep. And b/c of the relationship between the sheep and the shepherd, they get to know each other pretty well. And one thing the sheep get to know well is the voice of their shepherd.
A. They get used to what his voice sounds like so much that when the shepherd calls for his sheep they go to him. Why? B/c they know their shepherd is going to take care of them.
1. Every day the shepherd is the one who leads sheep to green pastures to eat. Every day the shepherd is the one who leads the sheep to get something to drink. This reminds me of the 23rd Psalm where it says, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads be beside still waters.”
ILLUS: An American was in Israel and he had the opportunity to spend some time w/some shepherds. One of the shepherds he was with was quite perturbed b/c some of his sheep were missing. The shepherd told the American to come w/him to the market to go find his sheep. The American was wondering why the shepherd thought his sheep would be at the market.
-The shepherd told him he was certain another shepherd had snatched his sheep and was going to try and sell them at the market. The American was wondering how this man was going to be able to distinguish which sheep were his since sheep tend to look pretty much the same. When they arrived at the market, sheep were everywhere. The shepherd walked into the middle of the crowd and began to call out after his sheep. And before long there was movement among the sheep and a herd of sheep came walking over to their shepherd.
-The American was amazed and asked the shepherd how the sheep knew to come. The shepherd simply said, “The sheep know my voice.”
a. Although the sheep had been misled; although the sheep were off the track they needed to be on; once they heard their shepherd’s voice, they responded to him. And that’s the point Jesus was getting across here. If you’re a follower of Christ, you’re going to respond to the voice of Jesus. You will be obedient to the leadership of Jesus if He really is your shepherd.
b. 1 John 2: 3-6-“We know that we have come to know Him if we obey His commands. The man who says, ‘I know Him,’ but does not do what He commands is a liar and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys His Word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is who we know we are in Him: Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.”
2. Do you desire to know if you’re a true follower of Christ? Do you desire to know if you really belong to Jesus and that you’re really a part of His family? Then ask yourself this question. Are you obedient to the commands of Christ? a. Do you love your fellow man? Jesus said in John 13:35-“By this all men will know that you are My disciples, by the love you have for one another.” When you sense God leading you to live a certain way or to do something in particular, are you obedient to Him?
a. This isn’t saying that it’s easy to be a follower of Christ. It’s not saying that you always want to do what Christ is leading you to do. But the point is that once we see what Jesus wants we’ll come to that point where we say, “Even though doing this is going to hurt, even though it’s going to cost, I will do what you say. I’ll be obedient to you.
b. Jesus said in Matt. 16: 24-“If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.” What is the guiding force in your life? What is it that gives you direction concerning how you’re going to live?
B. In 1 John 2: 3 it says a sign that demonstrates we belong to Jesus is if we “keep” His commandments. The word “keep” means “to watch over.” It was used in ancient time by sailors. You see, the early sailors didn’t have global positioning satellites and radio signals to guide them.
1. How do you think they navigated their way around the ocean? They sailed by the stars. They kept their eye on the heavens, and they called that “keeping the stars.”
a. “Keeping the stars” is like “keeping the commandments.” Now any sailor could occasionally get blown off course, or get distracted. Yet he keeps the stars to get back on track. When we keep the commandments, we steer our lives by them. That doesn’t mean we’ll never mess up or never sin.
b. But it does mean that our desire is to keep to what the Bible teaches. And if we have a heart’s desire to be obedient to God it’s a sign that shows we belong to Jesus.
Reit: The 1st assurance that demonstrates we will always belong to Christ is Christ knows us. The 2nd assurance is we will be obedient to Christ. And the final assurance that demonstrates we will always be obedient to Christ is:
DIV. 3: CHRIST KEEPS YOU (vv. 28-29)
Exp: If you are a follower of Christ, what does Christ say that He gives you? He gives you eternal life! Now I want you to notice who is responsible for the receiving of eternal life. Is it you? No! It says that Christ gives us eternal life. I can’t earn my relationship w/God. There’s nothing I’ve done to deserve His gift of eternal life. That’s why it’s called a GIFT!
A. Therefore, that means there is nothing I can do to LOSE my gift of eternal life. Eph. 2: 8,9-“For by grace are you saved thru faith, and this not from yourselves, it is the GIFT of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”
1. There’s only one area I have control over a gift. And that area is in regards to accepting or rejecting the gift. You and I have the right to refuse to become followers of Jesus and receive the gift of eternal life.
a. But once I accept the gift, it forever belongs to me. There’s no such thing as a person belonging to Christ for a few years and then not belonging to Him any longer. 2 Cor. 1: 21-22-“He anointed us, set His seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”
b. The word “seal” is in reference to a document being marked to signify its authenticity. It’s sort of like a brand being put on cattle to show to whom the cattle belong. And I think it’s pretty easy to see that a brand is a permanent mark. But God went a step further signifying that we forever belong to Him when we’re told the HS was sent to us as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
2. When you become a follower of Jesus the HS will give you guidance. Let me share w/you how He guides me. When I sin, when I do something I shouldn’t be doing, I’m convicted of my sinfulness.
a. You know why that happens? It’s the HS convicting us of our sin! Jesus said in John 16 that it’s the role of the HS to convict us of our sins. The HS also guides me in that He impresses upon my heart to do what is right over what’s wrong. There’ve been so many times when I’ve wanted to lash out at someone b/c I was just in a bad mood or felt they’d done me wrong.
b. But then I’d sense w/in my spirit the need to calm down and not lash out b/c it would be wrong. That’s the HS! When we started VillageChurch we didn’t do that b/c Emily and I felt like it would be neat! We did it b/c we felt God leading us to do it.
B. So the HS working in your life is God’s deposit given to you to show that you belong to Him. And it serves as a “guarantee” of what is to come. The word “guarantee” means “earnest.” The HS is God’s down payment to us promising that He’s going to come thru on His promise to bring us to heaven!
1. So if the HS is working in your life it’s a sign that you belong to Him. Now you may still be worried that you can lose your salvation in some way. But notice what v. 28 says. It says, “no one can snatch them out of My hand.” That means no one can carry off followers of Jesus by force!
a. Why? B/c God is greater and more powerful than all things and He won’t allow anyone or anything to steal His sheep from Him. Rom. 8: 38-39-“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
b. What can separate us from God? Nothing! Once you belong to Him, you can never be separated from Him. What does that mean? It means you no longer have to live in doubt and fear concerning your relationship w/Jesus. You can have certainty @ belonging to Him.
2. Let me tell you something. It’s much easier to rest when you have confidence.
ILLUS: Former French Prime Minister George Clemenceau fought a lot of duels w/various rivals during his life. On one occasion, he surprised his friend who was accompanying him to a duel by asking the attendant at a Paris railroad station for a one-way ticket. His friend looked at him and said, “Isn’t that a little pessimistic?”
-Clemenceau replied, “Not at all. I always use my opponent’s return ticket for the trip back.”
a. How would you like to have that kind of confidence? The kind of confidence where you can look into the face of death and not be overwhelmed by fear b/c you know you belong to God.
Conclusion: If you have never received Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior; you can do that right now. How? By an act of faith, trust Him to save you. He’s ready and willing to do it right now. Don’t look for a sign. Don’t wait for a certain feeling to come over you. Simply trust what God says in the Bible.
-Rom. 10: 9-“That if you confess w/your mouth ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead; you shall be saved.” Would you like to do that? If so, pray this prayer after me: Dear Jesus, today I am confessing that you are Lord. I believe you are real. I am placing my trust and faith in you. I ask you to forgive me of my sins and to save me.
-If you prayed that prayer, tear your Welcome Card out of your bulletin and put your name on the card and check the box that says you committed your life to Christ. Then place it in the offering basket in a few moments and we’ll get you some information in the mail on how to grow in your walk w/Christ.
-Others of you are believers but you struggle w/doubting @ your faith. Ask yourself this question right now. Am I trusting Jesus? If not, tell Him you’re trusting Him w/your life now. If you are trusting in Christ for your salvation, there’ll be marks in your life showing that.
-You’ll have a desire to obey His commandments. You’ll have a love for people. And you’ll have affirmation in your Spirit and in the Bible that you belong to God.
Today we’ve seen 3 assurances that demonstrate we’ll always belong to Christ. 1st, Christ knows us. 2nd, we will be obedient to Christ. And finally, Christ keeps us.
