Kept
By The Power
John 10:19 “There was a division
therefore again among the Jews for these sayings.
20 And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is
mad; why hear ye him?
21 Others said, These are
not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil
open the eyes of the blind?
22 And it was at
Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was
winter.
23 And Jesus walked in the temple in
Solomon's porch.
24 Then came the Jews round
about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou
make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us
plainly.
25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and
ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's
name, they bear witness of me.
26 But ye believe
not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto
you.
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them,
and they follow me:
28 And I give unto them
eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither
shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
29 My
Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and
no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's
hand.”
1. You Are Facing Division
2. Your
Incrimination
3. Your Defense
4. Your Promise
1. You Are Facing Division
Verse nineteen: “There was a division therefore again among the Jews for these sayings.”
It is staring you right in the face. It is a fact of life. It is par for the course, as they would say. If you as a sinner step up to the plate by putting your faith and trust into Jesus Christ [which involves “repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” [Acts 20:21b], you will face DIVISION.
The dividing line between those who believe in Jesus Christ and those who do not believe in Jesus Christ forms the most powerful and controversial demarcation point in the whole world. It figuratively turns the world up side down and literally angers the DEVIL when someone gets saved.
The ISSUE of Jesus Christ causes more turmoil and trouble among people than any other issue in life.
You might say, then, that whenever men and women turn to Jesus Christ for salvation, it causes a general UPROAR amongst friends and relatives, and extends outward into the populace of a nation. Why does this happen, you say? It happens because the SCRIPTURE says it will happen. It happened in Acts 17:5-6 when Paul and Silas preached in Thessalonica, in a synagogue of the Jews. Let’s read there.
“But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also.”
It happened in Ephesus in Acts 19:23-40 when Demetrius, a silversmith, stirred up a crowd together to get the Christians. [Acts 19:23]
“And the same time there arose no small stir about that way.”
It happened to Paul again in Jerusalem in Acts 21:30-38.
The ultimate reason why you will face divisions as believer in Jesus Christ is because Jesus Christ came to this earth expressly to cause division. [Luke 12:51-53]
“Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division: For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.”
2. Your Incrimination
Verse twenty: “And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?”
Not only will you face divisions because you have placed your faith and trust into Jesus Christ but you will be accused of being a trouble maker, and in a sense, a devil. It even gets better than that! Ready?
The world will think you are nuts, and will write you off for having gone over the edge, so to speak. Case in point, Festus in [Acts 26:24], yelled out “with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad.”
Something else, they [the unsaved] will never understand you, nor will they ever allow you access to the inside of their little cliques. You will be an outsider, and will never be accepted as an insider. Do you understand that? You are incriminated!
Further, they think a Believer in Jesus Christ is MAD. Now why does the world think you guilty of this? Perhaps, the reason why they find you guilty [in the world’s eyes] of being mad is because your Savior and LORD was found guilty [in the Jew’s eyes] of being mad.
“He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?”
A Christian is incriminated because of his relationship with the SON of GOD! Turn to [Matthew 10:24-25], and see for yourself.
“The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?”
There you have it! If the religious folk of this world called Jesus Christ THE DEVIL who is the master of THE HOUSE, then it follows that they will call us who are of the HOUSEHOLD OF FAITH … DEVILS.
It is just par for the course. You will be labeled a troublemaker, as being mad, and as being a devil!
3. Your Defense
Verse twenty-six and seven: “But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
The sheep have an ear for the LORD. They can HEAR! Those that cannot hear HIS voice are deaf.
The particular range of frequencies in the sound of the Jesus Christ’s voice is beyond the ability of the unsaved man [the natural man] to hear [understand].
A believer [the sheep] has had a supernatural operation performed on him at the moment he got saved [or born again].
This surgical operation involved a circumcision made without hands which cut loose and set free his soul from the body of his flesh.
Turn to [Colossians 2:11-13], and see the how the Spirit of GOD wrote it in the BOOK. Ready?
“In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses.”
If you are indeed a sheep, you can, therefore, hear HIS voice.
You hear HIS voice because this circumcision [the new birth] has been performed on you. You are a Christian, and a true Christian HEARS Christ’s voice. Others hear yet they will not hear [understand].
4. Your Promise
Verse twenty-eight and nine: “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.”
In one fell swoop, the SON of GOD shows to all who will believe HIS words that once a person is saved he, or she, is saved [SAFE] forever.
This means, no man, or devil, can take you OUT of the Father’s hands.
The Father’s hands are SURE.
Nothing, or no one, can PLUCK you out … including yourself.
We are the adopted sons of GOD.
Once you are an adopted son, you will always be a son. ONCE SAVED – ALWAYS SAVED is a true doctrine according to this King James Bible.
This father – son relationship cannot be lost.
Now, what can be lost is the FELLOWSHIP between the father and a son, but never the RELATIONSHIP between a father and a son.
Do you understand this difference between these words? Fellowship can be interrupted and lost because of sin, but the relationship still exists. My son may not be fellowshipping with me [his father] because of his waywardness, but he still is my son.
Proof from the Scripture:
[2 Corinthians 1:22] “Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.”
[Ephesians 1:13-14] “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”
[Ephesians 4:30] “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”
The bottom line to all of this is that it is impossible for a true believer in Jesus Christ to lose his salvation because he has been SEALED.
“Who are kept by the power of God through
faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the
last time.”
[1 Peter 1:5]
Amen! Amen! Amen!