A CLOSER LOOK AT “JOHN 10:28

and I give unto them eternal l life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. John 10:28

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ecclesiastes 8-11

Jesus said in John 10:28: “and I give unto them eternal l life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand”. A lot have read this verse of the bible and interpreted it as once saved, always saved. They even take it a step further and claim that one doesn’t have to live holy since sin cannot bring a Christian to his or her spiritual death. Firstly, let’s take careful look at John 10:28 and its immediate context. John 10:27-29 says my sheep hear my voice, and I know THEM, and THEY FOLLOW me: 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.

Take a note of the word "follow" in verse 27. It is a continuous tense in Greek and it describes Jesus’ sheep. The plural pronouns "they" and "them" in John 10:28 and 29 refer back to verse 27. Hence, the only ones promised the wonderful NEVER PERISH SECURITY in verses 28 and 29 are the ones who CONTINUE to FOLLOW Jesus, in other words, those who do not turn from the teachings of Christ to the right or to the left.

To enter heaven, HOLINESS is KEY! Hebrew 12:14 says follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. Sin can bring a fellow to his spiritual death. Ezekiel 33:13 says when I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it. James 1:15 says then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. The real truth is, after initial salvation a Christian is to make every effort to enter the Kingdom of God because many will not make enough effort to enter. Luke 13:24 says strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. This would include not sharing in sins of others but keeping oneself pure. 1 Timothy 5:22 says lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men’s sins: keep thyself pure. It would include keeping oneself from idols ( 1 John 5:21) and from the spiritual pollutants of this world. James 1:27 says Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

PRAYER POINT: Matthew 10:22 says and ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. Father, please help me to endure to the end

Bro Samuel – Reaching the world for Jesus.

ARE YOU SAVED

MEMORY VERSE: Then Peter said unto them, Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remissions of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, Acts 2:38.

BIBLE VERSE: Josh 7, Ps 137-138, Jer 1, Matt 15

Two friends went to church one evening. As they sat one of the workers approached them and asked the younger one are you saved? He said no, the worker witnessed to him and told him why he needed to give his life to Christ. The worker moved to the older one sitting right beside the younger one and asked the same question, ‘are you saved’? The older friend didn’t want to be bothered by this worker so he said ‘yes’. The worker said praise God and he left. Few weeks later the older friend was sitting at home on a chair talking to his sister. As they were talking, the man said something and the sister replied hoping to get a response from his brother but there was no response. Out of curiosity she looked at the direction of her brother and saw him sitting with his head slumped forward. The man was dead! The man died without been saved.

Today I post the same question to you, are you saved? The fact that you are born into a Christian family does not mean you are saved. The fact that you don’t cheat on your wife or consume alcohol or have boyfriends and girl friends does not mean you are saved. The fact that you are part of the choir or play musical instrument in the church does not mean you are saved. I need not to inform you that you are not saved by church attendance. Judas Iscariot rarely missed church services yet he betrayed Jesus. The fact that you have said the sinner’s prayers does not mean you are saved. I remember as a young boy I was going through mum’s drawers when I saw a Christian literature. Since I had nothing to do I read it and I found the sinner’s prayer at the back. I said the sinner’s prayer although I didn’t really mean a word of it. Several years later I began to visit brothels and indulge in other vices. One night I had a dream where I had the opportunity to see my past. It was until then I knew that I wasn’t saved at all. Thank God for the opportunity to give my life to Christ.

In Acts 2:14- 38 some group of people heard a message like this and their hearts were pricked. They asked the question, what shall we do to be saved? Acts 2:38 says then Peter said unto them, Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remissions of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Repentance is necessary for salvation! Without true repentance there is no salvation. What we find today is remorse not repentance. Remorse is a deep and painful regret for wrongdoing but repentance is not just one feeling sorrowful for an offense, but it means to completely turn away from that sin.

QUESTION: Are you saved?

ACCEPTABLE SERVICES

 BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Gen 23, Matt 22, Neh 12, Acts 22

Isaiah 40:31 but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint

To wait on God means to serve at God’s table. After waiting on Him to His satisfaction, He gives a tip. The tip is He renews the strength of those that wait on Him. Not only that, He ensures that they mount up with wings as eagles; He also ensures that tiredness or weariness would be a strange word to them. When strength is renewed prospering – spiritually, mentally, financially e.t.c becomes easy. Mounting up with wings as eagle simply means achieving or making progress without stress. The tip He gives to those who wait at His table is basically He helps them prosper without stress. Proverbs 10:22 says the blessings of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.

There are things expected of waiters in a restaurant. They are expected to be well groomed .The cutlery used to serve is expected to be clean. They are expected to be courteous and polite when carrying out their duties. When a well groomed waiter serves you to your satisfaction, on your way out you give him a tip. But if you walk in and you notice that the waiter is in dirty uniforms or there is a cut on his hands or his nails are unkempt, you will request for another waiter or walk out of the restaurant. If the waiter brings your food in a dirty dish or you notice dirty cutlery on table, you will request for a cleaner cutlery or leave. If while serving you, he is everywhere or impatient or look uninterested, after eating you will pay for the meal and he gets no tip. The same thing happens when we wait at God’s table. The first thing He checks is if we are well groomed i.e. are we saved? Have we been washed clean in the blood of Jesus? Without salvation, all our righteousness is as filthy rags, Isaiah 64:6. No one wants a waiter in filthy rags, definitely not God. He checks the hands of those waiting on Him if they are unkempt i.e. their ways. He checks if they are righteous or not. Psalm 11:7 says the Lord’s countenance beholdeth the upright. The next thing He looks at is the cutlery used to serve Him i.e. the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7 says for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. According to Jeremiah 17:10 the Lord searches the heart. He searches the heart to check if the service is eyeservice or not. He searches the heart to check if the fellow is serving him grudgingly.2Corinthians 9:7 says every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly , or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. The next thing God looks at is how the waiter serves him i.e. work ethics. One thing God disapproves of is laziness. Jesus said in John 5:17, my father work hitherto. God loves diligence in service. Hebrews 11:6 says God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. God is more interested in the giver of the gifts than the gifts. When He is satisfied on all grounds, He then gives a tip. A single tip from God is enough for a lifetime. If you don't believe me ask Solomon. This king took his time to offer a thousand burnt offerings to God. He was not in a haste . His heart was right with God. His ways were commendable before God . When he had finished waiting on God,his tip was to ask for anything he wanted, 2 Chronicles 1:6-12.

PRAYER POINT; Father I am making up mind to serve you please give a tip.