McIntee, Arnot: Doctrines to Enjoy-Eternal Security

I don't take your presence here for granted. I'm glad that you've come, and I just, uh, would value your prayers as we look at our subject of the evening. I appreciate the thoughts that some expressed to me after the service on Sunday evening. It's always interesting, you know, when you know that, uh, brethren and sisters in the audience, uh, have identified in one way or another with your message. And, uh, to me it was particularly interesting because I had been, I knew there was a verse that I wanted to find during my study, and I just couldn't find it. It was, I guess, uh, a mental block or something. And uh, I just couldn't find the one I wanted, and as uh, when the evening three in verse nine. Well, I said, what does second Peter three nine say? If you remember, the subject was predestination. And uh, this was Gary's verse. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness, but is long suffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. That's really the verse I wanted to have. Uh, I was just so thankful that the Lord had given that verse to Gary even before the meeting, and he was able to share it with me. And, uh, so I stress again the truth that we considered on Lord's Day evening. The Lord is not willing that any should perish, and it's not in the book that that should happen. In fact, I hope we will, uh, find comfort in the subject of this evening, the eternal security of the believer. And, uh, we'll turn, of course, to the, I would suggest, the most well-known passage on the subject, one that I'm sure everyone here knows, the Gospel according to John, chapter ten. Tenth of John. It's my prayer that the topics of doctrine that we have considered over these past six messages will certainly be of interest. You might be interested in knowing that, uh, on the Lord's Day morning, uh, there was a couple present who have been coming to the, um, Christianity Explored program. In fact, she is her, in her second year. It's a different program, basically covering the same truths as we have in the past, but, uh, just a little different slant and a different, uh, different, uh, video. And, uh, so the, this couple was along, and, uh, they came at the invitation of Bill and Joanne, and, uh, but they didn't, they were not invited to come on Sunday morning. That's the point I want to make. They came on their own. We thank God for that. Um, just pray for that gr- entire group. This Thursday, we conclude the seven messages, and we have felt the presence of God, there's no doubt about it. Uh, an interesting assortment of people, and uh, uh, the interest has been encouraging, and uh, as I said on Sunday morning, Brian has done an excellent job in the presentation of these truths, and it encourages me, uh, to be a part of it. But uh, as far as the message is concerned, the meditation Brian carries the bulk of that and does an excellent job. And uh, just pray Thursday between six thirty and eight thirty that this last session, which has as its subject, um, born die is the last word. Pardon? Come and die. Yeah, thanks, Betsy. Um, and uh, that's not a a misstatement of the last word. We think come and die in of the chorus we sing at times, but it's come and die. And the individual who gives himself to God and to Christ knows what it is to die to the world. So, the truth is going to be there, and we just pray that the Lord in his richness and grace will bless. We've discussed on previous occasions the doctrine of the Trinity, the fall of man and man's redemption. Then in this series, we've had the pleasure of looking at, um, other great truths, uh, the gospel itself, justification, sanctification, predestination, and tonight we'll consider the eternal security of the believer. I'm so glad this is in the book. It's one thing to know you're predestinated, as the word, uh, we considered on Sa- Sunday evening, but to know that we are eternally secure, beloved, we will never be lost, and we can praise our God for it. Those that have studied the subject will be aware, of course, and maybe you don't have to have studied the subject, but there are many people who do not believe in the eternal security of the soul. There are churches right on this very street that do not believe that in its entirety and preciousness. But we thank our God that the word of God is true and sure, and here we confidently rest. It has been one of the great battle lo- uh, grounds of the theologians, as has been the, uh, doctrine of predestination. And I thought, I guess it was Sunday evening after the service, how grateful I am that in the goodness of God, I have been raised among a group of believers who believe these truths that we have considered. And of course, we were taught them, but we really had to learn them as adults. And, uh, as we do that, then it be- they become all the more blessed to us. And so we praise God that once we're saved, we're always saved. That puts the onus on us to live for God and show by our lives that we really are born anew. Unfortunately, as I've mentioned, uh, there are those that believe that, uh, salvation is not a secure thing. Well, I enjoy my eternal security. If they want to enjoy their eternal insecurity, that's entirely up to them. But this book teaches, without question, as far as I'm concerned, the fact the believer is eternally secure and safe in Christ. Remember the Lord Jesus Christ, ere he left the planet, made it abundantly clear, and we'll read some of the verses that he mentioned, uh, and truths that he brought out, and, uh, the beloved apostle. We cannot help but think of John chapter five and verse twenty four. I have a father who is in the glory tonight because he's a young man, uh, in his early twenties, He put his trust in the Lord Jesus Christ after a gospel meeting, and the verse he claimed for his own was John five and twenty four. Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath, has everlasting life. That's it, game over. And we accept the truth, rest on it for eternity. John three sixteen is the golden text of scripture, and, uh, I believe that there will be many, myself included, in heaven because we accepted that verse in all of its beautiful simplicity. That's one thing I have noticed about folks who have come along to Christianity Explored, and I'm thinking of one person individ- uh, particularly, just finds it so hard to believe that you don't do anything for salvation other than acknowledge your sinership, and that's where she's finding quite a difficult problem, to acknowledge I'm a sinner, but Jesus died for my sins, and I repent and turn to the Lord Jesus Christ and know it. So we thank God for the simplicity that for God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Praise God. Paul delighted to tell the saints at Rome on a number of occasions, um, the same precious truth I was enjoying in my study again, Romans verse 6, chapter six rather, and verse twenty three: For the wages of sin is death, but, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. We enjoy the preciousness of our eternal security, and I hope that this brief study on the subject again will just reinforce the truth within each of our hearts. God has saved me, and he has saved me for eternity. Beloved, what an exciting truth. We've heard it many times, but it just gets sweeter with the telling, and the older you get and the nearer the glory you are, the more precious it becomes. There are many men and women, I believe with all my heart, in fact, I could name one who wishes he knew the p- the truth of everlasting salvation, but refuses to believe it. And for more than fifty years, we've tried our best to get this truth into his head and into his heart. But let's read in John chapter ten, as we've already mentioned, the verses that are so precious. We'll begin at verse twenty two. John ten and twenty two. And it was at Jerusalem, the feast of the dedication, and it was winter. Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch. 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. Jesus answered them, I told you, and you believe not the works that, you believe not the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me. 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, and I give unto them eternal life. They shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them unto me, is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one. Father, we thank you for the simplicity and beauty of your word, and pray that its preciousness might grow, even as a result of this meditation tonight, in the heart and life of every child of God. This we pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. As we look at the verses that we've just read, I would like to draw to your attention the fact that we're sheep. I'd like to think about the salvation that's mentioned in our verse, and then finally, its security. Sheep. I will never forget a day as I was walking across the Niagara College campus. Uh, it just seemed that my path and the path of a young student joined, and we began to talk. I asked him which program he was taking and, uh, how it was going and so on and so on. I said, then, now what do you plan to do once you've graduated? Well, he said, of course I'd like to get a good job, and, uh, I'd like to make good money. But he said, more than anything, I'd like security. Now this was a kid who was maybe twenty one to twenty three, and he wanted security. I wished I could have told him about the security I have in Christ. In that setting, it was pretty difficult to do. But thanks be to God, it's possible to know and enjoy a security in Christ. Some time ago, well, in fact, it's thirty five, thirty seven years ago anyway. I was asked to speak to the group of student nurses at the hospital, and uh, they were talking about dietary needs of uh, patients, and that they should be conscious of these things and so on. So uh, they had invited various guests along, and it was my turn to come on that particular night, and they wanted to know, um, what people at Scott Lee Gospel Chapel and other gospel churches, if they had any special dietary needs or restrictions. Well, it was a most fascinating hour and a half. I said to these young women, uh, about a dozen of them, I said, I will tell you what I believe, and then how be you tell me what you believe. So, as simply as I could, I told them the plan of salvation, told how I had accepted Christ as Savior, and really, as far as the physical was concerned, there were no definite restrictions. I had my likes and dislikes, but, uh, they were not based on the word of God. So when I had concluded, I turned to the young lady on my left, and I said, now, um, would you mind telling us what you believe, why you believe it? And I will never forget what she said. In fact, her words were repeated by one or two others. She said, Mr. McEntee, I don't know what to believe. I used to believe in certain teachings of the church, but now they've changed them, and it was obvious from what she said. She was a Catholic by birth and, uh, profession up to that point. But, uh, she said, the church is changing, and it seems everything's changing, and I don't know what to believe. You know, I think there are a lot of young people out there, and the older, older ones too, and we have taught the kids in school to question, question everything, and they're doing it very effectively. But this young woman, along with the others, had a multitude of ideas about salvation and how it was obtained. And it was a delight to have had the opportunity to share my faith with them and hope that in the sovereignty of God, the Spirit would do his great work in their lives. In the scene that, uh, is before us tonight, uh, it opens in the temple, uh, in the temple court, actually Solomon's porch, and, uh, here we, uh, see and hear the harassing Jews as once again they demand a, an answer from the Lord Jesus Christ. Who are you? Tell us plainly who you are. Well, he had done that, and he had gone further. He had shown by his works that he had a power that was the power of God. They had seen men raised from the dead. They had seen other miraculous events take place right in their presence. And really, they didn't need even a, a further definition or a verbal definition of who he was. This was obvious. His words and his works attested to the fact that he was the Christ, the Son of God. But what was his response? Notice again in verse twenty six, But ye believe not because ye are not my sheep, as I had said unto you. So he had made it abundantly clear that they had not believed on him, therefore they were not his sheep. Tragically, they wish to appear as his sheep, but he was certainly going to call their bluff. And he draws a contrast between the inquirers and the true sheep of the Lord Jesus Christ. He says, uh, and his sheep hear my- his voice, and they follow me. They had accepted him, and they followed him. Verse twenty seven, my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. But as far as these Jewish critics were concerned, they did not know him, and certainly they were not following him. That's interesting, isn't it? That those who know Christ follow him. And I think this is one of the things that should be evident in the life of an individual when they tell us, uh, I've trusted Jesus, or Jesus has come into my heart, or I've accepted Christ. I think we have every right to expect to see a change in their life, and that they're following the Lord Jesus Christ. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. Oh, beloved, may I encourage you as I encourage myself to follow the one, or ever so tenaciously, who gave himself for us. Have we, as we've learned from, uh, previous studies of the Word of God, it's imperative that lost sheep come believing to the Lord Jesus Christ. He alone is the only Savior. There was proof, uh, that there were those in his presence who knew him as Savior, and there were others who did not know him. And it was the same Sunday morning. It's same whenever the gospel is preached. There are those who know Christ and those who do not. And certainly, the objective of our witness here at the Gospel Chapel is simply this, that men and women might come to know the Lord Jesus Christ is their Savior. If you and I say that we're saved, all who know us should be able to see it in us. They should be able to see that we're following the Lord. We're obedient to him in every aspect of life. I know that's difficult at times, and I'm sure you will agree, but that's God's desire for us, that we might so live and conclude our life bringing honor and glory to him. I don't know how you feel about it, but as far as I'm personally concerned, the older I become, the more I realize the importance of finishing well and being able to face the Lord at the judgment seat, knowing that I did the best, the best that I could for him. Oh, it's true, there were times when maybe we didn't do the best we could, but then in retrospect, how we hope and pray that all was for his glory. I was thinking the other day of those five young men who lost their lives in Ecuador. What a fantastic, costly price they paid for their salvation. Yet they lived it out there in Ecuador, and some five of them died on that awful day. A day shortly thereafter, the five widows were being flown above the spot on the kuraray where the bodies lay, and she was overheard to say, that's the most beautiful little cemetery in all the world. It housed the souls of five godly, dedicated young men who gave their all for Christ. Later, that same woman said, I heard him say, come follow. That was all. My goal grew dim. My soul went after him. Who would not follow if they heard him call? Beloved, the tragedy is this, that many of us have heard the call and have professed the call, but are we going on as if it was the most important thing, and we want to follow? Who would not follow if they heard him call? Tragically, there are those of whom we are aware. God's plan of salvation is still there, theirs, but they're wandering away from him. What does the Lord Jesus want us to do? He just wants us to follow him. The Apostle Paul, we made brief reference to him on Lord's Day evening, as in chapter seven of the Roman epistle, he said, oh, wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? Even the apostle had times when he realized that things in his life were not as God would wish them to be. And I think it's a good, healthy exercise that I, as an individual, pause at times, look within, look back, and see what kind of a trail have I left there? Have I really followed the one who loved me and died for me? Am I true to him? That's God's desire for you and for me, and may we seek to live by it and go in for all the things the Lord has for us. You remember the same apostle is talking, and he's, uh, telling them that, uh, sin had entered, the law had come, and the law proved man's sinership, and so on. But then Paul had been extolling the great grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and he says in Romans five verse twenty, where sin abounded, grace did superabound. And as he goes on in his thinking, and before he puts the pen back to the paper, he thinks, you know, some of those people might think that they can go in for sinning. They can, if grace is going to be greater than their sin, well, then why not continue in sin, and the superabundant grace of the Lord Jesus Christ will be greater. Paul stops. Then he puts the pen to paper, and he says, God forbid, how shall we who are dead to sin live any longer therein? It's true my soul is saved, my life has been saved, and now, that being the case, I want to live for him, that others might see Christ magnified in my life. He did not want them for one moment to let that abhorrent thought dwell in their minds, that because the grace of Christ was present, they could go on sinning. Salvation had been procured for these sheep, these sheep who knew what it was to enjoy the luxury of his presence. He said, my sheep hear my voice, and I know them. That tells me two things. It's possible for sheep not to hear his voice. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish. They had to be close enough to the shepherd to hear his voice. They had to know what it was to be within hailing distance of the shepherd. And dear child of God, you and I go come close to our beloved Lord when we're in this book, when we make it our own and enjoy it to the full. He gave his life for every one of the sheep in the spiritual sense. He died for us. I am the Good Shepherd, he said. The Good Shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. And if you are a sheep in the fold, as I trust you are, I hope you're living in the full enjoyment of it and appreciating the fact that you have this eternal life that you will never lose. He gave his life for every sheep in the fold, you and me included. But think of the cost. You know the cost as well as I. Calvary was the cost, and he gave his own precious blood for it, for us, but he was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities, and the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed, and we can rejoice in the fact that he says in the sixth verse of Isaiah fifty three, all we like sheep have gone astray. We've turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. Our iniquity, our sin was paid for by the precious blood of our beloved Lord, and we can thank our God for it. He was wounded for me. I ask myself a question. Maybe you've asked it of yourself too. The Lord Jesus Christ was wounded and died for me. Do I think for one minute that he did that for me and then will permit me to be lost? Never. The cost to the Lord Jesus Christ, the cost to the entire Godhead was too much to permit the lostness of an individual soul who has really trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ. John chapter ten, this same chapter from which we've read, verse nine says this, I am the door, in brackets I put in the sheepfold, I am the door of the fold. By me, if any man enter in, he shall be saved. We have to see the picture. The day's at an end. The sheep have been called to come to the fold. They've done so, and as they do, the shepherd carefully scrutinizes each one, making sure that there is nothing that will bother, hurt, or harm them during the night. And when he finds one that needs attention, he will attend to it, and off it will go to its comfort for the night within the fold. But then came time to close the fold, and there wasn't a door on the opening. So what the shepherd of that day did was he just laid down across the opening. He said, I'm the door. I'm the door of the sheepfold. No man cometh unto the Father but by me, and the ones he protects tonight, he's at the door, and he keeps us and wants to bless us. How wonderful to know that the sheep are safe once that they were in that fold, and the picture in a spiritual sense is so beautiful. The Lord Jesus Christ is the door, and I'm protected by him, and the marauder will not be able to get at me. He will try, and that's made abundantly clear in a verse we'll look at in a moment, but we're going to be protected by the Shep- the shepherd, and his desire for us is that we be close to him, so we can hear the call of the shepherd. A number of years ago, a man was walking along the country lane in England, and there along the lane he walked while there was a pasture filled with sheep. The shepherd was relaxing at the end of his crook. He leaned on it against the fence, and as the gentleman walked along, he stopped. He said, I have been told that if a shepherd calls one sheep from its flock, that that one sheep will come. Is that true? Well, yes, it is. He said, watch. And he called one sheep that along with the others, was grazing in the sweetness of the pasture. One head went up. Its name had been called. He said, I know my sheep. My sheep know my voice. I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish. Beloved child of God, what a pleasure is ours to know him, to love him. You know, when I thought of that one little sheep in the fold in the pasture, raising its head when its name was called, I couldn't help but wish, Lord, I hope that I'm that kind of a sheep. I hope when you call me or when you've got something to say to me, you have my attention, and I listen, and I obey, and I follow. My sheep have that eternal life, and they follow me. And so it was. I want to suggest that God in his goodness will test and prove us at times, and only for the purpose of making us stronger in Christ and enjoying more fully and devotedly the great plan of our salvation. But God, in his richness and in the luxury of his love, permits us to enjoy that love and to enjoy it to the full. The Savior Shepherd provides the fold wherein there is shelter and sustenance. And there's plenty here in the word of God, the fellowship of God's people, to satisfy, to strengthen us, to motivate us, to go on for his glory. And as the Lord Jesus said, I know my sheep, and they what? They follow me. We're not interested in following a church or its denominational doctrines. We are interested in following the Lord, and may, beloved, that be the intent of the life I seek to live for him. These sheep were secure. There would, of course, during the day and maybe at night, be those predators that would seek to do the sheep harm. But that's why the shepherd was there. That's why he sealed the door. That's why during the day he leaned on his staff from that, uh, advantageous point of view and could just look over the whole flock and see them all. When he saw one start to move away and be tempted by what was further along, why, he would call its name, and back it would come. Brethren and sisters, let's face it, there's a lot out there that can attract the people of God, and the sheep that should be in his pasture find that the delicacies on the other side of the fence, as it were, are appealing, and like Demas, they've forsaken him, having loved this present world. Oh, let's keep our nose where the pasture is rich and delicious, this holy, holy book, and there we will find ample the supply, an ample supply of sustenance. I like the words of the Apostle Peter as he warns the believers of his day. And as we mentioned so briefly on Lord's Day evening, his letter was addressed to scattered saints. They'd been persecuted for the cause in the name of Christ, and they were no longer close to where they could enjoy the full, intimate, broad fellowship of believers, they'd been scattered. And so what does he say to them? Why, he encourages them in the fact, be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour. And Satan, I believe, is working overtime today. He knows the final sands are going through the hourglass. Soon the Lord Jesus Christ is coming. The age of grace will be history. And so, there are those who name the name of Christ. He will tempt, he will seduce, he will do all he can in his power to draw them away from the Lord Jesus, get them occupied with the world and its attractions, get them occupied with their job, their social standing. Get them occupied with the family, providing those things that appeal to the kids. And all the time, the things that can only enrich, pardon me, enrich the individual believer, why, he turns from them. He's a roaring lion. I believe that Satan realizes his time is brief, and he's going flat out to destroy the church of God. He will never have this soul, but he could make it, if I let him, ineffective, so that my witness and testimony is not what it should be. Not like the guy who said, well, I'm a Christian, but nobody knows. Something like that around, you know. Oh, beloved, by God's sovereign grace, may we be anxious to live for, to love, and to serve him who loved us and died for us. While the adversary is roaring, the Lord Jesus Christ has already defeated the adversary. Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. And Satan was de- dealt his death blow on Calvary's cross, and as you and I stay close to him, we're protected as the sheep of the fold, safely by him. There's the security of the sheep. We have salvation, and this we enjoy. Let us continually give thanks to our God for it. We don't want to take it for granted, do we? But let's enjoy the salvation he has provided and the security that he has provided as well. And twenty eight of John ten is such a beautiful chorus. We used to sing, um, twenty seven, twenty eight, twenty with the children in the Sunday school. These are good gospel verses, and I trust that, um, our new Sunday school superintendent, who's here tonight, will encourage the kids to learn such verses of scripture. I give unto them eternal life, they shall never perish, verse twenty eight: Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. You'll notice the word man is in italics. So that tells you that the, um, translators of the scriptures had difficulty in knowing the exact word that went in there. And so, as far as they were concerned, the word man was in the context. Neither shall any man or just anything pluck them out of my hand. What a wonderful verse. May we fully enjoy its precious truth. But this word and verse has a double negative. Now, I, uh, am no expert in grammar by any stretch of the imagination, but I like the way that men who, uh, had that luxury and had that knowledge translated the verse. Mr. Weymouth, who, uh, did the Weymouth New Testament. Uh, if you don't have a Weymouth, try and pick one up, and you'll be blessed by it. And this is the way a Weymouth translates twenty eight of John ten: I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never lose it or perish through the ages. To all eternity they shall never by any means be destroyed, and no one is able to snatch them out of my hand. Isn't it a powerful verse when it's rendered that way? W. E. Vine says much the same in f- fewer words. Uh, he says it's a very strong negative, and he renders it, they shall never by any means perish. That's God's word for it. You'll never perish. Satan may do his best to destroy your witness, testimony, and joy, but he cannot take away the salvation God has given you. You know, I take courage in the fact that God kept his word on previous occasions relative to the situation similar to this. Noah and his family. Come, Noah, into the ark. In he went, and he was protected and cared for until, in the sovereignty of God, the deluge had done its work, the waters had receded, and God told him to come out of the ark, and out he came. What's the point? God kept him from destruction, and he'll keep you from destruction. Lot and his family. God kept them from the cinder, the sulfur, and the storm of fire, kept them from Sodom, and preserved them, with one exception, his wife. And we know that's that story. But the point is this, those who were prepared first to believe in God and then prove they had by following him, they were safe. And beloved child of God, it's the same today. They shall never perish. In a coming day, we have the word of God for it, that we will be preserved from the deluge of judgment and punishment that's to fall on this old world. And we know that the tribulation is coming, terrifying indeed. But listen to what he says through Paul to the Thessalonians. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. First Thessalonians five and verse nine. And I've been enjoying the last day or two, Revelation chapter three and verse ten. That same promise is there, and we will not go through the tribulation. We're going to be preserved or taken out from the world's population, and it will greatly reduce the people who are left behind to their amazement. Where have the Christians gone? We will have gone to be with the one who promised to take us out of it all. We will have et- we have eternal life, and we will never lose it. I love the words of, uh, Paul to Titus in one and verse two, God, which cannot lie, promised these things. It's impossible for God to lie. So we have the truth written on the pages of the Holy Scriptures of our God. We thank our God for his great goodness to us in this regard. Dear child of God, we are safe and secure through a never-ending eternity. Like the way the old preachers used to put it, we will live as long as God lives. And we can rejoice in that. The sheep knew his voice. Let us know the voice of God. Let us enjoy fellowship with him. This book is not a bore, it's a blessing. And we thank our God. The more we're in it, the more we'll understand it. That's the way to go. Yes, the sheep knew his voice, and I hope each one of us here this evening know and responds to his fellowship. They were close enough to identify with his voice, and as I have said, respond to it. They preferred the fellowship and the care of the shepherd over those that had no interest in them. Again, I say, there are a lot of things out there that could destroy my enjoyment of God, but by fo- hearing his voice and following him, I know. Wasn't that great what he said, the Lord Jesus said, they know my voice, the voice of a stranger, they won't follow it. Sadly, when a believer follows the voice of a stranger, he's encouraged to get away from God. Young people, older ones, let's go in for his fellowship, knowing that they shall never perish because they are kept by the all powerful hands of our great Father and his beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. I give unto my sheep, emphasis on my. I give unto my sheep eternal life, and they shall never perish. Never. Thanks God, thank God. Let's pray we'll enjoy the luxury of that blessed position with him. Father, we bow to give thanks to thee for thy love. Thank you for your sovereign son. Thank you, he's in the glory. He's the first fruits, the word of God tells us, of them that slept. And the very fact that he's there is proof positive that we will be too. Father, hasten the day. May the day soon come when we will hear the shout of the voice we have known by faith in life and be with him eternally. Thank you, Father, for these truths. Thank you for the word. May the experience of being exposed to these things that many of us know enrich them all the more to our souls, and we follow more tenaciously the one who loved us and died for us. Thy son and our own personal savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.