2-His sheep hear His voice and follow Him.

3-We must agree with His Word to be one of His.

4-What does the Word say that we must agree with in order to prove we are His children and therefore aware of His work in our lives?

We must agree with God that……..

First, that we are sinners.

-Sinners because of the first Adams sin

Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

-Sinners because of our own sin

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Second, that because of that sin we are dead spiritually and will die physically.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death;

James 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

Third, that the only hope to escape death is through Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

1 John 5:11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

Fourth, that those who hear His voice will see their need, want to be saved and call out to Him for salvation.

Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

So you have heard the voice of God through the Word of God and agreed with Him that you are a sinner You also know you will not find relief even in death unless you give your life to Jesus Christ. In awareness of your desperate need you have called out to Him to be saved and He has saved you. What is next? Does your life become free of trials and struggles with everything going perfectly? No, for now the real battle begins.

As one of His sheep you have heard His voice and been given spiritual life. You are a part of His family so your loving Heavenly father begins the process of teaching you to live the new life He has given you. He will teach you to live who you really are……

How does this happen? Stay tune for part 5….!!!!

In order to be one of His you must hear His voice. Jesus said in John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. Therefore in order to be one of His you must hear His voice and follow Him. Those who do not hear his voice cannot follow Him and are not one of His. Let’s look at the fuller context of this passage in John 10 by going to verse 24-30

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 hand30 I and my Father are one.

Jesus makes it very clear, to those that are questioning who He is, that they are not one of His. They have not heard His voice. In verse 25 Jesus says I told you who I was but you believed not because you are not one of mine. My sheep hear me and follow me. Jesus goes on to say that He gives eternal life to His sheep and they shall never perish.

How then do we know if we have heard His voice and follow Him thereby never perishing? We must know and can know. How?  

When we receive the Word of God as the truth and agree with it.

1 Thessalonians 2:13 ¶ For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

After we receive His Word it begins its work in us verifying that we are His.

Not agreeing with what the Word of God says means you are not one of His which means you have not been given eternal life which means you will perish for eternity.

God says it is so.

John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

What does the Word say we must agree with in order to know we are His children?

Stay tuned for Part 4 – We must agree with God that…..?????

Part 2 –Can you know for sure you are one of His?

John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

There are three conditions that must be true in order for someone to be His. First He tells us that His people will hear His voice then He states that He knows them and finally they follow Him. In Matthew 7 Jesus tells a group of people who have believed on Him and done wonderful works to depart from because He knew them not. You must be known by Him and if you are, then you will hear His voice and follow Him. Therefore there are two sure ways we can know if we are His! By hearing His voice and following Him. He knows those that are His and He has never lost one of them.

How will we know that we have heard His voice and become followers of Him? Stay tune for part 3.

Part 3 Have you heard His voice?

Part 1- Does God keep His promises?

The promises of God are always fulfilled by Him. He has never failed to keep them. In the Old Testament, God gave many promises about the coming of Jesus Christ. One of those promises is found in Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

This passage, talking about Jesus, was written by the prophet Isaiah hundreds of years before the birth of Christ. He said that she “shall call his name Immanuel”, Immanuel means God with us. So God stated hundreds of years before Christ’s birth that He would send Immanuel or God to be with us. How? As a baby born to a virgin. Jesus Christ came to earth as a baby born to a virgin. God keeps His promises.

In the Bible in the book of Matthew it tells how Joseph, the fiancé of Mary, the mother of Jesus, dealt with the promises of God.

Matthew 1: 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

Joseph believed God and responded by doing what he was told to do. The promise in the Old Testament having been fulfilled in the birth of Jesus Christ set the stage for a fuller understanding of all the promises of God. In passage above the angel tells Joseph …… thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

Jesus  will save His people from their sins. This is a great promise. God will keep it. The question is not, Will God keep His promise? but How do you know if you are one of His? Stay tuned for part 2.

Part 2 – Are you one of His?

One of the things that I have taught my sons is that they are responsible for what they look at and think about. It never ceases to amaze me the junk that we are bombarded with in the check out lines at grocery stores. This time was no different, the magazines and articles presented on a majority of their covers were clearly indicative of a culture that is confused with what is right and wrong and important. We are as a culture fixated with looks, sex, popularity and how we feel. We get caught up in new fads and ideas without any thought as to where they come from or whether they are right or wrong. We have lost our moral compass.

Mark took one look at the shelves and turned away guarding his eyes and his thoughts. I reached out to him, got his attention and praised him for his self control. We talked for a few minutes about the battle we are in as individuals and as a culture. It is a conversation we have had many times and will have many times again. When I talk to my children about their responsibility as moral beings I often remind them that the freedom we have been given is not the freedom to do as we please but the freedom to do what is right.

In our time of talking together I shared with Mark a portion of scripture that I have been trying to memorize and meditate on, it is in Proverbs 2

1…..if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;3 Yea… if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;4….. If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;5 ….. Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.6 For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.

It was then that I noticed the clerk, there at the end of the line checking out the customers before me. She was hard to miss and I observed her with much curiosity. When it was our turn to go through she immediately smiled at Mark Christopher and asked him if he had found everything he needed. He said yes and they went on to have a short and fun conversation. She turned to me, said hello and began to ring up our groceries. I smiled at her and said “I have noticed something about you in the few minutes I have had in line here”. She paused and gave me an inquisitive look. I continued “You are a joyful person aren’t you?” She let out a full laugh and said rather gently “Yes I am”. I followed up, “What makes you so joyful?” She again paused, looked straight at me, lowered her voice so she would not share what she about to say with those who would not understand ”My relationship with God” was her answer.

The world we live in offers many things that it claims will bring satisfaction, joy and peace. I in much regret have tried many of them and found them to be unfulfilling at best. It has only been with Jesus Christ that I have found true peace. Yet it is not peace as the world gives but it is peace that only God can give through His Son Jesus Christ. It is a peace that passes all understanding and it is a peace that is given not earned. It is the assurance that you can be forgiven, it is the assurance of hope, it is the assurance that life has meaning, it is the assurance of eternal life, it is the assurance of unconditional love.

People, things, governments, money, houses, health, churches, denominations, political parties, careers and so on will fail us. Jesus Christ never will, in fact He loved us so much that He gave His life for us.  A bumper sticker I saw a few years ago stated Christians are not perfect just forgiven. I fit that description very well and if you don’t, ask Him to forgive you. He will. May the true peace that Jesus Christ gives to those who ask Him be yours in 2010 through out eternity. Wise men still seek Him.

As I began contemplating the hopelessness of the situation (finding the arrow), the Lord brought to mind these thoughts. He said,

This is how you sometimes search for Me: you come to the point that you think you have looked everywhere, become lazy, determine it is too hard, and then decide to quit. If you search for Me as for silver and gold or even as you are now doing for this arrow, you will find Me. I will then share with you the knowledge of My will with all wisdom and Spiritual understanding (Col. 1:10).

God was revealing to me His desire to be real to me in all areas. Through showing me that because He has done it all for me, I now, because of that, must choose by faith to walk in it.

Will I search for Him the way I searched for the arrow? Will I be content with the results and God’s timing?

It is in the search that I find the most joy: knowing that God is directing my steps and will take me exactly where He wants me to be.

Ask yourself.

When I get ready to make a decision about whether something is right or wrong, what principles do I use to make that decision?

How do you decide if something is right or wrong?

If you are like 60% of the people your answer will be something like this, I decide what is right or wrong based on how I was brought up. Your foundation will be the values of your parents, teachers, and others that influenced your life. The decisions you make will reflect the standards and values of those that influenced you. While on the surface this seems satisfactory, how do you know if the people who influenced you were right or wrong?

Consider a New Guinea pygmy who was influenced by his parents and teachers to kill and eat other human beings. His guiding principles come from the way he was brought up. The results of his upbringing however seem greatly flawed by our standards. How do we decide if he is right or wrong?

We see that the way we were brought up, if used as the sole determining factor, fails as a consistent standard for what is right and wrong. There must be something else.

The next 20% answer the question with the idea that they have some innate sixth sense that guides them. They say I just have a strong sense or felling of what is right and I do it. A little consideration of this principle and we quickly see the problem. Feelings are not reliable. I sometimes feel like staying in bed instead of getting up and going to work. If I trusted in my feelings as the standard of what is right and wrong I would stay in bed and loose my job.

Feelings are not trustworthy as a consistent standard of what is right or wrong.

The last answer that I am usually given is that I determine what is right or wrong based on what the law says. The law becomes the guiding principle. While the law is important to follow, how do those making the laws decide whether a law should be a law or not? For example if I bought an island in the South Pacific, moved there with 500 others, we formed our own little country and passed a law that made murder legal, would that make murder right? No we all know murder is wrong, don’t we? Or do we? We have forgotten what makes something right or wrong.

Our Founding Fathers had not forgotten. They staked their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honors on what they knew were right.

There is a right and there is a wrong. However you and I cannot be trusted to decide right and wrong based on our upbringings, our feelings or even on our laws. There must be something greater than us that establishes the standard of right or wrong. Something, that is always consistent and in control. That something greater is actually a person. His name is Jesus Christ. He is the creator of all things and therefore the only one capable of setting the absolute standard by which we, his creation, must live. Not only is He capable, He has done it. It is called the Bible, a book that He inspired and that He has preserved for us to know Him by. Many will say, without ever reading it, that they do not believe it is true.

I was one of those once until I read it. It is true, it is relative and it is absolutely imperative for you to know what it says if you truly want to have Life, Liberty and the freedom to Pursue Happiness.

Our Founding Fathers knew this and gave their lives, fortunes and sacred honor for it. It is never to late to turn back to the truth.

The significance of this has not been lost on the rest of the world. Since our independence from tyranny over 200 years ago we have been studied and emulated by many countries throughout the world. They were trying to figure out what made the US work.

The decisions made by our founding fathers were so firmly rooted and grounded in a common foundation that we still benefit from them today, over 200 years later. The stability of America has been incredible even amidst difficulties such as the Civil War, the Great Depression and more recently Bush vs. Gore and 9-11. In Bush vs. Gore we saw a country sharply divided over who was to be president. Yet, as soon as the law of the land was upheld and the decision made, the majority of Americans accepted that our government had operated the way it was designed and put it behind them. They accepted the rule of the laws of our country even if they did not agree with the outcome. This amazed many in the rest of the world who may have experienced a different outcome in their countries.

Consider also that our form of government, a constitutional Republic (not a democracy) has lasted over 200 years. This is a major accomplishment. However, join this together with the continuation of the ideal that all have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and we have a miracle. Yes there have been failures and mistakes yet today even amidst the problems, the ideal still stands as stated in our Declaration of Independence that all are “endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”.

Sadly though, the incredible magnitude of success experienced by the United States is being taken for granted by those who benefit from it the most. We Americans live our lives focused on the next paycheck, the weekend, our next promotion, the new media room and so on, that we have no clue of the incredible gift we have been given. We live in America, the land of the free. We must remember, we must not forget where we have come from, what we have been through and the dynamic future we can still have.

Forget? Unfortunately we have. We have forgotten what compelled our Founding Fathers to make the decisions they made over 200 years ago, decisions which cost them their lives, their fortunes and tested their sacred honor to the breaking point. What motivated these successful and prosperous men of the 1700’s to risk all that they had against incredible odds so that we could live free. If we understood this, America would soar again, children would feel safe, crime would disappear, terrorism would be stopped, poverty would decrease and psychologists would be looking for new careers.

Part 2 to Follow

The world sings it’s lullabies
Of pleasure and escape
The noise seems so soothing
As it puts you fast asleep

Awake I urge you, awake!
The stakes are much too high
To let one moment of obedience
Ever pass you by

Be vigilant, be sober
The enemy is at hand
He’s trying every port and border
To infiltrate your land

The call of manhood is upon you
The childish things must go
Trust you in the Lord above
And let His glory show

So put you on your armor
The enemy’s pressing hard
Faith, righteousness, peace and truth
Must be the desire of your heart

The road, it will not be easy
Many times you will feel faint
But God will lift you up on eagle’s wings
To strengthen you in His way

For you see, the battle is the Lords
The victorys already won
The sin that caused us to be dead
Is taken away by Jesus Christ, His Son

So I urge and beseech you
Valiant son of mine
To lay aside your fears and cares
And submit to God’s design

That you may stand in that holy line
Of faithful men before you
That paid the price of sacrifice
And stemmed the evil tide

That after you have done your all
And there is nothing left of you
The Lord Himself who is faithful
Will show His promises are true

So fight the fight
Don’t quit the race your on
The prize is set before you
It is Jesus Christ, God’s Son

And when your days are over
And your body is lying cold
What memories will be left behind?
What story will be told?

The people they will stand and shout
O God be praised again
That we lived during a time
When God raised up mighty men

For God has raised you up, my son
To stand before the evil flood
By conforming and transforming you
To bear the message of His enduring love

This lost and dying world’s a mess
Their lot,…. a destiny of Hell
Unless the word of God is preached
By men who have to tell

So I praise God for the man I see
In you today my son
The hand of God is upon you
Your life of service to Him begun

Keep your heart in tune with His
By submitting to His will
His grace and mercy are complete
His ways will never fail

Then answer now God’s call, ….with yes!                       
That your joy and peace may be complete
Knowing your life is hid with Christ in Him
And there…. you will never see defeat!
Copyright 2007 The Wilkes Team