Biblical Concept of Faith (14) (issac 4)

[Singing] I would sing of the mercies of the Lord. Oh, with my mouth, with my mouth, will I make known Thy faithfulness, Thy faithfulness. With my mouth, will I make known, I make known Thy faithfulness to all generations. I would sing of the mercies of the Lord forever. I would sing of the mercies of the Lord. [Speaker 1] Everlasting Father indeed, again we are grateful. We thank You for this opportunity again to fellowship together. We who are here physically at Ilere, our brethren who are joining us on Mixlr, our brethren who are connecting with us on Telegram. Lord our God, we thank You again for the privilege to gather. Lord, we have been evaluating, we have been looking, we have been studying this matter of biblical concept of faith. Biblical concept of faith, biblical concept of faith. Lord, we are begging You, we are asking, help us, Lord, that as we look into this matter, Baba, more and more You will grant understanding. Lord, we are praying, we are begging for seeds that are living, seeds that will grow, seeds that will remain. Lord, grant seed to the sower. Let there be also bread for the eaters. Thank You, eternal Father. Holy Spirit, work in our midst. Meet each and every one of us at the point where we need You most. Thank You, our Father. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Now we stopped the matter last week trying to understand this matter of the shepherding of the Lord. And we saw when we got to John chapter 10 verse 10 where it says, "The thief cometh not but to steal, to kill, and to destroy. But I have come that they may have life and that they may have it abundantly." We have been looking into this matter of understanding the Lord's shepherding, particularly as we saw it in the life of Isaac. The Lord shepherd Isaac in such a way that he was in his Gerar, and in Gerar he was secured. And we're trying to evaluate and understand this matter of the shepherding of the Lord. And I quickly want us to go to where we left the matter last week, John chapter 10. Please let's go there, brethren. Let's take our scripture, precept by precept, line by line again. John 10, we stopped at where the matter spoke about the wolf. It said, "But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees. And the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them." So the point here is we have been able to establish last week that there is the thief, there are the thieves. Men who in that which they are doing, they don't allow the people of God to see that it is the Lord. It is the Lord that builds, it is the Lord that makes, it is the Lord that molds. They tend to estrange the sheep from the master, and they tend to want to take the place of the master in the life of the people. And then we saw also the matter of the wolf. The wolf who want to scatter, to kill. And we saw that that is the devil. Now let's quickly move on. Verse 13: "The hireling flees because he's a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know my sheep, and I am known by my own." You see, this is a very important thing about the Lord is my shepherd. Now I want us to go back to that Psalm 23 just to make reference to that first statement in the Psalm. What did David say? David said, "The Lord is my shepherd." I want you to know that. David did not say "The Lord is our shepherd." I am trying to make you see a very important thing about this statement of the Lord Jesus. He said, "I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep." But it is also a very crucial thing for you to see that He also said that "I am known by my sheep." Just as the Lord knows those that are His, let me tell you the truth: those who truly have a walk with God also know their Lord. I want you to get that very clearly. Those who truly share intimacy with God also know their Lord. That was why you notice I made a statement last week. Paul said, "I know whom I believe." David did not say "The Lord is our shepherd." What did he say? "The Lord is" what? "Is my." That is personally, intimately, I know Him. He's my shepherd. He may not be yours. He may not be ours. You'll be wondering why I'm emphasizing this matter of "I am known of my own." Now I'm going to make reference to some biblical texts. Number one, let us look at the more familiar one that we're more familiar with. We may not go to read. You are familiar with how the Lord Jesus closes every statement with each of the church in Revelation. Do you notice after every when He's closing His message, He will not say "They that overcome." What does He normally say? "He who overcomes." They may not overcome. But there is a "He" who knows his Lord. There is a "He" who overcomes. What I'm trying to make you see is that there is this personal dimension to our Christian walk and our Christian life. And that is why I keep saying, when you lead people in such a way that they cannot personally access the Lord, you are not practicing Christianity. You've been practicing witchcraft or charismatic manipulation. Christianity does not make the leader take the place of the Lord. No. There is this personal connection that the sheep has with the Lord. He said "He that overcomes." Please look at 2 Chronicles chapter 14 and chapter 15. I want to make reference to some scriptures this evening about "I am also known of my own." Let's see what happens in 2 Chronicles chapter 14. That's the story of Asa. Chapter 14, chapter 15, chapter 16 is about Asa. It's about King Asa. Let's look at something there about King Asa. Now Asa was the son of Abijah. Asa took over the throne after the death of his father Abijah. And then we were able to know that Asa was somebody who loved the Lord, who followed the Lord. And he took time to build the city of Jerusalem and he worshipped the Lord. But in verse 9 of chapter 14 there was a challenge. The Bible says, "Then Zerah the Ethiopian came out with an army of a million men and three hundred chariots and came to Mareshah." So Asa went out against him and set the troop in battle array in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah. Look at what the Bible says in verse 11. Do you notice what the Bible says again? What did the Bible say? "And Asa cried out to the Lord his God." Asa cried out to the Lord who is his God. It is not the Lord who is the God of Israel. I'm talking about "I know my sheep and I am known of my sheep." You notice in this place again just like David said, "The Lord is my shepherd." What do you notice in this place? The Bible says Asa cried to the Lord his God. A personal connection, a personal relationship. A relationship between a man who know his Lord. You can see the connection. So the Lord said, "I know my sheep and I am known of them." I know them and I am known of them. And that is why it becomes a very crucial thing in our Christian walk. It's a very serious matter. It's a very serious matter. Because actually, if you look at 1 Corinthians chapter 3, when Apostle Paul was speaking about the matter of foundation, please let's go there. The matter of foundation. 1 Corinthians 3. The Lord our shepherd, biblical concept of faith. We are trying to expound a matter. Look at what Paul said in 1 Corinthians chapter 3 from verse 6. He said, "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything nor he who waters, but God who gives increase." Apostle Paul acknowledges that it is only God that can give increase to the work. He acknowledges that no matter how grace is graced, no matter the level of his auction, as much as he plants and somebody watered, it is only God that can give increase. He acknowledged that. Now look at something. He said, "Now he who plants and he who waters are one and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers. Ye are God's field. You are God's building." We, we are fellow workers. The people, they are the field of God. You are also the building of God. What did he say? "According to the grace of God which was given to me as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is" who? "Which is" who? "Jesus Christ." I don't know whether you are getting something, brethren. There is the building. The building are the people. However, the building has a foundation. That foundation is a person. The foundation of the building is a person. That person is the Lord Jesus Christ. I don't know whether you understand the matter that the Lord is trying to make us see in this place about the matter of "I know my sheep," the shepherding of the Lord, biblical concept of faith. Why it is a serious matter that the sheep, the Lord is also known of the sheep is because actually if the Lord is not known of the sheep, can I announce to you? It is a building without a foundation. It is a building without a foundation. Brethren, please, what's the purpose of foundation in a building? That is what the structure sits on. That is what the structure fits on. If the foundation is not there, it doesn't matter how beautiful the building is. It is just a matter of time. What will happen? The building will come down. This is a very crucial matter. And about the matter of foundation, I want to make you see something. Look at Psalm 137 verse 7. "Remember, oh Lord, against the sons of Edom, the day of Jerusalem who said 'Raise it, raise it to its very foundation.'" Let me take it for you in another translation, NLT. "Oh Lord, remember what the Edomites did on the day the armies of Babylon captured Jerusalem. 'Destroy it,' they yelled, 'level it to the ground.'" NIV: "Remember oh Lord what the Edomites did on the day Jerusalem fell. 'Tear it down,' they cried, 'tear it down to its foundation.'" I don't know whether you understand the matter that the Lord is trying to make us see in this place. Let me call your attention to something. It is nothing to the enemy whatever you want to build. What the enemy is interested in is that the building should not have a foundation. You can build and build and build. All the enemy wants to do is that the building should not have a foundation. It doesn't matter how long, how beautiful, how aesthetic it may look. How attractive it may look. What the enemy is interested in is how can we destroy the foundation. You see, this is a very crucial matter. And about the matter of foundation, I want to make you see something. I tell people, the enemy will not stop people from becoming members of different denominations. The enemy will not stop people from becoming workers in our different churches. The enemy will not stop people from becoming preachers. But what the enemy is interested in is that let them do all of that but make sure that they don't share intimacy with Jesus. If we can be sure that they have every other thing but they don't share intimacy with Jesus, they can never last. Let me tell you something. Physically speaking, when a building don't have a foundation, you know that there is no hope for that building. Look at the matter in the Bible. Look at the book of Job chapter 14 verses 7 and 8. "For there is hope for a tree that is cut down, that it will sprout again, and that it tender shot will not cease. Though its roots may grow old in the earth and its stump may die in the ground, yet at the scent of water it will bud and bring forth branches like a plant." Do you understand something? When the Bible says the righteous man will fall seven times and rise again, it's talking about foundation. It's talking about foundation. When a tree is cut down but the foundation is intact, it's just a matter of time. It is just a matter of time. It doesn't matter the tribulation, the affliction, how you may cut it and cut it and cut it. As long as the foundation remains solid, it's a matter of time. It will rise again. That's why the Bible says the righteous man falls seven times, but he rises again. Actually, the Bible is talking about because of the nature of its foundation. It's talking about the person who is the foundation. The person who forms the foundation of the righteous is actually invincible. He's an invincible person. He's a person that can never be defeated. The person who forms the foundation of the righteous is somebody that can never be defeated. That's why the Bible says, be confident of this very thing: that He who began the good work will finish it. The Bible says, look, He is able to keep you from falling. It doesn't matter how they shake it, shake it, shake it, shake it. There is a hope for a tree that is cut down. No matter how you cut it, no matter the afflictions of life, the tribulations of life, whatever may come upon them, because their foundation is invincible. Their foundation is the Lord Jesus. They will rise again. The enemy will not stop you from being active in the church. The enemy will not stop people from being in several denominations, joining different units and doing a lot of things. What the enemy is interested in is please, make sure he does not have a foundation. So that at the end of the day, no matter what you gather, all the Lord will tell you is "I don't know you." If at the end of the day you are not known, what is your usefulness? What is your usefulness? So the enemy will not stop a lot of things. And that is why when the Lord was speaking about His shepherding, the Lord said, "I know my sheep and I am known of them." I am known of them. They are built on me. They are built on me. They are built on me. They are built on me. And I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail. Do you know why the Bible says about gates of hell prevailing? Look at something as we close this evening. That's where I want to stop today. Look at 1 John chapter 3. I quickly read something to you as we close this evening. About our work, the Lord, His work, being known, knowing us and we knowing Him. Verse 1: "Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us that we should be called children of God. Therefore the world does not know us because it does not know Him." Are you seeing the matter of knowing? Are you seeing knowing again? "Beloved, what manner of love is this that the Father has bestowed on us that we should be called children of God. Therefore the world does not know us because they don't know Him." This is the man who said "Love not the world, for all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life, they are of the world. First people do as enmity with God." Now he's talking about that world now. That world that has to do with the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life. He said that world don't know us because they don't know Him. There is a knowing we share that makes those ones not to know us. It is that knowing that makes Potiphar's wife not to know Joseph. She know Joseph but she does not know him again. So the world does not know us because they don't know Him. There is a knowing. Talking about foundation. Look at how it goes: "Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be. But we know, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him for we shall see Him as He is." Brethren, my prayer is that when He's revealed we shall be like Him and we shall see Him as He is. Look at what it says: "And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself just as He is pure." Are you seeing something? "Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness. Sin is lawlessness. And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins and in Him there is no sin. Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him." I don't know whether I'm defining something for you. He has not seen Him or known Him. If he has seen Him, he does not know Him. The matter is, do you know Him? I'm talking about "I know my sheep and they are known of me." Look at how it goes: "Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous just as He is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested that He might destroy the works of the devil." So what is the work of the devil? Continuing in sin. He says, "Whosoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him and he cannot sin because he has been born of Him. In this," please note the word of God where I'm stopping. "In this, in this, in this, the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest." Don't let anybody turn you anyhow, brother. Let anybody turn you anyhow. I'm talking about foundation. I'm talking about foundation. I'm talking about foundation. I'm talking about knowing Him. I'm talking about something that transcends I'm in the church, I am gifted, I do miracle, I did that for God. I'm not saying those things are wrong. I see something that transcends them. No matter how good the building want to look, no matter how beautiful, no matter how aesthetic, the enemy don't have problem with it as long as it does not have foundation. The enemy don't have problem with it. The enemy will not stop any man from building and building and building. All he's interested in is please, make sure there is no foundation. So that at the end of the day, no matter what you gather, all the Lord will tell you is "I don't know you." If at the end of the day you are not known, what is your usefulness? What is your usefulness? So the enemy will not stop a lot of things. And that is why when the Lord was speaking about His shepherding, the Lord said, "I know my sheep and they have known of me. They are built on me. They are built on me. They are built on me." And I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail. Do you know why the Bible says about gate of hell prevailing? Look at something as we close this evening. He said He who began this work, He will also finish it, being confident of this very thing. He said, look, I am the good shepherd. I will not see the wolf coming and then run away. That is not Jesus. Jesus will not see the wolf coming to take you and then He will run away. He's not a hireling. He said, "I will lay down my life. I will rather die than for my sheep to die." My keeper, my keeper, my keeper. The Psalmist said the Lord is my keeper. He will keep my going forth, He will keep my coming in. He will keep me. He will keep me. He will not allow my foot to stray. Go and look at what men have said about God. He said the Lord is our refuge, a very present help in trouble. He said look, even if the earth be removed, he said we shall not fear. We shall not fear. No matter how the wind blows, mountains don't bow. Those who trust in the Lord, they are like Mount Zion that can never be moved. Those who trust in the Lord, they are like Mount Zion, they are like Mount Zion, like Mount Zion, like Mount Zion, like Mount Zion. They can never be moved. Brethren, talk to the Lord. Talk to the Lord. Talk to the Lord. Lord, that I may know You. Lord, more and more that I may know You. Lord, Lord, Lord, I want to go a little deeper. Your love can be sweeter. Take me, Lord, a little deeper, deeper yet. Oh, deeper yet. Take me, Lord, a little deeper. Your love can be sweeter. Take me, Lord, a little deeper, deeper yet. Lord, this our cry. Beyond this meeting, Lord, I pray for every one of us. Brethren who are here physically, brethren who are on Mixlr, brethren who are on Telegram. Lord, as we are taking this journey, looking at this matter, what is biblical faith? Oh, Lord our God, we are just begging You. Lord, beyond my voice, cause Your people to hear Your voice. Beyond me, cause Your people to see You. Let Your people encounter You. Lord, come to Your people. Lord, manifest Yourself to them. Cause them to see You, for Lord, You know Your sheep and You are known of them. You know Your sheep and You are known of them. You know Your sheep and You are known of them. Thank You, eternal Father. Oh, blessed be Your holy name, our Father. Thank You, Lord our God. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Let's share the grace together, brethren. We trust the Lord we'll meet next week. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and forevermore. Amen. [Music]