[0:00] Well, if we could, this evening, with the Lord's help and the Lord's enabling, if we could turn back to that portion of Scripture that we read, 1 John chapter 2, page 1227 in the Pew Bible.
[0:15] 1 John chapter 2, and we're looking at around verses 4 to 6 this evening, but we'll read again from the beginning.
[0:26] 1 John chapter 2, from the beginning. My little children, I am writing these things to you, so that you may not sin.
[0:37] But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
[0:49] And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. Whoever says, I know Him, but does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
[1:05] And so on. I'm sure it's safe to say that one of the questions we often ask people, people we know whom they're unwell or undergoing treatment, we not only ask them, how are you?
[1:22] But we also ask, I don't know if you ask it, but I often ask it, how are you keeping? How are you keeping? I remember my mother being asked that question by my cousin.
[1:33] She was asked, Babs, how are you keeping? And my mother's reply is something that my cousin actually never forgot, because she said, I'm not keeping, I'm being kept.
[1:44] I'm not keeping, I'm being kept. I'm sure I've mentioned to you before, maybe I've said it and you've heard it, that our elder Kenny Mitchell, he often says, the first step after being saved is being kept.
[2:19] The first step after being saved is being kept. And if you go to the pray meeting on a Wednesday evening, you'll hear Toshe praying. Sorry, Toshe, for mentioning it.
[2:30] But he said, Toshe always finishes his prayer with, keep us, because we cannot keep ourselves. Keep us, because we cannot keep ourselves.
[2:40] And so as we begin this evening, I want us to ask, I want to ask you, how are you keeping? How are you keeping? Can you say tonight, I'm not keeping, I'm being kept.
[2:54] I'm not keeping, I'm being kept. And I'm being kept, as Peter says in his letter, I'm being kept by the power of God through faith in Jesus Christ.
[3:07] I'm being kept by the power of God through faith in Jesus Christ. And that's a theme that we're considering this evening, keeping and being kept. Keeping and being kept.
[3:17] Because in this section that we're looking at this evening, John is drawing our attention to the importance of keeping God's commandments and being kept by God. Keeping God's commandments and being kept by God.
[3:31] Keeping and being kept. Keeping and being kept. So first of all, keeping. That's the first thing we're looking at this evening. Keeping. Look at the end of verse 3.
[3:42] And by this we know that we have come to know him if we keep his commandments. Whoever says, I know him, but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
[3:53] But whoever keeps his word in him truly the love of God is being perfected. Now we discovered in our study of the first chapter of 1 John, that John wrote this letter because he wanted to address the question, boys, the question, how do I know that I'm a Christian?
[4:14] How do I know that I'm a Christian? Especially when I don't feel like I'm a Christian? And of course the reason many in the early church, they didn't feel like they were Christians was because of the claims and the confusion of Gnosticism.
[4:29] There were all these false teachers who were infiltrating and influencing the early church with the false teaching of Gnosticism, where Gnosticism taught that in order to know that you're a proper Christian, a proper Christian, you have to have this higher knowledge, a higher gnosis of God, a Gnosticism, which of course it made genuine Christians, genuine people who wanted to be saved and know that they were a Christian, it made them feel inferior.
[4:59] It made them feel isolated. It made them feel insignificant to these other Christians. Christians because, well, they knew that they were sinners. They knew that they didn't have this higher gnosis that others claimed to have.
[5:11] They knew that they didn't have this higher knowledge of God. All they knew was that they were a sinner in need of a Savior. And because they felt that they didn't have this higher knowledge, it made them feel that they weren't proper Christians.
[5:27] And the outcome was that many of them questioned their Christianity. Some of them doubted their salvation, and even some fell away from the faith altogether. Which is why, as you know, John wrote this letter.
[5:39] He wrote it, as we said before, as a love letter. Because it's a letter full and overflowing with the love of God displayed and demonstrated to us through the death of Jesus Christ.
[5:51] And needless to say, John was an apostle who loved the Lord. He was known as the apostle of love. But he not only loved the Lord, he loved the Lord's people.
[6:03] Which is why he wrote this love letter. He wanted to emphasize and explain that the only way to have complete joy in Christ, the only way to have assurance of salvation, and to know that you're a Christian, John says, this is the gnosis you need.
[6:19] Not a higher knowledge. No, you need to know that you have eternal life through simple faith in Jesus Christ. And as John writes later in the letter, chapter 5, verse 13, which as we said before, that's the key verse of this letter.
[6:34] He says, I write these things to you who believe. You already believe in the name of the Son of God, but I write them to you that you may know that you have eternal life.
[6:46] That you may know you have eternal life. John wrote this letter, my friend, for one purpose. That you may know and be sure that you're a Christian.
[6:57] What a great letter to have in the Bible. A letter that tells you how you may know and be sure that you're a Christian. Because we all have doubts, don't we? There are times in our Christian life when we do doubt our salvation.
[7:13] But here's a letter to keep coming back to that you may know and be sure that you're a Christian. And as we discovered in the first chapter of 1 John, John says, you know that you're a Christian if you're walking in the light.
[7:27] God is light. In him is no darkness at all. Jesus said, I am the light of the world. Whosoever follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
[7:38] Therefore, says John, if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another. Because when it comes to the Christian life, walking with the Lord and talking to the Lord go hand in hand.
[7:54] Walking and talking go hand in hand. Walking in the light, talking with the Lord. And when we're walking and when we're talking, as John explains, there's progression, there's growth.
[8:06] You grow in grace. You grow in knowledge of your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. That's why we need to keep walking in the light and keep talking with the Lord. And that's what John emphasizes all the way through chapter 1.
[8:20] He says, if we continue to walk in the light, as he is continually in the light, then we will continue to have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ will continue to cleanse us from all sin.
[8:34] But then he says, if we continually say we have no sin, we continue to deceive ourselves. The truth is not in us. But if we continue to confess our sins, he will continue to be faithful and continue to be righteous and to continually cleanse us from all sin.
[8:54] John emphasizes that the Lord is with us every step of the way. It's a continuous progress that we're walking and talking with the Lord. So how do I know that I'm a Christian?
[9:05] John says you should know that you're a Christian if you're continually walking in the light, if you're continually talking to the Lord, and you're continually confessing your sin. Then as we began chapter 2, John told us that the wonderful thing about continually confessing your sin is that we have an advocate for the Father.
[9:24] We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And you know what I love is the way John is so caring. He's so compassionate. He's so loving.
[9:35] Because he knows that the church takes sin seriously. He knows that these Christians know that they're sinners. And he knows that they have this genuine concern about Christianity.
[9:47] He knows that they have doubts. He knows that they have questions, which many people still have today. He knows that some of them are saying, well, what if I become a Christian and I don't last?
[9:58] What if I let the Lord down? What if I let the Lord's cause down? He knows that they're asking all these questions. He knows that they're saying, I don't know enough. I'm not good enough. I'm not worthy enough.
[10:10] And yet John lovingly writes to these people. And he says, my little children, what a way to write a letter. My little children, I'm writing these things to you so that you may not sin.
[10:25] But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And with the language of the courtroom, John emphasizes and explains that when our sin condemns us, when we feel like the worst sinner that has ever walked the planet, or even when we're being tempted by Satan and being told that it's impossible that you could ever be a Christian, that we're so unfit to be a Christian, we're so foolish to think that we could ever be saved.
[10:57] And yet John says, remember, we have an advocate with the Father. We have someone who stands on our behalf. We have someone who presents our case and he pleads our cause to the judge of all the earth.
[11:11] We have someone who will support us all the way. He'll stand by us every moment, even though everyone else may fail us and forsake us because of our sin. Yet he will stand by us.
[11:24] And that someone says, John, is Jesus Christ the righteous. So don't forget it. My little children, don't forget you have Jesus Christ the righteous. But what's more, he says, verse two, this Jesus is the propitiation for our sins.
[11:40] He's the propitiation for our sins. He's the atoning sacrifice for our sin. He's the sacrifice to satisfy divine justice. He's the blood sacrifice for our sin.
[11:53] He's the perfect Passover lamb. When his blood was shed, it was covering the doorposts and lintel of our heart.
[12:04] We are sheltering under his blood. And John says, for that reason, do not fear. My little children, do not fear. We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
[12:19] Which leads John to say in verse three, which is what we're looking at this evening. He says there, and by this, we know that we have come to know him if we keep his commandments.
[12:34] John says, you know that you're a Christian. You know that you have come to know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior when you keep his commandments.
[12:45] Now, of course, John knows that none of us keep the Ten Commandments perfectly. In fact, the Ten Commandments, they're given to us to show us that none of us can keep them perfectly.
[13:00] The Ten Commandments are there to show us that none of us can achieve or attain the holy standard which God has set. The Ten Commandments show us very clearly, very simply, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
[13:13] So we're all sinners, which is why we need a Savior. And so when John says, you know that you're a Christian if you keep his commandments, he doesn't mean you know that you're a Christian because you keep his commandments and uphold his, God's standard perfectly.
[13:30] No, that would be salvation by works. That would be works, righteousness. We don't keep God's commandments in order to be saved. We keep God's commandments because we are saved.
[13:46] We don't keep God's commandments in order to be saved. We keep God's commandments because we are saved. And the basis of keeping them or the thrust of keeping them is love.
[14:04] That's what Jesus said, isn't it? If you love me, you will keep my commandments. If you love me, you will keep my commandments. Therefore, you know that you're a Christian when you want to keep God's commandments.
[14:20] You know that you're a Christian when you want to keep them. You know that you don't. You wish that you did. You hate the fact that you don't keep his commandments, but you know that you're a Christian because you want to keep God's commandments.
[14:35] You know that you're a Christian when it's not just out of a sense of duty, oh, I have to do it, but you have this desire, this determination to keep God's commandments because you love the Lord.
[14:49] That's why you do it. That's why you want to do it. That's why you desire to do it. You love the Lord. If you love me, says Jesus, you will keep my commandments. And you know, if we were to go through the Ten Commandments, just like we did a number of months ago, we went through the Ten Commandments in Exodus chapter 20.
[15:08] You remember we called them house rules. And we often said that without rules, there's recklessness. Without laws, there's lawlessness. Without commands, there's chaos. But what John is showing us here is that he's saying, how do I know that I'm a Christian?
[15:23] You know that you're a Christian because you have a desire. You have a determination to keep his commandments. You love the Lord and you love his law. So we're singing in Psalm 119, that I love his law.
[15:38] It's my meditation all the day. And it's that, you know, that's what the Ten Commandments, they emphasize to us. The first commandment, I'm sure you, all the children, remember the finger, the Ten Commandments.
[15:50] The first commandment, number one is number one because God needs to be number one. So the first and greatest commandment of all, love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength.
[16:08] That's number one. The emphasis is on love. What's the emphasis? Why should you keep the commandments? Because you love the Lord. Number two is number two because God is not to be number two.
[16:21] You desire and you are determined to put the Lord first. He's to be number one. And he's to be number one. Why? Because you love him. Because you love him.
[16:32] And because you love him, you don't let other things take priority of place in your life. You put him first. You seek him first. You make sure that everything that surrounds him and his cause and his day is first.
[16:46] Everything else is second. So you seek first his kingdom and his righteousness because you love him. Number three, watch your words.
[16:56] Remember that with the children. You desire and you're determined to watch your words so that your mouth is a mouth that's full of love and full of praise towards the Lord and not there to curse and condemn men.
[17:10] Number four, remember the Sabbath day. You desire and you're determined to remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy as a day in the week that is sanctified and set apart.
[17:21] Why? Because you love the Lord. You love the Lord of the Sabbath. Number five, you desire and you're determined to honor your father and your mother because the Lord has given them to you to love and to look after.
[17:38] Number six, you do not kill. You don't kill because you desire and you're determined to love one another. And you love one another with your head and your heart and your hands just because you love the Lord with your head and your heart and your hands.
[17:54] Number seven, you desire to be and determined to be to love your spouse faithfully, not to commit adultery. Why? Because you love the Lord who gifted your spouse to you.
[18:09] Number eight, the prison. Love the Lord because you love the Lord because of his protection and his provision. Therefore, you have no desire, no determination to steal.
[18:22] Number nine, you love the Lord because of his truth and his word is truth. Therefore, you have no desire to tell a lie. Number ten, you love the Lord because he makes you content and not coveted after all that you have ever desired and determined to have.
[18:43] My friend, do you see what John is saying here? Do you see that he's emphasizing and explaining? You know that you're a Christian because you love the Lord and because you love the Lord, you want to keep his commandments.
[18:55] You know that you don't. You know that you fail. That's why we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous. But your desire, your determination as a Christian is to love the Lord and keep his commandments.
[19:09] And you know, you don't do it out of a sense of duty. You do it out of this desire, this love for the Lord to keep his commandments. How do I know that I'm a Christian if you love me, says Jesus?
[19:22] Keep my commandments. And so the first thing John draws our attention to here is the importance of keeping God's commandments. But he also draws our attention to the importance of being kept by God.
[19:34] So keeping God's commandments and being kept by God. Keeping and being kept. Keeping and being kept. Kept.
[19:45] So we see secondly, being kept. Being kept. Verse 3 again. By this we know that we have come to know him if we keep his commandments.
[19:56] Whoever says, I know him, but does not keep his commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected.
[20:09] By this we may know that we are in him. Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
[20:22] So when Jesus was in the upper room with his disciples, you remember that? It's given to us in John chapter 13 to chapter 17, the upper room discourse. When he was in the upper room with his disciples, Jesus said those words, if you love me, you will keep my commandments.
[20:39] But then Jesus went on to say, he said, abide in me and I in you as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine.
[20:51] Neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit.
[21:02] For apart from me, you can do nothing. And Jesus said that we bear fruit when we abide in him. We bear fruit when we abide in him.
[21:13] And that word abide is important because John uses it, he uses it throughout his gospel, particularly in my favorite chapter, John chapter 15. He uses the word abide again and again and again.
[21:26] But John also uses it here in verse 6. He says, whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
[21:38] And so the word abide is an important word, boys, because it means to remain faithful. To remain faithful. If you love me, says Jesus, keep my commandments because whoever remains faithful to me, I will remain faithful to them and they will bear much fruit.
[21:57] For apart from me, you can do nothing. But the thing is, when Jesus taught us about bearing fruit, he also taught us that by their fruit you shall know them.
[22:11] By their fruit you shall know them. And that's what John is alluding to there in verse 4. Whoever says, I know him, I know him, but does not keep his commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him.
[22:30] Now, as you know, there are many people who attend church and it's great to see people attending church and there are people who live in our community and there are people throughout our whole country and they say, I'm a Christian.
[22:43] I'm a Christian. And they say that they're a Christian not because they have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. They say that they're a Christian because they think that they're a good person with good morals and they have a good philosophy for life.
[22:57] They want to follow the teaching of Jesus and love their neighbor and look after their neighbor. And, well, they say, I'm certainly not that bad and I'm certainly not as bad as other people that I know who live close by to me, so I'm a Christian.
[23:13] And maybe that's what you think yourself. Yet, sadly, what John is saying here is that their confession doesn't match their character, their conduct, their conversation, or even the commandments.
[23:29] Their confession doesn't match their character, conduct, conversation, or their commandments. Their walk doesn't match their talk. Which is why John emphasizes, he explains in verse 4, whoever says, I know him, but does not keep his commandments is a liar.
[23:45] The truth is not in him. Now, we might think, oh, John, that's a bit harsh. It's not very loving of you to call someone a liar. But the thing is, John is, he's emphasizing, he's explaining here that if you're confessing that you're a Christian, but you're not for the truth, and you don't uphold the truth, and you don't live out the truth of the Bible, then John says, well, you're living a lie, are you not?
[24:14] You're a liar. There's a contradiction in your walk and your talk. There's a contradiction in your Christian character, conduct, conversation, and the commandments that you say you keep.
[24:25] But, says John, verse 5, whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. Whoever keeps his word.
[24:38] And John says, this is the true test of Christianity. Here is the true test of Christianity. This is how you know that you're a Christian. You want to keep his word.
[24:50] You love his word. You want to keep his word. And that word keep, the word keep is so important because it means, boys, it means to keep, watch, and guard.
[25:02] Keep, watch, and guard. Keep, watch, and guard. It's the same word that's used in Psalm 121. Same word that was used in Psalm 119. Same word that was used in Psalm 127.
[25:14] It's a word that depicts and describes the Lord as our keeper and the one who keeps us. The word keep boys. It gives us an image and an illustration of three things.
[25:28] A shepherd, a sailor, and a soldier. A shepherd, a sailor, and a soldier. Because as you know, a shepherd, he keeps his precious sheep safe and secure.
[25:40] That's what a shepherd does. A sailor watches. A sailor watches for danger to protect and to prevent the ship from shipwreck. And a soldier guards.
[25:51] He guards his territory from the attack of an enemy. And so the word keep, it gives us these images, these illustrations of a shepherd, a sailor, and a soldier.
[26:02] Because the word keep means to keep, watch, and guard. And Jonah says, that's the test of Christianity. This is how you know that you're a Christian. You keep his word.
[26:14] You keep his word. Like a shepherd, you keep God's precious word safe and secure in your heart. God's word is precious to you, so you want to keep it.
[26:26] You want to keep it. Like a sailor, you want to watch God's word. You want to consider God's word. You want to use God's word as a compass to protect you and to prevent you from shipwreck in your soul.
[26:41] And like a soldier, you want to come to God's word and guard it in your heart, knowing that when you guard God's word within your heart, you may not sin against him.
[26:54] It defends you from all the advancements and all the attacks of the enemy of your soul. It's an amazing word, this word keep. Such a little word, and it means so much. It gives us three images, a shepherd, a sailor, and a soldier.
[27:09] It means to keep and to watch and to guard. And with that, John says, whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected.
[27:21] Not that it has become perfect, but it's becoming perfect. There is a work going on in your life. That's what he's saying.
[27:32] It's being completed. It has begun. As Paul says, he begins a good work in you and brings it on to completion, to its finish. The amazing thing is this word here, being perfected or completed or finished, it's the same word that Jesus used on the cross when he said, it is finished.
[27:52] And John is saying, this is how you know that you're a Christian. When you know Jesus has begun a work in you and he's promising to bring it to its finish.
[28:04] And he promises to bring it to its finish because he says there, he keeps, he guards and he watches. He keeps, he guards and he watches.
[28:15] You know this word, it displays and demonstrates to you that you love God and you want to be like Jesus. You want to follow Jesus. You want to live like Jesus.
[28:26] That's your desire. That's your determination. You want to walk and talk like Jesus. And you know, I think the more you go on as a Christian, the less you feel like you are Jesus, like Jesus.
[28:39] You feel like you're becoming less and less like him. But you know, this is the amazing thing. He is saying here, whoever keeps his word in him truly the love of God is being perfected.
[28:52] It's being completed. It's being finished. It's being worked on. You are a work in progress. So John says, by this we may know that we are in him because whoever says he abides in him ought to say in the same way in which he, ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
[29:15] So how do I know that I'm a Christian? I desire to continually keep God's word and live every day for Jesus. Here's the thing.
[29:28] We don't keep God's word by our own strength and our own stamina. We keep God's word because we're being kept by God. We keep God's word because we are being kept by God.
[29:42] He's begun the work. The first step after being saved is being kept. We cannot keep ourselves. So we have to ask ourselves, well, how are you keeping?
[29:55] How are you keeping? Can you say, I'm not keeping, I'm being kept. He's begun that work in me. He's bringing it on to completion. I'm not keeping, I'm being kept. I'm being kept by the power of God through faith, simple faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
[30:12] I'm not keeping, I'm being kept. And as we said, the word keep gives us these images, the image of a shepherd, a sailor, and a soldier. It means to keep, to watch, to guard. And that's what Jesus does for us, is it not?
[30:26] He's the keeper. He's the one who watches over us. He's the one who guards us. He's the shepherd who keeps us safe and secure. He's the sailor who watches over us as the captain of our salvation.
[30:40] He's the soldier who guards and defends us against all his and our enemies. This is what Jesus does for us. I'm not keeping, I'm being kept.
[30:53] I'm not keeping, I'm being kept by the power of God through faith in Jesus Christ. You know, it was Sam Albury. He's a Christian pastor.
[31:04] He's an author of many interesting books. And this is what he said, and with this I'll conclude this evening. He said very simply, and I hope you know this to be true in your own experience, progress in the Christian life isn't needing Jesus less.
[31:24] Progress in the Christian life is needing Jesus more. It's very simple. But if you're a Christian, you'll know it to be true. Progress in the Christian life isn't needing Jesus less.
[31:40] Progress in the Christian life is needing Jesus more. That's how you know you're a Christian. You need Jesus more. You need him more and more.
[31:51] You want to read the Bible more. You want to listen to sermons more. Sometimes you feel, you probably feel in your heart, I'm not reading my Bible enough. I'm not listening to sermons enough. But the desire is there because you want to do it.
[32:03] You want to be there. You want to be in church more. You want to gather with the Lord's people more. You want to be in fellowship more. The desire is there because the Lord is at work in your heart and in your life.
[32:14] And sometimes Sunday's not enough. You want to be out midweek. And my friend, if Sunday is not enough, be out midweek. Because progress in the Christian life isn't needing Jesus less.
[32:26] Progress in the Christian life is needing Jesus more. Needing Jesus more. That's how you know that you're a Christian. Because you're continually, as John says from chapter 1, you're walking in the light.
[32:41] You're continually talking with the Lord. You're continually confessing your sin. And you're continually keeping His word. And you're keeping His word not because of anything good in you.
[32:53] But it's all because you're being kept by the power of God through faith in Jesus Christ. And Jesus Christ alone. My friend, how are you keeping?
[33:08] What a great question to be asked by the Bible. How are you keeping? I would love to ask you all at the door tonight. How are you keeping?
[33:22] I wonder what you'd say. Would you say to me, Murdo, I'm not keeping. I'm being kept. I won't ask you.
[33:35] But I would love to ask you. I won't ask you because if you can't say tonight, I'm not keeping. I'm being kept. You need to ask yourself, why?
[33:49] Because here is the Bible. And it's asking you that you can know that you're a Christian when you're trusting in this one who keeps us, who guards us, who watches us, day by day.
[34:02] How are you keeping? I'm not keeping. I'm being kept. May the Lord bless these thoughts to us. Let us pray. O Lord, our gracious God, we give thanks to thee for thy word, that thy word is so full.
[34:21] It is so rich. It is as we were singing earlier. It is sweet unto our taste. It is like honey to our mouth. We give thanks, O Lord, for speaking to us this evening, for reminding us that we are those who cannot keep ourselves and that even the first step after being saved is being kept and that we are being kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time.
[34:54] Lord, bless thy truth to us, we ask, that we would know that we are in Christ, that we would know and be assured that we belong to the Lord, that we were bought by him, that we are saved and called with that holy calling.
[35:08] O Lord, guide us, we pray, and help us to know that we are in him day by day. Go before us into a new week, a week that is always unknown to any of us.
[35:20] But Lord, what better place to begin our week than in the Lord's house on the Lord's day, worshipping our risen Savior who is Lord of all.
[35:31] Bless us then, we pray. Part us with thy blessing. For we ask it in Jesus' name and for his sake. Amen. We're going to bring our service to our conclusion this evening in Psalm 121.
[35:47] Psalm 121, page 416 in the Scottish Psalter. Psalm 121. As we often describe it as the Keeper Psalm.
[36:02] And now you know, or the boys should know. We'll check that in a minute. What the word keep means. So Psalm 121, page 416.
[36:15] But before we sing, we have four questions. Okay, gents? Not very forthcoming tonight.
[36:26] Anyway, what question is John asking in his letter? How do I know that I am a Christian? Good. Not a carpenter. What does the word abide mean? Remain.
[36:40] Faithful. Yep. So abide. Look at John 15. It's mentioned so many times. What does the word keep mean? Keep, watch, and guard.
[36:51] Yeah, well done. What image does the word keep give us? Shepherd, sailor, soldier. So not a doctor, a dentist, or a director.
[37:04] He is a shepherd, a sailor, and a soldier. Okay, good job. And that's the word that was emphasized in Psalm 121. It says there in verse 3, Thy foot heal not, let slide, nor will.
[37:18] He slumber that thee keeps. Behold he that keeps Israel. So he keeps, he watches, and he guards. He that keeps Israel, he slumbers not, nor sleeps.
[37:32] The Lord thee keeps, the Lord thy shade. On thy right hand doth stay. The moon by night, thee shall not smite. Nor yet the sun by day. The Lord shall keep thy soul.
[37:43] He shall preserve thee from all ill. Henceforth thy going out and in. God keep forever will. We'll sing the whole psalm to God's praise.
[37:57] I to the hills will with mine eyes from whence doth come mine aid.
[38:12] My safety cometh from the Lord, who heaven and earth hath made.
[38:28] thy foot heal not, thy foot heal not, thy sight nor will. He slumber that thee keeps.
[38:45] Behold he that keeps Israel. He slumber that he slumber that he keeps.
[38:57] He slumber that he keeps. He slumber that he keeps. The Lord thee keep, the Lord thy shade.
[39:10] On thy right hand doth stay. The moon by night, thee shall not smite, nor yet the sun by day.
[39:34] The Lord shall keep thy soul. He shall preserve thee from all ill.
[39:50] As forth thy going out and in. God keep forever will.
[40:08] The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all, now and forevermore. Amen. Amen.