Jesus Rescued His Lost Sheep…..

Saved by Grace

My message today, is in part my personal search to find the answers I share with you in my comments and Posts, and how I found them to be True in my Journey with The Lord, some of them  I didn’t ask till much later because of confusion and fear, I will share about these on another Post soon. I will also share today how as a Lost sheep Jesus rescued me from what seemed like the pit of hell and restored me to His side.I hope you will be blessed by God’s Truth as confirmed in the Scriptures and that it will give more assurance of our wonderful Unity in and through Jesus Christ, The King of kings and Lord of lords. It has brought me great freedom, Joy and Peace in knowing I am set free and thankfully so are you.

 We would like to thank Darrell again for his wonderful graphics that he freely gives to others to use for encouragement and inspiration and we are grateful for his Love and support to many Christians.

Hope – http://darrellcreswell.wordpress.com/2014/07/15/picking-up-the-pieces-hope-and-healing-inspirational-bible-verses/

Luke 15:4 -7 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise Joy shall be in Heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

Jesus Rescues His Lost Sheep

 

Have you been a lost sheep, I was very lost years ago, I had wandered away from the flock, although my life has been very hard this was the darkest time I experienced in my life, I felt I had failed everyone especially Jesus even though I didn’t know Him as I do now, it was just head knowledge not heart assurance.An addiction to gambling that was part of my flesh had me in bondage before I went to Church and not knowing we need to put the flesh to death and how to do this, this addiction took hold of me again, and had a grip on me so tight that it was destroying all the goodness in me, in the end I was crushed and shamed.

Romans 6:20-22 For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things where of ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto Holiness, and the end everlasting life.

I believed at the time that I was unwanted and unloved even by God and that I deserved to be this way, I wanted to end my life but I was worried others would be hurt, there seemed no hope but Jesus our Loving Shepherd rescued me and healed me and He set me free, I did not deserve this, it was by Grace alone.

I came to true heart repentance after seeing my own wretchedness and was then anointed by an Elder in the Church and delivered from the gambling addiction, I asked for God’s forgiveness and from those I had hurt and was also healed Miraculously at this time of two life threatening conditions, a sign of God’s forgiveness through the Prayers of this righteous man. ( James 5:13-16 )

I had indeed been like the Prodigal son, dead in my sin but thankfully like him I was not dead spiritually but I was eating pigs food like he did as I splashed in the mud but when I came to my senses and it was not just head knowledge as it had been before, God forgave me, healed and restored me and  fed me from His Royal bounty, He lifted me up and put a new song in my heart.

.

God’s Love always seeks to restore not to crush, destroy or cause separation and division, its not His will anyone perishes, which means to be Eternally separated from Him, He is the patient with us even in our darkest times but cannot fellowship with us in Spirit until we repent.

How I came to be led away happened slowly, I was involved with a Church for many years and I found friendship and acceptance, the Leadership were caring and committed and I felt I knew what being a Christian involved but was trying in my own strength to be all I thought I should be,  I didn’t know what True heart repentance was or what was needed to be Born again of God’s seed and my ungodly actions later showed this to be a reality and sadly I saw others walk the same path at that time and some still do so today in and out of the Church and I believe like I was, they have no solid foundation.

I pray now as I share my Life Story both in Posts and comments, that others will be warned but more so that hearts will be touched, healed and encouraged to know how God really sees them, which is as His Priceless Treasure and so they like us will aim to be all they are meant to be in Christ Jesus our Lord and Saviour and closest Friend.

My error was believing that it all just happened, that we didn’t have to do anything we were just sapped, all I had to do was say I believed even though I didn’t really know what it meant to believe in Jesus, they were words without heart conviction or understanding, Yes in my heart was a desire to know Him and now I know I was covered by The Blood of Christ but I was not washed, I was like some other Christians are, I knew of Jesus but did not know Him in my heart as I do today but He knew me.

I also didn’t realise we are Saved and being Saved that I had been set free from the slavery of sin and if I chose to walk in The fruit of The Spirit by His empowering  my flesh would be put to death, this is what causes us to sin, nor did I know how to mature and aim for perfection in Love, as Paul explains, all this Teaching is in Scripture and was taught in the early Church.

I remained Spiritually Childish, I did not mature, I never knew that I could ask for God’s wisdom so that by the empowering of The Holy Spirit Jesus could Teach me all that was needed, He tells us to ask so we can receive but not doubt we have, He is our Light in The darkness, in Him we Shine or Sparkle, we are noticeable.(1Corinthians2:9-16)  1John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know Him that is True, and we are in Him that is True, even in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the True God, and eternal life.

I continued on my journey but found about 5 years ago even though I had been rescued many years before, that I was becoming very confused after reading and hearing all the different  beliefs and teaching in Churches and on the Internet, in books, Videos and the media etc

.

But knowing that The Holy Spirit does not say one thing to one person and something different to somebody else when it contradicts, I knew there must be error in Teaching, by popular Evangelists and Teachers and even through established and recognized Churches and Bible Colleges.  In desperation I asked God to help me know His Truth and to help my unbelief or doubts, He showed me my need to ask for and believe I had received His wisdom, Jesus now Teaches and leads me in knowing His Truth which is confirmed in the Scriptures.Proverbs 4:7  Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.

Matthew 10:26-28 Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.

Psalm 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you shall go. I will guide you with Mine eye.God’s Love and Mercy are never-ending but He is Holy and we are to be too, it is not works to have heart repentance or to seek to be Holy, it’s obedience.

Jesus said to the woman caught in Adultery that He did not condemn her, nor does He condemn His lost sheep but like with this woman, He tells us to go and sin no more… Is that possible, the wonderful Truth is yes, Jesus has set us free from the slavery of sin, we are no longer in bondage, we are to reckon ourselves dead to sin and be perfected in Love, not claim we will always sin.

No Temptation to sin will be greater than we can bear, when we are tempted,  we come close to Jesus, He is our Amour, we seek Him for deliverance, we make every thought captive to Him and as we choose to walk in The Fruit of The Spirit,  He will give us the victory in doing this and this has been proven to me to be100%True when I have been tempted to sin.

John 8:34-36 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

 God knows those who are His from Eternity, and He knew us in the flesh from the time we were conceived and so He chose us because of His foreknowledge of our heart repentance to be conformed into the image of Jesus His Son and to be cleansed from all unrighteousness and as we choose His guidelines and  walk in the Fruit of The Spirit,  He empowers us to do so and we walk righteously and in Love as Jesus did and so we are perfected in Love. Romans 8:28-30 And we know that all things work together for good to them that Love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He did predestinate, them He also called: and whom He called, them He also justified: and whom He justified, them He also glorified.

We are Saved and being Saved, until we are perfected in His Love we are under Grace, if  He is within us and we are adopted into His Family we cannot lose our Salvation and we no longer sin, we can’t, we have God’s seed, His Nature, our old corrupt Nature that we were born with has gone the new has come, we have the mind of Christ so we don’t choose to sin and so there will be no judgment for punishment, only for rewards.1 John 3:1-11 (9) No one who is Born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been Born of God.

So what happens if we have fallen into sin like I did and many others but have not rejected Jesus in our heart which is what it means to fall away.

Sin is in no way referring to our shortcomings and weaknesses, we all have them,  perhaps I have more than most but as we seek God He will mould and shape us and equip us and also empower us to do His good works as we walk in the Fruit of The Spirit. We are not deemed worthless or useless because we fell into sin,  we see how powerfully God used  Abraham, Moses, David, Paul, Peter, Rehab, Mary Magdalene and other Christians throughout the ages regardless of their past sin and as a lost sheep who has repented, we are restored fully and will be washed clean and be equipped and used by God to do His good works that He has prepared in advance for us to do.

 Sin  puts us into bondage and separates us from God. Thankfully if we sin before we are perfected in Love, even though we are still in darkness we have an Advocate who intercedes for us, Jesus Christ, He will stand up for us as He did for Peter and all who have sinned but have come to heart repentance and have not rejected Him in their heart after knowing His Truth.

When we have True heart repentance, we turn away from sin and seek to do good by the empowering of the Holy Spirit, not because we have to but because we want too.

We are in the end times but Jesus hasn’t returned yet, there is still time to come to True heart repentance to seek the Lord passionately, while we are still in the early years of the great Tribulation, it will be too late after the Rapture or first Sickle as it is called in Revelation. It is not God’s will anyone perishes, He is patient, He knew we were His and so He gave us time the same as He does with those who don’t know Him or how much He Loves them.

I long to tell others of the Hope we have in Him, to plant the seeds that will be used to bring them to accept God’s free gift of Salvation and if  my message today helps prevent others from walking the cold hard rocky road I walked, then regardless of the cost to me personally it will be worth it.

I will Post again soon and will answer some questions that many ask, sometimes in fear, such as what does it mean to blaspheme The Holy Spirit the unforgivable sin and how we can be sure we will not be turned away by Jesus like those who will say Lord, Lord but will be lost or how do we know Jesus is in our heart and not just in our head. I will also share in more detail why some can’t be brought back to repentance ( Hebrews 6) and we will look again at why we can’t lose our Salvation when we have been Born again and also Satan’s Tricks and Hell, his evil creation.

Thank you for listening and may we be greatly blessed as we seek God’s Truth in all it’s fullness but let’s do so not because we have to but because we Love Him and all His Family, our Brothers and Sisters in The Lord.Christian Love  from both of us – Anne.

 Music – You Rescued Me –