Well, I'm sure all of you are aware of the challenges of life that come to us just on an ordinary secular basis, when you buy a car or you buy an appliance or something, you get a warranty, right? Get some sort of guarantee that'll last for so long. And you also have people that give you promises that if you do this, you do that. Politicians are great at that. They'll promise you all kinds of things if you're willing to trust in them. So we're familiar with that idea of a promise. And of course, that's something we know we have to deal with, whether we can trust certain people. When you think about a promise, anytime we look to the Word of God, any word that's put in that Bible that gives us God's promises, we know is guaranteed because He is a God, as it says in Malachi chapter three, verse one. I am the Lord. There's no change. He changes not, therefore you're not consumed. He doesn't change. Why doesn't he change? Because he's perfect. So everything he decides to do, everything he determines to do, every word that he speaks, does not need to be called back, does not need to be altered. doesn't have to have anything done to it in the future that changes it. His word is true. His word is guaranteed. It is secure. So whatever God says, whatever promises he makes, you know, he doesn't have to change it somewhere down the line. It's guaranteed now. So it's important as we face the challenges of life, whether it be wars, trials, problems, physical problems, difficulties, we sometimes can become overwhelmed with the circumstances of life. if not despair, at least become discouraged. And it's important during those times that we as believers take our eyes off those things and set our eyes on the Lord and remember how sure he is and his promises are to us. It brings us comfort in the midst of turmoil. It gives us peace in the midst of difficulties that we can trust him. We can believe in him. So it's important that we don't let Satan give us those thoughts of kind of doubt or unsureness or wondering whether this is going to work out or not. God will bring all things together for good, for his glory and our good. And let me read you just a few thoughts before we get into John 10 from Spurgeon on this thought of the danger of unbelief. And it is a danger. Spurgeon begins by saying that Christians should never think or speak lightly of unbelief. For when a child of God mistrusts his love, his truth, his faithfulness, it is greatly displeasing to him. How can we ever grieve him by doubting his upholding grace? We need to think about that. We sometimes get caught up in the circumstances of life, and it's easy for us to so focus on those circumstances that we forget who our God is. And we began to question his wisdom. We question why he's allowing certain things to happen. And we need to stop right there and say, Lord, you're in control. I'm not in control. Therefore, I need to have a sense of peace and assurance that this will turn out according to your will, even though it seems difficult. And Spurgeon goes on to say, Christian, It is contrary to every promise of God's precious word that you would ever be forgotten or left to perish. If you were a believer, you should be assured that God will never let you perish. And we're gonna talk about that in this John's chapter 10 text here. If it could be so, he says, how could he be true who has said, quote, can a woman forget her nursing child that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. That's from Isaiah 49 and verse 15. He goes on, what would be the value of the promise, quote, the mountains may depart, the hills may be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you. That's from Isaiah 54, verse 10. Now we wanna look, we're gonna pause here in this little devotional. We're gonna look at John chapter 10 in the handout that you have. John chapter 10, beginning at verse 22, looking at our text here, Probably a familiar text to most of us. This is about Jesus, the shepherd, knowing his sheep. Let me begin reading in verse 22. We'll just read through verse 30. Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch. Then the Jews surrounded him and said to him, how long do you keep us in doubt? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you and you do not believe. The works that I do in my father's name, they bear witness of me, but you do not believe because you are not of my sheep. As I said to you, my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. And here's the importance of the text that leads to your outline there. And I give them eternal life. and they shall never perish, neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one." So looking at your little outline there, we have in this text, particularly verses 28 and 29, Jesus makes this very profound statement, which can includes a promise. I give unto them eternal life, and they will never perish. And looking at your diagram that I gave you, first of all, who's giving the promise? Christ, okay? If Christ gives a promise, is there any reason for us to doubt it, to question it, to suggest that maybe he was just talking at the top of his head? We have the Son of God who says, I give. If he gives something, it cannot be taken back. And who does he give it to? unto them, unto them, going back to verse 27, his sheep, okay? He's giving it to his sheep. And what does he give them? The gift. The gift is eternal life. Stop right there. I give unto them eternal life. Any questions? Any concerns? Any doubts? Jesus said, I give unto them, his sheep, eternal life. There's a promise, or a gift that's gonna be given, a gift that is given to us. And they, again, which is my sheep, will never perish. Not might perish, not hope works out for them. They will never perish. In the Greek, that term never perish is actually a double negative. And it's saying, will certainly never be damned. That's literally what it means in the Greek. Will certainly never be damned. It's a double negative. That is the promise. You will give unto us a gift, eternal life, and they will never perish. It is a promise that we can lean upon, be assured upon, we can rest upon, we can trust in. That's the promise. And then we come to the first guarantee. Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. Who's making the first guarantee? Christ is. We love guarantees, don't we? When you get a product and somebody guarantees it'll last for X number of years, or guarantees this will give you good health, whatever it is. When the Son of God gives a guarantee, there's no question that it'll ever be overridden, that it'll ever be out of date, there'll be anything that would keep it from being fulfilled. I give it unto them eternal life, and they will never perish, and neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand." Right there we could rest and say, Lord, thank you. That's your promise. I'm not gonna doubt it. I'm gonna live in the light of that. But he goes on. He doubles up. My Father, which gave them to me, and that's God's plan of redemption, okay? From the very beginning, God the Father set forth this plan of redemption. Christ fulfilled it. Holy Spirit applies it. That's the teachings of scripture. My Father, which gave them to me, This is a definitive plan of God, is greater than all, the ultimate authority, there in verse 29. He is greater than all. No one can question his authority, no one can question his power. If he guarantees something, we don't doubt it. And then the latter part is the second guarantee. Christ gave a guarantee, and the second guarantee, as no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. You have two guarantees. You have a gift, a promise, and two guarantees. What more could you ask for? God the Father and God the Son have given you this promise and this gift, and it is guaranteed by both of them. You never have to doubt it. You never have to worry. When you present the gospel to someone and they believe, there shouldn't be any hesitation that that is a genuine event that God has brought about in that life and that they are saved if they profess to know Christ and turn from their sins. And we, as believers, should go about our life, no matter what the circumstances are, no matter what we're dealt with. with that sense of assurance and promise that he has made it and therefore we can believe it. He will never leave us and forsake us. He will never allow us to perish. We will have eternal life. Going on then to Spurgeon's lesson here, he says, what truth would there be in Christ's words, I give them eternal life and they will never perish and no one will snatch them out of my hand. What truth would there be if we doubted it or if he wasn't really who he was? What value would there be in the doctrines of grace? They would be all disproved if one child of God should perish. If one child of God perished for whom Christ died, it would disprove everything. But they can never perish because Christ and the Father guarantee that they will be saved. They will never perish. No one can pluck them out of their hands. Spurgeon goes on to say, what value would be placed in the veracity of God, His honor, His power, His grace, His covenant, His oath, if any of those for whom Christ died and who have put their trust in Him should nevertheless be cast away? How could we trust God for anything? How could we believe anything in the Word if one saint was cast away in the end? Banish those unbelieving fears, Spurgeon says, which so dishonor God. Arise, shake yourself from the dust and put on your beautiful clothes. Remember, it is sinful to doubt his word in which he has promised you that you will never perish. Let the eternal life within you express itself in confident rejoicing. Confident rejoicing. Then he closes with this little brief poem. The gospel bears my spirit up. A faithful and unchanging God lays the foundation for my hope in oaths and promises and blood. We can be assured that the blood of Christ, God's son, purchased our redemption. God promised it. He made an oath, and it is true. We cannot doubt it. We should not doubt it. We should be comforted knowing that it will take place. Okay, that's our devotional for tonight.