He Knows My Name

I want to speak about God particularly want to speak to our children or students to those of you who are new in Calvary, but obviously speaking to all of us.

If you have your Bible, their turn with me to John chapter 10 aware when where we will read together the first six verses John 10 is a great passage in the New Testament of Jesus as the good Shepherd unit is then the word of God to us this morning at John 10 verse one the Lord says truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs in by another way that man is a thief and a robber, but he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the shape to him.

The gatekeeper opens the sheep hear his voice and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out when he's brought out all of his own. He comes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.

A stranger they will not follow.

But they will flee for him, for they do not know the voice of strangers. This figure of speech Jesus use with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

Notice verse three he calls his own sheep by name. He calls us by name. He knows my name out. Our names are important to us. Our names give us a sense of personal identity. Imagine going through life only being identified by a number rather than by your name is a very daunting a very impersonal prospect. My family name is you know is Monroe. That name identifies me with one of the Scottish clans. My other two names come from my maternal grandfather was called John the hay. So my full name is John.

Monroe. Each of these three names. John paid Monroe are important. They have some significance is sometimes in the culture here in the sight of people trying to get my attention say hey Monroe is John hey Monroe now here Monroe so you know you can call me John Engelman Monroe and I'm sure other things that I don't know you say by my back that's okay, but don't say hey Monroe on hey John, our names are important to us your name is important to you and while I know many of you who regularly attend Calvary church and I think I'm reasonably good at people's names. I could not go through the sanctuary this morning and give each name of every single one of you, I suddenly wouldn't get many middle names, but here is a wonder God knows your name.

Call this message. He knows my name you find overwhelming that the eternal God, the creator of the whole universe knows your name but your important to God. When we hear of something like the shootings, the question rigidly is who are the people who are shot what what are their names. They take some time before the law enforcement release the names of those who were killed.

Of those who were injured. Our names are important before thinking of the personal aspect of this. I want to draw back his word and think of a bigger question, and it is this what did we come from, how did we get here I'm going to say. So if you may disagree that God is the creator God created everything that is of course the onset of evolution.

Evolution seeks to explain our origins without a creator, the Big Bang evolutionary theory is the prevalent scientific file. As to the origin of the universe that for video at least on a bastion of it says about 15 billion years ago.

If you get your mind on that number 15 billion years ago.

All of the material of the Cosmas was contained in an area no bigger than a basketball and possibly as small as in Adam asked me to find that vessel designed as according to that theory. Everything that exists, including the stars, the whole universe was in that small area. Then there was 15 billion years ago. This huge buying a gigantic fireball explosion and the Cosmas all of the cosmos came tumbling out of that small area is what many scientists believe that what is taught in many over schools and universities. I think of that thing of the size of the universe. How big is our planet planet Earth in relationship to the universe. Scientists believe that 99.9 and 58, nine, so 99.999 958 of them, of the universe is outside of apps atmosphere and I'm no reason to know that that shows in terms of the Cosmas the universe post small.

This tiny planet is that we live on called how many stars there in the universe. Scientists say of the northern stars and they would readily admit that our many many stars are there that the government even aware of, but of the known stars there are in the latest kind.

The universe has 10 to the power 24 stars that would send to the 24. What is one followed by 24 zeros.

Some of the children of the worship brochure right that time, one followed by 24 zeros is the number of stars and billions of years ago we told then was this Big Bang, things began to happen and then human beings appeared on the earth at the onset of evolution as those origins. What does the Bible say you love her the way the Bible begins Genesis 1 verse one in the beginning God created the heavens and the magnificent statement. The first book of the Bible book of origins tells us in the beginning God created the heavens and that that is God is the creator of everything.

The psalmist says that the heavens declare the glory of God and and the skies proclaim his handiwork universe, which is both complex and orderly was made by a very powerful and a very intelligent being. The Bible declares that God is the eternal creator God's ultimate reality revelation for verse 11.

What's the theme of heaven you. God created all things, and by your will notice that by your will they existed and were created. That is, in the beginning God this Almighty eternal God never existed, and whoever will he created everything out of nothing and Paul.

Some of you will recall, as we some time ago studied.

We drove Romans Romans chapter 1 Paul is saying.

As you look at the universe. It's true. You can't understand everything about God from the universe. From what we would call general revelation, but the evidence of God is playing its evidence that is there is abundance evidence for the existence of God. God is given as an objective valid rational revelation of himself in creation we see his wisdom. We see his creativity. We see his power. The power of God who can create everything out of nothing and we also see his goodness.

As the sun shines upon us as we breathe the air as we have water.

God is good to his creation. Examine a flower watch a sunset. What some of the beach three days ago get out at night and look at the stars in the sky get away from artificial lights.

If you can look at the little baby's face.

Think of that for the resealing were seeing God's handiwork. It is true in the beginning God created the heavens and that God made everything around us, the mighty mountains the ocean the tiny insects, the birds, the animals, the fish walking on the beach. We see these jellyfish mature why God made them, but he made them other. There, much to the amusement of grandchildren. I picked up a little cabin show the limits technique when you look at the intricacies of a crab all coming from the drawing board of God know the universe didn't just happened. It comes from a powerful designer God.

Think of your own body and someone is written, your body is an intricate combination of bones, muscles, nerves and blood vessels. The human brain has far greater capacity than any computer ever imagined. Your heart beats 100,000 times a day, 55 million times a year during an average lifetime the human heart will beat more than 3 billion times the adult heartbeats 5 quarts of blood each minute through the body, adding up to approximately 2000 gallons of blood each day.

Much about that but that's true during your lifetime. Your heart will pump about 800 million pints of blood, or about 1 million bottles. That's enough to fill more than three supertankers. Your body has about 5 L of blood circulating through the body three times every minute and one day the blood travels a total of 12,000 miles which is roughly 4 times the distance from the US from coast to coast your system of blood vessels, arteries and veins Cappelli raised his over 60,000 millions long is long enough to go around the world twice that your body. That's my next thought before you say there's no God think of these marvels thing of the amazing variety and intricacy of our universe, as well as its size.

It is all pointing to a great magnificent creator with these finely balanced loss points to an eternal creator evidence of God is the creator and sing to you is an abundance but as we were singing God created you. You are a unique creation of God. This is why it breaks our heart doesn't it when someone slight except certain section of society to kill or to malign a notice under no each one of us. Each of us is a unique creation of God. Listen to David and the well-known passage in some hundred and 39 writing 3000 years ago. We need to listen to in this country where life is so cheap. Some hundred and 39 verse 13 for you formed my inward parts is praying to God, you knitted me together in my mother's will. I praise you find fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works, my soul knows it very well.

My frame was not hidden from you when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth is talking about when he was in these mothers won't godfathers their your eyes saw my unformed substance in your book were written every one of them. The days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them before I was ever born.

God had plans for my life and for years verse 17 how precious to me are your thoughts of God. How vast is the sum of them if I could count them there more than the sand I awaken.

I'm still with you but wonder that you are yes you, whoever you are a unique creation of God when good and I were going through the immigration process with the FBI required her fingerprints and the some of you have done this if you been arrested or something. No hands up. We were trying to stop being arrested by doing the legal way and your fingers and then the projected on the screen and see my fingerprints for patella on the computer say yes you are able to discern the pickup of hunger any prime records or whatever it is because the fingerprints of John Monroe in good name and rope are unique to them. We are unique individuals of any stamp of it is on her fingerprints very stamp all of it is in our DNA structure God not only made to drugs interested in your God made you as a unique human being and God could've chosen to make us like a robot with our life totally programmed with a life totally predetermined. All God could've made us free and unrestricted sense that is only free to do good, but God made us in his wisdom with a capacity for choice God made us free in a filler sense of the word including the possibility of being free to make mistakes of free to do wrong things, bad thing though and other little bits you're not just an animal as some people say no were not just animals were creatures of God that is true, but we are individuals made in the image of God, and we have an ability to make decisions.

We have the power to some extent of self-determination. We can make in life meaningful choices within the good bad or indifferent. You have options. That means, of course, that I should made by God uniquely as God gives gives you the capacity for choice in decision-making. That means you are accountable to God. You are responsible to God. Know you're not just a program you want to settle but don't just say I couldn't help doing that yes you could you make the decision you knew it was wrong. Another low-budget other computer your human being Robert send computers can hardly be held accountable.

In that sense we would made in the image of God are responsible to God and one day each one of us who is uniquely made by God will stand before a holy God and give account of our life in this capacity for choice is a great gift of freedom implies that you're free of course to make mistakes and to do things that hurt others and not infrequently. We use our freedom of choice to go against God's standards.

God's laws would rebel against him.

We like to set out on limits only. We like to live independently of God. Our society says do your own thing. Don't allow what your parents are your school are certainly not the charge to tell you what to do you live your own life, you do your own thing.

Josie reminded us that the children in the music camp were learning the 10 Commandments I spoke to them on Friday and asked them the perfect children of their moms and dads were their moms, and that said absolutely not any perfect children every single little boy in the cutest of little girls is broken because law I thought of honor your father and mother is a child is a person who is always obey your parents that anyone here has always been kind to your siblings so anyone here who has never said anything wrong or lied about an individual cheated in an exam, know all of us full short, we disappoint ourselves and we sadly disappoint others, and more importantly we've fallen short of the standards of God. So we have to say, not just because of the shootings is a bigger problem than that isn't it is really because at our world and our nation either CDs re-listen to the politicians is looking total homes and yeses were looking total in hearts, we realize there is something 55 wrong created by God is magnificent body that is given us tremendous we Americans living in I get it contrary and we blow it dumbly over and over and over The Bible has one word for that many words, but when is this is a God has plans for your he didn't just make you and leave your as the ideas would say no God has plans for his creation. We see that the law of physics, we see that a lot of signs that's why we can study sciences because the laws of God are consistent. He made laws for the universe. And as your creator God has standards for your life and if you follow God's way. If you love God, if you obey God, your life will be fulfilling and meaningful know God's laws are not impersonal rules but God's laws. His commandments, as were teaching the children are given for our good. We have safe standards for the building of homes so that when a hurricane comes in on Lodi that we have rules when you drive your car.

I was recently in Scotland with my grandson and as I picked up the car at Edinburgh airport and began to leave before hit the first write about its could've lived in the United States on for so long. I said to Alex.

Alex, do remind man that that is the drive on the left hand side and not the rights is that because as long as I drive on the left-hand side I'll be safe on unprotected. I will enjoy this rather seen the real enjoy the car. I'll enjoy talking to my grandson in the front seat beside me parts if I think I know better.

Just what we do as a society don't way we ignore the law of God. We think we know better. God tells us not to kill B think it's all right to kill the unborn and we go against the law of God, God has clear statements about marriage and sexual immorality. But we think as a society we can ignore that and then I sense you can ignore it and then I sense I could've said well you know I've lived a long time they did say is, and I think in this case the manikins. In fact, of got it right and I do feel more comfortable driving on the right hand side know when the Scottish policeman would stop me and I said to him you know I'm thinking about this officer and I think the manikins of God. It writes I think we should drive in the right hand side, and quite honestly I feel really good about it. I feel very comfortable driving in the right hand side on the Scottish police officers use the deposit to leverage police officer would say what planet you come from son. I don't care what they do in America in this country you drive on the last how you feel about it is totally unimportant and if you continue to be like that. Well I don't carry a gun I Ducati handcuffs. No, you will be see when you ignore it is you do.

God's standards. You think you know better when you ignore is where God safety standards for your life for your minor holiday, but how you do business in your relationships when you ignore that chaos results, just as it would have been chaotic if I had gone on the running about and had gone to the right instead of the life.

No guards is very interested in God doesn't want you to live a chaotic life and the brothers cut a mass of Dostoyevsky says if God doesn't exist, then everything is lawful. That's true. But God does exist and everything is not lawful and your creator is so interested in your that he's given you an internal warning system is called a conscience and their conscience reveals what's right and wrong and when the red warning light of your car goes on. If you're sensible you stop and you say something is wrong and it needs to be fixed.

Yes, you can ignore it, you can continue to drive your car but you may tell yourself you may kill someone else your engine Macy's you may do tremendous damage. No, just as a mining detector reacts to explosives. So our conscience reacts to evil you say well I can still live as I like Jon I can do. I want yes it's true. You can go against conscience. You can go against your conscience you can in fact define the laws of God. You can defy the law of gravity have known some people to do that, giving up a building hundred feet and jump out the window. You're free to do that and they tell me you have never done it. It really is an exhilarating experience you feel really free, as you're coming down is the last instance. The problem, and some of you right now are in freefall deliberately gone against God, who reveled in December. I don't feel so bad.

I really don't feel too convicted John you know your old-fashioned Journal guy I feel inside very personally liberated by living this way well and argue with you that your experience tell you their consequences, and you going to write havoc in your life and possibly destroy the lives of others. If you continue to go against the law of God. Sooner or later there will be paying the will be part there will be shame that will be Dilts why is our society riddled with so many people who are in Gallatin who would depress many of them violated God's God created you is interested in her.

God loves you when you together. God loves the Bunkley lecture sitting down in 1400 God lecture listening online stream. God loves you sequence a personal God is not a normal God yes is all powerful truth and he knows your name.

God is not just the parties, not just energy is not just the supreme being is not a distant God the remote guards from his creation. He's a God who not only is all-powerful.

He is also all loving everything other day and some hundred and 47 listen to the way the psalmist puts it so beautifully. 747 verse three he heals the brokenhearted human heart is hard, who is a charitable made everything.*C. He. So in the rest of the people that he heals the brokenhearted tests of loving the God of care.

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

He determines the number of the stars he gives to all of them the names great is our Lord and abundant in power, his understanding is beyond measure and then the psalmist says that verse verse six the Lord lifts up the humble because the wicked to the ground we have in the same viruses, as it were. These two great truths of an all-powerful God who made the stars to knows their names who spoke spoke the stars into existence with also. God is personal that he draws near to the humble to the brokenhearted, to the bereaved to be discouraged. Yes, God cares for you for this interested in you. The God who loves you knows.

He knows the names of the stars because he made them bouts. He knows your name wasn't a Jesus Matthew 10 verse 29 are not two sparrows sold for a penny, the time of the Lord's followers were the most abundant birds were so cheap you could buy two of them for a penny, insignificant little bird. The cheapest birds, cheapest mail is a work are not two sparrows sold for a penny, and not one of them. Not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your father sent true. You've driven design driven, then give your pet a little bird in the exact slight twinge of conscience is new you wish invited the little bird in the looking every admin Avenue CF you feathers and yourself.

That's too bad.

Sorry about that, but five minutes later he forgotten about its God doesn't posses that spiral fall.

Even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore your of more value than many sparrows. Here is a God is all-powerful, but a God who is intensely interested in you is so interested in you and loves you so much that he numbers the hairs of your head. I love my wife dearly, but I've never sat nine and tried to number the hairs of our heads. Much as I love it. I really don't care what the number is I just don't want her to have the same hairstyle as I have that would worry me but Jesus is something which to you is inconsequential which you would never even bother doing is painting of numbering the hairs of your head or anyone else that you love. The point is not that that point is this that we have a guards who is all-powerful God create create love and you yes you are of more value than many sparrows.

So he who gave each side's place in rounds of vast unmeasured space. The eternal God, the Lord of all, he sees the little spiral fall. What interests, what care is Rachel signing so powerfully and beautifully as I is on the spiral know he watches me with appointments. God sees an insignificant little bird, one of millions fall if heaven itself. Take notes a note of that. How much more we were made in the image of God, and God takes interest in loves and cares for you and me say how can we who are such tiny human beings in this immense cosmic cosmos. John, who could, you know, the great creators that possible really to know him and he too far away from us Disney to awesome is that you only where we are on the holing he he's Holly he's perfectly were so sinful. Furthermore, will in time and he's eternal and and furthermore you really told us that we tighten from God and what about from God, broken his laws so the remedy was in the ball. Romans five. But God commands his love toward us in that while we were yet what sinners could use doesn't say what I cleaned up doesn't say when you become a member of Calvary church outside loving you know God's commands demonstrates his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ walked right for us. That is the supreme demonstration of God's love is seen in the cross and were doing quite a number of fairly substantial renovations in the sanctuary. But one thing but not doing is removing the cross.

In some churches they wanted move the cross because they say affects people. Can you believe it is the very heart of the gospel.

In fact a message without the cross is not the gospel.

The gospel is not just a God loves you. The gospel is this that God loves you so much that he sent his son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for your sins but God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have ever lasting life. This is unbelievable love not just a God loves me.

He shows the depth unbelievable act I can get my mind running the fullness of it, but I believe it he loves me so much that he sends Jesus into my world dark sinful dies on the cross for the sin of John want to tell you, no matter how great your sin no matter how deep the hole you're presently in the love of God than the grace of God extends to you, you may feel you don't matter in the universe.

You may feel as some people have said to me doesn't matter whether I live or die. The relationships of fracture. No one really cares about that may be true, but God cares and God loves you and I am so thankful to God in his grace he brought you here this morning to hear this message which you may have had before. Or you may be hearing for the first time that God loves you and the cross of Christ, declares God's love and shows God's love. But here is the innocent son of God, God the son God the entire incarnate taking my place as my substitute on the cross. Yes, he loves but it's true.

He knows my name which I believe the Bible teaches that God made us and made us for the purpose returned from our purpose were done the wrong thing. But God still loves us and has sent his son Jesus Christ on this rescue mission of redemption enough salvation to change us, and to transform us so that when we know the living God as we receive Christ as our Savior lives are transformed and now I begin to follow Jesus was again to the Scripture, began with John 10 verse three the sheep. His voice when he calls his own sheep by name and leads them go Republican, to me, leaving me verse 10 the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. That's El Paso but Dayton, Ohio destruction day. The wages of sin is that I can says Jesus, that they may have life and have it abundantly with this notion begin that if you follow Jesus Christ you might be assured of heaven, but meantime life is pretty miserable. The opposite is the case in the years I've lived on met thousands of people of come across all kinds of people living all kinds of life and those who are living life to the full. Those who are joyful those who are at peace are followers of Christ.

I know contemporaries of mine who left University and set out to conquer the world. Whether it was an in law or politics in business or whatever it isn't. Some of them of being very, very successful, but when I go home I realized that lives on the fullness by the patent from God's way and Jesus is saying I'll give you life and I'll give it abundantly on the good Shepherd the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. Verse 14 I'm the good Shepherd.

I know my own and my own know me, just as that means that means of your receipt Christ presents Jesus a month to change it to Savior so your sins can be forgiven. So your life can be refocused and you can begin through the power of God the Holy Spirit in you to live a life that glorifies God and blesses others. Have you done that. Is there no one there that I know that you are not worthy of it. I'm not worthy of it is why we believe in God's grace is. I wonder if Christ will forgive me.

Of course you'll forgive you if you come humbly, coming from you soon. You got trying to there's no salvation but if you humble yourself with a real little boy or an older person and ask Christ to come and change. You see the one that is that we could know God is eternal God in a personal way to be authentically human is to exist in relationships with one another and with God. Christianity is a relational faith is about trusting is putting your faith in the person of the Lord Jesus who loves you will forgive your sins, you believe he knows your name. Verse 27 my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me.

Many of you sitting here are followers of Jesus's have received Christ love. I am forgiven and I'm trying in God's grace and with his strength to live for Christ and to follow him asking you are you following receipt of following Christ. Jesus says you will hear my voice and my voice and I know them and they follow me a mark of love is that we listen to people. A mark of love is that we want to spend time with people you can say to a person. I love you but if you don't spend time with them and you don't love them. I would question your love no characteristic of love Jim and love, the love of God is that we want to spend time with God is why we come to church is designed like you didn't read it very easy to get our focus office and to be reminded that there's a great God and that express my love for Christ and to seek for my faith to be renewed and to hear his word is a how do we hear his word and his work through this book is why Calvary church we make such a big deal about the Bible about preaching and teaching and studying the Bible. Why because we want to hear his voice so that I can follow Christ today, tomorrow, next day that I can do his will hit a lot of voices elicited a they are presidential debates have read many things this week I've had conversations with many people.

Nothing wrong with that part of life. Is it but we spent time listening to his voice. When you do that, full of crises of the Lord will guide you and give you all the strength and the wisdom you need each day Jesus came that you may have life and that you will have it abundantly receive him as your Savior follow him love him, trust and obey him. Father the true psychosis we can hardly get our minds running. That's when we think of your greatness, your power, unity, terminology would agree God you are resend the maze were humbled to pray that each person here will know Christ. I thank you for the boys and girls at music camp whose hearts were opened to receive Christ.

I pray for more of them are pray for all of them to know Christ, pray for all the moms and dads the grandparents for each person here that we will know Christ personally that we will be authentic followers. Thank you for this amazing love your blessing be on us in Christ