Power Walk Ministries

Guest (Male): You're listening to Power Walk with founder and president, Dr. Paul Cannings. As a pastor and teacher, Reverend Cannings has the opportunity to minister to hundreds upon hundreds of people. He understands the challenges that many of us face daily, and he continually strives to share hope from the word of God. In fact, Dr. Cannings is the author of several books, including Why Can't Mondays Be More Like Sundays? So log on to powerwalkministries.org and visit our bookstore for helpful resources. We're continuing with our series Returning to Our First Love. We've been learning that God is calling us to love him and our neighbors.

And we'll admit, life is not always easy, and there is a cross to carry. But when we begin to understand the love of God, we're able to serve him sincerely. Right now then, let's listen to today's message, The Love of God.

Dr. Paul Cannings: For the last several days, we've been going over this whole issue of the condition of the heart, how Christ is describing to people as he walks into the temples, the conditions of their heart. The issue isn't who he is. He's He's walking around. He's He's He's teaching in accordance with the word. He's healing people in the name of God, and they're being healed. He's doing some miraculous, powerful things by the glory of God. By this time, he's popular. People are surrounding him in the Solomon's protocol in John chapter 10 verse 22 through verse 31. It's clear that this Jesus Christ who they tried to kill in the temple, but he disappeared before them.

He He just escaped through the crowd, and they couldn't touch him because there was a glow around him or because there was a force field around him. I don't know. But they couldn't touch him. This Jesus Christ, they've seen his passion for the temple. He He's turned the tables upside down. This Jesus Christ, they have heard of him healing a man born blind, and he's doing it in the name of the Father. So this has to be the Christ. The environment should lead to a transformation. But it's not. It's leading to a rejection. So Jesus Christ point here in John chapter 10 is that you've had people come a different way.

They've come over the sheep pen. They've stolen people's sheep. They've done all kinds of things. So now when I come, you your heart for me, even though I'm now the door that you must enter into cuz you have to accept me. You You reject me when I'm coming in the name of the Father. You can't say you love the Father cuz the Father is sending me so you can keep loving on you. But you You don't even want to come through the door. And so when I come, you you don't hear what I have to say.

People don't want the truth. The truth is offensive cuz it cuts. It's a sword. It cuts. And when we live in a world that is Googled out, when we live in a world that you can find information everywhere and it seems like it's more truth than anything else and because lots of people are saying it, like the Pharisees, lots of them are saying it. The Sadducees, lots of them are saying it. The Levites, lots of them are saying it. When Jesus Christ is speaking, it's like he doesn't know what he's talking about. It's kind of like a teenager who goes to school now and who had all these friends now and and they come home and the parents are stupid.

Now before then, when they were young, two, three, and four and five years old, the father and the mother are the most greatest people in the whole world. I love you. Cry in their lap and hug them and kiss them and climb on the bed and all these different things. But they turn 13, something happens because there are many voices that are speaking to them. Jesus Christ, see he's speaking to a group of people that it should have had a heart for him. But they don't. There's just been too many voices saying the opposite. And when he speaks, it's too offensive.

And that's why he 's saying to them, My sheep hear my voice. And I know them. And they follow me. When we have a heart for that, when we have a response saying, Yes God, I follow you. Follow you means I'm going to cleave with you. Following him is I fully surrender to you. That 's why he starts off with you must believe in me and the testimony that I give because following me is just surrender, trust. It's tough. But he says they will follow me meaning I'm so surrendered to you, I will trust you because I hear your voice and the only voice I'm listening to is yours.

I'm not interested in anybody else's. So I can't help but do what you say. So I end up following you. But that's a dangerous thing. It's a dangerous thing for a soldier to run into battle. Why? Orders. Take that hill. It's dangerous. So understand, doing the will of God gets dangerous. So that's why Jesus Christ says to us in verse 28, he says, I've give you eternal life. So in other words, it doesn't matter how dangerous it gets, you can't die. Wait a minute. You lost your mind. Yeah, he's saying that. You cannot die. I'm giving you the life that is eternal.

What does that mean? In other words, death is when we are separated from God. That's what death is. God is life. So anyone that is separated from God is dead. A person in in hell is dead even while they live. A person that dies based on what we call death is not dead to be absent from the body to be present with the Lord. So they have eternal life. So automatically they're in the presence of God. So they don't die cuz they never separated from God. Paul would say, For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.

I never separated. I never lose anything. I gain more. So what he's saying is now you're going to follow me and you're going to be standing in the temple courts, listening to the Sadducees, Pharisees, the Sanhedrin accuse me of all kind of false things. And somebody's going to look at you and say, This man followed him. So it's dangerous. But you don't have to worry because I've given you eternal life. There's no way they can take from you what I have put in place. The word given means it is set in place and it's now your possession.

So there's nobody that can ever move it away from you when you got it. That's why in Ephesians chapter 1 it's a seal until the day of redemption. Nobody can break this seal because you belonged to me like a cow being branded. So because the Holy Spirit now lives with you, that's your brand. So understand, he's saying, Yes, now you committed to me. Now you want to follow me. Now you're going to say, Yes, I will do what Christ says. But there's a cross coming. And he says to us, If you're going to follow me, you must deny yourself, pick up a cross and follow me.

He would tell Timothy, he says, Timothy, if you're going to live righteous, then you're going to be persecuted for righteousness. In matter of fact in Psalm 34 he says, Those who choose to live righteous will experience many persecutions. But I will deliver you from them all. Why? You have eternal life. So when he talks about eternal life, it's not just about salvation. He is giving us that hope that if you sent on the mission field and it's dangerous, you have eternal life. If you share your faith and the job and they may threaten to fire you, you haven't lost eternal life.

So since God powerfully lives inside of us and he's regenerated, Titus chapter 3 verse 5, regenerated our spirit to his spirit so that we are now a regenerated brand new being, I have the spirit of God living inside of us and the potential as we walk around committed to Christ and to walk righteous, we have angels around us. Then he's telling us, Hey listen, no matter what you face, there's nothing to fear. Don't fear man who could kill your soul, but fear God who can tear apart the life that he's given. So folks, he says, don't fear anything.

Fear Christ. Reverence him, not terror fear, a reverent fear of him. Why? I've given you. It's your possession once you are my sheep. Eternal life. That's why we can walk around with confidence when our heart is right, when our heart is willing to respond them, when our heart is willing to listen them, when he comes into our hearts because we already done so just confess it. He says many people confess, Lord Lord, but few enter into the kingdom of God. Why? Narrow is the way that leads to heaven. Broad is the way that leads to death.

So he's saying a whole lot of people say they believe in Jesus, but look at their life cuz if they're not walking it, then there's no transformation that ever took place in it. But remember, the possession you have could never be taken. And that's why he says, You will never perish. Yes, he calls for our heart which he shapes to love him, but it can't outdo his heart to love us. It can't. This is why he's saying it, I've given you this and you will never perish. In other words, you may go through pain and struggles, but nobody can destroy you.

That's why Paul would say, I'm anxious for nothing. Whatever is right, whatever is good, I'm accept my mind on those things so that the God of peace will be with me. As a matter of fact, I love the way Paul puts this to the second Corinthians chapter 4. He says, For we have a treasure in verse 7 in earthen vessels so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not of ourselves. We're afflicted in every way, but not crushed, perplexed, but not despairing, persecuted, but not forsaken, struck down, but not destroyed, always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.

For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake so that the life of Jesus, because we keep pressing and trusting and obeying and following and never deserting him and walking with him because we our convictions drive us because we are sheep. We follow him. We listen to his voice. He says the life of Jesus also is manifested in our mortal body. So death works in us, but life in you cannot be destroyed even though struck down. You will not perish. See, he calls for our heart so we fall in love with him.

But his love for us is greater. Nothing can snatch you away. Satan can get us out of his hands. He tried Job, but didn't work. In verse 29 he says, 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 the Father are one. Verse 31, the Jews picked up stones again to stone him. See, the heart comes back out. That's why he says, You are not my sheep. You are my sheep. You will go praise the Lord. Hallelujah. Thank you Jesus.

Blessed be the name of God. I'm joining his discipleship movement right now. Nope. They wanted to stone him for saying, God got you, not just me. And once you come to me, no one can destroy you. No one can hurt you cuz I keep watching over you. Think of how much he's watching over us that Paul would say, We live in heavenly places. Think of this watch over. Oh folks, the watch over is Jesus sitting at the right hand of the Father, making intercession for us when Satan comes up there day and night. He's our lawyer.

The Holy Spirit will pray to every groans of our heart and guide us into truth and teach us to walk in the light as he is in the light. Give us wisdom and understanding, discernment. This Holy Spirit will empower us so that we can live in the power of the God rather than the weakness of the flesh. Think about this, this protection we have that he says angels will be around us to watch over us. He'll put a hedge around us just like he did Job. That's why Paul says, You live in heavenly places. Yes, following Christ can bring hardship.

But the road that is paved by God who loves us, I will never let anyone destroy us. There's times we going to be perplexed, but he will never let us despair when we continue to be a sheep, following, listening to his voice. Stay focused.

Guest (Male): Thank you Dr. Cannings for that important lesson. Returning to Our First Love is the title of our series. And we hope that you'll obtain a copy of this lesson today. Here's how you can reach us. Log on to powerwalkministries.org or call us at 281 260 7402. That's 281 260 7402.

Guest (Male): Please save the date, December 5th, 2026 as Dr. Paul Cannings will be hosting a fundraiser luncheon. Dr. Tony Evans, founder and president of the Urban Alternative, will be our guest speaker. The luncheon will be at 11:00 a.m. at Crown Plaza in Shenandoah, Texas. Please visit us online at powerwalkministries.org for reservation and further details. We hope you'll be with us this December 5th to join our host Pastor Paul Cannings at 11:00 a.m. for the luncheon and for a message from God's word by Dr. Tony Evans. December 5th, get your reservation, powerwalkministries.org. We hope to see you there.

Guest (Male): We want to offer our thanks for your financial support so far, but we need your continual financial support for our ongoing training, outreach, and teaching programs. So please prayerfully consider joining hands with us as a Power Walk partner. Visit powerwalkministries.org for address and other information. Thanks as always for joining us today. We look forward to sharing God's word with you again. May the Lord bless you. And remember, we can never ever outdo God's love for us.