God holds us in His heart, in His eye, and in His hand. We cannot even shake ourselves loose from Him. He looks at us and sees Himself; He wants us to look to Him and see ourselves. Psalm 78:72; John 17:11-12, 15

Speaker(s): Pastor Steve Scibelli
Sermon # 11413
11:00 AM on 2/4/2018

P. Scibelli

Jn. 17:11, 12, 15; 1 Pet. 1:5, 2 Tim. 1:12, Tonight we will have a short service and a message called Super Bold! I’m just having fun! I was reading something this morning and we want to speak about what it means to be kept by God. God keeps us in his personal initiation towards us. He uses people. He uses the church. He uses situations to keep us.

In Acts 21, 22, 23, 24, and 26 and 27, 20 times there is a man mentioned. Chief Captain Lysias. He saved Paul out of so many situations. God used this Roman chief captain centurion to deliver Paul out of danger. That’s amazing. Here’s a Roman centurion, a chief captain that God would put in the middle of this plan to save Paul. Was he a believer? I don’t know.

Just like he used Julius in Acts 27 to get Paul on a boat to Rome when people wanted to kill him. God is in the keeping business. Say that. If you take all the definitions and there’s a lot of them, it speaks of God keeping us safe, God protecting us, God watching over us. Two words really struck me in all of those Greek and Hebrew words and it was observe to preserve. God observes me to preserve me. The devil observes us to destroy us. God observes us to preserve us. God keeps us. Think about eternal security which we believe to the utmost.

At times in my life I can know the doctrine of eternal security Jn 10:27-30, Heb. 13:5-6, Is 49:14-16, I can understand it but try to help God out by doing a lot of keeping on my own. Keeping the plan, keeping myself spiritual. We believe in it positionally but I try to help God along. Ever done that? Just help him out. He’s not really in tune with my life so I make decisions to help him! Ezra’s name means God’s Helper. You’re wrong. It means Helped of God. God does the helping. He’s my helper. God is the keeper of the believer.

Eph 1:13 when we believed and trusted in God, we were sealed by H.S. of promise. The word is SPHRAGIZO and it means God owns me and I have security. I’m owned by God and have security in God. God doesn’t mortgage us out. We don’t pay rent. God owns us and we are owned by him and secure in him. He wants the church to know this. He wants the believer to understand who they are in Christ and secure in God.

Again in Eph 4:30 sealed to the day of redemption. All the way to the end. I was thinking today there is no such thing as a midlife crisis in eternal life. There is no mid. It’s ZOE. It’s eternal. People talk about a midlife crisis. What does that mean? There are people in villages in Africa in their 130’s. Don’t believe it? Come with me! Want to see someone 138 years old and still farming. Sealed. Owned by God and secure in God. I’m sealed until the day of redemption. God is in the business of keeping us. The one who lost his place in heaven is in the business of making us insecure.

He’s called the liar in Jn. 8:44. Did you ever address the liar? Hey, liar. Shut up. Tozer wrote a book I Talk Back to the Devil. Tell him to shut his mouth.

Zech 2:13, Zech 3:1 Shut up. I preached a message shut up devil, shut up flesh, shut up world. Everybody shut up. Close your mouth. Tape it. It’s over. We often hear people, I’ve heard them on the radio, what was Satan’s sin?

Is. 14 he said I will be like the most high. He said five I will’s.

Ezek 28:10-18 he was perfect and the anointed cherub until iniquity found in him. What was his iniquity? He took his eyes off of God and started to look at himself. It wasn’t any big thing. We think of sin and evil. When I become self-conscious, I’m finished. Satan became self-conscious, then he fell because he started to look to himself instead of God. He was thinking I not only want to be in the Trinity, I want to be above the Trinity.

Read Is 14:12-14 and you’ll see the drift of it. He became self-conscious. What does he do in the Garden? He gets them to listen to an angel that was self-conscious and what did they become? Self-conscious. He said God is holding back from you. He started bringing half-truths. They became self-conscious. When they did they were no longer God conscious and there is where the fall takes place. How does that play out in my life? I can become self –conscious. Look what I do, what I am, what I’ve done. God blew the breath of life into you. We were just a hunk of dust. Pastor Schaller preached a message years ago. I remember the phrase he used, take it easy on yourself dusty. You’re just a hunk of dust. I’m not doing anything to your self-image in Christ. Who we are outside of Christ is just a big zero. There are people who think they are something outside of God. It will take a big fall to make them realize they are nothing. I am nothing, I was nothing, I will be nothing, I can do nothing, and I know nothing. I’m a big zero without God, without J.C. I don’t care how high you are in the biological sphere of this world or how much power or authority you have. You are a zero without God and the finished work. They are like a rubber band thrown away when smacked in half. I become self-conscious and everything is centered on self. You become self-conscious and you can be other conscious. I got to spend this $240 on a hairdo to impress people I don’t know. People buy cars to impress people on the road that they don’t know. I’m not against buying a nice car. I have a nice jeep 17 years old and still going. We go from self-conscious to other conscious. It’s still self-conscious. I’m conscious of how others think. Someone said you don’t match. What does that mean? Your configuration of colors makes people think it’s okay? In Africa it’s not what matches. It’s what clean. One time I had two different color socks on stage. I need help! Other conscious. I’m conscious about what others think about me. Watch yourself. I’m world conscious. What does the world think of our church? They ought to hate us. Jesus said if they hate me they will hate you. You want a good reputation? Then don’t be a Christian. Or be a carnal one. Conscious of what the world thinks. If you just – I’ll give you the kingdoms of the world if you bow down and worship me. What does the world think of the church? We had three amazing conferences with 3000 people in West Africa. People want to know why do you go so long? Hello? It’s Greater Grace and 170 churches in West Africa alone. There is a person who has no job and lives in one room with sometimes 16 others sitting next to a person that is the prime minister of the country and you wouldn’t know the difference. What does the world think about me? Somebody said you are getting old. I said the next one to die is the oldest person! I’m eternal. You’re talking about biological life. You can have it. I’m talking about eternal life. Age conscious. Here’s a big one. Health conscious. You have indigestion. You’re not having a heart attack. Some people are so crazy. I ate four things in one day and my wife said any one of those is like a death sentence. I said but when you put them all together, you come out clean! You do very well. Age conscious, health conscious. How about test and trial conscious. I’m only conscious of what I’m going through. When God conscious, I’m kept by God. God keeps me and I’m conscious of him keeping me. This is so important. I’m conscious of him keeping me all these years. Think of how God kept you all those years until you receive Christ as your Savior. Even when you didn’t know God, God was keeping you. Amen. I didn’t know God and he was keeping me. God was keeping me. How many times should I have not made it by an accident or sickness but God was observing you to preserve you. I’m observing you to preserve you. Isn’t that how it should be in marriage? I’m observing her to preserve her, my husband, my children. Observe to preserve. People in positions of authority should be observing to preserve. They are in the place of keeping people. God does the keeping but with God’s heart toward people. This principle that I’m in the Father, in the Son, in the Spirit in his heart, in his eye and in his hand. Say that. I’m in his heart. I’m in his eye. I’m in his hand.

Ps 78:72 He fed me with the integrity of his heart and he guided me by the skillfulness of his hand. His eye guided me. I’m in his heart. I don’t just have his heart. I’m in his heart. I was chosen before the foundation of the world.

Eph 4:1-6 nothing is a surprise to God. That should take away worry, anxiety. God is keeping me. The devil is a liar. And the flesh is a liar and the world is a liar. You got to keep yourself. You got to protect yourself. You got to provide for yourself. That’s interesting. Someone told me there was a thing on my arm and if it bit me, I wouldn’t have made it. It didn’t do it and I’m here until God takes me out. Whatever that means I don’t know. God is keeping us. We were in a boat crossing Lake Victoria and these boats are not big. They hold about 150 people. I was with P. Duane George. Anyone know him? You raised him. Did you observe to preserve him? I’m throwing up because of the rough ride. I hate boats. Don’t invite me on a boat. I’m not coming. I hate them. I’m sick as a dog down below and he’s up there fishing off the deck. Singing a song for 1.5 hours straight. I have decided to follow Jesus. Could you find another song? What you could see following the boat were 3,000 pound crocodiles. Waiting for a mistake! Waiting for something to go wrong so they could have their lunch. God, you got to keep us! When I got across, I swore I’d never go back that way and he talked me into it. God kept us. I was thinking of two incidences. One was in Qatar. Did I say that right? Qatar. Doesn’t matter. I get arrested in McDonalds while eating a chicken sandwich with French fries. They handcuffed me and said come with us. Where are we going? Got a better restaurant? You’re going where food isn’t good at all. Three hours of interrogation. They think they can break us but they can’t. Kept by God. The guy said I think I believe what you are saying about Jesus. He let me go. One time we were arrested 9 of us in Morocco. P. Mark M. was there. He remembers the story. We were being interrogated one at a time. Ever have a laughing fit when not supposed to? Can’t stop laughing and it is the worst place, like a funeral. That’s how it happened. We were kept by God. God kept us and used a man that was the second leading man in the country to deliver us. God uses people. He’s observing my life to preserve it even when I’m going in the wrong direction. My name is Jonah. I’m saying no to the call. I’m heading towards Tarshish. I’m out of here. Disobedience. I’m a prophet of God and I’m leaving. I end up in the belly of a whale and spit up on my mission field. Kept by the power of God. Are you listening? I know whom I have believed and I am persuaded he is able to keep that which is committed unto me until the day. I’m kept. Jacob, I’m going to use you. The elder shall serve the younger. Mama is involved and has him steal the blessing he already had. He had the birthright and birthright comes with blessing. He’s on his way out of the Promised Land running away into Haran. He’s running away to Uncle Laban. God meets him at Bethel. He speaks to him and the angels of God are ascending and descending. He laid down and used a stone for a pillow. He gets a vision and God says to him seven things. One of the seven was I’m going to keep you. I’m going to observe you to preserve you, Jacob. You couldn’t preserve yourself. You’ll destroy yourself.

That’s also Hos. 13:9. I’m going to bring you back one day. You’re going to spread abroad. I’ll never leave you. Jacob, liar, trickster, deceiver, supplanter. I’m going to keep you. You failed. That doesn’t mean go out and fail on purpose.

Ps 37:24 when we fall we fall in his arms. We are in his hands.

No man can pluck you out of my hand, Jn 10:27-30. You can’t pluck yourself out by your decisions. Yes, God can discipline us and things can happen, we can go home early, but we are all in the hand of God and he keeps us. I’m kept by God. I will never deny you though all these deny you. Not me. That’s Peter speaking. He’ll be the first one. Before the cock crows you’ll deny you know me. He still was the pastor. He still did the Pentecost preaching. He was kept by God. Kept by God.

I had two young girls we took in in 1989 and 1990, and they came this convention. They each have three children and cooked me a real dinner. Macaroni pizza and chicken with peanut stew with rice. These girls have been in the minister 28 years and gone through hell and back. There they are with their kids. They are saying GG is our ministry and P. Scibelli is our father or grandfather. God kept them all these years. They’ve been through tests and trials but to be with them in that time in W. Africa we realized God does the keeping.

You can’t always be there but your prayers to God can be there. I’m in his heart, in his eye and in his hand. Are you there? Think about it. The devil says you jumped yourself out of God’s hand by your failure, sin. God had a covenant with Israel and God keeps Israel as the apple of his eye. Married couple in front. The two of you stand up. Look in her eye. That brown part of her eye. What do you see? You are ruining the message! No, you’re not. What do you see? You see yourself. Look in his eye. What do you see? Light? You don’t see yourself. He has contacts on or something. You see yourself. The word apple means you are the little boy or little girl of God’s eye. Every time you see apple, you see the word kept.

De 32:10 God lead me and guide me and kept me as the apple of his eye.

Ps. 17:8 I’m kept as the apple of his eye.

Prov. 7; 2 I’m kept as the apple of his eye.

Lam. 2:18, Zech 2:8 don’t touch this person because you are touching the apple of his eye. Who wants to stick his finger in God’s eye? Ever have someone stick their finger in your eye? It’s happened on the basketball court. Used to happen on the hockey rink. We never had masks, etc. I went to grab a slap shot and broke four fingers. It was great! It’s good to have some pain because it develops a capacity to retain life. So you can go through pain. Kept as the apple of his eye. Kept. This is amazing. I’m kept. This is what happens. You look in God’s eye and see yourself. God looks in your eye and sees himself. We are kept by God. Noah kept for 120 years. Everyone will be against you. You can have situations in family, marriage, job, and neighborhood and find yourself alone but God is going to keep you.

Jn 17:11-12, 15. I the Omniscient One, the Omnipresent One, All powerful, eternal, unchanging, personal, I’m going to keep you. Moses is a 40-40-40 life. 40 years in the wilderness, 40 in Egypt and 40 years with children of Israel back in the wilderness. I do the keeping. I keep Moses, Jacob and Joseph in Egypt for 110 years. Form time he was 17 to 110, 93 years. I’ll bring him out with all these people. His bones are going out. I keep Israel. I keep the believer. I keep the Church. I keep the Church. This is J.C. I keep the Church. He does the keeping. We are living in a world and we heard the verses. There is evil everywhere. I’m keeping you from evil. It’s not going away as some of these hyper-spiritual Christians. If he comes back halleluiah but I want to be used by God now. We want to see more souls won, more disciples made and more churches planted. God will keep us but if don’t believe it, I have eternal security but live a very insecure life. I want to go to Bible school but don’t know how I can do it financially. God will keep you. What is in God’s vision is always God’s provision. When it’s his plan, he does the keeping. God gave you a purpose and will to go in but you got in the business of performance. You are trying to make it happen.

This week we are meeting with an organization. They looked at our website and interviewed a few people with regards to missions and they said they will come on Thursday. Pray God will move in this meeting. They are from outside and want to help financially. Pray if God’s will it will happen. They said what could you do with a couple million dollars? I said it will take me a week to spend it. So many needs. The will of God. God keeps us.

Its amazing 669 churches now all from a little thing that happened in Maine. Anyone remember that? It spread to 78 countries. 35,000 people coming to church. God does the keeping. He does the keeping. He’s watching over us. He’s observing my life to persevere my life. He’s observing our church to preserve our church. God does the keeping.

We have to make decisions in life. Do we make them trying to keep it together? God does the keeping of my marriage and children and grandchildren and my health. Some are so fanatical about their health. Someone said to me, don’t touch me. I have a cold. If you know how many diseases I’m breathing at you, you wouldn’t be near me. It’s like Moab and Ammon. If you get enough of them, they kill each other. God does the keeping. A doctor told me you will never preach again or travel again. I said I know you are Jewish but I have a better Jewish doctor than you. He said it’s impossible. Your brain is gone. I said my brain gone is three times more powerful than your brain alive! He did not like my answers. God does the keeping. God keeps you. God preserves you. God observes you. God protects you. There is safety in God. That way we can take risks. Peter walked on water. He came out of the boat. Don’t we want to be a church like that that walks on the water of the world instead of settling down and getting comfortable. Get my blanket and never take a risk the rest of my life. I’d rather die than live like that. You say this crazy person preaching today. Yes. God does the keeping. He’s kept me and you, the ministry. All kinds of enemies that have come against us everywhere. It’s incredible but God does the keeping. I met people in Liberia and they were telling me some of the things they have gone through with a 17 year civil war. There isn’t an animal left in the country. If you are hungry, you will eat. I don’t care what it is. We have 27 churches in Liberia, and Bible schools. A new building. He has observed the Liberian work to preserve it.

He is the keeper of Ps 121:5. He’s the protector. Zion says the Lord has forsaken me. The Lord has forgotten me. God says can a woman forget her sucking child. Neither can I forget you. Your walls are continually before me. I‘ll keep you even when you think you’re not being kept. I’m doing the keeping. I’m covering you and protecting you and observing you to protect you. As we go through this day, month, year, life, God is keeping us.

Ps 91:11-12 it is said about Jesus God will keep you in all your ways.

When Satan quoted Ps 91 to Jesus, he forgot three words. Cast yourself down. Angels give charge over you. He misquoted the Bible, to keep you in all your ways. He is a liar and wants you to believe God can’t keep you. You got to keep yourself holy, spiritual, in the provision, financially. You got to keep yourself. This one creature to tell to go to hell where he will be for the rest of eternity.

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