He keeps me

1 Pet. 1:5, ” Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

“Keep” means to guard, protect by a military guard, either to prevent hostile invasion, or to keep the inhabitants of a besieged city from flight.

Phil. 4:7 says Christ’s peace keeps my heart and mind in Him.

* HE KEEPS ME. I don’t keep myself. I am kept by Him. Christ and His peace (He IS peace) keeps me!

What does this imply? Rest (Heb. 4:9) from me trying to keep myself anymore which is a dead (Heb. 6:1, 9:14), tiresome, self-maintaining work of the flesh and not the Spirit by grace and faith. This power of God passively KEEPS US. Christ and His beautiful finished work on His cross motivated by the love and will of the Father (John 3:16) is the power that keeps us. This same power will reconcile all things unto Himself in one as Ephesians and Hebrews declares.

This same power is in us and keeps us if we fall, stumble, miss it, don’t think we’re good enough, miss a tithe, miss a Sunday service, loose our temper, and the like. There is limitless grace unto righteousness by His faith in us unto holiness and godliness to grow in these areas as well. In spite of our shortcomings and failures, the point is He keeps us by His enabling power through His faith that comes by hearing and hearing His word.

If He keeps me then He is not leaving me either. I am eternally kept under a New everlasting, eternal Covenant with Christ the Testator (Heb. 9:16-17) and High Priest (Heb. 3:1).

If He keeps me then I am not fearful of abandonment, loneliness, or an overwhelming sense of self-keeping because He keeps me by His enabling power and ability not mine.

I am kept, guarded, and protected from my old nature because He nailed it to this cross. That nature is dead in Him and powerless, Rom. 6:6-7, 7:24-25, Gal. 2:20, Col. 1:20, 2:14.

He is peace, Eph. 2:14. This powerful peace keeps me from the ‘hostile invasion’ of the judgment or penalty of the law.