1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:06,480 If you would take a Bible and open with me to John chapter 10, 2 00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:13,720 John chapter 10, we're gonna be in verses one through 18, but 3 00:00:13,800 --> 00:00:19,040 I'm gonna start and read verses one through 6. 4 00:00:21,680 --> 00:00:27,320 Uh, actually we're gonna read 935 through 1/6 to get our 5 00:00:27,320 --> 00:00:32,520 context here. The Bible says Jesus heard that 6 00:00:32,520 --> 00:00:36,760 they had cast out, cast him out and having found him, he said, 7 00:00:36,800 --> 00:00:38,520 do you believe in the Son of Man? 8 00:00:39,440 --> 00:00:42,120 And he answered, who is he, Sir, that I may believe in him. 9 00:00:42,960 --> 00:00:47,080 Jesus said to him, you have seen him, and it is he who is 10 00:00:47,080 --> 00:00:51,320 speaking to you. He said Lord, I believe and he 11 00:00:51,320 --> 00:00:55,520 worshipped him. Jesus said for judgment, I came 12 00:00:55,520 --> 00:01:00,040 into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those 13 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:05,000 who see may become blind. Some of the Pharisees near him 14 00:01:05,000 --> 00:01:09,080 heard these things and said to him, Are we also blind? 15 00:01:10,320 --> 00:01:14,040 Jesus said to them, If you were blind, you would have no guilt, 16 00:01:14,760 --> 00:01:18,040 but now that you say we see, your guilt remains. 17 00:01:18,080 --> 00:01:21,640 Truly, truly. I say to you, he who does not 18 00:01:21,640 --> 00:01:26,400 enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs in another way, that 19 00:01:26,400 --> 00:01:31,400 man is a thief and a robber, but he who enters by the door is 20 00:01:31,400 --> 00:01:32,600 the. Shepherd of the Sheep. 21 00:01:33,360 --> 00:01:37,120 To him the gatekeeper opens, the sheep hear his voice, and he 22 00:01:37,120 --> 00:01:42,240 calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 23 00:01:43,240 --> 00:01:46,840 When he has brought out all of his own, he goes before them, 24 00:01:47,160 --> 00:01:49,480 and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 25 00:01:49,880 --> 00:01:54,240 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for 26 00:01:54,240 --> 00:01:56,360 they do not know the voice of strangers. 27 00:01:56,840 --> 00:02:00,200 This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not 28 00:02:00,200 --> 00:02:02,680 understand what he was saying to them. 29 00:02:03,440 --> 00:02:05,600 This is the word of the Lord. Would you pray with me? 30 00:02:09,080 --> 00:02:11,840 Lord Jesus, you are the Good Shepherd. 31 00:02:12,920 --> 00:02:16,720 And. We, your sheep are glad forever. 32 00:02:17,920 --> 00:02:20,640 That when you saw the wolf approaching, you did not run 33 00:02:20,640 --> 00:02:23,720 like a hired hand, but you laid down your life for the sheep. 34 00:02:25,680 --> 00:02:28,920 Lord, we pray that as we as we think about what it means. 35 00:02:28,920 --> 00:02:33,080 For you to be the door and for you to be the Good Shepherd and 36 00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:38,640 for us to be the sheep, we pray that through your word that we 37 00:02:38,640 --> 00:02:42,080 would all once again hear. Your voice, not the voice of 38 00:02:42,080 --> 00:02:45,880 strangers or robbers or thieves, but the voice of our Savior. 39 00:02:45,880 --> 00:02:48,280 And that we would hearing you, that we would follow you. 40 00:02:49,080 --> 00:02:52,360 So we pray that you would call us by name, speak to us in this 41 00:02:52,360 --> 00:02:57,160 place at this time in a way that we can understand. 42 00:02:58,400 --> 00:03:00,520 We ask it in Christ's name, Amen. 43 00:03:02,080 --> 00:03:07,160 So one of the most encouraging but unflattering. 44 00:03:09,200 --> 00:03:12,960 Metaphors that the Bible uses to speak about the people of God is 45 00:03:13,120 --> 00:03:15,280 sheep. The sheep of this faster it 46 00:03:15,280 --> 00:03:17,680 sounds. Sweet, it goes good on a card 47 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:21,040 until you spend time with sheep and realize how dumb and 48 00:03:21,040 --> 00:03:26,080 obdurate and needy they are. Sheep are not what you want to 49 00:03:26,080 --> 00:03:28,080 be. There's there's never been a kid 50 00:03:28,480 --> 00:03:32,640 who who lays in bed at night staying awake that that God 51 00:03:32,640 --> 00:03:35,760 would only give. Him the, the, the speed of a 52 00:03:35,760 --> 00:03:38,080 sheep, right? We think about cheetahs, we 53 00:03:38,080 --> 00:03:40,800 think about bears, we think about lions, any other cool 54 00:03:40,800 --> 00:03:45,920 animals, but God calls us sheep. And in this text, Christ the 55 00:03:45,920 --> 00:03:50,240 great Shepherd is going to remind us that he is our 56 00:03:50,240 --> 00:03:52,720 shepherd and that we are his sheep. 57 00:03:52,720 --> 00:03:55,440 And I want to, I want to meditate on this text with you 58 00:03:55,440 --> 00:03:57,960 and then speak to you about these things. 59 00:03:58,280 --> 00:04:01,680 Trying to apply them when we when we get to the to the end. 60 00:04:01,680 --> 00:04:04,560 So in verses one through 6. I want to show you that that 61 00:04:04,560 --> 00:04:07,720 Christ is both shed and shepherd. 62 00:04:08,240 --> 00:04:11,920 He's he's he's the paddock where the sheep are stored and he's 63 00:04:11,920 --> 00:04:14,840 the shepherd to whom belong the sheep. 64 00:04:14,920 --> 00:04:19,040 So in in verse one, Jesus says in in response to what had. 65 00:04:19,040 --> 00:04:22,079 Happened with the healing of the blind man and John Chapter 9 66 00:04:22,840 --> 00:04:27,920 Jesus says truly, truly. I say to you, he who does not 67 00:04:27,920 --> 00:04:31,720 enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs in by another way, 68 00:04:31,720 --> 00:04:35,680 that man is a thief and a robber, but he who enters by the 69 00:04:35,680 --> 00:04:37,360 door is the. Shepherd of the. 70 00:04:37,360 --> 00:04:39,440 Sheep. And to him the gatekeeper opens. 71 00:04:39,640 --> 00:04:41,640 The sheep hears voice, and he calls. 72 00:04:41,640 --> 00:04:44,000 His own sheep by name and leaves them out. 73 00:04:44,680 --> 00:04:46,240 OK, so. A couple of words here. 74 00:04:46,280 --> 00:04:47,800 First off, just a word of context. 75 00:04:47,800 --> 00:04:52,080 Do you remember the this same context goes all the way back to 76 00:04:52,080 --> 00:04:54,120 John chapter 8? Maybe you do not remember that, 77 00:04:54,640 --> 00:04:57,280 but Jesus preached a message in John chapter. 78 00:04:57,280 --> 00:05:00,640 Eight that got him that the the Jews picked up stones to stone. 79 00:05:00,640 --> 00:05:04,200 Him and that he leaves the temple at the end of John 80 00:05:04,200 --> 00:05:07,200 chapter 8 and at the beginning of John Chapter 9, he sees a man 81 00:05:07,200 --> 00:05:09,760 born blind from birth, and he restores his sight. 82 00:05:10,080 --> 00:05:12,720 And it's this. Weird irony that John paints for 83 00:05:12,720 --> 00:05:15,160 us that the only guy in the whole. 84 00:05:15,160 --> 00:05:18,640 Text that can actually see. Is a man who's been born blind 85 00:05:18,640 --> 00:05:21,240 and he doesn't even see until the very end. 86 00:05:21,760 --> 00:05:25,080 But all throughout there's this mega theme in that text of the 87 00:05:25,080 --> 00:05:30,080 religious leaders hating and persecuting Christ for healing 88 00:05:30,080 --> 00:05:34,440 his people. And this text ends in verse in 89 00:05:34,440 --> 00:05:37,680 chapter 10, verse 31. This, it doesn't end here, but 90 00:05:37,680 --> 00:05:41,640 it continues the same theme. The Jews picked up stones again 91 00:05:41,640 --> 00:05:45,200 to stone him. And so it's this idea of Jesus 92 00:05:45,200 --> 00:05:48,520 the Good Shepherd coming to his people and the religious leaders 93 00:05:48,520 --> 00:05:52,280 hate him because as he's going to teach us in this text, the 94 00:05:52,280 --> 00:05:57,160 religious leader of that day were thieves and robbers. 95 00:05:57,240 --> 00:06:01,120 They were not good shepherds. So something that we need to 96 00:06:01,120 --> 00:06:04,520 understand about when Jesus says when he's talking about the 97 00:06:04,520 --> 00:06:11,360 sheepfold in in this time we're told that that public places, 98 00:06:11,400 --> 00:06:13,040 all the shepherds would bring their own. 99 00:06:13,040 --> 00:06:14,840 Flocks into the same paddock. It was a. 100 00:06:14,840 --> 00:06:17,240 Walled place with one door and a watchman. 101 00:06:17,560 --> 00:06:19,160 And so. All of us, all the men of the 102 00:06:19,160 --> 00:06:21,880 church who have sheep, we all take them to the same place, put 103 00:06:21,880 --> 00:06:22,920 them in. And then in the. 104 00:06:22,920 --> 00:06:24,240 Morning. When we want to lead them out to 105 00:06:24,240 --> 00:06:27,480 pasture, the question is how do we sort them out? 106 00:06:27,760 --> 00:06:31,920 And the answer is, I have spent enough time with my sheep that I 107 00:06:31,920 --> 00:06:35,000 know them by name, and when I call them, they recognize my 108 00:06:35,000 --> 00:06:36,800 voice and they won't follow anybody else. 109 00:06:37,240 --> 00:06:39,040 So some other. Guy can say here's a little 110 00:06:39,040 --> 00:06:40,760 fluffy or whatever. All he wants. 111 00:06:40,920 --> 00:06:42,720 They're not going to follow that guy. 112 00:06:43,440 --> 00:06:45,920 And so you have, you have in this picture, you have the 113 00:06:45,920 --> 00:06:48,880 public sort of pin for the sheep. 114 00:06:49,400 --> 00:06:53,240 You have the one door and that door has a watchman that won't 115 00:06:53,240 --> 00:06:56,040 let strangers in. And then there are two types of 116 00:06:56,040 --> 00:06:59,120 people that try and get into the sheep paddock. 117 00:06:59,120 --> 00:07:03,120 The 1st is thieves and robbers. Those who are climbing over the 118 00:07:03,120 --> 00:07:05,640 wall, they don't go to the door because they won't be let in, 119 00:07:06,400 --> 00:07:08,200 right? So you think about like driving 120 00:07:08,200 --> 00:07:11,800 through a neighborhood. If you see a man in the middle 121 00:07:11,800 --> 00:07:14,160 of the night standing at the front door of the house and he's 122 00:07:14,160 --> 00:07:17,200 got a key and he's working with a light to try and get the key 123 00:07:17,200 --> 00:07:20,840 in, you're not going to call the cops like it's it's, he's coming 124 00:07:20,840 --> 00:07:23,640 home late. But if you if you're driving 125 00:07:23,640 --> 00:07:26,480 through and the city at night and you look over and there's a 126 00:07:26,480 --> 00:07:31,840 guy breaking a window, you might call the cops and it might be a 127 00:07:31,840 --> 00:07:34,680 situation where maybe he forgot his key and he has to break his. 128 00:07:34,680 --> 00:07:36,880 Own window, but we'll let the cops sort that out. 129 00:07:37,120 --> 00:07:40,440 We just know by the by the optics of it, he does not. 130 00:07:40,440 --> 00:07:41,880 Belong there, it's not his house. 131 00:07:42,440 --> 00:07:44,520 Jesus is saying the same thing about the thieves and the 132 00:07:44,520 --> 00:07:46,600 robbers. Those who try and break in. 133 00:07:46,600 --> 00:07:50,040 To to get the sheep are thieves. And robbers. 134 00:07:50,480 --> 00:07:53,200 But you also have another person coming into the paddock and 135 00:07:53,200 --> 00:07:56,480 that's the Good Shepherd. And he is recognized by the 136 00:07:56,480 --> 00:08:00,640 gatekeeper and his own sheep. Both the gatekeeper and his own 137 00:08:00,640 --> 00:08:05,440 sheep recognize him. It's it's a John tells us this 138 00:08:05,440 --> 00:08:08,080 is a, a figure of speech. And so we want to be careful not 139 00:08:08,080 --> 00:08:11,560 to push it too far and get too much into the details. 140 00:08:11,960 --> 00:08:14,280 But if you think. About who might be the 141 00:08:14,280 --> 00:08:18,800 gatekeeper in this context of of Christ coming to his own, the 142 00:08:18,800 --> 00:08:20,680 sheep hearing his voice. Who's the guy? 143 00:08:20,880 --> 00:08:24,160 Who's the gatekeeper guarding? Well, I think you can make an 144 00:08:24,160 --> 00:08:25,480 argument. I'm not going to fight you. 145 00:08:25,480 --> 00:08:28,680 For it, but I think. It's the Holy Spirit who is 146 00:08:28,680 --> 00:08:32,880 performing the words. He is performing the miracles 147 00:08:32,880 --> 00:08:36,720 and the and the and blessing the words of Christ as, as Christ 148 00:08:36,720 --> 00:08:39,799 comes to his people and says, I am the Messiah, I am your 149 00:08:39,799 --> 00:08:44,200 savior, that the Holy Spirit is testifying to him to Israel that 150 00:08:44,200 --> 00:08:48,480 they might follow. And so you have, you have in, in 151 00:08:48,480 --> 00:08:53,440 Chapter 9, verse 30, Luke in Chapter 9, verse 30, you have 152 00:08:54,280 --> 00:08:58,160 the, the, the religious leaders are grilling this man who has 153 00:08:58,160 --> 00:09:02,440 been born blind and, and they say in verse 29, actually, we 154 00:09:02,440 --> 00:09:06,000 know that God has spoken to Moses, But As for this man, we 155 00:09:06,000 --> 00:09:09,200 don't know where he comes from. We don't know who this guy is. 156 00:09:09,200 --> 00:09:10,600 We do know Moses was sent by God. 157 00:09:10,600 --> 00:09:12,040 We don't know about this Jesus guy. 158 00:09:12,040 --> 00:09:16,520 And then the blind guy very sarcastically says why this is 159 00:09:16,520 --> 00:09:19,800 an amazing thing. You do not know where he comes 160 00:09:19,800 --> 00:09:21,480 from and yet he has opened my eyes. 161 00:09:22,400 --> 00:09:24,600 How many of you have ever seen this before? 162 00:09:24,720 --> 00:09:27,120 That a man born blind can have his sight restored? 163 00:09:27,120 --> 00:09:29,760 It's never happened. So the so the. 164 00:09:29,760 --> 00:09:33,640 Work of Christ through the Holy Spirit is testifying to the 165 00:09:33,640 --> 00:09:35,480 identity of Christ. He he goes on. 166 00:09:35,680 --> 00:09:38,880 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a 167 00:09:38,880 --> 00:09:42,040 worshipper of God and does His will, God listens to him. 168 00:09:42,480 --> 00:09:46,120 Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone open 169 00:09:46,120 --> 00:09:49,640 the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, 170 00:09:49,640 --> 00:09:53,240 he could do nothing. And they answered him, You were 171 00:09:53,240 --> 00:09:56,400 born in utter sin. And would you teach us and they 172 00:09:56,400 --> 00:09:58,520 cast it out. So do you see the the metaphor 173 00:09:58,520 --> 00:10:02,240 there you've got the Holy Spirit through the works and the words 174 00:10:02,240 --> 00:10:07,360 of Christ is testifying to Israel and that that Christ is 175 00:10:07,360 --> 00:10:07,960 the Messiah. He's. 176 00:10:07,960 --> 00:10:11,720 The gatekeeper he is, He is showing to Israel that Christ is 177 00:10:11,720 --> 00:10:13,800 Lord and they're just rejecting. Let me say this. 178 00:10:13,800 --> 00:10:19,240 In passing, because a lot of tender hearted Christians fear 179 00:10:19,360 --> 00:10:21,440 lest they commit the blasphemy of the Holy. 180 00:10:21,440 --> 00:10:23,840 Spirit, the one unforgivable sin. 181 00:10:24,520 --> 00:10:27,960 Let me put that in the context of the Gospels where the 182 00:10:27,960 --> 00:10:32,400 blasphemy of the Holy Spirit in context Christ by the agency of 183 00:10:32,400 --> 00:10:37,000 the Holy Spirit is, is miraculously casting out demons 184 00:10:37,000 --> 00:10:39,280 and healing the sick and restoring sight to the blind. 185 00:10:39,680 --> 00:10:43,080 And the Pharisees look at the witness of the Holy Spirit 186 00:10:43,440 --> 00:10:45,960 showing them that Christ is who he says he is. 187 00:10:46,200 --> 00:10:49,640 And they say it's not the Holy Spirit, it's it's the devil. 188 00:10:50,040 --> 00:10:52,400 And they attribute the work of God to Satan. 189 00:10:52,800 --> 00:10:56,240 And so that is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, which protects 190 00:10:56,280 --> 00:11:00,680 us or blinds us from seeing the glory of God in the face of 191 00:11:00,680 --> 00:11:04,200 Christ and believing in him. So if you're a tender hearted 192 00:11:04,200 --> 00:11:06,720 Christian and you're here saying, man, I'm just terrified 193 00:11:07,240 --> 00:11:10,120 that I might have committed the. Blasphemy of the holy. 194 00:11:10,120 --> 00:11:12,600 Spirit, relax. Relax. 195 00:11:12,680 --> 00:11:15,360 If you care about that, you haven't done it. 196 00:11:15,960 --> 00:11:19,240 If you if the if the greatest nightmare in your life is that 197 00:11:19,240 --> 00:11:23,160 you would somehow fall short of benefiting from the Lord Jesus 198 00:11:23,160 --> 00:11:26,640 Christ, who you know is Messiah you. 199 00:11:26,640 --> 00:11:28,960 Cannot have committed the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit 200 00:11:28,960 --> 00:11:32,280 because you are confessing Christ is Lord, so in this 201 00:11:32,280 --> 00:11:34,240 context, Christ. Is the Good Shepherd. 202 00:11:34,560 --> 00:11:37,320 He is anointed by the Spirit, calling his own sheep by name 203 00:11:37,320 --> 00:11:40,240 and leading them. His sheep are responding and 204 00:11:40,240 --> 00:11:44,680 following, but the religious leaders do not the thieving and 205 00:11:44,680 --> 00:11:48,000 the robbing Jewish leaders at that time don't like when the 206 00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:51,600 Good Shepherd leads his sheep out of their dominion because 207 00:11:51,600 --> 00:11:55,160 that means less wool and less meat for them to devour. 208 00:11:55,280 --> 00:11:59,080 They hate Jesus because he's setting his people free from 209 00:11:59,080 --> 00:12:02,560 their tyranny. They they crucify him for this 210 00:12:02,560 --> 00:12:05,680 very thing. OK, in verses 7, seven through 211 00:12:05,680 --> 00:12:10,760 10 you have Jesus changes the metaphor slightly and. 212 00:12:11,080 --> 00:12:14,360 And we're told it that Christ is the door of the sheep, and that 213 00:12:14,360 --> 00:12:15,960 he's also the shepherd of the sheep. 214 00:12:15,960 --> 00:12:19,440 So if you look in verse 6, it's very ironic statement that John 215 00:12:19,440 --> 00:12:23,320 makes this figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they 216 00:12:23,320 --> 00:12:25,600 did not understand what he was saying to them. 217 00:12:25,880 --> 00:12:31,440 He has just told us that that his sheep hear his voice, that 218 00:12:31,440 --> 00:12:34,720 he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 219 00:12:35,480 --> 00:12:39,080 And then as he's speaking, John tells us the religious leaders 220 00:12:39,080 --> 00:12:40,440 didn't understand what he was saying. 221 00:12:40,440 --> 00:12:44,080 What's the implication they're not of his sheep if you scooch 222 00:12:44,080 --> 00:12:48,360 over across the column? To verse 26 or actually verse 223 00:12:49,560 --> 00:12:54,440 verse 22 at the towards the end of this text, they the Jews say 224 00:12:54,440 --> 00:12:57,480 in in verse 24. Rather, they say to Christ, How 225 00:12:57,480 --> 00:12:59,040 long will you keep us in suspense? 226 00:12:59,400 --> 00:13:02,040 If you are the Christ, tell us plainly. 227 00:13:02,160 --> 00:13:05,080 And Jesus answered, I told you, and you don't believe. 228 00:13:05,240 --> 00:13:07,960 I've already told you. I've answered this question. 229 00:13:07,960 --> 00:13:10,240 You don't believe and he goes on to say. 230 00:13:10,720 --> 00:13:12,560 The. Works I do in my father's name 231 00:13:12,560 --> 00:13:15,600 bear witness about me, but you do not believe. 232 00:13:17,080 --> 00:13:20,720 What's the next phrase? Because you need more proof. 233 00:13:21,720 --> 00:13:23,400 You don't believe. Because you need me to tell you 234 00:13:23,400 --> 00:13:25,200 straight up and I'm speaking in mystery. 235 00:13:25,240 --> 00:13:28,840 What does he say? You do not believe because you 236 00:13:28,840 --> 00:13:33,640 are not among my sheep, my sheep, they're they're 237 00:13:33,680 --> 00:13:39,520 overarching mark of my sheep as that my sheep hear my voice and 238 00:13:39,520 --> 00:13:43,280 I know them and they follow me. So he's speaking to them and 239 00:13:43,280 --> 00:13:45,840 they do not understand or recognize his voice. 240 00:13:46,240 --> 00:13:50,360 Now in verse 7, chapter 10, Jesus again said to them, Truly, 241 00:13:50,360 --> 00:13:53,200 truly, I say to you, I'm the door of the sheep. 242 00:13:53,720 --> 00:13:55,520 All who came. Before me are thieves and 243 00:13:55,520 --> 00:13:57,760 robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 244 00:13:58,040 --> 00:14:01,400 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will 245 00:14:01,400 --> 00:14:04,480 be saved, and he will go in and out and find pasture. 246 00:14:04,560 --> 00:14:07,200 The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy. 247 00:14:07,600 --> 00:14:10,640 I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 248 00:14:11,520 --> 00:14:13,320 I am the Good Shepherd, so he's the door. 249 00:14:13,320 --> 00:14:16,600 He's also the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his 250 00:14:16,600 --> 00:14:21,200 life for the sheep, he who has a hired hand, and not a shepherd 251 00:14:21,200 --> 00:14:24,040 who does not own the sheep. He sees the wolf coming, and he 252 00:14:24,040 --> 00:14:27,760 leaves the sheep and flees. The wolf snatches them and 253 00:14:27,760 --> 00:14:30,320 scatters them. He flees because he has not. 254 00:14:30,320 --> 00:14:34,440 He has a hired hand and he cares nothing for the sheep. 255 00:14:35,080 --> 00:14:38,040 I am the Good Shepherd, I know my own and my own know me, just 256 00:14:38,040 --> 00:14:40,040 as the Father knows me and I know the Father. 257 00:14:40,320 --> 00:14:42,280 I lay down my life for the sheep. 258 00:14:43,640 --> 00:14:45,960 So a couple of a couple of things here. 259 00:14:45,960 --> 00:14:47,800 First off, that Christ is the door. 260 00:14:49,080 --> 00:14:51,720 He has not let anyone in that does not. 261 00:14:51,720 --> 00:14:54,360 Work for him. They are thieves and robbers who 262 00:14:54,360 --> 00:14:58,120 interact with the sheep in some other name than Christ in some 263 00:14:58,120 --> 00:15:01,560 other gospel. They have not been sent by the. 264 00:15:01,560 --> 00:15:04,320 Lord, they come to the sheep. So. 265 00:15:04,400 --> 00:15:08,000 She might ask, why would somebody come to rob, steal, 266 00:15:08,000 --> 00:15:11,200 kill and destroy the people of God, the sheep of God's pasture? 267 00:15:11,200 --> 00:15:13,200 Why would they do that? The answer is because there's 268 00:15:13,200 --> 00:15:15,320 always money in the in the people of God. 269 00:15:15,320 --> 00:15:17,480 There's always power in the people of God. 270 00:15:18,120 --> 00:15:20,160 You can go. To I would counsel you against 271 00:15:20,160 --> 00:15:22,360 it, but you can go to. A lot of Christian. 272 00:15:22,360 --> 00:15:25,200 Bookstores and look long and hard and not find. 273 00:15:25,200 --> 00:15:28,280 Christian reading in there. A lot of it is just abject 274 00:15:28,320 --> 00:15:33,240 rubbish written by men and women who know that if you call 275 00:15:33,240 --> 00:15:36,800 something Christian it it'll sell. 276 00:15:37,320 --> 00:15:40,400 If you call a book a Christian book or if you go if you make a 277 00:15:40,600 --> 00:15:43,560 Christian movie. A lot of which are blasphemous 278 00:15:43,560 --> 00:15:46,120 and and totally missed the thrust of the gospel. 279 00:15:46,120 --> 00:15:49,160 But we call them Christian and Christians bye. 280 00:15:49,160 --> 00:15:54,280 Because unfortunately, Christians are often like sheep 281 00:15:54,280 --> 00:15:57,800 without shepherds and so the thieves are always trying to 282 00:15:57,800 --> 00:16:00,880 break in and steal. Christ tells us he's the Good 283 00:16:00,880 --> 00:16:03,320 Shepherd in verse 11. And I want you to think about 284 00:16:03,320 --> 00:16:07,160 this with me. In verse 11, he says, I'm the 285 00:16:07,160 --> 00:16:10,280 Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his 286 00:16:10,280 --> 00:16:15,920 life for the sheep. OK, He says in verse 14, I am 287 00:16:15,920 --> 00:16:17,800 the Good Shepherd. I know my own, and my own know 288 00:16:17,800 --> 00:16:18,960 me. Just as the. 289 00:16:18,960 --> 00:16:20,400 Father knows me and I know the Father. 290 00:16:20,400 --> 00:16:23,080 I lay down my life for the sheep. 291 00:16:23,600 --> 00:16:25,160 I have others that are not of this fold. 292 00:16:25,160 --> 00:16:28,520 I must bring them also and they will listen to my voice. 293 00:16:29,000 --> 00:16:32,200 So there will be 1 flock and 1 shepherd. 294 00:16:32,720 --> 00:16:35,880 So you have Christ who is the Good Shepherd, lays down his 295 00:16:35,880 --> 00:16:38,760 life for the sheep and he does that in combat with wolves. 296 00:16:38,760 --> 00:16:42,240 We need to understand when when Christ is dying on the cross, he 297 00:16:42,240 --> 00:16:46,840 is not proving for us an example of how just to suffer for what 298 00:16:46,840 --> 00:16:49,120 you believe. He is destroyed. 299 00:16:49,120 --> 00:16:53,120 He is defanging Satan, disarming the principalities and the 300 00:16:53,120 --> 00:16:56,760 powers that dominated the people of God. 301 00:16:56,760 --> 00:16:59,920 He's laying down his life for the sheep in combat with. 302 00:17:00,040 --> 00:17:04,240 Wolves and he shows in verse 14 and 15 something that is not 303 00:17:04,240 --> 00:17:07,680 often taught in in churches, but it's. 304 00:17:07,839 --> 00:17:10,400 Very true and very. Precious, and it's the idea of a 305 00:17:10,400 --> 00:17:13,040 particular protection for his own. 306 00:17:13,040 --> 00:17:16,040 Sheep. He tells you that a hired hand 307 00:17:16,040 --> 00:17:18,079 is going to bail when he. Sees a wolf coming because. 308 00:17:18,079 --> 00:17:23,160 These are not my sheep, and I can't get my arm back if I if it 309 00:17:23,160 --> 00:17:26,560 if it gets bitten off by a wolf. And so if for somebody else's 310 00:17:26,560 --> 00:17:28,079 sheep, I'll gladly take his money. 311 00:17:28,400 --> 00:17:30,480 I'll gladly lead them to water when I can. 312 00:17:30,480 --> 00:17:31,680 But if a wolf. Comes. 313 00:17:31,720 --> 00:17:34,240 I'm not about to. Bleed for somebody else's 314 00:17:34,240 --> 00:17:39,560 livestock that can be replaced. I, I, I like my body much too 315 00:17:39,560 --> 00:17:42,720 much for that. But Jesus says in verses 14 and 316 00:17:42,720 --> 00:17:46,560 15 that he provides a particular protection for his people. 317 00:17:46,640 --> 00:17:48,040 And I want you to think about this with me. 318 00:17:48,240 --> 00:17:53,440 I'm a Good Shepherd. I know my own, and my own know 319 00:17:53,440 --> 00:17:54,560 me. Just as the. 320 00:17:54,560 --> 00:17:56,680 Father knows me, and I know the Father. 321 00:17:56,680 --> 00:17:58,040 Notice what he's not. Saying. 322 00:17:58,280 --> 00:18:02,160 He's not saying I have a pretty good relationship with with God, 323 00:18:02,160 --> 00:18:05,000 and then I have a pretty good relationship with my people. 324 00:18:05,360 --> 00:18:09,680 He is saying just as the Father knows me before the world began, 325 00:18:09,680 --> 00:18:13,000 there's perfect unity with the Father, relationship between the 326 00:18:13,000 --> 00:18:16,920 Father and the Son. And he says, I know my own, and 327 00:18:16,920 --> 00:18:20,800 my own know me, just as the Father knows me, and I know the 328 00:18:20,800 --> 00:18:22,720 Father. And he says. 329 00:18:22,720 --> 00:18:27,600 I lay down my life not for the world, but for the sheep. 330 00:18:27,720 --> 00:18:33,440 So we need to let, we need to let the Scriptures say what the 331 00:18:33,440 --> 00:18:38,280 scriptures are saying. Yes, John 316 means what it 332 00:18:38,280 --> 00:18:41,080 says. God so loved the world that He 333 00:18:41,080 --> 00:18:43,560 gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever should believeth in 334 00:18:43,560 --> 00:18:45,480 Him. Would have eternal life would 335 00:18:45,480 --> 00:18:46,800 never perish and have eternal life. 336 00:18:47,120 --> 00:18:49,840 God loves the world. You can tell anybody at any 337 00:18:49,840 --> 00:18:53,680 point God loves you. There is a universality in the 338 00:18:54,000 --> 00:18:56,000 in one aspect of the love of God. 339 00:18:56,880 --> 00:19:00,960 At the same time there is also the Scriptures also teach a 340 00:19:00,960 --> 00:19:05,720 particularity to the love of God, that we rejoice in that 341 00:19:06,600 --> 00:19:10,280 here he, he says. He says that I know my own 342 00:19:10,280 --> 00:19:12,520 sheep, and I lay down my life for the sheep. 343 00:19:13,080 --> 00:19:16,560 He says in in John chapter 6, listen to the words of Christ. 344 00:19:18,120 --> 00:19:21,160 I said to you that you have seen me, and yet you do not believe. 345 00:19:21,920 --> 00:19:27,160 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever 346 00:19:27,160 --> 00:19:30,240 comes to me I will never cast out, for I've come down from 347 00:19:30,240 --> 00:19:32,840 heaven to do not my own will, but the will of him who sent me, 348 00:19:32,840 --> 00:19:34,560 and this is the will of him who sent me. 349 00:19:34,920 --> 00:19:38,840 Then I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but 350 00:19:38,840 --> 00:19:41,760 raise it up on the last day. So the Father has given people 351 00:19:41,760 --> 00:19:46,320 to his son, and when his son dies, he lays down his life for 352 00:19:46,520 --> 00:19:49,040 his people. This is the same as in Ephesians 353 00:19:49,040 --> 00:19:54,120 where husbands notice we're not commanded as husbands to love. 354 00:19:54,520 --> 00:20:00,160 He doesn't say men love women like all men generally love all 355 00:20:00,160 --> 00:20:04,560 women generally. He says husbands love not all 356 00:20:04,560 --> 00:20:08,560 the women in the world, but love your wife as Christ loved not 357 00:20:08,560 --> 00:20:11,760 the world but the church and gave himself. 358 00:20:11,800 --> 00:20:15,600 Up for her. So there is a there is one 359 00:20:15,600 --> 00:20:18,760 aspect the Scriptures teach of the universality of the love of 360 00:20:18,760 --> 00:20:22,120 God and then Christian, you should take this to the grave 361 00:20:22,120 --> 00:20:24,480 with a with a wonderful encouragement. 362 00:20:24,600 --> 00:20:29,600 There is also a specificity taught in the Scriptures in 363 00:20:29,600 --> 00:20:34,640 numerous places that God has uniquely loved his people by 364 00:20:34,640 --> 00:20:38,640 name and called them by name. So there is a particular 365 00:20:38,640 --> 00:20:42,000 protection. There is also the unity of flock 366 00:20:42,040 --> 00:20:44,400 and shepherd. I want you to see this you bunch 367 00:20:44,400 --> 00:20:49,280 of mainly Gentile Christians. Jesus tells the Jewish leaders 368 00:20:49,280 --> 00:20:51,600 who are rejecting him. He says I have other sheep that 369 00:20:51,600 --> 00:20:56,200 are not of this fold. I watch the the definite term I 370 00:20:56,200 --> 00:21:00,480 must bring them. Also they will listen to my 371 00:21:00,480 --> 00:21:04,760 voice. So there will be 1 flock and 1 372 00:21:04,760 --> 00:21:08,080 shepherd. When Jesus and John 15 says I am 373 00:21:08,080 --> 00:21:11,640 the true vine, he is saying there is a false vine. 374 00:21:12,120 --> 00:21:15,920 There's another thing out there claiming to be the vine of God's 375 00:21:15,920 --> 00:21:17,040 blessing. On the Earth. 376 00:21:17,400 --> 00:21:21,280 And it's the at that point, the unbelieving nation of Israel, 377 00:21:21,280 --> 00:21:23,760 and he is saying I am the heir of Abraham. 378 00:21:24,360 --> 00:21:28,160 All of the promises of God are yes and Amen in Christ alone. 379 00:21:28,480 --> 00:21:31,600 And when Gentiles believe in him, they are grafted into him. 380 00:21:31,600 --> 00:21:34,760 We become the branches. And those who he tells the 381 00:21:34,760 --> 00:21:39,200 Jewish people in John 15, those who do not abide in me are cut 382 00:21:39,200 --> 00:21:42,920 off and thrown into the fire. Those who do abide in me and 383 00:21:42,920 --> 00:21:45,920 bear fruit, the Father prunes so that they'll bear more fruit. 384 00:21:45,920 --> 00:21:50,160 But there's one flock, there's one vine, and Christ is the 385 00:21:50,160 --> 00:21:52,000 shepherd. Christ is the vine. 386 00:21:52,760 --> 00:21:56,400 So there is unity. There's the unity of flock and 387 00:21:56,400 --> 00:21:59,360 shepherd that Christ. The book of Ephesians says that 388 00:21:59,360 --> 00:22:03,320 he broke down the dividing wall between Jew and Gentile. 389 00:22:03,960 --> 00:22:06,680 Jewish. The special people by race, a 390 00:22:06,680 --> 00:22:10,320 special people, and then the Gentiles, special strangers 391 00:22:10,480 --> 00:22:14,640 marked out for the wrath of God. Paul says Christ broke down that 392 00:22:14,640 --> 00:22:18,520 wall when he was on the cross, and he made the two one new 393 00:22:18,600 --> 00:22:21,920 people, the people of God, the Church of Jesus Christ. 394 00:22:21,920 --> 00:22:26,000 And so if you are in Christ, you have been grafted into the 395 00:22:26,000 --> 00:22:27,960 promises of Abraham. Paul says it this way in 396 00:22:27,960 --> 00:22:31,840 Galatians that it is those who are of faith who are sons of 397 00:22:31,840 --> 00:22:34,840 Abraham, not those who are just physical descendants. 398 00:22:35,000 --> 00:22:37,440 That doesn't matter. Circumcision doesn't matter 399 00:22:37,440 --> 00:22:39,960 anymore. It is faith in Christ that makes 400 00:22:39,960 --> 00:22:43,800 us recipients of all of the promises in the Old Testament. 401 00:22:44,560 --> 00:22:47,160 OK, last thing I want to point out from the text. 402 00:22:47,160 --> 00:22:50,000 And then I want to seek to try and apply it to us. 403 00:22:50,000 --> 00:22:52,120 Is I want to show you. The unity of the Father and the 404 00:22:52,120 --> 00:22:56,040 Son and the Person, and in the purpose and in the work that 405 00:22:56,040 --> 00:23:01,000 Christ comes for. He says I must bring them also 406 00:23:01,000 --> 00:23:02,880 in verse 16. I must bring them also. 407 00:23:02,880 --> 00:23:05,360 They will listen to my voice. There will be 1 flock and 1 408 00:23:05,360 --> 00:23:06,800 shepherd. Verse 17. 409 00:23:07,160 --> 00:23:12,600 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life, 410 00:23:12,840 --> 00:23:15,680 that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me. 411 00:23:15,880 --> 00:23:20,000 I lay it down on my own accord. I have authority to lay it down. 412 00:23:20,120 --> 00:23:21,880 I have authority to take it up again. 413 00:23:22,160 --> 00:23:26,680 This charge I have received from my Father. 414 00:23:26,920 --> 00:23:31,200 Whose plan is it that Christ executes in His life, death and 415 00:23:31,200 --> 00:23:34,040 resurrection? Jesus just told you it's the 416 00:23:34,040 --> 00:23:36,840 plan of the Father. We do not have a confused 417 00:23:36,840 --> 00:23:43,080 Trinitarian deity where the Father is is giving a particular 418 00:23:43,080 --> 00:23:46,400 people to Jesus and then Jesus dies for the whole entire world 419 00:23:46,400 --> 00:23:48,240 trying to save everybody. But come short. 420 00:23:48,440 --> 00:23:54,960 No, we have we we also do not have a a Christ who loves us and 421 00:23:54,960 --> 00:23:58,520 who is a a high priest and then a wrathful Father who hates us 422 00:23:58,520 --> 00:24:00,920 and who's angry all the time that that Christ is always 423 00:24:00,920 --> 00:24:04,760 placating. We have a Father from whom comes 424 00:24:04,800 --> 00:24:09,560 all goodness, all blessing, all gospel, all love, all mercy, and 425 00:24:09,560 --> 00:24:12,960 he pours out to us the person of his Son. 426 00:24:12,960 --> 00:24:17,440 And so Christ comes saying, I'm here to obey my father, and this 427 00:24:17,440 --> 00:24:20,360 is the will of my father, that I wouldn't lose anything of the 428 00:24:20,360 --> 00:24:23,760 people that he's given to me. So there's a unity of the 429 00:24:23,760 --> 00:24:27,560 Father, Son and Holy Spirit in your salvation and in mine. 430 00:24:27,600 --> 00:24:31,520 And if you want homework, go read Ephesians chapter one that 431 00:24:31,520 --> 00:24:37,240 just describes in breathtaking detail the salvation that God 432 00:24:37,240 --> 00:24:39,600 has worked on our behalf. And it breaks down very 433 00:24:40,000 --> 00:24:44,080 marvelously what the Father has done, what the Son has done, and 434 00:24:44,080 --> 00:24:48,680 what the Spirit has done all in unity to save his people. 435 00:24:48,880 --> 00:24:52,960 OK, So what? How would we how do we think 436 00:24:52,960 --> 00:24:55,040 about applying these verses The 1st? 437 00:24:55,040 --> 00:24:59,560 Thing that I would show you to apply is that we need to 438 00:24:59,560 --> 00:25:03,120 understand and refresh this idea that has fallen on hard times in 439 00:25:03,120 --> 00:25:07,080 our culture, and that is that Christ came into the world for 440 00:25:07,080 --> 00:25:10,000 judgment. We're told in other places that 441 00:25:10,240 --> 00:25:13,920 he didn't come to to to condemn the world, but that the world 442 00:25:13,920 --> 00:25:15,880 would be saved through Him. And that's true. 443 00:25:16,320 --> 00:25:19,320 That's true. It is also true that Jesus says 444 00:25:19,320 --> 00:25:24,360 in John 939, Jesus said for judgment, I came into this world 445 00:25:25,320 --> 00:25:29,280 that those who do not see may see, and those who see may 446 00:25:29,280 --> 00:25:32,400 become blind for judgment. I came into this world. 447 00:25:32,840 --> 00:25:38,600 Christ, his person, his work, His word, they, they have always 448 00:25:38,600 --> 00:25:42,920 and they continue to create division, and that division is 449 00:25:42,920 --> 00:25:44,760 judgment. When you, when you. 450 00:25:44,760 --> 00:25:48,200 See Christ as he's offered to you in the gospel, and you say 451 00:25:48,240 --> 00:25:53,080 that's the greatest news I've ever heard, and you run to it. 452 00:25:54,120 --> 00:25:56,840 That is the judgement. It's because he's calling you by 453 00:25:56,840 --> 00:25:58,960 name. Otherwise you would not care. 454 00:25:59,480 --> 00:26:02,720 When you see Christ and you respond like the religious 455 00:26:02,720 --> 00:26:07,000 leaders and you, you constantly naysay him and dismiss him and 456 00:26:07,000 --> 00:26:10,440 ignore him and accuse him of being an evil person. 457 00:26:11,160 --> 00:26:15,880 That is the judgement, that the the way you respond to Christ is 458 00:26:15,880 --> 00:26:19,040 the judgement of what you are. And here's the judgement. 459 00:26:19,360 --> 00:26:23,080 My sheep hear my voice, and they follow me. 460 00:26:24,400 --> 00:26:25,880 Have you heard the voice of Christ? 461 00:26:25,880 --> 00:26:29,160 Are you following Christ? If so, the judgment has been 462 00:26:29,160 --> 00:26:30,960 passed. You are his sheep. 463 00:26:31,200 --> 00:26:34,920 Secondly, we need to remember that there are thieves and 464 00:26:34,920 --> 00:26:36,800 robbers. Who wish to steal and kill and 465 00:26:36,800 --> 00:26:40,480 destroy God's people? If you think about this, if 466 00:26:40,480 --> 00:26:43,680 you're a shepherd. You have to protect your sheep 467 00:26:43,680 --> 00:26:44,920 from. Kind of a lot of things. 468 00:26:44,920 --> 00:26:48,240 First off, you have to. Protect your sheep from hurting 469 00:26:48,240 --> 00:26:49,720 themselves. There's this. 470 00:26:50,560 --> 00:26:52,480 We don't do a lot of audio visual. 471 00:26:52,480 --> 00:26:54,040 Here at our church. But there's this. 472 00:26:54,040 --> 00:26:55,560 It's one of my favorite videos of all time. 473 00:26:55,920 --> 00:27:00,040 The caption reads what Jesus must be like when he's when he's 474 00:27:00,040 --> 00:27:02,880 helping me. And there's this really deep 475 00:27:03,040 --> 00:27:05,840 ditch and all you can see is the leg and the hind. 476 00:27:05,840 --> 00:27:09,560 Quarters of this fluffy sheep sticking out of the ditch and 477 00:27:09,560 --> 00:27:12,160 the shepherd is is like standing over him. 478 00:27:12,240 --> 00:27:14,880 He's gotten by the back leg and he's yanking, yanking, yanking, 479 00:27:14,880 --> 00:27:17,480 pulling, and then all the sudden the sheep comes loose. 480 00:27:18,080 --> 00:27:20,200 Comes flying out of there, the shepherd falls on the ground, 481 00:27:20,200 --> 00:27:23,280 the sheep like lands. He does this like sort of shake 482 00:27:23,600 --> 00:27:25,320 and then he takes 3 or 4 bounces. 483 00:27:25,320 --> 00:27:28,400 Chop, chop, chop. And dives right back into the 484 00:27:28,400 --> 00:27:31,880 ditch. 5 foot down and the shepherd is in the same spot if 485 00:27:31,880 --> 00:27:34,720 you're a shepherd. You have to know that your sheep 486 00:27:34,720 --> 00:27:36,240 will eat things that will kill them. 487 00:27:36,760 --> 00:27:39,600 Your sheep will do dumb things that will kill them. 488 00:27:40,040 --> 00:27:41,680 So you got to protect them from themselves. 489 00:27:42,120 --> 00:27:44,040 You also have to protect them from one another. 490 00:27:44,040 --> 00:27:47,320 You have an aggressive ram That's that's ramming, baby. 491 00:27:47,320 --> 00:27:51,960 Sheep, you have to stop that they can be hurt by outsiders, 492 00:27:51,960 --> 00:27:54,480 so they can hurt themselves. They can be hurt, they can hurt 493 00:27:54,480 --> 00:27:56,080 one another. They can be hurt by the. 494 00:27:56,080 --> 00:27:58,720 Wolves on the outside. And a shepherd wants to protect 495 00:27:58,720 --> 00:28:03,440 his flock because he loves them. So a shepherd is is always I, he 496 00:28:03,440 --> 00:28:06,400 always has eyes on the flock so that he can protect them from 497 00:28:06,400 --> 00:28:09,320 themselves, from one another, from outside influence. 498 00:28:09,680 --> 00:28:13,120 It's very interesting that that thieves want to protect the 499 00:28:13,120 --> 00:28:16,240 flock as well. Thieves want the church to be 500 00:28:16,240 --> 00:28:18,400 gathered. Thieves want to build big 501 00:28:18,480 --> 00:28:23,720 churches that make lots of money because the flock can then be 502 00:28:23,720 --> 00:28:26,080 more easily fleeced and slaughtered. 503 00:28:26,880 --> 00:28:31,800 So as your pastor. Let me, let me exhort you that 504 00:28:32,120 --> 00:28:35,960 there, there are there. Are a lot of voices out there. 505 00:28:36,200 --> 00:28:38,880 A lot of them have open Bibles. A lot of them purport to say 506 00:28:38,880 --> 00:28:43,000 thus saith the Lord. I'm not saying that you should 507 00:28:43,080 --> 00:28:46,160 only exclusively listen to me. Please do not do that thing. 508 00:28:46,160 --> 00:28:49,560 There are much better teachers. There are great men out there 509 00:28:49,880 --> 00:28:51,800 who are faithful stewards of God's Word. 510 00:28:51,800 --> 00:28:54,640 Listen to those guys. But there's a lot of rubbish 511 00:28:54,680 --> 00:28:57,880 that some of you need to turn off forever, right? 512 00:28:58,760 --> 00:29:04,600 Don't listen to to Christian to garbage masquerading as the 513 00:29:04,600 --> 00:29:07,520 Christian faith. It's my job to protect you from 514 00:29:07,520 --> 00:29:10,720 wolves. And as one of my, one of the 515 00:29:10,720 --> 00:29:13,040 guys in our presbytery, the older guys in our presbytery 516 00:29:13,040 --> 00:29:18,040 said it's your job as a shepherd to protect your, your flock from 517 00:29:18,240 --> 00:29:20,280 wolves and podcasts for clothing. 518 00:29:20,280 --> 00:29:21,720 And I thought that was a great way to say that. 519 00:29:21,720 --> 00:29:26,640 So, so turn off the garbage. Thirdly, the Good Shepherd 520 00:29:26,640 --> 00:29:29,840 appoints, and this is going to be painful, He appoints 521 00:29:30,680 --> 00:29:35,000 imperfect under shepherds, OK. We are told that there is one 522 00:29:35,360 --> 00:29:40,400 senior pastor of the church, the chief shepherd, and he appoints 523 00:29:40,480 --> 00:29:44,040 under shepherds to tend his people. 524 00:29:44,880 --> 00:29:49,040 But everybody that he can appoint is an imperfect person, 525 00:29:49,040 --> 00:29:51,960 an imperfect pastor. And I need you to hear this, and 526 00:29:51,960 --> 00:29:58,040 I need you to lean into this, that that pastoring, pastoring a 527 00:29:58,040 --> 00:30:00,920 flock is very similar to. To a husband loving a wife. 528 00:30:01,040 --> 00:30:04,240 You'll notice, gentlemen, that when Paul says. 529 00:30:04,960 --> 00:30:08,360 That a husband you're to love your wives as Christ loved the 530 00:30:08,360 --> 00:30:10,240 church. Sanctify her with the Word. 531 00:30:10,520 --> 00:30:14,160 Lay down your life for her, nourish her, cherish her. 532 00:30:14,280 --> 00:30:18,320 There is no caveat for doing that. 533 00:30:18,320 --> 00:30:23,720 When she's lovely, love her, so long as she's easy to love. 534 00:30:23,760 --> 00:30:26,880 No, it's not there. You have to do that, and I have 535 00:30:26,880 --> 00:30:28,440 to do that. Scratch that. 536 00:30:28,440 --> 00:30:34,040 We get to do that because Christ has commanded US one way or 537 00:30:34,040 --> 00:30:36,920 another. And so in the same way there is 538 00:30:36,920 --> 00:30:39,440 New Testament command at the end of Hebrews. 539 00:30:39,440 --> 00:30:42,720 Where where your? Your commanded congregants are 540 00:30:42,720 --> 00:30:45,640 commanded to obey your leaders as those who are keeping watch 541 00:30:45,640 --> 00:30:48,080 over your souls, as many will give an account. 542 00:30:48,080 --> 00:30:50,080 Let them do this with joy and not with groaning. 543 00:30:50,200 --> 00:30:52,560 You guys do a marvelous job of that. 544 00:30:53,360 --> 00:30:56,720 But I want you to know that sometimes the commands of God to 545 00:30:56,720 --> 00:31:01,480 shepherds are. Are hard to carry out when 546 00:31:01,480 --> 00:31:03,240 there's not cooperation from the flock. 547 00:31:03,480 --> 00:31:05,840 Don't hear a browbeat here. This is more like a. 548 00:31:06,160 --> 00:31:09,360 You guys listen to me, y'all do a a much better job of 549 00:31:09,360 --> 00:31:12,960 responding to shepherding than I do of. 550 00:31:13,040 --> 00:31:15,640 Initiating shepherding. I just want to have. 551 00:31:15,720 --> 00:31:17,560 A conversation with you about how. 552 00:31:17,560 --> 00:31:24,560 We can do this better because this week at presbytery we had 553 00:31:24,640 --> 00:31:29,080 the oldest, most seasoned pastor in our presbytery gave us a list 554 00:31:29,080 --> 00:31:34,000 of about 7 exhortations for what it means to shepherd the flock 555 00:31:34,040 --> 00:31:37,680 of God over which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. 556 00:31:37,680 --> 00:31:44,680 And it was really painful. Really painful of of all of the 557 00:31:44,680 --> 00:31:46,080 things. Hey gentlemen, like this is the 558 00:31:46,080 --> 00:31:49,200 standard and every point there were seven of them was an Ouch. 559 00:31:49,200 --> 00:31:51,520 I was going to read them to you and then I walked off and forgot 560 00:31:51,520 --> 00:31:54,720 them at my table. But a couple of the ones that 561 00:31:54,720 --> 00:32:00,200 made me uniquely uncomfortable is he said and he quotes from 562 00:32:00,200 --> 00:32:02,280 the text that was my sermon text for this Sunday. 563 00:32:03,280 --> 00:32:06,400 Christ knows his sheep by name. He has a personal relationship 564 00:32:06,400 --> 00:32:09,320 with all of his sheep And and here's the thing, like. 565 00:32:09,840 --> 00:32:12,840 I have a lot of. Weirdness in my makeup that this 566 00:32:12,840 --> 00:32:14,920 is not an excuse, it's just an explanation. 567 00:32:16,200 --> 00:32:19,160 My family probably have have observed that. 568 00:32:19,680 --> 00:32:22,840 Some of the deepest wounds in the history of my life have been 569 00:32:22,840 --> 00:32:26,080 given to me two minutes after picking up a a phone. 570 00:32:26,760 --> 00:32:29,720 And so anytime my phone rings, I jump out of a chair like I've 571 00:32:29,720 --> 00:32:32,200 been cattle prodded. I hate the phone. 572 00:32:32,840 --> 00:32:36,800 And so the the idea. The idea that if I had a perfect 573 00:32:36,800 --> 00:32:38,520 nightmare of the day. It would be. 574 00:32:38,520 --> 00:32:40,960 I'm just going to call everybody in the church and say, hey 575 00:32:40,960 --> 00:32:42,080 buddy, what do you want to talk about? 576 00:32:42,760 --> 00:32:45,560 Like I, I, I don't, I, I don't want to do that 'cause I don't 577 00:32:45,560 --> 00:32:48,480 think you want to talk to me that bad if I have something to 578 00:32:48,480 --> 00:32:51,440 talk to you about. I love to to sit down and do 579 00:32:51,440 --> 00:32:53,920 coffee and have relationship for sure. 580 00:32:54,280 --> 00:32:58,200 But I'm just really, really uniquely bad at at. 581 00:32:58,200 --> 00:33:00,640 Picking up the. The phone and calling people for 582 00:33:00,640 --> 00:33:02,880 no reason. Now here's what's Here's what. 583 00:33:02,880 --> 00:33:06,920 Happens is if I don't do that on the regular then when I need to 584 00:33:06,920 --> 00:33:10,040 talk to you about something. I get in my own head about it, 585 00:33:10,040 --> 00:33:12,320 like I've got to call them and talk to them about it, but I 586 00:33:12,320 --> 00:33:14,160 haven't talked to them in a while. 587 00:33:14,480 --> 00:33:17,120 And it feels weird. And so I just, it gets 588 00:33:17,120 --> 00:33:19,720 stalemates and all of that. None of that is your fault. 589 00:33:20,040 --> 00:33:23,040 All of that is I'm, I'm telling you that so you can know some 590 00:33:23,040 --> 00:33:27,000 unique ways that you can pray for me because I want to do, I 591 00:33:27,000 --> 00:33:29,600 want to do better. I want to be close enough to you 592 00:33:29,600 --> 00:33:32,400 that I can know what you need as your as your shepherd. 593 00:33:32,800 --> 00:33:39,000 OK, So he, he, he made a statement, he said about, about 594 00:33:39,000 --> 00:33:41,120 prayer. So knowing the flock and then 595 00:33:41,120 --> 00:33:44,000 praying for the flock, pray with and for them, he said. 596 00:33:44,640 --> 00:33:49,000 And, and this old faithful servant of Christ told a bunch 597 00:33:49,040 --> 00:33:50,920 of pastors that needed to hear it. 598 00:33:50,920 --> 00:33:55,280 Gentlemen, prayer is not an accessory to pastoral ministry. 599 00:33:56,200 --> 00:34:00,040 Prayer is pastoral ministry. That's what it's for. 600 00:34:00,640 --> 00:34:02,920 And the reality is, if I don't know you. 601 00:34:03,880 --> 00:34:05,960 If I don't know what you're struggling with, if I don't know 602 00:34:05,960 --> 00:34:10,239 what what you're what's hurting, what, what needs help, I can't 603 00:34:10,239 --> 00:34:12,880 pray as faithfully as I should. I, I, I lift you up. 604 00:34:12,880 --> 00:34:14,880 We pray for you. You are a prayed for 605 00:34:14,880 --> 00:34:19,199 congregation for sure. But I think really early when we 606 00:34:19,199 --> 00:34:23,800 started, when we appointed elders, and at first it was, it 607 00:34:23,800 --> 00:34:26,239 was Aaron and it was Russ and I. And we, we said, OK, we're going 608 00:34:26,239 --> 00:34:28,520 to get into diligence of like, do you remember this? 609 00:34:28,520 --> 00:34:31,560 Like sharing a page where each of us are going to call 610 00:34:31,760 --> 00:34:34,480 everybody on one page. And then, and then Roy got here 611 00:34:34,480 --> 00:34:36,639 and Trey got here. And we, we tried to do this and, 612 00:34:36,679 --> 00:34:38,560 and we would come back weekly to pray for you. 613 00:34:38,800 --> 00:34:40,239 And a lot of what? We would hear is. 614 00:34:41,639 --> 00:34:43,360 Everybody kind of said we were fine. 615 00:34:44,199 --> 00:34:45,400 OK. How can I pray for you, brother? 616 00:34:45,520 --> 00:34:48,040 Oh, we're fine. That's OK, you're not supposed 617 00:34:48,040 --> 00:34:49,639 to like. Make up things that we can be 618 00:34:49,639 --> 00:34:53,320 praying for you, but the here's here's the big ticket. 619 00:34:53,600 --> 00:34:55,840 I want to be. Faithful to pray for you. 620 00:34:56,840 --> 00:34:57,640 In order to. Do that. 621 00:34:57,640 --> 00:35:00,160 I need to know what's going on, OK. 622 00:35:00,160 --> 00:35:03,400 And so I don't know how that happens. 623 00:35:03,400 --> 00:35:05,200 I don't know how we do a better job of that. 624 00:35:05,200 --> 00:35:08,200 It's probably all on me. But I just want you to know if I 625 00:35:08,200 --> 00:35:11,440 call you and it's awkward and it's painful, this is what I'm 626 00:35:11,440 --> 00:35:13,600 aiming at. I'm trying to be faithful. 627 00:35:13,760 --> 00:35:20,680 So the most important question that anybody ever asked me in my 628 00:35:20,680 --> 00:35:24,960 life was when I was 19 or 20 years old was Camilo Ardeela, my 629 00:35:24,960 --> 00:35:27,920 pastor at the time. And he said he goes, if I was 630 00:35:27,920 --> 00:35:29,960 trying to figure out how to provide for family, I was trying 631 00:35:29,960 --> 00:35:32,720 to figure out what to devote myself to with life. 632 00:35:33,240 --> 00:35:37,760 And Camilo said, hey, if God promised to make you excellent 633 00:35:37,760 --> 00:35:39,680 at anything, what would you want to do? 634 00:35:39,880 --> 00:35:41,480 I'd never considered this question. 635 00:35:41,480 --> 00:35:42,880 I would exhort all of you to consider it. 636 00:35:42,880 --> 00:35:43,840 It's a great. Question. 637 00:35:44,680 --> 00:35:47,480 I'd never thought about it before, but I had an immediate 638 00:35:47,480 --> 00:35:50,520 answer and I said I would want to teach. 639 00:35:50,520 --> 00:35:53,080 God's word to God's people. That's what I would want to. 640 00:35:53,080 --> 00:35:55,320 Do if God promised to make me great. 641 00:35:55,360 --> 00:35:58,200 I don't want to be mediocre in that endeavor because I think 642 00:35:58,200 --> 00:36:01,040 something really powerful happens when when men preach to 643 00:36:01,040 --> 00:36:05,360 God's people. But I would want to preach God's 644 00:36:05,360 --> 00:36:07,400 word to God's people. And I'll tell you my answer has 645 00:36:07,400 --> 00:36:09,720 stayed the same with this one edition. 646 00:36:10,960 --> 00:36:13,840 I would that God would give me excellence in the shepherding of 647 00:36:13,840 --> 00:36:17,600 His people, not just the preaching to and at His people. 648 00:36:17,600 --> 00:36:20,560 So if I were going to state it negatively, I want you to hear 649 00:36:20,560 --> 00:36:25,760 me on this, that it's the greatest negatively. 650 00:36:25,760 --> 00:36:29,040 The desire I have for pastoral ministry is that none of you, 651 00:36:29,560 --> 00:36:33,880 none of your marriages, none of your children would fall because 652 00:36:33,880 --> 00:36:37,760 in some way I've been negligent. In the duties that Christ has 653 00:36:37,760 --> 00:36:39,000 called me to. Does that make sense to you? 654 00:36:39,120 --> 00:36:43,280 I don't want you to fail because I didn't help you. 655 00:36:43,320 --> 00:36:45,760 I didn't shepherd you. You needed somebody when you 656 00:36:45,760 --> 00:36:47,760 were wayward to come and grab you and say no. 657 00:36:47,840 --> 00:36:51,480 We're going this. Way and I didn't that's I'm I'm 658 00:36:51,520 --> 00:36:56,240 terrified of that eventuality because Christ cares that much 659 00:36:56,240 --> 00:36:58,120 for for the sheep that he promises. 660 00:36:58,120 --> 00:37:01,040 Me a day of reckoning where he says what did you do? 661 00:37:01,880 --> 00:37:03,960 What did you do? OK. 662 00:37:04,720 --> 00:37:08,560 And so again, I'm, I'm telling you that so that, so that when 663 00:37:08,560 --> 00:37:13,560 we reach out and, and it's, it's inevitable that the, that the 664 00:37:13,560 --> 00:37:16,280 times where you're reached out and you and you have what feels 665 00:37:16,280 --> 00:37:20,320 like a negative or a rebuke or, or a, or a what's a discouraging 666 00:37:20,320 --> 00:37:22,480 word? That's always it's the hardest 667 00:37:22,480 --> 00:37:25,200 season in which to hear them. And it's usually the most 668 00:37:25,200 --> 00:37:29,880 important seasons to hear those things positively. 669 00:37:29,880 --> 00:37:32,240 I would stated this way that when the Good Shepherd calls you 670 00:37:32,240 --> 00:37:36,280 home at the end of your life, that by God's grace I would have 671 00:37:36,280 --> 00:37:40,360 been some ingredient in your life having been well. 672 00:37:40,360 --> 00:37:43,440 Lived to the glory of. God that that. 673 00:37:44,280 --> 00:37:47,560 Think, think about, think about standing. 674 00:37:47,560 --> 00:37:50,600 Before the chief shepherd who loves his sheep and being told 675 00:37:50,680 --> 00:37:53,800 being shown the fruit of your hand in the lives of eternal 676 00:37:53,800 --> 00:37:57,240 souls, that is, that is what I'm after. 677 00:37:57,240 --> 00:38:01,600 That's what I I long to be. Great at that, and I'm not, and 678 00:38:01,600 --> 00:38:04,280 so I'm asking you to. To pray for me, or at least I'm 679 00:38:04,280 --> 00:38:07,640 not what I want to be. So there are many aspects of 680 00:38:07,640 --> 00:38:11,040 pastoral ministry that I'm that I'm far too timid about. 681 00:38:11,320 --> 00:38:14,440 And I'm just asking you to pray for me and be patient with me, 682 00:38:14,640 --> 00:38:19,280 even though I have extended your patience far beyond the means 683 00:38:19,280 --> 00:38:23,240 of, of normal wear and tear. Because I've been your pastor 684 00:38:23,240 --> 00:38:26,360 for 17 years now, for better or for worse. 685 00:38:26,560 --> 00:38:31,000 And so, for better or for worse, your Chief Shepherd has made me 686 00:38:31,040 --> 00:38:35,480 your under Shepherd. And it is one of the great joys 687 00:38:35,480 --> 00:38:38,400 of my life to be able, Sunday after Sunday, to open the Word 688 00:38:38,400 --> 00:38:41,080 of God with you and to marvel at the mercy. 689 00:38:41,080 --> 00:38:49,360 Of Christ with you I love I love being your pastor to to not just 690 00:38:49,360 --> 00:38:53,560 teach the word with you not just marvel at Christ and ideas with 691 00:38:53,560 --> 00:38:57,040 you, but also to to to break bread with you to know the state 692 00:38:57,040 --> 00:38:58,720 of your lives to be. Praying for you. 693 00:38:59,360 --> 00:39:04,480 By God's grace, I have baptized a whole lot of you people and I 694 00:39:04,480 --> 00:39:07,720 have offered the Lord's Table to all of you on many occasions, 695 00:39:08,520 --> 00:39:11,440 and it is a great gift to be a part of the body of Christ with 696 00:39:11,440 --> 00:39:13,840 you. So brothers and sisters, I 697 00:39:13,840 --> 00:39:18,160 believe that Christ himself, the Good Shepherd, the Chief 698 00:39:18,160 --> 00:39:22,520 Shepherd, that he sent me to remind you again and again 699 00:39:22,880 --> 00:39:26,120 through word and through sacrament all the days of your 700 00:39:26,120 --> 00:39:32,280 life, that he loves you and that his body was broken for you, and 701 00:39:32,280 --> 00:39:35,360 that his blood was shed for the forgiveness of your sins, and 702 00:39:35,360 --> 00:39:38,800 that he intends to feed you on himself. 703 00:39:39,080 --> 00:39:42,560 And so, brothers and sisters, the Shepherd is calling you each 704 00:39:42,800 --> 00:39:46,720 by name at this moment. Don't be thrown by the fact that 705 00:39:46,720 --> 00:39:50,240 he's using my mouth to do it. Follow Christ as I bid you come 706 00:39:50,720 --> 00:39:57,280 and welcome to King Jesus. Let me pray for us, Lord. 707 00:39:57,400 --> 00:40:00,600 We. We remember that you are the 708 00:40:00,600 --> 00:40:02,880 Good Shepherd, that you lay down your life for the sheep. 709 00:40:03,720 --> 00:40:06,360 And Sunday after Sunday we come to the Lord's Table, where we 710 00:40:06,360 --> 00:40:10,120 remember and where we participate in the broken body 711 00:40:10,120 --> 00:40:14,840 and the shed blood of Christ in this divine mystery that is the 712 00:40:14,840 --> 00:40:17,560 Lord's Table. And so Lord I. 713 00:40:17,560 --> 00:40:22,720 Pray for these your sheep. I pray for the elders of our 714 00:40:22,720 --> 00:40:26,360 church. I pray that we would, that we 715 00:40:26,360 --> 00:40:32,280 would accurately reflect to them the care and the bravery, the 716 00:40:32,320 --> 00:40:37,080 courage, the the love that the Chief Shepherd has for them. 717 00:40:37,880 --> 00:40:41,360 God, would you take us up and would you love them well through 718 00:40:41,360 --> 00:40:46,040 us? And we pray, Lord, for, for, for 719 00:40:46,360 --> 00:40:48,880 thus for all of us, that we would all receive your 720 00:40:48,880 --> 00:40:52,120 shepherding well, that we would treasure it as a gift that you 721 00:40:52,120 --> 00:40:54,360 give. And so, Lord, would you take 722 00:40:54,360 --> 00:40:58,000 this moment as we, as we break the bread and as we enjoy the 723 00:40:58,000 --> 00:41:02,320 cup together. Would you draw near to us? 724 00:41:02,320 --> 00:41:04,000 Would you shepherd us in these things? 725 00:41:04,000 --> 00:41:08,440 Would you give to each sheep what he or she needs most this 726 00:41:08,440 --> 00:41:11,200 morning at your table? Would you feed us? 727 00:41:11,200 --> 00:41:13,520 Would you draw near? We ask it in Christ's. 728 00:41:13,840 --> 00:41:14,160 Name Amen.