Welcome to the Liberty Baptist Sermon Archives.
The message you're about to hear was preached at Liberty Baptist
Church in Easton, MA. You can find out more about us
or contact us at my libertybaptist.org or just look
us up on Facebook. And now we hope that this
message from God's Word will be a blessing to you.
John chapter 10, verse #11 is where we'll start in the Word of
God. And here in just a few moments.
You know, something interesting happened to me a few years ago,
and I think I might have mentioned it a little while
back. I've had the opportunity through
the years to be able to preach funerals here in Easton for the
two funeral homes that are here in town.
They know and have an understanding that if there is a
family doesn't have a pastor, if there's someone who doesn't have
anyone to be able to do a service for them, that they can
call me as a pastor to be able to come and to perform a service
and also try to be a spiritual help and counselor to the
family. And I do so as a volunteer.
They know that I am willing to be able to do that just as a way
to be a help and a blessing to the community.
Now, I've learned a lot about doing that over the years
because the first few times I did that, you know, it's well,
very awkward to be able to walk in to a family at their very
most vulnerable time and for the stranger to walk in and to
understand how exactly do you do a service like that?
I don't want to pretend like I knew the person because I did
not. But at the same time, I also
want to give them spiritual comfort.
I don't know their spiritual state because I can't talk to
them about it. But I would also imagine that
they weren't necessarily very close to the Lord because they
didn't have someone to call upon in the 1st place to be able to
do the service. And so I'm always honored to be
able to do it. But it does present a little bit
of a conundrum in a lot of ways. So one of the things that I have
done over the years is to be able to read Psalm 23.
The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want if could continue.
But I think you are familiar with it here this morning.
And the reason why I would quote it is one because the Lord is
that Good Shepherd and I want them to know the Good Shepherd,
Jesus Christ. But also because I find it's a
good launching off spot for a lot of people that maybe don't
know a lot about the Bible. Because even people who don't
know about the Bible know the Lord is my shepherd.
I shall not want. Even if they can't name that
it's from Psalm 23, they have some familiarity with it.
You know, it's interesting, one of those first times of which I
did it, I said, and now I'm going to recite Psalm 23 and I
have it committed to memory. And so I said, the Lord is my
shepherd. And immediately, as soon as I
said that, the crowd of about 100 people started saying.
I shall not want he maketh me to lie down in green pastures.
And I came to find out they were all reciting because they
recited in Catholic Church for all those years and they were
reciting. And I, I kind of want to stop in
the middle and say no, no, I'm doing this.
You're not supposed to be doing this with me.
It's my turn, not your turn. So I've learned since that I
said, I am now going to recite Psalm 23.
So you listen as I recite Psalm 23.
And that works out very well. You know, it's interesting.
So many people know Psalm 23. In fact, they can almost recite
it robotically whether they realized or not.
But what I've come to find over the years that there's a
difference between knowing the Lord is the shepherd and knowing
that the Lord is your shepherd. There is a difference between
knowing the Lord is the shepherd, but it also that the
Good Shepherd is your shepherd as well.
So as we continue to look at the characteristics of Christ as we
have here every Sunday morning just about for the year, we want
to look at Christ as the Good Shepherd.
In a message that I have subtitled I am the Good
Shepherd, you stand please for the redeemed God's Word.
John chapter 10 will begin in verse #11 where it says I am the
Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd giveth his
life for the sheep, but he that is a hireling and not the
shepherd who's owned the sheep or not seeth the wolf coming and
leave at the sheep and fleeth and the wolf catch at them and
scatter at the sheep. The hireling fleeth because he
is in hireling and careth not for the sheep.
I am the Good Shepherd and know my sheep, and am known of mine
as the Father knoweth me. Even so know I the Father, and I
lay down my life for the sheep and other sheep I have which are
none of this fold. Them also I must bring, that
they shall hear my voice, that there shall be one fold and 1
shepherd. Therefore doth my Father love me
because I lay down my life, that I might take it up again.
No man taking it from me, but I lay down to myself.
I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.
This commandment have I received of my Father.
Here is a great and bold proclamation from Christ.
A few verses before he says He is the door.
We're not preaching on that this morning, but He is the only way
to salvation. But then continues that thought
with the fact that He is the Good Shepherd, and we want to
see what that means this morning.
Why don't you be seated as we pray together.
Our Heavenly Father, I do thank you for this morning and for
this time. I do pray that you would help us
to be able to go past the reality that Christ is the Good
Shepherd, but that we can, each and every one of us say that he
is our Good Shepherd. Lord, I do pray you'd help me to
be able to proclaim this word straight and true as it is in
your book. And I pray that I could do so
with your power and authority and not my own.
And I do ask this all in Christ's name, Amen.
The Good Shepherd. The phrase we've heard so many
times, it's almost like it's lost some of its meaning in a
way, the fact that Christ is the Good Shepherd.
But being the Good Shepherd is not just a sweet and syrupy
sentimentality, but rather it's a very real doctrinal reality
for us to be able to understand. Sure.
Is it picturesque as we consider Christ being the good?
Shepherd. Absolutely it is.
But there's a bedrock doctrinal, a reality for us to understand
this morning that has very much to do with you and me.
Whether you're familiar with what a shepherd truly is or not,
whether you've seen a shepherd before, the reason of the fact
rather that Christ is the Good Shepherd is a vital importance
for us to understand this morning.
So we see in verse #14. Specifically, it says.
I am the Good Shepherd. Now I want us to start focusing
on verse #14 that epicenter of our text, if you will, today.
And as we have done over the past few months, we want to
start with what this word or this phrase is and then to build
out the message from there. But but the fact that Christ is
the Good Shepherd, well, how do we start there?
Well, we have to start with an understanding what is a
shepherd? Now we don't see many shepherds
today. Shepherds are not something that
are prevalent in this. Part of the world.
Today. But I think we're familiar
enough with the concept of a shepherd to know that shepherds
lead and guide sheep, that those sheep, those sheep that are some
of the more, well, Dumber of the animals that you will find in
the animal Kingdom, They need someone to be able to guide them
and to help them and to protect them.
That is the job of the shepherd. Just a couple months ago, we're
in Scotland. I was amazed at how many sheep
there were and how sheep would just wander around like they own
the place. In fact, in many ways they kind
of, well did own the place as they just wandered around from
farm to farm across the road. And there are times that the
people are late going from one place to another.
Is it because of traffic? No, it's because of sheep.
And so you might be a couple hours late.
What happened? Well, there were some sheep out
there at the shepherd had to come and round him up and get
him. Now, thankfully that didn't
happen to us, but it is something that does happen in
that area. What do they need?
They need a shepherd. They need someone to lead them.
They need someone to take them from place to place.
They need someone to be able to protect them.
This is what the sheep need. And so Jesus says that he is
shepherd, but he doesn't just say that.
And I want us to focus on the phrase beyond just the word
shepherd. But he says he is the shepherd.
What does that mean? The word the there, the word the
means a singularity. It means this.
There is only one. Of this type, there is only one
of this kind. If you ever watched a a football
game and they have the introductions and you know, they
had the first few snaps and then they show all the starters for
both teams and they'll announce who they are and maybe what
college they came from. And I love my son-in-law, Carter
Folger very, very much, but he's got this one big problem.
He loves Ohio State. Why?
I don't know, clip this and send it to him.
All right. I don't know why, but it's where
his family's from. I understand what it is, but
there's this peculiarity with those.
From Ohio State, whenever they do some of the kind of
introductions like that, they always say that they are their
name is such and such number, such and such.
I play this position and I'm from The Ohio State University,
and they always put the emphasis on the I'm from The Ohio State
University. Now, why do they say it that
way? Because they're saying in their
mind, there is no other. In Carter's mind, there is no
other. And I'm here to tell you there
are plenty of others, all right, But in their minds there is no
other. It is the Ohio State University.
Now, they may think it's a singularity, but the fact of the
matter is there's plenty of institutions of higher learning
who also play football. It is not just this one school.
But when it says the Good Shepherd, that means this there
is only one. Now there may be others who
think they are, but he is the shepherd, singular.
He is the shepherd, but he's not just the shepherd, but he's the
Good Shepherd. Meaning which meaning what?
Rather that none of the other shepherds that are out there
embody the goodly and godly characteristics of our Savior.
Now, there are other shepherds. The Bible calls them hirelings.
We'll look at them in just a moment, but they are not the
Good Shepherd. He is the 1.
He is good. He is godly in all aspects.
There is no fault to be found in Him, and that's our Jesus.
Amen. There is no fault to be found
Him. There's plenty of fault to be
found in us. There's no fault to be found in
Him. And the shepherd, the leader,
the guide, the protector, and so much more, that's our Jesus.
He is the Good Shepherd. But what makes him the Good
Shepherd? Well, there's two things that in
particular. He mentions here in our text
that make Jesus Christ the Good Shepherd.
First of all #1 the Good Shepherd lays down his life.
The Good Shepherd lays down his life.
Look at a couple of these verses again.
A few of these verses. Verse #10 says the thief cometh
not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.
I am come, that they might have life and they may have it more
abundantly. He says he is of the opposite of
those who kill and who destroy. Verse 15, as the Father knoweth
me, Even so, no, I the Father, and I lay down my life for the
sheep. Verse 17 and verse 18 are so
vitally important. It says, therefore doth my
Father love me because I lay down my life, that I might take
it again. No man taketh it from me, but I
lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down
again, and I have power to take it again.
This commandment have I received of my Father.
Now this is a very important point this morning, verse #1718,
on top of what was said previously, that Christ was not
tricked into the cross, that Christ was not murdered on the
cross in and of itself. Oh, I know He was put to death.
I know it was a cruel, A vicious, and an unjust trial.
But understand there's a very real doctrinal truth for us to
understand that Jesus has placed very clearly in verse #1718 as
well as the verse before, as that Jesus was not cornered into
the cross, but Jesus willingly gave Himself on the cross.
It was part of God's plan for this to take place, that Jesus,
when he said it is finished, He was talking about the work of
salvation that was secured on that cross.
And then he gave up the ghost. He was the one who was calling
the shots, if you will. This is important because people
will say well. Who, who, who put the Jesus on
the cross? Was it the Jews that put Jesus
on the cross? At the Romans that put Jesus on
the cross? And my answer is your sins put
Jesus on the cross, and my sins put Jesus on the cross, but he
willingly put himself on that cross for you and for me.
Why? Because he's a Good Shepherd.
Romans chapter 5 talks about how confounding this is that that we
very rarely would want to give our lives for someone else,
particularly when someone was very vile in their nature.
But yet Jesus knowing full well who we were and who we are.
Jesus knowing your sins and your iniquities.
Jesus, knowing my sins and my iniquities, seeing all he still
says, I'll go to the cross for him.
I'll go to the cross for her. You realize how powerful that
is. You realize what a Good Shepherd
that is. The Good Shepherd is willing to
lay down his life for the sheep. But there's another character
who's mentioned that I just talked to you about a moment
ago, and that is the hireling. The hireling, look down at verse
#12 it says, but he that is a hireling and not the shepherd
who's owned the sheep or not, seeth that wolf coming and leave
at the sheep and fleeth, and the wolf catches them and scattered
the sheep. The hireling fleeth because he
is in hireling and careth not for the sheep.
See, the shepherd historically was one, and particularly at
this time and place, was someone who was willing to be able to
put themselves on the line for the sheep.
Now, I don't know about you, but if I saw a wolf coming and I had
a sheep, I'd say this sheep. It was nice knowing you because
I'm heading for the hills. I'm just being honest with you
because I do that. You do that because that's the
way it works. It was not that way for them.
Why? Because those sheep were one
beloved companions. Because they spent so much time
together. That sheep represented the
economy of the fact that they needed those sheep economically
to be able to survive. Could we put it this way?
To the shepherd, those sheep were everything.
And it wasn't just purely transactional in the sense that,
well, I need these sheep because I need money.
There was a great and deep care for the sheep.
How would I know that? Well, let's consider David for a
moment. David was a shepherd.
He was a young boy and there was a time that well two times that
he was attacked by ravenous animals or rather his his sheep
work. And the Bible says that the lion
and the bear were both their counter attack by David and
David saved the life of a sheep. Why was that?
Well, because he took his job seriously.
He had love and care and compassion for those animals of
which he guarded. That's why he was able to look
at Saul and say the Lord protected me through the mouth
of the lion, the mouth of the bear, this uncircumcised
Philistine who is he who defies the armies of the living God.
But we see that there is that one, that shepherd that truly
loves, but there's the hireling who is the hireling.
The hireling is someone who says they love the sheep, but they
don't love the sheep. The hireling is the one who
really is in it more for themselves.
Sure, there's transactionality for those who were shepherds,
there's no doubt about that. But there was something far
greater, a deeper love that they had for those sheep.
It's why they would put themselves on the line.
When you were to calculate the fact of, well, you know, if I
gave up a sheep or two to this line, it probably would be
better because I'll be alive. They couldn't, they couldn't
handle that. They had to put themselves in
line. The hireling says this.
If it's me or the sheep, I'm out of here.
And I'll be honest with you, when I think of being a
shepherd, I've never experienced that.
But if I saw some animal that was about to be attacked by
another ravenous animal, I thought if that rabbitous animal
was done with the one animal, then he'd come after me.
I'd say, see you later. I don't know about the wolf, but
I do know plenty about snakes and I don't like him.
Say, pastor, there's some really good snakes out there.
No, there's not. Don't talk to me about that.
Look, you can believe what you want.
But I know I've read Genesis chapter 3.
I know where they came from. So what if you say, pastor, if
there's a snake coming, what am I going to do?
I'm out of there, man. The hireling says he is gone.
But you know, today there's a lot of religious hirelings that
are out there, a lot of false shepherds that are out there.
What are they saying? Follow me No.
No, not what? Paul said.
He said follow me as I follow Christ.
You know these false shepherds are literally saying follow me.
Read of a few years ago, a man named Sergei Torop, a man in
Russia. He has been running a cult
called the Church of the Last Testament deep in the wilderness
of Siberia since 1991. As the Soviet Union collapsed
after the loss of his job in 1998, he claims to have
experienced an awakening in which he adopted the persona of
Jesus. Now, here's his quote from the
this is from the The Guardian in London.
He starts by saying I am not God.
And I thought, well, that's a good start and it's a mistake to
see Jesus as God, he continued. But I am the living word of God
the Father. Everything that God wants to
say, he says through me, he said to the Guardian.
According to Russian media, Torop originally claimed that
Jesus was watching humanity from close Earth orbit, that the
Virgin Mary was running Russia, and then later proclaimed
himself to be Jesus. His community believes straw,
Orthodox Christianity, environmentalism, among other
ideologies. Veganism is enforced.
Monetary exchange is banned within the commune.
Cult members dress austerely. Count their calendar from 1961,
which is the year of Torop's birth.
Christmas has been replaced by a feast day on January 14th, his
birthday. Now we would look at a Sergei
Torop and we would very easily say this.
That's a hireling. That's someone who is not the
Good Shepherd. And the answer is, well, you're
correct. He certainly is not the Good
Shepherd. He is a hireling.
He is, he is a a wolf in many ways, as you would consider
someone who but in a hireling in the sense that he pretends to be
someone who will help your soul but who cannot.
But I will tell you that there's a lot of hirelings that are out
there that are a little bit harder to identify than Sergey
Toro. There's a lot of false
theologies. There's a lot of false thought
processes. There's a lot of false religions
that are out there. We've been covering for a year
world religions and cults here in Sunday school.
Why is that? Why would we cover falsehood
when we need to learn the truth? Because we need to understand
how to combat the falsehood from the word of God because we
encounter it in every corner of society that there would be some
in this corner who would say follow me and you will be saved.
There were some in this corner would say follow me and you
would be saved and some somewhere in Brooklyn, NY and
some are are in Utah and somewhere in the Middle East and
somewhere in Italy and some are in New York City and somewhere
in Los Angeles. The someone could be anywhere.
But the only real Good Shepherd is Jesus Christ.
Why? He'll lay down his life for the
sheep. He'll lay down his life.
So what does the Good Shepherd do?
Well, he, he lays down his life. But secondly, this morning,
understand this, the Good Shepherd also leads our life.
The Good Shepherd is to lead our life.
When you consider the many facets of being a shepherd,
there's two that stand out. One is that they protect the
sheep, and 1 is that they lead the sheep.
Once that they protect the sheep, and the other is that
they lead the sheep. And here's what we need to
understand this morning. Salvation is only found in Jesus
Christ. He is the Good Shepherd, but the
fact of the matter is that salvation in and of itself is
not the only reason He is the Good Shepherd.
Because you can acknowledge that Christ is the Good Shepherd and
salvation and then still deny Him in your daily life.
No, He's not just trying to call you to a home in heaven.
He is. But he is not just trying to
call you to a home in heaven, but rather the Good Shepherd
wants to lead and guide and protect you in this life as
well. That it's not just that He wants
to save you and then drop you off and say, well, I hope you
figure it out. I'll see you in heaven someday
and leave you. But it's His desire, through His
Word and through the Spirit of Christ that lives within us once
we are saved, that He wants to lead you and guide you and
protect you even today. Why?
Because sheep are not smart. And here's where it's
troublesome in this analogy. Where are the sheep?
And if you want. Christ to be your Good Shepherd,
and you love that sentimentality of Christ being your shepherd.
Then you have to also acknowledge that you're sheep
and that I'm sheep. It's tough thing pill to swallow
because we feel so self-sufficient in so many ways
and we feel so smart in so many ways.
Hey pastor, do we really feel like that in our arrogance
sometimes? Yes.
There are times that I can tell you just within my own life, if
I'm not careful, I can think, well, I'm doing life pretty
well. I preach this message and look
at how good it went. Look at how the church is doing,
look how the family is doing and look at this and look at that.
And it's almost like sometimes God has to remind me, you know
what? You're still sheep.
And then as I look at myself for who I am, I realize what on
earth was I thinking? If I preached a good message,
where did it come from? My own thoughts.
Or from his Word, if the church is doing well, why is it doing
well? It's because it's His church and
we're just doing what He's told us to do in the first place.
It's the family is doing well. Is it because I am the one that
builds a family or the the, the word of God makes a clear Psalm
127? It's the Lord who builds the
house. And if not, we labor in vain to
build it. Look at how much money I have.
Well, I can tell you I didn't say that lately, but look at how
much money I have. Who's the one that's truly
enriched us with everything we have?
It's the Lord. And that we would get into this
place. Well, you have to acknowledge
that you're a sheep. Sheep have trouble doing what
they're supposed to do. They have trouble going where
they're supposed to go. There's a story about 20 years
ago from the BBC. It's from eastern Turkey.
It says hundreds of sheep followed their leader off a
Cliff, plunging to their deaths this week while shepherds looked
on a dismay. This is just a grizzly story.
Consider this, 400 sheep fell 15 meters to their deaths in a
ravine in the Van Provis near Iran.
But. And it sounds humorous, but it's
not. They broke the fall of another
1100 animals who survived that. The dead bodies of those sheep
laying down some 20 feet or so ended up cushioning the fall of
another 1100 sheep who followed 1500.
Following one off a Cliff. You'd say that doesn't make any
sense. It does.
The sheep, because they do just what's in front of them.
They don't think about the deeper meaning.
They don't think about what's the consequence of this action.
What do they think about? I got to go, why I got to go.
I got to do it, why I got to do it.
And next thing they know, either dead on the ground or they're a
top of the dead bodies of others, only alive because of
the sacrifice of the others who had died.
As BBC story said, the loss to local farmers was 10s of
thousands of dollars. The sheep in the back couldn't
see past the sheep in the front, so they're unaware of what was
ahead. Matthew 1514 talks about this
when it says let them alone. They be blind leaders of the
blind. And if the blind lead the blind,
both shall fall into the ditch. When man follows man, what
happens? Man dies when man follows Christ
and the gospel. Man lives, not just lives for
eternity, but understands true life and joy and peace in this
life as well. So he's the shepherd for us.
Who are the saved? No, no, this doesn't just end
the day you got saved. This is important the rest of
your life. But what does this require of
us? Well, requires a couple things.
If you want Christ to be your shepherd, as He ought to in the
daily life as a believer, first of all, you need to have a
listening ear. You need to be.
Able to have a listening ear. For the sheep to hear the
shepherd's voice, they must know his voice and be listening for
it. There's so many voices out there
that are clamoring for you to follow.
Think of all the voices we listen to every day.
Have you ever considered that? How many voices you listen to?
The voices at work, the voice on the television, the voices in
the news, the voice on the podcast, the voice in the book
We read, the voice of the people that we just come in contact
with. We come across so many voices
every day, and I'm not saying that they're all bad, but we
come across a lot of them. We're in tune to be able to
listen to others voices. It's what we do.
You know, sometimes that gets a little bit blocked.
So we should acknowledge that there's some husbands that maybe
have some problems listening as is mostly women that are
laughing. They're OK.
But all right, guys, thanks for leaving me out to dry there.
But. It's important.
To be able to listen. Well, what?
Are we to be able to do with our Good Shepherd?
We listen to His voice. What does that mean?
Well, He speaks to us through the leadership of the Spirit
within us. He speaks to us.
Most importantly, through his Word, this is where he speaks to
us. People often say, well, the
Lord's leading me to do this and Lord's leading me to do that,
and, and, and if the Lord's leading do something the
contrary to his word, the Lord's not leading you.
No, no, that's your own. Flesh.
That's leading you to go. Away.
Well, I I just feel like this is what I want.
Well, that may be what you feel, but don't blame God for it when
it goes against His Word. Well, this.
Is just what I I want to do. Now we're getting a little
closer to where it is. Don't blame God.
Don't blame the Good Shepherd for leading in a way is contrary
to his word, that the shepherd can only lead in the way the
word. Leads for He is the living word
as we saw in John chapter 1. But what does that require?
We have to have a listening ear. He wants to speak to.
You through daily devotions. There's things he wants to teach
you every day that we're not just reading the book, this
book, this blessed book, so we could say we read it.
I've been to talk. To people before who will say
pastor, I've read my Bible, I've read it all the way through.
I remember visit Brother Vince and I made a few years ago, and
he probably will remember this as soon as I'm telling the story
of a gentleman we were visiting outside.
We're looking over his car and he want to show us his car, his
hot rod and all these things. And we were just trying to talk
to us spiritual things, but he was showing us the hot rod.
The Hot Rod's pretty cool, all things considered, but I tried
to change the conversation of the Bible and he's ended the
conversation with us. So I read the Bible every year.
That was the way he ended the conversation.
He just want to know. He wants to know.
He didn't want to talk about it because he reads the Bible every
year. And I thought.
Is just reading the Bible every year in and of itself to be
commended? Or rather, is it to listen to
the Shepherd's voice when he speaks to you?
Oh, to read it is. Good to read it yearly is good.
That's a blessing, don't get me wrong.
But what good is it to read it if you don't listen to that
which it tells you to do in your life?
All you can do is use. It as a check mark, or you could
use it as a source of pride. But you won't be able to do that
which the Lord has told you because you've ignored His very
clear teaching. You have.
To have a. Listening.
EAR, but you also have to have this a close proximity.
You know you could be listening for the voice of the shepherd if
you were a sheep, but if you were too far away from the pack?
You wouldn't be able to. Do that what you were supposed
to do when the shepherd would tell you and make the call.
A sheep that's wandered far from the fold cannot hear the voice
of the shepherd, even if he recognizes it.
This. Proximity.
Brings leadership, and leadership brings safety.
When you do. What God tells you to do, where
you go, where God wants you to go, what is that?
It brings safety. No, people tell me all.
The time I say all the time, but people tell it a regular basis I
want to join this church. I know this because I'm looking
at a bunch of people who said this to me at some point or
other. I want to join this church and
you know, in my flesh. I want to say, well, come on,
what you waiting for? Let me sign you up now you got
to go do the. Initiation fee, you got to go
through all that? No, I'm just kidding.
That's that's not the way it works.
But you know what I've gotten into the in the habit of saying
and not just saying it, but really believing it.
You need to pray about. This because if God leads you to
this congregation, this is where you need to be.
But if God leads you somewhere else, and I say this with all
due respect, I'm not saying to sound like a tough guy, but if
God leads you somewhere else, we don't want you here.
We don't. Why?
Because you need to be where God wants you to be.
So what do you need to do? Listen to the voice of the
shepherd. Pray ask the Lord to be able be
close to Him, to be able to understand His will for your
life. If a wolf.
Was to attack the sheepfold. We don't have time to talk about
the sheepfold here this morning. So much we could talk about and
it's why it was so important that Jesus said I am the door
before this, because you could only go in and out of the
sheepfold through the door and you can only go through
salvation to salvation, eternal life through Jesus Christ.
But if you. Had a pack.
A flock rather of sheep out in the countryside who would?
Be the safest. Would it be those who are far
away on their own devices? Would it be those who were just
in lockstep with the Shepherd, as close as they possibly could?
Why do you think Satan likes getting us separated from one
another? This how he attacks, this is how
he. Gets you away from the fold.
Why is church so important? Well, pastor, we can just watch
online. Pastor church was something four
years ago. Pastor churches are far too
compromised. It doesn't matter.
I can worship anywhere. I can worship on a lake.
I can worship hugging a tree. I can worship doing any of those
things out in nature. And sure, you can make those
arguments, but as you are away from the fold of which God has
given you and your family, what ends up happening is this you
are not close to him. You're not going to hear.
And attacks can come. God's given us a church.
God's given us a personal walk with him.
Why? So that we can be able to be
close to him. And I'm not saying that Satan
will never attack. Oh, he's going to attack.
Like sometimes the closer you follow him, the more Satan will
attack because they don't like it.
But you'll be under his protection and a safety, and
he'll help you. Makes me think of the old song.
We don't sing it much here. A lot of times churches will
sing it during an invitation. I've wandered far away from God
now I'm coming home. The paths of sin too long I've
trod. Lord, I'm coming home.
I've wasted many precious years. Lord, I'm coming home.
I've repented now with bitter tears.
Lord, I'm coming home. I'm tired of sin and straying.
Lord, I'm coming home. I'll trust thy love, Believe thy
word, and I'm coming home. And the chorus goes like this,
coming home, coming home never more to roam the paths of sin
too long I've trod, Lord, I'm coming home being what I need to
be close to the Good Shepherd. I want to be able close enough
to hear his voice. I'm going to be close.
Enough to hear, to be under his protecting hand.
He is not just the Good Shepherd, He's my Good Shepherd.
So what does this all bring us to here this morning?
Well, brings us to a couple of realities.
And the first is this, as I've already mentioned, do you know
the Good Shepherd in salvation? You say pastor.
That's the application every week because it's the first
application anyone can do in their life.
You can't get to the other. Places of scripture and all the
other commands until you get fast.
The very first and most important issue, the fact that
you are a Sinner under condemnation and that Jesus
Christ died in the cross. He laid his life down.
So that you would not. Have to spend an eternity in
hell, but rather that you have a home in heaven that Christ did
that and he didn't just. Do it because he was commanded
to he. Did it willingly.
And he did it knowing who you were.
And knowing who. You are, and he did it anyway.
You know, we're pretty despicable people.
I. Didn't think you'd agree with
that, thank. You all right?
That's good. No, look.
I know you take us compared to. Everyone out there.
I don't know. We're all despicable in the
sense that our sins have gotten us so far away from where God
wants us and. On our own.
We could follow these higher links, but it's the blind
leading the blind. It's just what it is.
So, Pastor, I'm just going to follow religion.
It'll get me there. It'll get you somewhere, but not
where you think it's going to go, Pastor.
I'm going to follow organized routes.
I'm going to follow organized Christian religion.
That's where it's going to get me to go in and of.
Itself. No, it's not.
You need to follow the Good Shepherd.
Now does the good. Shepherd want people to be in
Bible believing churches. Yes, there's no doubt about
that. Because the Bible says Christ
died for the church. Ephesians chapter 5, people
don't think about that a lot, but he died for the church.
He died for all of us, but this institution is paid for with his
blood. It's serious, and that's why
when we blow it off, it's serious.
Because you're not blowing off. Me.
I mean, who am I? I mean, I'm Adam Rivero, but who
am I? I'm nobody.
All right. Sometimes I had to wonder who I
am. That's, you know, it's like
what? Where am I going?
What am I doing? But no, who am I?
I'm nobody. Who is he?
Everything. He's everything.
So I want to be close to him. But you need to know him as your
savior. It's not about making you become
a Baptist. This is not about having you
join a program. This is not about trying to get
you to give to a building fund or a tithing fund or to
missions. This is about that we care so
much for your soul that we're willing to tell you the very
distasteful truth that you are a Sinner under condemnation who
needs a Savior, but that Christ paid the penalty as the Good
Shepherd. He gave His life for the sheep.
Will you accept that gift of salvation?
And the second question. For us here this morning who are
believers, and there are many who make profession of faith
here this morning, the question is this, if you're his sheep, do
you recognize his leadership on a daily basis As a sheep, do you
acknowledge his leadership on a daily basis?
The same Good Shepherd who is willing to give his life for you
also wants to lead you on a daily basis.
We make so many decisions every day.
I was reading. This some time ago we make
upwards. This is scary to think of.
We make upwards of 35,000 decisions a day.
Most are minute, some are large, but all lead you somewhere.
What do I wear? What do I eat?
Do I check the notification on my phone?
Do I read something? Do I finish reading it?
When do I go to bed? When do I talk to someone?
How long do we converse? What do we talk about?
Now I understand. Can you pray about all 35,000
decisions? It would be paralysis by
analysis. You would never be able to do
anything. What's he doing he's praying
about? Decision 4726 today like.
Was he ever get up? Well, the next decision will
come up after that. He can't stop praying now.
I understand. But the Bible also does tell us
to pray without ceasing meaning this that we go through this
life and an attitude of prayer that you cannot literally pray
about everything that takes place.
But as we walk in the Spirit, the Bible says you will not
fulfill the lust of the flesh. God will not.
Lead you into sin? What is he going to lead you to?
Righteousness. It's our flesh that leads us
into those things, you know, Is there temptations, life?
Absolutely. Is there difficulty in trial in
this trials of this life? Yes, there is.
But the Bible says the Spirit leads.
We will not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
Even when those temptations are there.
We will. Move along and say no, I don't
want that because sometimes, listen, you might be looking for
temptation. Sometimes temptation is looking
for you. I acknowledge that this.
Morning. But you walk in the Spirit.
You walk in the spirit of the Good Shepherd, and you will not
fulfill the lust of the flesh. Decision.
Making. Apart from the.
Good Shepherd leads to danger, but decision making with the
Good Shepherd leads to delight. That's alliterated, pastor.
But I mean, does that make any sense?
Decision making without the Good Shepherd's dangerous, but
decision making with the Good Shepherd is delight.
Could I remind you of that Psalm that I quoted at that funeral
some time ago that I'd ask you to listen to and not quote
yourself? I have to say that here too, the
Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want He maketh me to
lie down in green pastures. He leaded me beside the still
waters. He restoreth my soul.
He leadeth me in the past of righteousness for His name's
sake. Yeah, though I walk through the.
Valley of the Shadow of Death. I will fear no evil, for thou
Wert with me Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
Thou prepares the table before me in the presence of mine
enemies. Thou anointest my head with oil.
My cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall
follow me all the days of my life.
I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever.
You follow the Good Shepherd. That sounds delightful to me.
That sounds so. Opposite to the rat race of this
world that. Sounds so.
Opposite to that which the world tells you is the gold standard.
But is really. Nothing but a road that goes
straight to hell. Who are you listening to today?
The Good Shepherd wants to not only see you saved, but he also
wants to provide leadership every day as you acknowledge Him
and you follow him. But do you live life by your
wits? Do you live life?
By your gut and your hunches, I've had people say something
like this. Well, I've seen plenty in this
life, so I know what to do. And you might have seen a lot.
I'm not denying that. But I'll tell you this you.
Haven't seen as much as the Lord who created it all.
Well, pastor, I got. Pretty good horse sense and the
fact of the matter is most of us have sheep sense.
We need leadership. We need guidance and this type
of leadership and guidance that I'm telling you about this
morning is not just something that it's nice to have, It's
vital. I'm not talking about take your
multivitamins and your life will be a little bit better.
Throw in some. Good Shepherd, and your life
will be a little better. I'm saying if you issue the
leadership of the Good Shepherd, then you as a sheep will go your
own way, and that decision is a very, very dangerous one.
This is not a decision. Without consequences, it's one
that's real. Who will lead you?
Will you follow sheep sense or will you listen to that of the
Good Shepherd who gave his life for the sheep?
Thank. You for listening to the sermon
from the pulpit of Liberty Baptist Church.
If this message was a blessing to you, or if there's any way we
can serve you, please let us know by contacting us at
info@mylibertybaptist.org. Or you can visit us this Sunday
at 800 Washington St. in Easton, MA.
May the Lord bless you as you grow in His Word.