1 00:00:00,680 --> 00:00:02,760 If you don't mind, I'm going to have a seat today as well. 2 00:00:03,720 --> 00:00:05,480 Haven't been feeling the best this week. 3 00:00:06,200 --> 00:00:09,240 Tried to stand for first service and it didn't last very long. 4 00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:10,880 So I'm just going to have a seat for this one. 5 00:00:11,880 --> 00:00:14,760 First off, I want to say how many of you came to Thrive 6 00:00:14,760 --> 00:00:17,400 Women, men, how many of you snuck in? 7 00:00:20,200 --> 00:00:23,080 Well, I just want to say thank you to our team. 8 00:00:23,240 --> 00:00:27,640 I'm so proud of our staff that works here and Pastor Shane, 9 00:00:28,240 --> 00:00:32,759 Pastor Brad, everyone, Jordan Eli, everyone that works real 10 00:00:32,759 --> 00:00:36,080 hard to make everything happen. And I just want to say we are 11 00:00:36,080 --> 00:00:38,080 blessed. You know you're blessed, right? 12 00:00:38,480 --> 00:00:43,400 We got awesome staff members that are here and just making 13 00:00:43,400 --> 00:00:46,720 stuff like that happen. I also want to welcome Andy and 14 00:00:46,720 --> 00:00:50,240 Nikki Callas over there. Wave to everyone, our friends 15 00:00:50,240 --> 00:00:55,200 that left here to go pastor in Indiana and they're back with us 16 00:00:55,200 --> 00:00:56,640 this morning. It's good to have you guys. 17 00:00:57,320 --> 00:01:00,400 And today we're going to continue our series, The King We 18 00:01:00,400 --> 00:01:03,840 Need. And so I want to start with some 19 00:01:03,840 --> 00:01:06,000 audience participation. I always think that helps out a 20 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:08,000 little bit. So I want you to turn to someone 21 00:01:08,000 --> 00:01:09,360 near you. If you're by yourself, you can 22 00:01:09,360 --> 00:01:14,800 talk to yourself, but I want you to share what words come to your 23 00:01:14,800 --> 00:01:19,400 mind when you hear the word king, What words come to your 24 00:01:19,400 --> 00:01:20,320 mind? Go ahead, share with some 25 00:01:20,320 --> 00:01:22,520 people. Participate. 26 00:01:37,480 --> 00:01:44,960 All right, how many of you had strong, powerful, rich royalty? 27 00:01:45,880 --> 00:01:47,080 I haven't gotten any of them yet. 28 00:01:47,680 --> 00:01:50,880 Glory. Jesus. 29 00:01:50,880 --> 00:01:53,280 OK, Got some good church answers. 30 00:01:53,280 --> 00:01:55,920 I like it. What was that? 31 00:01:56,640 --> 00:02:01,120 Playing cards. OK, heathen. 32 00:02:01,360 --> 00:02:04,480 No, I'm just kidding. Playing cards. 33 00:02:05,160 --> 00:02:07,320 It's her last Sunday. She can say things like that 34 00:02:07,320 --> 00:02:12,000 during the sermon. Now you know what I didn't hear? 35 00:02:12,600 --> 00:02:18,280 I didn't hear the word shepherd. And Jesus is the King of kings. 36 00:02:18,920 --> 00:02:22,640 He's our one true king, but he tells us that he is also our 37 00:02:22,640 --> 00:02:26,680 Good Shepherd. And so we're going to look at 38 00:02:26,680 --> 00:02:29,840 John chapter 10 today, verse 11 through 18. 39 00:02:30,680 --> 00:02:34,080 And so you can stand with me. I'll stand as well. 40 00:02:34,520 --> 00:02:38,600 John 10 verse 11 through 18. You can read a log on the screen 41 00:02:38,600 --> 00:02:41,840 as I read it, and Jesus tells us about being the Good Shepherd 42 00:02:44,280 --> 00:02:46,720 starting in verse 11. He says I am the Good Shepherd. 43 00:02:47,720 --> 00:02:50,120 The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 44 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:54,520 The hired hand is not. The shepherd does not own the 45 00:02:54,520 --> 00:02:57,160 sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, 46 00:02:57,160 --> 00:02:59,320 he abandons the sheep and he runs away. 47 00:02:59,880 --> 00:03:02,960 Then the wolf attacks and the flock and scatters it. 48 00:03:03,440 --> 00:03:06,640 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and he cares 49 00:03:06,640 --> 00:03:10,440 nothing for the sheep. I am the Good Shepherd. 50 00:03:11,160 --> 00:03:15,440 I know my sheep and my sheep know me, just as the Father 51 00:03:15,440 --> 00:03:18,920 knows me, and I know the Father, and I lay down my life for the 52 00:03:18,920 --> 00:03:21,320 sheep. I have other sheep that are not 53 00:03:21,320 --> 00:03:23,800 of this sheep, and I must bring them also. 54 00:03:24,320 --> 00:03:27,720 They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be 1 55 00:03:27,720 --> 00:03:31,960 flock and 1 shepherd. The reason my Father loves me is 56 00:03:31,960 --> 00:03:35,000 that I lay down my life only to take it up again. 57 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:39,200 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own accord. 58 00:03:39,680 --> 00:03:42,520 I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up 59 00:03:42,520 --> 00:03:45,360 again. This command I received from my 60 00:03:45,360 --> 00:03:46,800 father. Praise the Lord, you can have a 61 00:03:46,800 --> 00:03:51,680 seat. So Jesus tells us he's the the 62 00:03:51,680 --> 00:03:54,440 Good Shepherd and there's four things we see in this text. 63 00:03:54,440 --> 00:03:57,920 But but the first thing I want to look at is that Jesus says I 64 00:03:57,920 --> 00:04:03,160 am the Good Shepherd. He doesn't say I am a Good 65 00:04:03,160 --> 00:04:06,360 Shepherd. He doesn't say I'm one of many 66 00:04:06,360 --> 00:04:09,720 good shepherds. He says I am the Good Shepherd. 67 00:04:10,320 --> 00:04:16,720 Jesus is the King of kings, the Savior of the world, the Good 68 00:04:16,720 --> 00:04:18,240 Shepherd. There's no other. 69 00:04:18,640 --> 00:04:20,680 I want to make that point today, and we're going to talk about 70 00:04:20,680 --> 00:04:23,920 that a little bit later. There is no other way to 71 00:04:23,920 --> 00:04:26,880 salvation and eternal life than through Jesus Christ. 72 00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:29,480 And so Jesus tells us he's the Good Shepherd. 73 00:04:29,480 --> 00:04:33,240 There's four things we see in the text that that I think are 74 00:04:33,240 --> 00:04:37,280 important and help us understand why he's the Good Shepherd. 75 00:04:38,000 --> 00:04:43,480 The 1st is in verse 11. When we think of a king, we 76 00:04:43,480 --> 00:04:47,440 often think of someone high up. We think of someone with with 77 00:04:47,440 --> 00:04:49,720 tons of power. We think of a conqueror, we 78 00:04:49,720 --> 00:04:52,400 think of someone who can lead us to victory. 79 00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:57,560 And Jesus was very powerful and Jesus ultimately gave us 80 00:04:57,560 --> 00:05:00,640 victory. But he starts verse 11 by saying 81 00:05:00,640 --> 00:05:05,840 the Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep, says the 82 00:05:05,840 --> 00:05:08,720 hired hand is not the shepherd, he does not own the sheep. 83 00:05:09,440 --> 00:05:11,920 And so when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep 84 00:05:11,920 --> 00:05:15,240 and runs away. And then the wolf attacks and 85 00:05:15,360 --> 00:05:19,000 the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he has 86 00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:21,720 hired A hired hand and he cares nothing for the sheep. 87 00:05:23,160 --> 00:05:25,640 But it says the Good Shepherd lays down his life for the 88 00:05:25,640 --> 00:05:28,840 sheep. The first thing that we see that 89 00:05:28,840 --> 00:05:33,600 makes Jesus the Good Shepherd is that he willingly laid down his 90 00:05:33,600 --> 00:05:37,200 life for his sheep. How many of you would just say 91 00:05:37,200 --> 00:05:43,400 praise the Lord to that? The Good Shepherd lays down his 92 00:05:43,400 --> 00:05:47,400 life for the sheep. Jesus contrasts A hired hand. 93 00:05:47,400 --> 00:05:51,360 He contrasts a leader that that doesn't ultimately love and care 94 00:05:51,360 --> 00:05:54,280 for you with the Good Shepherd, the Good Shepherd. 95 00:05:54,800 --> 00:05:58,760 The Good Shepherd is willing to lay down his life for us. 96 00:05:59,160 --> 00:06:03,280 See, he, he tells us here that that the hired hand does not own 97 00:06:03,280 --> 00:06:05,560 the sheep. They're they're just someone 98 00:06:05,560 --> 00:06:08,880 that's hired to do a job. So he says when the enemy 99 00:06:08,880 --> 00:06:12,600 attacks, number one, they, they don't own the sheep. 100 00:06:12,600 --> 00:06:15,680 So they're not willing to risk anything for the sheep or 101 00:06:15,680 --> 00:06:17,720 definitely not willing to risk their lives. 102 00:06:17,720 --> 00:06:20,720 And so it says. When the wolf attacks, the hired 103 00:06:20,720 --> 00:06:23,880 hand makes the business decision and runs away. 104 00:06:24,400 --> 00:06:27,920 Doesn't want anything to do with it, but the Good Shepherd lays 105 00:06:27,920 --> 00:06:31,480 down his life. The hired hand doesn't truly 106 00:06:31,480 --> 00:06:34,720 care about the sheep. Have you ever questioned whether 107 00:06:34,720 --> 00:06:37,200 the people in charge care about you or not? 108 00:06:38,120 --> 00:06:41,160 Have you ever questioned whether our elected authorities care 109 00:06:41,160 --> 00:06:43,920 about you or not? I hope you haven't ever 110 00:06:43,920 --> 00:06:46,640 questioned whether I care about you or not. 111 00:06:46,640 --> 00:06:51,840 I do love you very much, but I want you to know that the Good 112 00:06:51,840 --> 00:06:56,520 Shepherd loves you more than anyone could ever love you. 113 00:06:57,360 --> 00:07:01,800 The Good Shepherd loves you so much that he not only would lay 114 00:07:01,800 --> 00:07:04,600 his life down that that's a question we ask ourselves, 115 00:07:04,600 --> 00:07:06,880 right? We kind of judge our our friends 116 00:07:06,880 --> 00:07:09,920 and the loyalty by what would we give for each other? 117 00:07:09,920 --> 00:07:13,320 What would we sacrifice? Jesus says the Good Shepherd 118 00:07:13,480 --> 00:07:19,640 lays down his life for the sheep and Jesus, good news laid down 119 00:07:19,640 --> 00:07:22,600 his life. He came and he walked this earth 120 00:07:23,440 --> 00:07:25,920 and he gave his life on the cross so that you could have 121 00:07:25,920 --> 00:07:31,120 salvation and eternal life. The Good Shepherd lays down his 122 00:07:31,120 --> 00:07:35,360 life for a sheep, says the the enemy comes the the wolf. 123 00:07:35,360 --> 00:07:37,720 It it references here and, and I just want to be clear. 124 00:07:37,720 --> 00:07:41,560 I got a little side sermon here. The enemy comes and he sees the 125 00:07:41,560 --> 00:07:43,840 wolf coming. The hired hand abandons the 126 00:07:43,840 --> 00:07:46,200 sheep and runs away. But the wolf attacks. 127 00:07:46,200 --> 00:07:48,920 And what is the wolf attack? What happens when the wolf 128 00:07:48,920 --> 00:07:53,480 attacks the flock? They scatter, guys. 129 00:07:53,480 --> 00:07:57,240 A little side sermon here. A tool of the devil, a tool of 130 00:07:57,240 --> 00:08:02,440 the enemy is to scatter the flock, and we give in to this 131 00:08:02,440 --> 00:08:06,080 way too easily. When we go through tough times, 132 00:08:06,280 --> 00:08:09,040 sometimes our first instinct is to run. 133 00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:13,640 Our first instinct is to get away from others, especially if 134 00:08:13,640 --> 00:08:16,520 those tough times involve others. 135 00:08:17,960 --> 00:08:20,600 The enemy's goal is to separate us. 136 00:08:20,600 --> 00:08:24,280 How many of you have ever watched the the Animal Planet or 137 00:08:24,280 --> 00:08:28,920 any documentary of like the the predators in the wild attacking 138 00:08:28,920 --> 00:08:30,200 A flock? What do they do? 139 00:08:30,840 --> 00:08:34,919 They isolate one or two of them away from the flock and then 140 00:08:34,919 --> 00:08:37,200 they're helpless to defend themselves. 141 00:08:37,640 --> 00:08:41,600 That's the goal of the enemy is to isolate us because we're at 142 00:08:41,600 --> 00:08:44,400 our weakest when we're apart from the flock. 143 00:08:44,960 --> 00:08:47,960 So little side sermon here. This is, this isn't one of the 144 00:08:47,960 --> 00:08:51,600 main points, guys, don't let the enemy scatter you. 145 00:08:52,800 --> 00:08:55,640 Don't let the enemy push you away from the flock. 146 00:08:56,720 --> 00:08:58,920 That's when we're at our most vulnerable. 147 00:08:58,920 --> 00:09:02,400 A lot of times that the thought is, well, if you walk away from 148 00:09:02,400 --> 00:09:04,120 the flock, then the flock is hurt. 149 00:09:04,120 --> 00:09:07,240 And that's true. But, but more so, your faith 150 00:09:07,840 --> 00:09:10,680 will hurt when you walk away from the flock. 151 00:09:11,560 --> 00:09:16,840 But I've got good news. The Good Shepherd loves you and 152 00:09:16,840 --> 00:09:22,480 the Good Shepherd, we'll lay down his life for not only will, 153 00:09:22,800 --> 00:09:25,400 but has laid down his life for you. 154 00:09:26,040 --> 00:09:30,680 And in Luke 15, Jesus tells us the the the parable of the 99 155 00:09:30,680 --> 00:09:34,520 for the one that that a shepherd, if one sheep wanders 156 00:09:34,520 --> 00:09:38,680 off, what does the shepherd do? He leaves the 99 to go after the 157 00:09:38,680 --> 00:09:40,080 one. Why? 158 00:09:40,840 --> 00:09:44,240 Because the one is vulnerable. And so here's the thing. 159 00:09:44,400 --> 00:09:46,480 Don't allow the enemy to scatter you. 160 00:09:47,240 --> 00:09:49,280 Don't allow the enemy to separate you. 161 00:09:49,280 --> 00:09:53,760 But good news, the Good Shepherd loves you so much that he'll 162 00:09:53,760 --> 00:09:56,200 come after you. He'll come chasing after you. 163 00:09:57,120 --> 00:10:03,240 The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep guys today. 164 00:10:03,240 --> 00:10:07,720 Maybe some of you are are following things or leaders or 165 00:10:08,040 --> 00:10:11,400 influences that don't really care about you. 166 00:10:12,440 --> 00:10:15,480 They don't really love you. They're not willing to risk 167 00:10:15,480 --> 00:10:19,080 anything for you guys. The Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ 168 00:10:19,080 --> 00:10:22,680 gave everything on the cross for you. 169 00:10:24,320 --> 00:10:26,360 The second thing we see is in verse 14. 170 00:10:26,360 --> 00:10:31,320 I am the Good Shepherd. I know my sheep and my sheep 171 00:10:31,320 --> 00:10:37,040 know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father 172 00:10:37,480 --> 00:10:40,240 and I lay down my life for the sheep. 173 00:10:40,960 --> 00:10:44,360 Jesus says that he knows his sheep. 174 00:10:44,720 --> 00:10:46,720 Does this blow anyone's? How many of you have driven by? 175 00:10:46,720 --> 00:10:49,760 There's There's one place around here that I know of that has 176 00:10:49,760 --> 00:10:51,040 sheep. It's over on. 177 00:10:52,000 --> 00:10:54,120 Oh man, I shouldn't have started this. 178 00:10:57,000 --> 00:10:59,800 You listen to each other, Yankee and whatever other Rd. it is. 179 00:10:59,880 --> 00:11:01,440 There's a little place that has sheep. 180 00:11:02,600 --> 00:11:04,400 Thank you. Yankee and Princeton, they would 181 00:11:04,400 --> 00:11:07,280 have figured it out. It's OK Yankee and Princeton 182 00:11:07,280 --> 00:11:08,920 there, there's there's sheep there. 183 00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:10,560 Have you ever driven by and thought? 184 00:11:10,560 --> 00:11:13,560 I'll bet I could figure out exactly which ones of those are 185 00:11:13,560 --> 00:11:16,120 which. They all look the same to me. 186 00:11:17,920 --> 00:11:25,120 Jesus, the Good Shepherd knows his sheep and he's known by his 187 00:11:25,120 --> 00:11:27,800 sheep. I was in a, I'm in a pastors 188 00:11:27,800 --> 00:11:30,400 group that meets just to encourage each other every other 189 00:11:30,400 --> 00:11:33,200 month or so. And we met last week and one of 190 00:11:33,200 --> 00:11:36,480 the questions came up and the question was when a new person 191 00:11:36,480 --> 00:11:41,400 walks in, do you automatically recognize it and notice it? 192 00:11:41,880 --> 00:11:46,280 Or when somebody usually is there and doesn't show up, do 193 00:11:46,280 --> 00:11:48,680 you recognize it and notice it? That was the question that was 194 00:11:48,680 --> 00:11:52,080 asked. And I got to tell you guys, I 195 00:11:52,080 --> 00:11:55,080 wish I could tell you that I noticed every time you were gone 196 00:11:55,080 --> 00:11:58,680 from church. It's becoming increasingly 197 00:11:58,680 --> 00:12:03,440 harder in today's day to know when people are here or not here 198 00:12:04,160 --> 00:12:06,200 because people are here less frequently. 199 00:12:06,800 --> 00:12:10,640 The average used to be that like 3 1/2 * a month people were at 200 00:12:10,640 --> 00:12:12,200 church that were regular attenders. 201 00:12:12,200 --> 00:12:14,040 And now the average is much lower. 202 00:12:14,040 --> 00:12:16,080 They, they say it's under 2 * a month. 203 00:12:16,280 --> 00:12:19,360 And so it's hard to know whether someone's just missing or 204 00:12:19,360 --> 00:12:21,080 whether they're gone. And occasionally some of you 205 00:12:21,080 --> 00:12:23,040 come up to me and maybe you, this has happened. 206 00:12:23,040 --> 00:12:31,360 You come up and say I'm back and I look at you like, yeah, guys, 207 00:12:31,360 --> 00:12:33,560 I am, I am so sorry. I love you guys. 208 00:12:34,880 --> 00:12:37,400 I, I really, I really want to know. 209 00:12:38,840 --> 00:12:42,120 The church has changed a lot. 1 of the things I, I really think 210 00:12:42,120 --> 00:12:45,160 was incredible about my dad, who is the pastor here before me, is 211 00:12:45,160 --> 00:12:48,840 that he knew everyone so well. And when we do funerals 212 00:12:48,840 --> 00:12:51,840 together, it's amazing the stories he tells of the people 213 00:12:52,080 --> 00:12:55,720 and how well he knew them. And I want you to know that that 214 00:12:56,920 --> 00:13:00,360 that's an important thing. The Good Shepherd is relational. 215 00:13:00,360 --> 00:13:02,800 And, and I want you, I just want to say this guys, I love you. 216 00:13:02,840 --> 00:13:04,400 I would love to spend time with you. 217 00:13:05,320 --> 00:13:09,960 Please give me that opportunity. But the church has changed a lot 218 00:13:10,640 --> 00:13:13,720 and we have become less relational in the body of 219 00:13:13,720 --> 00:13:17,080 Christ. But the Good Shepherd is 220 00:13:17,160 --> 00:13:20,480 relational by nature. The Good Shepherd knows his 221 00:13:20,480 --> 00:13:24,440 sheep and is known by his sheep. This blows my mind. 222 00:13:25,320 --> 00:13:29,320 Jesus knows every single one of his sheep. 223 00:13:30,080 --> 00:13:34,240 Not just knows of them, not just knows if they were in church or 224 00:13:34,240 --> 00:13:39,200 not, but knows us deeply. Does that not just blow your 225 00:13:39,200 --> 00:13:40,960 mind? Think about how many churches 226 00:13:40,960 --> 00:13:45,120 are meeting right now around the country or how many churches on 227 00:13:45,120 --> 00:13:48,080 this day we'll meet around the world, How many Christians that 228 00:13:48,080 --> 00:13:54,120 follow Jesus and He knows every single one of them deeply. 229 00:13:54,120 --> 00:13:56,440 That is a beautiful thing about our Good Shepherd. 230 00:13:57,400 --> 00:14:02,280 You know, I got 4 boys and when they get in the car with me, if 231 00:14:02,280 --> 00:14:06,120 it's a meal time, I know exactly where they're going to want to 232 00:14:06,120 --> 00:14:07,960 go. Each one of them. 233 00:14:08,840 --> 00:14:11,360 We got Taco Bell. You can figure out which boys, 234 00:14:11,360 --> 00:14:18,720 which Taco Bell, Jimmy John's, Panda Express, and probably 235 00:14:18,720 --> 00:14:20,800 Chick-fil-A. I could be wrong on that one. 236 00:14:21,960 --> 00:14:24,040 That's, that's the one I'm in the car with the least. 237 00:14:24,720 --> 00:14:27,880 But I know my boys. I know where they want to eat. 238 00:14:28,080 --> 00:14:30,840 I know what they want to do. I actually know how they're 239 00:14:30,840 --> 00:14:33,880 going to respond to situations as they're happening. 240 00:14:33,960 --> 00:14:37,360 Sometimes my kids will go out in the backyard and play and then I 241 00:14:37,360 --> 00:14:41,360 can tell by the way they come in from the backyard, the way the 242 00:14:41,360 --> 00:14:44,640 doors open and close, the noises I hear, and I'm not just talking 243 00:14:44,640 --> 00:14:48,200 about yelling. I can tell whether something's 244 00:14:48,200 --> 00:14:51,480 wrong or not. Not only that, most of the time 245 00:14:51,480 --> 00:14:53,920 I can take one look at them and tell whose fault it is. 246 00:14:55,440 --> 00:15:00,080 You guys know that, right? I know my boys pretty well. 247 00:15:02,440 --> 00:15:06,000 The Good Shepherd knows us so much better than we can ever 248 00:15:06,000 --> 00:15:09,320 know each other. He knows us completely. 249 00:15:09,320 --> 00:15:14,600 In fact, he says, just as I know the Father and the Father knows 250 00:15:14,600 --> 00:15:16,080 me. This is incredible. 251 00:15:16,240 --> 00:15:21,040 The Good Shepherd knows us and wants to be known by us, just as 252 00:15:21,640 --> 00:15:25,400 Jesus knows the Father and the Father knows Jesus. 253 00:15:26,360 --> 00:15:27,960 That's another thing that should blow your mind. 254 00:15:27,960 --> 00:15:30,760 See, we in the church believe in the doctrine of the Trinity, 255 00:15:31,440 --> 00:15:34,360 that that the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Father God, 256 00:15:34,600 --> 00:15:37,520 Jesus, the Son and the Holy Spirit are one. 257 00:15:37,520 --> 00:15:40,520 They're three separate persons, but they're one. 258 00:15:40,640 --> 00:15:43,400 They're one nature, one purpose, 1 mission. 259 00:15:43,400 --> 00:15:46,280 They're together. They have complete unity in 260 00:15:46,280 --> 00:15:50,640 unison together. And Jesus says the Good Shepherd 261 00:15:50,760 --> 00:15:57,440 knows you, just as he knows the Father and the Father knows him. 262 00:15:58,560 --> 00:16:02,520 But it's not just that. It's that true followers of 263 00:16:02,520 --> 00:16:06,440 Jesus will know him and know his voice. 264 00:16:07,160 --> 00:16:10,280 Jesus reveals himself to us. Sometimes we think of God as 265 00:16:10,280 --> 00:16:13,920 disconnected because honestly in in our culture, leaders and 266 00:16:13,920 --> 00:16:18,280 kings and all that they, they're disconnected, that they travel 267 00:16:18,280 --> 00:16:20,560 with protection. They travel with people around 268 00:16:20,560 --> 00:16:22,320 them. And that's not the Good 269 00:16:22,320 --> 00:16:26,200 Shepherd. He knows us and he wants to be 270 00:16:26,200 --> 00:16:30,200 known by us. He wants to reveal himself to 271 00:16:30,240 --> 00:16:35,120 us. As Jesus walked this earth, time 272 00:16:35,120 --> 00:16:38,080 and time again people came to him the the Good Shepherd. 273 00:16:38,120 --> 00:16:41,240 Jesus, let me say that again walked the very earth that you 274 00:16:41,240 --> 00:16:43,560 walk. And time and time again people 275 00:16:43,560 --> 00:16:46,520 came to him and his disciples tried to shield him. 276 00:16:46,520 --> 00:16:48,680 Hey, stay away from him. He's too important. 277 00:16:48,880 --> 00:16:52,880 And Jesus said no, let him come. Why? 278 00:16:54,080 --> 00:16:57,400 Because he knows them and he wants them to know him. 279 00:16:57,440 --> 00:17:05,680 Our Good Shepherd is relational and true followers know Jesus 280 00:17:06,000 --> 00:17:09,359 and know his voice. This past week, a, a cool thing 281 00:17:09,359 --> 00:17:12,960 happened to me. I have a friend that's going 282 00:17:12,960 --> 00:17:18,440 through some, some difficult stuff and, and I got a text from 283 00:17:18,440 --> 00:17:20,760 one of you actually at about 10:00 one night. 284 00:17:20,760 --> 00:17:25,240 And it, it's a, it, it was a text sharing a prayer chain for 285 00:17:25,240 --> 00:17:27,599 my, for my friend who's going through cancer. 286 00:17:27,599 --> 00:17:31,800 And, and basically that night was a really critical night for 287 00:17:31,800 --> 00:17:34,400 him and he really needed to get through that night without going 288 00:17:34,400 --> 00:17:36,840 back to the hospital. And so they were asking people 289 00:17:36,840 --> 00:17:41,120 to sign up for an hour of prayer over the next 12 hours over the 290 00:17:41,120 --> 00:17:43,560 night. I'm to pray for him and pray for 291 00:17:43,560 --> 00:17:47,960 his healing and protection. And so of course, I signed up. 292 00:17:47,960 --> 00:17:49,720 In fact, I, you know, I stay up pretty late. 293 00:17:49,720 --> 00:17:51,720 So I signed up for 1:00 AM to 2:00 AM. 294 00:17:51,720 --> 00:17:53,720 You can tell I'm getting older because I used to, would have 295 00:17:53,720 --> 00:17:57,960 maybe gone two to three or three to four, but it's too late now. 296 00:17:58,960 --> 00:18:02,720 I signed up for 1:00 to 2:00, and as the time got closer, I 297 00:18:02,720 --> 00:18:09,560 started to think, how am I going to pray for an hour for healing 298 00:18:09,560 --> 00:18:12,040 for my friend. How many of you think you could 299 00:18:12,040 --> 00:18:14,960 just pray for a whole hour just for healing for one person? 300 00:18:14,960 --> 00:18:18,480 And by the way, I really haven't had a whole lot of communication 301 00:18:18,600 --> 00:18:20,520 with this friend over the last five to 10 years. 302 00:18:20,520 --> 00:18:23,400 How many of you think you could pull that off a full hour? 303 00:18:23,680 --> 00:18:27,360 I mean, I can pray for an hour. I've done that many times. 304 00:18:27,360 --> 00:18:31,960 But I mean, the prayer is pretty quick prayer. 305 00:18:32,880 --> 00:18:34,960 So I started to think, how is this going to work? 306 00:18:35,240 --> 00:18:37,880 Well, I started up at 1:00 and I started praying at about 10 307 00:18:37,880 --> 00:18:39,240 minutes. And I was thinking, man, I'm 308 00:18:40,280 --> 00:18:42,040 going to have to repeat myself a bunch. 309 00:18:43,200 --> 00:18:45,320 And all of a sudden I decided, you know what, maybe what I 310 00:18:45,320 --> 00:18:48,880 should do is, is I should just look to God's Word and pray 311 00:18:48,880 --> 00:18:51,640 God's word. And so guys, this is a really 312 00:18:51,640 --> 00:18:53,800 simple thing. This isn't rocket science. 313 00:18:53,840 --> 00:18:57,080 I googled scriptures about prayer. 314 00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:01,120 I didn't go to some fancy books that you don't have access to. 315 00:19:01,120 --> 00:19:04,640 I googled scriptures about prayer and 45 scriptures about 316 00:19:04,640 --> 00:19:07,840 prayer came up and I just started praying one by one over 317 00:19:07,840 --> 00:19:10,720 my friend. And the most incredible thing 318 00:19:10,720 --> 00:19:17,240 happened. God started to reveal Himself to 319 00:19:17,240 --> 00:19:22,280 me through His word. It wasn't about me, it was about 320 00:19:22,280 --> 00:19:25,680 praying for my friend. But through reading His Word and 321 00:19:25,680 --> 00:19:29,120 spending time in prayer for my friend, God's just pouring 322 00:19:29,120 --> 00:19:32,560 Himself out to me. This is who I am. 323 00:19:33,240 --> 00:19:37,520 This is what I'm all about. I want you to know that the Good 324 00:19:37,520 --> 00:19:43,160 Shepherd wants you to know Him. He's relational. 325 00:19:43,560 --> 00:19:46,880 He knows you completely. He loves you completely. 326 00:19:47,000 --> 00:19:51,320 He's laid down His life for you and He wants you to know him. 327 00:19:52,120 --> 00:19:55,040 Guys, if there are any of you that are in here, that your 328 00:19:55,040 --> 00:19:59,240 faith and your Christianity consists of coming to church and 329 00:19:59,240 --> 00:20:03,000 checking a box or even coming to church and calling yourself a 330 00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:06,200 Christian or coming to church and behaving the right way, you 331 00:20:06,200 --> 00:20:09,240 are missing. You are missing the most 332 00:20:09,240 --> 00:20:13,280 important part of your relationship, your faith in 333 00:20:13,360 --> 00:20:16,600 Jesus. It's a relationship with Jesus 334 00:20:16,600 --> 00:20:19,880 Christ. He knows you better than anyone 335 00:20:19,880 --> 00:20:23,480 else. He knows you completely and He 336 00:20:23,480 --> 00:20:25,680 wants you to know Him. You can walk. 337 00:20:25,680 --> 00:20:29,520 He's given you his Holy Spirit to walk with you every single 338 00:20:29,520 --> 00:20:33,000 day. The Good Shepherd knows his 339 00:20:33,000 --> 00:20:36,480 sheep and his sheep know him. The third thing we see in this, 340 00:20:36,480 --> 00:20:40,440 this might be controversial in our world and it shouldn't be. 341 00:20:41,240 --> 00:20:44,800 Verse 16, he says I have other sheep that are not of the sheep 342 00:20:44,800 --> 00:20:47,880 pen. I must bring them also. 343 00:20:48,720 --> 00:20:51,560 They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be 1 344 00:20:51,560 --> 00:20:56,160 flock and 1 shepherd. Now let me tell you why that's 345 00:20:56,160 --> 00:20:58,480 controversial. Because in our culture and our 346 00:20:58,480 --> 00:21:01,480 day, people want to tell you that there are a lot of 347 00:21:01,480 --> 00:21:05,760 different ways to get to the end point of salvation and eternal 348 00:21:05,760 --> 00:21:08,240 life. There are a lot people will tell 349 00:21:08,240 --> 00:21:10,520 you in the world around you that there are a lot of different 350 00:21:10,520 --> 00:21:13,720 religions and a lot of different, you know, gods or 351 00:21:13,720 --> 00:21:16,560 leaders. And, and it's popular to think 352 00:21:16,560 --> 00:21:20,280 these days that it's wrong to think that there's one way. 353 00:21:20,280 --> 00:21:23,520 But Jesus makes it crystal clear in Scripture. 354 00:21:24,880 --> 00:21:28,760 He is the way, the truth and the life. 355 00:21:29,480 --> 00:21:35,800 And no one comes to the Father except through Jesus the Good 356 00:21:35,800 --> 00:21:38,560 Shepherd. He says, I have other sheep that 357 00:21:38,560 --> 00:21:41,400 are not of this sheep. Penny he he's referencing here. 358 00:21:41,400 --> 00:21:44,680 We have the Jews, God's chosen people, the Israelites. 359 00:21:44,680 --> 00:21:49,080 And then we have the Gentiles who were not the original chosen 360 00:21:49,080 --> 00:21:51,160 people, but they were a part of God's plan. 361 00:21:51,160 --> 00:21:54,440 And he says, I've got these others that are coming in and 362 00:21:54,440 --> 00:21:56,400 they're going to come into the flock. 363 00:21:56,560 --> 00:22:01,680 They are my sheep, the same as you chosen people are my sheep. 364 00:22:03,040 --> 00:22:06,080 This is good news for us guys, and I know we've talked about 365 00:22:06,080 --> 00:22:09,280 this before, but this is good news because we would all be 366 00:22:09,280 --> 00:22:13,880 considered the other sheep that he's bringing in. 367 00:22:15,080 --> 00:22:20,040 We would all be the Gentiles. But even further than that, can 368 00:22:20,040 --> 00:22:25,040 I tell you that there is nobody that the Good Shepherd does not 369 00:22:25,040 --> 00:22:30,680 know and love and is not available to the Good Shepherd 370 00:22:30,680 --> 00:22:34,040 is for anyone. But but we got to get this right 371 00:22:34,040 --> 00:22:37,560 guys. Anyone that will listen and 372 00:22:37,560 --> 00:22:40,440 follow him. He says I have sheep that are 373 00:22:40,440 --> 00:22:45,000 not of this pen, but they will listen to my voice and they will 374 00:22:45,000 --> 00:22:47,760 come into the flock. This is important guys. 375 00:22:47,760 --> 00:22:51,520 This is why evangelism is so important because there's not 376 00:22:51,520 --> 00:22:54,320 100 different ways to salvation and eternal life. 377 00:22:54,320 --> 00:22:57,240 There's not 100 different ways to be saved. 378 00:22:58,000 --> 00:23:00,840 There's one and it's Jesus Christ. 379 00:23:01,360 --> 00:23:05,200 The good news is the Good Shepherd is not just for you and 380 00:23:05,200 --> 00:23:08,440 I. He's for your neighbors, it's 381 00:23:08,440 --> 00:23:10,720 for your friends, He's for your Co workers. 382 00:23:10,840 --> 00:23:16,240 He's for all people. And Jesus wants all people to 383 00:23:16,240 --> 00:23:17,880 come to know him and walk with him. 384 00:23:17,880 --> 00:23:20,960 But they have to choose to follow him. 385 00:23:21,680 --> 00:23:26,760 There's one flock. There's one Shepherd, maybe 386 00:23:26,760 --> 00:23:30,280 today, some of you the first point, some of you just need to 387 00:23:30,280 --> 00:23:32,880 receive the salvation. He laid down his life for you 388 00:23:32,880 --> 00:23:34,720 and you've never received that salvation. 389 00:23:34,880 --> 00:23:40,080 Maybe some of you need to to to know the Good Shepherd, to walk 390 00:23:40,080 --> 00:23:42,680 in a deeper relationship. But maybe some of you need to 391 00:23:42,680 --> 00:23:45,920 understand that the Good Shepherd is for the people 392 00:23:45,920 --> 00:23:48,880 outside the walls of the church as much as he's for the people 393 00:23:48,880 --> 00:23:52,760 inside the walls of the church. And it's so important, guys. 394 00:23:52,760 --> 00:23:55,680 That's why I carry a coin because every time I get up to 395 00:23:55,680 --> 00:23:58,960 preach, I don't want to forget that I'm not just preaching to 396 00:23:58,960 --> 00:24:03,600 Christians, but I'm preaching because Jesus is all about lost 397 00:24:03,600 --> 00:24:09,800 sheep and lost coins, guys. We have to be about reaching 398 00:24:09,800 --> 00:24:13,800 others for Jesus. He's the only hope for the 399 00:24:13,800 --> 00:24:20,000 world. Last point, verse 17 The reason 400 00:24:20,000 --> 00:24:25,160 my father loves me is that I lay down my life only to take it up 401 00:24:25,160 --> 00:24:27,600 again. No one takes it from me, but I 402 00:24:27,600 --> 00:24:30,440 lay it down on my own accord. I have authority to lay it down 403 00:24:30,440 --> 00:24:32,040 and authority to take it up. Again. 404 00:24:32,480 --> 00:24:35,000 This command I have received from my Father. 405 00:24:35,000 --> 00:24:37,320 Now this is something you probably wouldn't dwell on if 406 00:24:37,320 --> 00:24:40,640 you were studying the text, but but what Jesus is showing here 407 00:24:40,880 --> 00:24:44,920 is that he is in complete harmony, in unison in mission 408 00:24:45,040 --> 00:24:47,520 with the Father. He says the reason that my 409 00:24:47,520 --> 00:24:49,520 Father loves me is that I lay down my life. 410 00:24:49,520 --> 00:24:53,520 Now can I explain this? Jesus didn't earn the Father's 411 00:24:53,520 --> 00:24:58,520 love by laying down his life. Jesus laid down his life because 412 00:24:58,520 --> 00:25:02,800 He and the Father are one. They have the same purpose, they 413 00:25:02,800 --> 00:25:05,400 have the same heart, they have the same mission. 414 00:25:06,440 --> 00:25:08,120 They're one. They're unified. 415 00:25:08,760 --> 00:25:10,920 We struggle in our world. Let's be honest, we struggle. 416 00:25:10,920 --> 00:25:12,200 How many of you know what's best for you? 417 00:25:14,000 --> 00:25:15,840 How many of you know what's best for our country? 418 00:25:17,400 --> 00:25:18,960 Oh, some of you relying on Facebook? 419 00:25:18,960 --> 00:25:25,560 Then We like to think we we know what's best, don't we? 420 00:25:27,040 --> 00:25:29,240 I'm actually impressed a few people raised their hands at 421 00:25:29,240 --> 00:25:31,240 first service and nobody did in this service. 422 00:25:33,400 --> 00:25:36,280 I mean, it's complicated, isn't it? 423 00:25:36,800 --> 00:25:39,600 There's war going on right now. War, I think we can all agree, 424 00:25:39,600 --> 00:25:45,000 is a terrible thing. But, but is it the right thing? 425 00:25:45,000 --> 00:25:48,440 Is it the wrong thing? Is it ultimately for good? 426 00:25:48,440 --> 00:25:50,800 Is it ultimately not for good? It's tough to know. 427 00:25:50,880 --> 00:25:53,200 What about policies? What about some of the 428 00:25:53,240 --> 00:25:55,480 regulations and rules? What about financial stuff? 429 00:25:55,480 --> 00:25:58,440 Is it best for us? Is it not best for us? 430 00:25:59,680 --> 00:26:01,760 What about the decisions you make every day? 431 00:26:02,640 --> 00:26:06,280 Do you know what's best for you? I can't tell you how many times 432 00:26:06,280 --> 00:26:09,080 I thought I knew what was best for me and I was completely 433 00:26:09,080 --> 00:26:12,080 wrong. I don't know what's best for me. 434 00:26:12,080 --> 00:26:15,520 And we tend to think of a king as someone who the buck stops 435 00:26:15,520 --> 00:26:17,560 here. They are all authoritative. 436 00:26:17,560 --> 00:26:20,560 They're over everything. There's and listen, Jesus is 437 00:26:20,720 --> 00:26:25,040 over everything, but he's one with the Father. 438 00:26:26,040 --> 00:26:29,960 He and the Father, the creator God and the Spirit were one 439 00:26:29,960 --> 00:26:34,120 together and created us. And they and they alone know 440 00:26:34,120 --> 00:26:40,080 what's best for us. And so Jesus laid down his life. 441 00:26:42,120 --> 00:26:45,320 Jesus knows us. Jesus is available to all of us. 442 00:26:46,440 --> 00:26:49,320 And the Good Shepherd is completely obedient to the 443 00:26:49,320 --> 00:26:52,240 Father God. What a beautiful thing. 444 00:26:53,120 --> 00:26:55,520 He knows what's best. See, when Jesus walked to the 445 00:26:55,560 --> 00:26:57,520 earth, he was human, just like you and I. 446 00:26:57,520 --> 00:27:00,640 And there were moments that Jesus felt what we would feel. 447 00:27:00,720 --> 00:27:03,720 He knew he was going to a cross and even prayed. 448 00:27:03,720 --> 00:27:07,880 Oh, if there's any other way. But ultimately, more than 449 00:27:07,880 --> 00:27:13,120 anything else, he knew what was best for us because he knew the 450 00:27:13,120 --> 00:27:17,920 Father and the Father knew him, and they are one in heart and 451 00:27:17,920 --> 00:27:21,320 mission. And so he went to the cross and 452 00:27:21,320 --> 00:27:26,000 gave everything for you and I, the Good Shepherd. 453 00:27:26,080 --> 00:27:27,400 Guys, there's a lot of different. 454 00:27:28,160 --> 00:27:29,480 There's a lot of different leaders. 455 00:27:29,480 --> 00:27:31,680 There's a lot of different political ideologies. 456 00:27:31,680 --> 00:27:33,720 There's a lot of different things you can put your faith 457 00:27:33,720 --> 00:27:36,640 in. Jesus is the Good Shepherd. 458 00:27:37,920 --> 00:27:43,360 He's the only way. Worship team, come on up and 459 00:27:43,680 --> 00:27:45,880 stand with me as we respond to God's Word. 460 00:27:47,240 --> 00:27:51,760 Maybe some of you today are here and you've never really taken 461 00:27:51,760 --> 00:27:55,280 into account the fact that Jesus laid down his life for you. 462 00:27:55,280 --> 00:27:58,240 If there's anyone here that is not a follower of Christ, I want 463 00:27:58,240 --> 00:28:00,880 you to know that the Good Shepherd knows you and loves you 464 00:28:00,880 --> 00:28:04,840 so much that he gave everything so that you could have salvation 465 00:28:04,840 --> 00:28:07,960 in life. And all it takes today is a 466 00:28:07,960 --> 00:28:12,360 surrender, a repentance saying, Lord, I know I've done it the 467 00:28:12,360 --> 00:28:14,200 wrong way. I know I followed the wrong 468 00:28:14,200 --> 00:28:17,120 things, but I want to follow you today. 469 00:28:17,120 --> 00:28:19,760 If that's you, it's the best decision you could make. 470 00:28:20,640 --> 00:28:24,240 But maybe some of you here today would say, Hey, I, you know, 471 00:28:24,240 --> 00:28:29,520 I've, I've been living a faith that's not relational when 472 00:28:29,520 --> 00:28:33,280 living a faith that's more checklists and more right and 473 00:28:33,280 --> 00:28:35,840 wrong and more about being a good person. 474 00:28:35,840 --> 00:28:41,160 Guys, today the Good Shepherd knows you and invites you into a 475 00:28:41,160 --> 00:28:44,640 deep relationship. You can have that today. 476 00:28:44,800 --> 00:28:48,280 Maybe some of you have forgotten how much Jesus loves your 477 00:28:48,280 --> 00:28:53,800 neighbors, how much he's for the people that look different, act 478 00:28:53,800 --> 00:28:56,480 different. Maybe some of you have forgotten 479 00:28:56,480 --> 00:29:00,240 the importance of being evangelistic and sharing Christ 480 00:29:00,240 --> 00:29:02,720 with others today. Maybe God's calling you to 481 00:29:02,720 --> 00:29:08,640 surrender that. Guys, Maybe today you've 482 00:29:08,640 --> 00:29:10,960 forgotten that Jesus knows what's best for you. 483 00:29:11,920 --> 00:29:13,440 Today I want to invite you to respond. 484 00:29:13,440 --> 00:29:14,720 There's different ways you can respond. 485 00:29:14,720 --> 00:29:17,560 There's a prayer station in the back, a straight back on the 486 00:29:17,560 --> 00:29:19,680 back wall. There's altars that you can come 487 00:29:19,680 --> 00:29:21,280 and pray at. If you want someone to pray with 488 00:29:21,280 --> 00:29:24,080 you, you can come over to the right side, my right, your left 489 00:29:24,080 --> 00:29:26,040 side, over here and someone will pray with you. 490 00:29:26,560 --> 00:29:28,480 But but today, respond to God's word. 491 00:29:28,480 --> 00:29:31,960 The Good Shepherd is here. He sent his Holy Spirit to walk 492 00:29:31,960 --> 00:29:39,600 with us and today he knows you. He's given everything for you 493 00:29:39,600 --> 00:29:42,160 and He wants you to know Him and follow him. 494 00:29:42,280 --> 00:29:46,440 Father, be with us, speak to us, lead us and guide us. 495 00:29:47,040 --> 00:29:49,120 Help us to be completely surrendered to you. 496 00:29:49,960 --> 00:29:53,280 We give you everything. We respond to your word now help 497 00:29:53,280 --> 00:29:55,000 us to respond in whatever way you lead us. 498 00:29:55,000 --> 00:29:57,280 Lord, maybe that's to sit down and read your word. 499 00:29:57,280 --> 00:29:59,400 Maybe that's to go to a prayer station in the back. 500 00:29:59,400 --> 00:30:02,280 Maybe it's to come to an altar. Maybe it's to stand up and sing. 501 00:30:02,280 --> 00:30:04,200 Lord, help us to respond to your word. 502 00:30:04,400 --> 00:30:07,640 Not to just sit here, not just to stand here and and go through 503 00:30:07,640 --> 00:30:11,480 motions, but to give you our hearts to surrender everything. 504 00:30:12,320 --> 00:30:15,040 We give you everything now in Jesus name, Amen.