after I read these verses, I'll say,
this is the word of the Lord, and you can respond,
thanks be to God.
And as I read this and you follow along,
remember this is the inspired, inerrant, infallible,
clear and sufficient word of God himself.
John 10.
Truly, truly, I say to you,
he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door,
but climbs in by another way,
that man is a thief and a robber.
But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
To him, the gatekeeper opens.
The sheep hear his voice,
and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
When he has brought out all of his own,
he goes before them, and the sheep follow him,
for they know his voice.
A stranger they will not follow,
but they will flee from him,
for they do not know the voice of the strangers.
This figure of speech Jesus used with them,
but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
So, Jesus said again to them,
truly, truly, I say to you,
I am the door of the sheep.
All who come before me are thieves and robbers,
but the sheep did not listen to them.
I am the door.
If anyone enters by me,
he will be saved,
and will go in and out and find pasture.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.
I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
I am the good shepherd.
The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd,
who does not own the sheep,
sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees.
The wolf snatches and scatters them.
He flees because he is a hired hand
and cares nothing for the sheep.
I am the good shepherd.
I know my own,
and my own know me.
Just as the Father knows me,
and I know the Father,
and I have laid down my life for the sheep.
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Indeed, you may be seated.
Let's pray.
Prepare our hearts, O God,
to accept your word.
Silence in us any voices but your own.
Cause us to hear your voice,
and as we hear,
help us to follow you.
For Christ's sake, amen.
Beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
I need to ask you this question today.
Is the Lord your good shepherd?
Lord your good shepherd.
There was a tour guide in Israel
who had taken some people from churches like this one
to see the land
and to see these locations
that we read about in our Bibles.
The tour guide had just told them
how you can always tell in the pasture
who is the shepherd of each flock,
and it's because the shepherd will be out in front,
and the sheep will be following the call,
the voice of the shepherd.
And right as he said this,
the story goes,
he looked out,
and there was a pasture
and sheep running, scattering,
and the man chasing behind them.
So it seemed to not fit.
So the tour guide asked the translator
who was local,
he knew the farmers
and knew the shepherds
and knew the area,
said,
I thought the shepherd was always out in front.
Why is that man chasing that flock?
And the local guy just grinned and said,
that's not the shepherd,
that's the butcher.
Well, when you and I were little,
we knew that we needed shepherding.
We knew that we needed someone to care for us,
to feed us,
to protect us.
We were happy to admit that.
We would cry for it.
We would ask for that.
But as we grow older and older,
we learn to become more independent,
and that's good,
but we become self-reliant as well.
So we start to think we don't need
any kind of shepherding.
On top of that,
we have to go through hard things in life.
There's a loss of innocence.
There's pain.
There's injury.
And sometimes that even comes from
those who should be shepherds.
Maybe you're going through something like that right now,
even a boss or a teacher or a coach,
maybe even a relative.
Supposed to be in that role of caring
and shepherding and protecting,
but instead is hurting very deeply.
See, the people of Israel,
they were ready to be out from under Rome,
and they were sick of the religious leaders
who were abusing them.
They were greedy, these religious leaders.
They were tax collectors.
They were doing exchanging of money
and basically selling out
what God intended to be
a sacrificial system to minister grace
to those who have faith.
And they were ready to be independent,
to be out from under these bad leaders.
When our Lord Jesus took on the flesh
and walked throughout Israel,
He was coming to fulfill what God had promised all along.
I've come to the conclusion
that we will not get the full depth of meaning of John 10
unless we also have Ezekiel chapter 34 in mind.
And it's too much for me to exposit that chapter.
But I do encourage you,
if you've got a Bible,
turn to Ezekiel chapter 34,
keep your finger there,
and be ready to flip back and forth
as much as you would like.
See, in chapter 10 of John,
we read that
some who heard the teaching of Jesus,
giving this analogy,
this figure of speech
about the sheepfold and the shepherd,
some of them said,
a man that teaches like that
cannot be possessed by demons.
That's what it says in John 10, 24.
These words are from God.
We know that.
This is from the true God.
They said on top of that,
a man who can heal a man born blind from birth,
that has to be from God as well.
That can't be the work of a demon.
So by the end of this teaching in verse 21,
we know it's the same audience
as the chapter that came right before it.
So to really make sense,
I think as well,
we need to ramp into this text
that we just read
by doing a brief review
of the contrast from chapter 9
that we saw last time.
In chapter 9,
we saw how the religious elite
had cast out the man born blind.
They only gave that man the law.
He's unclean.
He's fit.
He's broken.
He's going to be in the dust as a beggar.
But Christ found that man.
Remember,
he went out and found him
after he had been excommunicated,
and Christ gave that man grace.
The religious elite
presumed to be God's spokesmen.
They presumed to rule over,
to rule above Christ and the people.
But when Christ showed up,
he spoke,
and God's people followed him.
The religious elite
pretended to be shepherds of God's sheep,
but they did not know their own need.
That wasn't a problem
for the blind man, was it?
He knew his need.
And the Lord met him.
The religious elite drove
that poor beggar away from God,
but Christ made that blind man close.
In Isaiah chapter 40, verse 11,
the promise comes of the Messiah.
When he shows up, the Savior,
he will tend his flock like a shepherd.
He will gather the lambs in his arms.
He will carry them in his bosom,
and he will gently lead them.
That's exactly what our Lord Jesus did
to that blind man.
And now with the same audience
gathering around him,
Jesus sets up this word picture.
If you look on chapter 10,
the first six verses,
it just tells us this familiar scene.
He's painting a picture with his words,
isn't he?
He says,
there's a sheepfold,
verse 1,
and that sheepfold has a door.
Let me describe what this would be.
To them, it's a very familiar image,
but we need to understand
what they were picturing.
A sheepfold was made
by collecting stones
of different sizes.
Those stones were cemented together
to form a wall,
and that wall would have come up
about waist high.
And the wall would form a circle.
Sometimes it was not too big,
but other times it could be pretty big
to the point where more than one flocks
and more than one shepherds
could bring their sheep into the fold.
And this wall didn't have any windows
or other doors except for one opening,
and that was called the door of the sheepfold.
So the purpose of the sheepfold
was to bring the flocks in
from the pastures at nighttime,
bring them all in here
so they're safe,
circled around this stone wall.
And then during the daytime
when the sun's out
and the predators have gone
to hibernate and nap,
then the sheep can come back out
through the door
and they can go and enjoy the grass.
So oftentimes the shepherds
would also hire someone
to watch over them
so that at nighttime
the shepherds could sleep
so that they could be alert
during the day
to watch them in the pasture.
And so then the person they hired,
that hired hand,
would be in charge of these flocks.
Here's these three shepherds
that brought their flocks to me.
They're going to pay me
to keep an eye
while they're not here.
So you see now,
in their context,
that's what our Lord Jesus set up.
Now, this wall is not very high.
Someone could jump over the fence
and then pretend
to be one of those shepherds.
You know, they could put something
over their head
and there was one way
that a hired hand could tell.
As that shepherd starts
calling out the sheep,
walking out through the door,
do any of the sheep
follow that shepherd?
See, sheep have a fear
built into them
and they would not follow
a shepherd they didn't know.
So this was their system.
And even as I'm describing this,
you might be thinking,
we're in 2023.
We go to the grocery store
and buy our food.
We don't keep our money in a herd.
We put our money in banks.
And so why is this figure of speech
relevant to us still today?
Well, Peter says to the church
that Jesus Christ
is the chief shepherd of your souls.
And he's writing to an urban church.
And the church of God
throughout all the generations,
ancient Israel,
has always,
you're going to see the language
we've always been referred to
as God's flock.
So our task today
is to try to take,
look, verse 6,
it's a figure of speech.
To take all that God intended
by this beautiful, rich,
humble figure of speech.
And ask for the Holy Spirit
to teach you,
teach me to receive
all the richness here for me.
from this.
So the first thing
I want to point out is this,
that you and I,
we need protection,
just like a sheep.
We need protection
from thieves
that act as shepherds.
That's what our Lord says
in verse 1.
Truly, truly,
I say to you,
he who does not enter
the sheepfold by the door
but climbs in
by another way,
that man is
a thief
and a robber.
So the sheepfold,
what is the sheepfold?
This analogy,
this figure of speech
is tricky, isn't it?
Well,
later on in the same chapter,
our Lord Jesus
is going to say,
I have other sheep
that are not of this fold.
And who is he talking about?
He's talking about
the Gentiles.
Yeah,
about those that are
not of Israel.
So the sheepfold,
he says in verse 1,
the sheepfold
that he's talking about,
this is Israel.
And what does it mean
to enter,
as part of God's people,
enter Israel
by another way
other than what God
has called for?
I believe that there's
a couple layers here.
Let me see if I can
make this clear.
So the sheepfold,
God has hedged in.
He's given his law
and his commandments
and he's given the prophecies
that will make really clear
to Israel
who the Messiah is.
And the Messiah will meet
and surpass all of the promises
that national Israel
ever received.
So,
it would be impossible
for any other nation
that didn't have
the Old Testament,
the Old Covenant,
to recognize the Messiah.
He would come first
under the law
from Israel,
from the seed
of Abraham.
Not the seed of Adam,
generally like all the nations.
He would come
from the seed of Abraham.
Abraham.
And God himself
would take on flesh.
And he would come
from the seed of Abraham.
That's also then,
that picture,
it's amplified with David.
He would be a shepherd
and a king.
And he would rule
and God would speak
through him
the words of life
like David the great psalmist.
And so Jesus would come
from that line
through the sheepfold
in the right way.
But there's also
a contrast being set up.
Think about
those books of the Bible
that we've gone through
on Friday nights.
What is the purpose
of 1 and 2 Kings
and Chronicles?
What is the purpose
of those books?
It shows us that
God is lifting up
the ideal king.
And man,
after man in Israel,
falls short
of that ideal.
There is no king,
no man,
no mere man
can fulfill
all that God
requires
of the king of Israel.
But there will be one.
All the promises
and blessings
attached to Abraham,
to Isaac,
to Jacob,
to David,
fulfilling all
that God has promised
way back for me,
that will be fulfilled
in one great king,
the Messiah.
So when Jesus says,
all those who have
come before me
were thieves and robbers,
all those other kings
of Israel,
they were falling short
of that glorious standard.
They were incapable
of caring for the soul
of God's people
the way only God
himself could.
In Ezekiel 34,
verses 1-4,
we read this.
And if you want
to look there,
you can.
Ezekiel 34,
1-4.
Let me give you context.
Who is Ezekiel?
Ezekiel was a priest
of Israel,
and he was carried away
by Nebuchadnezzar,
same time as Daniel.
So you read of Daniel
and the Hebrews
being carried off.
Well, Ezekiel was a prophet
writing to Israel
from exile,
carried away.
And listen to what God said.
This is why judgment came.
This is why the people of God
were drug out of their land.
You shepherds
have been feeding yourselves.
You should,
should not shepherds
feed the sheep?
The weak,
you have not strengthened.
The sick,
you have not healed.
The injured,
you have not bound up.
The strayed,
you have not brought back.
The lost,
you have not sought.
And with force
and harshness,
you have ruled
over them.
Israel has failed.
The leaders of Israel
came short
of the glorious calling
that God gave them.
But the good news
is that from within Israel,
from that line of Abraham,
the line of David,
would come Jesus Christ,
the shepherd,
the king,
to rule over them.
See,
the contrast that
Ezekiel 34 is describing,
he's describing shepherds
that are using the sheep.
And to the Jewish here,
the shepherd,
it would have been a picture
of a warmth relationship.
They were not like,
like the chickens
that get sent
to Kentucky Fried Chicken today
where they're just on a,
you know,
assembly line
to be devoured.
No,
these sheep,
they would have lived
an entire lifetime
with the people,
with the shepherd.
You know,
the shepherd would have
milked them
every single day
to enjoy sheep
and goat milk.
They would have enjoyed
using the wool
for their own clothing.
Look how close
they're living.
We saw how the shepherds
would bring them in
in the winter.
They would actually
share the warmth
of a cave or a space
together like that.
You know,
as the shepherd's family grows,
they have their first child
and second child.
They need more money.
They need more food.
Well,
those lambs are giving birth
and they're raising up
other lambs
and their flock is growing
just as the shepherd's
own family is growing.
That would have been
the picture.
But yet,
Ezekiel said,
Israel,
your shepherds,
the leaders over God's people,
they've just been using
and abusing God's people.
So let me pause here
for us application as well.
It's that
the heart of God to you
is the heart
of a caring shepherd.
He brings you near him.
He brings you
into his family.
That's what Jesus is showing.
He says,
your soul needs
the shepherding care
of one who is with you.
He wants you to be
so close to him.
You need to be doing life
with your shepherd.
When you look to God,
he is not the shepherd
who will abuse you.
He is the shepherd
who will provide for you.
He will heal you
in every way
that you need it.
When the Lord
is your shepherd,
you will fear no evil.
He makes you to lie down
and to peace
and to sleep.
And this is true
no matter where you end up
in this world.
When I thought of
this wonderful promise
that when the true shepherd
is near you,
you can rest.
You will be safe.
I thought of this pastor,
a man who got saved
in Medellin, Colombia.
And he was living
in one of the most dangerous
prisons in Colombia.
But the Lord saved him.
He heard the gospel.
It was through
a missionary woman
who was there all alone,
very brave missionary.
And he would get
life threats
even while he was sleeping
in the cells at night.
He couldn't lay down
and sleep
because someone
might want to kill him
because of the drug cartels
and what he had done
in his life.
But when the Lord
saved him,
he said he had never
slept so well.
And he knew
the Lord was with him
because even in that prison,
they started a Bible study
and every Lord's Day
they would gather
a very small group of them
and they became
a little church.
You fast forward
several decades,
that man was there
lifetime sentence
but he was a pastor
of this little church
inside one of the most
dangerous prisons
of Medellin, Colombia
because the Lord
was his shepherd.
He didn't need to fear
the evil of man anymore.
So you need protection.
You need protection
from false shepherds
and the Lord's presence
is your protection.
I want to look at verse 12
because there's one other threat
that the Lord talks about
that we need to pay attention
to as well.
Look at verse 12.
Verse 12 he says,
he who is a hired hand
sees the wolf coming
and leaves the sheep
and flees
and the wolf snatches them
and scatters them.
Let me ask you this,
what time of the day
do you picture a wolf
attacking the sheep
in this sheepfold?
They go into the sheepfold
at night time, right?
And that's when predators
love to attack.
When all the animals are still,
the wolf would try
to sneak up.
But think about this,
the wolf in the sheepfold,
even if the wolf
could jump over this wall,
probably could,
and kill a lamb,
the wolf couldn't drag
that lamb out,
not up and over the wall.
They would have still had
to go through the door.
And if it's just a hired hand
sitting there
and he sees a wolf
coming up to intimidate him,
those eyes of the wolf
at night
and you're all alone,
the other shepherds
are all getting their sleep,
that hired hand
is out of there.
They're not paying me
near enough
to do this job.
So then picture the shepherd.
You show up on the scene
the next day,
there's blood
all over the sheepfold
and you can just tell
a wolf has been here.
And that hired hand
is nowhere to be found.
He collected maybe
half the money
and he's out of there.
Well, that would be
the scene that would be
very familiar
that our Lord
is warning against.
And Ezekiel 34
verses 5 and 7
say the same thing
that the sheep of God
were scattered
because there was no shepherd
and they became food
for all the wild beasts.
Remember,
Ezekiel is writing
because Israel
had been carried off
into Assyria and Babylon.
My sheep were scattered.
My sheep have become a prey
and my sheep have become food
for all the wild beasts
since there was no shepherd
and because my shepherds
have not searched
for my sheep
but the shepherds
have fed themselves
and have not fed
my sheep.
See, every other king
of Israel
was like a hired hand.
The people were not
their own.
They were abusing
the people
for their own gain.
But the Lord refers
to his people
as his own.
These are mine
and even though
they've been scattered
I will go gather
all of them
and I will bring them
back to me.
In verse 13
Jesus said
he flees
because he is
a hired hand.
He cares nothing
for the sheep.
Well, the stern warning
had been prophesied as well.
Zechariah 11, 17
says,
Woe to my worthless shepherd
who deserts the flock.
In Acts 7, 54
we get a picture
of what it was like
at the time of Christ.
These hired hands
who didn't really care
for the flock.
And listen to how similar
they're described
to a wolf.
Acts 7, 54
when these same
religious elite
standing there
heard Stephen's sermon.
Remember Stephen
the first martyr?
The Lord saved him.
He was serving
the Greek widows
serving as a deacon
a servant of the church
and he preached
the gospel
and he told them
Israel
you have lost sight
of the Messiah
who was to come.
And he tells them
the same message
but Jesus fulfills it
and by grace
he came to save you.
Well, when they heard this
they're described this way
they were enraged.
Enraged.
Picture that snarling wolf
and they ground
their teeth
at Stephen.
See, these wolves
these elite
would come to devour
the church.
The church would
undergo persecution
and Jesus is warning them
when this happens
I am still with you church.
I am with you spiritually.
I do not abandon
my own.
What does this look like
in our lives today?
Well, if you have a loved one
which we all do
and your loved one
suffers some great injustice
which we all go through
don't you want sometimes
just so badly
to try to get vengeance
or try to take
some measure of justice
into your own hands?
The encouragement
we have here
is that
the Lord
knows the wolf.
The Lord
sees the injustice
that's inflicted
on his sheep
his people
and he wants you
to look to him
the shepherd.
It's his rod
and it's his staff
that will enact
judgment
when the time is right.
His rod
and his staff
let them comfort you.
When the Lord
is your shepherd
he protects you.
He leads you
beside still waters
and he restores
your soul.
He puts balm
inside those
fang marks
those wounds
from a wolf
and he heals you.
He pours the gentle
water of his spirit
and his word
over your soul.
Have you experienced
that type of healing
from your shepherd?
Praise be to God.
But this is only true
if the Lord
is your good shepherd.
That type of
restoration
and abundant life
can only come
if he is your
good shepherd.
Look at verse 2.
He who enters
by the door
is the shepherd
of the sheep.
Jesus Christ
came fulfilling
all of the promises
given to Israel.
He fulfills
all of the promises
of scripture.
They all find
their yes
and amen
in Jesus.
He came in
in the light of day
teaching openly
the gospel
of the kingdom
of heaven.
He came in
through the door
into the fold
to call
his own
and to call
all those
from other folds
so they would
follow him.
See the good shepherd
he says
he is the door.
He is the door
of your salvation.
Look at verse 3.
To him
the gatekeeper
opens.
He entered
redemptive history
according to scripture.
Now look at verse 7.
Jesus again said
to them
he's explaining
this analogy
truly truly
I say to you
I am
the door
of the sheep.
I was stumped
on this one.
I had to
dig
and get some help.
So you remember
I described
the sheep fold
as having
only one opening
just that
that continuous
wall in a circle.
When the shepherd
didn't hire
a hired hand
when it was
the shepherd himself
watching the flock
at night
where do you think
he would be?
He would sit
right there
at the opening
right?
He would sit
there at the opening
he could lean back
and he could keep
one eye on the sheep
one eye
for those
yellow eyes
of predators
that might be
creeping up
from the wilderness
and he would
watch over
his sheep.
The shepherd
himself
is the door.
There is no way
for a thief
or for a wolf
to get these sheep
if the shepherd
himself
is their door.
Jesus
is the door
of our
salvation.
I want to read
to you
how our
confession of faith
the second London
puts this.
how does
this Holy Spirit
cause you
to enjoy
Jesus
as the door
of your salvation?
This is what we
call the effectual
call.
It's when the
shepherd's voice
goes out
the sheep
know that voice
and the shepherd
calling his sheep
all those that
belong to him
will follow him
through the door
of salvation.
Our confession
says
it's when you
savingly come
to understand
the things of God
by taking away
your heart of stone
and God gives you
a heart of flesh.
God renews
your will
and by his
almighty power
he effectually
draws you
to Jesus.
Yet so as
you come most
freely
being made
willing
by his grace.
See what a
kind shepherd
he is.
He gives the
sheep a heart
to follow him
so that he
goes out in front
and they
willingly
follow the
sound of
his voice.
Look at verse
9.
Jesus says
if anyone
enters by me
he will be
saved and
will go in
and out
and find
pasture.
The sheep
fold is just
to keep you
safe from the
wolf at night
and from thieves
but during the
daytime
he doesn't
cage you in.
He says
here are my
green pastures.
Feast.
Go live
abundantly.
Enjoy.
Enjoy all
that I have
for you.
And I'll
call you.
You'll stay
near my
voice.
You'll hear
me.
You'll walk
with me.
I will lead
you in this
life abundant.
You will go
in and out
and you will
have life.
You will
thrive under
my shepherding
care.
See that's
the promise
that he's
fulfilling from
Ezekiel 34
verse 14.
God himself
said I will
feed them
with good
pasture.
and on
the mountain
heights of
Israel shall
be their
grazing land.
There they
shall lie
down in
good grazing
land and
on rich
pasture they
shall feed
on the
mountain.
You have
life abundant
when you're
following the
voice of your
shepherd.
He keeps
you safe
and he also
allows you to
thrive, to
grow.
on those
hardest moments
in life when
we need to
go in and
out of that
fold, don't
we?
When a loved
one has
cancer and
is going in
for a fourth
round of
chemo, we
want to come
back inside
the fold.
We want to
huddle up
close with
our shepherd,
know that
he's watching
over us.
You want to
know that all
those that
you love are
inside the
fold, belonging
to his
flock.
You want
to know that
once again,
he will give
you the
peace and
settle you.
He will
keep his
watchful,
compassionate,
and all
powerful rod
and staff
protecting you,
looking over
you.
But again,
the safety of
going in and
out through
the door of
his salvation,
it's only good
for those who
follow his
voice.
See, Jesus
is the gate.
He is the
good shepherd.
Only for
those who
follow his
voice.
Look at
verse 3.
It says,
to the
shepherd,
the true
shepherd,
the gatekeeper
opens.
So the
watchman is
there,
the true
shepherd arrives,
he's going to
call out his
own.
Look at
verse 4.
When he
has brought
out all
of his
own,
he goes
before them,
out in
front,
and the
sheep follow
him,
for they
know his
voice.
Verse 5,
a stranger
they will
not follow,
but they
will flee
from him,
for they
do not
know the
voice of
strangers.
Ezekiel 34,
verse 10,
Jesus said,
I will
rescue my
sheep from
the mouths
of the
greedy,
false
shepherds.
If you
follow Christ,
you know
his voice,
you know
when you
hear truth
from his
word,
and you
know when
you can
take the
step of
obedience
that God
is calling
you to
take,
it's because
his spirit
is calling
you.
There will
be a moment
in your
life,
if you
are already
saved,
there will
be another
sweet moment
when you
receive a
gift from
the Lord,
and it's
the gift
of assurance.
And all
those who
are saved
ought to
desire to
have assurance
of your
salvation.
But our
temptation is
going to be
to look at
my own
life.
Am I a
sheep?
Do I belong
to Christ
because I'm
a good
enough
sheep?
Isn't
that how
we always
want to
think?
Maybe if I
could just
walk around
with a better
posture,
maybe if I
could perk
my ears up,
I'm trying
to think
what a
sheep would
want to
do to
impress
the shepherd.
Isn't
that how
we want
to live
our lives?
But here's
where your
assurance
comes from
according to
our Lord
in this
chapter.
And I
want you
to see
this for
yourselves.
So take
your finger
and touch
verse 3.
I'm going
to ask you
some questions.
First of
all,
which sheep
follow the
shepherd?
According to
verse 3,
which sheep
follow the
shepherd?
The ones
he calls
by name.
Do you see
that?
The ones
he calls
by name.
And so
then the next
question is,
well,
which sheep
does the
Lord call
by name?
Yeah,
you had it,
Ken.
Look at
verse 3.
Which ones
does he
call by name?
His own
sheep.
his own
sheep he
calls
by name.
Now,
let's try
to catch
up,
okay?
What we've
seen in
John so
far is
this.
In
John
chapter 6,
verse 37,
Jesus said,
all that the
Father gives
me,
all that the
Father gives
me will
come to
me.
And whoever
comes to
me,
I will
never
cast out.
In
John 6,
39,
Jesus says,
it is God's
will that
I should
lose
nothing of
all that
he has
given me,
but raise
it up on
the last
day.
Do you
see what
Jesus is
saying?
And in
verse 6,
this is a
figure of
speech.
They did
not understand
him.
But let
the word
of God
clear up
your thinking
about God.
If the
Father has
given your
soul to
the Son,
he will
not cast
you out.
he will
go and
find you
like you
found that
blind man.
He will
call you
by his
voice,
by name.
Say your
first name
in your
mind.
He will
call you
by name
and you
will follow
him because
you are
his.
The
Father gave
you to
him.
Isn't
that good
news?
he will
not lose
his own.
So where
do you get
your assurance
from?
You get
your assurance
if you know
the voice
of your
shepherd and
if you're
following him.
That's where
our assurance
comes from.
Well,
what does it
look like
then for
those who
belong to
Christ to
follow his
voice?
I've
encouraged us
to try to
meditate upon
and even
memorize
Ephesians 1.
What does
it look
like to
follow
Jesus?
Ephesians 1.
He chose
us in
Christ before
the foundation
of the
world.
Why?
What does
it look
like?
That we
should be
holy and
blameless
before him.
So you
remember those
religious elite
who were there
grinding their
teeth enraged
at Stephen?
One of those
was Saul.
Saul was a
wolf.
He was the
best wolf.
He was
tearing
Christians
out of
their homes,
throwing them
in prison.
Saul was
grinding their
teeth enraged
like a
wolf.
And our
Lord Jesus
called Saul
by name,
gave him
a new
name.
And Saul
followed our
Lord as a
missionary,
walking
holy and
blamelessly
before the
Lord Jesus
Christ.
That's what
it looks
like.
And this
is where
in our
human minds
we want
to start
breaking
it down.
Why?
Why did
God do
this?
We want
to try
to figure
it all
out and
put our
human words
to it.
Well,
let's stick
with Ephesians
a bit more.
We've
reviewed how
he predestined
us for
adoption to
himself through
Jesus Christ.
And if you
want to ask
the why
question,
he gives
you three
answers right
here in
verses 5 and
6 of
Ephesians 1.
Why?
In love.
Because God
is love.
Why else?
Number two,
according to
the purpose
of his
will.
He is
God.
This is
his will
to save
you in
love.
Number three,
why?
To the
praise of
his glorious
grace.
God gets
all the glory
in our
salvation.
He is the
door of
our salvation.
So my
encouragement to
you is to
follow the
good shepherd.
shepherd.
You can
enjoy abundant
life in
him.
Verse 11,
he says
that.
The good
shepherd lays
down his
life for
his sheep.
The wolf
comes at
night.
The shepherd
says,
over my dead
body,
will you get
anyone of
my own?
our Lord
Jesus Christ
lays down
his life.
The wolf
of sin,
Satan,
death,
the wrath
of God,
he lays
down his
life as
the good
shepherd so
that his
sheep can
enjoy life
abundant
through him,
through the
door.
father.
So whether
we like it
or not,
the Bible
says that
you and
I are
like sheep
in more
ways than
we want
to admit.
Isn't
your heart
so prone
to wonder,
to be
scattered
like a
sheep?
But don't
go out
again this
week into
this world
thinking that
you're
invincible,
you can do
it all by
your own
strength,
because you
will be
devoured.
I want
us to
all picture
in the
dark of
night,
those yellow
eyes of
the wolf
that Christ
warns against,
but you
find your
comfort in
his rod,
in his
staff,
and you
listen to
his voice.
Go to
the Lord,
hear him
speak to
you.
Has God
taught you
that your
soul needs
to be
shepherded
by God
himself,
by the
Lord
Jesus?
I hope
you can
look to a
point in
your life
where you
finally were
ready to
confess that.
I, my
soul, I
need a
shepherd, and
it needs to
be God.
Anyone else
will disappoint,
will fall
short.
And if
you've not
reached that
point yet,
what's it
going to
take?
Because if
you're one
of God's,
he will
use whatever
it will
take to
bring you
to the
point of
confessing
that your
soul needs
his
shepherding
care.
God's
love to
hear.
And don't
let the
injuries you
suffered at
the hands
of false
shepherds,
don't let
those injuries
put up a
guard to the
good shepherd,
the Lord
himself.
Jesus wants
you to
confess that
he is the
good shepherd.
He is
God himself,
but also to
trust that
he is your
good shepherd.
shepherd.
He calls
you by
name.
And it's
only when the
Lord is your
good shepherd
that you can
enjoy abundant
life in
him.
Let's pray.
From Psalm
79,
verse 13.
From
generation to
generation,
we recount
your praise.
We do that
again today,
Father.
We are your
people by
your grace.
We are the
sheep of
your pasture.
You are
our good
shepherd.
You are
with us
forever.
We will
give thanks
to you
forever and
ever.
And if
anyone hears
your voice
today,
I ask that
your Holy
Spirit will
cause them
to not
harden their
hearts,
but to
follow you
in obedience
for the
glory of
your name.
Amen.
I
have
made
sour
you