Verse 15, chapter 10. I'll read that 15th verse. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father. the
words of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is such a union, such a
relationship, such a oneness with the Father and the Son and
the Holy Spirit that it's hard to distinguish any separation between the three,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They are separate in identity, but alike in everything
else. They are one. It is one God.
All are God. The Father is God the Father,
and the Son is God as well as a man. And the Holy Spirit is
God the Spirit. There is this union. As the Father knoweth me, the
Father knows me, even so know I the Father. And the same goes
for the Holy Spirit. Now, He said, And I lay down
my life for the sheep. Now, that's what I want to talk
about. I lay down my life for the sheep. That's the Lord Jesus. I lay
down my life for the sheep. Now, this is a question. For whom did Christ lay down
his life? Now, it's very clear here and
comes to the point, very concise. The answer is, for his sheep. Ask the question again, for whom
did Christ lay down his life for? Verse 15, I laid down my life
for the sheep. That's the answer. Who did he
die for? He died for the sheep. Now, it is
a curious fact in the Bible that there are only two sorts of people
mentioned in the Scripture. They are sheep and goats. A man's either described as a
sheep or as a goat. Two sorts of people in the Bible,
two sorts of people that make up Adam's race, sheep and goats. Now, it's clear, isn't it? I
mean, there can be no argument about that. You can't argue about
that. Two sorts of people, sheep and
goats. Either a sheep or a goat. He said, I lay down my life for
the sheep. Now, I think it's very clear
that it is not believing in Christ that makes a man a sheep. Now,
think about it a little bit. I think it's clear from the Scriptures,
from experience, that it's not believing in Christ that makes
a man a sheep. For a sheep is a sheep before
he believes. A sheep is a sheep before he
believes, and consequently a goat must be a goat to the end of
the chapter. Now, a sheep can never be made
into a goat, or a goat can never be made into a sheep. Well, you say, have you got any
proof for that? I have in verse 16. Verse 16. He says, And other
sheep I have, which are not of this folk. He's talking about some sheep
in after age that will be saved. Sheep that haven't come on the scene
yet. Other sheep I have. I lay down
my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which
are not of this fold, them also I must bring, and they shall
hear my voice, and there shall be one foal and one shepherd."
Now, the key is, other sheep I have which are not in this
foal. Now, you see, our Lord here calls
unbelieving parties or unbelieving people, he calls them sheep. They are not on the scene, but
he calls them sheep. I lay down my life for my sheep,
and other sheep I have. They're not believers as of yet. They're still in the world. Or
maybe they have not been born yet. Maybe they're on some other
continent. But he calls them sheep, Bob. They're unbelieving, but he calls
them sheep. And he says he lays down his
life for his sheep. Now, he's evidently, in that
16th verse, speaking to individuals or certain parties, who never
yet have heard his voice or his word, yet whom he calls sheep."
Now, it's not believing that makes a man a sheep. It is not believing that makes
a man a sheep. I'll tell you what it is. It's
God's sovereign election that makes man sheep. He chose his people in Christ
before the world began. They were sheep. Listen to me. They were sheep. for they believe. You cannot make a sheep out of
a goat. You cannot make a goat out of
a sheep. Two parties, sheep and goats. I lay down my life for my sheep. He came into this world to save
His sheep. Other sheep I have which are
not of this fold, them also I must bring. He's got to bring them
into the fold, that there shall be one fold and one shepherd. of those that God has purposed
to save before the world ever was, the Lord Jesus Christ is going
to save them. They're going to know Him, and
they're going to hear His voice, and they're going to follow Him. Well, many think, and most people
think this, most people, most Church of Christ people, Episcopalian
people, and Baptist people, the majority of Baptist people believe
this. They believe that It's believing
that makes a man a sheep. They know nothing about God's
sovereign choice or election. And most of them think that a
man is a goat while he's unbelief, and he's a sheep when he believes. Now that's what most people believe.
Most Baptists believe that. There's a whole lot of so-called
sovereign grace Baptists that believe that. They believe that
a man is a goat, until he believes and then he becomes a sheep.
But I'm telling you, you can't make a goat out of a sheep or
a sheep out of a goat. If you're a sheep, you've finished. You were a sheep before you ever
believed. You was a sheep in God's purpose
before time ever was. Now what did he say? He said,
I'm the good shepherd. And I know my sheep. I know every
one of them. I know where they live. I know
their names. Your names are written down in
the Lamb's Book of Life before the world ever was. I told you
the story about my own experience, that I didn't know what my given
name was until I was 18 years old. I didn't know until When
the war started, I had to sign up for the draft. And they said,
well, have you got a birth certificate? And I said, no. They said, where
were you born? And I told them, in Preston County.
They said, you'll have to write to the county court in Preston
County and get your birth certificate. So I got my birth certificate,
and on my birth certificate it said my name was Scott Richardson. Now I didn't know my name, I
knew my name was Richardson, but I didn't know my name was
Scott Richardson. But God knew my name before I
knew my name, because my name was written in the Lamb's Book
of Life, before time ever was. I was a sheep before I believed, but I believed. I heard His voice
and I followed Him. Let me say again now, most people,
most religious people, zealous people, sincere people, devout
people, they believe that a man is a goat while he is in unbelief,
and a sheep when he believes. A sheep of Christ is a sheep
before he believes. Well, in John chapter 17, now,
flip over there a minute. I'll be short here. He prayed
for his church. He prays for his sheep. He prays for the body of sheep. I pray for them, he said, verse
9. I pray for them. That is, I pray for this body. I pray for the church. I pray
for them that thou hast given me. I pray for them. Well, what
is the prayer all about? It's about this. He prays that
each and every one of those that make up this body
should be kept from evil and that they should be one even
as the Father is one. over here, he says that in verse 21, that
they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee,
and they also may be one in us, that the world may believe that
thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest
me I have given them, that they may be one, even at... Who's
he praying for? He said, I'm not praying for
the world. I'm praying for them that you've
given me. Well, who are these that have
been given to the Lord Jesus Christ that he lays down his
life for? They're his sheep. So he prays
for his church. His church is his sheep, that
is, all of those that are sheep that are actually, really, you
know, everybody in the world is not saved. Everybody that
goes to church is not saved. Now, you know that. A man doesn't have to be very
smart to come to that realization that everyone that goes to some
particular church is not saved. They think maybe they are, they
have some sort of a hope, but it's a false hope. So what is
this prayer about? It's about those sheep that he
laid down his life for, that they might be kept from the evil
one, and they might be one as the Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ are one. Now, if that's so, and I have
no fear of being attacked or put down or get out of that. I think I have fair proof that
that's so. So, he prays for them. Now, if Christ our Lord, in his
prayer, when he said, I pray for them, if he meant every man
and every woman and every child of the family of Adam, then his
prayer was a It was a colossal failure, wasn't it? If he prayed for every member
of Adam's race, if he prayed for the whole world, prayed that
they would be kept from evil and kept from the evil one, that
they would be made one with the Father, as the Father and the
Son are one, if he prayed that prayer for them, But he didn't
pray that prayer for them. He said, I pray for them. Verse 8 says, For I have given
unto them the words which thou gavest me, and they have received
them, and they have known surely that I came out from thee, and
they have believed that thou didst send me. I pray for them,
I pray not for the world. So if he's praying here for everybody
in the world, which he says he's not, he prays for them, he's
not praying for the world, but most believe that this is a prayer
for everybody that ever lived and everybody who shall ever
be born in the future, every member of Adam's race he prays
for, oh no, if that's so, then he failed in his prayer, a colossal
failure. And I know this, His prayer cannot
fail. It cannot fail. His Word cannot
fail. So if his prayer cannot fail,
he could not have prayed for all mankind as many have been
led to believe. He could not have laid down his
life for all mankind. You mean he died for those? for
whom he would not pray for? I don't believe. I don't think that's right. For
what purpose did he die? He laid down his life for his
sheep, that his sheep might live and live forever. And when his
sheep hear the gospel sound, the good news that Christ died
for his sheep. Then these that are sheep hear
his voice and they follow him. That's so or it ain't so, but
that's so. Goats and the sheep. It's not like they say it is,
that a man is born a goat and when he believes then he's a
sheep. Oh, no. A goat is a goat, and
a sheep is a sheep, to the end of the chapter. Well, the Lord
help us. And I hope I haven't confused
you.