That fourth verse talks about
the little flock. Our little flock is down this
morning for whatever reason. There's a verse that when I first
heard it, it meant so much to me. It gave me such comfort. The Lord said, fear not, little
flock. It's the Father's good pleasure
to give unto you. That came to my heart and mind
one time when I was so low, and it just lifted me up. John 10, what a blessed passage
this is, blessed words about our blessed Lord, our Shepherd,
the Lord our Shepherd, Jehovah-Raw. That's who this is speaking of. Sheep love this. Sheep love to
hear about the shepherd, his voice. They follow him, they
feed on him. The Lord is speaking, begins
speaking to the Pharisee. And he told this parable of the
door and the shepherd and the porter. And he talks about thieves
and robbers, verse 1, that he that enters not by the door,
the same as a thief and a robber. And verse 8, it says, all that
ever came before me are thieves and robbers. Verse 10, he said,
the thief comes to steal, to kill. Thieves and robbers everywhere. Always have been. And when he was on earth, he aimed
that at scribes, Pharisees, and hypocrites. Thought about all the thieves
in politics today. All the thieves in religion.
A thief is someone who takes what doesn't belong to him. Belongs
to someone else. Romans 11 says, Of him and through
him and to him are all things to whom be glory forever. For anyone to take credit for
and be proud of anything is to steal God's glory. It's to take
credit from him and give it to themselves. God hates it. He's going to bring it all down.
Religion is the worst. It's so subtle. They do it in
the name of God, pretending to give God the glory when they
are taking it. All this talk about, you know,
won't you accept Jesus. Here's what people think about
election. And you've heard it, that imposter
on the radio right before me, that false prophetess, she said
it. And this is what they all say,
because they don't believe that God elected a people before the
foundation of the world. They don't believe that. And
what they say is, God voted for you, the devil votes against
you, you cast the deciding vote. They all say that, don't they?
Alright, who gets the glory there? Who is it that made the final
decision? So who gets the credit for salvation? It's not even subtle, is it?
Thieves do what they do subtly. But that's not even subtle. The
Pope in Rome, he's not subtle. He's blatant in his stealing
God's glory. He sits as God in the temple
of God. That's not even subtle. Billy Graham is. That's subtle. Stealing God's glory. His biography, the title of it
is, Just As I Am. He's a false prophet. Stands down front, people come
to him. They're not coming to Christ,
they're coming to see Billy Graham. Never mind all that, okay. That's
enough about thieves and robbers. There's so many of them, they're
everywhere. They come to steal and kill. They're robbers of
God's glory and they're killing souls. They're not saving souls,
they're killing souls. Killing souls. And he talks about hirelings
down in verse 12. Hireling. He's not the shepherd.
He's a hireling. What does a hireling do? Why
does a hireling work? Money. It's all about money.
Money. It's a job. They work for money. Alright? Now let's just from
here on out talk about the good shepherd. Alright? He said, first thing he said
was, that he's the door, verse 7. He talked about those trying
to enter in by any other way than the door is a thief and
a robber. And he says the porter opens
the door to the shepherd and the sheep. He calls his sheep
and leads them out. Christ said in verse 7, Verily,
verily, I say unto you, I am the door. I am the door of the sheep. That's the reason, you know,
people, they abuse Revelation 3. It talks about Christ standing
at the door. They don't understand that He
is the door. And that was to the church, who
is His temple. And he's the door. I am the door.
I'm standing at the door. And he's knocking, and Christ
comes to his church when they're meeting together to worship him.
He's there. He's promised to be where two
or three together. And in the gospel, you know,
I'm here. He's not outside every single
human being's door knocking, wanting them to let him in. No.
No, this is Christ to the church, said, I'm here. He has to open our hearts, He
has to open our ears, He has to open us to receive the Word. And when we do, He comes, He
seps with us. That's to the church. It's not
talking about Christ wanting to save everybody, standing outside.
He said, I am the door. See, compare Scripture with Scripture.
I am the door. See, and the fact is, we're knocking
on His door. He said to us, ask, you receive. Seek, and you find. Knock, and
it shall be opened unto you. Christ. All that's concerning
Christ. He said, I am the door. He's
the only way. A door is a way in and out. He said, I am the door. All through
here, the definite article, the. The door. I am the shepherd.
He said, I am the bread of life. I am the way. I am the truth. I am the life. There is no other.
I am the door. The only way anybody's going
to get in the fold, and that's the kingdom of God, heaven, is
by Jesus Christ. And we're going to see how that
he's the one. that leads them out. They come by him. He's the
door. He's the shepherd. He's the way. They follow him. He calls them.
He does it all. I'm the door. You know, sheepfold,
I read this years ago. This was a blessing to me. I've
studied sheep over the years. I saw one time where Often shepherds,
different shepherds all out in the fields would have a common
fold and they'd all bring all of their sheep into this fold,
okay, and it was a temporary enclosure and it didn't have
a permanent door with a lock on it. What would happen, it
had an opening, but what would happen was the chief shepherd
was the one in charge of all of them. He would lie down in
the door at night. That the only way a wolf or anything
could get to the sheep was by him. The only way any sheep could
get out is had to go through him. If he's a good shepherd,
he's not going to let either one of them out. He's not going
to let the wolf in. He's not going to let the sheep
get out. That's a good type of Christ.
That's a good picture of Christ. He said, I am the door. I am
the door. I can only think of one other
door. Well, the temple. But the door of that ark. Door
of that ark. What a picture of Christ that
is. The Lord God shut them in. And He pitched the outside. So
He said, I am the door. Then He says in verse 11, I am
the Good Shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his
life for the sheep. Verse 14, I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep and am known
of mine. I am. First he said, I am the
door. Now he says, I am the good shepherd. Listen to this. Isaiah 40. Listen, O Zion, that bringeth
good tidings. Get thee up into the high mountain.
O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with
strength, lift it up, be not afraid, say unto the cities of
Judah, Behold, your God. Listen. Behold, the Lord God
will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him. Behold,
his reward is with him, his work before him. He shall feed his
flock like a shepherd. Who's he talking about? The Lord
God. He shall gather the lambs with
his arm and carry them in his bosom and shall gently lead those
that are with young. Now, our Lord said, I am the
good shepherd. Who is Jesus Christ? God. In this same chapter, they said,
if you be the Christ... There was a division about Him.
Again, another division. They were all divided, all the
time divided about who He was. Not to His disciples. There was
no division, was there, John? There's no division between you
and I about who Jesus Christ is, about who does the saving. There's no doubt. They said,
if you... How long do you make us to doubt? Oh, he's removed all doubt in
him. To us, he's God. That's who he is. He's the Lord
God. They say, I don't understand.
How can he be God and be man? I don't know either, but he is.
Well, how can he be the father and be the son? I don't know.
No man does, but he is. Anybody who says differently
doesn't know him, doesn't believe him. It's another gospel. Another gospel. It said, I am the Good Shepherd. I am the door.
I am the Good Shepherd. Jehovah-Raha. The Lord is my
Shepherd. The Lord. That's Jehovah, isn't
it? Isn't it, Ed? Jehovah. Jesus Christ is Jehovah. We're Jehovah's Witnesses, not
them. They don't believe. They believe
He came into existence when He lived on this earth. That's blasphemy. That's another
gospel. It's false. The Lord is my shepherd. The
Lord, Jesus Christ, He's the Good Shepherd. Now let's talk
a little bit about how good He is. He's good in His person. He's good in His work. He's good
at what He did. He's good in His person. He's
holy. He's just. Holy means consecrated,
dedicated, devoted to God completely, 100%. Everything He did. He said, The Father loved me
because I always do those things that please Him. The Lord is
well pleased for His righteousness. He's good. One time a man came
to Him and said, Good Master, Why do you call me good? There's
nothing good with God. That's right. In Himself. By
nature. He's the only good man that ever
really lived. Christ in us makes us good people,
but we don't have that goodness. He did. Inherit in Him. Good in His person. Holy. Just. Just. Just. That's a wonderful thing. There's
no justice on this earth. Not a just man. Oh, he was just. Oh, he was righteous. He is righteous. Righteous just means right. Everything about him was right.
Everything he said was right. Everything he did was right.
Righteous in his person, his acts, is true. It's true. True. Believable. Honest. Honest. The faithful witness. What he
says is truth. He's good, isn't he? Good. God said, I'm going to make all
my goodness pass before you. That's Christ. He's good. Loving, love, love. Behold, no
man loved like this man. Having loved his own, he loved
him to the end. He never left anybody he loved.
He never will. That's love. Love. 1 Corinthians 13 love. That's Christ. All through. You can substitute the word love
with His name. In 1 Corinthians 13. Love. Endureth all things. Never fail. Love. He's good in His person.
He's merciful. Full of mercy. He's a good ship. Full of mercy, kind. He treats all His people kind. In fact, the Lord is merciful
to all His works. He's kind and gracious and good
and giving to all people. Yes, He is. Yes, He is. He's compassionate. He's touched
with a feeling of infirmity. Compassionate, tender, strong. Mighty. How mighty, Sarah? Almighty. Able to save. Man, I need a shepherd like that,
don't you? We're going to talk about sheep here in a minute.
But if you're a sheep, you know you need a good shepherd. He's good in his work. He's good. Say a man's good at his job.
He's good at what he does. He's able to do what he's set
out to do. He's the good shepherd. Feeds,
he leads, he guards, he guides, he watches, he defends, he saves. He saves every single sheep that
was given to him. Not one. He said in his prayer
in John 17, of all those thou hast given me, I have lost nothing. I've kept them. Not one. How many was he given? How many
sheep? He's called the great shepherd
because he has so many. Such a great fold to care for. He saved everyone. Luke 15. Look
at Luke 15. He's a good shepherd. He's a
great shepherd because of his ability to save every single
sheep. And here's the lengths he goes
to to save them. Luke 15. Look at it. Luke 15. Then drew near unto him all the
publicans and sinners to hear him. Is that you? Now listen
to what he said. The Pharisees murmured. The scribes
murmured. This man receiveth sinners and
eateth with them. That made me laugh. He spake
this parable unto them, okay? What man of you having a hundred
sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and
nine in the wilderness and go after that which is lost until
he find it? Now that's a good shepherd. What
a shepherd to leave ninety and nine and go after one. And went
until he found it. What all does he go through?
What great lengths does he go to to find it? How far did this... Let me ask you, how far did you...
We sing the song, Prone to Wander. How far did you wander? How deep
in the pit did you get? How dirty and defiled did you
become? How long were you lost? What great lengths the Lord went
to find His sheep. Verse 15, and there's no doubt
He's going to find them. When He had found it, He layeth
it, what does He do? Puts it on His shoulders. And
when He, look at this. When He comes home, He calls
together His friends and His neighbors and says, Rejoice with
Me. over one little sheep? Yes, I have found my sheep, which
was lost. And I say unto you that likewise
joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repented. One of the ladies in here said
to me several times, if I'm a sheep, I'm a black sheep. Well, brothers
and sisters, all of Christ's sheep are black sheep. Every one of them. Like the Shulamite
maiden, his bride, they all say, I'm black. Look at him. He's good. He's good in his work.
He said, other sheep, verse 16 in our text, other sheep I have
which are not of this fold. You know, our Lord came first
for the Jews. All His time on earth was spent
in Israel. He sent His disciples out to
the Jew first. Why? Because they were the worst.
They were the worst sinners of all. Those are the ones that
killed Him. He didn't have mercy for them. But He said, Other
sheep I have which are not of this fowl. That's Gentile. I've
got to go get them. And I will bring them. Them also
I must bring. Who does the bringing? I will
bring them. Bring my sons and daughters from
afar, he said. They shall hear my voice. That's
the gospel. There shall be one foal, Jew
and Gentile. No more Jew and Gentile. No more
male and female. No more. One foal. And one shepherd. Christ. They all know why they're there.
Christ. Oh, He's good at His work. He said, I must bring. You remember
that time that David, a bear and a lion, came and got one
lamb? One little lamb. You say, how can that be? I don't
know, but it did. To tell us what Christ did. Christ came, one little lamb. The roaring lion. Satan is a
roaring lion. A bear in the woods, as it were.
And our Lord single-handedly defeated him for the salvation
of one little lamb. He's a good shepherd. He's a
great shepherd. And then, Hebrews says, when
the chief shepherd shall appear. The chief shepherd. Our Lord He said, I'll give you pastors. That's shepherd. Bishop is shepherd. I'll give you pastors after mine
own heart. They shall feed you with knowledge. Men like their Lord. Men who
have their Lord's glory and honor in mind. Men who would not dare
share His glory for any. They don't come in their own
name. They come in His name. He's the chief shepherd. In fact,
you ask them their name, like John, they won't tell you. Because
it's the chief shepherd. He's the chief shepherd. Nevertheless,
he has his shepherds that he's put in charge of his sheep to
watch over them. And he told them, like Simon
Peter, the first thing he said was, feed my lambs. Lambs. And he said, feed my sheep. Be, watch over them. Lead them. Tell them what I said. That's
His voice. Speak to them. Preach to them.
The Gospel is His voice. And how good is our Lord? How
good is His Shepherd? Look at verse 11. Verse 11. It says, I am the Good Shepherd.
The Good Shepherd giveth His life. The shame. Verse 15. I lay down my life. for the sheep. Verse 17, I lay down my life
that I might take it again. I've received this commandment
of my Father to lay my life down for the sheep, to give my life. Christ came to die. He came to
live, and by His death we live. He said, I give unto them life.
The thief comes to kill. I came that they might have life,
he said, and life more abundant. That is life with God. Eternal
life. How do they live? By Christ dying. That's how. They live because
Christ died. He said, I give my life. He gave his life. For who? Who did Christ die for? The sheep. He said down in verse 26, you
believe not because you're not my sheep. What does that mean?
They're goats. He didn't die for goats. He died for sheep. Whose sheep are they? He kept
saying, my own sheep. They belong to me. Where'd he
get them? Father gave them to me, he said. And he purchased them with his
own blood. He purchased. My sheep. You're not your own.
You're bought with a price. You belong to the Lord. You're
His sheep, if you believe Him, if you trust Him. Alright, here's
a few things about sheep. Tell me, if you need a shepherd,
then you're a sheep. A sheep is a helpless creature.
It's one of the most helpless creatures on earth. They really
are. Every single predator, they go
after them. They cannot withstand, they cannot
fight off one, they have no ability to defend themselves. That's
sheep. That's me. That's it. They're
helpless. They're dumb. They're stupid. Yes, I said the word. I used
the word. They're stupid creatures. Yeah, they are. How stupid are
they? They'll wander off eating grass,
keep their head down eating grass until they fall off a cliff.
They'll just fall off a cliff. They're not looking where they're
going. They're stupid. Boy, they need somebody to watch
over them. Prone to wander, Lord, I feel
it. Prone to leave the God I love. Oh, we're kept by Him. He's the only one able
to keep us from following. They're dumb. They're dirty.
I know they look white from a distance. Get up next to them. You'll smell
them. They're dirty. They need dipped
all the time. They're subject to all kind of
parasites. That's us, isn't it? Dirty, easy
prey, prone to wander. Sheep have to gather together
with other sheep. That's the nature. It's gregarious
congregation. They're gregarious. They gather
together. Goats. You see an old goat on a mountainside?
He's just hanging out by himself. He doesn't need anybody. He can
eat anything. Weeds. Ten cans. Not sheep. They've got to be with other
sheep, don't they? They huddle together. They need each other.
And wherever the sheep are, that's where the shepherd is. They love
having a shepherd, don't they? They love the shepherd. They
gather together. They love each other. They're
bound together. They're owned by the shepherd. And he said, kept saying, they'll
hear my voice. Not a stranger. This is how you
know you're one of God's sheep. You love to hear the gospel.
You love to congregate with the people of God. You love to flock
together with God's people. You need to hear the Master's
voice. You need to hear the Gospel.
He said the sheep will hear my voice. The voice of authority,
the voice of comfort, the voice of peace, the voice of salvation,
the voice of joy. He said they follow who they
follow. me, Christ said. Not me. You're not following me. Not
anybody else is following me. I know, you know, I'm the leader,
but I'm just trying to point you to Christ. Like John, he
preached, those two men left, quit following him, followed
Christ. John said, my job is finished. I did my job. They're following him. But Oh
my, they hear His voice and they follow Him. And He says, I know
them, they know Me. And He says, look down at verse
27, My sheep hear My voice, I know them, they follow Me, and I give
unto them eternal life. I have come that they might have
life. This is how you know Christ is the Good Shepherd, the True
Shepherd, as opposed to these false ones. These false ones
trying to make money and so forth, to make a name for themselves.
Christ came, made himself of no reputation. Christ didn't
come for wealth. He who was rich became poor.
This is how you know he's true. He gave everything, gave himself,
that we might be rich. He came not to to take from us,
but to give to us. That's how you know truth, Shepherd.
That's how you know Christ. And he said, I give unto them
eternal life, verse 28. I love this. And I quote, they
shall never perish. So if you're a helpless, dumb,
stupid, dirty animal of prey, prone to wander,
but love to gather with God's people in the flock, and you
eat only grass, You eat and feed on Christ the Lord. You want
to be owned. You want to be kept. You need
to be kept. You have no power of your own.
Christ is your all. Christ is all you need. Christ
is all your salvation. Christ is all your religion.
If Christ is all, all your hope, all your salvation, then the
Lord is your shepherd. He must be a sheep. And you will
never perish. And nobody will pluck you out
of His hand. Paul's religion says he has no
hands but your hands. Well, I sure don't need a God
like that. My God has hands. And he says
I'm in them. And he says no one can plug me
in. Boy, that's who I need. A stranger comes along and tries
to woo you away. Christ says you can't have him. You've got to get by me first.
Okay, let's stay in the same number, in closing, number 296.