Our reading is on the back page of your hymn sheets. It is the Gospel according to John, chapter 10. And we're going to read the first 18 verses. This is the theme of the Good Shepherd. I'm the Good Shepherd. And later, after the reading, we'll look at six ways our Good Shepherd cares for his sheep. And I've highlighted those verses as we do the reading. So from verse 1, John chapter 10.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him, for they know not the voice of strangers. This parable spake Jesus unto them, but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them. Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door, by me if any man enter in he shall be saved and shall go in and out and find pasture. The thief cometh not but for to steal and to kill and to destroy. I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly.

I am the good shepherd the Good Shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an Highling, and not the Shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth, and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The Highling fleeth, because he is an Highling, and careth not for the sheep, I am the Good Shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold, them also I must bring.

And they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd. Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. Thus far the reading of God's Holy Word.

Well, it is the verse 14 where the Lord says, I am the good shepherd. And I wanted to just highlight, remind you all of how that works in a real practical way. The Lord Jesus Christ, our Lord and our God, the good shepherd, how he actually cares for his sheep. how He cares for His people, how He cares for you and for me. It's good for us if we are to receive comfort from the Word, to know how that is, and also to give thanks as well where we receive His care. You all have the care of the home here, the staff caring for you, and no doubt you're very thankful for it, grateful for it. You recognize that care. Well, here this afternoon, we're thinking of the care of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, over you.

So the first one that I would mention is verse three, the she here, His voice. He says, to Him the porter openeth and the sheep hear His voice. So really this is not just the blessing of hearing His voice or hearing the Word, but it is that He is speaking. You think of the psalmist, Be not silent unto me, lest if thou be silent unto me, I become like them that go down into the pit it is vital that the Lord speaks to his people and that his people have a hearing ear and this is one of the ways that he cares for them that he is not silent he does speak and I trust it will be so through the meeting this afternoon through your morning devotions that you hear the good shepherd, the Lord speaking to you through his word. You think of one that said, my ear hath he opened, and the great token here of being a sheep because you hear his voice. It is to actually recognize the voice of the Lord.

Remember little Samuel when he was a child, It was said he did not yet know the Lord. And then when the Lord began to call him, he thought it was Eli that kept on coming to him and calling his name. But in the end, when he kept going to Eli, then Eli said, when he comes again, say, speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth. And it was from that time that Samuel knew the Lord, and he knew the Lord by his voice. We read that the Lord appeared again unto Samuel by the word of the Lord. And that is how we are to expect to hear the voice of the Lord through his word, through his servants, and that the Lord is not silent. He does speak to us. He does feed us. He does strengthen us. He does cause us to know Him by His Word, and His Word has an authority in our lives.

And many of you may think back to the first time when the Lord caused you to hear His voice, and then perhaps many times through your life when you sought comfort or direction or guidance, you've known those times the Lord hasn't been silent, He's answered your prayer, direct you to his word and cause you to know the way that you should go. You think of it in Isaiah, when we turn to the right hand, when you turn to the left, you shall hear a word behind thee saying, this is the way, walk ye in it. Then we have again in verse 3, his care over them, in calling his own sheep by name and leading them out.

God's people are a people that are led out. All of us have been in the world and of the world, but the Lord says of them that they are not of the world even as I am not of the world. Come ye out from among them, touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you. He shall be my sons and my daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. The picture here is of course with the sheep coat, with his shepherd watching over the sheep and leading them out into pastures. But God's people are a people separated unto the Lord. We think of how the Lord led the children of Israel out of Egypt into the wilderness and into the promised land.

It's a blessed thing to be not left in the world, but to be led out of it. The Lord said, I have given them thy word, and the world hath hated them. That is what makes the difference. And may we be a separated people, a special people unto the Lord, and bless the Lord for that time. when he led us out, didn't drive us out, led us out.

The Lord is a shepherd going before his sheep. So that's the next one in verse four to notice. When he putteth forth his sheep, he goeth before them. I wonder how many of you can think of times in your life where the Lord has gone before you, maybe in the provision of a job, maybe in a husband or a wife, maybe it was in providing a church for you, going before you, providing a home for you, maybe even this home. You thought of the providences that have brought you here, made it possible that you'd come here, and you marveled that the way has been made open, and you think this is the Lord's doing. It is marvelous in our eyes. When we think of Jacob leaving home, he was led to the house of his master's brethren, the same as what his father's servant was when he went to get Rebecca for a wife.

Each of them marked that they'd been led in the right way and led by the Lord going before. It is what Moses was told by the Lord, I will make all my goodness pass before thee in the way." The Lord is before His people. This is why Paul says, let us run the race that is set before us looking unto Jesus. We have Him going before us in the way. It's like the children of Israel with the fiery cloudy pillar. It went before them. It showed them the way.

We think especially how the Lord has gone before us into death and risen from the dead. He is the first begotten from the dead. And those that have a part in that first resurrection, the resurrection of the Lord, the Lord said, because I live, you shall live also. They are those quickened into life, brought into life through the Lord Jesus Christ, buried with Him, risen with Him. He has gone before us. He already is in heaven and He desires His people to be with Him. He has gone before us. May we have our eyes set upon the Lord where He is and that He has gone before us.

Well, the next one is that He is the door of the sheepfold. In verse 7, Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. And in Palestine we picture a stone surround with the sheep all in it with one opening. And in that opening there the shepherd sat. He protected the sheep. And when the sheep went in or out, they passed under the rod, and he counted them.

He was the door, none came in or went out but by the Lord. Another way of putting it, He is the straight gate, that gate that leadeth into the narrow way that leadeth unto life. Bunyan in his pilgrim's progress sets forth that wicked gate, that straight gate, the Lord Jesus as the door.

One thing that is very beautiful in thinking of Palestine and the shepherds there, and of course the shepherds, when the angels proclaimed the birth of our Lord, was that the shepherds there were always with the sheep. They were there at night. If you found a shepherd today, you'd find them in the farmhouse and the sheep were out in the field. But in Palestine that was not so.

But when you think of that picture, that the Lord is with His sheep, then what trials we have, He bears with us. What heat we have, He bears it. What cold we have, He bears it. He is taking part of all that the sheep have to go through. And that's a lovely thought, to think of the Lord's care of His sheep is right present with them in their trials and in their troubles.

Then we have in verse 11 that He gave His life for them. I am the Good Shepherd, the Good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep. And in the verse previous, I am come that they might have life. And of course our life is through His life. He paid our debt, He suffered in our stead, He bore our sin, He paid the debt we couldn't pay. He endured the wrath of God that was due to us. He was in our place.

If we picture there with Abraham and the altar, and Isaac on the altar, and Abraham being stopped by the angel, shown around, caught by its horns in the thicket, so it wasn't marred with its fleece, being caught. And that was placed as a spotless lamb in the place of Isaac. The Lord then is that good shepherd that giveth his life for the sheep. Abraham had said, when Isaac had said, where is the lamb? He said, God will provide himself a lamb. He will be the lamb. And really our Lord Jesus Christ was not only the sacrifice, he was the offerer. He offered Himself up without spot. And He did it for the sheep, for you and I, for those that believe on His name.

And we need to remember that. The particular love, the love of the Lord. God commendeth His love toward us, that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Every one of us here. While we knew not Him, He had already died, laid down His life for us. This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Exactly. That is a wonderful day, wonderful to remember that. Yes.

And then lastly, He knows His sheep. Verse 14, I am the Good Shepherd and know my sheep and am known of mine. a two-way knowing. Sometimes we might come to someone and we say, I know you, and they turn and look at us blankly and say, I don't know you, who are you? But here, it is both ways. It is a mutual knowledge.

And sometimes in our lives, that is specifically realized when the Lord does things that shows He knows us. with the woman at the well of Samaria. He showed her that he knew her life. He knew how many husbands she'd had. He knew she was not living with one that was a husband now. Come see a man that told me all things that ever I did is not this the Christ. The Lord knew her.

This is what Nathanael realized as well, when Philip had said to Nathanael, who was under the fig tree, we have found him, of whom Moses and the prophets did rhyme, Jesus of Nazareth. And Nathanael says, can any good thing come out of Nazareth? Come and see. And as he was coming, the Lord said, behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile. And Nathanael said, whence knowest thou me?

What a surprise, this man, he knows him. And he said, before that Philip called thee, when thou was under the fig tree I saw thee. Well, fig trees like we had in Australia, you could walk right past it and someone could be under it and you'd never see them. And Nathaniel knew that. And he knew the Lord knew him.

It's like hay day in the wilderness. Thou God seest me. Over in Australia, a church I used to preach at, sadly closed now, over the pulpit inscribed in the back wall was Thou God seest me. Great big letters from all the congregation. They could see that as a reminder the Lord was looking upon them.

And it's a good thing. When we realize He is a good Shepherd, He cares for us, that He sees us and He knows us intimately, and it's a blessed thing when we can say we know Him as well. He is not a stranger to us. We know His voice, we know His dealings, we know how He works, how He acts. We know Him as a good, a kind, a gracious, a long-suffering Savior. my shepherd, be able to say with David, my Lord and my shepherd, the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

And so may it be helped to think on this theme, to think on the care of the good shepherd over you and maybe think through your lives of specific times, specific places where you have felt his care where it's been evidence, how it has been evidence, and I hope as you go on from day to day, you find new, new evidences, new times of realizing his care right to the end of your life. That's one thing, he doesn't relinquish his care, he still cares, he still loves his people.