What's the name of the family that lost a loved one this week? Melody. You heard anything about that baby? No, and they haven't prayed on it this week, but not that one. Okay. And Steve's got to go for a consult on what time, next week? The 11th. On the 11th. That is Kenny, so pray for him, remember him in your prayers. And the others who requested prayer, I can't even eat my own rice when it gets cold.

Dyke Sneed's wife died today. Who? Dyke Sneed's wife died today. Oh, really? Sneed family. Her name? Her name, yeah. Our name. Helene. Yeah. Sam Weber's wife died this week, too. Snead. Elaine. Helene. H. H. Helene. Helene. Yeah.

Remember those folks in your prayers. We're going to worship tonight hymn number 228. My faith is found a resting place. My faith is but a resting place, not in device nor crib. I trust the Ever-Living One, His wounds for me shall heal. I need no other army, I need no other thee. It's my fear and doubt Jesus died. my savior's name salvation Jesus died Come Thou Almighty King, help us Thy way. my mighty sword Come and Thy people bless, and give Thy mercies. Spirit of holiness, watch me still. Come, Holy Comforter, I sing with witness fair. In this glad hour. Thou who almighty art, Thou who with every heart, And there from us depart, Spirit of power, To the great one in three. Eternal praises be his favor, Lord! His sovereign majesty may we in glory see, and to eternity, all men adore!

Did you hear anything about your eye? No, my lower eye was 26. 26 in this month. Okay. John chapter 10, verses 12 through 15. The title of my message tonight is the shepherd and the hireling. John chapter 10, verse 12. But he that is a hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth, and the wolf catches them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because it's a hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so I know my Father. and I lay down my life for the sheep.

Let us pray. Our Father in heaven, gracious Lord, merciful, kind, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy, we thank you that we can come to your presence and speak to you from our hearts concerning the things that attend our lives. We will praise you, Father. We know that nothing comes our way that is not by appointment. We pray for faith and grace to receive these things and to bow before you and say as our Lord did in Gethsemane, not my will, but thine, be done. We pray for those who are sick and going through trials, these lost loved ones, these who have asked for special prayer. We ask, Lord, your help for them. We know, Father, that thou art the great physician. You can heal just at your word. And for our folks who are sick and in trouble, we ask for your healing. We ask, Lord, you do this according to your good pleasure. We know that what the judge of all the earth will do right.

We pray for our congregation, Father, that we would be a hospital for sinners and a lighthouse in this world. It's a grout too grouseful to be preached and to bring your elect in here to hear the truth. Father, we pray tonight for ourselves as we gather here, that you would open up your word and give us a true glimpse of the glory of the words of our Lord Jesus Christ. Help us to see what he's done for his people. We pray in Christ's name, amen. Now this particular dialogue that we've been following for some time has followed a specific course.

The Lord has systematically distinguished between the believer and the unbeliever, designating the Pharisee in the category of the unbeliever, calling them blind and deaf, thieves and robbers, and not among the sheep for whom he laid down his life. They have, in fact, by his words, been set aside, they've been dismissed, and having as having anything to do with the salvation that the Messiah accomplished. In this passage, our Lord follows the same thing. He's still showing a distinction, verbally separating the chaff from the wheat. The strength of his argument lies in the fact that the Pharisees believed something about themselves.

They believe and see themselves as the shepherds and keepers and protectors of God's flock. However, we know about what they do to the people and how they treat the people. They're very poor shepherds, if shepherds at all. They have trodden the flock underfoot. They've sheared the flock and closed the clothing themselves, and have left the flock as prey for the wolves. They themselves have been labeled as wolves and sheep, closing in other places in Scripture, ravening the flock.

He's on the basis that Christ gives these Pharisees another designation on this basis. He calls them hirelings. Hirelings. They're shepherds, for shepherds are hirelings, yet they are hirelings for gain and profit. For gain and profit. The sheep do not belong to them. They don't own them. They do not know the sheep. Therefore their interest is not in the flock, but ultimately their own welfare.

Verse 12 begins with the word but. So that ties it to verse 11 where our Lord says, I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep, but he that is a hireling and not the shepherd, whose own sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming and leaveth the sheep. So he's making the distinction between the good shepherd and the hireling.

And he's speaking of the hirelings as being the Pharisees. He designates himself that way and gives his life for the sheep who came He came to give abundant life to them, he's already said, and the Conjunction Book asserts that none of those qualities that he talks about in verse 11 are to be applied to the hireling. He said, I give my life for the sheep, I give them life more abundantly, but the hireling doesn't. They are not good shepherds. the conjunction but asserts that none of the qualities or offices of the good shepherd can ever apply to the Pharisees.

They are not good shepherds, they are hirelings. And the word hireling does not necessarily have a negative connotation because many shepherds were hirelings and they took care of the flock, but their character was different than the good shepherd because the good shepherd owned the flock.

And that's what this is about. It's about ownership of the flock. Many shepherds are highly, but the good shepherd loves the flock. to the extent even of dying for the flock in order to save the lives of the flock, which our Lord is talking about. The Good Shepherd laid down His life for the sheep. He came to give life and give it more abundantly.

The Highling in this instance is the Pharisee who does what he does for gain. We've seen that in the weeks past when we read Matthew chapter 23. They do what they do to be seen of men. They want to sit at a higher place and be consider noble and high. He does, the pharisee does what he does for the paycheck. That's what I always say. He's a hireling.

And when the wolves and the lions come out, it says he vacates the premises of the place, caring not for the sheep, but rather caring for his own life. This is opposite of what our Lord did. Our Lord cared for his sheep, and he gave his life for the sheep, so that the sheep might have a life and have more abundance. Whereas the good shepherd gave his life for the sheep, the hireling saves his life instead of saving the sheep. The Lord states it plainly in the first sentence, the hireling is not the shepherd. The hireling is not the shepherd. He does not own the sheep. This is the distinction. The result of this self-interest is that when trouble comes, the wolves come out to prey, he leaves the flock and the sheep are scattered.

Our Lord says much about, so when he was talking to the Pharisees about the flock and the sheep, this is not foreign language to them. Much of the Old Testament, especially to the prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, All speak about the shepherds in the flock, the pastors in the flock, our ordeals with them, the prophets in the flock. So they understood what he was talking about. There was not strange language to it.

Look at a few verses of scripture over in Jeremiah chapter 23. Jeremiah chapter 23 verses 1 and 2 says, Woe unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pastor, saith the Lord. Thus saith the Lord of Israel against the pastors that feed the sheep. Ye have scattered my flock and driven them away, and have not visited them. Behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the Lord. And if you look over to Ezekiel chapter 34, Here's another prophet that our Lord uses to talk, speak to the pastors of those who say they're pastors of the flock or shepherds of the flock. In Ezekiel chapter 34 and verse 6 it says, My sheep wandered through all the mountains and upon every high hill. Yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them.

Then in verse 9 he says this, Verse 10 says, Behold, I am against the shepherds. I am against the shepherds. I will acquire my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock. In this shall the shepherds feed themselves any more, for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, and they may not be meat to them. They couldn't eat the sheep, but He's destroying them. Over in Zechariah chapter 11, Zechariah chapter 11 verse 7 it says this And I will feed the flock of slaughter even you old poor of the flock and I and I took them I took unto me two staves, and one I called beauty, and the other one I called bands, and I fed the flock." This is what the Good Shepherd does. He feeds the flock.

Remember where our Lord said to Simon Peter, after the resurrection, and Simon Peter had been fishing all night and couldn't even catch any fish. Our Lord stood on the bank and said, Brother, are you hungry? And he fed him. He made supper for him. And as he sat around the fire with Peter, he said, Peter, do you love me?

Do you love me? And he said, yes, Lord, I love you. And he said, feed my sheep. This is the mark of loving Jesus Christ for a pastor, is that he feeds the sheep. He asked him again, Peter, lovest thou me? He said, Lord, you know I love you. He said, feed my sheep. And he asked him a third time, Peter, do you love me? He says, Lord, you know everything. You know I love you. He said, feed my lamb.

So this is what the pastor's supposed to do. This is what the shepherd does and what the under shepherd does is feed the flock and protect them. The reason is simple. The shepherd is a hireling and he does not care for the sheep. Verse 13 of our text. It says this, the hireling fleeth because he is a hireling and careth not for the sheep. The good shepherd is described in Isaiah chapter 40. early on in the text before the first thing that said after He tells the prophet to stand upon the mountaintop and say undesired behold your God in Isaiah chapter 40 and verse 7 Verse 11 where it says he that is Jesus Christ shall feed his flock like a shepherd And shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young." This is what the good shepherd does. He's involved with the lambs. There's an intimate relationship. He carries them in his bosom. He feeds them. This speaks of a relationship.

The herding doesn't have a relationship with the sheep. None whatsoever. No such language applies to the hireling. He does not know the sheep. He does not love the sheep. He does not call the sheep by name. And most of the children does not give his life for the sheep. When the wolf come out, he says, I didn't sign up for this. And leaves the flock to be prayed for the wolf. The concept of the hireling is also applied to false pastors.

Because there are many of those around whose interest is in self aggrandizement, popularity, Well, financial gain, they're counting these things as God's blessings, but carry nothing for the congregation of God. They count what they get from the pastoring rather than what they're supposed to do to feed the flock with the Word of God, to do what they do for the service of the children of God. They do what they do to get something from the pastor or from the congregation. We see that in these megachurches today.

These preachers, so-called preachers, that lie to people, lie on God all the time, are flying around in jets, going to $8 million homes and things like that. They get a lot from being a preacher. Those are hirelings. Those are hirelings. They're not shepherds. They're not good pastors.

To them, the pastor is a professional, a professional preacher. That's the scariest thing that's ever come down the pipe, cuz that usually starts at an early, early age. Usually the parents are just making sure that your children become a preacher. And they go to preacher school, they get through academia, and they end up being a professional preacher.

I remember many years ago, when I came here, I was talking with some of my relatives. We went to lunch with them one day, and they were talking about, well, what's your next challenge? You know, I told them we had about 20 people here. I think we had 12 or 13 at the time. I lied about it. Padded the thing a little bit.

But anyway, they said, well, what about, what's your next, what's your next for you? And I said, there's nothing next for me. You know, people I loved and understood the gospel even ask stupid questions like that. What's next for you? And others, they said, well, what kind of retirement plan do you have? How much you make? Things like that. That's all language about hirelings. has nothing to do with the pastorate.

The pastor in scripture, there's three things it says about the preacher of the gospel, the minister of the gospel, the pastor of the church. First it says he's a servant of the church. Secondly it says he rules the church in spiritual things. And thirdly, thirdly it says he belongs to the church. He belongs to the church. Our Lord said that some are hirelings. Some are hirelings.

The true pastor gives his life to the service of the flock, knowing them, loving them, and if need be, dying for them, and filthy lucre does not enter into the equation at all. If the church is blessed to be able to support a pastor, it's a fine thing. If they are not, the pastor, like Paul, makes tents for a living. I've known some pastors who just said, you know, the church has got to take care of the pastor. Well, if they can, they're blessed to do so. But if they can't, the pastor don't care. He's not there for the money. He's there to preach the gospel, to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. When I first came here, we were a very small congregation.

And I had to do some rock work, some other stuff, cut up deer and stuff. My dear wife went and got a job to be a teacher. You know, now you support me beautifully, but you were unable to. What did I do? Well, I ain't staying with this outfit. They won't pay me nothing. I didn't do that. Why? Because that's not what I'm here for.

I'm here for one reason, and that's to feed the sheep, to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ continually and redundantly so that the sheep of God will be fed, for they have to go out into a world that despises them and cares not for them at all, nor do they care for their God. Some are hirelings, some are pastors. Some shepherds are hirelings, but the good shepherd is not a hireling, he's a good shepherd.

And the singular example of that is the Lord, the good shepherd, knows his sheep. Now when you see the word knows in scripture, it's not just all about general knowledge, when it talks about the Lord and His sheep, or God and His people, that word know, progenosto comes from genosto, to know, progenosto is to know beforehand. God is always doing His sheep.

Even before they knew they were sheep, even before they existed in this world, even before the world existed itself, before God hung the stars in place and plugged in the sun in its place, Before He made the first creature, before the first graven grass was ever made. Before He said, let there be light. Before He said, let there be light.

He knew His people. Known unto the Lord are all His works from eternity, said the Scripture. He's always known them. He foreknew them from the foundation of the world. He chose them in love. and divine election unto salvation. They were predestinated to be conformed to his image. They were called, justified, and glorified. Scripture declares that no weapon shall ever be formed against them that shall prosper, and their righteousness is of him. They all, from the least to the greatest, know him, and he knows them.

That's what he says. I am the good shepherd, verse 14. I know my sheep, And am known of mine. And am known of mine. That's part of the new covenant that God promised. Different from the old covenant. The old covenant, the people would have to say, know God. Know Him. You must know the Lord. Don't say that to the people of God, because they don't know Him. That's part of the promise of the new covenant.

Look over Jeremiah 31. Jeremiah 31 when he talks about in verse 31 behold the days come saith the Lord I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel with the house of Judah now we know that Paul in the Hebrew letter quoted much of this singular passage of scripture in the book of Hebrews He said, that covenant is not according to the covenant I made with their fathers in that day. But I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. Well, it's not the Sinai covenant he's talking about, the covenant made at Sinai. Which my covenant they break, they didn't keep it.

Although I was a husband to them, I didn't do nothing wrong to them. I took care of them. I fed them every day with manna. I made sure there was a rock that followed them everywhere with fresh water. I gave them land free that they did not earn. I did it not because of their righteousness, but because He did for them.

But he said, I've got another covenant here. No, but this shall be the covenant I will make with them to the house of Israel. After those days, Lord, I'll put my law on their inward parts. That was shown in Hebrews chapter 10. I'll write them in the heart, and I will be their God. There will be no question then with this new covenant. Ain't gonna be no idols involved here. Ain't gonna be no idols. They're not going to say, I wish I was back in Egypt.

I will be their God, they shall be my people. And here's what he says, and they shall teach no, and they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, know the Lord. For they shall all know me. From the least of them unto the greatest, saith the Lord, and I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sins no more. They all want to know God.

Knowing God is very, very important. This is the effect of being given eternal life. If you are given eternal life by God Almighty, if you're preached word by the Holy Spirit, then you're going to know God. And that's going to be, the evidence of that will be you'll have eternal life.

Over in John chapter 17, that's what our Lord said in his high priesthood prayer in verses 1 through 3. He said, These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes into heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come. Glorify thy son, that thy son may glorify thee. As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given. And this is eternal life. What? They said, My Lord.

He knows them, and they know Him, the only true and living God, Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. He knows His sheep, and they know Him in an intimate and familiar way. Because the next verse that He uses, He uses the relationship that He has with His Father, defining this knowing someone. I know my sheep, and they know me. And He says, as the Father knoweth me, Even so I know the father he said this is the kind of knowledge I have An intimate familial knowledge with my people this salvation is not a traditional salvation when I say that a traditional salvation has to be has to do with a child being christened and later confirmed Without any not intimate knowledge of Christ.

They say they're in the body of Christ when they're babies and take them and sprinkle the baby and say, you're in the body of Christ. You're now in the church. They're saved. They're saved. And then at 12 years old, they come up and they put on a white robe or something and then they're confirmed. That's called traditional salvation.

It has nothing to do with knowing Christ. Nothing whatsoever. Knowing Christ is something that attends eternal life. Eternal life. The reason The children of God know Christ. It's because He laid down His life for them. He laid down His life for them. That's what it says. As the Father knoweth me, even so I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. And this is no abstract thing. This is not some traditional thing. The sheep know Christ. personally, they know Him. It's through this Word, I ain't trying to figure it out.

But they know. They know. They are ever thankful that the Lord died for them and set them in a right standing with God. They rejoice to know Him and want to know Him better because He laid down His life for them. I got to thinking about this. In those precious moments of clarity and faith, the believer considers that this one whom he knew not, centuries before he was born, went to the cross, and voluntarily died to pay the debt that he owed to God. We take that sometimes for granted. We know it's a doctrinal position. We know it's the truth. We know it's the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

But to think about it, to actually ponder that fact, what manner of love is this? Oh, that I might dwell on that thought in my dying breath. Surely, I know it will be my song in heaven. I'll dwell on it there. That'll be my song. Not gonna be the old pretty green fields and big trout streams. That's not what we're talking about. In heaven, this is gonna be what we're talking about.

Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, that has redeemed us by His blood out of every kindred, nation, and hundred people, and made us kings and priests unto our God. I wish I could think about it more clearly. I wish I could grasp at this wonderful intimacy that's here.

Jesus Christ, the son of God, 2,000 years ago, laid down his life for me. I should have died. I was worthy of death. He died for my death. What do I think? The word lay here signifies that it was a voluntary act. I laid down my life for the sheep. I want to compel by his love for the elect. I want to compel.

God commended his love for us. It says in Romans 5, 8. He commended his love toward us that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Paul said in Galatians, I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live. Yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. And he said this, he loved me and gave himself for me.

In Ephesians 5.25 it says he loved his church and gave his life for his church. that he might present it without spot or rancor before God. 1 John 4 says, herein is love. Not that we love God, but that he loved us and sent his Son, the propitiation, the satisfying of the law and justice, not death, for us.

In Revelation 1.5, when he talks about Jesus Christ in the first part of the Revelation of Christ, he says he loved us. in His own blood.

This is the Good Shepherd, not a hireling. A hireling ain't gonna do anything for you. The Good Shepherd will save you, redeem you. He loves you. He loves you. He said this, I'm the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep. But he that is a hireling 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 hireling fleeth, because he's a hireling, and cares not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep, and have no one of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. Father, bless us to understand. We pray in Christ's name. Amen. God bless you.