George Whitefield, the British
evangelist, God so greatly used in what's called the Great Awakening, made this statement, God can send a nation or a people,
no greater blessing than to give them a faithful, sincere, upright
preacher. And the greatest curse, he said,
that God can possibly send upon a people in this world is to
give them over to blind, unregenerate, carnal, lukewarm, Unskilled preachers,
men who are not gifted and sent of God. The baby's going to have
to go downstairs. We have a nursery downstairs. Thank you. John chapter 10, John chapter
10. Whitfield knew something of what
he was speaking. Whitfield was an Anglican preacher,
ordained as an Anglican, actually never was ordained, went through
the school and was prohibited from preaching in their churches.
So he preached in fields and barns all over the world and
God blessed his labors. But in his day, as in every day,
These wolves in sheep's clothing were the popular, accepted, applauded,
approved of preachers. That's the way it was in the
days of Isaiah. That's the way it was in the days of Jeremiah.
That's the way it was in the days of Ezekiel. That's the way
it was when our Lord Jesus walked on this earth. In the earliest
days of the apostles, Even among the churches established by the
apostles, grievous wolves crept in and turned the minds and hearts
of the people away from the very men who had brought them the
gospel of God's free grace. Paul wrote to the Corinthians
with a sad heart because those Corinthians who in God's providence
owed their souls to that man had been turned to look upon
him as a false prophet. Imagine that. Imagine that. You know, I have I have found
that hard to believe these 40 some years I've been studying
this book. How could that happen? But now I've seen it happen many
times, many times. The Galatians, Those people who
would at one time have plucked their eyes out and given them
to the Apostle Paul were convinced that he had hoodwinked them. And he writes to them acknowledging
that this horrible thing had happened. The wolves have always
been the majority, the accepted ones, the praised ones, the approved
of ones. Wolves in sheep's clothing. They
seem so nice. Everybody likes them. They name
streets after them. Everybody thinks they're so nice.
Why, the politicians think they're nice, and the folks next door
think they're nice, and they spend their time sipping tea
with old ladies and getting in on all the community gossip,
and why, they're just such nice fellas, wolves. And faithful
gospel preachers, have been, are today, and will be tomorrow
held in utter contempt by most religious people. When William
Huntington walked on this earth, he was ridiculed by everybody
except folks he preached to. When John Gill Pastored in London,
he preached to about a thousand people, but everybody else except
those few people in his immediate influence looked upon him as
an absolute raving lunatic, a heretic, an antinomian, and they denounced
him as such. The title of my message this
morning, and I had no idea why God's put this on my heart for
today, I made before the day's over, but I don't know yet, is
hirelings and shepherds. I'll go back to John chapter
10. in this parable that our Lord Jesus spoke to hirelings. It's a parable he spoke to hirelings. He says so in verse six, the
scribes and the Pharisees had assumed to themselves the seat
of teachers, the seat of instructors in the temple of God. They dared
to present themselves as men who were called and sent of God
with a message from God, but they neither had the word of
God nor the authority of God behind them. All they had behind
them were academic credentials and traditions to which they
tenaciously adhered, even if it meant ripping the word of
God to shreds, they would tenaciously adhere to their traditions. This
10th chapter of John is addressed specifically to these men who
sat in Moses' seat and assumed the office of shepherds, and
they were no shepherds at all. As you look at this 10th chapter,
let me remind you of the symbolism. In the ancient Eastern culture,
the wealthiest of men were men who had large flocks. They were
usually nomads. They traveled with their flocks.
They didn't stay at one specific place. They traveled here and
there, and they traveled constantly with their flocks. Their flocks
were their wealth. Their flocks were the symbol
of their influence and their power, and their flocks were
dear to them. Everyone knew the symbolism,
and the Lord Jesus was a master artist. He was a master artist. You folks are familiar with Marvin
Stoniker's artwork. One time I had him to explain
to me exactly how he could draw those old houses and draw the
bricks in such symmetry. And he told me, he said, you
just take and put a string out here, way off this side of the
canvas, and another string way off this side of the canvas,
and you'd have this third one that'd run down. He said, every
time I'd paint a line, I'd move it down just a little, way over
here, so it keeps them in perfect symmetry. I understood it. Now,
I can't do it, but I understood it. Our Lord was a master artist. Only he painted pictures with
words, not words that you had to look up in a dictionary, not
words that would impress you with learning. Mostly, mostly
two and three syllable words. But he painted masterpieces with
words. He takes the picture of a shepherd
and his sheep and the shepherd's care of those sheep. and uses
the picture to teach us about him, about his grace, about his
salvation, about his servants, and about hirelings. Hirelings
of which he warned us more than anything else throughout the
scriptures. Now in verse one, he speaks of
the sheepfold. The sheepfold is the church of
God. There are many sheepfolds many local churches But the fold
that is one that it comes to at last is the church of god
All brought together in one in christ jesus at the end of the
age The sheepfold then is the church of god the door the door
into the sheepfold The door into the church is Christ Jesus himself. He tells us in verses 1, 7, and
9 that he's the door. He's the door. You don't come
into the church by the waters of baptism. You don't come into
the church by the vote of an assembly. Oh, no. Oh, no. You come into the church by Christ.
He's the door. He's the door. We happily receive
folks into the fellowship of God's church, receive them as
our brethren. But you come in by faith in Christ. That's the way you come into
the church by faith in him. The true shepherd is the Lord
Jesus himself. He's described here as the good
shepherd. He speaks of himself as the good shepherd who lays
down his life for the sheep. the good shepherd who calls his
own sheep by name, the good shepherd who leads his sheep out and they
follow him, the good shepherd who keeps his sheep safe and
secure, the good shepherd who has all responsibility for the
sheep and will ultimately bring every one of the sheep safe into
the father's fold at the father's feet in the end of the age. In
other words, every one of the sheep received at the shepherd's
hand, every one of the sheep bought by the shepherd's blood,
every one of the sheep called by the shepherd's power, every
one of the sheep to whom the shepherd gives life shall have
life eternally. None shall perish. The porter,
the porter who opens to the shepherd, the porter who causes the sheep
to hear the shepherd's voice, the porter who causes the sheep
to recognize the shepherd. The porter who reveals the shepherd
to the sheep, that's God the Holy Spirit. This is how sinners
are saved. God sends a preacher preaching
the gospel and nobody pays any attention. Nobody wants to hear
it until the porter speaks. And God the Spirit causes the
word to be heard. He creates an interest in your
heart. He reveals Christ in you. Causes you to know the good shepherd. And you hear the shepherd's voice.
You hear him call. And you find yourself following
the shepherd. And the sheep go in and out and
find pasture because the porter opens to them. The sheep. Well,
sheep are God's elect. Some of you here are sheep. Sadly,
it may be some of you are not. The whole human race is divided
into two groups of people. Sheep and goats. The elect and
those who are the goats. The non-elect, the reprobate.
Israel and the rest of the world. The whole human race. And one
doesn't cross from one group into the other. No, no. Sheep
are always sheep and goats are always goats. If you find yourself
believing on the Son of God, if right now the Son of God calls
you by His grace and causes you to believe Him, it's because
you're one of His sheep, chosen by Him in eternity, redeemed
by Him at Calvary, and now called by His grace. You say, well,
I don't like the way you're talking, Brother Dodd. These folks here
didn't either. And in verse 25, or verse 26,
rather, the shepherd tells you why. You believe not because
you're not of my sheep. You believe not because you're
not of my sheep. Now, I can get goats to act religious,
and I can get them to act like sheep a little bit. You go to
a Bible college or seminary, they teach you how to get goats
to act like sheep. You get them to start acting good, and you
get them to start coming to church, and you get them to start paying
tithes, and you get them to start dressing different, and you get
them to start talking different, and pretty soon they're convinced
they're sheep. They know they're not, but they're convinced they
are, because preachers said they were. And they get a little lackadaisical,
so you have to start having fall revival and spring revival, so
you can get the sheep revived a little bit. And then that doesn't
work, so you start new programs. You've got discipleship programs,
so you can get goats to act like sheep. And that doesn't work
after a while, you have to start something else and you start
this program or that and you have promise keepers programs
so you can get goats to act like sheep. Anything can get goats
to act like sheep. We don't dare acknowledge that
we've been playing games with God the whole time. We don't
dare acknowledge it. If we did, we'd have to acknowledge
that we're goats. Have to acknowledge, I've been
a hireless. a deceiver of men's souls, playing
games with you, taking you by the hand and leading
you and your family to hell in the name of religion. All right, read verses 6 through
10. 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, all those who said they were Christ,
they were thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn't hear them.
The sheep will never hear the false shepherd. 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."
That's the only reason he's there. The only reason he's there. But
Brother Don, he's such a nice fellow. He comes to steal, to
kill, and destroy. But everybody thinks he's so
nice. He comes to steal, to kill, and destroy. This is my neighbor
you're talking about. He comes to steal, to kill, and
destroy. But that's my son you're talking
about. He comes to steal, to kill, and to destroy. That's
not my word. You've got it right in front
of you. God said so. God said so. Read on. I am the
door. 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'm
come for another reason. I'm come that they might have
life. The only reason I came down here, so my sheep have life.
And that they might have it more abundantly. Now with those words,
our Savior shows us the distinction between all hirelings and all
true shepherds. The word shepherd simply means
pastor. Pastor. I've read to you this
morning in Ezekiel 33 and in Jeremiah chapter 6. And if it
wasn't for just the constraints of time, I would read several
other passages to you dealing with pastors. Shepherds. That's a pastor. Jeremiah, when
he realized what God had raised him up for, and we realized the
purpose for his ministry and what was going to result from
his ministry, he said, as for me, I have not hastened from
being a pastor. I hear fellows so anxious to
get to be preachers. They want to be preachers. It's one thing, it's one thing
to stand up in a shepherd's outfit up here where everybody looks
at you and says, boy, he's a preacher now. David, that's one thing. Being your pastor is something
else. Find out what it is to be your
pastor. You won't be in any herd to do it. Because if I don't
give warning and you perish, I'll go to hell with you. If you go to hell because I've
misled you, you go to hell because I have not told you the truth.
You go to hell because I play games with your soul. I'm as
lost as you are. Only the judgment for me is greater. Paul said, necessities laid upon
me. Yea, woe is unto me if I preach
not the gospel. Jeremiah continued, he said,
neither have I desired The woeful day. Oh God, I didn't get in
the herd to do this. And I wasn't desirous of proclaiming
this message. The true one singular distinction
between the shepherd and the hireling is this. The hireling
cares not for the sheep. The hireling cares not for the
sheep. I don't care how pretty he says,
he doesn't care for you. He's not interested in you. He
cares not for the sheep. Read on, verse 11. I am the good
shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his
life for the sheep. But he that is in hireling and
not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, he seeth the wolf
coming, Persecution, Satan, opposition, heresy, difficult times. He saith the wolf coming, and
leaveth the sheep, and fleeth. And the wolf catcheth them, and
scattereth the sheep. And the hireling fleeth. Do you
see the reason why? Because he's a hireling. And careth not for the sheep.
I'm the good shepherd, and know my sheep. I am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even
so know I the Father, and I laid down my life for the sheep."
The Lord Jesus says, I am the Good Shepherd. Oh, what a blessed
declaration. Our Savior is revealed in this
book by at least 105, 110 names. I counted them up one time. Well over a hundred names he
he uses to identify himself Why so many because one won't do
and if you won't do to show forth the unsearchable riches of Christ
Here he's called a shepherd. He calls himself the Good Shepherd
What sweeter word to be given I am the Good Shepherd the Good
Shepherd Giveth his life for the sheep as this chapter opens
our Lord contrast himself with a stranger That is with the false
Christ, the anti-Christ, those who had come before him claiming
to be Christ, and those who come after him claiming to be Christ.
They would not enter in by Christ the door. They would not trust
him. Here, he contrasts himself with
a hireling, whose own the sheep are not. Let's look at the passage,
marking the distinction that our Lord gives between pastors
and hirelings. A hireling is a person who works
for his hire. A hireling's a person who works
for his hire. Now I'm going to deal with that
extensively. I don't mean by that he's a person
who's paid to take care of the sheep. I mean he works for his
hire. He loves the hire. A shepherd
is one who tends the sheep. He protects the sheep. He feeds
the sheep. He cares for the sheep. His life
Left up wrapped up with the sheep All right. Here's a harlot Our
Savior uses this word to describe all self-serving preachers all
Self-serving religious leaders all self-serving pastors and
I lay this charge against at the feet of every preacher in
the world who does not preach the gospel of God's free grace. Is that plain enough? I lay this
charge at the feet of every Arminian will-worshipping worksmonger
in this world. It matters not who the preacher
is. I've got relatives who are preachers
and you do too. It doesn't matter who they are.
There's only one reason they do what they do. because they
love the higher. They love the higher. Our Lord
says, they care not for the sheep. They're not interested in the
sheep. They don't believe on the Son of God because they won't
believe on him. They don't enter in by Christ the door because
they don't like the door. They won't trust Christ's blood
and righteousness alone because they despise Christ's blood and
righteousness, presuming they have some of their own. They
won't come to Him as wicked men trusting Him alone for grace
because they don't think they're wicked men. And they live for
the higher. They do what they do because
they get what they get from it. The Master tells us plainly that
all who climb up some other way are thieves and robbers who come
only to kill and steal and destroy. The hireling seeks his higher. Now you know the Word of God
plainly teaches. If you want to turn over to 1
Corinthians chapter 9, I'll show you. The Word of God plainly
teaches that preachers are to be cared for by their congregation.
A hireling is not just a preacher who's paid by his church. No,
sir. No, sir. No, a hireling is a man who's
motivated by his lust. He's motivated by what he wants.
It may be power, it may be money, it may be influence, it may just
be the opportunity to say, well, I'm pastor of two or three people
or two or three thousand people or one people. It doesn't matter.
I got a little power. I'm not a big shot, but I'm a
shot. It doesn't matter. He's just got something. Doesn't
matter what it is. Whatever it is, it motivates
him. The hireling can be controlled. In fact, he always is. Usually controlled by money or
numbers. Usually. Usually. It starts off
in churches are stepping stones. It's stepping stones. I counsel preachers as best I
can. Firmly. Firmly. Don't use these
people as stepping stones. Don't you start this congregation
unless you then spend your life with them. Don't you do it. God's
people deserve better. God deserves better. No. Hirelings
use them as stepping stones. We'll start out down here and
move up to something else. Sitting out by the lake the other day,
we're now getting the big money. I'm talking about his boy. Bet you've been passing these
little country churches down the boot of the city. Got something
now. Hirelings. Hirelings. Sheep. often control hirelings. Circumstances
control hirelings. A shepherd is a man in control. A shepherd, you just may as well
give up backing him up, he ain't going to. A shepherd, you may
as well forget about trying to intimidate him, he's not going
to be intimidated. The faithful shepherd is not
one who works for his hire. No. I have a dear friend who
once said to me, he said, I think the worst thing on this earth
folks do is churches to pay preachers. I said, you're mistaken. Oh,
no. Oh, no. Oh, no. First Corinthians
chapter 9, Paul uses a number of illustrations. Folks go to
war. I have a beef to make with our
society. The most underpaid people in
the world are not teachers. The most underpaid people in
the world are those soldiers over there giving their lives
to protect our freedom. The policemen walking the streets
in the middle of the night to protect our homes, expect to
pay them welfare wages. That's nonsense. That will be
taken care of royally, royally. But what soldier goes to war
at his own expenses? Who would expect somebody to
go buy his own gun, his own ammunition, his own clothes, his own boots,
and his own food. And then go risk his life to
protect you. Paul uses the ox. And God said, in his law, said,
don't ever muzzle the mouth of the ox when it's treading out
corn. Got an ox out there in the field? Don't put a muzzle
on him. Let him eat whatever he wants to. And then he says,
does God care for oxen? Do you reckon God gave that law
because God's in love with ox? He's the founder of the PETA
movement. What stupidity. No. He wrote it for a reason. He wrote it for a reason. Look
at verse 14. Verse 14. Look back at verse
13. Do you not know that they which
minister about the holy things, live of the holy things? And
they which wait at the altar, partakers of the altar? The tribe
of Levi? Folks brought their sacrifices, they ate sacrifices. They brought their gifts, they
lived on the gifts. That's how it worked. Even so, hath the
Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live
of the gospel. Paul said, let him that is taught
in the word communicate to him that teacheth in all good things.
The elder who labors in word and doctrine is worthy of double
honor. The church of God is not a business. Faithful men cannot
be hired. Sometimes I get e-mails from
most of the churches know better. Every time they contact me, want
some help with a pastor, whatever we're looking for, pastor, you
know one we could hire? You asked the wrong fellow that question.
No, you don't hire a pastor. You don't hire a pastor, you
hire a hireling. Faithful men can't be hired. I remember several years ago,
That's her heart. My mother, she's where money
talks everywhere. I said, it talks in the world and money
talks down the road and money talks in every church you've
ever had an association with money. Doesn't talk in God's church.
No, no. I don't know. You mean, even
if I've got more money, somebody else, his, his opinion doesn't
matter anymore. Nope. As a matter of fact, I'm sorry,
but I've pointedly make it certain that his opinion counts less.
I make it certain. There's a reason for that. Lest
anybody imagine otherwise. Lest anybody imagine otherwise.
Why would you do that? Because I'm not interested in
promoting men, honoring men, and glorifying men. I'm interested
in your soul. And God's servants can't be manipulated
with money. Can't happen. The hireling is
one who seeks the hire, not the flock. Listen to this. Turn to Isaiah chapter 56. Isaiah chapter 56, verse 10. His watchmen are blind. They're
all ignorant. They're all dumb dogs. And you
thought I was mean. Dumb dogs. Couldn't you say that another
way? Yes, but you couldn't write it in the Bible. Dumb dogs. Ignorant, dumb dogs. What kind of dogs are they? The
worst kind. They're utterly useless. They're
utterly useless. They cannot bark. They cannot bark. I know that several years ago,
my sister, her son wanted a dog and they got a dog that couldn't
bark. I thought, why on earth would you want a dog that can't
bark? They can't bark as pesky, as little yapping dogs are. Man
alive, if I've got to feed him, at least let him bark. They cannot
bark. Sleeping, lazy buzzards, lying
down, loving to slumber. Don't bother the preacher, he's
asleep. Well, wake him up, he needs to be. Yea, they are greedy
dogs. which can never have enough. They're shepherds that cannot
understand. They all look to their own way. Everyone for his gain from his
quarter. Turn to Jeremiah chapter six. We read it just a little bit
ago, verse 13. From the least of them, even
to the greatest of them. God says in Jeremiah's day. From
the least of them to the greatest of them. Can you imagine this
now? Every prophet and every priest
in the land. Every one of them. No exceptions. The lowest man on a totem pole,
the biggest wheel in the house. Every one of them. is given to
covetousness. And from the prophet even unto
the priest, everyone dealeth falsely. Woe be to the shepherds
of Israel that do feed themselves, the Lord God declares. Paul said
concerning those, he wrote to Philippi who are enemies to the
cross, he said, they all seek their own things and not the
things which are Christ. This is the black mark of the
hireling. He loves what he gets. He'll protect his position and
his power no matter who he injures, no matter what it costs. He cares
nothing for the sheep. How come? Whose own the sheep are not.
They're not his. Well, Brother Don, that's true
of all preachers. Yeah, God's servants recognize
they're the Lord's sheep. They recognize that. But when
our Lord says who's owned the sheep or not, he's declaring
to us something distinct about these hirelings. The hireling
has no connection with the sheep. He's got no connection with them.
We're clergy. Those peons are the laity. We're reverends. Those fellows
are nobodies. We're holy. Those folks are dirty. We're special. They're nothing. Not so with the pastor. Not so
with the shepherd. David was no hireling. He was watching over his father's
flock. And when a bear came against him and a lion came against him,
he took the bear and lion by the beard and smoked them. How
come? That's my father's flock. That makes it my flock. My father's
honor is wrapped up with this. My father's livelihood is in
these sheep. My father's wealth is in these
sheep. That means my honor, my wealth,
my life is wrapped up with these sheep. The Apostle Paul tells
us that he fought with wild beasts at Ephesus. I don't ever remember
that happening. I can't find anywhere in this
book where Paul ever fought in an arena anywhere. Who's he talking
about? He's talking about that preacher
right across the street. That's exactly what he's talking
about. That's exactly what he's talking about. When the wolf
comes, a little trouble, a little persecution, a little opposition,
a little slander, a little reproach. The fellow will get upset because
somebody's talking about them. I've been telling these two children
here, like I told their mama when she was growing up, man
alive. Don't let that bother you. Yack.
People talking. Don't let that. You're not going
to stop it. You're not going to stop it. Why bother with it?
Why bother with it? I can't take it. The hireling
flees and the sheep are scattered. The name of God is dishonored.
The gospel of God's grace is despised and dishonored. The
souls of men are destroyed. But the hireling protects himself.
I believe my time's up here. I believe I've done all the good
I can do. I've preached all the sermons I know, and the Lord's
called me somewhere else. The hireling is one who flees
when the sheep most need him, when trouble is at hand. His
only interest is himself. John Calvin said, he who looks
to the hire and not to the flock Though he may deceive others
when the church is in a state of tranquility, yet when he comes
into the contest, he'll give proof of his treachery. Turn
to Zechariah 11. Zechariah chapter 11. Verse 17. Zechariah 11, 17. Woe to the idle shepherd that
leaveth the flock. That doesn't mean pastor can't
be called from one place to another. It means he's genuinely called.
He hasn't left the flock. He just moved to another. But
the idle shepherd leaves the flock and the sword shall be
upon his arm and upon his right eye. His arm shall be cleaned,
dried up in his right eye, utterly dark. All right, back to John
chapter 10. Here's the true shepherd, the true pastor. He cares for
the flock. He cares for the flock. The hireling serves himself,
but the shepherd serves the flock. The Lord Jesus identifies himself
as the good shepherd. and he identifies the hireling,
and the good shepherd is exactly opposite of the hireling. The
good shepherd, the true shepherd, is one who follows Christ, whose
own the sheep are. Now, turn with me, if you will,
to the book of 2 Corinthians. 2 Corinthians chapter 5. It's very important. Stop by chapter 2 on the way.
Look at this. for seventeen i'm not gonna come
here get number off say what i can we are not second-rate is to
seventeen we are not as many which corrupt the word of god that you do you know what i mean
right i mean we take this book make it say what we want it to. We take this book and we come,
I know the Bible teaches this, let's see where I can find it. I know the Bible teaches that,
let's see where I can find it. I've got to have a proof text. Versitis
is about the worst disease there is in the world. I've got a proof
verse for this, I've got a proof verse for that. God's servants
don't handle God's Word that way. God's servants preach the
Word as it stands. We're not as many who corrupt
the word of God, but as of sincerity, but as of God in the sight of
God, we preach in Christ or we speak in Christ. Now look at
chapter four. Paul's writing to these Corinthians,
and he says, therefore, brethren, see, we have this ministry. You
know what the word ministry is? It's the word service. God's
servants are overseers over the house of God. They are under
shepherds to guide the sheep. They won't be controlled by the
sheep. But they serve the sheep. Bob Duff, if I don't serve your
soul, I am a hireling. It's just that simple. If my
life is not devoted to your good, I'm a deceiver, not God's servant.
Is that plain enough? That's exactly right. As we have received mercy, we
faint not. Never give it up. Never give
it up. But have renounced the hidden
things of dishonesty. Don't deal with things under
the table. Somebody says, well, Brother Don, just what you see
is what you get. You know what? That's the way it is with all
God's servants. What you see is what you get.
Nothing fake. No pretense. No shame, no put
on. Having renounced the hidden things
of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness. You hear fellows preach and you
say, boy, he sure handles his words well. There's a reason.
Boy, he's slick. Wonder exactly what he meant.
There's a reason. I guarantee there's a reason.
If you have to guess what a man means when he gets in this place,
it's because he doesn't want you to know what he means. His
intention is to deceive. Not handling the word of God
deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth. Commending ourselves
to every man's conscience in the sight of God. Have I spoken
to you exactly what you read in this book this morning? Have
I spoken exactly what you read in this book that's manifest
in the sight of God in your conscience? Read on. But if our gospel be hid, it's
not our fault. It's hid to them that are lost,
in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them
which believe not. I know the translators have translated
that God of this world, little G, and our tendency is to presume
that they're correct. But Satan is not the God of this
world. Satan is not the God of this
world. Whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of those
which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ,
who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach
not ourselves, not about ourselves, nor for ourselves, nor from ourselves,
but Christ Jesus, the Lord, and ourselves, your servants, for
Jesus' sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness,
has shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of
the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have
this treasure in earthen vessels. God's put this rich treasure,
the gospel of his grace, in these broken pieces of clay pots that
the excellence and the power may be of God and not of us. The hireling has no personal
interest in the sheep, the shepherd does. Shepherd does. God's family
is His family. God's people are His people.
Christ's sheep are His sheep. Faithful pastors stand in a peculiar
relation to the Lord's sheep. Over and over again in the New
Testament, they're referred to as fathers. Referred to as fathers. Now, please don't start calling
me Father Don. None of God's servants deserve,
nor do they want titles for men. Don't call me reverend. Don't
call me father. Don't call me most tolerant.
Don will do just fine. Brother Don, if you want a little
distinction, that'd be all right. I'll call you Brother Bob. But
just Don, that's all. Just Don. But God's servants are fathers
because they're instruments by whom God gives you birth. They're called fathers because
they provide for the family. That's what fathers do. They
provide for the family. These days, it's politically
incorrect. We're suffering for it, too.
Brother Don, if I had to do that, I'd have to work two jobs. Man,
I worked three jobs and went to school full time. There's
nothing wrong with that. When do you get time to play?
You gave that up when you got married. Fathers provide for
the families. Provide for the families. Fathers
educate the families. Train them. Fathers lead their
families. And protect their families. Fathers
devoted to the family. Devoted to them. Devoted to them. so devoted to them they count
not their lives dear to themselves. They're devoted to them. True
shepherds, true pastors are watchmen set on the walls of Zion to watch
over the souls of men for the glory of God. Watch for wolves
that rise up among you and warn you. Watch for the error that
would lead you away from Christ. Watch for any hint of free will,
works, religion by which you might be subtly deceived. Watch
for anything that would lure your heart away from the Redeemer. And watch over your souls as
those that must give account. The relationship of the faithful
gospel preacher and those for whom he labors is an eternal
relationship. We've been friends a long time.
Been your pastor for 30 years. Well, that's not very long. We're
going to have this relationship forever. Our hope, our joy in
the Lord. That's how Paul wrote the Thessalonians,
forever. He said, I'm going to present
you. I don't have any idea what this
means. I don't have a clue what it means. But I like it. I'm
going to present you a chaste virgin to Christ. You are our
joy, our crown of rejoicing. Paul even wrote to the Romans,
whom he had not yet seen face to face. Imagine that. I'm fixing
to go down to St. Croix. And I'm going to meet,
as I understand it, 20, 25 brethren. I've never seen them. I've never
seen them. Some of them are Indian. Some
of them are black. Some of them are Islanders. Some
of them are white. And, uh, I've never seen them. Do you know what I wish I could
say to them? I wish I could say to them what Paul said to the
Romans. And I hope I go back. I can. God is my witness. I never ceased to see for you.
I never cease to pray for you. Never cease to give thanks to
God for you. How come? It's my family. It's my family. Pray for you. Watch over you. Care for you. The shepherd, the true shepherd,
points sinners always to the shepherd. Christ Jesus who loved
us and gave himself for us. They point sinners always to
the Redeemer, so they may follow Him. And as He points them to
the Redeemer, they see the Shepherd, the Good Shepherd, and they hear
the Shepherd's voice, the Good Shepherd's voice, and they follow
the Shepherd as their servant, their under-shepherd follows
Christ Jesus the Lord. Paul said, follow me as I follow
Christ. It's called a shepherd. The hireling,
you get what you pay for. God save us from the influence
of ungodly men. I'm talking about ungodly men
standing in the seat of Moses in the house of God, presuming
to speak for God. Amen.