Now there are six or seven things
by way of introducing this message that I want you to see from this
10th chapter of John. First of all, where did he get
his sheep? Verse 29, the Lord Jesus said,
My Father gave them to me. The Lord Jesus received his sheep
from his Father. They were given to him. They
were given to him from before the foundation of the world.
They were given to him by the Father. They were given to him
as surety, as the Good Shepherd, the Great Shepherd, the Chief
Shepherd. And then in verse 14, he said, I know them. The Lord
knoweth them that are His. In John chapter 10, verse 14,
he said, I'm the Good Shepherd. I know my sheep and am known
of mine. I know who they are. When Brother
Payne was praying, he quoted a verse of Scripture from the
second chapter of John, where it said that our Lord performed
many miracles, and when some of the people saw the miracles,
they professed to believe on Him. But it said He did not commit
Himself to them, because He knew all men, and needeth not that
any man should testify what was in a man. Christ knows His sheep. They were given to him by the
Father, and he knows who they are. And then he says in verse
11 that he gives his life for these sheep. I am the good shepherd,
verse 11, the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. Verse
15, as the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father, and
I lay down my life for the sheep. Christ gave his life for his
sheep. He redeemed them. He came as
their surety, their representative. He came as their substitute,
and He didn't try to redeem them. He redeemed them. He didn't make
any kind of payment on their behalf, the rest of which was
to be supplied later, but He redeemed His sheep. And then
He said in verse 16 that He had a people or a sheep out of every
nation, not just At that particular time, surrounding him were the
disciples, were the Jewish believers. And he says in verse 16, "...and
other sheep I have. My Father gave them to me, and
I know them, and I lay down my life for them, and other sheep
I have out of every tribe and kindred and nation and tongue
unto heaven. Them also I must bring, and they
shall hear my voice, And they shall be one fold and one shepherd. There's never been but one shepherd.
There's never been but one redemption. There's never been but one way
of saving sinners. It doesn't matter whether it's
Moses or whether it's the Apostle Paul or whether it's Abraham
or whether it's John the Evangelist or Apostle. There's only one
way of redemption, and that's Christ. There'll be one shepherd,
one fold, one shepherd, whether Jew or Gentile. Bond or free,
male or female, one shepherd, one foal. And other sheep I have
already given to me, already redeemed, I'll bring them, and
they shall hear my voice. And then in verse 27, he says,
My sheep hear my voice. Do you remember while he was
reading that passage, it says, A stranger they will not hear,
a stranger they will not follow, Christ is saying that His sheep
will hear the true gospel. They will hear the voice of the
Lord Jesus Christ. They will hear the voice of the
Holy Spirit speaking through the Word of God. My sheep will
hear my voice and they will follow me. They will hear the gospel. They must hear the gospel. A
man cannot be saved without hearing the gospel. And then He says
in verse 26, none of His sheep None but His sheep will believe. Some of them said, well, how
long do you make us to doubt? If you be the Christ, tell us
plainly. He said, I told you and you believe not. Now look
at verse 26. You believe not because you are not of My sheep.
Those who are not of His sheep will not believe. None but His
sheep believe. And then in verse 28 He says,
My sheep will never perish. He says, and I give them eternal
life. And they shall never perish,
and neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father
which gave them me is greater than all, and no man is able
to pluck them out of my Father's hand." If you'll turn with me
to John chapter 5, I want to show you Something here beginning
with verse 30, 37 of John chapter 5, chapter 6. John the 6th chapter,
verse 37. Now this is what he's saying
in these verses. The Father gave me a people.
I call them my sheep. I received them from my Father.
He gave them to me. And I know them. I know my sheep,
and I redeem them. I give my life for them. And
I have sheep of all nations and generations. I have sheep that
are not in this particular fold. Other sheep I have, and them
also I must bring. And my sheep will definitely,
beyond question, hear my voice. And they'll follow me. And other
people won't hear my voice. They won't hear the gospel. And
those who hear it can never perish, and I'll raise them up at the
last day. Now look at John 6, 37. All that the Father giveth
me. shall come to me, that's what
we've been saying. And him that cometh to me I will
in no wise cast out, for I came down from heaven, not to do my
own will, but the will, the eternal will of him that sent me. And
this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which
he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it
up again at the last day." the great day of the sound of the
trumpet, of the coming of the Lord, of the resurrection of
the dead. The same who shall come forth
in that first resurrection will be those who were given to the
Father, given to the Son by the Father. Those that my Father
gave me, Christ said, I came to redeem, and I'll raise them
up at the last day. I'll raise them up. Now read
on. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one
that seeth the Son, and believeth on him." Now remember, he said,
my father gave me the sheep. And those that he gave me, I'll
lose nothing. I'll raise them up at the last
day. But he said, my sheep will hear my voice. They're going
to hear my voice, and they're going to believe on me, and they're
going to follow me. Now read this. And this is the
will of him that sent me, that every one that seeth the Son,
and believeth on him." Hears his word and believes on it.
and follows him, may have everlasting life, and I'll raise him up at
the last day. I will raise him up. Now, look
at verse 44. No man can come to me except
the Father which sent me draw him, and I'll raise him up at
the last day. It is written in the prophets,
they shall all, every one of them, be taught of God. And every
man that hath heard and learned of the Father cometh unto me."
Christ said, none but my sheep will hear. They said, tell us,
are you the Christ? He said, I told you, but you
didn't believe me. But those who are taught of the Father
and hear of the Father and learn of the Father and know who Christ
is, I'll raise them at the last day. All of this, all that God
known unto God are His works from the beginning. He declares
the end from the beginning. He's Alpha and Omega, the author
and finisher of our faith. And this is what He's saying
through this entire 10th chapter of John, My sheep were given
Me by the Father, and of those given Me, I'll lose nothing,
I'll raise it up at the last day. And He said, My sheep will
hear My voice, and they'll believe, and they'll follow Me. And He
said, He that seeth the Son believeth on Him, I'll raise Him up at
the last day. And he says, my sheep will know who I am. They'll
be taught of the Father. And all those that are taught
of the Father, I'll raise them up at the last day. I know that
self. I would say there's not a question
in my mind, but that's the truth of the gospel. That's the purpose
of God. That's the eternal program of
God. I know no other gospel. I know
no other good news. that the Father gave the Son
of Pea. He calls them My sheep. And all that names were written
in the Lamb's Book of Life from ages past, of which Christ is
the surety and the substitute and the mediator. They're going
to hear this gospel, for they can't call on Him in whom they've
not believed, and they can't believe in Him of whom they've
not heard, and they can't hear without a preacher. But at that
last day, when the heavens open and the trumpet sounds and the
voice of the archangel goes forth and Christ comes again, some
people are coming out of the graves in that first resurrection.
And there'll be His sheep, and there'll be those whom the Father
gave Him, and there'll be those for whom He died, and there'll
be those who have seen Him and believed on Him, and there'll
be those who have been taught of the Father. Now, here's the problem, here's
the all-important question. How can I, and you, gain an interest
in that Redeemer? How can I gain an interest, a
saving interest, in Christ Jesus, in that purpose, in that church,
in that body, in that sheepfold? How can I get in that sheepfold? I want very much to be one of
His sheep. I want to be one of these of
whom Christ is speaking here. The Father gave me a people,
a sheep, made me the shepherd of a fold of sheep, and I know
them. I call them by name, and they
know me, and they hear my voice, and they follow me, and I'm going
to raise them up, and they'll never perish. Whatever takes
place, whatever happens, they're never going to perish, and I
want to be in that fold. And I believe I can say, I want
you to be in that fold, as desperately as I want anything. How can I
get in the fold? All right, let's see what the
Lord Jesus said. In verse 9, He says, I am the
door. I am the door. By Me, if any
man enter in, he shall be saved, and he shall go in and out, and
find pasture. I have two points in this message.
The way into the fold and the blessings enjoyed therein. Well, first of all, Christ said,
I am the door. Now, we don't get into the fold
by birthright. My friends, I respect families
that are devout and religious. I appreciate men and women, mothers
and fathers, having an interest in their children's religious
welfare. I appreciate mothers and fathers
having a deep concern that their children be in the Church and
be in the Kingdom of God and be in Christ and be saved. But,
my friends, no man, no woman is a sheep of Christ because
his father was or because his mother was. Now, I know there
are many denominations and there are many Religious programs today that
teach because mothers and fathers are saved and their children
are in the kingdom. They're under a special covenant. They're under a special blessing.
They're under a special covering. They're under a special protective
covering. But it just is not so. It's not
taught in God's Word. In fact, the Scripture says over
here in John 1 when it talks about us not being born of the
will of the flesh not being born of the will of man. It also says
that we're not born into the kingdom of God of blood. You
see that? John 1, 13. It says, as many
as received Christ, to them gave he the privilege or the right
to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name,
which were born, not of blood. That is, not of family inheritance.
My mother and father may be professing Christians, as yours may be,
but I must be born again. I've got to be brought to personal
repentance. I've got to be brought to personal
conviction of sin. I've got to be brought to personal
faith in Christ Jesus. I've got to be brought to a personal
commitment to Christ. And I say this to the young folks
who are here in this congregation whose mothers and fathers are
faithful members of this church and loyal, faithful Christians
and strong believers. You can't ride daddy and mother's
coattails into heaven. And I'm telling you that as solemnly
as I can tell you. You've got to seek for yourself
the Lord Jesus Christ. You've got to be concerned over
your own sins and over your own guilt and your own... And you
wives, listen to me. Some of your husbands are strong
believers. And your husbands love the Word
and they sit and study the Word. Do you study the Word? Now, your
study is not sufficient for you. Your husband prays. Do you pray?
Your husband loves the gospel. Do you love the gospel? Your
husband is concerned for his relationship with Christ. Are
you concerned about yours? Our Lord gave us a three-word
sermon that especially meant for you wives. Remember Lot's
wife. You think about Lot's wife. She
was married to a righteous man, but she missed Christ. She was
married to a man who knew God, with whom God communed. But she
missed God. She entertained angels in her
home. You say, well, I've entertained
the minister in my home, I've entertained the representatives
of the gospel, I've entertained men who prayed. Lot's wife entertained
angels. Lot's wife was a submissive wife.
She did what her husband told her to do. He says, pack up,
we're leaving home. Now not many of you ladies would
do that. What do you mean we're leaving home? My children, my
grandchildren are here, my sons-in-laws are here. Pack up, we're leaving.
She packed up and she left. She followed her husband. But
let me tell you something. In here, she didn't know God. Even though this woman was married
to a righteous man and entertained angels in her home and was submissive
to her husband and did what he did and walked in his footsteps
and went to church with him on Sunday and was generous and okayed
whatever he gave to the church and okayed whatever kind of deeds
he performed and all, still it was all in his name, none of
it in her name. Now dear ladies, I would have
you, that dear man sitting beside you who is a pillar of the church
and a man who loves the gospel and a man who knows Christ, but
let me tell you something, wouldn't it be terrible if he went into
the kingdom of God and you found yourself turned to a pillar of
salt outside? It's very possible now, I'm telling
you, the way into the sheepfold, is not by blood. It's not by
a relationship with anybody in this world. It's not because
of religious privileges. It's Christ. And you boys and
girls, and I said this one time at a Bible conference, and Paul,
a preacher's son, got offended with me. I said, now you may
be sitting out there, and you're the son of a preacher, and he's
preached the gospel for 40 or 50 years, but you can still miss
Christ. and perish, even though your
daddy's one of God's own ambassadors. Boy, he came to me after service
season and said, you got anything to say to me, say it in person.
Well, I did say it to him in person, but I wasn't talking
to him. I was just preaching. And that's so, but Paul Edward,
your relationship with God can't depend on it. My brother said
to me one time, and it really hurt me. He said, I hope you've
got enough faith for both of us. This was years ago. I don't. I don't have enough faith for
me. I live by the faith of the Son of God. I don't have enough
faith for me. And this is so, I beg of you,
we don't enter the fold by birthright. And you boys and girls, and I'll
say this, really, actually, the children that are under the greatest
danger of perishing because of indifference, And carelessness
are believers' children. That's right. And the family
that is in the greatest danger, that must carefully examine themselves
individually, are believers' families, preachers' families,
deacons and elders. Oh, don't try to educate your
children into the kingdom of God. They must be born again.
They must be regenerated. They must come to knowledge of
Christ as if their dad was the world's worst drunk, as if their
mother was the world's loosest woman. They must come to a personal,
saving, living, vital interest in Christ individually. That's
so. And you wives, don't you forget
this solemn warning. You share your husband's name,
your husband is your support, he takes care of the bills and
these things, and he makes the decisions, which is scriptural,
and you follow his leadership. Let me tell you this, in your
relationship with Christ, you're all alone. There's nothing he
can do for you. You don't carry his name, and
he's not just support, And He's not your provider, He's between
you and Christ. That's right. And then secondly,
we don't get into the fold through church ordinances. Baptism and
the Lord's Supper are beautiful ordinances for believers, not
for unbelievers. Baptism is not for unbelievers,
it's for believers. And baptism and the Lord's Supper
is not for folks seeking acceptance with God. It's for believers,
it's a confession of faith, it's a declaration of faith. Let me
ask you something. Suppose there's someone here
tonight, and you're a Christian, you're a believer, you've never
been baptized. Let me ask you a question. How many of you ladies,
say, let's just pick a couple here, let's just take Doretha
and Russell there, Back some years ago, I married them about
40 years ago, or what, 42 or 43, something like that. But
anyway, Russell comes to Dorita, and he says, I want you to marry
me. They've been dating in love, and I want you to marry me. She
says, well, all right, I will. Now, he says, we don't need to
have a ceremony. We don't need to go to Henry's study and talk
to him about getting married. We don't need a ceremony. All
those words are not going to make us any more married. And
no use having all that formality, let's just get us a house and
move in to it." He said, now hold on here. Just hold on here. You mean not have a ceremony
and not get a license and not identify ourselves together in
front of the people? Yeah, he says, we love each other,
don't you? Yeah. You love me, I love you. That's
all right. She said, yes, but we're going
to have ceremony. We're going to let everybody
know that we're married before we live together. Somebody says
to me, I love Christ, I'm saved, but it ain't no use to me going
through that ceremony of baptism. Uh-huh. No use to me declaring
it. Now let me tell you something. You ladies wouldn't put up with
that, would you? My Lord won't either. My Lord won't either. You're going to declare where
you are. You're going to declare who you married to. You're going
to declare it for yourself, and you're going to declare it for
your brother, and you're going to declare it for the man next door,
and you're going to declare it to this world. My bridegroom
is Jesus Christ. And from here on, we're living
together. And I want the whole world to know. But that don't
get you into the Kingdom of God. That don't get you into the sheepfold.
No, sir. You know the Lord's Supper. Take this now. We serve
the bread and the wine. You say, well, why not serve
it to everybody? Everybody can't take it. Why? Because the Lord
Jesus said, you take this bread and this wine and do it in remembrance
of Me. You can't remember somebody you
don't know. No way. You can't remember someone you
don't know. And then we don't get into the
fold by just professing to be in it. A man is not rich because
he says he's rich. I know a lot of preachers who
say, come down now and shake my hand and declare that you
believe in Jesus. That doesn't get you in the fold.
I'm not rich because I claim to be rich. I'm not strong because
I say I'm the strongest man in the world. I could say to you
and you'd laugh. But now, some of these fellows in the Olympics
could say that, and you take one look at them and say, I suspect
you're right. I'm not healthy because I say I am. I'm not wise
because I say I am. And I haven't repented because
I said I repented. I've repented when I genuinely,
before God, give some evidence of a godless sorrow and grief
over my sins. I believed on Christ when I give
some evidence that in my heart I have personally received him
as my Lord and Savior. You don't get into the kingdom
of God by simply professing it, and then you don't get into the
fold by getting into the visible church. We ought to be sufficiently
warned by Judas, Simon Magus, by Demas, and all of these folks
that you don't get into the fold simply by professing and joining
a visible church. Well, how do you? All right,
look at our text again, John 10, 9. Christ said, I am the
door. I am the door. I see three things
here. He says, I am the door. Our Lord condescends to reveal
himself with the simplest illustrations. Everybody here knows what a door
is. I wish that today's theologians
would learn from the Master. I pick up some religious papers
and I lay them down just about as quickly as I pick them up.
The words there, I don't even know how to pronounce them. I
don't even know what the meaning is. Our Lord said, I am the bread. Brother, anybody, even my little
granddaughter, 18 months old, knows what bread is. I'm the
water of life. You see, our Lord, He comes down
where people are. I'm the bread, I'm the water
of life, I'm the door. What's a door for? Well, you
got to have a door. You got to have a door, the necessity
of it. I'm the door. Here's a house.
It's the house of mercy. Inside, there's washing for the
filthy. And by nature, I'm filthy. Inside,
there's healing for the sick. And I'm sick with the disease
of sin. Inside there's food for the hungry,
and I'm starving in Adam. Inside there's clothing for the
naked, and I've been stripped of my righteousness. But that
house of mercy without a door would be a house of misery, torment,
tantalizing. There's the house. That's the
house of healing. I'm sick. How do I get in? Sorry,
friend, there's no way in. But there ought to be a door
in the house of mercy. There's the place for cleansing
for the filthy, the germ-infested. There's the place of healing
for the sick and clothing for the naked. But how do you get
in? I'll tell you how you get in. There's the door. There's
the door. Christ said, I am the door. I'm
outside, but He said, you want inside, I'm the door. Now notice
this, secondly, the singularity of that door. He said, I am the
door, the door. He didn't say, I am a way. Never
said that. I am the way, the truth, the
life. I am the bread of life. I am
the water of life. I am the door. You see that?
Definite article. It's the only one. Or the foundation
can no man lay than that which is laid. No man cometh to the
Father but by me. There is none other name under
heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. I am the door."
Now preachers, you are too dogmatic. I mean, don't you think, I mean
people are religious and they are sincere and they believe
in God. The devil believes in God and
trembles. That's what James said. But they believe in the God of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They believe in the one God. The Pharisees whom Christ called
a generation of vipers, snakes whom he called hypocrites,
to whom he said, you will be shut out of the kingdom of God,
of whom He said, you are of your father the devil, to whom He
said, you don't know the Father nor Me, they believed in one
God. They believed in the God of Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob. But these people, these people
tithe, and these people go to church, and these people read
the Bible, and these people, they don't kill, and they don't
commit adultery, and they don't steal, and they don't lie. These
Pharisees They didn't do any of those things. They fasted
twice a week. They paid their tithes. They
were in the synagogue every Sabbath day. They wore the law written
on the hems of their robes. They stood on the street corners
and read the Scriptures. They stood on the street corners
and lifted their hands to heaven and prayed. They sure did. They sure did. But they missed
Christ. I don't know any other, when
you talk about, I see on television, on this Iranian thing, I see
all those Muslims kneeling, and I don't see many of us doing
that. I mean, out in the street, on their knees, on their faces,
praying to Allah, to the one God. And they'll identify Him.
They believe in Abraham, and Abraham's God. And I say to myself,
we don't even do that. There are not many of us that
get out there on 13th Street and kneel and pray. We are too
reserved, we are too inhibited, we are too something. And they
do that so many times a day in so many directions, and it puts
us to shame for our embarrassment about the things we believe.
They believe. They will kill you for what they
believe. But they miss Christ. Christ said, I, I, I am the,
the, the door. I am the door. No man cometh
to the Father but by... Well, Preacher, doesn't He mean
He made a door? No, sir. He didn't say, I made
a door. He said, I am the door. Well, didn't He mean He provided
a door? No, He didn't say provide. He
said, I am the door. The personality of it. Well,
didn't he say he made available a door? No, sir. He said, he
is the door. We literally, actually, enter
into the kingdom of God by, through Christ. I don't know how to explain
that. But he's the door. He is our
righteousness. He is our wisdom, He is our redemption,
He is our sanctification, He is all that God requires, and
He is all the law demands, and He is all that justice commands,
and He is all that I need. He is the door Himself. And all the mercy and blessings
that are in God are entered into and received
through Christ. When I go into that other room,
I've got to deal with that piece of wood right there. I've got
to touch it. I've got to lay hands on it. I've got to do something
with it. It is my entrance into that other
room. And Christ, the same way. I've
got to lay hold on Christ. I've got to touch Christ. I've
got to be involved with Christ. I've got to, myself, enter into
God through Him and in Him. He is the very entrance into
the Kingdom of God. There's no way around. Anybody
who goes around, he says, is a thief and a robber. Anybody who comes
in any other way is a thief and a robber. But I am the door. All right, what are the benefits,
quickly? What are the benefits? He said, I am the door. Do you
see that? The necessity of it, the singularity
of it, the availability of it, the personality of it, the door.
I am the door. Christ is the door. I hear a
lot of songs, and some of our songs are just, they leave a
lot to be desired. He'll make a way somehow. No,
He is the way. You see, that song totally misses
it. I'm in the process of talking to Bob Ross out in Texas about
compiling and editing a hymn book for Grace Churches. I'd
like to have a hymn book. In this church and all other
grace churches, you didn't have to sit and go through for a half
hour to find something to sing. Paul Edwards said at the dinner
table, they'd just open it up and say, let's sing this one.
Let's sing that. They're all good. They all glorify
Christ. Most songs don't. Well, now,
what's the benefit? I am the door, by me if any man
enter in. Here's the first thing. If any
man enter in, he shall be saved. Now back in the Old Testament,
there were cities of refuge, and this is what they were all
about. There were several of them, and they were spaced in
different parts of the country called cities of refuge, and
there were roads to those cities, and the priests were to keep
those roads clear, and there were signposts directing people
to the cities of refuge. For example, if two men were
out in the field, And they were working with some kind of hoe
or a knife or something, and one of them swung to cut some
grain or wheat, and he killed the other man accidentally. It
was an accident. He swung around, the other man
got in the way, and he killed him. There he is dead. Well,
now, the next of kin to the dead man can get vengeance on this
fellow. Unless this fellow can get to
the city of refuge. If he accidentally kills a man,
he's guilty, he's killed him. There were no witnesses. He accidentally
killed him. What's he going to do? He begins
to run. And he runs and he runs, and
the avengers are behind him, the brothers, and the cousins,
and the father. He killed our brother. We're
going to get him, and they're chasing him, and he's running.
And he sees a sign, Refuge, that way. Well, he is not going to
sit down under the sign and be content to dwell there because
they will find him and there is no protection from the sign.
The fact that he is going towards the city is no protection. He
gets to the city and there it is, City of Refuge. And he sits
down outside the gate and he says, I admire this city, I am
pleased with this city, I am enthralled by this city. There's
no protection. But if he enters the gate, gets
on the inside, that's as far as the avenger can come. He can't
touch him. There's no way under the law,
there's no way under the Word of God, there's no way under
the stipulations of the Old Testament covenant that anybody can touch
that man inside that city. What are you getting at, preacher?
Well, those cities of refuge are pictures of Christ, our Lord.
Now, I'm guilty. I hadn't accidentally killed
anybody. I did it on purpose. I hadn't accidentally broken
God's law. I did it on purpose. I haven't
accidentally violated the rules of God's kingdom. I did it on
purpose, but thank God there's a city of refuge. Christ is our
refuge. Now, there's some signposts.
I'm one of them. I'm a signpost. I'm pointing you to Calvary.
I'm pointing you to Christ. I'm pointing you to the Redeemer.
And other preachers are signposts, pointing men to Christ. Don't
come to that preacher and find a – you won't find any refuge
or any strength. They'll get you right there.
The church is supposed to tell men about Christ. Don't come
and sit in the church hoping for protection. And when you
get to Christ, don't just admire His... I know people who admire
His holiness, and they admire His power, and they admire His
wisdom, and they admire His teachings, and they sit outside the gate
saying, He is a great man. But brethren, the protection
is inside if any man enter in. I am the door if any man enter
in. By faith, sink or swim, I go
to Him. I'm not going to stop and admire
Christ, and I'm not going to stop and be enthralled by His
beauty. I'm going to, by God's grace,
by the Spirit's power, enter into Christ. I'm going to lay
hold upon Christ. If I perish, I'll perish in Christ,
resting in Him. Now listen to this. I'm the door
of the Kingdom of God by me, by me. He repeats that, by me. If any man enter in, he shall
be saved. The law stops right outside Christ.
It can't touch you. It can't touch you. Justice,
I don't care what claim justice has on you. I don't care what
authority justice has vested therein. Justice, the law, cannot
touch you in Christ. You are in the city of refuge.
You can just sit in there and enjoy yourself because Christ
hath redeemed you. But I'm going to go a little
step forward in a minute on this thing. That fellow that accidentally
killed that man best stay inside that city. But you and I shall be saved,
and he says, and shall go in and out. In and out. You see, Christ Jesus not only
protects me from the law, but He gives me a right standing
before the law. When I go into Christ, And when
I come back out, I'm not guilty. I'm not guilty. He not only protects me from
the offense of the law, but He gives me a holiness before the
law. He not only delivers me from
the penalty of justice, but He justifies me in the presence
of justice. And I can go in, and I can go
in to the classroom of understanding, taught of the Spirit. Oh, the
natural man doesn't understand these things I'm talking about.
To him it's foolishness. Eye hath not seen, ear hath not
heard, neither hath it entered the heart of man the things God
has prepared for them that love him. But He revealed them unto
us. We've gone in. Any man, enter in. He shall be
saved, he shall go in to the classroom of understanding, he
shall go in to the presence of God. Let us come boldly into
his presence. Boldly. I got to, as a believer,
as one who knows Christ, right now I can go boldly into the
very holy of holies. Did you know that? I can walk
naked. I can walk right into God the
Father's presence and be received. That's something to think about.
Through Christ. No other way. Oh, boy, that'd
be like somebody that wasn't a priest going into the Holy
of Holies. One fellow did one time. They drug him out by the
heat. He was dead, dead. He dared to go in. But you and
I can go in because the veil's been rent. Anyway, we're a holy
priesthood. The priest has a right to come
into God's presence. So we can go in. Then I can go
into the table, the table, because I'm a son. I'm a son of God. Just like old Mephibosheth, David
said, you're going to sit at the king's table. I can go in
as a son and an heir, and someday I'll go into the city of God
because the Lord Jesus Christ said, if I go and prepare a place
for you, I'll come again and receive you unto Myself. What
does this mean, He shall go in and out? Well, brethren, this
signifies liberty. The sheepfold of Christ is not
a prison. Now, there are a lot of folks
who've made, I guess you call it their religion,
they made it a prison, an unhappy existence, a miserable, miserable
existence. That's not the foe, that's not
the sheep foe. Christ said, I'm the door, the
sheep foe. If any man enter in, he shall
be saved. And he shall go in, and he shall go out. Always through
Christ the door. He goes into the classroom of
understanding. He goes into the presence of
God with boldness. He goes into the table as a son. He goes into the city of God.
He goes into the kingdom of God in Christ. But he has the liberty
to go out into the world and make his living and walk with
Christ. For some reason, Paul said in
the latter days, they'll come commanding you to abstain from
meat, commanding you not to be married, commanding you not to
do this, that, and the other. I have liberty, the child of
God, the child of God. And whether I go in or out, I
go with Christ. You see that, Bob? I go with
Christ. I'm not in prison. I'm not in prison. I go out to
foreign shores to preach the gospel. I'm going Tuesday. We're going to Merida, Yucatan,
and we're going to Chiapas. And I'm not afraid. Christ is
with me. I go in and I go out. And I may go to the valley of
suffering and sickness next week, may go to the hospital, into
the operating room, but we needn't fear no evil. He's with us. We
go in and out. We go through trials just like
men of this world, and we suffer just like they do, and we know
tears just like they do, and the believer's hand hurts when
he mashes it just like the unbeliever's hand. But I tell you, he's not
alone like that fellow is. We sorrow, not as those who have
no hope. We do sorrow, but not without
hope. We go in and out, in and out. And we find pasture. What does that mean, brethren
of men? That's why you came here tonight. I don't know about you,
but I found some pasture tonight. I found something to feed on,
something to eat. Have you?