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Well, you can turn with me in 
your Bibles to John's gospel as we continue to work our way 
through this fourth gospel account. We come to chapter 10. in the 
life and ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ. Chapter 10 is closely 
connected to chapter 9, not just numerically, but certainly thematically 
as well. The Pharisees and the religious 
leaders of Jesus' day cast out a man who had been born blind 
that Jesus healed, and so Jesus now in John 10, specifically 
in verses 1 to 10, Indict them. They are the thieves and robbers 
that controlled access to the synagogues and to the temple. 
So I want to read chapter 10, beginning in verse 1. We'll read 
to verse 21. Most assuredly, I say to you, 
he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs up some 
other way, the same as a thief and a robber. But he who enters 
by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper 
opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep 
by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own 
sheep, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they 
know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow 
a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the 
voice of strangers. Jesus used this illustration, 
but they did not understand the things which he spoke to them. 
Then Jesus said to them again, Most assuredly, I say to you, 
I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before me are 
thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am 
the door. If anyone enters by me, he will 
be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does 
not come except to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have 
come that they may have life and that they may have it more 
abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good 
shepherd gives his life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who 
is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees 
the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees. And the wolf 
catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because 
he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the 
good shepherd, and I know my sheep, and am known by my own. 
As the father knows me, even so I know the father, and I lay 
down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which 
are not of this fold, them also I must bring, and they will hear 
my voice, and there will be one flock and one shepherd. Therefore, 
my father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take 
it again. No one takes it from me, but 
I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, 
and I have power to take it again. This command I have received 
from my father. Therefore, there was a division 
again among the Jews because of these sayings. And many of 
them said, he has a demon and is mad. Why do you listen to 
him? Others said, these are not the 
words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of 
the blind? Amen. Well, let us pray. Our 
God and Father, we thank you for this Lord's Day. We thank 
you for your graciousness and your goodness revealed to us 
in the created order and in the gospel of our salvation. We thank 
you for Jesus Christ, our blessed Lord. We thank you for his life, 
his death, his resurrection. We thank you for the current 
session at the right hand of the Father, and we look forward 
to his coming again in glory to judge the living and the dead. 
And until such time, help us to worship and to serve and to 
glorify you. And Father, we pray that you 
would just give us the grace of the Holy Spirit to guide us 
in our thoughts and understanding as we consider this passage. 
As well, for any and all who've come here that are dead in their 
trespasses and sins, may they hear the voice of the shepherd 
by the power of the Spirit as it comes through the Word of 
God. And may you awaken dead sinners and cause them to believe 
on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. Forgive us all for 
our sin and all that which does darken our understanding. Cleanse 
us in that precious fount that is open for sin and uncleanness. 
And we ask in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, amen. Well, 
as we come to this section in the ministry of our blessed Savior, 
remember that the narrative had sort of focused around the Feast 
of Tabernacles in chapters 7 and 8. And then there's an unspecified 
time that passes, and then chapters 9 and 10. And this is around 
the Feast of Dedication. So in terms of chronology, there's 
a few months separating 7 and 8. and 9 and 10. And we see that 
specifically in chapter 10 at verse 22. It was the feast of 
dedication in Jerusalem and it was winter. And Jesus walked 
in the temple in Solomon's porch. As well as I mentioned at the 
outset or in the introduction, chapter 9 and 10 are very closely 
related. If you go back for just a moment 
in chapter 9, specifically at verse 34, after questioning the 
man, and then questioning his parents, and then questioning 
the man again, the religious establishment in Israel cast 
out the man. So in 934, they answered and 
said to him, you were completely born in sins, and are you teaching 
us? And they cast him out. And so 
when we get to chapter 10, specifically verses 1, as I said, to 10, but 
even beyond that, Christ is indicting that. Christ is upbraiding them. Christ is reproving the Pharisees 
and the scribes and the religious leaders. And remember, they weren't 
just religious leaders. The Sanhedrin in Israel functioned 
both religiously and politically. And it is intriguing today, we're 
never ever supposed to question the ethics of anybody that is 
over us for fear that we are engaged in some sort of usurpation. Christ says these are thieves 
and robbers. Christ said that they come to 
steal, to kill, and to destroy. Christ does not have truck with 
people that profess leadership roles and positions, but engage 
in this kind of oppression. The Lord Jesus Christ takes these 
men and shows them what they are. And by extension, He shows 
the rest of His people what He is. Now, as well, when we look 
at this passage, Jesus refers to himself, God willing we'll 
see this next time, I am the good shepherd in verse 11. The 
shepherd imagery runs rampant through this section of scripture, 
and it certainly recalls for us much of the Old Testament. 
We sang Psalm 80, that theme of God shepherding his people 
is prevalent. We read Psalm, at the outset, 
100. We are the sheep of his pasture. Of course, we have Psalm 23, 
that great shepherd theme of the Lord is my shepherd, I shall 
not want. You have the prophecy in the 
prophet Ezekiel in chapter 34, where God will give a Davidic 
shepherd. shepherd to the nation of Israel 
to lead them and to guide them and direct them. So it's very 
rich in terms of imagery and in terms of the blessed things 
that it communicates to us. Now in terms of structure, since 
we're starting a new chapter here, what Jesus does in verses 
1 to 6 is he gives an illustration of his mission. So verses 1 to 
6, there's an illustration of his Meshed, and then in verses 
7 to 21, he gives an explanation of his Meshed. And he uses two 
figures there. He speaks of himself as being 
the door of the sheep, and then he speaks of himself as being 
the good shepherd. So let's just jump right into 
the illustration of his mission in verses 1 to 6, and notice 
in the first place the false teachers and the sheepfold. Notice 
in verse 1 of chapter 10, most assuredly I say to you, if we 
ask the question, who the you are, it is the you of verses 
39 to 41. Notice that Jesus saves the man 
that was born blind. He not only heals him physically, 
but even more gloriously, he saves him by his grace through 
faith. Go back to verse 35. When Jesus 
heard that they had cast him out, and when he had found him, 
he said to him, do you believe in the Son of God? He answered 
and said, Who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him? And Jesus 
said to him, You have both seen him, and it is he who is talking 
with you. Then he said, Lord, I believe, and he worshipped 
him. So the miraculous healing of his eyes did not save him. He needed to believe on the Lord 
Jesus Christ. He needed to look in faith and 
confess the Savior. And on the heels of that, Jesus 
says in verse 39, for judgment, I have come into this world that 
those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be 
made blind. Then some of the Pharisees who 
were with him heard these words and said to him, are we blind 
also? Jesus said to them, if you were 
blind, you would have no sin. But now you say we see, therefore 
your sin remains. And then he goes right on into 
verse one of chapter 10. Most assuredly, I say to you, 
You blind Pharisees, you blind leaders, you blind men that cast 
out this man that had been born blind, that had now come to me 
in faith. He is addressing these false 
shepherds. And when it comes to this particular 
passage, we remember that Jesus mixes it up a lot with the religious 
leaders. We have in the Synoptic Gospels, 
Matthew, Mark, Luke, we have Jesus stand before the Sanhedrin 
prior to his passion and having to give a defense of himself. 
John gives us this trial all throughout his gospel. At every 
step of the way, we see these people opposing him. We see the 
enmity growing. We see this chapter end in the 
same fashion. They want to stone him to death 
because he, being a man, made himself equal with God. So this 
is a time of controversy, this is a time of opposition, and 
Jesus doesn't shrink back. He doesn't say, well, I'm just 
gonna let you guys do your thing in disregard of all the people 
that are subject to you. No, Jesus points his finger in 
their faces to tell them what they had done wrong. And Jesus 
doesn't shrink back from declaring what we call hard truth. In fact, 
Jesus doesn't shrink back from speaking truth to power. That is precisely what our blessed 
Christ does in this passage. He asserts his authority in verse 
one, most assuredly I say to you, and then he underscores 
the false teachers in the sheepfold. He who does not enter the sheepfold 
by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same as a thief 
and a robber. Now in terms of the sheepfold, 
I believe this is the people of God. You see this in verse 
2, and then you'll see it again in verse 16. Jesus speaks in 
verse 16, of other sheep I have, I have to go collect them. He's 
talking about the Gentiles. Jew and Gentile together will 
be one fold under God, under the authority of our blessed 
Christ. Notice what he says in verse 1. He says, most assuredly 
I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, 
He's talking about unauthorized access. He's talking about unauthorized 
persons. He's talking about the kinds 
of guys that control access to temple and synagogue that just 
willy-nilly put people out if they don't like them. That's 
what happens to the man who was born blind. They just put him 
out. He didn't give them the response 
that they wanted. When they pressed him, the man 
actually took the offense and started to speak to them in terms 
of theology, in terms of the nature of the miracle, and then 
he summarizes it by saying, if this man were not of God, he 
couldn't do this miraculous thing. Well, they didn't like that. 
So what do they do? They put him out. You can't have 
that kind of an approach to the sheepfold of God Most High. The 
temple and the synagogue were God's property. And so these 
men had irrigated to themselves the position of doorkeeper, the 
position of shepherd, the position of the one who was able to put 
out at their own whim. And so he condemns them. Notice, 
I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, 
but climbs up some other way, the same as a thief and robber. 
Now, the sheepfold was probably a courtyard surrounded by people's 
houses. People that, incidentally, had 
sheep. And so those people around this 
courtyard would put their particular flocks into that particular pen, 
or that sheepfold. Well, you had to control access, 
just like today. We have to have locks, we have 
to have dogs, we have to have alarms, we have to have security 
companies, we have to have all that so people don't steal our 
stuff. Well, it was much the same way in the first century. 
You didn't want your sheep stolen, you didn't want your stuff taken, 
so what did you do? You regulated access to that 
particular pen. And so Jesus says there's authorized 
persons involved in the sheepfold. There's authorized persons relative 
to the temple or synagogue of God. And these men are not authorized. These men have shown themselves 
to be robbers and thieves. These men, by their actions in 
putting men out, willy-nilly, have demonstrated that they're 
fakes. They're false. They're wrong. 
They're incorrect. They are heretical men. They 
are men that are founded or grounded upon their own authority and 
their own desire for a repute or for fame. But notice what 
he says. He who does not enter the sheepfold 
by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same as a thief 
and a robber. You got one central access point. 
There's one particular place where you can access. If somebody 
comes over the fence, they have bad intentions. They are thieves 
and robbers. John Gill makes the observation. 
I think he took it from a Jewish commentator. The difference between 
a thief and a robber with the Jews was that the former took 
away a man's property privately and the latter openly. Listen 
to that again. The difference between a thief 
and a robber with the Jews, and by that he means the unbelieving 
religious leaders in this particular context. So the difference between 
a thief and a robber, the guy that robs the bank, the guy that 
robs the drugstore, the guy that steals things from people he 
ought not. So the difference between that thief and robber 
with the Jews was that the former, the guy who steals stuff, took 
away a man's property privately and the latter openly. These 
men were not godly men. These men were not righteous 
men. They were the kind of men that 
devoured widows' houses. Remember that in Matthew chapter 
23, when Jesus pronounced the woes upon the scribes and the 
Pharisees? What does he mean by that? Did these unbelieving 
religious leaders wake up in the, you know, oh dark 30 and 
go to some old lady's house and throw her out on her ear and 
take her property? No, most likely her husband died. Where would she go to for help 
and assistance? She would go to the leadership, 
the structure in Israel that was to provide for the widows 
and the orphans and to provide care. But through extortion and 
through malevolence and through wickedness and sin, they ended 
up actually taking things from her. They ended up extorting 
her. So Jesus is not shrinking back from declaring to these 
people what their problems were. And in fact, he is similar to 
all the prophets that preceded him. Did Jeremiah not upbraid 
the nation of Israel at the time of his ministry? Did Isaiah say, 
you know, everything's great here. You guys are doing wonderfully. 
You're doing a splendid job. The prophet Micah from Moresheth, 
what does he do in terms of the leadership? He points the finger 
at them. Again, speaking truth to power. 
Everybody likes that until it actually happens. Everybody wants 
that until it actually comes to fruition. We start to get 
a bit uncomfortable. Oh, you can't say that. You can't 
think that. You can't do that. Because then 
you'll be seen as somebody that is rebellious against the Holy 
Scripture. When the Master speaks truth to power, I think that 
the follower, the disciple, the sheep of the shepherd, can do 
the same thing, as long as we're not violent, we're not shooting 
anybody in the face, we're not doing it in a way that's ungodly 
or unrighteous. The Lord Christ sets the pattern 
that godless leadership needs to be upbraided. So we've got 
the false teachers and the sheepfold in verse one. Now notice the 
true shepherd and the sheepfold in verses two to six. You need 
to be mindful that some of the figures that are used, figures 
of speech that are used in two to five, differ a little bit 
from seven to 10. Door in five. the first section, 
2 to 5, isn't the exact same thing as Jesus identifies in 
verses 7 and 9. So let's just pick up the narrative 
specifically at verse 2. Notice the identification of 
the shepherd in verse 2. He who enters by the door is 
the shepherd of the sheep. Later, it's going to talk about 
the sheep entering through the door. Well, that door in verses 
7 and 9 is Jesus. Right now, remember what his 
design is. Right now, remember what his 
purpose is. Right now, remember that he is 
indicting the religious leaders. The temple, the synagogue, the 
sheepfold, the people of God has an access point, has leadership, 
has somebody that is involved in controlling access and entry 
and exit from that particular vantage point. So Jesus says 
in verse 2, he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the 
sheep. This is Jesus. This is Christ. This is the mediator 
between God and man. This is the one sent by the Father. This is the one in contrast to 
the Pharisees. This is the one that they hate, 
that they've expressed enmity to, that they oppose, and that 
they ultimately want to kill, and they will kill ultimately. 
So Jesus is the one who enters by the door. He is the one who 
is the shepherd of the sheep. Now notice the doorkeeper in 
verse three. It says in verse 3, to him the 
doorkeeper opens. So you've got somebody keeping 
the door, and you've got Jesus, the shepherd, entering through 
that door. Again, it's a communal pen. Several 
flocks might be in there. You control the access point, 
and then the man that is authorized to come in is let in. And so 
Christ is highlighting that these thieves and these robbers, they're 
not authorized. Because they don't function in 
a manner consistent with the godly ones that are supposed 
to rule Israel. It's Christ that is the shepherd. It's Christ who gains access 
by the doorkeeper. That's what the emphasis in verse 
3 is. Now, when we ask the question, 
who's the doorkeeper? We'll answer it. Notice in verse 
3, to him the doorkeeper opens. And the sheep hear his voice, 
and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. So who's 
the doorkeeper? We might suggest gospel ministers, 
they preach the gospel, and it's Christ that is the shepherd that 
they are preaching. I don't think that's wrong, I 
don't think that's incorrect, but I don't think that's what 
he's talking about here. I think the doorkeeper of verse 3a is 
God the Father. Remember, one of the constant 
sticking points between Jesus and these men is who is Jesus. Jesus is the sent one from the 
Father. Who's the doorkeeper in terms 
of the sheepfold? Who's the doorkeeper in terms 
of the flock of God? Well, it's God Most High. We 
just sang that in Psalm 80. We see it in Psalm 23. We see 
it throughout the prophets and the Psalter. We see it in the 
New Testament. We see this imagery all over the place. So the doorkeeper 
lets one in to function as the true shepherd. The verse 2, true 
shepherd, comes as a result of the doorkeeper, verse 3a. So who's the shepherd? He's the 
son of the father. Who's the father? He's the doorkeeper 
that lets the shepherd in. In other words, He is the only 
begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. The Word 
became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, 
the glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace 
and truth. So all the theology that we've 
been studying in the book of John, all the theology concerning 
the Father and the Son and their relation one to another, all 
that theology is assumed by the Savior. He's the true shepherd 
that enters through the door. Who's the doorkeeper? It's the 
Father who sent him on this mission of mercy to save his people from 
their sins. In fact, John Gill makes the 
observation, but rather, this intends God the Father, from 
whom Christ as man and mediator derives his authority, and by 
whom he is let into and invested with his office as the shepherd 
of the sheep. He's condemning the false teachers. He is condemning the leaders. 
He is condemning these men for what they had done in chapter 
9, verse 34, in putting out of the synagogue this man who had 
been born blind. If the man was a murderer, if 
the man was a robber, if the man was, you know, ungodly or 
an apostate or an idolater, they'd have every right to put him out. 
but there'd still be a process. But because he didn't answer 
their questions in the way that they wanted, because he answered 
their questions in a way that favored the Lord Jesus Christ, 
they had no right to put him out. They had no authority to 
deny him access. They had no right as the so-called 
shepherds to cast a sheep out like that. So Jesus is condemning 
the leadership. Jesus is condemning these vile 
men. Now notice, as we move on in 
the particular narrative, he says what the sheep do relative 
to the shepherd. So verse 3, to him the doorkeeper 
opens and the sheep hear his voice. You've probably heard 
the stories, you've probably heard this passage preached. 
that the sheep, they're not the brightest bulbs in the chandelier. 
They're not the brightest creatures in the world. In fact, when the 
Bible compares us to sheep, that's not the best possible analogy 
that we could receive. These weren't brain surgeons. 
These weren't little rocket scientists, you know, surrounded by fur or 
wool. These were dummies by and large. I don't mean to be vicious or 
unkind, but you know one thing they were able to do? They were 
able to discern their master's voice. They were able to discern 
their master's voice, and that's what Jesus speaks to here. Just 
like that man who had been born blind. When Jesus leads him by 
the hand to this confession of faith, he hears his master's 
voice. Lord, I believe! And then what 
happens? He worshipped him. Christ is 
speaking concerning the reality that God's people hear the voice 
of the Master. The shepherd affectually calls 
them. Notice in 3. To him the doorkeeper 
opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep 
by name and leads them out. Now, there are many ways to lead 
sheep or shepherd sheep. I don't speak by experience. I haven't done this, but I've 
read enough to know that you can use a sheepdog. Sheepdogs 
are incredible. Sheepdogs, you know, sheep the 
dogs. They dog the sheep. They keep 
them penned. They keep them in the right direction. 
You can drive the sheep. You can be behind them and lead 
them that way. But this particular analogy is 
what Christ does. He leads us. He leads us out 
of this particular pen in the direction that he calls us to 
go. It is most glorious imagery, brethren. Our blessed shepherd 
leads us. He doesn't send a dog to surround 
us. He doesn't set us out in front 
and say, you guys, you know, do the best you can. I'll pick 
you up when you fall. I mean, that still happens even 
with him leading us from out front. But that's the imagery 
employed by the master in this particular situation. Verse three, 
the sheep hear his voice. And notice he calls his own sheep 
by name and leads them out. It's a beautiful sort of reference 
there. The salvation wrought by Christ 
isn't general. vague or ambiguous, he came to 
save his people from their sins. It's not just kind of out there 
for anybody who might want to activate it through their own 
free will. Brethren, if that was the case, 
nobody would ever activate it. But he comes in a specific manner 
to redeem his people from their sins, to save his sheep, to call 
them to himself, to enable them to hear his voice and to respond 
favorably to him. The reality that he calls his 
sheep by name, Isaiah 43, one to two, but now, thus says the 
Lord who created you, O Jacob, and he who formed you, O Israel, 
fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by your 
name, you are mine. The fact that the shepherd calls 
us by name indicates that possession, that ownership. We're not our 
own, we're bought with a price. We're bought by the blood of 
Jesus Christ, our Lord. When you pass through the waters, 
I will be with you. And through the rivers, they 
shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you 
shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. He calls 
his own by name. 2 Timothy 2, verse 19. Nevertheless, the solid foundation 
of God stands, having this seal. The Lord knows those who are 
his, and let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from 
iniquity. So the Lord Jesus leads his sheep. Now, just practically in the 
context, what a contrast between him and these Pharisees. The 
Pharisees were upset. Their noses were bent out of 
shape. They got bested in an argument by a man who had been 
born blind. I mean, this man didn't go to 
Bible school. This man didn't have a PhD. This man didn't have 
any advanced degree whatsoever. This man had been born blind. 
He was a beggar. He was, you know, not somebody 
that you'd look upon and say, wow, this is a brilliant guy. 
But he brilliantly argued against their foolishness and they got 
upset about that. So instead of leading him, instead 
of directing him, instead of assisting him or helping him, 
they just cast him out. Not so with our master. Our blessed 
shepherd leads the people of God. Our blessed shepherd leads 
us. He doesn't leave us. He doesn't 
forsake us. And that emphasis in the prophet 
Isaiah is beautiful. The leading of the sheep by the 
shepherd. He leads them out, and the shepherd goes before 
them. Again, Psalm 23. He makes me to lie down in green 
pastures. He leads me beside the still 
waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in the paths of righteousness 
for His name's sake. Why do you think the Psalmist 
says that? Because I wasn't going in the paths of righteousness. 
I was not following the Master. I did not want the Lord. I was not seeking Him. He leads 
me in the paths of righteousness. We typically read that in Psalm 
23 and go, wow, isn't it wonderful that our Savior's there to comfort 
and to help us? Yes, that's what the Psalm's 
about, but don't miss the element of redemption. He leads me in 
the paths of righteousness for His own name's sake. Why? Because 
I'm unrighteous. Because I'm filthy. Because I'm 
disgusting. Because I'm a transgressor. Because 
I'm a lacker of conformity unto that law of God. And if one doesn't 
come and lead me into the paths of righteousness, I will perish 
in my sin and suffer hell and damnation forever. This is what 
our blessed Master does. And this is what He's communicating 
to these men. This is what He's upbraiding 
them with. Revelation 14. Revelation 14 is a beautiful, 
beautiful, wonderful passage of scripture. Now in Revelation 
14, it follows Revelation 13. You're getting some cutting edge 
exegesis here today, aren't you? Revelation 13 and 14 are a contrast, 
but they're inextricably connected. What happens in chapter 13? You've 
got two beasts. You've got a beast from the land, 
you've got a beast from the sea. And what do these beasts do? 
As the name might suggest, they terrorize the people under their 
rule. They terrorize the people under 
their government. They terrorize the people that 
are unfortunate enough to be under them. They're like the 
thieves and the robbers. Their mission is to steal and 
to kill and destroy. So you've got these beastly characters 
in chapter 13, but when we get to chapter 14, the scene shifts. What do you find in chapter 14? 
You find the Lamb with His fair army on Mount Zion. You see, 
God's response to the beastly characters of Revelation 13. 
If Revelation 13 causes you turmoil, if Revelation 13 causes you fear, 
if Revelation 13 defines your life, you need to repent. And 
you need to continue to read Revelation 14. You need to continue 
to read the rest of the book of Revelation. The book of Revelation 
is not about Christ losing. The book of Revelation is not 
about the people of Christ losing. The book of Revelation is about 
the kingly office of our Lord Jesus and the way that He comes 
to the aid and defense and protection of His people. So if you're a 
bit down and you're looking around and you're saying, wow, we live 
in a Revelation 13 kind of an age, go to 14, see the lamb with 
his fair army standing on Mount Zion. Well, who's the fair army? They're described in the passages 
or in the texts that follow. And one of the things that is 
characteristic of them, it says, these are the ones who follow 
the lamb wherever he goes. It's a beautiful identifier, 
isn't it? And I know there's that in us. Now, you know, I 
don't always follow the lamb wherever he goes. I still have 
a, you know, a tendency to go the other way. I still have the 
tendency to be prone to wander and prone to leave the God that 
I love. But characteristic of the sheep of Christ is that they 
follow the lamb wherever he goes. They love his word. They love 
his voice. When they sin against him, they repent. They ask for 
forgiveness. They plead the blood and merit to their blessed shepherd. 
But in terms of an identifying quality or a mark or a characteristic, 
they follow the lamb wherever he goes. And notice that Jesus 
now draws out the characteristics of the sheep. He identifies who 
the false are relative to the sheepfold. And now he's identifying 
the true relative to the sheepfold. And now he's gonna deal a bit 
with the characteristics of the sheep. So notice in verse three 
or verse four, and when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before 
them. And the sheep follow him for 
they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow 
a stranger, but will flee from him for they do not know the 
voice of strangers. Again, just like we see illustrated 
in chapter nine, that man born blind that was healed by Jesus 
didn't say to the Pharisees, you guys are right on. He's a 
fake, he's a fraud, he's a deceiver. No, he rejects their interpretation 
of who Jesus is. He rejects their interpretation 
of the facts as he's witnessed them. No, he follows the master. Actually, the master followed 
him, saved him, and now this man follows the master. But notice 
in terms of the characteristics of the sheep. The sheep follow 
the shepherd in obedience to his voice. So 4b again, when 
the sheep brings out, or when he brings out his own sheep, 
he goes before them and the sheep follow him for they know his 
voice. The sheep follow him for they 
know his voice. Well, what have we learned in 
John's gospel up to this particular point? Well, we have learned 
that the sheep are not sheep because they're brilliant and 
decided for Jesus. We have learned that the sheep 
are not sheep because they exercised their free will and came to Jesus. We have learned thus far that 
the sheep are sheep because of God making them sheep. And by making them sheep, I'm 
not suggesting he puts a gun to our heads and says, you need 
to be a sheep. That's not how he makes us sheep. 
He makes us sheep by the exercise of his power. John 3, unless 
a man is born again, he shall not see the kingdom of God. The sheep are those who were 
dead in their trespasses and sins, but through the power of 
the Holy Spirit, they've been made anew. By the power of the 
Holy Spirit, they've been regenerated. By the power of the Holy Spirit, 
they've been born again. And as well, what happens when 
they're born again? What's the reflex? What happens 
when the Spirit moves them or moves upon them in such a way 
as to bring them out of darkness into marvelous light, as to convey 
upon them life, as to move them from a place of death into life? What's the reflex? Well, they 
believe on the Lord Jesus. There's not this span of time, 
you're regenerate in March of 1978, and then you're believing 
on Jesus so many years later. No, there's a chronological progression, 
but chronology, you're born again, and what's the first thing? You 
believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. That's told us in John 1.12, 
it's told us in John 3.16, and it's told us in John 20.30-31, 
that believing in Him, you might have everlasting life. Well, 
now we come to this issue. What do they look like? What 
does somebody born again by the power of God, who believes on 
the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, what do they look like? In other 
words, how do we know that this person is a sheep? It's a good 
question, isn't it? I think it is. Perhaps you hadn't 
thought of it. I'm thinking of it for you, and 
hopefully we'll get some answers here. But what does it look like 
for somebody born again who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ What 
does he look like? Well, verse four tells us. When 
he brings out his own sheep, again, we're talking about the 
sheepfold, the people that are saved, they're within that sort 
of confine, and then the shepherd comes, wants to trot them out 
to the pastures, and wants to do great things for them, and 
lead them, and bless them, and all that sort of thing. So notice 
in verse four, the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. The sheep follow him, for they 
know his voice. You understand what Jesus is 
saying? You say you're born again. You 
say you believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, I'm not talking 
about perfect following. Brethren, I am not. You know 
me better than to think that I would suggest. Your following 
better be impeccable. Your following better be spot 
on. Your following better be perfect. No, I don't believe 
that. I mean, I believe that's the 
norm or the model, but I don't believe we achieve it on this 
side of heaven. 1 John 2, my little children, I write these 
things so that you may not sin. It's a beautiful thrust in John's 
epistle. And he goes on, and if anyone 
does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, even Jesus Christ 
the righteous. John knows the remaining corruption. 
Paul knows the remaining corruption. Romans 7, Galatians 5, the hymn 
writer knew it when he said, prone to wander, prone to leave 
the God I love. He wasn't a renegade or a maverick. 
He spoke in the tradition of Reformed theology. Our confession 
acknowledges this at several places. This is why that old, 
dry, orthodox, dusty sort of confession of faith is more lively 
and more vibrant and more powerful than a whole host of books written 
today that aren't candid enough to admit the reality that Paul 
admits in Romans 7, the good that I wish to do, I don't always 
do. The evil I don't want to do, 
I find myself doing. Or in Galatians 5, the flesh 
lusts against the spirit, the spirit against the flesh. And 
these are contrary to one another, so you don't do the things you 
want. Oh, we're almost afraid to suggest such stuff because 
we think it will give sinners cause or save sinners cause to 
go out and sin. Well, that's because we think 
like the devil. Romans 6, 1. What shall we say 
then? Shall we continue in sin that 
grace may abound? May it never be. The only people 
that take that implication are devilish sorts of people that 
want to use the gospel as a pretext for their sin. Not the saint 
that has remaining corruption that is conflicted on a lot of 
days and that doesn't always do what he ought, but he confesses 
it and he forsakes it and he finds mercy from God. But in 
terms of an identifying characteristic of the sheep of Christ, they 
hear His voice, and they respond to His voice. They are sanctified 
by the Spirit through the Word. They grow in the grace and in 
the knowledge of our Lord and Savior. When the shepherd comes 
to the pen and he says, okay sheep, we're going out for the 
day, it's not so you can go run amok. It's not so you can go 
smoke crack. It's not so you can go visit 
prostitutes. It's not so you can go bask in 
your self-righteousness. It's so you can follow the lamb 
wherever he goes. That's the purpose for which 
the shepherd fetches us out of the sheepfold for a day. It's 
to go enjoy the blessings that he affords to his people. It's 
not to depart from him. We're free now and we can go 
do whatever it is we want. The sheep of Christ don't want 
that. Freedom is found in the Master. Freedom is found in the 
shepherd. Freedom is found in those good 
pastures that He brings us to. An identifying characteristic, 
an identifying mark of the sheep of God is that they hear His 
voice and the sheep follow Him. Why? Because they know His voice. There's a wonderful hymn in the 
Trinity Hymnal. I didn't check to see if it was 
in the, I didn't check to see if it made the cut in the Trinity 
Psalter Hymnal that we're now using, but stanzas three and 
four are quite, I mean, one and two are great, but three and 
four. Jesus my shepherd is, t'was he that loved my soul, t'was 
he that washed me in his blood, t'was he that made me whole, 
t'was he that sought the lost, that found the wandering sheep, 
t'was he that brought me to the fold, t'was he. that still doth 
keep. Why would we leave him? Why would 
we not follow him? And again, I'm not talking about, 
you know, the remaining corruption, Lord, forgive me, I sinned, I 
thank you for the blood of Jesus. I'm talking about a departure. 
I'm talking about rejection. I'm talking about resistance. 
I'm talking about, I don't want his voice. Well, if you don't 
want his voice, you're not his sheep. It's just that simple. 
That last stanza says, I was a wandering sheep. I would not 
be controlled. Is that a good description, a 
man apart from Jesus? I was a wandering sheep. I would 
not be controlled. You're not the boss of me. I 
don't need God. I don't need his Christ. We're 
the men of Psalm 2. Why did the nations rage and the people plot 
a vain thing? Why do the rulers and the kings 
of the universe or the kings of the earth take their counsel 
against Yahweh and against his Christ. What is it but that expression 
of, I'm not gonna be controlled. I'm the king of this empire. 
I'm the king of this kingdom. I am the leader, I'm the ruler. 
I don't want Yahweh and his Christ sort of butting in and telling 
me what I must do. I think this imagery is beautiful. I was a wandering sheep, I would 
not be controlled. But now I love my shepherd's 
voice. Isn't that true? We may not always 
understand everything. Peter acknowledges that some 
things in Paul are hard to understand. I think there's some things in 
Peter that are hard to understand. I think there's some things that 
are difficult in the scripture, but the perspicuity of scripture 
teaches its clarity on matters concerning salvation, on matters 
concerning justification by faith. He says this, so the hymn writer 
says this, but now I love my shepherd's voice, but he goes 
on to say, I love, I love, the fold. Huh, you mean we'll love 
the church too? Oh yeah, it's the church for 
whom Jesus died. In other words, if Jesus loves 
the church that much, what should we think about the church? It's 
full of hypocrites, precisely where you want hypocrites, so 
they can hear the preaching of the gospel to cleanse them from 
their sin. Oh, the hospital's full of sick 
people, precisely where you want them, so they can get a cure. 
We love the church of Jesus Christ because it's the church of Jesus 
Christ. We love the sheepfold. We love 
the pen. We love the people of God. Doesn't 
John tell us that in his first epistle? By this we know we've 
passed from death to life if we love the brethren. Won't Jesus 
say this in the upper room discourse in John 13? By this all men will 
know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another. Hate the fold? Hate the church? Despise the people of God? That's 
an anomaly. This maverick approach, all I 
need is my Bible and the Holy Spirit. But your Bible and the 
Holy Spirit has told you you need the church. You didn't hear 
that part? You didn't listen to that part? 
You don't read that part? You don't heed that part? See, 
to esteem the master, to esteem the shepherd, is to esteem the 
sheepfold as well. Back to the hymn. I was a wayward 
child. I once preferred to roam. Isn't that true? I was a wayward child. I once 
preferred to roam. My daughter told me a story. 
I don't know. Is it true? where the sheep all 
kind of followed the one that was in front of them, and they 
jumped off a cliff. And of course, as you might imagine, 
the first jumpers died, because that's what happens. It's not 
the fall. It's the sudden impact at the end that kind of does 
you in. But by the time there was a bed of sheep there, the 
others jumped off and they didn't die. They just bounced right 
off the wool of the ones that had gone before that. Again, 
not the brightest creatures on the face of the earth, brethren. 
But in terms of the sheepfold, in terms of the flock, we love 
it. I just thought of that and wanted 
to continue. I was a wayward child. I once preferred to roam, 
but now I love my father's voice. I love his home. Again, hymnody, beautiful illustration 
of John 10. Beautiful illustration of what 
we'll find in the explanation of his mission. He uses those 
two figures. I am the door of the sheep in 
verses seven to 10. And then he speaks of him being 
the good shepherd in verses seven to 17. And then of course, we'll 
see the response to that. We'll see the enmity with that. 
We'll see the opposition to that. And we'll see their rage. concerning 
him as it culminates at the end of the chapter. But back to our 
exposition. Notice, not only do they hear 
the voice of the shepherd, but they reject the voice of the 
stranger. And if you're interested in this, I don't typically make 
shameless plugs to attend the evening sermon, but I'm gonna 
today, because the evening sermon really complements what we're 
gonna be doing here in a moment. Look at what the sheep does. 
He doesn't hear the voice of the stranger. What do you think 
Paul's dealing with in Ephesians chapter 4? Christ, according 
to verse 11, gives gifts to the church. What gifts? Well, he 
gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, 
some to be pastor-teachers. Well, why did he do that? so 
that the children of God could be built up, so that the children 
of God could be strengthened, so that the children of God could 
learn not to listen to the voice of strangers. We're gonna see 
that tonight, so that we're no longer tossed to and fro by every 
wind of doctrine, so that we're not subject to the trickery of 
men, so that we're not subject to the crafty cunning of men 
who plot deceit. The Apostle Paul highlights what 
Jesus says figuratively right here in verses four and five. The true sheep follow the shepherd. 
The true sheep don't follow the false. Look at verse five, yet 
they will by no means. They will by no means follow 
a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the 
voice of strangers. The sheep reject the stranger 
for a very simple reason. They don't recognize his voice. 
They don't understand his voice. It doesn't resonate with them 
being new men in Christ Jesus. They resist it. They reject it. 
They want no truck with it. They want no participation in 
it because it's contrary to the shepherd's voice. Brethren, that 
does assume a few things. It assumes that the sheep know 
the voice of the shepherd. That means they're in somewhat 
connection with the Word of God. Privately, they read it. They 
read it as families. They come to church and they 
hear it preached. They have some understanding what the voice 
of Christ is, such that when the voice of the stranger comes, 
they don't take it in and hold on to it. They resist it. They 
reject it. They even run from the heretic. They run from the false. Going 
through this passage in Ephesians 4, I think that you see something 
highlighted that we don't pay enough attention to in our own 
generation. I think we're trying to do that 
in our church, so I'm not here to scream at you for this, but 
in terms of our generation, is the premium placed on truth? Is it placed on accurate exegesis 
of Holy Scripture, exposition of that Scripture, the proclamation 
of that Scripture, and the application of it? Or is it misplaced? Is it about me and my feelings? Is it about me and my experience? Is it about me and my perceived 
needs? Is it all about me? Well, if 
it's all about me, then it's not the voice of the shepherd. 
And if it's not the voice of the shepherd, we are going to 
roam. We are going to stray. We are 
going to be in jeopardy. And in Ephesians 4, the emphasis 
is upon these gifts, not because they're wonderful specimens of 
human beings, not because they're the right reverend sir, but because 
they've been equipped by Christ, recognized by the church, to 
do what? to teach the voice of the master 
to the sheep. And when the sheep receive the 
voice of the master, they will be inoculated against the voice 
of strangers, so that they won't be tossed to and fro by every 
wind of doctrine, so they won't be susceptible to the trickery 
of men. There's a whole host of people out there that are 
vying for your soul. There's a whole host of people 
out there that are vying for opposition to the Lord Christ 
to rise and to prevail. Do you think it's accidental, 
the culture that we live in? Do you think that the celebration 
of murder and sexual perversion, well, it's interesting that this 
sort of happened. I mean, that's man's disposition. That's man's 
sin. But to celebrate it, to make 
it the norm, to make you accept it as the norm, brethren, this 
is calculated. They hate God, they hate His 
Christ, and they want to throw Him off His throne, but they 
can't get to Him, so they'll go after us. That's just the 
reality of it. Do you ever notice anybody who 
hears the voice of a stranger and flees from him? Oh no, we're 
much more polished and nice than that. Well, you know, he's nice. 
He sounds right. He sounds good. He looks the 
part. Brethren, if he's not preaching 
the master's voice, run from him. He is a fake. He is out for bad things. He is a thief and a robber. What 
does he do? He steals from you, he kills 
you, and he destroys you. That's what Jesus says in verse 
10b. That's their MO. That's what 
they're about. That's how they thrive and flourish. 
Imagine that. What's your job? What's your 
joy? What's your privilege in life? My joy and privilege is 
to steal from people. My joy and privilege is to kill 
these people. My joy and privilege is to destroy these people. Most 
of us can't enter in. Most of us in this room are like, 
what? Why would you be like that? Because remember, Jesus makes 
the connection in John 8, that they're of their father, who? 
The devil. And the desires of your father, 
you want to do. And what are the desires of your 
father? He's a murderer from the beginning, and he's a liar. 
So brethren, when the stranger comes and apes his father, his 
father, the devil, it's not wrong for you to run. Wasn't wrong 
for Potiphar or rather Joseph to run from Potiphar's wife. 
In fact, I'd say that was the best run he ever made. It's not 
wrong to run from heresy. Why do we think it's okay to 
give them our attention? Why do we think it's okay? Well, 
we need to be kind. We need to be gracious. What 
does the sheep do when he hears the stranger's voice? He flees. Why? Because the sheep knows 
all he wants to do is fleece me. All he wants to do is hurt 
me. All he wants to do is destroy me. All he wants to do is ruin 
me. In other words, find a place where the voice of Christ is 
preached in the church of Christ. Turn to Romans 16. We're not 
gonna continue. We're gonna end our exposition here at verse 
six in just a moment, but just a couple of passages that further 
sort of illustrate this. Notice in Romans 16. Bible's 
not silent here. Old Testament, very loud, very 
prevalent, very much conspicuous. Get away from those idolaters. 
Get away from those bailiffs. Get away from those who worship 
Asherah. New Testament, same thing. Romans 16, verse 17. Now I urge you, brethren, note 
those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary notice to 
the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. avoid them, not 
have them over, have coffee, you know, get, you know, love 
them even more. No, no, avoid that. I don't know 
how clearer it could be. And then he says, for those who 
are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but put their own 
belly and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the 
hearts of the simple. It's not wrong to be simple in 
this context. It's not wrong at all. I'm simple. And this deception and these 
flattering words and these things that I don't understand, it could 
captivate me. It could capture me. I've often 
thought that a brand new born-again believer should not necessarily 
open the door to a 20-year seasoned veteran of Jehovah's Witnesses. 
They know a lot. I'm not saying they're right. 
They know a lot. And you know, you just come out 
of the womb of regeneration and you're ready to fight for God 
and country. And that Jehovah's Witness is gonna stand there 
and answer everything you say. Again, wrong, heretical, Aryan, 
bad, you know, new Judas, all that. You don't know that. That's 
not a dig at you. It's not an insult to you. There's 
gradation in the Christian life, isn't it? We come out of the 
womb of regeneration. What are we? Kind of like when 
we come out of the womb of our mothers. We're babies. We're 
infants. Then we toddle. And then we hit 
adolescence. And then we're really obnoxious. 
And then we move on to young adulthood. We're still obnoxious. 
And we get a little bit older. We're not as obnoxious. We get 
to some hoary hair. We're still obnoxious for other 
reasons. But you get the point. Tonight, Paul's going to say 
that so that we're no longer children. Again, being a child 
isn't bad. If you're a child, be a child. Enjoy your childhood. Go play 
hide-and-seek. Go play cops and robbers. Dare I say it? You know, the 
things we used to do as kids. But to be a child when you're 
a grown adult, that's what Paul is opposing in Ephesians 4. The 
church of Christ, like the individual in Christ, has to grow up. We celebrate adolescence in society 
and in the church. But that's not what we should 
celebrate. We celebrate maturity. We celebrate 
thinking. We celebrate good doctrine. We 
celebrate accurate exegesis. We know those who cause divisions 
and we avoid them. Why? Because they're dangerous 
people. Notice in 1 Timothy chapter six, 
1 Timothy chapter six, specifically at verse 20, Oh Timothy, guard 
what was committed to your trust. What was that that was committed 
to his trust? It was the truth of God's Word. 
It was the truth of the gospel. It's not your winning personality, 
Timothy. Your ability to have coffee with 
the best of them, Timothy. What is Timothy supposed to guard? The sacred deposit of God's holy 
word. You guard it, Timothy. You hold 
on to it. And you avoid the profane and 
idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge 
by professing it. Some have strayed concerning 
the faith. Notice 2 Timothy chapter 1. 2 
Timothy chapter 1 verse 13. Hold fast the pattern of sound 
words, which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are 
in Christ Jesus, that good thing which was committed to you. Keep 
by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. Brethren, our task in 
the grand wink of God's church is not to stop. the progress 
of the truth. It's to facilitate it to the 
next generation. It's to retain it in such a way 
and defend it in such a way and fight for it in such a way and 
to contend for it in such a way that we pass it on to our children 
and our grandchildren. This is our task. This is our 
calling. This is our privilege to hear 
the voice of the master, to preach the voice of the master, so that 
the sheep are edified, the sheep are built up, the sheep are instructed, 
and the sheep don't go astray as much. They follow the master. They resist the heretic. They 
run from the stranger. Jude 3, contend earnestly for 
the faith, which was once for all delivered to the saints. 
And then one final text is in Revelation 2. Revelation 2, we 
all know the church of Ephesus. We're studying the book of Ephesians 
in our evening service. The Ephesians, the church in 
Ephesus, we know them as the church that lost their first 
love. That's not a good thing. But 
when he says that, he doesn't mean they're apostates. He doesn't 
mean they're gone. He doesn't mean it's over. He 
doesn't mean you're done now. Here's what I think. I think 
that the Ephesians lost their first love in this way. Their 
hearts were not waxing with love for Christ the way they had been. That's, I think, a simple interpretation. And if we ask the question, well, 
why not? I think the text answers for 
us. Look at Revelation 2.1, to the angel of the church of Ephesus 
write, these things says he who holds the seven stars in his 
right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands. 
I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot 
bear those who are evil. Notice the next section in verse 
two, and you have tested those who say they are apostles and 
are not, and have found them liars. I think that while they're on 
the front lines fighting heretics, fighting men that claim to be 
apostles, testing those men to protect the sheep for Jesus, 
you know what they weren't doing? They weren't reading John Owen, 
volume two on communion with God. They weren't reading Spurgeon's 
Morning and Evening. They weren't firing up their 
hearts with love for Christ the way that perhaps they used to. 
But it's not that they had abandoned the faith. They were fighting 
for the faith. They were defending the faith. 
But as is often the case, we're not always equipped to fight 
on two fronts at the same time. You divide the energies of the 
men in the leadership position, and it can be a bad thing. So 
these guys are fighting false apostles, and at the same time, 
Christ condemns them for losing or leaving their first love. 
But the point is that he does commend them for guarding the 
sheep from these men who claim to be apostles and were not. 
So back to our text, we notice what the response to all this 
is in verse 6. They didn't get it. They didn't 
understand it. So he talks about the sheep hearing 
the voice of the shepherd. He talks about the sheep rejecting 
the voice of the stranger. And then in verse 6, Jesus used 
this illustration, but they did not understand the things which 
he spoke to them. did not understand the things 
which he spoke to them. Now in the context, this is intriguing 
because these were men who thought they saw. These were men who 
thought they were not blind. These were men who paraded themselves 
on seeing better than the rest of the people in Israel. And 
yet they were blind, spiritually blind. They didn't hear, they 
didn't follow, they didn't understand what the Lord Christ is saying. 
What's the implication? They weren't a sheep. They didn't 
hear his voice. They didn't follow him. They 
didn't go after him. It was the man in John 9 who 
had heard that Jesus was, in fact, the Son of God, who confesses 
faith in the Son of God, and then who worships in light of 
that confession of faith that was, in fact, the sheep. The 
sheep in the story is the man. The shepherd in the story is 
the Lord Jesus. The thieves and the robbers in 
the story are the Pharisees, the religious leaders, the scribes, 
these ones that had authority over the nation of Israel. And 
these are the ones that, not surprisingly, didn't get it. They didn't understand. They 
didn't receive his truth. It was an anomaly to them. It 
was a conundrum to them. It was enigmatic. They couldn't 
get it. And that leads him then into 
7 to 17, to discourse concerning himself as the door, the entrance 
to the sheepfold is through him. Again, the image is shifted a 
little bit, because in the first section, he is the one that has 
been granted access by the Father to be the shepherd of the sheep. 
But in the latter part, he is the door by which the sheep enter 
in and are saved. That's the structure, God willing. 
We'll look at it next week. Just in conclusion, I want to 
highlight two things. I know that's one. I got two 
here. First, we need to hear the voice of the Master, the 
voice of the shepherd. We need to listen. Now brethren, 
it's not just preaching, but preaching is vital. The church 
of Jesus Christ is, you know, central in God's redemptive plan. 
It's a necessary feature. We've been blessed with Bibles. 
I mean, everybody's got Bibles. Bibles for days. We've got Bibles 
stacked up at home. We've got Bible apps on our phones. 
We don't even have to read the phone. It reads it to us anymore. The lack of biblical, or familiarity 
with biblical themes or stuff, the lack of hearing the voice 
of the shepherd in this environment is really unconscionable. I mean, 
if we found ourselves before the, you know, the invention 
of the printing press, okay. They didn't have cell phones 
either. They didn't have, you know, all these vast resources 
of ways that we can ingest the Bible. We need to ask the simple 
question, am I seeking the master's voice? Am I seeking to hear from 
him in private? As a father, am I seeking to 
lead my family to that voice in family worship? And in the 
church, have I found a church or am I looking for a church 
where they put a premium on the truth of the shepherd's voice? 
Because at the end of the day, we'd probably like more programs, 
we'd probably like more happiness, we'd probably like more joy, 
we'd probably like more whatever that the churches often, you 
know, give. But what is it in the final analysis 
that we need from the church? Preach the word. Be ready in 
season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort with 
all long-suffering and teaching. That's it. Again, not that's 
it. You know, you come in here and 
you're just miserable. You get hit and punished, but you know 
the word's preached. No, no, we look for it all, obviously, 
but we don't compromise at the place of the voice of the master. 
That's most important. And then secondly, if you have 
not heard the voice of the master, may God most high open your ears, 
open your heart. If we ask the question, who is 
the shepherd? Go back in the text, go back 
into John 9. John 9, 35, Jesus heard that 
they had cast him out. And when he had found him, he 
said to him, do you believe in the son of God? Have you asked 
that question? Have you wrestled with that thought? 
Have you ever entertained the reality that there is a son of 
God upon whom your eternal destiny depends? If you haven't, I'm 
gonna suggest you ask the question. I'm gonna suggest you think in 
this direction. I'm gonna suggest that you stop 
thinking about everything else that busies your mind and heart 
and think about who the son of God is. Look at the response 
of the man who was born blind. He answered and said, who is 
he, Lord, that I may believe in him? Isn't that wonderful? 
Do you believe in the Son of God? Well, who is he, Lord, that 
I may believe in him? So what does Jesus do? Jesus 
says, it's me. It's me, the one you're talking 
to, the one you're now seeing. Remember, he had been congenitally 
blind from birth. He sees Jesus physically, but 
he sees Jesus spiritually because he confesses, I believe. And in light of that belief, 
he worships Jesus. That's your take-home message 
today. Jesus is, in fact, the Son of 
God. Jesus is, in fact, the Good Shepherd. Jesus is the one whose voice 
is able to bring sinners to himself and give them everlasting life. He comes to give life and to 
give it abundantly according to verse 10. He leads me to these 
pastures. He enriches my soul. He blesses 
me. He keeps me. He protects me. There is that tendency in me 
to wander. There is that tendency in me 
to roam away. But what does he do? He uses 
his faithful shepherd's crook, and he pulls me back. He chastens 
me. He disciplines me. He keeps me 
by his power and for his glory. That is the Son of God. And believing 
in the Son of God means you will have everlasting life. That's 
John's message. Well, let us pray. Father, in 
heaven, we thank you for your Word. We thank you for the voice 
of the Master that comes through the pages of Holy Scripture, 
that Great Shepherd of the sheep, that One who came to live, to 
die, and to rise again, so that all who believe in Him will have 
everlasting life. May you be merciful to us as 
sheep, cause us to follow the lamb wherever he goes. And as 
well, we pray that today would be the day of salvation here 
and elsewhere, wherever the voice of Christ is communicated. We 
ask this in the name and for the glory of our Lord Jesus. 
Amen. Well, you can turn in your hymn 
books to 568. 568, we'll stand and sing the doxology of praise 
unto God. you ♪ Praise Him, all creatures here 
below ♪ ♪ Praise Him, God of the heavenly host ♪ ♪ Praise the Father, Son, and 
Holy Ghost ♪ I'll read a benediction and then 
I'll pray and we'll give thanks for the food. So as was said 
at the outset of worship, please enjoy some time of fellowship 
and food up in the fellowship hall. We'll give thanks to God 
for that. So when we're dismissed, you can find your way up there. 
So the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and 
the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen. Our Father, 
we thank you for these blessings, these good things that you give 
to your people. We thank you for your mercy, 
your grace, your loving kindness displayed and revealed in the 
gospel of our salvation. Thank you for the Lord's day. 
Thank you for the Lord's house. Thank you for the Lord's people 
and for the blessing of gathering together. We thank you as well 
for food and for fellowship. And we pray that you would watch 
over us now, help us to eat and drink for your glory. And we 
pray through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. Well, you may be 
seated for a brief time of meditation after the music is over. If you'd 
like to go upstairs, that would be wonderful.