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We can turn with me in your Bibles 
to the Gospel of John, working our way through the fourth gospel. 
We're in chapter 10 this morning, the Good Shepherd Discourse. 
Our focus will be verses 7 to 10, but I want to read beginning 
in verse 1 to verse 21. So John chapter 10, beginning 
in verse 1. 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 whoever 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, thank you for this day. Thank you for the Lord's 
Day, for the privilege of Christian worship, for gathering together 
from outside of the world into this place where we see in Scripture 
that it is the house of God, the church of the living God, 
the pillar and ground of the truth. And we pray that you would 
be glorified in this glad hour, that as we come to the Father 
through the Son in the Spirit, you would be praised and worshiped 
and adored. We pray that You would send the 
Spirit, that we might worship You in spirit and in truth, and 
that we might receive that Word, that we'd hear the Shepherd's 
voice as it comes through Scripture, and that it would affect us in 
a way that is well-pleasing in Your sight. We pray for any and 
all who've come here this morning that have not heard that voice, 
that have not come to the Shepherd, that have not believed on Him. 
We pray that today would be the day of salvation, It should open 
eyes and hearts to see the sinfulness in each of us and to see the 
sufficiency in our Lord Jesus Christ and His ability to save 
to the uttermost. And even now, cleanse us from 
all unrighteousness. Cleanse us from those things 
that keep us from receiving Your truth. Guide us again by the 
Spirit, and we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Well, 
as we come to this particular discourse, our Lord Jesus Christ 
is the good shepherd. He uses two figures of speech. 
He speaks of being the door in verse seven and nine, and then 
he speaks of being the good shepherd in verses 11 and following. Basically, 
he says at the end of chapter 10, verse 10, he talks about 
giving life to his sheep. And then from verses 11 and following, 
he describes how he does that. He describes that it's by laying 
down his own life on their behalf. So God willing, we'll look at 
that section next week. But when we look at verses 7 
to 10, I want to spend some time this morning on verse 10, specifically 
10b. We're going to work our way to 
there, but that's going to be the bulk of our concern this 
morning. Now remember, there's a close 
connection here, not just numerically, but thematically and conceptually 
to chapter 9. In chapter 9, you have the healing 
of the man that was born blind. That man that comes to Jesus, 
that man who is healed by Jesus, and then that man who is questioned 
by the Pharisees and the religious leadership. They get upset with 
him, and they cast him out from the synagogue. This was the fear 
the parents had according to chapter 9 verse 22, and it's 
the fear that becomes realized in chapter 9 at verse 45. They 
cast him out. You were born entirely in sins, 
and do you think to teach us? So they get rid of him. Well, 
then that man comes, or rather Jesus comes after him, and Jesus 
saves him. Do you believe in the Son of 
God? Who is he, Lord, that I might believe? Jesus says, the man 
you're talking to, the man you see, is him. And so the man confesses 
faith in Jesus, and then he worships. And then chapter nine ends with 
Jesus talking to the Pharisees. Notice there's no sort of adversative 
or sort of a contrast in the flow of the narrative, but rather 
chapter 10 picks up from chapter nine. So notice in 940, 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. We typically, as Bible readers, 
stop there, close our Bible, and forget all about it until 
the next day. But the passage continues. Jesus continues to 
teach them, and that brings us to chapter 10. and he speaks 
of these false shepherds, he speaks of these charlatans, he 
speaks of these thieves, these robbers, and he condemns them, 
and he contrasts them with himself, who is in fact the door and the 
good shepherd. So as we come to verses seven 
to 10, we need to notice, first of all, the identification of 
the door, secondly, the condemnation of the leaders, and then thirdly, 
the commendation of his ministry. So in verses 1 to 6, he speaks 
by way of illustration. Notice in verse 6, Jesus used 
this illustration, but they did not understand the things which 
he spoke to them. This is not normal in John's 
gospel. Not that it's not normal that 
they didn't understand him, but it's not normal or usual that 
he teaches by way of illustration or figuratively or parabolically. In fact, this is the only instance 
in John's gospel. Contrary to say, or contrasted 
with a Matthew 13, where Jesus speaks in parables in many occasions. He speaks all throughout Matthew, 
Mark, and Luke with reference to parabolic teaching. This is 
one of the only instances that we find here in John's gospel. So of course they don't understand 
it. And then Jesus presses harder and Jesus digs down deeper with 
reference to his explanation concerning his mission. So he 
speaks concerning the fact that he is indeed the door. Notice 
that in verse 7, the identification of the door. So then Jesus said 
to them again, Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of 
the sheep. This is one of those I am statements 
with a predicate. We have considered this as we 
move through John's gospel. There are seven in John's gospel. 
In John's gospel, we read that Jesus is the bread of life. We 
read that he is the light of the world. He is the door of 
the sheep. He is the good shepherd. He is the resurrection and the 
life. He is the way, the truth, and the life, and he is the true 
vine. So he makes these declarative statements, I am, and then he 
fills in the blank. And here he says, I am the door 
of the sheep. Now, in terms of the particular 
meaning, there's a little bit of difference than the way he 
uses it in verse 2. If you go back to chapter 10, verse 1, 
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. He's condemning the religious 
leadership. He's condemning the Pharisees. He's condemning the 
persons that cast out this man who had been born blind from 
his synagogue. And then in verse 2 he says, 
but he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 
He's speaking about himself. He's speaking about the fact 
that he is contrasted with these charlatans, these liars, these 
thieves, these destructive men. And then 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. The doorkeeper 
there is the father. So Jesus is allowed access or 
given access by the father through that particular door to function 
as the leader over the sheep full. in contrast to these religious 
leaders who had control of synagogue and temple and yet willy-nilly 
drove people out because they didn't like their claim with 
reference to the Lord Jesus Christ. Now he says that he is the door. 
So the metaphor or the figures change just a little bit. And 
what he's saying here is that he is the door of access. He 
is the way of life. He is the entrance, in terms 
of everlasting life, or into this particular sheepfold. If 
you want that sheepfold that is God's, if you want to be included 
amongst God's people, you must come through that door. You must 
come through the Lord Jesus Christ. We see that emphasis recurringly 
in John's gospel. It's not the case that religion, 
per se, leads men to salvation. It's only Christ. The religion 
of man, apart from the Lord Jesus Christ, does not lead to heaven. It is only Christ. I am the way, 
the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except 
through me. Same emphasis here. He is the door. If you want access 
into the sheepfold, which is God's people, then it is only 
and alone through the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the door of the 
sheep. He is the only access point between 
us and heaven itself. Now notice the condemnation of 
the religious leaders. He does this again in verses 
8 and then 10a. So verse 7, most assuredly I 
say to you, I am the door of the sheep. Verse 8, all who ever 
came before me are thieves and robbers. He's not talking about 
Moses. He's not talking about the prophets, 
the good godly prophets. He's not condemning Isaiah and 
Jeremiah and Ezekiel and Micah and Morshaft. He's not saying 
Hosea was a robber. He's not saying that any of those 
men were problematic. He's obviously talking about 
the religious leadership as it was in play in Israel in this 
first century context. Now, even prior to that first 
century context, you go back, say, to Malachi's day, a few 
hundred years before, you see that the religious leadership 
was corrupt then. You go back a couple of hundred 
years before that, Jeremiah's day, you see that the religious 
leadership was corrupt. You go back a couple of hundred 
years before then, Isaiah's day, and you see that the religious 
leadership was corrupt. You get the point. He's condemning 
the religious leadership of Israel that had blocked up the way of 
access to God Most High. There was this emphasis on externals, 
this emphasis on formalism, this emphasis on just rote obedience 
without any heart involvement, without any commitment whatsoever. 
The very confession of Israel's faith was followed by the appropriate 
response to the God that we confess. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our 
God, the Lord is one, and you shall love the Lord your God 
with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. It's not simply 
to be a cognitive expression of one's theology. Though it 
is a cognitive expression of one's theology, it's to be followed 
up by worship in spirit and in truth. It's to be like this man 
that was born blind, that in chapter 9 confesses faith in 
the Redeemer and then worships Him. So Christ is condemning 
the false teachers, the leaders, the rabbis, the Pharisees, the 
scribes that had come before Him. And again, He uses very 
pointed language. If you look at verse 8, all who 
ever came before me are thieves and robbers. This is similar 
to the prophet Jeremiah in his temple sermon in Jeremiah chapter 
seven. Jesus cites this or rather Matthew 
cites this in light of the cleansing of the temple narrative in Matthew 
21. Jesus cleanses the temple and 
Matthew makes the connection between that event and what happened 
in this temple sermon of Jeremiah in chapter seven. And this is 
precisely what God has to say to the nation through the prophet 
Jeremiah. Chapter 7, verses 8 to 11. Behold, 
you trust in lying words that cannot profit. Will you steal, 
murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, 
and walk after other gods whom you do not know? And then come 
and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and 
say, we are delivered to do all these abominations. Has this 
house, which is called by my name, become a den of thieves 
in your eyes? Behold, I, even I, have seen 
it, says the Lord." It had become a den of thieves. Well, things 
had not changed. Things had only gotten progressively 
worse. When Messiah comes on the scene 
in the first century, it's not to a receptive audience. It's 
not to a lot of willing Jews. It's not to a lot of willing 
hearts that give him room. They reject him. They despise him. They forsake 
him. This chapter ends on that very note. They take up stones 
to throw at him because he, being a man, made himself equal with 
God. They missed the boat. They missed the prophetic testimony. 
They missed the scripture. They had the blinders on their 
eyes. And Jesus doesn't say, well, you know, it's just your 
interpretation. It differs a bit with mine. No, 
Jesus is saying you're thieves. You're robbers, you're destructive, 
you're destroyers. You're the kind of guys that 
put a man out from the synagogue for the crime of owning Jesus 
Christ as Lord and Savior. It was this sort of an atmosphere 
to which our Savior came, and this sort of an atmosphere in 
which our Savior condemned these wretched men. But notice, with 
reference to our passage here in verse 8, all who ever came 
before me are thieves and robbers, but notice this blessed statement, 
but the sheep did not hear them. Again, when you go from this 
vantage point or our vantage point, you look down the Old 
Testament, you will always see a faithful remnant. You'll always 
see those that did not bow the knee to Baal. Now, they didn't 
always see that. Remember that God contest at 
Carmel when Elijah comes out victorious. 1 Kings 18, he lays 
down the gauntlet. He says, how long will you halt 
between two options? If Yahweh is God, then serve 
him. If Baal is God, then serve him. 
So they have that contest. We'll bring the sacrifice and 
we'll call upon our God. Whichever God consumes it by 
fire is the God that we're gonna follow and the God that we're 
gonna love. Well, in the heels of that, the 
next scene is Elijah after the fire comes down and consumes 
the sacrifice. It's not that Ahab and Jezebel 
lighten up. It's not that they no longer 
want to destroy him. And so we find him under a broom 
tree, very much full of lamentation. to the point where he's ready 
to go. He's not going to kill himself. He's not suicidal. He's 
not having some sort of a crisis. He is sickened and he is repulsed 
and he is grieved by the status of the covenant people in Israel. 
They had changed the glory of the living and true God for this 
bail. So what does God say to him by way of comfort? He has 
him eat and he has him sleep because God tends to the whole 
man. And then he tells him, I have 7,000 knees that have not bowed 
to Baal. In other words, Elijah, there 
is a remnant. In other words, Elijah, there 
are the faithful. In other words, Elijah, there 
are the people of God, and his purposes will not be withstood. And throughout the history of 
Israel, you find that remnant. And so Jesus alerts us to that 
reality, even in the first century here, in this religious climate. So all who ever came before me 
are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 
Praise God for that. And then notice, we're still 
under this head of the commendation of the leaders. So he does this 
in verse 8 in terms of who they are, but then notice in verse 
10a what they do. The thief does not come except 
to steal and to kill and to destroy. Now, perhaps you're like me. 
I hope not. But you might look at the news 
sometime. And you might news on current 
events. And you might see things that 
kind of blow your mind. And you just really kind of want 
to be left alone and pursue those things that God calls us to. 
And yet, there's always these people in your path or in high 
places in terms of government that just want to steal from 
you. And they just want to kill you. And they just want to destroy 
you. Like, how many more billions of dollars do certain men need 
until they're finally happy? They're never going to be happy. 
There's no amount of money that will make such a wretch happy. But you move from the civil sphere 
into the ecclesiastical sphere, which, if you notice the Sanhedrin, 
it was both political and ecclesiastical, political and religious. There's 
that same sort of mindset. so-called shepherds that don't 
care about the sheep, so-called shepherds that only care about 
themselves, so-called shepherds that only want to ultimately 
fleece the sheep and kill the sheep and destroy the sheep. 
I mean, they may not do the rigor and the vigor, say, of a Paul 
Potts or a George Soros, but they do it with the same sort 
of effect in terms of spreading misery and pain and destruction. 
Why is that? Because they're sinners. Because 
they're depraved. Because the heart is deceitfully 
wicked. It is wretched. It is unholy. It is unrighteous. It is ungodly. 
So when persons like that make it into positions of leadership, 
which for whatever reason they oftentimes find, They are perverse 
in the way they conduct themselves. So Christ says concerning the 
religious leadership of his time, he already has called them thieves 
and robbers. Could you imagine them? Well, 
that doesn't sound very nice. That's not very polite discourse. You can't refer to us in that 
way. Don't you know we're regulated 
in terms of what we can and can't say? Don't you know that you 
could be canceled by ever offering up such a critique of the leadership 
in Israel at this time? Jesus isn't backed down. Jesus 
isn't calling names for name-calling sake. He is pressing the ethical 
realities that these men, who were supposed to be the leaders 
of the flock of Israel, had fleeced them. They had stolen from them. They were about killing them 
and about destroying them. Again, that sort of package of 
misery that they are purveyors of. That's the kind of people 
that Jesus has in his crosshairs at this particular stage. The 
thief does not come except to steal and to kill and to destroy. Again, brethren, if those are 
your sort of goals in life, I shouldn't call you brethren, because that's 
absolutely contrary to any confession of brethrenhood. But if that's 
your goal and purpose in terms of your fellow man, to steal 
from them, to kill them, and to destroy them, you've got big, 
big problems. You need to go to the Lord Jesus 
Christ. You need to believe on Him. You need to look unto Him 
and receive the forgiveness of sins that comes as a result of 
His blood shedding. Is it the case that even these 
guys could have come to a saving knowledge? Well, Christ is giving 
them access, at least externally, in terms of the knowledge necessary 
to go through that door. He's not hiding that. He's not 
speaking obscurely. He's not saying, well, you know, 
I'm not going to talk to you, fellas, because I'm going to 
now turn to the rabble over here. No, these men, had they come 
to their senses, and again, I speak as a man, could have said, look, 
this is Messiah. This is the champion. This is 
the Savior. Let us come to Him the way that 
this man born blind has and worship Him. Confess Him in faith and 
then worship Him. So Christ condemns this. And in terms of the wretched 
effect of leadership, we see it here politically and religiously, 
but the New Testament showcases it with reference to more of 
an internal threat. I think when we think of religious 
threat to the church, we think of Islam or we think of Buddhism 
It's a prayer meeting this morning. We sort of take a tour around 
the world, reading Voice of the Martyrs. And it's not, hey, these 
many good things going on. It's typically government oppression. 
It's typically religious oppression. It is typically men that are 
likened unto these that are destroying the very people of God. Well, 
as you move through the New Testament documents, you see that internal 
threat. We looked at a few of those last 
Sunday night, again with reference to Ephesians 4, and Paul's, or 
God's purpose through Paul, for the ministry of the church. You've 
got that 2 Timothy 3 situation, where these men that are corrupt, 
they come in and they prey upon gullible women that are loaded 
down with various lusts. What kind of a man does that? 
Well, the kind of man that's described here. Or Jude 3, contend 
earnestly for the faith that was once for all delivered to 
the saints. Why does Jude write that? For certain men, ungodly 
men, have crept in unnoticed. Revelation 2 too, the words of 
Jesus to the church at Ephesus, you have tested those who say 
they are apostles and are not. So if political threat is a problem, 
and it is, if sort of nebulous religious threat is a problem, 
and it is, we mustn't neglect the threat that looms closer 
in terms of professing Christianity. Those false prophets who wriggle 
their way in. Those false prophets who have 
departed from the truth as it is in Jesus and start teaching 
pernicious doctrine. They start denying the very master 
who is described and given to us in the scripture. And so the 
Lord Christ takes aim at these men, and he says that they're 
thieves, they're robbers, and consistent with that identification, 
he tells us the thief does not come except to steal, and to 
kill, and to destroy. So the identification of the 
door, it's the Lord Jesus. The condemnation of the leaders, 
it's these wretches. Now notice thirdly, the commendation 
of his ministry in verse 9, and then verse 10b. So he makes three 
statements. Notice in the first place, he 
says that he saves sinners. Notice in verse nine, I am the 
door. If anyone enters by me, he will 
be saved. Isn't that wonderful? If anyone 
enters by me, he will be saved. Well, what does he mean? He means 
believe on him. If anyone enters by me, means 
to believe on him. Do you believe, he says to the 
man that was born blind, in the Son of God. Who is he, Lord, 
that I may believe? And then the man does believe, 
he believes on the Lord Jesus Christ, John 1, 12. As many as 
believed on him. John 20, 30, 31. These are written 
so that believing in his name, you may have everlasting life. 
It is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And notice that Jesus 
doesn't just render men savable. He doesn't just provide a little 
assistance. He doesn't help you achieve your 
goals. Jesus is the Savior. It's not 
a shared function with the saved. It is He who will save His people 
from their sins. Notice the definiteness of this 
statement in verse 9a. Don't miss that! Not he might be saved, he's kinda 
gonna be saved, but he will be saved. How many people tarry, 
and how many people wait, and how many people say, well, I'm 
not sure. Let me tell you, on the authority of God's Holy Word, 
both Old and New Testaments, all that the Father gives him 
will come to him. And the one who comes to him, he will certainly 
not cast out. And as well, notice it's not, 
we'll be saved for a time, insofar as his faithfulness is consistent 
with the faith that he's expressed in me. No, Jesus isn't a Romanist. Jesus isn't a new perspective 
on Paul. Jesus isn't a federal visionist. Jesus knows the power 
of salvation. Jesus knows that once you've 
come to him, once you've gone through that door by faith, you're 
saved. There is an eternal salvation. 
What's the apostle say in Hebrews 7? He saves what? Partially? 
He saves for a time? He saves for Monday to Thursday 
and you can throw yourself out of that covenant on Friday? He 
saves to the uttermost. All who draw nigh unto God through 
Him. The salvation given by Christ 
isn't here today and gone tomorrow. When I was a kid, we had these 
bumper stickers. We didn't, but they did. Somebody 
did. And it said, I found it or I 
lost it. I think it was a religious campaign. 
I think it had to do with Christianity. I think it had to do with finding 
Jesus. But then you had the counter. 
Oh, I lost it. Brethren, you never need an I 
lost it bumper sticker on your car the moment you come to Jesus. There's no losing it. Now, I 
realize this is disputable and debatable, and in the history 
of the church, not everybody has seen it this way. Well, those 
who haven't seen it this way are dead wrong. Because if a 
sinner for whom Jesus died, shed his blood, imputes his righteousness, 
is ultimately lost, then it's Christ's failure. It is the reality 
that the one who begins this good work in you will complete 
it unto the day of Christ. Philippians 1, 6. Romans chapter 
8, I am persuaded, Paul says, there is nothing that can separate 
us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 
Or John 10, when you're in the hand of the Father, you're in 
the hand of the Son. There is no one who can pluck 
you out. There is no one who can strip 
it away. Not even you. And that's good 
news, brethren, because if we could lose it, we would have 
lost it a long time ago. That's the reality that the Bible 
conveys. And Jesus doesn't just function 
as a door for a moment. If you come through him and you 
access the Father by faith in him, you're saved. That's beautiful. That's where, you know, if we 
were in a black church in South Central, everybody would have 
said, amen, right about now. Because it's glorious news. He 
doesn't render us savable or a helper. but he saves to the 
uttermost, eternal redemption, not just here for a time and 
gone. Do you think that as you muse 
on scripture, I'm gonna look at some prophetic texts in just 
a moment, that the prophets would announce a faulty salvation, 
that the prophets would announce a Messiah that's ultimately hindered 
by the people that he's come to save, that the shepherd could 
be bested by the sheep, that the sheep could actually sin 
their way out of the shepherd's hand? Now, brethren, I'm not 
saying go out and sin. You know better than that. What 
shall we say? Shall we continue in sin that 
grace may abound? May it never be. But the reality is, is that 
John tells us, my little children, I write these things so that 
you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate 
with the Father, even Jesus Christ, the righteous. We need to use 
that advocacy. We need to confess with the Apostles' 
Creed, I believe in the forgiveness of sins. That is a reality purchased 
for us by the Lord Jesus Christ. So notice, three statements here 
in verse 9. I am the door. If anyone enters 
by me, he will be saved. But notice, secondly, the Lord 
Jesus sustains the sheep. He doesn't just save us. We don't 
just walk through that door and then it's, you know, you're on 
your own now, you know, chap. You're on your own now, kid. 
You're on your own now, chump. You're on your own now to sort 
of work it out. No! He's with us. Look at what 
he says in verse 9. If anyone enters by me, he will 
be saved and we'll go in and out and find pasture. Beautiful 
language, isn't it? So reminiscent of Psalm 23. We're 
going to look at Psalm 23 in just a moment, but that's the 
language that's invoked here by the Savior. And these men 
wouldn't have missed that. These Pharisees knew Psalm 23. These Pharisees knew the shepherd 
sheep references and the passages that we're going to look at. 
These men understood the claim that he is making here in terms 
of his statement in verse 11, I am the good shepherd. Again, 
there's no accident or nothing surprising in terms of godless 
men as to why they picked up stones to throw at him. They 
hated him. They despised him. They resisted him. They rejected 
him. They didn't see him as the man promised, as the man who 
came in obedience to and fulfillment, rather, of the Old Testament 
scriptures and prophecies concerning him. But that language, it's 
reminiscent, look back in chapter 6, the bread of life discourse. When you eat this bread, wow, 
you're always going to be hungry again. No, that's not how Jesus 
describes it. Notice in John 6, specifically 
at verse 35, Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life. He who 
comes to me shall never hunger, and he who believes in me shall 
never thirst. Well, obviously that doesn't 
mean there's never going to be hard times in your life. You know, 
when we get into this abundant life that He conveys upon His 
people, according to verse 10, that doesn't mean there's not 
hardships in life. It doesn't mean there's not struggles 
in life. It doesn't mean there's not difficulties 
or afflictions in life. We all have that. This is a veil 
of tears. This is a sin-cursed world. Wicked 
men are out to get us. I'm sorry, I know that sounds 
terrible. I know when we first got here, it must have been at 
the dollar store, my wife got me a little fridge magnet. It's 
still up there to this day. It's got to be 25 years, 24 years 
old. And it says, they really are 
out for you, or they really are trying to get you, or something 
like that. You know, just because you're paranoid doesn't mean 
they're not trying to get you, brethren. Just because you're 
paranoid doesn't mean they don't really hate you, brethren. You 
know, I'm speaking a bit tongue-in-cheek here. But with reference to this 
reality, notice what we find in our blessed Savior. He provides 
good things to his people. Not the absence of challenge, 
not the absence of affliction, not the absence of hardship, 
but as we learned from the apostle in Romans 8, 28, those problems, 
he works for our good. He's the God who takes crooked 
things and makes them straight. He's the God who takes the malice 
of Joseph's brothers and overrules it for good. He's the God that 
takes the worst criminal act in the history of mankind. the 
worst criminal act in the history of mankind, and uses it for his 
glory and the salvation of his people. Notice in verse 11, I 
am the good shepherd. The good shepherd, notice, gives 
his life for the sheep. That's the biggest criminal activity 
that's ever transpired in the history of man, the crucifixion 
of the Son of God. Had you been one of the participants 
that day or one of the people looking upon that, you might 
be inclined to wonder, how's this gonna work out? We love 
this man. He's been with us for three years. 
He's been a wondrous teacher. We've seen him do mighty things. 
We've seen him raise the dead. We've seen glorious things obtained 
as a result of his blessed words. What would you be musing? What 
would you be pondering? I don't think always your theologic, 
well, God overruled the wickedness of Joseph's brother and brought 
that for good. No, they're probably really, 
really evoked with some sort of an emotional response. What's 
gonna happen now? He's raised from the dead. He's 
raised from the dead by the power of God most high. He has the 
power to lay down his life and to take it up again. He does 
this so that we can have pasture. He does this so we can have the 
rich blessings associated with life in Christ. Again, notice 
what he says, I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will 
be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. That is the 
contentedness that the people of God enjoy as the people of 
God. Not without problems, not without 
difficulties, not without hardships, not without challenges, not without 
afflictions, but they have that pasture. They have that blessedness. And then thirdly, in conjunction 
with this, I think it comes out in more detail in verse 10, the 
Lord Jesus gives abundant life. Notice in verse 10, contrast 
with the godless, 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. So there's a 
few things we ought to observe in this particular section, 10b. He says, I have come that they 
may have life and that they may have it more abundantly. I think 
the first thing that this section or this text causes us to reflect 
upon is that there's a presupposition in the text. And that presupposition 
is that they're dead. They're not hurt. They're not 
crippled. They're not a little bit off. 
They're dead. Why did the shepherd come? To 
give us life. Why did the shepherd come if 
we were already alive? The shepherd comes to convey 
life because we're dead. This is John 6, 44. No one can 
come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. Why is 
that? because they're dead in their 
trespasses and sins. Ephesians 2, more of a theological 
statement, in verses 1 to 3, sort of the before picture of 
what we are before we come to Christ. He says you were dead 
in your trespasses and sins. Again, not just a little hurt, 
not just a little maimed, not just a little bit crippled. So 
when you understand these things, and when you, by grace, believe, 
and when you pass through that door from death unto life, guess 
what the appropriate response is? Worship, praise, gratitude, 
and celebration. Because I was dead, but now I'm 
alive. I was blind, but now I see. I was lost, but now I'm found. So the Lord Jesus comes to give 
life. The presupposition is obviously 
death. As well, the contrast. The godless 
leaders, they steal, they kill, they destroy, but the Lord Jesus 
gives everlasting life. It's a beautiful thing in terms 
of the leadership. You'll see this not only in the 
Lord's earthly ministry, but you'll see it in the apostolic 
earthly ministry in the book of Acts. I think we looked at 
that as we worked our way through the book of Acts, that there 
was that. Not that the apostles were leaders like Jesus, but 
the apostles were leaders like Jesus. In other words, the religious 
leadership in that first century setting, after Christ ascends 
on high, he leads captivity captive and he gives gifts to men. Those 
apostles function to demonstrate what true leadership in the kingdom 
of God looks like. It is the proclamation of truth. 
It is the preaching of everlasting life. It is the preaching of 
forgiveness of sins. It is the imputed righteousness 
of Jesus. All those themes are replete in the book of Acts. 
What does the religious leadership do at the time? The formal leadership, 
they're associated with Temple in the Book of Acts. They try 
to steal, they try to kill, and they try to destroy. There's 
this contrast between Christ and his ministers and these guys 
that were a bunch of frauds, a bunch of fakes. Now notice 
what he goes on to say. 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. Perhaps you've 
gotten a gift before, and you've been so amazed by that gift. 
It's just an incredible gift. Your wife, your husband, your 
parents, they give you this gift. It usually doesn't rise up into 
you and say, well, could I have more? Could I have two? I mean, sometimes you get the 
odd kid. Yeah, could I have two? You know, I don't want one cookie. I want two cookies. That's the 
deal on the table. No, you're gonna get one. Well, 
then I don't want it. Typically, though, we get a good gift and 
we're like, that's beautiful. We've got the gift of eternal 
life. But that's not enough for our God. That's not enough for 
the good shepherd. That's not enough for the one 
who traffics in riches of grace. I came that they might have life 
and that they might have it more abundantly. In other words, these 
men want to steal from you, they want to kill you, they want to 
destroy you, they want to spread misery. Christ is just the opposite. Christ wants to come to spread 
blessing, and joy, and happiness, and celebration. Christ is the 
blessed shepherd who recovers us from our wandering, who brings 
us into the fold, who calls us to his table, who calls us to 
joy and happiness and gratitude. I came that they might have life 
and have it more abundantly. There's three sections or three 
portions of scripture that I want to try to use to draw this out 
in even more detail. The first is the prophetic proclamation. You can go back to the prophet 
Jeremiah. Jeremiah chapter 23, we have 
these prophets in the old covenant prophesying of blessing in the 
new covenant. And that blessing is associated 
with the Messiah that will come to bring that new covenant. Notice 
in Jeremiah 23, it's a similar sort of a passage in terms of 
a contrast between the wicked and the righteous leadership. 
Notice in 23.1, woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep 
of my pasture, says the Lord. Therefore, thus says the Lord 
God of Israel against the shepherds who feed my people. You have 
scattered my flock, driven them away and not attended to them. 
Behold, I will attend to you for the evil of your doing, says 
the Lord. But I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all 
countries where I have driven them, and bring them back to 
their folds, and they shall be fruitful and increase. I will 
set up shepherds over them who will feed them, and they shall 
fear no more, nor be dismayed, nor shall they be lacking, says 
the Lord. See that contrast between the 
ungodly, unrighteous leadership versus the godly, righteous leadership 
that will be installed by our Lord according to His grace. 
But notice the connection between that event and the coming of 
the Messiah. the Good Shepherd, the Lord of 
Glory. Notice in verse 5, behold, the 
days are coming. Typically in the prophetic literature 
that announces or that is sort of signaling the New Covenant 
era. Behold, the days are coming, 
says the Lord. that I will raise to David a 
branch of righteousness." Who's this, raise to David a branch 
of righteousness? This is Jesus. A king shall reign 
and prosper and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. 
In his days, Judah will be saved and Israel will dwell safely. 
Now this is his name by which he will be called, the Lord our 
righteousness. Brethren, that's not accidental, 
that the Messiah, the shepherd, the one who gives his life for 
the sheep, yes, he's righteous in terms of his essential divinity, 
he's righteous according to his humanity, he's wholly harmless 
and undefiled, he bears that perfection in terms of his person. but he bears that function in 
terms of his office. He's the Lord of Righteousness. What's our problem, brethren? 
It's unrighteousness. What's our problem? It's rebellion 
against God. It is departure. It is defection. It is apostate-type thinking. So God the Lord sends the Son 
of His love, who will be our righteousness. Remember Matthew 
3, when John tries to prohibit Jesus from baptizing him? He 
says, you should be baptizing me. And Jesus says, no, permit 
it for now. It is absolutely imperative that 
we fulfill all righteousness. 2 Corinthians 5.21, God made 
him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become 
what? The righteousness of God in him. 
The prophets are filled with the reality that there's going 
to be forgiveness. The prophets are filled with 
the reality that there will be a fountain open for sin and uncleanness. But the prophets are filled with 
the reality that Christ is our righteousness. that Christ brings 
what we need in terms of forgiveness and in terms of a righteousness 
by which we may stand before God Most High. There is this 
prophetic announcement, this prophetic proclamation concerning 
the shepherd who will lead his people in the paths of righteousness. Turn to Ezekiel, Ezekiel chapter 
34. This latter section of Ezekiel 
is encouragement. It's to provide strength and 
help and blessing to the faithful remnant at the time of the Babylonian 
captivity. This is a time when you desperately 
needed a word from the Lord. And you desperately, if you were 
the remnant, needed a word from the Lord that was going to be 
very encouraging. And that's precisely what you find in these 
latter chapters of the book of Ezekiel. And in Ezekiel 34, there 
is this promise of a Davidic shepherd. There is this promise 
of the good shepherd. There is this promise of the 
Messiah that will bring life to his people. Notice in Ezekiel 
34, specifically at verses 23 and 24. Verse 23, I will establish 
one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, my servant David. He shall feed them and be their 
shepherd, and I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant 
David, a prince among them. I, the Lord, have spoken. That 
doesn't mean David's gonna fall out of heaven and function in 
this capacity. It means that David's greater 
son, the Lord Jesus, promised to David by way of covenant in 
2 Samuel 7, is gonna come and make good all the promises of 
God, for they are yea and amen in him. He's the Davidic shepherd 
that will come to lay down his life for the sheep, not only 
to forgive them, but to convey upon them righteousness. Notice 
in verse 31, in the same passage, you are my flock, the flock of 
my pasture, you are men, and I am your God, says the Lord 
God. And then one final passage, as 
we consider this prophetic proclamation, and the emphasis here is on the 
abundance. Shepherd language is lacking, but the abundance 
language is present. Isaiah 55. Isaiah 55, so Jesus 
says to the people at that particular time that he comes, that they 
might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. Now, in Isaiah 55, we have on 
the heels of the statement concerning the suffering servant in chapter 
53, on heels of the comfort that that affords to the church in 
chapter 54, now this blessed and gracious call to sinners 
to come to Israel's God through the Messiah. And notice the way 
that the prophet does this. Under God, it's not that Isaiah 
thought that morning, hey, I'm gonna really make this good. 
No, he's God's prophet. He's saying what God says. It 
is the words of the living and true God. Notice that the emphasis 
here, or the accent falls on abundance. It doesn't fall on 
just a little bit. You do your part. You might get 
more. It's formulaic. You put in a few good units of 
holiness, and you'll get out a few cans of blessing. That's 
not the way it operates in this new covenant. God rejoices over 
us to do us good. I think that's a tough thing 
for us to get our minds wrapped around. I know it is for me. 
I'm guilty. I was brought up Roman Catholic, 
and they traffic in guilt. I mean, you've got, or used to, 
before the internet, we used to have those, what were they 
called? Travel planners, or you'd go somewhere and you'd tell them 
what you want, because I guess they still exist. But they're 
not as prevalent when you can do it on your own. What do they 
call those? Vacation planners? Travel agent, yeah. Well, Romanism 
is a travel agent for guilt. It's just the way it is. So coming 
out of that, especially when maybe you're a bit skeptical, 
you live by the maxim that if it sounds too good to be true, 
it probably is. I don't think anybody really wants to give 
me a free, all-expense-paid trip to Alaska via cruise and midnight 
buffets for free. I just don't think that. I think 
it's too good to be true. And, you know, thus far I've 
proven that to be the case. Well, maybe I should have called 
more. I don't know. It's hard to believe what God 
gives to sinners. It's hard to believe a John 10 
10. I came to give them life. And not just life, but I give 
them an abundant life. I don't just give it to them 
to the point where they can sort of fall into heaven when it's 
all said and done. I convey it upon them. I am profuse 
with it. In our studies in the book of 
Ephesians, it's according to the riches of His grace. The 
riches of grace. Grace is already rich. How much 
more grace do you possibly need? Well, God says, if it ever happens 
to be the case, I've got infinite riches for you. I've got stuff 
you can't even begin to imagine. I will not use it up. And again, 
I am not saying, as a result of that, go out and sin that 
grace may abound. I actually believe that when 
we appreciate the provision of our God in the gospel, when we 
appreciate the abundant life conveyed by our Savior, that 
functions as an argument to promote holiness. When this God blesses 
us so richly, what's the typical response from the child of God? 
I want to serve him. I want to follow him. I want 
to love him and obey him and do everything that he calls me 
to. That's the effect of gospel. Notice in chapter 55 of the prophet, 
ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters. You who have no 
money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come buy wine and milk without 
money and without price. Why do you spend money for what 
is not bread and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen 
carefully to me and eat what is good and let your soul delight 
itself. Notice that language in. Abundance. The good shepherds come. He's 
come to give life and he's come to give life abundantly. Notice in verse three, incline 
your ear and come to me here and your soul shall live. And 
I will make an everlasting covenant with you. The sure mercies of 
David. Indeed, I have given him as a 
witness to the people, a leader and commander for the people. 
So in just three brief passages, in terms of the Old Testament, 
you see this prophetic pronouncement of what Jesus says in John 10, 
10b, I came that they may have life and that they may have it 
abundantly. Now let's look at the poetic 
illustration in the 23rd Psalm. The poetic illustration in the 
23rd Psalm. It's a beautiful psalm, as our 
brother said at the outset of worship, probably one of the 
most well-known passages of scripture in all of the Bible. You know 
what happens when we get overly familiar with stuff? We don't 
spend time with it as we ought. We get overly familiar with things 
and we assume we understand, we assume we know, but it's always 
good to revisit these things. It's always good to visit these 
things. It's always good to refresh our hearts and minds with reference 
to the shepherd of our souls. Notice, the psalm is quite simple. 
There is a proposition and then there are proofs. A proposition 
and then proofs. The proposition is very simply 
stated in verse one. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall 
not want. Beautiful. It's a great proposition, 
isn't it? The Lord is my shepherd, I shall 
not want. C. H. Spurgeon, in his introduction 
to this particular psalm, made the observation, it is David's 
heavenly pastoral, a surpassing ode, which none of the daughters 
of music can excel. The clarion of war here gives 
place to the pipe of peace. And he who so lately bewailed 
the woes of the shepherd, Psalm 22, tunefully rehearses the joys 
of the flock. Don't miss the connection between 
Psalms 22 and 23. Again, not just because of numbers, 
but because of theology. The work of the shepherd in Psalm 
22 brings the blessing of the flock in Psalm 23. So the Lord 
is my shepherd, I shall not want. There's your proposition. Now 
notice the proofs in verses two to six. First, you've got the 
provision of the shepherd in verses two and three. He makes 
me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the waters. 
He restores my soul. He leads me in the paths of righteousness 
for his name's sake. Brethren, I think there's a lot 
going on there, but one thing I want to sort of focus in on 
is this restoration of soul. I came that they might have life. Why? Because they were dead. 
What's this restoration of soul? It is resurrection from spiritual 
death. We know that because of what 
he goes on to say in verse three. He leads me in the paths of righteousness 
for his name's sake. Consistent with that statement 
that the Lord, he is called the Lord our righteousness. Why is 
this in there? Because I was not in the paths 
of righteousness. I was a dead sinner. Not just 
I, but you. We were wandering. We were far. We were gone. We were not looking 
for righteousness. We were pursuing unrighteousness. We were perfectly content to 
despise and reject and forsake the very Savior that is outlined 
throughout scripture. But it's he who sought us. It's 
he who found us. It's he who recovers us. It's 
he who restores our soul. It's he who leads us in the paths 
of righteousness for his name's sake. The second proof is in 
verse four, the protection of the shepherd. The protection 
of the shepherd, verse four, has afforded the people of God 
comfort for ages, for millennia. Beautiful. He says, yea, though 
I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear 
no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they 
comfort me. And again, this goes back to what I said earlier. 
Just because you're, you know, a recipient of abundant life 
doesn't mean there's not hardship, doesn't mean there's no affliction, 
doesn't mean there's not a bad diagnosis from the doctor, doesn't 
mean there's not a tyrant for leadership in terms of the civil 
order. There are issues and problems associated with the Christian 
life, and this is the reality of the psalmist. He says, yea, 
though I walked through the valley of the shadow of death. Notice 
the resolve. This is what the people of God 
at sometimes, not all the time, and I don't want to pick on anybody 
here, let's just say generically, outside there, in the history 
of the world, in the history of Christianity, sometimes we 
lack this resolve. We lack this resolve. I walked 
through the valley of the shadow of death. I will fear no evil. That's a statement of resolution. And that's not bound up in how 
great we are, because he gives the reason in just a moment, 
but it's a resolution based on the reality of the hardship and 
difficulties that we sometimes face. That is something that 
the people of God need to have. We need to have that resolve 
that our God's got us, our God has us, our God is not going 
to let us go, come what may. And if we had time, we'd explore 
what he says in this as well. Through the valley of the shadow 
of death. He never anticipates for a moment 
that he's going to die on this one side. He never anticipates 
for a moment that he's not going to make it. He never anticipates 
for a moment that he's not going to meet his end. He understands 
that he's gonna go through it. That's the reality. The resolve 
is, I will fear no evil. And the reason, for thou art 
with me, even in the midst of the valley of the shadow of death, 
even in the times of affliction and trial and hardship, even 
in this veil of tears, thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, 
they comfort me, in terms of protection, but as well in terms 
of chastening. Sometimes it's us that's, you 
know, trying to venture off. Sometimes it's us that want to 
run from the shepherd. Sometimes it's us that can sing 
with reality, prone to wander, prone to leave the God that we 
love. That shepherd's crook brings us back to himself in a blessed 
way. As well, notice the next proof 
in verse five, the providence of the shepherd. Verse five is 
amazing. You prepare a table before me 
where? You know, with all my family and friends, my grandkids, 
my kids, we just have an abundance. We have turkey, we have stuffing. 
It's beautiful. Now you prepare a table before 
me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil. 
My cup runs over. The provision of God, or providence 
of God is seen. Yes, in the good times. We know 
that all things that are good work for good, but we need to 
be reminded that all things work for good, even the bad. And this 
is what the psalmist recognizes in terms of the proof of the 
proposition that the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. 
And then the last proof is verse six, the presence of the shepherd. It's the best thing about being 
Christ's sheep, it's Christ. It's the best thing about going 
to heaven. It's to be with God. You know, it's the pearly gates 
and the gold roads and all that. That's not what we're going to 
be gazing on. That's not what we're going to be viewing. That's 
not what we're going to be looking. That's all backdrop. And I'm 
not saying it's bad. But who's the jewel of heaven? 
It's our beloved Jesus. And this is the promise of the 
psalmist. This is the proof, rather, of 
the proposition. He says, surely goodness and 
mercy shall follow me. Literally, they'll pursue me 
all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of 
the Lord forever. But brethren, that's not just 
a reality that awaits us beyond death, physical death. It's a 
reality that awaits us every Sunday. Every single Sunday. We've learned in our study in 
the book of Ephesians, chapters 2. Chapter 2, verses 18 and 22. What happens when the gathered 
church meets? The gathered church comes to the Father. They do 
so through the Son, and they do so in the power and by the 
presence of the Holy Spirit. So the psalmist proves the proposition 
with these various things that are calculated to illustrate 
poetically for us what Jesus means in John 10, verse 10. I came that they may have life 
and that they may have it abundantly, more abundantly. And then I would 
suggest, after prophetic proclamation and poetic illustration, there's 
just the good old theological declaration. Blessed be the God 
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with 
every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Ephesians 
1.3. So you've got all of these things 
that underscore for us what the truth of John 10.10b is indicating 
for us. I want to suggest that the Lord 
Jesus is in fact the shepherd appointed by the Father. We see 
that in the passages in the Old Testament. The Lord Jesus is 
the shepherd authorized by the Father. We see that in John 10, 
verses 2 and 3. He's the shepherd that enters 
in by the doorkeeper's permission to govern the sheep. As well, 
the Lord Jesus is the shepherd equipped by the Father. He is 
uniquely equipped. Our confession says it this way. 
The Lord Jesus, in His human nature, thus united to the divine 
in the person of the Son, was sanctified and anointed with 
the Holy Spirit above measure, having in Him all the treasures 
of wisdom and knowledge. in whom it pleased the Father 
that all fullness should dwell, to the end that, being wholly 
harmless, undefiled, and full of grace and truth, he might 
be thoroughly furnished to execute the office of mediator and surety, 
which office he took not upon himself, but was thereunto called 
by his Father, who also put all power and judgment in his hand, 
and gave him commandment to execute the same." So for the people 
of God, who by the grace of God entered through this door into 
the sheetfold, which simply means by grace through faith in our 
Lord Jesus Christ, rejoice. You have abundant life. You have 
every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. You 
have justification. You have sanctification. Glorification 
is in your future. You can sing with the children 
in Sunday school. This train is bound for glory. That's our final destination. It is Emmanuel's land wherein 
there is no unrighteousness, where the wicked are excluded 
and the righteous have truck with God throughout eternity. 
If you are not a believer here this morning, listen to the Savior. 
He comes that they may have life and that they may have life more 
abundantly. This is not a miser Savior. This is not an Ebenezer Scrooge 
Savior. This isn't the Savior that, you 
know, will dole out a few pennies insofar as you do your part. 
This is the Savior who lays down his life for the sheep. This 
is the Savior who seeks out this man that was born blind, who 
was cast out according to verse 45. It's Jesus who finds him. It's Jesus who seeks him. It's 
Jesus who discloses Jesus to him. It's Jesus who saves him. 
This Jesus is as good as the Bible says. That cruise is probably 
fake. They don't really want you to 
have two weeks free. But when it comes to the gospel 
of our salvation, it is so blessed and so wondrous and so glorious 
that our Savior came that we might have life and that we might 
have it abundantly. Listen to the Puritan John Owen 
when he describes the fullness that is in Jesus. It's got a 
little bit of Puritan ease in it. It's a little bit dated in 
terms of, you know, 17th century theology, but I think you'll 
get the thrust of, well, I'm not talking like we're morons 
here, but there's a different way that they wrote in the 17th 
century. A little longer syntax, longer 
words, a lot more commas and, you know, dashes and that sort 
of thing. Listen to what he says. This is the Beloved of our souls, 
holy, harmless, undefiled, full of grace and truth, full to a 
sufficiency for every end of grace, full for practice to be 
an example to men and to angels as to obedience, full to a certainty 
of uninterrupted communion with God, full to a readiness of giving 
supply to others, full to suit Him to all the occasions and 
necessities of the souls of men. full to a glory, not unbecoming 
a subsistence in the person of the Son of God, full to a perfect 
victory in trials over all temptations, full to an exact correspondence 
to the whole law, every righteous and holy law of God, full to 
the utmost capacity of a limited, created, finite nature, full 
to the greatest beauty and glory of a living temple of God, full 
to the full pleasure and delight of the soul of His Father, full 
to an everlasting monument of the glory of God in giving such 
inconceivable excellencies to the Son of Man. And then that 
Son of Man promises to give such inconceivable excellencies to 
all who come to Him in faith. He came that they may have life 
and that they may have it more abundantly. Christian, rejoice, 
praise, adore, celebrate, express gratitude. Non-Christian, don't 
tarry, don't wait, don't put it off, don't say, well, I don't 
know. Come to the Lord, Jesus Christ, and you will be saved. It is most blessed news. Well, let us pray. Our gracious 
God and Holy Father, we thank you so very much for the shepherd 
of our souls. We thank you for the Lord Jesus 
Christ, the way he fulfills the Old Testament prophecy, the way 
that he comes to do good to his people and bring glory to God 
most high. May it be the case today that 
wherever the gospel is preached, the Spirit would attend, the 
Spirit would convict, the Spirit would produce the graces of faith 
and repentance so that sinners may pass from death onto everlasting 
life. And for the saints of Christ, 
help us to reflect upon these things, upon the abundant life 
that you have freely given to us. And may we respond with worship 
and praise and adoration. And we pray through Jesus Christ, 
our Lord. Amen. Well, you can turn in your hymn 
books to number 568, and we will praise this triune God singing 
the doxology. Praise God the good, all blessings 
flow. Praise Him, all creatures here below. Praise Him, our God, is The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ 
and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you 
all. Amen. We thank you, Father, for 
the mission of the Son of God to save his people from their 
sins. We thank you for including us. We thank you for your sovereign 
grace and your mercy. We thank you for the life and 
the death and the resurrection of your Son. And again, we pray 
that this gospel would run swiftly and be glorified throughout the 
earth today. And we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, please be seated 
for a brief time of meditation.