John Chapter 10:16-27

Against the in the alone of a simple word we've sinned against God, but he lays down his life for us while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Jesus didn't die because of some political conspiracy or some Passover plot or what not. Jesus laid down his life for us. Welcome to cross the bridge with David McGee. David is the senior pastor of the bridge in Kernersville, North Carolina is Jesus your shepherd. Do you ever doubt the Lord and today what is your decision regarding following Jesus. As we look for the Scriptures we see that Jesus was not surprised to be taken to the cross. He actually laid his life down for you and me pastor David McGee discusses this important truth as he continues in the Gospel of John chapter 10 now is the part for teaching the second John chapter 10 verse 16 and other sheep I have fluids 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.

I believe the Lord is speaking of us as Gentiles are being grafted in the future.

Flocks Jesus is looking for those that are hungry and those that are hurt those that are called deep and dark in their sin is looking for.

This was spoken to people who lived around sheep install sheep a lot. I mean if you go over to Israel today you will see a lot of shepherds outside of Jerusalem.

Keep in their flocks and stuff but you know we don't, we'll really understand the symbolism of some of the shepherd. She thinks of it, Lord laid on my heart for us to talk about that a little bit. So do me a favor leave your finger right there. John 10 were coming back to John 10, but let's go to a chapter that talks about sheep and shepherd must go to Psalm 23 Psalm 23. It's in the Old Testament up out in the middle of the Old Testament.

Some of you are familiar with the song and understand this is a Psalm of David, who was a shepherd but David is not writing this Psalm as a shepherd is writing it as a sheet and he starts out nieces. The Lord is my shepherd, that right there is really awesome. David's not just shepherd by anybody were not just shepherded by anybody were shepherded by God. How awesome is that this is God who created us and knows us. Who knows our weaknesses, knows our frailties knows we like to wander look for holes in the fence, but he still wants to be our shepherd.

What an amazing thing in the mass question better qualified to be our shepherd than the God who created us, he knows us.

We ask a question here and that I'm not about to do, like an expositional teaching a Psalm 23 because were in John 10.

I just wanted to mention a couple things are.

How did we come to be one of God's sheep. He bought us he paid for us and doesn't. We were cheap so you can tell the value someone places on an object when you look at what they were willing to pay for that object friend. God was willing to pay extremely high price for you. He places that kind of value on you that he was willing to lay down his life so that you could be one of his.

She what a precious thing.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Now and understand to that. The thing with the shepherd. This was a humbling analogy for Jesus to use. We talked about this before we got to sanitize shepherds and then they look all nice and the manger scenes out in front of places and stuff. They were kind of the rough-and-tumble guys of the time if you will, for Jesus to humble himself in saying that he is the shepherd was a humbling it it it was for him to come down where we are. This is, I shall not want to understand what this means. See, there's something about us. That's always welcome.

Walton Walton will in their there's something about us.

That's like that but you know what that is our flesh. And that's part of this we need to leave that behind because you know if that's left on checked it will kill us that part that always wants more. You can look at the world and there always want more. It's never enough.

Whether it's money or sex or drugs or whatever.

It's never enough, but that should not be the hallmark of a believer pulses I've learned to be content you know what that means that it can be learned. But it's not something we have naturally see being content is not something we have naturally but it can be learned and it says I shall not want. No verse two he makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters to understand is Jesus is your shepherd, and he wants to be your shepherd. You should be following him. You know what happens to sheep when they don't follow the shepherd they get in trouble they get in trouble pretty quick. I don't know if you can relate to that are not. I sure can. When you're not following the shepherd you get in trouble quick and you know what were all following something or somebody currently it was everyone of us know Second Life lesson is who you are following makes all the difference who you are following makes all the difference. Ask yourself this morning.

Who are you following not a lot of us in here. This mortgagees will follow Jesus preached what, that's great.

That's a good answer that is in fact the answer I'm looking for but are you are you following Jesus is. You know what happens at certain points in my life I've been like in another pastor going to swallow it is always going the other way but I'm followed a Mongol luggage going opposite direction following you don't happen sometimes on this is really bizarre. We follow ourselves. We follow ourselves see when you look to do your will, your drinking from your own well when you look to do the will of the Lord of the father in your drinking from his well how often and this just you don't need answer out loud, but how often have you followed yourself. Who are you following because who your following makes all the different he makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul he leads me in the past of righteousness for his namesake.

Jesus wants to lead us into this type of life and cheaper tend to be wandering and rebellious so much that one of the things they do is they will mark the ear of the sheep so they know who it belongs to which Ken reminds me, if you remember in the Old Testament talks about the fact that when somebody wanted to be a servant for life or somebody below some in the Greek word, they would Markham put in all puppet and earring in their ear. They were marked as the servant for life to that person. I want to be content with what the Lord is provided in, and I want this kind of relationship with the Lord. I desire that the still waters. There's a thirst in a hunger that seems to drive people that don't know the Lord that is sometimes could drive me as well. Shouldn't be should be for you. It shouldn't be for me to matter fact that's a scan of a heart check. Sometimes another thing about sheep is they tend to run. That's what she'd do whenever they see something that's freaks them out in the least little bit. I was reading the book shepherd and they said they had like 200 sheep and this guy came and visited the ranch and and and a little Pekingese dog got out of the truck and the chief weren't really sure about the picnic, so they all ran in the opposite direction that make a mean cheaper, they I'm sure and there's 200 and I'm thinking they could've taken the Pekingese okay but they did and they were freaked out. So they ran you know why because that's what sheep do they can get them in trouble and very often, it puts them right in the face of danger, they run so that they will feel safer, but in running. They place themselves in danger. Beloved, I don't know if you relate to that or not but I sure do, because I have a propensity to do that as well to run to run when the Lord is trying to do something in my life. I'm not so much physically necessarily but although that could work you leave Unilever church leave a job, leave whatever because your running because you got freaked out about something. But you know as a believer is a follower of Jesus Christ you have to do that you don't have to run are you do run your run to him run to him speaking the still waters in good waters.

Jeremiah 213 says they have forsaken me fountain of living waters and hewn themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water. See this verse tells kind of what's going on to it makes sense that in the sheep need to shepherd that if you don't have one that explains what's up with the with the world today. That explains why people are wandering around in the hurt in their loss than their hungry and their thirst while because they don't have a shepherd and then they start to Uni cisterns that don't hold water. You see that and broken lives and shattered hopes and messed up things the lives of people who don't have a shepherd. Verse four yea though I walk to 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. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies you anoint my head with oil my cup runs over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. So Psalm 42 five says why are you cast down, so are you disquieted within me. Hope in God. For I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance, and Psalm 3723 we just looked at this in a couple weeks ago.

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he delights in his way, though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down for the Lord upholds him with his hand for the Lord writes him with his hand. Now notice it doesn't say that the good man never falls.

This is the only fall he's not cast down. The Lord will come and help him to write himself back again so there's a lot of stuff in about sheep and shepherd. Let's go back to John chapter 10 thank you for allowing me the rabbit trail there if you will will be right back with more from David Magee on cross the bridge right now there's a word from associate pastor DA Brown about wanting them and pray for summer listeners in the cities and why he had a lanai city Lee, who and also Ammon acids and Boise in burly Idaho God, we thank you that we get the pray for these listeners today we pray that they will be encouraged to remember how much you love them, Lord of some of them are sick. We pray that you please heal them from the top of their head to the bottom of their toes. Lord, we pray that you would equip them and empower them to share their testimony of your goodness to other people. In Jesus name, amen, amen. Thank you brother and now get back to David Magee as he continues teaching verse by verse. Verse 17 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, have power to lay it down. I have power to take it in this command, I've received from my father.

Jesus here is not only predicting his death but predicting his resurrection as to how amazing that is. I think we miss it because we heard it so many times I don't think we give it its significance because were so familiar with understand he's saying you know what guys at some point I'm going to lay down my life. I'm going to die, but don't be too concerned because I won't be that long one, an amazing thing. What an amazing thing of Joseph of Arimathea is they got the two day Joseph, we need to stay we need a place that's hewn out of rock because of prophecy. We need a place where no man ever late because that's prophecy.

But you know it'll be fine because we just needed like the weekend when I can use a tomb for very long amazing thing that Jesus didn't just say this but you know it's like when he said on the light of the world. What he did, he healed a blind man that have been born blind here. He says they will pick up his life again and what is he doing the next chapter, he raises a guy from the dead, but I guess I just ruin the next chapter for some of you but still rated anyway. There's a great story Lazarus go thing will be in their couple weeks the words and deeds words and actions. This is power here in the power to lay down my life power to pick it up again, this is incredible and understand in a week. We talk about who killed Jesus. Jesus says here I lay down my life. I lay down my life. He did it willingly for you. For me, because he knew there was no other way that's real power. Note we think of power. I don't know you know we can we get we think of powers a lot of weird things only we think of power is controlling finances or controlling people or controlling this or controlling that we think that that's power. We are mistaken about what real powers I saw a car last night was a Maserati is a nice guy is a Maserati trifecta license plates as does 185. I thought they would see notes all government but that's not real power. That's not real power.

What Jesus is talking about here is real power you it's really cool that's real power. That's our shepherd and make you feel good, were not were not like fallen some shepherd that hopefully works out know how do you work this lien thing you know were following a shepherd that has the power to be resurrected from the dead and a shepherd to go. We got a good one. That's the next life lesson Jesus chose to lay down his life for you. Jesus chose to lay down his life for you and me you want to know real love, your looking for real love like all the commercials of liberal if you're looking for a lot. This is it this is it. It doesn't get any better than this because this is Jesus we've done stuff against Jesus was committed since Davidson against the in the alone, have I sent Lord. We've sinned against God, but he lays down his life for us while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Jesus didn't die because of some political conspiracy year some Passover plot or what not. Jesus laid down his life for us so that we can be forgiven so that we could have a relationship with him. You know what friend no one but no one will ever love you so completely, as Jesus loves you. Some of you may been looking for love in some kind of weird places doesn't get any better than this. He loves you so much.

He lay down his life for you.

Verse 19. Therefore, there was a division among many, again among the Jews because of these things and many of them said he has a demon and is mad. Why do you listen to another said these are not the words of one who has a demon can a demon open the house of the blind. That was the feast of dedication in Jerusalem and it was winter injury. Then Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch and the Jews surrounded him and said to him, how long do you keep us in doubt. If you are the Christ, tell us plainly. Is it just me or these guys just a little bit sick. He's pretty much told him the likelier your causing us to don't miss that your causing us to down there blaming Jesus for the fact that they have an unbelieving heart that's different and it is a lot of people do that today. Verse 25 Jesus answered them and said I told you, and you do not believe the works that I do in my father's name.

They bear witness of me. So Jesus had done stuff he had set staff and again the problem wasn't Jesus.

The problem was there unbelieving heart only assure you something. I've heard some people define faith as the absence of doubt. I personally can't have a problem with that definition I think faith is acting in spite of your down because sometimes we paint the people hate you know what don't ever doubt you can't ever doubt the Lord blessed be honest who can qualify under their standards of what the man said the Jesus his son needed help.

He said, I believe, help my doubt that is what we should say we should be honest the time to move. Feeling we can we fill filled with doubt and get people to pray for us and minister to us. I believe Lord help my doubt and don't act on your down and don't believe your doubt if you get a doubt some other somewhere doubt your doubt don't doubt your faith, a man verse 26 but you do not believe because you are not of my sheep. As I said to you my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me.

My sheep hear my voice and know them and they follow me. These guys were looking for a political Messiah. They were looking for somebody to liberate them from Rome.

They were looking not for the Messiah, but for their Messiah to act a certain way to conduct himself a certain way and when Jesus didn't do that.

They were disappointed in it. Jesus is my sheep or my voice in verse 27 and I know them and they follow me loved one, who are you following your here this morning and that's an indicator that your open and want to hear spiritual things in the Bible but who are you following are you following yourself and your ways are you living a life that's filled with bitterness and disappointment.

We probably are. If you following yourself. May I suggest that this morning. Today you make a change in who you following some of you may have followed the Lord for a long time but something happened last week last month last year and you got a little off track in your you not really followed in the way that you know that you should and you find yourself in trouble. Maybe you your thirsty, you don't know where the Stillwater is his calling to you this morning hear his voice. You don't have to earn his forgiveness in any way he wants to give it to you what you need to do is ask for this morning. You can choose to follow Jesus, the last life lesson is your decision chooses your destiny, your decision chooses your destiny. See, the Lord is lifted up to us. Silly sheep that we are he is left it up to us to make the decision on whether to follow him or to follow someone else or to follow our own ways because of me tell you somebody that has followed myself.

It leads to disaster. And maybe you've been asking yourself, what's wrong with my life. Why is this not working for me have to ask you, are you really following Jesus or maybe somewhere, somehow you got off track and you no longer following the shepherd see in spite of all her shortcomings in all her flaws and all our report values. This Jesus wants us he paid for us. He's looking for us this very morning. Isaiah who knew something about sheep and 53 in Isaiah 53 six is all we like sheep have gone astray. We've turned everyone to his own way and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. So this morning you can know the safety of still waters of the green pasture. If you hear his voice sad thing is, there may be people in here that won't listen there wondering what's wrong with life there dissatisfied because there in the barren pasture the water to drain Jesus is here this morning calling to us reminding us how much he loves us and how good of a life he desires for us.

Don't turn away from that don't turn away from some of you perhaps thought well you know what I'm good enough for long enough than the Lord will accept me and I'll come to. It's not about being good enough or long enough, is the fact that he already loves you, and this morning he's calling to you come to him. Some of you may have gotten off track somewhere along the way and you need to be reminded that we are to follow Jesus.

We are to follow the good Shepherd. I recognize that as a sheep. Sometimes I'm rebellious and wandering and I don't think that catches the Lord by surprise. The part of that is realizing that quite often need to make sure following the good Shepherd notice because it's not just the shepherd is the good Shepherd and I don't know what you've been following who you been following, but I promise you this, that if this morning, you'll turn you begin the follow Jesus you will find yourself in the place of green pastures and still waters is only you'll stop and you surrender friend you know for sure that your sins have been forgiven. You can know right now only Legion a short simple prayer simply telling God you're sorry and asking him to help you to live for him and God wants you to pray this prayer so much that he died to give you the opportunity and the ability to ask him to forgive you.

Please pray this prayer with me out loud right now.

Dear Jesus, I believe you died for me that I could be forgiven and I believe you were raised from the dead that I could have a new life not done wrong things I have sent and I'm sorry. Please forgive me of all those things. Please give me the power to live for you.

All of my days in Jesus name, amen it friend of you prayed that prayer according to the Bible you've been forgiven you've been born again. Jesus said he would not turn anybody away who comes to him and he came for those people who knew they needed forgiveness. Those who were sick, not the righteous is a congratulations bring you just made the greatest decision that you will ever make. God bless you, if you pray that prayer with David for the first time we'd love to hear from you.

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What are some ways that we can bless our listeners days you can wake up with encouragement from Pastor David the word of God with his email devotional life lessons to consider a daily reading plan and the thought to meditate on throughout your day in the heart of David McGee. Thanks again for listening and join us next time. As David McGee continues teaching verse by verse in the gospel of God