We Are Sheep In His Fold - Part 1

Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ. He doesn't really say I am the he said I am the shepherd the good one thing I am the shepherd the good one will yet understandably understand what the word good. Normally, the work for good meeting, morally good as I get the name Agatha. That means that means morally good on this right. John uses the word callous and cost means in every way. The intrinsically good. The premier one. I am the shepherd premier one. The action that's with Jesus and joining up today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana Pastor Bill Gebhardt now again he shows us how God's word several weeks and do a series that I entitled I am saying I the reason for the series was that so many Christians I know suffer from what we call low self-esteem and that's an oxymoron for a Christian when you realize that what our identity with Jesus Christ is and who God says we are the last thing in the world any of us should never have is any sense of low self-esteem. I started out by saying that the Bible is clear that we are children of God, not just believers in God but the children of God and what that means. And then I said were also new creations in Christ. Whatever's in the past is behind us, and whatever's in front of us now is no last week I said were all living stones in the same house when royal priest in the same Temple and that we are a set apart holy nation of God, a people for God's own possession. This week I want to tell you something that on the surface may not make you feel too well so once you see what the Bible says about it. It's a wonderful wonderful truth. In fact, I believe there's an amazing privilege to be called this by God. We are his sheep of his fold. We are the sheep of God's fold sheep is used over 200 times in the word of God, and often it doesn't refer she prefers the people just like us but I think of all the descriptions of God gives us in the word of God, of who we are.

There's no identity that we have calling a sheep is probably the best one to teach us how do we relate to the Lord who saved us. How do we relate to our Lord. I guess the first question is why would God call his sheep. While one thing in Leviticus 11, God says the sheep are clean.

Sheep are clean animals. Now the funny part is that she partly likely okay but the reason there are clean.

In Leviticus 11 is because God says they're clean that's why your clean.

That's why I'm clean, not because were cleaner than other animals, other human beings because God says were clean. The other thing about sheep.

It's amazing is that as sheep are also useful animals.

I think we all things are to get misguided when it comes the sheep up in Israel for the average family they didn't very often ever eat sheep. Now they did eat sheep on the Passover and according to Josephus, a couple hundred thousand sheep were sacrificed in Jerusalem on the Passover, but most of the time. The typical Jewish family did Nietzsche. They couldn't afford the luxury of the meat sheep were very useful animals because what they produced. Will that they produced. In fact, in Israel at that time a person's wealth was often based on how many sheep did you have and if you're more sheep you had the more wealth you had there something else to and that is that the sheep have to stay in a flock.

If you take a she body of the flock that she will die. They have to be surrounded by other sheep, but even more importantly than staying with the flock sheep have to have a shepherd if she were going to live if she were going to have a good life. They can only do it on the basis of a shepherd and there's good reason for sheep are completely defenseless they can fight at all and they can't they can't run. There's nothing she could do to really protect himself at all, and their easily frightened if you want to know what frightens sheep one word. Everything ever everything. It's not normal to a sheep makes the sheep afraid and then lastly of the ideas that without a guide. Sheep will always get lost if they don't have a guide in the shepherd. They will always find themselves lost business unlike us, you know, Peter said this in first Peter chapter 2, he said, unless we follow our shepherd. We will soon go astray, the relationship between us and our shepherd. That's what I want to talk about this morning. At first I want to talk about our good Shepherd. Open your Bibles to John, Gospel of John chapter 10 the gospel of John chapter 10. The reason for the statements that Jesus is making is because he's in conflict Jesus having conflict with the Pharisees, as he always does in chapter 9.

Jesus takes a man was blind and gives him sight. But Jesus is and satisfied with just giving a blind man site Jesus wants to say there's a spiritual implication to what I just did and the Pharisees in verse 40 of chapter 9. Say those of the Pharisees who were with him heard these things and they said we are not blind to our we Jesus said to them, if you were blind, you have no sin, but since you say we see your sin remains and I think the average first look at the other wanted one with does that me Jesus love to talk to them. That way every puzzling way basically simply getting your years blind as a person can be your sons is truly, truly, I say to you, who does not enter the door into the fold of the sheep climbs up some other way.

He's a thief and a robber, but he wonders the door is a shepherd of the sheep to him. The doorkeeper opens in the sheep here is voice and he calls his own sheep by name and he leads them out and when he puts forth all his always known he goes ahead of them in the sheep follow him because they know his voice. A stranger they simply will follow. Both flee from him because they do not know the voice of strangers. That's an interesting thing that they were well understood in the wintertime when the sheep were usually near towns. When night came to an order protect the sheep that bring all the sheep in a primitive full before five shepherds and they put all the sheep in a fold when morning would come. The shepherd would come to the door of the full and he just call a lot his sheep and his sheep would come up.

No other sheep would come up just his sheep.

They came because of his voice, and if someone else call them out they would come on my Saturday shepherds voice. One of the great things about sheep. Now Jesus says look I am that then he goes on he says in verse nine he changes metaphors and he says I am the door. If anyone enters through me.

He will be saved, and he will go out and come in and find pasture. So there's a lot of metaphors or John the Baptist sees Jesus and says behold the Lamb of God, it takes away the sins of the world sheep, then you tell us is a good Shepherd but now he says oh by the way on the door. In fact, if you do go in and out.

You can only going on.

If you believe in me it's it's John's way of writing with words of Jesus that when Jesus said on the way the truth and the life.

No one will come to the father but through me the same thing on the door if you donors who me, you can be saved. That's what Jesus is saying. Then Jesus makes the statement, he said I am the good shepherd and the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

Verse 11 I am the good shepherd amazing is the fourth. I am in John John's books written this way.

Seven. Great I am statements by Christ. I am is that I am the good Shepherd go. I'm in Greek and Hebrew would be Abe. I am who I am sent you out of Exodus chapter 3 Jesus is. I am the good Shepherd but he doesn't really say I am the good shepherd. He said I am the shepherd the good one not recent what that's kind of interesting. I am the shepherd the good one while yet understand when you understand what the word good is normally the word for good mean and morally good is the word Agatha Ross we get the woman's name is an older name now Agatha. That means magnify set means morally good. John doesn't write that word John uses the word callous and callous means the excellent one in every way. The intrinsically good one. The premier one.

I am the shepherd the premier one.

The excellent one.

That's what Jesus is saying and he says now am I the shepherd I lay down my life for the sheep.

I lay down my life for the sheep nuggets again knowing Jesus died for the sheep and little different than you think.

First of all, that's not unusual for shepherds.

Hirelings don't work well but a really good Shepherd knows his own flock there always willing to lay down the life of the sheep. That's what they have to do remember when David was a teenager is talking this all the time.

As David and Goliath and he said both the lion and the bear came I killed them both young teenager newborn with a lion or a bear.

You're putting your life on the line is of you. That's what a good shepherd us but Jesus and saying that exactly. He sings some much more than that. He said I lay down my life for this and note the word you and I would use would be the Greek word would be bio which is we get biology from or Zoe which we get zoology from that means your physical life.

He laid on his life. Jesus doesn't say Jesus says I lay down my soup gay my soul I laid on my soul for the sheep. It means it refers to a spiritual death on the cross is the reason that he cried out my God my God why have you forsaken me. He laid on his soul for the sheep and egg in Matthew chapter 20 verse 28 it. Matthew writes the Son of Man came to give his life for many same words today so they gave just that in physically just die. That's not the case at all is that I gave my soup gay for the sheep and the word for the sheep is of interesting words were compare.

It means on behalf of I gave my life on behalf of the sheep that substitutionary atonement is a guy died in place of the sheep. I gave my life, my soup gay for the sheep. No wonder, is called the good can now hold a place or just for second come right back and go with me to Isaiah 53 in verse four. The reason I wanted to see this.

This is not a new thought.

The Pharisees surely should've understood this in Isaiah 53 in verse four, Isaiah's writings 700 years before Christ. So this a long time before Jesus was on the scene and noticed and what is written.

Isaiah 53 verse four shortly are greasy himself bore our sorrows.

He carried yet we ourselves esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. He was pierced through for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities. The chastening of our well-being fell upon him and by his scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us is turned to his own way, but the Lord is called the iniquity of us all to fall on.

That's why sit on the good Shepherd.

He said I am the good shepherd now be read on here in John he said in verse 14.

I am the good shepherd and I know my own my own know me, even as the father knows me. I know and I know the father and I lay down my life for the sheep is that I have other sheep, which are not of this fold.

I must bring them also and they will hear my voice, and they will become one flock with one shepherd.

That's us to the Jews. This is what yeah I have other sheep gentiles all over the world. I'm in have a big big fold and then he says this. For this reason, the father loves me because I lay down my life so that I may take it up again. Now we have an indication hear something important.

What good would it be for the shepherd to give his life for the sheep.

So you have 50 sheep to order sheep out there and someone comes in attacks in the shepherd gives us life and what happens in the sheep are all dead. Whatever them without all that have no protection so the shepherd gave his life and it doesn't help Jesus and know you know you misunderstand.

Notice what he said. For this reason, he said the father loves me because I lay down my life so that I can take it up again. He said no one is taken away from me. I lay it on my own initiative.

I have authority, lay it down.

I have authority to take it up again. He said this commandment to receive my father.

I gave my life for the sheep but they want without me for very long in three days I was raised say they want without a shepherd at all, he was raising the dead. And that's what he is saying. I'm not like any other shepherd I did my soup gay for the sheep but also was raising the dead while he loves the sheep he gives his life for the sheep unites the sheep and his flock is worldwide, and none of this is typical, it's not because he had to find a time to shepherd has to defend the flock I'd have to do's.

I did this because I chose to.

I did this because I wanted to. That's wide how much he loves the sheep the Lord is the good Shepherd and that's that's kinda neat, but there's something more important to me than this. The Lord is not only the good Shepherd Lord is my shepherd and is your shepherd currently not a Psalm 23, a very famous Psalm in the Psalter.

Psalm 23. I don't know if there were more comforting words written in the Bible than Psalm 23. Everywhere I mean really doesn't seem to matter almost every funeral, someone read Psalm 23. I don't really understand the magnitude of the song. I hope after that you have a much better idea what this all means first of all, it is written by somebody who has impeccable credentials.

It's David. Now is the king of Israel and all that. That's true, is also shepherd no one can write the Psalm like a shepherd. Can David's writing. It is a shepherd and always put himself not as the shepherd, but as the sheep and so he says this first phrase the Lord is my shepherd number Lord is Yahweh, the holiest word of the Jews. He never spoke a word you can say the word.

If you are a copyist and you were writing the word you had to bathe before you wrote it and bathe again afterwards yet of the word holy, it's Yahweh. I am who I am. Exodus 3 the burning bush talking to Moses, they didn't say the word he says Yahweh the great covenant keeping creator of all things, the holy other God is my shepherd, my shepherd, the implication obvious these two is on one of the sheep.

The self-sustaining eternal creator of everything is my shepherd understand what that means. Shepherds don't work like we do have a 9-to-5 job and punch clock. They don't work five days and you're off to do that shepherd is 24 seven you get holidays, vacation days, you don't get any of that.

We know the shepherd you're responsible for the sheep 24 seven that your job is as yet the Lord is my shepherd, while everything in the sheep's life is focused on the shepherd. He said I shall not want. What the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. And we often read that we use the word want sort of like I mean I mean I have everything I need is my shepherd I am. That's true, but it means more than that when he says the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He means it. There's nothing that I envy there's nothing that I want to have one when you mean there's nothing you want to have the Lord is my shepherd see if the Lord is my shepherd, there's nothing else I want. I don't need to have anything else because the shepherd is the one responsible for the sheep and the Lord is my shepherd, so don't have to worry about anything like that I don't have to crave anything but do you mean you know this. Your stuff is in yours. Ask any funeral director is your stuff.

Yours flyers, managers, Max Okada writes this, he said you have a God who hears you the power of love behind you the Holy Spirit within you and all of heaven ahead of you.

If you have the shepherd you have grace for every sin direction for every turn. A candle for every corner and anchor for every storm you have everything you could possibly need, because the Lord is your shepherd could have more implication that's pretty clear we should bleed contentment you want to know what a contented person. This Dr. Christian somehow that makes us uneasy doesn't see what why we not content you see that we should just believe this should make it work were Christians. The Lord is our shepherd. Then he says this he makes me lie down in green pastures is no easy task. By the way sheep have to have at least four conditions met, or they won't lie down their free glide unable. The first condition for sheep has to be this, they have to be free of all fear and remember almost everything scares him. But they can't hide out of their afraid. Secondly, they have to be free of any friction with other sheep. If you're not getting along with the other sheep.

They will just imagine what that would be like.

Thirdly, they have to be free of flies and parasites will talk about this a little bit later but they're everywhere and it drives you crazy, and lastly they have to be free of hunger. Notice what he says he makes me lie down in green pastures. My shepherd does lie down. I provided everything you need for while full-color says this is it.

Also shepherd by the way, he says green pastures did not just happen by chance. Green pastures were the product of tremendous labor time skill in land-use green pastures a result of clearing, rough, rocky land mentoring brush and roots and stumps up deep plowing and careful soil preparation of seating and planning and special grains, and legumes appear again with water and husbandry with care the crops of forage which would feed the Fox vector shepherd has to do all that work. So they have green pastures and what you saying here's the Lord is my shepherd does the work he's prepared all this for me. Isaiah 26 is the spiritually about us. You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you, you will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Philippians 4. He says be anxious for nothing, that's great word to give sheep, but in everything with prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God, he says, and then the peace of God which is above all comprehension, will guard your hearts to stone the sheep the same thing is telling us. Company Y, I feel anxiety. Why the Lord is your shepherd see he's meeting your needs is hard for us to pass through Gebhardt on the radio ministry of fellowship Lord you ever missed one of our broadcast or maybe you just like listening to the message one more time. Remember, you can Google a great website called one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen the Fellowship in the Word online event website you will find on with today's broadcast but also many of her previous audio program at Fellowship in the Word. We are thankful for those who financially support our ministry and make this broadcast possible.

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