March 3, 2025 • 22 mins
The rich imagery of the Good Shepherd unfolds in our latest episode, where we dive into John 10, exploring what it truly means to know the voice that leads us. In a world saturated with distractions and conflicting messages, how can we ensure we're following the right path? Join us as we unpack the profound truths embedded in Scripture, drawing upon the metaphor of the Good Shepherd who knows and calls each of us by name.
Listeners will be compelled to reflect on their personal faith journeys as we discuss the intimate relationship between Jesus and His followers. Through exploring themes of discernment, spiritual leadership, and the essence of salvation, we challenge you to evaluate the voices you heed. Emphasizing the critical need for recognizing false teachings, we highlight the certainty that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life—the only door leading to abundant living both now and in eternity.
Don't miss this opportunity to deepen your understanding of Scripture and nurture your relationship with the Good Shepherd. You’ll find insights that inspire action and encourage deeper engagement with God’s Word. Ready to discover the voice that truly guides you?
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to Beyond Sunday, the podcast that takes
you deeper into the Word of Godthroughout your week With your
hosts, pastors Lee and Jim.
It's time to inspire, upliftand dig deeper.
Beyond Sunday starts now.
Welcome back to Beyond Sunday,everybody.
(00:33):
I am Pastor Jim, here today,with Pastor Lee, as always, and
we are going to be getting intoJohn 10, 1 through 19, and this
passage is going to be speakingabout who Jesus is, who we are
and what it means to trulyfollow Him.
We're going to be taking it oneverse at a time.
Unpack what it says, and it'snot only about Jesus as the Good
Shepherd, but it's also aboutour lives as His sheep.
(00:53):
I'm excited to unpack this oneand I'm just ready to jump right
in.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Yeah, here we go, guys, turn your Bibles to John,
chapter 10, verses 1 through 6,and this is what the Word of God
says Truly, truly.
I say to you, he who does notenter the sheepfold by the door
but climbs in by another way,that man is a thief and a robber
.
But he who enters by the dooris the shepherd of the sheep.
To him the gatekeeper opens.
(01:18):
The sheep hear his voice and hecalls his own sheep by name and
leads them out.
When he has bought out all hisown, he goes before them and the
sheep follow him, for they knowhis voice.
A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him,
for they do not know the voiceof strangers.
(01:39):
This figure of speech Jesusused with them, but they did not
understand what he was sayingto them.
So here we go, friends.
Let's begin to break this downa little bit and see how we can
apply the word of God into ourlives.
Jesus, right off the bat, in thefirst verse, mentions a
sheepfold.
A sheepfold was a pen or anenclosure for sheep.
(02:02):
It was a place of safety forthe flock.
And in this passage Jesus isteaching a lot of great stuff
and we're going to get through,hopefully quite a bit of it
today in this episode.
But he starts off by giving usa warning in the very first
verse, and this warning is thatthere are thieves and there are
robbers that will try and enterinto the sheepfold by a
(02:27):
different way than that of thegate.
So they're going to climb thewall Oftentimes it would have
been made out of large rocks.
But these robbers and thesethieves, they're going to come
in with the purpose ofdishonesty, dishonest gain,
deception and destruction.
(02:47):
So he's letting us know, jesusis letting us know, through this
teaching to be on guard.
And just a handful of verseslater, in John 10, 10, jesus
says that the thief comes onlyto steal and kill and destroy.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
Yeah.
So he starts right off bygiving us a warning, you know,
and what he's really doing ishe's drawing a line between
legitimate leadership and falseleadership.
Yeah, all right.
And it's this powerful imagetoo, because he teaches in a way
that is in parable and in story, and a lot of times you know if
the veil has not been lifted,he's not.
(03:22):
You're not going to be able tounderstand what he's even
talking about, and we're goingto find out later on, as we get
into the scripture that they'regoing to ask.
We don't even know what thatmeans, you know, and so I love
how he's going to break thatdown for us in the future
passage.
You know, we see this echoed inother parts of the Bible too,
like in Matthew 7, 15 and 16,.
Jesus warns us against falseprophets, where he says beware
(03:43):
of false prophets who come insheep's clothing but inwardly
are ravenous wolves.
Jesus isn't talking aboutphysical thieves here.
He's talking about the falseteachers and the false messiahs
who would try to come in andlead God's people astray.
And so the lesson here is clearwe need to be discerning.
Just because someone says thatthey have answers, it doesn't
(04:03):
necessarily mean that they'releading us in the right way.
And verse 2 and 3 says "but hewho enters by the door is the
shepherd of the sheep.
To him" the gatekeeper opens,the sheep, hears his voice and
he calls his own sheep by nameand leads them out.
Now here's contrast.
The true shepherd entersthrough the door and when he
(04:26):
does, the sheep recognize hisvoice.
And that's good news, becausethis is just a.
It's a really tender momentbetween God's followers and
Jesus.
You know, he's not this distantfigure, he knows his sheep
personally.
He calls them by name.
It's not just this general call, it is an actual personal
invitation to follow him.
(04:46):
And if you notice about thepart where the gatekeeper is
opening the door, that's key.
John 14, 6 says Jesus says I amthe way, the truth and the life
, and no one comes to the Fatherexcept through me.
The gatekeeper is essentiallyletting the shepherd in because
he's the one who has authority.
Jesus is making it clear thathe is the only way into the fold
(05:06):
and that is not by some randominvitation.
He calls each of his sheep byname.
So think about that.
God knows us personally andwhen he calls us he's calling us
individually, not in this crowd, not a faceless group.
It's a very personalrelationship he's calling us to
yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
I love this part of the text because Jesus is
focusing heavily on the topicthat you just mentioned, and
that is the sheep knowing thevoice of the shepherd.
One thing I'd like to point outis sheep do not respond to the
voice of a stranger.
They have learned to recognizethe voice of their own personal
shepherd.
They've learned to recognizethe one that they've been
(05:46):
spending time with all theirlives.
They've learned the one whoprovides for them.
They've learned the voice andthe call of the one who calls
them and keeps them safe.
They've learned to trust theirshepherd because of past
experiences out in the field andalso in the sheepfold with
their shepherd, and they seethat the shepherd truly does
have their best interest forthem at heart.
(06:09):
So we need to look at whatJesus is teaching here and apply
it to our personal lives,pastor Jim, even today, that the
more time we spend with God,the more we recognize the voice
of God, the more time we spendin the Word of God.
And I tell people they say well, how do I hear God speak to me?
And my response is in love.
(06:29):
If you want to hear the voiceof God, then get into the Word
of God.
You know the Word of God is thefather ministering to us and
speaking to us.
Yes, we can hear God in manydifferent ways.
An audible voice through a word, through a prophet, a prophecy
of some sort.
You know, someone comes up tous and shares a word of God that
(06:49):
God has placed on us.
We hear the Lord speak and movethrough his Holy Spirit in
intimate moments of prayer.
But, man, if you want to trulyhear the voice of God, don't get
so far in trying to expect tohear something audibly that you
miss the word of God that'sliterally trying to leap off the
pages at us.
You know so right off the bat.
(07:10):
If you want to hear the word ofthe Lord speak to your heart,
then dive deep into the word ofGod.
And I'm not talking about justquickly opening the Bible and
reading a few verses and closingthe book.
I'm talking about opening theWord of God, spending time
reading the Word of God,studying the Word of God,
hitting up some cross-referencesand going deeper than just face
(07:32):
value.
The reason we hear the voice ofGod, the reason we receive the
Word of God when we read God'sword, is because God's word is
alive and active.
It's not just dead, empty wordson a page right.
It's alive and active and as weread, his Holy Spirit is given
the opportunity to minister tous and to teach us.
(07:52):
So the sheep know the voice ofthe shepherd.
And one more point I want tomake before I turn it over to
you, pastor Jim.
One more point the sheep do notrecognize the voice of a
stranger.
So to us that means when weknow the truth, when we know the
word of God, we can easily thenpoint out what's false.
If I can know the voice of theone who's leading me, then
(08:16):
automatically I'll know thevoice of deception when I hear
it.
So I'll be able to understandwhat a false narrative is and
what's not from God, so that I'mnot led astray.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
Yeah, this hit me when you were talking.
I was thinking about gettinglost in the word of God.
That's the only place I want toget lost in because only then
can I truly be found.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
Absolutely, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
So verse four and five is really what you were
talking about.
It said when he has brought outall his own, he goes before
them.
So he's a leader, right, thesheep follow him because they
know his voice.
A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him,
for they do not know the voiceof strangers.
This is really a picture of hisleadership.
Okay, the shepherd doesn'tdrive the sheep from behind,
(09:00):
he's leading them, he's out infront of them and so he goes
before them.
And it's this intimateleadership, right, he knows
where he's going and the sheeptrust him enough to follow where
he's leading them to.
Right, they don't followstrangers because that's not the
voice.
They know his voice and theyknow that they can trust Him.
And how do you do that?
Exactly like what you said,pastor Lee.
You get into the Word and youlearn the voice of God by
(09:23):
reading the words on the paperthat he left us in the
Scriptures.
And it's such a powerful imageof Jesus leading His people in
this story because it challengesus to ask do we recognize, are
we reading the Word enough torecognize the voice of the
shepherd in our own lives, in aworld filled with so many
distractions, and we talk aboutdistractions all the time, and I
(09:43):
know that I fall victim ofdistractions all the time.
We have so many voices callingout to us.
Do we really truly hear God'svoice?
Do we know when Jesus isspeaking to us or when somebody
else is speaking to us?
We need to be close enough tohim, okay, and we need to be
attuned to his voice so thatwe're able to follow him when he
(10:05):
calls.
And even when other voices tryto lead us astray, we can
understand that.
That's not where we're supposedto be lined up with.
That's not the call we'resupposed to walk into.
And I love the last part whereit says the sheep are fleeing
from strangers.
In a world full ofmisinformation, confusion and
even outright lies, we need tobe grounded in God's truth, the
(10:27):
Word of God, so that we canrecognize when things are false
and when to reject them.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
Yeah, come on, brother, that's good, that's
good.
We're going to press forwardand get into John, chapter 10,
verses seven through nine.
And this is what this, this iswhat the text says.
So Jesus again said to themtruly, truly, I say to you I am
the door of the sheep.
All who came before me arethieves and robbers, but the
(10:53):
sheep did not listen to them.
I am the door.
If anyone enters by me, he willbe saved and will go in and out
and find pasture.
And, pastor Jim, you've alreadyreferenced a little bit about
Jesus calling himself the doorin John 14, 6.
Again, jesus says I'm the wayand the truth, and the life.
No one comes to the Fatherexcept through me.
(11:15):
So I'd like to point this pieceout All roads do not lead to
heaven, all roads do not lead toGod, and we live in a world
where there's a lot of thatfalse truth being spun out.
There you just live on your own, do what you, you be happy and
just live a happy life andwhatever makes you feel good,
(11:36):
you know, but that's not whatleads us into eternity with God.
The door is Jesus Christ, thedoor to get into the sheepfold,
the door to get into heaven, thedoor to enter into eternity.
That door has a name.
He is the door.
His name is Jesus Christ.
(11:57):
Okay, and he is the way, thetruth and the life.
And we are not entering intoglory to spend eternity with our
heavenly father unless we haveaccepted Jesus Christ as our
personal Lord and Savior.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
And isn't it such a beautiful promise.
I mean, jesus came so that wewould have life, and not just
any life, but he says abundantlife, life to the fullest, and
he's the only one who can offerus this kind of life.
And the thief he comes to steal, kill and destroy.
That's the enemy's goal foryour life, for my life, is to
(12:31):
rob us of peace, to rob us ofjoy, to rob us of purpose and
ultimately rob us of eternallife.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:39):
But Jesus came and he gives the exact opposite.
He says no, no, no, I haveabundant life for you and in
fact, this abundant life, it'sboth a present reality and a
future hope.
It's not just about life afterdeath, but it's about life right
now and then.
Here and now, jesus wants us toexperience his goodness, he
wants us to experience his peaceand he wants us to experience
(13:02):
his joy, even in the midst ofour trials and our difficulties.
We don't have to wait Justbecause we got saved today, the
hope now that we've reached,because if you're unsaved,
you're looking for that hopethat Jesus offers Once you get
it.
It's not like that hope goesaway.
Now we have a future hope ofhis return.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
That's right.
That's right.
Yeah, absolutely, you know.
And I just want to put thislittle plug in there, because
maybe people have been lied toor confused.
Me receiving the joy of God isnot about me being happy.
You know what I'm saying.
This is why we can go throughreally difficult times in our
lives and still have the joy ofthe Lord.
You know, this is why we can gothrough really difficult times
(13:40):
in our lives and still have thejoy of the Lord.
You know, this is why we can gothrough something tragic, but
the word of God says new joycomes in the morning, right, and
so I just want to put that outthere, because maybe there's
some people that may be battlingwith depression.
You're struggling with differenttypes of anxiety, for whatever
reason.
Can I just encourage you thatnew joy is offered for you today
.
It doesn't mean that receivingnew joy today from the hand of
(14:02):
God it doesn't mean that yourlife is going to be perfect
today.
So don't wait for everything toget right, or your definition
of being right or being good, inorder to start walking in the
joy of the Lord, because new joycomes every morning.
And, matter of fact, if I couldjust say this for a moment,
pastor Jim.
Receiving new joy helps mefocus and line up walking
(14:22):
through life's problems andtribulations.
You know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (14:26):
So new joy, new joy, new joy, and that new joy is
provided by the good shepherd.
Verses 11 and 12 says this I amthe good shepherd.
The good shepherd lays down hislife for the sheep.
He who is hired hand and not ashepherd, he who does not own
the sheep, sees the wolf comingand leaves the sheep and flees,
(14:46):
and the wolf snatches them andscatters them.
Now Jesus is making a verypersonal declaration here.
He is the good shepherd andwhat makes him good is that he
is willing to lay down his lifefor the sheep, and this is at
the heart of every part of thegospel right.
The good shepherd lays down hislife for you.
He lays down his life for meand unlike the hired hand who
(15:07):
doesn't care about the sheep,jesus, as the true shepherd, is
willing to sacrifice himself toprotect us.
What an incredible picture oflove.
What an incredible picture ofcommitment.
Jesus doesn't just lead us, hegives up everything for us.
Speaker 2 (15:23):
That's right, pastor Jim.
And moving on with the 14thverse in John 10, 10, 14, jesus
says I am the good shepherd.
I know my own and my own knowme, just as the father knows me,
and I know the father and I laydown my life for the sheep, and
I have other sheep that are notof this fold.
I must bring them also and theywill listen to my voice.
(15:46):
So there will be one flock, oneshepherd.
For this reason the Fatherloves me, because I lay down my
life that I may take it up again.
No one takes it from me, but Ilay it down on my own accord.
I have authority to lay it downand I have authority to take it
up again.
This charge I have receivedfrom my father.
(16:07):
So Jesus laid his life down onthe cross for us.
He paid the ultimate price andthis is the gospel message.
This is the good news for allof mankind, that in John 3, 16,
this is the plan of God, thatfor God so loved the world that
he gave his only begotten sonthat whoever should believe in
(16:30):
him should not perish but haveeverlasting life.
That good news is offered toevery person listening today to
this podcast.
And if you have not acceptedthe free gift of God, if you've
not accepted Jesus Christ asyour Lord and Savior, then
you've got to truly consider andask yourself today why not?
He is the shepherd.
(16:51):
He is the good shepherd thatwill keep you.
He's the shepherd that willalways love you.
He's the shepherd that willalways come after you to get you
, to rescue you and to save you.
He's the shepherd that's alwaysgoing to provide for you and
the shepherd that's always goingto protect you.
Amen.
Jesus mentions that he hassheep that are not yet of this
(17:12):
fold and the fold he's speakingof.
When we take this text the waythat it should be, when we take
it in the right context and inthe time in which it was written
, that the fold that he'sspeaking of is Israel and the
sheep not yet of this sheepfold,they're the Gentiles.
That's the Gentile nation.
That's us.
(17:32):
So I'd like to say thank God,thank God that the good shepherd
has included us into his flock.
So he mentions the one flock isthe church, and he's saying
there's still more that have tocome in here, and maybe you're
listening to this podcast todayand you're not yet saved.
You're one that Jesus isreferencing.
(17:54):
Okay, you're one that Jesus isreferencing.
You are welcome to come intothe sheepfold, you are welcome
to be included into the familyof God.
And I'd like to make one lastpoint today, in this episode,
before we close out.
In John, chapter 10, 9, jesusused the word saved, and you
know that's a word,unfortunately, that you know
(18:14):
we're not hearing a lot inchurches today.
We're not hearing a lot out ofChristians' mouths today.
This is serious business.
Folks, saved, saved.
We've got to start living life,if we're not already, with such
intensity, such zeal, knowingthat there are people out there
who need to be saved.
(18:35):
You're saved from what?
Okay, an eternal damnation andpunishment if they do not accept
Jesus Christ to be the shepherdof their life and Lord and
Savior of their soul.
So we've got to start livinglike people need to be saved.
You know, let that be anencouraging word to you today,
(18:56):
but in love and in the name ofour Lord Jesus Christ and our
Savior, can it be a charge toevery listener out there today
to live boldly for the Lord,snatching people from the flames
, as Jude, in the 23rd verse,says this there's only, it's
just a short book, it's just onechapter, if you will.
It's just a short book, but inJude, verse 23, it says that
(19:18):
we're to save others bysnatching them out of the fire.
Pastor, jim, snatching them outof the fire?
So, man, this is a huge deal.
This word saved.
And Jesus says I've come as ashepherd so that people could be
saved.
And I just don't want to, youknow, the listeners to turn this
podcast off without hearing andtaking into consideration that
(19:43):
one word saved.
Speaker 1 (19:46):
That is exactly right the ministry of reconciliation
which the Bible tells us thateach and every single person who
would operate under being savedand having Jesus as Lord over
our life would have.
So we can't just learn aboutwhat Jesus does for us, accept
him as Lord and Savior over ourlife and then just walk out of
(20:08):
church and never tell anybodyelse about it.
That's right.
So as we wrap up today, I wanteverybody to remember the depth
at which Jesus Christ cares foryou.
He is the good shepherd, he isthe door, he is the one who
leads us into abundant life.
He knows you by name and hecalls you to follow him, not as
a distant leader, and he doesn'tpush you from behind.
(20:30):
He shows you from the front,but he does it in a way that is
your personal Savior.
More than that, he needs to bethe Lord of your life.
The world is full of voices anddistractions, but the Good
Shepherd's voice is the one thatwe need to hear and follow.
Pastor Lee, you want to pray?
Speaker 2 (20:49):
Absolutely, it would be an honor.
Father, we thank you for yourSon, your only begotten Son,
jesus Christ.
He is our good shepherd and,lord Jesus, I pray that you
would just continue to shepherdus, and not only do we ask today
that you would shepherd us, butI pray that we would all have a
heart and a desire to want tobe shepherded from you, that you
(21:09):
would lead us, guide us, directus, and that we wouldn't go
kicking and screaming, but wewant to be within the will of
our Father.
So teach us Holy Spirit livinginside of us.
Teach us what that looks like.
Teach us humility.
Teach us to say yes when weneed to say yes and no when we
need to say no to temptation andoutsiders.
(21:32):
Teach us to recognize yourvoice.
Teach us to recognize yourvoice in the name and the blood
of Jesus Christ.
All God's children said amen,amen.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
And I want to just leave you with this last
question as you get ready toturn off the podcast.
Are you listening to the voiceof the shepherd?
Are you following him in themidst of all of your life's
noise?
His invitation is open and hislove is deep.
Let's choose to follow him intothe abundant life that he
offers.
Thanks for joining us on BeyondSunday.
(22:06):
We'll see you next time.
Welcome to Beyond Sunday, the podcast that takes
you deeper into the Word of Godthroughout your week With your
hosts, pastors Lee and Jim.
It's time to inspire, upliftand dig deeper.
Beyond Sunday starts now.
Welcome back to Beyond Sunday,everybody.
(00:33):
I am Pastor Jim, here today,with Pastor Lee, as always, and
we are going to be getting intoJohn 10, 1 through 19, and this
passage is going to be speakingabout who Jesus is, who we are
and what it means to trulyfollow Him.
We're going to be taking it oneverse at a time.
Unpack what it says, and it'snot only about Jesus as the Good
Shepherd, but it's also aboutour lives as His sheep.
(00:53):
I'm excited to unpack this oneand I'm just ready to jump right
in.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Yeah, here we go, guys, turn your Bibles to John,
chapter 10, verses 1 through 6,and this is what the Word of God
says Truly, truly.
I say to you, he who does notenter the sheepfold by the door
but climbs in by another way,that man is a thief and a robber
.
But he who enters by the dooris the shepherd of the sheep.
To him the gatekeeper opens.
(01:18):
The sheep hear his voice and hecalls his own sheep by name and
leads them out.
When he has bought out all hisown, he goes before them and the
sheep follow him, for they knowhis voice.
A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him,
for they do not know the voiceof strangers.
(01:39):
This figure of speech Jesusused with them, but they did not
understand what he was sayingto them.
So here we go, friends.
Let's begin to break this downa little bit and see how we can
apply the word of God into ourlives.
Jesus, right off the bat, in thefirst verse, mentions a
sheepfold.
A sheepfold was a pen or anenclosure for sheep.
(02:02):
It was a place of safety forthe flock.
And in this passage Jesus isteaching a lot of great stuff
and we're going to get through,hopefully quite a bit of it
today in this episode.
But he starts off by giving usa warning in the very first
verse, and this warning is thatthere are thieves and there are
robbers that will try and enterinto the sheepfold by a
(02:27):
different way than that of thegate.
So they're going to climb thewall Oftentimes it would have
been made out of large rocks.
But these robbers and thesethieves, they're going to come
in with the purpose ofdishonesty, dishonest gain,
deception and destruction.
(02:47):
So he's letting us know, jesusis letting us know, through this
teaching to be on guard.
And just a handful of verseslater, in John 10, 10, jesus
says that the thief comes onlyto steal and kill and destroy.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
Yeah.
So he starts right off bygiving us a warning, you know,
and what he's really doing ishe's drawing a line between
legitimate leadership and falseleadership.
Yeah, all right.
And it's this powerful imagetoo, because he teaches in a way
that is in parable and in story, and a lot of times you know if
the veil has not been lifted,he's not.
(03:22):
You're not going to be able tounderstand what he's even
talking about, and we're goingto find out later on, as we get
into the scripture that they'regoing to ask.
We don't even know what thatmeans, you know, and so I love
how he's going to break thatdown for us in the future
passage.
You know, we see this echoed inother parts of the Bible too,
like in Matthew 7, 15 and 16,.
Jesus warns us against falseprophets, where he says beware
(03:43):
of false prophets who come insheep's clothing but inwardly
are ravenous wolves.
Jesus isn't talking aboutphysical thieves here.
He's talking about the falseteachers and the false messiahs
who would try to come in andlead God's people astray.
And so the lesson here is clearwe need to be discerning.
Just because someone says thatthey have answers, it doesn't
(04:03):
necessarily mean that they'releading us in the right way.
And verse 2 and 3 says "but hewho enters by the door is the
shepherd of the sheep.
To him" the gatekeeper opens,the sheep, hears his voice and
he calls his own sheep by nameand leads them out.
Now here's contrast.
The true shepherd entersthrough the door and when he
(04:26):
does, the sheep recognize hisvoice.
And that's good news, becausethis is just a.
It's a really tender momentbetween God's followers and
Jesus.
You know, he's not this distantfigure, he knows his sheep
personally.
He calls them by name.
It's not just this general call, it is an actual personal
invitation to follow him.
(04:46):
And if you notice about thepart where the gatekeeper is
opening the door, that's key.
John 14, 6 says Jesus says I amthe way, the truth and the life
, and no one comes to the Fatherexcept through me.
The gatekeeper is essentiallyletting the shepherd in because
he's the one who has authority.
Jesus is making it clear thathe is the only way into the fold
(05:06):
and that is not by some randominvitation.
He calls each of his sheep byname.
So think about that.
God knows us personally andwhen he calls us he's calling us
individually, not in this crowd, not a faceless group.
It's a very personalrelationship he's calling us to
yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
I love this part of the text because Jesus is
focusing heavily on the topicthat you just mentioned, and
that is the sheep knowing thevoice of the shepherd.
One thing I'd like to point outis sheep do not respond to the
voice of a stranger.
They have learned to recognizethe voice of their own personal
shepherd.
They've learned to recognizethe one that they've been
(05:46):
spending time with all theirlives.
They've learned the one whoprovides for them.
They've learned the voice andthe call of the one who calls
them and keeps them safe.
They've learned to trust theirshepherd because of past
experiences out in the field andalso in the sheepfold with
their shepherd, and they seethat the shepherd truly does
have their best interest forthem at heart.
(06:09):
So we need to look at whatJesus is teaching here and apply
it to our personal lives,pastor Jim, even today, that the
more time we spend with God,the more we recognize the voice
of God, the more time we spendin the Word of God.
And I tell people they say well, how do I hear God speak to me?
And my response is in love.
(06:29):
If you want to hear the voiceof God, then get into the Word
of God.
You know the Word of God is thefather ministering to us and
speaking to us.
Yes, we can hear God in manydifferent ways.
An audible voice through a word, through a prophet, a prophecy
of some sort.
You know, someone comes up tous and shares a word of God that
(06:49):
God has placed on us.
We hear the Lord speak and movethrough his Holy Spirit in
intimate moments of prayer.
But, man, if you want to trulyhear the voice of God, don't get
so far in trying to expect tohear something audibly that you
miss the word of God that'sliterally trying to leap off the
pages at us.
You know so right off the bat.
(07:10):
If you want to hear the word ofthe Lord speak to your heart,
then dive deep into the word ofGod.
And I'm not talking about justquickly opening the Bible and
reading a few verses and closingthe book.
I'm talking about opening theWord of God, spending time
reading the Word of God,studying the Word of God,
hitting up some cross-referencesand going deeper than just face
(07:32):
value.
The reason we hear the voice ofGod, the reason we receive the
Word of God when we read God'sword, is because God's word is
alive and active.
It's not just dead, empty wordson a page right.
It's alive and active and as weread, his Holy Spirit is given
the opportunity to minister tous and to teach us.
(07:52):
So the sheep know the voice ofthe shepherd.
And one more point I want tomake before I turn it over to
you, pastor Jim.
One more point the sheep do notrecognize the voice of a
stranger.
So to us that means when weknow the truth, when we know the
word of God, we can easily thenpoint out what's false.
If I can know the voice of theone who's leading me, then
(08:16):
automatically I'll know thevoice of deception when I hear
it.
So I'll be able to understandwhat a false narrative is and
what's not from God, so that I'mnot led astray.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
Yeah, this hit me when you were talking.
I was thinking about gettinglost in the word of God.
That's the only place I want toget lost in because only then
can I truly be found.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
Absolutely, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
So verse four and five is really what you were
talking about.
It said when he has brought outall his own, he goes before
them.
So he's a leader, right, thesheep follow him because they
know his voice.
A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him,
for they do not know the voiceof strangers.
This is really a picture of hisleadership.
Okay, the shepherd doesn'tdrive the sheep from behind,
(09:00):
he's leading them, he's out infront of them and so he goes
before them.
And it's this intimateleadership, right, he knows
where he's going and the sheeptrust him enough to follow where
he's leading them to.
Right, they don't followstrangers because that's not the
voice.
They know his voice and theyknow that they can trust Him.
And how do you do that?
Exactly like what you said,pastor Lee.
You get into the Word and youlearn the voice of God by
(09:23):
reading the words on the paperthat he left us in the
Scriptures.
And it's such a powerful imageof Jesus leading His people in
this story because it challengesus to ask do we recognize, are
we reading the Word enough torecognize the voice of the
shepherd in our own lives, in aworld filled with so many
distractions, and we talk aboutdistractions all the time, and I
(09:43):
know that I fall victim ofdistractions all the time.
We have so many voices callingout to us.
Do we really truly hear God'svoice?
Do we know when Jesus isspeaking to us or when somebody
else is speaking to us?
We need to be close enough tohim, okay, and we need to be
attuned to his voice so thatwe're able to follow him when he
(10:05):
calls.
And even when other voices tryto lead us astray, we can
understand that.
That's not where we're supposedto be lined up with.
That's not the call we'resupposed to walk into.
And I love the last part whereit says the sheep are fleeing
from strangers.
In a world full ofmisinformation, confusion and
even outright lies, we need tobe grounded in God's truth, the
(10:27):
Word of God, so that we canrecognize when things are false
and when to reject them.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
Yeah, come on, brother, that's good, that's
good.
We're going to press forwardand get into John, chapter 10,
verses seven through nine.
And this is what this, this iswhat the text says.
So Jesus again said to themtruly, truly, I say to you I am
the door of the sheep.
All who came before me arethieves and robbers, but the
(10:53):
sheep did not listen to them.
I am the door.
If anyone enters by me, he willbe saved and will go in and out
and find pasture.
And, pastor Jim, you've alreadyreferenced a little bit about
Jesus calling himself the doorin John 14, 6.
Again, jesus says I'm the wayand the truth, and the life.
No one comes to the Fatherexcept through me.
(11:15):
So I'd like to point this pieceout All roads do not lead to
heaven, all roads do not lead toGod, and we live in a world
where there's a lot of thatfalse truth being spun out.
There you just live on your own, do what you, you be happy and
just live a happy life andwhatever makes you feel good,
(11:36):
you know, but that's not whatleads us into eternity with God.
The door is Jesus Christ, thedoor to get into the sheepfold,
the door to get into heaven, thedoor to enter into eternity.
That door has a name.
He is the door.
His name is Jesus Christ.
(11:57):
Okay, and he is the way, thetruth and the life.
And we are not entering intoglory to spend eternity with our
heavenly father unless we haveaccepted Jesus Christ as our
personal Lord and Savior.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
And isn't it such a beautiful promise.
I mean, jesus came so that wewould have life, and not just
any life, but he says abundantlife, life to the fullest, and
he's the only one who can offerus this kind of life.
And the thief he comes to steal, kill and destroy.
That's the enemy's goal foryour life, for my life, is to
(12:31):
rob us of peace, to rob us ofjoy, to rob us of purpose and
ultimately rob us of eternallife.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:39):
But Jesus came and he gives the exact opposite.
He says no, no, no, I haveabundant life for you and in
fact, this abundant life, it'sboth a present reality and a
future hope.
It's not just about life afterdeath, but it's about life right
now and then.
Here and now, jesus wants us toexperience his goodness, he
wants us to experience his peaceand he wants us to experience
(13:02):
his joy, even in the midst ofour trials and our difficulties.
We don't have to wait Justbecause we got saved today, the
hope now that we've reached,because if you're unsaved,
you're looking for that hopethat Jesus offers Once you get
it.
It's not like that hope goesaway.
Now we have a future hope ofhis return.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
That's right.
That's right.
Yeah, absolutely, you know.
And I just want to put thislittle plug in there, because
maybe people have been lied toor confused.
Me receiving the joy of God isnot about me being happy.
You know what I'm saying.
This is why we can go throughreally difficult times in our
lives and still have the joy ofthe Lord.
You know, this is why we can gothrough really difficult times
(13:40):
in our lives and still have thejoy of the Lord.
You know, this is why we can gothrough something tragic, but
the word of God says new joycomes in the morning, right, and
so I just want to put that outthere, because maybe there's
some people that may be battlingwith depression.
You're struggling with differenttypes of anxiety, for whatever
reason.
Can I just encourage you thatnew joy is offered for you today
.
It doesn't mean that receivingnew joy today from the hand of
(14:02):
God it doesn't mean that yourlife is going to be perfect
today.
So don't wait for everything toget right, or your definition
of being right or being good, inorder to start walking in the
joy of the Lord, because new joycomes every morning.
And, matter of fact, if I couldjust say this for a moment,
pastor Jim.
Receiving new joy helps mefocus and line up walking
(14:22):
through life's problems andtribulations.
You know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (14:26):
So new joy, new joy, new joy, and that new joy is
provided by the good shepherd.
Verses 11 and 12 says this I amthe good shepherd.
The good shepherd lays down hislife for the sheep.
He who is hired hand and not ashepherd, he who does not own
the sheep, sees the wolf comingand leaves the sheep and flees,
(14:46):
and the wolf snatches them andscatters them.
Now Jesus is making a verypersonal declaration here.
He is the good shepherd andwhat makes him good is that he
is willing to lay down his lifefor the sheep, and this is at
the heart of every part of thegospel right.
The good shepherd lays down hislife for you.
He lays down his life for meand unlike the hired hand who
(15:07):
doesn't care about the sheep,jesus, as the true shepherd, is
willing to sacrifice himself toprotect us.
What an incredible picture oflove.
What an incredible picture ofcommitment.
Jesus doesn't just lead us, hegives up everything for us.
Speaker 2 (15:23):
That's right, pastor Jim.
And moving on with the 14thverse in John 10, 10, 14, jesus
says I am the good shepherd.
I know my own and my own knowme, just as the father knows me,
and I know the father and I laydown my life for the sheep, and
I have other sheep that are notof this fold.
I must bring them also and theywill listen to my voice.
(15:46):
So there will be one flock, oneshepherd.
For this reason the Fatherloves me, because I lay down my
life that I may take it up again.
No one takes it from me, but Ilay it down on my own accord.
I have authority to lay it downand I have authority to take it
up again.
This charge I have receivedfrom my father.
(16:07):
So Jesus laid his life down onthe cross for us.
He paid the ultimate price andthis is the gospel message.
This is the good news for allof mankind, that in John 3, 16,
this is the plan of God, thatfor God so loved the world that
he gave his only begotten sonthat whoever should believe in
(16:30):
him should not perish but haveeverlasting life.
That good news is offered toevery person listening today to
this podcast.
And if you have not acceptedthe free gift of God, if you've
not accepted Jesus Christ asyour Lord and Savior, then
you've got to truly consider andask yourself today why not?
He is the shepherd.
(16:51):
He is the good shepherd thatwill keep you.
He's the shepherd that willalways love you.
He's the shepherd that willalways come after you to get you
, to rescue you and to save you.
He's the shepherd that's alwaysgoing to provide for you and
the shepherd that's always goingto protect you.
Amen.
Jesus mentions that he hassheep that are not yet of this
(17:12):
fold and the fold he's speakingof.
When we take this text the waythat it should be, when we take
it in the right context and inthe time in which it was written
, that the fold that he'sspeaking of is Israel and the
sheep not yet of this sheepfold,they're the Gentiles.
That's the Gentile nation.
That's us.
(17:32):
So I'd like to say thank God,thank God that the good shepherd
has included us into his flock.
So he mentions the one flock isthe church, and he's saying
there's still more that have tocome in here, and maybe you're
listening to this podcast todayand you're not yet saved.
You're one that Jesus isreferencing.
(17:54):
Okay, you're one that Jesus isreferencing.
You are welcome to come intothe sheepfold, you are welcome
to be included into the familyof God.
And I'd like to make one lastpoint today, in this episode,
before we close out.
In John, chapter 10, 9, jesusused the word saved, and you
know that's a word,unfortunately, that you know
(18:14):
we're not hearing a lot inchurches today.
We're not hearing a lot out ofChristians' mouths today.
This is serious business.
Folks, saved, saved.
We've got to start living life,if we're not already, with such
intensity, such zeal, knowingthat there are people out there
who need to be saved.
(18:35):
You're saved from what?
Okay, an eternal damnation andpunishment if they do not accept
Jesus Christ to be the shepherdof their life and Lord and
Savior of their soul.
So we've got to start livinglike people need to be saved.
You know, let that be anencouraging word to you today,
(18:56):
but in love and in the name ofour Lord Jesus Christ and our
Savior, can it be a charge toevery listener out there today
to live boldly for the Lord,snatching people from the flames
, as Jude, in the 23rd verse,says this there's only, it's
just a short book, it's just onechapter, if you will.
It's just a short book, but inJude, verse 23, it says that
(19:18):
we're to save others bysnatching them out of the fire.
Pastor, jim, snatching them outof the fire?
So, man, this is a huge deal.
This word saved.
And Jesus says I've come as ashepherd so that people could be
saved.
And I just don't want to, youknow, the listeners to turn this
podcast off without hearing andtaking into consideration that
(19:43):
one word saved.
Speaker 1 (19:46):
That is exactly right the ministry of reconciliation
which the Bible tells us thateach and every single person who
would operate under being savedand having Jesus as Lord over
our life would have.
So we can't just learn aboutwhat Jesus does for us, accept
him as Lord and Savior over ourlife and then just walk out of
(20:08):
church and never tell anybodyelse about it.
That's right.
So as we wrap up today, I wanteverybody to remember the depth
at which Jesus Christ cares foryou.
He is the good shepherd, he isthe door, he is the one who
leads us into abundant life.
He knows you by name and hecalls you to follow him, not as
a distant leader, and he doesn'tpush you from behind.
(20:30):
He shows you from the front,but he does it in a way that is
your personal Savior.
More than that, he needs to bethe Lord of your life.
The world is full of voices anddistractions, but the Good
Shepherd's voice is the one thatwe need to hear and follow.
Pastor Lee, you want to pray?
Speaker 2 (20:49):
Absolutely, it would be an honor.
Father, we thank you for yourSon, your only begotten Son,
jesus Christ.
He is our good shepherd and,lord Jesus, I pray that you
would just continue to shepherdus, and not only do we ask today
that you would shepherd us, butI pray that we would all have a
heart and a desire to want tobe shepherded from you, that you
(21:09):
would lead us, guide us, directus, and that we wouldn't go
kicking and screaming, but wewant to be within the will of
our Father.
So teach us Holy Spirit livinginside of us.
Teach us what that looks like.
Teach us humility.
Teach us to say yes when weneed to say yes and no when we
need to say no to temptation andoutsiders.
(21:32):
Teach us to recognize yourvoice.
Teach us to recognize yourvoice in the name and the blood
of Jesus Christ.
All God's children said amen,amen.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
And I want to just leave you with this last
question as you get ready toturn off the podcast.
Are you listening to the voiceof the shepherd?
Are you following him in themidst of all of your life's
noise?
His invitation is open and hislove is deep.
Let's choose to follow him intothe abundant life that he
offers.
Thanks for joining us on BeyondSunday.
(22:06):
We'll see you next time.
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