Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
let's talk about love
.
Let's talk about money.
Let's talk about sex.
Let's talk about drug.
Let's talk about you.
Let's talk about me.
Let's talk about us.
Let's talk about we.
Let's talk about you.
(00:24):
Let's talk about me.
Let's talk about us.
Let's talk about we.
Let's talk about wealth aboutwealth.
Let's talk about greed.
Let's talk being broke, livingin poverty.
Let's talk about black.
Let's talk about white.
Let's talk about how we stillfight for our rights.
Let's talk about men's sexgames and drugs.
And let's talk about God.
Let's talk about love.
Let's discuss our feelings.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Hey y'all, welcome to
Blessed 2BS.
I'm your cousin in Christ, juanTrel LeVette, and this is Buji
Bible Studies.
If you are new here, i'd liketo welcome you to the number one
Bible Study class that you willever come across.
If you are not new here, youalready know how we get down as
we dive into the Bible and reada chapter a week and get the
(01:06):
inside stories of what tookplace back in the ancient Bible
that is so vital and preachedaround the world for our lives
today.
If you are new here, you couldread out any version you choose
to.
I read out an NIV version tosimply just simplify things the
stories.
That really breaks down what weshould understand and know of
(01:28):
what took place back in thoseancient times that Jesus talks
to us about individually.
If you want to gain arelationship with God and Jesus,
this podcast is for you, as youcould be from anywhere that you
choose to be from in the world,religiously, in the background
of religion, however you chooseto look at it and be.
(01:49):
This is no judgment podcast,simply here for a relationship
with Christ, a relationship withthe Lord, god, our Creator, the
one who created all of us bothin and out, ups and downs, good
and bad, alive and dead.
So I am honored to be your host, juan Trel LeVette, and we've
been doing this for some timethat I'm still getting my feet
(02:11):
wet as I dive into the Bible.
I am no expert, i am not apreacher, i am not a prophesier,
i am not a pastor.
I just simply like to read thestories out loud, and I created
this podcast so that I can havea place to vent to and talk to
basically myself and otherpeople about the relationship
(02:32):
that I'm creating, or that hasbeen created, with me and the
Creator, and I hope that youalso are establishing a
relationship out here withChrist, where it is so important
and vital for your life to justenjoy an everyday life without
being condemned of this societyand this world.
So I welcome you, i welcomeeveryone and I hope you guys
(02:55):
enjoy the story, today's titleand today's class.
We will be in John, chapter 10.
The title for our episode todayis The Good Shepherd.
Now, a lot of the stories in theBible we do here in church,
certain places, but for me it'sreally important that I
(03:16):
understand the stories so that Ican really see what God is
talking to me and dealing withme about, as life can be
challenging every day.
I don't have it figured out andI am just solely just relying
on God to guide me, with theHoly Spirit and dependent on
Jesus and all of that good stuffthat just brings spirituality
(03:37):
into place of surviving here inthe world, because there's
things that happen in a spiritworld that we cannot fight
against if we are not aware thatGod is having our back the way
that God does.
And so I welcome you Again.
We will be in John, chapter 10.
The title for our episode todayis The Good Shepherd, and if
(03:58):
you are ready, i don't need tochat too much.
I am ready as well, so go aheadand grab your Bibles.
I have a Bible tracker here forthose who are new.
I advise you to check out anyepisode before this so you can
kind of see how this goes.
It's very quick, short andstraight to the point, and,
again, i'm not a preacher.
So if you got it, i got it aswell.
(04:19):
Let's get this story going.
John, chapter 10.
The Good Shepherd and his sheep.
Let's go.
Very truly.
I tell you Pharisees, anyone whodoes not enter the sheep pen by
the gate but climbs in by someother way is a thief and a
robber.
The one who enters by the gateis the shepherd of the sheep.
(04:41):
The gatekeeper opens the gatefor him and the sheep listen to
his voice.
He calls his own sheep by nameand leads them out.
When he has brought all of hisown, he goes on ahead of them
and his sheep follow him becausethey know his voice.
But they will never follow astranger.
In fact they will run away fromhim because they do not
(05:03):
recognize a stranger's voice.
Jesus used this figure ofspeech, but the Pharisees did
not understand what he wastelling them.
Therefore, jesus said againvery truly I tell you, i am the
gate for the sheep.
All who have come before me arethieves and robbers, but the
(05:24):
sheep have not listened to them.
I am the gate.
Whoever enters through me willbe saved.
They will come in and go outand find pastor.
The thief comes only to stealand kill and destroy.
I have come that they may havelife and have it to the full.
I am the good shepherd.
(05:45):
The good shepherd lays down hislife for the sheep.
The hired hand is not theshepherd and does not own the
sheep.
So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs
away.
Then the wolf attacks the flockand scatters it.
The man runs away because he isa hired hand and cares nothing
(06:06):
for the sheep.
I am the good shepherd.
I know my sheep and my sheepknow me, just as the father
knows me, and I know the fatherAnd I lay down my life for the
sheep.
I have other sheep that are notof this sheep pen.
I must bring them also.
They too will listen to myvoice and there should be one
(06:29):
flock and one shepherd.
The reason my father loves meis that I lay down my life only
to take it up again.
No one takes it from me, but Ilay it down of my own accord.
I have authority to lay it downand authority to take it up
again.
This command I received from myfather.
(06:49):
The Jews who heard these wordswere again divided.
Many of them said he is a demonpossessed and raven mad Why
listen to him?
But others said these are notthe sayings of a man possessed
by a demon.
When a demon opened the eyes ofa blind, further conflict over
Jesus' claims Verse 22.
(07:11):
Then came the festival ofdedication at Jerusalem.
It was winter and Jesus was inthe temple courts, walking in
Solomon's colonnade.
The Jews who were theregathered around him saying how
long will you keep us insuspense?
If you are the Messiah, tell usplainly.
Jesus answered I did tell you,but you do not believe The works
(07:35):
I do, in my father's name,testify about me, but you do not
believe because you are not mysheep.
My sheep listen to my boys.
I know them and they follow me.
I give them eternal life andthey shall never perish.
No one will snatch them out myhand.
My father, who has given themto me, is greater than all.
(07:56):
No one can snatch them out ofmy father's hand.
I and the father are one.
Again, his Jewish opponentspicked up stones to stone him,
but Jesus said to them I haveshown you many good works from
the Father.
For which of these do you stoneme?
We are not stoning you for anygood work, they replied, but for
(08:18):
blasphemy me, because you, amere man, claim to be God".
Jesus answered him.
Is it not written in your law?
I have said you are gods.
If he called them gods to whomthe word of God came, and
scripture cannot be set aside.
What about the one whom theFather set apart as his very own
and sit into the world.
(08:38):
Why, then, do you accuse me ofblasphemy?
because I said I am God's son.
Do not believe me unless I dothe works of my Father, but if I
do them, even though you do notbelieve me, believe the works
that you may know and understandthat the Father is in me and I
in the Father.
(08:59):
Again, they tried to seize him,but he escaped their grasp.
Then Jesus went back across theJordan to the place where John
had been baptized in in theearly days.
There he stayed, and manypeople came to him.
They said, though John neverperformed a sign, all that John
said about this man was true,and in that place many believed
(09:24):
in Jesus.
And that's the end of ourchapter.
Let's break it down.
A modern shepherd What a goodshepherd will look like today.
Chapter 10, verse 10.
I have come that they may havelife and have it to the full.
(09:44):
Some of the Bible's ruleillustrations simply do not
transfer easily into modern life.
What is a good shepherd like?
What did Jesus mean by the term?
A small drama that took place onthe slopes of Washington's
Mount Rainer may shed light onthe meaning of the good shepherd
(10:05):
.
One Memorial Day weekend, aChristian dentist named James
Reddick was teaching his 12 yearold daughter and 11 year old
son the joy of mountain hiking.
A sudden storm came up,battering them with hurricane
force winds and thick wet sheetsof snow.
A blinding white out made itimpossible to see or move on the
(10:28):
steep slope.
Willing to die, reddicklaverously dug an oblong trench
with an aluminum mess kit, thentucked his children into
sleeping bags away from theentrance.
He covered the opening with atarp, but it kept one away,
exposing the trench to theswirling snow outside.
Reddick found he had to liedirectly across the opening,
(10:52):
using his own weight to holddown the edges of the tarp.
His body protected his son anddaughter from the howling wind.
Two days passed beforesearchers finally noticed the
corner of a backpack protrudingfrom deep snow.
They rushed to the site, hopingthe snow covered mound wood
contained the three missinghikers.
(11:14):
Inside they found Sharon andDavid Reddick very much alive,
but the stiff body of theirfather laid against one wall of
the snow cave.
He had taken the cold spot, inone searchers words, by using
his own back as the outer wall.
An image something like thatmust have filled the minds of
(11:37):
Jesus listeners, as he describeda good shepherd who lays down
his life for his sheep.
In verse 11,.
Nothing not raging cold thievesor wolves would come between
the good shepherd and his sheep.
He would die for theirprotection.
Popularity for a while, asJesus headed toward his final
(12:00):
days in Jerusalem, the theme ofdeath, his death, kept surfacing
in his parables and directstatements.
Ironically, his followers weregrowing in numbers.
His popularity had reached apeak with the feeding of 5,000
people on a handful of morsels,a miracle mentioned by all four
gospel writers.
The groundswell of support tomake Jesus king deeply impressed
(12:24):
his followers.
Jesus, however, escaped intothe hills.
In chapter 6, verse 15,.
He would not be a king on thecrowds term.
He continued on his lonelymissions, stirring up
controversy and hatred byhealing people on the Sabbath
and by proclaiming himself equalwith God.
(12:46):
Ignoring an impressive miracle,many Jews came over to Jesus
after one of his most impressivesigns, bringing Lazarus back to
life.
But simultaneously, religiousleaders concluded callously that
it was best for one man, jesus,to die rather than to risk the
whole nation.
(13:06):
In chapter 11, verse 50, fourseparate times they tried to
seize him.
Jesus came to offer life, oneof those one syllable words
swollen with meaning that Johnthreaded throughout his
narrative.
Lazarus received that life inan astonishing literal way,
(13:27):
providing yet another sign ofJesus ultimate power.
Jesus, though, madepreparations to give up his own
life, making the ultimatesacrifice of the good shepherd.
What have you sacrificed forthe sake of another person?
The guided tour of John.
(13:49):
10, no secrets.
Jesus is a man on a missionChapter 10, verse 24,.
The Jews who were theregathered around him saying How
long will you keep us insuspense?
If you are the Messiah, tell usplainly.
Every few years, an author orscholar, or even a movie maker
(14:11):
raises new questions, or thesame old questions about Jesus'
identity.
Often, such portrayals show himwandering around the earth in
the days, trying to figure outwhy he came and what he is
supposed to be doing.
Nothing could be further fromthe account given by us, by John
, jesus' closest friend.
According to John, jesus was aman on a mission who knew
(14:35):
exactly what he had come toearth to accomplish.
John states his purpose inwriting very clearly to get
people to believe in Jesus theMessiah.
Chapter 20, verse 31.
His book selectively featuresincidents from Jesus' life to
demonstrate who Jesus is.
(14:58):
Shepherd of Israel.
I am the gate, jesus says inchapter 10, verse 9.
I am the good Shepherd verse 11.
Jews who hear these wordsundoubtedly think back to Old
Testament king like David, whowere family, thought of as the
Shepherd of Israel.
Unlike modern day Shepherds whouse dogs to drive their flocks,
(15:22):
shepherds in Jesus' day walkthe head of the sheep, calling
them to follow.
The sheep will respond only toa familiar voice.
In the Old Testament, god isalso called the Shepherd of
Israel in Psalms, chapter 80,verse one.
In claiming to be the goodShepherd, jesus is asserting his
(15:43):
leadership over a flock he iswilling to die for.
When some challenge him bluntlyif you are the Messiah, tell us
plainly.
In verse 24, jesus answers themwith equal bluntness saying I
am the Father or one.
Verse 30.
The PS Jews, understandingJesus all too well, pick up
(16:05):
stones to execute him forblasphemy.
Not even these hostilereactions surprise Jesus, though
He expects oppositions, evenexecution.
As he explains here, a trulygood Shepherd, unlike a hired
hand, lays down his life for thesheep Verse 11.
This chapter explains why hemakes the choice that he makes
(16:30):
the life question What differentdoes it makes to you that Jesus
is God and not just a man?
The other life question waswhat have you sacrificed for the
sake of another person.
Woo, let me just say I reallydid get a good understanding of
the good Shepherd, sinceunderstanding what that term
(16:51):
mean.
It means somebody that will laydown their life for their flock
.
It also means a Shepherd whovoice is very familiar to the
flock of his sheep.
Now, everybody nowadays wants tobe the goat.
They wanna be the goat, youknow, and me personally, i don't
(17:14):
wanna be the goat, i kindadon't wanna be any animal, but I
do consider, like sometimesmyself, a lioness, even though
I'm not a Leo or a scorpionbecause that's my birth sign.
But more or less I think I'mjust a sheep, following my
master, following my creator,following the one that saved me,
(17:37):
looking to that creation, theone who Jesus is, you know,
looking to all that, what Jesushas done for me, are remembering
those things, are trying tounderstand that those type of
life interactions has took inplace where Jesus was the good
Shepherd and he laid down hislife for the sheep.
(17:57):
It's like being a parent, youknow.
Some of us lay down our lifefor our kids, our other people.
You know, sacrificing yourselffor people or ending up in a
situation like Mr James Reddickwhere he had to save his kids on
the mountain slope after theygot snowed in, basically, being
that person that laid down yourlife for somebody else, that's a
(18:21):
good Shepherd And I appreciatewhat Jesus did for me, like in
all the ancient stories that Iread and I noticed you know the
good deed of Jesus.
He's just identifying that heand God is the same and he also
installed and let us know thatGod is also within us as well,
(18:42):
especially for those who believe, even for the non-believers.
You know God has also installedwith them as well.
So for me it's just like.
It makes me think of parenthood.
It makes me think all of thesacrifices that I would do, i
would lay down for my kids toprotect them, just so that they
(19:03):
could survive, startinggenerational well, just so that
they could survive, not evenknowing if they're gonna
appreciate the outcome or not.
But it's just like you know somethings we do to lay down our
life or our family, our friendsor people and things like that.
It just made me understand andrealize that term and really get
(19:24):
an understanding of how to usethe term and know who the good
shepherd is And, if I can mimic,jesus be a good shepherd here
on earth to other people, to mykids, my family, my friends or,
you know, just anybody thatneeds my help in a way that I
could help, because obviously Ican't protect and save everybody
(19:47):
, but Jesus can, and he did, andhe gives us that opportunity to
look to him and be comforted inplaces where we may feel
unprotected, where somebodycould come in until your your
then Your then could be yourhouse, where you are comfortable
at, and somebody could comestill kill and destroy what you
(20:08):
built or trying to do somethinglike that.
You know, you gotta watch outfor people that sneak in through
windows and cracks and stufflike that.
And I'm just speakinghypothetically, but the
gatekeeper to your house, toyour heart, to your mind, to
your soul, should be our creator, you know, should be God,
should be the one where he saidwe could come in and out and go
(20:31):
away with and be in pastors.
You know, like who gives youthat opportunity to come in and
out, being yourself, gettingthat love and that peace and
that everything that you needfrom God.
It's amazing to me to watch Godin my life because I'm always,
you know, looking at mysituations and I'm always trying
(20:53):
to identify God and people AndI'm always trying to look at the
heart.
and also, while I'm looking atthe heart, i'm also getting my
heart worked on.
God is constantly working on myheart, constantly being the
surgeon the best hand surgeonpossibly that there could be to
(21:13):
fix my heart, fix things thatshould be different or should be
right or should be better, youknow.
So I'm always paying attentionto people and how they think and
how they act and how they beAnd, really importantly, doing
that for myself, because I'm theone to blame if I accept
(21:36):
something or if I don't acceptsomething.
I'm the one to have thatfeeling if my heart gets broken
or if I put myself in asituation to allow such things,
you know I'm the one who have todeal with that.
So I'm always relying on God tobe that good shepherd in my life
to help me to understand thehealing process or the tweaks of
(22:01):
my understanding, just, and howhe works in his creation and
things like that.
So it doesn't make a differenceto me that God was God or a man
or whatever figure.
How people just want tocharacterize our God.
It's just like I said last timeit's vague, it's a word that's
(22:25):
been thrown out there, but weall carry God within us And to
have that oneness with theCreator.
It comes from you, it comesfrom knowing and it comes from
believing, it comes from hoping,it comes from faith And it just
comes from trusting and knowingthat at the end of the day, you
have a good shepherd in yourlife And you can also be a good
(22:48):
shepherd in somebody's life, andso I appreciate Jesus being a
good shepherd in my life.
I appreciate being able to gothrough things in the world and
spiritually feel that it's goingto be alright and I'm going to
be okay.
Things cast all the time andI'm just very appreciative of
(23:13):
diving into the Bible andsometimes, as much as I'm not
like super thrilled aboutsharing my voice or sharing my
outlook on the story or sharingwhat I'm going through with
people, it is something that Idon't mind doing and I thank God
(23:33):
that I have the opportunity todo this because you know it's
just you never know what peopleare going through.
It's not an easy task to wake upand to ask God for help or to
even fall on God or to rely onthat Holy Spirit to just guide
(23:53):
you and things like that.
Like I said before, everybodywants to be the goat and you
know, i don't mind being a sheep, regardless of how people may
look at me.
Some people may look at me likea goat, a lion, a dolphin, an
owl, you know just any animalthey choose to, because every
animal has their thing going.
(24:13):
But honestly, i'm a human.
I'm a human animal, but I am achild of God and I belong to God
and my body is here, but myspirit definitely belongs to God
and I really take pride in justknowing that.
I would love and I want toalways put God first and I just
(24:36):
thank God for the opportunity tobe able to do that.
So it's a big deal for me and Ihope this story resonated for
you, gave you an understanding.
I probably was all off topic andsubject about what the Good
Shepherd or Modern Shepherd, butlay down your life for somebody
man, if not anybody that youcould lay your life down for.
(24:57):
Do it for yourself.
Lay down your life for yourselfwhere you say you know what.
Today is the day.
Enough is enough.
Have a reset.
I just recently, literallyyesterday, had a reset.
I'm going through a reset.
Right now I'm closing up, goingcelibate, face down, working
(25:18):
hard, keeping my face in theBible and the Word, just making
sure that God has continued toguide me, but taking that time
with really just one-on-one withGod and rocking out the last
six months of the year, me andGod only.
I'm on the mission right nowand that's what I'm on.
I don't know what you guys aredoing out there, but I hope you
(25:39):
guys are laying down your lifefor yourself.
You know, stop playing aboutyou.
You know what I'm saying.
Stop playing about getting intoa better position, learning
something new, getting up,breaking out of curses.
That was put onto your life.
That you and you asked for andI know it sucks that we got to
be the one to do that, but wegot to lay down our life for
(26:02):
ourselves so that we can laydown our life for other people.
Like I think about my kids.
I think about, in the future,having more kids.
I will always do what I got todo to protect my kids and that's
a big deal for me.
So not only just my kids, butmyself too.
You know, protecting my heart,protecting my mind and
everything like that, and I hopeand I pray the same for you
(26:22):
guys.
So you guys have been rockingwith me on today's episode of
the Bible.
Check us out on social media.
Blessed to be.
Us on Instagram, bougie BibleStudies on Facebook.
I really appreciate all mylisteners, everybody.
They from all across the states.
You know that's not in thestates, out the country.
(26:42):
Whatever so be, may this wordand the words of the Bible reach
globally, around the world, andjust touch everybody in their
own way, in every way.
We all should know the words ofthe Bible.
That way we know that God isthe main source.
So until next time, you guys,i'm your cousin, juan Trolevet,
and I really appreciate you guys.
(27:03):
Don't forget to support thepodcast.
Anything helps.
Click the link below Until nexttime, i will talk to you later.
Bye.