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Transcript

Which Voice ? · Exploring The Holy Scriptures with Rev Dr David Wright

• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome, sisters and brothers, and peace be with you.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: May the words on my lips and the meditations in our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: Messages warning us about scams seem to be everywhere these days.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_00: Scam websites, scam emails, scam text messages, scam phone calls.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: Unfortunately, people are still falling prey to these crimes.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: A few days ago I read about a man in Australia who had unknowingly clicked on a link in an email he received following a phone call that he thought was from his bank.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: The call sounded real.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: The email looked real.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_00: It all appeared so trustworthy, but it was a thief.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: Quiet, convincing, destructive, and his bank account was emptied.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: That man later said something that I found deeply profound.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: He said I didn't lose my money all at once.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: I lost it the moment I trusted the wrong voice.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: That statement could be the opening line of today's gospel.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: In John chapter ten verses one to ten, Jesus speaks about sheep, shepherds, gates and thieves.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: At first glance, it feels different and distant from our modern world.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_00: But listen closely and it becomes very personal.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus says The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_00: The sheep hear his voice, and they follow him because they know his voice.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_00: Then he contrasts this with another voice.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: The thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: Two voices, two paths, two outcomes.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_00: The question at the heart of this passage is simple.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_00: Whose voice are you listening to?
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: In Jesus' time, sheep were completely dependent on their shepherd.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: They didn't survive by instinct alone, they survived by listening.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_00: A good shepherd did not drive the sheep from behind.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: He walked ahead of them.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: He called them, and the sheep followed, not because they were forced, but because they trusted his voice.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_00: And Jesus is saying this is how I will lead you, not by fear, not by pressure, but by relationship.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_00: He knows your name.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_00: He speaks to your life.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_00: He calls you forward.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: But here's our problem in today's world.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_00: There are other voices, voices that sound convincing, voices that promise security, happiness, success, voices that say follow me because this is the best way.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_00: And Jesus is very clear.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_00: These voices don't lead to life.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_00: Let's be honest.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_00: Those thief voices don't usually sound evil.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: They often sound reasonable.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_00: Your worth depends upon your success.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_00: You'll be happy if you just have more.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_00: Look after yourself first.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_00: You'll all be safer if sometimes these voices often scream into our everyday lives.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_00: And slowly but surely they steal treasures from us.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_00: They steal peace, hope, joy, purpose, and trust.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: Like that man with the bank account, we often don't realize what's happening until something precious is already gone.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_00: And into this narrative Jesus then says something quite extraordinary.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_00: I am the gate whoever enters by me will be saved.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_00: In other words, Jesus is not just the shepherd who leads, he is also the gate who protects and saves.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_00: And then comes one of the most beautiful promises in all of Scripture.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_00: I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_00: Not just existence, not just survival, abundant life.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_00: Now abundant life doesn't mean an easy life.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_00: It does not mean no struggles, no doubts, no hardship, but it does mean a life that is rooted in something deeper.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_00: A life where you are known, a life where you are guided, a life where, even in difficulty, you are not alone.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_00: This is the difference between being subjected to the rantings and bluster and nonsensical noise of the modern world, or being led by a voice that loves you.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_00: So how do we recognize the shepherd's voice?
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_00: That's the practical question, isn't it?
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_00: In a world full of noise, how do we hear Jesus?
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_00: We learn to hear his voice the same way that sheep learn to recognise their shepherd, through familiarity, through time spent with him.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_00: Time spent in Scripture, where his voice is clear and steady, in prayer, where we recognize his tone, and in quiet moments when we stop long enough to listen.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_00: And then over time, something remarkable happens.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_00: We begin to notice that his voice doesn't sound like all the others.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't accuse.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_00: It invites us generously.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't force us.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_00: It leads gently.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't confuse us.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_00: It clarifies calmly.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't destroy us, it gives life freely.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_00: So let me say this plainly.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_00: If a voice in your life is leading you towards fear, emptiness, confusion or despair, it is not the true shepherd.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_00: If a voice is drawing you towards abundant life, truth, peace, hope, and love.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_00: It is him.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_00: Today Jesus stands before us and says, I am the gate.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_00: I am the shepherd.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_00: My sheep hear my voice.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_00: I came that you may have life.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_00: The invitation from Jesus is simple but profound.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_00: Listen.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_00: Recognize.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_00: Follow.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_00: Because in a world full of competing voices, only one leads to life.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_00: And he is already calling your name.