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The Good Shepherd · Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons

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We turn again to John's Gospel, chapter 10, the Good Shepherd.
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! Our Savior, when he taught the people, would use figures of speech, objects, practices
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! with which they were familiar, and the people of Jesus' day were most familiar
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with the picture of a shepherd and his sheep.
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And I guess that we too, in the islands, have got an advantage in that this is a familiar
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figure for us also, from their importance to the local economy, to the influence they
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have on driving on our roads, they are familiar.
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And we're also very familiar with the ways in which people treat them, the fact of being
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either good or bad shepherds in relation to the flock. There are those that are regarded
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simply as sheep owners who are looking after sheep for the sake of the grants that are connected
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with them. And there are those who have a passionate connection with sheep, and the sheep in turn
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display trust and confidence in the shepherd as they mill around him, as the shepherd fills
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the trough with feed in the springtime.
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So there's that connection, that human connection that Jesus is teaching in regard to him being a shepherd
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made with his culture and with our own.
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There's also a spiritual context into which Jesus is speaking.
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The figure of a shepherd is used in the Old Testament in regard to those who had a responsibility to lead
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and to care for the people of God.
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And so in Ezekiel 34, the Lord chastises the spiritual shepherds of Ezekiel's day and says,
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you have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured.
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You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost.
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You have ruled them harshly and brutally.
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And so the shepherds, the priests, the kings, they had failed in their responsibility to shepherd the people.
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And the Lord, in response, says that he himself will come and he will shepherd them.
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I will rescue my flock.
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I myself will tend my sheep.
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I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak.
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And in the chapter preceding Jesus' words about being a shepherd,
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this has actually come to life in the treatment of the man who was born blind.
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The so-called leaders of this man, the Jews, the Pharisees, had paid little attention to him.
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They certainly could not have given him sight,
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but they did owe to him a duty of care.
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They ought to have given him guidance.
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They ought to have given him encouragement.
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And instead of that, when the man refuses to respond to their words,
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they tie him up in abstruse arguments.
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And eventually, they expel him from the synagogue.
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And it's Jesus, the good shepherd, who comes to him and who gives to him physical sight,
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but also comes and encourages him.
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He seeks him out in his isolation and in his loneliness.
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He comes with compassion after his excommunication
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and shows not only physical care, but brings to him spiritual sight.
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In a world that is lost, in a world which is oppressed by false leaders,
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the Lord Jesus Christ comes and offers himself as the true leader,
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the one who can be relied upon.
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I am the good shepherd, Jesus says.
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And as we consider these verses in John 10 this evening,
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I want us to think in terms of the call of the shepherd
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and then secondly, the credibility of the shepherd
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and then thirdly and briefly, the cross of the shepherd.
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The call of the shepherd, the credibility of the shepherd
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and the cross of the shepherd.
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There are some memories which stick with you.
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And I can remember quite clearly still one day in the summertime,
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being down in Glasgow and being in Central Station, Glasgow
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and just being impressed, almost overwhelmed,
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by the teeming mass of humanity.
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People going hither and thither in different directions.
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Some treading purposefully to the train that they knew they had to get.
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Others looking up anxiously at the board.
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Others seeming just to wander about aimlessly,
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passing the time, filling in the minutes.
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But all around, in different media,
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messages bombarding this great mass of humanity.
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Messages that were coming in neon or messages coming from the billboards.
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Messages which were being handed out in leaflets.
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And in different ways, the messages were offering prizes of different kinds.
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They were offering information, beauty, success of different kinds.
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One voice after another, calling out,
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Listen to me.
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I have what you need.
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I can give you direction.
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Heed my voice.
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And I wondered, especially in regard to young people,
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how does one discern the voice that has your interest at heart?
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The voice that is not there simply to manipulate and destroy and tread you down,
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but the voice that will do you good.
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How hard it is for young people, especially in our day,
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with all of the confusing messages about identity and purpose,
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to discern what is good and true.
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And Jesus comes and declares that he is the one
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who will give the guidance that we need.
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And his voice is the one that we need to hear.
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Jesus speaks also of a sheepfold
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and of a gate to this sheepfold.
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And we're familiar again, are we not,
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with these kind of stone enclosures.
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The back of our house in Linerco in Skye,
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there is a very substantial stone flank.
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I think it probably encloses about 20 acres of pasture.
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And there is, as in the Jesus figure,
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one entrance to it,
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one entrance in which the sheep make their way.
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And Jesus speaks of a watchman
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who will watch over the entrance to the fold
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because there would be different flocks would be coming in
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and he is making sure
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that only those who are the rightful owners enter.
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But there's always the possibility
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that a robber will come in
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and will avoid the gate
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and will come in over the wall itself
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and will seek to go off with sheep
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with which he has no right.
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So Jesus is speaking of two voices here
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in the parable.
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There is the voice of the robber
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whose intention is negative,
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is evil,
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who is there to exploit
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and to draw away.
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And then there is his own voice.
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There's the voice of Jesus
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and there is the voice of the robber.
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We have robber personalities
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in all different kinds of walks of life, don't we?
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They occur in politics.
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There are those who simply are wooing you,
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not necessarily for your own interest,
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but because they want your vote.
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Salesmen who want your money.
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But most seriously of all,
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it can occur in the realm of religion.
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All kinds of movements,
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different sects,
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different religious personalities,
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promising healing,
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promising wealth,
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or prestige.
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And like the Pharisees in Jesus' day,
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many of the individuals
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who set themselves up in the visible church
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are ultimately in it
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for their own good.
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Sadly, many people in ministry positions
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are not there
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because they have had a genuine call
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to shepherd a flock,
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but are there because of an inner hunger.
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There are issues in their lives
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that have never been resolved
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and as a consequence,
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they have an inner compulsion
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to lord it over other people.
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They want a name.
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They want to influence
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the direction of people's lives
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and so be thought to be significant
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in their eyes,
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to be looked up to.
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And in their hunger,
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they devour the flock,
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which is a terrible thing
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when you think of it.
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The shepherd's work there
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is to defend
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and to prosper his flock.
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And the false shepherd,
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or the robber,
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does the very opposite,
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devours the flock.
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Jesus warned against those
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who are inwardly hungry wolves,
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driven by an appetite
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for their own prestige,
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which results in the flock
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being hurt.
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So there is this voice.
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There's the voice of the robber
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and then there is the voice
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of the good shepherd,
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the voice of Jesus.
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His sheep follow him
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because they know his voice.
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What is the voice of Jesus
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saying to us?
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What is it calling us to?
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Well, it's a voice, first of all,
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that calls us to come under
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his leadership.
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It doesn't take much
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of an acquaintance with sheep
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to realize that they have
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no organizational acumen.
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If you leave them to themselves,
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they'll scatter to the winds.
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They'll generally make a mess of things.
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A shepherd is needed
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to come along
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with a note of authority
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to bring them under his rule,
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his direction,
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to send them to where
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they are supposed to be going
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by the proper route.
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And first of all,
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we stress that the voice of Jesus
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sounds out to call us
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under his leadership
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or under his lordship,
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we would say.
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The gospel never is a declaration
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of some facts
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that we can be disinterested listeners to.
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It always calls for
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a response of obedience,
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of submission
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to the Lord Jesus Christ.
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It's a summons to enlist.
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It's a call to leave off
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going our own way,
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to abandon
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what is
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a determined impulse
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within us
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to be independent
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and to rule our own lives
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and to set our own direction
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and to submit instead
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to the direction
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of the good shepherd.
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So the voice of Jesus
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is first of all
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a call
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to follow.
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He comes as the Lord
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who has a right
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over our lives.
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The new Christian
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is someone
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who has come under
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a new regime.
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He has given his allegiance
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to a new leader.
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And so the Lord himself,
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when he comes,
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Mark gives us
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the summary of his gospel.
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Jesus came
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preaching
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the good news.
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The kingdom of God
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is near.
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Repent.
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Turn around
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and believe
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the good news.
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A summons
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to obedience.
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Second,
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the voice of Jesus
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not only calls us
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to come under
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his leadership,
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but it calls us
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to new purpose.
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New purpose.
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Sheep need direction.
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The shepherd
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gives them direction
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as he leads them
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out of the fold.
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Going back
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to this picture
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of the crowd
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milling around
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in the great train station
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or maybe
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the concourse
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of an airport.
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And you look at
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and you wonder
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what is going on
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in the lives
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of all of these
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different people.
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And you wonder
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how many of them
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are actually
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inwardly aching
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for some purpose
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in their lives.
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They're following
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maybe a career path.
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Because that's
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what everybody
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else has done.
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Or they're chasing
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their own pleasures,
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their own desires,
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but it's ultimately
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satisfaction
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is eluding them
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and they're looking
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for purpose
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in their lives.
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And Jesus calls us
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to a new direction.
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Jesus calls us
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and he claims
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that he will give us
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a new purpose
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to our lives.
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And so he comes
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to men
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who are fishing.
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Peter, James,
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and John.
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and he says
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I will make you
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fishers in the
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truest sense.
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I will make you
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fishers of men.
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Jesus calls us
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to new purpose.
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Jesus calls us
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thirdly
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to life
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in its fullness
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to the life
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that is ultimately
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the life
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that fulfills.
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the life
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of the evil
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one,
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Satan,
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is a siren
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voice that will
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lure us
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onto the rocks
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which will be
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destructive.
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The thief
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has only
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self-interest
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at heart,
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never has the
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good of
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the sheep
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at heart,
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but Jesus
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comes and
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his desire
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is to enrich
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our lives,
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to bless us.
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maybe someone
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is here
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in church
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this evening
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and you're
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not yet a
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Christian
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and you're
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doing a wise
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thing,
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you're counting
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the cost.
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Jesus always
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said that we
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should count
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the cost
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before following
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him.
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Jesus never
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made it
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possible to
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opt in
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via easy
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believism.
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He challenged
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people to
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consider what
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it would cost.
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but we
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must never
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buy into
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the lie
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that
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the
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Christian
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life is
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a life
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in which
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we are
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robbed
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of the
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good that
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we may
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have.
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That is
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Satan's
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lie.
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Satan
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from the
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very beginning
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accused God
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of being a
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killjoy,
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of being
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one who
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would withhold
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from Adam
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and Eve
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that which
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was for
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their own
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good.
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And Satan
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consistently
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tries to
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deceive in
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that way.
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So don't
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let anybody
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tell you that
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if you become
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a Christian
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you will be
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the poorer
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for it.
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Jesus
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candidly
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tells us
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that we
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will have
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to take
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up our
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cross,
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that we
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will experience
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criticism,
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that there
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will be
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the abandonment
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of some
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fair-weather
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friends who
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no longer
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are interested
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in going
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with us
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when we
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follow Jesus.
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but the
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ultimate
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reality is
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that Jesus
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is calling
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us to
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life in
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its
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fullness.
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I have
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come that
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we may
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have
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life and
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have it
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in all
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of its
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fullness,
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an abundant
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life,
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not simply
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scraping along
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until at the
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very end
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we slide
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into heaven,
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but a life
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of love
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of love
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and joy
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and peace.
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These are
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the three
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essential
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ingredients
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of the
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Christian walk.
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Jesus has
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promised
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that we
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will have
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life
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with his
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great
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daily
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provisions.
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Moreover,
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it's a
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life that
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we prove
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as Christians
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to be,
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a life
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which brings
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joy at
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every turn,
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in which
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there is
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an adventure
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in following
18:13
the Lord
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Jesus.
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Many of
18:15
you here
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will testify
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to that
18:17
fact,
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that following
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Jesus brings
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us into
18:21
opportunities
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that we
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would never
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have dreamed
18:24
would be
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possible,
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of meeting
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people from
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different
18:29
cultures who
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have shared
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the same
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love for
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the Savior
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that we
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have,
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and we're
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knit together
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with a
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kindred
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spirit.
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How different
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it is from
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the fantasies
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that are
18:43
chased by
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those who
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are listening
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to the
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robber's
18:48
voice.
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Here many
18:50
people say
18:50
today,
18:51
you can
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have it
18:52
all.
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You know,
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you can
18:54
have the
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high-flying
18:56
career,
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you can
18:58
work 14
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days and
18:59
still have
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that flourishing
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marriage and
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family life.
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And usually
19:02
the people
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who claim
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that you
19:03
can have
19:04
it all
19:04
in that
19:04
sense
19:05
are
19:05
miserable
19:06
advertisements
19:07
for the
19:08
have-it-all
19:09
lifestyle
19:09
because they
19:10
looked dried
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up,
19:11
burned out.
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But Jesus
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offers not
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a life made
19:15
up of
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material things,
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but this
19:17
life of
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love and
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joy and
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peace,
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of self-control,
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wisdom,
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gentleness,
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a consciousness
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in our hearts
19:29
that God
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is real.
19:33
And moreover,
19:33
he has a
19:34
purpose for
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our lives.
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Our lives are
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not meaningless.
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They count
19:40
for something.
19:42
He promises
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that we
19:44
may have
19:45
mastery over
19:46
the things
19:48
that can
19:48
potentially
19:49
enslave
19:50
us.
19:52
Greed,
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envy,
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sexual
19:56
immorality,
19:58
alcoholism,
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lying.
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Jesus is
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offering
20:04
to his
20:05
sheep
20:06
life in
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all its
20:08
foods.
20:08
I have
20:08
come that
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they might
20:09
have life
20:10
abundantly.
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So the
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shepherd is
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calling
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in all of
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the myriad
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voices that
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call to us
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in different
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directions.
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There's the
20:23
voice of
20:23
Jesus
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calling
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distinctively.
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how can
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we trust
20:30
this voice?
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How do
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we know
20:34
that Jesus
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is telling
20:36
the truth?
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This is a
20:39
vital question
20:40
again,
20:41
especially at
20:41
the threshold
20:43
of believing
20:45
as we
20:45
consider the
20:46
cost,
20:47
as we
20:47
think of
20:47
whether we
20:48
will go
20:49
forward and
20:50
be a
20:51
follower of
20:51
Jesus Christ.
20:52
Can he be
20:53
trusted?
20:54
Are his
20:54
claims trustworthy?
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And Jesus
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himself tells
20:58
us here why
20:58
we can
20:59
trust his
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claims.
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And first
21:03
of all he
21:03
tells us that
21:04
he is the
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one who
21:05
has come
21:06
through the
21:07
gate.
21:07
I tell you
21:08
the truth,
21:08
the man who
21:09
does not
21:09
enter the
21:10
sheep pen
21:10
by the
21:10
gate but
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climbs in
21:12
some other
21:12
way is a
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thief and a
21:15
robber.
21:15
The man who
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enters by
21:16
the gate is
21:18
the shepherd
21:18
of his
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sheep.
21:21
What Jesus
21:22
is saying
21:23
here is that
21:23
there is an
21:24
appointed way
21:25
to enter
21:27
the sheep
21:27
fold and
21:28
he has
21:29
entered via
21:30
the proper
21:31
way.
21:33
That's the
21:33
case, isn't
21:34
it, in
21:34
life?
21:35
There's a
21:35
proper way
21:35
to come
21:36
into church
21:36
this evening.
21:38
I don't
21:38
think anybody
21:39
came through
21:39
a window or
21:40
climbed under
21:41
pews to
21:42
get to their
21:42
seat.
21:43
There was a
21:43
proper way
21:44
and we
21:45
entered via
21:45
the proper
21:46
way.
21:47
And the
21:48
Old Testament
21:48
scriptures
21:49
had said
21:50
that there
21:50
would be a
21:51
way by
21:52
which the
21:53
Messiah would
21:54
come.
21:55
they predicted
21:59
where he
22:00
would be
22:00
born,
22:02
to whom
22:02
he would
22:03
be born
22:03
to,
22:04
the unusual
22:05
character of
22:06
his birth,
22:07
how he would
22:07
appear to
22:08
the nation,
22:09
how he'd be
22:10
introduced,
22:11
where he
22:11
would live,
22:11
what he
22:12
would say,
22:13
what he
22:13
would do
22:13
when he
22:14
came,
22:15
the manner
22:15
of his
22:16
death,
22:17
his
22:17
resurrection.
22:19
This is
22:20
what Jesus
22:20
means.
22:21
He came
22:21
the predicted,
22:23
the prophesied
22:24
way.
22:25
He's
22:25
credentialed.
22:28
No other
22:29
person in
22:29
all of the
22:30
history of
22:31
Israel ever
22:32
came to the
22:33
people of
22:33
Israel this
22:34
way.
22:35
This is how
22:36
we can know
22:37
that Jesus
22:37
is the true
22:38
shepherd and
22:39
his words are
22:40
to be trusted.
22:41
He entered
22:42
by the
22:43
door.
22:45
He was
22:45
born in
22:45
Bethlehem,
22:48
prophesied
22:49
by the
22:49
prophet
22:50
Micah.
22:51
He was
22:54
born of
22:54
a virgin.
22:56
Isaiah
22:56
7,
22:56
4,
22:57
a virgin
22:57
shall be
22:58
with
22:58
child.
23:00
It was
23:00
said his
23:01
name would
23:01
be called
23:01
Wonderful
23:02
Counselor,
23:03
the Mighty
23:03
God,
23:04
the Everlasting
23:04
Father,
23:05
the Prince
23:05
of Peace.
23:07
He's the
23:07
one who
23:08
was presented
23:08
in the
23:09
temple as
23:10
an infant,
23:11
circumcised
23:12
on the
23:12
eighth day
23:13
according to
23:13
the law.
23:15
He was
23:16
owned by
23:16
God at
23:17
his
23:17
baptism.
23:18
He came
23:19
the accepted
23:20
way.
23:22
And on
23:22
the other
23:22
hand,
23:24
false
23:24
shepherds,
23:25
those who
23:25
come to
23:25
manipulate and
23:26
to prey upon
23:28
the flock,
23:29
they are
23:29
recognized by
23:30
their craftiness
23:31
and their
23:31
cunning.
23:33
There's a
23:33
lack of
23:34
openness in
23:35
their dealings.
23:36
They're not
23:36
credentialed.
23:39
One of the
23:40
hallmarks of
23:41
all Christian
23:41
converse and
23:43
dealings should
23:44
be the
23:45
openness with
23:46
which we
23:46
deal with
23:46
one another.
23:48
everything
23:49
conducted in
23:50
daylight.
23:53
But the
23:53
thief and
23:54
the robber
23:54
dwells in
23:55
the shade
23:56
and the
23:57
darkness.
24:00
Jesus came
24:00
through the
24:01
gate.
24:02
His way
24:03
was prophesied.
24:06
And
24:06
interestingly,
24:07
Jesus says
24:08
that he
24:09
can be
24:10
trusted because
24:11
the watchman
24:12
opens the
24:13
gate for
24:14
the good
24:14
shepherd.
24:15
What does
24:15
this mean?
24:16
Probably this
24:17
is referring to
24:18
John the
24:18
Baptist who
24:19
was looking
24:20
out for
24:20
the coming
24:21
of the
24:22
Savior.
24:24
John pointed
24:25
to Jesus.
24:26
Behold the
24:26
Lamb of
24:27
God who
24:28
takes away
24:28
the sin
24:29
of the
24:29
world.
24:30
He's
24:31
credentialed by
24:32
John's
24:32
testimony.
24:35
And
24:35
thirdly,
24:36
he's known
24:36
by the
24:37
care he
24:37
has for
24:38
the sheep.
24:39
sheep.
24:41
What a
24:42
wonderful way
24:42
of knowing
24:43
that Jesus
24:44
is all
24:45
he says
24:45
he is
24:46
because he
24:47
loves his
24:47
sheep.
24:49
And in
24:49
Jesus'
24:50
earthly ministry
24:51
there is
24:51
this tenderness
24:52
towards all
24:54
with whom
24:54
he comes
24:55
in contact.
24:58
He knows
24:59
your name.
24:59
he knows
25:03
your personal
25:04
circumstances
25:05
all about
25:06
you.
25:08
In all of
25:09
his dealings
25:09
with people
25:11
in his
25:11
earthly ministry
25:12
there is
25:12
this personal
25:13
loving
25:14
nature.
25:17
In his
25:18
dealings with
25:18
Zacchaeus,
25:20
the woman
25:22
at the
25:22
well,
25:23
the Roman
25:24
centurion,
25:25
the woman
25:25
with the
25:26
issue of
25:26
blood,
25:26
blood,
25:27
Jesus knew
25:28
their
25:29
circumstances,
25:30
dealt
25:30
with them
25:31
with
25:32
tenderness,
25:33
with
25:34
gentleness,
25:36
and he
25:36
comes close
25:37
to us.
25:39
The shepherd
25:40
is the
25:41
good shepherd
25:41
and because
25:42
the sheep
25:43
trust him
25:43
he comes
25:43
close to
25:44
them.
25:44
There is
25:44
an intimacy
25:45
in his
25:46
dealings
25:47
with us.
25:49
And that
25:49
is such
25:50
a contrast
25:50
with the
25:51
way that
25:52
people who
25:53
try to
25:54
big up
25:54
their
25:54
position
25:55
deal with
25:56
those.
25:58
In fact,
25:58
by creating
25:59
a distance
26:00
from others
26:01
they seek
26:02
to make
26:03
themselves
26:04
seem more
26:05
important in
26:05
all kinds
26:06
of different
26:06
ways,
26:07
in ways
26:07
that we
26:07
recognize
26:08
sometimes as
26:09
simply being
26:10
normal.
26:10
The business
26:11
desk that
26:12
separates the
26:13
interviewer from
26:14
the person
26:15
being interviewed.
26:16
The way that
26:17
the secretary
26:17
shields her
26:19
boss from
26:20
others.
26:21
The military
26:22
uniform that
26:23
sets somebody
26:24
off from
26:26
the common
26:27
rank.
26:27
But Jesus
26:28
is with
26:28
his sheep.
26:30
He goes
26:31
ahead of
26:32
them.
26:32
He never
26:32
abandons
26:33
them.
26:33
He never
26:33
allows them
26:35
to go
26:35
through some
26:36
circumstance
26:36
which is
26:38
darker or
26:39
harder than
26:40
any he has
26:41
experienced
26:41
himself.
26:47
And
26:47
fourthly,
26:48
we know
26:49
Jesus can
26:51
be trusted
26:52
because of
26:55
our
26:55
experience
26:57
of him,
26:58
of his
26:59
voice.
27:00
It rings
27:01
true
27:02
deep within
27:03
us.
27:07
Doctrinally,
27:08
we would
27:08
say that
27:09
that is the
27:09
Holy Spirit
27:10
testifying in
27:11
our hearts
27:12
the truth
27:13
of Jesus'
27:15
words.
27:15
voice.
27:19
And so
27:19
we read
27:20
the Bible
27:20
and we're
27:22
gripped by
27:22
the Bible
27:23
because Jesus
27:25
speaks to
27:27
us.
27:27
His voice
27:27
comes to
27:28
us through
27:28
the word
27:30
written.
27:34
God's
27:34
people,
27:35
those he is
27:35
calling by
27:36
name,
27:37
recognize in
27:38
the words
27:39
of the
27:40
Old and
27:40
the New
27:41
Testament
27:41
the authentic
27:42
voice of
27:43
Jesus.
27:44
us.
27:44
We know
27:45
his voice.
27:47
J.B.
27:47
Phillips,
27:48
who was
27:50
the great
27:50
New Testament
27:51
translator,
27:52
when he
27:53
wrote his
27:53
autobiography,
27:55
he entitled
27:56
it Rings
27:57
of Truth
27:58
after the
27:59
way in
27:59
which he
28:00
had been
28:00
repeatedly
28:01
convinced
28:02
by the
28:02
truth of
28:03
the New
28:04
Testament
28:04
as he
28:04
worked
28:05
closely
28:05
with it.
28:06
It
28:06
simply
28:07
rang
28:07
true
28:08
deep
28:09
within
28:09
us.
28:10
And
28:10
friends,
28:11
when we
28:11
read our
28:12
Bibles,
28:13
when we
28:13
come to
28:14
be drawn
28:15
by Jesus
28:16
and we
28:17
encounter
28:18
him in
28:18
his word,
28:19
there's
28:19
something
28:19
that simply
28:21
rings
28:22
true
28:22
deep
28:23
within.
28:25
Holy
28:25
Spirit
28:26
applying
28:26
the
28:27
truthfulness
28:28
of the
28:29
word
28:29
to us.
28:32
And by
28:32
the same
28:32
token,
28:33
Jesus'
28:34
sheep
28:34
learn to
28:35
recognize
28:36
the
28:37
imposter.
28:39
They
28:39
become
28:41
discerning.
28:42
man.
28:43
So the
28:43
experience
28:44
in ministry
28:45
often has
28:46
been people
28:47
will come
28:48
and they
28:48
will say,
28:49
what do
28:50
you think
28:50
of this
28:51
booklet,
28:52
this
28:52
leaflet?
28:53
There's
28:53
something in
28:53
it that
28:54
seems a
28:54
bit dodgy,
28:55
doesn't
28:55
seem quite
28:56
right.
28:57
That's a
28:58
huge
28:58
encouragement
28:58
because it's
29:00
saying that
29:00
somebody has
29:01
begun to
29:02
discern the
29:03
difference
29:03
between the
29:04
voice of
29:04
the shepherd
29:05
and the
29:07
voice of
29:07
the imposter,
29:09
the one who
29:09
was there to
29:10
manipulate and
29:12
to exploit.
29:16
So Jesus
29:16
is saying
29:17
that he
29:17
wants us
29:18
to lead
29:18
us into
29:19
a new
29:19
world in
29:20
which there
29:21
is a
29:22
new life,
29:23
a life that
29:24
is marked
29:24
by truth,
29:26
by satisfaction,
29:28
and he
29:30
is the
29:30
door,
29:31
and he
29:32
is the
29:32
only door,
29:34
the only
29:35
way to
29:36
this life
29:37
in all
29:37
its fullness
29:38
is by
29:39
Jesus.
29:45
Thirdly,
29:46
and then
29:46
very briefly,
29:48
the cross
29:48
of the
29:49
shepherd.
29:53
The shepherd
29:54
shows that
29:55
he is the
29:56
good shepherd
29:56
by his
29:59
love to
30:00
the very
30:01
end.
30:02
Jesus is
30:03
willing to
30:04
lay down
30:05
his life
30:06
for his
30:07
sheep,
30:08
and he
30:08
contrasts
30:09
his own
30:10
commitment
30:10
to the
30:11
sheep
30:11
by the
30:12
passing
30:13
interest
30:14
that the
30:15
hired
30:15
hand has.
30:16
The hired
30:17
hand is
30:17
paid for
30:18
the hours
30:20
he's with
30:20
the sheep,
30:21
but at the
30:21
first whiff
30:22
of trouble
30:22
he's off,
30:23
but Jesus
30:24
lays down
30:25
his life
30:26
for his
30:27
sheep.
30:28
And
30:29
verses
30:29
17 and
30:30
18
30:30
stress the
30:31
purposeful
30:32
nature of
30:32
Jesus'
30:33
death.
30:33
death.
30:35
Jesus
30:36
didn't
30:36
die on
30:37
the cross
30:38
of Calvary
30:38
because his
30:39
mission had
30:40
gone badly
30:41
wrong.
30:42
Jesus
30:43
could never
30:44
have secured
30:44
salvation by
30:46
an accidental
30:47
death.
30:47
His death
30:48
wasn't an
30:48
accident,
30:49
it wasn't a
30:49
tragedy,
30:50
it was a
30:51
purposeful
30:52
laying down
30:53
of his
30:54
life for
30:55
his sheep.
30:57
One
30:58
commentator,
30:58
Don Carson,
30:59
writes,
30:59
the shepherd
31:00
does not die
31:00
for his
31:01
sheep to
31:02
serve as an
31:02
example,
31:03
throwing himself
31:04
off a
31:05
cliff in
31:06
a grotesque
31:07
and futile
31:08
display while
31:09
bellowing,
31:10
see how much
31:11
I love you.
31:12
No,
31:12
the assumption
31:13
is that the
31:13
sheep are in
31:14
mortal danger,
31:16
that in
31:17
their defense
31:18
the shepherd
31:18
loses his
31:19
life,
31:20
that by his
31:21
death they
31:22
are saved,
31:24
and that
31:24
that alone
31:26
is what
31:26
makes him
31:27
the good
31:28
shepherd.
31:29
I am the
31:30
good shepherd,
31:31
good shepherd
31:32
lays down
31:33
his life
31:34
for the
31:35
sheep.
31:36
What a
31:37
wonderful,
31:38
wonderful truth
31:40
that is.
31:42
And it's a
31:42
truth that the
31:43
writers of the
31:44
New Testament
31:45
could never
31:46
get over,
31:48
that Jesus
31:48
had loved
31:49
them to
31:50
the extent
31:51
of laying
31:52
down his
31:52
life.
31:53
And so we
31:53
have these
31:54
awestruck
31:55
references in
31:57
the pages of
31:57
our New
31:58
Testament to
31:58
this.
32:01
John writes
32:01
in Revelation,
32:03
unto him
32:04
who loved
32:05
us and
32:06
washed us
32:07
from our
32:08
sins in
32:08
his own
32:09
blood.
32:10
Paul in
32:11
Romans,
32:11
why we
32:12
were yet
32:12
sinners,
32:14
Christ
32:14
died for
32:16
us.
32:18
Peter,
32:18
he bore
32:19
our sins
32:20
in his
32:21
own body
32:22
on the
32:23
tree.
32:25
The writer
32:26
to the
32:26
Hebrews,
32:27
who through
32:27
the eternal
32:27
spirit,
32:28
offered
32:29
himself
32:30
without
32:30
spot
32:31
unto
32:32
God.
32:34
He is
32:34
the good
32:35
shepherd.
32:35
He laid
32:36
down his
32:37
life for
32:37
his sheep.
32:38
Then we
32:39
come to
32:39
the end
32:40
of Jesus'
32:40
discourse,
32:41
and we
32:41
have a
32:41
very familiar
32:42
outcome.
32:44
There is
32:44
a division
32:45
of opinion.
32:47
There are
32:47
those who
32:48
dismiss Jesus
32:50
as being
32:51
demon
32:51
possessed,
32:54
but others
32:55
said,
32:55
these are
32:56
not the
32:56
words of
32:57
a man
32:57
possessed
32:57
by a
32:58
demon.
32:58
And the
33:02
question we
33:02
finish with
33:03
is,
33:03
what about
33:04
you?
33:06
What is
33:06
your response
33:07
to the
33:09
voice of
33:10
Jesus?
33:12
He is the
33:13
good shepherd,
33:14
and he calls
33:16
us to
33:16
himself,
33:17
and he
33:17
offers to
33:18
us life
33:18
in all
33:19
its
33:19
fullness,
33:19
true life
33:21
with meaning,
33:23
filled with
33:23
love and
33:24
joy and
33:25
purpose,
33:26
love and
33:26
the
33:27
fellowship
33:27
with the
33:28
other
33:29
members of
33:29
his flock.
33:31
He will
33:32
never leave
33:33
us nor
33:34
forsake us,
33:35
but he
33:36
calls us to
33:37
enter by
33:38
the gate.
33:40
I am the
33:41
gate,
33:41
says Jesus.
33:44
Will you
33:45
enter that
33:46
gate
33:46
this evening,
33:49
if you have
33:50
not done
33:50
already,
33:52
hearing the
33:52
voice of
33:53
Jesus,
33:53
responding in
33:55
faith,
33:56
Lord,
33:57
I believe,
33:58
help me to
33:59
overcome my
34:01
unbelief.
34:03
Let's pray
34:04
together.
34:05
Father, we
34:05
thank you for
34:06
this beautiful
34:07
picture of
34:08
our blessed
34:09
Savior,
34:10
this picture
34:11
of the
34:11
shepherd,
34:13
at the
34:14
same time
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strong and
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yet gentle,
34:18
approachable,
34:19
and yet
34:20
majestic.
34:22
Thank you
34:22
that his
34:23
voice speaks
34:23
to us in
34:25
the innermost
34:25
parts of
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our soul.
34:28
Lord, grant
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that by your
34:29
Holy Spirit
34:30
we may know
34:30
with certainty
34:31
that he is
34:33
ours and we
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are his,
34:36
for now and
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forever.
34:38
In Jesus'
34:39
name we
34:39
pray.
34:40
Amen.
34:41
Amen.
34:41
Psalm 67,
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Psalm 67,
34:54
and we are
34:55
singing from
34:56
the Scottish
34:57
Psalter,
34:59
the second
35:00
part of
35:00
our
35:01
psalm
35:01
book.
35:01
Psalm 67,
35:01
Psalm 67,
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Page 300, verses 1 to 7.
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Lord, bless and pity us, shine on us with thy face,
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that the earth, thy way, and nations all may know thy saving grace.
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The tune is Zurich, and we may stand and sing.
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Let the earth, thy way, and nations all may know thy saving grace.
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Let people praise thee, Lord.
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Let people all thee praise.
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O let the nations be glad, and songs their voices raise.
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Thou justly people judge, on our true nations all.
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Let people praise thee, Lord.
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Let them praise thee, both great and small.
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The earth, our fruit shall yield, our God shall blessings send.
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God shall as blessed men shall in fear, and to earth at most end.
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Amen.
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Now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
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rest upon you now and forevermore.
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Amen.
37:26
Amen.
37:26
Amen.
37:27
Amen.
37:28
Amen.
37:29
Amen.
37:30
Amen.
37:32
We had an incident during the service where our lady took unwell.
37:35
She's come round.
37:36
She's talking.
37:37
But we're just waiting on the ambulance to arrive to take her to the hospital.
37:42
So if I could ask everyone downstairs to use the two side exits here
37:47
and those upstairs to use the main door.
37:51
There may be an ambulance outside as you're going out.
37:54
So just be aware of that.
37:55
We will still go ahead with the fellowship.
37:58
So if you are staying for the fellowship, just make your way through to the halls.
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If you're downstairs, you can just go out this door through to the hall.
38:06
So just take your time and just be aware that there's things going on outside.
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Thank you.
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I should say myself and Ivor will just leave you to disperse.
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We won't go to a door either.
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So just make your way out.