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May 26, 2024 Covenant Reformed Baptist Church Tullahoma, TN Pastor Jeff Rice
All right, if you will at this time take your copy of the scriptures and turn with me to the gospel of John we're going to consider verses 11 through 21. The gospel of John chapter 10. 11 through 21. This will be our fifth message in John chapter 10.
This is our 64th message in the gospel of John. John chapter 10 verses 11 through 21. Allow me to open in prayer gracious God father son and Holy Spirit. Lord, thank you for your word. Thank you that you have allowed me to stand before your people today.
What I pray that I am able to articulate well this message. I Solely rely upon you Oh Lord to Call to my mind the things in which I have learned. Please in the name of Jesus the Christ Use me this day.
As well as all faithful ministers throughout this world to feed Your sheep in Jesus name we pray Amen. All right, let's begin with the text John chapter 10. Beginning in verse 11. We'll read to verse 21.
Jesus speaking I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd who does not own the sheep. Sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and fleas and The wolf snatches them and scatters them.
He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the Good Shepherd and I know my own and my own know me. Just as the father knows me and I know the father I lay down my life. For the sheep I have other sheep that are not of this boat.
I must bring them also and They will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock one shepherd. For this reason the father loves me because I lay down my life. That I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on My own accord.
I have authority to lay it down and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I received from my father. There again a division among the Jews because of these words. There was again, excuse me.
There was again a division among the Jews because of these words. Many of them said He has a demon and is insane. Why listen to him. Others said These are not the words of a man who is possessed by a demon.
Can a demon open the eyes of the blind. Our theme for this Lord's Day is the work of the Good Shepherd. The work of the Good Shepherd and my proposition that which I aim to prove is this. It is only through the work of the Good Shepherd that we have been made his sheep.
If you are his sheep, it is because of the work done by Christ. It is not by your own efforts. You do not make yourself his sheep. The question is are you his sheep? Have you heard the voice of Jesus and the proclamation of the gospel and have you followed him?
Ladies and gentlemen, this is a serious question. I say this quite often as I'm on the streets witnessing that there's nothing more important than where you will spend eternity. Yesterday, I was witnessing and I Was brought to mind James where James says that this life is but a mess.
It's a vapor and I pointed to the people and said if you're Boiling something or you're boiling water, you know, don't make a habit of watching water bowl like that just takes forever. Right, but if you walk into the kitchen and you see water bowl and you see the steam coming off of the pot.
That steam only goes so high until you cannot see the steam no more and James tells us that is our life. And there's some infants who are born dead and there's some babies who die in infancy. There's you know little children die.
Teenagers die young adults die people in their 30s die so on and so forth and you can even make it to be a hundred or even past that. Everyone dies and the Bible says that that is but a miss it's a vapor and it's fat and it's passing away.
It's here for a little time but eternity. Time after this is what we need to consider in this life. If you have followed him your assurance and salvation is found in Christ. And if you have not followed him you have no assurance.
If you're in Christ when you die. You have assurance by the death burial and life death burial resurrection of Jesus Christ that your faith is in him. You will be with him. If in this life you have not faith and you pass my dear friends there is no Assurance, there's no assurance and in our outline.
We're going to see the work of the Good Shepherd in three aspects. We're going to see his work on the cross his work in his death and His work in his resurrection. So point number one His work on the cross point number two his work in his death and point number three his work in his resurrection.
And as we transition, let's all remember. What has taken place here? Everything that has taken place here is because Jesus is a godly troublemaker. He's a godly troublemaker. One of the Old Testament Messianic promises of the Messiah is that he Was going to heal the eyes of the blind and we see that in chapter 9 of John how John?
Heals the eyes of a man born blind now. I would say that this is speaking physically as well as Spiritually, especially as you walk through this chapter. John chapter 9 Jesus comes across a man who was born blind.
Born blind from birth and I can just imagine Jesus looking at Peter and said hey Peter hold my wine. Hold you've heard that before right? Some people say here hold my beer. That's what we say today. They may have beer in a time of Christ.
So Imagine Jesus saying here hold my wine. I'm gonna go. I'm gonna go stir up some trouble. Right these religious Jews they have made the Sabbath they turned the Sabbath into something that it was not for.
As a matter of fact, the Sabbath was the sign of the Mosaic Covenant. Jesus had fulfilled The Mosaic Covenant and his baptism his baptism was to fulfill all righteousness. Christ had already kept the law he had fulfilled the law.
He has served the purpose for which it was sent forth. And he looks to Peter and he says hold my wine. Jesus heals the man by anointing the man's eyes with mud. So Jesus spits on the ground and this is a Sabbath day.
He spits on the ground and he takes his hand probably and he swirls it around me. He takes with his saliva and the dirt and he makes mud and he puts it on the man's eyes. And he tells him to go and wash in the pool of Siloam.
The religious leaders the Pharisees denied this healing that took place. They denied that Jesus performed this healing and they denied that Jesus was from God. And in chapter 9 verse 41 through chapter 10 1 through 18 Jesus is responding to a question raised by the Pharisees in verse 40, which they ask are We also blind because Jesus said that for judgment that he came into this world that those who do not see may See and those who see may become blind.
They were thinking Physical blindness. Are we also blind Jesus? We see you clearly. We see you perfectly. We can describe you we see you so well and yet they're Looking at things that are physical and all throughout this gospel Jesus has been using the the physical things to explain to us the heavenly things and yes, Jesus came to make physically blind man see but also Spiritually blind man see and for those who think that they're righteous in and of themselves through the law He came to make them spiritually blind.
Bible tells us that Christ did not come for the righteous those who think they can obtain righteousness by law keeping but he came for tax collectors and Modern day we would say that he came for pimps and prostitutes.
Jesus came for the low of the lows. He came for those that know. They need a Savior. Doesn't matter if you're rich and poor. Does not matter if you know that you are broken my dear friends Christ died for you.
If you know that you are a sinner my dear friends Christ died for you. If you think you don't need Christ Christ did not die for you. And that's a hard pill for a lot of people to swallow. Now let's begin looking at this it begins our first point.
His work on the cross is going to take us from 11 to verse 15. But let's look at verse 11 first verse 11. Jesus says I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. Now, this should go without saying His work on the cross would accomplish nothing outside of him living a perfect sinless life.
Outside of him keeping the old covenant and bringing the new covenant into reality the covenant of grace. His death means nothing if Jesus had not kept the law. If Jesus had not kept the covenant his death Means nothing it means nothing.
Jesus being the Good Shepherd is speaking about laying down his life. For the sheep and if his life was not sinless It would mean nothing. So the question is is how does he lay down his life and the answer is in his?
Obedience. Without the obedience again his death means nothing. He's not the perfect lamb. He's not who John said he was. John sees him. He says behold him. It's him. He's the one that's the guy. In his words, he said behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
When I read it, I'm thinking he's jumping up and down. That's him. He's the one that the Bible's been speaking about. No more. Do we have to slaughter a lamb consume the lamb and put the blood on the doorpost in the mantle?
No more. Do we have to fulfill these old covenant ritual signs that point to the Messiah because he's here and That lamb had to be spotless. If Jesus did not live a sinless and perfect life, he's not spotless and that sacrifice means nothing.
So in his obedience in his law-keeping he lays down his life. You see a good leader is someone who doesn't tell you to do something that they themselves refuse to do. Follow no one. Who tells you to do something that they are unwilling to do?
I've learned this from a man by the name of Danny Barnhill. You probably hear me talk about him a lot. My dad raised me, but Danny Barnhill taught me how to be a man. He taught me how to answer my phone and to not run from conflict.
He showed me what it was like to be a leader. He never told me to do anything. Without getting in there with me doing the work I worked for him and we worked side by side in Roofing laboring and the and the heat laboring in the cold.
There was no roof too steep for him to be right beside me. Working now one time. Did he tell me to do something? Without being beside me my dear friends. That is a leader. That is a leader. That is a shepherd.
Jesus tells us to take up our cross and Then he goes and takes up his cross. That is a leader. That is a shepherd. The cross that Jesus carried came with a curse. Galatians chapter 3 verse 13 says this.
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law. By becoming a curse for us for it is written. Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree. Turn with me if you will to Deuteronomy chapter 21. Deuteronomy chapter 21.
We're going to read verses 22 and 23. Deuteronomy chapter 21 verses 22 and 23 it says this if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and He is put to death and you hang him on a tree. His body shall not remain on the tree.
Excuse me, his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day for a Homeman is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the Lord your God has given you as an inheritance.
If they would have allowed a man to remain on the tree overnight They would curse the land the Lord had given them. I see two things taking place in Galatians and in Deuteronomy. Well, there's really more but two things I can point out concerning this message.
The first thing is I see is if the Jews had not taken down the body of Jesus or not allowed it permitted it. They would have defiled the land of Israel. Jesus was crucified Taken down the same day and was buried.
They would have broken the law if they forbid it Jesus to come down from that cross. The second thing I see is that Jesus was cursed by his father on that cross. That's what it says, right. The body shall not remain on the tree All night on that tree.
But you shall bury him the same day for a hung man is cursed by God. Cursed is everyone who is hung on the tree. Paul applies that verse to Christ and said that he was cursed. Who done the cursing God he was cursed by God on that tree.
You see being made a curse. By being hung on a tree is how He who knew no sin became sin. 2nd Corinthians chapter 2 verse 21 says this. For our sake he that he here is the father made him the him here is the son for our sake the father made the son to be Sin who knew no sin so that in him the son we might become the righteousness of God.
God curses the son. He becomes a curse. He who knew no sin become sin. You hear people all the time say that Christ died for our sins. How did he die for your sin by becoming cursed? It's not like he was you know.
Like adultery was stapled to his skin or or lying was stapled to his skin. He became a curse. He became sin cursed by God. So that those that are in him might become righteous. He. We become righteous because of what he has done in keeping the law.
He kept the law so that we might become righteousness in his death. He Became the curse so that we might become righteous. Now I want to take this time to expound on something I say quite often every week concerning the gospel.
You hear me say this every week. He lived a life that we could not live and he took the punishment that we deserve in his death. All right. Has there been a week that I haven't said that? Well, that's the truth.
Right. He lived the life that we could not live. You cannot obtain eternal life. I live in a perfect life you cannot do it. And he took the punishment in his death because we cannot keep that law. Christ Jesus did not have to keep the law in order to earn righteousness for himself.
He is Righteousness. He's the one who wrote the law. We could not keep it. He comes forth Born of the Virgin and keeps the law. Christ kept the law. To earn righteousness for you and I that's why we say all the time.
It is as a substitute. We are called to keep the law. We cannot keep it. God himself enters into time becomes flesh and keeps the law in our place and Then we break the law we deserve death and punishment.
Christ took our death and punishment again as a substitute in our place and he gives to us his righteousness that we that he earned for our sake and You can say it like this. Christ kept the law for you.
If you're his sheep, you can rightly say Christ kept the law for me. I Could not keep it. Every one of us are liars and thieves and adulterers at heart and murderers at heart. Who in here has been fully obedient to your parents?
I have not my kids have not. None of us can keep this law and yet the Bible calls us to keep this law. Someone has to keep the law. He doesn't keep it for himself. He keeps it for you. He doesn't die because he's a sinner the soul that sins will die.
Jesus didn't die because he was sinner. It was he was a sinner. He died because you and I are sinners. And he did it as a substitute in our place. Without the active and passive obedience of Jesus Christ.
There is no gospel. The active Obedience is him keeping the law him living the life. His passive obedience is him receiving the sacrifice. Being the Lamb of God behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
That's him. He's the one. That's the purpose my dear friends when he hung on that tree he received the punishment by becoming sin by becoming a curse. The righteous for the unrighteous you and I the Unrighteous him the righteous him the law keeper you and I the law breakers.
We deserve the punishment. He receives the punishment in our place. There is no good news outside of that message. Hence why I say every week He lived the life that we could not live and took the punishment that we deserve.
Now look with me at the next verse verse 12. We'll read verses 12 and 13. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd who does not own the sheep Sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees. And the wolf snatches them and scatters them.
He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. Jesus Is telling us that if he wasn't the Good Shepherd He would have not lived for us and he would have not taken our punishment. The hired hand false Messiahs false shepherds see the trouble coming.
They see the wolves they see the enemies and they take off running and Leave us to be devoured. Because they are hired hands they didn't sign up for this. This is not what they thought was going to happen.
It's not their possessions. But if you're his shape he lays down his life for you. In my house, I have my wife and my kids. I Am NOT a hired hand. No one's hired me to watch over my family. You break in my house.
I You will have to pay the consequences and I would lay down my life For my family. This is a call to under shepherds as well at this church. If I am a hired hand if I'm in this for the money I See the wolf coming and flee.
I Would flee. You're not my possessions. You pay me to be here like your friend. I will not flee. I am NOT the Good Shepherd. Jesus is the Good Shepherd, but he has called us to follow him. Remember follow the leader whatever he does.
We're supposed to do. He's King. What does he tell us to do follow him? And to give our life as a ransom for me. We're to do what he does. The evidence that he is the Good Shepherd is that he laid down his life for you.
He is not a hired hand and he will not he did not flee. Look at verses 14 and 15. He says I am the Good Shepherd. I know my own and my own know me. Just as the father knows me I and I know the father.
I lay down my life for the sheep. You hear me quite often speak about how Christianity is the thinking man's religion. This is not a religion based on Athletes or works that you can do. It is a religion that's based upon what you know what you believe.
Jesus says in John 17 3 now, this is eternal life. He's not saying this is how you get eternal life. He's saying this is what it looks like that you may know God. And that you may know his son Jesus Christ.
Eternal life is knowing God. You can only know God through Jesus and you have to know Jesus. Jesus cannot be just you know, it's just a bumper sticker, right? Like I heard this one lady tell me one day.
She said listen, we don't want to talk about theology. We just want to talk about Jesus. I said lady if you tell me anything about Jesus you're talking theology. This is a thinking man's religion. It comes by what we believe.
What matters is what we believe not what we do. Christ did it for us? It's about what we believe. This word no here right here where it says that he knows us. He is he says, uh, I am the Good Shepherd.
I Know my own and my own know me this word. No is it means intimacy? It means to have an intimate Knowledge of and we read this verse. It just came about and in Sunday school. So if you look with me at Genesis chapter 4.
Look at verse 1. Genesis chapter 4 verse 1. This is the same root word in the Greek. The Greek Septuagint. Translates it the same as it does the other words in the New Testament. It says now Adam knew his wife knew Eve his wife and she conceived and bore Cain saying I have gotten a man with the help of a man.
So so that word there no new no Foreknown. However, however, we want to relate that word. It just means intimacy and through this new Conceived a child. So this word is a word for intimacy. Now turn with me to Amos chapter 2.
No, excuse me. Amos chapter 3 verse 2. Amos chapter 3 verse 2. Let's read 1 for the context. So, you know who is speaking of. It says hear the word of the Lord. Hear the word of Yahweh. You see its capital L or D all capitals.
That's Yahweh the name of God. Hear the word of Yahweh. Has spoken against you. Oh peoples of Israel. So who's he talking to? Peoples of Israel. Against a whole family. That I have brought up out of the land of Egypt.
You only have I known speaking of intimate knowledge of. You only have I known of all the families of the earth. Therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities. Did God not know the other families of the earth?
God not know everyone else on the earth. It says you only have I known. This is talking about an intimate knowledge of of course God knows them. He created them. But he doesn't know them intimately. He doesn't know them personally.
They don't know him personally. He was the God of Israel. He was not the God of the Palestines and the Philistines and and all these other Jebusites and heads I can make will make up some right. He does not know them.
He knows the Israelites. Them only has he know. God knows everyone. Yes. However, there's just a certain group of people and God knows and they are his sheep. They are his sheep. He knows them by name and they know him.
It's those whom he foreknows. It's those whom he knows. Intimately turn with me to a Romans chapter 8. We'll read verse 28. Then we'll read verses 29 through 30. Romans chapter 8 28. It says and we know that for all.
Excuse me, and we know that all that. For those who love God all things work together for good. For those who are called according to his purpose. What's his purpose? Covenant of Redemption. We spoke about this in Sunday School.
God purpose to save a people. His son comes to accomplish the purpose through his death burial. Resurrection the Holy Spirit applies the purpose through the preaching of the message of Christ. All things work together for good.
For those who are called according to his purpose. Death works together for good for those who are called according to his purpose. Whatever tragedy that has befalled you in your life. It works together for good for those who are called according to his purpose.
You say how can you say that? Well, that's just what the Bible says. That's what it says. It's not so easily lived out. My sister recently just passed away and I had to tell her son whom I'm raising that it's for his good.
Because he is called according to the purpose of God. I can't explain it. Nor did he put me here to explain it. But we are to trust that all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose.
Verse 29 and 30 fleshes us out. This is for those whom he foreknew. So this is that intimacy those whom he knows personally. Those whom he has intimate knowledge of he predestined to be conformed to the image of his Father son and this image is speaking about the resurrection.
In order that they might in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. Normally when it's talking about the firstborn Jesus being the firstborn it's speaking of that new creation in the resurrection first 30 for those whom he Predestined he also called this is an effectual call and those whom he called he justified.
This is through your faith when you believe in him. You're justified. Romans chapter 5 verse 1 and The and also and those to me, excuse me those whom he predestined. He also called and those whom he called he also justified and if you have been justified finished reading that verse those whom he has Justified he also glorifies glorification here speaking of that image of Christ our resurrection.
So when he's talking about these sheep whom he knows. It's those the father purpose to say he came into time to die for them to live his live his life for them and to Die for them and when he calls your name through the preaching of the gospel.
You will respond you will hear his voice and you will follow him. That's what the Bible teaches. He has intimate love. Intimate knowledge of Those who are his and he says that he knows you and you are to know him.
I meet people. I mean Christian sometimes who've been in the faith for 50 years and they can't tell you the gospel and they can't tell you anything about Jesus Christ and Christianity is a Jesus says that eternal life is knowing him.
It's knowing the Father Church, we are lacking in teaching his sheep. Preachers are not feeding the sheep. It's not the sheep's fault. It's the preacher's fault. It's the hired hands. You see a wolf isn't always just someone coming in here.
As a Judas goat portraying people a wolf sometimes can just be afraid to hurt your feelings. They're afraid to tell you the hard truth that's found in word. So let's look at the second point. The work in his death verse 16 of our chapter chapter 10.
He says I have other sheep. That are not of this fold. I must bring them also and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock one shepherd. So in verses 1 through 15 of this chapter chapter 10, Jesus is dealing with the lost sheep of Israel the lost sheep of Israel the Jews and In verse 16 Jesus brings into the conversation the lost sheep of the Gentiles.
Romans chapter 3 verse 29 a rhetorical question is asked by Paul. He says or is God the God of the Jews only is he not the God of the Gentiles? Also, then he gives the answer. Yes of Gentiles also. So, how does God make one flock out of the lost sheep of Israel those whom he knows intimately?
And with the lost sheep of the Gentiles those whom he knows intimately. How does he take the two and make them one that is a fair question? And it's one I think that needs to be raised more often in our day.
Many groups in the Christian faith today would would say that God has a separate plan For the Jews than he does for the Gentiles. If that's true. Then there will be two different flocks. But this verse indicates that there is one flock with one shepherd one flock under one shepherd and my dear friends Jesus Does not have a bride and a side chick.
God does not have a bride and a side chick. He's not cheating on his wife. Why would he call you to do something that he is unwilling to do? He calls us to be faithful to our wife to love our wives and God's going to tell us to do something that he himself is unwilling to do.
And yet we got Christians today that says that yeah, the church is just some parentheses that's been brought up in the margins. The Old Testament knew nothing about it because his people rejected him, but let's just get somebody else into this mix.
It's not honoring to the Word of God. He says he's going to take the two Jewish Gentile and make them one. And Ephesians chapter 2 tells us how he takes the two groups and makes them one and turn with me to Ephesians.
Ephesians 2 we're going to start with verse 11. Now pay attention to this. I really like to run my dispensational friends in this verse 11 therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh called the uncircumcision by By what is called the circumcision which is made in the flesh by hands.
They saying you Gentiles Who are called the uncircumcision by the Jews? First well, remember that you were at one time separated from Christ alienated from the Commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise.
Having no hope and without God in this world. So Jesus says he has another flock. That is not a part of that flock. That flock was given the covenants the promises. They were Israel. They were under that Commonwealth that Israel had they were given the law.
They had this covenant kingdom that they were children physical descendants of Abraham. He's telling them you you Gentiles y 'all were separated from this you had no part of Israel. You were alienated.
You are strangers of the promises and look at verse 13. But now in Christ you who are once for all have been brought near how right here by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace who has made us both.
This is Jew and Gentile One and has broken down in his flesh to divide and wall of hostility speaking about the old covenant. When he kept the covenant he led the life that you and I could not live. He broke down the dividing wall of hostility in his flesh through his death burial and resurrection by Abolishing this is what it says the law and the commandments expressed in ordinances that he might create in himself one new Man in the place of the two so making peace.
And yet there's Christians today that says that we're not one but we are two and Might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross thereby killing the hostility. He came to he came and he preached peace to you who are far off.
That's the Gentiles and peace to those who were near that's the Jews. For through him we both you and Gentile have access in one spirit to the father. So you are no longer Strangers and aliens. Verse 12 said we were strangers and aliens in Christ were no longer strangers and aliens.
The Gentile is brought into Israel. The church my dear friends is Israel we are God's people Jew and Gentile. We're one in Christ. We're no longer strangers and aliens. But you are fellow citizens with the Saints and our members of the household of God built on the foundations of the apostles and prophets.
Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone in Whom the whole structures being joined together grows into a holy temple in the Lord in him. You also speaking to the Gentile are being built Into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
The two are made one in Christ. God made the two Jew and Gentile one in Christ. While some religious leaders are trying to separate what God has joined together. What does he say? Let not man. Separate what I have put what I've joined together.
I thought we say in marriage. Who's the the church is the bride of Christ? Jew and Gentile. And still today people are separating us. We got the Jewish Church. We got the white church. We got the black church.
We got the Hispanic Church. My dear friends. There's only one church. There's only one church. The two groups if there's two groups, there's two plans of salvation and you know, that's what they teach.
Then when Christ comes back and there's a secret rapture that the Bible speaks nothing about. That then Christ will be focused on the Jews the Jews will make sacrifice to Christ. That's a gospel of heresy.
That's heresy. It's a gospel of works. My dear friends He lived the life that we could not live and took our punishment in his death and my dear friends the blood of Jesus Christ unites the two Jew and Gentile into one body the body of Christ.
You cannot separate Jesus from his body. Thank physical body. Nor, can you separate the body from Jesus or is it the physical body? Let me put it this way. You cannot separate the church from Christ because.
The church is the body of Christ our dear friend. Who's soon to be a new member him and his wife? Joseph today Identified himself with the body of Christ. The Bible says that he put Christ on Galatians chapter 3 verse 27.
He was united with Christ the body. He was already united in heaven. Through regeneration today. He united with the body the physical members of the church. The physical members of the church. He's a part of Christ's body.
You cannot separate Christ from him and you cannot separate him from Christ. That's what we see here today. The church is Israel. The church is God's people. Point number three his work and his resurrection.
This is taken from verses 17 through 21, but let's just begin with verse 17 through 8 17 and 18 Says for this reason the father loves me because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.
I have authority to lay it down and I have authority to take it up again. Remember earlier I said that Jesus did not keep the law in order to earn righteousness. He is righteousness in the same way. The act of impassive obedience of Jesus Christ did not earn the father's love.
He says for this reason the father loves me a lot of people that can take that and misuse that. His act of impassive obedience did not earn his father's love but through his act of impassive obedience.
The father's love is exalted upon him. It's exalted upon him where you and I can see it with our eyes. Turn with me to Philippians chapter 2. Philippians chapter 2 we're going to read verses 8 through 11.
It says being found in human form. Speaking of Jesus who is God made flesh being found in human form. He humbled himself by becoming obedient To the point of death even death on a cross remember on that tree.
He was cursed. He became obedient To the point of being cursed by his father. Therefore God has exalted him and bestowed upon him the name that is above every name. This right here is saying that he's never more to be cursed.
Verse 10. So that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and Under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father and quite often when I'm out street preaching.
I'll say something like God is going to get glory from you whether it is the bowing of your knee and the confessing with your tongue that Jesus Christ is Lord or If it's from the scream and the smoke of your torment He will receive Glory, you will bow your knee and you will confess Everyone whether in heaven on earth or in hell whether yours bends as mine has been your knees bend as mine do daily and Give God glory and your tongue confesses Jesus Christ to be Lord or whether your knees break and you're forced to bow.
And you're forced to say Christus Lord it is going to happen my dear friends. Bible says he's putting all of his enemies under his feet and the last enemy to be footstooled is death. And that is at the resurrection when we are conformed to the image of the Son the Father's Love for the Son is expressed and the authority given to the Son.
What did he say? He said all Authority in heaven and on earth is given to me and then he charges his church to go out. He charges his body to go out and to make disciples. This is how Daniel chapter 2 comes to pass when it talks about that that rock that's carved out by no human hands Hits the earth and that rock turns into a mountain that covers the whole earth.
It's by his church being obedient his body being obedient and witnessing the gospel. The authority given to him he gives to us. So here's the question who raised Jesus from the dead. Our verse says that he raised himself.
Look at verse 17 again for this reason the father loves me because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me. But I lay it down on my own accord and I see saying I have authority to take it up.
To lay it down and I have authority to take it up speaking about his resurrection who raised him from the dead. Right here. We see that Jesus raised himself from the dead. Galatians chapter 1 verse 1 says this Paul an apostle not from men nor through men but through Jesus Christ and God the Father.
Who raised him from the dead? Okay, so we got one verse that says Jesus raised himself from the dead. This verse says God the Father Raised him from the dead and Romans chapter 8 verse 11 says this if the Spirit speaking of the Holy Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you and He who raised Christ from the dead will also give you your mortal bodies.
Give life to your mortal bodies through the Spirit who dwells in you. So Jesus raises himself from the dead. The Father raises him from the dead and the Holy Spirit raises him from the dead. So question who was it?
Yeah, was it the Father Son and Holy Spirit? Yes, that's the answer. It's yes. Yes God raised God. God died for our sins and God raised God. God in Trinity raised the Son from the dead and because of what Jesus has been saying from verses Chapter 9 verse 41 and 10 to all the way to verse 18 a commotion a Division came upon the Jews look with me in verse 19 through 21 and there again was a division among the Jews because of these words and Many of them said he has a demon and he is insane.
Why listen to him. Others said these are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind and to answer that question. Absolutely, not. Nowhere in the Old Testament.
Do we hear anything about anyone opening the eyes of the blind? Jesus is the first one who opened the eyes of the blind. Can be Elisabeth cast out Beelzebub. No. Absolutely not. They cannot open the eyes of the blind.
This is the fifth message that I've preached in chapter 10. And as I've been preaching I've been wondering if you've been wondering why Jesus is using this shepherd and sheep language. My dear friends.
There is a reason and we're gonna see that as we close. Turn with me to Ezekiel chapter 34. If you've never read Ezekiel, I would encourage you to do so you probably need to read it 20 times and to get any kind of an understanding.
It's a very confusing book. But it's actually one that I quite often reference Ezekiel chapter 34 we're going to read 10 verses. The first 10 verses. Listen to this language. The word of the Lord came to me son of man prophesy against the shepherds of Israel prophesy and say to them.
Even to the shepherds. Thus says the Lord God Ah shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves. Should you not? Shepherd should not shepherds feed the sheep. You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with wool.
You slaughter the fat ones. But you do not feed the sheep the weak. You have not strengthened the sick. You have not healed the injured. You have not bound up the stray. You have not brought back the lost.
You have not sought and With force and harshness you have ruled them. So they were scattered because they were not there was no shepherd so he's calling these shepherds no shepherds now and They became food for all the wild beasts.
My sheep were scattered. They wonder all over the mountains and on the every high hill my sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth with none to search or Seek for them. Verse 7. Therefore you shepherds Hear the word of the Lord as I live declares the Lord God.
Surely because my sheep have become a prey and my sheep have become food for all the wild beasts since there was no shepherd and Because my shepherds have not searched for my sheep. But the shepherds have fled Have fed themselves and have not fed my sheep.
Therefore you shepherds hear the word of the Lord. Verse 10. Thus says the Lord behold I am against the shepherds and I will require my sheep at their hand and Put a stop to their feeding the sheep. No longer shall the shepherds feed themselves.
I will rescue my sheep from their mouth That they may not be food for them. The hired hand Jesus is saying is Eating the shepherds the eating the sheep's the sheep the shepherds the hired hand. They're not true shepherds.
They're not good shepherds as a matter of fact. They're not watching over the shepherd the sheep and they're feasting on them instead of feeding them. These false shepherds remember shepherd. I mean the pastor is a Latin word for shepherd.
These false pastors these false Shepherds were abusing the sheep. They were nothing more than Judas goats. These Pharisees these religious leaders were not true shepherds. They were hired hands. They were there to deceive to blend in and deceive and myself as well as every other shepherd slash pastor that stands as a Mouth before the sheep better take warning to Ezekiel chapter 34 because God will require it of us.
Bible says don't be so quick to think that you want to be a teacher. God will require it of you. You abuse the sheep. God will require it of you and guess what sheep do they bite? They bite. I get bitten all the time.
I Can't bite back. I can't feast upon the sheep. God will require it of me. The good shepherd who lay down his life for his sheep will not allow his precious sheep to be abused. He will require it of us.
We are called to feed the sheep and not to feast upon the sheep. Under shepherds like myself better follow Jesus. Just like every other sheep is to follow Jesus. I'm not telling you to do something that I'm not doing myself.
I'm not telling you to follow Jesus. While not following Jesus, I'm telling you to follow Jesus and scoot over. Let's do this together. Are you following Jesus? Is he your king? Can he tell you what to do?
Does his word mean anything to you? Are you living for him? Is he your all-in-all? Is he your shepherds? Did he die for your sins according to the scriptures was buried and on the third day rose again according to the scriptures.
Are you living as a sheep listening to the good shepherd. You might be here today and through this message you hear his voice. He's calling you to follow him not to just Walk and I'll shake a hand sign a card.
Prayer prayer or to be baptized to follow him. To live for him to take up your cross and to die for him if necessary. Is he your king? I? Told y 'all last week psalm 23 speaks about a shepherd king his rod and his staff.
His rod is speaking of his kingliness. With his rod he rules over us and with his shit when his staff he comforts us. He keeps us from going out of the boundaries. We start to wander away takes that shepherds hook and he grabs us by our neck and pulls us back.
Are you hearing his voice my dear friends today is the day of salvation? Tomorrow is not the day of salvation today is the day of salvation. And so I call all of us to repent and to turn from ourselves to to turn from sin and to follow Jesus Christ in faith, and if you have not be joined to the body of Jesus Christ in baptism.
He lived a life That we could not live and he took the punishment that we deserve. He saw The sheep being abused and he enters into time and he sees the wolf coming. And he stands in front of us. And he takes the punishment he dies he lays down his life for us.
We are available to anyone who wants to talk. Let's pray our God and Father our Savior Jesus Christ and our Comforter the Holy Spirit God we are so weak and broken and yet we still think that we can please you and you have pleased yourself in Christ.
Lord help us to not look to ourselves, but to look to him and to not look to commandments to make sure we're keeping commandments. But to just follow Jesus to keep our eyes on Jesus. For if we're keeping our eyes on Jesus We will do what Jesus does and that is love you with all of his heart mind soul and strength.
And love his neighbor as ourselves. We're pleased we pray in Christ's name that you will redeem your people. And that you will allow us to be a part of that redemption and that you will bring revival here in Tallahoma and the surrounding counties and Reach the whole world and that mountain will cover the whole earth as the water covers the sea.
Now Lord as we are about to partake in this supper. We ask that you bless this meal. We pray Lord that if there's some here today that That know you but has been living in utter sin and they're unwilling to repent and trust in you Lord that they're unwilling to confess Their sins that you keep them from this table, but Lord we have all sinned this week.
Lord help us to confess our sins to you so that as we partake in this meal we can do so with a clean conscience. We love you. We ask that you bless this meal and use it to grow us in holiness in Jesus name.
We pray. Amen.
