Christ 's Sheep Experience Change — E.A. Johnston

Wealth in Christ and the Changed Christian Life

We live in a weird day of a strange phenomenon where church people call themselves Christians but don't act like one. They are glad to lay claim to the first three chapters of Ephesians, which speaks of our wealth in Christ, but they ignore the last three chapters of Ephesians, which speaks of our walk in Christ.

Like I said, many folks today call themselves Christians, but when you look at their life, you can't see much of Christ in them. But the Apostle Paul speaks of a transformation which takes place when a person is truly saved.

This is seen in 2 Corinthians 5, verse 17, which states,. Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new. And that's what I'd like to talk about today, friends.

Regeneration and New Desires

This change which takes place within a person who's in Christ through a saving faith, which is a transforming faith because when a person comes to Christ, he's a new creature. Old things are passed away.

All things are become new. You see, friends, when Jesus was here in his earthly ministry, when he passed through towns and villages, those individuals who encountered him experienced change. A Christian is a person who's been born again.

They've experienced change. It's a changed life. You have new eyes. You have new ears. You have new tastes. You have new desires. You have a new disposition. In fact, the Holy Spirit implants a new disposition for holiness in the life of a believer.

You now desire to be like Christ and to live for him. This is seen in 2 Corinthians 5 15. And that he died for all that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him who died for them and rose again.

Christ's Sheep Hear His Voice

Listen, friends, a sheep will follow their shepherd. And that's the title of my message today. Christ's sheep experience change. And my text is found in the Gospel of John and chapter 10. You can turn in your Bibles there now.

We will be in verses 22 through 29. I want to recommend a book to you before I read us our passage. A book was placed into my hands and I've read it several times. I can't say enough good things about it.

It was published many years ago, but I believe every Christian should have a copy of this book. It's published by Revival Literature. It's written by a man named Avery Rogers. And it's entitled The Shepherd and His Sheep.

Dear Pastor Brother, you must get a copy of that book. There's a few books which relate the relationship between a shepherd and his sheep better than that book by Avery Rogers. Well, here now is a passage today taken from John's Gospel.

May the Spirit of the Lord attend the reading of his holy word. And it was at Jerusalem, the Feast of the Dedication, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch. Then came the Jews round about him and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt?

If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you, and you believe not. The works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness in me. But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep.

As I said unto you, my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father which gave them me is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

Following the Shepherd Rather Than Strangers

Now friends, there's a couple of aspects to our passage today which I'd like to bring before our attention. The first is this, a sheep will follow a shepherd. It knows its voice. Avery Rogers gives an example in his book where he was visiting Jerusalem and observing how the shepherds tended their sheep.

And as he watched the shepherd, as he called to his sheep herd, those sheep followed their shepherd. But Avery Rogers said that another man stepped into that meadow and tried to call the sheep as well.

They did not even turn their heads to notice him. They didn't recognize his voice. Rather, they stayed close to their shepherd. So we see a sheep will hear the voice of Jesus and follow him. You see friends, when we get saved, we don't just accept Jesus into our hearts as much as we receive a revealed Christ and follow him.

The Evidence of Regeneration

The second aspect I want to bring out of our text today is this. A follower of Christ has experienced change. They've been born again through a supernatural act of regeneration upon the heart. And this alters them to such a degree.

They're not the same person any longer. Christ's sheep experience change. I like the story I read about the father of C .T. Studd. Edward Studd was a wealthy Englishman who raced horses in London for a pastime.

He was a worldly man whose heart was set on the things of this world. Then an American evangelist came to London by the name of D .L. Moody. And Edward Studd went to hear Moody preach out of curiosity.

And while he was there, he was gloriously saved under Moody's preaching. The first thing Edward Studd did was to sell all his race horses. And instead of throwing society parties at his huge country estate, he began to invite preachers to come and preach to his rich friends and tell them about the mercy of Calvary and the Savior who died there for sinners like himself.

Edward Studd's chauffeur was asked about the odd behavior of his employer, who now only wanted to read his Bible and talk about Jesus. The chauffeur remarked, He has the same skin on the outside, but inside he's a different man.

And that's what happens when we're born again, friends. We experience change. Let me ask you, friend, are your sins washed in the blood, and are you born from above? I'll never forget the day I was truly saved.

My wife was out of town, and I was alone in my study. And God got a hold of me in such a way, I realized I was a lost person. He awakened me to my lost condition. Even though I'd been a church member for years, God got me lost that day.

He showed me I was on my way to hell. And not only was I on my way to hell, but I deserved to go there. I threw myself down on the floor of my study and wrestled with God for several hours that afternoon in prayer and desperation.

I became a beggar seeking mercy that day. And bless God, a sinner found grace that day, friends. When I rose to my feet, I was a changed man. My wife got back in town, but I did not mention to her what happened until about three weeks later.

We were in the kitchen, and it was early morning. And I softly said to her, while you were away, I got saved. I really got saved. My wife looked at me and replied, since I've been back, I've noticed a change in you.

You see, friends, there's something called the evidence of regeneration in a believer. In fact, years ago in the churches in our land, they would not accept into membership any person unless they could provide credible evidence of regeneration.

Testing Salvation by Its Fruit

There is a story about the great evangelist George Whitefield, who was preaching in Boston during the Great Awakening in 1740. Whitefield was preaching on Boston Common to 20 ,000 hearers week after week.

And a minister approached him one day and asked, Mr. Whitefield, how many converts have you had since you've been among us? To which the great Whitefield replied, I don't know, sir, but I shall return to these parts in a year or so and look for the evidence of their salvation.

Is there evidence of salvation in your life, friend? Have you experienced change? I want to share a story with you which I feel illustrates this very thing. Years ago, there was a time in this country when it was in the grip of a powerful spiritual awakening.

Thousands were coming to Christ. Yet at the same time, there arose a work of Satan where some scoffers began to hold lectures, particularly in smaller towns. And they would host these infidel meetings where an atheist would get up on a stage and say Christianity was nothing more than a sham.

And these atheist lecturers were well-educated men who had winning personalities. And they were doing a harmful work and opposing the revival. I would like to relate a true story to you from an account of a bystander who attended one of these infidel meetings during that time.

Here now are his words. Everyone admitted that this infidel lecturer was a smart man in debate. He could generally make his opponent, however clever, trip himself and look utterly ridiculous. As a lecturer, his arguments were subtly convincing, and his ability to mislead his hearers was attested by the spread of infidelity wherever he presented his infamous addresses.

But God is not mocked, and he was holding in reserve one of his own to confound this emissary of Satan. One night, during one of his lectures in a rich mining town, he observed the presence of a most intent listener.

The man was still wearing his rough, grimy miner's garments and the massive frame and scarcely concealed muscles revealed a man of unusual physical strength. When the speaker concluded all his arguments against the Bible as the inspired word of God, Jesus Christ as the God's holy son, and Christianity as the logical consequence of belief in them, he exultantly felt that he had successfully demolished in his hearers any faith that they had held in such theories as he labeled them.

He ended his address by saying, Now, I am sure that I have succeeded in accounting to you for the myth that is called the religion of Jesus Christ. He had hardly finished when the miner, whom he had previously noted, rose slowly to his feet.

Though clothed in grimy garments, he towered majestically over his neighbors. His voice boomed through the hall as he addressed his words to the infidel speaker. Sir, he said, I'm only a working man, and I don't know your fancy word myth, but these people know me.

They know that until three years ago, I was the toughest man in town. They know that up till that time, I had a miserable home. I neglected my wife and children. I cursed, I swore, I drank all my wages, and whoever withstood me soon felt the force in my fist.

Then someone came along and told me of the love of God to poor sinners. He gave me a glimpse of Christ Jesus dying on Calvary's cross for lost wretches like me. He lifted me up with hope and faith in the very things that you now call a myth.

I believe those very things that you now deny. And through my newfound trust in the cleansing power of the Savior's blood, my life was changed. These folks can tell you that's all now different. We have a happy home.

I love my wife and children. I feel better in every way, and God has taken from me the desire for liquor. A new power has taken possession of me since Christ came into my life. Sir, if what you say is true, then how do you account for me?

The lecturer had no explanation to offer, and that working man sent people home feeling that the Bible is still the word of the living God, that Jesus Christ is anything but a myth, and that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes.

The New Birth Produces an Outwardly Changed Life

I like that story, friends, because it speaks of a man who, even though he looked the same on the outside, he was a changed man on the inside, and his outward life reflected that change. Oh, friends, how we need to see the necessity of regeneration upon the heart in your day and mine, how critical it is in this day of an easy-believed gospel that we'll call anyone a Christian as long as they walk an aisle and repeat a prayer.

But when you find Christ, friends, Christ comes in with power and takes the heart of stone and makes it a heart of flesh, and you hear His voice, and you follow Him because you're no longer a goat off on a side road going your own way, but now you are His sheep, and you have experienced change.

For Jesus declared, My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. It is my prayer, friends, that if you do not know the Savior, that you would at least be honest with yourself and come clean and admit it.

Don't fool yourself into hell, friends. Hell is full of proud church people who've never been awakened to their lost condition, never been convicted of sin by the Holy Spirit, and who never have experienced change through the new birth.

The Gospel Invitation to the Weary and Thirsty

Let me ask you again, friends, are your sins washed in the blood? Are you born from above? Listen, friends, Jesus did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. The gospel call is for the hungry, the weary, and the thirsty.

Are you hungry for God? Are you weary of your sins? Are you thirsty for Christ? Then come, come to the One who can transform your heart and change your entire life, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. Listen, listen to God's love to sinners.

Come unto Me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls, for My yoke is easy and My burden is light.

Look unto Me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God and there is none else. Ho, everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money, come ye, buy and eat. Yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

Seek ye the Lord while He may be found. Call ye upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.

All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me, and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out. And the Spirit and the Bride say, Come, and let him that heareth say, Come, and let him that is a thirst come, and whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.