The Musts of Christ the Shepherd — Ian Paisley

I take the promised Holy Ghost, the blessed power of Pentecost, to fill me to the uttermost. I take. Thank God He undertakes for me and the people of God said, Amen. You may be seated. Turn with me to the 16th verse of this 10th chapter of John's gospel.

Christ’s Must to Shepherd the Other Sheep

And in this 10th chapter of John's gospel, at verse 16, we read these words, And other sheep I have, which are not of this, them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd.

Here we have another of the musts of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The must of Christ shepherding his sheep. What does he say? Other sheep I have, which are not of this fold, them also I must, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd.

The Shepherd’s Entrance, Voice, and Care

This 10th chapter of John's gospel is a very special chapter. If you look with me at verse two, you'll see there the entering of the shepherd. He that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

Then when we come to the next verse, we see the opening of the shepherd. To him the porter openeth, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. Then there you have also, as suggested here in verse four, the putting forth of his own sheep.

And when he put forth his own sheep, he goeth before them. Then you have the revelation he makes to his own sheep. This parable speak Jesus, verse six, unto them, but they understood not what things they were, which he speak unto them.

And then he said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. And right down this whole chapter, we have a beautiful number of descriptions of Christ as the great shepherd of the sheep.

But when we come to verse sixteen, we have a very special verse. He has talked all down this chapter about sheep, his sheep. The sheep he loved, the sheep he died for, the sheep he called by their names, the sheep that follow him.

And he gives unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish. He speaks about them all. But then he comes and he says, Other sheep I have. You will notice that these other sheep were also in his ownership.

The Gospel Mission to Every Nation

He says, Other sheep I have, which are not of this fold. And of course, that was the peculiar fold, the continual fold of Israel. They were not Israelites, them also. This is a vision of our blessed Savior for the whole world.

And when he rose from the dead, he said, Yes, you have to preach the gospel in Jerusalem, and you have to preach it in Samaria. But remember this, you have to preach it to every part of the earth. Go ye into all the world, all the world, all the world, and preach the gospel.

Why? Because in every place in this world, Christ has sheep. And look what he says of them. He says, Them also I must bring. He is one of the great musts of the omnipotent Christ. I have a job to do. Yes, I have dealt with my own nation of Israel.

I have told you what I think of them in the first 15 verses. But other sheep I have. We will never know the blessing of God on our personal lives. We will never know the blessing of God on our church life until tugging at our heart is the pull of our sheep.

Sheep that are not in the fold and family of God at the present. Sheep who are shepherded by that evil shepherd, the devil himself. Hastened on to hell by the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eye and the pride of life.

Lost sheep. But they do not need to be lost. He says, I must bring them. And it is our duty as believers to bring these sheep to Christ. Now, if you turn to 2 Corinthians chapter 5. In 2 Corinthians chapter 5, we have the great chapter of our responsibility as men and women who know and love the Savior, to another man and woman that they may come and love the Savior.

And one of the greatest chapters in the whole Bible is this fifth chapter of 2 Corinthians. And I want to show you something that I had revealed to me today as I was pondering this message for tonight.

Groaning for Lost Souls

You will notice that this chapter starts with groaning. Had you a groan today for some lost soul? Did you look into an eye of a loved one at your own table? And as you ate your meal, you looked at them and said, if they died now, they would not be in heaven.

They would be a lost soul in hell. Until the people of God start to groan, the ungodly will not start to groan about their sins and their wickedness before God. We need to know the experience of groaning in our soul for other souls.

Them also I must bring. Them also I must bring. Them also I must bring, or they will be lost. We'll never bring them until we have the inward groaning in our souls. The Spirit of God is sent into our hearts to pray in our hearts with groaning that cannot be uttered.

I don't know many groaning saints today. I was a young preacher. I met many of them. And I used to say, that man never prays without weeping. That man never prays without the place he's kneeling, wet with his tears.

No wonder the preacher had power as he preached, because souls had groaned before God for the other sheep that are in the heart and the mind and the purpose of our blessed Redeemer, other sheep. He's not going to let them go.

God's going to bring them in. You can have the privilege of participating in partnership with Christ to bring them in. But even if you don't, Christ will bring them in. Christ is dependent on not one of us.

He can do His work without any of us. But in His love, in His mercy, in His compassion, He picks you and me to be yoked in the same yoke, to plow the same furrow, to sow the same seeds, to weep o 'er the airy one, to lift up the fallen, to tell them of Jesus, that might hate to see Him.

Clothing the Naked Soul in Christ’s Righteousness

And what we need in the church is confession of the fact we do not groan for souls. But look at it secondly. He talks about clothing. He talks here about the nakedness of the soul. He talks of those that are found naked.

Are you found naked before God? Naked before God? Like who? Like Adam. He found himself naked. Why? He had partaken of the fruit that he was not to eat. And instead of keeping Eden, he was put into Eden to keep it and dress it.

And he didn't do it. He disobeyed God. Tonight, can you look the Lord in the face and can you say, I'm not naked. I have clothed myself with your mantle and other sheep that you have which are not of this fold I'm trying to bring to thee.

We need two of men and women who hate nakedness and love the clothing with the garments of Christ. Oh, to put on the blood-stained garment that he wore in Gethsemane when he sweat as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

Oh, to put on the robe that he wore in the house of the priests when they spat upon him and beat him with rods. Oh, to put on the cloak that was put on him by the evil King Herod and when they mocked him and spat upon him and beat him and when his back was turned to the smiter and his cheek to those that plucked out the hairs.

Other sheep I have which are not of this fold, them also I must bring. But I'm asking you to enter into partnership with me that together we can drag them from the pit of damnation and bring them into the glorious light and liberty of the gospel.

Living in Resurrection Life

That's the responsibility of every one of us as children of God. Notice something else, that this soul winner is not only a groaning man, a man that's clothed, but he's a man that's swallowed up into life with Christ.

Look at verse four of this fifth chapter. It says here that mortality, that death might be swallowed up of life. This is a dead age. There's a blight upon it. There's an age when the church reeks of its death.

As Mr. Nicholson used to say, there's the smell of the mortuary. God has called us to experience life in the risen Lord. And God has called upon us to know that mortality which is swallowed up of life.

Many Christians say to me today, it's hard to live the Christian life. Of course it is. It's hard to live in the devil's territory. It's hard to live in a world that lies in the lap of the devil, as we're told in third, in the first epistle of John.

The whole world lies in the devil's lap. He controls it. But in the devil's lap, God is looking for men and women who will be swallowed up of life, who will be able to cast out the devil and all his works.

Made for Fruitful Service by the Spirit

They'll be able to stand up and meet the enemy. Then notice something more that he tells us in this chapter. This is what we are made for. The Lord has made us. What has he made us for? Now he that hath wrought us for the self, same thing as God.

You were made to go and get these other sheep. Other sheep I have which are not of this old. You were made a child of God to be a soul winner, to bear forth fruit. I am the fruit of thine, and my Father is a branch.

The branch is to bear fruit. If it doesn't, I will prune it. But I am saying to you today that this is why I became a child of God. God Christ saved me to be a partner with Him. And here, now he that hath wrought us, verse 5, for the self, same thing as God.

But you say to me, preacher, it's all right you saying that. But when I'm out in that dark world, and I'm out there and every voice is raised against Christ and against His truth and against His gospel, it's tough.

But look at this end of this verse, please. What does it say? It says here, who also have given to us. What has he given to us? The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the answer. The Holy Spirit is stronger than any devil in hell.

The Holy Spirit is a mighty power of God, blessed in the hearts of God's people. So instead of being poor, miserable Christians with no puff or no energy, as dead as dead can be, they live in the power of an endless life.

Other sheep I have which are not of this fold, how can I get them in? God has given to you the earnest of the Spirit. He's given to you the power of the Spirit. And notice, He has also told us we will be accepted of Him.

Verse 9. Accepted of Him. What a wonderful thing to know that my service for God, my poor, puny service for God, which makes me despise myself when I say, why have I not more fire? Why have I not more love?

Why have I not more tears? Why have I not more groans? Why have I not more nakedness? Why am I held back from serving God? Why? Turn to this fifth chapter and you'll see everything you need is yours in Jesus Christ.

You don't need to live languishing. You don't need to live a dead life. You don't need to lead a sinful life. You don't need to be tied down to the things of the world. I was looking at this chapter and I noticed there are seven days in this chapter.

The Seven Days of the Believer’s Calling

The first day is the day when we suffer. It starts off with suffering. It starts off with groanings. It starts off with helplessness. We've all been through that day, haven't we? When we have felt how useless and fruitless we are.

We haven't weeped over the erring ones. We haven't lifted up the fallen ones. We haven't told them of Jesus, the mighty to see Him. But you can enter into a day of suffering that will lead you to a day of service and a day of victory as this chapter makes out.

You look at verse four. There is this day of victory that I have referred to. And it says, For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened. Not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that your nakedness may disappear, that your sinfulness may be covered, that the power of the crimson blood of the Lamb will cleanse you from all sin.

We walk in the light as He is in the light. We have fellowship one with the other. And the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, keeps on cleansing from all sin. Is the blood of Christ always flowing through your heart and your mind and your inmost soul?

Keep thee under the blood, dear Lord. One thing the devil can't stand against, and that's the blood of the Lamb. He overcame him. How? By the blood of the Lamb. Jesus is saying, Other sheep I have which are not of this whole, them also I must bring.

If you're going to bring them, you'll have to know the day of sorrow. You'll have to know what it is to separate from things that you have loved and loved too lot, given far too much time for. Life at best is very brief.

It's like the falling of a leaf. It's like the binding of a sheaf. Be in time. Many of God's people are praying, Lord, I'll go with you into that day of suffering. But I'll also go with you into that day of strengthening.

And then when you come to verse nine, we come to the laboring day, the day of service. Wherefore we labor, that whether present or absent, we shall be accepted of Him. Mr. Nicholson used to say, Too many loafers in the church, Ian.

Let's get a lot of laborers. That's what God wants. He wants laborers in His church. He wants that you will help Christ to meet the objective of His must. Sheep I have which are not of this fold, they also I must bring.

What is Christ saying? He says, Nothing's going to stop me. I'm going to bring these sinners in. If these free Presbyterians on the Ravenhill Road will not weep for them, I'll weep for them. If these free Presbyterians will not go out and pray against the nakedness that has overcome them through worldliness, I will myself bring them in.

Jesus will bring every sheep into His fold. I've been on my side. And the day when God makes up is due. But you can have a part in that. You can enter into that day of service. The happy Christian is a Christian that works for the Lord.

You sit around, mope around. You'll be a sleepy, lazy, whirly. And the devil will love you. He'll give you a nice bed. He'll give you a soft pillow. He'll give you the best either time you can buy it, the best seal of after Christmas time.

Yes, he'll put you all to sleep. And poor souls are sleeping unto death. The time has come when we should say, Lord, I will go and serve Thee in the day of suffering. I will go and serve Thee in the day of strengthening.

The Judgment Seat and the Reward of Service

I will go and serve Thee in the day of service. But look next at verse 10. It is the day of scrutiny. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. One day the Christ that said, All our sheep I have which are not of this fold, them also I must bring.

I thought you would help me. I thought that I could look to you as a child of mine to aid me in this task that is set before me. But you didn't do that. Oh, you'll be saved, so as by fire your life will go up in wood.

Hey, do you want your whole life to be burned out at the judgment day? Do you want to lose everything? Do not lose your soul, for your soul is saved by grace. But the stars on your crown are put there for service.

We should have a desire for the reward of God, not out of any selfishness, but because we want the Lord to be honored and the Lord to be glorified. Oh, there's a judgment day coming. A judgment seat of Christ.

You'll never be judged for sin, for Christ bore that judgment, hallelujah, on the cross. But you'll be judged for service. Judged for service. You'll be scrutinized for what you did for the Lord. But you'll notice something more.

The Constraining Love of Christ and Christian Zeal

That this, there is also here a day of sweat, for the love of Christ constraineth us. And the word there, constrain, is a man and a woman under pressure. He's sweating. God has called us to work hard, to break sweat for the souls of men.

Do you not find it interesting, when you see thousands of men going to a football match, and shouting themselves for it? What for? Because a wee bit of blown up pig skin has been kicked through two posts, so many feet apart.

And they go back. And I asked them to go out. And your work, I said, is to shout and scream and sweat, they would say, and do none of the kind. But the devil can get them in their thousand. I stood outside the House of Commons last night.

I was asked to be the special speaker at a great rally of God's people outside the House of Commons. They reckoned that there was 3 ,000 people present, Christians of all denominations, who were rightly protesting the sexual act that was going through the house.

And it was nice to see that it was an elder of our church who moved the motion against it, and spoke excellently. Our brother, Morrill. I was proud as I sat there on the steps of the Queen's Throne as a Privy Councillor, and listened to that man speaking the word with power.

Oh, he was hated. He was attacked. The world's not going to give you gifts. The world hates a man that loves the Lord. But as I stood and looked at that multitude of faces in the darkness, and heard the cry of gay people calling us all the dirty names I could think of, I rejoiced.

Because when you're sweating for God, God's going to bless you. And it's time we worked up a good lather of sweat as believers. Instead of sitting, scenting ourselves with eau de cologne, we need to sit and get something to wash the sweat off our minds, and hearts, and souls.

And that's not an advert for eau de cologne, friend. I don't use any of those things. The only thing I use is aftershave lotion. And a brother said to me, I think that even is worldly. He said, I would rather pass a man with that than pass him sticking a tobacco any day.

But let me tell you this, we are called to sweat. Yes. That's what this Word is about. The love of Christ constraineth us. I'm constrained to serve the Lord. That's what the Lord's saying up in heaven.

The Lord is saying up in heaven, other sheep I have which are not of this fold, them also I must bring. The Lord sweated in dark Gethsemane, sweat create drops of falling down. Lest I forget Gethsemane.

Lest I forget thine agony. Lest I forget thine love for me. Lead me to Calvary. Yes, it's a day of suffering. It's a day of strength. It's a day of service. It's a day of scrutiny. It's a day of sweat.

Salvation as New Creation

But it's also a day of salvation. Look with me at verse 17. Oh, here we have a great verse. Therefore of any man being Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new.

A day of salvation. Here is a man going to hell as fast as he can go. Going out into the darkness. Going out into the darkness of a lost eternity. Thank God he can be saved by the grace of God. He can become a new creature.

The old things can pass away. Look at this verse. And some things will become new. No, no. Behold, have a look at them. All things. That's real New Testament conversion. That's a real genuine article.

When all things are made new in Jesus Christ. We become a new creature in Christ. A new man. A new woman. About a dear man who got saved recently. About him today. And his people were totally opposed to him.

His father claimed to be an atheist, but never believed in God. And he said to a fellow workman, he says, I don't believe in any of this stuff. But my son has got, my son, he says, and I'm a skeptic and an atheist.

I don't believe in anything. But my son, something has changed him. And I've looked at him. I'd probably laid traps for him. But that man, that wasn't something that man did. Or a preacher did. That's what the Holy Ghost did.

Christ’s Substitution and the Righteousness of God

He made him a new creature in Christ. We are called to a day of salvation. But the very happy thing about this portion, it ends on the day of substitution. We are brought to the greatest place of all, Calvary.

He hath made him to be sin for us. Who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God. Brethren and sisters in Christ, Christ has a must. And his must is, other sheep I have which are not of this fold, them also I must bring.

And they shall hear my voice. And there shall be one fold and one shepherd. And you have a part to play to make that come true. And that's why we're here tonight, to seek his face and call for a baptism of fire upon our souls and our hearts and our minds, that we may be the Christians we ought to be in this world of evil and of sin.