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["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] Let's turn to hymn number two. Hymn number two, and we'll sing Glory to His Name. Then after our prayer time, I'm going to ask for two favourites. So if you guys have some thoughts on some favourites, please let me know. But let's start with hymn number two, Glory to His Name. You can stay seated. Hymn number two, Glory to His Name. ["Glory to His Name"] ["Glory to His Name"] ["Glory to His Name"] ["Glory to His Name"] ["Glory to His Name"] ["Glory to His Name"] Heavenly Father, Lord, we do come to give glory to the name of Jesus Christ this afternoon. Lord, we thank you for the opportunity to be in your house once again. Lord, help us to lift up our voices and our hearts toward you. Lord, we come to worship and to praise you. And Lord, we want you to be honoured above all things. Lord, may your Holy Spirit teach us, guide us this afternoon. And Lord, if there's any changes that we need to make in our life, whether it's our understanding or our practice, Lord, please help us. We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Alright. Favourites. Two favourites. I'll ask Trish first. One twenty-four. One twenty-four. So we'll do the first and the last stanza. So that way we can get through a few favourites. But Lachie, you're next after this. One, two, four. God will take care of you. Are you finally the first and the last, sister? Are you finally singing the first and the last? Alright. First and the last. Two stanzas. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. Great singing. All right, Lachie and then Sebastian. Did you have your hand up before? Oh, okay. Someone else had their hand up. Was it you? We'll do Lachie first. Hymn number 27. The old rugged cross. Which two stanzas would you like to sing? The first and the last. Hymn number 27. The old rugged cross. The old rugged cross. The old rugged cross. The old rugged cross. The old rugged cross. The old rugged cross. The old rugged cross. The old rugged cross. The old rugged cross. The old rugged cross. The old rugged cross. The old rugged cross. The old rugged cross The old rugged cross. The old rugged cross. The old rugged cross. The old rugged cross. The old rugged cross. The old rugged cross. The old rugged cross. The old rugged cross. The old rugged cross. The old rugged cross. The old rugged cross. The old rugged cross. The old rugged cross. The old rugged cross. The old rugged cross. The old rugged cross. The old rugged cross. … … Alright. Another favourite. We'll do the Sepulveda family. So Johnny. 439. Which one is it, Johnny? Count your blessings. 439. And which two stanzas? First and last. And then I think we'll do Brody and then we'll get into our Bible reading. Okay, count your blessings. The first and the last. 439. 439. And then I think we'll do Brody and then we'll get into our Bible reading. Count your blessings. Here I come. I'm done. Count your blessings. Make them one by one. Count your blessings. Here I come. I'm done. So I feel like walking through the plain of snow. No matter where the stars are, it's always overboard. Count your blessings. Here I come. I'm done. I'll make love with you until all is done. Count your blessings. Make them one by one. Count your blessings. See what God has done. Count your blessings. Make them one by one. Count your blessings. Here I come. Okay, Brody. All your anxiety. All your anxiety. Someone. What's it called? 456. 456. 456. All your anxiety. Which two stanzas? First and the last, once again. You know what? Let's just sing all three. It's not so long. Let's sing all three. And then we'll have our Bible reading. 456. All your anxiety. 456. All your anxiety. 456. All your anxiety. 456. 456. 456. 456. 456. 456. 456. 456. Now let's sing. Is there a house so bound byLet's sing. This is our home. Is there a life laid down byLet's sing. Come to the cross, each word and therein, All your anxieties in the name. All your anxieties, all your pain, Bring to the mercy sing, Sing name in air, Never a burning hand or care, Never a prayer by Jesus. No other prayer, sing please and go in, No other prayer, song we can hear, No other place to live, no other, No other one to hear, All your anxieties, all your pain, Bring to the mercy sing, Sing name in air, Never a burning hand or care, Never a prayer by Jesus. Come, let our hearts delay no longer, Meet with interest, take kind and sweet, You leave us here a disappointment, We shall run peace at the mercy seat, All your anxieties, all your pain, Bring to the mercy sing, Sing name in air, Never a burning hand or care, Never a prayer by Jesus. Thank you Bibles now and turn to John chapter 10. John chapter 10 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, That climbeth up some other way, The same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door Is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth, And the sheep hear his voice, And he calleth his own sheep by name, And leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, He go forth before them, And the sheep follow him, For they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, But will flee from him, For they know not the voice of strangers. This parable spake Jesus unto them, But they understood not what things they were, Which he spake unto them. Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that overcame before me are thieves and robbers, But the sheep did not hear them. I am the door, by me if any man enter in, He shall be saved, And shall go in and out and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, And to kill, and to destroy. I am come, that they might have life, And that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his life to the sheep, But he that is in hireling, And not the shepherd, Whose own the sheep are not, Seeth the wolf coming, And leaveth the sheep, and fleeth, And the wolf catcheth them, And scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is in hireling, And careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, And know my sheep, And am known of mine. As the father knoweth me, Even so know I the father, And I lay down my life for the sheep. And 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. Therefore doth my father love me, Because I lay down my life, That I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, But I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, And I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my father. There was a division therefore among the Jews for these sayings, And many of them said, He hath a devil and is mad, Why hear ye him? Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a devil, Can a devil open the eyes of the blind? 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 believed not. The works that I do in my father's name, They bear witness of 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, 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. I and my father are one. Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, Many good works have I showed you from my father, For which of these works do ye stone me? The Jews answered him, Saying, For a good work we stone thee not, But for blasphemy, And because thou being a man makest thyself God. Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? If he called them gods, under whom the word of God came, And the scripture cannot be broken, Say ye of him, Whom the father hath sanctified, And sent into the world, Thou blasphemest? Because I said, I am the Son of God? If I do not the works of my father, believe me not, But if I do, though ye believe not me, Believe the works, That ye may know and believe, That the Father is in me, And I in him. Therefore they sought again to take him, But he escaped out of their hand, And went away again beyond Jordan, Into the place where John at first baptized, And there he abode. And many resorted unto him, And said, John did no miracle, But all things that John spake of this man were true, And many believed on him there. Let's pray. Heavenly Father God, we thank you for this chapter in your word, Lord. Be with our pastor, fill him with your Holy Ghost, As he comes up to expound on this chapter, And I pray that none of us are distracted by other things, That we pay full attention, And I pray these things in Jesus' name, Amen. Amen. Okay, so we've been going through the book of John chapter by chapter, I've been doing it on Wednesdays and Sunday afternoons, Again, I'm just catching up on, We've fallen behind a little bit to talk about chapter things, I'm just trying to catch up before we get onto other things, But anyway, I'm thoroughly enjoying the book of John, One of my favourite things being a pastor is, You know, you've all read John chapter 10, I'm sure there are familiar words, And I've read John chapter 10, I don't know how many times, But something about having to stop and think and prepare a sermon, And the study and the meditation, And thinking, hold on, I've got to explain this now. Like, yeah, I get the gist of it, But then I've got actually, well, what's actually really taking place here? You know, who is Jesus speaking to and who's responding and what's happening? A lot of that is just, I find that a lot of fun. I really enjoy the study of God's word, And it really enriches, and I hope I do a decent job for you. You know, I love it when I get feedback and go, Oh, but pastor, you really explained that well, I can see what you're saying there, And I didn't see that before, I really, I like that because, you know, It means that there's some profit, right, In getting to church and hearing the sermons, And so many of you travel afar, Many, many, many hours sometimes to be in church, So I want to make sure that you receive something worthwhile and profitable. And, you know, when it comes to some sermons, Like John chapter 10, you know, when I'm looking for a title for a sermon, There are some chapters that just give you the title, Just as they are, because it says there in John 10 and 11, I am the good shepherd, the words of Jesus Christ, I am the good shepherd, the title for the sermon this afternoon is the good shepherd. We can't give it any other title. I mean, this is such a great and profound statement, That Jesus Christ is our shepherd, and he's a good shepherd. He loves his sheep, you know, he loves his sheep. And so as we start chapter 10, and look at verse number 1, You see that, you know, we start immediately with the words of Christ. And many times when you read a chapter beginning, It kind of says, oh, you know, and after these things, Or, you know, it might talk about a certain location, Then, you know, there's a new setting, there's a new sort of, you know, idea taking place, But we just start immediately with the words of Christ, Signifying that this is just a continuation of John chapter 9. So before we read what Christ is speaking about, Let's remind ourselves who he's speaking to. So if you look at John chapter 9, verse number 40, Just remember this story, it says, And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, And said unto him, Are we blind also? And he said unto them, If ye were blind, you should have no sin, But now ye say, We see, therefore your sin remaineth. So then we get straight to chapter 10, verse number 1, He keeps talking, so we know who he's speaking to. He's speaking to the unsaved Pharisees, these enemies of God, Okay, when he starts there in John chapter 10, verse number 1, And it actually makes a lot more sense when you understand who he's speaking to. Of course, the lessons for all of us, there's great truth, He's speaking overall, you know, it's for everybody, But he's targeting this message to these unsaved Pharisees. Then John chapter 10, verse number 1, he says, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hear that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, But climbeth up some other way, The same is a thief and a robber. Okay, so, he's talking about himself, we know he refers to himself as the Good Shepherd, He says there's a sheepfold, he's got a fold of sheep that is located in a certain area, And the way into that sheepfold is through a door, But sometimes thieves and robbers try to get in, And they'll try to find some other way. Why would thieves and robbers want to get into that sheepfold? To steal the sheep, to harm the sheep. But Jesus Christ, he is the Good Shepherd. He cares for the sheep, he protects the sheep. This is why they're in a sheepfold. This is why he's got them in a protected area, So it's difficult to climb in. He's trying to protect them from thieves and robbers. And let's keep going there, verse number 2. And by the way, the thieves and the robbers are the Pharisees that he's speaking to. That's what he's referring to. Let's keep going there, verse number 2. But hear that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. The only one that has access to the door, to the sheep, is the shepherd. And of course he's speaking once again of himself. Verse number 3 it says, To him the porter openeth. The porter is a servant. So the shepherd, he wakes up in the morning, time to take care of the sheep, Time to take him to green pastures, walks to the door, There's a servant, a porter, ready to open. The word porter in Spanish is puerta. That's where you get the idea. This guy is the one that opens the door. The shepherd goes in and he says, Alright sheep, let's get moving, we're going to green pastures. And that's what's happening in this passage here. It says, verse number 3, To him the porter openeth, and the sheep hear his voice, And he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. He knows every sheep in that sheepfold. He has given them a name, each one of them. So as we keep going by this parable, and you know the shepherd is Jesus, and obviously the sheep are his believers. When we're talking about the sheep in this parable, are we talking about unsaved people, or are we talking about people that are already saved? They're already sheep, they're already in his sheepfold. He is already the shepherd of the sheep. So to understand this parable, you need to understand the sheep are already saved people. That's in this sheepfold. There are thieves and robbers that try to break in, to harm the sheep. Of course, false prophets, false teachers, they try to creep into churches and harm the people of God. The Pharisees, these wicked Pharisees, the religious leaders that reject Christ, they point people to another way of salvation. These are the wicked people that try to creep in. But the only one that has true access is the shepherd. And notice the sheep know the voice of the shepherd. So the ones that know the voice are already saved. Then it says in verse number 4, When he put forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. And this is what I've learned, this is true. That if a shepherd has looked after sheep, the sheep know the voice of the shepherd. The shepherd can give commands and the sheep will follow. They'll follow the voice of the shepherd, they won't follow the voice of a stranger. And isn't it wonderful that Christ goes out before us? You know guys, some of you that went soul winning between service? You know, you thought you went and knocked that door on us, Jesus Christ went before you. He led you, he led you, praise God. Praise God for the salvation that already took place. There was already a working of God in that person's heart, and then you were utilised there by God to see that person saved. It's amazing, you know, the Lord sets our example, sorry, he sets the example and he leads us in paths to follow. But I wanted to just draw to you the sheep already saved. This is why they already hear his voice, they know the voice of the shepherd and they follow him. Then he says in verse number five, And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him, for they know not the voice of strangers. This parable spake Jesus unto them, but they understood not what things, they were which he spake unto them. So these people don't know what Jesus Christ is talking about. They don't know the voice of the shepherd, they don't know Jesus, they're not saved. These are the unsaved Pharisees again, just trying to reinforce that he's speaking to unsaved Pharisees here. Then he says in verse number seven, Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. Remember the porter came and opened the door? Okay, well the door is Jesus. But in this parable, the shepherd is Jesus as well. Okay, you need to understand, you know the parable, the parable is an illustration and Christ is teaching us a spiritual truth. He is both the shepherd and he's also the door. Okay, so he says that I am the door of the sheep he says, All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers, speaking to the unsaved Pharisees, but the sheep did not hear them. Alright, now let me pause this, well actually you know what, I'll keep going. He says, I am the door, by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved and shall go in and out and find pasture. So we're already in, we're already saved, but if anyone else wants to come in, they've got to go through the door of Jesus Christ and they become the sheep of Christ. Okay, and we can come in and out, you know through Jesus Christ we can find a spiritual victory, we can grow and mature in the Lord, find those green pastures, find a good church, serve the Lord faithfully, this is all the leading of our Lord Jesus Christ. Then he says in verse number 10, The thief cometh not but for to steal and to kill and to destroy. The Pharisees, the wicked Pharisees, this is them. I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd, the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. So you can see the parable, he's both the door, so if you want to enter into the sheepfold, you've got to go through the door, but once you're in the door and you're a sheep, he's also our shepherd and he will lead us back and forth into green pastures. And the reason I wanted to elaborate on this is because the sheep hear the voice of the shepherd. And I've been saying as I've been going through this book, sorry through the book of John, that there are people that were already saved in the Old Testament. They just hadn't come across Christ just yet. But when Christ comes on the scene, they're already saved, they're already of that sheepfold. When Christ comes on the scene, as soon as he starts preaching and teaching and they see his marvelous works, they're like, Oh, this is the Christ. Let's go follow him. We know this voice. This is the Christ. These people are already saved. They don't need to get re-saved on the Old New Testament principles or something. Salvation has always been by grace through faith, but as soon as the shepherd appears, Oh, I know that voice. This is Christ. This is the Messiah. This is the Son of God. This is the one that we've been waiting for. And that's why when Christ can just walk and he sees Peter and his brother Andrew. Is that right? Yeah, Andrew. And they're fishing and he says, Leave your nets and follow me. And they immediately leave their nets and they follow Christ. Why? Because they're already saved. They heard the voice of the shepherd, Oh, this is the Christ. This is the one we've been waiting for. They automatically go and follow him. And the Pharisees, these wicked rulers, they want to harm the sheep. They want to hurt the sheep. But Christ is a protective shepherd. He's the door of protection from these thieves to come and break in. He's trying to stop that by being a door. And you can see that he's a great love for his sheep. And it's beautiful words to know that Christ loves me and loves you. And leads us and guides us and directs us and wants us to go through the green pastures. And then I think about myself because I'm pastor, Kevin Sepulveda. I'm shepherd. I've got that title. I'm not the good shepherd. I'm not really brave. I'm not that good. I'm not the great shepherd. Those are titles for Jesus Christ. But I'm an under-shepherd. God has given me authority. And when I see the love of Christ to his sheep, then the Bible refers to our church as a fold. And the pastor is a commander to feed the sheep. And I hope you can see, I take church seriously. I take preaching the Bible seriously because I want you to be fed. I want you to have the green pastures to hear the words of God because I actually do love you. And I'm trying to follow the steps of Christ. And we want to make sure we keep the thieves and the robbers and those that seek to kill and to maim away from the church body. But in this parable, Jesus is both the door and the shepherd. And again, back to COVID. I don't want to talk myself. I'm not trying to, oh, the pastor is such a great guy. But I want you to just, I say this because I don't know, I know man's heart and I know my own heart. And, you know, going down to Sydney for that year, which turned out to be a year and a half during COVID, you know, why? Why? Why would I do something like that? You know, is it because I got sick of New Life Baptist Church and I didn't want to see you guys or anything like that? Because things were worse in Sydney, you know, COVID related than they were in Queens and Sunshine Coast. I started to hear issues and little cracks developing in the church down there. And as much as I would have rather just stayed in Queensland because the restrictions were much less severe than in Sydney, you know, you can see a shepherd has a heart for the sheep, okay? And if someone here, a man wants to be a pastor one day, okay? I mean, the title in the office is wonderful, but you need to develop a love for the sheep. You have to. You have to be willing to be sacrificial. Of course, I can't die for your sins. That's only something the good shepherd can do to lay down his life, okay? But a shepherd is commanded to not just be a leader but to be sacrificial. And I want you to understand my heart and I'll share it with you guys. Maybe I've got to go down to Sydney more often again. And again, it's just because the sheep need to be fed. They need to be led, okay? And if you want to be a pastor but you don't have a love for God's people and it's just about you and your reputation and your name, you're not suited for that position, okay? We can cause harm, cause damage to God's people. I don't want God's chastisement on me. By being a poor pastor, dividing people, hurting the church, I would not want to face God on judgment day about such things. Am I going to do everything perfect and right 100% of the time? No. But I'm going to try my best, at least. Try my best to serve God's people. And you know, Christ is our example. He's also a great example of a pastor. Look at verse number 12. But he is that highling, and not the shepherd, whose own sheep are not, seeth the wolf come in, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth, and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. Brethren, I was looking at the COVID restrictions down in Sydney, kind of like a wolf. Okay, not an individual person, but the kinds of restrictions and difficulties, and the kinds of cracks that it was causing our church because of a lack of leadership there, boots on ground. That's why I saw that as a wolf. And so I needed to get down there to deal with such a wolf, okay, and to try to lead the church as best as we could during that time. But you see, a highling, a highling, there's nothing wrong with being a highling. You know, you get hired, you get hired to do a job to get paid. Okay, but a pastor's priority is not the finances. Okay, a pastor's priority is not filthy lucre. That's not why you get into the ministry, you get it because you love the sheep. But you see, someone that just goes into the ministry for money, just because I can't work any other job, so this is the only job that I think I can do, I'm going to go to that job because I need to get paid, but here's that highling, what kind of reaction do they take? And not the shepherd, whose own sheep are not, seeeth the wolf come in, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth, and the wolf catches them and scattereth the sheep. There are pastors like this, that when the wolf comes, they flee, and the sheep are scattered. And, you know, sometimes people say, well, as a pastor, he's a highling, is what he is. He left you, it was never about you, he didn't love you. Okay, he deserted you, he didn't love you, he didn't care for you, it was about his own reputation, it was about his own name. That is not a pastor, that is a highling, okay, that wants to scatter the sheep. He careeth not for the sheep. Verse number 14. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep. Look at these wonderful words. And this is so we don't get too comfortable. We've got a sheepfold, as it were, here at New Life Baptist Church. But we should not have the attitude, ask for it no more. We should not have that attitude. It's safe in the sheepfold. It's actually safer if we don't open the door, right? Let's lock that door, pastor. Let's make sure nobody comes in, you know, because we don't know what kinds of people will come in, so let's lock it, and we'll be safe. Actually, we kind of will be safe. But you see here, Jesus Christ says in verse number 16, And 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. You see, there are people here on the Sunshine Coast that need to be brought into the fold of Jesus Christ. Okay, so we need the door to open. I'm just using an example here, okay? You know what I mean. Okay, we need to be able to open and go, well, it's safe here. We need to sometimes go out as sheep amongst the wolves, okay, and find those that are of, you know, those that can be brought into the fold of Jesus Christ, and the goal is that we will become one fold. When Christ said these words, of course, the New Testament church was not yet in effect, but he's speaking about those that are not yet saved, okay? He's speaking about those even not of Israel, you know, the Gentiles that need to be reached. Others that need to be brought into one fold, and that's one of my favourite statements of Jesus Christ, is that Christ is looking for one fold, and, you know, there are many Baptist churches that try to divide. They say, well, the people of God are the Jews, and then we're just another people of God, secondary people of God, the Gentiles, and, you know, basically that Jesus Christ has two folds. No, there's one fold, regardless of your ethnicity, okay? If you belong to Christ, we all belong to his fold. Verse number 17, he says, Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it up again. He says he's going to lay down his life, that I, speaking of himself, might take it up again. Who rose Jesus from the dead? Himself. And then we have other passages that the Father rose him from the dead, and then we have other passages that the Spirit rose him from the dead. Yeah, all three persons of the triune nature of God, the Trinity, rose him from the dead. But then he says in verse number 18, No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. Okay, so when Christ was crucified, yes, it was done by the wickedness of the unbelieving Jews, and by corrupt political power of the Roman Empire, but really Christ says it was his decision. He decided to lay down his life. He was obedient to the commandments of his Father. Verse number 19, There was a division, therefore, again, among the Jews for these sayings, and many of them said, He hath the devil. It's not the first time they've said this, and is mad. Is mad is crazy. He's insane. He's a lunatic. Okay. Why hear ye him? Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind? You may recall the previous chapter, the eyes of the blind was opened. That's why you can see, it's just a continuation, chapter 10, so far of what took place there in chapter number 9. Now, I want to pause here for a moment because we see that the people of God hear the voice of the shepherd. Okay. You know, we've been given a wonderful Bible, the King James Bible. I believe, and many of us believe in this church, that this is not just the best English translation, but this is a perfect English translation. Okay. And you pick up this word and you learn this is the voice of the shepherd. This is the voice right here. This book. I try my best to be a vessel, alright, teaching you the voice of God, but sometimes I can make mistakes. And this is why, again, I remind you, you need to go back to the word of God. Okay. As charismatic and wonderful as a preacher can be, sometimes we can get overwhelmed with the man and think, oh, everything he says is true, but you need to hear the voice of the shepherd. And I want you to get into the practice with me. Challenge me, learn and go back. Is this right what pastor said? And if you do it with me and you get in the habit of doing it with me, one day you might find yourself in some other church with some other pastor, okay, and they could very well be a highling. They might very well run away when the wolf comes. Or they might be a thief and a robber, seeking to hurt and maim you. But if you've got into the practice of knowing the voice of the shepherd, then you won't be deceived. You know, you'll get into a church potentially, you know, these false prophets, the sheep, the wolves in sheep's clothing. It's hard to tell at the beginning, but as time goes on, as you recognise the voice of the shepherd and you hear preaching, you go, that doesn't sound like the voice of the shepherd. That doesn't sound like the words of God that you take heed of the sermon this afternoon and say, well, maybe that preacher's a wolf. Maybe that preacher is a robber, he's a thief. Maybe that preacher is a highling and not a shepherd. Make that assessment. You know, the sheep know the voice. The sheep know the voice of the shepherd. You have that within you. Make sure you challenge everything you hear. I don't care if it's your favourite preacher. Just challenge it, because your favourite preacher, I guarantee you, will admit if he's a godly man that he's made mistakes in the past or has said wrong things sometimes. It's not our intention, it's just the challenge of a flesh while you're trying to serve God in his body. There's a division among them and, yeah, you know, Jesus Christ is saying these things. He's basically saying to the Pharisees, you're not my sheep. That's why you don't hear my voice. But all these people that have followed after me, all these disciples that I do have in Jerusalem, you know, they heard my voice and they followed me. They did not get misguided by your teaching. They did not seek to follow you, Pharisees. I'm sure these Pharisees are getting worked up. Why aren't all these people listening to us? We told them he's a devil. We told him not to believe in him. We told them that, you know, he's not the Christ, yet they're all following after him. Yeah, because they know the voice of the shepherd. And of course, this doesn't make the Pharisees feel special when all these people are seeking to believe on Jesus Christ, or have believed on Jesus Christ. Then we get to verse number 22. Now, verse number 22 is a new setting altogether. It says, And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter. You can see now we're in a new season. We're at a new feast of the dedication. The previous feast that Jesus Christ was at when he went to Jerusalem was the Feast of the Tabernacles. You may recall that. And I have said to you that the next Passover is when Jesus Christ will be crucified. So you go from the Feast of the Tabernacles to the Passover is six months. So the beginning of John chapter 10, we're still six months from the crucifixion of Christ, but then we get to verse number 22, a new setting, a new feast, a new season. It is now winter. So what is the feast of the dedication? Does anyone know? You don't have to tell me. Just raise your hand if you know what this feast is. Because it's not a feast that God commanded them to celebrate in the Old Testament. Yet Jesus Christ is at this feast. Now, you may know that the Jews today, they celebrate a holiday that falls around November, December. Hanukkah? That's basically the feast of dedication. That's the modern equivalent to the feast of dedication. Now, this feast was celebrated, I'm going to have a look at my notes here, in the month of Kislev. Okay, so this is now four months prior to the Passover. So as we start verse number 22, we've gone from six months to the Christ crucifixion. Now we fast forward to two months, new season, we're four months before the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. So a two month jump. Now this feast of dedication, you're not going to read about it in the Old Testament. God never commanded the Jews to celebrate this feast, the origins is found in the book of 1 Maccabees, which is an Apocrypha book. When the 1611 King James Bible was first translated in 1611, like the one you've got today, I'm sure has the Old Testament, and then you've got your New Testament. So there's the Old Testament for me on this side, and I've got the New Testament there. But in the first printing of the 1611 edition, they had Apocrypha books, which Apocrypha means, the word means like hidden, like crypt, the word crypt, Apocrypha, means hidden, like unapproved books. Like these are doubtful, they're not part of the canon of scripture, and so what they did was they put it between the Old Testament and the New Testament, and some of these books have credit or some profit in terms of just understanding some of the history between the Old Testament and the New Testament, but they are not canon of scripture. It is not the word of God, which is why the translators put it between the Old Testament and the New Testament, highlighting that this is not part of the canon of scripture. But again, there could be some historical prophets knowing these books, but don't view them as the word of God. It's not the infallible word of God, man moved by the Holy Ghost, rather than just historical teachings. It's like if my kids do history, you know, they're homeschooled, it's like if I grab some of the history material, okay, which might talk about the time period and I might just stick it right here in this book so I have something to refer to. That's basically all it is, okay, but it's not the word of God. But within these books, we have the history of the Maccabees, and so what it teaches is basically this. So about 160 to 170 BC, Judea was under the Seleucid, I think it's pronounced, Seleucid dynasty, which is a Macedonian Greek dynasty. Okay, so this is before the Roman Empire, okay, that were under this dynasty. And under this dynasty, one of the kings, his name is, and I don't know if I'm pronouncing this right, but it's Antiochus Epiphanes, okay, this is one of the kings. He wasn't happy with the Jews, you know, still sacrificing in the temple to the Lord. He wanted to cause the Jews to worship the Greek gods, okay. And he got so upset about this that he actually entered into the temple of God and he sacrificed a pig, which is an unclean animal. It's not an animal that should be sacrificed on the altar. And so he did this and he set up other idols of Greek gods in the temple. And this angered a certain family, and you've got these five brothers, and one of the brothers is Judea Maccabees, which was the leader. They basically got some of the Jews really fired up and they pushed back against this king, okay. They conquered the temple as it were, they won this battle, they pushed back this dynasty, and they then had, they basically cleaned up the temple, they got rid of all the idols, and they rededicated the temple for the service of God. They rededicated the temple to the service of God, and they then started to celebrate this festival, that they've rededicated the temple to the Lord God. And so it's not an Old Testament teaching, it's not something God commands of them, but you see that Jesus Christ is at Jerusalem for these feasts. Because in hindsight, it actually is a good thing to know that hey, the temple was defiled, but there were people that were passionate and zealous for the things of God, they got rid of the wickedness, and rededicated this temple to the Lord. And I like the illustration because we know in the New Testament our bodies are the temple of the Lord. We know that we defile this temple with our sins, and many times you just have to, it's like that rededication, Lord help me to walk in your ways once again. Clean me up, forgive me for my sins, Lord I'm sorry, and help me to do better. And I like that thought, that principle that can be applied to this feast, even though it is not something that God asked in the Old Testament. Now, how do we apply this to us today? You know, I've been accused, not accused, but people sometimes don't like you, just for silly things. Like, I'm fine, I'm happy to celebrate Christmas. Does the Bible ever command us to celebrate Christmas? No. Is it wicked, is it sinful? Oh, I got pagan. When we're celebrating Christmas, are we celebrating pagan gods? Oh, we've been thankful for Jesus Christ's birth. Yeah, we're thankful for Christ. Did God ever command it in the old Bible to celebrate Christmas? No. Did God ever command to celebrate the feast of the dedication? Was Jesus there though? He was there. He thought, hey, this is good, this is a good celebration, so I'm going to be there. You know what, remembering that the Father sent the Son to be born in Bethlehem's manger, you know, that Christ came in a babe and the wonderful story of his birth, that's something wonderful to remember. I'm not against Christmas in that sense. But I also don't get caught up with all the commercialism and, you know, we're not the kind of family, I mean, I think Isabel would like to do more lights and things and decorations and all that, but it's not really something I'm driven to do because I also recognise it's not something that we've been commanded to do. You know, I kind of have just a moderate approach to things. You know, when it comes to Christmases, we've bought our kids presents, but we don't really go out and do the whole decoration thing necessarily. But again, if someone wants to do that, are they in sin? Are they doing something wrong? But see, people attack you and say, well, why are you celebrating Christmas? God never asks you to celebrate Christmas. Alright, well, God never asks to celebrate the feast of dedication, but there's Jesus Christ celebrating it. Okay, because we're remembering something wonderful that God has done. Okay, that's it. And look, and I'll just quickly read to you, Romans 14 verse 5. One man esteemeth one day above another, another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. So, be fully persuaded. You don't want to celebrate Christmas, don't celebrate Christmas. I'm not upset with you if you don't want to celebrate Christmas. And if you want to go all out and do all the lights and decorations, and say, pastor, come check out my house during Christmas, because it's all going to be lit up in fancy. Oh, praise God for you. Do it unto the Lord, praise the Lord, do it for him. Because it continues in verse number 6. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord. And he that regardeth not the day to the Lord, he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks. And he that eateth not to the Lord, he eateth not, and giveth God thanks. We give God thanks. You don't want to celebrate it, give God thanks. You want to celebrate it, give God thanks. You know, I don't have a rule in this church. Like, in our statement of faith, he's not going to have, you know, you must celebrate Christmas, or you can't be part of our church, or something like that. It's up to you. And you see, Christ has no problem going to a festival, a feast, okay, that wasn't commanded by God, but he just says it's a good thing. We see that Jesus Christ went to the synagogue. Did God ask to set up synagogues and to worship there? No, but was Christ at the synagogues? Yeah, because there was good things going on. Now, some of them were corrupt, depending on what kind of leadership was in those places. But you know, Christ was there, okay? So, I think it's a good principle that we can live by seeing what Christ has done here. But let's keep going there, verse number 23. So, is that this Feast of Dedication? We've skipped two months now. He's back in Jerusalem, okay, four months before his crucifixion. Verse number 23. And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch. Then came the Jews, ran about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt, if thou be the Christ? Tell us plainly! Tell us if you're the Christ! And the Christ means Messiah. Okay? Now, has Jesus... Is Jesus... Look, he'll tell them he's really told them. Just very quickly, come back to John 4. Come back to John 4, verse number 25. John 4. Look at verse number 25. Is Jesus hiding the fact that he's the Messiah? John 4, 25. The woman saith unto him, I know that Messiah's cometh, which is called Christ. When he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he. Jesus said, I am the Christ. I am Messiah. Here I am. And then you've got these unbelieving Jews. Tell us! Why don't you just tell us already if you're the Messiah? These are just... They're just morons. They're just making their... Oh, Christ is here now. Two months later, he's back. Let's make his life hard. Let's go and trouble him. Now, I believe... I think I know what's going on. Remember, they want to kill him. There's four months before his crucifixion. I'm going to quickly read to you from Daniel 9. You don't need to turn there. It's where Messiah gets referenced in the Old Testament. Let me show you the issue for Christ to just publicly say in the temple that I'm the Messiah. What's the issue that the Pharisees can create? What's the situation that they can work against Christ? Because in Daniel 9, 5, it says, Know therefore and understand that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, etc. Messiah the Prince. For Christ to say, I am Christ, I am the Messiah, he's saying, I am Messiah the Prince. I have authority. I have a kingdom. Okay? And don't forget the Jews were under Roman power. For Christ to come, I am the Prince. What are they going to use against him? That he wants to raise himself up and be the king, be the prince over this entire region. And so that's what they're trying to utilize. In fact, that is something they do try to utilize when they seek to bring him before Pilate and to crucify him. That he's trying to take authority, trying to drive the Romans out of the land. So that's why I believe that they're trying, just tell us you're Messiah the Prince. So then we can go report you to the authorities that you're trying to raise up yourself to be a king in this land. Verse number 25. Jesus answered them, I told you and you believe not. So did Jesus already tell them? He already told them and you believe not. The works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me. Because look, I told you and my work should tell you. Alright? Verse number 26. But ye believe not because ye are not of my sheep as I said unto you. I told you two months ago you're not of my sheep. This is why you don't believe on me. Verse number 27. My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. And I give unto them, not you Pharisees, unto them eternal life and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. Eternal security, they shall never perish. Praise God if you're saved this afternoon. You will never perish, you will never die on your sins. Okay? Christ keeps you. You can never die. You have everlasting life. Hey, what did he say again? And I give unto them eternal life. We're not promised eternal life to come. We already have it. Right? And I give present tense and I give them eternal life. You don't have eternal life. You don't just get it when you die. You have it now. This is why you can never perish spiritually speaking. The moment this body perishes, you are with God in heaven for all eternity. You cannot lose your salvation. You cannot sin your way out of salvation. Okay? Because if you could sin your way out of it and lose it, then it wasn't eternal. Christ promises eternal life. Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. Isn't that amazing? This is the hand of Christ pretend and this pen represents us that are saved. The moment we believe in Christ. It's not like you just sit there and, ah, now I've lost my salvation. No, Christ goes like this. What man can take that pen out of the hand of Christ? You tell me. No one can. Well, maybe I can. No, you can't. You're stronger than Christ. You can pull yourself out of the hand of Christ. That's ridiculous. You're in the hand of Christ. But then look what he says in verse 29. My Father which gave them me is greater than all. Even himself. And no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. So this is what happens. You're the pen. Christ goes like this. Then the Father goes like this. You think you can lose your salvation? Then you're stronger than God. Notice what he says that the Father is greater than all. He says the Father is greater than he. Now, we believe that Christ is God. Please don't misunderstand me. The Father is God. We serve a triune God. The Trinity. God the Father. God the Son. God the Holy Spirit. Okay? We serve one God in three persons. But within the authority structure of the Godhead, you have the Father as the authority. Christ continues teaching us that he does the works of the Father. He does the commandments of the Father. He does everything to please the Father. He submits his will to the Father's will. You see, the Father has the greater authority amongst, within the nature of God. Okay? And Christ is just illustrating this. Now, one thing I want to bring out of here, and this is why I kept going on, about the sheep in the fold who hear the voice of the shepherd that are already saved. The reason I wanted to bring that to your attention is because in verse number 29, the Calvinists will use a verse like this and say, My Father which gave them me. The Calvinists will say, you had no, it wasn't your free will choice to get saved. The Father already selected you to get saved and so he gave you to Jesus and you have no choice in the matter. Where the Father has already selected before the foundation of the world to select some to be saved and some to not be saved. But is that what this is teaching? Is this saying the Father has given Christ, those that were unsaved, got them saved somehow and then gave them the hands of Christ? No, these that hear the voice of the shepherd, that know the voice of the shepherd, are already saved. Okay? They're already saved, they're already in the sheep fold, but when Christ comes, they hear the voice, yes, I'm following that man. I'm following the prophet, I'm following Messiah, I'm following the Son of God. So this has nothing to do with God choosing you sometime before the foundation of the earth. Please don't get caught up in Calvinism or reformed theology is the other term they use. These sheep are already saved. He says in verse number 30, I and my Father are one. He just finished saying the Father is great above all, then he says I and my Father are one. One God. We serve one God. Christ is saying very much in these words that he is God. Okay? Now, he is not saying that he is the Father and we're going to look at that in a moment. Okay? He's not saying he's the Father, but he and his Father are one. We serve one God. And verse number 31, Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. Once again, they think he's speaking blasphemy because Jesus Christ is essentially saying he is God and so they pick up stones to stone him. Verse number 32, Jesus answered them, Many good works have I showed you from my Father, for which of these works do you stone me? What reason do you have to stone me? What reason do you have to try to kill me? The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not. I don't understand that. Because we know, I mean, we know they're just, we're dealing with idiots. We know that. And many of these are reprobate. Okay? But remember they kept saying that his works were evil because he healed on the Sabbath day? But now they're like, Ah, we're not saying that any of your works were, for a good work we stone thee not, we're not stoning you because of your works, but for blasphemy. And because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. Yes, Christ was making himself God. Yes, he was telling them that he's God. And so they pick up these stones to stone him. Now, this is the response of Christ and I want to break this down because it is a challenging passage to understand. But verse number 34, this is Christ's response. Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law? I said ye are gods. Little g, plural, gods. What's Christ speaking about here? So he challenges them with the scriptures and specifically a psalm. Okay? So keep your finger there and come with Psalm 82. Let's understand what Christ is speaking about. Psalm 82. Psalm 82. I was going to start my stopwatch, but it's on zero seconds. So I'm going to start now. So I know I've got about an hour to go. All right? So... Psalm 82, please. Psalm 82 and verse number 1. This is where Christ has taken these words. I said ye are gods. It is written in your law. By the way, the psalms, what's Christ calling the psalms? The law. The psalms are not some lesser scriptures compared to the writings of Moses. It's still the law of God. Psalm 82 verse 1. God standeth in the congregation of the mighty and judgeth among the gods. So God stands in the congregation of the mighty, people in authority, people in power, judges, magistrates, kings, things like this. You soon see. So God is standing. God sees what he is. And he calls them gods. So the word god means supreme being basically. Okay? All these human beings have a supreme position compared to other men. But verse number 2. How long will ye judge unjustly? So God is saying this to the gods, to men. Men in authority. How long will ye judge unjustly and accept the persons of the wicked, Selah? So these gods, they're not good people. They're in authority, but they're wicked judges. Okay? Verse number 3. Defend the poor and fatherless. Do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy. Rid them at the hand of the wicked. They know not, neither will they understand. They walk on in darkness. All the foundations of the earth are out of course. I have said, ye are gods. And all of you are children of the Most High. But ye shall die like men. So are they really gods? No. He calls them gods because they have authority. They've got supreme authority and power. But they're men. They're going to die like men. And fall like one of the princes. And then the prayer from the psalmist. Arise, O God. There's one God. Arise, O God. Judge the earth, for thou shall inherit all nations. Again, prophetically speaking of Christ, who will inherit all nations. So God is looking at the judges and the authorities on the earth, the Jewish authorities of Israel at this time. And he says you're corrupt, you're wicked, you don't do things justly. And he refers to them as gods. So wicked judges. Let's put it that way. Refers to them as gods. Now of course there's one God. As it says in verse number 8. Arise, O God, and judge the earth, for thou shall inherit all nations. So there's coming a time when of course God will be in charge of this entire earth, the coming of Jesus Christ. Alright. Now that you understand where this comes from, in Psalm 82. Come back with me to John chapter 10. John chapter 10, verse number 35 is what we're up to. So Jesus then asks them this question. Because they're trying to stone him. They're trying to kill Jesus. Alright. He says, if he, that's God, called them gods, those wicked leaders, unto whom the word of God came and the scripture cannot be broken. He goes, look, you cannot disregard Psalm 82. You can't remove it from your scriptures. You can't break the scriptures. So how are you going to explain God calling these wicked people gods? Okay. And you're stoning me for blasphemy. Let's keep going there. We'll soon see what he says here in verse number 36. Say ye of him whom the father have sanctified, speaking of himself here, and sent into the world, thou blasphemest, look at this, because I said I am the son of God. You want to stone me because I said I am the son of God? But God in Psalm 82 called these wicked people, these people that do wicked works, gods. He goes, I'm not even calling myself God. I'm calling myself the son of God. Of course, making himself equal with God, they understand that as well. But what I'm trying to bring your attention here is that Jesus Christ is not calling himself the father. He and his father are one. Okay. But he's not saying I'm the father. He says, I am saying I am the son of God. And you want to stone me for saying that. But God called these wicked people, gods. So in other words, why would you stone me for saying something lesser than being called God when God the father had no problem saying that and that's in your scriptures. You can't remove that. You can't break the scriptures. So how are you going to stone me? What blasphemy have I said? You know what, Reverend? We are the children of God. I am a son of God because I'm in Christ Jesus. I am a son of God because I'm in Christ Jesus. How wonderful. You are a son of God. You're a child of God. Because you're in Christ Jesus. That's what Christ said. And they're trying to stone him for it. Don't be surprised if we're coming to a time when people will seek to kill you just because you're a child of God. You know? But I love this. It's so clear that Christ is saying he's God. But I want you to notice, and again, because I hate this oneness theology. You know, Jesus is not the father. Jesus is not the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the son of God. Okay? He makes this clear. He says that his father is greater than he. Okay? And please, let's never move away. The Trinity is the correct doctrine. Father, Son and Holy Ghost. One God in three persons. So explain it to me, pastor. Believe the Bible. Believe the Bible. Believe the words of Christ. That he is the son of God. I hope that makes sense to you, what I explain. If you have any questions, please ask me. Okay? But he's basically saying like, you're trying to kill me for something lesser when the father called these wicked people gods. Little G. Okay? But they weren't real gods because they would die like men. Okay? They'd be wicked and die like men. All right. Let's keep going there. Verse number 36. Say ye of him whom the father hath sanctified. I'm sorry, I read that already. Anyway, sent in the world thou blasphemous because I said I am the son of God. If I do not the works of my father, believe me not. But I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works that ye may know and believe that the father is in me and I in him. So they can't all be reprobate because Christ has given them another chance. You know, basically what's going on here, they're trying to crucify him for something he said, that he and his father are one. Okay? What I see in this passage is that Christ is, okay, look, if you're not going to believe me, believe the works that I do. Look at what I'm doing. Look at the good works. Look at the people being healed, the blind being able to see. Okay? And then pass your judgments. And then when you see the works and you acknowledge that these works are of the father, these works are of God, then you can ultimately believe in me. He's given them one more chance, at least for those that are not reprobate here. And what I see in this is that these Pharisees are trying to stone Jesus. It's like, have you ever heard the term that they're playing semantics or they're arguing semantics? Sometimes we can become like this where we, I've seen many arguments of Christians saying the same thing, believing the same thing, but they're just arguing over the words that have been used. And that's what I kind of see here. They want to stone Jesus for the words that he used by saying I and my father are one. Okay? But because they're so fixed, and what does the word semantics basically mean? The study of the meaning of words. Look, the meaning of words are important. But you don't want to be so bogged down in the meaning of the words and you're missing out on the great works that God has done or is doing. And so Christ is saying, look, you're so caught up with the words and the meaning of words here, you're missing the big picture of the great works that I am. If you can't accept me, all right, look at the works. Let this be step number one to make you realise he must be of God. And that will then progressively lead them to ultimately believe in Jesus Christ. But they're arguing over words and forgetting the great works that Jesus Christ has done. Verse number 39. Therefore they sought again to take him, but he escaped out of their hand and went away beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptised and there he abode. So he goes back to the place where John first baptised. Where is that? Very quickly, just for your information, come with me to John 1. John 1.28. John 1.28. It says there, these things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan where John was baptising. Where did Jesus go? He went beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptised. So that's where he went to Bethabara. He went back to this place. Now, this is where John the Baptist had his ministry, was doing the first baptisms. So obviously there's going to be a lot of converts in this place where Christ has gone. People are trying to kill him in Judea. People are trying to kill him in Jerusalem. All he came was for the feast. And to lead people to him. But he gets out of that. They're trying to kill him once again. Somehow he escapes. Maybe another miracle. And he goes to a place where people are more receptive. Or people have already followed and believed upon him. Then it says there in verse number 41. And many, and actually keep your finger on John 1 as well if you can just so we can look at this. And many resorted unto him. So many came to Christ. Okay, in Bethabara. And said, John did no miracle but all things that John spake of this man were true. And many believed on him there. So John the Baptist has already done a great work. You know, establishing great foundations. There are many, many believers already. But then many more believe on Christ when he returns to that same place. But notice it says in verse number 41 But all things that John spake of this man were true. I want to remind you when John the Baptist's ministry was in operation it was still the Old Testament. In fact, it is still the Old Testament there in John chapter 10. The New Testament commenced with the shedding of the blood of Christ when he died on the cross. We're still operating in Old Testament times. Okay, so what did John the Baptist say? What is true what John the Baptist said? You're there in John 1. Just as a reminder. Okay, John 1 and 28. Sorry, we read 28, verse number 29. What words did John speak of Christ? The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him and saith, Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. Reverend, what were they hearing in the Old Testament? By an Old Testament preacher that Christ is the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world. We started this chapter by saying that Christ is the good shepherd. But he's also the Lamb of God. He's also the door. Okay, but he's the Lamb and it's just like he's the Lamb, he's the shepherd, he's the door. Christ is all things for us. You know, if you want to be saved you must have Christ. But you know what? If you want to live a successful Christian life in green pastures you need Christ to lead you. Our life ought always to be about Christ. Even once you're saved it's still about Christ. In fact, it's more about Christ than it's ever been. But as the Lamb of God we take away the sin of the world. So when John the Baptist is pointing people to Christ he's saying, look, this is our Saviour. He's going to deliver us from our sins. When you point people to trust and believe in Christ, believe in salvation, what I'm trying to say is salvation in the Old Testament is the same. More awareness. As John the Baptist came there was greater awareness it's a man, it's a Lamb. Christ is coming as a man, he's the Son of God actually that's come to die for us. This is the Messiah, this is the Christ. More and more revelation is developing here as they set their eyes on Jesus. You're there in John 1, look at verse number 34. Other words that John the Baptist said, and I saw and bear record that this is the Son of God. This is the Son of God. The Lamb that taketh away the sin of the world. So Old Testament, how did the Old Testament saints get saved? Same way, faith on Jesus Christ. Is what I'm trying to tell you. We're not even in the New Testament times just yet. But John the Baptist did a great work and I'm hoping, brethren, we're five years into this place here. Look, the Sunshine Coast has not been very receptive overall. But we've been laboring hard, going soul winning. Let's not give up, let's not get to the point, let's just go somewhere else. Look, we've been laboring. Jesus Christ returns back and many believe on him because of the foundational work that's been done already. Let's continue our work. Hopefully many more believe on Christ. Praise God for those of you that go soul winning and see souls saved. Let's continue the work. We're seeking to bring more people into the fold. That was the desire of Christ, to bring more into his fold and Christ is going to utilize us to do that. But as I said, brethren, John chapter 10 verse 11, I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. He gave his life for us. He became the lamb. He became like sinful man. He took on our sin, he took on our curse, died in our place and salvation is offered freely. Eternal life is offered freely simply by believing on his finished work. Okay, brethren, let's pray. Heavenly Father, Lord, we want to thank you for this study for the book of John and we thank you for sending your son to die for us. Lord, I thank you that we're eternally secure in the hands of Christ but not only that, Lord, we're secure in your hand. Thank you so much, Father, for sending your son to die in our place and Lord, help us to be the sheep. Lord, help us not to be lost sheep seeking our own ways. Help us to be safely in the fold. Help us to be safely listening to the voice of the shepherd and help us, Lord, to follow Christ as best as we know how. We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Alright, hymn number 109. Ooh, I preached for 14 minutes. That's a short sermon. Hymn number 109, please. 109. We're singing Saviour Like a Shepherd Lead Us. 109. Saviour Like a Shepherd Lead Us. 109. Saviour Like a Shepherd Lead Us. 110. Saviour Like a Shepherd Lead Us. 109. 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