Enjoy it. I promise it's not that bad. Hallelujah. Good to be saved tonight. I don't know about you. I know we don't always live on the mountaintop, but I'm like Billy Kelly said, there'll be enough times to pout and cry and weep. I want to enjoy this journey. Amen? I want to rejoice over the fact that I know the Lord is my Savior tonight. Alright, John chapter 10. We've been looking at the I am's of the book of John. Seven major times in this book we find that the Lord said, I am. And we've looked at three of those. We're going to look at the fourth one tonight. We saw earlier where he said, I am the bread of life. We saw where he said, I am the light of the world. And then previously in this chapter, we saw where the Lord said in verse 9, I am the door. And each one of these I am's have a specific meaning concerning the character of Christ, who He is, and what He does for us, and what a blessing they are. So we're going to look at the fourth one tonight. So let's begin our reading in verse 11, if you would stand. Honor the Word of God tonight. Let's read verse 11 down through verse number 18, and we'll see what the Lord has for us tonight. Verse number 11, Jesus said, I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an 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 an 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." Let's go to the Lord in prayer tonight. Father, thank you for the privilege of allowing us to be here tonight. Lord, thank you for a good week you've given us. Blessing us spiritually and physically. Thank you for this Christmas season. Lord, it's always a joyful time in our heart. Lord, thank you for a good place to be able to come and worship you tonight. And Lord, I know that we probably all came in with cares and problems, but Lord, help us lay those down just for a little while. God, help us get our mind off the world and all the cares and things that so hinder us from worshiping You. And Lord, I pray tonight that You'd help us look into these verses that You have assigned to us this evening. And Lord, help us see that You are the Good Shepherd tonight. And I'm so thankful for that. I'm glad you're here. I'm glad you live in our hearts. And I'm glad you're in the midst of your people. Lord, may we rejoice tonight over what you have done and what you're going to do for us. Father, encourage your people this evening and work in hearts like only you can. And we'll praise your name, for it's in Jesus' name we ask. Amen. Now, we'll notice tonight the fourth time in the Scripture, in the book of John, where Jesus said, I am. And the thought tonight is simply here in verse 11 of the Good Shepherd. And my thought this evening is the graciousness of the Good Shepherd. And as you look at these verses that we read tonight, we find that Jesus is letting them know that He is the Good Shepherd. Now there's three attributes to Christ as the Shepherd in the Word of God. The Good Shepherd, the Great Shepherd, and the Chief Shepherd. And all three of those mean something a little bit different. It's kind of like the Gospels in how that you see the same God, but yet different aspects. And all three of those shepherd titles make a difference. But tonight, I want to look at the Good Shepherd and the graciousness of Christ, our Good Shepherd. Now, a lot of places in the Bible we find that God's people and even the nation of Israel is referred to as sheep. And many places the Bible speaks of the characteristics of sheep. And if you want to see an animal that we human beings are much like, it is a sheep. We're defenseless. We're helpless, sometimes we're very ignorant, and we get into things we shouldn't get into, and we wander off of the side of cliffs and places that we have no business being. But I'm glad the Lord loves the sheep tonight, and I'm glad He is the Good Shepherd this evening. And I want to give you just a few things in these seven or eight verses that tell us about the Good Shepherd tonight. If you'll notice in verse 11, as he begins his thought, he speaks of the giving of the good shepherd. He said, I am the good shepherd, and the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. Probably the greatest thing that we can attribute to the Lord Jesus Christ is the fact that he went to Calvary and that he gave himself as the ransom for sinners and paid the price of sin. And what a great gift. A gift that can never be matched. No greater gift has ever been given than a man lay down his life for his friends. So you notice in verse 11, he speaks of giving. Now, notice some things that we find in this verse. I see, first of all, the goodness of his giving. In verse number 11, he said, I am the good shepherd. Now that word good means more than just something that is good or something that's right. But the word good here speaks of his capability, that he is the shepherd that is fit to be the shepherd. Now, you look over in the Old Testament in the prophets and you'll find that an evil shepherd is mentioned over there. And there's a contrast between the good shepherd and a false shepherd or an evil shepherd. I was reading in Jeremiah earlier this afternoon how the Lord spoke of the false pastors that had led the people of Israel away and scattered the sheep. But Jesus is the contrast to that. He is the good shepherd. He's the fit shepherd. Over in the book of Leviticus chapter 16, you'll read about when they sent out the goat with the sins of the people upon the goat, you'll read about the fit man. And that fit man was able to run with that goat out into the wilderness and see that those sins that were laid upon that goat were taken away from the people of God. Boy, I'm glad tonight when we look at Christ being good and being the good shepherd, that it speaks of His ability as a shepherd. There's no greater shepherd than the Lord Jesus Christ. There's no greater one for us to fall under and allow to lead and protect in our life than the Lord Jesus Christ. So His goodness is mentioned in verse 11. And then notice His gift that is mentioned in verse 11. He said, I am the good shepherd. He said, the good shepherd giveth. Now don't miss that word tonight. As we're looking at the Good Shepherd, of course, we're speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ. But especially to us preachers tonight, we need to use this thought and apply it to our own lives. Now, we're not THE shepherd, we're A under-shepherd, is what we like to call ourselves sometimes. We are not THE shepherd of the sheep, but God has put us in a position as a shepherd. And if Christ is the Good Shepherd, then we ought to look to Him as the pattern of our life. And we ought to see some things that He is because He is the Good Shepherd. And we ought to ask the Lord to help us to be like the Good Shepherd as we're tending to the sheep that God has given us. So there's goodness that's mentioned, but there is a gift. And the Good Shepherd is known for giving His life. And there's no greater gift than can be given but the life of the Good Shepherd. Jesus Christ came to heal and He came to change lives and a lot of things He did that we read about in the Gospels, but the greatest thing that He did is when He came and went to Calvary. And when He hung on that cross willingly and gave His life as the sacrifice for sin, nobody else could have done that. Nobody else could have paid sin's debt because everybody else, we are born sinners, and Christ was born sinless because He had no earthly Father. His Father was the Holy Ghost. So the Bible lets us know that not only is He that Good Shepherd, but He's the Good Shepherd that has given the greatest gift. And when you look at Christ giving Himself as the gift to all of mankind, then it'll cause you to want to get under the control and the authority of the Good Shepherd. When you realize that He's willing to give His life, then there's nothing He's going to do that's wrong. There's nothing He's going to do that's detrimental to us. There's nowhere He's going to lead us that's going to hurt us. But everything He's going to do for us is going to be beneficial to us. And we know that because He was willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice and give His life for the sheep. So you find in His giving tonight the goodness of the shepherd, His ability. You find the gift of the shepherd, which is His life, which is eternal life. If another man had given His life, it would have done no good. but you had to have one that was sinless to give eternal life. That's why you and I can have eternal life tonight. It's because God in the flesh, the Lord Jesus Christ, who has eternal life and has always been eternal life, gave Himself. And when you and I become saved and born again, then we are partakers of that life that is in Christ. So thank God for that gift tonight of the Good Shepherd. Then notice something else in verse 11. We find what we call the grantee tonight. Now if you've ever had a land transaction, you have a grantor and a grantee. And the grantor is the one that is giving that land or selling that land, transferring that land. And then the grantee is the one that is receiving it. So notice the Lord tonight. He said, I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd giveth His life. Who does He give it for? Does He give it for Himself? Does He give it for just anybody? No, He gives it for the she. Now we know that Christ's life, His sacrifice for sin, is for whosoever will. But the only ones that benefit from the given life of the Good Shepherd are those that become His sheep, are those that get born again, are those that come through the door that we preached about last time to come into the sheepfold. So all those on the outside, they could be blessed by the Good Shepherd, But as long as they're on the outside and haven't come through the door, then they're not going to enjoy the benefits of being under the watch care of the Good Shepherd. So I'm glad tonight that He is the giving Good Shepherd. Now, we find that He's giving in verse 11. And then in verse 12, we find something else that is gracious about our Good Shepherd. Not only is He giving, that's enough to stop tonight, call recess, and shout awhile. Say, thank you, Lord, giving your life for a sinner like me." But he doesn't stop there. In verse number 12, we find his guarding is mentioned in the Scripture. Now, when you think about a shepherd tonight, you always think about a guard. That's what a shepherd does. A shepherd cares for the sheep. He watches over the sheep. He tends to the needs of the sheep. If the sheep are sick, he's there to try to patch them up and help them. If the enemy, the wolf, is coming to try to destroy the sheep, then he's there to try to fend off that wolf and protect the sheep. So tonight we find that we have a good shepherd that is a good shepherd that is on watch duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. He's always on guard. Aren't you glad for that? Now, I've got a German shepherd. Not a good shepherd. But I've got a German shepherd. And you know what? I sleep pretty good at night. Because I've got a dog that hears a whole lot better than me. Or she sees in the dark. And she's much more attentive to me. When I lay my head down at night, I don't have to worry about too much. Because if something comes in the way or in the house that is not supposed to be there, if it happens to get by her, she's going to make enough racket to wake me up to where I can get what I need to hopefully take care of business. So I'm glad tonight for some of those earthly things that God's given us. But greater than that, we have the Good Shepherd. And He is the ultimate guard, if you will. Do you know when you and I are not even thinking about it, when you and I are going about our own life and really not giving the Lord the due attention and adoration that we ought to, do you know that doesn't stop the fact that He's guarding us? Do you know that doesn't stop the fact that he's on duty as the Good Shepherd? He's there watching over the sheep. His eyes are never off of the sheep. He's never too far away to step in and lay hold of the enemy and protect the sheep. I'm glad for his guarding ability tonight as the Good Shepherd. Now look at it. Verse 12, you find he's steadfast. He said this, Jesus said this, but he that is a hireling has given us the other side of it. He said, he that is a hireling and not the shepherd, who's on the sheep or not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth, and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. Now, that is what a hireling does. A hireling is an individual that is only watching over the sheep because of the monetary gain he's going to receive for doing that job. He has no heart for the sheep. He has no burden for the sheep. He's not going to put His life on the line for the sheep, because the sheep are just dollar signs to Him. But I'm glad the Good Shepherd is not that way. And you preachers, we preachers tonight, we better get a hold of that. We better remember that God called us. We're not to be hirelings tonight. God called us to be like the Good Shepherd, to put our life out for the sheep, to give our life for the sheep, and to be guarding the sheep. Well, you ever seen those great Pyrenees dogs? I know Brother Troy's not here tonight, he's sick, but he's got a couple of them, and if you ever go down by his field where he's got those sheep and try to get in, you'll find a rude awakening. Those dogs will not let you do that. They're there guarding those sheep. Their sole existence in life is to make sure nothing gets in on the sheep. Boy, I'm glad tonight we have the Good Shepherd that is continually, steadfastly on watch duty. He never sleeps or he never slumbers. He never gets tired of watching the sheep. He never bats an eye when watching the sheep. He's there to keep guard on the sheep at all times, and I'm glad for that tonight. Now notice what he said. He said, that hireling, he's not the shepherd. He's going to run off when the wolf comes. There's no steadfastness there. But notice when you get to verse number 13, he shows us his sincerity. He said, the hireling fleeth. Why? Because he is a hireling. It's not in his heart. The hireling cares nothing about the sheep. He said he fleeth because he is a hireling, and careth not for the sheep. But on the contrast tonight, the good shepherd, he is sincere. Why? Because he cares for the sheep. Do you know just the fact, and I don't even want to say it like that because it's not just something, but the fact that Jesus Christ was willing to go to Calvary, If He did nothing else for us throughout all eternity, that ought to be enough evidence in our heart tonight to know that He is the Good Shepherd. Just the fact that He was willing to lay down His life so that you and I could have eternal life and spend eternity with Him and the Father, then we ought to be able to rejoice over that tonight. And we ought to never doubt for one minute that our Shepherd is not a sincere shepherd. The Good Shepherd is sincere. Now, he mentions that steadfastness and that sincerity. But then notice now, when you get into verse number 14, he goes to another thought. He mentions the gathering. Now, I'm glad the good shepherd tonight, he is good. That means he's fit. That means he's able. That means he's well capable. He has everything at his disposable. to do the job and take care of the sheep. You remember the shepherd? If you studied the shepherd in the Bible, he would have a staff and a rod and a script, that bag to carry some things that he needed in. He had everything on his person to get the job done. And I am glad tonight that our good shepherd has everything that is needed to take care of us. And we've seen how he guards us tonight. But then notice in verse 14 that he has a desire to gather the sheep. Now, any good shepherd is not going to let his sheep just run anywhere and everywhere. We're living in a generation where a lot of people don't understand the position of a pastor. They don't understand that a pastor that cares about them is going to warn them. A pastor that cares about them is going to preach the truth of God's Word without wavering. A pastor that cares is going to tell them things even though they may not want to hear them. That is just the call and the heart of a good under-shepherd. But when you look at the good shepherd tonight, he gives us that example. He wants to gather the sheep. He doesn't want his sheep to go astray. He doesn't want his sheep to just wander out and get into trouble and get into the thickets and the thorns and the briars and get all skin up and lose limbs or lose life. A good shepherd wants the very best for his sheep. Now notice the Lord tonight as the good shepherd how that he will gather, and that gathering gives us the thought tonight of keeping a close watch on the sheep. Look in verse number 14. In verse number 14, I see that he gathers us through our relationship. He said, I am the good shepherd and know my sheep. Now that hireling doesn't know the sheep. That hireling will breeze in and just about the time that hireling, as you would think he would be getting to know the sheep, he's off to greener pastures. He don't care. Can I tell you, young preachers, something? You need to find out where God wants you, and you need to anchor down. And you need to stick her out. Amen? And don't you run every time a wolf barks. And don't you run every time old Jezebel stands up and wags her tongue at you. You just anchor your feet down, and you say, this is where God has put me, and this is where I'm going to stay till God tells me to go somewhere else. That's the difference between the good shepherd and a false shepherd. That's the difference between a good shepherd and a hireling. That hireling's going to run when the going gets tough. That hireling's going to kick out when he finds something easier to do or something better to do. But thank God, the Good Shepherd, our Lord Jesus Christ, He knows us through relationship. I had a preacher this one time, I believe he's right. He said, it takes about five to seven years just to get to know your people, and for your people to get to know you. And you know, that's about the truth. Sometimes I think as preachers, we go way too quick away from the place where God has put us. We need to do like the good shepherd. I'm glad tonight that when he takes the sheep in, it is an eternal relationship. I'm glad that when we are born again and we're birthed into the family of God, I am so thankful that our Lord spends eternity getting to know us. Now, He knows all about us, but that progressional relationship is our benefit. See, we get to know more about Him. Look what he said in the Scripture here in verse number 14. He said this, he said, I am the good shepherd and know my sheep, and am known of mine. You see, it's a two-way relationship. The longer we spend time in the care of the good shepherd, the more we get to know about him. And the more you get to know about the good shepherd, the more you're going to trust him. The more you get to know about the Good Shepherd, the more you're going to follow Him. And you're going to let Him lead you. And after we've been saved a period of time, then it shouldn't be so hard for us to obey Him. It shouldn't be so difficult for us to walk in His footsteps, because we've spent some time with Him. And we've learned that He's there to help us. And we've learned that He cares for us. And we've learned that even when He has to get that rod, now you know what the staff is for. That staff is there for guidance, and that staff is there for rescue. But that rod, that little short rod that he carried, it's there to defend off the wolves, but sometimes it's there to discipline. Sometimes it's there to bring that sheep. I've been told this before. It seems like I read it somewhere, but I've been told this before by preachers that are much wiser than me, that sometimes those sheep will get a streak of wandering in them, and they'll get rebellious, and they'll run off and get in trouble time and time again. And that good shepherd, after a while, he knows his sheep, He knows when they're headed for destruction. So that good shepherd will take that little sheep, and he'll pull that sheep up to him, and he'll take that rod, and he'll break the leg of that sheep. You say, boy, that's cruel. That's awful. How could a good shepherd do that? Well, he doesn't stop there. He takes that leg and then he mends that leg. And he anoints that leg and he doctors that leg and wraps that leg. And then what he has to do after he corrects that sheep, he has to spend time carrying that sheep by his side. And then it's a period of time as that sheep begins to heal up. But they say by the time that that sheep's leg is healed, he's spent so much time close to the heartbeat of the shepherd that he don't want to run anymore. Amen? Anybody know what I'm talking about? Anybody ever run from the shepherd since you've been saved? Anybody ever had the good shepherd come down with the rod of correction and break that spiritual leg in your life? I've had it happen before. Boy, I didn't like it at the time, but I can stand tonight and say, thank God that the good shepherd loved me. I'm glad He didn't let me run off and do my own thing. I'm glad He still doesn't let me wander around and stick my nose in the places I'm not supposed to be. I'm glad He takes the Holy Ghost rod of His Word and comes down on me and breaks that spiritual leg where I have to limp around for a while and get close to Him and get to know Him. Boy, I'm reminded of Esau and Jacob. You remember Jacob? Jacob was a trickster. He was a supplanter. He was a heel catcher. They were born that way. As Esau came out, Jacob, He had a hold of him right on his heel the whole time. And Jacob tricked around, and he tricked his father-in-law, and he tricked his father, and he tricked his brother. And boy, it just looked like Jacob had the world by his own hands. Amen? But then there was a day where the messenger came and said, Esau's on your trail, boy. The flesh is on your trail. That's what Esau's the type of. and he's coming to get you, and Jacob breaks up his group of people and sends one direction and one another, and the Bible said it's in the night time and he's down by the brook, and all of a sudden there's a man that begins to wrestle with Jacob. And Jacob's wrestling with God. We call that a Christophany. That's a pre-incarnate appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ. So he shows up there as the angel, as the man of God, and he's wrestling with Jacob. And Jacob says, I'm not going to let you go until you bless me. So the Bible said he touches the hollow of his thigh. And when he does that, he cripples Jacob. The sinew shrank upon his thigh. And when you read the Scripture in the book of Genesis, you find out As the sun's rising that morning on Peniel there, Jacob's been changed. His name is no longer Jacob, but it's Israel having a power with God. And as Jacob comes up out of that valley after wrestling with God, you find out the Good Shepherd has touched Jacob. And the Bible said he halted upon his thigh. And even there before he dies, he's leaning upon his staff. You know what the Good Shepherd did for Jacob? He taught him to learn how to lean. He taught him to quit running off. He taught him to quit living his own life and trying to make his own way. And I'm glad tonight for the times when the Good Shepherd, with that rod of correction, will gather me into Him and keep me on a short leash. I'm thankful for that tonight. Now you see, through relationship there's a gathering. Through responsibility there's a gathering. Look at verse 15. The Bible said, as the Father knoweth me, Jesus speaking here, as the Father knoweth me, Even so, I know the Father." Now, he's speaking of his relationship between himself and the Father. And then he compares it to the sheep, and he said, and I laid down my life for the sheep. Now, why do you think Jesus went to the cross? We know he went to the cross because he had to be the sacrifice for sin. We know he went to the cross because he loved sinners and still loves sinners. But I submit to you tonight that the main reason why Jesus went to the cross was to please the Father. Everything he did was to fulfill the will of the Father in his life. So you find because of responsibility tonight, not just any responsibility, but a heavenly responsibility that's given to him by his heavenly Father, he is willing to gather the sheep unto himself. Boy, I'm glad for that tonight. I'm thankful that our Good Shepherd has taken on the responsibility of being that Good Shepherd. Remember when He was in the Garden of Gethsemane and He cried out? He said, Lord, if it be Thy will, let this cup pass from me. And His sweat became His great drops of blood. Now, a lot of people have speculated over Why the Lord Jesus Christ was in such anguish and distress, and I simply believe if you study the Scripture, it was the weight of the sin of the world and the separation of the Father that He's going to have to deal with, but He didn't stop there. He didn't quit. He said, nevertheless, not My will but Thine be done. That lets us know that Good Shepherd had a desire to fulfill the will of the Father. So I'm glad for His responsibility tonight. Because of that desire, He is going to be that Good Shepherd. Then notice something else in verse 16 about the gathering of the Good Shepherd. I find redemption is mentioned here. He said, "...and other sheep I have, which are not of this fold." Now I believe in this text, He's referring to this fold being the house of Israel. But He said, "...other sheep I have." Amen? There was other sheep. Now, at this time, Jesus hadn't got to the cross yet. But there was coming a day when He was headed to the cross, and when He died on the cross, and He spoke that announcement out through those seven different announcements on the cross. And when He said, It is finished, it opened up salvation for whosoever will. When that temple veil was rent entwined from top to bottom, no longer was it through the Old Testament sacrifices. No longer was it through the way of the earthly priests. But it was a heavenly way, amen? It was a new covenant. And because of that, it opened up the door for that other fold to come in. And in Ephesians chapter 2, I believe it's verse number 14, I don't have it before me tonight, but the Bible said that He has broken down that middle wall of partition. You see, before the cross, it was the Jew and the Gentile. But now you have the Jew, the Gentile, and then all those that are saved become the church of God tonight. You know where that gathering came from? That gathering came from the Good Shepherd. That's from Him giving His life on Calvary for the sheep tonight. So I'm glad. Through redemption, He gathers the sheep together. And I want to give you one more thing, and we'll close out this talk tonight. We've seen the goodness of the Good Shepherd, or His giving. We've seen the guarding of the Good Shepherd tonight and the gathering of the Good Shepherd. But when you get to verse number 17 and 18, notice the goal of the Good Shepherd as he sums up this tremendous thought. In verse number 7, again, it is to please the Father. Notice what he said. He said, "...therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it up again." Now, the Father loves the Son because the Son pleases the Father. And if the Father loves the Son because He gave His life, then how much tonight should you and I love Him because He gave His life? There's not a person on planet earth tonight that has ever given their life for me. Now, there's probably maybe one or two that would have. Romans chapter 5 tells us that. Very seldom or scarcely do you find anyone that'll do that. But Jesus Christ, while we were yet sinners, Jesus Christ gave Himself for us. And because of that tonight, we ought to love Him. We ought to never question the Good Shepherd. We never ought to rebel against the Good Shepherd. We never ought not to pray and to walk and to talk with the Good Shepherd because He's proved tonight that He loves us because of what He did on Calvary. Now in verse number 17, we find that goal was to please the Father, and He did that through what He did on Calvary. When Jesus Christ went back to the Father and He took that blood and placed it on the mercy seat in heaven, that was an eternal sacrifice according to the book of Hebrews. It's better things. That's what the book of Hebrews is about. It's all about better things. It compares the Old Testament with the New Testament. And all that Old Testament that those Jews were hanging on to, Paul, who I believe was the writer of the book of Hebrews, and I won't fall out with you if you don't believe that, but I have my reasons for that. I believe he was saying to those Jews, hey, there's something better, and that's the New Testament through the blood of Christ. And because of that tonight, the goal was reached of redeeming lost sinners. Now you see in verse 17, it's to please the Father. Then notice verse 18 tonight. And we'll finish this. It's to procure the fold. Look in verse 18. He said, "...no man taketh it from Me." Don't you ever let anybody tell you they killed Jesus on Calvary. And nobody killed Him on Calvary. He shed His own blood willingly. Amen? He laid down His life willingly. Somebody said one time, why didn't the two thieves die before Jesus? Why did they have to come break their leg? Listen, you can't die in the midst of life. You can't die when eternal life is around, amen? And Jesus had to dismiss His Spirit before those two thieves could go on, amen? I'm glad tonight that He has procured the fold. He said, No man taketh it from Me, but I lay it down Myself. Now look at this. He said, I have power to lay it down, which He did, and I have power to take it again. And boy, this kind of is a springboard. I won't get into it right now, but this is a springboard into the next I Am that you find in chapter 11 where Jesus said, I am the resurrection. That's what He's talking about here. He said, I am the Good Shepherd. He said, I got power to lay it down. He said, I got power to raise it up again. And that's how you and I can trust Him tonight. Now he goes on to say, "...this commandment have I received of my Father." So you see this evening, you and I can be thankful and rejoice because Jesus Christ is that Good Shepherd. I'm glad tonight that I know Him as my Shepherd. And I'm glad tonight that I'm learning more about Him as I walk with the Good Shepherd. Every day of my life, every time I get in this Bible, every time I get to go to church, every time I get around the things of God, I'm learning more and more tonight about the Good Shepherd. And tonight, I want to leave us with just this simple thought. What do you think tonight about the Good Shepherd? The graciousness of the Good Shepherd. If somebody's gracious to you in the natural world, then it stands to reason that we say thank you, do we not? I mean, if somebody's good to you, you say thank you. If somebody blesses you, sometimes you'll write out a thank you card or a note and you'll send it to them. And you'll say, I just want to thank you for what you've done for me. Now I want you to think about what the gracious Good Shepherd's done tonight. I want you to think about all He's done for you before you got saved, keeping you alive to the point of hearing the gospel and convicting you, allowing you to get saved, giving you the faith to be saved, then bringing you into the fold and then keeping you not just in this life, but throughout all eternity. Then how much more tonight should we be thankful for the graciousness of the Good Shepherd? You say, now how are we thankful tonight? We become thankful by following Him. If children are thankful for godly parents, they will follow those godly parents. And if we as children of God tonight are thankful for the Good Shepherd, then you know what we'll try to do every day of our life? We'll try to follow the Good Shepherd. We won't kick against him. We won't go fight. Some people deny their entire Christian life is a fuss and a fight between them and God. I wouldn't live that way for all the money in the world. I wouldn't pillow my head at night if that's the way I was going to live. I'm so thankful that I learned a long time ago. I don't have it all right, but I learned a long time ago. The best thing to do is just let the shepherd lead. Best thing to do is follow the shepherd. He'll lead the way. He'll kick the wolves out of the way. He'll find the waterholes. He'll find the green pasture. All we need to do is just follow Him. And when we do that, we can enjoy the benefits of the Good Shepherd tonight. Amen? I hope this has been an encouragement and a help to you. I'm glad Jesus Christ, the Bible didn't say He was a Good Shepherd, but He said He is the Good Shepherd. And I trust you know Him tonight. And if you know Him, I trust you're following Him this evening. Amen? So let's stand. You have the message tonight. Sister, if you'd come to the piano,