Dear people, will you open your Bibles to John chapter 10. The book of John chapter 10. Before we look at the reading, I just want to remind you of where we are these days. We are preaching, I am preaching, and you are looking and following along the scriptures of the I Am's of the Lord Jesus Christ. One thing you probably already know about the book of John, that it's different from the other Gospels. And the other gospels, they give the historical life of Jesus Christ from his birth until his death. John is not doing that. John's whole gospel is focused upon the person of Christ, who he is. All his mercy and grace is given, his power. And he begins with, in the beginning. There was God and the word was with God. And he goes through this entire book showing Jesus Christ and all who he is and what he's doing for us. We are focused on the I am's of the Lord Jesus Christ. And so even as John could speak of Christ in the beginning, who he was, Christ is now telling us who he is. And all that he tells us in these I Am's are what he is doing for us and how our lives with him are made different because we are in him. We have seen three of the I Am's thus far. In John 6 and 35, I am the bread of life. And we saw what Jesus was saying there. There is something that you need to feed upon. and feeding upon that which gives you life, and that is me who is the bread of life." John is saying, Jesus, excuse me, is saying that he is the one. All other kind of ways that you may come to God will not do anything, but you must come through the bread of life. And then the second I am, he says, I am the light of the world. We know that the scriptures tells us the world is in darkness, great darkness. And we can see and understand as we come through the Old Testament, even up to the New, the darkness of man and what man has done. And we truly can see the darkness today also. So Jesus says, I am the light of the world. And he indicates in that I am, that light is in me and it's in me only. If you're ever gonna have light in your life, you must come to Jesus Christ. And then he gave us the third I am, which is in John chapter 10. I am the door to the sheep. He began that with an allegory and saying and talking about sheepfold and how those who have sheep, they have taken into this place of safety and a fold. and that those who have the sheep, they have them there. And the sheep know them. He calls them by name. He goes out. The sheep follow him. But then he also indicates they are thieves and robbers. They come over the fence, over the wall, to get the sheep. Now, Jesus Christ was telling us because there's something he wanted us to know and understand also, is that here we are as sheep. We must come into the whole life of religion through Jesus Christ, who is a door. And this is what he's saying. Now this morning we come to the fourth I am, and that's in John chapter 10 and verse 11. But let me read from the first verse of John chapter 10 to lay down to you what Christ has done, or what John showed us here. He says in verse one of chapter 10, truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the foal of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief. and a robber. But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them. And the sheep follow him because they know his voice. A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him because they do not know the voice of strangers." This figure of speech, Jesus spoke to them, but they did not understand what those things were which he had been saying to them. So Jesus said to them, "'Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters through me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and to kill. and destroy. I came that they might have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees. And the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand. and is not concerned about the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know my own, and my own know me, even as the father knows me, and I know the father, and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep which are not of this foal. I must bring them also, and they will hear my voice, and they will become one flock with one shepherd. For this reason, the Father loves me because I lay down my life so that I may take it again. No one has taken it from me, but I lay it down on my own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I receive from my Father. Here, dear brethren, we see that Christ has given us another one of those I am's and saying who he is. And he says, I am the good shepherd. After giving a picture of the shepherds and the sheep in the allegory at the beginning of this 10th chapter, of John's Gospel, Jesus states phatically that he is the good shepherd. Now, we already saw Joseph Jesus saying that he is the door to come through, but now he's saying he is the good shepherd. In this verse, he is making a clear distinction between those who are presently shepherding God's flock, or God's people, the Israelites, and him, the true shepherd of God's chosen sheep. He's saying, I am the good shepherd. Now, you know, we have already seen that there is those, when Jesus came, chapter 9 started off with, there was a blind man. He was born blind. And in looking, and notice what it says. They ask him, as he passed by, he saw a man blind. Chapter 9 and 1 from birth. And his disciples ask him, Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind? But notice what Jesus says. It was neither that this man sinned nor his parents, but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me, as long as it is day. Night is coming when no one can work. While I am here, I, in the world, I am the light of the world." And he goes on. And you know, the rest of the chapter, Jesus Christ saves this blind man, gives him his sight, I should say, and brings him back into understanding of who he is, knowing now, blind man walking around all his life, and now he sees. And now, what is it? leaders of the church do, the leaders of Israel do. They see this and they ask about this man who has done it. Who is it? Is he some kind of wicked man? My word's not theirs. But how should we look at this man? What should we think about him? And so the man born blind, Jesus told him to go up to the synagogue and show yourself and let them see what has taken place in your life. And so he went up. Now they're saying, is this some kind of man? How do you know? Where is he? And he says, all I know He said, I was blind, now I see. He can't be an evil man. God will not work with sinners and do such a thing. And they said to him, eh, throw him out of the synagogue. Now, this is believed to be the very idea, and this truth in life, what Jesus said here, is going on when Jesus says now, he is the shepherd of sheep. He is the one. He is the good shepherd. Because those false shepherds, the religious leaders for this blind man, who was an Israelite, threw him out of The whole economy of God, really speaking at that day, because he was one who was God's people and he should be with God. They threw him out. You're nothing to us. So Jesus, when he gives this allegory, he talks about false shepherds and good shepherds. But Jesus says here in verse 11, I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. In this verse, he's making a distinction between those who are presently shepherding God's flock, the Israelites, and the true shepherd, who he is. The word good here is used in many different ways. The word here is expressing beauty. as a harmonious completeness. The basic meaning is beautiful. In this passage, it means excellent. Jesus is saying, I am, meaning he is the only one in his class. There is no other like him. This shepherd is distinguished by his character and his work, and there is no other in his class. Again, this statement explains verses two, three, and four, if you look over. Verse two, but he who enters by the door is the shepherd, the shepherd is the sheep, excuse me. Three, to him the doorkeeper opens and the sheep hear his voice and he calls them out by name and he leads them out. Verse four, then he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them and the sheep follow him. And we can say in verse five, A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him because they do not know the voice of a stranger. Jesus is making a distinction. He's telling his people that the leaders of the people now today, who are now being described in verses 12 and 13, they are not real sheep shepherds over God's people. They are false. This good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. Though there may be some shepherds who would risk their lives for sheep if they was there and they had a job to take care of them, but none of them would die for the sheep. Hear Jesus saying that the death of the shepherd means life for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. How are the sheep going to live? Jesus is saying, by the shepherd dying. lays down his life. The Good Shepherd here says he pours out his life unto death. This is what is meant here in Isaiah 53 and 20. Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great and he will divide the beauty with the strong because he poured out himself to death. and was numbered with the transgressors. Yet he himself bore the sin of many and interceded for the transgressors." The idea of laying down his life means his self, who he is, his person. He didn't just do something. It was Jesus Christ himself in all that he was doing in dying for his sheep. This is made clear by the statement of his purpose of his coming into the world. Matthew 20 and 28, just as a son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many. Jesus made it clear that this is the whole purpose of my coming. Not to come and be some wonderful teacher among. A lot of people today, they make you look at Jesus Christ. Oh, he was a great teacher. That's as far as he go. They make him some religious man and that was it. No, Jesus said, I'm more than that. I came to die. And to die for the sheep. Paul says in 1 Timothy 2 and 6a, who gave himself as a ransom for all, the payment, the cost which would be in order that they would be freed. His purpose for coming into the world was attached to the saving of his sheep. And here Jesus is saying he got sheep, sheep that belonged to him. He goes on, he says, what did he give his life for? For the sheep. Here it means. for the benefit of the sheep. Instead of the sheep dying, he gave his life. In behalf of the sheep means all those things. It is in him dying instead of them. 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians 5, 21, he made him who knew no sin to be sin on behalf, on their behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him, that is Jesus Christ. Galatians 3 and 13, Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us, for it is written, Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree. His death was not, his death, excuse me, was for the sheep alone. That is the children of God is who he died for. For true believers, as taught in the gospel and through many different places, but one you know right quite well, John 3.16, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life. And this comes through and through in John's gospel. The Bible teaches clearly that it was with his precious blood that Jesus Christ purchased his church. And here he says, I am the good shepherd. And he says the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. Jesus did not come to die for the world. or everyone, as some would say, and if you decide to come to him, just say this prayer, and you fit in there also. No, that's just not what Jesus says. He died for his sheep, not for every single person in the world. You listen to the preachers today, they tell you, oh, if you feel this way, feel this way, just say this prayer, and you got it, brother. You're right in there. Uh-uh, you don't find that in the Bible. You only find that in shepherds who jumped over the foal gate and trying to get in with the sheep and trying to pull them off to themselves. He died for the sheep. John 6 and 37, all that the Father gives me will come to me. And the one who comes to me, I will certainly not cast out. All that the Father gives me will come to me. In verse 39, in the same passage, same chapter, this is the will of him who sent me that of all that he has given me, I lose nothing, but raise it up at the last day. Jesus is why, excuse me, this is why Jesus boldly says, I am the good shepherd. Every Christian, every true Christian is saved because of Jesus Christ and his mission to save God's elect. That's why we are saved. We're not saved because we did something. We live a life in a certain way. It wasn't so bad from childhood up to adulthood. No, that's not why we are saved. We are saved because every true Christian is saved because it was Christ's mission to save God's elect. Now, you stop and think of that for a minute. If you say you're right here, it's because God had his heart upon you before you even came into the world. Or clearly, as Paul says, before the foundation of the world, before he said, let there be light, Jesus knew who his sheep were. These words are for us, dear Christians. They are enough. False hopes in the world. People are making promises that they don't plan to keep. Pain and suffering is all around everywhere. Governments that don't care about their citizens. False religions, just like the leaders in Jesus' day. And they were all hirelings today just as it were then. And they are looking for themselves. The only reason why they go over to have sheep is because they want to get what they can. There are some shepherds over Christians, which bring both into question about According to Jesus Christ, when he says here, the shepherd, the so-called shepherd, is not his, the one who comes over the wall, and also the so-called sheep, if they follow the shepherd, because his sheep will not run or follow after strangers. He will run from them instead. If you've got people in these churches that claim that they belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, and they're listening to a man who has nothing to do with real gospel, you have to question the sheep in there. No doubt someone can get saved in a place like that. And God, through the process of time, bring him or her out of that. But if he or she stays there long as that, well, Christ says, I am the good shepherd. And he shows a difference between him and those shepherds who are now doing nothing but fooling the people. Notice what he goes on and he says the false shepherd is what he sees. Look at verse 12. He says, he who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees. And the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep. really what Christ is saying here. Someone who works for wages. That's all it is. They work for wages. And I would submit to you, people get wages in many different ways. It could be the jingling that you put in your pocket. But it could be other things that come to you, something that's come to you because you take this position. Speaking of the sheep of God, as Jesus focused his concern on the so-called shepherds of God, God's people at that present time, remember he is now looking at those Sadducees and Pharisees that threw the man out of the temple and have nothing to do with the people of God. They're horrible in that day. Like the hired hand, the leaders of the nation were only concerned about themselves. It is clear that Jesus is focused on the lack of concern of the leaders, how they mistreat them. Remember in 934, it says over there, if you just look over the page, they answered him, you were born entirely in sin. And are you teaching us? So they put him out. All the man was doing was explaining what Christ did for him. They knew the man was a blind man, but he got his sight. Instead of looking at what was done, the proof of who Christ is, they said, ah, you're a sinner. That's what a lot of false shepherds do. They don't help at all. They didn't treat him like a sheep. They put him out of the synagogue, or we say out of the fold, out of the nation of Israel is really what he's doing at that time. But in 13, he says that he flees, and that is the shepherd, the false one. He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep. What Jesus is showing here, he say, almost if we could say, take a photo of the real shepherd, take a photo of a false shepherd, and you look at him and you can tell right away. He flees. The hired hand runs and leave the sheep. with Hei Hei in trouble when it comes, and he leaves him in that situation. The sheep doesn't belong to him. It's only his job. He is working for a paycheck. And he says, I'm not going to put myself in danger for these sheep. The man who owns the sheep, let him come and get them. And he says, when the wolf comes, what do they do? They run, save themselves, get away. And this was very, Christ was even speaking of the religious leaders of that day. That's just what he's showing. And he's saying, this is the very thing you see here and what you had here. Brother, you and I, we have to be careful who we listen to. If their words do not pass the test of the sound word of the Bible, run from such teachers. They're on TV, they're on radios. You pick them up, you listen to them. Make sure you know who you're listening to. Now, I don't believe any of you will be carried along by some of these false shepherds, but they're everywhere. They are only concerned about themselves and how they can use the sheep for their advantage. That's all it is. These guys are raking in money. You know some of them, they fly around in jets. They got these big homes. That's it. That's all they want. One was even proud to say how much he got, how many cars he owned. Right there, speaking to the congregation. False shepherd and false sheep, all together, one spot. And Jesus, and that's what he says in verse 12, he who is a hard hand is not a shepherd. That's what he says about them, and that's what we and I should look at and understand about that. But notice thirdly, the good shepherd and his attachment and care for his sheep. Okay, verse 14, I am the good shepherd. And I know my own, and my own know me." That's wonderful, isn't it? Jesus repeats his statements made in verse 11. But here, the focus is on the relationship between him and his sheep. Good to God that there was a real relationship between those false shepherds in a vineyard today. He says I am the good shepherd Jesus saying that he and he alone is good shepherd. There is no one that comes up to that category of being the good shepherd. He is focused upon his sheep, those who the Lord God gave him before the foundation of the world. Those are the ones who he cared for. Those are the ones he concerned about. He says, they are my sheep. I am the one who look at them. I am the good shepherd. What I am doing is for their good. And he goes and he says, he says, he knows them. And he knows them by name. He said, I am the good shepherd. Notice in verses 14 down. I am the good shepherd, and I know my own, and my own know me. This is not something you and I should just pass over, dear people. This is something we should really look at because it expresses the very relationship between Christ and his sheep. He says, no, this word has a range of meaning, but here it means to know and approve or to love and to care for. I love my own and I care for them. You can see that fitting in the very connotations. You talk about a shepherd who runs away and don't even care for the sheep. Jesus says, I'm not like that. I know mine and I care for them. Jesus speaking of his relationship with his sheep and his sheep's relationship with him. I know my own and my own know me. A child of God, truly knowing the Lord Jesus Christ, should not be one wondering if he has any connection to Christ Jesus. Because Jesus is saying, what happens in a true salvation, what happens, you become attached to the shepherd yourself. You know him. It's because what he is to you and what he is doing in us and how he keeps us, we know that. And Jesus is not saying, you have some kind of relationship to me, but you don't know how to explain it. You know me. is what he's saying. This is the same word used in verse 15. Look down. And he says here, even as the father knows me and I know the father. And he said right here, the relationship between the sheep and Jesus is just like the relationship between Jesus and the father. He's not like the Pharisees who are strangers. He's not like that. He knows his sheep intimately. He even knows their name. Verse three, to him, the doorkeeper opens and the sheep hears his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name, and he leads them out. He knows them. He knows them intimately. He has a close relationship with them. He owns his sheep. He calls them my own. He's a true Christian and he is. It's all about this close relationship. And Jesus saying, with this I am, I am coming close to those who belong to me. I'm doing the work of saving them. I'm bringing them into me. And there's no doubt who they are. In my heart and even in their heart, there's no doubt that they belong to the Father. He goes on and he says in verse 15, I lay down my life for the sheep." There was a very different relationship between the Pharisees, Sadducees, the leaders, and the sheep, and Jesus and his sheep. They do not love the sheep, but Jesus loved his sheep. His death for his sheep was a voluntary sacrifice. He came into the world to die for his sheep. His father didn't have to kind of prompt him to do it, coerce him, make some kind of promises to him. He told him he's going to go and die for his sheep. And he dies. He truly dies to save them. The cross is real. And what actually happened, this was in history. It's reality. And he went to the cross. And he died on the cross. And his father, even there, During that death was the very one who looked out when Christ looked up, my God, my God, why has thou forsaken me? And his father let him know he didn't forsake him. This was the darkness he had to go through because he loved his sheep. And this was a laying down his life for the sheep. And he says, in order to take it up again. Oh, the glory, the glory of the three days after when Jesus came out of the grave. What a glory to him himself and knowing what he was going through and what a glory to all who was there. John 2 and 19, Jesus said to them, destroy this temple and in three days, I will raise, it will raise up again. Speaking of his body. Oh, they were kind of confused. They said, this was built a long time ago. You're going to tear it down and build it up again? No, he's speaking of his body. I'm going to die. I'm going to go to the cross for my sheep, for them and them alone. But I'm going to put it down. I'm going to take it up again. So Jesus is saying, he's showing you, this is what I have. I am the door of the shepherd and I know my own sheep and my own sheep know me. Even as the father knows me, I know, and I know the father. He said, and I lay down my life for them. But he says in verse 16, something else too. He, I have other sheep, verse 16, which are not of this foal. I must bring them also, and they will hear my voice, and they will become one flock with one shepherd." Notice what Jesus is saying. He's saying that there's more to what I'm going to do than coming into where outside of national Israel. He says, I am not just here for you and you alone. He says, I'm here because God has a plan which goes far beyond you as his people. Yes, you were his people for a while. All through the Old Testament, God was the one. God spoke to Abraham, and he actually was the one who called out a people to himself. And you know, all the things that he's done after that with all his prophets. But now, I'm doing something different. I have other sheep, which is not of this foal." All of his sheep do not belong to the foal of Israel, is what he's saying. He has other sheep because they have been given to him by the Father in his eternal decree. Again, John 6 and 39, this is the will of him who sent me, that of all that he has given me, I lose nothing but raise them up at the last day. The Church of God is going to become an international thing. It's moving from the Jewish aspect to the international thing. This was made clear in the Old Testament, Isaiah 49 and 6. He says, it is a small thing that you should be a servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel. I will also make you a light of the nations so that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth. This is a promise of God. God said he's going to do this. He's not going to just have these Jews and that was it. Some people teach today, or they call themselves teachers and shepherds of God's flock. God is not finished with Israel. What God's going to do, he's going to turn back to Israel. Temple's going to be built up again. I don't find that in my Bible. No, I've had them as sheep. I'm going to take some of them as sheep. Then I'm going to go out into the world and bring in more sheep. This is what he's saying. Jesus made his plans clear before he ascended into heaven in Matthew 28 and 19 when he had the disciples there. He says, go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Holy Spirit and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Behold, I am with you. From Pentecost to the calling of the Apostle Paul, and other missionaries, Gentiles will be called into the gospel. God's speaking of the gospel reaching the nations states that He has a greater plan than just little old Israel. Paul's ministry would include preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, Acts 9, 15. But the Lord said to him, go, for you are a chosen instrument of mine to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel. But you're gonna go, it's gonna be further than that. Go out much further than that. He says now for those, he said, I must bring them also. I must bring them also, and they will hear my voice, and they will become one flock with one shepherd." Jesus is saying here, they must hear my voice. He reminds us in verse three, and the sheep hears his voice. It is that voice of Christ Jesus that his sheep will hear. They will not hear the voice of false shepherds. They're going to hear Jesus' voice, Jesus' voice alone. They will know his voice, he says. They know his voice from all other voices. It's a sad thing, but sometimes I have my radio on, and on a Christian station, if someone comes up to begin a speech, I have to turn it off. That ain't the voice. standing behind the great shepherd. They don't know the voice of strangers. I don't want to hear the voice of strangers. Jesus speaks to his sheep through the word. It is the Bible that gives the clear teaching of Jesus Christ. As the shepherd, he leads and he guides by his word, drawing his sheep to follow him. The word of God applied to the heart by the spirit makes the truth of the gospel clear and all the instructions given for his sheep. It is Christ now, as we open this book, that is what is coming to us. It is coming to us to cause us to be molded more after Christ, molded in such a way that we will live to the glory of Christ. And all this is doing, God is what he's doing right now. He's making us more and more like his son. It's a shame that Christians sometimes say, well, I ain't going to go to church today. We'd better be in church. You're missing a lot if you're not there, because that's the work of Christ, where it's taking place. Jesus is the one who said, man didn't decide. You know what? It'd be a good thing for us to have a church, be a Christian. Upon this rock, I build my church. And he gives the directions of how the church is to function and how the church is to deal with even problems that come into the church. So here, Jesus is calling. His sheep hears his voice. His sheep follow him. And they flee from strangers. Jesus says he is the one, the word of God applied to the heart is through him. Notice that Jesus used a different word here. He said about who he would call to himself. He says, I have another other sheep which are not of this fold. I must bring them also and they will hear my voice and they will become one flock. You see, the foal, if you go back to the very allegory, is that those sheep who were in Israel and in that foal, Jesus focuses upon them first of all. And he says what he's gonna do there, and he gives a whole allegory of the flock. But now he says that they're gonna be different here. It is clear that Jesus will not be gathering the Gentile believers into the foal of Israel. There are people preaching that too. Israel was God's chosen one. And even Christianity now has to become attached to what God did through the Jews. Jesus saying here, he makes a completely change here. It's not flock he uses here. He he used flock instead of foe. It is clear that he's what he's doing. He He's now gathering his sheep of Israel and the Gentiles into a flock all together. They are not. The fold, if you look at it, the analogy of it, and it's closed in place. But Jesus says now, there's going to be a great flock who's free and out. And they're not going to be under this one who's there. They're going to be those throughout the world. And the gospel is going to go throughout the world and grab all those and bring them to himself. So Jesus is saying, it's not going to be what you have today. What you see right now, you men call yourselves the leaders of Israel. You men who call yourselves the one that God has placed over the people, you're gone. It's all over with you. Now it's going to be that they're all going to be wrapped in one, and they will be with me, and they will be my sheep. Oh, dear people, this proves to us, this whole passage, there is a deep relationship between Jesus Christ and his sheep. We have to see and understand it. He says it is the same as his relationship with his father. Have you ever tried to think about what the relationship with the Father and the Son is? Have you ever tried to see, do you ever think about, can you actually bring them apart? And no, once you start reading the Bible, they are one in the same. And Jesus is saying, with his sheep and me, we are one in the same. I am in you, you in me, is what we read in another place. And therefore, it's not that Christ sometimes come and help us along, then he go back and do other stuff he gotta do. No, he is in us, never leaving us, always with us. This is the relationship. True Christians are not attached to a religious man or a teacher. They are attached to the living God through Jesus Christ. Here's the picture. I am. Truly, I am the Good Shepherd. And we know that we are given new life in Christ Jesus by the work of the Holy Spirit. You see, all religion is up here. Any emotions, maybe? But it's really up here. I have to pick up some kind of understanding of some kind of theology. And I have to now wed myself to that kind of theology. But that's not what Christianity is. Christianity is what God does. And God is working in our hearts and our spirit. The Holy Spirit is the one who's in us. And it's the Holy Spirit alone who teaches us. As we are attached to the Lord Jesus Christ, we are attached. Jesus himself said, you will have the spirit. He will be in you. He will teach you. He will guide you. And Jesus says, when he's in you, I'm in you. Brethren, are we living into that truth? Are we really living to it? Some of the things that could cause us to see where we're not living to it, when we think that we can live the life which is outside of Christianity and not according to the word of God, and everything's all right. Christ doesn't know what I'm doing. If he's in you, if he's in me, where we sin, we take him into the sin. Do you know that? Do we understand that? And this is what we have to see. This relationship between Christians and Christ is far, far, far different than religion. We could pick up religion today and do it like it tomorrow, pick up another one the next day. Not with Christianity, unless there are those who are really not saved, and they think they can be a Christian, and they can go head on and live a little life with a Christian. And next year, they decide they want to be a Buddhist, whatever. They never were a Christian. Jesus showing us here what he does is permanent. It is real. Jesus shepherds us by his presence in our lives. And through his word, he is shepherding us. He is taking hold of us. If you take the other I Am, we have come into, as he says, the fold or the flock of the Lord Jesus Christ. And he is the one who's taking care of us. He is the one who is guiding us. It is his voice that we must follow and no other. He's the one speaks to us and speak to our hearts. His voice guides us. speaks truth to us, charts our path through life, telling us how to live, what we must do that turns us away from sin and comfort us in times of need. You know why? Because we pick up his word and we read it and he speaks. But Jesus also speaks to us right deep down in our souls. He let us know what is right and what is wrong. Dear people, we should be those who completely submit ourselves to Christ Jesus. We must ask ourselves, am I living like a sheep in the flock of the Good Shepherd? Or have I put some connotation on Jesus where if I do this or that, it's not so bad. He gonna forgive me for it. That's not it. Am I following his word or am I going my own way? This does not show the sheep which Christ is speaking of here. You and I have to look at this, this great I am. I am the good shepherd. And a good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. Think of it this way, dear people. And not in some way in your mind, but in your heart, Jesus laid down his life for me. What am I going to do for him? That's what each one of us should say. Have I given up my life for Jesus? I hope we can say yes to that. And then we can say to him, Lord, what will thou have me to do? Let us pray. Our blessed God in heaven. We know when we open the Bible and we go through the words there, the words have different effect upon us. The words may not come in all the power when it's preached, but we know, Lord God, you, by your spirit, can make the words mean a lot to us. And that sometimes it's not at the time of hearing it. but it's a time of mulling over it through the course of a week that we can see the power of it, that we can understand what is going on, who we are in Jesus Christ. So Father, we pray, bless your word to us this morning, and let us be those who would live to your glory. Hear our prayer in Jesus.