This message was given at Grace Community Church in Minden, Nevada. At the end, we will give information about how to contact us to receive a copy of this or other messages. Let's take our Bibles and turn to John chapter 10. We'll start reading in verse 22. At that time, the feast of the dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter and Jesus was walking in the temple in the portico or porch of Solomon. The Jews then gathered around him and were saying to him, how long will you keep us in suspense? If you're the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name, these testify to me, but you do not believe because you are not of my sheep. My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. And I give eternal life to them and they will never perish. And no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father who has given them to me is greater than all and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one. The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. This is the word of the Lord. I was thinking of going back to Genesis this week, but I could not. I wanted to, but this text actually just kept gnawing at me. And it kept gnawing at me because there are times that we need to be reoriented, we need to be realigned, we need to remember the things that are truly and ultimately important And this past Wednesday, for instance, we looked at Psalm 6, which is a lament psalm, and what caught my attention is one Old Testament scholar calls the lament psalms, psalms of disorientation. There are times where where we are disoriented. It's easy to get disoriented in this life. It's easy for the evil that's all around us to knock us off balance. And we're always hearing voices. And I don't mean voices inside of your head telling you to do crazy things. I just mean that there's always somebody talking. There's always somebody trying to put input into your life. And whether it's people that you agree with or disagree with, whether it's because you listen to the radio incessantly or watch the news, we are constantly bombarded by voices over and over and over again And it occurred to me, and I've heard this, I don't know if it's actually true or not, but I've heard that sheep can lose focus of where they're going because they're so engrossed in the grass that's right in front of them. And in fact, they can become so engrossed in just simply what's right in front of them that they could actually go off of a cliff. because they never take the time to look up. And whether that's true or not, I've never watched that happen, but it certainly makes a point. And that is we can become so engrossed in the things going on around us. We can become so engrossed in the bad news and the evil reports that we never stop and just take time to look up. We never stop to actually reorient ourselves and we can become fearful and we can become angry. And so this morning, I want us to look at John chapter 10 and have John chapter 10 reorient us, reestablish us, realign us, to actually ground us in the things that matter the most, and in order to do that, we have to look to our Good Shepherd. And so we're gonna begin with verses 22 to 24, which gives us the setting to this familiar passage. The text tells us that it was during the feast, and the feast is the feast of dedication. Now, the Feast of Dedication actually is not an Old Testament prescribed feast. There are a number of feasts that were prescribed in the Old Testament under the Mosaic Law, but the Feast of Dedication was actually an eight-day celebration that took place every Kislev, or what would be roughly synonymous with our month of December, and it was a celebration of the Maccabean Revolt that took place in 165-164 BC. You might remember that the ruthless Syrian tyrant, Antiochus Epiphanes, had gone into Jerusalem, was horribly persecuting the Jewish people, and the barbarism and the torture and the blasphemy that was going on under Antiochus was absolutely indescribable, and there was a family the Maccabean family. And Judas Maccabeus actually was a priest and he actually raised up a revolt against Antiochus and drove out the far superior army from Jerusalem and liberated Jerusalem. That feast would be called not only the Feast of Dedication where they were able to rededicate the temple, but sometimes it's called the Feast of Lights We simply know it as Hanukkah. The text then tells us that it was winter. Now, of course, if you're Jewish, you knew that, but if you're a Gentile reader of the Gospel of John, John is giving us the timeframe, and he's also, in a sense, giving us a chronology. The Gospel of John has this incredible underlying theme of John as an eyewitness. And so a little detail, like it was winter, how did he know it was winter? Well, because he was there. The text then tells us that they were in the temple and then specifically in Solomon's porch. And so this would have been on the eastern side of the temple. And of course, during winter, it'd be the rainy season. And in Solomon's portico or Solomon's porch, there would have been a very large covered colonnade that would have protected the people from the rain and the elements. And again, another detail of where they were in the temple, reflecting an eyewitness account, but it would also be that very same area that in a very short period of time, these very apostles would be proclaiming right there, the resurrected Messiah, Jesus, as the only Savior. And so here's John and he's painting the picture for us. And then verse 24 tells us that Jesus finds himself surrounded. Now, New American Standard just says, the Jews then gathered around him. That sounds rather innocuous, maybe somewhat innocent, as if they're just coming around to maybe listen to his teaching. But the fact is, is that literally the phrase is more circled in on him. And so what we have in the temple is Jesus finds himself surrounded by Jewish antagonists. Gary Berg actually says the note here circled in on him is an ominous sounding note. And so they circle in on him and then they ask him this question, how long will you keep us in suspense? You could actually translate that a little differently, especially if there's a negative tone in it, and that is how long will you continue to annoy us? If you're the Messiah, tell us plainly. Now, that may sound good and sincere as if what's happening here is a group of inquiring minds want to know, are you really the Messiah? Just tell us. Because if you are, I mean, we'll certainly fall down, worship you and follow you and become a part of your people. But that's actually not the situation at all. The situation is hostile. It's antagonistic. In fact, these aren't just innocently inquiring minds who want to know. These are not people that are interested in discerning the truth so they can follow. They actually are simply doing one thing and one thing only, and that is they're looking for a fight. They're looking for a reason to argue. They're looking for a reason to justify their own rejection of Him. So just tell us plainly, tell us frankly, tell us with openness, are you the Messiah or not? And what's interesting is they use the term Messiah and Jesus has actually used the term Messiah relating to himself, but privately with the woman at the well. and then John chapter four, and then the man born blind, John chapter nine. He has avoided using the term Messiah with the crowds because the very simple reality was in the first century under Roman oppression, the term Messiah, the title Messiah was a politically charged title that would have in a sense kind of forced Jesus into a particular role as deliverer. In fact, you might remember in John chapter six, when he actually feeds the 5,000 plus with the bread and the fish, what do they do? They wanna take him by force to make him king. I mean, their idea is simple. You know what? If we get holed up at Masada or something, this guy can just keep the bread and fish coming. We can hold out for a long time. This guy's obviously got power. He's obviously the king. And yet Jesus wanted to avoid that, as it were, messianic stereotype. And in fact, his own favorite title for himself is the more ambiguous son of man. The question, Tell us plainly whether you are the Messiah. It's not a genuine question. For one very, very simple reason, and that is all of Jesus' words and works up to this point have done nothing but demonstrate that he is in fact the Messiah. that he is in fact the long-awaited one. He is in fact the son of David. He is in fact David's greater son. And so his words and works have actually revealed his messianic identity. And so here they stand and they wanna know, so just tell us plainly, are you the Messiah? Jesus answers, and he says, verse 25, I told you. And you do not believe. When Jesus says, I told you. In essence, what he is saying to them is, I have given you plenty of information for you to know exactly who I am. In fact, think about just John chapter 10 all by itself in isolation from everything that's gone on in Jesus' ministry. Jesus has actually started that discourse by identifying himself as the good shepherd who would actually come and be the door to the sheep pen and the one to lay down his life for his sheep. And you could not be a first century Jewish person who knew the Old Testament and sit there and listen to somebody say, I'm the good shepherd, and not make the connection to the fact that Yahweh is the shepherd of Israel. He's identifying himself as the shepherd. Furthermore, there was a promised shepherd, Ezekiel 34, who would be the fulfillment of David, and he would actually come and gather up God's flock, And so the very words of Jesus have indicated that the one who stood before them was in fact, as it were, God in human flesh who has come to gather his people. There was no ambiguity here. There was no sense of nebulous words and mysterious thinking. Jesus actually had just explained. And in fact, you could go back through the gospels and you could see dozens and dozens of times where Jesus spoke and did things relating to his identity, his father's identity, the fact that the father had sent him and the mission that they had was one. I've told you, And then Jesus says these words, but you do not believe. Notice when Jesus says, I told you, In other words, the truth is out there for you, and you obviously don't have ears to hear it, you don't have eyes to see it, and you are fully and completely responsible for not responding to it. Make no mistake about it, every human being is fully and completely responsible for their own unbelief. And notice Jesus tells him, I told you, but you don't believe. In other words, we have to be so, so careful that we are not the kind of people that simply hide our unbelief under the cloak of, I don't have enough information. There are some of you, and you've been hearing the gospel from your parents, from friends, you've heard the gospel in this church, you've read it in the Bible, and the information is right there for you, and it is right before your eyes, the truth is right before your eyes, and you act as if God hasn't done enough. You act as if God hasn't given you enough information for you to make a learned decision yet. And the reality is it's just an excuse for your own continued unbelief. Jesus then says to the antagonist, he says, the works which I do in my father's name, these testify concerning me. In other words, Jesus is pointing to the fact that both his words and his works have revealed who he is, and they have proved that the Father indeed had sent him, both his healings, his miracles, his teaching, all verify, testify to his identity. What did they think he meant when he said, all that the Father gives me will come to me? And the one who comes to me, I will certainly not cast out. For I've come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. This is the will of him who sent me, that of all that he has given me, I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in him will have eternal life and I myself will raise him up on the last day. Jesus' ultimate work given to him by the Father was to take those whom the Father had given to him and to do what? And to actually die for them and then keep them to the very end. That's the ultimate work of the Son of God. So Jesus is making a case, he's presenting evidence, I've already told you, and my works testify, my words testify, and then he says something in verse 26 that is, well, okay, frankly, it's just gonna freak some of you out. He says, but you do not believe because you are not of my sheep. So what's the big deal? They're not as sheep because they don't believe. Oh, no, no, that's actually not what the text says, is it? That's the way we read it. We read it like this. you are not my sheep because you don't believe. But what does Jesus actually say? He says, you don't believe because you're not of my sheep. And you say, oh my goodness, could it be that Jesus actually was a Calvinist? The text, The text is so just straightforward and clear. It's not as if somehow in the Greek you can read it backwards and make it say something different. The because you are not my sheep just absolutely flies in the face of the way that we normally read this text. Now, this is, let me just make it abundantly clear, this is not then, nor now, nor ever an excuse not to believe. Jesus has already told them that in a very real sense, you are without excuse because my words and my works have already demonstrated who I am, I've told you who I am, and your fundamental problem is that you do not believe, but do not miss the underlying truth of it, and that is that salvation ultimately rests in the hands of God Almighty. This is actually an unambiguous explanation that there are those who are and who are not Jesus' sheep. This is hard for people to swallow. In fact, I was reading one, commentator this morning, and he says, obviously, it can't mean this. It has to mean that they aren't his sheep because they don't believe. Because it's absolutely unthinkable that it would be the other way around. Let me just remind us of something. If Jesus says something that you don't like, that's your problem, not his. Okay, it just is. There's no retracting the words of Jesus in order to give us something that's comfortable. And so Jesus makes it abundantly clear, you know what, there are people that are not my sheep and they're the ones that don't believe and now he's going to actually describe his sheep and what he does for his sheep and I would say to you this morning, please listen. Because when you realize that there are only two categories of people in this world that is non-sheep and sheep, you wanna make sure you're on the right side of the equation. You wanna make sure you're in the right group. You wanna make sure that you're not with the goats. but you're with the sheep. And so notice the description of those who are his sheep. So how do you know somebody is not a sheep? They don't believe. We'll get back to that. Notice the first description here. My sheep hear my voice. My sheep hear my voice. Now earlier in chapter 10, he says, Verse three, to him, the doorkeeper opens and the sheep hear his voice, talking about the shepherd, 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. Verse 16, I have other sheep which are not of this fold, I must bring them also and they will hear my voice. They will become one flock with one shepherd. The first mark of those who are Jesus' sheep is they hear his voice. Now, why sheep? Sheep smell. They're not the smartest animals in the zoo. Right? I mean, you don't want to argue for the intelligence of sheep. But there's something about sheep that is actually wonderful. And that is, they must depend upon a shepherd. Sheep must actually utterly depend upon a shepherd. In fact, sheep, says J.C. Ryle, must submit to the guidance of the shepherd and by faith lean on the shepherd and commit their souls to the shepherd's direction. And so Jesus says, here's the first way that you know that you are my sheep. My sheep hear my voice. Now, let me just ask you a question. How many people do you think from the period of, let's just say roughly AD 30 to 33, so during the earthly ministry of Jesus, how many people actually heard the real literal voice of Jesus? You know what? Thousands. But let's face it, the number who actually heard his real voice is a very, very, very tiny number. And if hearing his voice is one of the marks of being a sheep, and that's what he means, you actually just heard my physical voice, then we're all sunk. Watching the Jesus film doesn't count, okay? But Jesus, when he says, my sheep hear my voice, he's saying something that is marvelously profound, and that is that he is saying he has his true sheep, and his true sheep hear the voice of the Good Shepherd, and where do they hear the voice of the Good Shepherd? They hear it first when the gospel comes to them in the power of the Holy Spirit in such a way that they are effected called to the Good Shepherd Himself. And so Paul could say to the Galatians, for instance, he says, oh foolish Galatians, you know, you think you've begun by the Spirit, you're gonna be perfected by the flesh. You, who before whose very eyes Jesus Christ was portrayed, placarded as crucified. And you think, well, geographically that'd have been impossible because the Galatians are so far away from Jerusalem. What does Paul mean? Paul meant that when he came and preached Christ crucified to the Galatians, it was as if the Holy Spirit took their ears and turned them into eyes so that they could see by faith Christ crucified for them and by faith be justified. And so the gospel comes out, the gospel comes to us through words, through the words of a preacher or by the words of just reading the scriptures and the shepherd still speaks today through his word. So Paul could say, so then faith comes by hearing and hearing by Christ's word. By Christ's word, I don't think actually Paul means the gospel. I think he means, in a sense, by the word that Christ speaks through his servants that brings about faith. My sheep hear my voice. They hear the word. They know it's the word. And so some people sit there and go, okay, well, you're talking out of this old book. How do I know that that book is true? It's very possible that we could spend a number of Sundays going through all of the evidences as to why God's word is reliable and why it's true and trustworthy and all of that. But Calvin makes this comment. He says, you no more need somebody to tell you that this is the word of God than for them to tell you what is sweet and what is bitter and what is light and what is dark. There is a sense when the word of God comes to us in power, we know that we are hearing from God and that there is no doubt about it. And so Luther makes this comment, it's absolutely beautiful. What is that I hear? What is that I hear? It sounds like the voice of the preacher. Oh no, no indeed, it is the voice of my good shepherd calling me to come and follow. And so the sheep hear his voice and they know it's his word. And then Jesus gives the second descriptive phrase and that is, I know them. I thought Jesus knew everything. He does, but that's not what this means. This does not mean that Jesus has some sort of cognitive recognition of a sheep. It's not as if he goes, hey, look, there's Davy, Davy the sheep. I know that because he's got a collar that says Davy. It's not as if he looks out and goes, okay, angels, don't tell me, give me a minute, I know, I remember this guy's name. It's not the way it works. To know, to know in the Bible, is more than cognitive recognition, to know in the Bible actually is synonymous with both loving and choosing. So for instance, if you were to look at Genesis chapter 18 and verse 19, which we'll be to in a few months, years, Genesis 18-19 God makes it a point that it says that I have chosen Abraham. The word actually is I have known Abraham. Why do our Bible translators actually choose the word chose? Well, it's because that's the implication of the word. Amos chapter three and verse two, only Israel out of all of the families of the earth have I known is what the text literally says, but our translations say have chosen or have loved. And so Jesus is actually expressing something here of personal, intimate knowledge of his sheep, not just a recognition of who they are. And in fact, we see this earlier in verse three, to him the doorkeeper opens and the sheep hear his voice and he calls his own sheep by name. If you're one of Jesus' sheep, he knows you. He knows you intimately, he knows you personally in the very real sense that he has set his affection upon you and has made you his own. Third mark of Christ's sheep, and they follow me. They follow me. Christ's sheep hear His voice and then they are committed to what they hear in such a way that they are following the direction of the shepherd now. By the way, you understand that this undercuts any notion of easy believism that all that is necessary in order to be one of Jesus' sheep is somehow to just give a mere mental recognition to Jesus' identity as the Son of God and as your Savior who died on the cross for your sins, there is a real sense when His sheep hear His voice, there is a sense in which they are gripped in a way that they now commit themselves to following Him, not by mere mental assent to His identity, but a whole-souled commitment to following Him as a sheep would follow His shepherd. There's a sense where the true people of Christ realize that wherever He leads, I will follow. I am His, and He is mine. And I will follow him through the valley of the shadow of death. I will follow him over mountains. I will follow him through the wilderness. I will follow him in what he tells me I will do. That is my life. That is my life. And then Jesus says this. He says, and I give to them eternal life. Now remember back in chapter 10 verse 10, Jesus says the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they might have life and have it abundantly. Earlier in John's gospel, God so loved the world, he loved the world in this way that he gave his only begotten son so that whoever believes in him would not perish but would have what? Would have eternal life. Have you thought about eternal life? Okay, so you think, well, that's scary. It's like life without end, just like ongoing, no end. Wow, when I was a kid, that used to scare me. I used to think, what am I gonna do? And you can only play so much wiffle ball and golf in heaven. I mean, sometime you're gonna just go, boy, there's gotta be something else. Well, we're missing the point, by the way. We're missing the point. Here's the point. Jesus says in his upper room discourse prayer, high priestly prayer, this is eternal life, that they may know you. the true and living God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. Eternal life, before it is ever a description of the duration of life, it is first and foremost a description of the quality of life that God brings us into fellowship with Him. So that eternal life is something that I don't have to, I don't have to die to experience it. I experience eternal life the moment I believe, why? Because I am brought into a living dynamic relationship with the Father through the Son in the Holy Spirit. And it is that shared life which will indeed last forever and will have no end. But because it is life that is shared life with the triune Godhead, It will never get boring. God never gets bored. God is never boring. He's like Niagara Falls, year after year, whoosh. Nobody goes, you know what, I've never seen this before. Right, I mean, you stand there, you just go. And here's God with this endless overflow of abundant joy, and he offers us that forever. I give them eternal life, life rooted in my Father, life secured by my blood, life that is a gift, life that never ends. Oh, compare that, compare that to the life that you're living right now. The life that you're living right now compared to eternity is not even that much, okay? You understand that? The life that you're living now is so short compared to eternity. And here's the absolute insane thing. Some of you are living as if this little blip on the screen was all that mattered. And God says, no, there's an eternity that matters. You don't just live for the blip on the screen. Some of you will live to be very old. We have a brother in our church who is almost 100. And we look at that and we go, wow, that is a long time. Our dear brother, Bob Edwards, married 71 years. You go, well, if that's not eternity, I don't know what is. It's just a blip on the screen. It's just a tiny, tiny little blip. You could live to be 200. You could live to be 1,000. Who would want to do that? You could live to be as old as Methuselah and yet your life would still be a blip on the screen. And so whether you live out your days in just numbers of days or in decades upon decades, the fact is it's a blip on the screen compared to eternity. And Jesus says, here it is. I actually give eternal life to my sheep. You need eternal life. Won't it be the most awful disappointment to pour all of your energies and all of your efforts and all of your resources in trying to be happy in this little tiny sliver of time that God has given to you and then one day you die. And die you will. There's nobody who's going to escape it. Unless you happen to be alive at the Lord's return, you will indeed see death. And then what? Then you'll realize just how much it mattered. But then you will also realize that it is too late. Jesus says, I give eternal life to them. And then he says, and here's, I love this. They shall never perish. I love that because I know enough about myself to say, okay, here I am, sheep, given eternal life, and if Jesus just said, okay, little stupid sheep, I've given you eternal life, do your best to keep it. Oh. Some of you think that you would do a good job. Let me just reassure you, you would not. You would not. There is something that is so magnificent about, and they shall never perish. This is a powerful promise to all who are Christ's true sheep. And in fact, it's absolutely emphatic in the Greek. It's not as if, well, they might not perish. I remember as a new Christian, I was so baffled by, can a person lose their salvation? Are they saved and secure? And I asked my pastor, I think it was 14 years old, and I said, I said, pastor, do you believe in eternal security? He goes, no, I don't believe in eternal security. I believe in maximum security. Maximum security, what's that mean? Well, it means that Generally, people do okay, but only in the worst of circumstances does somebody lose their salvation. I'm thinking, only in the worst of circumstances? I'm only 14 and I know that I am fully capable of getting into the worst circumstances. I'm sunk. Did you hear the passage I read earlier? Let me just read it to you again, because this explains what Jesus means by they shall never perish. All that the Father gives me will come to me. Wow, you can preach on that too, right? And the one who comes to me, I will certainly not cast out. This is the will of him who sent me, that of all he has given to me, I lose what? Only a few. I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day, for this is the will of my Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in him will have eternal life, and I myself will raise him up on the last day. Here's what I wanna tell you. If you are a true sheep of Jesus Christ, you know his voice, you follow, you have the absolute full confidence and assurance that he is the one who holds you to the very end. You'll never perish. And so we sang today, my name from the palms of his hands, eternity will not erase. Impressed on his heart, it remains in marks of indelible grace. Yes, I to the end shall endure as sure as the earnest is given, more happy but not more secure, the glorified spirits in heaven. What's the consequence of being given eternal life? By the way, you know it would be misadvertising if he gave you eternal life and you only had it for 12 months. That's not eternal life. So the consequence of Jesus giving his sheep eternal life is that they will never perish. As Don Carson says, it could not be otherwise. if they have eternal life. Carson goes on, he says, to think otherwise would entail the conclusion that Jesus had failed in his explicit assignment given to him by the father to preserve all those who were given to him. The ultimate security of Jesus' sheep rests with the good shepherd. How do I know I'm going to endure to the end? Not because I'm a super Christian, not because I'm a pastor, not because I went to seminary, not because I have a wonderful godly wife. The only reason I'm gonna get to heaven is because I have a good shepherd who will not let me perish. And then Jesus says, all right, I know sheep are listening, so let me explain this a little further. and no one shall snatch them from my hand. Christ's sheep are secure in his grip. So not only do I have the confidence that as a true sheep of Christ, I'll never perish, but I also know that I'll never perish because he holds me in his hand. And then Jesus turns around and he says, my father who has given them to me, which by the way is a repeated theme in the gospel of John, the father is seen as giving to the son, a group of people that the son comes into this world. or their salvation. And the father who has given them to me is greater than all and no one shall be able to snatch them from my father's hand. And so what Jesus is saying is, listen, you're never gonna perish. How do you know you're never gonna perish? Because I, as the good, strong, mighty shepherd, have you in my hand. And then my father has his hand over my hand. You can not escape. No one is strong enough to overcome the father. Who? What, is the devil gonna do it? Is the devil gonna overcome the father and the son to pluck you out of his hand? Absolutely no way. Satan can't do it, his minions can't do it. Minions by, I mean demons, okay? J.C. Riles says, weak as they are, talking about the sheep, weak as they are, they shall be saved. Not one of them will be lost and cast away. Not one of them shall miss heaven. If they err, they shall be brought back. If they fall, they shall be raised. The enemy of their souls may be strong and mighty, but their savior is mightier. and none shall pluck them out of their Savior's hand. And so sometimes we sing, no power of hell, no scheme of man can ever pluck me from his hand till he returns or calls me home, here in the power of Christ I'll stand. I am so glad. I am just one of Jesus' little sheep. And then Jesus caps off this statement with, I and the Father are one. Boy, we could go into that. He's not saying he and the Father are the exact same person. That would be the ancient heresy of modalism, oneness theology. Jesus is the Father, it's not true. The Father and the Son are one in purpose. They're one in action. They're certainly one in essence. Remember, the doctrine of the Holy Trinity is incomprehensible, but it's knowable in the sense that you have one God who eternally exists in one essence, and there are three persons who fully share that essence, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They are co-equal, co-existing, and co-eternal. Okay? And so when Jesus says, I and the Father are one, he's actually saying something that's utterly amazing. He's saying, the Father and I are one in purpose, so if I tell you you're not gonna perish, that's the Father's purpose. If I tell you I'm gonna keep you, that's the Father's action. And yet there's something even more profoundly deep than just purpose and action, and that is the one who is there making this very statement is the one who could say, before Abraham was, I am, and of whom John could say, in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. By the way, the Jews understood exactly what he meant in John 8 when he said, before Abraham was, I am. And they understood exactly what he meant by making himself equal with God in John 10.30 because their response on both occasions was to pick up stones to stone him for blasphemy. So, first order of business. You need to know whether or not you are one of Jesus' sheep. You understand that's the most important question that you can ask yourself. Am I one of Jesus' sheep? as worked up as some of us are about the upcoming election, and as worked up as we are about corruption in our government, and as worked up as we are about things that we really should be angry and indignant over, the fact remains that there is something that surpasses the importance of what the Supreme Court does, and there's something that surpasses the importance of what Planned Parenthood does, and there is something that surpasses the importance of what a president does, or who the president is, and that is this, are you one of Christ's sheep? You have to settle that. He's not gonna ask you if you are Democrat or Republican. Although the sheep do gather to the right and the goats on the left. If you are not one of Jesus' sheep, you might be the nicest goat on the block, but you're still a goat. And you'll perish. And that's serious business. There are no reprieves. after that. There's no commuting of sentences after that. There's no appeals after that. To perish is to perish forever. And so Jesus' sheep have eternal life. Those that are not Jesus' sheep do not have eternal life. And when they die, they will perish. And so here's what you have to understand. If you're sitting here and you're not one of Jesus' sheep, you are fully, completely responsible to believe in Jesus. You are fully and completely responsible to hear him and to follow him. There will be no excuses on the last day, none. Oh Lord, I wasn't effectually called. It's not gonna cut it on the last day. The only thing that's gonna matter on the last day will be the pure evidence that will be set right before your very eyes. How many times had you heard that my son is a savior who's mighty to save and can forgive you of your sins and give you eternal life? How many times were you confronted with the identity of my son, the power of my son, the gospel of my son? How many times was Christ offered to you and you said, you know what, not today? Well, listen, today is the day of salvation. Today is the day of salvation. You don't trifle with an almighty holy God. And let me just tell you that if it's easy for you to reject Jesus today, it will be easier for you to reject him tomorrow. and 1,000 times easier a year from now. So don't think that somehow you're thinking, well, you know what, I'm a young person and I have all this life in front of me. When I'm really old, like the people at Grace Community Church, then I'll get serious about being one of Jesus' sheep. Well, let me tell you something, the decisions that you make today and the decisions that you make tomorrow actually end up calcifying your heart, hardening your heart in a pattern of unbelief. And it's not as if you can just wake up one morning and go, you know what? I'm an old man at 39 today. Today I'll be serious about following Jesus. Listen, if you're not serious about following Jesus today, you'll be less serious tomorrow. Today's the day of salvation. Today's the day to bank your hope on the Lord Jesus Christ. And so what can happen today? There can be this marvelous transformation and you can begin to realize, you know what? I put my faith and trust in Jesus Christ. I'm one of His sheep. If you're already one of His, I just tell you today, yearn to hear His voice all the more in His Word. You know, we're bombarded, as I said at the beginning, by bad news and evil reports, and we live in a fallen world, and we get knocked off balance, and you know what I need as one of Jesus' sheep, is I need to hear His voice, and I need to hear it fresh every day through His word, and I need to be committed to following Him, and I need to learn to actually elevate His voice and see His voice as supreme over all other voices that speak into my life. And if you are one of His today, I wanna tell you that He loves you. laid his life down for you, paid the penalty for your sin, he knows you, he knows your name. Your name is right there and he knows it. and he's promised to keep you. And the father says, you know what? My son's grip is almighty, and my grip is almighty, and it makes an unbreakable bond, and nothing can separate you from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord, and you are secure in him, and so rest in him, and rest in his work on your behalf. More happy, but not more secure, the glorified spirits in heaven. You know what that line means? Means those that are already in heaven are happier than you? No kidding. But they're no more secure than you even though they're in heaven. You are just as secure as the most glorified spirit in heaven. And so Isaiah the prophet tells us he will tend his flock like a shepherd. He'll gather the lambs in his arms. He'll carry them in his bosom. and gently lead those who are with young. What a shepherd we have. Hear his voice, follow him, marvel at the gifts that he gives and that he keeps us all the way to the end. Let's pray. Father, we pray first for those who don't know who they are yet. We pray today you'd open their eyes, open their ears, unstop their ears, open their hearts. May they hear the voice of the Good Shepherd through the proclamation of your holy word. And Father, for those who are yours, oh Lord, how we pray that we would learn to let all the other voices of this world be drowned out and hear supremely the voice of our Good Shepherd. May his agenda be our agenda, his direction be our direction. Lord, in our parenting, in our marriages, in the way that we work, in our life together as a church, in our roles in this world, may we follow him. And we commit ourselves to you, thankful for a salvation that really saves and eternal life that is really eternal. In Jesus' name, amen. We hope you've enjoyed this message from Grace Community Church in Minden, Nevada. To receive a copy of this or other messages, call us at area code 775-782-6516 or visit our website gracenevada.com.