Jesus declares "I am the good shepherd" and "I am eternal life," emphasizing his voluntary sacrifice for his sheep. He contrasts those who hear his voice and follow him with those who do not believe, highlighting that true believers are not of the world but are known by him. The sermon explains that believers receive eternal life, will never perish, and are eternally secure in both the Father's and the Son's hands, as they are one. The core lesson is that salvation and eternal security are found solely in believing in Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd who laid down his life.
Restored with Diffio
Audio restored with Diffio. Diffio processed the original archive recording to reduce noise and produce a cleaner listening version; the original stays available.
Speech quality score (model-estimated, SCOREQ): before 2.59 → restored 4.01
Thank you, and greetings, friends. In John chapter ten, we read this great statement in verse nine, I am the door, and then in verse ten, eleven, I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. This great statement that he, as a good shepherd, giveth his life for the sheep, is worthy of much of our attention. He goes on to explain it, what it actually means that he giveth his life for the sheep. In verse fourteen he says, I am the good shepherd and know my sheep, and I am known of mine.
And then in verse fifteen of John chapter ten he says, As the Father knoweth me, now see, even so know I the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. Yes, God the Father, and God the Son, are interested, and have done the utmost in order that the Lord Jesus would lay down his life for the sheep. And then in verse seventeen he goes on further to explain, Therefore does my Father love me, because I lay down my life that I might... Take it again.
No man take it from me. No, he voluntarily, willingly went to the cross and died, laid down his life for you, friend, and for me. Have we thanked him for doing so? Just for me, just for you. Have we made him our Savior by an act of faith on our part? Have we realized, yes, he did die for just me. He'd bear all of my own personal sins. And I go free now because he laid down his life voluntarily and willingly on the cross.
Am I saved? Do I know him as my shepherd? Can I say he is my shepherd. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He said, No man taketh it from me. I lay it down of myself voluntarily. I have power to lay it down, the only one who ever did. And I have power to take it again, the only one who had that power. This commandment have I received of my Father. And then the people, they said, He hath a devil, and is mad, and why hear ye him? And then other some said, These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind?
So the Lord Jesus goes on. And he said about these people who have said he had a devil, and he was mad, and that he shouldn't be heard. He said in verse twenty-two, and it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's port. Then came the Jews around about him and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believe not. The works that I do, in my Father's name, they bear witness of me.
In other words, he pointed these inquirers, and we must give them credit. They were searching for the truth. They were conscientious. They were earnest. Nundoubtedly, when they asked him to tell them plainly, so that they would have no longer any doubt. But the Lord Jesus said, well, my works, they bear witness of me. Jesus answered them, I told you, and you believe not. The works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me. But you believe not. Now, you see, there's only one trouble with these folk. And it's just the same trouble as the rest of folk today.
What is the trouble with the people today in their relationship with the Lord Jesus? Just exactly what you have in verse twenty-six, where the Lord Jesus himself, who's the only one who actually knows how far-reaching this truth is, the Lord himself said to these inquiring folk, the Jewish folk, but ye believe not, because... ye are not of my sheep. And I said unto you, as I said unto you, my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. Now here's a great, great distinction.
Let's carry down through the corridors of time, down through your day and mine. The great distinction between the two classes of people in this world and in God's sight and in many ways there are only two classes of people in the entire human family. Those who believe in the Lord Jesus as Savior and those who believe not. Oh, my friend, which class? In which class are you? In which class am I? The Lord Jesus here plainly told these inquiring folks, but ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep.
As I said unto you, my sheep hear my voice, the Word of God. Do you listen to the Word of God? Do you read the Word of God? Do you put the Word of God into operation in your life? Do you try to follow it in your life? Do you try to live it from day to day? Here is the crux of the matter. But ye believe not because you're not of my sheep. They've not ever believed in them. You see, it all turns on that tremendous word. Believe. If we don't believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, then we're not any of his sheep. But ye believe not.
Oh, my friend, have you believed? Or are you still believing not? My sheep, verse twenty-seven, hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. They know him. He said earlier in this chapter, a stranger they will not follow, for they know not the voice of a stranger. But they know the shepherd's voice. Oh, yes. He calleth them by name. How intimate. He calleth his own sheep by name. He knows every one of them. And the good shepherd had every sheep named, and every sheep knew its name. Now he unfolds further the marvelous truth of the fact that I am the good shepherd, and the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
Oh, listen to these marvelous words. In verse twenty-eight, he says, as a result of verse twenty-seven, my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. Now he says, he further unfolds the marvelous truth, the eternal truth. because here is an expression of an eternal truth that will last throughout life's journey in this world, and on in and through, and a never-ending eternity. Here is an eternal word, and I give unto them eternal life, not just normal life. natural life, but spiritual life, eternal life, his own life.
I give unto them eternal life. That was his own life. He was from eternity past through eternity future, never ending. He always was. He never ceased to be. And they shall, and they shall. I give unto them eternal life, and they shall. Shall what? Shall not perish. They shall never perish. Never. Never doesn't have an end. Oh, my friends, the marvels of knowing the Lord Jesus as your shepherd. They shall never perish. Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. Eternal safety, eternal security.
I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish. Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father. which gave them me is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. Here is double security, friends. Positive double security. In the Lord's hands, and no one can pluck you out of his hand. And in the Father's hand, and no man is able to pluck out of his Father's hand. And then he says, in verse thirty, the climax of it all, I and my Father are one. Oh, my friends, here is the eternal life of the believer in the good shepherd that gave his life for the sheep.
Here's what it means that he gave his life on the cross. That the true believer in him is put in Christ, and you can never be separated from Christ. if you've been put in Christ through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. It's an operation of the Holy Spirit in the soul of the believer. The believer doesn't do it. He believes, and the Holy Spirit places you in Christ, and you can never be out. Never perish. None can pluck us out of the Savior's hand, the Good Shepherd's hand. None can pluck us out of the Father's hand, and said he, I and my Father, are one.
And what happened? Did the Jews folk, did the Gentile folk, did they believe on them then? No, then the Jewish Jews took up stones again to stone them, and the Gentiles were with them. They're all who failed to believe are all in the same cloth. They took up stones to stone them. Jesus answered, Many good works have I showed you from my Father, from which of those works do you stone me? Ah, my friend, yes, he's done many good works. His greatest work was the cross on which he bled and died. For you and me that we might have everlasting life, friend, have your trusted Christ.
Bless our country, Father. Bless our government. Bless all the activities in the States and over the world at large. Bless our President. Give him strength and health. Wisdom in his great tasks of state and office. Glent is family. And we pray, we pray, thee, Lord, for all the officials of government and for all the officials of state and cities and the mayors of the great city of our nation's capital, the mayor of our great city. O God, our Father, we pray thy blessing. In the name of the Lord Jesus, our Savior, our good shepherd, in his precious name.