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Verily, verily, I say unto you.
He that entereth not by the door into the seat hold, but climbeth up some other way.
The same as the thief and the robber.
But he that entered by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
To him the Porter opener and the sheep hear his voice, and he called up his own sheep by name.
And lead it somehow, and when he put it toward his own sheet, he goeth before them.
Unless she follow him.
For they know of his voice.
And the stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him.
So they know not the voice of strangers.
This parable thank Jesus unto them, but they understood not what things they were, which he spake unto them.
That said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.
All that ever came before me.
Are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.
I am the door by me if any man enter in.
He shall be saved.
And so go in and out and find Pastor.
The thief cometh not but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.
I am calm that they might have.
Life and that they might have it more abundantly.
I have the Good Shepherd.
The Good Shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
But he that is entirely.
And not the Shepherd.
Whose own the sheep are not. See if the wolf coming and leaveth the sheep, and flee it, and the wolf catches them, and scatter it. The sheep the Harding cleeth, because he is in hireling.
Sheareth not for the sea.
I am the Good Shepherd and know my sheep, and have known of mine as the Father knoweth me. Even so know I the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep.
Another sheep I have which are not of this whole. Them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold, one flop, and one stepper. Therefore God my Father loved me, because I lay down my life that I might take it again. No man take a fish from me, but I lay it down on myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.
This commandment have I received on my father.
There was a division, therefore, again among the Jews for these sakes, and many of them said He had the devil and his mad. Why hear you him?
Others said these are not the words of him that had the devil.
And the devil opened the eyes of the blind.
And it was a Jerusalem, the feast of the dedication, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch.
Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long just thou make us doubt if they'll be the Christ? Tell us plainly.
Jesus answered them, I told you.
And he believed not The works that I do in my father's name, they bear witness of me. But you believe not, because you're not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
My sheep here, my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, and I give unto them.
Eternal, right?
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.
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I and my father are one.
Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them. Many good works have I showed you from my Father. For which of these words?
Release told me the Jews answered him saying for a good work we stoned enough, but for blasphemy, because the thou being a man make us thyself God.
Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law? I said, We are gods, if he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the Scripture cannot be broken. Say ye of him whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world, God blasphemous, because I said, I am the Son of God.
If I do not the works of my father, believe me not. But if I do.
Though ye believe not me, believe the words.
That you may know and believe that the Father is in thee, and I in him. Therefore they sought again to take him.
But he escaped out of their hand and went away again, beyond Jordan, into the place where John has first baptized. And there he evolved.
And then he resorted to him and said John didn't know miracles, but all things that John's think of this man were true and many believed on him there.
I think you know this chapter in the light of.
Number of prayers that have referred us to the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I believe we get him.
In this chapter in some unique ways.
First verse he says, I say unto you.
That should give way to what we see here.
Then he is the door.
And there is a door out.
The door in and out.
You don't go out, you won't go in now.
Out of man and his efforts to please God, to find a standing with God, or to merit some goodness, merit some favor from God.
Get out of that, into what God is for us, and then we go in and out into His own heart.
Let's see.
An example in the chapter of Going In is.
First verses 14 and 15.
And take the period out from between the two. I believe is the new translation to give it its force.
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 have known of mine as the Father knoweth me.
That's going in.
What do we see when we get in there? Oh, for this cause my father loved me.
Brought in to joy.
Was there in the heart of God there for us? This man, this one, the Lord Jesus Christ is the one who the Lord brings us there. He personally brings us into those things.
Can I say without going out?
We don't go in and out. Those in verse 7, verse six, they understood not what he said.
Because they were still standing before God on some merit of their own.
Those who these Pharisees to whom he's speaking.
This is a very.
Very important chapter and I say it gives us a dispensational picture of a change in dispensations. The Lord enters the sheepfold, which is Judaism, through the door, which is the proper way of entry. We all came in through the door. When we came into this room, I didn't see anyone climbing through a window.
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We all came in through the door. The proper way of entrance into the sheepfold was.
According to the scriptures of the Old Testament.
He was to be born of a virgin.
Of the seed of David.
Town of Bethlehem, and you can cite many, many scriptures that were literally fulfilled when He entered his people, Israel. He came unto His own. His own received Him, not the way in which He came was according to the scriptures of the Old Testament. There are others probably more capable than myself to cite them.
I can refer to a few, but the the sheepfold is Judaism.
And he found in the sheepfold Jewish sheep.
His sheep that were in the sheep fold.
And he's the door of the sheep says in verse seven, he was the proper way of the sheep who were in that sheep bowl that confined that Christianity is not a fold. Christianity is a flock, a liberty not in a confinement such as a sheepfold is that was Judaism.
It was a constricted place. They were separated.
By strict walls of separation from the gentile nations round about the.
And one that was born into that sheepfold was a Jew. Question wasn't raised in the Old Testament whether he's born again or not. But if he was in that sheepfold, he was an Israelite. And in that sheepfold, though, there were those that were born again, those that were not. So he had his sheep in that sheepfold. Not all of those that were in that sheepfold were those that he could say were my sheep.
But those that were his sheep.
He called them out of that sheepfold into something far grander and more blessed. That is the liberty of Christianity. So in the first verse, he enters by the door into the sheepfold. That's the door of the sheepfold, just like we entered the into the by the door into this room.
So he came by the door, then he becomes the door of the sheep. He becomes the proper way that the sheep can leave Judaism for a Jew, even if he was a saved Jew, even if he was born again to abandon Judaism until the true shepherd of the sheep had come.
Into the sheepfold and LED them out would have been apostasy. They couldn't do it. They had to remain in the sheepfold. The only way they could legitimately leave the sheepfold was for the shepherd of the sheep to go into the sheepfold through the door and then be the the door of the sheep to leave them out. And then in verse 9, he's the door of entry into the blessings of Christianity.
So he's the door of exit from the sheepfold bringing his Jewish sheep out, and then he's the door entry.
Into the blessings and we can develop all these precious things into the blessings of Christianity. And then he tells us later on in the chapter, other sheep I have which are not of this sheepfold, they're not Jews, they're Gentiles. They also, I must friend, there shall be one, not one full. That spells the whole picture. One flock. We're not a fold, we're a flock. Now the folder refers to Judaism, the clock refers to Christianity. Well, that's just a little outline.
We have here, but it's such a precious truth developed.
We can enter into developing the epistles, so one week please. Ephesians 2 speaks up the same thing, only there.
That isn't Speaking of us as Sheikh, you know. It speaks of that which has to do with the body of Christ consisting out of Jews and Gentiles. But they're true. There's this new thing formed.
Why would you not reach out that to sleep in the cold? We're not necessarily only referring to those that were born again, you know, because this is one important truth. In this 10th chapter he refers.
To us from among the Gentiles as she when he had not yet heard the shepherds voice. How do we understand that we can only understand that when we know election and predestination you know and Paul was told in Corinth that he should remain there because.
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Bob had a lot of the Lord had a lot of people in that city that were yet to be saved. Is that tremendous. The Lord refers to people as his sheep when they haven't heard yet the shepherds voice, but he will call them and isn't that tremendous find word is she called you know this is what he's still doing today. You know and Paul says I'm going to do all things for you for your life's sake that they also.
Change salvation and Christianity is already That is not a legal enclosure. It is not a set of rules.
And yet we do see that the natural mind always tries to look at Christianity in a similar way as Judaism. You know, that it is set of rules and regulations to which we abide. Just think of the Amish and people like that, you know, has deteriorated completely to outward things. There are those amongst the Mennonites who are affected very much by outward things.
Yet there might still be much of the gospel left with some of them. But.
When the emphasis is on rules and regulations, that destroys the spirit of Christianity, safety and Christianity is found by following the Shepherd. You know, it's tremendous to realize he leads them all. He doesn't drive them home, He leads them all. But I remember her. Gordon made the comment once when we were reading this chapter.
In verse four, when he put it forth his own sheep, that seems to be a more forceful way, you know, leading out or putting forth. You know, sometimes we give the care for the hard time to lead us out of legal ideas that we have and legal associations and he might have to make more of a push, you might say.
We put it forth his own sheet.
Wonderful that he had a shepherd, and safety as Christians is found in walking closely to the Shepherd and following him, having our eyes on him.
What's characteristic of a block is that it has a center, a shepherd point of attraction. That's the difference between a full. The full, like has been said, is a corral, as the word is used in Spanish. It's a fence around that she keeps the sheep in, but there's no point of attraction in that fence. It's just a fence that keeps them together.
That the clock is the thought of a central point of attraction.
That's why in this chapter the person of the Lord Jesus is brought out so beautifully. Brethren, if we're not attracted to Christ, there is no power in the truth gathering to us. It's so important that Christ be magnified His person. It's not what we are as brethren. It's not even what we stand for. That is the point of attraction. It's the person of Christ that is the point of.
That's the flock. That's the thought of the block. It's interesting that in the 9th chapter you get an illustration perhaps of what we're talking about. In this 10th chapter you have the man that was blind and was given his sight by the Lord Jesus, and he was cast out of the synagogue, the Jewish enclosure.
And then he meets with the Lord Jesus, and the Lord Jesus asks, And dost thou believe on the Son of God?
And he wasn't that intelligent, yet he says, who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?
The Lord Jesus puts his glorious person before that man, and he believed and he worshipped. That's Christianity, having Christ before it's being drawn to him. Otherwise, brethren, for as much as we might put up enclosures.
Our young people, our children are going to climb the fence and go off otherwise.
They won't keep in keep offense won't work. It's already been shown that it just won't work.
God is set before us, a person to be attracted.
Verses of our Lord Jesus.
And could you not say but about we don't get the right understanding of Chapter 10 unless we read Chapter 9? Because these men who cast out the men born blind were in the position of shepherds in Israel. But what kind of shepherds were they? And then he contrasted to them. You have the Good Shepherd, good chapter 2.
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And he wasn't intend to present the truth in such a way that that we look upon ourselves as the faithful plot and the others are outside in their really enclosures, vehicle enclosures ourselves.
Inside amongst ourselves, it's just natural to us to become legal and to to make a little fence around a certain group, another fence over here there's a certain group based upon certain beliefs. Are we not capable of doing that? Have we not guilty of doing that this year?
And that's why it's so good to see what Christianity is in the mind of God, and then ask ourselves, am I in conformity with the mind of God, or have I reverted back to a form of Judaism?
And that's so natural to us, isn't it? If we can't say I, we can say we were occupied with ourselves as a little group, Mr. Darby says. Sectarianism is getting interested in a little circle around ourselves to the exclusion of others. What characterized the Brethren movement in the first?
Years was a heart so large as to embrace all the things of God, but walking in a narrow path. And I fear that what's happened is the path has become broader and the heart has become narrower.
And this is the great evil that we have to deal with and recognize and judge. We have to judge. What can we do about it? We have to judge you and say, I was that way once. I can say that I was that way once. I trust by grace I've been delivered from that spirit. It's a wrong spirit.
And this is what we see here as Bob was just saying, it's it's, it's being around a person, Christ the Lord Jesus and.
Maybe more can be said on that, but I see all that here. Like to defeat a verse in First Corinthians 11 along that line.
Verse 18.
Thank you.
Well, first of all, when you come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you.
And I partly believe it or partly give credit to it or something like that.
On them because of their state of salt.
That is, it was a state of soul that was brought about by preferring people. Brothers, they don't say I am of the doctrine of baptism.
They say I am appalled or I am a seat. They were referring to brothers that they preferred and gathered around the brother.
You see, that's our danger is that we have preferences.
But all our brethren are there.
Now, as to the center of attraction for my heart.
Only one.
That boy, we cannot say go to the Church of your choice because there's only one attracting center, one Christ that will break us. If I still have another attraction, then I have a choice.
The Christ, the presentation of God the Son, the eternal Son of God in the world. When he came here, he just eliminated everything and he clips everything else and he himself.
Is the manifestation God Manifestation flesh?
And drawn to him. And that's where my where I'm drawn to him. My heart will include all.
But if I'm impressed by some brother and I'm drawn to some brother to the exclusion of others.
And I was just about reading it referred to 1St says you popped up for some against another. You cannot be puffed up for some without being puffed up against another. Only Christ.
Him before the soul he might. Joy gives me that liberty of loving all my brethren.
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How do I know I love the children of God? Well, John tells us, I love God. He was command.
There shall be one clock. We had very much ministry about the one body. I believe we should have emphasized this statement in John chapter 10. One plot, one shepherd.
And when they look round about and even look into our own heart.
We can think of my clock, you know, the minister of our church, my people, we might say our assembly, our reaching, you see, isn't any physical the same thing you see? And in Luke Chapter 9.
We have to decide for.
Tell the Lord Jesus that they saw some two miracles in His name who didn't follow with us.
Sectarianism, you see, And the Lord answers accordingly and he says.
And in the correct rendering, it doesn't say he did. He's not against us. He says he that is not against you is for you. Know the answers according to the Secretary of Ideas manifested in the objection, but in Chapter 11.
We have what Jesus saying he that is not with me is against me and he gatherers not with me together you see, and the sectarian ideas people are not following with us. What difference does it make better people follow with us or with somebody else. The difference is today follow Christ. Are they ready are because of him? Are we where we are?
Because we believe the Lord Jesus is there, then we are where we're supposed to be and we are in the right state of soul. But when we are where we are because of some gifted teachers there or some nice people, sooner or later they'll disappoint us and we deserve to be disappointed.
But when we are where we are because of Christ, because we see Him in the midst of this ability to our course, and then He is what the Lord is looking for, there is no man may ever be as godly and as gifted worthy as being made the center of coming together. There is nobody like that but prizes. And that is in God's thought, the center given to God's people.
Himself.
Fall two. It's not just the fact he told me to be there.
That he is there.
And I fear, you know, we pick up a salt like stay in the boat because he said to be there.
But the real thought is he is there and I am drawn to him, and then he becomes a Sinner. He becomes my source of life. I live because he lives. Not that I'm just keeping some commandment to be where he told me to be. It's a difference.
There were, getting back to the chapter, there were false shepherds and they were those that climbed up some other way, he says. The same as the thief and Robert, but.
He that entered in by the door, proper way of entry into the Jewish sheepfold is the shepherd of the sheep. He met all of the scriptures. He fulfilled them all. No one else did. That's how you can tell who is the true shepherd, Who is the one that entered in by the door? Who's the one that came according to the scriptures of the Old Testament predicting the coming of the Messiah, the shepherd of the sheep.
There was only one Shepherd and all the others were false.
They were thieves and robbers.
And then it says in verse three to him the Porter open it.
And the sheep hear his voice. That's what characterizes the sheep. They hear the voice of the Good Shepherd. Not only did he enter in by the door, but the Porter, the Holy Spirit, opened the door as he entered.
He He was born of the Spirit, He was begotten of the Holy Spirit, He came, and the Spirit of God, even through John the Baptist, announced Him as the one that came to him before her open.
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So he came and he was says in First Timothy 3/16, He was justified in spiritual spirit of God. He was born of the Spirit, he was led of the spirit.
And the door was opened.
The Spirit of God came upon him.
As adult, and in a vote upon Him upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and abiding on Him, the same as He with Baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw on their record that this is the Son of God. There we have the testimony of it to him. The quarter opened, the Spirit of God came upon him. Open the door. It was the turn the side.
I think it's important that little comment.
Verse three and then mentioned the number of times through this chapter.
The sheep here, his voice, I just like to stop that it to reflect on that. It's so easy to sit in meetings like this and listen nearly to what's being said about the Scripture, and it's helpful. I'm not saying anything against that, but.
Do you and I, as we come together, have an ear that's open to his voice? It's easy to have these ears of our.
They were passing on the side of our heads open and we're listening to what's said, but do we hear his voice? Sometimes it's interesting and preaching the gospel sometimes to notice those that are listening. You can tell sometimes that there are those that are listening to what's being said, but they're listening in the way that you can tell that the ears of their heart are shut. They do not want to let the word get in.
And how important it is when we open this good brother, young people and children that are here to have your ears open, to listen, to let the word penetrate, not to put up any conditions. As that word comes into our heart, let it penetrate right into the depths of our hearts. Are we listening? Are we listening?
It's possible to sit in the meetings and not listen, even though you're listening to what brethren are saying.
Saying that, you're not really listening, you're not really hearing.
Seven times over and it addresses to the seven churches. The challenge is given he that half an ear tooth here, let him hear.
Rather than I sometimes sit down in the morning to read my chapter and I read through it, there's so many other things in my mind that when I get done with the chapter, say what have I heard?
I have to confess I haven't gotten any. It hasn't penetrated. I have to go back over the chapter again. Let something penetrate into my heart. Let something be heard of his mouth. Oh, it's precious. And that's what's characteristic of a true believer in the Lord Jesus. One of the ones he calls my sheep, that they hear his voice. Are we hearing?
Young people, are you listening?
But the ear thing?
I said Princess among brethren, give a weight to the word because somebody so and so said it and takes away from the weight of the word because somebody else said thinking of some of three scriptures in relation to what was said about the Lord Jesus coming as the quarter opened the door. One is in loop, the end of loop, a well known verse that says.
Luke 24.
And verse 27.
And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded on them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
Then in.
2nd Corinthians chapter.
3.
Verse 17.
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If you notice the parenthesis in the new translation for the Darbys translation, what I say will, I think, coincide with it, puts the printers there. Now the Lord is that spirit. That is the spirit of the Old Testament.
We don't see the Lord in those Old Testament scriptures. We haven't gotten the mind of the Spirit there yet. The Lord is that spirit of it, of the Old Testament, and He is capitalized because it is in the power of the Holy Spirit. Colossians, chapter 2.
Verse 17.
Which are a shadow of things to come. But the body is of Christ. That's the substance of truth that casts the shadow.
Christ is the substance of it all. Christ is the body of it all that casts that shadow that we see in the Odessa shadow of things to come. Again, I say, reading our Bibles.
Everywhere you find Christ. If you don't, you don't yet see I say you, meaning us.
We don't yet see the mind of the Spirit of verses. He is going to unfold the wonders of the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ in all these things, and there is no scripture exempt from these. He has in mind His beloved Son everywhere He writes anything in his book.
Would you tell us, brother, that the story of Joseph would be one of those pictures?
Really great. Now we're talking about that story on the way in this morning. It's just a captivating story.
Just unfold a little glimpse of some of the wonders of that man who is God and the power of it is sometimes when we tried to share. I was on the airplane a few years ago and I tried to I shared that story with the Jewish man. He was a Jewish doctor and very educated and I said to my you're familiar with the Old Testament, the story of Joseph. He said a little. So I rehearsed it with him and when I get up to Ace and that was the.
The daughter of the priest Iran was it that Joseph had for a bride?
When I got to that, he said stop, I don't want to hear anymore.
The power, that's what the point that I wanted to make. And you have presented to us the thought of what the Old Testament brings before us in picture form. And it all points to Christ. And that should be the delight of our hearts and how many ways we have opportunity to use for our own good and for the blessing of others.
In that chapter, the thread in Luke 24.
That incident.
He reveals to them everything in the Old Testament concerning himself, but then it's He himself who opens their understanding. That is it by the Spirit of God that we have come the ability to comprehend all that speaks of Christ in the Old Testament.
Not only is there that in the Old Testament that speaks of himself.
That we can lead and enjoy, but it's only by himself that is the spirit of God that can open up our understanding. We can't we can't get ahold of this or take it in in any any sense as to the natural our natural ability. We have nothing. He then open he verse 45 in that chapter then open he.
They're understanding the Lord Jesus.
Alone open up all that the Old Testament brings us concerning.
Yeah, I just answered that in verse 27.
We have this statement beginning. And Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself that was on the way.
10 in verse 31.
Their eyes were opened and they knew him.
And he panicked out of his side. But then in verse 45.
This is now in the midst of this home. That's significant. That's what I want to emphasize, the Lord in the midst of his own.
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It says then open key, then understanding, and there is a difference, is it not? To present the Scriptures and then to open their understanding? And it is significant that that is mentioned in connection with Him being in the midst of his own. Isn't it true when Christians simply gather under the name of the Lord Jesus?
Having him in the midst that was then that the Scriptures, the understanding of the Scriptures were over. We're still drawing from there. We're benefiting and there's very little that we ourselves have dugout, you know, but what has been dugout when Christians simply met in the name of the Lord Jesus with Christ himself in the midst that they got the understanding and there is still that way.
And I think.
It's so important that we stress that we don't do wrong to stress it again and again. Christ in the midst makes the difference, you know, and we have to have our eyes on here.
Who's the thought we were?
Looking at recently in the First Corinthians chapter.
Or.
Verse one.
Stewards.
Let a man saw account of us as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.
That is, let a man sow account of us.
Steward is responsible to handle and distribute that for a master. He's a delivery man, if you might use that expression.
The the mystery is what's the value?
And I enjoyed the connection with that with Joseph again.
When he instructed his steward to fill the sacks of the Joseph brethren.
And they had to sack and they could walk off with it and, you know, like a borough. That's what they did. They put on the borough and they could walk like a borough and never opened the snack.
And all that happened maybe an ugly.
But they had to open the 2nd.
Oh, the wonder the open didn't. They found their money right on top. The truth cost something by the truth is telling them. But he had the money back and then he had food for the way.
Just to emphasize what's been said to us, he had no mail order programs. You couldn't order it by mail. You had to go to Joseph to get your sacks full.
And not knowing him when, as I remember reading it, when they saw the money the first time, they were afraid.
They got all these blessings just heaped up on them and all they thought they had paid. Oh, I suffered so much for this. Or I did this to get that. That's law. And I did this to get that. And he put it all back with interest, so to speak. It's his heart toward us going to know him. Then that's you see, that's fine. I want to find the money in the top of the site. But then in special times the trial, just to finish it off. Special times the trial, you'll find his cup.
And that's the wonder of all these mysteries. It brings us back to himself.
You can't get me without going to him.
His cup, what a thing it is to be privileged that we have our sacks filled by him and there's no way I can see it again, there's no way going to get it built and go back to him.
Well, it's nice to know the Spirit of God opens to us these wonderful blessings. And in that third verse of John 10 is to him the quarter over. He opened the way for the Messiah to come. He announced him, He pointed him out, He came down upon him and sealed him.
So when you hear his voice characteristic of all sheep of Christ, they hear his voice and he call it his own sheet by name. I was thinking of that. My brother said sometimes you preach the gospel and look around, you see there are those that are not listening.
If they would hear the Lord Jesus say to them, Timothy Thomas.
00:45:00
Right away, his attention would be arrested. Bob Miller. Sorry.
George Bob. And if he would, if we would hear him say to us our name.
Wake out of our sleep and listen. We haven't heard his voice speaking to us. Our name. He knows our name, He knows who we are and he wants to get our attention and then we will make progress in his. He's so interested in each one of us. He knows each one of us by name. He doesn't just say hey you.
Oh no, he calls this by name.
And third, John says, greet the friends by name.
He greets us by name. Nicer. We can do that with one another. But then we listen and make progress. Call it the zone sheet by name. Leave it them out. What does he leave them out of? Out of Judaism.
They had 1500 years in the sheepfold of Judaism and haven't made any progress.
Moses give you the law and none of you keep up the law, he said.
Stephen speaking by the Holy Spirit, said, You who have received the law by the disposition of angels and have not kept it 1500 years of that kind of thing, dos and don'ts.
And now he's going to come into that cheap fold and leave them out into something infinitely better. Leaves them out. And that's what we've been going into.
I often said that Judaism was what man was for God. Christianity is what God is for men. And really it was a test. Judaism wasn't that she she pulled. And what man was in the flesh. If there was any good in man, it certainly would have been revealed in that.
1500 years of testing in God's part. But how did that 1500 years end?
Ended with the Son of God, the fullest expression of the love of God. It ended with him nailed on the cross. And God says, in effect, the test is over.
Sin in the flesh is condemned by the coming of the Son of God.
The test is over. Now he's leading his own sheep out of that system.
And what's been said about Judaism, I think we need to recognize, brethren, that Judaism is attractive to ourselves in the flesh. It still is attractive to us. And there's a natural tendency of my heart to go back to that again and again. And I have to continually challenge myself in spirit not to go back. If we were only more obedient, we would enjoy more of the things of the Lord. We'd enjoy more blessings.
Yes, we would enjoy more, but we wouldn't have any because our blessings don't come by obedience, they come because of our position in Christ. We get to enjoy more when we walk in obedience. Yes, we don't have more blessings rather than because of obedience.
We enjoy.
So there's a tendency always to go back to Judaism and heart remember. Rather He leads us out of that. You need to constantly challenge our hearts about that matter. I already say that for my own soul. Is that why the Spirit of God brings up the question and the third chapter of Revelation, which say they are Jews and are not?
It's a character that is assimilated by those that are in a position of being in the church. Because we get the seven churches, don't we?
But in that particular address that Paul gets there to Philadelphia, he brings him this remarkable ingredient of how does a man say that he's a Jew and he's not. It's the very thing that you brought before us, that we have the tendency in our hearts individually and especially collectively. And some men say, well, I'm going to start a church.
And the first thing he does is he stands up in the front. He's going to be the priest. He's going to take the place of the Holy Spirit.
He's going to be the leader and this attracts especially. The man is gifted. And I may say what a wonderful man he is and we get the man, but it's the wrong man. And the solemn script say, mark the perfect man, where is he? Or he says, there am I in the midst of them, and only the eyes of faith can see him there. And as I read the precious word of God and it's made good by the Spirit to my heart.
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And so I want to be there where that man is, and he's in a rejected place now.
And the Lord says, don't you be Jewish, don't be Jewish. You just look at me and you'll have a life that is about Judaism. That's the old thing. When the veil of the temple was ripped from the top to the bottom, that's when God says that system is all over with.
But I think it's one of the writers, says Josephus. They sewed it up again and they started going back to that thing and the Lord had to say, too bad I got a there won't be one stone upon another. It's all coming down in 70 AG. That's when got into that temple thing that they were so drawn to. Now, what are they going to do? Well, men seeks out many inventions as you bring before us. We've got that natural tendency that we want to see.
Somebody is something that we can gather to and perish the thought other than Christ.
How we must bring out the point that is mentioned in Romans chapter 8 in Romans chapter 8 verse 4.
That the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in US who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Norway be great out the truth of the grace of God, the sovereignty of God that brought us into blessing apart from work. The danger is that we might get the idea that we do not have a responsibility. Remember in Ephesians it says.
That we're saved by grace, not by works, lest any man should go, but unto good works which God had prepared. And what is the difference when it comes to the righteous requirement of the law?
Under the law or under grace, the difference is this.
The law was given to man in the flesh.
The way man naturally is, but that nothing was given him of God to do what God required, and he was unable to do what God requires. He had no strength in himself. And so man is a miserable failure tested on that basis. But in Christianity, before God expects anything from us, he gives us a new nature.
That nature delights in the law.
She lights in the Word of God, and then He gives us the Spirit of God to indwell us to do that which mean the flesh we are not able to do, and we are able to do more than was ever required of a Jew under the law predetermined on the mount. The standard is much higher, not I5 and truth for two so.
You have to stress that because the danger amongst Christians who understand that we're saved by grace is to neglect the other side.
You know they ought to be dead in my life, in your life. That's a manifestation that the Spirit of God indwells this body and gives me the power to do what I never was able to do.
As a man in the flesh, even on the ground of the law. And so we are not on a legal ground. We are rejoicing in that which God put before us. We delight, according to Romans, in the law of God. That's the new man.
New life that we have enables us to delight in these things, but we need a power, and that's the Spirit of God. So if we are failures as Christians so not to do what God expected of a Jew, and even more, that is because we're not letting the Spirit of God dwell within us. But what is brought out in this chapter is the emphasis that Christianity is not.
Enclosure. It is not a set of laws. We are on a much higher plane and we ought to live Christ. That's Christianity, you know, Christ is the one that is to be manifested in our lives. For me to live is Christ process.
When the children of Israel, when Moses came down off the mount and he gave them the law, what did they say? They made a promise. They were promise keepers, right?
Promise keepers around us today, but it's not going to work because it didn't work for the children of Israel. They said all that the Lord God commanded that what we do and they couldn't do it. And then we got the danger among us. Am I going to be a promise keeper? And I'm going to keep the law. But I wanted to go over to the side that you brought before us, brother, the 4th chapter of John the Lord says to the woman by the well. He says, but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst but the water.
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Give him shall be in him a well of water springing up, springing up into everlasting life. And that's what we have, a new life as you brought the course from Rome, springing up. Now, what's going to make it spring up more? Oh, and I think what he did for me in the cross, this should be the response of praise and Thanksgiving and worship as I walk every step, every day. Is that right?
Yes, the right man, just for a moment on that.
Both times and Bob. Interesting comment Bob made and very true.
Obedience is not going to increase what we have.
Not one thing, but.
What you say is part of being.
Belonging to the Lord Jesus Christ. And so in that aspect we demonstrate that we are a Christian.
But it's not going to change our position. It's not going to change our blessing. And so Bob says that we often get to the point where we think of it, of doing things that get us under the thought of the law. That's because we think we're going to do something that's going to merit something before God. Well, that isn't true, is it?
The work of Christ on Calvary did everything when he said it is finished. That's exactly what we get, but you can't forget that what is pleasing to me and if we're going in an ungodly and disobedient way that's certainly not pleading and Bob made the comment we're going to enjoy the blessings if we follow and how true they if we want to enjoy the person of Christ.
That's what I believe by John 15 tells us that.
And so those two things go together. It's like the two tracks, the two rails in the railroad, they just keep going parallel. They never meet, they never separate.
Is part of it faith, trust, elbow together. But we don't do things because we think we're going to merit something. But.
When another illustration may be helped.
Last Lords Day morning.
That I come to the breaking of bread meeting.
Because I said to myself, I really ought to go.
That's all because I said I want.
Is that quite a simple enough for anybody to understand?
I don't know because I want to go. I need to judge why I don't want to go.
I think in this verse that was in first in Romans 4, Romans 84, the righteous requirement of the law, that's as far as Romans looks in in in in this point.
It is fulfilled.
That is, we should not forget that it is fulfilled in US.
Refer to the verse that says it is God that worketh in you, both the willing and the do.
And underlying my book of righteousness, my practical life, What do I see under there?
Is it a law?
Is there a regulation that I have to do to get something from God?
Or is it confidence in here that he's going to do that? Do I pick up this book as a set of rules for me to keep to impress God?
Or his promises that he's going to do in me, but he's going to do them and me. It is a righteous regard that is fulfilled. And don't forget Hagar.
Had the promises he thought he had to help God.
Let's not mix them up.
Romans 14.
Series of things there are instructions as to practical life and underlying is love.
Galatians truth is underlying. It is law.
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The outside one may look Galatians, may look better.
Ways where it comes from.
We've said before in Colossians do not taste, do not touch, do not. You lost your liberty to do it.
Because it's founded on a legal basis and not a love basis. It's love possible said I could be this to that, that to the other. So what that souls might be saying. So I don't think there is a formula to set forth that would lay all these things out that we can analyze them and walk away from Christ.
We'll only understand how these two principles of sovereignty and grace and responsibility.
As being in grace meet as we sit in His presence.
As we get away from him, my love grows cold.
Love as I should again, within my conscience is numb. I don't have a conscience like I should.
To the to the divine way of a path of life that God has given to you and me to it just won't work without Him, that person in Jesus Christ as my object and my joy every day and really the motive of life.
You were talking recently about, I was thinking about what was said. If you notice that there are three portions in scripture that deal with separation from evil or three, I will mention there probably more and I just don't know them.
One is you cannot take of the Lords table and another table.
The other is.
If a man will purge himself from these vessels to disarm.
That is, separation from persons, their vessels unto dishonors. They characterize the group they're associated with.
The last one is let us.
Let us go forward, apostle and writing Hebrews, he says. Let us, recognizing as we've heard the danger that these principles can come into us.
The two others are outward, as it were, separation from things that defiled.
In the portion in Hebrews it probably referred to or talking about that. Let us there is that danger. Let us go through Christ and not Christ and something just himself who's efficient. Would you also comment how you reconcile what you have pointed out now? How do you explain in first John 3?
And it says every man that has this thought in him purifies himself. There seems to be something that we have to do then the same in 2nd Corinthians 7 verse one having the equities promises dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God practical holiness communication. The verse that you already.
2nd Synergy is a man, therefore church himself. So there seems to be dead side of the truth of God that presents our responsibility. Of course. Would you agree we cannot do that by ourselves. We need to find help for these things. But there are things presented as our responsibility to purify ourselves.
And to purchase ourselves and as we have it here.
We cleanse ourselves in secondary and settle. He's that. He's at half this coat in Christ.
It's not the hope that I have that dwells in me, it's the object of my hope. Purifies himself is the evidence of it.
Having been these promises.
Let us the promises.
You're not rules the ball. If I pick up the book and I read I should love every Believer, how am I going to do that?
I know impress God by loving 10 believers or 15 when he says love all only he's going to be able to do that in a minute. I believe responsibility and I don't want to sit down and set the rules for that or a formula, but I leave responsibility touches in the bottom of my soul.
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When in the presence of Christ I find something that's interfering with these things, I don't love all my friends.
I need to run to the shepherd.
I don't see a desire to go as a brother, Jackie said. I don't see a desire to go. I don't see a desire to study the Word of God. I need to go talk to him about that. But it's always him. He's the one that's going to solve the problem. I can bring him and lay every problem at his peace. And he loved me so much that He's allowed the problem, so I'll come and bring it up. His glory is going to be just like that.
You won't have any more. You have himself forever.
I still remember, brother, a little antidote, if I could call it that, because we all need it. I need it too. But there were many years ago, you'll remember the story that Eric Smith told us. He said there was a brother, that he had animosity toward one of his brothers, and it was a great stumbling block to his community with the Lord. And isn't that the capability of any of us? In a moment I could think of some evil or some distance for the brother.
And so this brother, he was in a in a down.
In a discouraged state of soul. And Eric Smith said to him, Brother, I'd like to give you a little advice. He said. You go and look at that brother through the eyes of Christ, and then you come back and tell me what you've seen.
And a couple of weeks went by and he saw the brother and he said, brother, tell me, did you do what I told you? He said, yes, brother. He said, tell me, what did you see? So lovely, brother.
That's the remedy, the eyes of Christ. How does the Lord look at his sheep? Oh, that's the vision. I need him for my eyes. Lord, give me, give me eyes like you have that I would see the sheep the way you see them. And here we're getting this chapter that's about how the Lord looks at his sheep, doesn't.
Second Peter, chapter one.
I think might help. It would help me.
With these issues of considering sovereignty.
Great. And responsibility.
Peter chapter one and verse 2.
Great, and he multiplied unto you.
Knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, according as His divine power, has given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that has called us to glory and virtue, whereby are given unto us exceeding grace and precious promises.
That by these you might be part anchored of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption.
That is in the world through lust. I just just enjoyed this thought. You've given us all things after change and delight and to godliness. There's no excuse for me and my path to ignore that. And you think of it, brother, you've been given if you have trusted in Christ as your Savior. And this is speaking to believers.
And if you're sitting here tonight yet in your chin, this isn't speaking to you. You need to come to Christ and accept Him as your Savior. But then, as you argue this, you've been given.
Divine light you've been given that which is the power from God to go on. That is the Spirit of God to empower you to live that life before God in holiest. I've enjoyed that in each one of the epistles. It seems that the one that writes would put the armor on the Saints.
And the river stood there and the armor is placed, you know, this piece of the armor that needs to get, especially in Ephesians don't like. And then the apostles would turn to us and say, now go on, dear brother.
Walk and wait upon him. Christ, you've been given all things that pertain to life. That's a God. And how wonderful that in Ephesians we might look at that just a moment. Ephesians 1.
And verse three, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings and heavenly places in Christ, according as he has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.
We can enjoy this position of holy men and blamelessness before God, and then we go to Ephesians 4 verse one. I therefore the prisoner of the Lord, may teach you that you walk worthy of the vocation.
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You have this armor put on you and go forth and fight the fight of faith, Paul said That I have spots fight the faith. You had that privilege today to go forth not in pride but in humility, but in also in dignity. As one who are Saints of God. We're not seen before them as centered any longer.
We're seeing before him at Saint of God, so go on, dear brother.
Go on your sister walk in this location, this place that you can set in sovereignty in grace. Go on walking chapter 5, verse one.
Be therefore imitators of God. Why would he ask us to do this if he hasn't encrypted all we have? He's given us all things that pertain to light and predominantly so if you see a need that which is the flesh in operation.
But I have no excuse not to go on and I could grow in the grave and even knowledge of the working.
That's why he says my sheep hear my voice. I know them like our brother referred to the names. He knows every one of us and he calls us by name, he says, and they follow me.
Nearness for the Shepherd is going to give us that confidence and that power to walk through this world. Is that right?
Voice is a little more than word and follow is a little more than do what I say.
It's all in himself if we have anything.
If we have anything that I can use apart from Christ.
It's wrong. Hearing the voice saves us souls according to John chapter 5.
Giving the voice of the sight of God and living. But then it becomes a way of life for the believer you know.
I she feared my voice and they follow me. You find me wrong in the chapter the danger for us after we are indeed the Lord Chief and have heard the voice and relive his There is such a thing as selective listening, isn't it? You know, we have a certain idea and we want that to be supported and what we hear in the ministry. What suits that idea, you know.
You selective listeners, instead of listening to all what the Good Shepherd has told us.
You know, and if we don't, then we all need correction.
There's none of us that never needs to be. Correction needs to be corrected. We may remember the staff and Iran they comfortably you know and.
The rod is to test if there is a sheep is lame. You know it's not for eating the sheep, but to test the sheep.
And so we better let that sink into our conscience that we are not selected listeners, you know, the whole truth of God is for a sheep, you know, and we need all the truth of God in order to be preserved in the path of death.
I'd like to ask a question on your point brother.
In the household of faith.
There's times when we err, we might say the word yeah, but you know, you talk about being selective and we want to be sometimes selective and we say, yeah, but then this and that, we bring in other things. But there's a there's a verse that's been in big encouragement to my own soul.
And I like to pass it on and it's over in Ecclesiastes. I think it's in the 10th chapter, but please ask these.
And we can turn over there for a moment.
And this has to do with with our attitude.
Yes, the 10th chapter in the fourth verse. It's a spirit of the ruler. Rise up against thee.
Leave not thy place the some that get offended sometimes at correction and I've gotten offended at correction. I have to hold up my hand and be caught up with that number. I get offended with correction. Should I? Well, here's the verse that gives me. I believe the answer This has to do with what is my attitude when I need correction and our brother. Our brother and have been bringing divorce.
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There needs bees of the Christian path, if the spirit of the ruler rise up against the leave, not thy place.
The Lord says there am I in the midst. Don't leave the place, but listen to the answer for yielding classified great offenses.
Yield, yielding, that's the secret. Brother A yielded myself to his tender embrace by faith taking hold of the word. They him right a ***** yielding to his desire for me, and sometimes his desire for me is you will mention, Brother Doran, the rod. Am I under the rod sometimes?
You know the Paul says if we're not under the rod, we're not sons.
This is that if we're not chasing of the Lord, we're not real, and the Lord wants to.
Chasing us and sometimes the Spirit of God in the midst the Lord Jesus in the midst the Spirit of God, he rises up because we have to say with sin and when when the one who was in captivity.
There Daniel, he says we have sinned Daniel was an exemplary example of a man that had faith and he he had the moral power to resist the priest the caprices of.
The enemy there, when they tried to get a case against him and what happened, he wound up in the dead of lions.
But his faith never failed when the Lord calls it for an example for us of a man that had faith, but when it came to the failure of the people of God, he said with I have sinned, he put himself right into it. And so when the spirit of the ruler rises up against you and me, don't look at the brethren that the Lord might use to speak to your conscience or to try to reach your heart to tell you that you've missed the path.
What does it say?
Bring the Lord into it and say, Lord, what's the matter? And you, you may, you may say, well, I don't want to yield, but that's your brother.
I said.
And a certain brother speaks. I can't hardly hear him, can't hardly listen to him.
And the brother said to me.
Despise non prophesied was a good word to me and I think it's really important. Perhaps you don't appreciate it brother, for some reason. Still, you need to listen.
Still, you need to listen. Doesn't stop there. The scripture says continues there to say prove all things, hold fast. That which is good doesn't mean that everything that may be said is exactly right. Listen, despise not.