Participants: Ron Halvorsen
Series Code: AOT
Program Code: AOT000133
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00:12 Welcome to Anchors Of Truth
00:15 live from the 3ABN Worship Center. 00:21 Good evening, and it's almost time to say, "Happy Sabbath." 00:26 Not quite, but I think anytime is a good time 00:30 to say, "Happy Sabbath." 00:31 So though it is not quite happy Sabbath, 00:34 I'm going to say, "Happy Sabbath," 00:36 because I'm in a happy Sabbath mood. 00:38 And I hope that's alright with you. 00:40 Happy Sabbath. 00:42 And by the time this meeting shall have ended, 00:44 I think we actually will be in the Sabbath. 00:46 Late in the 1960's or early 1970's I was visiting New York. 00:52 Not yet pastoring there. 00:54 I was hanging out with a bunch of young men; 00:57 some were in the church, some out of the church, 00:59 some coming to the Lord, some running away from the Lord. 01:03 Just a mixture of guys from The Hood in Brooklyn, New York. 01:09 And we were playing basketball there, downtown Brooklyn, 01:13 and somebody said, "You know, we need to go over 01:16 to the city and check out this dude who's preaching 01:20 in the New York Center." 01:22 Now you've got to understand the mechanics of New York City. 01:24 If you live in Brooklyn or Queens, it's actually 01:27 part of New York City. 01:29 But the people living in the outer boroughs call 01:31 Manhattan, the city. 01:33 So the Brooklynites were saying, "We need to go over to 01:36 the city," meaning Manhattan, "and hear this dude 01:39 who is a really strong preacher." 01:42 They didn't know his name, they didn't know much about him, 01:45 except that he could preach the Word with power. 01:48 And they said, "You've got to hear this guy. 01:50 This is a bad dude." 01:53 Now those were the days when "bad dude" meant "good dude." 01:56 And so they said, "We've got to go hear this dude. 02:00 We've got to go to the city." 02:01 And I remember it very, very well because, first of all, 02:04 it was my first subway ride. 02:06 And your first subway ride in New York City 02:08 is a memorable, memorable event. 02:10 Then we went over to the New York Center on 46th Street 02:13 off of Broadway to hear this bad dude preach. 02:17 They said, "Home boy can preach." 02:20 And there was this tall young slender preacher 02:23 by the name of Ron Halvorsen. 02:25 It was my first time hearing him. 02:27 And more than what I got from him, I listened to those 02:33 young, hardened young men who were so proud 02:37 of their fellow Brooklynite. 02:38 These were guys from Bedford, Stuyvesant, and the rough areas 02:43 of East Flatbush. 02:45 And they were preaching, listening to a guy 02:47 from Bay Ridge, Coney Island preaching. 02:51 And it didn't matter; black, white, 02:52 rich, poor, that didn't matter. 02:54 He was a Brooklynite who had found Jesus 02:56 and was preaching the Word. 02:57 And they opened their Bibles and they listened to him, 03:00 and they were blessed by him. 03:02 And I was blessed watching how this young preacher 03:05 was blessing these hardened New York City kids. 03:08 And they were giving their heart to the Lord. 03:10 That was the first time I heard Ron Halvorsen. 03:12 And he's been preaching all of these many years 03:15 with power and with conviction. 03:18 And I realized that young people can reach young people 03:22 in a very powerful way when they give their lives to Christ 03:25 and stand up for Him. 03:26 And so way back then he was preaching for God. 03:29 And here many, many years later, he is still 03:32 preaching for the Lord, amen. 03:34 And doing a very, very fine job. 03:36 The subject tonight is, The Good Shepherd, 03:38 as we are in night number three of our Anchors Of Truth; 03:43 Jesus, The Radical Teacher. 03:45 And we have been blessed each night, have we not. 03:47 The messages have been plain and pointed and powerful. 03:51 And I suspect tonight will be no different 03:54 as Pastor Ron Halvorsen teaches us the Word. 03:58 I've got to always distinguish that now; 03:59 Pastor Ron Halvorsen, Sr. 04:01 Because his son is a conference president in his own right. 04:04 And so that is Pastor Ron Halvorsen, Jr. 04:08 So since there is a Sr. and a Jr., and they're both 04:11 in the work, we've got to distinguish that this is the Sr. 04:14 His wife is here standing by his side, and they are such fun. 04:18 We were just in the back talking and reminiscing about 04:21 ministry in New York City. 04:23 Which was a great challenge and a great blessing to us. 04:26 We're going to have prayer, then we want to do a song called, 04:28 Go Free. 04:29 And then the next voice you will hear will be that of 04:32 our preacher, our teacher, our friend, Pastor Ron Halvorsen Sr. 04:37 Shall we pray. 04:38 Gracious Father, we just praise You and thank You 04:41 for this, another opportunity to hear the Word of the Lord. 04:47 You have told us in Your prophetic Word that 04:49 there is coming soon a famine for the preaching of the Word. 04:53 But now, Lord, while the preaching is plentiful 04:57 and the Word is powerful, we ask You to allow us 05:02 to feed on the Word. 05:05 As it were, to fatten ourselves on the Word. 05:09 To be full of the Word. 05:13 I ask for the pastor Your heavenly anointing and unction. 05:19 And then I ask for those who sit in this house, 05:22 and those who hear and watch him around the world, 05:27 that Your Spirit may attend them. 05:29 Give them open and receptive hearts and minds 05:34 as we seek to learn Your will, and then do Your will, 05:40 so that we can be prepared when Jesus comes. 05:44 Accept our prayer and praise this night. 05:48 And in exchange, give us Your power and Your presence. 05:53 And we thank You for Your promise to hear and answer 05:56 the prayer of faith. 05:57 In Jesus' name, amen. 06:14 Troubled soul, why are you sad and down hearted? 06:23 Don't you know He doesn't care where you started? 06:32 Yesterday can't change tomorrow, 06:38 so leave behind all your sorrow. 06:43 Go free, go free. 06:49 In the name of Jesus, go free. 06:55 Child of God, child adored, 07:01 come to the Lord and go free. 07:15 Tempted soul, I know you're so tired of aching. 07:24 Don't you know Jesus has cures for the taking? 07:33 His hand of mercy and healing 07:39 can untie the hurt that you're feeling. 07:44 Go free, go free. 07:50 In the name of Jesus, go free. 07:56 Child of God, child adored, 08:02 come to the Lord and go free. 08:16 Trembling soul, I know you're so tired of fighting. 08:25 Don't you know He sees the wounds you've been hiding? 08:34 The battle that's raging is so strong 08:40 and you've been a captive for too long. 08:47 Go free, oh you've got to go free. 08:52 In the name of Jesus, go free. 08:58 Child of God, child adored, 09:05 come to the Lord and go free. 09:12 In the name of Jesus, go free. 09:18 Child of God, child adored, 09:25 come to the Lord and go free. 09:33 Go free, go free. 09:39 Now go free. 09:57 Thank you, C.A. Wonderful, wasn't it. 10:01 C.A., a dude? 10:06 A young dude. 10:08 Well I'm still a dude, but I'm an old dude now. 10:10 I just want to let the people know that. 10:13 I'm the old dude. 10:14 But I'm happy to be here at 3ABN. 10:16 It's been a wonderful few days I've spent here and 10:19 met some of the finest people, Christian people, 10:22 in the whole world. 10:23 And it's always great to be with Jim. 10:29 And he's a wonderful Christian man and preacher, 10:32 and I love to hear him preach. 10:35 And so I'm glad to be here for this. 10:37 And I'm so happy to be able to talk to so many people 10:39 that are watching 3ABN. 10:42 Continue to watch it and learn the great truths of God's Word. 10:46 Be ready for the coming of Jesus Christ. 10:48 Let's bow our heads in a word of prayer. 10:50 The story, the parable, of the Good Shepherd. 10:53 Gracious Father, I pray now that the Holy Spirit will come 10:56 and be with us. 10:58 We ask that You enlighten our hearts and open our minds. 11:03 Touch us with Your grace as we discover 11:08 the good Shepherd. 11:10 For I ask it in Christ's name, amen and amen. 11:16 I'm fascinated by the teachings of Jesus Christ. 11:20 In fact, I was in a church years ago, and every Sabbath 11:24 I'd be preaching on the Christ. 11:28 And finally, a woman came up to me one day and she says, 11:31 "All you do is preach about Jesus." 11:33 I said, "Thank you ma'am, that's the best compliment I ever had." 11:38 All I want to do is preach about Jesus Christ. 11:40 Because Jesus Christ is the answer to human problems. 11:45 And so I love and am fascinated by Jesus. 11:48 And I'm fascinated by His ability to teach, 11:51 and the wisdom that He showed. 11:53 And I find so many practical things in my own spiritual life 11:56 as I read the parables and the teachings of Jesus. 11:59 And yet, I discover how radical that this Jesus Christ was. 12:05 Now He didn't get His learning, like many of us, from 12:08 the school of the prophets, or the university, 12:11 or the place of higher education. 12:14 He received the gift of wisdom from His Father. 12:18 He had great insight because He received the gift 12:22 of wisdom from His Father. 12:25 Have you noticed the language that Jesus uses when He 12:27 tells these stories? 12:29 I mean, He uses the language of the country. 12:32 And being a city boy, I'm fascinated by what He says 12:36 about the country, His school room. 12:39 He hardly uses university terms, or scholarly words, 12:43 or long, long paragraphs and theological abstract concepts, 12:48 drab and generalizing terms. 12:51 His sermons, His homilies, His meditations, His parables 12:58 come from words of the countryside. 13:00 Words that blossom with the verdant colors of the hills. 13:05 Words that are perfumed by the odors of the orchard. 13:09 His words were not drab facts, sterile concepts. 13:14 But colorful words, I mean, descriptive words that 13:17 draw word pictures. 13:19 He was an artist... 13:22 ...with His language. 13:24 Words of beauty, full of color. 13:27 He tells stories with the language of the country 13:29 where He grew up. 13:31 I taught homiletics of preaching in three or four 13:34 of our universities, and I tried to tell the young people, 13:37 "Make your sermon like a painting. 13:41 Put color and beauty in it. 13:42 Like Jesus did in the simple stories that He told." 13:46 I mean, He saw first with His eyes, and then His heart, 13:49 and in His head. 13:51 He saw unhappy people. 13:53 And out of their sadness He wrote the Beatitudes, 13:56 "Happy are they..." 13:58 He saw fields ripe for harvest. 14:00 And they became the lost waiting to be harvested 14:03 for the kingdom of God. 14:05 I mean, nothing was plain or ordinary or simple 14:09 or uninteresting when Jesus taught. 14:11 He used vibrant colorful, I mean, words from the 14:15 country scenes and simple people, 14:17 and He wrote His parables. 14:20 Things swelling and ripening under the great dark leaves 14:24 became a parable. 14:26 Purple clusters of grapes, succulent, heavy with flavor 14:30 hanging upon green leaves, dripping with nectar; 14:34 and it became a parable. 14:36 He saw a lost boy in a pig pen and He wrote a story 14:38 and a parable about a father longing for his boy 14:41 to come home. 14:43 He saw grass, fervent fresh and green, waving gently 14:46 in the autumn breeze. 14:47 And He uses knowledge of the country and the language of the 14:50 country to tell people about God. 14:54 In all that beauty He found the deep lessons 14:58 that help us from day to day, month to month, 15:01 year to year, as Christians to face the mundane, 15:04 the ordinary, and something extraordinary. 15:09 Parables for those who are hurting. 15:12 I mean, parables for those who are weeping, 15:15 who needed someone to care about them and who needed 15:19 some kind of assurance. 15:21 And His parables are stories to help us through hard days. 15:25 Hard days. 15:26 And we all have hard days. 15:28 It reminds me of a story about Chippy. 15:30 I don't know if you've heard about Chippy. 15:31 He was a parakeet. 15:33 And Chippy was a happy little parakeet. 15:36 Sitting in his cage doing what parakeets do. 15:40 And one day, the owner of the parakeet decided that she should 15:43 clean the cage. 15:46 And not wanting to make a big mess, 15:47 she got out the vacuum cleaner. 15:52 Get the drift already? 15:55 And so she started the vacuum cleaner and 15:58 stuck the hose into the cage, working her way around. 16:02 And all of a sudden, the phone rage. 16:05 And she reached for the phone and...whooft. 16:09 She looked and Chippy was gone. 16:12 So she did what any good owner would do. 16:14 She flipped off the switch and opened the vacuum bag. 16:18 And there was little Chippy in the dust and dirt, 16:22 looking down trodden. 16:25 And so she did what any good owner would do. 16:27 She picked Chippy up and ran for the faucet. 16:32 She turned on the cold water. 16:35 Cold water all over little Chippy. 16:38 Now he looks desperate. 16:41 And so now she realizes what she did, and so she runs, 16:44 she runs for the hair dryer... 16:49 ...and blows Chippy dry. 16:53 The reporter that reported on Chippy called back in a few days 16:57 and says, "Well, how's Chippy doing?" 16:59 "Well, he doesn't sing like he use to." 17:03 "I can see why he doesn't." 17:06 "He doesn't act like he use to." 17:09 I mean, have you ever had one of those Chippy days? 17:12 Come on now. 17:13 Have you ever felt blown over? 17:15 I mean, have you ever felt in that way? 17:17 You see, that's why He told these parables. 17:20 For people who were hurting. 17:21 For people who couldn't get through Monday. 17:23 He was trying to tell them that there is a future for them. 17:27 He talked about born of faith, 17:29 gave away to a new birth of faith. 17:31 He took the beauty of nature to help us discover 17:34 the beauty of His nature; the nature and character of God. 17:39 He saw peaceful animals playing and at work. 17:42 He saw harmful animals, like the eagle swooping down 17:47 with wide spread wings upon its prey. 17:50 He saw swallows in the air, which like kings cannot fall 17:54 if God does not know and will it. 17:57 He saw the treacherous fox. 17:59 And He saw dogs sitting under tables 18:01 getting the crumbs that fell. 18:03 I mean, all these things came from the heart of love, 18:06 from the heart and the mind of God's Son. 18:10 And they became words of the parables. 18:13 He saw the snake going through the grass and 18:16 the dark viper hiding in rocks and stones and in tombs. 18:20 And they became parables, they became stories, to help us. 18:24 Words of nature and country became 18:27 the words of the gospel story. 18:29 It was out of that where men discovered the God of love. 18:35 Jesus Christ was a man of all seasons. 18:38 Born among shepherds; 18:40 He who was to become the Shepherd of our souls. 18:44 Knowing the country, He spoke from the knowledge 18:47 of that country. 18:48 A knowledge about God. 18:50 It was in Galilee out of the nature, that Jesus 18:53 got His parables, His sermons. 18:55 It will be difficult for us totally to understand this, 18:57 because we're urbanized. 18:59 Well, at least I am. 19:02 I mean, I don't know much about the country. 19:04 And, I mean, I've been urbanized through the years. 19:08 And so I can't really fully grasp it, 19:12 but I can grasp the lesson that He taught. 19:15 You see, this morning we need to understand 19:17 the speech of the country. 19:18 We need to understand the speech of heaven, 19:20 the parables of Jesus that He told. 19:22 One such parable was spoken in the setting of the field. 19:27 And that was the good Samaritan. 19:30 But before I get you into the 10th chapter, 19:32 we've got to understand why He told the parable. 19:35 There was a reason He told the parable. 19:37 And it was a radical reason. 19:39 You see, if you study over carefully chapter 9, 19:43 John chapter 9, you discover that there's a conflict. 19:49 He's being confronted by the Pharisees, the religious people. 19:51 The religious people were always arguing with Jesus Christ. 19:56 The religious people always thought they knew 19:58 more than Jesus Christ. 20:00 And the religious people at that time was the 20:03 hardest to get along with. 20:04 And sometimes even today. 20:08 But anyway, there was a conflict. 20:11 And you know, He talked about the good Shepherd, 20:18 because they were evil shepherds. 20:20 I mean, they were the false shepherds. 20:22 And the Pharisees and Sadducees, and those that were leading 20:26 the sheep astray; they were the false shepherds. 20:28 So He's going to come in with the story of the good Shepherd 20:31 to show the contrast, to show the difference. 20:34 They didn't care anything about the sheep. 20:38 They trampled the sheep under their feet 20:42 and called them accursed and cast them out 20:45 whenever they disgraced them. 20:48 They had self-appointed assumption of leadership. 20:50 They lived in an ivory tower, those false shepherds. 20:54 I mean, they loved nothing better 20:56 than trampling the people and keeping them subject to 20:59 ridiculous traditions and cultural things. 21:02 I mean, laws. 21:03 I mean, law upon law upon law. 21:05 Ten commandments became two-hundred and fifty. 21:10 And this careless attitude is indicated there in chapter 9. 21:16 By the way, they dealt with a beggar who was born blind. 21:20 Remember, He healed the blind beggar. 21:23 And the blind beggar was so thrilled with the power 21:25 that he could see now. 21:26 And the Pharisees hated it so much 21:28 they didn't care that the blind man saw. 21:31 They didn't rejoice that God had performed this great miracle 21:34 so the blind man could see. 21:36 They didn't care about that at all, not at all. 21:40 All they cared about was to trick Jesus, 21:43 to corner Jesus, to make fun of Jesus, 21:47 to try to defeat Jesus. 21:49 In fact, they got so mad at the blind man who was healed, 21:55 they unsynagogued him. 21:57 Well in other words, they kicked him out of the synagogue. 22:01 They didn't care about a man. 22:03 They only cared about what they could say against Jesus Christ, 22:09 and the conflict in their theology. 22:12 And their only determination was not to help anybody, 22:15 but they were determined to point out 22:17 to get rid of Jesus Christ. 22:18 That's why chapter 10. 22:20 Because He's in conflict, radically in conflict, 22:23 with the religious people of His day. 22:26 They wanted to get rid of Him. 22:29 And He was the issue because He threatened their security 22:32 of the ivory tower. 22:34 So these false teachers, these self-appointed, 22:37 didn't care about the people. 22:39 And they were the false shepherds. 22:41 And Jesus Christ is going to show us 22:43 how a good shepherd acts, 22:46 how the true Shepherd acts. 22:49 And by the way, that shepherd is an Old Testament concept. 22:52 In the passage, Jesus moves to introduce Himself 22:54 as the only true Shepherd in Israel. 22:57 He is the good Shepherd who really loves and really 22:59 cares for the sheep. 23:01 And they are the false shepherds who care only for themselves. 23:04 That's the conflict. 23:06 And that brings us into chapter 10. 23:09 We need to try and understand the speech of the country, 23:12 the speech of heaven, the parables that Jesus told. 23:15 And here in John 10, I'm going to begin reading at verse 1. 24:45 And notice, the hireling, but not for the sheep. 24:54 Now here we have the story. 24:56 We have this story. 24:58 Remember that the minds of the Galileans had been 25:01 prepared for the truth for centuries; 25:03 Messiah as a Shepherd. 25:05 This was not new. 25:07 Why, the psalms, David talked about the Messiah as Shepherd. 25:11 Isaiah spoke about the good Shepherd, 25:14 the Messiah as Shepherd. 25:16 And even Ezekiel talks about this Messiah, this Shepherd; 25:21 the good Shepherd. 25:23 The shepherds were prominent in his life. 25:25 The first to receive the glorious announcement, 25:28 the wondrous birth, there upon the hillside 25:31 were the shepherds. 25:32 And the angels sang, "Glory to God in the highest." 25:35 It was the shepherds who first saw the good Shepherd. 25:40 There it was. 25:42 And so, wondrous birth. 25:44 You see, as a good Shepherd, He died. 25:46 John 10 verse 10 and verse 11, the Bible tells us that 25:51 the good Shepherd died for His sheep. 25:54 "The thief cometh not but to steal and to kill 25:59 and to destroy. 26:00 I am come that they may have life, and that they 26:03 might have it more abundantly. 26:05 I am the good Shepherd. 26:06 And the good Shepherd giveth His life for His sheep." 26:10 As the good Shepherd, He rose again from the dead. 26:13 The Bible says, verse 20, "And now the God of peace 26:17 that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, 26:20 that great Shepherd of the sheep, 26:22 through the blood of the everlasting covenant," 26:24 or testament. 26:26 Hebrews 13 verse 20. 26:29 As the chief Shepherd, He will return to reward 26:33 under shepherds who are faithful for the care of His flock. 26:36 That's 1 Peter. 26:38 "For ye were as sheep going astray, but are now returned 26:41 unto the Shepherd, the Bishop of your souls." 26:45 It's been suggested that "shepherd" was always 26:48 a symbol of the king. 26:49 In the Old Testament, and now in the New Testament. 26:52 Jesus did not mix metaphors. 26:54 And when He exhorted the disciples to be of good courage, 26:57 "Fear not, little flock," He said, "for it's 26:59 your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." 27:03 The kingdom and the king. 27:05 Flock, father, kingdom; these three words or figure of speech, 27:10 merge and constitute the idea of a king, 27:14 recognized in the Middle East. 27:15 The idea of king as a shepherd of his flock, 27:18 he is the father of his family, 27:20 and he is the ruler of the nations. 27:22 That's the king. 27:24 And so the king; connected to the shepherd. 27:27 And that's why Jesus said... 27:33 Now all these applications merge in Him. 27:37 Here we have the kingship of Jesus. 27:39 Only as Jesus becomes Shepherd can He become King. 27:42 Only as He's Shepherd can He become King 27:45 to sit upon the throne of your heart. 27:47 Only as Jesus becomes your Shepherd 27:48 can He rule over you and over your passions 27:51 and your pleasures and your propensities to evil. 27:54 Only as a Shepherd King can He bring you under His control. 28:00 Do you know Him as Shepherd King? 28:02 Is He ruling and reigning in your heart, 28:05 ruling and reigning in your life right now? 28:07 That's the question we need to ask. 28:10 As I read that passage of Scripture, 28:13 I saw four things that leaped out at me. 28:17 As a Shepherd, He owns His sheep. 28:21 He knows His sheep. 28:23 He leads His sheep. 28:26 And finally, He gives up His life for His sheep. 28:30 Now let's look at that together. 28:32 First of all, He owns his sheep. 28:34 Jesus used the pronoun of personal possession. 28:39 When speaking, He says His own sheep. 28:42 You are not just somebody, you are His own sheep. 28:46 I'm not just Ron Halvorsen, a scraggly sheep; 28:49 I am His sheep. 28:50 He owns me. 28:52 Wow. He owns me. 28:55 Phillip Keller writes so much about the Shepherd. 28:59 If you ever get a chance, get some of the books by 29:01 Phillip Keller on the Shepherd and sheep. 29:04 He describes an incident in his early life as a shepherd, 29:07 because he was a shepherd. 29:10 Let me share it with you. 29:12 When just a young man, he bought his first thirty ewes. 29:16 He describes how he and his neighbor were sitting on the 29:19 corral rail that enclosed the sheep pen, 29:23 admiring the choice of the sheep. 29:25 They were strong and well bred. 29:28 And he owned them. 29:29 I mean, he had purchased them. 29:32 He was proud to be a sheep owner. 29:36 He then had to take the killing knife and he had to put the mark 29:42 in the ear of all thirty sheep. 29:47 You see, the shepherd... 29:48 And every shepherd has his own mark. 29:50 And he marks the ear of the sheep 29:52 so that they might be distinctive. 29:54 They might know that it's the sheep of Mr. Keller. 29:59 They could tell just by the mark, the marking, the sign 30:03 on the ear of this sheep. 30:07 Wow. 30:09 By the way, there's an exciting parallel in the Old Testament. 30:12 When a slave in a Hebrew family decided to join with that family 30:16 and live free with that family forever, 30:18 or for as long as life, the owner would take the slave 30:22 to the door post and then he would put his ear against it, 30:26 and he would drill a hole in the earlobe. 30:29 And that would signify, that would seal him forever 30:32 in the family. 30:33 He was now free, not a slave, but he was one of the family. 30:37 That's what Jesus Christ does for God's children 30:40 in Revelation when God puts His seal upon His sheep, 30:43 when God puts His sign upon His sheep. 30:46 He knows His sheep. 30:47 He knows the call of the sheep. 30:49 Thank God for that. 30:52 Thank God for that. 30:54 I mean, wow. Belonging to the Shepherd. 30:59 He owns us. 31:00 How exciting to know that we've been purchased by the Shepherd, 31:04 we've been pardoned by the Shepherd, 31:06 and we've been preserved forever by the Shepherd; 31:09 by our owner, the Lord Jesus Christ. 31:14 How were we purchased? 31:16 Well the Bible makes it clear. 31:17 We've been purchased, not by money. 31:20 We've been purchased by blood. 31:22 In 1 John chapter 1 verse 7, the Bible teaches us unmistakably. 31:39 Our sin requires purchase. 31:41 We desire, we need to be purchased to be bought back. 31:45 I mean, here we are lost. 31:47 And Jesus Christ comes, sheds His blood. 31:50 This is the price that God paid, that the good Shepherd paid, 31:53 for His sheep. 31:56 Now you know why I'm so thankful 31:59 to know the good Shepherd. 32:01 Now you know why I love to preach God's 32:03 message from the Bible. 32:05 Now you know why Jesus Christ is exalted when I preach. 32:09 Because Jesus Christ purchased... 32:11 It was not the theology of my church. 32:14 It was not the doctrine of my church. 32:16 It was Jesus in my church that purchased me 32:21 and paid the price. 32:23 Our sin requires to be purchased. 32:26 And the blood of Christ; He pays with blood. 32:28 Secondly, I've been pardoned by grace. 32:33 We need to be pardoned from our sin. 32:34 The Bible says, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; 32:37 and that not of yourselves. 32:38 It is the gift of God." 32:40 Grace is the unmerited favor of God. 32:43 The Shepherd shows the unmerited favor of God. 32:47 By the way, grace, the gift; 32:49 the value of any gift is in the love of the giver. 32:53 I've told this story before a hundred times. 32:57 It gets better with the telling. 33:00 But it was years ago when I was a young preacher. 33:03 And at one time I was a young preacher, believe it or not. 33:06 And I had a boy and a girl; Ronnie and Diane. 33:11 And there was a law in our house. 33:13 And that law said that when Daddy was in his office 33:16 studying the Bible and writing his sermons, 33:19 you're not to disturb him. 33:20 That was the law of the Medes and Persians. 33:23 Fixed in cement. 33:26 One day I was studying the Bible and the door 33:29 was open just a crack. 33:30 And I heard a noise at the door, and I turned. 33:32 And there was my Diane looking in through the crack. 33:36 Beautiful. 33:37 I mean, blond hair and blue eyes sparkling. 33:43 Just picture me and then picture her. 33:45 I mean, beautiful, this girl. 33:49 And I said, "Diane." 33:52 And with that she started to run. 33:53 She remembered the law. 33:55 And I said, "Diane, stop." And she stopped. 33:57 You see, in those days when you said, "Stop," they stopped. 34:01 Now we have all kinds of books about it, and no one stops. 34:06 Time out. 34:07 Hey, I wish I had time out when I was a kid. 34:10 My daddy would say, "Time out," boom, and it was time out. 34:16 And so I said, "Honey, come here." 34:18 And she came as far as the door. 34:20 And there it was, the law, I mean. 34:21 And where the law was, grace did much more abound. 34:24 I said, "Come on in," and she bounded in. 34:27 And then she said something. 34:29 She had something behind her back. 34:30 She said, "Daddy, I have a gift for you." 34:34 Now you know the law went out the window. 34:36 Come on now. 34:38 I said, "Well Honey, give me the gift." 34:39 She says, "Oh no, guess." 34:42 Have you played the game? 34:44 And you know, she wanted to play a game. 34:46 I could, and so I imagined, I said, 34:48 "Well Honey, is it a new car?" 34:50 And she laughed and giggled, and her blue eyes sparkled. 34:54 "No, daddy." 34:55 I said, "Well, is it a new boat? I want to get a boat." 34:58 And she looked and said, "No, daddy." 35:00 I went on and on, all the things I wanted to have 35:03 and I couldn't have. 35:04 Finally I said, "I can't take it any more, honey. 35:06 Give me my gift." 35:07 And she took it out and there it was. 35:09 A picture of a lamb made with noodles. 35:12 A noodle lamb. 35:15 I took my best K- Mart painting off the wall 35:18 and I put up a noodle lamb. 35:21 The value of any gift is in the love of the giver. 35:27 And that's the Shepherd. 35:30 He gives up His life, and He owns me. 35:35 And He owns you. 35:37 But secondly, in verse 14, He knows His sheep. 35:43 We never need to feel disappointed. 35:45 Like the young British student who was waiting to see the king, 35:48 King Edward VII, with all the other children, 35:51 thousands of children gathered. 35:53 And the king walked by in splendor. 35:55 And they were watching and cheering. 35:58 And the king walked right by the little girl. 36:01 And when he got by she started to cry. 36:04 And the teacher said to her, "Well what's wrong, honey?" 36:07 She says, "Well the king didn't see me." 36:13 The king did not see me. 36:15 King Edward VII couldn't notice very little child in the crowd. 36:21 But the good Shepherd sees you. 36:27 And He loves you. 36:30 And it's interesting to me that the mountain shepherds 36:34 and their trained dogs know a single sheep among hundreds. 36:38 But the miracle is that the sheep knows the shepherd. 36:44 They hear the shepherd's voice. 36:46 You see, it isn't like here in America. 36:48 We drive the cattle. 36:50 We drive the sheep. 36:52 I mean, with lariat and horse and, "Whoa," yelling. 36:56 And they're pushing, pushing, pushing. 36:59 But not so in the Bible lands. 37:01 You see, they all mingled together, all the sheep 37:03 from all the different shepherds on the hills. 37:06 A 35 mile spread of grass for the sheep in Israel. 37:13 And the shepherds would call. 37:15 And the sheep would untangle themselves, 37:19 each going to their shepherd. 37:22 Wow. 37:23 Do you hear the voice of Jesus when He calls? 37:28 I mean, each shepherd; the shepherd knows the history, 37:34 it knows the defects, the temperament, 37:38 the tastes of his sheep. 37:40 And so does Jesus Christ. 37:42 We may not sin alike, but alike we all sin. 37:48 Fitting that Jesus is called the good Shepherd. 37:50 Our friend, I mean it's wonderful. 37:52 He owns us, He knows us, He leads us. 37:57 He leads us. 37:58 During a Sunday class the questions was asked, 38:01 "In your time of discouragement, what's your favorite Scripture?" 38:05 One young man raised his hand and said, "The Lord is my 38:08 Shepherd, I shall not want." 38:09 Sat down. 38:11 A middle aged woman said, "God is my refuge and my strength, 38:14 a very present help in time of trouble," Psalm 46:1. 38:19 Another woman said, "In the world you'll have tribulation; 38:21 but be of good cheer, I've overcome the world," 38:24 John 16:33-35. 38:27 Then old Mr. John, 80 years old, with a head of white hair and 38:33 dark black skin, stood up and said his favorite verse was, 38:38 "And it came to pass." 38:41 Oh. 38:42 "Eighty-five times in the Bible," he said, 38:46 "'And it came to pass.'" 38:49 The class started to laugh. 38:52 I mean, thinking that old John had lack of memory, perhaps. 38:59 And then he said, "When I was thirty I lost my job, 39:03 with six hungry children's mouths to feed and a wife. 39:08 I didn't know how I would make it. 39:11 At forty, my eldest son was killed overseas in the war. 39:14 It knocked me down. 39:17 At fifty, my house was burned to the ground. 39:20 There was nothing left. 39:23 Nothing left. 39:24 At sixty, my wife of 40 years got cancer. 39:30 And for one year we prayed and wept together. 39:34 And she died at 65. 39:37 The agony I went through in each of these situations, 39:40 unbelievable. 39:42 I wondered where was God. 39:44 But each time I looked in the Bible and saw one of those 39:47 eighty-five verses, 'And it came to pass,' 39:50 I felt that God was telling me that in my pain 39:54 and in my circumstances it was going to pass 39:59 and God would get us through it. 40:04 God would get us through it." 40:06 Thirdly, the good Shepherd leads us. 40:10 It'd be hard for most of us to fully understand that, 40:13 because we, you know, drive the cattle. 40:16 He leads. 40:18 And He leads us to green pastures. 40:22 The problem in so many churches, they're prodding people. 40:28 They're pushing people. 40:30 I mean, they're forcing people. 40:33 Forcing their own ideas on people. 40:35 Forcing their own standards on people. 40:37 Pushing them and pushing them. 40:39 Jesus never, the good Shepherd, pushed them. 40:42 He loved them. 40:46 He loved them. 40:49 He's always up front leading. 40:51 He climbs before us. 40:54 Over the terrain, the rough terrain, He climbs before us. 40:57 Never prodding, never shouting, never forcing, but leading us. 41:01 How fitting Jesus is called the good Shepherd. 41:04 He leads us. 41:06 When I first started out as a young evangelist, 41:09 I've got to say, I prodded people. 41:13 I'm sorry for saying it. 41:15 I was so young and so enthusiastic 41:18 and so much wanting the people to be saved. 41:21 I was like a cowboy, not like a shepherd. 41:24 But the older I get, the more I understand this truth. 41:30 The Lord is my Shepherd. 41:33 And He leads. 41:35 Gently. 41:37 He leads us to eternal life and health. 41:40 He is my Shepherd. 41:45 And He does help us in time of need. 41:48 Some years ago, 14 years ago in fact, 41:51 I woke up in the middle of the night and a voice came and said, 41:55 "Get a colonoscopy." 41:58 I thought it was a nightmare. Come on, I mean. 42:01 I mean, I thought I had indigestion. 42:03 A colonoscopy? I went back to sleep. 42:05 Two nights later the Lord woke me up 42:10 and said, "Ron, get a colonoscopy." 42:12 His voice. 42:15 So I called my doctor the next day, I said, 42:16 "Doc, I need a colonoscopy." 42:18 He said, "Well, why?" And he named these symptoms. 42:20 I didn't have symptoms. I was jumping fences. 42:22 A little smaller now, but I was jumping fences. 42:27 And I said, "Well, the Lord told me." 42:29 And he said, "Well, do you have something else?" 42:33 I said, "No, I don't have a better idea than that." 42:35 The Lord showed me. 42:36 So he did a colonoscopy. 42:38 Found a very aggressive cancer. 42:40 Up on the right side beyond the appendix. 42:44 The worse place you could have it and the worse type of cancer. 42:47 In fact, later my doctor, and also the oncologist, 42:51 told me that 90 some percent of the people die from that cancer. 42:57 And so I had surgery. 42:59 I went to the oncologist, he came out shaking his head. 43:01 "I've never seen this," he said, "in all the 43:03 years I've practiced. 43:04 You don't need radiation, you don't need chemo. 43:07 You can go home, you're cured." 43:11 I said, "Doc, do you believe in miracles?" 43:13 He said, "Yes." 43:15 And that was a miracle. 43:17 He leads me through. 43:18 When I first heard that, you know, 43:20 that's a hard thing to hear. 43:23 And I sat up in bed that night and I said, "Lord, 43:26 whatever happens, I'll be faithful to You to the end. 43:31 Because You are my Shepherd, and I have no fear. 43:34 You leadeth me beside the still waters. 43:37 And I'm here now. 43:39 Take Your sheep. 43:41 Bring me to safety into the fold." 43:44 And surely, a few weeks later I was out preaching 43:48 the Word of God. 43:49 Listen to me. 43:51 When we lie down on stones of trial and persecution, 43:54 I mean, when our sickness, our bodies are racked with 43:58 sickness and pain, He is still our Shepherd. 44:02 He knew what it was like. 44:04 In all points tempted like as we are. 44:07 Keep in mind that the Shepherd has been there before you, 44:09 the valley of death. 44:10 He's been there first. 44:14 And He leads His sheep. 44:16 Thieves and robbers may call the sheep by name, 44:19 try to imitate the Shepherd's voice, 44:21 but through long usage and intimacy with the Shepherd 44:25 you'll know the true voice. 44:26 People, listen, as you watch this program you'll say, 44:29 "I want to know the truth. I want to know..." 44:31 Well listen for the true Shepherd. 44:34 Get acquainted with Jesus Christ. 44:37 Study the life of Christ. 44:39 Pray to Him, understand Him, 44:41 and you'll hear His voice. 44:43 And with all the other voices clamoring for your attention, 44:46 you'll hear His voice. 44:47 And He will lead you through the robbers 44:50 that try to rob you of your dignity 44:52 and rob you of the truth. 44:53 And you will find the way in green pastures. 44:57 He owns His sheep. 44:59 He knows His sheep. 45:01 He leads His sheep. 45:04 But fourthly, He lays down His life for His sheep. 45:09 Wow. 45:11 Charles Dickens wrote a book called, The Tale of Two Cities. 45:16 It presents a classic illustration of this. 45:18 Set during the French Revolution, 45:20 it's a story of two friends. 45:22 Two buddies; Charles Darnay and Sidney Carton. 45:29 Darnay is a young Frenchman who has been thrown in a dungeon 45:32 to await the guillotine. 45:35 Carton is a wasted English lawyer whose life has been 45:38 nothing but careless sin, reprobation. 45:44 In a beautiful allegory of Christ's atonement for us, 45:48 Carton slips into the dungeon. 45:50 Look at this. 45:52 He exchanges his clothes with the prisoner, 45:55 allowing Darnay to escape to go back to his family. 45:59 And the next morning, Sidney Carton makes his 46:02 way up the steps that leads to the guillotine. 46:05 This is the same love that God has shown. 46:08 He wrapped Himself in human flesh. 46:11 He walked up to the guillotine, the cross. 46:13 And He died knowing and loving and caring for His sheep. 46:18 Hallelujah. Praise God. 46:22 He paid the price for His sheep. 46:28 He lays down His life. 46:30 Twice over He uses that phrase. 46:34 How sweet is that story, but how radical is that statement, 46:39 "I lay down my life." 46:40 Twice over He used, "I have power to take it again." 46:46 The text is powerful. 46:48 I mean, it's radical. 46:49 A revelation of the willingness of Jesus 46:52 to sacrifice His all for His sheep. 46:54 He laid down His life. 46:56 He gave it up, He surrendered it. 46:59 Surrendered it. 47:02 It was not taken by Roman legionnaires. 47:07 It was not taken by Caiaphas. 47:11 It was not taken by Jewish rabble. 47:14 It was voluntarily given, the life of Jesus Christ 47:16 the Shepherd. 47:18 And there's two meanings to the laying down of a life. 47:22 First of all, laying down a life is a pledge; paying the price. 47:26 And that's exactly what Jesus did. 47:28 For without the shedding of blood, 47:29 there's no remission of sin. 47:32 And since we're all sinners, we need that blood 47:34 for the remission of sin. 47:37 And so He willingly sheds His blood, 47:39 willingly lays down His life; 47:42 and in a pledge, He's paying the price. 47:45 He could have walked away from Calvary. 47:47 "You can't take My life. 47:49 Legionnaires with your swords and your spears, 47:54 you cannot take My life. 47:57 I lay it down willingly." 48:00 And secondly, it's laying aside a life as a garment. 48:07 A garment. 48:08 You see, at Bethlehem He took the garment of flesh. 48:12 There in Bethlehem this Jesus, this Messiah, 48:15 came into the world as a little baby. 48:17 And the people, the religious people, weren't ready for that. 48:20 They wanted their King to come as a king. 48:22 They wanted their Messiah to come with majestic power 48:25 and overthrow Rome, and set up a temple in Jerusalem, 48:28 and set up a throne, and sit upon a throne. 48:30 And so they had created their own idea of Messiah. 48:33 And then the Messiah came as a babe helpless in a manger. 48:36 He came to a crib, and then to a cross, and then to a crypt 48:40 to show us how God loved us. 48:46 They couldn't take His life. 48:50 He laid it aside like a garment. 48:54 I mean, tattered by trials, His human flesh, 48:59 by pain and suffering. 49:01 We must ever keep in mind that Jesus died, rose again, 49:04 by His own volition. 49:06 It means God sentenced sin, God ordered sin's execution, 49:11 in the Person and the death of the good Shepherd, 49:14 the Lord Jesus Christ. 49:15 Think of it, the good Shepherd was assaulted 49:18 that the sheep might be shielded. 49:22 Think of it, the good Shepherd was smitten 49:24 that the sheep might be healed. 49:27 Think of it, the good Shepherd was lacerated 49:31 that the sheep may be liberated. 49:34 Think of it, the good Shepherd was slain 49:37 that the sheep might be secure forever and have eternal life. 49:44 He is the good Shepherd. 49:46 He met all the tortures of condemnation 49:51 for our justification. 49:53 He met all the tortures of condemnation 49:56 for our sanctification. 49:59 And He met all the tortures of condemnation 50:04 for our glorification. 50:07 Listen carefully, this is eternally important. 50:12 Those of you who are viewing this program 50:14 wherever around the world, listen carefully. 50:16 This might be the most important words you hear from the pulpit. 50:20 Listen as God speaks. 50:23 Without the good Shepherd, in death there is no assurance. 50:29 Listen carefully. 50:31 Without the good Shepherd, in sorrow there is no comfort. 50:37 Without the good Shepherd, in disaster there is no courage. 50:41 Without the good Shepherd, in temptation there is no 50:44 strength to victory. 50:45 Without the good Shepherd, in sin there is no grace. 50:51 And the Scripture says, "All we, like sheep, have gone astray." 50:58 It matters little as to how we have gone astray. 51:04 Doesn't matter how far we've gone astray. 51:07 Doesn't matter. 51:09 God, the good Shepherd, pulls us out of the ditch. 51:12 God, the good Shepherd, pulls us out of the gutter. 51:16 God, the good Shepherd... 51:17 I mean, listen to me. 51:19 Doesn't matter how far we've gone astray. 51:21 He seeks us and wins us. 51:28 We must give allegiance, 51:30 absolute ownership, and authority to Jesus Christ. 51:36 Tragically, many have not come under His absolute control, 51:39 His absolute authority. 51:40 He must become their Shepherd. 51:42 It is one thing to know the good Shepherd, 51:46 to know those sheep. 51:48 But it's another thing, listen, to know the good Shepherd. 51:54 Some years ago, many years ago, Charlton Heston, 51:58 John Charles Carter, real name, was a popular actor 52:03 in the second half of the twentieth century. 52:05 He was the one, I believe, that did The Ten Commandments. 52:09 And his great voice, speaking voice. 52:12 I mean, he had won several awards in the film; 52:16 The Ten Commandments, El Cid, Ben-Hur, and others. 52:20 During his prime in Hollywood, Reverend Billy Graham 52:23 also became a well known preacher and an evangelist 52:26 honored by all evangelical churches of his denomination. 52:30 There was one event in Washington, D.C. 52:32 where they were invited, both men. 52:35 And most probable, their names were in a 52:38 list of special guests. 52:39 And during the event, Charles Heston was asked 52:41 to recite the twenty-third psalm. 52:44 And he agreed to do that. 52:47 And so Charlton Heston stood up and recited 52:51 the twenty-third psalm. 52:54 And when he had finished, there was emotion and enthusiasm. 52:58 And the people applauded, and stood and applauded. 53:04 Charlton Heston. 53:05 Then it was Billy Graham's time. 53:09 And he got up and he read the twenty-third psalm. 53:14 With a convincing voice that God had used to earn millions 53:18 of souls into the kingdom of Christ, 53:21 he recited the twenty-third psalm 53:23 in the same manner as Charlton Heston did. 53:27 The crowd did not applaud. 53:29 The hall did not roar. 53:31 There was no standing ovation. 53:33 But almost everyone had tears rolling down their face. 53:37 At the end of the event, a journalist approached 53:40 Charlton Heston and asked, "What made the difference?" 53:44 And he politely answered, "Sir, I know the twenty-third psalm, 53:52 but Billy knows the Shepherd." 53:57 Billy knows the Shepherd. 54:00 I make an appeal to you tonight. 54:02 To our listening audience, viewing audience, 54:06 I make an appeal to you. 54:08 Let the Shepherd take ownership in your life. 54:12 Let the Shepherd restore your life 54:18 and make a change in your life. 54:21 And He will be willing to do that. 54:23 Carl Ketcherside served as a worker in the inner city. 54:31 He gave his life to teenagers. 54:34 And he described a crew of ripped-off, long haired kids 54:39 with drug addiction. 54:40 And he loved them. 54:42 He listened to them. 54:44 And one by one, he baptized them into Christ. 54:47 And a fluent member of the church asked him one day, 54:50 "How are you making out with those hippies? 54:52 Those long haired, sad looking specimens 54:55 you've been meeting with?" 54:58 And Carl responded, "Those are not specimens. 55:02 They are the children of God. 55:04 You're talking about my brethren in the Lord." 55:08 Condescendingly, the man continued, "They look to me 55:11 like something the cat dragged in." 55:14 And Carl replied, "They look to me like someone the Shepherd 55:20 has brought home." 55:22 Has brought home. 55:28 I was preaching in one place; 55:31 and ragtag muffins, hippie group. 55:37 In those days, the 60's you know, it was the hippies, 55:40 the yippies, the long-gums, the freebie gypsies. 55:42 I had a coffee house in Greenwich Village where we 55:46 ministered to the street people and invited them in. 55:48 And we had Christian poetry and music. 55:51 And, you know, they loved the guitar. 55:53 And they would come in. 55:54 And people would say to me, 55:57 "What are you doing with those people?" 56:00 What? 56:01 I'm doing what the Shepherd would do. 56:04 Seeking out His lost sheep. 56:10 You are a sheep, 56:12 I am a sheep, 56:15 for which Christ died. 56:17 You are someone the Shepherd wants to bring home. 56:21 And so I encourage you, right now wherever you are, 56:27 to open your heart to the Shepherd. 56:30 Listen to the Shepherd call. 56:31 He says if you confess your sins, He's faithful and just 56:35 to forgive you of your sins and cleanse you 56:37 from all unrighteousness. 56:39 Maybe you've backslidden, you've walked away from the Shepherd. 56:42 You need to return. 56:44 Let the Shepherd bring you back, woo you back, win you back. 56:48 And come into the fold so that someday soon you'll be in that 56:53 great fold in the kingdom of heaven, 56:56 in the name of Christ. 56:58 Let us pray. 57:00 Father God, I thank You for the love of Christ, 57:05 for the grace of God. 57:08 And I thank You that You are our good Shepherd. 57:12 Lead us, direct our paths. 57:16 And then bring us into the fold. 57:18 Not because we're worthy; 57:19 because we are dirty, scraggly sheep. 57:23 But because You are the good Shepherd. 57:26 Show Your goodness to us tonight. 57:28 In Jesus' name, amen and amen. |
Revised 2015-06-01