It is a joy to be here today with you, to represent the college of the Whitefield College of the Bible, and to be here in Ballymena. We trust that you'll be blessed already by the service, by what you've heard, and blessed by us and our service as students even this morning, and this evening that God most of all will come and bless us now as we come around His precious Word. And so if you have a copy of the Scriptures, can you turn with me this morning, please, to the Gospel of John chapter 10. John's Gospel, chapter 10, and we just want to read various portions of this chapter together, please, for time's sake. So, John's Gospel, chapter 10, and we'll commence our reading this morning at the words of verse 7. The Gospel of John, chapter 10, and we'll read from verse 7, please. Let us hear the Word of God together, John 10 and verse 7. Then 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 shall go in and out and find pasture. The thief cometh not but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is in hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, saith the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth. And the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is in hireling, and careth not for the sheep. 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 I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold, them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd." And can we please jump down then to the words of verse 27. Christ says, my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father which gave them me is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father. And we end our reading at the end of verse 30, and we look to the Lord to bless the reading of His own precious Word to our hearts this morning. Let us bow in a word of prayer as we come to seek God's face for His help upon the preaching of His Word today. Let's pray, please. Our gracious God and our Father in heaven, we thank thee already for this, the Lord's day, and this, the house of God. Lord, we thank thee already for the praise that has been offered unto our God, the God of heaven and the God of earth. Lord, we thank thee for the testimony of the saving grace of God. Lord, we thank thee for lives that have been transformed by the blood of Christ. We thank thee for the praises of worship that have pointed us to Christ. to our truest friend on Calvary, the one who loved us and gave Himself for us. And Lord, we thank Thee for Thy Word that is open before us this morning. We thank Thee for the precious Word of God. And Lord, we pray now as we would come to the preaching and the studying of this Word, that Lord, You would open up our hearts to receive with meekness and with fear the engrafted Word of God. Lord, I pray for thy help today in preaching thy word. Lord, I pray you would empty me of self and fill me with the spirit of God and with power that I may rightly divide the word of truth. We pray for all who would listen in today, whether in the building or whether online. Lord, we pray that thy word would come with power, would come with conviction, would come with challenge, and would find that abiding place in all of our hearts. And so, Lord, now, continue Thy presence with us and show us Thy glory, we pray. Bless us now, we ask, in our Savior's name. And for His sake, we pray. Amen. Now, throughout the pages of Scripture, we find that there are many examples and illustrations that are used to describe Christ's union with His church. We can read high in God's Word that we read of a relationship in terms of the marriage union, that Christ is the heavenly bridegroom and the church, His people, being the beautiful bride that will be presented unto Him. The teachings of Christ also show us the illustrations of botany or of nature, with the Savior calling Himself the true vine and His church being those faithful and those fruitful branches. However, in John chapter 10, we read of a picture of farming or agricultural terminology. And there is no doubt that we see in this portion this morning from God's Word in John chapter 10, that here the Savior reveals himself to be that good and that great shepherd. He is the shepherd of his sheep, of the flock and the family of God. And the Word of God, of course, shows us throughout the pages of the Old Testament and the New Testament how Christ indeed is that shepherd. We read that Christ is the chief shepherd. He is the one that has authority. He is the one that has dominion because he is the king and the sole head of his church. He's not only the chief shepherd, he's the caring shepherd. We sang this morning the words of Psalm 23. The shepherd is one who leads his dear people to the green pastures, to the still waters, through times of trial, in the valley of the shadow of death. He meets our needs, he provides for us as a shepherd who cares for his sheep. But here in John chapter 10, we are shown that Christ is also the covenant-keeping shepherd. Because here it becomes clear that the Savior is speaking about the shepherd and the sheep in terms of salvation and of our redemption. Here the Savior clearly shows us that it is by Him that men enter in and can be saved. He says in the words of verse 9, I am the door. By me, if any man enter in, he shall be saved and shall go in and out and find pasture. Christ is the way unto salvation. The way that we can have access unto God and acceptance before God for our standing in Him. And so we come to consider this morning Christ as the shepherd and the savior of our souls. And as we do so, I want us to think about the theme of the shepherd's way of salvation. The shepherd's way of salvation. We want to notice four things from this chapter and this portion this morning. First of all, we can notice that in salvation we are predestined in Christ. We are predestined in Christ. In John chapter 10, the Savior brings us to the great truth and the doctrine of our election. Christ reveals to his listeners here in this portion that God has chosen or God has elected a people onto Himself. We read of that truth in other portions of Scripture. We can take, for example, the words of Ephesians 1, verse 4, where it reads, And so in salvation it becomes clear that the Father hath given to the Son a people, a people that He would come and that He would redeem through the cross, a chosen people before the foundation of the world that have been predestined onto salvation. Notice why Christ speaks about these people in the words of verse 14. He says, I am the good shepherd and know my sheep. The Savior clearly says, these people are my sheep. And it's that word sheep, that term that the Savior uses, that shows us the fact that we are chosen in Christ. If we think about this, we can see that this word sheep shows us our designation. This designation is reserved alone for the people who are saved and redeemed by God. Christ is our shepherd. He is the one that we follow. He's the one that leads us. He guides us and we obey Him. And so this designation reminds us that we are not our own. We are bought with a price. We belong unto Christ. He is the one who owns us. We are His servants, and so we are to follow Him. Christ is the one who has chosen us. He saved us. He separated us onto Himself, and He sanctifies us day by day with His own glory and power. And so, friends, today this word sheep reminds us of the relationship that we have with our shepherd. There's union between the shepherd and the sheep. That relationship is intimate. It's personal. He says in verse 14 that I know my sheep. That little word know means of a deep or an intimate knowledge. It's not used in the general sense of knowing some fact or information. It doesn't simply mean that the Lord knows who we are or is aware of us, but instead it speaks of an intimacy, a deep knowledge that the Savior has because He is God. He knows all things. He is omniscient, and He knows all about us. He has full knowledge of His sheep and His people, and He has an interest in them. I know my sheep. Of course, that was something known to the Jews at this time. There were many shepherds, and the shepherd, in farming terms, needed to have a knowledge of their flock. They needed to know their sheep in case any wandered away out of the fold so the shepherd could realize that one had wandered and go and rescue that stray sheep. But Christ assures us this morning, I know my sheep. He knows us, but the end of verse 14, and I'm known of mine. You see, this relationship is twofold. The shepherd knows us, but the sheep also knows the shepherd and the Savior in that same deep and intimate way. There's a walking, there's a communing, the one with the other. And so think about this designation, child of God, you are a sheep. You are part of the flock and the fold of God. It shows us our designation. This word sheep also shows us our distinction. Turn with me back to Matthew's Gospel, chapter 25, and we'll see this. Matthew chapter 25, and here Christ is speaking about the day of final judgment, the day when He will come again as judge and judge this world. And he shows the distinction between the sheep and then that of the goats. In Matthew 25, we'll read from verse 32. It says, and before him shall be gathered all nations, and he shall separate them one from another as a shepherd, divide of his sheep from the goats, and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the king say unto them on his right hand, come, ye blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Speaking in verse 34 of the sheep on the right hand of the Savior, that right hand, a place of privilege, a place of acceptance. He says, unto them, come ye blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you. Christ reveals here in Matthew 25 his eternal purpose. It was to choose a people, it was to save a people that they would go to be with him in that kingdom, with Christ for all eternity. But look at the distinction, look at verse 41. Christ speaks about the fate of the goats, the ungodly, verse 41. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, depart from me ye cursed. into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels. The unsaved are seen to be the goats on the left hand of the Savior. Words of verse 41 are words of judgment and condemnation for those who have rejected Christ, and the invitation to come on to him in the gospel will one day be put away into that place of everlasting fire, everlasting torment and punishment, and judgment in hell for their sins. And so there's a distinction here, the sheep on one hand and the goats. We ought to ask ourselves this morning, where do we stand? Are we those who are standing in Christ who await that day when He comes that we will be accepted, we will be brought into that fold? Or are we unsaved today? Are we rejecting Christ? Friends, if you reject Christ, one day He will come, His mercy will end, and judgment will be passed. And so here in John 10, we read about the sheep, the people of God, predestined in Christ, chosen before the foundation of the world. So in salvation, we are predestined in Christ. But turn back to John 10, we find that we're also purchased by Christ. were purchased by Christ. Look at the words of verse 15. Here the Savior reminds us of the great fact of his substitution, that he laid down his life for his people, for the sheep. Christ places the emphasis here on Calvary. And on the cross, of course, today we gather in remembrance Sunday. Remember the sacrifice of many in warfare and battles in days gone by, those who gave their lives to give us religious freedom and liberty. But remember the death of Christ, that great sacrifice that Christ laid down his life for his sheep. In verse 11, he says similar words. I am the good shepherd, the good shepherd, give us his life for the sheep. See, a fundamental aspect of all of our salvation is the need to atone or to pay the penalty of our sin. The gospel clearly shows that we are sinners. We're far from God and there is a penalty to pay. Sin, when it is finished, James says, bringeth forth death. There's the payment. There's the judgment hanging on our heads as sinners, death, eternal death, eternal separation. And so if we are to be saved, we need one who can take that curse, who can pay that price of death that we might live. That's what Christ says here. I am come to purchase the salvation of my people. And so Christ must needs die. Christ must need good lacrosse if he was to pay or atone for the sins of his people. I lay down my life for the sheep. We see that Christ gave himself voluntarily. He says, I lay down. That little verb, to lay down, it means to put or to place. The emphasis that Christ is making here is that he himself personally is the one that is placing down or putting down his life of his own will. willfully giving his life. We see this in verse 17. Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life that I might take it again. Verse 18. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. You see, the Savior was not just a mere victim of circumstances. No, we read that Christ willingly and voluntarily went to the cross to die for us. His face was set as a flint to go towards Jerusalem. He set his face to go to the cross and to die for his people. No man, he says in verse 18, took my life. No man took the life of Christ, but Christ gave his life. He laid it down in and of himself, freely, voluntarily. He shows us in verse 18, His deity, He had power to lay it down. Oh, but He had power to take it up again. Why? Because He is God. And so Christ's death was a voluntary death. It was also a sacrificial death. He says in verse 15, I lay down my life. It wasn't the life of another. It was Christ's very own life. that he gave. That's the sacrifice he offered unto God. Christ's life was a perfect life. Christ's life was a sinless life. And it was that life that he laid down, that life that was obedient to the law of God, that life that was sinless and spotless, not marred, not blemished by sin. It was his own perfect life. Christ says, I lay down my life. What a wonder to our hearts today that the one who calls himself the Good Shepherd would become the sacrifice. The Shepherd on the cross became the Lamb. John the Baptist cried out, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. And so to purchase redemption, Christ died. He gave his life. He was crucified, and he shed his blood that we might be covered in that blood from our sin. So Christ gave himself voluntarily. He gave himself sacrificially. He also gave himself vicariously. I lay down my life for the sheep. The fact that Christ's death was vicarious, we simply mean that he died as a substitute in the place of another. He says, I lay down my life for the sheep. That little word for in the Greek in verse 15 can also be translated for the sake of or on the behalf of. Christ literally says that he gave himself on the behalf of the sheep. We've already seen that the sheep speaks about the elect. That answers a great question in theology. For whom did Christ die? The Savior gives us the answer. I lay down my life for the sheep. He died for his own chosen people. It was for those who would have salvation applied to their souls. It's for that people that Christ died for. If you are saved today, you can rightfully say that Christ took your place and died for you. He took your sins and your sorrows and he made them his very own. His death was vicarious because he took our curse. He took our sin. He bore it on his body on the tree and paid that penalty of sin that we might be saved. Believer, rejoice today in all that Christ has done for you. He has done all that has been needed to purchase salvation. He's lived that perfect life. He's died that atoning death that we might go free. In salvation, we're predestined in Christ. We're purchased by Christ. Thirdly, we're pardoned through Christ. We've seen already the cross. Christ has accomplished all that was needed for our redemption, but there needs to be a reception, a receiving of those blessings. A redemption needs to be applied to the soul and the heart of man. And we read that this is the case in verse 28. Christ says, and I give on to them, that is the sheep, I give on to them eternal life. In verse 27, it's interesting that we read about the voice of the shepherd, that my sheep hear my voice, the call of the shepherd. It says they hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. Verse 27 speaks about obedience to the call of God. That's necessary in salvation. When we hear the effectual call of God by the Holy Spirit, we must obey and come on to Christ in repentance and faith. Obey the call of the gospel, then we will be saved. If we obey the voice, verse 28, then we will be given eternal life. Repentance and faith is needed to then receive salvation. He gives us eternal life. Why? Because of our faith and our obedience to trust in Him. We read similar words in John chapter 5 verse 24. If you turn back a few chapters, we'll find this John 5 and verse 24. John chapter 5 verse 24, the Savior says, I say unto you, he that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life. He heareth my word as obedience. He believeth on him that sent me." There's faith. He hath everlasting life. There's pardon. He gives unto us eternal life. It's through accepting the work of Christ and all that He has done that we are saved. We're pardoned through the cross and through His blood that has been shed, but we must repent of sin. We must place our faith in order to be saved. The order is vital, faith and obedience, then pardon and forgiveness from sin. And then we are promised that we shall receive eternal life, everlasting life in Christ. And so in salvation, we're pardoned through our Savior. We've already noted all that Christ has done for us today on the cross. Yet that work on the cross is meaningless until it's applied to our hearts. Friend today, you need to come the way of the cross. The hymn tells us the way of the cross leads home. We must acknowledge our sin. Acknowledge that we can't save ourselves, that we're enemies, that we're separated from God. See our unworthiness. See our sinfulness. In turn, forsake that sin. Repent of that sin. Acknowledge that sin before God. But then look to the cross. Look to Christ and all that He has done. And claim the blood of Christ for your own covering for sin. And then in the blood of the Lamb you shall be cleansed and pardoned. from every stain of sin, sins forgiven and sins forgotten by God. because it is in the shedding of blood that there is remission for our sins. When we come to the Lord in salvation, our sins are blotted out and covered in the blood of Christ. That's what it means to be pardoned, free from guilt, free from judgment, free from the wrath of God, free from sin, no longer condemned by God, but accepted in Christ. We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Today we ought to ask, is that standing yours? Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power? Are you washed? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? I trust that if not, you would come to Christ today, confess your sin, obey his call, and the gospel extended to you. Today you can receive eternal life for the Son of God who loved us and gave himself for us. Finally and fourthly, we see that in salvation, we are preserved with Christ. This brings us to the great truth that in salvation, we're not only saved by the Lord, but we are secure. We are eternally secure in the Savior. Verse 28, and I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. There's comforting teaching for the believer today, eternal security for the child of God, the fact that when we are saved, it is impossible for us to be lost. I give on to them eternal life and they shall never perish. Christ is speaking to show those who are saved and truly saved of God will never perish. They'll never be met with eternal death in hell because Christ has taken that death. He's paid for the curse so we're saved and we will never be destroyed. We'll never be cut off. We'll never be consumed. Why? Because Christ has paid the price. He's given us eternal life and child of God. We shall never perish. When we're saved, we're preserved by the almighty power of God. Once He saves us, He keeps us forever. Therefore, we need not fear death. We need not fear His judgment, for we are already saved. Accepted in Him. You know, I thought it was comforting for our lives in the matters of sanctification. Of course, we're saved. We desire and we ought to die more to self and to sin and live unto Christ. But we're not perfect in this side of eternity. Daily we sin, we fail God, word, thought, and deed. And yet it seems that the Savior is saying, despite our sins, despite all that we commit against Him, if we're saved, yet ultimately we will never be destroyed. Hell will not be our lot or our portion, child of God. Instead, you and I are assured of glory, of God's eternal glory in heaven. Notice how Christ emphasizes this teaching at the end of verse 28. The thought behind those words is that there's no power on this earth that has the ability to pluck us out of the hands of the Savior, to snatch us, or to ensnare us, or to lead us away. In fact, the Greek in verse 28 uses the double negative This shows how it's utterly impossible that anything can ever take us out of God's hand. Paul speaks about this in Romans chapter 8, and Paul concludes in all of his arguments that nothing can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus. What a blessed description for us who are saved. We are in the hand of our Savior. Pluck them out of my hand. We're in Christ's hand. Verse 29, he speaks of the Father. We're in the Father's hand, we're in God's hand, because he says in verse 30, I and my Father are one. God, in all of His person, secures us and keeps us, as it were, in His hand. We're sheltered in the hand of God. The same hand that brought the Israelites out of Egypt, out of that bondage and slavery, is the same hand that delivers you and I out of the bondage and slavery of sin. The same hands of the Savior that were pierced by the nails on the tree are the same outstretched hands that delivers and preserves us, His people. Therefore, what have we to fear? Nothing. No condemnation. Now I dread. The people of God can rejoice because we don't keep our own salvation, the Lord keeps us. He's predestined us, He's purchased us, He's pardoned us. Praise God, He preserves us. By His almighty hand, what a Savior we worship today. The one who is the great shepherd who gave His life for the sheep. Yet how is it with you today, unbeliever? Well, there's much comfort for the child of God from this passage. Yet there's a challenge today to the unsaved. How is it that you look upon Christ? Will you reject Him again? Or will you not come on to Him today? Leave off your sin. Place your faith in Him for salvation. Know what it is, as verse 27 is, to hear His voice and to follow Him. Today we've seen something of the shepherd's way of salvation. That's the only way for salvation, friends. There's no other way to be saved but through Him who is the way, the truth, and the light. And so may it be for us today who are saved that we would have a greater love, a greater vision of the Savior, what He has done for us, that even this day and every day that we live, we will fix our minds on Him, the Good Shepherd, the one who laid down His life for the sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me, and I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish. We trust that the Lord will be pleased to write his word upon our hearts for his own name's sake. We're going to bow in prayer as we come now to the end of our service. We're going to commit all that has been said today and sung unto the Lord that he would continue to speak and to bless us even as we leave his house today. And so let's close our service now in a word of prayer, please. Gracious Father and our heavenly God, we thank you today for the ability that we have had to gather together and assemble ourselves in the house of God. But we thank you for all that has been said and done today in this house, and we thank you for the worship that has been offered, and we pray it has been acceptable in thy sight. We pray that what has been of God today will be used to speak into challenged hearts, We thank thee most of all for the words which we have considered. We thank thee for our standing in Christ. For all those who are saved today, we thank thee for our good shepherd, the one who gave his life for us, his sheep. We thank thee that we are pardoned through the blood of the cross. We thank thee that we are preserved by Christ, that no man shall pluck us out of thy hand. And so help us to rejoice and to glory in the cross. Restore unto us the joy of our salvation, and help us to live in the light of eternity. Help us to seek to win the lost for Christ. We pray for any in this service today that their minds would be taken away of the things of this world, the things of self, and the things of this life, that they would consider the latter end, that they would look by faith and repentance onto the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world. Oh, that souls today would come to the Savior and that they would be saved. Lord, bless us now as we would leave this house. We pray for thy presence and thy blessing and thy fear to go with us. Lord, keep us in the spirit on the Lord's day. Bless the students tonight and thy well in the gospel service. And we pray that most of all salvation would visit this house. And so bless us, encourage us, go before us, and we give thee all of the praise and the glory. For Thou art worthy of these things we pray in our Savior's name. Amen.