The message from God's Word comes from John 10. Please open your Bibles to John 10. Keep a finger on Psalm 23 as well. We'll be in John 10. I was struck by... I mean, this is the last time I'm going to do this particular series, comparing John 10 and Psalm 23. And I was struck by, as I went through and just tried to recap in my own mind, Some of the lessons that we've learned, and they've been wonderful. First, in John 10, we see that our shepherd is good. It's a foundational truth for the body of Christ to remember that we have a good shepherd. He's not evil. He's not apathetic. He's not negligent in any way. He's good. He's always watching. Goodness is inherent in His being. He's God. This is seen in Psalm 23. It's seen all through John 10 as well. His goodness is comprised of all of his attributes, his faithfulness, his courage, his care, sacrifice. But we also see that he's a sovereign shepherd. He makes us lie down. He leads us. All things happen according to his wise plan. And in his care, we want nothing else but to be near him. He is our king. In John 10, we read that he is also a courageous shepherd, a fighting shepherd. He doesn't run. The enemies come and he doesn't run. The false teachers, they run away. They don't care anything for the flock, but he stays. And his enemies actually cannot do anything to prevent him blessing his people. We read that in Psalm 23. He prepares a table before us in the presence of our enemies. The enemies just have to watch and bless the people of God. with every spiritual blessing in Christ. And finally, He lays down His life for the sheep. So today as we close out this study, I want to look specifically at the net result for the people of God, for the sheep of God, of all of this wonderful care. We see it in Psalm 23, verse 6. Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, not some, all the days of my life. And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. That was our call to worship, that we long to be in the house of God. And David says, I'll be there forever. I will. Well, with that as context, let's look at John 10, beginning in verse 22. I'll read through verse 30. Would you please stand for the reading of God's holy and inspired and inerrant word preserved by the Holy Spirit for you this night. John 10, verse 22. At that time, the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter. And Jesus was walking in the temple and the colonnade of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you and you do not believe the works that I do in the father's name. Bear witness about me. But you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life. They will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one. Amen. Please be seated. May God add His blessing to the reading of His Holy Word. Father in heaven, I never tire of turning my face toward you in prayer and asking for wisdom and help, especially as I preach your word. I pray that your sheep would hear your voice, that the words of my mouth, the meditation of our hearts would be pleasing in your sight, oh Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Holy Spirit, open our eyes. In Jesus' name, amen. Well, in John chapters 5-10, we see a number of feasts. It's like a procession of feasts. Jesus goes to Jerusalem in chapter 5, He's there for Sabbath. In chapter 6, He's there in Jerusalem for Passover. And chapters 7-10, He's there for Tabernacles. That's kind of late September, early October, about now. I think Tabernacles is actually coming up soon on the calendar. in October. Is that right, Dennis? It's coming, right? Tabernacles, we haven't missed it. Yeah, so Tabernacles is still coming in October. The Feast of Dedication, what we would call Hanukkah, is December, usually. December 25th, I think, this year is when it's being celebrated. So Jesus is actually in Jerusalem at the Feast of Dedication. It's not one of the feasts that's mentioned in the Old Testament. You might wonder, well, what is this feast that Jesus is in the temple for? Well, a Greek king in Judea, Antiochus Epiphanes, he outlawed Judaism completely about 200 years before Christ. He outlawed Sabbath observance. He outlawed the temple worship, the sacrificial system. He outlawed the reading of Scripture, circumcision. He tried to stamp out the people of God and the worship of God. The temple was desecrated. He sacrificed a pig to Zeus in the temple. Can you imagine? And eventually, God raised up a man, and they actually had a rebellion. They fought against their overlords and threw them off. It was an amazing military guerrilla warfare victory, and eventually reestablished Jewish worship in the temple again. And this feast was established to remember God's provision in helping really one family bring all of Israel back to the worship of God in the temple. Well, Jesus is here because He reveals something about God and this feast shows something about Him and His work in this celebration. Each feast mentioned in Scripture reveals something about Jesus' person and His work. So we'll talk about that as well. That's the context is the Feast of Dedication and this great revival that was brought about by the Maccabees. Well, the Jews in the temple, if you remember in John 10, they just asked Him in verse 24, are you really the Christ? Are you the Christ? If you are, tell us. And you might be wondering why Jesus doesn't just say, well, of course I am. Yes, it's me. But this fails, I think, to see the context of the situation. Again, this is context before I start talking about the passage in particular. Most of these people, if you remember, hate him. The Jews, they've already tried to kill him a few times. He's not tricked at all. He's not fooled by their questioning. It's not from a genuine desire to know God, this question. It seems that it's rather from a desire to justify themselves and to accuse Christ. But what I want you to see before we begin talking about the verses that follow is that Jesus is complete command and control of the situation. Remember, before they crucified Him in John 18, it said, basically offered himself to them. He knew everything that was going to happen. He's never put off his game. He's never fooled by anyone. And he's not fooled by these people for a second. So why didn't he just say, yes, it's me? Well, maybe one, because his time to die had not come, but also he knows these people. As we've read already in John, he knows those who are his own. He knows those who believed in him, who really believed in him. He still knows His own, and His own know Him. He even says it in this passage. He knows those who are His. But what I really want to see is in the last verse of Psalm 23, where we hear David say, that I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. How he could be so confident. And I believe we see his confidence in the words of Christ. So the title of the sermon is, Our Shepherd's House. If you remember, Jesus has already called the temple His Father's house. It's His Father's house. I believe that was in John 2. He said, this is My Father's house. How dare you turn My Father's house into a marketplace? It's our shepherd's house. So, if the temple was meant to be the house of God, And if Jesus was there in his father's house, and he talks about being part of the flock of God, this is where the people of God should be going. I think it's a fair question. How should we get into this house? How do we get into the spiritual house? Of God, how do we enter the family of God? How do we stay there and when can we go there? So I'm kind of playing off the house theme. Since that's part of. The last verse of Psalm 23, it's also part of this particular Scripture in John. He's in the temple being asked about his father. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever." So David's confident that he will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. He's confident that he'll be with God forever. Remember, if you were a Jew and you wanted to be in the house of God at that time, you went to the temple. This is where Jesus was often. He was in the temple. This was the hope of the Jewish people that they would dwell in the house of God forever. Not specifically the temple, maybe a future heavenly hope, as we read about in Hebrews 11. This is the hope of all God's people, though, to be with God forever, to dwell in His house forever. We see this dramatically in the last couple chapters of the book of Revelation as God joins Himself to humanity, dwelling with His people forever. And we know that the answer to their question, are you really the Messiah? We know the answer. The answer is what? Yes, he is. Well, if he's the Messiah, certainly he has the keys. To his father's house. So when we talk about how how we get in to the house, how do we enter the family of God? How do we enter the sheep fold? How do we get into the flock? How do we dwell in the house of the Lord forever? Well, Jesus has told us throughout the Gospel of John, and He tells us again and again and again, that He is the way. He's the gate for the sheep. He's the door. It's only Jesus. He's the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Him. Specifically in John 3, we're told we have to believe in Jesus. Whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. But then he also tells Nicodemus what? You must be born again to see the kingdom of God. So we must repent and believe in Jesus Christ. We must have faith in Christ alone. Well, how? Let's keep peeling that onion. How does one believe in Jesus? We want to get into the house of God. We want to be part of the family of God. We have to believe in Christ. How do we believe? Well, look at verse 26. You do not believe because you are not among my sheep. Interesting the way he says that, isn't it? You do not believe because you are not among my sheep. I would have thought he would have said, you're not among my sheep because you do not believe. Well, they're both true, of course, but Jesus is talking to people who hate him and he's telling them, you do not believe because you're not among my sheep. To believe in Jesus, you must be made a part of the flock. I think this is a powerful statement of God's sovereignty and salvation. Only those who have been chosen by God will believe. Only those whom the Father has given will come to Him. And He tells them, you don't believe. Why? Because you're not part of My flock. It reminds me of in Exodus when you read about Pharaoh. And you read, Pharaoh hardened his heart. And then in the next couple passages you read, and God hardened Pharaoh's heart. Well, did Pharaoh harden his heart or did God harden his heart? Well, yes. Pharaoh did harden his heart. And God hardened his heart. God doesn't take delight in the death of anyone. He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that they would turn to righteousness. And yet, we cannot deny that God is sovereign over salvation in all things. If you are transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light, it's because God has changed you. The Spirit of God has regenerated your heart. John 3. He's given you faith as a gift. Ephesians 2. You've been saved by grace through faith, and this is not of yourself. It's a gift from God. None of us can boast. The ultimate reason why some do not believe, the ultimate reason, is because they're not part of the family of God. They're not among the elects. They're not among His sheep. They're left in their sin. Which actually is exactly what they want. Paul is anticipating your thoughts right now. Turn with me to Romans 9. Some of you might be saying, well, that doesn't sound right. God's sovereign over who comes to Him and who doesn't? The answer is, absolutely. In Romans 9, starting in verse 10, And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad, in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works, but because of him who calls, she was told, the older will serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob I loved and Esau, but Esau I hated. What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means. For He says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, for this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills. You will say to me then, why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will? But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Well, what is molded, say to its molder, why have you made me like this? Has the potter no right over the clay to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use? and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show His wrath and to make known His power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of His glory for vessels of mercy, which He has prepared beforehand for glory, even us whom He has called, not only from the Jews, but also from the Gentiles? You see, what we see in this particular passage and what we see all throughout the Scriptures is God's great sovereignty over all things, over all people, including those who would come to Him. And it's not for our glory, it's for His glory. It's all to His glory. And what He does is wonderful, because He didn't need to save any of us, and yet He saved a vast multitude. and we will see them all in heaven. He takes hopelessly lost people with dead hearts and He brings them to life, not because they deserve any ounce of His mercy. He brings them into the sheepfold by His own great power. He turns hearts of stone to hearts of flesh. This is a work of the Holy Spirit. And remember, the context of Jesus' words, He's speaking to people who hate Him. He's telling them. That's the context. I know you hate me. You want to kill me. You're never going to believe. You're not my elect. So he's speaking really of God's sovereignty in their salvation. But that does not deny that we have a responsibility as man. Our responsibility as man is to hear the gospel and to believe it. Listen to our confession of faith. So wisely talk about the doctrine of election. Chapter three, number seven. Number eight, the doctrine of this high mystery of predestination is to be handled with special prudence and care. That man attending the will of God revealed in his word and yielding obedience there unto may from the certainty of their effectual vocation be assured of their eternal election. So shall this doctrine afford matter of praise, reverence, admiration of God and of humility, diligence, and abundant consolation to all that sincerely obey the gospel." So do you hear what the theologians of the Westminster Assembly are trying to say? This is a somewhat difficult doctrine for normal human people to understand. Even reading the Word of God, Our hearts are sometimes conflicted, and what they're saying is, we need to be careful how we handle this doctrine. This isn't how you go witness to people. Are you among the elect? Then you'll believe. That's not what Jesus is doing. Rather, a knowledge of this doctrine is pastoral. What I mean by this is a knowledge of this doctrine comforts the heart of the believer. So Jesus does say, you're not among my flock. You're not among my sheep. That's why you don't believe in Me. That's absolutely true. But what we should be hearing is, why do I believe? It's only the mercy of God. It's the grace of God. And yet, what did we do when He opened our eyes? The human response should be the same for every human being. To see our sin, to run to our Savior, to repent and believe in Jesus Christ, to have faith, to hear the Shepherd's voice and to follow Him. He says in verse 27, My sheep hear My voice. He said this a number of times. I know them and they follow Me. I give them eternal life and they will never perish. They'll dwell in the house of Yahweh forever. So how do we get in? We repent and believe. That's what we do. But we know that if we've repented and believed, it's because God has opened our eyes and He's chosen us. He's put us in His flock. So that's how we get in. How do we stay in? That's the second thing I want to look at. It's one thing to get into the house, but I want to stay there. I don't ever want to leave the flock of God. How do you dwell in the house of the Lord forever? Well, Jesus tells us, it's the power of God. Verse 28, no one will snatch them out of my hand. And then he talks about power of his Father. My Father who has given them to me is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of my Father's hand. We are kept in the faith by the power of God. We're kept in the church by the power of God. We're kept from falling by the power of God. What a relief. If it were up to me, I would have fallen away long ago. If God were to ever withdraw His restraining hand in your life, you would fall away in a second. But those whom God saves are safe. They don't have to fear man. They will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. They're kept by God. No one can snatch you out of the shepherd's hand. He's not going to run when your enemies come. Because the Father is greater than all. the infinite, eternal, and unchangeable One, and all of His attributes is for you, and He's keeping you safe. This means that nobody who is truly saved can ever be unsaved. Listen to our confession, chapter 17, number 2. The perseverance of the saints depends not upon their own free will, but upon the immutability of the decree of election flowing from the free and unchangeable love of God the Father, upon the efficacy of the merit and intercession of Jesus Christ, the abiding of the Spirit, the seed of God within them, and the nature of the covenant of grace from all which arises, also the certainty and infallibility thereof. Of course, one of the proof texts is Romans 8 for that statement. If God is for us, who could be against us? He's going to hold us in His hand. If you have faith in Christ, you should be full of humility and gratitude and seek to serve the Almighty God with ever-increasing vigor. So really, for a pastor, the most important question that anyone that he knows should ever answer in life is this one. Am I really saved? Am I really in the flock? Do I have real faith? Do I actually believe in Jesus? Paul calls us all to examine ourselves to see if we're in the faith. We should. And why is that? Because what an absolute disaster for someone to go along their lives thinking that they're on the narrow path when they're actually on the broad road leading to destruction. What a disaster to find out on the last day that Christ says, Depart from Me. I never knew you." Yes, you should think about it. You should ask yourself, do I really believe in Jesus? You might say, well, I think I do. I believe in Jesus. Well, praise God. Only you know if you have true faith. I hope it's not something like, well, I know the Gospel. I know the facts of the Gospel. I believe what Jesus did. I walked the aisle when I was a child. I've been in church my whole life. I read my Bible. I know that no one can snatch me out of the Father's hand. To think all this when all the while He never knew you. That would be a disaster. And what a disaster it is. Because Jesus says in Matthew 7 that there's going to be many, many people in this camp. Few are going to find the right road, but many are going to find the way to destruction. They're going to say, Lord, Lord, didn't we do these things for you? And He's going to say, I never knew you. These are terrifying for me as a pastor who loves each and every one of you. So I want to help. How do you discern true faith in your life? What do the Scriptures teach? I'm just going to give you a quick list. Do you have a growing love for Jesus? Do you love Jesus? He saved you. He's flesh and blood in heaven. He's the God-man and He saved you. Do you love Him? Do you have a growing desire to fellowship with God in word and prayer daily? Do you see a growing love for God's people and fellowship with each other? A desire to be with the people of God? Do you see the fruit of the Spirit growing in your life? Do you see an increased obedience to God's commandments? Do you see yourself mortifying and killing specific sins more and more every day by the power of the Spirit? Do you find the pleasures and pursuits of this world increasingly distasteful? These things all point to true faith, and there's probably many, many more things we could talk about. This is what it looks like to follow the Good Shepherd. We take up our cross daily and we follow Him. We're living sacrifices. We serve Him alone. If you lack these things, I suggest to you that you might have a false faith. And this is what terrifies me. Are you content to know about Jesus without actually knowing Him? Do you see no need for the Word or prayer in your life? Do you know enough or you've prayed enough? Do you not really desire to be in church and fellowship with God's people? Is it a burden to you to love those whom God has placed here? Do you see, rather than spiritual fruit, the fruits of wickedness? Pride rather than humility? Apathy rather than love and pursuit? Anger rather than kindness? Despair rather than joy? Sin rather than holiness? Do the commandments feel like a weight around your feet, just burdening you? Do you love the world and the things of the world? Examine yourselves to see if you're truly in the faith. And if you find that you don't know Christ the way that I've described, if you really think Christ is just there as your fire insurance, but you don't really see yourself living for Him, then turn to God and ask Him to open your eyes. Maybe you're backslidden. Maybe you're in the faith, but you've just backslidden. You've walked away. It's the same response. Turn to Christ. Come to Jesus. He came to the earth, lived a perfect life. He bled and died on the cross for the sins of His elect. And now as I preach the gospel to you, that gospel call is calling you to submit yourself to Christ. To have faith in Him and believe in Him alone. To cry out to Him. If you cry out to Him, you will find Him. If you seek Him, you will find Him. And once you find Him, rather I should say, once He has found you, you're safe. but don't walk through life on the broad road leading to destruction with blinders on. That's a horrible, horrible thing. You've already been snatched. No, you want to be in the place where no one will snatch you out of His hands. This is a work of God. Call out to God. So this is God's house. How do you get in it? By faith in Jesus Christ. By the power of God. How do you stay in it? By persevering. in the faith by the Spirit of God. And when do you get to enter? Well, now I give them eternal life now present tense. He doesn't say I will give them eternal life. He says I give them eternal. I give them today. Eternal life starts today. It's the already, but not yet of God's promises. It's already fulfilled, but it's not fully fulfilled because that's coming. When our Lord returns. David says as much, surely goodness and mercy shall follow me when all the days of my life, the days of my life now. Yes, I'll dwell in the house of the Lord forever. It's also not yet fulfilled completely, but the covenant promises of God he saw were going to be fulfilled in his lifetime. And the word mercy is hesed. You know, that's the Hebrew word for covenant faithfulness and covenant love. He's calling upon God to fulfill his promises, and he's confident that he will all the days of his life. So there's a great confidence in service to God. So let me conclude with this. What do we have from this? What good does it do us to know that being part of God's family is something that God does and He will never change it? And if you have faith and if you've repented and come into life, into the flock of God, that that's the safest place you could ever be. What benefit is that for you today? You can be assured of God's love. If He's brought you to Himself, it's because He loves you. That makes everything else in life easier, doesn't it? Because you know God loves you. You can have a peace in your conscience. When Satan tempts you to despair and tells you of the guilt within, you look to Christ. You can have joy in the Holy Ghost in every circumstance. You could see the increasing of grace in your life as he works inside your soul, making you holy for his service. And you will persevere to the very end. If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also along with him graciously give us all things? No one can bring a charge against you. No one can condemn you. No one can ultimately hurt you. You belong to your Good Shepherd. He holds you tightly in His hand. He saved you and He will keep you forever and ever. Yet the reality is sometimes we feel like we are sheep being slaughtered. We feel like we're being killed all the day long. And yet, Paul reminds us that we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. Because nothing can separate us from the love of God. God, we thank You. We thank You that You have saved us. You have brought us to Yourself. You have opened up our eyes to see the truth. Lord, surely, because of Your great love, we are not consumed, and Your compassions never fail, and they are new every morning. Goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of my life. We will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Not because of us, but because no one is able to snatch us out of the Father's hand or your hand, dear Jesus. We are yours. You bought us with a price. Now let us live for you. Let us honor you. Let us serve you in Jesus' name. Amen. We're going to turn our hearts toward the Lord's Supper. I just want to remind you, we spoke of the covenant promises that are ours. David, he anticipated the covenant promises being fulfilled in his life. That goodness and mercy would follow him.