Running To Win

Dave McAllister: Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. We’re nearing the end of our series on the Good Shepherd, finding that Jesus fits this role perfectly. We’re in John chapter 10, learning from Jesus about the protection His shepherding provides and why we matter so much to Him as members of His flock. Stay with us. From the Moody Church in Chicago, this is Running to Win with Dr. Erwin Lutzer, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line. Pastor Lutzer, by now we all know why Psalm 23 and today's passage in John chapter 10 are so beloved.

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer: And Dave, the reason is this: To a shepherd, every single sheep is important. That's why we love Psalm 23. That's why we love the 10th chapter of the book of John. We are important to the Shepherd and He cares about us. He cares about us when we wander from the path and He brings us back. We have to understand that our relationship with Him is not based on how we feel. It is based on His promises, and of course, we enter into those relationships with joy through faith.

I’m holding in my hands a very special book. It's entitled Life-Changing Bible Verses Every Woman Should Know. Now, it's not just Bible verses; it's an exposition of about 25 or 26 different topics. For example, protecting your children, sexual healing, and so forth. At the end of this message, I'm going to be giving you some contact info as to how this book can be yours. For now, I want you to listen, but I also want you to understand that God cares about you and there is hope, no matter where you are on your spiritual journey.

So the first benefit that this Good Shepherd gives to the sheep is the benefit of salvation, and He lays down His life that we might have it. But there's a second benefit, and actually, it is a part of salvation, though for my purposes I've separated it. The second benefit is the gift or the benefit of significance, of significance. We matter to God, and we see this in the text when it says that the Good Shepherd knows His sheep by name. He knows His sheep by name.

One day I was at a Bible conference and a couple came to me and they said, "Do you think that Jesus Christ is going to know us in heaven?" Well, the answer is, yes, of course He's going to know you in heaven, and He's even going to not only know your name but He's going to pronounce it correctly. And for some of us who have names that have multiple spellings, He's even going to spell it right. He's going to get it right. One of the most sobering things is to know that someday when we do step on shore, Jesus will look at us and He'll call us by name. He'll say, "Faith Wilson, thank you for singing of me with such clarity and power." And what a day that is going to be.

I used to be a little bit concerned—not that I have to be concerned with a name like Lutzer—but those of you who are Smith, oh, John Smith. You know, you look at the telephone books of Toronto or Chicago or Atlanta and you see all of these John Smiths. You think God's computer is going to be so confused. He's going to say, "Yes, you're John Smith. What John Smith?" I want you to know that He knows you. He knows the number of hair on your head and you are special to Him, and He calls you by name.

Personal knowledge of us and personal communication. Verse 14, "I am the Good Shepherd and I know my sheep, and my sheep know me." Notice the reciprocal relationship there. It isn't all one-sided. I know my sheep, but my sheep know me. And I hope that you can say today, "Yes, I know Christ." I don't know about you, but I've been talking with Him this morning. I hope you have been too. Blessed are those who know Him.

And you know, He also says, "If anyone is saved, he shall go in and out and find pasture." Jesus is saying that there's going to be something about this life that is going to be enjoyable to people. I've sometimes said to Jerry Edmunds, and one of these days I'm not just going to say it, I'm going to request it, that we learn that song that we used to sing when I was growing up:

My God and I, we walk the fields together. We walk and talk as good friends should and do. We clasp our hands, our voices ring with laughter. My God and I, we walk the meadows through.

We go in and out and find pasture and we matter. We matter. Some of you don't matter to your parents, unfortunately, or you don't matter to your friends, but I want you to know today that you can matter to God. He gives salvation, significance, and then, as if that wasn't enough, security.

Now, in order for you to understand these next verses, and we're going to pick it up at verse 27, in between time Jesus has an altercation with some of the Jewish people who are listening to His speech. We pick it up at verse 27 and actually verse 26. But before we look at this text, I have to ask you a question. Is there any possibility of belonging to Jesus Christ's fold, to be a member of His sheepfold, to have figuratively speaking His mark in your ear, and He calls you by name, and then at the end of the day you end up in the wrong sheepfold and you don't step on shore and you find that you're not in heaven? Is there a chance that that would happen?

Well, with that question in mind, let's read these verses. Speaking to the Jews, He says, "But you do not believe because you are not of my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish, and no one shall 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." Seems to me that those sheep are pretty secure.

Let's look at it this way. First of all, they are secure because of the Father's purpose. These sheep are a gift from God the Father to God the Son. Notice Jesus said, "The Father who has given them to me is greater than all." They are a gift. I don't know how many times, but if you read the Gospel of John, at least a dozen times, probably more, Christ's sheep are referred to as a gift that God the Father is giving to God the Son. God the Father wanted God the Son to have sheep, and the text says, "My Father has given them to me." They are very, very special to the Father.

But notice also the Father's power. "The Father who gave them to me," verse 29, "is greater than all." He's greater than all. He's greater than the wolves. He's greater than the bears. He's greater than all of the doubts even that we might have. "My Father who gave them to me is greater than all that."

It was something like 20 years ago, not quite 20 years ago, I was a teacher at Moody Bible Institute. I'll never forget Debbie White, who was the secretary to several of us who were on faculty. She was only 21 years old and yet had a very rare form of cancer. And then there was some cure that was supposed to help and it appeared to, but in the end Debbie died. And some of us had the privilege of being at her funeral.

But I remember before she died, she sometimes said, "I don't want to fall asleep because I may fall asleep," and she knew that she might not wake up again. She knew that that possibility existed and she was fearful. Well, eventually that's exactly what happened. She went to sleep and she never did wake up. But I want you to know today that the Father, because she was such a fine Christian and a believer in Jesus Christ, which we'll explain in just a moment, the Father who gave her to Christ was greater than all, even greater than those doubts. And I have no doubt today that she stepped on shore and found it to be heaven and felt a hand and found it to be God's hand. "Because my Father who gave them to me," said Jesus, "is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of His hand."

The word snatch is the very same word in verse 29 as is used in verse 12 of the wolf who snatches the people of the flock. You see, in Old Testament times as well as in New Testament times, sometimes the shepherds would hire a hired man to take care of the sheep. Now, a hired man was not going to lay down his life for the sheep, I can tell you. That's why Jesus said earlier, verse 12, "He who is a hired hand, a hireling, that's the hired hand, you see, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, he beholds the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees."

But Jesus is saying, "I'm not going to do that under any condition because I own these sheep. I'm simply not a hired hand." About a week ago, I came out of a store and someone was handing out tracts with Bible verses on them. I was most pleased to take one, but then I asked who wrote the tract or who is the religion that is behind the tract, and I discovered that it's these folks, bless them, who really do not believe that Jesus Christ is God. They believe that Christ is less than God.

And I just in a few moments urged them to believe on a Savior who is God, because if you believe in a Savior who isn't God, he's disqualified. Well, the point to be made here is that Jesus is saying, "They are mine, and no man is able to snatch them out of my hand," and then He said, "No man is able to snatch them out of the Father's hands."

How many hands are here, anyway? Well, there's Christ's hand, verse 28. There's the Father's hand. Years ago, I was thinking of preaching on this text and I was going to entitle it "Hands in Harmony." But notice that it's the Father's hand and the Son's hand, and no one can snatch them out. Oh, I know there are many people who say, "Yeah, but..." You know, the motorboaters. Yeah, but, but, but, but, but, but, but. We can wiggle out of the hand. We can do it if we want.

Now, wait a moment. You talk to a shepherd. You talk to a shepherd who leaves with a hundred sheep in the morning and you ask him whether or not it's possible for one of those sheep to be lost and you come back with only 98. It's possible, but if so, the reputation of the shepherd is at stake. He will be ridiculed for having lost sheep. Jesus Christ's reputation is also at stake. No matter how stubborn they become, no matter how difficult it is for them to be dealt with, at the end of the day, just as the shepherd counts them in the morning and gets 100, at the end of the day, they have to pass under the shepherd's rod and he counts them one by one, name by name, and he will end up in the evening with just as many as he had in the morning. They will make it. "My Father who gave them to me is greater than all."

What are the benefits that come to those who know the Shepherd? First of all, the benefit of salvation, reconciliation to God. He died for them. The benefit of significance: they matter, they matter. And the benefit of security: they know in whom they have believed, and they are persuaded that He is able to keep that which they have committed unto Him against that day. They know that they belong to God, now and forevermore. Amen, so be it.

Now having said all that, I need to point out that that promise only applies to Christ's sheep. In fact, He says right there in verse 26, "You do not believe," speaking to some of the Jewish people, "because you are not of my sheep. Doesn't apply to you, but the sheep who hear my voice and follow me, they are the ones that cannot be snatched out of my hand nor the hand of my Father."

And so the question that we have to ask this morning is, how do we know that we are members of His sheep? Because remember, there are many, many people who think they are Christ's sheep who aren't. Some aren't because they are in the wrong fold, and they say, "Well, this fold honors Jesus," but it may not be the real fold. There are those who may not be in any kind of a fold at all, wandering from place to place, spiritually speaking.

Let me put it to you this way. One day I was talking to somebody on a plane, as I frequently do, explaining to them the wonder of Jesus Christ and why He is the only way to God. And the person said, "Well, you know, there are so many different religions. How are we supposed to make up our mind about them?" And I said, "Well, I'm going to simplify everything for you." You know, I've always prayed that God would keep me simple. Some of the staff think that He has overdone it. He has answered the prayer in ways that were way beyond what we could have asked or thought.

But I said, "Let me make it simple. There are only two religions in the world. On the one side, we put all of the religions that say you can be saved by doing something that still needs to be done. And then all the different religions have their lists of things to do, and the list gets longer and longer and more cumbersome, and you never know whether you have done enough. That's all in one side. They can all be lumped together."

On the other side is the one religion that says we are saved by trusting in what has already been done for us. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. He purchases these sheep, and as a result of that, He gives them the gift of eternal life, the life more abundantly. Notice what the text says. "I give them," verse 28, "I give them eternal life." It is a gift to those who stop depending upon their goodness and trust Christ alone.

And I want you to notice how personal this trust is. It isn't just a general trust. Jesus said, "I know my sheep by name and they know me individually." The other day I was reading a book in which it criticized those of us who believed in individual conversion. Well, I want you to know today, there is none other. It's not a decision that your parents could make for you. It's not a decision that others could make for you. It is the decision of those who trust the Shepherd alone, admitting their sinfulness apart from His grace.

Well, do you matter? One day Jesus was being criticized for spending too much time with big sinners, at least people whom the religious leader believed to be big sinners. And He said, "You know, it's this way," He says to defend himself. He said, "There is a shepherd who had a hundred sheep and one was lost and he went to look for the sheep, and when he came back, he rejoiced over that sheep even more than the 99 who were in the fold." And we can understand that.

And then Jesus added this: "In the very same way," He said, "there is joy in heaven over one sinner that repents." Do you realize that at the Moody Church today, if you have never personally believed on Christ, you have no assurance that you are one of His sheep? If you savingly believed, if you heard His voice and said, "I accept what Christ did," that in heaven there would be a cosmic celebration. A cosmic celebration! Because Jesus said that in heaven the angels rejoice over a sheep that has been found, over a sheep that has joined Christ's fold. You, possibly, are the very one that will make heaven glad today if you believe in that Shepherd. Salvation, significance, security. That's a lot for some rather stubborn, wayward, rebellious sheep. What a Savior!

Let us pray. Even at this moment, oh Father, You are working in the lives and the hearts of those who have listened. Oh, we pray that in grace You might call some sheep to Yourself today. We pray that they might listen to Your voice, not to harden their hearts, but to open their hearts to Your voice. Grant them that, Father. And now even before I close this prayer, you can pray where you are and you can say, "Lord Jesus, I receive You today as my Shepherd, personally, individually. I've heard Your voice and I accept."

Are you willing to do that, to say, "I accept Christ today"? You tell Christ that you are accepting Him right at this moment. Father, confirm in the lives of those who are praying at this moment. Confirm, Father, the voice of the Shepherd and may the sheep respond. Do that, Lord. Were it not for Your voice, we could never hear. Were it not for Your grace, we would never be made alive. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Dave McAllister: Can we just take a moment and think together? Based on the word of God, we are very important in the spirit world. The devil, of course, wants us, but thank God through faith in Jesus Christ we don't belong to him. But even in heaven the angels are watching us, and that's why the Bible says that they rejoice when a single sinner comes to saving faith. You are valuable.

I’m holding in my hands a book entitled Life-Changing Bible Verses Every Woman Should Know. Now, it is written by my wife, Rebecca. What you'll discover in this book is many topics that relate directly to women but really to all of us. Issues regarding anger, courage, the discipline of God, disciplining children, and on and on. Praying for our children, prodigals, how to handle them, protecting our children, sexual healing. For a gift of any amount, this book can be yours. Here's what you do.

And I sure hope that you have a pen or pencil handy, because I want you to write this down. If you're like me, frequently you hear something you'd like to write down but it takes a moment to find that pen. But here's what you do: you go to rtwoffer.com. That's rtwoffer.com—I'll be giving you that contact info again—or you can call us at 1-888-218-9337.

Now, I want to emphasize the reason that Running to Win goes around the world is because of people just like you. We are standing together, and thank you to all those who are standing with us. And what we want to do is to bless you, to help you, even as you run that race of life, as you frequently hear. Very quickly, go to rtwoffer.com. Of course, rtwoffer is all one word. Or you can call us at 1-888-218-9337.

It’s time once again for you to Ask Pastor Lutzer a question about the Bible or the Christian life. As we get older, we're prone to develop diseases and conditions that constrain our most precious relationships. An anonymous Running to Win listener is a victim of this and writes for advice. She says, "My husband has Alzheimer's disease and has begun to yell at me all the time. As a Christian, I'm having a difficult time knowing how to handle this. Pastor Lutzer, what should I do?"

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer: Well, thank you, my dear sister, for your question, and it is a dilemma that I'm sure is close to your heart every single day. Just a couple of thoughts, probably things that you have already thought about on your own. First of all, you have to understand that your husband as you knew him is not the husband that you know today. This disease has a habit of playing with our minds and playing with our brains. And so when he lashes out on you, remember that he is not doing this as the person whom you married. Something has gone radically wrong. So don't take it personally. And of course, as a corollary of that, whatever you do, don't respond in kind, because you have to take into account that you need to pity him because he also is the victim of a disease that is creating this kind of havoc in his life. And he apparently is very uncomfortable, he does not like his circumstances, and he is becoming increasingly more difficult for you to handle.

But second, my sister, very important for you to get help. I can't imagine you dealing with this 24/7. What you need to do is to get help from other believers. You need to investigate other possibilities for your husband, perhaps a home that he can go into. There are places that have been designated like this so that those who struggle with these kinds of illnesses can be cared for professionally, because it might simply become too much for you. Bottom line, I conclude with a prayer in my heart for you, that God will give you real wisdom in working this out. And remember, my sister, eternity is coming.

Dave McAllister: Thank you, Pastor Lutzer, for that compassionate answer. If you'd like to hear your question answered, go to our website at rtwoffer.com and click on Ask Pastor Lutzer. Or call us at 1-888-218-9337. That's 1-888-218-9337. You can write to us at Running to Win, 1635 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois, 60614.

When God chose to communicate how He cares for His own, He gave the picture of a shepherd tending his flock. Shepherds do more than guide their sheep to food and water. They take a personal interest in every sheep. Next time, we begin the last message in our series as we learn all about the Great Shepherd. Running to Win is all about helping you understand God's roadmap for your race of life. Thanks for listening. This is Dave McAllister. Running to Win is sponsored by the Moody Church.