The Healing Word

Guest (Male): Don't get out there and try to run the race on your own. You're going to be on a track and you're going to come right back around where you started. And you'll try it again and you'll come right back around where you started again. No, He has a path, He has a life, He has a track.

Guest (Male): Welcome to the Healing Word, a radio ministry of the Largo Community Church. Here's Pastor Jack Morris with today's message that will grow your faith in God and lead you to a closer walk with Jesus.

Pastor Jack Morris: Life to the full, life abundant. It's a wonderful life. No one has ever promised you that kind of living, that kind of life. No one. If they have, they're lying because they can't produce it in you and they can't give it to you, not at all. But Jesus gives us life, for He is the resurrection and the life. The resurrection and the life.

Come on, everybody say life. Life. And I believe and pray this morning that that resurrection life will find its way into our lives and that we will leave today filled with the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, this book of John is a very special book. Over 36 times in this one Gospel, the word life appears. 36 times in one Gospel. And in John chapter one, verse four, that's the beginning, right? John one, that's the first chapter, verses one, two, three, four. The fourth verse down, it says, "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men."

It starts out by telling us that Jesus is life. The scripture tells us that He gives abundant life, that He gives fullness of life. This is our Savior, and this is what He does for His people. And this life, listen to this. This life begins immediately. It's not talking only about life after death, life somewhere in the future. No, when you receive Jesus, you receive life. And my prayer is that every one of us today will receive Him in a new and a living way. Life in Jesus Christ.

Can everybody say "praise the Lord"? Praise the Lord. Now, today we're going to hear Jesus present Himself as the Good Shepherd. He's going to talk about shepherds, He's going to talk about sheepfolds, and He's going to talk about sheep. Now, shepherding was the ideal of Israel, and it still is. The ideal person, two persons in Israel, was David, the shepherd boy, the sweet psalm singer. He started out as a shepherd, and then as an adult, he shepherded the people of Israel.

The second person is Moses, the greatest Jew that ever lived. He's the lawgiver. This is the blessing that God brings to us in that He does not save us just to turn us loose into the world, but He is with us always, like the good shepherd is. The shepherd never, a good shepherd never left the sheep. And He likens us to sheep. He does. We are the sheep of His pasture. Now, in verse seven, Jesus said, "I am the gate for the sheep." You see that on the screen? "I am the gate or the door for the sheep. No one comes to the Father except through that door."

There's a door to get into the church. Well, we have many doors here, but in this situation, in this case, there's only one door, and Jesus is that door. Would you put on the screen the picture of the sheepfold? Do you have that one that you could put it up? Or put up the picture of Jesus the shepherd. There it is. Okay, there's a picture. That's an artist's conception of Jesus looking out for the sheep. He is a shepherd. May the Holy Spirit impress that into our minds that He is the shepherd of the sheep.

All right, the next picture. All right, it changes now from sheep to people. It's still the same Jesus, and we are the ones that He is shepherding. There's a whole lot that He is doing for us in shepherding. Now, put up the sheepfold. That is a sheepfold. That is found on the high mountain country. Notice it has one entrance. No man comes to the Father except through me. Now remember that. No one can experience the abundant life, forgiveness of sins, blessings now, eternity in the future, no one except they go through that door.

Now, a sheepfold, notice this one in particular has rocks. It's been built with rocks. Some sheepfolds are built with tree limbs that are just stacked high. What happened was that the shepherd would take the sheep into the far mountain country. Grass was scarce and still is in Palestine. It's a desert-type place. And so the shepherd would have to take the sheep where the sheep could be fed. And there's only one place where they could be fed, and they had to go to where the grass was.

And they would get far out from home. They couldn't come back in the evening; they were so far away from home. So they had these sheepfolds stationed throughout the region in particular strategic places. These sheepfolds, so in the evening would come, darkness would come, the shepherd would take the sheep into the sheepfold for the night to protect them from wolves and from wandering away and straying. Now, one thing, let me tell you one thing a sheep can do. One thing: go astray.

That's what sheep are good at. They know how to go astray, but they don't know how to come home. They just don't, they can't. A dog, a horse, a cat, you can drop them off somewhere, they'll find their way back. But not a sheep. A sheep just keeps right on nibbling away and going and going. So the shepherd takes the sheep into the sheepfold where it's protected during the night. Now, this is communal property. Any shepherd can go in there. Now, the shepherds back then had only a few sheep. They didn't have huge herds of sheep, hundreds and hundreds. No, they just had a few, so few that they could name them. And that's going to be another sermon.

I want you to know this: Jesus knows you, He knows your name, He knows everything about you. Your disposition, your attitude, who you like, who you don't like. He knows everything. Do you believe that? Listen, if we did, we would love and act and behave differently perhaps than we do. But the shepherd knows the sheep. And Jesus knows those who are His and those who are acting like Him, those who love Him, those who are dedicated to Him, those who are doing what they're supposed to do, those who are obeying and those who are not. He knows everything. He knows everything.

So we're going to come to the communion table in just a little while, rededicate ourselves to the Lord and say, "God, I need to shape up a little bit in this area of my life, or I need to shape up a whole lot in this area of my life. I've got a little cocky, I've got a little attitude, I've got..." Are you afraid to tell Jesus that? Well, until you do, you're going to carry that sin, and it is a sin until you confess and repent. For with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. You've got to hear yourself saying it, and with the heart, man, woman, believes unto a right relationship with God.

I thought I'd get an amen. All right, okay. At least some of you are believing it, aren't you? I know you do believe the word of God. Communal property. Now, put that sheepfold back up again. Let me talk a little bit about that. That is a unique thing. Now, notice it has one entrance. When the shepherd gets the sheep into the sheepfold for the night, he sleeps on the ground. But do you know where he sleeps? He puts his body right across that entrance. No sheep can get out, and no evil can get in.

Before evil can, a wolf, can get to the sheep, that wolf or that evil has to go through the shepherd first. The shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. And not only does the shepherd lay down his life in protecting the sheep, we think of Jesus laying down His life. He said no one, Jesus said, no one takes my life from me. I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it up again. Isn't that interesting how the shepherd cares for the sheep? Friend, you're cared for. You're loved, you're protected because you are the sheep of His pasture.

He is literally the door. Now there's no literal door there, no gate on hinges. It's the body of the shepherd across the sheepfold. That's verse seven. Verse eleven says, Jesus' words, "I am the Good Shepherd." There are shepherds that aren't so good. And whatever is leading you and has your attitude, your disposition, your focus, your attention, there are a lot of people out there that are being led and they have a different shepherd. We have to look at our hearts and see who's leading us, who's obeying us. Are we doing what we're supposed to do as unto the Lord?

I talked to a dear lady friend. We lost track of this lady and her husband. They were in Bible college when Karen and I were in Bible college. We were just real young. They were real young. He was studying for the ministry, and then we lost touch. Years went away. And I began to think about this man, and the Lord brought him to my attention after all these years. He was on my mind. I called the college, the university, tried to run him down, tried to find him. And then the university sent me a catalog with all these names and phone numbers, and I tried calling him, but they said this line doesn't work, it's disconnected.

And finally I called his wife, I got his wife. But I noticed that her name had changed, her last name had changed. And we talked for a little while and I asked her about her first husband. And I said I noticed you have a different last name. I said you must have remarried. And she said, "Yeah, but I'm not even married to that one now." Now, there's a lady on the move, but she's moving in the wrong direction. She told me, she said, "You know my first husband was not good to me. That man that studied for the ministry that I knew, that you knew, he was not good. He behaved badly."

Friend, God will let you behave the way you want to behave. You can behave badly or you can seek Jesus and behave in a good way. You're going to behave the way you want to behave. Let's give our hearts to Jesus. Let's follow Jesus, and He'll give you the abundant life. And I said, "Oh, you changed..." I didn't say changed husbands; I didn't put it like that. I said, "You remarried, you got another husband." She said, "Yes, and he was worse than the first one." Why do we... And here is a very intelligent woman and she lives in another city. It was so nice to talk to her.

But why do we keep repeating the same mistake over and over again? Because we are blind as sheep. Sheep don't have good eyesight. We think we know what we want until we get what we want, and when we get what we want, we don't want what we want. But how many people that I've known, and I've been around for a few years now, have been married to an alcoholic, get a divorce, remarry, the second spouse is alcoholic. Why did you do that? Oh, I didn't know. God would have led you. He talks. He's a God who talks. But we need to talk to Him.

He's a shepherd. He's a wonderful God. Sometimes our life just goes round and round in circles and round and round it goes again, and we're no further along. As a matter of fact, we're not as far along as we were before we ever started going on this merry-go-round. So He gives good gifts, He guides us, and He protects us. He's the door. He is the door. He puts His body across. No evil can come in. He knows us by our name. Oh, I want to talk about that one, but that's another sermon. I don't have time this morning to get into that, but I will get to it, Lord willing.

But He knows His sheep by name, and friend, He knows you. People don't usually want to call themselves sheep. We don't like to think of ourselves as sheep. You play a child's game, a child will play like they're an animal. "I'm an elephant. I'm a tiger." You never heard a child say "I'm a sheep." A sheep. But that's what you are, and you are either following Jesus or you are following your own stupidity. We don't know what's on the morrow. We are stupid, all of us, concerning tomorrow. I am stupid concerning tomorrow, but I know who holds tomorrow, and I know He holds my hand.

What a blessing that is to me, to know I can walk into tomorrow knowing that He walks into tomorrow with me. He is there. Now, the sheep listen to the shepherd's voice. And we usually are getting, and we always get ourselves in trouble when we listen to our own thoughts, make up our own plans, without giving those thoughts and those plans to the Lord. But you know, God has a mouth? He not only has ears, but He has a mouth. He can talk, He can let you know. He will talk, He will let you know.

Look at the screen. The sheep listen to His voice. Say those words, read those. The sheep listen to His voice. Now, if you've been listening to the voice of God, you've been walking into new life, wonderful life, abundant life, full life. If you haven't been listening to His voice, it's because you've stopped your ears and you think that your ideas and your plans are better than His. You have set yourself up as a Messiah, and you've walked into the lion's den, and there won't be any Jesus or shepherd there to keep you. Friend, this world's going to eat you alive.

God help you. He will help you, and He's ready to help you and me if we would but listen to Him. Now, how does He talk to us? Well, there are six ways that I have thought over my own life how the Lord talks to me. While I'm reading the word of God in my own devotions, there's a scripture, a passage, a sentence, even a word I may have read it a dozen times and more, and I never saw it quite like that before. But it's like the Lord highlights something, and it just came right off the page and it brings comfort to my heart. I heard the voice of God.

In times of prayer, when I'm praying and presenting my needs before the Lord, and I'm telling Him, "Lord, I'm rather confused right now, or I am confused right now. Everything is in conflict in my thinking. I think I want to do this, and then I think I don't want to do this. And should I do or shouldn't I do?" And I tell Him about my mixed-up, confused feelings, and as I talk to Him, even then, right then, there comes a peace. It just like it just comes down over me. I heard the voice of God.

The word of God is being preached. I'm listening to the minister. Something comes across and says, "Hey, that's me. That hit me. That came to me. That message was for me, or that part of the message was for me." Friend, what are you getting out of this message that you can take and live it in your life today? How many people have gone in the nearly going on 47 years have gone past shaking hands and said, "Pastor, that message was for me today." Not very many people have done that, but you don't have to do that and I'm not asking for that.

But there is something for you or you wouldn't be here. You're here because you know you need the word of God, you love the word of God, you're listening, and that word came to me. What happened? I heard the voice of God. Talking to a Christian friend, that Christian friend may know about my situation, my trouble, my perplexity, or he or she may not know. But while we're talking, that Christian friend says something. It resonates in my heart. That's what I needed to hear. I heard the voice of God.

But remember this, I'll just put this in parenthesis. Make sure whatever that friend says to you lines up with the word of God. If it doesn't line up with the word of God, you haven't heard any prophecy at all. Talking to a Christian friend. And then there are moments of quietness when I'm alone with the Lord, and in that silent moment, I hear God's voice in my heart, in my thoughts, they're coming through, and those thoughts line up with the word of God. If those thoughts don't line up with the word of God, then those thoughts are not coming from the Lord, they're more likely coming out of the flesh, out of my own thinking.

But the quietness and I can hear that still small voice talking to me and saying, "This is the way, walk ye in it." The steps of a good man, a good woman, are ordered of the Lord. Friend, don't get out there and try to run the race on your own. You're going to be on a track, and you're going to come right back around where you started. And you'll try it again and you'll come right back around where you started again. No, He has a path, He has a life, He has a track. His is the abundant life, His is the fullness of life, and that's what He is offering.

And He did everything that He could to get that life to us, even to the extent that quote, "He laid down His life." That's how much He cares for you and me. And then I observed nature. Oh, I've been at the seashore, I watch the waves and heard the sounds. I've stood under a tall tree and looked up at it, and then I looked up at the stars on a clear night, and then I began to think about God, the creator of heaven and an earth. There was nothing here, and I wasn't here, you weren't here. I heard the voice of God.

Friend, God is talking. Am I listening? You need to ask yourself just the question that I just asked myself. God is talking, but some of us just don't want to hear it. Not what He wants to say. But He has something good to say. It'll bring good into our lives. If there's a hurt, a pain, a sin, when you come to this table today, let Him remind you. Some of you are being reminded right now of what you need to say to the Lord, and when you say it, it'll go away. And the peace of God that transcends all understanding, that peace will come to you and will bless you.

He's the Good Shepherd. I give my life, lay down my life for the sheep. No one comes under the Father but by me. Here's the way. Someone says, "Well, there are many ways to heaven." No, there isn't. There is one way. He said, "I'm the way. I'm the truth. I'm the life." There's no way, no truth, no life outside of Jesus. Only in Jesus and through Jesus. Come on, get into the sheepfold today. Somehow you wandered out, but come on, get back in. He loves you, He cares for you, He wants you back. He's calling His own sheep by name. He knows my name. Would you bow your heads with me, please?

Some of us have tried being our own shepherd. We've taken matters in hand. God help us to give all those matters into Your hand. You have hands, nail-scarred, bleeding. Love is coming forth. Help us today. We need You desperately. This world is calling, but You're calling also. One of these calls, either from You or from the world, we're going to hear and listen to and follow. Lord, help us to hear Your voice, the shepherd's voice. You're calling our name today in love. You're inviting us. You're standing at the heart's door and You're knocking. Anyone who opens that heart door, You'll come in. You'll fellowship. That life, You'll take and receive and bless. Thank You for loving us and being the shepherd of love.

Guest (Male): If today's message has blessed you and strengthened your faith in God, would you consider partnering with Pastor Morris and supporting the Healing Word ministry with your prayers and donating to keep the gospel of Jesus Christ reaching thousands? Go to thehealingword.com and click the donate button to pledge your support. And remember, the faith-building message you've heard today is our gift to you. Your donation is your gift to God. Join us tomorrow for another Healing Word message. Until then, blessings on you.