Amen good morning church good morning Saints Praise God for about 15 of y'all today, man So they say yeah, you're a saint of God. Amen Church last week if you were here for Easter Sunday, I know some you were gone to see family We had eight first-time salvation last Sunday Six individuals to come get praise for rededicate their life to Christ. I mean that is what church is about The church of Jesus Christ is about leading people to Christ. It's not about transferring churches about bringing people into the kingdom of God That's what the church is about and those of you this morning if you're a guest this morning welcome We're glad you're here, but this is what church should be this is what the church of God was meant to be in the first century The book of Acts you saw the church functioning this way praying for each other seeing healings come about if you got Pray for this morning you got healed or you pray for a family member and they come to Christ or cancerous He'll tell a lack of leader come see me if we need to glorify what God is doing But so many times I was like okay, I went to church and I went I sat and I listened to worship and I sat and I Listen to a message.
I sat and I listened to a message and I went home. That's not church What happens here is you get trained to be the church so church happens out there church happens Monday Sunday afternoon So next Sunday morning that's where church happens and I talked about last week who is Jesus? We the church didn't know who Jesus is perfectly God and perfectly man He was and he is the bread of life And this we were to talk about Jesus being the door. I am the door.
Oh, this is a big one This is a big one for so many people because so many people Jesus sitting there he's knocking at their door and Some of those people don't know how to respond They just don't have to respond if they need you and I to help them learn how to respond How we respond to things how we live life they understand it and there's a door way between them and eternal life And his name is Jesus John 10 7th or 9 oh boy, this is this I'm excited about this this morning So I'm gonna throw a lot of scripture at you again like last week We're gonna have the power points online for you to have so if I go a little too quick through scriptures It's okay. We have power pulling so Jesus said to them again truly truly. I say to you I am the door of the sheep all who came before me Oh, you catch this all who came before me are thieves and robbers But the sheep did not listen here did not hear them. I am the door if anyone enters through me He will be saved and will go in and out and find pastor.
Oh, you got to hear what Jesus said He is the door not a door He is the door that we can go through and the world we live in people say well There's all kinds of doors to figure out which door to get through. Oh, baby Jesus is the only door He's the only door there is He's the only door to be entered into and become saved. He's the only door that we can walk through the receive eternal life There is no other way. Let me say that again.
There is no other way. Well, I was taught well. I'm sorry You've been taught wrong. I was told I watch the Discovery Channel I watch TV in I was told in my communion class or my CCD class or my class membership class There's no other way other than Jesus Man can't put a stamp on you only Jesus can and church if we're honest We live here in 2026 and what happens in 2026?
So many times is we read things in the Old Testament we go I don't understand that and we just keep on reading or we read it. We go. Yeah, I see that but hasn't applied to me So we're gonna look at a few scriptures. I think we need to get Old Testament in so numbers We got to get some Old Testament understanding because the Old Testament at times speaks of things that we just don't read very well Number 25 here we go then Moses spoke to the Lord saying may the Lord the god of the spirits of all flesh a point of man over the congregation What a bad thing by Moses to say God We want some man to rule over us who will go out and come in before them and who will leave them out and bring them in so that the Congregation Lord will not be like sheep which have no shepherd who is the shepherd Jesus is the shepherd we'll get set next week and just prepare for you guys for next week about Jesus being the Shepherd But this morning we're gonna talk about the door and let's turn over to second Samuel 24 17 Then David spoke to Lord.
Gosh Moses now David too Then David spoke to Lord when he saw the angel who was striking down the people and said behold It is I who have sinned and it is I who have done wrong, but these sheep What have they done? Please let your hand be against me and against my father's house church? It's important for us to understand that the people of God always saw themselves as sheep Why no bad I know she yes you are but what happens so many times we discount ourselves or we say that's not me That's not what I'm a part of now here I'm gonna read awesome very quick scriptures are not on the board for you So if you want the references just quickly Psalm 23 1 the Lord is my shepherd Psalm 74 1 oh God why have you rejected us forever? Does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pastor?
Psalm 77 you led your 77 20 you led your people like a flock Psalm 78 52 he brought his people out like a flock Psalm 79 13 then we your people the sheep of your pastor Psalm 80 verse 1 here is Shepherd of Israel that people The Old Testament understood they were sheep and sometimes the New Testament people us in the modern church go I just don't understand that. Oh, it's gonna be so important for us to understand that we are sheep number one number two We're his sheep Not just sheep where Jesus is sheep and we're in he leads we must follow We talk about obedience in the past few weeks and we're coming back to that same old thing sheep follow Jesus put himself in the place of the Shepherd Church So let me ask this question. I know dr. Paul's not here this morning, so I know he's I'm okay with that one How many of us have a good working knowledge of sheep anybody got a good working knowledge you say yeah?
I got a good working knowledge I hear so nobody here this morning all right People always say about sheep they're dumb People they're saying the sheep are dumb sick. Don't call me a sheep. I ain't dumb Well, I ain't dumb either, but you said the word ain't then you are dumb Just saying don't dare compare me to sheep right there like he didn't in number 27 or second 724 Listen if we stop and understand for a minute She per domesticate animals and most sheep are helpless. They're not dumb.
They're helpless Dumb and helpless are not the same thing Sheep are helpless. I'm a sheep of God. I am helpless I need a shepherd to lead me to where I need to go and whenever I lead myself I get myself in trouble immediately Not because I'm dumb because I'm helpless. I have no idea where I'm going so I need a shepherd who will lead me Well, I don't even know man to lead me.
I don't even know nobody to tell me what to do. I don't even know pastor no preacher I don't know church. Okay be helpless and go crazy Who's my life leader think he is who's my wife? Who's wife think she is just shepherds trying to help you walk where God called you to walk Because we're helpless Come on church sheep literally eat all day long Why am I illustrating this for so I gotta get this some part, okay, and here's what I mean say Oh sheep eat all day long we eat and especially in 2026 we eat information all day long We're bombarding with information the news media television radio social media.
We're eating all day long We're eating and we're eating and she keep their head down and here's the interesting thing about sheep They don't have a natural homing instinct that takes them home They don't have a natural eating instinct that takes them back to the sheepfold at the end of the night sheep just eat head down And so many Christians just eat head down Don't ever look up. They just eat head down. I don't bury my head in the sand Life's tough Let me bury my head in the sand. Oh, I just don't want to be around people Well life group and just people gonna be there mix her own.
Oh, I can't do mixtures way too many people there Church. Oh man. It's so uncomfortable. Come on sheep You're helpless and you need a shepherd.
You need someone to lead you guide you and direct you So what is a sheepfold? You said we're she for what in the world is a sheepfold? We've been up for us Morgan This is a sheepfold. This is an illustration of a sheepfold where the shepherd would come and say man This looks pretty pretty nice and pretty Cadillac.
This is a Cadillac sheepfold. What's the next picture Morgan? This is what a real sheepfold really looks like Anywhere the shepherd could find us a little area where he could put sticks up to keep the sheep in and He was very silly some of those guys You can see the sticks that are pointing up to keep the wolves out to keep these out to keep people out And he literally had that and all there simply was a little door if you can see just right of him There's a little door and what he would do it night is sit down in that doorway So the sheep couldn't get out and nobody could get in Jesus does that for us every single day of our life He sits as the doorway making sure that we don't get out of the sheepfold making sure that we don't destroy our life Making sure that we don't go damage ourselves and he makes sure that nobody can come in Two those of us who are willing to sit in the sheepfold now some of us Jump out of the sheepfold. We don't go through the door.
We try to jump out of this thing. I want to do things my way Come on church. I mean it's just amazing. Look at that picture going.
Yeah, I got it man Because you know I've never been to Israel under been around sheep farmers under been a part of that kind So it's hard for us when we read things like that that Jesus our shepherd and we're his sheep and there's a sheepfold that we go into I want to just pause for a second How many times has Jesus saved your bacon? How many times has Jesus saved your bacon and you had no idea How many times you just slept at night and things were at the door step and God removed them? How many of Jesus was there? I remember one night that on our camera and our front door is pretty funny.
It's already Horton PD Sorry Lance If hilarious thing happened in our home one night We're sitting in all the sudden the next morning I get up and it's like emergency alert on my phone I was like what in the world and I look and all of a sudden there's two Horton PD guys coming down my walkway my house I thought oh my god start looking around the house looking so much. I break in my house are different things well a FTO a photo training officer and a rookie pull it to my house and they come in flying they get to the sidewalk and the Rookie gets out of the car. He's all amped up ready to go He's just like excited and he comes on the sidewalk and I see the FTO who I know I won't name But I saw him in the background. I saw him.
He's a snickerin. He's laughing This young guy just revved up ready to go and he gets about halfway up my sidewalk And he looks back at the guy's like you're not coming he just look at the young guy very simply they had the wrong address So I sent the video next day with the chief of police and we had a good laugh about it But I stopped and thought about it so many times how many times has the Lord protected me? I laugh about that video, but why were they there at that moment at that time? I believe God sent them down my road in front of my house because somebody was lurking in the dark and the second They pulled out what they thought was a mistake was my God protecting me from what could initially happen So church looks like I don't look at four different things this morning about Jesus being the door that impacts our life Here's number one the door means separation the door means separation This is a big one especially the big one right now in our culture in our society Jesus began by calling his church by calling the Jewish people out of Judaism Why is that a big deal because when people say who is Jesus they always come back to he was a Jewish rabbi Jesus didn't stay Jewish he grew up in that culture, but he broke away from that thing Well, Pastor Michael I've been reading her I've been watching on TV and the Jews automatically get into heaven because they're God's chosen people Go back and read your Bible Because John 14 says six says I am the way the truth in the life.
No one gets in a father except through me The Jewish people don't have some work around they only have one work around and that's through Jesus nowhere else And there's so many people who are talking that body that and saying it repeating that thing. It's not true That's why we teach this stuff in church to equip you to understand the truth of God's word Matthew 10 5 through 6 do not go among the Gentiles or in or any town of the Samaritans go rather to the lost sheep of Israel Go to the Israelites first pull them out of Judaism because slaughtering that lamb slaughtering that sheep is not gonna save them The only thing is gonna save them is my blood. That's Jesus speaking there He made it very clear very clear that what he was doing and not only very clearly He was going after the Jewish people if you look at John 10 16 again I have the other board for you to be scriptures John 10 16 says I have other sheep Jesus other sheep and other pins very simply there are people out there who are not in the church that Jesus wants to pull in and Who's he want to pull him in through? Again Ryan us amen.
That's what the great commission is about us going to reaching people well pastor Michael I'm just not sure I'm a comfortable salvation, but you're not comfortable with leaving by your shepherd because your shepherd's leading you to Evangelize Well, thank you for the four of you so they come on and they're actually going I don't know Let me tell you very simply Jesus has never been interested in calling she from someone else's she pulled Jesus is calling the people that are called to his she thought he wants them to come to his voice Jesus got nobody else he's got his own, but who are his own those who trust him those who hear his voice and those who follow him no matter the cost Let me say I got no amens on that one and I need to amens on that one not for me for you The flock of Jesus they trust him they hear his voice and they follow him no matter the cost If Jesus was to tell you right now to get up and do a cartwheel. Oh, I don't know that's not a That's the Holy Spirit. Oh, I don't know Patrick. That's a little strange Let me tell you a short story and some of you might know it's on a wine going there for somebody this morning great Passionate Joseph garlington was having a service one morning and he had this new associate pastor And so I thought the Lord is telling me to go do a cartwheel pastor Joseph.
That's just said whoo you sure he said it I'm sure that's God. Okay, go do a cartwheel and so this young pastor goes to cartwheels across the front of the Altar and all of a sudden this lady in the top row starts screaming up in the balcony. You're real you're real you're real You're like what in the world say some others go find her and get her and bring her down She says listen. I got some bad news life is bad and I came this morning.
I said God if you're real You'll have some guy do a quart reel in front of the church. Oh Yeah, she said I plan to go kill myself if you weren't real after church Listen to me church. This is important for us understand when the shepherd leads we follow Well, I'm gonna look like a fool I don't look like a fool and see somebody come to Christ didn't be in my pride and see somebody die. Oh Come on Because when Jesus comes he's a door and he brings the vision and sometimes the vision is our pride Sometimes not the vision is keeping people on the other side too Is everybody gonna get safe?
Sorry, it's not gonna happen that way Some people going to choose to go to hell not that God sent him to hell They choose to go to hell but there's plenty people who hear the gospel time and time and time and time it And they say la La la la la la la la la la la la la la we're going to hell because their personal choice Well But that doesn't sound like a loving God to me, oh it's like a loving God to me, he gave them a choice. That's love. Amen? Wow, where are you going this morning?
I have no idea. A door creates division, Luke 1251-52. Jesus said, do you think I came to bring peace on earth, oh I love this verse, no I tell you but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three.
Why would he bring division? Because you understand something division brings the sheeps and the goats and separate the sheep and the goats. The believers and non-believers. John 743, thus the people were divided because of Jesus.
Oh don't know that verse, John 743, thus the people were divided because of Jesus. John 916 and they were divided. The followers of Jesus don't belong to this world. When we came to Jesus a division happened, this is called eternal life and this is called the world.
And the sheep of Jesus are divided, we no longer look like the world. We no longer sound like the world. We no longer eat the things of the world. The sheep of God looked totally different than the world.
And if we've been serving God for a long season, we should be dramatically different than the world. We should sound dramatically different than the world. Church in the early portions of this church, we had some different people who came into this church and their color, they're colored, mattered to their community more than it did to us or them. In the early days of our church we had a young lady who was on our worship team who was black and it doesn't affect us, it doesn't affect our church because it's very simply this.
We believe everybody comes into the kingdom. I don't care what color you are or how much money you got, how much money you don't have, but this young lady was on our worship team and she was growing in God. And all of a sudden her community began to say, oh, he wants that white church. Which chapter does it say white church?
Which chapter does it say black church? Which chapter does it say Mexican church? And I've never seen that chapter. It's the weirdest thing I've ever heard in my life, but people who, the church, she's come from saying, oh, you're that white church.
Oh, you're that white church. Oh, you think you're white or you think you're white or you think you're snootie but you're better than us. And they attacked and they attacked and they attacked and they attacked her. To the point where she began to have to quote unquote, try to prove her blackness.
And then all that said what happened was trying to prove that pulled her out of the kingdom and I don't even know if she's even serving God to this day. Even divisions in the church. But those are sheep who come into the sheep fold coming to God's kingdom. So let me just make sure you're clear.
Grace meeting fellowship is not a white church. It's not a brown church. It's not a black church. It's not whatever it is.
It's simply God's church. And if you're going to come into God's church, we take everybody. But it's costly. I as your pastor are going to call you up to be different than the world.
Here's number two. The door means salvation. Salvation is not a right. It's a gift from God.
It's a gift from God. And here it is. It's a promise to you. It's not a right.
It's a gift. And it's a promise to you and me. John 10 9, I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pastor.
Oh, come on church. You're not saved because you admire Jesus. You're not saved because you know about Jesus. You're not saved because you're only saved because you're pit of your sins.
Trust him alone as your Lord and Savior. That's why you're saved because you trusted Jesus. Oh, church, we got to get this. Because Jesus has been the door salvation.
There are so many Christians who say, well, pastor, I'm not sure anymore. I'm trying to deconstruct my faith. What? You're constructing nonsense.
Why don't you construct life? John 9, 8-10, it's just a great story where we pick up and Jesus finds this blind man. I mean, it's a fascinating story if we stop and look at it for a second. Because I once was blind.
But now I see. That's me. I mean, I was once blind, but now I see. John 9, 8, here we go.
His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, isn't this the same man who used to sit and beg? Something that he was. Other said, no, he only looks like him. But he himself insisted, I am the man.
How then were your eyes open? They asked, oh, I love that question. He replied, the man they called Jesus, made some mud, put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Shalom and wash.
So I went and washed and then I could see. What a story. This man named Jesus comes and puts mud. He gets some pitch, makes a little mud ball.
He puts it on my eyes and I have some people walking me over to the water. Could you imagine that? And you get to the water and you smock the water in your eyes and all of a sudden it's like, whoa, there's water. I can see the water.
What in the world? I know what in the sky we have this dramatic thing, but stop and think about that for a second. If you could see water for the first time. If you could see for the first time.
What would you do? I mean, I would scream yell. I'm not dancing a serpent. I would go crazy.
I mean, I would. In my craziness, you know what I would do? Anybody who came with an ear shot of me. Let me tell you my story.
Let me tell you my story. Let me tell you my story. Let me tell you my story. What happened?
What happened? I don't know this guy named Jesus made mud and made me come alive. I was screwed up June 22, 1992. But on June 23, 1992, all of a sudden I came alive.
All of a sudden I could see again. All of a sudden I could see life. And guess what? I've been telling people about Jesus ever since.
Come on, church. You know, the man they called Jesus, even the blind dude, they called this guy named Jesus. He didn't know what he looked like. He didn't know what he called Jesus.
He didn't know what he called me. And you know, the Pharisees did the Pharisees or Pharisees, what Pharisees always do. Yeah, whatever. Let's see how long it's going to last.
Is that real? Is he going to stick? Is he going to stay? Oh, it's just a spiritual high.
They're just high. They'll come down. Well, if we can't get him high, let's go ask his parents. Was he really born blind?
The Pharisees called his parents into asking, was he really born blind? They pass by him every day. They saw the dude. Every day begging.
People who we grew up with saw us jack up messed up. And they're still asking, well, were you really an addict? Hello. Come on.
You've seen my Joe record, my gosh. You've seen my life was a mess. You saw all this destruction. And so they did what good Pharisees always did.
They kicked him out. Get away from here. There's a miracle. Get away from here.
This is real. We're fake. Get out of here. So the story picks up in verse 35.
I love this. Jesus goes to find him. Jesus heard that they had thrown him out. Jesus has a pretty good reporter, didn't he?
Jesus heard that they had thrown him out. And when he found him, he said, do you believe in the son of man? Who is he, sir? The man asked, tell me so that I may believe in him.
Jesus said, you have now seen him. In fact, he is the one speaking with you. Then the man said, Lord, I believe and he worshiped him. Oh, come on.
I mean, stop thinking about that. Here's this blind dude. He's not even saved. Oh, this is big one in church.
This is the people we got to get here as he's being the door of salvation. This blind man got healed. He was hanging out at the temple, but he still wasn't saved. I've seen people come to church and get healed.
I've seen people come to church week after week, after week, after week, after week. He's still not saved. They hear the gospel message. They watch the Messiah.
They hear us preach. They hear us given all to call. Well, Patrick, I go to church. Church, going to church qualifies you for salvation.
Nope, don't see that. I got my son in school beds. Doesn't qualify me either. Well, I got healed at one time.
That doesn't qualify me either. Come on, church. He still didn't believe until he came face to face with Jesus and Jesus said, here is the truth. Will you accept me and believe?
John 3 36, whoever believes in the son of man has eternal life. Whoever rejects the son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on them. Anyone who enters the one flock, there's Jesus, the door is saved. Last week I shared a salvation message that some of you all went, whoa, hold on a second.
When I talked about having an enemy, we all have an enemy from birth. And for birth, it's God himself until we get born again and into the devil. And some of you are like, whoa, Patrick, I haven't heard of that because what happened so many times, we, the church, we, the pastors and ministers of the church, have made things so easy. Just say a prayer.
And you're going to get into heaven. That's a profession of faith. What Jesus says is to make converts. People who look like this, but when they believe in me, everything changes.
And they walk and look totally different than they ever were. Not just a word out of a mouth, but a confession. Homologio. Homologio is a pre-work for confession means to say the same thing God says.
If God says John 3 36 says, those who believe go to heaven, then I believe that. If God says those who reject him go to hell, then I believe that. I don't water it down. I only say what the Father says.
Amen. Here's number three. I hope you're getting something out of this. I hope it's really challenging you.
And I really hope the door is really getting something on you. Number three, the door means compassion. The door means compassion. Listen, to stay with the illustration of Jesus being the shepherd this morning and the Jesus being the shepherd of the sheepfold, it's important for us to understand.
Every evening he would, the shepherd would lead his sheep back into the sheepfold. I've never been to Israel. I would like to go to Israel one day and not, because I go to Jerusalem, not to go see the temple mount, to go watch the shepherds. I am fascinated by that.
I'm fascinated by that. I'm also fascinated by looking at their shepherds, Rod and staff. Those two things would light my world up. If I go to Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, okay, I understand that.
Because I know one thing, Jesus isn't there. He's alive. So I'm not going to look up for some relics. I want to go learn something that's going to help me as a Christian to understand something.
And what I've heard and what I've read from different books is each shepherd has a different sound. They had their own little ditty, they do with their sheep. And there can be hundreds of sheep all in the same area and it's time for nighttime and all of a sudden the shepherd begins to walk off and he begins to go, whatever his little sound is, and all of a sudden his sheep line it right behind him and all the little sheep follow right behind him. He does his whistle, does his tone and it's like those sheep will literally spread out and go into divisions right behind their shepherd.
Because those sheep know their shepherd's voice. And when our shepherd speaks we follow his voice. When another shepherd speaks I just keep walking my head down. We've got to drink this deeply church.
We've got to get this really understanding of who we are because in the evening time I think sometimes we as Christians go, well I get in the morning I spend time with my father. That's good. A morning quiet time is good. But there's also an evening time.
What I mean by evening time, the shepherd would bring the sheep back in to it, to the sheep and to the sheep and to the sheep. And we put this practical application in our life. We understand God's presence. Not just happens in our quiet time in the morning.
It happens throughout the day, in our worship times. It happens in our desks. It happens in our hallways of school. It happens on 50 foot scaffolds in the area building something or working on something.
But it also happens right before band. What do I mean by that? Jesus is a shepherd. Psalm 23.5 we know this.
You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows. Jesus doesn't satisfy, he overflows us. He overflows us.
But in that time, can we put that picture back up? There you go, picture. Very simply look at that door. All right, that was one of the old ones.
I want to see a real focus in this. The shepherd sitting there and every night when the sheep come in, the shepherd would sit there and the sheep would line up and he'd look at the first sheep, any barbs, any things he removed, any cuts because he'd rub against the rock, take his oil and he'd anoints that sheep, make sure that sheep is healthy for the night. Release him into the pin. Look at the next one.
Oil, pulls things out, shakes a little hair wool. He takes each individual sheep and makes sure they're healthy for the next day. Next sheep, next sheep, next sheep, next sheep. Jesus was the door that made sure every sheep was looked at every single night.
Now church, that's important for us because sometimes I think we go to bed without a second thought of connecting with the shepherd. I got up in the morning and I got in there. Yeah, you went about your day and got beat up all day long and the shepherd wants to heal you before you go to bed because he's got compassion on us. He loves us.
He wants to take care of us. Stop and think of your teacher Bible. Jesus stopped for the Samaritan woman. He stopped for the Roman soldier.
He stopped for the leper. He stopped for the Nicodemus to confuse spherescy. He stopped for the dying thief. Jesus always has time for you.
Jesus always has time for you. And we get asked sometimes, Michael, why do you have so many pastors on staff at this church? Look around the room. If I just started to call, starting with Craig, you went down this row, it would probably take me three or four days to get to everybody just in this section.
And then if I did three or four days, I'm proficiently, three days by Wednesday. So on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, I get to this section. I can't get to this group all day on Sundays. I'm here.
This group gets left out. Well, then I start over the next week and I start on this group. And I get to Wednesday and then I get to Saturday here and I don't have this group. So we as pastors, we as elders say, our sheep are important to us.
The one God's given us. So I've got Sam, who's over pastoral care, who makes sure if you're in the hospital, your six things going on, he's responsible for that to make sure the sheep get taken care of. I take care of my responsibilities. That's why we're bringing Andrew on in June because again, we're a church that continues to grow.
Oh, I thought it was just you don't want to talk to people. No. I love people so much. I need people to help me make sure the sheep get taken care of.
And those of you who I talk to all week and those of you who call me, those of you who send me Bible questions, those who come and say, hey, passion, you got a minute? Sure. And three hours later, you walk out of my office? Yeah.
And he'll say, well, yeah, I see all the time. Yeah, you see all the time. And people come and say, oh, wow, no big deal. You're right.
But listen, I still have a job that goes on beyond that. And so we go, man, I saw you go to church. And I was like eight o'clock at night. Yeah.
Somebody came in and eight, three hours. So you know what, I stopped doing my job because I'm still the shepherd. But here's the beautiful part of it being the shepherd. I want to make sure that all your needs are met because we want to be who Jesus called us to be.
You're thanking me. Thank God. Because God's the one who put us here. Amen.
All right. So let me ask this question. How many times has Jesus had time just for you? See last week I asked in life a question.
How many times have you been face to face? How many times have you been face to face? Oh, that's right. I remember last time I was face to face with him.
Oh. Then you're missing something because the shepherd of all shepherds says, every night he checks on his sheep. And if every night and every day you haven't had a face-to-face encounter with the Father, and you've got to ask yourself, have you been going to the sheepfold? Are you going into the protection of the Father?
Or are you going to be going? Here's number four, the Dormese protection. The Dormese protection. Oh, come on.
With the Shepherd of the Door, the wolves are out there and he's saying, I got you guys. But those same thieves are still out there. There are still same thieves and robbers out there who are preaching on Gospel. It's not the true Gospel.
And I also hear Christians say, well, Pastor, the devil is attacking me or attempting me. And I hear that. And I hear that. And I hear that.
Oh, Pastor, the devil is just after me. Okay. Are you running to the sheepfold? Oh, don't talk about that.
Have you gone to the Father? No, I'm just babbling on my own. Every single time people tell me that it's always them, all alone in the valley, instead of in the fold. Now, before you go, I'll Job on me.
I know what's going on. The religious people go, I'll Job. What about Job? What about Job?
What about Paul? What about Smith's Wiggles where the devil attacked him? Yes, those are special circumstances. They're not normal circumstances.
But we also have to understand there are wolves in the world around us. There is an enemy out there against us. And when the enemy attacks, rather than going, what do I do? What do I do?
I run for the sheepfold. I run into God's presence. God, you're my protector. You said you were going to protect me.
So protect me. But a good Shepherd always has a rod and staff. And let me church, the rod and staff were used to keep and direct the cheap from out of trouble. They're protecting rods.
Here last July or so, I had to pull out my Shepherd's rod as a pastor of this church to take care of one of our sheep. And I have no problem pulling the rod out. I said, well, Pastor, all the time you got the rod out. I don't.
Man, you're pretty rough on me. Well, that's just being a good Shepherd. Because if I pulled the rod out, it would be bad. Not because I'm some bad person, but for the fact of that when the rod is pulled out in a disciplined measure, it's not a good thing for you.
That means you didn't pay attention to all the other warnings. But in the word the Hebrew, that word, I love this. Shavit is the word and all it simply means is a stick. A part of a tree.
I love a grandma I used to have. But it's not a stick you thought about grandma having. It's not a stick for discipline. It's a stick for protecting.
The Shepherd would have that rod to keep animals away. God didn't leave the sheep the way they're supposed to do. And also count sheep. Leviticus 2732 says that, I give you a verse on the screen.
Just give me a verse. Very simple to understand. So you go back. I don't tell you in this room.
I went to the women's Bible study. My phone blew up. I, Becky and Lisa just added more work to me in that women's Bible study. Pastor Michael, yeah, what's going on?
Man, this book study is so wonderful. I'm learning so much. I'm growing so much. What can I get for my husband?
Can't you read a book for my husband? I said, well, why don't you and your husband discuss what you're learning? Oh, that sounds good. And then I got guys calling me at 730 in the morning saying, hey, Pastor Michael, why don't you do that book study?
When are we going to do one for the men? Pastor Michael, hold on, he's coming. But you know, if it's coming from me, again, I want to be a good Shepherd, I'm going to give you some meat. No Cheetos, no gummy bears.
It's going to be some meat. Your elders and pastors were given the potential book this past Monday and they went, whoa, good. That's response I want. Because if your elders go, whoa, that tells me that's a lot of meat.
And it tells me if the men in our church will get ahold of the meat. Oh my gosh, we're going to be a different church. Amen? Come on.
And then that word staff is the word mishana. And simply just simply means I love this, to lean on trust or support. It's just a staff. At times the Shepherd just needs to relax, rest.
That's right, I heard you were playing golf on Good Friday. I was. And I did it. And guess what?
The office was closed. It's Monday off. And I was leaning on some brothers that we were having a good time with each other. So sometimes your pastor, your shepherd, does lean on the staff and just leans.
Sometimes he uses those two. I always wonder about that sometimes. It's just kind of sitting there and watching me do some stupid stuff. What's he going to do now?
And he's leaning on the staff going, okay, Michael. Oh, that's enough. Yes, sir. Come on.
Can you trust the pastor? Can you trust the shepherd? Can you trust? Yes.
Because he's the only one who cares for us. He's the only one who's going to take care of us. He brings security. Amen?
One last verse, John 10, 27 to 30. Then we're done. What exciting thing? My sheep listen to my voice.
I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life and they shall never perish. No one, no one will snatch them out of my hand. My father has given me them to me is greater than all.
No one can snatch them out of my father's hand. I and the father are one. Boy, I love that. No one can snatch them out of my hand.
If we simply say very simply, I know that I know that I know that I can't lead myself to salvation. I know that I know that I know that I can't lead myself in the right way. I have to trust the shepherd. All I've got to do is eat what he's given me and he's going to lead me in the right direction.
But if I'm not eating from what he's given me and following the right direction or listening to his voice, I'm going to get lost. Amen? So let's slow down a little bit and simply stop and go, Lord, am I really listening to your voice? This week you spoke to me and I didn't do what you told me to do.
You told me to trust you and I said, I trust you. But I'm not doing what you're asking me to do. Jesus is the only shepherd of the sheep. But he's also the door of the sheep.
Jesus being the door simply means this. The door means separation, salvation, compassion, and protection. Just let me close your eyes for a second so as we close. If we were literally sheep right now, would we look more like Christ or more like the world?
Maybe this morning it's salvation. You've never made a decision to make Jesus Lord of your life or maybe you've made a decision to just play games and make a profession of faith and not really live under the shepherd. Or maybe this morning you need compassion. You need compassion.
And Jesus says, I'll take care of you. Or maybe worse yet, you need protection. Protection from someone else. Protection from yourself.
What you need protection. And I want to close with this this morning. This altar is going to be open for you to respond for yourself. But if you say this morning, I need salvation.
I don't you come standing from the pulpit. But other than that, I'm going to open this altar just very briefly. I'm not going to beat you. I'm not going to ask you to make a look.
Here we go again. Just very simply. Get this message. If the Holy Spirit is speaking to you and saying, you need to change, stop looking like the world, stop acting like the world, stop being like the world.
Bring it to the altar this morning. If you need salvation, you need compassion or protection. So I want you to get out of your seat right now and come and say, Father, this is what I need. Praise God.
Okay. Lord, I pray for this church. I pray for this congregation that we will respond to you and only you as the great shepherd. In the mighty name of Jesus.
Amen. Church, have great Sunday afternoon.