Sermon #1257[1]
Title: “His Own Sheep”
Text: John 10:1-5
Reading: Ezekiel 34:1-31
Subject: Characteristics of Christ’s Sheep
Date: Sunday Morning - October 20, 1996
Tape # T-1
Introduction:
Last Lord’s Day I tried to show you
three pictures of Christ Our Shepherd.
We saw our Redeemer described in the Word of God as...
·
The Good
Sheperd in his work of redemption.
·
The Great
Shepherd in his resurrection glory.
·
The Chief
Shepherd in his glorious return.
Today
my subject is the Lord’s sheep. The title of my message is “His Own Sheep.” I want to show you something of what the Word of
God teaches us about the sheep Christ came to save. My text is...
John 10:1-5 "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that
entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way,
the same is a thief and a robber. (2) But
he that entereth in by the door is the
shepherd of the sheep. (3) To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. (4) And
when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. (5) And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers."
There are some people among the fallen
sons of Adam whom God almighty has purposed to save. They are called in our
text, “His Own Sheep.” These sheep
are sinners loved by God with an everlasting love, chosen by him unto
salvation, and redeemed by Christ The Good Sheperd. They shall, each of them,
be called to life and faith in Christ by the power of God’s irresistible at his
appointed time and preserved in him unto everlasting glory. I am on the trail of Christ’s sheep. I
am here this day seeking the Lord’s sheep. It is my prayer, as I preach this
message, that God the Holy Spirit will open the hearts of some of his sheep and
cause you to hear the Shepherd’s voice and follow him.
According
to the Word of God, the whole human race is divided into two categories: sheep and goats. Sheep never become
goats; and goats never become sheep. Our Lord plainly tells us that some men
and women are his sheep; and some are not his sheep. Some are goats.
Matthew 25:31-33 "When the Son of man shall come in his
glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of
his glory: (32) And before him shall
be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a
shepherd divideth his sheep from the
goats: (33) And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left."
John 10:16 "And other sheep I have, which are not
of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there
shall be one fold, and one
shepherd."
John 10:26 "But ye believe not, because ye are not
of my sheep, as I said unto you."
1.
This division
of the human race was made in eternity,
in God’s sovereign purpose of grace in eternal election. He chose some to
salvation and passed by others.
2.
This division
is made manifest in time, at the
time of love, when the sheep are called by the Holy Spirit through the
preaching of the gospel to life and faith in Christ. The call of the Spirit and
our resulting faith in Christ does not make the division or make us sheep, but
makes the division manifest and makes it manifest that we are Christ’s sheep,
chosen, redeemed, and called by grace.
3.
This division
of the human race is a permanent,
immutable division. As I said a moment ago - Sheep never become goats; and
goats never become sheep.
As the human race divided into two
categories: sheep and goats. So, too, the Lord’s sheep are divided into
two categories: straying sheep and returned sheep, lost sheep and found sheep,
wandering sheep and folded sheep. This is what Peter tells us in...
1 Peter 2:25 "For ye were as sheep going astray; but
are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls."
Whenever
I preach the gospel, my mind is upon the sheep. My heart is fixed upon the
sheep. I am not much interested in goats. I have nothing for goats. And I am
not disturbed by goats. My business is with sheep. I am seeking the Lord’s
sheep who are lost. I am here to feed those sheep who are in the fold.
Having my mind and heart fixed upon the sheep, I know that I have a good and
noble object and that I am in harmony
with the will of the Shepherd, because the Shepherd’s mind is ever upon his
sheep. The Shepherd’s heart is always upon his sheep. The Good Sheperd’s glory is wrapped up in and is one with the salvation
of his sheep.
The Lord Jesus often speaks of “my
sheep.” He calls his people “his own sheep.” But how did he get his sheep? How did those who are his sheep come
to be his sheep? I have studied this subject a good bit over the past thirty
years; and I can find only four ways by which a shepherd can
obtain the possession of sheep. Let me show you. Here are four ways in which
God’s elect belong to Christ as sheep belonging to a shepherd.
1. A man can
come into the possession of sheep by a gift. And
we were given to Christ as his sheep from eternity in the covenant of grace and
in time by the effectual call of the Holy Spirit.
John 6:37-40 "All
that the Father giveth me shall come
to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. (38) For I came down from heaven, not
to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. (39) And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all
which he hath given me I should lose
nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. (40) And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one
which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I
will raise him up at the last day."
Note: Those whom the
Father hath given to the Son from eternity, and those whom he is now giving to
the Son in effectual calling, and those who come to believe on the Son by the
gift of his grace, and those whom it it the Father’s will that Christ raise up
to eternal life at the last day are all the same people. They are “His Own Sheep!”
2. A man may
also obtain the possession of sheep by lawful purchase. And the Lord Jesus Christ, as The Good Sheperd, purchased
his sheep out of the hands of divine justice by the lawfully demanded price of
his own precious blood.
John 10:11, 15 "I
am The Good Sheperd: The Good Sheperd giveth his life for the sheep." (15) "As the Father knoweth me,
even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep."
3. Thirdly, if
a man owns a flock of sheep and those sheep give birth to other sheep, then the
new born lambs belong to the original owner by birth. So it is that we belong to Christ instrumentally by birth,
too.
Isaiah 66:8 "For
as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children."
4. And,
fourthly, a man may become the owner of sheep by inheritance as well. If the original owner gives his sheep to another person as
his inheritance, then the sheep become his property by inheritance. We are the
inheritance of our dear Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore we are
called “God’s heritage” (1 Pet. 5:3).
Ephesians 1:18 "The
eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope
of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints."
Psalms 2:8 "Ask
of me, and I shall give thee the
heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession."
Now, I want to describe the Lord’s
sheep for you in Bible language. Obviously, I cannot, in the few minutes
remaining, tell you everything the Lord teaches us about his sheep. But I have
searched the Scriptures and found ten things plainly revealed in the
Word of God about those people who are called by the Son of God “His Own Sheep.”
I. All who belong to Christ as
his sheep are CHOSEN SHEEP.
John 15:16 "Ye have not chosen me, but I have
chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that
whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you."
Ephesians 1:3-6 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us
with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places
in Christ: (4) According as he
hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be
holy and without blame before him in love:
(5) Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ
to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, (6) To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made
us accepted in the beloved."
2 Thessalonians 2:13 "But we are bound to give thanks alway
to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the
beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and
belief of the truth:"
Sheep
love the doctrine of election. They all know that had there been no
election of grace there would have been no salvation by grace. Election is the
sheep’s friend. And all sheep are the friends of election. They all confess...
“‘Tis not that I did choose Thee,
For, Lord, that could not be.
This heart would still refuse Thee,
Hadst Thou not chosen me.
My heart owns none before Thee.
For Thy rich grace I thirst,
This knowing - If I love Thee,
Thou must have loved me first.”
II. All the Lord’s sheep are, by
nature, STRAYING SHEEP.
Isaiah 53:6 "All we like sheep have gone astray; we
have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity
of us all."
Sheep! A more suitable word could not
be found to describe us. It is ever the nature of sheep to stray. We went
astray in our father Adam. We went astray from the womb, speaking lies. We went
astray all the days of our lives, by willful, deliberate choice, each one to
his own way, until God the Holy Spirit arrested us by his almighty grace.
Ephesians 2:1-5 "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins: (2) Wherein in time past ye walked
according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of
the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: (3) Among whom also we all had our
conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of
the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as
others. (4) But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he
loved us, (5) Even when we were dead
in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved)."
We all know what it is to stray. None
of us know how to return. Even after
experiencing the grace of God in salvation, it is still the nature of our evil
hearts to stray from our God. And, even now, when we stray we would never
return to him if he did not fetch us back to himself. Even now, we are
compelled to cry, “Turn us, O God of our salvation, and we shall be turned.
Draw me, and we will run after thee.”
“Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love.
Here’s my heart. Oh, take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above!”
None of the Lord’s saved sheep have
any problem with the doctrine of total depravity. It is the bitter reality of
our daily experience!
III. I rejoice to read in the
Word of God that all the Lord’s sheep are REDEEMED SHEEP.
“Redeemed! How I love to proclaim it!
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.
Redeemed by His special atonement!
His child and forever I am!”
John 10:11, 15 "I am The Good Sheperd: The Good Sheperd
giveth his life for the sheep."(15) "As the Father knoweth me, even so know
I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep."
A.
We have been
eternally redeemed (Rev. 13:8).
B.
We were justly
redeemed (Rom. 3:24-26).
C.
We were
particularly redeemed (John 10:25).
D.
We were
vicariously redeemed (Gal. 3:13).
E.
We were
effectually redeemed (Heb. 9:12).
Talk to sheep about limited atonement,
and they will rejoice. Tell them about effectual blood, and they will sing.
Proclaim to sheep how that they have been particularly redeemed, and they will
shout, “Hallelujah!” And they will honor the man who preaches that message as
God’s messenger to their souls. Sheep honor the Shepherd’s precious blood.
IV. Fourthly, at God’s appointed
time, in the time of love, each and every one of those chosen, redeemed,
straying sheep are CALLED SHEEP.
John 10:2-4 "But he that entereth in by the door is
the shepherd of the sheep. (3) To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. (4) And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them,
and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice."
The good s Shepherd always seeks his
sheep “‘til he find it.” And when he finds it, he always fetches it home by his
almighty, effectual, irresistible call. This irresistible grace is what David
described as fetching grace, when he
commanded Ziba his servant to go bring Mephibosheth to his palace, saying,
“Fetch him!” So it is, in the time of love, that the Lord Jesus sends his
Spirit to his chosen, redeemed, straying sheep, saying “Fetch him.” Notice how
he describes it here in John 10:2-4.
A.
Our Good Shepherd calls “his own sheep.” He never calls goats, but only “his own sheep,” his
personally chosen, redeemed, predestinated sheep.
B.
When he calls his sheep, “they hear his voice.” He never calls in vain.
C.
“He calleth his own sheep by name.” That is a particular, personal, effectual call.
D.
And when the Son of God calls his sheep, he always “leadeth
them out.” His call is an
almighty, effectual, irresistible call.
Illustrations: Zachaeus
Lazarus
God’s sheep rejoice in the knowledge
of his almighty, irresistible grace. What sane man would quarrel with
irresistible love? What sane man would be angered by infallible grace? What man
in his right mind would ever get upset with a friend who snatched him from the
jaws of death when he was both unaware of his condition and unwilling and
unable to do anything about it?
V. Everyone of the Lord’s sheep
are SPECIALLY KNOWN SHEEP.
John 10:27 "My sheep hear my voice, and I know
them, and they follow me:"
The Lord Jesus says, “I know them.”
The world does not know them (1 John 3:1). Before they are called, the church
does not know them, the preacher does not know them, and they do not know
themselves. Sometimes even after they are called churches and preachers do not
know them and they do not know themselves. But Christ says, “I know them.” And
that is enough!
A.
He knows them
eternally.
B.
He knows them
distinctively (Matt. 7:23; Rom. 8:29).
C.
He knows them
universally.
D.
He knows them
savingly.
The Lord’s sheep rest in his love. We
rest in his distinguishing knowledge of us. It is his knowledge of us, not our
of him that is the source and cause of our salvation, justification, and
eternal life. The experience of eternal life is found in our knowing him; but
the cause is in his knowledge of us.
Isaiah 53:10-11 "Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him;
he hath put him to grief: when thou
shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his
days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. (11) He shall see of the travail of his
soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant
justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities."
VI. Sixthly, our Lord Jesus
declares that all his sheep are KNOWING SHEEP.
John 10:14 "I am The Good Sheperd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine."
Not only does The Good Sheperd know
his sheep, he says, “I am known of mine.” They know him and “they know his
voice” (John 10:4). The Apostle John explains this for us in...
1 John 2:20-27 "But ye have an unction from the Holy
One, and ye know all things. (21) I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because
ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth. (22) Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ?
He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. (23) Whosoever denieth the
Son, the same hath not the Father: (but)
he that acknowledgeth the Son hath
the Father also. (24) Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from
the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in
you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. (25) And this is the promise that he hath
promised us, even eternal life. (26) These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. (27) But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but
as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie,
and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him."
·
Goats are
driven to and fro with every wind of doctrine because they do not know the
Shepherd’s voice.
·
Sheep, all of
them, know the Shepherd’s voice and follow it.
John 10:4-5 "And when he putteth forth his own
sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. (5) And
a stranger will they not follow, but
will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers."
VII. Seventh, the Word of God
tells us that all of the Lord’s sheep, as soon as they are called, are FOLDED
SHEEP.
Ezekiel 34:11-15 "For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I,
even I, will both search my sheep, and seek
them out. (12) As a shepherd
seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places
where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. (13) And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the
countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country. (14) I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high
mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there
shall they lie in a good fold, and in
a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel. (15) I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord
GOD."
When the Lord calls his sheep, he
brings them into his fold. It seems to
me that he is telling us here that he brings his sheep into his church. I
realize that all true believers, when they are born of God are born into the
church and kingdom of God. But I think the prophecy here refers not to the
church in its universal aspect, but to the local church. So that the promise is
this - I will bring my sheep into the
fold of a local church.
A.
There he feeds
them in a good pasture.
B.
There he
refreshes them with living water.
C.
There he
causes them to lie down in peace and safety in this good fold.
I realize that many make light of
believer’s baptism and church membership. I recognize, as you do, that neither
baptism nor church membership has anything to do with our salvation. But we
must never be seduced into thinking that the ordinances of Christ and the
church of Christ are non-essentials. I
cannot find in the Word of God any evidence that the Lord’s sheep are found
outside his fold once they have been called.
Ezekiel 20:37-38 "And I will cause you to pass under the
rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant: (38) And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that
transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they
sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know
that I am the LORD."
1.
All Christ’s
sheep follow him into the waters of believer’s baptism.
2.
All Christ’s
sheep dwell with him and his sheep in the fold.
3.
Sheep need
each other. Sheep are never found alone unless they are lost.
VII. Eighth, all the Lord’s sheep
are FOLLOWING SHEEP.
John 10:4, 27 "And when he putteth forth his own
sheep, he goeth before them, and the
sheep follow him: for they know his voice." (27) "My sheep hear my
voice, and I know them, and they follow
me:"
I have already shown you that none of
the sheep follow the Shepherd by nature. Yet, our Lord says, “They follow me.”
How can both things be true? The answer is simple. The Shepherd causes the
sheep to follow. Yet, he causes them to do so in such a way as to make them
perfectly willing to follow him.
A.
He entices the sheep to follow him by his goodness.
B.
He lovingly forces his sheep to follow him with his rod.
Illustration: Sometimes, when a shepherd has an unruly, stubborn sheep he
may be forced to break one of the sheep’s legs. Then he will set the leg and
carry the sheep in his bosom, so that the sheep has to depend upon him for
everything. By the time its broken leg is mended, the sheep is at his heels
constantly.
C.
But the sheep, all the sheep, do follow the Shepherd.
·
His Word.
·
His Spirit.
·
His Will.
Listen to the description given of
these sheep when they have all been gathered up to glory...
Revelation 14:3-4 "And they sung as it were a new song
before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could
learn that song but the hundred and forty
and four thousand, which were
redeemed from the earth. (4) These
are they which were not defiled with women” (false religion); “for they are
virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These
were redeemed from among men, being the
firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb."
IX. Ninthly, our Lord assures us
that all his sheep are SECURE SHEEP.
John 10:28-30 "And I give unto them eternal life; and
they shall never perish, neither shall any man
pluck them out of my hand. (29) My
Father, which gave them me, is
greater than all; and no man is able
to pluck them out of my Father's
hand. (30) I and my Father are one."
In this world the sheep must face many
dangers. Many wolves seek to devour
them. Their own flesh is ever
opposed to them. The devil seeks by every means to destroy them. And the world, both the religious world and
the material world, are instruments by which our adversary seeks our ruin. But in the midst of all our enemies and
all our dangers, all the sheep are perfectly safe. We are in the hands of our
dear, almighty Shepherd. And he and his Father are one. That is a simple
declaration that our security is to be found in the Persons of the triune
Godhead.
A.
The Father’s
purpose cannot be defeated.
B.
The Son’s
blood cannot be wasted.
C.
The Spirit’s
seal cannot be broken.
D.
Immutable
grace cannot be altered.
E.
Omnipotent
power cannot be subdued.
F.
The will of
God cannot be resisted.
X. In the last place, the Word of
God speaks of some sheep in a very singular way. They are called “OTHER SHEEP.”
John 10:16 "And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they
shall hear my voice; and there shall
be one fold, and one shepherd."
As I said in the beginning of my
message, I am on the trail of these other sheep. I pray that there are some of
these “other sheep” here today. It is my prayer that some of you “other sheep”
have now been called by the Shepherd’s voice. That, however, is altogether up
to him. We will bow to his will. But let me tell you what the Scriptures tell
us about these other sheep.
A.
These other
sheep belong to Christ as surely as the rest.
B.
The other
sheep have been redeemed by Christ.
C.
The other
sheep are safe and secure in the hands of Christ.
D.
The other
sheep shall be effectually called by Christ. If you are one of these “other
sheep,” The Good Sheperd says concerning you, “Them also I must bring.” If you are one of these “other sheep” The Good Sheperd
will get you. He will return you to himself.
E.
If you are one
of these other sheep and the Lord has called you, come on into the fold!
Application: Psalms 23 "The
LORD is my shepherd; I shall not
want. (2) He maketh me to lie down in
green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. (3) He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness
for his name's sake. (4) Yea, though
I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou
art with me; thy rod and thy staff
they comfort me. (5) Thou preparest a
table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with
oil; my cup runneth over. (6) Surely
goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in
the house of the LORD for ever."
Illustration: “I know the psalm. He knows the Shepherd.”
Scripture Reading - October 20, 1996
Ezekiel 34
"And the word of the LORD
came unto me, saying, (2) Son of man,
prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus
saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be
to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the
shepherds feed the flocks? (3) Ye eat
the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. (4) The diseased have ye not
strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound
up that which was broken, neither
have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that
which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. (5) And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became
meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered. (6) My sheep wandered through all the
mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the
face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them. (7) Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD; (8) As I live, saith the Lord GOD,
surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast
of the field, because there was no
shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed
themselves, and fed not my flock; (9) Therefore,
O ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD;
(10) Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am
against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause
them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed
themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they
may not be meat for them. (11) For
thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I,
will both search my sheep, and seek them out. (12) As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is
among his sheep that are scattered;
so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they
have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. (13) And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them
from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon
the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the
country. (14) I will feed them in a
good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there
shall they lie in a good fold, and in a
fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel. (15) I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down,
saith the Lord GOD. (16) I will seek
that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind
up that which was broken, and will
strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I
will feed them with judgment. (17) And
as for you, O my flock, thus saith
the Lord GOD; Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle, between the rams and
the he goats. (18) Seemeth it a small
thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture, but ye must tread down with
your feet the residue of your pastures? and to have drunk of the deep waters,
but ye must foul the residue with your feet?
(19) And as for my flock, they
eat that which ye have trodden with your feet; and they drink that which ye
have fouled with your feet. (20) Therefore
thus saith the Lord GOD unto them; Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat cattle and between the lean
cattle. (21) Because ye have thrust
with side and with shoulder, and pushed all the diseased with your horns, till
ye have scattered them abroad; (22) Therefore
will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge
between cattle and cattle. (23) And I
will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed
them, and he shall be their shepherd.
(24) And I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David a prince among
them; I the LORD have spoken it. (25) And
I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to
cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep
in the woods. (26) And I will make
them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower
to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing. (27) And the tree of the field shall
yield her fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe
in their land, and shall know that I am the
LORD, when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered them out of the
hand of those that served themselves of them. (28) And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither
shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none
shall make them afraid. (29) And I will raise up for them a
plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land,
neither bear the shame of the heathen any more. (30) Thus shall they know that I the LORD their God am with them, and that they, even the house
of Israel, are my people, saith the
Lord GOD. (31) And ye my flock, the
flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord GOD."
[1] See SER#817 part 2 for a
similar message preached at Danville, KY
10-9-88.
Also Preached at Cherokee, NC 10-16-96