Ep 457 | I Am The Good Shepherd - Frank Brancato 6/19/22

As always is the case, I do consider it an honor to speak

concerning the word of God. My hope and my prayer is this,

and really, it is the Hope and prayer and intention that I have

in studying the seven, I am statements of Jesus that he gave

in The Gospel. According to John, it is my

plan, in my hope that you would have a greater appreciation for

Jesus, Christ in your life than before we started this series.

And today is no different. Jesus said those words, So long

ago, he said I am the Good Shepherd as an introductory

text, though we find ourself and John chapter 10.

John 10 · chapter mention

We're going to begin there in verse 11.

Jesus said I am the Good Shepherd, the Good Shepherd,

gives his life for the Sheep, but a hireling who is not the

shepherd one, who does not own the Sheep.

He sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees and

the Wolf catches, the sheep and scatters them the highwomen.

Link sleeves because he is a hireling and does not care about

the Sheep. I am the Good Shepherd and I

know my sheep and I'm known by my own as the father knows me

even. So I know the father and I lay

down my life for the sheep and other sheep, I have, which are

not of this fold them. Also, I must bring and they will

hear my voice and there will be one flock and one Shepherd.

You remember last time when we talked about when Jesus said I

am the door, we talked about the very special relationship that

our Shepherd had with his sheep, this special bond that the

shepherd had, you know, really, I actually learned some things

as I studied some history about Shepherds and sheep back.

Then the shepherd new the Sheep so well that he even gave each

one a name. That's just amazing.

We think about dogs coming when you called her name.

That's exactly what the shepherd would do.

He? Them so well, he would give him

a name, he would call out their name, and they would listen.

And they would follow the reason that they would listen is

because they were very familiar with the sound of the voice of

the shepherd. And the reason for that was the

shepherd, would labor among them?

He would protect them all day long and he would speak to them

constantly and they would hear his voice, and there was a great

bond between Shepherd and sheep. You remember that every morning

in one sheet fold, all the shepherd's would come.

Now picture this please every village had a Sheepfold and

every village had a number of Shepherds and every one of those

Shepherds, they all have their own sheep morning, time would

come and he would come to the entrance or the Gate of the

Sheepfold. That's just a fancy word for

saying pain. He would come to the Chorale, he

would come to the pit, there would be a gatekeeper there to

make sure. Or that somebody other than the

shepherd could get in nobody else could get in.

But the shepherd would come. The gatekeeper would let the

Shepherd in and one by one. He would enter the gate and he

would call his Sheep by name and they would follow him and they

would go out to pasture that they would eat and they could go

to places where they would drink.

And he called them by name. His job was to care for the

Sheep against thieves and robbers and animals.

But at the end of the day, his job was not done and, you know,

really what I think about all that the shepherd must have

done. You remember, I did touch on

this when we look at pastureland today, usually we look at plush

land, that's kind of flat or maybe some Rolling Hills.

We don't think of what they actually did with these sheep.

The pasture lands of Day. When the time, when Jesus were

speaking these words, the better the land, the better, the field

that was for the crops, they grew crops there.

They Farm there. So what about where could a

sheep go and Graves historians tell us that there was rough and

Rocky terrain on hillsides and they would go there and the

shepherd would watch his sheep. Just perhaps one of those sheep.

Got his foot caught between two rocks.

He'd be stuck there. He didn't have to worry though

because standing nearby. Herb.

I was the shepherd he would go and pull the leg of that sheep

out of the Rock and set him free.

It was all day long. It was as one historian called

it. It was arduous and that it was

difficult and exhausting but his day was not over.

At the end of the day, he led his sheep back to the Sheepfold.

He would stand there as he was the door, he would take his rod

and drop it down, so they couldn't enter on their own.

He would examine every one of his sheep from front to back and

top to bottom. Perhaps one of those sheep would

get a cut during the day, maybe the one that got stuck between

the two rocks. The shepherd would see that and

take oil from additional and soothing purposes and put the

oil on those wounds and let that one in.

Then, the next one, examined, that one front to back top to

bottom, and let that one in, it was an exhausting day exhausting

day for the shepherd. But that is what a good shepherd

did. Jesus says in verse 11, he

doesn't say, I am a good shepherd.

He says, I am the Good Shepherd. Now they would off they would

have understood what he meant about.

What a good shepherd does I just described that to you?

But Jesus says, no, I am the Good Shepherd.

You know what that is? That's a picture of Salvation.

The reality of that comes to us back in verse 9.

Notice what Jesus said there in verse 9, I am the door.

If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out

and find pasture. All right.

Specifically calls himself, the Good Shepherd.

Now in verse 19 beginning there, he says, therefore there was a

division again among the Jews because of these sayings.

And many of them said, he has a demon and is mad.

Why do you listen to him? Other said, these are not the

words of one who has a demon. Can a demon Open.

The Eyes of the blind, I needed to show you this passage because

of one word, there was a division in the Bible says, As

again among the Jews. All right, remember this in the

Gospel of John, when the Bible records in the Bible, speaks of

Jews in a plural sense, he's not talking about specifically

Jewish people by blood, when he's referring to the Jews, he's

referring to the religious leaders that often opposed

Jesus. So there was a division, not

among the disciples, there was a division among the leaders of

Israel. Those that had rejected Jesus.

But what about this? Word.

Again, I don't have time to go into it very far, so I won't,

but bear with me, we got to set the tone here.

It's goes all the way back to chapter 9.

Very briefly, I'll narrate the story quickly Jesus with his

disciples. They Came Upon A man that was a

beggar, a beggar because he was born blind, we know the story.

The disciples asked Jesus, who sinned did this man sinned or

did his parents in? Why was he born blind?

And Jesus says, it's nobody's fault.

Nobody sent. It's just an unfortunate

circumstance and I like what Jesus says As I paraphrase, but

in the end it's going to magnify the glory of God.

You're going to see the God. You know, sometimes people ask

the question. Why I think it's the most

overused question. It is the hard asked question,

theological question asked today that has no answer and that's

why why did this happen to somebody that I loved?

Why did this happen to me? Why do I have to go through what

I'm going through? It was very common back.

Then people actually believed if you had an unfortunate

circumstance happened to you like being born blind, that you

were paying for either your sin or the sin of someone else that

is not true. And do, you know what, sometimes

bad things happen to wonderful people and that's just the way

that it is. And Jesus said it's nobody's

fault. But then Jesus spat on the

ground. And from that spittle, the King

James calls it, he makes clay, and he puts it to the eyes of

this man and he says, go down to the pool of Siloam and wash and

you'll be able to see and he does What about the division?

Here's the first division when the man comes back.

There's a division among those Jewish men.

And the division was, is this the guy that was born, blind?

Some would say, oh yeah, that's him.

Other said, no, it can't be him. There was a division, right?

Then they go to the Man's parents and they said, to the

parents three questions? Is this your son?

Was he born blind? And how can we can now see, you

remember what they said? Yes, he's our son.

Yes, he was born blind, but As to how come he can see ask him,

he is of age. And then it says, and this, they

said for fear of the Jews, because the Jews religious

leaders opposing Jesus had already said.

If anyone would profess that Jesus is the Christ they be

kicked out of the synagogue. Here's another division.

The division against among these religious leaders was this, is

he a sinner or is he not a sinner?

And some said he's a sinner because he performed this

miracle on the Sabbath day. Others said he couldn't be a

sinner and performed, the Miracles that he performed again

another division. So when we get to chapter 10 and

he begins down toward the latter part of 10:19, there are still

another division. Among them.

So, all that being said in verses 11 to 18, our Lord

explains how he fulfills the identity of the Good Shepherd,

one that God himself would send. By the way, this is the fourth

in succession of the I am statements of Jesus.

He began with. I am the bread of life, then he

said, I am the light of the world, then he said, I am the

door. And now today, as we study, he

said, I am the good. Shepherd.

Let's look at that passage. As we begin in verse 11.

He says I am the Good Shepherd then he says it immediately

again. He says the Good Shepherd is

going to do something and he says, the Good Shepherd gives

his life for the sheep and they understood that, they would have

known what he meant by that. What does it mean to be good?

What's it mean to be good? You know, there are two words in

the Greek language for good. One of them is this word here

and I don't usually try to pronounce Greek words because

I'm not a Greek scholar and chances are.

I'm not going to I'm not going to, I'm not going to say it

properly, but I got to say it this word because it's a it fits

a word that we get from that. So I'm just going to roll up.

I'm just going to take a guess here.

I would imagine this word is pronounced agathis or Agatha, or

agathis. Either one, we get an English

name from that, you know what that name is?

Agatha. He was that word means it's a

word that is very common in the scriptures.

It's very common in the New Testament and it's a word though

that is confined to a certain kind of goodness.

It's a word that's confined to moral goodness and that's very

common in the New Testament. That's not this word though.

The word good here in this passage, is that Greek word and

that word means this. It means beautiful.

It means to be magnificent to Win some lovely.

Excellent on all levels. That is Jesus Christ.

When Jesus said I am the Good Shepherd, he saying this is me.

Now, you might be wondering, wait a minute, it says lovely.

Beautiful doesn't, the Bible say a little, something about what

the Lord was going to look like. Yeah, it does.

It says this. He has no form nor comeliness

nor beauty that we would desire him.

How brilliant it was of God, that the one that would come to

shave. Your wouldn't draw people to him

because he was handsome. The Bible speaks of four men

that were handsome and Built Well in the Old Testament, they

don't say that. Jesus.

He has no form nor comeliness nor beauty that you should

desire him. So what does it mean?

When we say beautiful, we're talking about what real beauty

is. We're talking about the kind of

beauty that's on the inside and real strength that strength,

it's on the inside. And by the way, can I just make

an aside here? If we are not beautiful on the

inside it matters not what we look like on the outside, it

doesn't matter at all. And if we don't have any Inner

Strength that comes from the Lord, it doesn't matter how

strong we are in the weight room on the outside.

Doesn't matter? What matters is what we are on

the inside. Jesus was the Good Shepherd,

because he was good in every way.

Now, interestingly about this, you know, the Jewish people had

an idea of who the best Shepherd was I know you're probably

thinking about that Shepherd boy right now.

It's the first thing you think about, when I think about, when

I think about a Shepherd boy, it was David.

And David was a truly good shepherd.

And the thing about David is the Bible says, he was Ruddy and

fair countenanced, you know, Scholars say when he went and

slew the Philistine Giant Goliath, when he did that, he

was Ruddy and some say that it meant, he was so young, he

didn't even shave. Yet Fair countenance.

I don't know that to be true but I think it's very possible.

He was a young young man. A young boy.

He decides that nobody's going to defy the armies of the Living

God and he's going to rise up against that Philistine Giant

and he does, he takes five smooth stones and a sling and he

went before the Philistine Giant and he slung it at him and the

force was so great embedded itself in his forehead and down

with the giant, he took a sword out.

And cut off his head. When I think about a Shepherd in

the Old Testament, I think about David and no doubt.

So did they You know what Jesus is saying though?

He's saying I'm better. He's saying I am greater than

even David, you know, in chapter 5 and thatís why?

I know that he's talking about this, this is really the

language here in chapter 5, Jesus claimed to be greater than

Moses in chapter 8. He claimed to be greater than

Abraham. You remember what Jesus said

before? Abraham was I am And what that

means is it's twofold. It does include that.

He's saying I existed before Abraham existed.

Absolutely. But there's so much more when he

said before, Abraham was I am he's saying I'm greater than

Abraham. Why is that?

I am is a name for God. It's a name for deity.

He is saying that about himself. Therefore, I'm greater than

Abraham greater than Moses greater than Abraham and now I'm

even greater than the greatest chef.

Of all of old like David. Alright, so here's the question.

Why is Jesus Worthy? Of being the Good Shepherd, I'm

going to give you the three points in advance, and this is

going to be is going to be our little outline, very simple.

Three reasons. Number one.

He dies for them. Number two, he loves them.

And number three. He unites them.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd for these three reasons, he dies for

the Sheep. He loves the sheep and he unites

the Sheep will get to what that means as we progress through.

Number one though has talked about dying for them and we go

back to verse 11, Jesus says, I am the Good Shepherd, the Good

Shepherd, gives his life for his sheep.

Now, if you study about sheeps, he's about sheep and Shepherds.

The Shepherds were absolutely responsible for the Sheep one

historian. I read this week said this, it

was a man's job. It was a lowly job.

It was a humble job. It was an exhausting job.

It was an unskilled job and every Shepherd ran the risk of

losing his life, everyone. The shepherd was absolutely

responsible for the Sheep. If anything happened to the

Sheep, he had to produce proof that it was not his fault or it

wasn't based on his own dereliction of Duty.

In fact, in Isaiah chapter 31, the protection of the sheep

Isaiah 31 · chapter mention

notice in Isaiah 31, Isaiah speaks of the crowd of Shepherds

that were called out when a lion attack they called The

Shepherd's to go fight the lion. In Exodus chapter 22 and verse

Exodus 22 · chapter mention

13. it says this if it is Torn to Pieces at one of those

things, mentioned our sheep If it's Torn to Pieces by the

Beast, then he shall bring it as evidence and he shall not make

any shall not make good on what was torn.

In other words, if a Shepherd lost his sheep, he had to give

an account for what was lost and why.

And if a wild animal came in and destroyed a sheep, they had to

take the remains the torn body of that sheep and bring it back

to the ultimate owner of that sheep and prove this is what

happened or he would have been liable for that.

He would have to give an account of that.

This is what Good Shepherd Shepherds did though.

It was a natural thing for a Shepherd to risk his life in

protection of the sheep. He never hesitated and he did it

voluntarily. What a great picture of Jesus

Christ. Make no mistake about it.

Jesus Christ was no man's victim.

He was the ultimate Victor. He laid down his life for his

sheep. We're going to get to that

passed in just a moment. Don't think for a minute that

the Lord's life was taken the Lord's life, he freely gave, he

did it voluntarily. Just like these good Shepherds

from a natural perspective would have given their life for the

Sheep. Voluntarily.

Jesus says, I am the Good Shepherd.

Who lays down his life? Notice Verse 18.

No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself.

I have the power to lay it down and I have the power to take it.

Again, this command. I have received from my father,

all right. When Jesus laid down his life,

he gave more than just his body. I was reading from some

commentators, it's interesting, the spin, sometimes people take

on stuff and we know that Jesus, always existed, he was in the

beginning at the creation, he was there with God.

Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, why?

Because he and the Holy Spirit were right there with God

Almighty, they were right there with the father and the very

beginning, we know all that and you think about what Jesus did

from the very beginning, he has always existed then he was given

a body and one commentator tried to say He was given a body and

what he gave up was the body. That's too easy, that's too

simple. That is oversimplifying and it

doesn't include everything that is meant by the word life.

It doesn't do, it doesn't bring into existence everything about

life. You know, the word life in the

Greek. There's two words, there's this

word right here and that's where we get biological life.

Then there's this word here and that gets transliterated to the

word zoology which is the study of life.

Those are words that describe from a scientific scenario, it

describes life, but the word life in our passage right here

is not that word at all. It's this word right here.

It's a word that means Soul. It's translated, oftentimes

Soul. It's defined as describing what

speaks of the whole person. What did Jesus give for his

sheep? His oh person.

Everything. You ever stopped to consider?

I think this is included. I think this is what he meant by

the way. Do you remember when Jesus was

in The Garden of Gethsemane, he prayed to his father.

And the Bible says, when Jesus said to his disciples, my soul

is exceeding sorrowful even unto death.

What was exceeding sorrowful His soul, his whole person.

His inner being not just his body.

Not just the outward body, he gave so much more than that.

It's a word that is for is speaking of the whole person.

Alright? So not just the outside.

Jesus did not just feel the pain and the suffering on the

outside. Knowing Jesus said, father, if

it be possible, let this cup pass from me.

You've heard me say this before. the cup that we're talking

about, there has to it includes it, but has to be more than just

the cup of suffering has to I believe that the cup there also

included God's Divine wrath on Cindy, you know why, like when

we sung the songs this morning God took the sins of the world

and the wrath of God on those sins and put it on his lamb.

Jesus Christ to die. For the sins of the world.

That was part of the cup too. And Jesus in agony, realizing he

would do that without the presence of God, that even the

face of God would turn. And he'd have to suffer though,

sinful consequence of all mankind by himself on that day.

No doubt. That's what he meant when he

said, my soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death.

We're not minimizing though. We're not minimizing the

physical pain that happened when somebody would be crucified.

It was awful from the crown of thorns, the nails pierced into

his hands and feet, and all the things that the Lord went

through. I'm not minimizing that.

I'm just saying it's more than that.

Let me give you another example. In Matthew chapter 20 and verse

Matthew 20 · chapter mention

28. It says this, just as the son of

man, did not come to be served, but to serve notice and give his

life a ransom for many interesting.

It's translated in English in our translation before us as

life, but it's the same word. That means so is the same Greek

word that we just noticed. And why did he do it?

Why did he voluntarily lay down his soul?

He did it for the benefit of the Sheep.

You know, from a natural perspective.

From a natural perspective when a Shepherd would lose his life

and this is obvious, by the way. If a Shepherd lost his life.

Because he was defending the Sheep.

And he put on a great fight against the animal, but he lost

the battle and he died. Guess what else guess?

Who else died all the Sheep? If the shepherd lost his life,

guess who else is losing their life is to sheep, but not this

Shepherd. Not this Shepherd.

Not Jesus. Jesus, that that's not what

happened with him. You know, the song we used to

sing about on the third day. Jesus rose from the dead.

You remember that song up from the grave.

He arose with a mighty triumphs or his foes.

He arose a Victor from the dark domain and he lives forever

death. He overcame some songbook say

with his Saints to reign. That's what happened.

Our Shepherd died to give life and not take it away.

No doubt that's what Jesus also meant when he said.

I came to give life and that life having it more abundantly.

So, the first aspect of the relationship of the sheep to the

shepherd the first thing. And also, it's the first reason

why Jesus is the Good Shepherd is because he dies for them.

He gives his life, but number two, He loves his sheep and this

really is what's behind the first one.

This, of course is is exactly why he did what he did and John

John 10:14

chapter 10, verses 14 and 15. I am the Good Shepherd and I

know my sheep and I am known by my own as the father knows me

even. So I know the father and lay

down my life for the Sheep. It explains why he lays down his

life voluntarily. It's because he knows them.

I just said he loves them, and maybe you're looking at this

passage saying I don't see love at all.

Where you getting love out of that?

notice with me, what you find is, four times this word right

here, it's the word no four times in our passage in these

couple verses here. So, with that being said, in

John chapter 10 and verse 15. Notice it says, as the father

John 10 · chapter mention

knows me, even. So I know the father and I lay

down my life for the sheep in verse 17.

Notice, therefore, my father loves me because I lay down my

life, that I may take it again. So that's the interpretive key.

It's the word know, it has the idea of a loving relationship.

It's a euphemism for intimacy. An intimate relationship with

the lord. It's not about information.

It's about love and four times. The word.

No. Is there used implying?

This intimate relationship? This loving Fellowship.

In John chapter 14 and verse 21. He who has he who has my

John 14 · chapter mention

Commandments and keeps them. It is he who loves me and he,

who loves me, Will Be Loved by my father, and I will love him

and manifest myself to him. So, as one scholar said, the

language is love. It's not knowing in chapter 14

and verse 23. Another passage, Jesus answered

and said to him, if anyone loves me, he will keep my word.

And my father will love him and will come to him and make our

home with him. So, in summing up when the No is

used in this context. It's the idea of a loving

intimate relationship and fellowship.

He loves his sheep. He knows them more than knowing

their name, more than knowing who they are.

He has an intimate relationship with them now.

That's why we got a now look and a very sobering Passage.

Very sobering passage comes up all the time, came up the other

day and conversation I have with somebody.

In Matthew chapter 7, on the great Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 7 · chapter mention

member. When Jesus said this, he's

picturing the end of time, he's picturing the judgment and he

says this Not everyone who says to me, Lord Lord shall enter the

kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in

Heaven. Many will say to me in that day.

Lord Lord, have we not prophesied in your name, cast

out demons in your name, and done, many wonders in your name

and then I will declare to them. Notice, I never knew you Depart

from me, you who practice, lawlessness folks.

This doesn't mean, I don't know who you are.

That's not what the Lord meant. He's not saying that.

On that day, I'm going to say to those that are lost.

I don't know who you are. What he's saying is, I did not

have an intimate relationship with you.

We don't have a relationship as what he's going to say.

You know, why? Jesus says if you love me what,

keep my Commandments and keep my words.

So the Bible, the blueprint in the word of God is what we must

do to have a relationship with Jesus if I do that.

Guess what? Then on that last and final day

I'm going to have the Lord standing in for me going that

one's mine. That's great stuff.

Jesus will say, I never had a relationship with you, alright?

So, the first aspect of the shepherd's relationship to the

Sheep, as he gives life, it's based upon his love for the

sheep and then it brings us to our third and I think this is

wonderful. I think this is beautiful.

And that is he unites the Sheep. He unites the sheep first to

himself and then with other people, and we got to drop down

to verse 16. In verse 16.

Jesus said this and other sheep I have which are not of this

fold them. Also I must bring and they will

hear my voice and there will be one flock, and one Shepherd.

Now, picture this remember back in verse 1, John speaks of and

Records, the wording of Jesus when Jesus talks about a

Sheepfold and verse 1. You remember last time we talked

about Jesus saying, I am the door, the Sheepfold and verse 1

is referring to Jewish people that are going to be saved.

It's referring to those Jewish people and a z.

Emser said, quite possibly in, is exclusive to the ones that

were baptized by the baptism of John.

For the kingdom or the church was established.

What is Jesus doing this? I know for sure.

The gospel went to the Jew first.

So those in the Sheepfold, they were the Jewish people first and

Jesus Calls the people out of Judaism, out of the law of

Moses, and brings them unto him in a relationship with him from

the those that were in the, Sheepfold of Israel or Judaism.

What else? Then in verse 16, Jesus says, I

got off the ship to and they're not from this fold, who's that?

This is what makes us pretty happy. either that is That's

you. That's me, that's anyone other

than a Jewish person. And notice they'll be called

together and be in one flock. and one Shepherd, Now.

This phrase right here, they'll be one flock and one Shepherd.

Remember that song we used to sing There should be one phone,

one Shepherd, one Lord, one hope, One Faith.

There should be one fold and one Shepherd, one plan of Saving

Grace in Ephesians chapter 3. We find something very

Ephesians 3 · chapter mention

beautiful. There was a mystery and by the

way, a mystery is something that existed in the mind of God.

But was not yet, made evident or know, what was the mystery,

guess what? Both of those cheap phones.

Those that came from Israel. And those that came out of the

world, the Gentile would be together in one body one.

One Shepherd in one fold. And that is the church.

That's why Paul said this in Galatians 3 and 27 for as many

of you as were baptized into Christ.

Have put on Christ, there is neither Jew, nor Greek.

There is neither, there is neither Bond nor free slave, nor

free. There is neither male nor female

for you are all one in Christ. Jesus.

That's also why he said this in Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 2

Ephesians 4 · chapter mention

and verse 14 for he himself is our peace.

Who has made both one and has broken down the middle Wall of

Separation. Obviously, That's the separation

between Israel or Jewish people that used to be the people of

God exclusively and gentiles. Man.

We don't have to worry about all those aspects of the Old Law of

Moses anymore. We have to know about any of

that. We follow and we are a part of

the law of Jesus Christ. We have been called from the

Sheepfold of the world. The gospel was preached.

It's supposed to go to the entire world, Make Disciples of

all Nations, baptizing them in the name of the father, and the

Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all

things whatsoever. I have commanded you and lo.

I Am With. You Always even to the end of

the world. Wonderful.

The gospel is going forth to the world and guess what me and you

were in that world. We follow the shepherd.

We're in one body. That one body is the church.

And through the church, we followed Jesus.

And we follow him all the way to heaven.

Jesus said those wonderful words.

He says, you know, in my father's house are many

mansions. If it were not told if it were

not. So I would have told you But I

go to prepare a place for you that where I am, there you may

be. Also, Jesus is going and went to

heaven to prepare a place for his people.

Got to be a sheep following. The shepherd, follow her all the

way to heaven. In closing this morning.

In closing. Why is Jesus the Good Shepherd?

Because he gives his life for his sheep.

And why does he do that? What's the motivation?

Because he loves his sheep and thirdly, and finally, he brings

them into an intimate Unity with himself and with each other.

And may, I just say this one final thing in closing, if I am

in fellowship with Jesus, And you are in fellowship with

Jesus. And by the way, that means god

to you, can't be in fellowship with Jesus without being

fellowship with God. So, if I'm in fellowship with

God and Jesus Christ, and you are in fellowship with God, and

Jesus Christ. Guess what we are automatically

and fellowship with each other. That's wonderful.

You got to be part of this Sheepfold onefold.

That's the church. I'm through this morning.

Thank you so much for your kind listening.

We thank you for listening to our podcast, put on by the

Church of Christ at 22:15 plans. Road in Bakersfield, if you

would like any additional information or you would like to

receive a free Bible correspondence, course by mail.

Please email us at info at True Church of Christ

Bakersfield.com. Our service times are on Sundays

at 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. and Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m.

Please make plans to join us. We would love for you to be our

honored guest.