The Reason I Came is to Give Abundant Life

Welcome. Good to see you. This is our second week here in this place. Bear with us. As you can see, we've changed things up again. We're just going to keep trying different things. Is that okay? One thing that we felt as though when we came here last week was that, oh, it doesn't feel as cozy as upstairs. But then, and then upstairs is too cozy. And then it's kind of like, well, what do we do? And actually, this is a nice thing that we did. And I told my wife, I said, hey, how can we make it more cozy? I don't know what that even means. Can we make it? And then she said, say no more.

Say no more. And before you know it, there's a tree. There's a tree. It's an olive tree is what it is. Praise the Lord for Jesus and for Taobao. And so the tree arrived. The staff at church had no idea what this was. None of us did invite it, then it came. And now it's here. It's quite nice. I mean, the olive tree is a beautiful symbol, of course, of our Lord. He spent a lot of time teaching, not to say that I'm here to take his place.

But actually, it just reminds us of just people gathering. And of course, the place, the place, the garden, where he uttered those words, would you, Lord, remove the cup of suffering from me?

But not my will, but yours is all that matters. And so feel as though it's nice. It's symbolic. It actually feels nice. And I guess it's not real.

Okay. Just in case you're worrying. But the little Christmas tree back there is real. The little tiny one. So if you want to go and give it a sniff, that one is real.

But here we are. We're going to try and figure this out. Okay. It looks like we actually have a few seats. So it feels less crowded than I was worried about.

And so I'm glad. Which means we can continue to invite friends until it gets really, really full. Again, Christmas service, December 21st.

Please bring. We're going to have this floor and upstairs. And we're going to have a Christmas market. We're going to try to anyway and see how it all goes.

And we're going to have some fun there. Christmas. What is the reason for this season? Of course, it's Jesus.

We all know that intellectually. But we've been trying to kind of go through this Advent series. What does the word Advent mean?

It comes from the Latin word Adventist, which means arrival. And so it's actually Jesus is arriving soon.

And we are gathered here because one, he arrived and two, he's coming back again.

And so what did he come for? What was the reason why he came? And last week, I said he came for a certain reason.

Who remembers what it was? To save. To seek and save the lost. Miss Brown.

And you gave a model answer that actually Jesus came to save you, to choose you, to bring you out.

And actually then your dear husband then followed up with an extra bit, which he always does because he always has something to say.

Always has something to say. Which was what, Dr. Brown? What did you say?

To give us life and life to the full.

That's it. To give us life. Jesus came to give us life and life to the full.

And so I took that as inspiration for today's sermon.

And we're going to talk about that passage.

Any points to those who, anyone who knows where that passage is from?

To give life and life to the full. John 10.

John 10.10. Easy to remember. John 10.10.

So welcome to those who are new, by the way. It's really good to see you.

Don't worry. I will only pick on you if I know your name.

Okay? If I don't know your name, then you can relax a little bit.

Jesus came to seek and save and to redeem, which was lost.

That's what he came to do.

Which is actually different to actually, maybe those outside of the church don't see that.

They see Jesus as this strict, or God as this strict God that has rules.

Doesn't like people to have fun.

And so when people walk into the church, they're like, hmm, what is the impression I will get of church?

And actually, we were talking with our life group on Monday about,

what's the thing that separates Christianity from the other religions?

And if you were to boil it down to one word, there's one word.

What would that be?

Anyone, any ideas?

I want to pick on someone from my life group just because we talked about it.

But what is that word?

It begins with G, or Jesus is the word, but it begins with G.

It's the word I would say separates.

Grace.

I want to answer you.

You're just going to go for it.

Grace.

Grace.

If you're going to say, what's the one thing that separates Christianity?

It's grace.

All the other religions will tell you, hey, this is how you get to heaven.

You do this, you do that, you do this, and you do that, you do it better and better,

and eventually you'll climb your way to heaven.

But Christianity says, no, you'll never get there, and you don't deserve to be there.

Heaven is perfect.

It's paradise.

It's 100% pure.

So the moment you walk in, it won't be unless you have a secret recipe, a secret weapon,

and that is Jesus, and that is the grace of Jesus that comes to save you when you don't deserve it.

That's grace.

So here's another challenge.

For those of us who have walked in here, maybe for the first time, you're not even a Christian.

Do you feel grace?

I worry about that because those outside of the church look in and go, I don't see grace.

I see judgment.

I see hypocrisy.

I see rules.

But Jesus came to give life and life to the full, right?

But often when we look at the body of Christ, the people of Christ, do we see people who are living abundant lives?

Do we see people who are genuinely happy?

Sometimes.

Sometimes they look miserable.

And you wonder, well, why is that?

Because Jesus says he came to give life and life to the full.

What is really happiness?

One of the ways that Christina and I like to relax, coming from England, as we watch this TV show, and honestly, you're going to judge us a little bit, but it's the Graham Norton show.

Has anyone watched the movie?

Yes.

Thank you.

I mean, he's just a really funny guy.

That's really all there is.

And so yesterday we were exhausted.

And so we decided just to put on something just to kind of just relax.

And Graham Norton and Taylor Swift was on there.

Any Swifties in the house?

It's my number two on Spotify.

It's your number two on Spotify.

Wow.

And you speak with such pride about this.

Well, Danny's got you.

Danny did a very embarrassed kind of, but Taylor Swift is not her big main love.

BTS is her main one.

And she said this one thing that was interesting that caught my eye, which was, she said, well, actually, I've decided that in order for me to have happiness, I have to go and make it myself.

I didn't create the happiness myself.

I have to fake it until I make it is really what she's saying.

We have this thing.

We all have a dream, which is that we would just be happy.

You ask any parent, what do you want for your child?

I thought they would just be happy.

My question to you today is what does happy mean?

What does happy mean?

When you think of someone who is happy, what do you think of?

What comes to mind?

Jasper, you're nodding.

Tell me, tell me a bit more.

What's happy to you?

Calmness.

I like peace.

Peace.

Secure.

Calm.

Anything else?

Have love.

Have love.

Everyone, this is actually my mother.

This is Mrs. Tang.

She's here, so that's why she's not afraid to speak up.

So she's going to be here.

So yes, anyway, now that distracts you a little bit.

Fulfillment.

Fulfillment.

It's interesting, when we're looking at the topic of happiness, when you say all I want

is for you to be happy, all I want is for me to be happy, what are we talking about?

We're talking that we actually have a purpose that we feel fulfilled.

There is purpose in our lives.

There is value in our lives.

There is coherence in our lives.

That actually everything in our lives just seem to work together.

And all of that, really, you can describe as just human flourishing.

When everything is working together and you know why you're here, you know who you are,

that's when we are truly happy.

Here's the problem.

Why are we, actually, put your hand up.

Do you feel in this moment right now, I'm not going to embarrass you, who thinks that

they are actually genuinely happy in their lives right now?

Just eye test, I don't know, half the room.

Yeah.

But here's the thing.

Jesus says he came to give life and life to the full.

Why are we not happy?

Why are we not fully happy?

My hypothesis, what I'm going to propose to you today is I think we struggle with that

concept of happiness because we misunderstand the context of this passage, what he is actually

saying when he says, I've come to give life to the full, who he's actually talking to.

And if we understood that, if we understood what he was trying to say, I think it would set

us up well for actually being able to be happy.

There's a book that I just started reading.

It actually won the book of the year from the Gospel Coalition.

And it's called Everything is Never Enough.

And it talks about my favorite, actually not my wife's favorite book in the Bible, which

is Ecclesiastes, which tells you a little bit about Christina if you want to know about

her.

Okay.

So everything is meaningless.

Everything is pointless.

Everything is vanity.

So what's the point?

And so you've got this writer of Ecclesiastes who goes into this.

And of course, he ends up with some summaries at the end.

And if you haven't read it, I won't spoil it for you.

But this book about Ecclesiastes talks about this topic of actually, how do we get that

happiness?

How do we zoom out in life and actually address the low grade hum that we all have, that anxious

feeling that we all have, that burden, that heaviness that we all have, and actually live

lives that are lives to the full.

That we can actually say, oh, my life is just abundant.

My heart is just abundant right now.

How do we get that?

I think we need to understand what John 10 is actually saying, because I think the reason

why we don't have that is what St. Augustine talked about, which is that we have disordered

loves.

We're supposed to love things in a certain order.

And if you love things in a certain order, starts with God, then everything will work

out and your life will start to flourish.

But we have disordered loves.

We start loving things that actually aren't good for us.

And that's why we have this low grade hum.

That's why we have this anxiety.

That's why we don't feel like we are truly happy, that we don't truly belong or are flourishing.

In this society here, we settle for things that don't really give us happiness.

We settle for counterfeits.

We settle for things that are not really good.

And then we wonder why we don't have the flourishing life that we're supposed to have.

The Westminster catechism is this, that the chief end of man is to glorify him and to enjoy

him forever.

Yes, Caleb, Taylor Swift and catechisms.

You are an interesting person.

But I don't think we enjoy him forever.

But it's also because I don't think we glorify him.

Right.

And so if we're going to figure out what that means, we're going to have to look into scripture

and to look into scripture.

I'm going to ask someone from my life group is Dr.

Kelvin Lowe, famous orthopedic in Hong Kong.

And he's going to come up and he's going to minister to us with the word.

If you're new here, I'd like to introduce you to a tradition we have, which is when we

read the Bible, we actually stand.

It's a symbol.

It's a reminder for us to have reverence and awe for the word of God.

Actually, there's nothing that I will say here that will be more important than the word

of God.

So can I invite Caleb and can I invite you to stand as well?

John 10.

Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs

in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber.

But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep, and to him the gatekeepers open.

The sheep hears his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for

they know his voice.

A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, and they do not know the voice

of the strangers.

This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying

to them.

So Jesus again said to them, truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.

All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.

I am the door, and if anyone enters by me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and

find pasture.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy, and I came that they may have life

and have it abundantly.

I am the good shepherd.

The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

This is the word of the Lord.

Praise Peter.

Please take a seat.

Thank you, Kalo.

It's on that note.

Well, actually, we're going to start a new thing, which is also hand out the Bibles.

Bonnie, are there the Bibles at the back?

Can we just hand them out?

If you feel convicted and guilt-tripped by me, then please hold on to it and open it

and read it.

If you have a stone heart, then you can just pass it on and move it on.

Welcome to the gathering.

We believe in two things, Jesus and paper Bibles.

That is it.

So we're just going to pass them out because we realize it's very hard to actually get

them when you're walking in because it's so cramped.

So we're just going to pass them out and force you to pass the word of God on to someone

else.

It's another one of our secret tricks is which if you get bored of the sermon, I can

trick you into reading the Bible instead.

So just feel free.

Open up to John 10.

10.

Well, actually, we're going to do John 10 verse 1 to 11, and you can follow along.

John 10:1–11

Okay?

Thank you very much, ladies, for passing that out.

So, I came to give life and life to the full.

We love that verse.

We hold on to it.

But the problem is, if you're like me, I'm like, okay, you came to give me life to the

full, but I don't really feel it.

It's also because Aidan needs a Bible over there.

It's all right.

I got you, bro.

He needs Bible.

He needs Jesus.

We take that verse.

I came to give life and life to the full, but we ignore everything else, and then we

wonder why we don't really have life to the full.

So we need to understand the preceding verses to it.

I see the Bible there.

Who's Jesus talking to is my first question.

Brave souls.

Who's Jesus talking to?

The Pharisees.

I need to rewind your mind a little bit, because actually, when you look at Scripture, you look

at where things are.

It's very important.

So John 10 is where he talks about this, and I'm your shepherd.

I'm the door, and I'm all these great things.

But you need to know who he's talking to, because once you find out who he's talking

to, it changes what he's actually saying.

And then we understand what he's actually saying here.

And so John 9, let me just tell you a little bit.

There's a man who was born blind.

And during that time, if you had a physical ailment, people would look at you and go,

not only do you have a physical ailment, you have a spiritual one.

You are a sinner.

We're going to cast you out of society because you're blind.

Can you imagine that?

You were already born blind.

You already don't see anything.

And now society won't even allow you in because they say that you have committed sins,

that you had no pie in some ways.

And so that's the person.

And then, of course, Jesus comes to save him and actually grant him his sight.

It's a fascinating passage because what happens after that is a cat and mouse race

because it's like, who healed you?

Jesus, where is he?

I don't know.

Find him.

Are you following him?

No.

He just helped me with my blindness.

Do you follow him?

No.

But do you?

Why are you so interested?

So this is passive aggressive conversation that's happening that's really interesting.

And so finally, the man sees.

The Pharisees figure out that it is Jesus.

And so they confront him and say, and what's their biggest problem?

Why did you heal this man on the Sabbath?

I'm going to completely ignore the miracle that you just did.

And I'm going to hold on to the fact that you did it on the day that you weren't supposed to.

And Jesus is just like, you're blind.

You don't see.

And it's on that note that he then jumps into John 10.

And so he says this.

And so there's a thief and there's a robber.

Truly, truly, I say to you again, when we're reading the Bible, if someone says truly, truly, you pay attention.

Okay.

Because he's saying, hey, this is really serious.

This is in block capital letters that he's saying this now.

Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs in by another way.

That man is a thief and a robber.

What he's saying is you Pharisees, you false teachers, you are the thieves and you are the robbers.

You've been exercising control over these people for so long.

So many of them are illiterate and you're the ones who are teaching them how to get to God.

And you're telling them the way to get to God is to satisfy you and your rules and your laws.

That's what he's saying.

He's saying, actually, you're not giving these sheep life.

You are stealing from them and you are a robber in their eyes.

And you weren't supposed to be here and you're not supposed to be doing this.

Just think about the political climate in that moment for him to say that.

Jesus does not hold back.

He is gentle and lowly, as Nathan reminded us during pre-service prayer, but he is also fierce when it comes to the truth.

He's also fierce when it comes to love.

There is a thief and there is a robber.

Of course, it's not just the Pharisees and the false teachers.

The main thief and the main robber, of course, is the enemy himself, Satan.

Peter talks about him as a lion who's waiting to prowl.

You're sat here.

Can you imagine the moment you walk out?

There is a lion just following you, just in your shadows, waiting to pounce on you, to distract you, to pull you away from God.

The gospel says he's the father of lies.

He's speaking lies into you.

That's why we hold on to this.

That's why we keep coming here, because we have to go, well, what is the truth?

We need to know the truth, because out there, there are so many lies.

Deep Seek lies to me all the time.

I ask it things and it will tell me some random answers and I'll go to that place and it's not there.

And then I'll say, are you sure?

And then it will say, oh, sorry, I got it wrong.

Like, we don't really know what's true out there anymore.

The father of lies is sowing division and distraction.

He is the thief and he is the robber.

The problem with that, if we follow him, we won't have the life and life to the full.

So that's the second half of that verse 10.

The first half is this.

And we're just going to jump to verse 10 first.

John 10.10.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.

I came that they may have life and life to the full abundantly.

So first we have to acknowledge there is a thief.

He is coming to steal.

He's coming to kill.

And he's coming to destroy.

I think if we can address those things,

then I think we'll stand a better chance at understanding how we have this life abundant

that God has actually designed and designated for us.

But before that, we have to really focus on what does he steal?

What does this thief come and steal?

Have a think.

What does the thief come to steal?

What does the enemy come to steal from society, from us, from humanity?

Thoughts?

Joy.

Absolutely.

It steals the joy.

That's one.

Hmm?

Peace.

You guys are writing my sermon for me.

Thank you, Jackie.

Identity.

Let's start with that one.

The first thing the thief does is to steal your identity.

Because if you don't know who you are and you don't know what you're capable of

and you don't know whose you are, then he's got you.

The identity is the key piece.

Imagine if you walked out of here and you were fully secure in the fact that your father was the father,

your heavenly father was the creator of heaven and earth,

in control of everything, the sovereign God.

How would that change the way you behave?

Your identity.

The problem is we live in a society, actually, we don't quite, society has no answers to tell us who we are, by the way.

All it does is actually show us who we are not and what we do not have.

Okay?

So the first thing it does is actually, the thief does, is come to steal our identity.

When we forget who we are, then actually, we actually also forget who God is.

So actually, he comes to steal our identity and because of that, we also don't know who God is.

Think about the very first mistake that mankind made, Adam and Eve, when they didn't trust in God.

They, at that point, already don't understand the father's heart.

Before the fall, Genesis says, he made man and woman and they were naked and unashamed.

Before the fall, which that means the word shame covers everything that happens after the fall.

And why?

They make the mistake.

And then what do they do?

They hide.

They have this thought already from the very beginning that by making a mistake, they're going to be destroyed by God.

And so they are fearful of him.

So they hide.

Yet God comes and speaks in such an interesting way.

He's not like, I told you not to do that.

He asks questions.

Just read the Genesis account again and you'll see that actually the God that we have is way more gracious, way more compassionate, way more merciful than we give him credit for.

We all want to, you know, I recently had someone who has spent his whole life trying to hear the voice of God.

We are trying to hear the voice of God.

Until there was a moment he realized the reason why he couldn't hear the voice of God was because he thought the voice of God would be so much harsher and so much more strict than he thought.

That actually is the truth.

When we realize that actually God is speaking words of love and affirmation, look at the New Testament.

Every time he opens up the clouds and speaks, what does he say?

This is my beloved with whom I am well pleased.

Who am I?

I am the God.

I am the Lord your God.

I am gracious and compassionate.

I am slow to anger.

I am abounding in steadfast love.

I am quick to forgive.

Measure that up with what God says about himself to what your view of God is.

Often it's a very different, very different perception.

So if we don't know who God is, then we don't really know ourselves.

And that's the problem.

Because when we truly understand that we are actually loved, it changes everything.

When was the last time you thought to yourself, I am beloved?

What does the word beloved even mean?

It just means be loved.

When was the last time we were willing to be loved?

To receive the love of the Father?

Because in him we find our identity.

But the thief comes to steal that identity.

And in doing so, he kills peace, joy.

The word peace is shalom.

That we feel everything is well.

All is well.

And yet we don't feel that.

There's this low-grade hum that's going on.

There's this constant anxiety that we have.

And that's the thief coming to say, hey, actually, you don't know who you are.

You don't know who you belong to.

You're not safe.

But as followers of Christ, what do we have?

We have this peace that surpasses understanding.

This peace that this world cannot give.

This peace that doesn't really make sense.

So we can sit in those places of tension and go, I still know who I am.

I still know what I'm here for.

St. Augustine says this,

You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.

Our hearts are restless until they rest in you.

We don't have this life abundant often because we don't rest in the Lord.

C.S. Lewis talks about this desire that's in us that nothing in the world can satisfy.

And he makes the logical conclusion,

If there is nothing in this world that satisfies this hunger inside us,

that means that we were made for something outside of this world.

And yet we keep going to the things of this world to find that satisfaction.

And then we wonder why it's not there.

He came to give life and life to the full.

Joy he kills.

Joy he kills.

The thief of joy, of course, is comparison.

Right?

And that's what social media, that's what the greatest minds in the world are causing us to do.

We're looking and comparing at what everyone else does.

And Hong Kong is just prime target for that because we're so close together.

Everywhere you walk, you're told what you don't have,

who you don't know,

who you are not.

Can you see how we've fallen into the trap of the thief?

That he's coming to rob us of our peace,

rob us of our joy,

and finally, rob us of our hope.

How many people do you meet who are like,

you know what?

I'm never going to get out of this slump.

No one truly understands what I'm going through.

I don't think I'll ever get out of this slump.

I'm hopeless.

And then you see society,

you see the challenges of mental health,

you see the suicide rates going up,

and you wonder if only people knew who they were.

If only people knew how much they were loved.

If only people had this peace that came from outside of this world.

This joy that comes from knowing your purpose,

your value.

And yet there is a thief.

There is a thief who keeps coming to destroy.

And what does it finally destroy?

Love.

Our relationship with ourselves,

first and foremost.

We don't feel comfortable in ourselves anymore.

We have relationships with others that are fractured.

You see this on a family level.

You see this on a societal level.

And you see this just our relationship with the world.

Genesis 1.26.

What were we supposed to do?

We were supposed to come and create culture that glorifies God.

We were supposed to have dominion over creation.

And yet we have just drained creation's resources.

Our purpose was to show God's glory through creation.

And yet we've decided the only way you can be happy

is if you focus on yourself.

And if we're honest, we've all tried it.

And we've all failed.

Because you realize you cannot actually be truly happy.

You can't, so one of the things the book says,

Everything is Never Enough,

is that you can't achieve happiness by pursuing happiness.

That's not how you do it.

You can't achieve satisfaction by focusing just on yourself.

The only way that you can truly have that human flourishing

is if you focus on something outside of yourself,

something that's bigger than yourself.

When your purpose is beyond yourself.

And what is that?

That is us understanding life is not about us.

This world does not revolve around us.

But if we can figure out how to obtain access to that love,

which is one of sacrifice, one of selfless giving.

You see, the template is here.

We know this.

John 15, it says,

The greatest act of love is what?

The one would lay down his life for his friend.

And yet we keep chasing this idea of love.

The greatest form of love is when I feel completely satisfied

and cosy and fulfilled in everything that I need.

The one thing that does is deprive us of this abundant life

that God is promising us.

So the question really is, what do we do?

We know there's a thief.

He's come to steal, kill and destroy.

But what do we do?

And I don't want to leave us here hopeless,

just focused on the thief,

because that's not Jesus's point either.

He points himself, everyone to himself.

And he says two things.

The one thing I want to say is,

if we're going to have this abundant life,

first of all, we have to acknowledge that we are sheep.

Okay.

We have to acknowledge that.

Because we take control of our own lives,

and then we wonder why we're not going the way we want to go

or why we're lost.

And then we blame God for us not having the abundant life

that he promised us.

But he says you have the abundant life

if you recognize that actually you are sheep.

Give me some characteristics and traits of sheep.

Aidan, what's the first thing you think of

when you think about sheep?

Obedient.

Trusting.

Well, they just don't know any better.

This is what we should be doing.

Obedient.

What else is there about sheep, Danny?

Brainless.

Stupid.

Actually, I've been banned by my daughters

to use that word at home.

So I use the Chinese version,

seethal, but...

And the complete...

Sheep is stupid.

Psalm 23, it says,

you know, the shepherd leads them,

but then he has to guide them with his rod and staff.

Why?

Because they get caught in bushes

because they walk close to the cliff

and then they walk off the cliff.

But here's the interesting thing about sheep

is they are helpless,

but they are actually also very valuable.

Otherwise, why would the shepherd who has 99

still go after the one?

Because in those days,

I don't think any of us are experts of sheep here.

Paul, you're from...

Are you an expert of sheep in any way from Australia?

You've seen sheep?

I've seen it.

You've seen it.

Okay, no, actually.

Sorry, I poked fun at Paul.

Just for context here,

I always poked fun at Paul.

But the other is,

he's actually a chocolatier.

He comes from a family of chocolatiers,

so quite the opposite, I guess.

But anyway, ask him about chocolate,

but not about sheep.

Sheep are actually very valuable.

From the wool to the skin to the meat.

So whilst sheep are helpless

and stupid and brainless,

they actually also were very valuable

to the people of the day.

Jesus is, again,

using these analogies

to show us there is something about us.

And actually,

I also too,

and I do still sometimes believe

that sheep aren't the smartest creatures,

but they do have some capacities

that actually surprise me.

That actually sheep were able to recognize

the sound of their shepherd.

If the shepherd sang a song,

the sheep within...

Now, often,

different flocks of sheep

would all be together,

but if one shepherd sang a song,

his sheep would actually respond

and actually come out.

Did you know that sheep

could actually recognize

the face of 50 other sheep?

Just, like,

I can barely tell the difference

between Chinese people.

But then,

the sheep can actually tell.

Hey, Tommy.

Hey, Clive.

What's up?

How's it going?

Good day today.

Oh, that's our song.

Let's go.

Sheep have emotional intelligence.

When they lose one of their flock,

they would actually go into a time of grieving.

They were trusting.

They were obedient.

So, last week,

I was trying to convince you

that you are lost,

that actually you need saving,

because I think some of us sit here

thinking that we're sat here

entering into the kingdom of God

by our own merit,

because we went to a good school,

because we're doing well,

we're impacting society,

and that's what's going to make...

And we're going to church.

But I'm trying to convince you,

no, no, no, no.

The only requirement for us to be saved

is that we recognize

that we need to be saved.

The only requirement for us to see

is that we acknowledge

that we are blind.

So, today, I'm going to convince you,

if you want the abundant life,

you have to be a sheep.

You have to submit and trust

the shepherd.

That's the only way.

And you know that makes sense,

because you've tried getting satisfaction

in your own ways.

And you've tried taking the wheel,

and it's not worked.

And so, you know that, actually,

the key to this

is knowing that there is a shepherd,

and that you must follow.

If the Lord is your shepherd,

you shall lack nothing.

You shall not want.

He will lead you to the green pastures,

and he will lead you to the still waters.

So, number one,

you must be a sheep

in order to have this abundant life.

Number two,

is you also must acknowledge

that he is the shepherd.

He talks, actually,

what Jesus does here

in these 11 verses

is lay down

this leadership pastoral template

of what shepherds should be.

He says, actually,

the shepherd,

the sheep hear his voice,

and he calls his own sheep

by name and leads them.

I wish, I hope, I pray

that I get to know

more and more names each week,

that I can call you by name

and cause you to be nervous

and have to answer

amongst the flock here,

because I think

that's the only way to lead.

I think that's the only way

to shepherd

if you know the sheep by name.

Of course, if you're here

as a visitor,

I'd love to know your name

so I can ask you a question

next week.

But Jesus says,

I know my sheep

and my sheep know me.

If we're going to have

this abundant life,

we must at least recognize

the shepherd's voice.

We must recognize his song.

But the problem is

we don't recognize his song.

It says here,

it's interesting in verse five,

it says,

a stranger they will not follow,

but they will flee from him.

So if a shepherd comes in,

a thief or a robber

comes into the fold

and he calls out the sheep,

hey, Tommy,

can you come and follow me?

They won't,

Tommy won't follow him

because Tommy doesn't

recognize his voice.

That's what sheep do,

but sometimes I think

we're even worse than sheep.

We actually do follow

the voices of strangers.

We look at society,

we see what other people are doing,

we barely know

these other people,

yet because they're doing it,

we do it too.

Someone in our company

who we know

doesn't follow Christ

says something,

he says,

oh, I should do that too.

Isn't that even more stupid

than sheep?

We do,

that's the problem,

we do follow

the voice of strangers.

And so if we're to have

that abundant life,

we must at least repent of that

and going back

to actually knowing

the voice of our shepherd.

And how do you do that?

It's just time.

How can you tell the difference

between my brother and I

and our voices?

Because many of you say

that we look the same

and sound the same,

which is an incredible insult to me.

But how do you recognize

the difference between us?

There's only one person

in this room that does,

and that is this lady

right here.

Why?

Because she spent time with us.

Because she knows us.

She knows one of us

is so much more intelligent

than the other.

And she wishes

that she would have

just stopped me.

But unfortunately,

that would have been

too much for the Tang Clan.

The glory would have been

too enormous.

So we had to balance it out

with some stupidity.

The only way you will

recognize the difference,

it's okay,

for those of us

who know Joe and I

a little bit more,

you will slowly grow

in clarity

and in the light

and you will see

that we look

completely different.

Now he might poke fun

at my hairstyle,

but he just doesn't recognize

I'm just a few years

ahead of him.

But you will see

a difference.

You will see

that actually we talk

and act and live

and those of us

who know us very well

all know that we're

completely different.

The shepherd knows

the sheep,

knows who to call

and he leads them.

And so we must trust.

I think sometimes

we don't have

this abundant life

is we don't trust

that that's where

he's leading us.

Psalm 23,

when it says

the Lord is your shepherd,

he will lead you

to the green pastures

and to the still waters

and we're like,

are you sure?

Is where you're leading me

actually better

than where all those

other sheep are going?

But it starts

with us recognizing

that he,

and he says this

and he kind of

answers his own credentials.

He says,

I am the good shepherd.

I am the one who knows.

Remember again,

he's talking to the Pharisees here.

He's like,

actually you guys

are leading people

but you're stealing them away.

You're stealing their identity.

You're stealing their peace,

their joy,

their hope.

But me,

as the good shepherd,

I'm willing to lay

my life down for you.

So that's why we love

this idea

when Jesus says,

I am the good shepherd.

I am for your good.

I am here to care for you.

But there's one final thing

that I wanted to point out here

before we go into a time

of response and communion

is this.

He doesn't just say

that I am the good shepherd.

He says something else.

He actually says,

he describes himself

in another way.

What is it?

It's kind of snuck

into the passage there.

The door.

He is the door,

which doesn't sound

as glamorous

as the shepherd.

It's just the door.

But I think this is important

because if we just kept

to the shepherd,

the Pharisees would have been like,

okay,

well,

that's how you lead.

Okay,

well,

it becomes human-centered.

It becomes actually,

all we have to do

is find a good shepherd

for us to lead.

And he will lead us

and he will know us by name

and he will know

the troubles that we have

or know the struggles

I have at work

and with my family

and all these things.

And as long as I have

a good shepherd,

as long as I have

a good shepherd

that I know cares

for me,

that's going to be

enough for me.

But if he just stopped there,

that wouldn't be enough.

That would actually lose

the point,

which is actually

all of this needs

to center on Christ.

It would lose that edge

because he needs

to say this.

And actually,

it's interesting

in verse six,

this figure of speech

Jesus used with them,

they did not understand

what he was saying to them.

So Jesus is trying

to teach them.

He's saying,

look,

you guys don't actually

know your sheep.

You don't care

for your sheep

like I do.

You won't lay down

your sheep,

lay down your life

for your sheep

like I will.

And then they still

don't understand

because they still think

it's going to be about

them being better

and better.

But then when he changes,

he's like,

I forget,

scrap that,

I am the door.

Which on the surface

sounds even more confusing

until you realize

why Jesus really came.

The only way

that we can have life

to the full

is if we go

through him.

John 14,

he says later

that I am the way,

the truth,

and the life.

What does that mean?

That means I am the only

real and living way.

If you think about

the doors

in the Bible,

what's the very first door

that we see in the Bible?

Any ideas?

The very first door,

we're blocked out.

Josh,

have you got an idea?

No, no, no.

Before that,

all day before that,

Eden,

the Garden of Eden.

They make the mistake.

They say,

can God really be trusted?

I don't think

I'm going to trust him.

I don't think

I'm going to obey him.

I'm going to eat that apple.

And there,

mankind is blocked out

of the garden

via a door.

Of course,

this door is quite threatening.

It's two swinging swords

ready to chop us in half.

The first time

there was a separation

between humanity

and God.

And from that point,

you cannot get

so close to this holy God.

Because just being

in his presence,

as it says in Exodus,

you would die.

You can't even look

at his face.

So the only way

is if very,

very select people

once a year

would go into this door,

go through this curtain

into the holy of holies.

Because we,

through our consequence,

through the decisions

that we made,

we've been separated.

We are on the outside

of the door.

Until Jesus comes

and says,

I am the door.

through what I'm going

to do on the cross,

I will tear

that veil

wide open

so that now

you can have access

to the Father

through me.

You don't have

abundant life

because you've gone

through the wrong

door.

There are so many doors

in Hong Kong.

There are so many doors

we can get distracted with.

Our work is the biggest door.

Our studies,

our exams,

which are good things,

but there are so many doors.

So Jesus comes out

with this analogy

and says,

actually,

there is only really

one door.

If you go through that door,

you will drink

and you will never be thirsty again.

Just like he spoke

to the woman

by the well in John 4.

But every other door

you go through,

the drinks that you're

going to have there,

you will end up

more thirsty.

And we all know

the feeling of drinking

some of those things

and how good it is

in that moment.

But then we end up

thirsty again so quickly.

And it's interesting.

And the enemy's

greatest success

is he'll tease you

to have a little bit

of this

and you'll have it.

And then actually

the worst thing he can do

is give it to you.

And once you get it,

you want more.

And then you want more

and more.

And then you want more

and more and more.

Jesus says,

go through me.

I am the only door.

I am the only

real and living way.

Think about Exodus again.

Think about the Passover.

Actually,

it was the first song

that we sang.

That it was the door

that was protecting us.

Can I just,

this is where I'll finish.

Can we take us back

to that moment

in Exodus

where every family

starts to receive news

that, hey,

the firstborn

is going to pass away

unless you go behind

this door.

Actually,

sacrifice a lamb,

use some of the blood

and cover

the door

with the blood.

If you ever thought,

why didn't God

just punish the people

just without the door?

He could have just said,

hey,

all the firstborns,

Thanos time.

But he didn't.

He gave people a chance.

He gave people,

hey,

actually,

if you trust me,

you have to walk

through this door.

And of course,

imagine you,

one of the people

or your families

being one of the families

that say,

hey,

get in.

We need to hide

behind this door.

We need to cover this door

with the blood

of this lamb.

And imagine just sitting there,

not knowing

why you were doing it.

Not knowing

why all this happened.

And so you just sat

in silence,

waiting.

Because you know

something's happened

and you've seen

enough plagues to go,

something,

this God is for real,

something is happening,

let's just wait.

And then you start hearing

the screams

in the rest of the village.

You start hearing

the other houses

that didn't do

the same thing

that you guys did,

that didn't cover

their doors

with the blood

of the lamb.

And you start hearing

screaming.

And what will you

just be saying?

Thank goodness

for the door.

Thank goodness

for what we did.

See,

the reason why

I think God

gives us a chance

that he actually

tells us to go

behind the door

and not just

do this

is because it

requires us

to actually step

through.

It requires us

to put our trust

in him.

And not just

in what we do

by stepping through,

but by the blood

of the lamb.

And then suddenly

Jesus says,

I am the door.

in Genesis,

you see the first

door that bans

mankind from the

presence of God.

And then at the

very end in

Revelation,

you see Jesus

again saying,

behold,

I stand at the

door and knock.

You have been

lukewarm.

I want to spit

you out of my

mouth.

You're neither

hot nor cold.

But I still

stand at the

door.

Would you

just open up?

Would you

open up?

Would you

be with me?

And if you

are with me,

then you will

have life and

life to the

full.

Don't listen to

the voice of

the thief or

the robber

anymore.

Don't go.

Don't keep

going through

the wrong

doors.

There is only

one.

There is only

one.

And that is

me.

And if you

come in,

if you open

that door,

I will come

in and I

will sit

and eat

with you.

that by

restoring the

relationship,

that by

reconciling

man to

his creator.

The thief

comes to

steal,

kill,

and destroy,

but I

came to

give life

and life

to the

full.

Would we

remind

ourselves

that we

are truly

sheep in

the best

way?

That if we

trust him,

he will lead

us to the

green pastures,

he will lead

us to the

still waters,

we would

have the

peace that

surpasses

understanding

this world

cannot give.

We will have

the joy.

Why?

Because we

are simply

in his

presence,

because we

are with

our shepherd,

our good

shepherd who

knows our

name.

And how do

we get to

him?

There is

only one

door.

He is both

the shepherd

and the

door.

He leads

us to the

door and

then we

realize he

is the

door.

And in

his final

prayer before

he goes,

sat under

an olive

tree,

likely,

maybe,

he says

this,

I pray

that they

would have

eternal

life,

which is

what?

To know

you.

John 17

3.

That's it.

Last week

I said there

are some

of us who

are guilty

of following

Christ or

coming to

church because

we see him

as a post

life insurance

policy.

I'm just

going to give

up 90

minutes of

my time

per week

to ensure

that I

have

eternity

with him

until we

realize that

actually we

can have

access to

that now.

That eternal

life begins

now because

it's a

relationship

with him,

the good

shepherd that

calls our

name and

grants us

access.

I was

just asking

the Lord,

is there

anything I

missed?

Is there

anything that

you want to

say to

your people?

And I was

just reminded

of you later

in this

passage.

In chapter

10 he

says this,

I'm the

good shepherd

and I know

my own

and my own

know me

just as the

father knows

me and I

know the

father and I

lay down

my life

for the

sheep and

I have

other sheep

that are

not of

this fold.

I must

bring them

also and

they will

listen to

my voice.

So there

will be one

flock and

one shepherd.

For this

reason the

father loves

me because

I lay down

my life that

I may take

it up again.

No one

takes it

from me but

I lay it

down of my

own accord.

He came

to be the

good shepherd

and there

are sheep

out there

that actually

would know

his voice if

they heard

his voice but

they haven't

had a chance

yet because

they are not

in this

fold.

Do you

realize that

that's speaking

about us?

He was in

a Jewish

context there

where those

were like

we're the

chosen people

but he

says there

are sheep

that are

not of

the fold

just yet

and so

that's why

I came

to seek

and save

the lost

and they

will recognize

my voice

and so that's

why I must

go.

That's why

I must lay

down my

life.

Hey do you

think that

I don't have

control of

my own

life is

what he's

saying?

Do you

think they

could really

take my

life if I

didn't want

them to?

No I

came to

give my

life so

that those

sheep on

the outside

would come

in.

That's the

beauty, that's

the sacrifice

of Jesus.

So I would

be remiss if

I didn't

remind us

here that

we made

it in

but there

are still

sheep

outside

not of

this fault.

We don't

get to hear

the truth

and the

good news

of Jesus

who actually

if they had

a chance

to hear

his voice

to hear

the news

they would

recognize it

and I say

that for one

reason and one

reason only.

Who do you

need to go share

this with?

Who in your

life right

now would

actually recognize

his voice if they

heard it?

Who don't know

it just yet?

Let us

follow in the

way of our

shepherd

that we

would not

just settle

here and

that person

that name

that face

that has

just come

to mind

for you

right now

go to

them and

share the

love of

Jesus with

them.

Later he

says that

actually everyone

that is in

my hand

cannot be

snatched

away.

He is that

strong.

So you

can go in

full confidence

knowing that

Alex is not

you that does

it, it's

him that does

it.

Would you

go?

Would we

go?

Brothers and

sisters, may

the Lord be

with you as

you go from

here, as we

gather and as

we scatter.

Will the Spirit

of the Lord be

with you.

See you next

week.