Guided By The Shepherd | Pr Gloria Paul

You're listening to a message to go from acts church. We hope this message

will light up your day. The word that we're going to go into today

is taken from the Book of John. Yeah, and we're going to just

even learn about how we are guided by the shepherds. Right, and so

anyone remember what is the I am that I actually shed in the previous summon.

Anyone can recall, Wow, well done, you'll get your price later.

Okay, you answer question, you get something, all right? So

I am the living water. Right, So we went through that scripture about

only He sustains us, only he keeps us going, right, and how

water is just so part of our lives because it just quenches our tears,

and that is how we relate it to the living water, which is Jesus

himself. Yeah, so we're going to go through another I am the morning,

which is I am the door, okay, or some versions will say

I am the gate. Yeah. Can anyone of you imagine staying in a

house without a door? Okay? Well, yes, we have some some

housing areas where it's not gated, right, all these fancy places, but

not even a door, Right, How are we going to actually sleep at

night, you know, having a good sound sleep, or knowing that yes,

we are locked in, we're secured right the door. Okay. And

that's a lot that we can actually learn from this passage. And I hope

that as we go through today's word, God will minister to you, yeah,

about how we are regarded as the sheep of all animals. He chose

the sheep to relate it to humans, yeah, and how He is our

shepherd, right, and this relationship. How can we keep growing this relationship

with God? Amen? So if you have your bibles, okay, could

you just turn with me to the book called John chapter ten. Okay.

We always like to encourage even at homes we do that, you know,

to bring our bibles. Yeah, because we don't want to be a generation

that one day we don't have bibles. Okay, like what is the Bible?

Yeah, So let's not let that happen. It's all in our hands

because we pass on to the next generation. Yeah, So don't forget your

Bibles. Yeah, or if it's your digital bibles as well, just use

that right. And so we're going to read here from the Book of John

chapter ten, okay, and to give you a bit of a context Okay,

this was the time that Jesus was still on earth, right, he

was going around ministering to people. He was bringing the gospel, sharing,

praying for healing. Yeah. And so when we read this chapter, chapter

ten, you'll see that he shares about how is he called the true Shepherd,

Yeah, and how he would actually go for that one law ship and

make sure that no one is missed out right. And before this particular chapter

there was a miracle that he performed. Can anyone tell me what's the miracle

you can find in your bibles? What happens right before chapter ten? He

heals a blind person, right, heals a blind person. So he actually

goes and ask this guy do you believe in God? And then this guy

would say, who's this God? I want to believe, right, And

then he says, you're actually speaking to him, and then he says,

yes, I want to believe this person who he is. And then he

receives his healing. Right. And so it's very important that we read the

Bible. We don't just read the passage as it is, but read what

happens before that after that. Yeah, there's the reason why the scripture has

a certain order. Yeah. And so Jesus was trying to make a point

in this particular passage. He first heals a blind man, and then he

shows us the meaning of how can we actually be free from all blindness?

Okay, not just the physical, but even the spiritual. Sometimes you can

walk in a direction we think that we're going fine, we're going right,

But are we seeing what God wants us to see? Because we have free

will? Right? God has given us free will, and so sometimes you

may be making decisions or going in directions that we think that's right. But

the question is are we following the shepherd right? And so we're going to

read that and understand what the scripture tells us. Okay, so now let's

just read from chapter ten, verse seven. Okay, I'm reading from the

NKJV version. Yeah, So it says here, then Jesus said to them

again. So when he says again, meaning he mentioned it earlier, right,

so he's repeating it most assuredly. I say to you, I am

the door of the sheep. All whoever came before me are thieves and robbers,

But the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If

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

and find pasture. Verse ten. The thief does not come except to steal

and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have

life, and they may have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd.

The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. But the hurling,

he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep,

sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, And the wolf catches

the sheep and scatters them. The hurling flees because he is a herling and

does not care about the sheep. Was fourteen. I am the good shepherd,

and I know my sheep. I am known by my own The father

knows me. Excuse me, right, let's just continue, Okay, So

it says here in Versilla in fourteen, I am the good shepherd, and

I know my sheep. I am 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 the other sheep I have which are not of this

fall them also I must bring and they will hear my voice, and they

will be one flock and one shepherd a man a man God bless the reading

of this word. Right. So a lot of things that we can actually

take in from this passage here. He first explains that he is the all

he's the only door, right, and then he compass it with a hurling.

What's the meaning of heading someone who is just maybe a replacement? Okay,

you don't have a shepherd, and you just put this guy there to

care for the sheep. But well, this guy is not a shepherd,

so he doesn't know his sheep. He doesn't know what are the names of

the sheeps, right, The sheeps may not even recognize his voice. So

he's just there just guarding the door. And if a wolf comes, because

it's not his sheep, right, he wouldn't care. He would just run

away. And then the wolf eats the sheep. Said, story there,

right, But if it's the good shepherd, he knows the sheep and he

guards them, right. And so then he goes on talking about how this

happens because he laid down his life for his sheep, and that's how precious

we are to our good shepherd man. So now why the sheep? Okay,

In fact, if you've read the scriptures, you will see that the

wood sheep. It has been mentioned over three hundred times. Okay, and

so there's something about the characteristics of a sheep that we can relate to us

as humans. Yeah, so let me just mention a couple of it and

see if you can relate to any of it. Okay. Sometimes these sheeps

are defendless animals okay, Sometimes not sure what to do, okay, or

they prone to go astray okay. So they might be focused at some point,

but when they are just either so caught up with the beautiful green grass,

they can get lost very quickly and they go left and right and get

lost and you know, not with the flock. Okay. So that's one

of the capabilities of the sheeps. They have poor eyesight, so very narrow

Yeah. So they only look at the straight road and they go okay.

And sometimes they actually follow other sheeps without thinking. Okay, so just because

my friends are going this direction. The shepherd may not be there, but

they just follow. Yeah. Sometimes they can be found stubborn, yeah,

and they are found to get stuck to their bags and die. Some sheeps

are found to be in that state and you actually need a shepherd to pull

them back, and then they can start walking, right, that's the character.

There's few characteristics of sheep, and I can't help to think about sometimes,

as humans, we are in such a way. Right, we can

be focused on something, yet when things happen, or when the other side

looks to be it seems to be better, I move that direction, okay,

or like the how they say the other side looks like it's greener right

on the other side, And so I just want to follow the crowd,

to follow what the social media says, to follow what the voices says,

right humans, Okay, and I think because we leave in a fallen world,

we face such destructions. Okay, and I think we leave in a

time and age where we we have more distractions than ever before, right than

ever before. If you just remove your phones away from our lives, you

can see how things change. We suddenly have more hours in our hands.

Did you feel that, Okay, we suddenly have more things to do,

or we feel you know, wow, I'm so free. Okay. So

we leave in a time and age where there's just one thing after another distractions.

Yeah, and so the Bible uses this example of a sheep to relate

to us as humans. Okay, Now, when we read the Book of

Luke. Okay, remember I mentioned the word sheep and shepherds being repeated.

You know, there was this scripture where, you know, when Jesus was

having this conversation with the Pharisees. You know, and we know that Jesus

was a very radical you had a very radical way of doing ministry, right,

and you'll notice that in this passage that we read. You know in

this same chapter that there will be a time when they'll start stoning Jesus.

Why because he would say things like I am the son of God. Right,

he will go and reach out to a text collector where people at that

time felt that they were sinners, okay, reach out to prostitutes, because

he knows that God loves everyone. Right. But there were groups of people,

okay, all the teachers in that time, they felt, oh,

it's not clean enough to do this, or these people are not worthy enough

to be reached out too. But Jesus was not like that, Right.

He was radical because he knew his very purpose why was he placed on earth,

and he knew that he had that time to complete before he went back

to his God, to his father. Yeah, so he was a radical

person. When we talk about ministry, and so in this and when me

read the book of Luke, chapter fifteen, okay, verse one, you

will notice that he uses the example of how you know when a shepherd loses

even one sheep, he actually goes after that one sheep? Right, Let

me just bring you that passage, okay, Luke fifteen was one. It

says, then all the text collectors and the sinners drew near to him to

hear him. And the pharisees and scribes complain saying, this man receives sinners

and eats with them. So they were all puzzled, how could he actually

do this? So he spoke this parable to them, saying, what man

of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them,

does not leave the ninety nine in the wilderness and go after the one which

is lost until he founds it. And when he has found it, he

lays it on his shoulder, rejoicing. And when he comes home he calls

together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, rejoice with me, for

I have found my sheep which was lost. I say to you, likewise,

there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over

ninety nine just persons who need no repentance. And that's the very reason how

he uses the meaning of a sheep where he would go for that one lost

sheep in the midst of the hundreds. So if you can just imagine in

the context of a shepherd, I mean sheep, everyone looks the same,

you know, but yet a shepherd knows each one of them. He knows

when one goes missing. Right, And this is amazing how God, our

God, is our above father. Right, he will go to that one

lost sheep, even though even though he might think he might know that this

guy is actually straight itself in his way himself, okay, that he chose

that direction, he chose not to believe in God, right, or he

chose to focus on other things that see to be the priority. But yet

God still goes back to that one sheep, right, that one sheep.

And when we talk about sheeps, yeah, you know, sometimes how do

we get to that place of missing out God's voice? Right? Sometimes it

could be when we are in a place of destruction like I mentioned, right,

or sometimes being discouraged. Right, But most of the time someone goes

missing when we are not part of a flock Okay, that's when the sheep

actually goes one corner, gets lost and then you know, goes missing.

But whenever the sheep is part of a flock, that is when that sense

of community is there, the sense of security is there, right, and

that is what the enemy wants of us. You know. If we can

isolate our minds, if you think about the last time you're feeling lost or

discourage, we can get very easily into that whole tunnel of I'm all by

myself, I can't do this, right. We get down and down,

you know, and the moment the enemy can trap our thoughts in such a

way, he is one, right, he makes us feel like there's no

God who loves you. You can't do this, there's no hope, right.

Isolation, that's the problem. Yeah, And that's why during the pandemic

many phase that because we don't have interaction with people. We couldn't talk freely,

we couldn't see each other, right, isolation. And the same thing

is with our minds. You know, as a church, we're all part

of a church, and so we have a sense of community. We see

each other on surveys, on home sprayer, survice, we do live together,

but the moment we get sidetracked, right, the moment we lose that

sense of community, that friendship. Is so easy for us to get so

caught up to the lives of the enemy. Right, it's so easy for

us to just with one issue, one problem that comes our life. It

just pulls us down so easily. Yeah, so it's just being out of

sync. Yeah, we are further away from the voice of God. Okay.

So the more alone we get with lies, the more confused we become.

That's what the enemy most of the time wants is if you can isolate

us, it can intimidate us, confuse us, and even deceive us.

Right. But when we read James chapter four, verse eight, what does

it say, draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.

That is what the Word of God tells us, that we are called

to draw near to him. Right, cleanse your hands, u sin us,

and purify your hearts. You double minded, that's what the word says.

Okay. And so sometimes you know, we can get caught up to

be a lost sheep when we tend to focus too much on my desires,

right, my dreams, which is fine, you have your own dreams,

but it's got part of it. It's got part of my thoughts, it's

got part of my decisions, right, or sometimes we tend to have my

strategies of fixing things in the way I want it to be. And when

we get trapped in that, we lose sight of he. Where's the Shepherd?

Then? Because you know, it's so easy to get suggestions these days,

it's so easy to get ideas. You just want an answer, Go

go to mister Google, go to someone. Right, But as believers,

I think we have to be able to remember and recognize that we have that

close access with our Shepherd. But are we exercising that enough? Right?

If I could ask you today, when was the last time you actually heard

the voice of God? Don't have to answer, It's a reflection for ourselves,

okay. And have you been actually seeking for his leading in a decision

that you had to make a guidance that you needed, right? Because that's

what the Shepherd is always looking out for us, right, It's always there,

no matter whether we are there or not, he is there, right,

It's always coming and looking for us. So have we been looking unto

the Shepherd? Right? Have we been looking unto him for his leading in

whatever seasons you're in, be it in your studies, be it in you

know, your relationships. Things don't go always smooth sailing, right. There

are times where you need to make decisions, where there are times you need

to find answers to challenges. What do you do in those times? Right?

What do you do in those times? So when we speak about the

shepherd, okay, some in some of your versions, it would say the

gate, right. And you know, when we speak about a shepherd in

the context, okay, it means that when you have a shepherd who is

guarding the sheeps, all right, and you know, these sheeps actually recognize

the voice of God, right, they recognize their the voice of their shepherd.

And most of the time when the sheeps are you know, when when

they are just further way or they're losing track, the shepherd does not use

harsh ways to pull them back. But if you if you really look at

you know, watch videos between the shepherds and the sheep, you'll see that

they'll actually use tenderness, okay, they'll actually use a very nurturing method okay.

And most of the time he has a name for each sheep, you

know that. Okay, we do not just label them. Okay, But

he knows just I don't know how, but hundreds of sheeps, but he

knows the name of each sheep. So if you're seated here today and you're

wondering who am I in the eyes of God, your name is remembered by

him. Yeah, he knows you by name. He knows what's in your

heart. Okay, he knows what's in your thoughts right now as well,

where you're thinking about lunch or what are you're thinking about? How can I

get through this week? He knows it, right, he knows what's in

your mind. Yeah. And I believe when you look at this right,

it's a very beautiful illustration of our relationship with our father. Can we recognize

the voice of God if he's going to call right, it's going to call

you today, Lenser. Can you actually tell, oh, this is my

above father calling my name, right, Yolanda? Can I actually know that,

Yes, my father is calling my name? Okay? Can we know

the difference, because you know there's another kind of voice, right? What

voice is that? Sometimes? Our what the flash? Yes, the flesh?

Right, the deceiving? So how do we differentiate this too? Can

you tell the difference as we journey with God, I think we have to

come to a point of time where well, if you're new in your faith,

don't understand. You're taking time to learn the word, to grow.

But there has to be a certain point where you're saying, yes, I

know the voice of God and that can only be developed through a relationship.

No other shortcuts. There are no other ways. And don't just rely on

your homes leader or your pastor to hear for you. Okay. Sometimes I

know sometimes we get oh I want to hear a prophecy, so I just

go to this person to pray. Well, people do pray. Yes,

we're here to support each other. But at the end of the day,

it's between me and God, right, you and God? So how is

that relationship with him? How do we hear the voice of God? Anyone

tell me? Really? Word? Yes? Traits word? What else?

When you spend time with him? Any other ways You've heard God's voice?

Sorry, mingle, linger, linger around so you worship him? You linger?

Yeah? Brokenness okay, brokenness yes, because in that brokenness you have

felt God's love. Right He meeting you where you are your quiet time,

yes, during your quiet time? Okay, these are all the ways that

we can hear the voice of God. And it doesn't have to be always

in an audible sound, right, some have the gift of hearing that.

But it just can be the peace of God. Right when you feel the

peace of God, you know, for you know, I can I can

be a very chaotic situation. But yet it's just the calmness. Okay,

those many of you are nodding because you feel that peace, peace that surpasses

all understanding through the Holy Spirit. Remember, the Holy Spirit is given as

our helper, right, So the Holy Spirit maybe just prompting in your heart

telling you to do something your decisions. Yeah, and sometimes it doesn't have

to be a very big push, Okay, is just a testimony. I

I had to share about what happened yesterday. So I had attend a training,

okay, and in the morning, and then at night I had to

attend a family event. Yeah. And so that was all the way here

in Charas. And of course, now you know I've moved quite far neighbors

with uh yeah, desire, right. And so this friend of mine,

she was actually staying, she was putting a night in one world, right,

And so I was trying to take a ride and then to follow another

friend who stays very near here to go to my aunt's place. And so

I was just trying to think of the logistics and it's going to be a

very long day training and all that, and something just I just felt in

my heart, Okay, let me contact this friend. Okay. So a

clique of mine and she recently lost the debt. Okay, and this is

another friend, and so we've been connecting, we've been talking, and so

I didn't think about that part because I know she's been going through some things

and and a mom just was in the hospital. She came out, and

so she said, okay, sure, you'll just be here in this time

at the lobby and I'll meet you. And so when I got into the

car, she just broke down. Yeah, this friend of mine just broke

down and she said, Glow, I think your God sent, because I

didn't know how I'm going to take myself to this training with all this happening,

you know. So she just came back from the hospital, the mom

and the whole grief that she's going through, and I was just seated there

thinking I didn't need to make a big decision, you know. It was

just a prompting in my heart, and I felt, Okay, it seems

to be right, because it's just you know, logistic looks good, and

I've been thinking about this friend, right, And it was such a ministry

moment. We drove about thirty minutes all the way to Sunway and it was

just her sharing her heart or just listening to her. And when we reached

at our location, she felt so much more relieved, write so much more

relief. And that's what I mean by the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

Okay, and one of you mentioned in your brokenness. When she shared her

story, I could relate because I walked through that journey of losing someone right,

the grief, and when someone shares the story, we can never truly

understand a person because everyone has their own fair share of story and experience,

but you can somewhat relate. And when I prayed for her, and she's

from one of our cousins, Yeah, when I prayed for her, I

could just send Scott's peace and I just told her, you know, God

loves you, right. We could be of different faith, but yet you

are special in God's eyes. And I felt all those words were just coming

because the Holy Spirit was leading, right, And you know that's how God

works. It doesn't have to work in great ways where you're preaching in front

of people, but it's in those one to one moments, taking a ride

with someone who would know, right, that is an opportunity for you to

share with your classmates. You might be sitting by your classmate in the class

and this guy will be looking so down and you just, hey, how

are you doing? Give a smile? Right. Some don't even get those

kind of responses in life. We live in a broken world, okay,

and I think we've got to be that mouthpiece because you know what, we

know that there's hope, right, we know who's the true shepherd. There's

so many types of shepherds around us if you think about it, Okay,

it's so many great teachers, so many great influences around, but one true

shepherd. The Word of God tells us that the only way is true Him

alone. And are we just keeping that good news to ourselves or are we

bringing that out? Are we bringing that out? Right? So, the

Holy Spirit, sometimes you may hear the God, you may hear God's voice,

true godly counsel, right, And that's why we believe in discipleship.

In church, we do life together. You know, sometimes we may miss

a point, right, and you just want someone to speak into your life.

It could just be you, like some of you mentioned, worshiping him

and listening to his voice, right, setting aside that time. I think

the key thing is to set a side time. You know, let's not

just get so busy and caught up, because you know what, work never

ends. I'm sure you know that homework never ends, assignments never ends.

Right, life keeps going and going, but it's in our hands on how

we manage our time. We all have the same amount of hours in a

day, but what are we doing with that can be just set aside sometime

your best, you're best portion for him and allow him to work in you.

Right. I believe it was just prophetic when Josiah was talking about the

quiet time, which I felt it as well, that God is just ministering

to different ones today. Yeah, about setting that quiet time with him because

nothing else metus if we don't have that quiet time with him, right,

we can be a Christian, we can carry the Bible, we can tell

yes, I love Jesus, But if you're not communicating with him, It's

always back to basics, right, It's always back to basics. Can preach

great messages. I've prepared so many sermons over the years, but you know

what, it always goes back to your relationship, to your quiet time because

nothing else mettus and allow that quiet time to grow. How do you allow

it to grow? Not just in terms of the time and the capacity,

but how deep you go with him? Right? How deep more of fame

beside the song earlier? Are we having that more of fame in our lives?

You know? Or is it just a passage and we close? Well

it's fine, I'm not judging. But what I'm saying is are we allowing

that time for the passage to speak to us the Holy Spirit? Not just

ministering? Lingering? There's something about lingering, right when you enjoy a good

company. You don't rush out of that coffee, right, but you just

spend time, You talk, you connect until it's late and the cafe is

closing, and then you walk out. Right, you linger, And that's

how our relationship should be with God. There's no rush, there's no like

that's it. I get to the next thing. But it's ongoing. Sometimes

when you're driving right, and you're going for your walk, so you run.

You're meditating, meditating on him day and night. Right, it's a

song, right, day and night. Yeah, you keep meditating on him.

Don't stop, right, don't stop. That is how you recognize the

voice of God. So I hope we can be challenged this morning to ask

ourselves. I'll be clear enough about the voice of God. Okay, do

I have that relationship? So when you share to someone who may not know

Christ, you can say that, Hey, if I need direction, if

I need counsel, I can just go to my father and he knows what

to tell me. Man. I'm going to read a couple of scriptures here

and just wanted to read this because I feel that it's going to speak to

someone. Yeah, and let's just see which connects with you, right.

And I think this is just an excise to help you feel the Holy Spirit.

Remember we spoke about the Word of God ministering to us, right,

and so this scriptures here are taken from Aiah, Okay, and it's the

I am. In fact, we know that the New Testament is written from

the Old Testament. It's a prophecy, right, and so it's already mentioned

in the Old Testament. So the first one that we have here Isaiah for

the three ten. Okay, it says you are my witness, says the

Lord and my servant, whom I have chosen, that you may know and

believe me and understand that I am he. Before me, there was no

God formed, nor shall be after me. If you're wondering what's your purpose

today, God is telling that you are His witness. And that's a very

powerful purpose if you forget that, right, it's a very powerful purpose.

We can hold great titles, we can hold great jobs, great place,

but the main thing, or the main calling, is to be His witness.

Let's never forget that. Yeah, his witness. And it says,

yeah, I am he. We don't even need an explanation to that.

I am he. Right. Imagine someone asks who are you? I am

here? That's great, right, meaning I'm just everything? What more do

we need? Right? That is our father? I am here a man.

Let's look at the next scripture. Indeed before the day was I am

he. And there is no one who can deliver out of my hand I

work and who wild reverse it? Do you know that our lives have been

planned out? Yeah? Sometimes we think that you know, yes, I

have decisions. Yes, God gives us free will. Yeah, it gives

us choices in life. But at the same time, He is the masterpiece.

You know, He is the one who creates, who has already planned

our beginning and the end. Right, you kind of know how is the

day going to end? Like? Right? He has planned out everything if

you walk in his ways? Right. And so if you're just wondering how,

I mean I have not figured out things in life. Things are just

so uncertain. The Word of God is just reminding us here today that I

work and who will reverse it? Because He's already planned it out. Yeah,

He's made it happen for us. So your future is in his hands.

Do not have that fear. You know. Number one fear that people

face is the fear of tomorrow. Can you relate to that, right,

the fear of I mean, I have a job, but what's the future?

Like? Right, I am in a relationship, but is it going

to secure? Right? I have the money, but is it going to

be enough until I retire? Okay, So it's always that worry, that

future. But when we can hold on to his word, what the Holy

Spirit reminds us I have done it. No one can reverse that. Can

the economy reverse that? No? Can a politician reverse that? No?

Right can a human reverse that? Nothing? Nothing can do that, but

only God, only God. Human. Another scripture, Okay, it says

I even I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake,

and I will not remember your sins. The word of God reminds us that

he does not remember our mistakes. So that's even as humans we remember.

If a friend has hurt us, he remember, no, you did this

to me? How can you do that? We hold grit, We say

we are sorry, we say we forgive, but still in the back of

our minds. Right, But what does God say here? He does not

remember, meaning the moment you come to him, genuine with all heart,

you say God, I'm asking for forgiveness. I wouldn't repeat this, it's

a pass. He doesn't see you as that person who made the mistake.

To him is you're just his son and daughter. Right? And so if

you're just holding on to some past mistakes or past experiences and you're saying,

am I worthy enough? Because sometimes people pick up those things. Our minds

have a way of thinking, do you remember you made this mistake. Would

you do you think you can do it better? Right? It's a battle

in our minds. We can be the worst enemy to ourselves sometimes, right,

and that's when we need to speak the truth. Where it says,

I do not remember your mistakes because you are precious in my eyes. Yeah,

I believe the last one we have here, even to your old age,

I am here, and even to gray hairs, I will carry you.

I have made and I will bear. Even I will carry and will

deliver you. So it says I am here again, right, And it

says I will carry you, carry you. I have made, and I

will bear and I will deliver. These are powerful words, and in fact,

these are words that we are always looking for. We're looking for answers.

You're looking about how can I be set free? Right? Yeah?

How how is my future going to look like? You know? How am

I going to bear the difference? Sometimes we step in into a week feeling

all overwhelmed, thinking I just can't face tomorrow. Right, But it says

I will bear, I will take you true, right, I will take

you through. And these scriptures I believe is speaking to different ones. That's

what the Holy Spirit does, That's what the Word of God does. And

if you can't find answers anywhere else, don't go far. Just go to

the word of God. The word of God is sufficient, right, It's

sufficient. Amen. Yeah. So just recall these scriptures and what assuring truths

do you get this from this? And let it sip deep. That is

what we call meditating on the Word of God. When you allow it to

sit deep, it takes root. And when we go through hard times,

these words comes out. Okay, And instead of remembering fear, you remember

that the Word of God tells us that He's not given the spirit of fear,

but of power, love and sound mind. So let's be prepared with

that. Amen. Yeah. So now I'm just going to share as we

you know, go a little bit deeper about understanding about the shepherd. Right.

The Bible refers to treat different examples. I'm just going to pick out,

okay, about how are we called to recognize our shepherd as well as

being able to give our best and to him. Right, And so when

we look at one of the examples in the Old Testament, we know the

story about able right Cain and Abel, which was the one that God favored

the sacrifice. It was a Cain or Able Able. Right, it was

Able's gift. So in this, in this particular portion, if you're reading

it, okay, Genesis fall was one, you'll see that God regards his

sacrifice as the best portion, right, best portion. What do you think,

God, how do you think God saw the difference between Abel and Caine's

giving, and he thought, did you think about it? Why was the

Ables giving different from Kin the first? Right, he gave the first He

gave the best portion, right, the best portion, and so Kin could

have gave something great. But what God is looking for, He's looking at

whether we're giving our best. And our best can mean very different from each

other. Right, Some could mean our time, some could mean our talents,

our money, or possessions, whatever that's best for you. Right.

And in fact, Abel's portion was also mentioned in the Book of Hebrew if

you know that chapter where if you're reading Hebrews eleven, when he mentions about

all the men of faith, write about Moses Noah, he actually mentions about

Able as well. And that is how God saw the giving of Able,

that he gave his best portion. What can we learn from this? Does

God actually take the first place in our thoughts? Every day, right,

not just talking about some days, but every day do we actually give our

best portion? Talk about serving? Right, It's easy, but very easy

for us to show up sometimes to just be there, but then showing up.

What part of it is your best? Is it your dressing sometimes?

Yeah? We want to give God our best in our dressing, our smile,

right when we pray for someone, our talents, our abilities, our

giving. Okay. I think we spoke about giving in the previous homes,

right, and we had Richard, you did a great job sharing the word,

okay, and so generosity, right, it's about most of the time,

it's about being challenged. Right. I wanted to give lesser, but

you know, God pushed me to give a little bit more. Okay,

it's the financial part of it, but sometimes it could be other things the

time, Like I wanted to finish this task. I wanted my me time,

but God pushed me and said, hey, go meet this guy.

He needs some prayer, he needs some encouragement, you know. And when

you do that, you see that God just gives you more time to complete

what you needed to write. So what is our best portion? Unto him

as his sheeps? Right? What is our best portion? Unto him.

Think about it, Okay, think about it. Is it to be able

to have a little bit more faith and belief? Yeah, a little bit

more time for him? And they speak about our quiet time with him,

right or our minds our hearts? What is it? What is your best

portion? Okay, just think about it. Because Jesus, because God gave

is is best. He gave Jesus first, he died on the cross.

So if he can give the best, what about us? Right? His

sons and daughters amen to the best portion. Another example that we can see

from the scriptures is Samuel. Do you know Samuel right where he's known as

the man after God's own heart? How beautiful it is to be recognized as

that Truman man after God's own heart? Wow? Right, God's heart?

That is what God is looking for. We as humans, we look a

lot in the outer appearance. We see what this person is doing. Is

he showing up this and that? But God sees what's in the heart,

right, and that is about and that heart can only come when you actually

are sinc with God that you know what he wants you to do, and

that trust comes in with it. Yeah. So you know, if you're

reading about sam If you have not read that, I just encourage you to

read it. It's from First Samuel sixteen. Okay, there was not it

was not judged by hide or appearance. But the Lord was looking at his

heart and that is when the spirit of God came upon him, and that

is why he could move mightily and be an impact and influence the people at

that time. Yeah. So as the shepherds, Okay, I mean,

even though you read the scriptures about when Jesus came, you know, as

a newborn baby, you know what was the first group of people who actually

knew the rival of Jesus the Christmas story? The shepherds. You know why.

I'm sure there's the reason why, right, shepherds because they were so

clear with their their years. Right, they were so sync. Again,

of course there's a whole study about how Jesus was wrapped so related to the

sheep. Yeah, the Lamb of God shepherds, and the same thing is

with shepherd are about Father? Amen? So let's just have a heart check.

It's always good to have a check in with our hearts. What's the

condition how we looking at things? Is it relating to what God wants us

as well? Right? So Samuel. And of course the third example that

we can draw from is Peter in the New Testament. Okay, this is

one of the disciples of Jesus. And this this very famous portion of scripture

if you read it, okay, in John twenty one, verse fifteen,

Okay, where Jesus will actually ask him this question back and forth. Do

you love me? Yeah? Do you love me? Let's just read that,

all right, John chapter twenty one, okay, And there's something that

we can actually draw out of this portion here. So John twenty one was

fifteen, okay, so it says so when they had eaten brick, Jesus

said to Simon Peter, Simon son of Jonah, do you love me?

More than this? He said to him, Yes, Lord, you know

that I love you. He said to him, feed my lambs verse sixteen.

He said to him again a second time, Simon, son of Jonah,

do you love me? He said to him, yes, Lord,

you know that I love you. He said to him, ten my sheep

verse seventeen. He said to him the third time, Simon, son of

Jonah, do you love me? Peter was grieved because he said to him

the third time, do you love me? And He said to him,

Lord, you know all things. You know that I love you. Jesus

said to him, feed my sheep most assuredly. I say to you,

when you were younger, you greeted yourself and walked where you wished. But

when you are old, you will stretch out your hand, and I that

will gird you and carry you where you do not wish. This he spoke,

signifying by that that he would glorify God. And when he had spoken

this, he said to him, follow me. A man followed me.

There's something that we can draw out of this. If you can imagine being

in Peter's position and being asked the same question time of the time. There's

something that God Jesus was trying to prove out of this right, and the

first question he asked him is do you love me more than this? What

is Peter's occupation at that time? Fishermen, right, fishermen, And he

was asking him to take care of his lam, right to take care of

his sheep. And I believe that as I read this scripture, Okay,

it just reminds us of how God, you know, the questions that was

asked, right, Jesus was trying to prepare Peter to just step out from

a fisherman to be a shepherd, right, to be a shepherd, and

he had to ask them, ask him this question that do you love me

more than this? And what if God is asking you that question today?

Do you love me more than this, more than your wealth, more than

your time, more than everything else that seems to be more precious? Does

God actually come first place before all of this? Yeah, before all of

this. And when you look at the third respond it shows that Peter was

actually grieving at this point, meaning it's like, Lord, why why you're

asking me again and again? Am I not giving you the right answer?

But you know what, Jesus was looking at his heart, not just his

respond right, And so he had to ask again and again to know for

sure whether this guy is knowing, he knows what he's talking about, right,

he's answering or giving the answer that Jesus was looking for. Yeah,

that Jesus was looking for. So what could be some of this in your

life? Right? Some of these priorities that God might be challenging you today?

Okay, so that when you give that up, maybe you have a

bit more time with him, right, or you give that up, you

can actually make time to serve the house of God. Right, or when

you give that up, you can make time for someone who is in need.

Right? What are some of this? Each of you have your own

seasons of life. Yeah, let's think about it. What are some of

this? Right? Peter knew how to be a fisherman, definitely, but

he was molding him to be a shepherd. Right, to be a shepherd?

Is God calling you to be a shepherd? Right? When we read

the scripture just now, it says that when you're younger, you know,

we just walk around, we go our own ways. Yeah, but there

has to be a point of time that when we step up to an adule

right into a more merched person in our faith, we've got to start learning

how to be able to actually care for others. Right. Yes, we're

all sheeps. Shepherd is always looking out for us, but can we also

start looking out for the arth sheeps that's in under our care? Right?

Is Jesus trying to change you to be who he wants you to be?

What could that mean? Right? What could that mean? A place of

an influence? Right? Or sometimes you know you may be here thinking why

am I the only one who's going through hardships? Is he using your story

to bless others? Because you would know what it means, right, you

would know what it means. Hy Am, I waiting so long when everyone

else got the answers so fast. Well, it's got showing you something in

this waiting so that when you get your answer, when you get your testimony,

you can glorify God even bigger, greater. Yeah, So what is

it? Is he calling you? Yeah? Is he calling you? I'm

just going to end with this portion of passage that we read earlier. Right,

we read John ten Okay, if you can recall the last part where

he says here, okay, when he mentions about finding that one sheep,

right, what is the heart of our shepherd? Okay, the heart of

the shepherd? It says here, okay in verse fourteen, I am the

good shepherd. I know my sheep, and am known by my own meaning

he's with all confidence knowing that my sheep will know me. Right, that's

the relationship I desire, as the father knows me. Even so I know

the father, and I lay down my life for the sheep. Now we'se

sixteen, it says, and other sheep I have which not of this fault,

meaning those who may have not heard his voice, may have not known

him as the savior them. Also, I must bring and they will hear

my voice, and there will be one flock and one shepherd. That's the

hardbeat of our God, that one flock, one shepherd. Right, But

we know that we are surrounded with so many shepherds, false prophets, right,

false teachings around us. How we're going to get to that place of

one shepherd, one flock. It's when we be the voice, right,

when we answer that calling to be the shepherd. Right, So can I

just challenge you today this morning, church, to answer that call. Whatever

they call me seem like to us. Right. Firstly, is the relationship

with him, the quiet time that we have with him to be strengthened,

to have that quality time to know him, to recognize his voice. And

when we recognize that voice, can we also draw others and to be the

one that shares the good news to others because that's the heartbeat of God.

We have been speaking a lot about this in church, right that all may

know, that all may know how we're playing our part as His children,

so that all may know, right, so that everyone would recognize that there

is one Shepherd. Amen. We hope you've been blessed by this message.

For more information on our church, please visit as church org. We are

also active on Facebook and Instagram. We're believing that this week is going to

be a good week. I hit for you. God bless