Good Shepherd 6/14

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

I remind you each and every one of us have something to praise Him for this morning. Each and every one of us have had a prayer answered. Each and every one of us have been through that darkest valley, and his amazing grace came by to pick us up when we were down, to lift us up, to give us grace, to give us mercy. And in Psalms 23, it says his goodness keeps chasing after us. Come on, can we just worship him with all of our hearts right now? Just you and God. No one leading you in a corporate way, just you talking to him right now, you opening your mouth and beginning to speak your words. And you might say, Well, why do I have to say something out loud? Can't God hear my thoughts? He can hear your thoughts, but can I remind you that the enemy can hear you when you use your voice, when you speak out loud, when you begin to choose blessings over cursings, when you begin to lift up the name of the Lord, when you begin to lift up the name of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, and so this morning, just begin to worship him, you in your own way, just you and God right now. Come on, no one looking around, no one talking or being distracted. Come on, just you and the Lord right now, Father. We thank you and we praise you because we have something to praise you for today, because of the cross, because of the resurrection, because of your amazing grace, because of our salvation. Sometimes it's literal, sometimes it's physical, sometimes it's just spiritual. But God, we have something to praise you for. We were once lost, but now we are found. We were once blind, but now we see. Thank you, Jesus. Can we put our hands together and just give the Lord a hand clap of praise? Amen. Amen. And if you're able to today, you may be seated. If you're able to be seated today, we are going to just kind of flow on with this as the presence of the Lord is here. And we're so thankful that you have joined us today here at Family Worship Center. We're so glad that you're here. Can you give yourselves a hand clap? We appreciate you. We appreciate our guests and visitors. Maybe you don't come on a normal basis, but we're glad you're here with us today, and that is awesome. And we just want to say good morning to you. I'm Pastor Philip, and we're just so glad that you chose to be with us today. And it's it's so good to see you all. Amen. And so today is the day the Lord has made, so I will rejoice and be glad in it. Amen. And so I'm excited, I'm ready for today's message because I know it's been a long time coming. And you might say, well, what are you what does that mean? Well, uh probably a year ago, I had a conversation with some people, and I had mentioned that I wanted to speak on this topic and kind of do a deep dive into this conversation today that we're going to have. And and it just seemed like every time that I began to try to prepare this message, God said, Hold on, wait. There's a specific time for this. And so this has kind of been a long time in the making, and we're excited today because I'm going to be speaking a message titled The Good Shepherd. Look at your neighbor and say, The Good Shepherd. So as we say so often around here, we want this message to be from God. It's not about who's standing in this pulpit or who's singing worship on this stage. We want the Holy Spirit to anoint everything that we do. We want you to remember what God has done today in this church and in this congregation. And so uh if you would, we're gonna bow our heads one more time. If you're able to, to bow your heads, close your eyes. We're gonna open up with a word of prayer. And I just want to ask God to uh to help us prepare our hearts because I believe this is going to be a life-changing message for you today and for me as well. And so let's let's just bow our hearts, bow our heads, close our eyes, and and ask God to open our hearts and and our minds and our ears to what he has to say. Let's pray. Father, I thank you for your goodness. God, I thank you for your mercy. And God, I pray today would be one of those days where when we leave this place, we know without a shadow of a doubt that we've met with you, God. Father, that you've spoken to our hearts, that you've guided us and you've connected with us. And God, you're leading us, God. And whatever we are going through, whatever is happening, God, I pray that we would see your hand upon us because you are with us. You'll never leave us or forsake us. And so we ask these things in the powerful name of Jesus. And today the church said, Amen. So we're gonna jump right into this good shepherd sermon that we have for today. And I hope that you were able to pick up our sermon notes out there in the info booth. If not, you can stop by on the way out and grab those. You can find it on the Bible app. Sometimes we post it online on our social media and things. Um, but the imagery of a shepherd and the imagery of sheep isn't just found in one place in the word of God, it runs actually throughout the entire word of God, from beginning to end, from Genesis to Revelations. You might say, Well, help me understand that. Let's do that. Abel was a shepherd. Okay. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were shepherds. Moses spent 40 years shepherding. David was a shepherd. The prophets repeatedly described Israel, God's people, as sheep. Jesus calls himself the good shepherd. Pastors are often described as shepherds over their flock, and and and it mentions pastors and being like shepherds in in the New Testament. And in Revelations, it talks about the lion and the lamb. And so there's a reason why this imagery and illustration is used. And so today we're going to discover why God's people are repeatedly compared to sheep and why Jesus is called the good shepherd. And so we're going to read two big sections of scripture, kind of like we did last week, kind of sets the ground for what we're going to be talking about. And so if any time during today's message you're like, well, where's the scriptural context in this? You can go back to these two um chapters that we're going to be reading from here, and you can see how it's all connected and lays out together, okay? And we'll have other scripture as well, but we're going to start in Psalms 23, verse 1 through 6. And this is actually, I'm going to read today from the New Living Translation because I like the way that it just breaks it down and I like the way that it explains it to us and it makes sense to me. Okay. And so don't get caught up in it's a different translation, but get caught up in the fact that God's word, no matter what he has to do, will always find a way to speak to our hearts. Okay. And so sometimes different translations, in my opinion, my opinion, are needed so that certain people can understand it and get it the right way. And if you look at it and you don't try to pick at it, you don't try to get holier than everyone else, uh, the scripture says the same thing, okay? And so that's just my opinion on that. But New Living Translation, I know this church has read from that for a long time. Pastor Danny read from that. And so we're going to read from New Living Translation, Psalms 23, verse 1 through 6. Now, like last week, if you're a person, you have your Bible and you want to kind of throw your pinky in there and bookmark a place. We're also going to go to John chapter 10 and we're going to read verses 11 through 15, okay? So Psalms 23, 1 through 6, and John 10, 11 through 15. So we're going to start off in Psalms. The Lord is my shepherd, and I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows. He leads me besides peaceful, beside peaceful streams, and he renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. And even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me, and your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup runs or overflows with blessings. Verse 6 says, Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever. Somebody say amen right there. Now, John chapter 10, verses 11 through 15 says this, I am the good shepherd, Jesus speaking here. I am the good shepherd, and the good shepherd sacrifices his life for his sheep, for the sheep. A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don't belong to him, and he isn't their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. Verse 13 the hired hand runs away because he's working only for the money and doesn't really care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own sheep and they know me. Just as my father knows me and I know the father, so I sacrifice my life for the sheep. We're going to skip down to verses 26 and 27, because I want to get into this word, and I've got a few videos we're going to show, and I hope that you really get my heart and you get God's heart and what He's trying to speak to us today. Because we're going to be a little bit all over the place, but it's going to come together in a beautiful way. So verses 26 and 27, but you don't believe me because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice. I know them and they follow me. Now, to kind of emphasize where we're going with this, I found a couple of videos. We're going to play the first one, but what you just so you know before you hit play on that, and we're getting the volume adjusted as they're kind of preparing that. Just so you know what this video is, it's showing people trying to call out to a flock or herd of sheep, okay? And they're ignoring them, and then you're going to see what happens when their shepherd calls out to them. Go ahead and hit play on that first video for me. Nothing. When their shepherd stepped up and called out, they came running. And when he started to lead them, they followed. So our first point today is going to be this sheep need a shepherd. Psalms 23:1 said, The Lord is my shepherd. The first thing David says is not, The Lord is my king, the Lord is my judge, the Lord is my creator. He says, The Lord is my shepherd. Why? Because David knew about sheep. Before David wrote songs and psalms, before David became king, before David killed Goliath, before David was anointed to be king, David watched after the sheep. He was a shepherd. And through the life of David, we see the powerful lesson that sometimes before we get to the palace that God has prepared for us, before we get to the palace where God is calling us, sometimes we have to get prepared in the field. Maybe that's for you today. Maybe you haven't arrived yet. Maybe you know that God has more for you, and you're waiting to get to the place where you need to be. You're waiting for that blessing, you're waiting for that gift, you're waiting for you to arrive to the place that you know that God has called you to be, and you haven't made it there yet. There's a reason why God does everything that He does. There's a reason why He allows things, why we wait. But what someone needs to hear this morning, just from this little part of the scripture, listen to this. A waiting season isn't a wasted season. And it may very well be like David. You might feel like you're in the sheep in the fields with the sheep and and you're you're working and no one sees you and you're by yourself. But can I tell you this morning God sees you? Can I tell you this morning that God is preparing you for the palace in the fields? Okay, so sheep are not natural navigators. It's it's important that we understand that today. In fact, to put it nicely, sheep are simple. Okay, sheep are basic. A sheep left alone will eventually get lost. This is why sheep need a shepherd. How many of you have ever felt lost before? Anybody? You felt confused, stuck, maybe, afraid. Maybe you felt like you've been attacked, or maybe you just feel exhausted, or maybe you feel like you've wandered further from God than what you intended, and you don't know if you can get back to where you need to be. I don't know about you, but just like a sheep needs a shepherd, I need a savior, amen. And so we're gonna put up this picture. Do we have that picture just to okay? And this is kind of going along with understanding sheep. They wander easily and they have poor direction, they become anxious and when isolated, they they they need protection, they need guidance, they need to be able to depend on a shepherd, and and sheep can become what they call caste, which is what you see here in this image. They can get stuck on their backs, and often they cannot figure out how to turn up right by themselves. A caste sheep may actually eventually die if a shepherd doesn't intervene. And so, just kind of as we kind of slowly start to get into this, and you think about a shepherd's staff, that could be one of the reasons they need a staff. Hey, silly sheep, push it over so it can stand up. Okay? And so sheep are safest when they stay close to the shepherd. Isaiah 53, 6 says this all of us, like sheep, have strayed away, and we have left God's path to follow our own. See, God doesn't compare us to eagles, he doesn't compare us to lions, he compares us to sheep. Because sheep need help. Can I get an amen right there? And so do we. So now we're gonna prepare this next video, and this is probably the funniest thing that we're gonna see today about sheep, and you might have seen it because it's pretty viral on the internet or on social media, but um check this out, and before we laugh too hard, remember that God's word compares us to sheep, okay? But check this out and go ahead and hit play on that next video.

SPEAKER_03 16:40

More than just hit.

SPEAKER_00 17:01

So, and how many times though, in a spiritual way, does that relate to us and our walk with the father? We need him, and then we don't, and then we need him again. He picks us up and we run off and do our own thing. We fall again and we need him again. We run off and we have fun and play our games until we realize how true it is that we need a shepherd, and we realize how patient and how merciful and how gracious God is. And this is when I start to get a little defensive, and maybe you do too, because I'm starting to see why the word of God compares us to sheep. God rescues us and we return to that same thing, that same attitude, that same addiction, that same sin, that same relationship or friendship or the same ditch like that sheep, and we get stuck again, you know. And does he stop loving us? No. Should he? Probably. If he was a person, he would be done with us. But how many of you are thankful? Come on, church. How many of you are thankful he doesn't give up on us? Sheep need guidance, protection, care. Sheep need a shepherd, and that leads us to our next point. The good shepherd leads his sheep. Psalms 23, verse 2 and 3 talks about he leads me beside still waters, he restores my soul, he leads me in paths of righteousness. The shepherd leads, the sheep follow. Here's some shepherd facts for you. I Googled them, so if I'm wrong, you can tell me later, okay. Ancient shepherds typically walked ahead of the sheep. The sheep followed his voice. John 10, 27 said, My sheep hear my voice. The greatest challenge in Christianity isn't hearing God's voice, it's obeying it. I want to remind you that if you're listening today, if you're here to hear something powerful from the Word of God, if you're here today and you're needing to hear an answer or hear something from heaven, pay attention because I believe God can speak to us in many different ways today. And I know I'm I'm I'm going through the points here, but we've got several points. I want you to just hang with us because we have a lot of ground to cover and we're gonna get to a powerful place here. Sometimes, let's be honest, we as people, we are stubborn like those sheep. It's where this whole thing comes into play, and you might say, Well, he's got a uh a shepherd staff up there today, and and you know, we want to talk about that because that part is important as well. Shepherds usually carry a staff of some sort, and the staff is used for several things. A lot of times it's used for correction. A lot of times they have to discipline or use that hook to grab a sheep and to pull them back where they need to be, or to help them not get distracted and wander off. Maybe every once in a while they need a little hit in the backside. The staff is used for several things, and not every correction is out of anger, but it's because it they have to keep them focused on the direction they are going to keep the sheep together as a group and to guide them. And sometimes God needs to guide us. And so the question that someone needs to think about this morning is where is God guiding you right now? What path is he trying to lead you towards? And so that goes to our next point. Point number three is this the good shepherd rescues and restores. We're gonna go to Luke chapter 15. We're gonna read a few verses from four to seven about the lost sheep. And Jesus is talking and he's using his parables, and it's one of my favorite chapters in the whole Bible. But it says, if a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won't he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders when he arrives. He will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, Rejoice with me, because I have found my lost sheep. And in the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over 99 others who are righteous and haven't strayed away. He leaves the 99 to find the one, to carry it home. The sheep doesn't find the shepherd. The shepherd finds the sheep. More scripture we have to read today. Isaiah chapter 40, verse 11 says, He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young. Check this out today. Don't miss this. That hook in the staff. It's used to pull the sheep from danger. Pull the sheep from briars, cliffs, rescue trapped sheep, bring wandering sheep back in. Sometimes God pulls us from places that we wanted to stay. Sometimes his rescue feels like resistance. Sometimes it's more. Not every pull by the staff is always pleasant. Sometimes God rescues us from things that we've convinced ourselves we need and we want. Sometimes what feels like God holding you back is actually God pulling you out. Some people think God is ready to condemn them and tell them off and get rid of them and be done with them. But can I tell you this morning? Actually, God is convicting them. Correction can hurt, but it's necessary. So this leads us right to the place we need to be. Point four, the good shepherd corrects the sheep. This may be one of the strongest points out of the whole message today. It might be the hardest one to swallow. Hebrews 12, 6 says, For the Lord disciplines those he loves. Can I tell somebody this this morning? Correction is not rejection. Correction is evidence of a relationship. A shepherd who ignores wandering sheep doesn't love the sheep. A shepherd who pursues wandering sheep loves the sheep. How can discipline be comforting? Because discipline means somebody cares. Have you seen that traditional picture? It's it's it's very kind of a classic picture of a shepherd or even Jesus carrying the sheep around his neck and shoulders. Do we have that? You've probably seen that picture before. Just leave that up for a minute. Can I tell you something that maybe some of you don't know about that picture? Sometimes the reason that this has been something that's carried through, and even scripture talks about putting that sheep around their shoulders and around their neck and carrying it back. Well, one, because it's stubborn and it wandered off. He doesn't want to have to go chase it down again. But sometimes, if they're having this trouble over and over again, because a shepherd has to do things that are not always the most comfortable, but he wants to guide and teach and lead us. The shepherd has to take his staff and break a leg on the sheep. So, not because of punishment, so the sheep will stop wandering off where it's dangerous for the sheep. Sometimes that shepherd would have to break a leg on that sheep so it would quit wandering off, not out of punishment or anger. Although if it was me, it probably would be, but for the sheep's own good to keep it close to the shepherd and close to the flock and to keep it where it needs to be. So the the shepherd staff is used for guidance and rescue and protection and correction. Sometimes God uses conviction. Come on, somebody. Consequences. I know we live in 2026 and we don't like conviction, but it's still important. See, the shepherd is more concerned about your future than your comfort. Sometimes the hand that corrects you is the same hand that protects you. And so this leads us right to the next point. Point number five, the good shepherd protects his sheep. Psalms 23:4, though I walk through the valley. You see, we go through different seasons, and some of those seasons we walk through the valley, but the shepherd remains. I want you to think about David's testimony here, real quick. 1 Samuel 17, 34 through 37. Think about King David before he was king. Says, but David persisted, I have been taking care of my father's sheep and goats, he said. And when a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. And if the animal turns to me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. And I have done this to both lions and bears, and I'll do it to this pagan Philistine too, for he has defied the armies of the living God. And the Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine. And Saul finally consented and said, Go, all right, go ahead, and may the Lord be with you. See, David fought a lion, a bear before he fought Goliath. That staff of the shepherd is used against predators, wolves, lions, bears, threats. The sheep never have to worry about trying to defeat the wolf. The lion, the bear, the shepherd did it for them. You were never meant to defeat or to fight every battle by yourself. You were meant to trust the shepherd. Here's the big reveal for someone today. I don't know if you're ready for this or not, but the staff represents the word of God. It protects us. Come on, somebody. It convicts us, it comforts us, it corrects us. The staff is literally an extension of the shepherd's hand. In the same way, the word of God is one of the primary ways the good shepherd interacts with his sheep today. It's an extension of him and from him. Psalms 121, verse 2 says, My help comes from the Lord. The same staff that comforts the sheep confronts the wolf. So point six is this the good shepherd anoints his sheep. Psalms 23, verse 5 says, You anoint my head with oil. Most Christians read this and they miss the shepherd imagery. Shepherds often applied oil around the sheep's head. Do we have that picture? Why? Because insects, parasites, would find their way into those ear holes and cavities and things that would torment the sheep and without treatment, without the oil, the sheep can become so frantic and sick and even die because the bugs and the parasites and the infections would become so bad the sheep would literally hit their heads on the rocks or trees until they die. You see, the enemy attacks your mind and your ears and your thoughts and your heart and your peace. Somebody get this today. When God anoints us, He is protecting us and guarding us and covering us. He's protecting our minds. He's protecting what we listen to. He's protecting what enters our spirit. First John 2.20 says, You have an anointing from the Holy One. What is the anointing? The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit protects us from things that try to enter our minds and our hearts and our spirit. The shepherd doesn't just protect where you're going, he protects what is getting into you. John 10, 11, Jesus says, I am the good shepherd, not just a shepherd, the good shepherd. What makes him good? Not the staff, not the sheepfold, not the pasture. Because he laid down his life for the sheep. Earthly shepherds risk their life for their sheep. Jesus gave his life for his sheep. The shepherd steps in front of the wolf. The shepherd steps into our place. The shepherd carried our sin. The shepherd carried our cross. The shepherd died so that his sheep could live. Some of you today, you need guidance. Some of you need to be rescued. Some of us in this place today, maybe we need correction or we need protection. Some need a miracle and a healing. Some of us just need that good shepherd to be close. And here's the question for today: Have you wondered? Have you become stuck? Have you stopped listening for the shepherd's voice? Have you drifted from his protection? So this morning I'm going to ask the worship team to go ahead and begin to come up. And we're not done yet, so don't get too excited or anxious. But I'm going to ask them to come and just begin to play something softly. Very quiet. And the last point I want to make is this. Shepherds have to shear their sheep. Shepherds have to shear their sheep. Not because it's fun, because if they don't, they'll become immobile, unhealthy. And they could die. How does that translate for some of us as we're talking about the Good Shepherd? Because there's things in our life that we need to get off of us. The Good Shepherd today can shear us. He can bring us back to health. He can get rid of that sin that's been binding you up. He can set you free from the things that have been holding you back. Thank you, Jesus. I want to read this scripture and I want you to let God speak to your heart today. Isaiah chapter one, verse 18 says this. Come now. Let's settle this, says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool. Here's what God is trying to say to someone today at Family Worship Center. He is the good shepherd. Wherever you find yourself at this morning in your walk, he wants us to stay close. And he wants us to trust him. Sometimes things happen that we don't understand. Sometimes we go through valleys that seem like the shadow of death is all around us. Sometimes we find ourselves in a place that we don't understand how we got there. We've made compromises. Come on, somebody, God is speaking. And if we'll just stay close enough, the Good Shepherd can use the word of God to get us back to where we need to be. To pull us close, to clean us up. But we have to, as his sheep, know how to hear his voice. This is where it comes into play for us to respond to the word of God. Because how many of you know if you're the shepherd and you're hitting that sheep, if it doesn't do any good, the sheep don't realize, hey, I don't want to get hit anymore. I need to stop doing whatever I'm doing. It does no good. The same way when God's using his voice to speak to us, the good shepherd is speaking to us and calling out to us. We have to acknowledge, hey, this is the voice of the Good Shepherd. And I need to listen, I need to respond, I need to figure it out what I did wrong, what what I need to adjust, what I need to fix. Maybe I need to get closer. Maybe I need to change my direction, my path. Maybe I've fallen into the briar, fallen into a ditch, I've found myself in a place I don't need to be in, and and I need the good shepherd to come rescue me, come save me, come heal me, come touch me. So say all that to say this. If God is speaking to your heart today, the one thing that we can do as his sheep, hear his voice and follow him. So with every head bowed and every eye closed, if you're here today and he's speaking to you, listen. If he's calling you, listen. If he's leading you, follow him.

SPEAKER_01 38:55

Let's pray. Father, I pray over this flock, Family Worship Center, and I know you are the good shepherd, Jesus, and I know this word has been timely.

SPEAKER_00 39:15

I know that it has been for a purpose, and I know that if it's only for one person, God, it's worth it. But I believe you're speaking to several of us. I believe you're speaking to a congregation that needs to get closer to the shepherd to stay in align with what God is trying to do, to get away from the enemy, to get away from this world, and to stay in the safety of the shepherd. Speak to our hearts, God. If there's one here today that is lost and don't know you, speak to their hearts. Show your love to them. Let salvation flow into this place, God. If there's some who are here today and they could identify with some of this imagery and illustration that maybe they've been wondering, maybe they've got lost, maybe they're far from you, maybe they have just fallen and can't get back up and they need some healing or a touch from you. Whatever it is, God, speak to our hearts and show up in this place in a powerful way. Because God, it's all meaningless. If we don't hear the shepherd's voice and we don't respond, help us right now in Jesus' name with every head bowed, every eye closed, nobody looking around, no one feeling ashamed, no one feeling judged. If you're here this morning and you can hear the voice of the shepherd, you can hear Jesus. He's knocking on the door of your heart. You're here today and you're far from him, or maybe you're lost and you need salvation. Maybe today you need a recommitment to him. Maybe today you need to just ask the Lord into your life and into your heart. Turn over those keys. Get out of the steering wheel in the driver's seat of your life and ask God to take control. If you're here today and you would like to get saved, you would like to ask Jesus into your heart, you would like to say a prayer of salvation. With nobody looking around, if that's you, God is speaking to you. I want you to respond to Him. It's not for me, it's not for anyone else, it's just between you and the Father. If that's you today, you need Jesus. Would you just slip up your hand and say, That's me, Pastor? Thank you for those hands. Thank you for those hands. God sees you this morning, He sees every single one of you. And if it's for the first time, or if it's for the first time in a long time, you can put your hands down. He sees you today. He's calling your name, he's asking you to follow him, and all you have to do is say this simple prayer. Church, will you repeat this prayer after me? Dear Jesus, come into my life. I believe in you. I accept you as my Savior. I believe you died for my sins. I believe you were resurrected. I believe all I have to do is trust you, live for you, and I'm saved. I give you my life. Help me grow. Help my faith. Help me live for you. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Church, can we put our hands together? Now this next part, I'm not gonna ask you to bow your heads, to close your eyes. I'm just gonna ask if you're his sheep and you hear his voice to respond. It could be for every single person in here. It could be just for some of us. You need the good shepherd. You need that protection, you need that provision, you need that good shepherd for something only he can do. Maybe you're needing correction, maybe you're needing guidance, maybe you're needing healing, maybe you need an answer to a prayer, maybe you're looking for a breakthrough. We're gonna open up these altars. We're gonna sing this song. I want to encourage anyone and everyone. We have time about 15 minutes early this morning. We have time to open up these altars, open up these spots if you want to stand, if you want to kneel, if you want to pray, whatever you want to do. Maybe you want to get in a corner and just seek in Christ. After God, whatever you need to do, I'm gonna say a prayer. When I say amen, they're going to sing and we're gonna open up these altars for a few minutes. We're not gonna hold you all day, we're not gonna lock the doors or anything like that. But I want you to respond to the voice of the shepherd today. You can come now, you can come after, I pray, but let's just do that right now. Can we respond to the shepherd? Can we respond to his voice? Father, I thank you for this word. And I ask right now that you would speak to families and you would speak to parents and you'd speak to young people. And God, you'd speak to all of us right now, God, and I pray that we would hear your voice and that we would get as close to you as we can. Because as the world, God, just continues to live in sin and continues to separate themselves from you, and and all these distractions take place in our society and in our life and in this world that we live in. We need to stay close to you so we're not deceived. We can need to stay close to you so we don't fall into sin. We need to stay close to you so that we can hear your voice and we can know your will, Father. And so, God, I pray for our congregation. I pray for every person and every family that is represented here today, God, as we come to these altars, as we respond to the Holy Spirit's quickening and calling in our hearts, God. Help us seek you, help us lay burdens down, help us lay sin down, help us lay addictions down, God. You see what it is that we're dealing with. You know what parts of this message spoke to us, God. And I pray right now in the name of Jesus, God, that you would help us and you would meet us here right now. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen and amen. They're gonna sing, come join me. Let's find a place to pray this morning. Can we do that?

SPEAKER_02 45:58

You call my name and our red out of that grave out of that darkness into your glorious day. Oh Lord, you called my name, and I ran out of that craut darkness into your glorious day, sweet mecause I once was lost mics how sweet the sound that saves me now I am found was blind, and it's because of you. Praise God, praise God, praise God, praise God, praise God, praise God, praise God, praise God, praise God, praise God, praise God, praise God, praise God, praise God, it's because you call my name, Lord. It's because of you. And I ran out of that gray out of the darkness into your glorious day. It's because you called my name, and I ran out of that grave out of the darkness into your glorious day sweet. My last task for you today.

SPEAKER_00 52:16

If you love Jesus, would you just slip up your hand? If you need to close your eyes, you don't have to look around at everyone, but just sing praise God with us. Just your voices and ask nobody on the stage to sing, just your our congregation. Come on, can we do that? Praise God.

SPEAKER_01 53:31

Can you just thank him for that amazing grace? Just thank him for being the good shepherd. Maybe you just need to tell him, God, I hear your voice today. I recognize that it's been you talking to me. And I will follow. I will listen. I will obey. I will read your word. I will worship. I will rededicate my life to prayer. I will bring my family to church. I will do whatever it takes to invite my friends and neighbors. I will let this be a spark that ignites a fire in me again.

SPEAKER_00 54:31

Maybe the fire's burning, but it's not burning as bright as it used to. We can, how many of you believe God can reignite that flame?

SPEAKER_01 54:39

Give us that passion back. Thank you, Jesus. We praise you today. Spend the next 20 seconds. Can you just put your hands together for the Lord? Can you just ask Him to bless you? Ask Him to bless us, church.

SPEAKER_04 55:10

Amen. As I look out at the congregation, each and every one of us have a story. We have something to be thankful, something to be grateful for. And it's not because of anything that you guys have done. It's because we serve a loving Heavenly Father. He is the Good Shepherd. And He will lead us, He will guide us, He will heal us, He will comfort us. Whatever your need is, He will be the answer. Stay faithful to Him. Listen to Him. Get into the Word. Get into Scripture. Get into fellowship with one another and receive what God wants to give you. Thank you guys for coming out this morning. Once you guys, as we're as we're being dismissed, get out there and shake Pastor Phillips and Sister Kayla. I know she loves to hear Sister Kayla all the time. But so make sure you get out there and shake their hands. Deavenly Father, Lord, we love you. God, Lord, we thank you for this day. We thank you for each and every one that is here. God, we just ask you to be with us, Lord, as we are leaving this place. God, Lord, you uh you just be with us throughout this upcoming week, Lord, that we come back next week, Lord, and we have brought somebody with us. We have brought the fire of God back into this house. In your name we pray. Amen.