Two Reasons Sheep Go Astray: full transcript and answers

▶ 0:00 Isaiah 43:11 I am the Lord now he is making a declaration in the Old Testament that was going to happen here in the new all right besides me there is no what savior folks there is no other way and these politicians and these. Religionists that say all roads lead to the same God they are contradicting the Bible and God himself and you cannot do that it’s very clear he is the only one savior to save us from our sins and all have sinned and come short of the glory of God you can’t mess with Jesus all right I have stated I have proclaimed I have stated and I have saved I have come and I have done it not some foreign God among you me the Lord Jesus Christ he’s the only shepherd he’s the only savior can I hear an amen hallelujah now nothing can sway us from that don’t let popular opinions and religious people get you away from Jesus Christ he is God in the flesh who gave his life for everyone in this world.

▶ 1:22 Now there’s other sheep besides those he just mentioned and we’re going to talk about God’s promise to unconverted. Okay they haven’t had that born-again experience they haven’t renounce sin and turned to God their unconverted and you see their bad sheep okay over here is a converted sheep with the same problem as this one but this one is converted and messed up this one is not converted yet got it now alleluia now. In Isaiah 52:15 and Isaiah 53:6 to 11 a tremendous scripture about Jesus coming to die for the sins of the world tremendous very moving if that if that doesn’t move you these verses from Isaiah 52:15 to 53 nothing can move you that is the most beautiful passages of Jesus that there is in the Old Testament all right and it starts out by saying and you know the chapters you got to understand the chapters were put in there by men but the subject started in Isaiah 52:15 and continued into chapter 53 you understand he starts out and said he will sprinkle many nations people.

▶ 2:48 Many people he will sprinkle sprinkle is the blood okay the cleansing all right Jesus is going to come and sprinkle many nations many people. All we who are we the many nations the many people whether you’re Asian or American or African or Eskimo or whatever all we like sheep have gone astray. Okay then the Bible say all have sinned and come short of the glory of God yeah what do you think the apostles got all this stuff from Jesus who spoke from the Old Testament the New Testament is nothing but scripture after scripture of the Old Testament enlightened. Amen yeah.

▶ 3:42 All right the sheep have gone astray now here is the first reason sheep go astray we’re going to deal with four of them this morning if we can get to it we have turned every one to his own way this isn’t the wolf this isn’t the false prophet this isn’t the lion or the bear this isn’t the thief this is you rejecting Christ and his way and you went your own way. Dude you can’t blame anybody but you you make the decision okay. And the Lord has laid on him Jesus us the iniquity of us all all the nations alleluia he put it on Christ to pay for everybody’s sin we should all go to hell we should all go to the lake of fire and yet God came in the flesh died and took that penalty took that blame took that punishment so we would not have to do that amen.

▶ 4:55 My righteous servant Jesus will justify make right justify means make right he’s not out to just forgive you he’s out to what make you right live right speak right for he shall bear their iniquities just like God laid on him he’s going to do it did Jesus come and do it amen we have the results of this prophecy so these are unconverted sheep they’re doing what they want to do. Now it’s backed up again I’m going to use an illustration Psalms 100 make a joyful noise unto the Lord all ye lands or all you countries all you nations see here he’s addressing what all the people again and he says make a joyful noise why because he’s inviting here’s the invitation serve the Lord with gladness he’s inviting the nations to come in and serve him.

▶ 5:58 Alleluia there’s the invitation the Jesus come and say come unto me all ye that labor and heavy laden and I will give you rest didn’t he say that didn’t he say I am the only one who has authority on earth to forgive sin didn’t he say that yeah I see serve the Lord with gladness come before his presence with singing I cannot emphasize enough how important music is in the church and we are not utilizing it to its max yet come before his presence with singing that’s the invitation all other groups and religions you got to do something you got to buy your way in or make some pilgrimage or whatever God says hey just choose to serve the Lord and come into me with gladness you don’t have to come in with a heavy heart downcast down just come in singing amen I will enter his gates with thanksgiving in my heart I will enter his courts with praise yeah.

▶ 6:57 Now here’s the message know you that the Lord he is God you can know God I. Wish they would have told me that when I was a teenager that I could know God all I ever seen in the church was people coming and backslide and come in and backslide and so I just stayed out in my mind I figured it couldn’t be lived God is asking people to do something they couldn’t do but what I didn’t understand is when I came to Christ and I confess my sins he came to me and he was real I knew him are you there see you got to have an encounter with God at the very beginning it is he that has made us and not we ourselves we are his people and we are the what sheep of his pasture we are talking about the sheep shepherd relationship this morning okay to know how to love God you got to know your position in God and today we’re talking about the sheep shepherd relationship and position and we are the sheep oh.

▶ 8:06 Yeah. We he just said it enter into his gates now who’s the door Jesus how many gates were there in the temple. Not one. Not two. Three. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving into his courts the first gate is into the court the second gate is into the holy place and the third gate is into the holy of holies why do you think he said gates. Now and the sheepfold there was one door right but in the temple there’s three doors and he’s every one of them.

▶ 9:00 And he doesn’t want you staying in the outer court he wants you to go in that holy place and then to the holy of holies hallelujah isn’t that good in the Bible great yeah okay enter into all these gates with thanksgiving into his courts with praise thanksgiving is just being thankful for him saving you being thankful for his blessings upon you into his courts with praise praise is bragging about him not yourself and so praise is bragging about him and praise is very important in the singing of the church in the church service and be thankful unto him and bless his name and what is his name Jesus the name above every name use Jesus when you’re out there talking trust me God doesn’t mean anything to people but Jesus will get them mad or make them glad one or the other they will fight you or they will embrace you there’s no neutrality there.

▶ 10:03 Now why. Because the Lord is good if the Lord is good he’s going to do you good and he’s going to make you good. Alleluia and his mercy is everlasting his compassion his love he is forgiving he will forgive you he will correct your mistakes he will cleanse you you see his mercy is how long forever okay and his truth endures to all generations his truth sets us free his truth makes us wiser than our enemies his truth heals us his word is his truth his truth causes us to grow a man.

▶ 11:02 See that’s why he’s going to do me good he’s going to make me good when I mess up he’s going to forgive me he’s going to discipline me he’s going to correct me he’s going to cleanse me when I mess up as a Christian this sheep here is a converted sheep but it made a mistake and the shepherd goes after this sheep just like he does the what unconverted sheep.

▶ 11:35 Alleluia. And his truth endures to all generations I don’t believe in this dispensationalism and all this baloney I don’t believe that we’re in a in a period of time where we’re a lukewarm church or were the church that’s. Persecuted or whatever his truth his word the Bible is not a book of faith is the book of truth and people should not be saying my faith they should be saying I follow his truth could that be an amen it’s his truth and everybody saying well my faith well your faith allows you to do all kinds of thing his truth no way you can’t alter that and the Bible is a book of truth not faith faith comes by hearing that Bible being persuaded in the truth okay and it lasts to all generations so don’t tell me I got to wait for the next awakening to get touched by God because this verse says his word can lead me into a continual revival a continuum of God and yes there might be a cloud over a nation or a cloud over a group but like Paul says we can be one born out of due time we don’t have to follow the crowd we can press right into God and live victorious now that was good.

▶ 13:06 Hallelujah and it all depends on what we do with this truth and it’s to all generations every generation can be have this now. Psalms 119:176 I have gone astray like a lost sheep okay. Seek your servant for I do not forget your laws here’s the converted sheep he knows the word of God but he messed up no no none of you ever messed up he just boy from day one you just you just grew like a really obedient child but this the writer of the Psalms 119 which is a focus on the word of God says hey I messed up I am your servant see I serve you Lord and I know your laws and I broke one I broke one of them and seek me out.

▶ 14:11 Come and get me aren’t you glad that he will. Hallelujah man I thought after I got saved I was supposed to be holy righteous and true and just live and I wasn’t and I found that the same Jesus that saved me before I was converted is the one that saves me after being converted he comes to me and he forgives and he heals now we’re going to talk about a tremendous thing you’re gonna have to pay close attention here this is very powerful alright you gotta you gotta really focus. Matthew 18:1. The disciples ask Jesus who’s the greatest. So Jesus calls a little child 8 years old or so seven.

▶ 15:09 Sets him in the midst. Okay wow. They’re talking about who’s the greatest and here Jesus brings a little child in now. In. Luke when this is recorded Luke 9:48 he says to his disciples whoever receives this child in my name receives me wow. You want Jesus look to the children. Now folks that’s a pretty that’s a strong statement. He goes on to say unless you guys are converted and become as a child you can’t even enter the kingdom let alone be the greatest.

▶ 16:04 You know what he said. Wow now I don’t know about you but that gets my attention what is so special about a child a child is that the total mercy of the parent to take care of them unlike animals they are born totally dependent on a parent. We should be birthed into being totally depended on Jesus Christ. Okay now remember Jesus said without a parable he didn’t speak unto the people when he spoke he spoke in parables and natural truths that illustrate a spiritual truth and so they’re asking him who’s the greatest he starts his parable about little children got it he’s going to use the illustration of children to answer them.

▶ 17:12 Are you there. Alleluia that’s why you don’t want to speed read the Bible you want to read the Bible to know him you want to read the Bible to have your heart open up to him to speak to you okay your speed read you’ll never get this stuff it isn’t just being able to say I read my Bible through this year it’s being able to say man I read my Bible through and God taught me this this year. Hallelujah now. So if children are the greatest would it be true that the greatest harvest field is not the poor it’s not the rich it’s not the addict it’s not the religionists it’s not the sick and they need ministering to but if children are the greatest then who is the greatest harvest field the children and I.

▶ 18:17 Submit to you what is the American church neglecting children we’re interested in hearing an inspirational message a positive message and on all this stuff and we throw our children out to you know and yet the greatest harvest is what children why because they are totally dependent on. Parents raising them up in the way they should go. They’re innocent. Who’s the greatest sheep is it the pastor evangelist the prophet the apostle is. It the miracle worker who’s the greatest sheep then if the greatest in the kingdom is.

▶ 19:11 Children then who’s the greatest the most important sheep children. Hallelujah. Now that sets the groundwork. Matthew 18:6 continuing Jesus continued and he says whoever hears reason number two. That sheep go astray let’s read it whoever causes one of these little he changes from little child to little one that isn’t in the Greek it’s added for emphasis and it is used other places so it’s legal but it’s just it’s the word least and many remember the word least in the New Testament yeah.

▶ 20:07 Alleluia. The least he said whoever causes one of these least who believe in me now he’s switching to the parable he’s using the child to teach us the greatness of the kingdom and so the least the little the smallest believer. Who believes in him if they caused that believer to sin. Break God’s word it’s better he would drown in the sea now that’s a serious proclamation because that emphasizes that they can be cast into hell and they can be cast into the lake of fire which is a serious everlasting judgment. So to be better they just die now than to face the judgment of messing around with these little children or young.

▶ 21:06 Believers in Christ. Got it. Serious stuff very serious can be a parent it can be a relative it can be a public school teacher you know public school teachers are having sex with students just rampantly in America just grows every year and they’re just slapping them on the hand it can be a friend it can be a believer. Whoever it is is in trouble don’t mess with the little children and don’t mess with the young believer. Can I hear an amen yes and you can feel the power in that can’t you yes.

▶ 21:59 Now in first John 2:12 it gives us four levels of Christian growth and most of you know this I’ve taught it for years I didn’t teach it John taught it I passed it on let’s get this stuff squared away I have a I know I haven’t come up with anything new I’m just passing on what they told it see I write unto you infants because your sins are forgiven I write unto you little children because you know Jesus. Okay a young believer starts with just their sins forgiven they don’t know the Bible they don’t know but they don’t know his voice yet and it’s the church’s responsibility. To teach them and protect them and bring them into these areas of growth in that right.

▶ 22:59 They don’t hear his voice yet they don’t follow thoroughly yet they make mistakes you know they whine and cry and everything else but he says you don’t mess with these least believers. You don’t mess with them you are there to teach them you are there to be an example to them you are there to protect them and you better not do anything to cause them to violate God’s word which is sin sin is the violation of God’s word. Are you getting me ain’t this good yeah. Now here he goes into the parable continuing in the parable if a man has a hundred sheep see now he’s referring to the greatest the little children parable as sheep.

▶ 24:00 Okay and one goes astray. Does he not leave the ninety-nine to seek the one straying. Yes he does but see Jesus is supernatural he didn’t leave the ninety-nine either. He’s still with the 99 and he goes to get. The young believer that’s his focus here the young believer and who the children. Remember a parable is a true story that illustrates a spiritual truth so children is part of this truth and a young believer is part of this truth amen. Now. Folks we cannot leave.

▶ 24:53 The little child or the young believer. To the whoever’s. Which can be their parents it can be their school teachers it can be a relative it can be their friend. We cannot leave that it is imperative that we get the word out to every family that. the truth so children know when their parents are raising them wrong or not. Are you here. We’ve got to let Jesus use us to deliver children and young believers from the whoever’s.

▶ 25:53 If he finds that stray sheep he rejoices moreover that sheep than over the 99 that did not stray. And Zephaniah 3:17 [unclear] because he rejoices over the 99 to you understand he just rejoices moreover a corrected sheep than he does over a sheep that need no repentance he said in the Luke account alright. So I heard someone on tv this week that did a good job speaking but they kept saying we can’t we can’t. Line up to this word I see I’m trying to find out we can’t be perfect we can’t in other words we’re doomed to be failures we’re always going to need repentance when this says their sheep their what need no repentance I grow to a place where they live for God and they are usually the older people in the church that’s been solid and they’ve learned that the mistakes they’ve made their errors and they just walk and the righteousness of God are you with me that doesn’t mean they might lose their temper ever once in a while but they follow God’s word they’re solid all right.

▶ 27:16 Now these kind of sheep that need no repentance are also mature sheep when they’re sick you don’t have to visit them they don’t need somebody come on over feel sorry for them if if they get depressed. They don’t need encouragement they know how to do like David it’d get along and get encouraged by God you see these are the solid ones and if they do something great in the church like a great prophecy or sing a great song they don’t need a pat on the back oh what a good job they don’t need that there’ll be there next Sunday without any praise at any honor without any recognition. Hallelujah that’s the sheep that we first opened up with they don’t need attention see they know how to go to God and get things done.

▶ 28:10 Hallelujah. Even so it is not the will of your father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. Okay and if it’s not his will and we’re going to do his will then we’re going to do what we’re going to seek out these kids and these young believers and do everything we can to deliver them from the whoever’s. And. Keep them on the right path and he.

▶ 28:45 Gave me the illustration you don’t birth a baby and set it out on the street and say okay make it on your own boy it hit me like a [unclear] that’s when he began to open my understanding to the church the church is where we have the ability and the promise that we can do all things and we can get the whole thing done going out there and just getting people saved and not following up on them and and and doing everything you can to keep them saved get through that growth period just isn’t it are you with me and that’s when I began to understand I need to be involved in a church I need to be with people that want to reach people that all of us together as a team can get things done an individual is very limited but a team can get a lot of things done.