WESTSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH
PASTOR: TERRY VAUGHAN
SERMON TITLE: THE LAMB THAT FEEDS US AND LEADS US
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:16-18 KJV
TEXT VERSE: REVELATION 7:13-17 “AND ONE OF THE ELDERS ANSWERED, SAYING UNTO ME, WHAT ARE THESE THINGS WHICH ARE ARRAYED IN WHITE ROBES? AND WHENCE CAME THEY? AND I SAID UNTO HIM, SIR, THOU KNOWEST. AND HE SAID TO ME, THESE ARE THESE WHICH CAME OUT OF GREAT TRIBULATION, AND HAVE WASHED THEIR ROBES, AND MADE THEM WHITE IN THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB. THEREFORE ARE THEY BEFORE THE THRONE OF GOD, AND SERVE HIM DAY AND NIGHT IN HIS TEMPLE: AND HE THAT SITTETH ON THE THRONE SHALL DWELL AMONG THEM. THEY SHALL HUNGER NO MORE, NEITHER THIRST ANY MORE; NEITHER SHALL THE SUN LIGHT ON THEM, NOR ANY HEAT. FOR THE LAMB WHICH IS IN THE MIDST OF THE THRONE SHALL FEED THEM, AND SHALL LEAD THEM UNTO LIVING FOUNTAINS OF WATERS AND GOD SHALL WIPE AWAY ALL TEARS FROM THEIR EYES.”
LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, we just thank you for the opportunity to be here in your house. Lord we thank you for the precious word. I pray you’d use me as an instrument. I know that without you Lord, we’re just an empty vessel but I pray you’d use us today as a chosen vessel unto thee that your word will come right down out of heaven and sink down into our souls, our hearts, and our minds. I pray we’d not only be able to feel you but we’d be able to see you through faith and to know and understand what you’d have us to do and what you’d have us to be and where you’d have us to go. Let us always follow you in everything and Lord we give you the Praise, the Honor and the Glory for all that you do for us. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
We’re going to point out some things today that God has laid on our heart. There’s something that always amazes me and I want to share it with you this morning. We quoted John 3:16 a while ago, how God sent his only begotten son from Heaven to this world to come for every man, woman, boy and girl. He said in His word that He came to save that which was lost. That’s why Jesus came. I want you to know, that’s the main purpose why Jesus came. He came to seek and to save that which was lost. That same Jesus that was sent from God out of Heaven to this world also went to Calvary’s cross and willingly laid down His life for you and me. He paid our sin debt on the cross of Calvary. You say, preacher, I’m not a sinner. Every man, woman, boy and girl in this world is sinners. You’re not a sinner because of what you’ve done or because of where you’re from or what you’ve done in the past. You are simply a sinner when you are born into this world. We were all born sinners. Lost without God. Dying and on our way to a Devil’s Hell. But thank God, when Christ gave His life on the cross of Calvary and paid our sin-debt, no more did we have to go to that awful place called Hell. God made a way at the cross of Calvary so that you and I might have life and have it more abundantly and life everlasting. Praise be to God for His only begotten Son! Not only did He go to the cross of Calvary, after that they went to the tomb to look for Him on the third day and the angel said ‘HE’S NOT HERE.’ I’m glad I’m serving a resurrected Savior. Hell couldn’t keep Him down. He defeated it for you and for me! Then I thought about ACT 1:11 “...YE MEN OF GALILEE, WHY STAND YE GAZING UP INTO HEAVEN? THIS SAME JESUS, WHICH IS TAKEN UP FROM YOU INTO HEAVEN, SHALL SO COME IN LIKE MANNER AS YE HAVE SEEN HIM GO INTO HEAVEN.” I’m looking forward to Him coming back one day after awhile. But what amazes me about all that is that the same Son that was sent from God out of Heaven, that gave His life on the cross of Calvary, that was resurrected and then ascended back up into heaven...looking at verse 15, the part that amazes me is He that sitteth upon the throne shall dwell among them. I’m glad I’m serving a God even though He’s seated at the right hand of God, He’s still here with us today. That amazes me. I’m glad I’m not serving a God that is far off. His presence is here. He said he’d never leave us.
Now PSALMS 125:2 says this “AS THE MOUNTAINS ARE ROUND ABOUT JERUSALEM, SO THE LORD IS ROUND ABOUT HIS PEOPLE FROM HENCEFORTH EVEN FOR EVER.”
His presence is real and I feel the power and the spirit of God this morning. But now I want you to look at verse 17...for the lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them and shall lead them. That’s what I want to preach on. The lamb that feeds us and leads us. I thought about the scripture and I thought, how does God feed us? We know how we physically feed ourselves. We set food before us and we feed our bodies to give us nourishment. When God feeds you, he does it for your nourishment.
God wants to feed and us and be full of all that he has. I’m going to bring out some different ways that God feeds us but here’s why or how he feeds us.
How does God feed us through His knowledge?
You know why a lot of people aren’t saved? They don’t have the knowledge of God. They don’t have the knowledge that they are on their way to a devils Hell. They don’t have the knowledge that Jesus Christ gave His life for them on the Cross of Calvary. We have to take them that knowledge. That’s why we have to share with them the word of God. I didn’t know it until one day a man stood to preach on the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and God spoke to my heart and saved me. I got a little bit of knowledge. That’s how He feeds us.
NUMBER ONE: He feeds us with WISDOM.
PROVERBS 4:7 “WISDOM IS THE PRINCIPAL THING; THEREFORE GET WISDOM: AND WITH ALL THY GETTING GET UNDERSTANDING.”
We’ve got to be knowledgable about the wisdom of God. He said your ways are not my ways and your thoughts are not your thoughts. I’m not here to do things my way. I’m here to do things God’s way. He’s a whole lot smarter than I am. He can do things I can’t. He can bless people like I can never touch them. We’re afraid to go around some of them sinners out there. There are some of the meanest people you’ve ever come across in your life. But Praise God, He’s still in the saving business. I’m glad God can still reach those sinners that’s still out there in the world that we’re afraid of. God loves them and he gave His life for them. We need to be able to have that kind of knowledge. The Bible says if a man think himself to be something when he’s nothing, he deceiveth himself. We cannot think ourselves to be anybody unless we think about God first. God is the almighty God. He’s in charge and He’s in control. We need to have the wisdom of God and what Jesus would do, what God would do, what His intent is, what His purpose is, what His message is. A lot of people don’t have enough knowledge about the word of God to even know what God’s all about. If you want to know more about God, get in the book more. God will teach you more about what God wants you to do. He’ll teach you and feed you with wisdom. All these families living out here running around, don’t know how to raise their children. You know why? They don’t have the knowledge of God. They don’t have the wisdom that God wants them to have. JAMES 1:5 “IF ANY MAN LACKS WISDOM, LET HIM ASK OF GOD.”
NUMBER TWO: His WORD
That’s why it’s important to come to Sunday School and come to the house of God and hear the preached word. Ask God to take His word and apply it in your life.
MATTHEW 4:4 “IT IS WRITTEN, MAN SHALL NOT LIVE BY BREAD ALONE, BUT BY EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDETH OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.”
You can’t add to it and you can’t take anything away. It can only be the blessed word of God and that’s how God feeds us. There’s a lot of churches that don’t even open the good book, they just stand up and try to tell what God’s done for them. Listen, that’s a testimony. That’s not preaching. You can stand up and tell people what God’s done for you all day long, but if you want somebody to get saved....open the blessed book and share with them the word of God. I guarantee you God will give them some knowledge. You may not ever see them saved but I guarantee you the Lord when He starts giving them that knowledge...He knows. That’s why I like that scripture: I planted, Apollos watered but God gave the increase.” I can’t do anything but God can do all things.
NUMBER THREE: He gives us knowledge through His WILL.
EPHESIANS 5:17 “WHEREFORE BE YE NOT UNWISE, BUT UNDERSTANDING WHAT THE WILL OF THE LORD IS.”
There’s a lot of people that is unwise. Let me clarify this. YOUR WILL IS NOT GOD’S WILL. Just because you think it’s right, does not mean that God says it’s right. How do you know what the will of the Lord is? Unless we get in the book and find out what it is. And not only in the word of God but in the Spirit of God and find out what God wants for us and for His people. He gives us knowledge through His will. He said I came not to do my will but the will of my Father which is in Heaven. Jesus didn’t even have His own will. The will was the Fathers will. Our will is the Fathers will.
NUMBER FOUR: he feeds us with His WAY.
JOHN 14:6 “I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE: NO MAN COMETH UNTO THE FATHER, BUT BY ME.”
There ain’t no other way. The Bible says straight is the gate, narrow is the way that leadeth unto life but few there be that find it.
There’s a lot of people that think there close to God but their not. Jesus way is always the right way and the perfect way. The disciples said show us the way. Jesus said I am the way. If Jesus is not a part of your life then you’re heading in the wrong direction. He’s got to be first and foremost in everything. He’s got to be our comfort and our guide. We’ve got to trust in Him and lean not to our own understandings. We have to follow His way. I’ll never forget randy Owenby preached here one night on “When God interrupts your plans.” Your plans are not always God’s plans. When you start setting aside provisions like it’s something big...it’ll end up being something small. There’s only one big thing I know of and that’s Almighty God.
NUMBER FIVE: He feeds us with His WONDERS.
PSALMS 136:4 “TO HIM WHO ALONE DOETH GREAT WONDERS: FOR HIS MERCY ENDURETH FOREVER.”
I remember Fred sharing a story about Anita one day. I was out at their home and she was in the Hospital and she about died but God intervened. That’s seeing the wonders of God. I saw my daddy die right before my eyes when I was 16. His lips were blue and he was white as a sheet. I began to pray and call upon God and the power of God came down and my daddy sat up on the couch. That’s the wonders of God. He feeds us with that. If you ain’t seeing nothing done, maybe you’re not close enough to God to see anything done. If you don’t see God in it...you better get out of it. He wants us to know what He can do. Thank about that woman in the Bible who had her son in the casket. He had died and they were on their way to bury him. They passed Jesus on the way and Jesus walked up to the casket, spoke to that boy and the Bible says that boy sat up in the coffin. Jesus told him to go to his mother. That’s the great wonders of God. We can’t do those things. But God can. He can do all things. Think about how those people felt after coming out of bondage in Egypt. They came up to the Red Sea and they had nowhere to go and Pharoh’s army was behind them ready to kill them. The Bible says that God parted the water and they went across on dry ground. He does great wonders and he uses them to show us and feed us with what we need for the nourishment of our Spiritual life.
Mary said, Lord, my brother is dead. Jesus said that don’t matter. I am the giver of life. Then He spoke and said, Lazarus come forth. The Bible says he came forth in his grave clothes. He had on grave clothes and God took them off and put on GRACE clothes. We’re serving a God that can do all things. You know someone that needs to be saved and you don’t think there’s anyway they can be.....Just hold on to Jesus. God is able to save.
Then I thought, How does He lead us? He leads us with opportunities. He feeds us with knowledge but he leads us with opportunities. Let me tell you the greatest opportunity we’ve ever had to be led by the Lord...
NUMBER ONE: It’s worship. JOHN 4:24 “GOD IS A SPIRIT: AND THEY THAT WORSHIP HIM MUST WORSHIP HIM IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH.” So many people don’t attend church. But I thank God he gave us a church and a place to worship. He gives us that opportunity. You ever leave your house and feel led to lead somebody else here? He uses that time of worship as an opportunity for us. He leads us by it. A lot of people don’t even know what worship is. There’s three types of worship. Here’s the most import one. The inward one. If you have Christ in your life you ought to be able to hold up your hand and praise His name. You ought to be able to shout the victories of God. Go to an old fashioned altar and say God I don’t know what I need to pray for but God I just want to be closer to you. I just praise you for being God. That’s called inward worship.
Then there’s also upward worship. That’s when you just lift up your hands and praise God and say God you’re my all and all. You’re the best thing I’ve ever had and I just want to praise you. That’s upward worship.
Then there’s outward worship. Telling somebody else what God’s done for you. That woman at the man said, come see a man that told me all things that ever I did. Is this not the Christ? She had an inward, upward and an outward worship. She wanted to spread the good news that Jesus Christ is real.
He gives us opportunity to worship.
NUMBER TWO: He gives us opportunity to walk for Him.
2 CORINTHIANS 5:7 “FOR WE WALK BY FAITH AND NOT BY SIGHT.”
Let me tell you something about faith. Faith is NOT seeing the visible things of this world, it’s seeing the INVISIBLE reality of God. No matter what the circumstance is, you’ve got faith that’s God is always in control and God is going to work it out. You can’t walk with Him if you’re heading in the wrong direction. You want to walk close to God then get up next to Him and let Him be the leader and you be the follower. The Bible says that Enich walked with God. God took him.
Another opportunity He gives us after he feeds us is
NUMBER THREE: to work for him. There’s a lot of Christians who have never lifted their finger one time for Him.
JOHN 14:12 “HE THAT BELIEVETH ON ME, THE WORKS THAT I DO SHALL HE DO ALSO; AND GREATER WORKS SHALL HE DO; BECAUSE I GO UNTO MY FATHER.” he considers the work that we’re doing right now greater than that of Jesus when He was here. A lot of Christians aren’t even working for the Lord. Paul said if any man would not work, neither should he eat. If you’re not getting filled with the power and the spirit of God, it’s because you’re not working. Payday can be everyday. god said that faith without works is dead. You’ve got to have works. We get in that traditional thing of Wednesday nights and Sundays. What about the rest of the week? He’s God all the time and we ought to work for God all the time. If you don’t take that opportunity to work for God, he’ll take it away from you.
NUMBER FOUR: He gives us opportunity to witness for Him. PROVERBS 14:25 “A TRUE WITNESS DELIVERETH SOULS: BUT A DECEITFUL WITNESS SPEAKETH LIES.”
Don’t you come out here and think you’re some big Bible scholar. You don’t have to be a Bible Scholar to win somebody to Christ. You don’t have to be a preacher to win somebody to Christ. You can be a lay member sitting on the pew. How many times has God told us to Go and we didn’t? Whether you believe it or not you’re going to give account for yourself to God. I’m glad I don’t have to give account for everybody else. I’d hate for God to look at me and say, “How come you didn’t witness to those people that died and went to Hell?”
NUMBER FIVE:He gives us opportunity to be wealthy in Christ. Paul said in PHILIPPIANS 4:19 “BUT MY GOD SHALL SUPPLY ALL YOUR NEED ACCORDING TO HIS RICHES IN GLORY BY CHRIST JESUS.” Paul said what he’s done for me, I know he can do it for you. If you’re a poor beggar and you don’t have nothing, if you don’t feel the very rich wealth of God in your life....you need Christ! I’m just an old wretched beggar boy but I feel rich in Christ. I feel like I’m the richest man that ever walked God’s earth. I have more things from God than this world will ever give me. You can take away all my money. You can take away all my food, my home, my cars, my job....but you can’t take away my Lord. I consider that to be my wealth. If you have Christ, you have everything. What else do you need? The Bible said many of his disciples went back and walked with Him no more. Jesus looked at the twelve and said, “Will you also go away?” Peter said to whom shall we go? He said thou hast the words of eternal life.” Who else can have that? Who else can do what you’ve done, Lord? or who else can give us what you give us. Lord, who else can make us feel on the inside, how you make us feel? What kind of blessings can somebody in this world offer us that Christ can’t.
I want you to turn to ISAIAH 40:11 “HE SHALL FEED HIS FLOCK LIKE A SHEPHERD: HE SHALL GATHER THE LAMBS WITH HIS ARM, AND CARRY THEM IN HIS BOSOM, AND SHALL GENTLY LEAD THOSE THAT ARE WITH YOUNG.”
I am glad God is able to feed me and lead me. If I didn’t have Him, I’d be in some awful conditions in my life. Thank you for your attentiveness. May God Bless You.
