Downtown is a large City-County building. It holds many municipal and county courtrooms. Probate court is there. Every day, petitions and writs are read and heard, telling the will and wishes of the testator. The person who’s will was to wish after his death, such and such would happen, such a sum of money would be given, such an heir would receive this or that. It often goes smoothly, as wills and last testaments are read into the record. Sometimes however, there are protests and a hearing on the estate takes place. Witnesses and pieces of evidence are presented to show the true intent or the true desire of the testator.
In your life and my life, we too, often want to know what life is all about. We want to know why we are here, and we want to know what we should do. How do we know what to do? How do we know what we’re supposed to do, while we are here on earth. What is God’s will for me? What does God have to say about how I am living?
In the book of John, Jesus tells us that we don’t have to worry, we don’t have to be concerned, that we (as believers) can hear his voice and as sheep hear the shephard, he will guide and carry out our lives. What a blessing to know that Jesus is our shephard, our guide today and the rest of our lives. How does Jesus speak to us today?
The voice of Jesus: Look at verse three. There Jesus says that "the sheep hear his voice." So point number one this morning is simply this: Do you know Him. Are you one of His? Are you one of the sheep of His flock? If you are, good. If you are not, why not? I hope you will join the flock of God. Now, it says that the sheep hear his voice. So if you are one of His, you hear when Jesus speaks. He speaks through the Spirit. He speaks through your conscience, your intellect, your spirit. He prompts you and tells you. I have a small dog. She’s a good dog. When I call her, she comes. I don’t even have to call, just snap my fingers and she’ll come. Do we answer as good as my dog, when Jesus calls? We have a disaster relief program here at the church. It’s just getting off the ground. We’re slower than the government, but it’s getting off the ground. Dorothy has some money, and Jean is getting together boxes. Her truck was full the other day with groceries and stuff for the victims of Katrina. God bless her and her work.
Secondly, it says that Jesus calls us by name. The bible says that when you trust Christ, your name is written in that Book of Life. Revelation 20:12 says it this way: "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things wheich were written in the books, according to their works." And then down in verse 15, it says that: "whosoever was not found in the book of life(or the book of the living) was cast into the lake of fire." I want to have my name in the book of the living, don’t you? You can if you give yourself to Him. He’ll call you out by name! Praise God.
Turning back to our text in John 10, it says that He will lead us. Now look at verse four: It says that he will go before us and we will follow Him for we know his voice. Not the voice of others,not the voice of the world, not the voice of evil, but the voice of Jesus. Do you want to hear from Him today?
Verse seven says that Jesus is the door of the sheep. Revelation 3 says that Jesus is at the door. Verse 20 of the third chapter of the book of Revelation says: "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." He is the door of the sheep, he opens the door for us. We’ve got lots of doors in this church. Some are new, like the entrance doors. Very nice. New. Some are old, like the ones downstairs. But the doors to this sanctuary. As I walk through these doors, I feel the presence of God. It’s a beautiful place. Now a lot of people have gone through those doors back there. I hope that they go with Christ in their hearts. I hope nobody ever leaves this church and hasn’t accepted Christ, hasn’t heard from Him.
Verse nine, he says it again for emphasis. "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved..." So enter in often, go to Him often. Go to Him in prayer for guidance and to hear His voice. In the book of Romans, the tenth chapter it tells us, that "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Go to God’s word often, to hear from God, to hear what Jesus would do. It’s our instruction manual, our self-help guide. Enter in, read, hear, get to know God’s will, God’s way.
Why should we hear from God? Listen to God? Take the words of Jesus and try to apply it to our lives? Because in the words of Jesus there is a life. An abundant, full life. He’s there for you.
Look at verse ten: "The thief cometh not, but to steal, and to kill and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." The final two things Jesus is telling us is that there are thieves out there. They steal, kill and destroy. They do these things with their lies and with their devices: booze, drugs, sex, deviant behaviors. That voice is out there for young and old. It’s the same old voice of temptation and it sounds good. But if you’ve lived on this world any length of time, you know the terrible price the Devil extracts for those sins. He takes it all. He’ll pull you right down, to death. He’s the prince of death. So much for that. We can insert any number of folk who went down that road. Maybe you were down there once.
But look at the rest of the verse. Hallelujah! "I come that they might have life," not just a plain, ordinary boring life, but "that they might have it more abundantly." An abundant life, a better life, a life in His presence, a life in his love. It’s there for us. He promised us, let’s pray.
