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Bibleline Bibleline, here God’s Word on Bibleline, everywhere, every time. Here God’s truth on Bibleline. Welcome to Bibleline with Dr. Ralph Yankee Arnold, pastor of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida. Clearly declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ through the radio and the internet. Your prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us at 813-884-4328 or you can donate on the homepage at BibleLineMinistries.org. We pray that you will enjoy our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ and that today’s message will be a blessing to you and your family.

A lot of interesting stories in the Bible about sheep, lost sheep. And I want you to look at one there in the book of Isaiah 53, the book of Isaiah in chapter 53. The Bible teaches that you and I, in his eyes, are looked upon as sheep. Sheep are not the most brilliant animals in the world. But the Bible does say that we are all led by our own will to do whatever we want. And so very few people really want to follow the Lord.

They don’t really hear His voice. Many don’t know His word. But notice something here in the book of Isaiah 53. Look there in verse 3. This is a reference to Jesus Christ. Says, he is despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. Think of how he must have felt. Jesus Christ who made the world came into this world. Says, and he made the world and the world was made by him and the world knew him not.

He came into his own and his own received him not. To realize who he was, God that created the heavens and the earth, and yet came into a world that did not want him, did not know him, did not love him, did not appreciate him for what he was and what he had done. And the Bible says that toward the end whenever he came to present himself to Jerusalem as the king of Israel, well the Bible says that he was despised and he was rejected.

Maybe sometimes you feel a little bit like that. He says, a man of sorrows. I don’t think Jesus Christ walked around all day long with a happy face. I believe He was a man of sorrows. He carried a lot of sorrows, carried a lot of grief. Just think about you and I. We can sit here this morning, we can be grieved about a lot of things. We can carry a lot of sorrows. We look at the world and we don’t like the direction that is going, but realize this.

If we see what we see, I’ll understand a little bit with our little finite minds. Think of what God must see. Think of how He must feel. Not only the lost people that don’t ever trust Him and will spend eternity in hell, but think what it must be like for Him to have saved an individual, to give Him eternal life, make them His child, and then give them the freedom to serve Him. And so many of His sheep won’t follow Him.

Don’t want to hear His voice. Go astray. Maybe there’s, I guess, a lot of similarity between a lost sheep and a sheep that goes astray. But we often say a sheep that goes astray was one that was lost and is found and then chooses to go astray. Just wanders away. But here he makes the statement in verse 3. He says, we hid as it were our faces from him. He was despised and we esteemed him not. Surely he had borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.

You see, why do we have so much grief? they have sorrows? Well, he was barren hours. If there’s anybody who knows how you think and how you feel, it’s the Lord. And he makes the statement, yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. In other words, we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God. In other words, like in our own mind, will he deserve it? Because see, if Jesus Christ was here today, majority of people would crucify him all over again.

If Jesus Christ walked into our service this morning, most of you have nothing to to do with him. You have nothing to do with him. If he wanted to go to your house this afternoon, you wouldn’t want him to come because there might be things in your home that you’d have to correct. You may not feel too comfortable to bend in this presence because there may be things in your life that you tolerate that you know shouldn’t and he would be a rebuke to you.

You’d be surprised at how many of God’s people? Don’t love the Lord and don’t walk with him. He makes this statement here in verse 5, but he was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes were healed. All we like sheep, verse 6, you ought to underline it in your Bible if it’s not underlined. It says, all we like sheep have gone astray. Didn’t say most of us or some of us know it says all of us.

All we like sheep have gone astray. That means everybody wants to go their own way. Nobody likes being told what to do. Nobody wants to really follow the Lord wholeheartedly. I would say that the majority of Christians today serve God if it’s a convenient for them. If it’s convenient, then you do it. If it’s not convenient, you won’t do it. Some people attend church. If it’s convenient, if it’s not convenient, they don’t. They give it if it’s convenient. If it doesn’t hurt them too much, it doesn’t really have to sacrifice.

They’ll give out of some of the that they have. But a majority of Christians don’t give until it It’s just enough to give to God so that he’ll stay off my back and leave me alonegnu so that I can maybe go as far as I can and I’ve drawn a line and I’m not going past it. But he says here in verse six, all we like sheep have gone astray, we turned everyone to his own way. That’s what it means to go astray.

What does it mean to go astray? To turn to go your own way. It makes you don’t follow the Lord. It’s surprising to see how many of God’s lives are in the way. and to see how many of God’s peoples. people say, well, you serve, you serve God your way and I’ll serve God my way. Well, say, I don’t serve God my way and you don’t serve God your way. We have to serve God Godimura we don’t serve God.

This is the same word of God. It’s the same for you as it is for me. Whatever tells me to do it tells you to do it. It’s the same book. We don’t have 10 different Bibles. We don’t have a thousand Bibles. We got one Bible that says this is the will of God for his people. So as we read the word of God, we should be in agreement of what salvation is, what service is. God want us to do.

How faithful should I be? And the Lord hath laid upon him the iniquity of the song. So he was like a sheep that was led to the slaughter and get this in verse 7. He was oppressed and he was afflicted yet he opened not his mom. He has brought as a lamb to the slaughter as a sheep before he shears this down. He opened not his mouth. He was also as a sheep and he was a lamb and he opened not his mouth and the Bible says God just took this innocent little lamb and laid all of our sins upon this lamb and this lamb died for us.

Take your Bible look in the book of Matthew chapter 18. Matthew and chapter 18. I’ve had a little bit of a heavy heart this week. I don’t like it when I see people that I love hurting and suffering and I know that there’s I don’t have a magic wand. I can’t really leave all the pressures and problems that people have and so many people are hurting, so many got things upon their minds. And here in Matthew chapter 18, I want you to look down there in verse 10.

Look at verse 10. This is a thought, an attitude that we ought to have toward the little ones, the little children. It says in verse 10, take heed that you despise not one of these little ones. For I say unto you that in heaven, their angels do always behold the face of my Father, which is in heaven. It It means that there are guardian angels. It means that they have someone in heaven that is looking out for them, and that there are angels in the presence of God that oversee and watch after little children.

As you read this, it’s a very interesting story. It has to deal with adults who are kind of jealous of each other, envious of each other, somewhating to be greater than other individuals. The Bible says some wants to be greater in the kingdom of heaven than other individuals. He says, if you want to be great, then I want you to reach down and clear the way for the little ones so that they can see and hear and understand. He says, if you put a stumbling block in the way of little ones, he says it would be better for you if they took a millstone, hanging about your neck and you were thrown into the deepest sea.

In other words, don’t offend little children. You see if adults really knew that and really believed that then adults with walk right The reason we have so many wicked adults who don’t care how they live don’t care about their language Don’t care where they go because they don’t love children You see if you love children Then as an adult you try to be the best example for children that you can be You find some adult who wastes their life and ruins their own life and don’t do right by their wife or their husband them, they don’t love children.

And the Bible says they become a stumbling block. To children. You see, you should not in any way say or do something before children that causes them to stumble, cause them to fall. So he says they’re in verse six, but whosoever shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck that he were drowned in the depths of the seas. Yeah, I didn’t make that up.

That’s what Jesus said. Look down in verse 11. And then he uses an illustration as you compare. a shepherd and a sheep. He says in verse 11, for the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. How? Thank ye. If a man have a hundred sheep and one of them be gone astray, that they not leave the ninety and nine and go it into the mountains and seek of that which is gone astray. Maybe talking about seeking that little one that’s gone astray because some adult let a child astray by their own actions, by something they say or do.

But whatever it is, God says if a man have a hundred sheep, that they not lead the ninety and nine and go after that one sheep. In other words, that one sheep must be very important, one person. Sometimes we know we can’t not win the world. But what about just one, just one person? Somebody says that they were walking along the beach. And for some reason or another, there was a bunch of little fish that had gotten up on the thing and the water went out and they were all going to die.

And there were thousands upon the beach. And so this one little kid, he picked up one little fish and walked over to the edge of the ocean and threw the thing as far as he could. And the guy told him and says, you know, that’s just a waste of time. There’s thousands of little people. He says, they ain going to make a bit of difference. And the little boy says it did to that one. He did to that one.

Made a difference. And you might think, well, I can’t make a difference. Well, you might just to one person, one sheep. Do you know you may know Christ is your savior? Oh, you’ve been found. You’re part of the fold. You’re one of this flock, but you’ve gone astray. It means you’ve gone your own way and you’re not serving God the way you should. Do you know that the Lord says that He goes after the sheep even that goes astray?

That’s why the Bible says that God uses people to try to help people. Because I believe this, I’ve done my delive of best. The people who have maybe wronged me over the years or even people who fall, I want to try to help as many as I possibly can in whatever way possible. Because you know that if that person gets right with the Lord, God is so pleased and God is so happy. You see, we can’t change maybe the world, but wouldn’t it be great if God could use you to help change the course of just one person, one little individual, finding one sheep?

I can’t reach everybody that’s upon the rocky steeps that’s fallen into some crevice. Every one of us are in different places and each one of us can reach out and help some little sheep that needs help. And sometimes it’s an adult, sometimes a teenager, sometimes a little child. But he makes a statement there in verse 13, and if so be that he find it, verily I send He rejoices more of that sheep than of the 99 which went not astray.

See, some of us will probably gloat and be so proud that, boy, I’ve been serving the Lord ever since I trusted Christ as much. I’ve never gone astray, and we’ve pat ourselves on the back, and ain’t I wonderful, but somebody else, they go astray. They weren’t as strong as you. And because of that, they’ve scarred themselves and maybe find themselves a sheep in the mud. And there’s some people who’d be light and point out all the mud in somebody else’s life.

But then there’s somebody else that knows that pig belonging to mud but not to sheep and going to get a sheep and try to help them and get them cleaned up. That God rejoices more of the one that went astray and comes back than the 99 who never went astray. He said, well, which one would you rather be? I’d rather be the one that never won a stray than those who go astray and so many never come back. See, once you know Christ is saving your His child, you’ll go to heaven when you die.

But you’re sure you’re going to make a mess out of your life. You’re going to ruin your testimony. And you’re not going to have the peace and the joy that you ought to have. But the Lord says this in verse 14, He says, even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. In other words, talking about even a little children is not the will of God that one child perish.

God wants all of them to know the Lord. Look in Luke chapter 15, the book of Luke, Gospel of Luke, in chapter 15. It’s another scripture that deals a little bit with the same issue, but worded just a little bit differently. Because the question came up is why does Jesus, why does he eat with sinners? Why does he eat with sinners? And some people pride themselves and been so righteous and so holy that they don’t even want to get around the around the invited that’s lost.

And so they become like a hermit. They protect themselves. They make sure that they don’t go around where there’s lost people. Because they’re so holy and they always point out all the ills of everybody else. But you see, you can’t reach people if you don’t go where they are. He makes a statement here in Luke chapter 15 and verse 1, then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. The Republicans refer to tax collectors.

These were the down and outers. These were people that you would say this most of the majority But the Pharisees and the scribes were these the religious people these are the the government officials. These are the upper crust and it’s a murmured saying this man receive of sinners and eateth with them Look at that this man receive of sinners and eat it with them So then Jesus knowing how they thought he told them a parable, told them a little story.

But look at the story. In verse 3, and he spake this parable into them saying, what man of you having a hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness and go after that which is lost until he find it. Goes after that which is lost how long till he finds it. He knows a got one and it’s lost. It’s somewhere and it goes until he finds it. And when he had found it, he layeth it on his shoulder, rejoicing.

And when he come at home, he called up together his friends and neighbors saying unto them, rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep, which was lost. I found my sheep, which was lost. I hold your place right here, but look in the hundred and nineteen song, the hundred and nineteen song. I want you to see this verse and look there in verse one hundred and seventy six and you may ought to underline this verse. It might refer to you.

See if you’re not walking with the Lord going God’s way then you’re going astray. Everyone here you’re either on your way with the Lord or you’re going astray. Even though you said here you can be going astray in your heart. He says in verse 176, I have gone astray like a lost sheep. I’ve gone astray like a lost sheep. He says, seek thy servant. Seek thy servant. I’ve gone away. I’ve gone astray like a lost sheep. Seek thy servant.

In other words, your greatest desire should be is I want somebody to care enough about me that if I go astray, somebody will come after me. Somebody will come after me because somebody cares for me. You know a lot of people would go astray because they don’t think people really care about them. Maybe people come to church but they don’t think people really care about them. Or people where you work. But they know you’re a Christian but you never talk to them about their soul.

So you must not really care about them. Wouldn’t it be a shame to get to heaven and find out all the people that you could have reached but you didn’t because you really didn’t care about them? David says that no man cares for my soul. No man cares for me. Whether I live or I die. He says, my life as far as I go, he says, there’s just one step between me and death. One step. Some of us is just one heartbeat.

We have no idea how long we’re going to live. And when we’ll be snatched out into eternity. But I’m a sheep that’s gone astray. I’m like a sheep that was lost. Go back there to Luke chapter 15 and look in verse seven. For he may just stay in rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep, which was lost. I say unto you that likewise, joy shall be in where? In heaven over one center rapists. More than over ninety and nine just persons which need no repentance.

In other words, if you have already trusted Christ as your Savior and you’re going to heaven when you die, what the Lord is excited about that and you ought to be too. But you know, So there’s one person that’s not saved, and that person does trust the Lord. The Bible says there is rejoicing in the presence of the angelsossibility of one person that trusts Christ’s Savior, just one person. So there must be something in heaven that’s wonderful and great to know, and that is that when somebody on the earth trusts the Lord, there’s rejoicing in heaven because of it.

You say why? Because there was a sheep that was lost and now is found. causes rejoicing in heaven over one person that trusts the Lord. So what if you would lead a lot of people to Christ? You’re the one to determine whether or not do you ever, have you ever in your whole Christian life, have you ever sought a lost sheep? I try to get one sheep to come to the Lord, to try to get them to trust Christ with their Savior.

Think of how much rejoicing there could have been. Do you know that the Bible makes a statement in the book of Thessalonians and he says, ye are my crown of rejoicing. There was when Christ comes and we’re in heaven, he says to the people that he had won the Lord, he says, you, you, you are my crown of rejoicing. why I’m going to rejoice when I get to heaven because I’ve led you to Christ. There’s nothing greater than wedding people to Christ.

Do you know the biggest critics in a ministry or the people who generally have nothing to do? The Bible says that Jesus Christ is the good shepherd. He’s the great shepherd, but he is the good shepherd, as it says. He makes the statement in verse 7, then says, Jesus unto them again, very, very, I send you, I am the door of the sheep. I’m the door of the sheep. In other words, I’m the way that the sheep get into my phone.

And the way he says, I have a foe that you know, not all. I have a flock that you don’t know about. He says, and only those who come into this door, he says, are part of my flock. He says, and I’m the way. I am the way. I’m the truth on the life. He says, in the last part of verse 10, I am calm that they might have life. and that they might have it more abundantly. See, people live, they exist, but they don’t have abundant life.

Whenever you trust Christ as Savior and you realize the importance of serving the Lord, yes, you have grief and you’ll have sorrow. But there’s something that you’ll also have that’s great and anything else in the world. Kind of like the Apostle Paul says, he says, I have continual heaviness in my heart, continual. And yet he talked about rejoicing the Lord always. It’s like a paradox. You rejoice because there’s people who trust the Lord and once they trust the Lord, they can never be lost again.

You never have to worry about them losing their salvation. They can never be lost. You know what’s done once is a done deal. But you also you hurt because of how many people don’t know the Lord and you want to reach as many as you possibly can. But he makes a statement here in verse 11, I am the good shepherd, the The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. The good shepherd. Look in verse 14, I am the good shepherd.

Know my sheep and am known of mine. I know them. They know me. Those are my sheep. I am glad that God knows me. I’m also glad that I know him. I know the Lord. He knows me. We know each other. He also says concerning him and the Father. as the Father knoweth me, even so I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. He says, I know God, and God knows me. I know the Father, the Father knows the Son.

Well, I know the Son, the Son knows me. We know each other. And one day we’re gonna be in heaven. But only those who have accepted Christ as their Savior. He made a statement, I have the power to lay down my life, and I can take it up again. But then I want you to look very quickly down in verse 25, verse 25 of chapter 10. And Jesus answered them, I told you, because they said, well, if you are the real Messiah, why don’t you tell us plainly?

Just come right out and say it. Jesus says, I have many times. It’s just that you don’t wanna believe it. You won’t believe me. He says, I told you and you believe not. The works that I do in my father’s name, they bear witness of me. Look what I’m doing. Have you seen anybody else walk on water? Have you seen anybody else feed to 5,000? Have you seen anybody else raise the dead? If I’m guilty of a sin, name it.

He says, no man can cast a stone at me for sins or for blasphemy. He says, I am God. I am the father of one. Look what he says there because they said, well, why don’t you tell us plainly? He says, I did tell you. So look there in verse 31 when he said, look, look in verse 30. I and my father are what? One. Then the Jews took up stones again to stone them. They said, well, tell us plainly, who are you?

I and the father are one. Well, now what are they gonna do to him? Stone him. Did they believe him or not? No, he told him who he was. He told him. I am God. I am God in the flesh. I’m God. And they did not believe him. So in verse 25, he says, I told you and you believe not. Verse 26. But ye believe not, because you’re not of my sheep. As I said unto you, my sheep hear my voice.

I know them, and they follow me. That word they follow me is in reference up there to verse 14. I know my sheep, and in the name of mine, I know him. In the words I did not choose Buddha to save me. I didn’t choose Mohammed to save me. I didn’t choose some Hindu religion to save me. I chose Jesus Christ to save me. I follow him. Following does not mean I’m going to serve him the rest of my life.

It’s a different kind of word altogether. I know him and he knows me and he makes a statement here in verse 28. Look what he says in verse 28. And I give unto them. I give Christ says I give unto them who his sheep those who do believe there’s some who won’t. He said I give unto them what eternal life and they shall that means in the future means tomorrow the next day next year next a hundred years next year next year.

next thousand years, next million years, they shall never what? Never perish. Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My father, which gave them me is greater than all the man is able to pluck them out of my father’s hand.” In other words, it sounds like you’re pretty secure, doesn’t it? That once you’re his sheep, you’re his sheep forever. Now, turn to the 23rd Psalm. 23rd Psalm. Many people use the 23rd Psalm as though it’s just the Psalm the use when somebody passes away.

Now it is that it is a tremendous psalm. It’s a very comforting psalm, but I want you to look at this from the standpoint of a shepherd and a sheep, a shepherd and a sheep. He says in verse 1 of Psalms 23, the Lord is my shepherd, the church, not a program, not the pastor, the Lord is my shepherd. He’s my shepherd. He says, I shall not want. Want for what if the Lord is your shepherd? He made it me to lie down that’s rest in green pastures that’s beneath me.

He leadeth me beside the still waters that’s for refreshment. He restored my soul. He leadeth me in the path of righteousness for his name’s sake. See, if he’s my shepherd and he leads me, then he’ll always be in the path of righteousness. So a sheet that goes astray is not going to follow the path of righteousness. It’s going to be a path of unrighteousness. Yay, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death or living in this life under the threat of death, I will fear no evil.

You see, you and I in this life, we should not be afraid of anything because we have a shepherd who promises to watch after us, to take care of us, provide for us, to refresh us, and meet every one of our needs. And no, we don’t even have to fear death itself because he says, I’ll never leave you and never forsake you. You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida with Dr. Ralph Arnold.

We pray that you were blessed by today’s message. If you You have enjoyed our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ. You can reach Bibleline and pledge your support to keep us on the air in your area by dialing 813-884-4328. That’s 813-884-4328. To listen to today’s message again, or to obtain a free download of any of our Bibleline programs, just go to our homepage at BibleLineMinistries.org and click on the radio broadcast link. If you’re in the area, we welcome you to visit us.

The address for Calvary Community Church is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. Our Sunday morning services begin at 1030, and at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening. Live broadcasts of our services may be seen by clicking the Calvary Community Church link at BibleLineMinistries.org. And now, a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound, and we will be changed. Caught up to meet the Lord in the air. So live today and every day, believing that the Lord is coming soon, and just keep looking up.