WEBVTT 00:00:22.570 --> 00:00:25.750 love that you guys are alive and active. Little 00:00:25.750 --> 00:00:28.710 known fact, the spirit of God or the word of 00:00:28.710 --> 00:00:30.890 God is actually living and active too. So the 00:00:30.890 --> 00:00:32.329 fact that you're alive this morning is due to 00:00:32.329 --> 00:00:37.490 his word. Amen. But if you don't know me already, 00:00:37.590 --> 00:00:39.869 my name is Eric. I'm the Next Steps pastor here 00:00:39.869 --> 00:00:42.350 at Lifehouse. Pastor Kip and Dixie are out on 00:00:42.350 --> 00:00:44.810 vacation. Don't worry, they'll be returning next 00:00:44.810 --> 00:00:48.549 week. So in the meantime, you have me. But I 00:00:48.549 --> 00:00:50.009 would like to start off with just giving you 00:00:50.009 --> 00:00:53.869 a couple numbers. So it's estimated that the 00:00:53.869 --> 00:00:57.170 number of orphans in the U .S. alone is between 00:00:57.170 --> 00:01:01.090 2 .1 million and 2 .7 million. That number is 00:01:01.090 --> 00:01:04.650 also inclusive of having lost one or both parents. 00:01:05.829 --> 00:01:09.010 The number estimated of paternal orphans is 1 00:01:09.010 --> 00:01:13.670 .4 million and 1 .8 million. So the vast majority 00:01:13.670 --> 00:01:16.849 of that 2 .1 to 2 .7 million is actually when 00:01:16.849 --> 00:01:19.189 the father... passes away or they don't have 00:01:19.189 --> 00:01:22.650 that father. 1 .4 to 1 .8 million don't have 00:01:22.650 --> 00:01:25.469 a father and therefore are orphaned. And that 00:01:25.469 --> 00:01:27.170 doesn't even count those having to go into the 00:01:27.170 --> 00:01:29.510 foster care system, which at any given point 00:01:29.510 --> 00:01:33.150 is about as high as 400 ,000. So think about 00:01:33.150 --> 00:01:37.310 that. 1 .8 million children are without a father 00:01:37.310 --> 00:01:41.030 figure in their life. 2 .7 million orphans in 00:01:41.030 --> 00:01:43.549 total have either one parent or no parents at 00:01:43.549 --> 00:01:48.239 all. James actually has something to say, the 00:01:48.239 --> 00:01:51.180 Apostle James in the Bible. In James 1 .27, it 00:01:51.180 --> 00:02:04.700 says, So in that verse, the word orphan is actually 00:02:04.700 --> 00:02:07.900 the Greek word orfanos, which is rendered to 00:02:07.900 --> 00:02:11.180 mean fatherless. They have no comfort. They have 00:02:11.180 --> 00:02:14.770 no father in their life. It describes not only 00:02:14.770 --> 00:02:16.569 those without the loving care of their parents, 00:02:16.689 --> 00:02:19.889 but also those who have been abandoned and alone, 00:02:20.169 --> 00:02:24.330 including adults. Notice how in the verse, James 00:02:24.330 --> 00:02:27.569 talks about caring for orphans. And if we refuse 00:02:27.569 --> 00:02:30.590 to do so, then we allow the world to corrupt 00:02:30.590 --> 00:02:35.330 them, right? Orphans are vulnerable to corruption 00:02:35.330 --> 00:02:38.430 without the voice of a father interceding for 00:02:38.430 --> 00:02:41.719 them when they need it. When the father is not 00:02:41.719 --> 00:02:44.280 present or guiding his children with his voice, 00:02:44.379 --> 00:02:47.219 then statistics show that there is a greater 00:02:47.219 --> 00:02:50.979 risk of living in poverty, of them being abused, 00:02:51.120 --> 00:02:54.379 for them to drop out of school. They could suffer 00:02:54.379 --> 00:02:57.400 from anxiety and depression. They struggle socially. 00:02:57.780 --> 00:03:01.340 They're at high risk of being incarcerated. And 00:03:01.340 --> 00:03:05.340 this is just evidence of what happens when the 00:03:05.340 --> 00:03:08.479 father is not in the picture. But when the father 00:03:08.479 --> 00:03:11.569 is present, And being the voice that these children 00:03:11.569 --> 00:03:16.669 need, the chances of those all become so low. 00:03:16.789 --> 00:03:20.490 It's the exact opposite. And so we all need that 00:03:20.490 --> 00:03:23.909 guiding voice in our lives. Orphan or not an 00:03:23.909 --> 00:03:27.490 orphan, we need someone to speak into us, into 00:03:27.490 --> 00:03:30.590 our hearts. Someone to vocalize who we are called 00:03:30.590 --> 00:03:34.319 to be. Someone to vocalize the callings and gifts 00:03:34.319 --> 00:03:37.159 on our life. Someone to speak reassuring words 00:03:37.159 --> 00:03:40.560 of love and security throughout our life. Speak 00:03:40.560 --> 00:03:44.759 peace when things become fearful. Speak hope 00:03:44.759 --> 00:03:47.719 when we feel hopeless. Someone to speak Jesus 00:03:47.719 --> 00:03:51.460 to us every day of our lives. So who is that 00:03:51.460 --> 00:03:55.180 constant and stable voice in our life? Well, 00:03:55.280 --> 00:03:58.259 thankfully the Lord calls us His children. Amen? 00:03:58.340 --> 00:04:01.500 And we call Him our Father. Right? That's not 00:04:01.500 --> 00:04:03.259 just some thing we say. That's a real thing. 00:04:03.759 --> 00:04:06.879 We are fathered by him. And Jesus said this right 00:04:06.879 --> 00:04:08.979 before he ascended to the right hand of the Father. 00:04:09.300 --> 00:04:11.400 He's telling the disciples, he said, I will ask 00:04:11.400 --> 00:04:13.520 the Father and he will give you another advocate 00:04:13.520 --> 00:04:16.420 who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit 00:04:16.420 --> 00:04:19.660 who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive 00:04:19.660 --> 00:04:22.699 him because it isn't looking for him and doesn't 00:04:22.699 --> 00:04:26.180 recognize him. But you know him because he lives 00:04:26.180 --> 00:04:29.420 with you now and later will be in you. No, I 00:04:29.420 --> 00:04:33.000 will not abandon you as orphans. I will come 00:04:33.000 --> 00:04:36.579 to you. So Jesus, while he was still here, demonstrated 00:04:36.579 --> 00:04:38.560 what the Father was like to everybody around 00:04:38.560 --> 00:04:44.639 him. Everything that he did was fatherly to those 00:04:44.639 --> 00:04:48.319 under his care. And although we don't have Jesus 00:04:48.319 --> 00:04:51.100 in the physical form that the disciples had, 00:04:51.300 --> 00:04:54.839 we do have the Word of God to father us. The 00:04:54.839 --> 00:04:56.899 Lord becomes our Father when we surrender our 00:04:56.899 --> 00:04:59.569 lives to Jesus Christ. That is how you enter 00:04:59.569 --> 00:05:02.509 into the family of God. And when Jesus isn't 00:05:02.509 --> 00:05:06.050 here, the Holy Spirit is interceding for us to 00:05:06.050 --> 00:05:07.970 show us what the Father is like, just as it was 00:05:07.970 --> 00:05:13.189 with Jesus. So knowing the voice of our Heavenly 00:05:13.189 --> 00:05:16.730 Father is the only true way to be fathered by 00:05:16.730 --> 00:05:20.550 Him. I'll say that again. Knowing the voice of 00:05:20.550 --> 00:05:23.990 our Heavenly Father is the only true way to be 00:05:23.990 --> 00:05:28.149 fathered by Him. We're simply fathered. By his 00:05:28.149 --> 00:05:30.589 voice. So our passage today is going to be in 00:05:30.589 --> 00:05:34.269 John 10. And if you go ahead and flip there. 00:05:34.529 --> 00:05:37.329 But up to this point, the people of Israel have 00:05:37.329 --> 00:05:39.089 been led by the religious leaders of the day. 00:05:39.170 --> 00:05:41.069 And they've been leading this community for a 00:05:41.069 --> 00:05:44.509 long time. Their voice was the strongest influence 00:05:44.509 --> 00:05:47.189 in the community. But when Jesus comes on the 00:05:47.189 --> 00:05:50.750 scene, he's not impressed. And actually upset 00:05:50.750 --> 00:05:52.970 by how they have been influencing the culture 00:05:52.970 --> 00:05:56.790 of that day. So before we read the passage, let's 00:05:56.790 --> 00:06:00.560 pray. Oh, Lord, we just thank you for your word. 00:06:00.620 --> 00:06:03.000 We thank you that it is living and active and 00:06:03.000 --> 00:06:04.980 sharper than any double -edged sword. Wherever 00:06:04.980 --> 00:06:08.079 we are in life, Lord, your word can cut deep 00:06:08.079 --> 00:06:10.439 and heal the wounds inside of us. And so, Lord, 00:06:10.459 --> 00:06:13.060 I pray that your Holy Spirit would awaken the 00:06:13.060 --> 00:06:15.819 spirits of everyone listening today, online or 00:06:15.819 --> 00:06:18.379 in the house, Lord, that the word would be alive 00:06:18.379 --> 00:06:20.600 in them, that it would awaken something in them 00:06:20.600 --> 00:06:22.740 that they've been looking for, the answer, the 00:06:22.740 --> 00:06:25.819 healing, the comfort, Lord. Let it be today that 00:06:25.819 --> 00:06:29.389 this prayer is answered. In Jesus' name, amen. 00:06:29.730 --> 00:06:50.790 So John 10, verse 1, it says this. He calls his 00:06:50.790 --> 00:06:53.939 own sheep by name and leads them out. And after 00:06:53.939 --> 00:06:55.860 he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead 00:06:55.860 --> 00:06:57.980 of them, and they follow him because they know 00:06:57.980 --> 00:07:01.139 his voice. They won't follow a stranger. They 00:07:01.139 --> 00:07:03.079 will run from him because they don't know his 00:07:03.079 --> 00:07:06.040 voice. Those who heard Jesus use this illustration 00:07:06.040 --> 00:07:08.839 didn't understand what he meant. So he explained 00:07:08.839 --> 00:07:11.019 to them, I tell you the truth, I am the gate 00:07:11.019 --> 00:07:13.579 for the sheep. All who came before me were thieves 00:07:13.579 --> 00:07:16.220 and robbers, but the true sheep did not listen 00:07:16.220 --> 00:07:19.980 to them. Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in 00:07:19.980 --> 00:07:22.329 through me will be saved. They will come and 00:07:22.329 --> 00:07:26.350 go freely and will find good pastures. The thief's 00:07:26.350 --> 00:07:28.649 purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy. My purpose 00:07:28.649 --> 00:07:32.009 is to give them a rich and satisfying life. I 00:07:32.009 --> 00:07:34.689 am the good shepherd, and the good shepherd sacrifices 00:07:34.689 --> 00:07:38.509 his life for his sheep. So in this passage, Jesus 00:07:38.509 --> 00:07:41.370 describes himself as the good shepherd, right? 00:07:41.449 --> 00:07:44.569 And so shepherd here is actually synonymous with 00:07:44.569 --> 00:07:47.850 that of a role of the father. Does that make 00:07:47.850 --> 00:07:51.620 sense? The father demonstrates care by the way 00:07:51.620 --> 00:07:54.500 he loves, cares, guides, and protects, and provides 00:07:54.500 --> 00:07:57.259 for his children. And the sheep in this illustration 00:07:57.259 --> 00:08:00.379 are those who have entrusted their hearts to 00:08:00.379 --> 00:08:02.180 the care of Jesus Christ all the days of their 00:08:02.180 --> 00:08:05.019 life. They've wanted a true shepherd. They no 00:08:05.019 --> 00:08:07.720 longer wanted to be an orphan sheep, but they've 00:08:07.720 --> 00:08:11.079 been longing for that good shepherd, the one 00:08:11.079 --> 00:08:14.360 to care for them. And notice how Jesus doesn't 00:08:14.360 --> 00:08:16.879 actually say, like, my sheep know me because 00:08:16.879 --> 00:08:18.439 I have a staff in my hand, and they see that 00:08:18.439 --> 00:08:20.379 staff and they come follow me. I mean, maybe 00:08:20.379 --> 00:08:23.100 they're, like, afraid of the staff or something, 00:08:23.220 --> 00:08:26.139 but it doesn't even say, like, my sheep know 00:08:26.139 --> 00:08:28.379 me based off my smell, and when they smell me, 00:08:28.399 --> 00:08:30.639 they come to me. No, it actually says, my sheep 00:08:30.639 --> 00:08:33.860 know me because they know my voice. Because they 00:08:33.860 --> 00:08:36.379 know my voice. So if we want to be fathered by 00:08:36.379 --> 00:08:40.940 God, we must know his voice. We cannot be cared 00:08:40.940 --> 00:08:44.700 for. unless we know God's voice. How can we know 00:08:44.700 --> 00:08:48.039 his voice? Big question. Well, how do we know 00:08:48.039 --> 00:08:51.720 anyone's voice, right? You get to know someone's 00:08:51.720 --> 00:08:54.559 voice by interacting with them, right? Before 00:08:54.559 --> 00:08:56.320 you guys ever talked, you don't know each other's 00:08:56.320 --> 00:08:58.960 voices. But the fact that you exchange words 00:08:58.960 --> 00:09:01.460 allows you to know their voice and their heart, 00:09:01.500 --> 00:09:05.580 who they are and what they care about. Likewise, 00:09:05.720 --> 00:09:08.000 if we do not spend regular time interacting with 00:09:08.000 --> 00:09:10.799 God's word, With Jesus, it will be hard for us 00:09:10.799 --> 00:09:13.740 to know his voice in our life. So think about 00:09:13.740 --> 00:09:16.379 the 12 disciples, right? These 12 disciples were 00:09:16.379 --> 00:09:20.080 handpicked by Jesus. There were many other disciples 00:09:20.080 --> 00:09:22.860 in the picture, but the 12 were in his circle. 00:09:22.960 --> 00:09:25.820 They got to spend time with him every day. They 00:09:25.820 --> 00:09:28.340 got to hear Jesus' thoughts. They got to hear 00:09:28.340 --> 00:09:32.340 how he cared for the disciples personally. The 00:09:32.340 --> 00:09:36.919 disciples got to see. who Jesus cared for. He 00:09:36.919 --> 00:09:39.220 saw the broken. He saw the widow. He saw the 00:09:39.220 --> 00:09:42.419 lost. He saw the confused. Those who had no idea 00:09:42.419 --> 00:09:46.059 who they were, they saw Jesus actually call out 00:09:46.059 --> 00:09:50.019 their name, speak exactly what they needed. And 00:09:50.019 --> 00:09:52.419 let me tell you something. No one has better 00:09:52.419 --> 00:09:54.820 fatherly words than Jesus Christ himself, because 00:09:54.820 --> 00:09:57.779 he perfectly expressed the image of the Father. 00:09:58.240 --> 00:10:04.210 Amen? When the disciples experienced doubt and 00:10:04.210 --> 00:10:07.029 pain, they had Jesus right there to interact 00:10:07.029 --> 00:10:10.450 with. They got to know him. Yes, in the good 00:10:10.450 --> 00:10:14.529 times, but it was when they felt most like orphans 00:10:14.529 --> 00:10:17.110 that they really took his words to heart. And 00:10:17.110 --> 00:10:20.009 in that orphan state, healing and care was provided. 00:10:20.929 --> 00:10:23.669 They go to him at a very personal level. The 00:10:23.669 --> 00:10:26.730 words that Jesus speaks were life -giving, and 00:10:26.730 --> 00:10:30.669 that is how they knew his voice. In that broken 00:10:30.669 --> 00:10:33.210 state, Jesus was able to give life -giving words, 00:10:33.289 --> 00:10:36.009 and that's how the disciples knew, hey, that's 00:10:36.009 --> 00:10:37.590 the voice of God I'm listening to right now. 00:10:39.450 --> 00:10:43.009 Paul tells us what God had told him in the midst 00:10:43.009 --> 00:10:46.789 of his struggle and his brokenness. Paul says, 00:10:47.029 --> 00:10:50.330 or this is God speaking to Paul, my grace is 00:10:50.330 --> 00:10:54.169 all you need, for my power works best in weakness. 00:10:54.769 --> 00:10:57.830 So without the word of God in our lives, we are 00:10:57.830 --> 00:11:02.200 orphans. Amen? Make sense? Without the word of 00:11:02.200 --> 00:11:04.019 God in our life, we are orphans, because not 00:11:04.019 --> 00:11:06.779 interacting with his words means not getting 00:11:06.779 --> 00:11:09.419 the powerful words of our Father into our life. 00:11:10.460 --> 00:11:13.919 Jesus emphasized this when he said, I am the 00:11:13.919 --> 00:11:16.960 bread of life. Eternal life comes to the one 00:11:16.960 --> 00:11:19.399 who eats my body and drinks my blood, and I will 00:11:19.399 --> 00:11:21.860 raise him up on the last day, for my body is 00:11:21.860 --> 00:11:24.240 real food for your spirit, and my blood is real 00:11:24.240 --> 00:11:27.509 drink. Now. If someone told you to eat their 00:11:27.509 --> 00:11:29.850 flesh and drink their blood, you'd say, you're 00:11:29.850 --> 00:11:32.210 a wacko or you're nuts, you need help, right? 00:11:32.429 --> 00:11:34.529 You're not going to do that. There's no way you're 00:11:34.529 --> 00:11:36.529 going to get convinced to do that, right? And 00:11:36.529 --> 00:11:38.629 so that's exactly what the audience that Jesus 00:11:38.629 --> 00:11:40.210 is speaking to is thinking, this guy's absolutely 00:11:40.210 --> 00:11:42.610 nuts. He just told me to eat his own flesh, drink 00:11:42.610 --> 00:11:44.090 his own blood. Are you kidding me right now? 00:11:44.669 --> 00:11:49.570 And the next verse, it says, at this point, many 00:11:49.570 --> 00:11:52.429 of his disciples turned away and deserted him. 00:11:53.090 --> 00:11:57.220 Imagine that, deserting. God himself, deserting 00:11:57.220 --> 00:12:00.720 the very words that they need into their life. 00:12:00.940 --> 00:12:03.419 But catch this, Jesus turned to the twelve and 00:12:03.419 --> 00:12:07.360 asked them, are you also going to leave? Simon 00:12:07.360 --> 00:12:10.460 Peter replied, Lord, to whom would we go? You 00:12:10.460 --> 00:12:13.419 have the words that gave eternal life. We believe 00:12:13.419 --> 00:12:17.700 and we know you are the Holy One of God. While 00:12:17.700 --> 00:12:20.460 most could not accept Jesus' words that would 00:12:20.460 --> 00:12:22.960 lead them to be fathered by him, The 12 disciples, 00:12:23.299 --> 00:12:26.159 specifically Peter, acknowledge that there is 00:12:26.159 --> 00:12:28.299 no other one that can care for them like Jesus. 00:12:28.500 --> 00:12:31.460 There is no other one that illustrates or expresses 00:12:31.460 --> 00:12:36.840 the Father like Jesus does. So if we do not hold 00:12:36.840 --> 00:12:38.899 on to the words of God, we don't know eternal 00:12:38.899 --> 00:12:43.039 life. How can we live an eternal life, an abundant 00:12:43.039 --> 00:12:47.700 life, without the words of our Lord? If we do 00:12:47.700 --> 00:12:49.779 not receive his words, we will only experience 00:12:49.779 --> 00:12:53.480 orphanhood. So he says, so come and spend time 00:12:53.480 --> 00:12:55.419 with me, and I will speak my life -giving words 00:12:55.419 --> 00:12:59.120 to you. Jesus was the word of God made flesh. 00:13:00.080 --> 00:13:02.240 We may not know him in the physical way the disciples 00:13:02.240 --> 00:13:04.600 did, but the words that he speaks are still living 00:13:04.600 --> 00:13:09.200 and still active even today. Amen? And it's only 00:13:09.200 --> 00:13:11.460 by taking in his word that we know in our hearts 00:13:11.460 --> 00:13:15.580 his voice to us. We can know his word for ourselves 00:13:15.580 --> 00:13:18.279 by spending time in the word. We can know his 00:13:18.279 --> 00:13:20.639 voice by interacting with him in the word. We 00:13:20.639 --> 00:13:23.139 may not always understand what we're reading, 00:13:23.320 --> 00:13:26.460 but if we treasure them in our hearts, the Lord 00:13:26.460 --> 00:13:28.879 is faithful to provide understanding in due time, 00:13:28.899 --> 00:13:31.620 just when you need it. Because at first and foremost, 00:13:31.700 --> 00:13:33.559 he wants you to seek him. If you're not getting 00:13:33.559 --> 00:13:35.059 an answer right away, you're not seeking him, 00:13:35.139 --> 00:13:40.539 what are you really seeking? Amen? When he gives 00:13:40.539 --> 00:13:43.039 that understanding, he wants to give you understanding. 00:13:43.620 --> 00:13:46.320 That's what a good father does. And there are 00:13:46.320 --> 00:13:50.519 multitudes of Bible plans out there that we can 00:13:50.519 --> 00:13:53.460 do, even on a specific topic, that the father 00:13:53.460 --> 00:13:56.960 is more willing to speak into your life, especially 00:13:56.960 --> 00:13:59.600 when he knows you have a need, when you have 00:13:59.600 --> 00:14:04.899 a need of him. He knows just what you need before 00:14:04.899 --> 00:14:07.860 you even know what you need. So he is already 00:14:07.860 --> 00:14:09.940 more than willing to provide that need for you. 00:14:10.159 --> 00:14:12.440 He wants to be your father. He wants you to be 00:14:12.440 --> 00:14:17.559 fathered by him. So as orphans, we need our father's 00:14:17.559 --> 00:14:20.059 voice. It's the only way we can truly be cared 00:14:20.059 --> 00:14:23.159 for in this life and be led into who he has created 00:14:23.159 --> 00:14:27.600 us to be. He has a plan for us. He has a calling 00:14:27.600 --> 00:14:30.519 and a destiny for our life. And we simply can't 00:14:30.519 --> 00:14:33.889 get there without him. But there is someone out 00:14:33.889 --> 00:14:36.549 there that absolutely hates the idea that God 00:14:36.549 --> 00:14:39.909 loves us so much. The fact that God has a plan 00:14:39.909 --> 00:14:43.210 for us, a calling for us. And that person is 00:14:43.210 --> 00:14:47.110 Satan, the enemy of our souls. Whenever there's 00:14:47.110 --> 00:14:49.409 a sense of abandonment, the enemy comes quickly. 00:14:49.509 --> 00:14:51.450 Perhaps before you even get the chance to seek 00:14:51.450 --> 00:14:54.009 God in the matter. Which is why it's important 00:14:54.009 --> 00:14:58.409 that we ignore the stranger's voice. So if we 00:14:58.409 --> 00:15:01.850 know the voice of our good shepherd. the voice 00:15:01.850 --> 00:15:04.889 of Jesus, then anything outside of that voice 00:15:04.889 --> 00:15:09.490 is a stranger. What makes it strange is that 00:15:09.490 --> 00:15:12.230 it is not the voice that you're used to hearing 00:15:12.230 --> 00:15:16.509 regularly, right? It is abnormal for a child 00:15:16.509 --> 00:15:19.450 of God to listen to the enemy's voice more than 00:15:19.450 --> 00:15:42.440 God's voice. Amen? Jesus said his sheep are so 00:15:42.440 --> 00:15:45.519 focused on his voice, so much so that they can't 00:15:45.519 --> 00:15:48.360 help but ignore anybody else's. Imagine that. 00:15:49.230 --> 00:15:51.350 So many distractions in the world that take us 00:15:51.350 --> 00:15:56.389 away from the Father's voice. The disciples did 00:15:56.389 --> 00:16:00.929 not get this right either. They were listening 00:16:00.929 --> 00:16:03.250 to the stranger's voice. Matter of fact, Jesus 00:16:03.250 --> 00:16:06.769 tested them in this in Matthew chapter 16. It 00:16:06.769 --> 00:16:08.490 says, when Jesus came into the region of Caesarea 00:16:08.490 --> 00:16:10.730 Philippi, he asked the disciples saying, who 00:16:10.730 --> 00:16:14.990 do men say that I am? So they said, some say 00:16:14.990 --> 00:16:18.009 John the Baptist, some Elijah, others Jeremiah 00:16:18.009 --> 00:16:20.169 or one of the other prophets. He said to them, 00:16:20.289 --> 00:16:23.950 but who do you say that I am? Simon Peter answered 00:16:23.950 --> 00:16:27.389 and said, you are the Christ, the son of the 00:16:27.389 --> 00:16:30.389 living God. Jesus answered and said to him, blessed 00:16:30.389 --> 00:16:33.049 are you, Simon Bar -Jonah, for flesh and blood 00:16:33.049 --> 00:16:35.669 has not revealed this to you, but my Father who 00:16:35.669 --> 00:16:39.389 is in heaven. So Jesus has all of his disciples 00:16:39.389 --> 00:16:41.070 gather up together, right? He's testing them 00:16:41.070 --> 00:16:45.080 here. Who do people say that I am? Tell me. What 00:16:45.080 --> 00:16:47.960 are they saying? Ah, you know, well, the local 00:16:47.960 --> 00:16:50.039 newspaper is saying this. And, oh, I just saw 00:16:50.039 --> 00:16:52.500 on Facebook the other day that they think you're 00:16:52.500 --> 00:16:54.200 like Jeremiah, one of the prophets. Come on. 00:16:54.220 --> 00:16:55.820 How many people get their source from the Facebook 00:16:55.820 --> 00:17:00.220 sometimes? That's essentially what happened. 00:17:00.299 --> 00:17:02.080 They were getting the word on the street. Like, 00:17:02.120 --> 00:17:04.519 geez, well, word on the street is that you're 00:17:04.519 --> 00:17:08.160 Jeremiah, Elijah. Some say even John the Baptist. 00:17:08.599 --> 00:17:11.740 He's a pretty big legend. But, you know, whatever. 00:17:13.199 --> 00:17:14.960 And that's when Jesus asked them, because he 00:17:14.960 --> 00:17:18.119 got all those opinions out of the way. Jesus 00:17:18.119 --> 00:17:20.839 asked them, who do you say that I am? At that 00:17:20.839 --> 00:17:23.839 very moment, there was silence. All the ideas 00:17:23.839 --> 00:17:26.640 that they had disappeared. Oh, well, who do I 00:17:26.640 --> 00:17:30.339 say that he is? Right? When Jesus asked that 00:17:30.339 --> 00:17:33.799 question, who do you say I am? It just dismissed 00:17:33.799 --> 00:17:37.480 all those opinions the disciples had. Why? Because 00:17:37.480 --> 00:17:40.380 all those opinions were not inspired by God's 00:17:40.380 --> 00:17:43.380 voice. It was the voice of the world. It was 00:17:43.380 --> 00:17:47.220 the stranger's voice. It was secondhand opinion 00:17:47.220 --> 00:17:49.559 that was influenced by the culture around them. 00:17:49.920 --> 00:17:53.599 It was Peter who remembered in that moment from 00:17:53.599 --> 00:17:55.380 the scriptures that he had been reading since 00:17:55.380 --> 00:17:58.180 he was a little kid that the scriptures talk 00:17:58.180 --> 00:18:00.839 about the Christ, the Messiah who is to come 00:18:00.839 --> 00:18:03.920 and restore Israel. And that's when he said, 00:18:03.960 --> 00:18:05.920 you are the Christ, the son of the living God. 00:18:06.839 --> 00:18:08.859 Jesus says to Peter, this was not revealed to 00:18:08.859 --> 00:18:12.500 you by flesh or blood or any human being. No, 00:18:12.640 --> 00:18:14.759 it was revealed by my Father who is in heaven. 00:18:16.180 --> 00:18:18.559 The stranger's voice is always in opposition 00:18:18.559 --> 00:18:21.980 to what God is speaking. And if we listen to 00:18:21.980 --> 00:18:24.880 the stranger's voice, it will only take our attention 00:18:24.880 --> 00:18:27.220 off of our Father's voice and lead us away from 00:18:27.220 --> 00:18:33.240 Him. That's why Paul says in Romans 12, verse 00:18:33.240 --> 00:18:50.529 2, There are times where we are absorbing a little 00:18:50.529 --> 00:18:52.910 bit too much of the world's opinions. There are 00:18:52.910 --> 00:18:55.210 times where we listen to other people more than 00:18:55.210 --> 00:19:01.569 God himself. And the purpose of our creation 00:19:01.569 --> 00:19:05.220 was to... personally hear God's voice to us, 00:19:05.240 --> 00:19:11.460 to be truly fathered by him. It's in that moment, 00:19:11.519 --> 00:19:15.680 in that orphaned state, where they realized they 00:19:15.680 --> 00:19:18.960 had been fathered by lies and not by God himself. 00:19:20.200 --> 00:19:22.640 When we listen to the stranger's voice, strange 00:19:22.640 --> 00:19:26.059 things happen. Amen? But when we listen to God's 00:19:26.059 --> 00:19:29.779 voice, we will experience greater things. Should 00:19:29.779 --> 00:19:35.759 be an amen there. Jesus stated in this illustration 00:19:35.759 --> 00:19:38.880 that the thief's purpose is to steal, kill, and 00:19:38.880 --> 00:19:42.339 destroy. But his purpose is to give them a rich 00:19:42.339 --> 00:19:45.180 and satisfying life. The enemy does not want 00:19:45.180 --> 00:19:48.599 you to pay attention to God's word. Because he 00:19:48.599 --> 00:19:52.000 knows if you follow it, if you're fathered by 00:19:52.000 --> 00:19:55.839 his word, you will experience a rich and satisfying 00:19:55.839 --> 00:19:59.839 life. Whenever we feel orphaned, it is because 00:19:59.839 --> 00:20:02.690 we need to be fathered by the right voice. If 00:20:02.690 --> 00:20:04.109 you listen to the wrong voice, you're still going 00:20:04.109 --> 00:20:05.769 to feel like an orphan, but it's a temporary 00:20:05.769 --> 00:20:10.309 fix. The enemy is so jealous of how much God 00:20:10.309 --> 00:20:13.210 loves and cares for us that he will do all that 00:20:13.210 --> 00:20:15.990 he can get you to do to ignore his voice and 00:20:15.990 --> 00:20:19.829 listen to his very own. The enemy wants his voice 00:20:19.829 --> 00:20:22.369 to be the new normal in your life. Oh, it's just 00:20:22.369 --> 00:20:24.349 normal to listen to the enemy. It's just normal 00:20:24.349 --> 00:20:26.990 to listen to that stranger. Well, now the stranger 00:20:26.990 --> 00:20:29.990 becomes your father because whatever you choose 00:20:29.990 --> 00:20:35.029 to obey is your master. Amen? How many different 00:20:35.029 --> 00:20:39.430 voices do we listen to in a given day? Where 00:20:39.430 --> 00:20:43.970 are they coming from? TV? Social media? Friends? 00:20:44.390 --> 00:20:49.529 Co -workers? Social media? Are they of God? Are 00:20:49.529 --> 00:20:53.190 we regularly hearing God and interacting with 00:20:53.190 --> 00:20:56.190 His Word so that we can be fathered by Him? And 00:20:56.190 --> 00:20:58.809 we all desire to be fathered by Him, but are 00:20:58.809 --> 00:21:01.559 we being intentional? and actually hearing from 00:21:01.559 --> 00:21:04.980 him. One voice leads to loneliness, abandonment, 00:21:04.980 --> 00:21:07.079 and discouragement, while the other leads to 00:21:07.079 --> 00:21:11.119 a rich and satisfying life. If it's not of God, 00:21:11.279 --> 00:21:17.480 ignore it. Amen? So our response to the voice 00:21:17.480 --> 00:21:21.160 of God really matters. But unless we respond 00:21:21.160 --> 00:21:23.680 to him, he will not lay his fatherly touch on 00:21:23.680 --> 00:21:25.799 us. This is what Jesus meant when he said the 00:21:25.799 --> 00:21:28.720 sheep recognize his voice, and what? They come 00:21:28.720 --> 00:21:32.559 to him. There's action involved in this father's 00:21:32.559 --> 00:21:35.519 voice speaking to them. He calls his own sheep 00:21:35.519 --> 00:21:38.539 by name and leads them out. A response to Jesus 00:21:38.539 --> 00:21:41.339 equals leading them out of where they were before 00:21:41.339 --> 00:21:46.220 and into greener pastures. They are no longer 00:21:46.220 --> 00:21:47.880 here, but they are over here because that's what 00:21:47.880 --> 00:21:52.819 the good shepherd is calling you. It's being 00:21:52.819 --> 00:21:58.190 led out of orphanhood into childhood. Amen. The 00:21:58.190 --> 00:22:01.390 psalmist says it like this. My heart has heard 00:22:01.390 --> 00:22:05.829 you say, come and talk with me. And my heart 00:22:05.829 --> 00:22:10.750 responds, Lord, I am coming. When an orphan hears 00:22:10.750 --> 00:22:12.529 the voice of the father, father's invitation 00:22:12.529 --> 00:22:14.930 to come and talk with him, our hearts can't help 00:22:14.930 --> 00:22:19.150 but respond, Lord, I'm coming. Consider the story 00:22:19.150 --> 00:22:22.150 of the prodigal son. When the son says, I want 00:22:22.150 --> 00:22:25.150 my inheritance now to his earthly father. I want 00:22:25.150 --> 00:22:26.880 it now. I want all the money that's involved 00:22:26.880 --> 00:22:32.180 with it so I can go live my own life. So the 00:22:32.180 --> 00:22:35.079 prodigal son goes off, spends it all on wild 00:22:35.079 --> 00:22:37.619 living, and then comes to this point where he 00:22:37.619 --> 00:22:40.319 runs out, and it's actually in complete desperation. 00:22:40.859 --> 00:22:43.759 He's starving. There's a famine in the land, 00:22:43.880 --> 00:22:46.839 and it says this. He persuaded a local farmer 00:22:46.839 --> 00:22:49.440 to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields 00:22:49.440 --> 00:22:52.559 to feed the pigs. The young man became so hungry 00:22:52.559 --> 00:22:54.559 that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked 00:22:54.559 --> 00:22:57.730 good to him. but no one gave him anything. When 00:22:57.730 --> 00:23:00.069 he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, 00:23:00.309 --> 00:23:03.650 At home, even the hired servants have food enough 00:23:03.650 --> 00:23:06.869 to spare, and here I am dying of hunger. I will 00:23:06.869 --> 00:23:09.049 go home to my father and say, Father, I have 00:23:09.049 --> 00:23:11.430 sinned against both heaven and you, and I am 00:23:11.430 --> 00:23:14.470 no longer worthy of being called your son. Please, 00:23:14.509 --> 00:23:17.750 take me on as a hired servant. So he returned 00:23:17.750 --> 00:23:20.089 home to his father, and while he was still a 00:23:20.089 --> 00:23:23.019 long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled 00:23:23.019 --> 00:23:25.259 with love and compassion, he ran to his son, 00:23:25.400 --> 00:23:29.279 embraced him, and kissed him. The prodigal son 00:23:29.279 --> 00:23:33.880 was led away by the stranger's voice, one that 00:23:33.880 --> 00:23:37.240 encouraged greed and selfish living. That was 00:23:37.240 --> 00:23:41.079 his response. Now, the father, his father, did 00:23:41.079 --> 00:23:44.000 not yell at him, but he let him make his own 00:23:44.000 --> 00:23:46.279 decision in that moment. Once the prodigal son 00:23:46.279 --> 00:23:49.359 realized what had led him to where he was, he 00:23:49.359 --> 00:23:52.940 said, this is ridiculous. His senses, it says 00:23:52.940 --> 00:23:56.980 his senses were awakened. His senses became awakened 00:23:56.980 --> 00:23:59.180 by the Spirit of God. And that's when the Spirit 00:23:59.180 --> 00:24:02.160 of God says, hey, come and talk with me. I see 00:24:02.160 --> 00:24:04.440 that you're going the wrong direction. I see 00:24:04.440 --> 00:24:06.519 that you've been led astray. Let me be your father. 00:24:06.900 --> 00:24:13.119 Come back home. Come back home. And as the prodigal 00:24:13.119 --> 00:24:15.839 drew near to the father, the father was filled 00:24:15.839 --> 00:24:19.059 with love and compassion and ran to his son. 00:24:19.579 --> 00:24:23.799 embraced him and kissed him. We have the promise 00:24:23.799 --> 00:24:26.980 when we draw near to God, he will draw near to 00:24:26.980 --> 00:24:32.660 us. Amen? It just takes a response from his children 00:24:32.660 --> 00:24:37.839 to actually be embraced and kissed by him. So 00:24:37.839 --> 00:24:39.160 Zach and the worship team, if you would come 00:24:39.160 --> 00:24:50.980 up. This is the story. Of everyone who has come 00:24:50.980 --> 00:24:54.519 to know Jesus as Lord and Savior, he has called 00:24:54.519 --> 00:24:59.440 them out, out of their orphanhood, and said, 00:24:59.559 --> 00:25:03.599 you are mine. But it's not a one -time thing. 00:25:03.819 --> 00:25:07.500 God is always speaking to us. But are we listening? 00:25:07.680 --> 00:25:10.640 Are we responding to him? It is only then that 00:25:10.640 --> 00:25:14.799 we enter into his loving care. Perhaps you're 00:25:14.799 --> 00:25:18.720 afraid to respond. and run into his care because 00:25:18.720 --> 00:25:22.819 you messed up. Or thinking he would just be disappointed 00:25:22.819 --> 00:25:24.799 in you because you should have came sooner, you 00:25:24.799 --> 00:25:27.559 should have done better. But notice the father 00:25:27.559 --> 00:25:29.619 in that illustration, the prodigal son, he didn't 00:25:29.619 --> 00:25:32.640 say anything to him. He was filled with love 00:25:32.640 --> 00:25:34.740 and compassion and embraced him and kissed him. 00:25:39.819 --> 00:25:42.099 Maybe you're going through a hard time, feeling 00:25:42.099 --> 00:25:45.500 more orphaned than you ever have before. But 00:25:45.500 --> 00:25:50.359 we... need to hear from him because that is the 00:25:50.359 --> 00:25:53.559 only way that healing and care can be provided 00:25:53.559 --> 00:25:59.240 the only healing and care but we must hear what 00:25:59.240 --> 00:26:02.339 he's he's speaking to us to respond to him he 00:26:02.339 --> 00:26:04.119 is willing to speak to us in our time of need 00:26:04.119 --> 00:26:07.559 we need that ever present father in our lives 00:26:07.559 --> 00:26:11.079 that speaks to us willingly and unconditionally 00:26:11.079 --> 00:26:15.319 amen The stats speak for themselves. Those who 00:26:15.319 --> 00:26:17.559 do not have a good father figure in their life 00:26:17.559 --> 00:26:21.799 suffer greatly. It is God's heart to care for 00:26:21.799 --> 00:26:24.559 them. Jesus came that we may have a rich and 00:26:24.559 --> 00:26:28.000 satisfying life, not anything less. Jesus came 00:26:28.000 --> 00:26:33.059 and paid everything for us. So are we living 00:26:33.059 --> 00:26:36.319 the life that he paid for us for? Does that make 00:26:36.319 --> 00:26:38.720 sense? Not anything less than what he actually 00:26:38.720 --> 00:26:43.240 paid for. He purchased your ransom. so that you 00:26:43.240 --> 00:26:47.339 could have abundant life in this life. And it 00:26:47.339 --> 00:26:51.119 takes knowing him. It takes interacting with 00:26:51.119 --> 00:26:54.839 him. It takes truly embracing this gift of salvation, 00:26:55.059 --> 00:26:58.240 this gift of new life that he's abundantly provided 00:26:58.240 --> 00:27:00.359 for us. But he said, it's up to you. It's up 00:27:00.359 --> 00:27:03.039 to you to unpack that. It's up to you to see 00:27:03.039 --> 00:27:05.720 if you're wanting to get to know me more and 00:27:05.720 --> 00:27:08.019 more and more. Not saying, oh, I'm at level three 00:27:08.019 --> 00:27:10.259 with this relationship. I'm good now. Right? 00:27:10.460 --> 00:27:12.079 Because then that's when we start feeling empty 00:27:12.079 --> 00:27:13.980 again. That's when we start feeling like an orphan. 00:27:17.240 --> 00:27:20.519 We enjoy this gift of a relationship with Jesus 00:27:20.519 --> 00:27:24.519 Christ by when we know that he's calling out 00:27:24.519 --> 00:27:27.940 our names. So at this moment, I just ask that 00:27:27.940 --> 00:27:37.240 you stand for a moment. We get to know him by 00:27:37.240 --> 00:27:40.130 first responding to him. and what he's done for 00:27:40.130 --> 00:27:43.470 us we had a broken relationship with god before 00:27:43.470 --> 00:27:47.869 before jesus came and when when it was the father's 00:27:47.869 --> 00:27:51.009 good pleasure to give jesus christ to us he didn't 00:27:51.009 --> 00:27:53.769 have any doubts he said i love them so much and 00:27:53.769 --> 00:27:56.650 i love my son very much but this has to happen 00:27:56.650 --> 00:27:59.849 because this is the only way that they're going 00:27:59.849 --> 00:28:03.990 to have a restored relationship with me he personally 00:28:03.990 --> 00:28:08.109 jesus gave us access personally to know the father's 00:28:08.859 --> 00:28:12.480 Father's voice, which the Holy Spirit makes known 00:28:12.480 --> 00:28:16.559 to us. So with every head bowed and eyes closed, 00:28:16.799 --> 00:28:22.680 if you have never heard the Lord calling your 00:28:22.680 --> 00:28:25.740 name before, and you hear him saying today, come 00:28:25.740 --> 00:28:29.779 and talk with me, I just ask that you raise your 00:28:29.779 --> 00:28:36.359 hand. Scripture says that if you call on the 00:28:36.359 --> 00:28:39.450 name of the Lord, you will be saved. So this 00:28:39.450 --> 00:28:50.410 is our proper response to him. Thank you. Today 00:28:50.410 --> 00:28:52.190 we can respond by acknowledging him and what 00:28:52.190 --> 00:28:57.990 he's done. This next response, I feel very strongly 00:28:57.990 --> 00:29:01.049 because the moment I entered into this gathering, 00:29:01.230 --> 00:29:04.750 I felt a lot of brokenness in the pews. I felt 00:29:04.750 --> 00:29:11.589 a lot of hurt and pain. So if you feel like you've 00:29:11.589 --> 00:29:14.549 been going through it literally this recent season, 00:29:14.730 --> 00:29:17.549 you're feeling more orphaned than ever, your 00:29:17.549 --> 00:29:20.589 heart is troubled, you feel alone, confused in 00:29:20.589 --> 00:29:24.650 life, broken or lost, or overall need the Father's 00:29:24.650 --> 00:29:27.710 voice in every part of your life, I'm going to 00:29:27.710 --> 00:29:30.430 ask that you be brave in response and come forward 00:29:30.430 --> 00:29:36.789 at this time. We're going to have a prayer team 00:29:36.789 --> 00:29:40.450 up front here. And so if you need prayer, if 00:29:40.450 --> 00:29:43.730 anything I just said resonates with you, and 00:29:43.730 --> 00:29:45.569 the Spirit of God is making it real to you and 00:29:45.569 --> 00:29:48.190 saying, hey, the Lord's calling my name, I need 00:29:48.190 --> 00:30:24.690 to respond. Let that be you today. This is what 00:30:24.690 --> 00:30:30.609 families do. Because we're not always being fathered 00:30:30.609 --> 00:30:32.349 in the way that we desire to be. We get into 00:30:32.349 --> 00:30:36.910 orphanhood sometimes. And what family has siblings 00:30:36.910 --> 00:30:40.029 that care for them? Amen? We all are united under 00:30:40.029 --> 00:30:44.450 one Father, our Father in heaven. And so feel 00:30:44.450 --> 00:30:47.410 free to even pray for anybody that's up here. 00:30:48.039 --> 00:30:50.759 Because they're saying, hey, I want to draw near 00:30:50.759 --> 00:30:53.180 to God. And you can be a reassuring voice into 00:30:53.180 --> 00:31:04.539 their life as well. Amen. Thank you for tuning 00:31:04.539 --> 00:31:08.099 in to this message from Lifehouse Church. We 00:31:08.099 --> 00:31:10.500 pray that you were impacted powerfully by this 00:31:10.500 --> 00:31:13.140 message. If you have been personally affected 00:31:13.140 --> 00:31:15.680 by our ministry, and you would like to partner 00:31:15.680 --> 00:31:18.920 with us as we love God, love people every day,