Wednesday Night Bible Study
by Billy McCool
First Apostolic Church of Knoxville (Knoxville, TN)
Kind: Bible study
Scripture: John 10:1-18, Ezekiel 3:15, Psalm 119:176, Psalm 23:1-3, Psalm 41:13, Psalm 72:19, Psalm 89:52, Matthew 23:15, Ezekiel 34:15-19, Zechariah 2:5

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/billy-mccool--wednesday-night-bible-study-54
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

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praise the Lord everyone we greet you tonight in the wonderful name of the Lord Jesus Christ that great high and holy name that is above every name we're so thankful for that great name and it's so good to see everyone here tonight for Wednesday night bible study I I appreciate folks who appreciate studying the word of God good to see sister Brenda Perry here tonight she's had to be out a few day few nights but we're glad to see her back and uh all the rest of you I might skip uh look Overlook somebody but we're so glad to see all of you here and my what preaching we heard over the weekend so fantastic and um Pastor Anthony left us Sunday night uh just uh joyous happy and thrilled at that great message and I all the years of studying the word of God I never dawned on me how valuable an ax head was you know those days you couldn't go to a Home Depot and by ax hanging on the wall uh it must have been a quite a ORD deal to get a ax head in that those days and and this fell bed and was cutting down a tree and ax head fell in the water and he went to the man of God and he said bad part about it it it was borrowed and uh it just puts some uh new thoughts in our hearts and we appreciate that so much and and of course Pastor uh Nate Pastor Mark m they they always bless us with the preaching of the word of God and I want to say this that U uh I concur with Pastor Mark mcul concerning uh Easter I think we need to be careful about this business of of taking a a a jab at folks that uh come on Easter uh listen if you only go to church one day a week one day a year make it this church right here make it this this church right here and um don't throw off on folks that because they get a new outfit and don't throw off on somebody that can't afford a new outfit I I plan to wear a suit I've wore many times I'm I'm not I don't have a new outfit for this Sunday but I don't blame anybody else I hope every one of you can have one it wasn't that I couldn't afford it I just couldn't find it and couldn't find time to go get one my wife's been after me to to to go get uh a new suit now I told her I once she wanted me to go get a a suit for my birthday and I cadly said well I've got a birthday suit she said but it sure is wrinkled so isn't life wonderful it's it's great to it's great to be able to laugh the Bible says a merry heart doeth good like a medicine um we are we've got a great study tonight I I want to say how much I appreciate our technicians they do such a great job brother Derek Daniel there's no way words would Express all the things that he does around here I spoke to brother Jim a few minutes ago and uh they SP about four months we now not this is not figuratively speaking this is actual there's miles of cable all the things you see in here and all this business he had a crew and they worked about four months under this platform and there is literally miles of cable that's run to the right places and uh solder joints and everything that fits just right and uh I want to say how much I appreciate that so very very much brother Jim we love you he's the first one that installed our cameras that and then of course they've been added to brother Justin has added several several cameras but anyway I wanted to take a little bit of time to express my appreciation for a lot of the things around here our lesson tonight is entitled The Good Shepherd the Good Shepherd now we we we're going to zero in on the importance of a of a good shepherd and uh the uh the focused verse says I am the Good Shepherd the Good Shepherd giveth his life for the Sheep holding my hand one of our oo of Pentecost papers and uh this is dated March the 3 1971 sometimes I find myself reading an hour searching for inspiration to write a message which takes about three minutes to read such was the case this week I flipped through several books unsuccessfully that in one of my favorite books with the interesting title of for preachers and other Sinners by Gerald Kennedy seemed to give me what I needed I had marked this part in particular uh the chapter with this note all preachers now I I underline this in on in this book for preachers and other Sinners all preachers should read this carefully all preachers should read this carefully this in this book so here goes preachers and other sers one of the wonderful titles given to the Christian minister is Pastor it means of course a shepherd and it had more meaning for a rule Society than it does in our modern day economy but it still fills my heart with joy to hear a fine Layman speak with loving appreciation of his Pastor here's a unique relationship which we understand because we are the inheritors of the Bible it came to me the other day that the shepherd can for fulfill his role properly only if he knows what it is to be a sheep maybe it ought to be said that the shepherd needs to realize that he too is a sheep Ezekiel can be the comforter and guide of the Exiles after as he put it I came to them of the Captivity at tabib that dwell by the river of chbar and I sat where they sat and remain there astonished according among them seven days Ezekiel 3:15 the pastor I take it is the man who can enter sympathetically into the situation of the flock so our Lord puts much emphasis on sympathy in the beatitude a Shepherd might easily fall into the Trap of considering the Sheep only as a source of wool or to put it in the worldly phrase they exist to be clipped a man may give his a man may give his attitude all kinds of high sounding rationalism as the good of the church or the Sheep's own good after all too much wood bu is neither healthy nor comfortable but deep down such a Shepherd has no real concern for the Sheep except as a source of support since a pastor is himself too often a a victim of exploitation he ought to know how the people feel about it if a minister has achieved a relatively comfortable status he may forget that it is what it is it is to be out of a job or living on a economic level where an extra $10 is a serious problem we are the Shepherds of such sheep and while we feel sorry for ourselves that we are not paid enough there are those much worse are much worse off our middle our middle class last churches create an illusion that no one is hurting financially don't you believe it most of all however we need to take personally the words of the 119th Psalm quote for I have gone astray like a lost sheep verse 176 let us join lustly and sincerely in the general confession Almighty and most most merciful father we have aired and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep now I'm talking to pastors and preachers now the 23rd psalm was written for preachers as well as Layman the Lord is my shepherd I doubt that the Sheep has any more trouble with the I doubt that the shepherd has any more trouble with any of this sheep than he has with we ministers no one today is flattered when he is referred to as a sheep but just when I'm ready to claim the status of being s superior to the flock I'll remember my own helplessness my stubbornness my stupidity then I recall that our Lord was called the Lamb of God and there's no record of his objection I took the time to read that I was flipping through some old documents and uh what I'm wanting to do tonight is I want us to explore this subject of the shepherd and what it is to be a shepherd and too many times uh I have heard preachers preach at the church instead of preaching to them and and Fe feeding them he didn't say beat my sheep he said feed my sheep and our uh Focus verse I am the Good Shepherd and the Good Shepherd gives his life for the Sheep our lesson text starting at verse one this is a rather unusual way of starting uh a new chapter verily verily now the commentaries debate over the this whether this was part of the last chapter or whether it's proper to start a sentence by saying verely verily but the words verily verily is like amen amen it is settled forever it is a way of of exclaiming something to be extremely important listen here barely barely uh whatever you're doing stop it listen what if you got the TV on you got to the radio going or your whatever stop it because I'm about to say something very important listen to what the Good Shepherd says I say unto you he that entereth not by the door into the Sheep bow but climbeth up some other way the same is a thief and a robber if he don't come through through the door if it don't come the right way he's not just a a making a mistake he's a thief and a robber Psalms 41:13 blessed be the Lord God of Israel from Everlasting to Everlasting amen amen okay this is another exclamation of a very important statement blessed be the Lord God of Israel from Everlasting to Everlasting Psalms 72:19 and blessed be his glorious name forever and let the whole earth be filled with his glory amen and amen exclamation I've just said a great statement right there so give ear to it then in Psalms 8952 blessed be the Lord forever more amen amen uh I thought here a few weeks ago Pastor Whitley uh preached on the sweet psalmist David and he talked about uh what the music did and how it it changed the whole tenor of the situation because of the sweet psalmist David well I got to reading about that and I got to studying about that and in one chapter uh it was one of his songs and and and uh uh after about every every sentence uh it would give a a little uh note there which meant a musical inlude seaw so on so so a seaw and it meant a musical interlude there's some things if you get to studying about what what what you hear from this pull pit what you men like Pastor Mark m the great preaching we've heard from him the pre and Pastor Whitley Pastor Anthony I'm not just talking about family but also many other preachers that that comes to this pull pit they are they are Shepherds that's feeding the flock now now then he said verely verely I said he that entereth not in by the door to the sheep fold but climbs up some other way the same as a thief in a rock now how industrious are wicked people to do Mischief what plots will they lay they they pain will the pains they will take what hazards will they run in their wicked Pursuit this should shame us out of our soulfulness and cowardice in the service of God I thought that was a a very important statement there uh if they want to do wrong I did a little uh scripture referencing on that uh Matthew 23:15 Jesus said woe unto you scribes and Pharisees Hypocrites for ye Compass sea and land to make one proelite and when he is made you make him twofold more the child of Hell than yourselves now if you just sit back and and look at how much money is being spent to lead people astray today uh the the millions and and billions of dollars that is made to entice people to go into sin and to do things that will wreck their lives how can we be uh stingy how can we be slowful how can we be backward about winning so for the Lost Jesus said woe unto you scribes and Pharisees Hypocrites for you Compass SE and land to make one's proelite and he's made when you proelite him you make him a twoof far more twofold more child of Hell than yourselves now we are in competition with the world and the devil is out there spending Millions now you look around what what this church is doing they've got got something for this age group something for that age group then they got this and they got that they got the the uh many many things to appeal to different age group nothing sinful but something that is interesting that will get them to the house of God listen we cannot let our efforts down we're in competition with hell hell is on the drawing boards right now drawing up things that's get your daughter or your son or your wife or your husband to go astray and we must be preaching the word of God with love and compassion because we are the good Shepherds and we are the Sheep of his fold Hallelujah but he that entereth in by the door is The Shepherd of the sheep to him the Porter openeth and the sheep hear his voice and it calls his own Sheep by name and leadth them out now the uh commentaries and I have uh a great number in in my electronic Bible or or the laptop and they give several illustrations uh the Shepherds either they have their sheep close enough to home that they can bring them close to the house and have an enclosure that they call the fold the sheep fold and and sometimes they have someone uh that that uh watches after them during the night if a if a wolf or a predator tries to attack they're in this enclosure and and and they can't get to them and the porter don't let anybody in but the shepherd and that he knows his sheep and then there's another way they when they're away from from home they take the sheep and they'll find a a canyon or a place where they lead that they don't drive the Sheep but they lead the Sheep into this Canyon where they can all be brought in they lead them in they don't drive them him and then the shepherd lays down at the entrance that nothing can get through to those sheep except going by that Shepherd because he becomes the door and he is so in love with his sheep that nothing will go by him they cannot but he that entereth in by the door is The Shepherd of the sheep to him the Porter openeth and the sheep hear his voice and he calls his own Sheep by name and leads them out now when uh Peter was in in jail and God delivered him the the church was having a prayer meeting for his deliverance and the angel of the Lord went in the jail housee saell tapped him on the shoulder his chains fell off and he the angel let him outside the jail out in the middle of the street before he even realized that he wasn't having a dream that was really true but he went to where they were having that prayer meeting and he knocked on the door a and a damsel came to the door and and uh she when he spoke to her she recognized his voice but she went back in for excitement and told all the the folks inside praying that Peter was at the door and they said he can't be at the door he's in jail you're you're just seeing things but the Bible said Peter continued knocking now when she recognized who it was it was her pastor it was her preacher it was the man of God and finally he kept knocking until they opened the door and let him in I've often said that Peter had less trouble getting out of jail than he did getting in that prayer meeting and I I I I wonder sometimes if the Lord don't feel that way about a lot of our churches uh I had a good friend years ago uh was another faith and he he loved to tease me he good nature there's no no ill will he he's a politically involved he on the police force and he had introduced me to the judges and other high officials said said this is my Holy Roller preacher friend he's the smartest man I know did and I just laugh with him and even had me on doing a TV thing for project misdem it to to speak for a program they had for first time offenders and and so he kept on saying that I one day I said JC uh I read where your church is going to be the first one in heaven he said you did I said yes sir I read about that said where is this I said the Bible said the dead in Christ arise first well we don't want to be that kind of uh dead to be dead in in the church and one fell had a cute story said that uh they got a call that somebody had had uh died or passed out in church and said the the ambulance came in and said they got three rows of people before they got the right one well so much for the the the the uh funny stuff we don't want to be a dead church we want to be a live church but he that enter in by the door is The Shepherd of the sheep now according to Albert Barn's commentary the Pharisees Pro profess to be the guide of Shepherds and uh of the people Jesus in the uh the close of the last chapter had charge them with being blind and of course of being unqualified to lead the people he proceeds here to State the character of a true Shepherd to show what was a hirling and to declare that he was the true Shepherd and guide of his people this is called called in John 10:6 a parable and it's an imminently beautiful illustration of the office of Messiah drawn from an employment well known in Judea the Messiah was predicted under the image of a Shepherd verse four and when he putteth forth his own sheep sheep he goeth before them and the Sheep follow him for they know his voice now there's the responsibility of the shepherd to love the Sheep David was a shepherd and remember what he told Saul when he was uh uh pleading for an opportunity to go out and fight Goliath he said I was taking care of my father's sheep a lion and a bear came out and got one of the sheep and said I will went out after him and with his bare hands he slew both The Lion and the bear and delivered the Sheep back into the fold now I want to tell you one thing you don't just up and treat a lion like a a a kitty cat and and I'll take that there was a great danger there and he took his own and I I'm persuaded that he probably had some pretty deep scub scratches himself and some injuries but he thought enough of that sheep though a sheep would have been considered very unimportant in comparison to his safety and life but he risked his life and slew both The Lion and the bear I'm going to tell you the man of God is going to stand up in the face of the devil and he's going to defeat him with the word of the Lord I want to tell you something when the man of God the Bible gives this illustration the the the The Watchman on the wall if he sees the enemy coming he cries aloud and uh alerts the people of the enemy that's almost there now if they don't heed his call their blood is on their own hands now the man of God stands in this Pulpit he's not just to read us a pretty story but he is to tell us what it takes to be saved what it takes to get from Earth the glory and and and not just to to uh titilate us with with the pretty words and the man of God is going to tell you what it takes to be saved and he'll fight all of Hell's henchmen in order to let us know this is what it takes to be saved your daughter and your son needs to hear the word of God to keep them out of sin because on the television 24 hours a day on network after Network they can see so many things that will cause them to fall into sin and you and I must be conscious and a way to reach out to them and let them know the house of God is the Sheepfold that's where they need to be and the man of God is the shepherd that's going to fight all of hell and order to keep them in the house of God and keep them saved Lord Hall Hallelujah somebody say praise the Lord praise the Lord all right and when he puts forth his own ship he goes sheep he goes before them and the Sheep follow him for they know his voice it's extremely important that we recognize the voice of a true man of God now I I said say this uh carefully but everything you hear and see on television that comes from the mouth of a Preacher is not necessarily what you need to hear and you need to know the truth so well that you recognize when it's not the voice of a true Shepherd they say I have heard that the way they train people to recognize a uh counterfeit bill they don't uh show them the counterfeit bill as M they let them feel of and train them to know the feel of a real Bill and once you get the feel and know what the real Bill feels like if the false comes along you're going to recognize it we need to be in the house of God and hear the word of the Lord so much that we feel and we know the real thing we know when the man of God is preaching the truth and then when the false comes along we know the real Shepherd and we know his voice and a stranger they're not going to follow and a stranger will they not follow but will flee from him for they know not the voice of strangers uh in the work of the Lord and and having uh preached for 75 years I've seen an awful lot of things and I've been disappointed in folks that have taken the wrong turn and allowed themselves to be led in the wrong path uh the Bible said to CNS for the old past wherein is the good way but they said will not walk in it now we can I appreciate all the new ways of getting the message across I appreciate I've referred earlier about all the technology and the technological advancements we've got the very thing right now uh I've got a little old microphone pinned to my necktie and it's it's the greatest sound uh back there when we had the the old PA set I had a little pa pa set a little amplifier about that big and it fit under the pull pit and and it it made your your your message louder but it was had a a lot of squeak and a lot of wasn't good and clear and I thank God for the great technology we have but the message is still the same old message it's still the it said see and ask for the good way the old P wherein is the the good way but they said we'll not walk in it all right this Parable Jesus spake unto them but they understood not what things they were they were which he spake unto them then said Jesus unto them here we go again with those words verely verely hear me now hear me now hear me now it kind of reminds me of of Pastor Whitley I wish somebody would hear me he'll say I I wish somebody would hear what I'm saying well what he saying is verely verely come on give give good attention to what's being preached verely very I wish somebody would say amen I wish somebody would help me preach I to get our attention to say what's being said is extremely important and maybe I'm not listening closely enough maybe I'm I'm uh ding my phone maybe I'm maybe I need to be listening a little closer uh Jesus spake that but they understood not the saying which is Spen to them then Jesus said to them barely verely I say unto you I am the door of the sheep now those are the doors of this building this building is not the church you're the church we are the Church of the Living God and now then he is the door to the Sheep all that ever came before me are thieves and robbers but the Sheep did not hear them there were so many that before Jesus came along they were holding to the Mosaic law they were holding to Traditions there were all kind of isms and sisms and and false doctrines going around and Jesus said every one of them that came before me they were not preaching they were thieves and they were robbers I am the door by me if any man enter in he shall be saved and shall go in and out and find pasture that the thief now watch this this is very important the thief cometh not but for to steal to kill and to destroy the devil when he plants false Notions when he plants uh division when he plants hurt feelings when he plants anything in that here's the reason he does it the thief cometh not but for to steal and to kill and to destroy I am come that you might have life and that you might have it more of abundantly now Ezekiel said in Ezekiel uh 34:15 and 19 he I will feed my flock and I will cause them to lie down sayi the Lord now he said I will not beat my flock but I will feed my flock and will cause them to lie down that lie down is a uh restful safety a safe position and he's going to feed us and the Lord is my shepherd I shall not want he maketh me to lie down in Green Pastures he leads me beside Still Waters he restores my soul this is what the Good Shepherd does for us I will seek that which was lost and bring again that which was driven away the Good Shepherd is not going to drive you away the Good Shepherd is going to seek those that have been driven away and will bind up that which was broken and will strengthen that which was sick and I will destroy the fat and the strong and I will feed them with judgment those that have grown fat because of their ungodliness and worldliness he's going to judge them but those that have been wounded those that have been hurt those that have been driven away he's looking for them just like the father was the prodical son he he was every day waitting until the day came that that boy came walking and and with the older boy out in the field began to pout he went out to see about him too he loved him and he said I've been here all this time you've never got got a band to entertain you never give me a party like this he says son you've been with me all this time and said the the the the the Rob's been in the closet all the time the shoes have been in the and he said and it everything that I've got is yours if you don't if you haven't enjoyed it it's because you haven't availed yourself of the opportunity and I want to say to us tonight we have no excuse for not being blessed and fed and and rejoice in the Lord and thank God all that it has belongs to us I will seek that which was gone that was lost and bring again that which was driven away and will bind up that which was broken and strengthen that which was sick then he said and as for you oh my flock thus sayth the Lord God behold I judge between cattle and cattle between Rams and the goats now he said ask for you FL I know you see he said and as for you my flock sayth the Lord I we need to let God do the judging now he gave the the the parable in the New Testament of the sewer going forth to seow and uh the when the the farmer that SED the seed went to rest the enemy came and swed tears among the wheat and then when the wheat came up the tears came also and then I said what are we going to do said shall we go uproot the tears he said no because if you uproot the tears you may you do you may not know the difference in the tear and the wheat said leave them alone let them grow together and God's going to send his angels and they're going to take care of the let God do the judging we can look around and and judge this one and that one and the other let's let God do the judging I'm not to be the judge he said judge not at all now then here he said behold I judge between cattle and cattle I'll judge between Rams and ghats I might mistake a a a goat for a sheep or a sheep for a goat because he even told about that there would be those that would come uh wolves in sheep's clothing and if we get too discriminating ourselves to try to separate them we may make some mistakes God makes no mistakes seeth it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture but you must tread down with your feet the residue of your pasture and to have drunk of the deep Waters but you must fou the residue with your feet when I stud studed this it reminds me of those that are not preaching the real gospel what they're doing they're trotting down the the the real truth and they're just stirring up mud in the water and and Jesus is condemning this the Bible is condemning this that there they but you must uh fou the residue with your feet don't let the false prophets muddy the water keep listening to the voice of the shepherd then Jesus says in verse 11 I am the Good Shepherd the Good Shepherd giveth his life for the Sheep we gave you the example a few minutes minutes ago David when The Lion and the bear came out he risked his own life to save the sheep and Jesus not only risked his life the time came he actually gave his life for the church but he said in verse 11 I'm the Good Shepherd the Good Shepherd gives his life for the Sheep but verse 12 said but he that is a hirling and not the shepherd who own the Sheep are not seeth the wolf coming and leaveth the sheep and fleeth and the Wolf catches them and scatters the Sheep now he said the harling fleeth why because he's a harling he's he's getting paid and he's interested more in the paycheck than he is the welfare of the flock he said but he that's a hirling and not the shepherd who's own the sheep or not he sees the wolf coming and he flees and this scripture resonates in my mind uh quite often uh see how I can put this whose own the Sheep are not uh I had a preacher one time he was really rough tough he could I mean he could bus hides and he could skin the Sheep he not only shared them he could skin them and well I thought about who's own the sheep or not well he later started a church at a big city and he invited me to come and preach for him and um he explained me now brother brother M these are new folks and and they're not aab and and they don't they don't look like uh our church usually looks and and and they're they're not what you you expect see I I put on a little bit of a show for a minute or two I said don't worry about it brother I said when I get up I'm going to clean them up I you I oh brother please don't and I thought about the way I heard him preach in other circumstance who's own the sheep or not you've heard me quote the scripture many times the preacher sought acceptable words we who are going to feed the flock it is not compromised when we seek for acceptable words the proper words the words that will be acceptable uh in the book of Jude he said and making a difference pulling some from the fire there are some that you've got to preach to them one way now you don't change your Doctrine the doctrine Remains the Same but there are some that will be interested and led by certain type of preaching and others another type of preaching and we seek for the proper words the Good Shepherd he's not a highl now the Harley he don't care when he sees U problems coming he flees but the shepherd will stand if it cost him his life he's going to stand the harling fleeth because he is a hirling and he cares not for the Sheep but Jesus says again verse 14 I am the Good Shepherd and know my sheep and am known of mine he knows us and we know him as the father knoweth me even so know I the father and I lay down my life for the Sheep now here's what Zechariah says and Zechariah 2 and5 here's what the Lord says to us for I sayith the Lord will be unto her a wall of fire round about and will be the glory in the midst of her this is what he says about his people his church his flock he says I'll put a wall of fire around you the devil can't get to you this is what the devil told God when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord in the days of job and the Bible says Satan came also and God said be considered my servant job and the devil said yeah said you've got a wall around him can't get to him well the Lord let down just a little and let the devil see that there was somebody that would serve God even if some bad things had to happen to him and you and I can be assured of this one thing no matter matter what happens the Lord's going to have a wall of fire built around us that the devil cannot destroy us and other sheep is said I have which are not of this fold them also I must bring and they shall hear my voice and there shall be one fo and one Shepherd this was before the Gentiles have been brought in but he's going to tear down the wall or petition between them and he's got the Gentile sheep that were not of the fold therefore do my father father loved me because I laid down my life that I may take it again no man uh the I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again this commandment have I received of my father I was discussing with a preacher uh down I in fact I I was asked to come to Rockwood and this preacher was visiting a a new convert a new Saint and he was trying to get her out of the apostolic belief and he believed in in in three gods and and he's he said I I know that Jesus said I have power to lay down my life and I but he didn't say he would do it we he read the scripture where God raised him from the dead well then I took him to the scripture Jesus said that destroyed this Temple speaking his body and in three three days I will raise it up again this spake he the Temple of his body well he did have power to do it and he did it he raised himself from the dead would you stand at your feet with us right now father we thank you tonight we thank you for your goodness we thank you for the word of the Lord we're thankful that we have a good shepherd thank thankful Lord that you're ever mindful of your children I pray oh God that you will bless your word let it sink deep into our hearts and may we be stronger in the faith and thankful for this great Truth uh to for which we have been informed by the preaching of the word of God dismiss us from this place but not from your presence in Jesus name amen you're dismissed In The Name Of The Lord shake hands and be friendly whatever your protocol is shake hands we'll see you this week can for