PDL/PDC and Calvinism

A word of warning to all PDC's selling 'vain hope'

Jeremiah 23:16-32 16 Thus says the LORD of hosts: "Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD. 17 They say continually to those who despise the word of the LORD, 'It shall be well with you'; and to everyone who stubbornly follows his own heart, they say, 'No disaster shall come upon you.'" 18 For who among them has stood in the council of the LORD to see and to hear his word, or who has paid attention to his word and listened? 19 Behold, the storm of the LORD! Wrath has gone forth, a whirling tempest; it will burst upon the head of the wicked. 20 The anger of the LORD will not turn back until he has executed and accomplished the intents of his heart. In the latter days you will understand it clearly. 21 "I did not send the prophets, yet they ran; I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied. 22 But if they had stood in my council, then they would have proclaimed my words to my people, and they would have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their deeds. 23 "Am I a God at hand, declares the LORD, and not a God afar off? 24 Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD. 25 I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in my name, saying, 'I have dreamed, I have dreamed!' 26 How long shall there be lies in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies, and who prophesy the deceit of their own heart, 27 who think to make my people forget my name by their dreams that they tell one another, even as their fathers forgot my name for Baal? 28 Let the prophet who has a dream tell the dream, but let him who has my word speak my word faithfully. What has straw in common with wheat? declares the LORD. 29 Is not my word like fire, declares the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces? 30 Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, declares the LORD, who steal my words from one another. 31 Behold, I am against the prophets, declares the LORD, who use their tongues and declare, 'declares the LORD.' 32 Behold, I am against those who prophesy lying dreams, declares the LORD, and who tell them and lead my people astray by their lies and their recklessness, when I did not send them or charge them. So they do not profit this people at all, declares the LORD.

 

This sounds very spiritual ... God only ordained 40 ... we are only concerned about His glory ... we are concerned about teaching ... Puritans... I wish I could count the times hypers have used these lines to pardon their lack of local evangelism.

Anyway I can see we are not going to get anywhere with this. If you cannot see the irony of having thousands of attendees and yet only a couple of dozens baptisms a year, there is no need to continue.

I would simply add that I find it a bit disheartening for guys whose churches grow large primarily from transfers to be critical of those who baptize thousands a year and then justify their own lack of baptisms with "well that's just what God ordained." Do you think perhaps God ordained for Rick Warren and others like him to baptize thousands? Perhaps it is not b/c of their "shallow preaching" or "feel good" message or "lack of preaching on repentance"? Could it simply be because that is what God ordained? Since churches focused on teaching only see a few people baptized a year, perhaps God ordained churches like Saddleback to reach and baptize thousands?

What God ordained for Bethlehem ... what God ordained for Saddleback ... what is good for the goose ...

Exactly ... they addressed a real life need with biblical truth ... it is called preaching to needs. Thank you for affirming my point. So John Piper is a needs-based preacher. He simply chooses how often and when he wants to do it. If the need is large enough, he addresses it. It is selective felt needs preaching, but felt needs preaching nonetheless.

 

The need is BIBLE centered preaching. That's it. Not entertainment, not watered down "sermonettes". Just the Gospel.

Time will tell on Rick and his fad. Just like the modernism of the 19th century, I believe that Spurgeon was right on the judgement of that time and look what happened to England. Now we are doing the same thing in the US. Don't want to strike fear into the souls of men of the fires of hell, just tell me that I'm loved, pat me on my head, and tell me I just need high self esteem.

 

You'll find that teaching "sloppy agape" has very small long term rewards. Billy Graham, Louis Palao, Harvest Crusades... 1% are still following Christ after "saying a prayer" only after 18 monthes.

As far as the many going to Ricks flea circus, J.I. Packer said it best, "God will honor the sliver of Good theology through the haystack of bad theology given..... That's your 1%. Let's see, 1000 a year for Rick with bad theology is 10 converts a year by the sloppy agape formula. Piper at 40 a year with solid, converts... hmmmm... Pipers doing 4 times better by the numbers...

 

I hate to say it RC...but i fear it is true. Time will tell.

in 25 years...Lord willing...we shall see. I'm not saying they will all close the doors. I'm saying the real fruits will be seen by then. I'm already seeing some. but maybe that is the bad ones. At the rate they are going...they will take the world for Christ...or the world will take them just as the YMCA

I hope this does not happen..I do hope we are both wrong RC, but history tells me we are not.

In Christ...James

 

Righteousness does not live in a land of forgetfulness.

We hear complaints that the minister speaks too harshly and talks too much of
judgment. Saved sinners never make that complaint
Spurgeon..

 

Yeah, what we really need are more churches producing less than 40 a year ... that will really impact a nation and purify the church. Oh yeah with the rate these churches are baptizing people, there will be no church in a few generations. Hey wait ... we can pass it off as God's sovereignty and sound spiritual ... that way we do not have to ask the tough questions as to why a church of thousands sees 30 baptisms a year.

For someone so concerned about God's glory, you sure are disrespectful to someone God has blessed in a tremendous way. So is life in the world of hyperism.

By the way, you had better start ripping Piper as well b/c in the Passion movement he has identified himself with some of the very ones you are criticizing.

Your hypothetical math is equal to your evangelistic efforts -- fantasy cloaked in pseudo-spiritualism.


By the way since we are talking about subsequent generations, history has shown that the generation that follows the theology of piper-Calvinism ends up dismissing the need for evangelism altogether. Logic suggests that if it is all up to God anyway, there is no need to do anything. But don't worry, we can simply say that is how God ordained it to be.

So back to the previous question you did not address: did God also ordain Rick Warren to reach and baptize thousands? Or is the fact he is reaching and baptizing thousands a sign that he has "watered it down"?

 

Just so we are clear here, here are some of the people Piper has identified with in the Passion movement:

Louie Giglio
Andy Stanley
Beth Moore (how does she fit in Piper's musings on gender roles)
Erwin McManus

You better check these guys/gals out RC. When you rip on Warren and his type, these are the people you are disparaging as well, which means you are also attacking your own pastor.

Consistency can be such a bear.

 

Just because he wrote a book on the passion and others have doesn't mean he is "With" them. I didn't see him endorsing them. Though I don't think he would ever say "I don't get into details" when asked if Mormons where Christians like Rick Warren.

history has shown that the generation that follows the theology of piper-Calvinism ends up dismissing the need for evangelism altogether...

That's one of the most unfounded statments I've ever heard concerning "Evangelism". Do you even know where that term was first used and for whom?... If you have a degree I think you didn't do well in your history.

You know that the Church fathers of the protestant Church where all Calvinists. The Church Fathers of the UNITED STATES where ALL Calvinists. They came here to EVANGELIZE.

As for "disgrutled" people going to other Churchs?
Evangelism is not limited to work done with heathen, to work done with those who make no profession of faith in Jesus the Savior. On the contrary, it includes the work of the Church with those who profess Christianity and belong to a church, but who are either ignorant of the truth of the gospel or have departed from it. To bring the gospel to such is not 'sheep-stealing,' but sheep-gathering; it is not 'fishing in troubled waters,' but fishing for men.

When Jesus in Matthew 9:37, 38 instructed His disciples that the harvest is plenteous, but the laborers few, and that they, therefore, must pray the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers into His harvest, His reference was not, primarily, to the heathen, but to the multitudes of fainting, scattered Israelites, the Old Testament people of God, under the care of the priests and scribes. By false doctrine, apostasy, and simple lack of the Word of God, these people were spiritually sore distressed and, therefore, proper objects of evangelism.

Paul's ministry shows that the work of evangelism is not exclusively with admitted unbelievers. He brought the Word to the Jews first; and when confessing Christians strayed, as they did in Galatia, the apostle urgently evangelized them.

John Murray, the Presbyterian theologian, contended that evangelism must not be limited to work among the unsaved. The word 'evangelism' has generally been understood to apply to the propagation of the gospel among the unsaved. In dealing. however, with the obligation that rests upon the church of Christ to witness to the gospel it does not appear that the various activities of the church that may properly be embraced in the work of evangelism have exclusive reference to those who are reckoned, in the judgment of the church, as without God and without hope in the world. Particularly is this true when it is remembered that many believers in Christ have so inadequate a knowledge of the gospel, and so impoverished a conception of the Christian life, that a considerable part of the work of the church, properly regarded as evangelism, must needs have as its aim the instruction and edification of such believers. The evangelism that the true church of Christ undertakes must therefore contemplate the bringing of the gospel in its full import and demands to those who, though believers, are nevertheless the victims of ignorance, unfaithfulness and compromising associations'

 

I am not talking about the books. I am talking about the Passion conference movement founded by Louie Giglio that Piper has preached at the last few years (along with Beth Moore last year -- very interesting indeed).

Then you have not done your homework. It is common knowledge that second generation hypers usually find no need for evangelism. Even your beloved William Carey was discouraged from missions by second generation hypers.

This is common knowledge in church history. I am not sure why you would deny it.

That's a picture many hypers want to paint that does not reflect reality. "All" is a strong term. And yes there were many "Calvinists" throughout church history (even though the human system of Calvinism was introduced a century and a half later). That has nothing to do with what we are talking about -- how one's theology affects or excuses one's evangelism.

I am acutally a little surprised you tried to justify the growth of a church through transfers, but at the end of the day, you really have no other choice. So again it is easy to cloak transfer growth in spiritual terms (they come here b/c they are stagnate and not growing and it is our job to nourish them), but it changes nothing. If you are content growing through transfers, go ahead. Just don't criticize those who are not.

Perhaps what is funnier is your attempt to link Jesus and Paul with "evangelizing believers". But then again, you are left with no choice.

I will ask for a 3rd time: could it be that God has ordained RW and others to reach and baptize thousands since he has ordained Bethlehem to only reach a couple dozen a year?

 

Well, He has ordained the coming of the Anti-Christ also, doesn't mean that PDC's are "blessed" of God.

Church's that the world flocks to are the one's God most likely detests. Spurgeon

 

spurgeon, the same guy who went to park street in London with 80 members, and in 6 months had a 1200 seat auditorium packed, yes, I am sure God detested that ministry.

I have a feeling that quote might be more meaningful with some context.

 

This is what I love about you hypers. You cannot give anyone different than you any benefit that perhaps God could bless someone other than your own little circle.

Let me clearly say: I believe God has used John Piper in a tremendous way. He has influenced my thinking in many ways. He is a great writer and good communicater. I appreciate what God is doing through John Piper. I disagree with him in some areas, but that is okay. It is not about me. I am thankful God has chosen to use men like John Piper.

I have no problem saying these things. I believe them sincerely. Yet to try and get a hyper to agree that God just might be using Rick Warren to reach thousands of people is like trying to pull teeth.

Let the record show.

 

First, you don't understand what a "hyper" is, I am not one, but I'm not surprised, people that think you believe in the doctrine of Grace is "hyper" don't really know what they are talking about. Secondly, I love to see people saved, huge Church's are NOT the problem, (Spurgeon was talking about the "modernism" idea of making the church service more "palatable" and more "seeker sensitive" in the context of the quote I used "The Downgrade Controversy), the problem is the means that is used to evangelize. This was Sprugeons cry also. And is the same exact problem. But we are falling into the trap because we didn't learn from history, and are doomed to repeat it unfortunately.

 

Okay I will correct myself ... you are a Piper-Calvinist ... Piper ... hyper ... one and the same. Again I heard JP with my own ears say that if there were 7 points of Calvinism, he would embrace all 7.

I run in your circles. I know most hypers denounce the title, but I will allow the evidence to speak for itself.

No churches that are different than you are the problem. Again I know the drill. For lack of better terminology, "I was one of you."

which you have yet to show is anything less than biblical.

 

O.k. let's go back to theology 101 class....

Hyper Calvinism is best described as those who do not believe it is correct to witness or evangelize the lost due to the chance of messing with God's plan. It is fatalistic, and deterministic.

This is NOT what orthodox Calvinism is or ever was, in fact it is anti-calvinistic.

You misquote Piper, He was using hyperbole there and you should know that.

 

I will repeat myself: "I run in your circles. I know most hypers denounce the title, but I will allow the evidence to speak for itself."

How do you misquote someone when you are quoting them directly?


I noticed you danced around the previous issue: is it possible God is blessing RW and others and has "elected" thousands to come to Christ under their ministry?

 

is it possible God is blessing RW and others and has "elected" thousands to come to Christ under their ministry?

I did answer the question with the quote from J.I. Packer:
God will honor the sliver of truth in the haystack of bad theology.

And again as I stated before you keep on mentioning "thousands" coming... going by numbers from "seeker sensitive" evangelism, (and from history in the "great awakening") less than 1% are ever reported to still be "walking" with the Lord only after a couple of years so.... let's see where RW is at in 20 years.

How do you misquote someone when you are quoting them directly?
You are a Dr. and you don't know this? A text out of context is a pretext.

I can quote Jesus also ... If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out....

I guess we should all be blind huh?

For a "proper" understanding use the whole context.

What does John Piper mean when he says that he is a "seven point" Calvinist?
When Dr. Piper says he is a "seven point Calvinist," he does so half jokingly and half seriously. Historically, there are five points of Calvinism, not seven. Piper isn't seeking to add two more points, but is simply calling attention to his belief in the traditional five points (total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and perseverance of the saints) in a way that also points toward two additional "Calvinistic" truths that follow from them: double predestination and the best-of-all-possible worlds.

The "sixth" point, double predestination, is simply the flip side of unconditional election. Just as God chooses whom He will save without regard to any distinctives in the person (Ephesians 1:5-6; Acts 13:48; Revelation 17:8), so also he decides whom He will not save without regard to any distinctives in the individual (John 10:26; 12:37-40; Romans 9:11-18; 1 Peter 2:7-8). By definition, the decision to elect some individuals to salvation necessarily implies the decision not to save those that were not chosen. God ordains not only that some will be rescued from his judgment, but that others will undergo that judgment. This does not mean that someone might really want to be saved but then be rejected because they are on the wrong list. Rather, we are all dead in sin and unwilling to seek God on our own. A true, genuine desire for salvation in Christ is in fact a mark of election, and therefore none who truly come to Christ for salvation will be turned away (John 6:37-40).

So just as God doesn't choose to save certain people because they are better than others (unconditional election), neither does he choose not to save certain people because they are worse than others (unconditional reprobation, or double predestination). Rather, everybody is lost in sin and no one has anything to recommend them to God above anyone else. And so from this mass of fallen humanity, God chooses to redeem some and leave others.

The "seventh" point, the best-of-all-possible worlds, means that God governs the course of history so that, in the long run, His glory will be more fully displayed and His people more fully satisfied than would have been the case in any other world. If we look only at the way things are now in the present era of this fallen world, this is not the best-of-all-possible worlds. But if we look at the whole course of history, from creation to redemption to eternity and beyond, and see the entirety of God's plan, it is the best-of-all-possible plans and leads to the best-of-all-possible eternities. And therefore this universe (and the events that happen in it from creation into eternity, taken as a whole) is the best-of-all-possible-worlds.

 

And as I have said repeatedly, demonstrate the "bad theology" of RW. I hate to bust your "monopoly on the truth" bubble, but RW is as orthodox in his theology as you are.

1. Can you provide the evidence for your 1% statistics?

2. Saddleback has celebrated their 25th anniversary, thus your 20 year theory falls.

But it is not a "misquote" as you labeled it above.

Piper's words were not taken out of context. Your explanation of Piper's 7 points still confirms my point.

For a quote taken out of context, see your Spurgeon quote above.

Thus the term "piper-Calvinism"

While I do not care to get into an extended debate regarding the apparant strengths and weaknesses of the human system Calvinism, would you briefly justify the need for evangelism within the framework you describe above?

Just curious.

 

Funny how you label Calvinism a "human system", when Arminianism was defended by and created by secular humanists like Pelagius and Erasmus! I wish we could take the "humanists" out of theology!

I Am God Almighty, Be Fruitful and Multiply
I Have Other Sheep
March 3, 1996

John 10:16

I am the good shepherd; and I know My own, and My own know Me, 15 even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they shall hear My voice; and they shall become one flock with one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. 18 No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.
I Have Other Sheep. . .Not Of This Fold

We conclude this morning the series on the theme, "I am God Almighty, be fruitful and multiply." I want us to focus on verse 16 because it is such a clear statement of the authority and power of Christ to be fruitful and to multiply his church. If we are to fulfill the prayer goal of 2000 by 2000, especially on the home front (winning 2000 people to faith in Christ by the end of the year 2000) it will be because of the power and authority of Christ revealed in this verse. Jesus says,

I have other sheep, that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will heed my voice. So there shall be one flock, one shepherd.

Let's clarify some of Jesus' terms here. He says, "I have other sheep that are not of this fold." "This fold" refers to the fold of Israel. He is saying that he has sheep that are among the gentiles, the nations. They are not Jews. They do not belong to the Jewish fold. I begin gathering my sheep from the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matt. 15:24; 10:5-6). But I have sheep that are not in Israel. I must gather them also.

But he also clarifies that not all Jews are his sheep. Some are and some aren't. When Jesus says in verse 15, "I am the good shepherd; and I know my own, and my own know me," he was implying that some sheep (in this fold) are Christ's and some are not. This is a different image than we have in the parable of the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25:31-46). Here some sheep are Christ's and some are not. Notice this more clearly in verses 3b-4:

. . . he calls HIS OWN sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them.

Verse 14:

I am the good shepherd; I know MY OWN and MY OWN know me.
In other words, not all the people in the fold of Israel truly belonged to Christ. Some were his sheep. Some were not. As Paul wrote in Romans 9:6, "Not all those from Israel are Israel."

"My Sheep Hear My Voice. . .And They Follow Me"

Now this raises the question: How is it that some sheep inside the fold are not Christ's sheep and some people outside the fold are Christ's sheep? It sounds like people are sheep before they meet Christ. "I have other sheep—outside this fold, among the gentiles—I must bring them also." So how did they become his sheep if he has not called them yet?

The answer is that God has chosen a people for his own from Israel and from the nations; and these are his sheep. He then gives them to his Son. You can see this clearly in John 17:6. Jesus says to his Father,

I have manifested your name to the men whom you gave me out of the world; thine they were, and you gave them to me.

So before the disciples came to Jesus, they belonged to God. God had chosen them.

This is the deepest reason why the sheep come to Christ. It's even clearer in John 6:37,

All that the Father gives me will come to me; and him who comes to me I will not cast out.

Those who come to Jesus come because they have been given to Jesus by the Father. They were his by his design and choice, and they come to Jesus because they are God's own. (See 6:39,44,65; 17:9,24; 18:9)

Be sure you see the staggering implication of these verses. They are designed to fill us with hope that Christ will indeed be fruitful and multiply his church triumphantly. "All that the Father give me will come to me." And they are designed to humble us and nullify all our presumption that we could have or would have ever come to Christ on our own. Look at verse 27:

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
Why did you recognize the voice of Jesus when he called you? Because you were his sheep. It's not the other way around.

Being one of Christ's sheep enables you to recognize your shepherd and respond to his call. Responding to his call does not make you one of his sheep. If you hear and recognize his voice it is because you already are one of his sheep, chosen by the Father. You come to the Son because the Father gives you to the Son (John 6:44,65).

That is the startling thing about this chapter. It reveals to us the presumption of thinking that the final determination of our life lies in our own power. In John 10:24 unbelievers were demanding of Jesus that he tell them plainly who he is. Jesus said in verse 25 that he had already told them plainly enough. So why hadn't they believed? Could they boast that their unbelief was the final, ultimate power of the human will to frustrate the designs of God Almighty. Listen to Jesus' answer in verse 26:

You do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep.
Make sure you get the order right here. He does not say, "You are not my sheep, because you do not believe." He says, "You do not believe because you are not my sheep." The final boast of unbelief is destroyed by the sovereignty of God to choose his sheep before they believe, according to his own grace and wisdom (2 Timothy 1:9).

Now on the basis of that great free and sovereign grace consider how full of hope verse 16 is for our mission as a church. "I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I must bring them also; and they shall hear my voice; and they shall become one flock with one shepherd." "I am God Almighty, be fruitful and multiply" rings powerfully from this verse.

John 10:16: A Basis For Hopeful Evangelism

1. "I Have Other Sheep Not Of This Fold"

Start with these words: "I have other sheep that are not of this fold." Christ has people in the world besides those already converted—other people besides us. There will always be people who argue that the doctrine of God's sovereignty over the will of man makes local evangelism and foreign missions unnecessary. If God chooses his sheep before they believe, why evangelize the lost in Minneapolis? But the fact is, the sovereignty of God over the wills of men doesn't make evangelism unnecessary; it makes it hopeful.

John Alexander, a former president of Inter-Varsity said in a message at Urbana 67, "At the beginning of my missionary career I said that if predestination were true I could not be a missionary. Now after 20 years of struggling with the hardness of the human heart, I say I could never be a missionary unless I believed in the doctrine of predestination." It gives hope that Christ most certainly has a people among the nations. "I have other sheep."

There are numerous motives for pressing on in evangelism in Minneapolis and among the nations—for persevering and pleading and preaching and praying for the lost. One of them is the confidence that God has other sheep, and they will respond. It was precisely this truth that encouraged the apostle Paul when he was downcast in Corinth.

And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, "Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no man shall attack you to harm you; for I have many people in this city." (Acts 18:9-10)

"I have other sheep that are not of this fold." It is a promise full of hope for those who dream about pressing on in evangelism here and about new fields of missionary labor.

2. Gathering The Scattered Children Of God

Here's another evidence of this hope-filled purpose of Christ to gather other sheep into his fold. Look at John 11:51-52. Caiaphas, the high priest, has given a prophecy which John now interprets like this:

He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus should die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.

Christ died to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. These scattered children are identical with the "other sheep that are not of this fold." Which means that world evangelization, for the apostle John, is the ingathering of the children of God—that is the finding and saving of the "other sheep" that are not of this fold.

The mission of world evangelization is as sure as the death of Christ is effective. John 11:52 says Jesus died to gather into one the scattered children of God. John 10:15 says, Jesus laid down his life for the sheep (including those that are not of this fold). So the evangelistic mission of the church can no more fail than the death of Christ can fail. Gathering in the sheep of God is as positive and sure as the blood of Christ is precious to the Father.

3. "They Will Hear My Voice"—Through You!

Another encouragement in John 10:16 that our evangelism will not be in vain is that the Lord himself has promised to bring his lost sheep home. He promises to do it. "I have other sheep, that are not of this fold; I must bring them also; they will hear my voice." HE will bring them. They will hear HIS voice. But how? How today, when Jesus is not physically here?

The answer is: through your word. As the Father sent the Son to seek and to save the lost, so the Son sends his people. The key verse is found in Jesus' prayer in John l7:20, "I do not pray for these [his disciples] only but also for those who believe in me through their word." "Through their word!"

This is the text that everyone has to deal with who would say, "Well, if Christ calls his own sheep and if Christ gathers the children of God, and if the sheep and the children are already chosen, then we don't need to evangelize." That response is mere human presumption. It's not logical and its not Biblical. The simple fact is Jesus uses us to call his sheep and gather God's children.

Just as Jesus called his sheep with his own lips in Palestine, so he still calls them today with our lips, and in the gospel they hear his voice and follow him (cf. 1 John 4:6). He does it. But not without us!

This is the wonder of the gospel. When it is spoken truthfully in the power of the Spirit it is not merely the word of man. It is the word of God! (1 Thessalonians 2:13).

In other words even today it is just as true as it was in Jesus day, "My sheep hear MY voice, and I know them, and they follow me" (John 10:27). It is Christ who calls in the gospel. Christ gathers. We are only ambassadors speaking in his stead. So we can take heart: all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to the Son of God and he declares, "I must bring in my other sheep." He will do it. "I am God almighty, be fruitful and multiply."

4. "They Will Hear My Voice"

Which implies one brief, final word of confidence from the text: if he brings them they will come! Verse 16: "I have other sheep, that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and THEY WILL HEED MY VOICE." None of Christ's sheep finally reject his word. He allows some of his sheep to resist the word for a long time. But never do they reject it finally.

My purpose this morning has been mainly to give encouragement and hope to press on confidently in the great work of personal evangelism and missions, but I close with a word to those who are not yet believing. If you say, after a word like this, how shall I know if I am one of Christ's sheep, or one of the children of God scattered abroad, the answer is: Do you hear the voice of your Shepherd? I speak on behalf of the Son of God this morning:

Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest; I lay down my life for all who come; I welcome all how come; I give you eternal life and you shall never perish, and no one shall snatch you out of my hand.

Do you hear his voice? Do recognize your Savior and Master and Friend? If you do, you will come. And if you come to him. You will have life. And that life is the proof that you are Christ's. I urge you: Come.