 Hello, this is David Diger Hernandez, and you're watching Spirit Church here on the Encounter TV Network. If you've ever worried that you might wander too far into some worldly distraction, or that you might be overtaken by some sinful habit, and I have good news for you. Jesus said, I am the good shepherd. I'm continuing my series on the I am, but first, Stephen Mock the Zoom is here with me. He's going to lead you in some very anointed worship, and then we're getting right into this message. Let's worship now. Let's begin in John chapter 10. I'm going to read verses 11 through 15. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don't belong to him, and he isn't their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. The hired hand runs away because he's working only for the money and doesn't really care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own sheep and they know me, just as my father knows me and I know the father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep. Now, in this portion of Scripture, there are many powerful truths. Let's look at verse 11. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. Now, let me ask you, who do you know that truly loves you like this? That he would lay down his life for yours? That he would leave the comforts of heaven and live through a mundane existence on earth. That's mundane compared to how he was living in the heavenly realm. That he would sacrifice his body. That he would endure the pain of the cross. He did that for you. And this is why we can rest in our trust for him. Because the one who loves us like nobody else loves us is also our shepherd. He is the shepherd of my soul. He is the one who guides me, who protects me, who corrects me, who provides for me. And there is no other shepherd I would want. He is that good shepherd. And verses 12 to 13, we see that Jesus is talking about hired hands or people who don't really care for the sheep. In other words, there are those who may claim they care for you, but they're only there for you for what they can get from you. Jesus isn't like that. Jesus is the good shepherd. He lays down his life. He sacrifices himself. He puts himself in harm's way for your safety. Verse 14 says, I am the good shepherd. I know my own sheep and they know me. Now, I thought this was comforting that he knows me. Scripture says that the very hairs on your head are numbered. He knows you and he delights in every detail of your life. But think about the fact that he knows you. I mean, really think about that. He knows me. He doesn't just know all the details. He doesn't just know maybe my occasional wondering. He knows every flaw. He knows every thought. He knows every trouble in your character. He knows every secret sin. He knows every hidden mistake. He knows every impure motive. He knows all of the iniquity that resides in you. And yet he doesn't abandon you. He knows you and he still shepherds you. He knows you and he stays with you. He knows you and still sacrifices himself for you. That truly is a comforting thought. Verse 15, just as my father knows me and I know the father, the union between the father and the son is the same union between you and your shepherd. There is that perfect oneness that he's given us with him. He will not abandon us. Now there are three things I want to point out about shepherds that are based in Scripture. Number one, the shepherd protects. Psalm chapter 23 verses 1-4 say this, The Lord is my shepherd. I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows. He leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. You know, we live in a time where many are filled with fear. Their hearts are filled with dread. People are worried about their future. People are worried about their health. People are worried about the safety of their families. People worry about economic instability. People worry about disease and viruses. People worry about war. People worry about violence and crime. And all of these things that can bring us harm. But the Scripture tells me that he guides me. He protects me. That even in the darkest valley, I can know that he's close by. He's near. Luke chapter 2 verse 8 says, That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. That night, in the midnight hour, the Lord keeps watch over you, even as you sleep. The one who sees all keeps watch over you. 1 Samuel chapter 17 verses 34 through 36 say, But David persisted. I have been taking care of my father's sheep and goats, he said. When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flocks, I go after it with the club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I'll do it to this pagan Philistine too, for he has defiled the armies of the living God. Now in Luke chapter 2 verse 8 and in 1 Samuel chapter 17, these are references to actual shepherds. But in referencing actual shepherds, we see that this is a picture of who the Lord is. This is why Jesus called himself the Good Shepherd, because this is what shepherds do. They protect. When David's lamb was in trouble, he would go and fight, putting himself in harm's way. Number one, the shepherd protects. Number two, the shepherd corrects. 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 25 says, once you were like sheep who wandered away, but now you have turned to your shepherd, the guardian of your souls. Many of us had wandering moments in life. In fact, all of us have had moments where we wandered, places we shouldn't have gone, things we shouldn't have done, people we shouldn't have been connected with. Yet the Lord time and time again corrects that wandering. In Matthew chapter 18 verses 12 to 13, the scripture says, if a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won't he leave the 99 others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than the 99 that didn't wander away. Now here the scripture is not saying that Jesus loves the one more than the 99. He simply has to go after the one because the one is the one that wandered in the 99, we're the ones that remained. But still we see that when we wander, our shepherd comes after us. Not to destroy us, but to correct us. And sometimes that correction can feel like destruction. Hebrews chapter 12 verses 5 to 11 say, and have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said, my child, don't make light of the Lord's discipline and don't give up when he corrects you. For the Lord disciplines those he loves and he punishes each one he accepts as his child. Verse seven, as you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father. If God doesn't discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and you are not really his children at all. Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn't we submit even more to the discipline of the father of our spirits and live forever? For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years doing the best they knew how. But God's discipline is always good for us so that we might share in His holiness no discipline is enjoyable while it is happening. It's painful. But afterward, there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way. When the Lord brings correction, it may feel sometimes like destruction. But God's correction doesn't bring about destruction. It brings about perfection. He's perfecting us as he corrects us. Now, many people don't want to accept the fact that sometimes the Lord will discipline. Sometimes He will cause certain things to go wrong. Sometimes, or as we deem them as wrong, what really they're going right. Sometimes the Lord will have to use that rod of discipline. Sometimes the Lord will have to make you uncomfortable. Sometimes the Lord will have to break you before He can bless you. But in those seasons when we're receiving that correction, even then we can have peace knowing, first and foremost, that the discipline will not last forever. But we can also rest in the fact knowing that the one who is giving us that discipline is doing so for a greater purpose, that we might be free from our wandering, that we might be free from those flaws in our character. He disciplines us because He loves us. Proverbs 3.11 says, My child, don't reject the Lord's discipline and don't be upset when He corrects you. You may right now, in a season where you're being corrected by the Lord, that is the good shepherd. Yes, He protects us, but He also disciplines. He corrects our wandering ways. And in those seasons, you can rest and you can trust and you can know that the one who is willing to lay his life down for you is not disciplining you to bring you to an end, but to a new beginning. Number one, the shepherd protects. Number two, the shepherd corrects. Number three, the shepherd supplies. Isaiah chapter 40 verse 11 says, He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart. He will gently lead the mother's sheep with their young. Psalm 231 will read this again. Says, The Lord is my shepherd. I have all that I need. Ezekiel chapter 34 verses 2 through 3 say, Son of man prophesy against the shepherds, the leaders of Israel. Give them this message from the sovereign Lord. What sorrow awaits you shepherds who feed yourselves instead of your flocks? Shouldn't shepherds feed their sheep? You drink the milk where the wool and butcher the best animals, but you let your flocks starve. So here in Isaiah chapter 40 and Psalm 23, we see examples of the good shepherd who provides for and feeds his flock. In Ezekiel chapter 34, we saw an example of the bad shepherds who eat without supplying for their sheep. Jesus is that good shepherd. And you don't need to worry about your future. Some people are worried right now because the economies of the world are being shaken and they wonder how things will go for their future. It doesn't matter what happens in the world. So long as I am under the watchful care of the good shepherd who provides for me, he supplies for me and he's going to meet your every need. He cares about your material needs. Just read Matthew chapter 6. He cares about those things that we care about. He understands that we are human and that we have material needs and there's nothing wrong with trusting him for those material needs. But I'm here to remind you that the good shepherd will provide for your every need. You can trust him. He hasn't failed you before and he will not fail you. He will not fail you anytime in the future. So, the shepherd, the good shepherd protects us, corrects us and supplies all of our needs. Father, we thank you. You are the good shepherd and I pray Lord for that one receiving this prayer now. Give them peace of mind and peace of heart. The peace that you give, no one can take it away. And I pray Lord today that you would help us to trust you. Help us to trust you in those times where we feel like we aren't safe for you are the protector. Help us to trust you Lord when you're correcting us and to endure those seasons with joy. And Lord, help us to trust our futures to you. We know that you are the good shepherd who supplies all of our needs. We thank you and we honor you. Thank you for laying down your life for us. Thank you for loving us the way you do. I want you to say it because you believe it. Say amen. Well, that is it for the lesson. I want to welcome now the new members of Spirit Church. There you are up on the screen. We love you. We are praying for you. I always say that because I always mean it. Now I'm going to read the comments from a video titled Must Watch, I Opening Revelation on the Holy Spirit. And this is a sermon that I did where I talked about receiving the baptism with the Holy Spirit. I talked about body, soul, and spirit. Many different truths about the Holy Spirit. And you're going to want to go and check this out. And while you're going to see that video, make sure you're following us across all of our social media platforms, especially subscribe to us here on YouTube if you're watching us on YouTube. And when you do subscribe on YouTube, don't forget to click that notification bell so that you can be notified when we release new content also. Leave a comment in the comment section right now. And I may read your comment on one of the episodes of Spirit Church. So here are the comments from the video titled Must Watch, I Opening Revelation on the Holy Spirit. Lisa Brown writes, this was amazing. Thank you. I needed this message. May the Lord bless you and your family. The next commenter writes, so awesome. So much revelation in one teaching. Thank you. If you want to know what they're talking about, make sure you go watch that video. Helen Belay writes, thank you for your teaching. It was educational and powerful. We like to say inspiration meets information. Malin writes, this kind of revelation doesn't come around very often. It gave me a whole new perspective on how I think about the Holy Spirit. The next commenter says, thank you for giving answers to my questions and clearing up my confusion. And the final comment I'll read comes from Lea who writes, thank you, brother. We need more anointed men like you that are bold and speak the truth. I enjoy listening to you and I am learning a lot. God bless you. I want to read a verse to you. This is found in 1 Corinthians chapter 9 verse 16. I'm reading this out of the King James Version. For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of. For necessity is laid upon me, yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel. Woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel. If you and I do not preach the gospel, nobody will. If you and I do not spread the gospel, there will be souls that slip into eternity without Christ. This is why it's written, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel. Woe is unto us. We have been given the heavenly responsibility to spread the gospel message around the world. It's on you and I. It's not on just the preachers. It's not on just the pastors. It's not on just the apostles or the evangelists. The spreading of the gospel is the responsibility of everyone who believes from the person who just gave their life to Jesus, to the one who is seasoned in ministry. All of us have the responsibility of spreading the gospel and ministering the gospel to this generation. And so I want to challenge you right now. Be a part of what God, the Holy Spirit, is doing through this ministry. I need your help. I can't do this by myself. My team and I can't do this without you. Why? Because that's how God designed it. He designed it to where we need each other. And this ministry is growing. This ministry is expanding. This ministry is reaching more people than it ever has before. And to God be the glory because it's his ministry. We're just stewards of it. But I want to challenge you to be a part of what God is doing through this ministry. Will you today give a one-time gift, a one-time donation to this ministry or become a monthly supporter? I want you to help us spread the gospel because we love Jesus and because we love souls. Necessity is laid upon you and I if you don't preach the gospel, if you don't support the gospel, who will? Whose responsibility is it? That responsibility belongs to all of us who call Jesus Lord. So go right now. To give a one-time gift, go to davidhernanisministries.com slash donate. To become a monthly supporter, that's very important that many of you sign it to become monthly supporters. To become a monthly supporter, go to davidhernanisministries.com slash partner. There at davidhernanisministries.com slash partner, you will see a list of benefits that our monthly supporters get. But most importantly, you will know that you are aiding us in spreading the gospel for the sake of souls. One more time, to give a one-time gift, davidhernanisministries.com slash donate. To become a monthly supporter, davidhernanisministries.com slash partner. Go right now. Do something for the sake of the gospel today. Help us spread the gospel because we love him and because we love souls. Well, that is it for this edition of Spirit Church here on The Encounter TV Network. Until next time, remember, nothing is impossible with God. Also, help us spread the gospel of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. Make a one-time donation or become a monthly supporter by clicking on the donate link now.