About This Message
Pastor Roy Jones continued Walking Through John into chapter 10 on Sunday morning. He opened in gratitude — the song "Goodness of God," then Psalm 118:17, "I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD" — and prayed for the absent, that God would fix, restore, redirect, and bring them back into the fold. Then he read John 10:1–6, 14–16, and 27–28. His first word for the day was "Stay with the Good Shepherd," but God sharpened it, and the topic became this: the shepherd's sheep recognize his voice and follow. What follows is built from the message: the voices competing for you all day long, the one Door, the one Shepherd — and the promise that no one can snatch His sheep out of His hand.
The Word — John 10
1“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
2But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
3To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
4And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
5Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”
6Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.
John 10:1–6 (NKJV)
7Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.
8All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.
9I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
10The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
John 10:7–10 (NKJV)
11“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.
12But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.
13The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.
John 10:11–13 (NKJV)
14I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.
15As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.
16And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.
John 10:14–16 (NKJV)
27My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
28And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.
John 10:27–28 (NKJV)
17I shall not die, but live, And declare the works of the LORD.
Psalm 118:17 (NKJV)
24“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
Matthew 6:24 (NKJV)
4You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
1 John 4:4 (NKJV)
21Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” Whenever you turn to the right hand Or whenever you turn to the left.
Isaiah 30:21 (NKJV)
105Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.
Psalm 119:105 (NKJV)
The Message in a Sentence
Pastor Jones taught that you wake up every morning to a world full of voices — every one of them trying to get you to follow it somewhere — and there are really only two: the voice that leads to righteousness and the voice that leads to destruction. Jesus is the Good Shepherd: He enters by the door, not over the wall like the thief and the robber; He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out; He lays down His life for the sheep and has power to take it up again. His sheep recognize His voice, flee strangers, and follow Him — and to those who follow He gives eternal life: they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of His hand. So stay with the Good Shepherd.
The Arc of the Message
Opening — Gratitude, Then the Voices
The service opens in thanksgiving — "I will sing of the goodness of God" — and Psalm 118: "I should have been dead, but I live; since I live, I shall declare the works of the LORD." Pastor Jones prays for the missing to be brought back into the fold, reads John 10, and frames the day: from the moment you wake up, voices are talking — all day, every day — and every voice has a purpose: to get you to follow it.
Development — One Door, One Shepherd, One Voice
The sheepfold at Jerusalem: every shepherd's sheep mixed in one pen overnight, sorted in the morning by one sound — a voice. The thief sneaks; the robber says "stick 'em up"; the Shepherd comes through the front door. You can't serve two masters — Jesus must be sole authority, first before family, leaders, and money. How do you recognize His voice? By His power, by His truth, by the anointing of the Spirit — His word a lamp to your feet, His voice behind you saying, "This is the way, walk in it." Lazarus heard it from inside a grave. The hireling flees; the Good Shepherd stays and dies.
Landing — Never Perish, Never Snatched
Verse 27–28, the promise: "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand." The prodigal was still his father's son in the far country. The only question left: do you recognize the voice of the Lord Jesus? The altar opens: come.
Key Points
In His Own Words
Illustrations From the Message
The Jerusalem Sheepfold
Pastor Jones described the great sheepfold at Jerusalem: when shepherds came into town, every flock went into one big fold for the night — his sheep, your sheep, everybody's sheep, mixed together, grazing and milling around all night. In the morning the doorkeeper opened the door, and each shepherd simply called. His sheep lifted their heads, turned, and walked out one by one. The others never even looked up — they kept grazing. Sheep don't sort themselves by sight. They sort by a voice.
Lazarus Heard Him From the Grave
Lazarus had been dead four days — bound, laid in the grave, already stinking, with people ready to talk Jesus out of it: he's dead, leave it alone. But Jesus had a relationship with Lazarus before he died, so when the Shepherd called his name, the dead man got up. Pastor Jones's point: people may try to stop your resurrection — "I don't need you to speak for me, because I got a relationship with Him for myself." All He has to do is call your name.
SOIL — Go Deeper This Week
S — Scripture: Read John 10:27–28 three times, slowly. What exactly does the Shepherd promise His sheep?
O — Observation: In John 10:3–5, what do the sheep do when the Shepherd calls — and what do they do when a stranger calls? What's the difference?
I — Interpretation: Why does Jesus call those who enter another way "thieves and robbers" (v. 1), and Himself "the door" (v. 9)? What is He claiming about every other way to God?
L — Life application: Name one voice that has been pulling you this month. This week, every time it speaks, answer it with John 10:27 out loud before you decide.
Dig a Little Deeper
1. Pastor Jones said there are only two voices — one to righteousness, one to destruction. List the voices that compete for you in a normal day. Which ones have you been following without noticing?
2. "No one can serve two masters" (Matthew 6:24). Where is Jesus currently second in your life — and what would putting Him first actually change this week?
3. The prodigal was still his father's son in the far country. What does that — and "no one can snatch them out of My hand" (John 10:28) — teach about the security of sheep who wander?
This Week's Challenge
Practice the voice test. Before you act on any strong pull this week — a voice, an urge, an offer — stop and ask: does it line up with His word, and does it lead where the Shepherd leads? Then start each morning with ten unhurried minutes in John 10, listening for His voice before the world's voices start.
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, Good Shepherd, we thank You that You know us by name and laid down Your life for us. Teach us Your voice above every other voice competing for our lives. Keep us locked in — through trial, temptation, and storm — and for the ones who have wandered from the fold, call them home. We'll be listening for You. In Your name, amen.