10/6/2019 The Good Shepherd - John 10:1-10
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**4,000 new churches begin each year and 7,000 churches close.
**Over 1,500 pastors left the ministry every month last year.
1 out of every 10 pastors will actually retire as a pastor.
It seems intentions often begin well - but then - things FADE out...
Commitment fades
Interest fades
And before you know it - you’re wondering - WHAT HAPPENED?
Leaders come and leaders - GO
Many have even come along over the decades, seeking glory for themselves...
Sound familiar?
1960: Piazzi Smyth, a past astronomer royal of Scotland, wrote a book circa 1860 titled "Our Inheritance in the Great Pyramid." It was responsible for spreading the belief in pyramidology throughout the world. This is the belief that secrets are hidden in the dimensions of the great pyramids. He concluded from his research that the millennium would start before the end of 1960.
1970's: The late Moses David (formerly David Berg) was the founder of the Christian religious group, The Children of God. He predicted that a comet would hit the earth, probably in the mid 1970's and destroy all life in the United States.
1984 to 1999: In 1983, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, Guru of the Rajneesh movement predicted massive destruction on earth, including natural disasters and man-made catastrophes. Floods larger than any since Noah, extreme earthquakes, very destructive volcano eruptions, nuclear wars etc. will be experienced. Tokyo, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Bombay will all disappear.
1986: Moses David of The Children of God faith group predicted that the Battle of Armageddon would take place in 1986. Russia would defeat Israel and the United States. A worldwide Communist dictatorship would be established. In 1993, Christ would return to earth.
Early 1990's: In 1992, David Koresh of the Branch Davidian group in Waco Texas changed the name of their commune from Mt. Carmel to Ranch Apocalypse, because of his belief that the final all-encompassing battle of Armageddon mentioned in the Bible would start at the Branch Davidian compound. They had calculated that the end would occur in 1995. After a 51-day standoff, on 1993-APR-10, 76 members died as a result of a deliberately set fire.
Sometime in 1996: The book "The Return of Jupiter: End of the world in the light of the Bible" Dorrance Publishing, Pittsburgh PA predicted a disaster starting in the Pacific Ocean:
"A terrible earthquake is going to break the oceanic earth crust under the Pacific Ocean by the year 1996 AD
And there’s so much more we could walk through...
This list doesn’t even mention:
Jospeh Smith - founder of Mormonism
Charles Taze Russell - founder of the Jehovah’s Witness religion
Muhammad - founder of Islam
and the position of the Pope
These leaders - ALL vie for FOLLOWERS...
But ALL of these people listed here and THROUGHOUT history…would have done well to heed the words of Christ…in John chapter 10...
1 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber.
2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”
6 This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.
8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.
9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
It’s interesting to think - that even back in the first century…Jesus KNEW that there would be those who would SNEEK into a fold…to destroy that fold...
OR
SNEEK in to lead people astray!
It’s interesting to think - that even back in the first century…
Jesus KNEW that there would be those who would SNEEK into a fold…to destroy that fold...
OR
SNEEK in to lead people astray!
• And so we MIGHT think that this is something that’s just a “TODAY” problem…
• That Christ was just – looking into the future – and really just speaking for our PRESENT time because we see this everywhere - NOW
• Not the case – we’ll see later that this has been an issue from the very beginning.
• If we just think back to the context of where we’re at in John, Jesus has been constantly dealing with and butting heads with – the Pharisees…
◦ The – “LEADERS” of the time…
◦ And WHAT was the mindset of the Pharisees!??
They sought power over purity…and so when people started following Jesus, they viewed that as a “power-play”
Not only that but they relied so much on TRADITIONS (oral), that they really believed themselves to be dictators of what was TRUE…
5 And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?”
6 And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, “ ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me;
7 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’
8 You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”
9 And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition!
These LEADERS pursued power - at the sake of TRUTH
Pursued power - BASED on their own truth
And so they felt that they were THE WAY to God…
That if people wanted to get to God…that they would have to OBEY THEM…
Jesus - He addresses that today…
SLIDE: Jesus Christ: The Good Way
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ
1 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber.
2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.
Here we have Christ saying - I am - THE WAY...
That if you want to belong in this group - then you MUST enter THROUGH Jesus Christ!
Listen to the benefit of ENTERING through Jesus...
9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.
He’s literally declaring that He himself is - the DOOR...
If you know anything about Shepherding sheep in the 1st century...
You would come across a picture similar to this one...
SLIDE: Shepherd is the DOOR
When the sheep were rounded up for the night...
And placed back in the Sheepfold…this was the most vulnerable time for the FLOCK...
the shepherd himself would LAY HIS OWN BODY down and act as the DOOR...
So that if anyone was going to try to enter - they’d have to deal with the DOOR…
Again - think back to our context…
The Jewish leaders have already publicly declared that if you follow Jesus……
you ARE to be - PUT OUT of the synagogue…
Well what did that mean for the 1st century Jew??
The synagogue was a place for Study, prayer, ritual observance, and community building.
THIS is why the parents of the man born blind would have NOT WANTED to be banned from the synagogue…It was the lifeline of the Jewish Community
And Christ KNEW the people VIEWED the synagogue as their LIFELINE…
NO WONDER Jesus wanted to attack that idea!
And he does so by declaring Himself to be - the DOOR to the sheepfold…
NOW THIS is RELEVANT on the one hand - and HARD TO UNDERSTAND on the other… WHY???
BECAUSE - of the spiritual nature of the sheepfold/church
**If a physical STRANGER walked into your house….would you NOTICE?
Yes!!
Why? - because you know what your FRIENDS/FAMILY look like!
Now - What if a SPIRITUAL stranger (lost) walked into this church….would we notice?
No - we can’t READ people’s hearts.
we don’t KNOW if someone is SAVED or NOT saved…
And this is what Jesus is referring to here in our text…
He’s POINTING to the Spiritual nature of the person who SNEEKS into a sheepfold…
WE can’t ALWAYS tell people’s MOTIVES…
But Christ CAN - And HE’s telling us that UNLESS that person in your SHEEPFOLD came into that place THROUGH HIM, then that person is LOST…
Regardless of how great they seem, or how spiritual they seem!
Jesus is the GOOD WAY - the ONLY way!
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
23 No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.
Do you see?
Jesus is THE ONLY WAY…to heaven - to God
He’s the ULTIMATE FILTER…
He’s saying - NO - the pharisees AREN’T the gatekeepers to TRUTH before God…I AM -
And where the pharisaical rulers couldn’t really CARE less about the people….JESUS - was a different story
Not only
SLIDE: Jesus Christ: The Good Master
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ
Down in v11 of this chapter Jesus calls Himself the Good SHEPHERD…
Now -
2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
Could the Jewish Leaders call the people - BY NAME?
They didn’t even CARE about the people…
Jesus continues in this chapter talking about the kind of relationship that Bad Leaders have with the people…
12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.
13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
Bad leaders will FORSAKE truth when the going gets tough…
And when they FORSAKE truth - the sheep under them will pay the consequences!
These Jewish leaders that Jesus is dealing with - they DO NOT care about the people…
think about the man born blind…The Jewish leaders were more concerned that the MIRACLE was performed on the sabbath THAN THAT the man received his sight!!
Where the Jewish Leaders were content with their perceived POWER…regardless of how it was displayed
JESUS - was constantly COMPASSIONATE toward His followers…
And if we contemplate the COMPASSION of Jesus - we find evidence in the scriptures...
29 And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him.
30 And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!”
31 The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!”
32 And stopping, Jesus called them and said, “What do you want me to do for you?”
33 They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.”
34 And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him.
With COMPASSION Jesus healed....
The bible tells us in Mark and Luke that these men had FAITH...
Jesus has COMPASSION on those who - BELIEVE...
But what about those WITHOUT faith?
1 They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes.
2 And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit.
3 He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain,
4 for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him.
6 And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him.
7 And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.”
Not asking for HELP - asking that Jesus not TORMENT him...
The demon was worried...
What did Jesus do? He had compassion on this man
Jesus was always looking out for the OUTCAST…the downtrodden, the minority...
The Jewish Leaders LORDED over the people…But look at how the apostle Paul approached followers of Christ…
24 Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith.
This here is the heart of Christ…For our ETERNAL Joy - Christ REIGNS over us…
Now only is Christ the:
The Good Way
The Good Master
SLIDE: Jesus Christ: The Good Leader
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ
3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
How many of you have ever worked for someone who never lead by example?
Ok, now how many of you have ever worked for someone who DID lead by example?
Which did you prefer?
What does this say here? Jesus goes “BEFORE THEM”....and LEADS them!
I think we’ve all had managers who would lead by SITTING on their hands and BARKING orders…
What’s the feeling we get?
A lot of times we’re like - “you don’t know what you’re saying because you’ve NEVER ACTUALLY DONE the WORK”
BUT - When we have a manager who is ALSO IN THE TRENCHES…we feel more:
at ease
We respect them more
We feel more SAFE
We feel more cared for because we have this CONSTANT EXAMPLE before us…!
How did Jesus lead?
Sitting on the sidelines barking out orders?
HARDLY!
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
What is our call in life…?? As Christians??
What were we CREATED for?
The GLORY of God
Well Christ is our example - how many times in Scripture do we see Christ HEALING someone...
and the RESULT of it was - God being GLORIFIED!!
23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.
This is our CALL - pick up our instrument of torture...
Did Christ provide us an EXAMPLE of this? Of course He did!!
We’re called to LOVE God with all our Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength...
Jesus - Did it!
We’re called to EMBRACE Gospel suffering...
Jesus - Did that!
He is the GREAT, and GOOD Leader…!
If you’re walking through a VALLEY right now:
at home
at work
at school
in your family
Christ has BEEN there! He’s OUT IN FRONT!!
Don’t try to RUN to the FRONT to fix it!!
Let Him Lead!!
He’s THE GOOD Leader…!
But not only that - He is...
SLIDE: Jesus Christ: The Good Protector
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ
4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”
Think about what this says here!
“A STRANGER they will - NOT follow...”
Now He’s referring to the SHEEP - but He’s INFERRING about believers...
Think of that statement...
they (believers) will NOT FOLLOW a stranger!
Think of the SOVEREIGNTY of God on display here…!
Jesus saying that HIS SHEEP - WILL NOT follow after a stranger!
Of ALL the choices we as believers MAKE - Jesus here telling us CHOICES we will NOT make!
His PROTECTION is displayed in His KEEPING!
This life is hard....REALLY hard…and really bad things happen…even to Christians...
Job lost his family in a moment
Paul was BEATEN - for following Jesus
And then we read this in Luke 22...
31 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat,
This was right after the Last Supper...
And Jesus tells Peter that Satan has requested to TEST him...
What is Satan’s purpose in this?
Answer = to destroy Peter’s FAITH...
NOW - we know the story....Peter ends up - DENYING Jesus!
So did Satan WIN?
NO…look at what Jesus says in the next verse...
32 but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”
Here we see - the PROTECTION of Christ!!
And you say - WHAT - Peter messed up!
Of COURSE he did!
but not ULTIMATELY! He’s a CHILD of God!
Christ KEEPS His own!!
He says “AND WHEN you have turned again (to Me), STRENGTHEN your brothers!
Satan’s PURPOSE is to destroy FAITH -
Christ’s PURPOSE is to STRENGTHEN faith!
Trials come in the Christian life - SO THAT our faith would be strengthened!
Jesus Christ is the GOOD Protector...
And He protects us by KEEPING us!!
If you’re a believer in here - you WILL wake up a believer tomorrow morning - BECAUSE of the keeping power of Jesus Christ!!
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,
39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
And WHO wrote these words?
the Apostle Paul - the man who got BEATEN, STONED - for following Jesus
The apostle PAUL - KEPT (Protected) by the LOVE of Christ!!
SLIDE: Question
Do you feel loved by God when He walks you into opportunities to SUFFER for His name?
Paul did!
What have we seen today?
We’ve seen Jesus Christ as:
The Good Way
The Good Master
The Good Leader
The Good Protector
the way: The Jewish Leaders thought that THEY were the WAY to God…Problem is they didn’t have TRUTH!
They denied Jesus!
And therefore DENIED God!
the master: The Jewish Leaders didn’t CARE about the people…they only cared about their own POWER...
Jesus LOVED the people enough to come to SAVE sinners...
Jesus offered true HOPE in Himself
the leader: The Jewish Leaders didn’t LEAD the people because they didn’t PURSUE truth!
They actually prevent people from entering the Kingdom by their teaching
Jesus led by BEING out FRONT...
He walked the walk!!
He asks for humility - for He was humble
He asks for holiness - for He IS holy
He says - Die to yourself - for He DIED for us!
He’s THE GOOD LEADER!
the protector: The Jewish Leaders protected no one! They only sought to protect their power.
Jesus however - PROTECTS us - in KEEPING US!
And He KEEPS us - FOREVER!
And all of this makes Jesus Christ - the Good Shepherd!
Worthy to be PRAISED!!
Let’s Pray