The Good Shepherd (2)

John 10:1-21

Jesus has just healed a blind man..........a healing that has never been done on earth until Jesus came........that must mean something, maybe that Jesus is God in the flesh! Not to these supposed shepherds of Israel they attribute most of the things Jesus did to satan.

They questioned His every move! Look at the interaction between Jesus and the former blind man in the few verses before John 9:35-41............

Jesus had heard that the Pharisees cast the blind man out because they could not explain this miracle away and to rightly say that Jesus healed this man, would be to confess that Jesus was Lord and they were not about to do that, so they cast him out.

Jesus ran into the former blind man and asked him if he believed in the Son of God?

He did and worshipped Jesus.

This meeting must have been in a public place, Jesus tells the man with other listeners that for judgement He has came.....

Jesus is the determining factor in our lives, whether we believe or not!

John 8:24 “........................ for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.”

Also John 7:7 “The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.”

Jesus’ life testifies that the world is evil! He is the plumb line.

As Jesus continues in the same verse, He speaks of the spiritual blindness.......those that think they are in the light but are not.

They do not want to be in the light of Jesus!

The most moral, religious people asked Jesus almost in a mockery of Him, “we are not blind too, are we?”

Jesus answered them......

If you were blind.......blind meaning desperate and needing someone...........

If you are humbled by an affliction and you seek help to fix it........

To those that are Isaiah 66:2 “For all those things hath mine hand made, And all those things have been, saith the Lord: But to this man will I look, Even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, And trembleth at my word.”

That is who Jesus is speaking of here!

But the Pharisees, the most outwardly moral people, was the ones that were satisfied that their spiritual darkness was light and continued to rejection of Christ, their sin remained!

In chapter 10, Jesus continues speaking to the same audience and tells them Who He is!

In a continuation, Jesus tells the audience and us that there is only one door to the sheepfold, there is only one entrance!

The under-shepherd is at the door, he is hired for his duties to not let no one in but the true shepherd!

If someone comes in from another way, he is not the True Shepherd!

This is clear as it can be......another way is just meaning if there is anything that is different from the True Jesus then it is not the Shepherd!

It is not innocent they are a thief and a robber.......

Sounds like the same thing but there is 2 different ideas here but basically both is bad!

Thief being one that steals

Robber being an insurrectionist a killer!

Beware of those that come another way......You will know......thankfully we have a full representation of Christ through the report of the apostles and if does not match that in the least then it is from satan!

Count on it!

The one that keeps the door, is hired to only let the True Shepherd in...........no other!

The one that enters the by the correct way is The True Shepherd!

The Shepherd calls for His own and they hear Him and He calls by name and they follow Him out!

They go on His command and follow Him on the path of righteousness!

He leads and His sheep follow for they know His voice.........

His voice, what is that? That is His Truth, remember John 1:14 “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

The truth of God, which Christ lived out fully on this earth, that is the voice that we hear and follow!

Let’s pause for a moment and look at 1 Peter 2:21-25, hold your place..........This is the voice, the character, the truth that we should know and follow! If that is our hearts desire then He is the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls!.....Now lets go back......

Jesus declares Himself as the Shepherd, now He is the Door......the Only Way! John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

All that were before Him were thieves and robbers..........this as it is in verse 1 speaks of Ezekiel 34........hold your place again and look with me at Ezekiel 34.........verses 1-16.....and verses 22-24........

This speaks of false shepherds, hirelings, thieves and robbers......they have scattered the sheep because of the selfishness!

That was is the main issue with the flesh is selfishness, pride!

The Pharisees was only moral and religious because of their pride and arrogance! They rejected their dependence on God by depending on themselves!

That is self-righteousness and it is called evil and wicked by Jesus!

To prove themselves right they would look to any other thing but Jesus!

I see that today, we will try to do any other thing but the true Jesus!

Jesus tells us that in the last days, people will say lo Christ is over here Lo Christ over there and there will be signs and wonders and people are overtaken by that and folks will flock to it, even the smartest of all of them!

But it will not be Christ......thieves and robbers!

Christ is the Christ of God’s Word and it is closed and no additions are allowed! No revelations of any kind!

If the Shepherd you are seeking does not match completely the Shepherd of Scripture it is not the True Christ!

Back to John 10.........Jesus is the only way.............The True Christ!

The thief is come to kill, steal, and destroy...........only if you reject the True Shepherd........

Some relate this to earthly trouble, I am reminded of 2 Corinthians 4:16-17 “For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;”

To be spiritually killed, stolen, and destroyed is eternal! The only way to be in that condition is to believe the lie of satan!

To not believe in the True Way, to reject Jesus for another way, we might even use the name Jesus for the other way, but it is still not the way!

The True Way of Christ is what matches His life in Scripture! The True Christ gives life to the sheep and they will have it abundantly!

To have life abundantly, is our inward man being renewed day by day, preparing for the eternal home with God the Father and Jesus the Son our Shepherd and Bishop (Overseer)!

Jesus is our Good Shepherd, truly He is the only One that walked the earth that is Good!

That doesn’t mean that He does good for us (which He does) but it means He is the only One that is Good!

Therefore, His essence of Goodness, is truly Goodness for us, who are not good!

He has given His life for His sheep, those that will follow Him!

But there are some that are not in it for our benefit, such as the shepherds of Ezekiel 34.........They leave you to be devoured by the enemy!

The hireling does not care for the sheep! That is in contrast for Jesus loves the sheepfold......John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

The other sheep that Jesus has......this chapter is the fulfilling of prophecy for Israel, but it does not eliminate the Gentiles!

They are the “other flock” that will come into Jesus’ fold and it shall be One Fold with One Shepherd!

Jesus tells them and us that no one takes His life, but He gives it. It is a willing sacrifice to take the eternal punishment for sin!

We think the punishment was eliminated........NO.......Jesus took the wrath of God in an eternal weight of measure on the cross!

The payment for sin was due and Jesus took it! When you think of your freedom in Christ, do not neglect to remember that the penalty was never done away with, Jesus took what was rightfully due from myself and Jesus took the entirety of it, so that we might stand before God clean and live forever with Him!

Jesus was the Only One that could do that and take back His life again!

Jesus repeats this twice....

He gives His Life and He Takes It Back Again!

The Promise has been fulfilled and it is for us to follow, Jesus has lived His life and Has give His Life and Has taken Back again for us to follow!

Do you know The True Good Shepherd? Do you know His voice? There is a plain and simple truth and it is found in Scripture