Into The Fold
so we are going to talk about something today.
Where can we talking about this? These three little words into the full. What do they mean? Well, it's crazy. There's a meaning that these words have kind of been given over the years. They've adopted a new Manning which isn't necessarily what they meant when they were spoken original and we're going to get into kind of like the hint that the Biblical history of what Jesus meant when he said but what I want to do is look up what they mean today. And if you've never heard the phrase into the fold will you're about to learn something because it's very common in fact journalists for some reason love this turn. And so what I did was I did a Google search And I typed it into the fold in quotation marks and then sorted by news. So it's just articles to come back and then sorted by date and you can do this. If you ever do a research thing. You want to see how it pops up and then in all of these articles somewhere in the article says the journals use the phrase into the pool and then I am I at least in my Google search it comes up with like 10 results per page and then you put to the next page. Well, I don't know if you can see it on this but what what I did was I looked how many we're just done in the last day like this. This article is published an hour ago. This article was published two hours ago. This article was published 12 hours ago. Look up screen. Where's the 24 hours? Okay. And what happened was there was 67 article. published in one day to use the phrase into the pool and I don't think they know that they're quoting Jesus when they're saying that we're going to look at that but and I mean different things usually if you look if you read the article I did I read several articles to see what did they mean when they said into the pool. So then I decided I want to find some of not what is it mean biblically, what does it mean when are commonly accepted use like what does into the fold mean? So I went to this like word history etymology forum and it was shocking. So this is what this guy who screen name was salvaged from Columbus Ohio is what he said. Into the fold can also mean to bring someone around to the same philosophy belief or value system so that they will not be a problem either through ignorance unpredictability or outright opposition. You think people controlling people and this is Bob say that you can pray for him tomorrow. But this what Bob said on this form many religions and other organizations demand sheep-like obedience from members. It promotes coherence and Asher's the control of a Shepherds. The very negative very negative outlook. What the words into the fold would mean and a can. Whose interpretation is that it means people controlling people. And this is what it is. None of these things actually get to to the original meaning the online bloggers are trying to educate people as to what it means. It doesn't mean what they think it means and most of them have no idea that they're quoting Jesus Christ when they say into the full, so we're going to look at this spring and we're going to look at what why Jesus said it and what did he mean when he said let's start with understanding what the fold it's okay. I'm going to use the ESV King James same thing Summerville more like highfalutin old-fashioned. E-Type translations will still use the word Bowl. But here's what it says in John 10:1 through 3. It says truly truly. I say to you he who does not enter the Sheepfold by the door but climbs in another way that man is a thief and a robber but he who enters by the door is The Shepherd of the sheet to him the gatekeeper open the sheep hear his voice and he calls his own Sheep by name and leads them out. So when we say. Closer it's a pain so it's to keep your sheep. And that's what the score really use that word anymore. So that's why it's weird. What is just an enclosure where a Shepherd keeps is she now Jesus goes on to describe himself as a good shepherd and we are all she she do you maybe a bad word? It has become it's hilarious to me. The Christians don't like being called Sheep. Now when you can't like if you like the Bible, we just need to keep up the good shepherd a man. So let's keep going. This is what Jesus said. This is the main scripture. We're going to look at I have other sheep. This is an IV. So now I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen or in the King James that are not of this fold. I must bring them all so they too will listen to my voice and there shall be one flock and one Shepherd. Until the words into the phone you usually come from this verse where Jesus says I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them into Need to listen to my voice and there shall be one flock and one Shepherd and what's what's crazy is this verse highlights two parts of our humanity and that those are two point today and I'm going to go over 1 and I'm going to go back over the first one back over the second one. What year is the two parts? The first part is inclusion? Jesus the Same there are there are sheep that are not in our full. I'm going to bring them into our pain. And it's a message of for the first century Jews who sang the message of inclusion is also a message of Authority or lordship is he says they're going to come into our pain and then I will be there Shepherd. They will listen to my voice. The one flaw conclusion one Shepherd lordship Port Authority reconciliation if you think about it. how to get out of all people and then yet she sat back and watched them selves up And his people in 1st Century military and Israel. They were divided into two main groups that Jesus was focusing on.
God is like I want to bring that back together right now the very split the very divided the other one family again. And that is the message of inclusion.
How do the sheep that are not of this sheep pen? I must bring them. Also. Jesus is saying you think your aunt but I'm telling you there are other people that are going to be it also, it's not just you. And right now there are so many multiples like there's going to be one flock in the kingdom and one flock under my Mia Shepherd. And we see this throughout if you remember we did a Parables midweek Siri. You see this over and over so many of The Parables we've pulled a lot of meetings out of them, but there's a meeting Jesus very specific and get ready. Cuz one day with Gentiles are going to be a part of this and you're going to lose your mind. You can't handle it.
A lot of parables are are about that and he was right they couldn't handle it. So we see this when Jesus dies. The curtain in the temple that separated the inner sanctum of the Temple of the Holy Sepulchre where God lives where the ark was Jesus cried out. Cowboys he gave up his Spirit at that moment. The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
Who is this? I don't know if it was symbolic. God. Did you like a guy's I just want you to know this thing that exists between you and me no longer Paul ecostat in Ephesians. Ephesians 2:14 where he himself is our peace who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the bearing the dividing wall.
It's something urgent, you know, the speculate that there was this actual barrier in the temple grounds were Gentiles if you can go here, but you can't go any further any further. Now you're in trouble and actually call got in trouble because someone said he brought a chance I'll pass this is working to remove barriers between people
But here's my question for you. Like what about you? What about you and your heart? Is there a dividing wall of hostility?
I could I could talk about like, you know, if I were sitting in the audience, I would be easy for me to think. Yeah, I hope so and so is listening because so-and-so needs to be more accepting of such and such. And that's just the way we work. Maybe your brain is doing that right now. It's okay.
I want you to think about your heart who are the who are the people that you don't buy what you just don't it's hard. Just don't get along with him very well. We'll have some have some examples at the end. Okay, but I just want you to start thinking about it. You might be like everybody. I would just encourage you to dig a little bit deeper than that because here's another way to imagine. imagine if we as a church right now. We're a small turn whatever that is on The Fringe of your comfort zone of relationships may be at our church has doubled in size. And in that new that new group of people were all that type of person. You like? Oh my gosh. My church culture doesn't feel the same anymore my church family now. It's like I'm on the outs and it's all them. That's where we got some talkin about. That's who I want you to challenge your heart about And you might be thinking man. Does this feel like yours the fold again?
What I'm trying to say, is that the Sheepfold that is the kingdom of God has room for every single human being in the world.
If it didn't if God's Kingdom on Earth was only going to be restricted to a certain person. Then Jesus messed up somehow.
Every single person on the face of the Earth has a place in the kingdom of God and then you might be thinking if you're like me you might be thinking that sounds very uncomfortable. Are you saying that there are no standards? That is not what I'm saying. And in fact, that is our entire second point. That leads me to the next part of what it means to be in the hole and lordship and I have talked about lordship. Altamont book last 2 years key aspects of being a Christian you don't get to this is this is bothering me is bothering anyone else. This is Lord right here. You don't get to come into the kingdom and make up your own rules.
You coming to the kingdom and you say Jesus is Lord of my life. And that's not a meaningless statement. That doesn't mean it means something Stone power.
It's not that I'm nothing to my minister. Not people controlling people is a lordship to Jesus. So this is what Jesus said they will listen to my voice. That is that is that is I am the shepherd. I am in charge. lordship So this idea of two competing things that don't always sit. Well with them inclusion pay everybody is great in here. Everybody can come but there are some rules. Okay, this is what? Paul said in Romans 14 for none of us lives for ourselves alone and none of us dies for ourselves alone. If we live we live for the Lord we die. We die for the Lord. So whether we live or die we belong to the Lord. cheap language living under the lordship of Jesus
but my fear is that we don't like this bothers us feisty rugged individualism we go for myself by dr. Myself because I belong to myself no one tells me what to do.
Where's the Tucson? inclusion story of reconciliation
and there's several places in the bible where jesus shows us this Duality that we're not very good at this can actually create a whole new type of division because they can create the division between inclusion people and Authority people. Everyone here is probably on one side or the other. Balance is very hard and throughout throughout the scriptures to read the New Testament. Jesus is like exactly it's hard and you have to you have to live in that setting up a lip figuring that out. You're probably wired in your personality in your character on one side of this or the other you might think I'll of inclusion. I love everybody please that welcome. Welcome everybody. Everybody's welcome man. Just the word Authority feels like it. Bill depressive to me I don't I don't like awkward. I like rules. I don't like no everything's open and some of you might be like actually to me and it feels like the bad word. I love Authority rules Make the World Go Round processing systems. Let's keep it clean and neat and inlets. Like if you're not going to fit don't show me.
So in any group, it's going to be like this and left unchecked unless we talked about it unless you guys have conversations with each other about it. Typically what will happen is in any group will start to grow in One Direction. And the other group of people will feel like this really isn't the place for me. and they will be
we can't have that. I'm going to say this and in several different ways and you've heard me say these before going to say it over and over and over again.
We won't be included without lordship. What are lordship isn't real if we don't include other words that mean I want to be I want to be in the end. I want to be part of the falls. I want to be on team Jesus. There's a price to pay. Jesus Lord of your life want to come and I don't want to do that. Just know this is for sheep of the shepherd. You don't want you don't want to be a sheep with a shepherd.
If we're not willing to pay the price of Warship, we don't get it. And yes, if we and we take everyone else or lordship has a problem. Our lord said hey.
So this is one way to think about this balance won't be included without lordship. But our lordship isn't real. We don't include others another one that I said. Everyone gets to come. No one gets to stay the same. This is a tough one. Who gets the win and enjoying church every single person on the face of the planet has to come in and chill and never has 20 people. No one gets to come in and they're good enough to like let everything that neat that needs to change. They don't have to change. Everyone gets to come here. No one gets to come and stay the same.
the whole sermon on that maybe I will here's the other way of Set It. Church is where everyone is welcome and no one is comfortable. This is top. Churches where everyone is welcome. Any person who walks in the door welcome, I'm glad you're here and feel like I don't hear they don't want me here. I should leave. And yes, no one should come and be like I can hide I can be whoever I want to be. No one is going to challenge me. I don't have to change. I don't have to repent. I don't have to be put under the lordship of someone else. Not a person God Jesus. Churches where everyone is welcome and no one is comfortable and less attention as a hard area to spend the rest of our lives like on a tightrope like it would be easier. I would feel more comfortable if less people were welcomed easier you just click
Florida reinforces, what does inclusion and lordship look like in a family?
And that's more, Okay. So what is the All Nations family? The only just family is God's dream since the beginning of time that people aren't the same brothers and sisters together. So here's just a quick. It's just a quick run through Genesis 12. This is a promise to Abraham All Peoples on Earth will be blessed by Daniel. This is the prophetic vision. Use given Authority glory and Sovereign power All Nations and peoples of every language worship Him. Dominion is an everlasting Dominion that will not pass away. His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. And then many years later Matt Jesus and Matthew. He says therefore go and make disciples of all Nations baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit and we started in Genesis we will end in Revelation. This is the vision and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count from every nation tribe people and language. This is the heart of God. This is what Bringing people into the full looks like this is what inclusion and Reconciliation looks like hey, there's no one that's not it's not a list of every nation tribe people in language except these people. The All Nations family isn't just a good idea. It's an expectation of Our Lord. And yes, if you're on the if your inclusion person you're like, I love it. Say more been with your Authority person. You're like get off of this point. Tell me something like more solid the narrow door is Jesus describing the other the other side. I'm just going to read it. Okay and Luke 13 22, then Jesus went through the towns and Villages teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him Lord are only a few people going to be safe. He said that I make every effort to enter through the narrow door because many I tell you will try to enter will not be able to once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door. You will stand outside knocking including sir. Open the door for us. He won't answer. I don't know you or where you come from. And you will say we ate and drank with you and you taught in our street but he will reply. I don't know you or where you come from away from me. You will do there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. When you see Abraham Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out people come from East and West in north and south and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God indeed. There are those who are last will be first first will be last. This is lordship language. There's a there's a great another parable about the banquet where he says get everyone in you ever know. It's like foursome in here. They all come.
It's like we wait that's that's the tension. That's the balance everyone comes in. But then you have to write everyone can come you got to come. Correct. You don't get to be whoever you want to be. It's so hard to live in the tension between these two sides. It would be easier if Jesus just kind of went on one and then neglected the other I didn't even ignore the other and yet Jesus the saying hey, I know this is hard for you. And I want it I want that like this is part of being a human being in my kingdom. So here's here is the full year is the sheep for Is a big open space All Nations all tribes all languages all peoples are welcome, but it has on their own and that door is Jesus. Everyone can come but you have to come correct. But here's what's really sad.
The Divided world we live in a very divided world The Divided world the denominational of the religious world has taken this idea of the fold and it's kind of done this to it. If you know what this is, this is how I think the kingdom should be so I'm going to lay claim to this door. And now this is my door and I'm going to decide who can come in Pay find another door. Go find your own door when you come in you guys stay over there.
And I'll from a distance. I'll accept that you're a Christian maybe but
Sorry, you have to find another way in.
So what are some of the ways that we have done? Well, we do this with you know, along racial lines are dumbest with races in America. This is this is what America looks like right now Sunday morning. No, you're fine. Just worship on the others. Like don't worship with me like stay over there.
We do this with politics.
We do this with Nations. There are American Christians who 100 truly a hundred percent truly believe if you're not a good patriotic American you're not a good Christian. And yet I've talked to like socialist Christians in Communist States that believe the exact same thing about their political system, and I think Americans are bad Christian. I don't like a man like if we want an international family and yet we're going to stick to these like National line. What does God think when he looks down at what we've done with his sheep. This is not what I want.
Some people have said even about missions were overseas missions were like, I don't need I don't need my church to look like they all nations family. I just need little individual cells. You know, they'll be that and they'll be that and I'll be there soon. What I think of it is. You have been a lot of Ann Arbor you guys know this but man it's a quirky little town U of M is known for their diversity. This is true. You'll see this on lots of college campus U of M is known for their beautiful diversity and it looks divers from a bird's-eye view until you zoom in every semester man. It's just a little pocket a very homogeneous groups of people and and and it's only diverse when you step back and you look at it as a whole are still people who are like rejecting people that aren't like them.
It's sad that the Christian Church hasn't done that.
We have done this to God's Kingdom. I just want us to start thinking about these two sides of what does into the fold mean. It doesn't mean people controlling people doesn't mean it doesn't mean hey if you want to be work here you want to go to school here and that's what Jesus said it. These three little words have come to be known as a very negative term. What in fact deeply convicting challenge to Kingdom people to remember God's heart of both inclusion and pretty. However, whichever one you are my prayer is that you will work on getting better at the thing you're bad. That's what Christian should that's what we've known for like that. I'm not very good at something that's like Jesus and I'm not I'm going to work on it by correction. We invite like everyone gets to come and no one gets to stay the same. Everyone is welcome. No one is comfortable. We call everyone to Jesus and then we help everyone actually live like Jesus.
We can hold the tension between these two sides of Jesus. Command is hard. I know it's hard and it's not going to get easier. What if we can be an example of Jesus's messy beautiful, but messy almost paradoxical command? Everybody has to come in but now everybody has to live under my lordship. That is what it's actually going to look like to hold out to the lost and hurting room and then Emily Wilhelm is going to do our communion students to come on.