The Door and the Shepherd


John 10
1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.

Anyone entering in any other way except through the door is a thief and a robber.

John 10 cont.
2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

We will be seeing that Jesus is the door to the sheepfold and the shepherd of the sheep.

John 10 cont.
3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.

The porter, God the Father opens the door for Jesus the Shepherd and we the sheep hear his voice, he calls us by name and leads us out. But these sheep go out of the safe pasture with the Shepherd and get radical. Check the book of Acts...

John 10 cont.
4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.

Remember we are lead out (into the world). We are in the world and not of it,
Check
John 17:15-16. He sets us apart unto himself through his word so listen when he speaks
(John 17:17).

John 10 cont.
5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.

Stranger-- A person not known, seen, or heard of before... A person or thing new to a place, a foreigner, alien...
It sounds strange to a Christian's ears. Such as Hinduism, Buddhism, T.M., etc. Worshipping cows??? Can't you see it? Sheep, that us, worshipping cows, heavy!

         BUT WHAT ABOUT???

         Mormonism- Born-again, Son of God, etc.
Roman Catholicism- Trinity and whatever sounds Christian
Jehovah's Witnesses- One God Jehovah PLUS water baptism
7th Day Adventists- Salvation by grace PLUS Sabbath worship
and many other religions adding their dogma...
CLOSE TO THE SAME WORDS BUT ...

II Cor. 11:13-15
"13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works."

John 10 cont.
6 This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.
7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.
8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.
9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.

Money doesn't normally motivate a person to do as much as he will if love motivates him...

John 10 cont.
14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.

He shows in these verses that he is the door to the pasture, he is the shepherd in the pasture. That he gives his life for the sheep and that he knows those who are his. He came to give his life so that WE MIGHT have life... Not only that we also saw in
John 1:29,30--
"29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
30 This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me."

Remember John the Baptist was older than Jesus in the flesh but Jesus WAS BEFORE John the Baptist? John said he was preferred before me AND John the Baptist was the greatest OT prophet.

John 10 cont.
15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.
16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

The other fold is the Gentiles... We are of the other fold.

John 10 cont.
17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.
19 There was a division therefore again among the Jews for these sayings.
20 And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?
21 Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind?

There are divisions because of Jesus when he walked and there are divisions today because of him. He is a very controversial person. He would have to be a devil or crazy to do the things he did and to say the things that he said that showed that he was God in human flesh IF he wasn't who he claimed to be.
         I hear so many things about Jesus Christ today that are off the wall, he is the Son of God but not God, he is a really good man, a prophet, an angel, a queer, anything but God... Who or what is he? Please tell me, I really want to know...

I said it before and I will say it again...
In seeing him, they were seeing God (John 14:9)
In believing in him, they were believing in God (John 12:44)
In receiving him, they were receiving God (Mark 9:37)
In honoring him, they were honoring God (John 5:23)
In hating him, they were hating God (John 15:23)
He's the "I am" of John 8:58 with
Exodus 3:14...

John 10 cont.
22 And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter.
23 And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch.
24 Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.
25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me.
         The Jews were just looking for a reason to kill him, they tried before but they are not quitters. When your living, earnings are at stake, you will do just about anything to keep that from happening.

John 10 cont.
26 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
30 I and my Father are one.

They can't take them out of the Son's hand neither can they take them out of the Father's hand... We can't be plucked out, that is against our will but the word shows in many places that we can jump out of his hand and that is through unbelief. We came into the life of God through faith and we can leave the life of God through unbelief, the opposite of faith.

John 10 cont.
31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.
32 Jesus answered them, Many good works have I showed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?
33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.

As I said before they were legalists and blasphemy was a reason to kill another to the Jews..

John 10 cont.
34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?
35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;

God did call those who judged in his place in the OT gods but... this isn't a compliment. Jesus is quoting from
Psa. 82,
"1 A Psalm of Asaph. God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.
2 How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah.
3 Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.
4 Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.
5 They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course.
6 I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.
7 But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.
8 Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations."
        Does that sound like a compliment??? IT IS NOT! They were called gods because they were judging in the stead of God BUT they were judging unrighteous judgments, hence they shall die like men.

John 10 cont.
36 Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?
37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.

If I do NOT THE WORKS of my father...BELIEVE ME NOT... Jesus did greater works than any man before his coming.

John 10 cont.
38 But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.

I told you, "IF" is one of the biggest words in the world so is "BUT" and they are together here... The WORKS LINE UP WITH JESUS' WORDS and he continually spoke that truth.
Rev. 12:11 let's us know that we are to walk what we talk...

"11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death."

John 10 cont.
39 Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand,

He just leaves when it is time to leave and he will die when it is time to die...and HE WILL CHOOSE THOSE TIMES...

John 10 cont.
40 And went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized; and there he abode.
41 And many resorted unto him, and said, John did no miracle: but all things that John spake of this man were true.
42 And many believed on him there.

So many people are into the miracles... Miracles are good and cool but the words of God produces life and that life lasts for all eternity. John the Baptist, the greatest prophet to have ever lived pointed men to Jesus Christ, there is no higher calling. AND he has given all of us who have been born of his Spirit the ability to minister, witness, share the greatest gift ever offered to mankind.
II Tim. 3:15--
"15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus."
God quickened his word to my spirit and I received it and was born again. The Lord Jesus Christ came into my life and made me a new creature. I have been bought with a price, the precious blood of Jesus... We need to point all the hurting, sin-sick people to the Lord Jesus Christ.
In Ezek. 22:30, Ezekiel said,

"30 And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none."
God also said,
in
Ezekiel 3:
"17 Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.
18 When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
19 Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
20 Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
21 Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul."
         God is using us to reach the world for the Lord Jesus Christ... We have a high accountability to God BUT we CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO GIVES US THE STRENGTH TO DO WHAT HE HAS CALLED US TO DO...


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John Chapter 11