[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday morning, the 12th of August, 2018. Look for the video of this and our other services on our Vimeo channel: http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]
A few weeks ago, we looked at a solemn truth where Jesus told us to obey His teachings and another where He said He had always been and will always be. You may recall that we read where He escaped a stoning from the indignant Jews by being hidden from them by God.
As He walked away from the Temple that day, Jesus came upon a blind man, whom He healed of his blindness. Now all this took place on the Sabbath, the day of rest. This just made the Jewish leaders angrier, but rather than go after Jesus this time, they had the formerly blind man brought before them, and then they kicked him out of the church. He could no longer worship in the Temple.
Jesus reassured the man that his blindness was indeed healed, both his physical blindness and his spiritual blindness. He then told the Pharisees that, although they could see, their hearts and spirits were blind for they failed to see the Son of God standing right before them. They either couldn’t or simply wouldn’t grasp His meaning, so Jesus tried another approach.
Please listen and follow along as I read from chapter 10 of the Gospel account of the Apostle John, verses 1 through 9, from the New English Translation of our Holy Bible…
As He walked away from the Temple that day, Jesus came upon a blind man, whom He healed of his blindness. Now all this took place on the Sabbath, the day of rest. This just made the Jewish leaders angrier, but rather than go after Jesus this time, they had the formerly blind man brought before them, and then they kicked him out of the church. He could no longer worship in the Temple.
Jesus reassured the man that his blindness was indeed healed, both his physical blindness and his spiritual blindness. He then told the Pharisees that, although they could see, their hearts and spirits were blind for they failed to see the Son of God standing right before them. They either couldn’t or simply wouldn’t grasp His meaning, so Jesus tried another approach.
Please listen and follow along as I read from chapter 10 of the Gospel account of the Apostle John, verses 1 through 9, from the New English Translation of our Holy Bible…
1 “I tell you the solemn truth, the one who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The doorkeeper opens the door for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought all his own sheep out, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they recognize his voice. 5 They will never follow a stranger, but will run away from him, because they do not recognize the stranger’s voice.” 6 Jesus told them this parable, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
7 So Jesus said again, “I tell you the solemn truth, I am the door for the sheep. 8 All who came before Me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will come in and go out, and find pasture."
--John 10:1-9 (NET)
Let us pray… Father God, You sent Your own Son Jesus, that those who would believe in Him and come to know Him as Lord would be saved from eternal death and damnation. We are weak, Father. Help us be strong in our belief and our faith. Help us to understand the truth of Jesus and of what He said. Speak to us now with the message we need to hear this morning. In the blessed name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
One Sunday morning the youth minister decided to use the 23rd Psalm for his children’s sermon. He began by telling the children about sheep — that they need lots of guidance and that a shepherd’s job is to stay close to the sheep, protect them from wild animals and keep them from wandering away. He pointed to the little children in the room and said they were the sheep and needed lots of guidance. Then he put his hands out to the side, palms up in a dramatic gesture, and with raised eyebrows said to the children, “If you are the sheep, then who is the shepherd?” It was pretty obvious he was indicating himself.
A few seconds of silence followed, then one little boy said, “Jesus is the shepherd.” The young pastor, obviously caught by surprise, said to the boy, “Well, then, who am I?” The boy thought for a moment and then said with a shrug, “I guess you must be a sheepdog.”
Kids really have a way of cutting right to the heart of the matter, don’t they? Jesus is indeed the Shepherd. One of my brother pastors calls us “sub-shepherds”, leading a subset of the greater flock. I kind of like that image of a sheepdog, though. Sitting on a slight rise, overlooking the flock, watching out for wolves and mountain lions, sometimes running after a lamb that is about to wander off and leading it back to the flock.
I’ve heard it said that there are three types of people in this world. There are sheep, just trying to get through their day-to-day lives without any major hassles or troubles. There are wolves, who prey on the sheep, taking advantage of them as often as and in any way possible. And there are sheepdogs, trying to protect the sheep from the wolves. So yeah, I don’t mind being called a sheepdog.
Jesus imparted two solemn truths in our scripture reading, but they both really point to the same thing. Looking at the second truth first, Jesus said, “I am the door for the sheep.” Back in those days, an enclosure for sheep to protect them at night, was usually made from stacking stones up to waist height or higher. There was only one door, only one way in. So Jesus says He is the only way in for the sheep.
Who are the sheep in this little parable? We are – humankind. We are God’s sheep. So Jesus is our door, our only way in.
Into what? The key is in verse 9, where Jesus adds, “If anyone enters through Me, he will be saved.” The only way to be saved is through Jesus. Mankind’s salvation - our individual salvation – is only through Jesus.
Which comes back to the first solemn truth: Anyone who tries to tell us there is another way in, another way to heaven, is a liar and a thief, trying to rob us of our eternal life in paradise.
Now this is very important for us to grasp. So important that Jesus repeated it. One such reaffirmation can be found a little further in John’s Gospel account, in chapter 14, verse 6, when Jesus spoke to His disciple Thomas…
No one can come to the Father, no one can get into heaven, unless they go through Jesus. You may have heard it said that, just as there are multiple roads that all lead to the top of the mountain, there are many ways to get to heaven. If we believe that the Bible is the inerrant word of God, as we claim we do, then we must accept it as the truth when Jesus says He is the only way, the only path, the only door. For He is the truth, and what He speaks is true.
So what does it mean to go through Jesus? Quite simply, to believe in Him as the one true Son of God, sent to earth for the remission of our sins. And by our belief, we are to follow Him and obey His voice. Jesus told us in verses 3 and 4 that His sheep hear His voice and follow Him because they recognize His voice. If we are His, we will follow Him.
Just a little further on in chapter 10 of John’s account, verses 14 through 16, Jesus adds…
Jesus, as the Good Shepherd, knows His sheep, His followers. He even laid down His own mortal life for us, to save us from the evil one, to save us from ourselves.
Verse 16 may be a little confusing, but Jesus is talking to the Jews here and when He says there are other sheep not of this flock, He is referring to us, the Gentiles. We believers have been brought together with the converted Jews who also believe in Jesus, combined into one flock, one church, the body of Christ Jesus.
Jesus is the door for the sheep: the way, the truth, the life. We are sinful creatures, unworthy of mercy. On our own, we could never receive forgiveness, never be redeemed, never be seen as clean in God’s eye.
But Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He laid down His life for us, washed us clean with His own blood. Through Him and only through Him can we be saved. He is the only way to the Father, the only way to heaven, the only way to salvation. Believe, and be saved.
In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, in Your eyes we are a repugnant sight, heavily soiled by our sin. But You gave us a way, the only way, to be washed clean and forgiven. You provided the only way to salvation, through Your Son. Please help us fully believe, without doubt and without reservation. Forgive us when fail to follow where Your Son leads us. Help us to be ever faithful and to serve only Him.
Please hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, speaking from our hearts, thanking You for Your many blessings, promising to turn from our sin, and asking for Your help as we do so…
Lord Jesus, You shared with us a truth that is critically important to us all. You are not only the way into heaven, You are the only way. Only through You can we get to the Father, our Father God in heaven. You paid the price for us by laying down Your own life. Help us be good sheep. Help us to always follow Your voice, to always obey Your commands. And help us as we try to share Your truths and Your offer of salvation with others, so that they too might be forgiven and saved.
This we pray in Your glorious name, Lord Jesus Christ, our Master and our Savior, our only hope. Amen.
One Sunday morning the youth minister decided to use the 23rd Psalm for his children’s sermon. He began by telling the children about sheep — that they need lots of guidance and that a shepherd’s job is to stay close to the sheep, protect them from wild animals and keep them from wandering away. He pointed to the little children in the room and said they were the sheep and needed lots of guidance. Then he put his hands out to the side, palms up in a dramatic gesture, and with raised eyebrows said to the children, “If you are the sheep, then who is the shepherd?” It was pretty obvious he was indicating himself.
A few seconds of silence followed, then one little boy said, “Jesus is the shepherd.” The young pastor, obviously caught by surprise, said to the boy, “Well, then, who am I?” The boy thought for a moment and then said with a shrug, “I guess you must be a sheepdog.”
Kids really have a way of cutting right to the heart of the matter, don’t they? Jesus is indeed the Shepherd. One of my brother pastors calls us “sub-shepherds”, leading a subset of the greater flock. I kind of like that image of a sheepdog, though. Sitting on a slight rise, overlooking the flock, watching out for wolves and mountain lions, sometimes running after a lamb that is about to wander off and leading it back to the flock.
I’ve heard it said that there are three types of people in this world. There are sheep, just trying to get through their day-to-day lives without any major hassles or troubles. There are wolves, who prey on the sheep, taking advantage of them as often as and in any way possible. And there are sheepdogs, trying to protect the sheep from the wolves. So yeah, I don’t mind being called a sheepdog.
Jesus imparted two solemn truths in our scripture reading, but they both really point to the same thing. Looking at the second truth first, Jesus said, “I am the door for the sheep.” Back in those days, an enclosure for sheep to protect them at night, was usually made from stacking stones up to waist height or higher. There was only one door, only one way in. So Jesus says He is the only way in for the sheep.
Who are the sheep in this little parable? We are – humankind. We are God’s sheep. So Jesus is our door, our only way in.
Into what? The key is in verse 9, where Jesus adds, “If anyone enters through Me, he will be saved.” The only way to be saved is through Jesus. Mankind’s salvation - our individual salvation – is only through Jesus.
Which comes back to the first solemn truth: Anyone who tries to tell us there is another way in, another way to heaven, is a liar and a thief, trying to rob us of our eternal life in paradise.
Now this is very important for us to grasp. So important that Jesus repeated it. One such reaffirmation can be found a little further in John’s Gospel account, in chapter 14, verse 6, when Jesus spoke to His disciple Thomas…
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
--John 14:6 (NKJV)
So what does it mean to go through Jesus? Quite simply, to believe in Him as the one true Son of God, sent to earth for the remission of our sins. And by our belief, we are to follow Him and obey His voice. Jesus told us in verses 3 and 4 that His sheep hear His voice and follow Him because they recognize His voice. If we are His, we will follow Him.
Just a little further on in chapter 10 of John’s account, verses 14 through 16, Jesus adds…
14 "I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know 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 will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd."
--John 10:14-16 (CEV)
Verse 16 may be a little confusing, but Jesus is talking to the Jews here and when He says there are other sheep not of this flock, He is referring to us, the Gentiles. We believers have been brought together with the converted Jews who also believe in Jesus, combined into one flock, one church, the body of Christ Jesus.
Jesus is the door for the sheep: the way, the truth, the life. We are sinful creatures, unworthy of mercy. On our own, we could never receive forgiveness, never be redeemed, never be seen as clean in God’s eye.
But Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He laid down His life for us, washed us clean with His own blood. Through Him and only through Him can we be saved. He is the only way to the Father, the only way to heaven, the only way to salvation. Believe, and be saved.
In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, in Your eyes we are a repugnant sight, heavily soiled by our sin. But You gave us a way, the only way, to be washed clean and forgiven. You provided the only way to salvation, through Your Son. Please help us fully believe, without doubt and without reservation. Forgive us when fail to follow where Your Son leads us. Help us to be ever faithful and to serve only Him.
Please hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, speaking from our hearts, thanking You for Your many blessings, promising to turn from our sin, and asking for Your help as we do so…
Lord Jesus, You shared with us a truth that is critically important to us all. You are not only the way into heaven, You are the only way. Only through You can we get to the Father, our Father God in heaven. You paid the price for us by laying down Your own life. Help us be good sheep. Help us to always follow Your voice, to always obey Your commands. And help us as we try to share Your truths and Your offer of salvation with others, so that they too might be forgiven and saved.
This we pray in Your glorious name, Lord Jesus Christ, our Master and our Savior, our only hope. Amen.
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