New Life Bible Fellowship Church
3-2-25
      • Bible Trivia
        Loading...

      • Psalm 121:1–8NKJV

  • In Christ Alone
  • Savior Like A Shepherd Lead Us

      • Psalm 119:145–160NKJV

  • Doxology

  • Introduction:

    As we continue this morning in the Gospel of John and Jesus public ministry to the people, you will remember last week that we looked at a rather lengthly narrative, as Jesus heals a man born blind, and uses it to teach a profound truth regarding what is true blindness, and how one comes from this true blindness to receive his sight, from John 9.
    This morning, within the same context as last week, Jesus continues to drill down into the truth of those who were once blind but now see, showing that unlike their blind guides, the Pharisees, Jesus is both the Door and the Good Shepherd, as he declares both his third and fourth “I AM” statements from John 10:1-21.

    Text: John 10:1-21

    John 10:1–21 ESV
    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. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 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. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.” 19 There was again a division among the Jews because of these words. 20 Many of them said, “He has a demon, and is insane; why listen to him?” 21 Others said, “These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

    Main Idea: Since Jesus is both the door to the sheepfold and the shepherd of the sheep, all those who enter through him, hear his voice, and follow him, are his sheep.

    I. A Teaching Moment (10:1-6)

    Having declared, as we ended last week, that the religious leaders are guilty of being blind in 9:41, John tells us here (vs. 6) that Jesus is using a Figure of speech, which is a rhetorical device that conveys meaning in a non-literal way, or sort of an impromptu parable. This parable, as we will see, mentions three groups of people …

    A. Thief and Robber (10:1,5)

    (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.
    Truly, truly, I say to you - Jesus begins his words once again, as we have seen throughout his public ministry with this double “emphatic particle”, or we might call it the, pay-attention-for-this-is-important, phrase.
    The Old Testament is filled with the imagery of God as the shepherd of His people, see Gen. 48:15; 49:24; Pss. 23:1; 28:9; 78:52; 80:1; Is. 40:11; Jer. 31:10; Ezek. 34:11–16.
    A prophecy in Zech. 13:7 concerning “the shepherd” of Israel was applied by Jesus to Himself (Matt. 26:31). Jesus here presents His ministry as the work of a shepherd. In other parts of the NT, Jesus is referred to as the “great shepherd” (Heb. 13:20) and “the chief Shepherd” (1 Pet. 5:4); and Rev. 7:17 says that “the Lamb ... will be their shepherd.”
    the sheepfold. A fenced enclosure with one entrance, that was commonly a courtyard near or beside a house and bordered by a stone wall, in which one or several families kept their sheep. Thieves and predators might try and climb over the fence to steal or even kill the sheep (vv. 8, 10).
    (10:5) A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”
    A stranger they will not follow. This comforting promise does not exclude the need to warn believers against deceitful teachers (Mark 13:22, 23; 2 Tim. 3:5; 4:2–5; 1 John 2:26).
    they do not know the voice of strangers. This shows the characteristic of the shepherd’s true sheep…they are those who do not know the voice of a stranger.

    B. Shepherd (10:2-4)

    (10:2) But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
    enters by the door. The shepherd does not need to climb over the fence, but he is admitted by the watchman. The language here implies that several flocks are kept in one fold, and that a proper shepherd attends to his own sheep.
    (10:3) To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
    The sheep hear his voice. The shepherd knows his sheep “by name,” and the sheep recognize their shepherd’s voice and come to him (Pss. 77:20; 80:1).
    he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out - This is a vivid image of how God has marked some people to be His in the midst of fallen humanity.
    (10:4) When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
    When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, - note that those who have been elected as sheep, will all be brought out and willingly…
    the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Electing grace is also effective grace: Jesus, who knows the sheep, reveals Himself to them in such a way that they will respond. He does not force them to follow Him, but through the work of regeneration He makes them willing.

    C. People (10:6)

    (10:6) This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
    they did not understand. In some cases, the disciples themselves did not understand what Jesus was teaching, particularly when He spoke in metaphor and parable (2:20, 21; Matt. 13:10–17, 36; 15:15).
    Jesus now fills in the gaps of the story with real people equating them in a series of metaphors…

    II. I Am the Door (10:7-10)

    We see here in Jesus’ explanation of his parable, that the door has to purposes…

    A. Its Purpose: Salvation (10:7-9)

    (10:7) So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.
    Truly, truly, I say to you - again Jesus, in explaining this parable, expects them to sit up and listen.
    I am the door of the sheep. Jesus is the only way by which one can become part of the people of God (i.e., Jesus’ flock). See also Ps. 118:20
    Psalm 118:20 ESV
    20 This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it.
    As the “gate of the sheep,” Jesus is the One through whom eternal life is received (cf. 14:6; Matt. 7:13, 14). The I am phrase here continues the series of seven such expressions in this gospel.
    (10:8) All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.
    All who came before me may hint at messianic pretenders who promised their followers freedom but instead led them into armed conflict and doom (cf. Acts 5:36–37; 21:38), or more then likely in the context is referring to the religious leaders of Israel…
    Similar to Ezek. 34:2–4 where Israel’s shepherds had been feeding themselves but not the sheep.
    Ezekiel 34:2–4 ESV
    2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord God: Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? 3 You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. 4 The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them.
    thieves and robbers. This does not refer to the OT prophets sent by God, but to the long line of Israel’s and Judah’s corrupt leaders (kings and priests, but now the Sanhedrin), whom God indicted as negligent and exploitive shepherds.
    (10:9) I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.
    I am the door. Repeated a second time for emphasis, and is used elsewhere in the NT to speak of “entering” God’s kingdom through this door to salvation (e.g., Matt. 7:7, 13)
    Matthew 7:13 ESV
    13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.
    If anyone enters by me, he will be saved. This guarantees that salvation is given to those who trust in Christ. In 14:6, it is made plain that these only are saved. Christ is exclusively necessary and sufficient for salvation.
    go in and out. Sheep come into the fold for safety and go out under their shepherd’s guidance for pasture. Jesus echoes covenant terminology, especially the blessings for obedience in Deut. 28:6.
    Deuteronomy 28:6 ESV
    6 Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.
    find pasture. - conveys the assurance of God’s provision (cf. Ps. 23:2).
    Psalm 23:2 ESV
    2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.

    B. Its Purpose: Abundant Life (10:10)

    (10:10) The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
    The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. - though the thief may come promising life, he is in it for one reason, to kill and destroy…he is power hungry! However, in contrast…
    I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. - The life that Jesus gives is unique because it is eternal, and He gives this life in ever-growing abundance to His redeemed, which begins already in the here and now, and brings to mind OT prophecies about abundant blessing (e.g., Ezek. 34:12–15)
    Ezekiel 34:12–15 ESV
    12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. 13 And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. 14 I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. 15 I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God.
    Jesus calls his followers, not to a dull, lifeless, miserable existence that squashes human potential, but to a rich, full, joyful life, one overflowing with meaningful activities under the personal favor and blessing of God and in continual fellowship with his people.

    III. I Am the Good Shepherd (10:11-21)

    Jesus gives here three characteristics of himself as the Good Shepherd…the Good Shepherd…

    A. Lays Down His Life (10:11-13, 17-18)

    (10:11) I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
    I am the good shepherd. Jesus now declares himself for the fourth time that he is the I am, this time returning to the illustration with which the chapter started (vv. 2–5), the shepherd of the sheepfold.
    lays down his life. Jesus, as the great Shepherd, does more than risk His life (cf. 1 Sam. 17:34–36); He gives His life, enduring death on behalf of sinners. This is intimated in the name “Lamb of God” declared by John the Baptist (1:29) and in other statements by Jesus Himself (2:19; 3:14; 6:51).
    for the sheep. This sacrifice is for “the sheep.” It is for those whom the Father has given Him (17:2, 6, 24), i.e., the elect. It is they who through the death of Jesus Christ on their behalf will be justified and enjoy fellowship with God. Jesus will soon tell many of those present, “You are not among my sheep” (10:27).
    (10:12) 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 (10:13) He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
    a hired hand. Jesus sharpens the picture by contrasting His sacrificial service with the cowardly abandonment of the sheep by those who are controlled by self-interest (Ezek. 34:5). Thieves steal the sheep; hired hands abandon the sheep; but Christ lays down His life for the sheep.
    (10:17) For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again.
    the Father loves me. The self-sacrifice of the Son is an act of loving obedience to the Father that reveals the love among the three persons of the Trinity.
    I lay down my life that I may take it up again implies that Jesus voluntarily yielded up his life when he knew that his suffering was completed. It also implies that the divine nature of Christ was active in his resurrection: he was able to “take up” his life again.
    (10:18) No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
    No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. This is a claim to deity, as even His enemies understood (v. 33), because God alone is the author and giver of life. The verse also underscores that Christ was not a victim but freely offered Himself for sinners. On the cross, He voluntarily “gave up his spirit” (19:30) before soldiers took steps to hasten the deaths of the criminals at His side (19:31–33).

    B. Knows His Sheep (10:14-16)

    (10:14) I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, (10:15) just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.
    I know (ginosko [pre, act, ind] - know intimately as a father knows his child, or a husband his wife) my own and my own know (ginosko [pre, act, ind]) me.
    just as the Father knows me and I know the Father - This is placed in parallel with the intimacy between the Father and the Son (v. 15; cf. 17:21–23). It is clear that “know” here, as so often in Scripture, means more than having a mental grasp; it includes personal understanding and a commitment of will. To say that God “knows” a person in this way refers to His gracious redemptive commitment to that individual.
    I lay down my life for the sheep - as a result of this intimate knowledge of the chosen sheep, he lays down his life for them, thus emphasizing once again that Christ’s death was “particular”, only for the sheep, and that the laying down of his life was the necessary component for this intimate knowledge to come to completion.
    (10:16) And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.
    other sheep. The gospel is not confined to Israel but extends to the rest of the world, to us as gentiles as well (11:52).
    So there will be one flock, one shepherd - the true Israel of God will have one shepherd and contain both Jewish and Gentile sheep.

    C. Creates Division (10:19-21)

    (10:19) There was again a division among the Jews because of these words.
    There was again a division. Jesus’ words about Himself and His mission often divide His listeners and their opinions of Him, remember Simeon prophesied this… (Luke 2:34, 12:51-53)
    Luke 2:34 ESV
    34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed
    Jesus himself declared the same in…
    Luke 12:51–53 ESV
    51 Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. 52 For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. 53 They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
    (10:20) Many of them said, “He has a demon, and is insane; why listen to him?”
    Many of them said, “He has a demon, and is insane; why listen to him?” - Again Jesus enemies resort to name calling as they cannot contain the truth he espouses, thus showing the truth of what he has been declaring.
    (10:21) Others said, “These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”
    The charge of demon possession is contradicted by OT teaching that it is the Lord who gives sight to the blind (Ps. 146:8
    Psalm 146:8 ESV
    8 the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous.

    So What?

    Do we realize that Jesus alone is the door into eternal life, and the only shepherd that gave his life for his sheep?
    Do we understand that because Jesus knows his elect, we can be assured that everything that happens to us has been ordained and designed by God to prepare us for eternity with him?
    Are you trying to enter into eternal life without going through Jesus?

      • John 10:1–21ESV

      • John 10:1ESV

      • John 10:5ESV

      • John 10:2–4ESV

      • John 10:6ESV

      • John 10:7ESV

      • Psalm 118:20ESV

      • John 10:8ESV

      • Ezekiel 34:2–4ESV

      • Ezekiel 34:2–4ESV

      • Ezekiel 34:2–4ESV

      • John 10:9ESV

      • Matthew 7:13ESV

      • Deuteronomy 28:6ESV

      • Psalm 23:2ESV

      • John 10:10ESV

      • Ezekiel 34:12–15ESV

      • John 10:11–13ESV

      • John 10:11–13ESV

      • John 10:11–13ESV

      • John 10:17–18ESV

      • John 10:17–18ESV

      • John 10:14–16ESV

      • John 10:19ESV

      • Luke 2:34ESV

      • Luke 12:51–53ESV

      • Luke 12:51–53ESV

      • Luke 12:51–53ESV

      • John 10:20–21ESV

      • John 10:20–21ESV

      • Psalm 146:8ESV

  • He Leadeth Me
New Life Bible Fellowship Church
dick.bickings@gmail.com
(302) 945-8145
https://newlifebfcde.org
18 members • 1 follower