If you would turn with me to
the gospel of John chapter 10, please. John chapter 10. All of you are familiar with
the 23rd Psalm where the Psalmist David said, the Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want. You know, with Christ as my great
shepherd, everything God requires of me, he provides for me. He's
a great shepherd. He's the good shepherd. That
wonderful Psalm or song of David goes on to say that Christ, the
great shepherd, does everything for his sheep so that they shall
not want. And I'm so glad that he does.
He makes his people to lie down in green pastures. He makes them
rest in the truth of the scriptures. That's what pastures represent. He leads them beside the still
waters. There's no raging waves of strife,
just peaceful streams of love. He restores them when they wander
and sheep are prone to wander. They're prone to leave their
great shepherd. We're prone to leave the God
that we love. He leads us in the path of righteousness
and he does all these things for his great name's sake. God's
sheep walk through the valley of the shadow of death, but they
fear no evil. Why? Because their great shepherd
is with them. It's his rod and it's his staff
that comfort them. He causes his sheep to eat in
the very presence of their enemies. Isn't that something? Child of
God, do we have anything to fear? No, we fear no evil. We fear
no enemy. His rod and staff protects us. His goodness and his mercy follows
us. They follow us all the days of
our life and we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Oh, dear sheep of God, everything is going to be all right. More
than all right, better than all right. So why do we worry and
fret when we have the great shepherd watching over us? He'll never
leave us nor forsake us. He's loved us with an everlasting
love. You know, I was thinking this
morning that when David, the psalmist David, visited Israel's
camp and heard the giant Goliath challenge and mock and ridicule
his God, he was beside himself. He walked all through the camp
asking this question to all that would listen. Is there not a
cause? Is there not a cause? He would
say over and over. Who is this uncircumcised Philistine
that he should defy the armies of the living God? Now, remember
David was a shepherd and he told King Saul, he said, I kept my
father's sheep. There came a lion and a bear
and took a lamb out of the flock. And David said, thy servant slew
both the lion and the bear and this giant shall be as one of
them. What a picture David was of our
great shepherd. And he provides everything that
his sheep need, especially protection, protection from their enemies
and protection from themselves. Surely, David said, I like that
word. Surely goodness and mercy, most
definitely without a doubt, God's goodness and mercy shall follow
Christ's sheep all the days of their life. And they'll dwell
in the house of the Lord. How long? Forever. Why? as I said a moment ago, because
their great shepherd is with them. Hey Dale, you've got a
great shepherd. So let me ask you, are you one
of God's sheep? Is Jesus Christ your great shepherd? If not, do you have an interest
in being his sheep? Do you have an interest in Christ
being your shepherd? Now you're in John chapter 10,
look at verse six here with me. It says, this parable spake Jesus
unto them, but they understood not what things they were which
he spake unto them, and then said Jesus unto them again, barely,
barely, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. In verse
one, Christ said, anyone that enters not by the door into the
sheepfold, the sheepfold of God being and meaning the church,
climbing or coming up in some other way was a thief and a robber. Then he continues in verse two
by saying, but he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd
of the sheep. To him the porter openeth, and
the porter being God himself, he's the keeper of the gate.
And the sheep hear his voice, whose voice? The great shepherd's
voice, and he calleth his own sheep by name and leadeth them
out. Now Christ was purposed and ordained
before the world began to be the shepherd of the sheep. He's
the only way to God. He's the door. I recently saw
a video where a shepherd of a couple hundred sheep showed and gave
some people the manner in which he called the sheep. And several
of them tried to call the sheep, but the sheep didn't respond.
And each one tried it, several of them, men and women alike.
And the sheep just kept their head down, kept right on eating.
And what happened next was just absolutely amazing. The shepherd
called the sheep, and I mean immediately, they stopped eating
and those heads went up. And within just a moment or two,
they all came running towards the shepherd. It was an amazing
thing to watch. They came running from the hills
and the plains to the shepherd. The sheep hear the voice of the
shepherd and no one else. Matter of fact, verse four here
tells us, and when he, the shepherd, put it forth his own sheep, he
goeth before them and the sheep follow him for they know his
voice and a stranger they will not follow, but will flee from
him for they know not the voice of strangers. And our Lord here
confirms that in verse eight by saying, all that have ever
come before me are thieves and robbers. But the sheep did not
hear them. So the first thing we see here
is that Christ is the door. Look at verse nine. He said,
I am the door. By me, if any man enter in, he
shall be saved and shall go in and out and find pasture. The Lord Jesus said, I am the
door. You know, every time that the
Lord spoke of himself, he used simple things that folks could
understand. Here he says, I am the door.
In another place he said, I am the water. I am the water of
life. Everyone knows what water is.
Everyone knows what it is to be thirsty. Christ said, I'll
give you living water. Our Lord said, I am the bread
of life. We all know what bread is and
we all know what it is to be hungry. And here the Lord says,
I am the door. We know what a door is for, don't
we? If I am to come into this room, I must go through a door. Now we have two doors here. We
usually keep this one locked unless we know someone that needs
to come in that way because of the steps. But if you're going
to come into this room, you've got to come through that door
in the back. If I am to come to God for life, I must go through
Christ, the door. He's the door. There is no other
door. If I'm on the outside of the door and I want to come in,
that door is the only way. Friends, Christ is a door. He
is the way to God. There is no other way. He's the
door into the kingdom of God. He's the door into communion
with God. He is the door unto eternal life. Our fallen Adam put us on the
outside. By our sins, we've been put out
of the camp like those lepers in Israel, as we saw in our last
study of the book of Numbers. Now, what hope would we have
if God had not provided us a door? Christ is that door. Christ is
the only door. He's not a door. He's not one
of many doors. He is the door, just one door. There was only one door in the
ark that Noah built, just one. You had to go through that one
door to be saved from the wrath of God. And the alarming thing
is that only eight people did. For 120 years, Noah preached
righteousness unto the people of his generation. And only he,
his sons and their wives and his wife entered into that hour.
John said, this is the record that God had given us eternal
life and this life is in his son. Eternal life is not in the
law. Eternal life's not in church
ordinances. It's not in church membership.
It's not coming to the altar. It's not coming to the front
of the church. It's not in the waters of baptism. It's not on
the membership of the church role. It's in Christ. It's in Christ. Now look at verse
nine here very closely. Our Lord not only said, I am
the door, but he said, by me, if any man enter. You see, it's
not by our works that we enter. It's not by our worth that we
enter. It's by me that you enter, our
Lord said. It's not by your sacrifice. It's
not by your submission. It's by me and me alone. The
Lord Jesus said, by me, if any man enter in, he shall be saved. He shall be. It's by him that
we enter in. It's by him that we are saved. And by me, if any man enter in,
Christ said, he or she shall be saved. It's for certain. Christ
is the door, the only door. They're just one door. And a
sinner is not saved by studying the door. Now we should study
to show ourselves approved unto God. We should do all that we
can to grow in the grace and in the knowledge of the Lord
Jesus Christ. But a sinner is not saved by
studying the door. A sinner is saved by entering
the door. A man's not saved by admiring
the door. Nicodemus admired the Lord. He
spoke well of him. He said, Lord, we know that you
couldn't do the things that you do unless God be with you. He
was very complimentary of the Lord. But speaking good things
about the door won't save you. You've got to enter into the
door to be saved. Have you come through the door?
The Lord said, I am the door by me. If any man enter, he shall
be saved. If faith comes by hearing and
hearing by the word of God, then I want to say it over and over
and over again. Christ is the door. And no man,
no woman, no sinner comes to God, but by Him. You've got to
come through that door. Jesus Christ is the only entrance
unto God. Now, where the Lord says, thou
shalt be saved, that word saved, it means to be delivered. It
means to be forgiven. It means to be pardoned. It means
to be justified. It means to be accepted. It means
to be embraced by God. First, we're saved, we're delivered
from the guilt of sin. Christ presents us holy and unblameable. You ever think about that? Unreprovable,
above reproof. I have to be perfect to be above
reproof. That's what Christ makes me.
"'I'm unreprovable in God's sight,' Colossians 1.22. "'We're also
saved from the power of sin. "'Sin shall not have dominion
over you.'" We're not under the law, friends, we're under grace. Our good shepherding reigns and
rules over us. And we're not only saved from
the penalty of sin and the guilt of sin and the power of sin,
but very soon we will be delivered from the very presence of sin.
What a day that'll be. No more sin. We can't even fathom
what that would be like. We're so consumed in our sin. But when our Lord shall appear,
we shall be just like Him. This corruptible is gonna put
on incorruption and this mortal is gonna put on immortality. How sweet is that? Flesh is going
to take on the very glory of God. But that's not all that
the Lord said. He said, and he, speaking of
the sinner, shall go in and out and find pasture. What is pasture
to the sheep of God? It's a place to graze. It's a
place to feed. It's a place to lie down. It's
a place to rest. It's a place that will be satisfied. I ran across this verse recently
in Psalm 14, 14. It says, the backslider in heart
shall be filled with his own ways and a good man shall be
satisfied from himself. Now we know that there's none
good, but God, and we're only good being found in Christ. But
our soul is satisfied only when we look away from ourselves and
look to Christ. We must learn to take ourselves
all together out of the equation. There's nothing we can do to
save ourselves. And there's nothing that we can
do to lose our salvation. God is satisfied only with Christ. And I'm satisfied only with Christ. I shall be satisfied when I awake
with his likeness. We find everything God requires
in our great shepherd. Do you see that? Look at verse
11. He said, I am the good shepherd.
The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that
isn't harling 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. "'The harling fleeth,
because he's a harling, "'and careth not for the sheep. "'But I'm the good shepherd,
and I know my sheep, "'and I've known of mine. "'And as the father
knoweth me, even so I know the father, "'and I lay down my life
for the sheep.' "'Just as the Lord said, I am the door, "'here,
he says, I am the good shepherd.'" There's none good but God. Our
Lord has no rival. He has no equal. The Bible calls
him the chief shepherd. The scripture calls him the great
shepherd. He calls himself the good shepherd. There's none good but God. That's
what he told that rich young ruler. Good master, what must
I do to be saved? He said, there's none good but
God. Friends, our good shepherd is God. The question is, is Christ
your shepherd? If Christ is not your shepherd,
then you don't have one. Other foundation can no man lay
than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. There's none other name,
only one under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be
saved. In verse 14, he said, I know
my sheep. That word know has a lot of meanings,
but here to know his sheep means that he owns them. You see, they've
been bought with a price. To know his sheep means that
they belong to him. He calls them my sheep. He calls
them my church, my disciples, my sheep, my jewels, my people. And they are his because the
father gave them to him. In John 17, the Lord says, I
think at least six times that the father gave him these people,
these sheep. He says, they are my sheep. He
said, I know my sheep. I call them by name. He called
Abraham by name. In the land of the Ur of Chaldees,
the good shepherd called Abram, get thee out of thy father's
house. Go to a land that I shall lead
you to. Abraham didn't know where he
was going, but he knew who he was following. He called Zacchaeus
by name, didn't he? At the foot of that tree, he
cried, Zacchaeus, come down. He said, I must abide at your
house today. He called Matthew by name. At
the receipt of customs, our Lord said, Matthew, follow me. And on the road to Damascus,
he called Saul. Saul, why do you persecute me? And in verse 14, our Lord said,
and am known of mine. In other words, my sheep know
me. Do you know the good shepherd? Do you know Jesus Christ? And
this is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true
God in Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. He knows his sheep
and his sheep know him. Do you know the Lord Jesus? Do
you know Him as this book reveals Him? John said, and we know that
the Son of God has come and hath given us an understanding that
we may know Him that is true, and we are in Him that is true,
even in His Son, Jesus Christ. This is true God and eternal
life. Paul said, I know whom I have
believed. Job said, I know that my Redeemer
liveth. His people know Him as the living
God. They know Him as the God-man.
He's all God, He's all man. They know Him as prophet, priest,
and king. How well does the Lord Jesus
know His sheep? Oh, let me tell you how well.
Look at verse 15. As the Father knoweth me, even
so know I the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep. How
well does he know the sheep? So intimately that he lays down
his life for them. Oh, greater love hath no man
than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. How
intimate is the good shepherd and his sheep. As intimate as
the father is with the son and the son is with the father. So
much so that he lays down his life for them. Our Lord prayed
for his sheep saying that they all may be one as thou father
art in me and I in thee, that they also may be one in us. He's the vine, they are the branches. He's the head and they are the
body. So let's just quickly review.
What has the Lord said so far? Well, he said, I'm the good shepherd.
He said, I know my sheep and they know me. Do you know the
Lord Jesus? He said, as the father knows
me and I know the father, I lay down my life for the sheep. Now
it seems to be a lot of confusion today about who Christ died for. Who did Christ die for? He died,
he laid down his life for the sheep. Is everyone his sheep? That's what a lot of preachers
say. If Christ died for everyone in the world, then I'm telling
you that everyone in the world will be saved. But that's not
what the Bible teaches. The Bible also talks about goats. Now I won't turn you there, but
in Matthew chapter 25, let me read a few verses here, beginning
in verse 32. The Lord Jesus said, and before
him shall be gathered all nations and he shall separate them one
from another as a shepherd divided his sheep from the goats. And
he shall set the sheep on his right hand and the goats on the
left. Then shall the king say unto
them on his right hand, speaking of the sheep, come ye blessed
of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation
of the world. In John 17, the Lord prayed this. He said, I pray not for the world.
I pray for those whom thou has given me. They are thine and
all mine are thine. He was wounded for our transgressions,
child of God. He was bruised for our iniquities,
not the iniquities of the world, not for the transgressions of
all the world, but for His sheep. The chastisement of our peace
was upon Him. And by His stripes, we are healed. Who's Christ talking about? He's
talking about His sheep. In verse 24, the Jews gathered
around the Lord and they said, how long will you make us to
doubt? Well, he didn't make them to
doubt. They did that very well on their own. If thou be the
Christ, they said, tell us plainly. And the Lord said, I had told
you plainly and you didn't believe me. The works that I do in my
father's name, they bear witness that I am the Christ. The things
that Christ did prove that he was Christ, the shepherd of his
sheep. Verse 26, he said, but you believe not because you're
not of my sheep, as I said unto you. Who did Christ die for? He died for his sheep. He died
for the same ones that he prayed for. He didn't die for the whole
world. He prayed not for the world.
He prayed for those he died for. He died for them that the father
gave him. And then our Lord says this in
verse 16. He said, and other sheep I have.
I'm so glad he said that. 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. Our Lord said, other sheep I
have." I am so glad he said that. Could he be speaking to me? Could
he be speaking of you? He said, these other sheep are
not of this fold, but they're my sheep and them also I must
bring. And that's not all he said. And
he said, and they shall hear my voice and there shall be one
fold and one shepherd. That's the best news I ever heard.
I'm not trying to sell you anything this morning. I'm just telling
you the simple, plain truth. This is as certain as certain
gets. He must bring his sheep into the fold. He must. All that
the father giveth me shall come to me. And he that cometh to
me, I will in no wise cast down. He must bring his sheep unto
himself. He must bring them to the father. He must bring them
to glory. Why did Christ come into the
world to lay down his life for his sheep? and other sheep he has and they
shall hear and they shall come and they shall be saved. He must
bring them. He must die for them. And if
he did, they're saved. The issue is, are you one of
the sheep? Now here's what's gonna happen
this morning. It happens every time that the gospel is preached.
Some believe it and some don't. Look at verse 19. There was a
division therefore again among the Jews for these things. And
many of them said, speaking of Christ, he hath a devil and he's
mad. Why hear ye him? And others said,
these are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil
open the eyes of the blind? What do you think of Christ?
That's the issue. Is my God your devil? I had a
man tell me that one time. He said, your God is my devil.
Or by the mercy and grace of God, do you see that these are
not the works of him that has a devil? Can the devil give life
to a man that's dead? Can anyone other than God do
the things that this man does? Well, in closing, our Lord gives
us the conclusion of all that he's been saying. Look at verse
27. He said, he said, my sheep hear
my voice and I know them and they follow me. And he said,
and I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish. That's what eternal life is.
Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. Oh, you're talking
about one saved, always saved. That pretty well settles that.
No man, nobody can pluck them from my hand or my father's hand.
My father, which gave them me is greater than all. Friends,
God is sovereign. He does what he wills in the
armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. And
none can stay his hand and none can pluck me from it. He's God. Christ said, I and my father
are one. So let me say again, Jesus Christ
is God. Jesus Christ is the door that
opens to God. He's the only way that we can
come to God. It's but by Him. Jesus Christ
is our good and great shepherd and His sheep know His voice
and the voice of a stranger they will not follow. Jesus Christ
gave his life for the sheep. He knows his sheep and they're
known to him. Do you know him? He laid down his life for his
sheep. He has other sheep that he must bring. Are you one of
them? There will be one fold and one
shepherd. He's the only shepherd. His father
loves him because he laid down his life for the sheep. He laid
down his life that he might take it again. No man took it from
him. He laid it down of himself. He said, I have the power to
lay it down and I have the power to take it up again. And he did
just that. He gives to his sheep eternal
life. He does for them what they could
not do for themselves. Do you believe that? Well, if
you do, then I'd say you're one of his sheep. And if you don't,
I'd say that you're not. Here are eight things that Christ
says about His sheep. They hear His voice. He knows
them. They follow Him. He laid down
His life for them. He gives to them eternal life.
They shall never perish. No man can pluck them out of
His hand. And God the Father gave them
to Him. Is that your story? The Lord
is my shepherd. I shall not want.