Alright, John 10, 1 through 18
for those on the internet and the CDs. Verily, verily, I say
unto you, he that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold,
but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the
door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter opens. and the sheep hear his voice,
and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he puts forth his own
sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him, for
they know his voice. And a stranger will they not
follow, but will flee from him, for they know not the voice of
strangers. This parable spake Jesus unto
them, but they understood not what things they were which he
spake unto them. Then said Jesus unto them again,
Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. Watch this, all that ever came
before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door, by me if any man
enter in, he shall be saved, he shall go in and out, and find
pasture. The thief cometh not but for
to steal and to kill and to destroy. I am come that they might have
life that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good
shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his
life for the sheep. But he that is a hireling, and
not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, sees the wolf
coming, and leave the sheep, and fleeth, and the wolf catches
them, and scatter the sheep. The hireling flees, because he
isn't hireling, and cares not for the sheep. I am the good
shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the
Father knows me, even so know I the Father, and I lay down
my life for the sheep. and other sheep I have, which
are not of this fold, them also I must bring, and there shall
be one fold and one shepherd. Therefore does my Father love
me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No
man takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power,
literally authority, to lay it down, and I have power, literally
authority, exousia, to take it again. This commandment have
I received of my Father. Let's begin by this manner of
introduction. That is, just to consider in
our mind some of the several figures that are used in the
scripture in order to portray the relationship of Christ and
His people. vivid pictures which the mind
is able to process. Some of those figures are as
follows. In the scripture, Christ is the
head and they are the members. Like in Ephesians chapter 4 verse
15-16. Christ is the foundation, they
are the building, they are the living stones. Ephesians chapter
2 verse 20 and 22, then there is that figure, or simile, or
metaphor of husband and of wife. That Christ is the husband and
the church is his bride. Then there's that one in John
15 of the vine and the branches. I am the vine, ye are the branches. Now these portray the union and
the relationship of Christ and his people under different figures
and are easily assimilated or identified in the mind because
they are pictures that we can readily imagine and see. However, I think that no other
figure is more frequently used, more often appear in the scripture
than that one of shepherd and of sheep. Christ is very freely
very often set before us in the scripture as a shepherd. He is the shepherd of the sheep. He himself claims to be a shepherd. Look right here in our text in
John 10, verse 11. I am the good shepherd. Again
in verse 14, I am the good shepherd. And of course, it is clearly
intimated down in verse 16. And what's more, if we read Hebrews
13, And verse 20, he is called the great shepherd of the sheep. That is our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Peter chapter 5 and verse 4,
he calls him the chief shepherd. when the chief shepherd shall
appear." Then again in 1 Peter 2, in verse 25, he is referred
to there as the shepherd and the bishop of your soul. That is, our Lord Jesus Christ
is the shepherd and the bishop, or literally, the overseer of
the souls of the elect. who has not heard, read, considered,
and been blessed by The 23rd Psalm. Some have called it the
Shepherd Psalm. The Lord is my shepherd. And it goes on. He makes me to
lie down in green pasture. He leads me beside the still
water. He satisfies my every need. Now there's much to consider
here in John chapter 10, so let us get to it and get at it. Looking first at verses 1 through
9. Let's give a special treatment
before we move along to verse 1 through 9. Let me make a statement
that might shock you if you have not already considered it, and
that is that these verses do not refer to individual salvation. They're so often applied in that
way by so many that handle the verses in our day. I agree with
those who say that it is a carryover from what is said in the end
of chapter 9. and those that had cast out the
blind man that our Lord had given sight, they had cast him out
of the synagogue, and by their actions and by their attitude,
they proved themselves not good and not true shepherds of the
souls of men, that they were nothing more than hireling and
wolves in sheep's clothing, and that they were but blind leaders
of the blind, They were not fit to be teachers of religion. They were destitute of both the
authority and the knowledge which belongs to those who are the
spiritual leaders and teachers of the people of God. John Brown
did write on this passage, and I'm taking the thought from him,
that none are genuine spiritual guides and spiritual teachers
except those who have been appointed to that office by Christ and
who teach his doctrine and his revelation, to which we might
add who feed the flock of God, who serve up the truth and warn
of the ravening wolves and their doctrine, that might come and
do harm unto the children of God. Now, the Lord, looking at
verse 1 through 9 again, that it is not referring to individual
salvation, but that the Lord uses a figure borrowed from what
one commentator has referred to as oriental pastoral life. that is of a sheepfold. Here we have a sheepfold in verse
1 through 9. Now a sheepfold was a rather
large enclosure or a rather large pen where several shepherds in
the close of the day would bring their little flocks and their
little herds, and the porter recognizes them, opens to them
the gate. They went in and there they spent
the night, where they were safe. And then the shepherds left them
through the gate, and the next morning they would come through
the gate, for the porter knew them and gave them admittance. And the voice of each shepherd
was known and recognized by that shepherd's particular sheep,
and when he called them and went forth, they followed after him. You have that in verse 3, verse
4, and verse 5 here in John chapter 10. So we know that the true
shepherd was known by the porter, the keeper of the gate. We might
call him a night watchman in our day or time. You open the
gate, open the door to the individual shepherds that he might take
his sheep, calling them by name, taking them out for the days
feeding and watering and such like. Now, the imposter shepherds,
seek to enter in stealthily." Look at that in this passage.
Not by the gate, but the sheep do not know them. They do not
recognize their voice. They will not follow an imposter
or a stranger. They are called, in verse 8,
thieves and robbers. And in verse 10, their purpose
is to come to steal, to kill, and to destroy. Now consider
how Paul warned the Ephesian elders in Acts chapter 20 and
verse 29. He warned them of grievous wolves
who after my departure would enter in among you, not sparing
the flock. Now it makes a very interesting
study to consider some or consider the passages that we find in
the Old Testament in the prophets describing the rogue shepherds
that were in Israel, which appears under the title of shepherds
or of pastors, both of them are you. For example, the shepherds
in Jeremiah 50 and verse 6, listen to this. My people have been
lost sheep. Their shepherds have caused them
to go astray. They have turned them away. on
the mountains." Listen again to Ezekiel chapter 34 and verse
2. Son of man, prophesy against
the shepherds of Israel and say, Woe be to the shepherds of Israel
that do feed themselves. Should not the shepherds feed
the flock? They looked after themselves.
They were self-centered and they were self-fed. Consider Jeremiah,
the second chapter and the eighth verse. The Lord chastises the
priests and the pastors and the prophets saying, my pastors transgressed
against me. My vineyard and many more like
these are to be found in the Old Testament. Condemning those
false, rogue, self-serving pastors and shepherds that were in Israel. False shepherds is what we shall
call them. But now let's go back to John
chapter 10 with this admission. That is that the designation
sheep is one of the most frequently used designations for the people
of God in the Scripture. And that's true both of the Old
as well as the New Testament. Psalms 23 we have already mentioned. Listen to Psalm 100 and verse
3. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. You'll
find it again in Psalm 74 and verse 1. Spurgeon described this
as truth in poetry, unquote. Truth expressed in a simile.
Truth expressed in a figure. We are His people and the sheep
of His pasture. You remember Isaiah 53? And verse
6, all we like sheep have gone astray and the Lord has laid
on Him the iniquity of us all. Psalm 78, 52, He made His own
people to go forth like sheep and guided them in the wilderness
like a flock. Psalm 77 and 20 repeats almost
verbatim the same thing. Psalm 79, 13, We your people
and sheep of your pasture. Psalm 95 and verse 7. He is our
God. We the sheep of his pasture and
the sheep of his hand. I won't read them but there are
others like Isaiah 49 through 11. Isaiah 63 and 11. and Ezekiel 34 and verse 11. All of them use those similes
and those terminology. Now this figure or simile or
metaphor is carried over also into the New Testament as here
in John chapter 10. In this chapter I counted, maybe
I missed one, but I counted the word sheep 18 times in this one
chapter. Now that tells us something that
we'll bring out in a moment. In Luke 12 and 32, the Lord called
his disciples, little flock. Fear not little flock, it is
the Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Paul in
Acts chapter 20, In verse 29, call the church the flock. Feed
the flock of God over which yet made you overseers. So does 1
Peter chapter 5 verse 2 and verse 3. Said the Lord to the apostle
Peter when he restored the apostle after his defection. In John
21 and verse 16, Simon, you love me, feed my sheep." It's again
in verse 17. Verse 11, I am the good shepherd
in John 10. Now, not just a shepherd, not
just one of a shepherd among many, but I am the good shepherd. In other words, I am the only
shepherd in this category. The one and only good shepherd of the
sheep. Did not God promise of old a
shepherd together to feed and to save the sheep of God? It is as if Jesus is saying,
I am that shepherd. Now every prophecy in the Old
Testament that promises a good shepherd and one that would feed
and care for the sheep has its fulfillment in the Lord. And I think that's why John 10
is so filled with this simile of the shepherd and his relationship
unto the sheep. It is as if the Lord said, I
am that shepherd, I am that promised one that will perform all of
the part and all of the work of a shepherd to the people who
are the sheep of my pasture." We remember several ways is Messiah
set forth in the scripture, in type, figure, and in shadow. he is a priest, he is a king,
he is a husband, he's the bread of life, he's the surety, and
yes, he is the shepherd, which as John Brown wrote, are intended
to bring before our mind some of the numerous praises of all
the comprehensive character of our great Savior." Each one of
them portrays some aspect of our blessed Lord to his people. As a priest, he offers himself
as a perfect sacrifice. As a king, he reigns in the hearts
and lives of his people. As the bread of life, he nourishes
the famished souls of his people that they might live. As the
surety, he answers and pays the debt for their sin and for theirs
only. Even so, as the good shepherd,
our Lord does perform all of those things for the good, the
welfare, and the saving and gathering in of the sheep, that they might
have life here. in chapter 10, and that they
might have it more abundantly. There is a passage, impressive,
in the prophet Ezekiel, chapter 34, verse 11 through 24. Now
it's too long to take the time to read here this evening, but
here is a part of verse 22 and verse 23 that I wanted to call
to our attention. I will save my flock, and they
shall no more be a prey. I will set up one shepherd over
them, he shall feed them, even my servant David, he shall feed
them and he shall be their shepherd." Here is a prophecy of the shepherdhood
of our blessed Lord. Now in John 10, let's look at
verse 11, 12 and 13. In these verses, our Lord contrasts
Himself with a hireling shepherd. That in verse 11, the good shepherd
gives his life in behalf of the sheep. That is, he will lay down
his life for the sheep. He will die to protect them and
to save their life. He will give up his very life
for them. I am the Good Shepherd. The Good
Shepherd gives. The Good Shepherd gives up His
life. The Good Shepherd lays down His
life for the sheep in order that He might save them. Not so the
harling, if you look at verse 12, the harling hand. has no
investment in the sheep whatsoever. He's not invested anything in
them. He's not a shepherd and the sheep
are not his own. He only serves for the wages
that are involved. And what does he do in the face
of danger? When danger comes and enemies
come in, from without, what does he do? Well, Jesus said, he sees
the wolf coming and he flees. And the wolf, a natural enemy
of the sheep, catches them, tears them, wounds them, even killing
them and scattering the survivors out of the flock. Look at verse
13. Why does the hireling act in
the way that he does? Because he is only a hired hand. He is a hireling whose only interest
in the sheep is his paycheck, payday, whose only interest It's
what he can get out of it. He does not care for the sheep.
He does not love them. They are not his own. They are
not dear unto him. His life is not mixed up in any
way with theirs. I was reading Marshall's interlinear.
It has the last half of verse 13 quote this way. It matters
not to him about the sheep, unquote. And the NIV has it this way,
quote, he cares nothing for the sheep, unquote. Such are described
in Zechariah chapter 11 and verse 16. He does not visit those that
are cut off. He does not seek the young. He does not bind up and heal
those that are wounded and are broken. He does not feed the
still in the healthy. He does not care for them at
all. He gives them not the thing that
they have need of. But then comes the question.
If the Lord is the good shepherd and gives his life for the sheep,
if the Lord lays down his life and gives it up even for the
sheep, if he die in defense of the sheep, how then shall his
life and shepherdhood benefit the sheep from their own? Then would not the wolves have
free and unhindered access to the flock with the shepherd dead
and out of the way? Will they not be scattered and
torn and wander and be lost here and there? Indeed, Zechariah
13.11 is a prophecy concerning Christ and it says in part these
words, smite the shepherd and the sheep shall be scattered. The Lord Jesus in Matthew 26.31
makes application of this to himself on the eve of his death. He uses Zechariah 13 and 7 saying
this, it is written, I will smite the shepherd and the sheep of
the flock shall be scattered abroad." Yes, with the shepherd
smitten. Now, the solution to this quandary,
what is it? The shepherd is dead. The death
of the shepherd, however, is not permanent. It is not continual. It is not a permanent. It is
a temporary death. It is one that lasts three days
and three nights. His life was not taken away against
His will. He lay it down of Himself. He gave it up. He submitted Himself
under that awful death of the cross. Does He not say here in
verse 18, No man takes my life from me, I lay it down of myself. Then again, does not Acts chapter
2 and verse 23 say, Peter talking to the Jew, you have taken him
by wicked hands, you have crucified him and slain him. And so it is written, but it
still stands. The Lord being God could not
have been put to death unless He gave Himself up to it into
their very hand. He might have called a whole
host of angels to fight against those who sought to put Him unto
death. When the Apostle Peter drew out
his sword, cut off the ear of a servant, and said, This shall
not be unto you. And the Lord said, Put up the
sword. I could have called ten thousand
angels. The Holy Son of God could have
prayed to the Father, and angels without number come and save
Him and deliver Him. Or our Lord might have spoken
a word and slain them with the very word of His mouth. Now, as proof of this, we must
remember how often the Jews attempted to put our Lord to death before
He actually died on the cross. They were not able. We notice
something else. The manner in which they sought
to put our Lord unto death. By stoning Him, as was the manner
of the Jew. On one occasion of throwing Him
over a cliff. in the city. But Messiah was
to hang upon a tree. Messiah was not to die under
a hail of stones or falling from a cliff. Messiah was to hang
upon a tree. He was to die what was known
under the law as a cursed death, even the death of the cross,
as Paul said in Philippians 2. And it answered the scripture,
the way he died, cursed is he that hangs upon a tree. And the Lord did that. Let's
back up and further consider the words of the Lord and His
claim, I am the Good Shepherd. We already have mentioned in
this He answered all the types, all the prophecies in the Old
Testament scripture. Now His shepherdhood is unique. I mean, it is one of a kind. There's never been one like Him.
There will never be another like Him. And Scripture distinguishes
Him. He calls Himself the Good Shepherd. Peter calls Him the Chief Shepherd,
1 Peter 5 and 4, Hebrews 13 and 20, the Great Shepherd of the
sheep. I was reading Thomas Goodwin
this week. He makes the case that the title shepherd implies
that both of his nature, that of God and that of man. That to perform the work of a
good shepherd, our Lord must be God and also man at the same
time. The shepherd, said Goodwin, is
a superior kind unto the sheep. and His being a man, and they
lowly beasts." We're talking about in the field. And Christ
is God, and His sheep are the sons and daughters of Adam. The prophet Ezekiel 34, 31. You, my flock of my pasture,
are men, and I am your God, unquote. And the great shepherd of the
sheep. also possesses true manhood or humanity. That verse, that
prophecy in Zechariah 13 and verse 7, speaking of the smitten
shepherd, remember God said, Arise, O sword, go forth and
smite. And it says this, it calls him
the man that is my fellow. in Zechariah 13 and 7. The incarnation,
the hypostatic union was necessary for the Son of God to fulfill
all of His work and that includes that of a shepherd. We also must
remember that the sheep are basically synonymous with the elect of
God. The elect and the sheep are one
and the same person. They are His people that He came
to save from their sin. They are sheep, and get this,
even when they are lost. Even before they are called or
found or converted, they are sheep even when they are yet
lost. I emphasize that because there
are too many in Christendom today who have the idea that we were
goats Up until the time we were converted and then we became
the sheep of our Lord. Never were the sheep goats. They
were the sheep even when they were lost. And the language here,
notice again, is in favor of particular redemption. We find,
I believe, particular limited redemption in this passage of
the Scripture. Look what our Lord said, I lay
down my life for the sheep. Other sheep I have which are
not of this foal, them also I must bring. You remember, down in
verse 26, our Lord said to some, you are not my sheep. You may notice in John 10, verse
22 through verse 42, that that occurred on another occasion
and in another place another time. But he uses the same figure
as earlier. Some say two or three months
had passed between these two events. And in verse 25 and 26,
that those who did not believe, in spite of the credible evidence,
were manifesting that they were not His sheep. Watch if you would
verse 26. We must not turn, verse 26, upside
down. It says the reason that you do
not believe is that you are not my sheep. It does not say the
reason you are not my sheep is because you refuse to believe. But if you were his sheep, They
would give evidence of it by believing and by hearing the
voice of the shepherd. Verse 27, my sheep hear my voice
and they follow me. Please notice verse 25. I have
told you, and besides the works that I do in my Father's name,
bear witness to who I am, but you believe not, for you are
no sheep of mine. For my sheep hear my voice. Not through natural ability that
they hear the voice of our Lord, but they shall both hear His
voice and respond unto it. Now the hearing the voice of
the shepherd is prominent in this chapter of God's Word. Back in verse 4 and verse 5 we
read, they know the voice of their own particular shepherd,
but not the voice of a stranger. They don't recognize it, they
won't follow him. Verse 16, they shall hear my
voice." Verse 27, my sheep hear my voice. That is, they hear,
they listen, they respond, they follow. For the Lord opens their
ears and the eyes of their understanding as he did with Lydia. He opened
the heart of Lydia that she had a hearing ear and attended unto
those things that were spoken by the Apostle Paul. Being given
a hearing ear, they are taught by the Father. They have been
quickened. The Holy Spirit has given them
a new heart. John Brown put it this way, excuse
me, the purpose of mercy in reference to them has begun to develop
itself, unquote. when they hear the truth, when
they hear the voice of Christ in the gospel, when they hear
that being under a special and divine influence, they recognize
it as the voice of the shepherd as the voice of the Lord Jesus
Christ. And they commit their souls unto
Him for keeping. And He is the shepherd and the
bishop of their soul, as it says in 1 Peter 2 and verse 25. He speaks, they hear. He leads,
they follow, for they know His voice. Now, let's take a quick
look at part of verse 16. Let me read it again. Other sheep
I have, which are not of this fold, them also I must bring,
they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold and one
shepherd. Now he had other sheep beside
the lost sheep of the house of Israel, mentioned in Matthew
10.6 and 15.24. Most agree that the other sheep
are Gentile sheep, what Gil called one church state consisting of
both Jew and Gentile." Remember the great passage in Ephesians
2, verse 11 through verse 16, The Old Testament predicted a
calling of the Gentile, to him shall they see, they that sit
in darkness shall see the great light and that there shall be
one shepherd over the sheep and one foal. Now what this means
is an end of the exclusionary economy of Judaism. A new order of things has been
brought in, whether there is neither Jew nor Greek, neither
bond nor free, male or female, as Paul said in the end of chapter
2 of Galatians, with one shepherd and one flock. and he shall gather
them in. I am the good shepherd. I have other sheep, not of this
foal. Them I must bring. They will
hear my voice, one foal and one shepherd." Thank God for the
work of the shepherd and for his work toward the sheep that
he leads us. in the good way. He feedeth our
soul in green pastures. He leadeth by the water of life
that we might drink to our fullness and satisfaction. I am the good
shepherd and praise God for those who are his sheep and he finds
them every one for he gave his life for them every one. Them and them only did our Lord
lay down his life.