Remember Larry Brown, not much
change. He is doing somewhat better.
He's off the ventilator for his tracheotomy more often now, and
he's breathing better on his own and making some reaction
to things. And Marvin Steinecker's had a
pretty bad stroke, so just remember him in your prayers. His situation's
about the same. Probably a long road ahead of
him for recovery. They initially thought he probably had a brain
bleed, which is an aneurysm, and they didn't give him a blood
thinner. And then they did a CT scan,
or one of those magnetic MRIs. They found a large clot, and
so they started on blood thinners. He's responded somewhat. He's
got what they call aphasia, which is the ability to no longer recognize
objects that you've seen all your life. so remember him in your prayers
to seek the Lord's help for them. Other than that, I can't think
of anybody in the other prayer request. Okay, let's begin our
worship service this morning. Hymn number 449, To God Be the
Glory. To God be the glory, great things here So longed he the world that he
gave us his son. It is life and atonement for
sin. And open the life gate that all
may go in. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Let the earth hear His voice. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Let the people rejoice. to the Father, through Jesus
the Son, and give him the glory, great things he hath done. Oh, perfect redemption. the purchase of blood, to every
believer the promise of God, the vilest offender who truly That moment from Jesus a pardon
receives. Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
let the earth hear his voice. Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
let the people rejoice. to the Father, to Jesus the Son,
and give him the glory, great things he hath done. Great things he hath taught us,
great things he hath done, and great are rejoicing through Jesus, and higher and greater will be
our wonder, our transport. Praise the Lord, praise the Lord. Let the earth hear his voice. Praise the Lord, praise the Lord. Let the people rejoice. O come to the Father through
Jesus Christ. the sun, and give him the glory,
great things he hath done. After scripture reading and prayer
we'll sing 463. Now your Bibles turn to the Gospel according
to John chapter 10. One verse of scripture, verse
nine. I am the door. By me if any man
enter in, he shall be saved. And shall go in and out and find
pasture. Let us pray. Our Father in heaven,
we are thankful that you and your great kindness chose us
unto salvation through sanctification of the spirit and belief in the
truth for until you called us by your gospel to obtain the
glory of Jesus Christ. We thank you that we can come
into your presence, you who are holy, perfect, and pure, whose
eyes are too pure to behold evil, before whom the sun, moon, and
stars are not pure in your sight. And yet we, sinners, still possess
the nature we were born with. By nature, enemies of God are
not only allowed but welcomed into your presence because of
the perfect work and sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. and satisfied your law and justice
on our behalf and you'll remember our sins
no more. These things are too wonderful for us to even speak
and they fill our minds with consideration when we think on
these things. How can a man be just with God?
only if he's justified by the blood of Jesus Christ. Father,
we pray for those who are sick, those on the prayer list. I know
it's every case. Remember especially Brother Larry
Brown, dear friend and brother. We ask, Lord, you'd minister
to him and his family. Say, minister to them. Bring
them back to a good measure of health. We pray for our brother,
Pastor Marvin Stocker. We ask, Lord, you be with him.
Bring him back. Let him say with David, I shall
not die but live. And proclaim your righteousness
to the congregation. And help us this hour, Father.
We've gathered here throughout this day to do what we do for
the glory of God, that you might be honored, that your name might
be uplifted, that your word would be preached. Help us, Lord, we
pray in Christ's name. Praise the Lord. Amen. And number
463, all that thrills my soul is Jesus. Who can cheer the heart like
Jesus by His presence so divine? True and tender, pure and precious. Oh, how blessed to call Him mine. All that thrills my soul is Jesus
He is more than life to me And the fairest of ten thousand In
my blessed Lord I see Love of Christ so free ? The grace of God beyond degree
? Mercy higher than the heaven ? Deeper than the deepest sea
? All that thrills my soul is Jesus ? He is more than life
to me The fairest of ten thousand In
my blessed Lord I see What a wonderful redemption Never can a mortal
know How my sin I've read like crimson ? And be whiter than
the snow ? All that thrills my soul is Jesus ? He is more than
life to me ? And the fairest of ten thousand ? In my blessed
Lord I see Every need His hands supplying. Every good in Him I see. On His strength divine relying. He is all and all to me. All that thrills my soul is Jesus
He is more than life to me And the fairest of ten thousand In
my blessed Lord I see By the crystal flowing river With the ransomed I will sing
And forever and forever Praise and glorify the King All that
thrills my soul is Jesus He is more than life to me Father again, in the name of
Jesus Christ, that name that is above every name, the only name under heaven given
among men, whereby we must be saved. We know that in your kindness
you spared not your own son, but freely gave him up for us
all, and will with him freely give us all things. We know that
what we have we received. Let us not boast as if we not
received it, and give us the grace and understanding and appreciation
that you and your great wondrous means have made it so that your
children, whom you've given everything, can return unto thee that which
you've given them to be used in the preaching of the gospel
here and in other places. What a privilege we have. It
is ours to give unto thee. We thank you, Lord. Bless us
now to worship you in Christ's name. You. you I invite your attention back
to the 10th chapter of the Gospel according to John. The word spoken in this chapter
is spoken in direct relation and as a consequence of the Lord
healing that blind man in chapter 9. And the Pharisees in the temple
wanted to throw him out because the Lord had done such a wondrous
thing for him. And they berated him and said,
who is this that did this for you? He said, I don't know who
it was, but I know this, I was once blind and now I see. And
finally, when the Lord approached him and said, do you believe
on the Son of God? The old blind man said, who now
had sight, said, who is he that I may believe on him? you won't
believe on him until you know who he is. That's why the singular
message of the preaching of the gospel is Jesus Christ and him
crucified. We want to tell people about
the Savior and what he's done. Then our Lord berates these Pharisees
and begins with a parable in verse 6 that we read part of
in verse 9 where he says, I am the door I am the door. By me, if any man enter in, he
shall be saved and shall go in and out and find pasture. This
text where Christ presents himself as the door is one part of the
explanation of the parable that he spoke to the Pharisees. This
parable is found in verses 1 through 5. He said this after he had said
that they were blind and they couldn't see. They still had
their sin, he said to the Pharisees. He said, Verily I say unto you,
He that entereth not by the door of the sheepfold, but climbeth in some other way,
the same as a thief and a robber, for he that entereth in by the
door is the shepherd of the sheep, and to him the porter openeth,
and all the sheep hear his voice, and he calleth his own sheep
by name, and leadeth them out, and he putteth him forth his
own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him, and
they know his voice, and a stranger will they not follow, but will
flee from him, where they know not the voice of strangers."
Now he spoke this to the Pharisees who had a great understanding
of the Bible. But he spoke it as a parable.
It says in verse 6, "...This parable spake Jesus unto them,
Verily I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep." I am the
door of the sheep. This parable is a comparative
story defining what Christ is to the sheep and is also an indictment
against religious groups and the religion declaring that their
doings are in fact sin against God before he gave this parable
he said to these Pharisees and Jesus said in verse 39 of chapter
9 for judgment I am come into this world that they which see
not might see and they which and they which see might be made
blind Now who's he talking about? He's talking about sinners and
self-righteous men. Sinners are blind by nature. By grace he makes them see. Those
who believe that they get to heaven on their own merit, entering
in any other way but the door, they say they see, but they are
made blind. and some of the pharisees which
were with him heard these words and said are we blind also? they
understood what he said they understood what he was saying
they didn't like it but they understood it Jesus said if you
were blind oh if you were only blind if you were born blind
if you were a lost sinner if you were blind you should have
no sin but now you say we see therefore your sin remaineth."
The Pharisees claimed to see when they did not see. They claimed
that they were the authority on the Word of God when in fact
they not only did not understand the Word, they could not believe.
Our Lord said that in Chapter 8 of John. Because I tell you
the truth, because I tell you the truth, you believe not. He
spoke to these parables in verse 6 it says that they understood
not what things they were which he spake unto them. They didn't
get it. Why is that? Because he spoke in parables.
The disciples came to him one time after he'd spoken parables
to the Pharisees. They said, why do you speak to
them in parables? Why do you make these comparative
stories that tell a single principle? Why do you do that? He says,
because it's given to you, my sheep. to understand the Word
of God is not given to them. I don't give them understanding.
I give my sheep understanding. This parable tells them several
things revealing one thing. This is what's revealed to the
Pharisees that day. They are not the sheep of Christ's
fold. That's pretty harsh. He can be
harsh sometimes. He said to the same group of
people who saw him eating with sinners and thought it was a
spectacle, he said, I didn't come for you. I didn't come to
call you the righteous. I came to call sinners or bring
sinners to repentance. The Lord is saying to them that
they are the thieves and the robbers and the only door into
the kingdom of heaven is actually closed to them. And they are
not the sheep of God, and therefore not part of the fold, because
they are presumed to enter in another way. How do they enter
in? In their doings, their righteousness, their control of others, their
entitlement, their volunteering in religious activities. Any
other way than that which was ordained by God. What is at this
door? goes on to tell them that the
sheep will not follow them, that he will not lay down his life
for them. He said, I lay down my life for
the sheep. And this same boy says, my father gave this command.
I lay it down of myself and I take it up again. No man has the power
to put me to death or make me alive. I do that. God, I receive
this commandment. I have it and die for you. He's
already said to them, y'all are thieves and robbers. You don't
enter in by the door. You try to climb in another way.
You say you see, but you're actually blind. Your sin remains before
God. You're still in jeopardy. You're still in jeopardy. This
is not for you. I didn't come for you. I didn't
die for you. I'm not going to die for you. I'm not going to
remove your sins. I'm not going to set your sins
aside. I'm not going to forgive your sins. I'm not going to put
away your sins by the sacrifice of myself. I'm not going to satisfy
God's law for you. I'm not going to satisfy God's
justice. You won't have to do that and it's going to take a
turn if you don't do it. He is saying in short that they are
lost and will remain so. Reading this parable presents
some difficulty. The wording is made for many
interpretations among commentators. I will not stand up by verse
to verse exposition. No parable will. concerning Christ
every reference to the door is about him to him the porter openeth
he goes through the door he is the door of the sheep fold and
all the sheep are his flock and are known to him personally and
will not follow a stranger I often talk to young preachers who are
troubled about people believing these false teachings and I told
them that none of the elect will be deceived. They won't. Our Lord said He's sure in the
days of the elect not to be deceived. They're not going to be deceived.
The elect will believe the truth. They'll believe the truth of
the Word of God. These people that He's talking about entering
into this door, they're the sheep. Verse 9, our Lord points to Himself
in a metaphorical language. He often did this, declaring
Himself to be the door. He does that because he looks
at things we're familiar with and can understand the principle
to and calls himself by that name. I am the vine. Well, we understand that. We
know what a vine is and we know what it produces and we know
it must be attached. All the limbs must be attached
to the vine in order to produce. He said, I'm the vine and you
are the branches. I'm not a branch. I'm a person.
but I'm a branch, metaphorically. This word is much like our word
description of himself when he said, I am the door. In John
14, 6, he said, I'm the way, the truth, and the life. I am
the way. And that word means the road,
the progress on the road, the means of travel on the road,
the journey itself, and the distance that it takes to get there. He's
all of that. That's what that word means.
Christ is saying to the Pharisees that the thief or robber who
would seek to be saved and enter in to fold by any other way with
personal righteousness, heritage, lineage, et cetera, you'll not
get in, he said. You'll not be able to enter.
And you can't really get any plainer than that. I mean, here
he is just talking to these religious people, and probably still sitting
beside him is this old blind man that's receiving sight. He
says he's coming through the door. This door is the door of the
sheep. It is not some drawn-out invitation,
but a statement of exclusion to all but the sheep. He did
not say to these Pharisees, You cannot come into the door unless
you repent and believe. He did not say that. He did not say to the Pharisees,
Unless you confess your sins, you cannot. He did not say that.
He said, You cannot come in. You cannot come in. The sheep here are an allusion
to the blind man in Chapter 9 and all who are like him. He pictured a lost man who was
aware of being lost. He knew he was blind. He might
be called a sensible sinner, one who has been awakened to
the truth, who desires to find the way, who wants to see. This is spoken in opposition
to those who think they've found the way by entering in some other
way and say they see. They are they who say they see,
but are blind to all things spiritual, not the least of which is their
horrible condition. To the sheep, our Lord says,
I am the door. To the thief and the robber and
the other way enterer, our Lord says, I am the door. the sheep, he says, I am the
door. The pharisee says, I says, I am the door. The Lord uses
a common thing to teach and explain spiritual truth in a little sense
all of us encountered and use a number of doors already today.
So we know what a door is. We know what a door is and are
able and aware, use it and aware of its function. in the metaphorical
sense this is also a commonly used thing referring to an opening
of some kind. We often use phrases such as
a door of opportunity. What does that mean? You can
get into that opportunity. You can enter into that opportunity,
a door of hope. Our Lord said of Hosea's adulterous
wife, He said I'm going to take her out and lure her into there
and I'm going to give her a valley of acorn, a door of hope. door
of hope. These are common ways of saying
that there is a way, an opening, or an entrance from one place
to another place. This is the sense in which our
Lord spoke of Himself. I want us to consider this description
that our Lord gives of Himself in three ways this morning. First
will be exclusivity. Secondly, salvation. And third,
liberty. first thing about his doors is
exclusivity. This is seen in the first phrase
of the text, I am the door. First note that our Lord uses
a phrase that particularly reveals who he is. He said, I am. He said that a lot. I am the good shepherd. I am
the way. I am the door. Greek is ego,
I am. He said that when those men tried
to arrest him. put him in jail, take him before
the court. He said, who you guys looking
for? And they said, we're looking for Jesus of Nazareth. And he
said, Ego, I am. And those words knocked him flat
on the back. These are soldiers, powerful
men, carrying weapons and lanterns, swords, knocked flat on the backs. I am the door, this especially
to those with whom he is speaking, revealed him to be the one who
spoke to Moses from the bush at Bern, when the Lord said,
Tell them my name is I am, that I am. Jesus Christ is the great
I am, for in him dwelleth the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
Secondly, the use of the deca-definite article the, I am the door, There is no other door but Him. And when He says that He is the
door, this solidifies the statement of absolute exclusivity to whatever
follows. Jesus Christ is the only means
of obtaining it, whatever it might be. The way to it is established
and singular and exclusive. I am the door. there is no exception
here no mitigating circumstance if you would be saved only through
the door through Jesus Christ the Lord whatever it is that
our Lord is about to declare can only be possessed by entering
the door the second thing revealed about this door is salvation
this is seen in the second phrase by me if any man enter in he
shall be saved words by me our lord again searches singular
no man come up to the fall one great all man sovereignty
god was asked what sovereignty god he simply verses man by me This is God's absolute sovereignty
and salvation. The last word of the phrase is,
Saved by me. If any man enter in, he shall
be saved. So entrance into this door, this door, the door, is
salvation to the Pharisee, the thief, and the robber who believed
that he was already in. By means of his cleverness and
his entitlement, the word saved meant nothing. I've said this
many times. We talk about salvation to people,
but it don't mean anything to a lot of people. don't mean anything. Folks say you need to be saved.
Well, ask them if they do. Most of them say, no, I don't
need to be saved, or I'll get around to it, or I'll straighten
up and fly right. After I get my life straightened
out, I'll do something about it. You know you're lost. I don't
feel lost. I feel like life is going fine. You know what you need, don't
you? you need some you know you need
it and if you don't need it it ain't do me no good to tell you
that you do need it you can lead a horse to water but you can't
make him drink if he ain't thirsty he won't drink I'm preaching
the gospel looking for somebody who's thirsty I don't know whether
you're thirsty or not you do And if you're thirsty, and you
know it, by God's grace, I tell you about the water of life,
you'll drink until your thirst is slain. Because you need it. You need it. These fellas didn't
need salvation. They believed they was already
saved. They was God's people. They was holy living, right living
people. They was right with God. They
were straighter than a gun barrel and just as empty, but they were
straight. No interest in this door of salvation
with the Pharisees. They didn't need any repentance.
After he went to the one sheep that was lost, the ninety and
nine who needed no repentance, he left behind. To insinuate
that they needed saving was an insult to them. If you said you
need to be saved and they already felt fine, why is it an insult? I remember many years ago out
in California, Brother Henry Mahan went and preached to Beaton,
a preacher. There is now a Sovereign Grace preacher retired, goes
to Todd Nybridge Church, I believe. He was preaching out there in
California. Henry May went out there and turned that place upside
down. And the preacher got saved. The preacher confessed that all
that religion he had all his life wasn't nothing. He was now
trusting in the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ alone. What
did the congregation do? Did they rejoice? Oh, our preacher's
been saved. They fired him. They didn't want no preacher.
They didn't want to be their preacher. The Lord saved the man. Now he had
a right to stand and a warrant to stand in the pulpit and tell
them about what God had done for him. They didn't want that.
I remember that old woman that time. She went to the preacher
and said, I want you to pray for my husband. He's a bad drinker.
He drinks all the time. I want you to pray to the Lord
to save him so he'll stop drinking. He said, Sister, let's get down
and pray for him together. They prayed and prayed and kept
on praying. Months later, the old boy, the Lord saved him.
The Lord saved him. He started going to church. He
stopped hanging around with the friends he'd hung out with before.
He started being a different kind of husband, a better husband
and all that stuff. His wife was really upset because
all she wanted him to do was stop drinking. She didn't want
him to stop partying, stop playing cards and carrying on. She wanted
him just to stop drinking. To her, that was salvation. These
fellows don't need saving! They don't! They're fine just
like they are. After all, they had Abraham to
their father, they believed themselves, assured themselves that they
were righteous, and despised others, according to Luke 18.
But remember, our Lord is not speaking to THEM, or speaking
OF THEM, He's only speaking TO THEM. These words are to these
Pharisees. every sheep that enters the door
and all will shall be saved now this verse has often been
used as an invitation because it contains the words if any
man oh folks like to jump on that those who love and preach
the free will of man as the final word in salvation jump on this
like a duck on a june bug Lord has not changed boats in the
middle of the stream, since he is the door of the sheep. And
since he knows his sheep, and they know him, and they will
not follow a stranger, then his words, any man, are in reference
to the sheep of this context. Our Lord inasmuch has said to
the Pharisees, thieves and robbers and free wheelers, you can't
enter in. My sheep will. In fact, to the same Pharisees
in John chapter 6, when they said we don't believe you he
said I know you don't believe me I know but all the father
giveth of me shall come to me and him that cometh to me I'll
in no wise cast out for I came down from heaven not to do mine
own will but the will of him that sent me this is my father's
will it's all that he's given me of any man of all that he's
given me I should lose nothing to raise him up again in the
last day all of God's sheep were redeemed on Galilee all of God's
sheep There are many chairs in heaven,
but every one of them has got a name on it. Every seat at the table is reserved. The third thing revealed in this
door is liberty. He that goes in, he says, I am
the door, but any man that enter in, he shall be saved, and shall
go in and out. this concept is seen in the last
phrase go in and out fine pasture again this must be seen in the
sense of the statement he's rebuking the Pharisees the thieves and
the robbers because they believe that they got in by their own
wiles they believe also that they were kept there by their
own rigid rules and regulations they despise the concept of liberty
You can see it in their eyes and hear it in the desperation
of their voices and stridently defend the evidence of their
righteousness when you tell them, I'm a free man. When you say
things like, love Christ and do what you will, it just shakes
them to their bones. Oh, no, no, no. That'll open
up the floodgates of sin, not if they're saving them. Now,
if somebody wants to use the grace of God maliciously, and
we probably will open up the floodgate to sin, but not for
the saved, not for the sheep. You can tell the sheep have had
it. The world is your oyster. There is nothing out there that
is prohibited from you except what God prohibits in Scripture. All things are yours and you
are Christ and Christ is God. All things are part of your liberty. However, Remember that your liberty
is given to you to glorify God. Your liberty is given to you
to edify your brothers and sisters in Christ and strengthen yourself. So it's kind of a limited liberty,
but it's liberty. You're free to do that. There's
some things you're just free to do. Just have at it all you
want to. This does not suggest that those who are in Christ
can ever be out of Christ, as some would say. You can go in
and out and find a pastor, but rather it is an allusion to being
a free in the Lord Jesus Christ without any constraint but the
love of Christ. Love Christ and do as you please.
Going in and out refers to voluntary rather than stipulated action.
The sheep having entered the door may freely do what is good,
not for gain or fear of censure or loss, because it is right. may freely, determinedly take
up the table of the Lord, may freely be baptized, may freely
love, give, show temperance and moderation in all things because
there's no compulsion to do so but the love of Christ. What a child of God does is often
called fruit. I know some things about fruit. I see those apple trees over
at Barbara's orchard when they're hanging with fruit, almost down to the ground, just
loaded with fruit. And I say to you, I've never
seen one of those apple trees strain or feel compelled to bear an apple. Why? Because they're
apple trees. And if you're a child of God,
you're a fruit tree. No strain to do what God produces by you. The fruit will be produced. A
rose smells like a rose because it's a rose. That's why it does. It don't smell like a salmon.
It smells like a rose because it's a rose. You're God's fruit
trees. He says, but the fruit of the
Spirit. You don't strain to do any of these things. It's love. peace, long-suffering, gentleness,
goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. Against these, against such,
there is no law, no restriction. You mean you can love all you
want to? Yes, you can. you can love your brother until
it hurts if you want to. You can give. You can show meekness. You can be long-suffering. What
if my brother offends me? Don't worry about it. You've
probably been offended him a hundred times. All these things you produce
as the children of God. The sheep do not worship God
because he has to. He worships God because he wants
to. He does not give because He has to. He gives because He
wants to. He goes in and out and finds
pasture. Wherever He goes, He is always in the fold, and the
door is always there with Him. Wherever He goes, there's always
the green pastures of the Word of God for food, and the still
waters of the life of the thirsty soul. He goes in and out and
finds pasture. Christ said, I am the Lord. Father, bless us to understand
and pray in Christ's name.