In the 10th chapter of John’s gospel, I am sure that you know that at this time; it was just after Jesus had given sight to the blind man, and then we read about the Pharisees and what they had to say.
Then in the 10th chapter Jesus tells about the Shepherd and the sheep.
This chapter is about what Jesus is and what He does for the sheep and what the sheep do.
King David in the Old Testament in Psalm 23 said, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”
David knew what it was to be a shepherd before he became king of Israel.
He knew all about sheep and their nature, and he was speaking as if he was a sheep and the Lord was his shepherd.
As we look into this chapter, I thought of what Jesus said. He spoke like a parable.
“Verily, verily I say unto you, he that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some of her way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sleep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice; and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sleep 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 spoke unto them.”
In the 7th verse of this chapter Jesus said, “I am the door.”
Also in the 9th verse, “I am the door: by me if any man enters in, he shall be saved and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”
We know that Jesus is the door into the sheepfold; into God’s kingdom; God’s family.
In this case Jesus is talking about the sheepfold and He is the door.
There is no other way to entrance into this fold; the fold that belongs to God.
The only way is through Jesus the door.
I am glad that when I was a young boy of 15 I first started going to these meetings and I learned about the very same things we hear about tonight, and I heard about this chapter and the way into the sheepfold.
I noticed that there was only one way, and that was Jesus.
He is still the door into the sheepfold.
We can’t get in any other way.
We might think that we can get in, and might feel that we are in this fold.
When eternity comes, if we haven’t known what it is to hear the gospel message through God’s servants, and are willing to obey the voice of Jesus, and enter into this fold; when eternity comes, we won’t have a part in it.
We won’t be able to fool God or Jesus.
In verse 11 Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd”.
Jesus is the Good Shepherd.
In the Japanese language it says about the Great Shepherd.
David in the Old Testament knew Jesus as his Lord.
That was the reason he could say, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”
We want to know Jesus as the Great shepherd.
I hope that listening to the gospel will cause us to know what David knew, and Jesus’ disciples knew, and what everyone from those days have known of Jesus being the great shepherd.
Going back to verse 3 we read of what the shepherd does; it says that he calleth his sheep by name.
That is a marvellous thing.
I can remember when I heard the gospel, it was just as if the Lord was calling me by name.
This is a very individual thing, listening to the gospel.
It is just between yourself and God, and myself and God.
Jesus here calls us by name, through the gospel He speaks.
We want to respond when He calls.
In the same verse, “He leadeth them out.”
He calleth his own sheep by name and leadeth them out.
Verse 4 it says, “and goeth before them.”
If we want to have a part in this fold, as we listen to the gospel and hear the voice of the shepherd, we want to be willing to be led by Him when he calls us by name, and we want to learn to follow in His steps.
Jesus will always go before His sheep as long as we follow, we don’t have any need to fear.
The danger is if we get away from following Jesus.
In the 23rd Psalm David knew what it was to be led by the Lord.
The Lord led him in dangerous places, but there was no danger as long as he kept following the good shepherd.
In verse 27 it says, “And they follow me.”
My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me.
That is what we need to do.
We need to follow Jesus.
It says, “My sheep hear my voice.”
I can remember when I listened to the gospel, especially hearing the voice of Jesus.
I didn’t hear an audible voice, but I believe I was spoken to, and I wondered who was speaking to my heart.
We know when we are spoken to by the Lord.
Little by little I began to realise that it was the Lord speaking to me as an individual.
The time came when I was recognizing the voice of the shepherd and I was willing to obey the voice of the shepherd, and then I was given peace and joy and began to know Him.
In the 14th verse Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and I am known of mine.”
That is a mutual thing.
We get to know Him and He gets to know us.
He knows everything about us, and we can’t hide anything from Him.
He knows we are frail creatures of the dust and he is sympathetic and understanding.
As we follow Him we get to know Him we get to know Him more and more.
When I thought about following Jesus and getting to know His voice, I thought of the times since I first began to follow Jesus, there have been times when I have disobeyed that voice, and then I have lost the peace and joy.
Then if we are willing to quickly retrace our steps, when we hear that voice again to obey again.
The third verse says the sheep hear his voice, and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
He goeth before them because they know His voice.
The more I listen to the word of God, the more I get to know the voice of Jesus to my heart.
God’s true sheep don’t fear to follow His voice.
We don’t have any need to fear; He will eventually lead us to that eternal dwelling.
Verse 5, “And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him; or they know not the voice of strangers.”
There are many strange voices in the world.
We get to know the voice of the stranger, and we will shun the stranger’s voice.
We will get to know the shepherd’s voice better and we have no need to fear.
Verse 28 He said, “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”
No person on earth can give you or me eternal life, but it is only Jesus himself.
That is something we get when we hear and obey the gospel message.
Verse 11 says, “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.”
Verse 15, “As the Father knoweth his, even so know I the Father: and I lay my life down for the sheep.”
He was laying down His life for the sheep.
Verses 17, 18 “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.”
Those religious people didn’t know what He was talking about, because they didn’t have an honest and good heart.
Jesus was talking about when He was going to lay down his life on Calvary, and be raised again from the dead.
Jesus had the power to save His life for himself.
If He did this, you and I wouldn’t have had the privilege of hearing the Gospel, and have our sins forgiven and taken away, and our names written in the Lambs book of life.
Jesus was willing to lay down His life right to the end of His life.
Even on the cross Jesus was suffering in agony and anguish of soul, the chief priests and scribes were saying, “If thou be the Son of God, come down and save thyself”.
Jesus could have saved himself there, but he stayed there and died that cruel death for your sins and mine, so that we could have eternal life and forgiveness and cleansing.
I would like to know a little more about the love of Christ.
In the 16th verse it says, “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.”
He was speaking about the future and referring to our day.
He was going to look for other sheep, not the Jews only, but the Gentiles and He was going to send His under-shepherds and they hear His voice and hear the gospel through his true servants.
Truth Archive 