Word of Jesus Part 56
John 10:1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door
into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a
robber.
This is another way of explaining that there is no other way of salvation except
the way God planned through believing in the Son of God Jesus Christ who came to
save us from sin.
John 10:2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
John 10:3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth
his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
John 10:4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the
sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
John 10:5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they
know not the voice of strangers.
His sheep hear His voice. Once we come to Christ and we are "born again" by
God's spirit, we will know His voice.
John 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in
my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
If one does not continue in the word, he or she may open themselves up to be
deceived but if we continue in the word, we will know the savior's voice and
will not follow another.
Sheep will not hear the voice of a stranger. If we are the sheep of Jesus Christ
we will not accept the voice of a false teacher. Remember though sheep
represents true believers. True believers do not just claim Jesus as savior but
do as He says. We are not true sheep if we claim to know Jesus Christ and ignore
everything He had to say to us in the word of God. We have such a responsibility
to teach only truth and not change the word of God.
John 10:6 This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things
they were which he spake unto them.
John 10:7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am
the door of the sheep.
John 10:8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did
not hear them.
John 10:9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall
go in and out, and find pasture.
Again here is another verse warning us that Jesus is the only way to be saved
after this point in time.
John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I
am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Jesus came to give life. It is God's will that we be saved. It is not God's will
that any should perish.
No religion that does harm to people fulfill the will of God. In the past
God brought judgment to nations that committed such evil that He had to stop
their acts by destroying their cities. When He sent His Son to bring us
the gospel of salvation, things changed and we now have mercy and a way out of
sin and into the kingdom of God. Now we bring hope, love and truth.
We do not bring judgment, condemnation and harm. God will do the judging
to those that oppose the gospel. He has not given that to us. Many
innocent people have died in the past for merely not believing in infant baptism
or disagreeing with the religious leaders in charge of the church. This
should never have been. Let God do that part and let us preach the gospel
only. If we do the judging and condemning people to death, we are going to
hurt the innocent. Sooner or later we start judging people for breaking
our commandments and rules that have ceased to resemble God's commandments and
word. This has happened and is happening. We will be judged for
breaking God's word and God's commandments, not the commandments made by men or
church tradition.
Luke 9:54 And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt
thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as
Elias did?
Luke 9:55 But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of
spirit ye are of.
Luke 9:56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save
them. And they went to another village.
Jesus came to save. Those who claim to know Jesus Christ and be representatives
of His word do err when they use methods of torture to force conversions, cast
out devils or any other nonsense some have used in church history. Jesus did
none of these things, Paul did none of this and we should not either. No
pope, priest, minister, rabbi, or any other religious leader has a right to harm
someone for rejecting the gospel or rejecting church teachings. We are to preach
the gospel and make disciples. That is all the power we are given.
We cannot forgive sins and make a person, "born again" by our own rituals.
We are never to force conversions or put to death those that oppose us. This
type of judgment has to be left in the hands of God. We make a mess of spreading
the gospel if we begin to beat up the opposition with the use of force in any way.
We have to have laws to punish those that break civil laws such as thieves,
murderers and such but those that preach the gospel must be those that live in
peace and holiness. They must never lift up a hand to harm those that believe
different and oppose the gospel. Judging them has to be left up to God. So many
have brought reproach to the name of Christ because they used tried to make
judgments that belong to God only.
If we truly want to represent Christ, we are to love our enemies, do good to
them that persecute us and pray for them that despise us.
Love means telling the truth though and not compromising the word of God in any
way to get along with people.
John 10:11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the
sheep.
John 10:12 But he that is an hireling, 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.
Jesus died for His sheep. Those that are just hired to watch the sheep may flee
when trouble comes. We must keep our eyes on Jesus and His word. For He is the
one who really cares for us as individuals.
John 10:13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the
sheep.
This just may be a test for a good pastor of a church.
John 10:14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
John 10:15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my
life for the sheep.
John 10:16 And 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.
This is the Gentiles or people that were not Jews to whom the gospel was first
given. The church never replaces the Jews but will one day be joined to them in
the same fold.
John 10:17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I
might take it again.
John 10:18 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.
Jesus could have backed out of the crucifixion at any time. This was a willing
sacrifice.
John 10:19 There was a division therefore again among the Jews for these sayings.
John 10:20 And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?
John 10:21 Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a
devil open the eyes of the blind?
No these are not the words of a devil. How many devils will die for our sins?
How many devils will teach us to love one another?
True love will never compromise important truth to please the crowds.
John 10:22 And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was
winter.
John 10:23 And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch.
John 10:24 Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost
thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.
John 10:25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I
do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me.
John 10:26 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto
you.
John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
John 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish,
neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
If we follow Christ in spirit and in truth, no person can ever take that away
from us. However, nothing is forced upon us. If we willingly stop abiding in
Christ and His word, we will separate ourselves from Him. Most true sheep though
will not hear the voice of another but be faithful to Christ.
John 10:29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able
to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
We have this hope when we abide in Christ. We have a safety net, a comfort and a
place of refuge that the raging world around us cannot separate us from.
John 10:30 I and my Father are one.
God wants the true believers to be as one like the Father and Son are one. We
are to be one in spirit and in truth.
Remember though not to fall for a false unity which compromises sound doctrine
and important truths of God's word. True unity of the spirit will not compromise
the truth.
John 10:31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.
John 10:32 Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father;
for which of those works do ye stone me?
John 10:33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but
for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
They may have accepted Him as a miracle worker or leader if He left off making
Himself to be the Son of God. Another will come one day who they may mistakenly
believe to be a representative from God. That will be the anti-christ. Jesus
could have become a military leader and conquered the Romans but He did not do
so at this time because He came first to save us from sin. This was rejected by
the Jews of that day who were not looking to be saved from sin. They wanted to
conquer their earthly enemies. Our greatest enemy is sin. If we remain in sin
when we die, we are lost forever. If we only lose our life here, and are saved
from sin, it really does not matter in the long run.
We must be free from sin to inherit eternal life. Only faith in Jesus Christ and
accepting Him into our lives can possibly save us from sin.
This has to be done by the Holy Spirit. We cannot force conversions to
Christianity. We cannot baptize people into Christianity. We cannot save anyone
by church rituals, communion services, or any other ordinance.
Only repenting of sin and accepting Jesus Christ can save anyone from sin.
Anything man does cannot save us. We are to preach the gospel but the spirit of
God has to do the saving of a sinner.
John 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of
water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
This is done individually to one who believes in Jesus Christ to the point of
accepting Him as savior and Lord. It is on a one on one basis. It does not
depend on any church, ritual or ordinance of the church. It cannot be forced on
anyone. Forced conversions are the biggest waste of time anyone every thought
of.
True faith works by love. This is a good thing and a perfect way of salvation.
It is grievous that men and sometimes women have messed it up with adding to or
taking away from the true way of salvation given to us by the Lord Jesus
Himself.
John 10:34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are
gods?
John 10:35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the
scripture cannot be broken;
Joh 10:36 Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the
world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?
This is found in the Psalms
Psa 82:6) I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most
High.
(Psa 82:7) But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.
(Psa 82:8) Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.
Sometimes judges or representatives of God were called gods. These verses have
been taken by some to mean that man can become as God and be equal to Him.
However, we know this is not so. What a mess we would make of the world.
Satan at one time thought he would rise above God. We have to be very careful to
stay humble and not puff up one man or woman above another. Jesus warns of this
many times in this same book of John.
If men were called gods at some point in the past, why are they so offended when
the real Son of God makes that claim? If a fake teacher came with that claim,
they would believe it.
John 10:37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.
John 10:38 But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may
know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.
We can read the accounts of Jesus' life in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. By
studying the actual words of Jesus we can see that He was not after evil but
good.
He wanted to save not kill
He wanted to heal not make sick
He wanted to love not hate
He wanted to help not hurt
He wanted to speak truth not lies
He wanted to die so we could live
He wanted good not evil
He wanted to give eternal life not death.
If any religion, even a Christian religion that teaches us to hate our enemies,
persecute our opposers, use torture, use slavery, put to death people for just
opposing what they think is truth, or teaches any way of salvation other than
through Jesus Christ, that religion is false.
The simple gospel is to repent of sin and believe in Christ.
If we add to this church rituals, taking communion and make other requirements
for salvation, we are teaching a false doctrine.
Repentance alone cannot save apart from faith in Christ. Doing good deeds can't
save apart from Christ. Those things accompany true faith but they cannot save
without faith in Jesus Christ. If it was possible that we could be saved by just
being a good person and not believe anything, Jesus would not have had to die
for our sins. A sacrifice for sin had to be made because the wages of sin is
death according to the law of God. The law condemns us but Jesus paid the
penalty on our behalf and we can be free from the curse of the law by repenting
of sin and believing in Jesus Christ.
The blood of animals was not good enough to atone for sin. It just pointed the
way to the perfect sacrifice that was to come. After Jesus came and gave Himself
for our sins, animal sacrifices are no longer needed for the salvation of
mankind.
But that is not all. Not only did Jesus pay the price for our sins but gave us
the gift of the Holy Spirit to live within us to comfort, help and guide us. We
are not alone after we come to Jesus Christ for salvation.
John 10:39 Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their
hand,
John 10:40 And went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first
baptized; and there he abode.
John 10:41 And many resorted unto him, and said, John did no miracle: but all
things that John spake of this man were true.
John 10:42 And many believed on him there.
Truly this man was without fault and became one of us that we might inherit
eternal life and not suffer the condemnation of the law that says, "The soul
that sins will die." This means eternal death of course for all natural bodies
will one day die. It is the soul that faces either eternal life or an eternity
in hell.
