CHURCH
LUTHERAN
Our Savior's of Elderon
4TH OF EASTER 2016 INI JOHN 10:1-10
Knock, knock! Who’s there! I’m sure you recognize those four words as the opening line for some of the silliest jokes ever told or heard. Knock, knock jokes have been around for a long time. We’ve heard them so many times that as soon as someone says “knock, knock to us we groan or respond with “who’s there?”
On the other hand I’m pretty sure we’ve all been in a situation where the knock-knock, who’s there scenario was real instead of funny. I can’t even count how many times I’ve knocked on someone’s door only to hear a voice on the other side say, “Who’s there?” And as far as our children go, I think most of us have trained them not to open the door unless they know who’s knocking. In our day and age opening the door without knowing who’s on the other side can be very dangerous.
“Knock, knock, who’s there!” I couldn’t help but think of those four words as I was contemplating how I was going to preach on our text for today. I didn’t choose those 4 words because I wanted to be funny. In fact the opposite is true. The reason I say that is because our text for today is talking about some very serious truths.
Every day of our lives there are people and attitudes and thoughts that are knocking at the heart and mind of our life trying to get in. What do we do? How do we handle those things? Unfortunately, more often than not, we simply open the door without checking to see who or what is there?
Today then, let’s see how these words of our Good Shepherd teach us to be very careful when it comes to opening the door of our heart and mind. Let’s do so under the theme:
KNOCK, KNOCK, WHO’S THERE?
The picture!
In order for us to better understand our text for today we need to look at the context in which these words were written. In John chpt. 9 we are told that Jesus healed a man who was born blind. When some of the man’s neighbors saw that he was healed, they decided that they needed to bring him to the Pharisees. They were the most respected religious leaders of the day. These religious leaders then, sort of investigated this miracle. During the course of the investigation they did not hear what they wanted to hear. That made them angry and so they started insulting the man who had been healed. Then they threw him out of the synagogue. They excommunicated him.
When Jesus heard that this man had been treated so badly by these so called religious leaders, he went and found him. He did this for a very specific reason. He had already given him the gift of physical sight. Now he gave him spiritual sight, the ability to see Jesus as his Savior from sin.
Some of the Pharisees who were present when Jesus did this objected because he (Jesus) said that they (the Pharisees) were spiritually blind. It was the objection of the Pharisees that led Jesus to speak the Words of our text. The key issue then, which Jesus stresses in our text, is that the sheep will always follow the voice of the shepherd. He pointed out that there are many false shepherds out there, many so called shepherds who are in reality spiritual thieves and robbers. But the true shepherd, the faithful shepherd is the one who leads the sheep to the Good Shepherd.
The picture that Jesus painted in john chpt 10 was very familiar to the people around him. A sheep pen was a walled enclosure with only one gate for the sheep to go in and out. It wasn’t just a fence like we have for cattle and horses. It was an enclosure with solid walls so wild animals could not get to the sheep. A sheep pen was something that people in Bible times saw everyday so they were familiar with it. The people also knew from experience that the sheep were able to recognize the voice of their own shepherd. For example; at night many shepherds would put their sheep in the same pen. Come morning all the shepherd had to do was call his sheep and they would come out of the pen and follow him because they recognized his voice.
Why is that? Why were the sheep so willing to follow the voice of the shepherd? It is because there is a close, caring and trusting relationship between the shepherd and his sheep. Jesus brings that point out when he says: “He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.”
The job of the shepherd in Bible times was to feed, guide and guard his sheep. Nowhere in the Bible is this brought out more clearly than in Psalm 23;1“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake, 4 “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” Psalm 23 is the perfect example of how and why the sheep follow the shepherd. They know from personal experience that the shepherd will feed, guide and guard them. That’s also why when the sheep do not recognize the shepherd’s voice they not only refuse to follow the shepherd, but they actually run away from him.
How does this apply to you and me? 2.
As I stated earlier, there are countless people, attitudes and thoughts that are constantly knocking on the door of our mind and heart trying to get in. How do we know which ones to let in and which ones to turn away from when there are literally hundreds if not thousands of church organizations, churches and cults, and groups out there? That’s a lot of people knocking. How do we know which one to let in and which ones to run away from?
How do we know? We listen! We listen to the sound of their voice. We listen to what they are saying and watch to see where they are leading. We take the time and have enough interest to know what these people believe, teach and confess. We examine both their teaching and how they put their teachings into practice. And we begin this by asking one all important question; “Is that person leading, guiding and directing me to the Good Shepherd?”
In this portion of John chpt. 10 Jesus makes it very clear that he is the Good Shepherd. "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.” There is only one person who can completely take away our sin. There is only one person who can freely give us the white robe of righteousness. There is only one person who can give us life … full life, meaningful life, eternal life. There is only one person who can guarantee salvation to us. That person is Jesus, the Good Shepherd. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. He is the one who suffered and died on Calvary cross as punishment for your sins and mine. He is the one who rose from the grave that first Easter Sunday to prove that our sins are truly forgiven and we too will on the last day rise to life eternal.
If we hear the voice of Jesus in our spiritual leaders then as Jesus’ little lambs we need to follow that leader. We need to listen to that spiritual leader even when he admonishes and rebukes us. But (and this is extremely important so listen carefully) if we cannot hear the voice of Jesus in the voice of our spiritual leaders then we need to run away from them just as fast as we can. This a matter of life and death, the eternal destiny of our soul.
A false teacher may look good, may sound good, may be an interesting and good speaker, he may have a huge flock following him. But if he is not pointing people to Jesus he is deceiving people and will end up destroying their soul. You also need to watch out for those who point people to Jesus, but only in an indirect way. They point people to themselves to what they need to do and not do, instead of what Jesus has done. They are proclaiming lies, false teachings of a works oriented religion. They too are putting peoples souls in danger. You cannot fudge on even one teaching of Scripture and hope to hold on to the rest. It just isn’t possible. It’s like saying you’re only a little bite pregnant or you’re faithful to your spouse most of the time. It doesn’t cut it, does it?
One day a TV network did a special on a college student who dressed up like a Nazi Storm Trooper. I don’t know who or what this man was listening to that made him want to do that, but I assure you, it was not the voice of the Good Shepherd. This man stated outright that anyone who said Christ was Jewish was wrong. This man had so much hatred for the Jews in his heart that no way was he ever going to believe that the Savior had come from the Jews.
Those responsible for the bombing in Boston, the killing of those innocent children at sandy hook, the columbine shootings and all the other killings that have become so frequent are certainly listening to a far different voice than the voice of the Good Shepherd. At Columbine when those two young men entered one room they asked if anyone believed in Christ. One girl admitted she did and was instantly shot dead. Perhaps she remembered the voice of the Good Shepherd saying; “Whoever acknowledges me before men I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men I will disown before my Father in heaven.” (matt: 10:32.33) There may have even been a moment when she remembered the voice of the Good Shepherd say; “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43)
Folks, can you see now why worship, Bible Study and prayer need to be the number one priority in your heart and life? When you are thoroughly familiar with the voice of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, you will know which spiritual leaders to follow and which to avoid at all costs. When you are thoroughly familiar with the voice of Jesus then when a spiritual leader stands before you and says; “Thus saith the Lord,” you will know whether to say “Amen,” or “whoa, wait a minute. That’s not what Jesus says here in his Word.”
When you are thoroughly familiar with the voice of Jesus and are able to hear his voice through your spiritual leaders that is when you will grow in your understanding of the depth and beauty of Jesus words; “I am the gate; whoever enters through Me will be saved. He will come in and go out and find pasture…I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.” Amen4TH OF EASTER 2016 INI JOHN 10:1-10
Knock, knock! Who’s there! I’m sure you recognize those four words as the opening line for some of the silliest jokes ever told or heard. Knock, knock jokes have been around for a long time. We’ve heard them so many times that as soon as someone says “knock, knock to us we groan or respond with “who’s there?”
On the other hand I’m pretty sure we’ve all been in a situation where the knock-knock, who’s there scenario was real instead of funny. I can’t even count how many times I’ve knocked on someone’s door only to hear a voice on the other side say, “Who’s there?” And as far as our children go, I think most of us have trained them not to open the door unless they know who’s knocking. In our day and age opening the door without knowing who’s on the other side can be very dangerous.
“Knock, knock, who’s there!” I couldn’t help but think of those four words as I was contemplating how I was going to preach on our text for today. I didn’t choose those 4 words because I wanted to be funny. In fact the opposite is true. The reason I say that is because our text for today is talking about some very serious truths.
Every day of our lives there are people and attitudes and thoughts that are knocking at the heart and mind of our life trying to get in. What do we do? How do we handle those things? Unfortunately, more often than not, we simply open the door without checking to see who or what is there?
Today then, let’s see how these words of our Good Shepherd teach us to be very careful when it comes to opening the door of our heart and mind. Let’s do so under the theme:
KNOCK, KNOCK, WHO’S THERE?
The picture!
In order for us to better understand our text for today we need to look at the context in which these words were written. In John chpt. 9 we are told that Jesus healed a man who was born blind. When some of the man’s neighbors saw that he was healed, they decided that they needed to bring him to the Pharisees. They were the most respected religious leaders of the day. These religious leaders then, sort of investigated this miracle. During the course of the investigation they did not hear what they wanted to hear. That made them angry and so they started insulting the man who had been healed. Then they threw him out of the synagogue. They excommunicated him.
When Jesus heard that this man had been treated so badly by these so called religious leaders, he went and found him. He did this for a very specific reason. He had already given him the gift of physical sight. Now he gave him spiritual sight, the ability to see Jesus as his Savior from sin.
Some of the Pharisees who were present when Jesus did this objected because he (Jesus) said that they (the Pharisees) were spiritually blind. It was the objection of the Pharisees that led Jesus to speak the Words of our text. The key issue then, which Jesus stresses in our text, is that the sheep will always follow the voice of the shepherd. He pointed out that there are many false shepherds out there, many so called shepherds who are in reality spiritual thieves and robbers. But the true shepherd, the faithful shepherd is the one who leads the sheep to the Good Shepherd.
The picture that Jesus painted in john chpt 10 was very familiar to the people around him. A sheep pen was a walled enclosure with only one gate for the sheep to go in and out. It wasn’t just a fence like we have for cattle and horses. It was an enclosure with solid walls so wild animals could not get to the sheep. A sheep pen was something that people in Bible times saw everyday so they were familiar with it. The people also knew from experience that the sheep were able to recognize the voice of their own shepherd. For example; at night many shepherds would put their sheep in the same pen. Come morning all the shepherd had to do was call his sheep and they would come out of the pen and follow him because they recognized his voice.
Why is that? Why were the sheep so willing to follow the voice of the shepherd? It is because there is a close, caring and trusting relationship between the shepherd and his sheep. Jesus brings that point out when he says: “He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.”
The job of the shepherd in Bible times was to feed, guide and guard his sheep. Nowhere in the Bible is this brought out more clearly than in Psalm 23;1“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake, 4 “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” Psalm 23 is the perfect example of how and why the sheep follow the shepherd. They know from personal experience that the shepherd will feed, guide and guard them. That’s also why when the sheep do not recognize the shepherd’s voice they not only refuse to follow the shepherd, but they actually run away from him.
How does this apply to you and me? 2.
As I stated earlier, there are countless people, attitudes and thoughts that are constantly knocking on the door of our mind and heart trying to get in. How do we know which ones to let in and which ones to turn away from when there are literally hundreds if not thousands of church organizations, churches and cults, and groups out there? That’s a lot of people knocking. How do we know which one to let in and which ones to run away from?
How do we know? We listen! We listen to the sound of their voice. We listen to what they are saying and watch to see where they are leading. We take the time and have enough interest to know what these people believe, teach and confess. We examine both their teaching and how they put their teachings into practice. And we begin this by asking one all important question; “Is that person leading, guiding and directing me to the Good Shepherd?”
In this portion of John chpt. 10 Jesus makes it very clear that he is the Good Shepherd. "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.” There is only one person who can completely take away our sin. There is only one person who can freely give us the white robe of righteousness. There is only one person who can give us life … full life, meaningful life, eternal life. There is only one person who can guarantee salvation to us. That person is Jesus, the Good Shepherd. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. He is the one who suffered and died on Calvary cross as punishment for your sins and mine. He is the one who rose from the grave that first Easter Sunday to prove that our sins are truly forgiven and we too will on the last day rise to life eternal.
If we hear the voice of Jesus in our spiritual leaders then as Jesus’ little lambs we need to follow that leader. We need to listen to that spiritual leader even when he admonishes and rebukes us. But (and this is extremely important so listen carefully) if we cannot hear the voice of Jesus in the voice of our spiritual leaders then we need to run away from them just as fast as we can. This a matter of life and death, the eternal destiny of our soul.
A false teacher may look good, may sound good, may be an interesting and good speaker, he may have a huge flock following him. But if he is not pointing people to Jesus he is deceiving people and will end up destroying their soul. You also need to watch out for those who point people to Jesus, but only in an indirect way. They point people to themselves to what they need to do and not do, instead of what Jesus has done. They are proclaiming lies, false teachings of a works oriented religion. They too are putting peoples souls in danger. You cannot fudge on even one teaching of Scripture and hope to hold on to the rest. It just isn’t possible. It’s like saying you’re only a little bite pregnant or you’re faithful to your spouse most of the time. It doesn’t cut it, does it?
One day a TV network did a special on a college student who dressed up like a Nazi Storm Trooper. I don’t know who or what this man was listening to that made him want to do that, but I assure you, it was not the voice of the Good Shepherd. This man stated outright that anyone who said Christ was Jewish was wrong. This man had so much hatred for the Jews in his heart that no way was he ever going to believe that the Savior had come from the Jews.
Those responsible for the bombing in Boston, the killing of those innocent children at sandy hook, the columbine shootings and all the other killings that have become so frequent are certainly listening to a far different voice than the voice of the Good Shepherd. At Columbine when those two young men entered one room they asked if anyone believed in Christ. One girl admitted she did and was instantly shot dead. Perhaps she remembered the voice of the Good Shepherd saying; “Whoever acknowledges me before men I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men I will disown before my Father in heaven.” (matt: 10:32.33) There may have even been a moment when she remembered the voice of the Good Shepherd say; “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43)
Folks, can you see now why worship, Bible Study and prayer need to be the number one priority in your heart and life? When you are thoroughly familiar with the voice of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, you will know which spiritual leaders to follow and which to avoid at all costs. When you are thoroughly familiar with the voice of Jesus then when a spiritual leader stands before you and says; “Thus saith the Lord,” you will know whether to say “Amen,” or “whoa, wait a minute. That’s not what Jesus says here in his Word.”
When you are thoroughly familiar with the voice of Jesus and are able to hear his voice through your spiritual leaders that is when you will grow in your understanding of the depth and beauty of Jesus words; “I am the gate; whoever enters through Me will be saved. He will come in and go out and find pasture…I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.” Amen4TH OF EASTER 2016 INI JOHN 10:1-10
Knock, knock! Who’s there! I’m sure you recognize those four words as the opening line for some of the silliest jokes ever told or heard. Knock, knock jokes have been around for a long time. We’ve heard them so many times that as soon as someone says “knock, knock to us we groan or respond with “who’s there?”
On the other hand I’m pretty sure we’ve all been in a situation where the knock-knock, who’s there scenario was real instead of funny. I can’t even count how many times I’ve knocked on someone’s door only to hear a voice on the other side say, “Who’s there?” And as far as our children go, I think most of us have trained them not to open the door unless they know who’s knocking. In our day and age opening the door without knowing who’s on the other side can be very dangerous.
“Knock, knock, who’s there!” I couldn’t help but think of those four words as I was contemplating how I was going to preach on our text for today. I didn’t choose those 4 words because I wanted to be funny. In fact the opposite is true. The reason I say that is because our text for today is talking about some very serious truths.
Every day of our lives there are people and attitudes and thoughts that are knocking at the heart and mind of our life trying to get in. What do we do? How do we handle those things? Unfortunately, more often than not, we simply open the door without checking to see who or what is there?
Today then, let’s see how these words of our Good Shepherd teach us to be very careful when it comes to opening the door of our heart and mind. Let’s do so under the theme:
KNOCK, KNOCK, WHO’S THERE?
The picture!
In order for us to better understand our text for today we need to look at the context in which these words were written. In John chpt. 9 we are told that Jesus healed a man who was born blind. When some of the man’s neighbors saw that he was healed, they decided that they needed to bring him to the Pharisees. They were the most respected religious leaders of the day. These religious leaders then, sort of investigated this miracle. During the course of the investigation they did not hear what they wanted to hear. That made them angry and so they started insulting the man who had been healed. Then they threw him out of the synagogue. They excommunicated him.
When Jesus heard that this man had been treated so badly by these so called religious leaders, he went and found him. He did this for a very specific reason. He had already given him the gift of physical sight. Now he gave him spiritual sight, the ability to see Jesus as his Savior from sin.
Some of the Pharisees who were present when Jesus did this objected because he (Jesus) said that they (the Pharisees) were spiritually blind. It was the objection of the Pharisees that led Jesus to speak the Words of our text. The key issue then, which Jesus stresses in our text, is that the sheep will always follow the voice of the shepherd. He pointed out that there are many false shepherds out there, many so called shepherds who are in reality spiritual thieves and robbers. But the true shepherd, the faithful shepherd is the one who leads the sheep to the Good Shepherd.
The picture that Jesus painted in john chpt 10 was very familiar to the people around him. A sheep pen was a walled enclosure with only one gate for the sheep to go in and out. It wasn’t just a fence like we have for cattle and horses. It was an enclosure with solid walls so wild animals could not get to the sheep. A sheep pen was something that people in Bible times saw everyday so they were familiar with it. The people also knew from experience that the sheep were able to recognize the voice of their own shepherd. For example; at night many shepherds would put their sheep in the same pen. Come morning all the shepherd had to do was call his sheep and they would come out of the pen and follow him because they recognized his voice.
Why is that? Why were the sheep so willing to follow the voice of the shepherd? It is because there is a close, caring and trusting relationship between the shepherd and his sheep. Jesus brings that point out when he says: “He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.”
The job of the shepherd in Bible times was to feed, guide and guard his sheep. Nowhere in the Bible is this brought out more clearly than in Psalm 23;1“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake, 4 “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” Psalm 23 is the perfect example of how and why the sheep follow the shepherd. They know from personal experience that the shepherd will feed, guide and guard them. That’s also why when the sheep do not recognize the shepherd’s voice they not only refuse to follow the shepherd, but they actually run away from him.
How does this apply to you and me? 2.
As I stated earlier, there are countless people, attitudes and thoughts that are constantly knocking on the door of our mind and heart trying to get in. How do we know which ones to let in and which ones to turn away from when there are literally hundreds if not thousands of church organizations, churches and cults, and groups out there? That’s a lot of people knocking. How do we know which one to let in and which ones to run away from?
How do we know? We listen! We listen to the sound of their voice. We listen to what they are saying and watch to see where they are leading. We take the time and have enough interest to know what these people believe, teach and confess. We examine both their teaching and how they put their teachings into practice. And we begin this by asking one all important question; “Is that person leading, guiding and directing me to the Good Shepherd?”
In this portion of John chpt. 10 Jesus makes it very clear that he is the Good Shepherd. "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.” There is only one person who can completely take away our sin. There is only one person who can freely give us the white robe of righteousness. There is only one person who can give us life … full life, meaningful life, eternal life. There is only one person who can guarantee salvation to us. That person is Jesus, the Good Shepherd. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. He is the one who suffered and died on Calvary cross as punishment for your sins and mine. He is the one who rose from the grave that first Easter Sunday to prove that our sins are truly forgiven and we too will on the last day rise to life eternal.
If we hear the voice of Jesus in our spiritual leaders then as Jesus’ little lambs we need to follow that leader. We need to listen to that spiritual leader even when he admonishes and rebukes us. But (and this is extremely important so listen carefully) if we cannot hear the voice of Jesus in the voice of our spiritual leaders then we need to run away from them just as fast as we can. This a matter of life and death, the eternal destiny of our soul.
A false teacher may look good, may sound good, may be an interesting and good speaker, he may have a huge flock following him. But if he is not pointing people to Jesus he is deceiving people and will end up destroying their soul. You also need to watch out for those who point people to Jesus, but only in an indirect way. They point people to themselves to what they need to do and not do, instead of what Jesus has done. They are proclaiming lies, false teachings of a works oriented religion. They too are putting peoples souls in danger. You cannot fudge on even one teaching of Scripture and hope to hold on to the rest. It just isn’t possible. It’s like saying you’re only a little bite pregnant or you’re faithful to your spouse most of the time. It doesn’t cut it, does it?
One day a TV network did a special on a college student who dressed up like a Nazi Storm Trooper. I don’t know who or what this man was listening to that made him want to do that, but I assure you, it was not the voice of the Good Shepherd. This man stated outright that anyone who said Christ was Jewish was wrong. This man had so much hatred for the Jews in his heart that no way was he ever going to believe that the Savior had come from the Jews.
Those responsible for the bombing in Boston, the killing of those innocent children at sandy hook, the columbine shootings and all the other killings that have become so frequent are certainly listening to a far different voice than the voice of the Good Shepherd. At Columbine when those two young men entered one room they asked if anyone believed in Christ. One girl admitted she did and was instantly shot dead. Perhaps she remembered the voice of the Good Shepherd saying; “Whoever acknowledges me before men I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men I will disown before my Father in heaven.” (matt: 10:32.33) There may have even been a moment when she remembered the voice of the Good Shepherd say; “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43)
Folks, can you see now why worship, Bible Study and prayer need to be the number one priority in your heart and life? When you are thoroughly familiar with the voice of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, you will know which spiritual leaders to follow and which to avoid at all costs. When you are thoroughly familiar with the voice of Jesus then when a spiritual leader stands before you and says; “Thus saith the Lord,” you will know whether to say “Amen,” or “whoa, wait a minute. That’s not what Jesus says here in his Word.”
When you are thoroughly familiar with the voice of Jesus and are able to hear his voice through your spiritual leaders that is when you will grow in your understanding of the depth and beauty of Jesus words; “I am the gate; whoever enters through Me will be saved. He will come in and go out and find pasture…I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.” Amen
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