[Transcript represents full sermon's text]

       John chapter 10, starting in verse 1: “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them” (ESV).

       We start off today with Jesus trying to show the Pharisees as they actually are—the state of their 'beingness.' The desire is present, on his part, for everyone to see this plain truth. Basically, it is being stated to the Pharisees that they are the thieves and the robbers. That’s interesting, isn’t it? It’s sobering for sure because it means that they are robbing the people who follow after them. Robbing them of what? Eternal life is what is being stolen—they are leading them the wrong way. That’s what the Pharisees did back then with Jewish people, and that’s false religious leaders do today—no matter from what background they are from. This line of reasoning is why false religion is so bad. People think they are believing the truth, but they actually aren’t. Anyone who isn’t believing with the correct set of facts, who isn’t seeing the truth for how it is, and is instead trying to get to Heaven by another way, by another way, that person is a thief and a robber. One cannot impress God by his actions, by his ability to try to get in the sheepfold without going through the door. Climbing over the fence may appear to be impressive, but it doesn’t impress God. The only way that impresses him is through humble submission to what it is, to the true way, to how things actually are. This includes the understanding that we are actually sinners, and that we are incapable of saving ourselves. God cannot even be approached unless he's approached through the sacrifice of Christ. Other ways are not displaying humility. On the contrary, they exalt our own beings as if we are as good as God.

       In the illustration, the Shepherd calls his own sheep “by name.” A personal calling is pictured, a personal relationship that we obtain with God. Isn’t that incredible, that we all have personal relationships with God? It’s not granted to us just to be a member of the group, but we actually know God in a one-on-one basis. And since the sheep have gained the Holy Spirit (for us today), and have become a new creation, and have God’s Word, the Bible, they know what God desires and what he doesn’t. They know what Jesus sounds like and what he doesn’t sound like. They don’t follow after those who don’t present the truth, but after those who do. They aren’t easily lead astray anymore. It’s as the Apostle Paul will say in his epistle to the Ephesians, “so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes” (Ephesians 4:14, ESV). Discernment now exists as to what is good and to what is bad. You see, the one who climbs in, the one who isn’t part of the true sheep fold, doesn’t have that ability. They will, and are, carried away by this and that, by what the world presents—thinking they have found the answer. The issue is, is that there aren’t any true answers, long lasting, permanent answers outside of Christ. That’s the reality. Can people make themselves feel better? Sure. Can they gain some temporary relief? Absolutely. Can they live forever without Jesus? Certainly not.

       Verse 7: “So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep” (ESV).

       Further explanation is given as to what was afore to discussed, that Jesus is the door by which the sheep enter. That could mean, in the first part of the passage, that the gatekeeper could in fact be the Holy Spirit. Some theologians, however, desire to count these illustrations as separate. Regardless, Jesus makes himself even plainer, when he says, “If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” This is another good eternal security verse. And it appears to denote that salvation is a one-time process, and not a continual process as many Christians seem to think it is. One enters and that’s it. It’s done. The person is sealed by the Holy Spirit, and this seal is permanent. Anyhow, these sheep, those who are truly saved, “go in and out and find pasture.” This doesn’t mean a person will lose their salvation and then re-gain it again, but rather it means that a person is actually free for the first time in their lives. Freedom to live without choosing sin in some way, shape, or form becomes reality for a person. Remember what Jesus has told us? He said, “you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:33, ESV). That’s the truth about being saved. That internal knowing comes to the mind, to consciousness itself, and that’s just another indicator of being permanently changed.

       Jesus noted, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” Reference to Satan as the thief had been made in other passages. The conclusion can be made that Satan is the true thief of souls. He’s the one who steals the seed that’s laid before people. People are given the chance to believe, but Satan, by his deception, convinces them otherwise. Sure, they still make the choice not to believe, but Satan is the one who presents the alternative way, the way that leads to death instead of life. That’s his only purpose and intent. It’s not that Satan is half good and half evil. It’s that, in his character, he always seeking to work in ways that go against God, that drag people to his side. Perhaps one day, and it seems to be true, perhaps one day he thinks he will really win, and then everyone can live lawlessly, and he can throw the Christians in his version of the Lake of Fire. We know, though, that he’s not powerful enough to do that, but he probably doesn’t think that. The mission is rather to destroy, and he does destroy people’s lives all the time. He causes people to get killed. He causes people to believe lies. He tries to cause Christians problems and to destroy their lives. These are his main objectives. These are things he is seeking to accomplish. He even gets human beings to be on his side and carry out his wishes and purposes.

       Now, let’s ponder one of our favorite verses, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” What a contrast from Satan’s way. What is the abundant life that Jesus offers? Well, certainly, there is no way to summarize it all here, for it is too grand—has too many implications in the positive. Does it mean that the person who believes becomes free from all problems? Well, it depends on what one means by that. Life will never be free from problems as long as we are in this sin-affected world. We all know that; we all understand that. Not even with God on our side will life be free from problems. Yet, in the same sense, in the same breath, life is free from problems because one now knows and understands the truth of things. One understands that life does not consist of the external things that are greatly valued among those who aren’t saved. Life is enriched and enjoyed by fellow believers—we understand that. But even those aren’t truly our source of life. Since God is our source, and we are indwelled by the Holy Spirit, and God is always with us, he is our source and it is our relationship with him that brings the ultimate happiness. Our brothers and sisters in Christ can die; they can leave our lives. We can move, and things can change. Yet our relationship with God never changes. God doesn’t change, and we can stay consistent in believing in God, in fellowshipping with him, and in counting on him for our needs. It’s a truly wonderful thing, this life with Christ now brings us.

       Let’s consider “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” To lay one's life down for a friend or family member really is the ultimate sacrifice one can give. There are doesn't seem to be anything greater a person can do on behalf of another person. Even Paul recognized this fact when he said, “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:6-9, ESV). What makes this even greater, as Paul noted, is that Christ did this even though we were guilty of sin. It would seem logical that a person who usually sacrifices their life for another does it with the idea that the other person is good. Certainly love is involved. But Christ's love is perfected since it is the whole picture, that while we are valuable we are still tainted by sin. And even though we’re tainted by sin Christ still died for us.

       In our understanding, we all know what it is like when people don't really care about what they are doing, as in the shepherd abandoning the sheep. Whether that be the company they are working for, or whatever task they've put their hands toward, we have seen this. It seems to even be more common among the younger generations unfortunately, those who haven’t really been tested and tried by any World Wars as the previous generations. The attitude can be seen with a person who has been hired to do a particular job, and doesn't really have their heart in whatever task it is. Interestingly, this is the way Satan is. He has led everyone astray, and at the same time, when it comes to the end, he certainly isn't going to be there for them. He couldn't be there even if he wanted to be, since he will be thrown into the Lake of Fire himself, but we know he doesn’t want to be anyway. Love is absent from his true makeup, his character. Selfishness envelops—he’s all about himself. That’s the dramatic irony behind it. The person who is a line with Satan, even when they don't realize that fact, is in fact going to end up all alone in the end. That person who gave their allegiance towards doing things the way they wanted, living life the way they desired, when it was different from righteousness, from truth, ends up alone, with their true father abandoning them in the end. He cares nothing for them.

       Verse 14: “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father” (ESV).

       Let’s first focus on the statement, “I have other sheep… not of this fold.” “I have other sheep… not of this fold.” What does this mean? There have been people in the past, some of him we are aware of, like Abraham and Moses, Samuel and David, and many others who have believed in God, who have had a personal relationship with him. These are the people of the past, those who have believed in God and have been declared righteous by him. The other way we can look at the verse is to think about those in the future, those who still have yet to believe in the Gospel message. Jesus will talk about these folks in John chapter 17, in the High Priestly Prayer. Now there does seem to be a little bit of speculation as to whether the Father or the Son actually know of the specific individuals who would believe in him in the future since the future hasn't happened yet, since free will choices haven’t been made yet. And while it’s not befitting to get into the specific details of that, or try to wonder about it, we know for sure that either way, God has provided the way of salvation for people to believe. That’s the Good News. So no matter what time period people find themselves in, even during the upcoming Tribulation Period, there is opportunity to believe. Truly, in no time in world history, is there not the opportunity for people to believe. Now sometimes the opportunity closes, but that's always the result of sin, the result of the hardening of the heart of individuals.

       Consider how Jesus said he lays down his life of his own accord. This is a monumental thing to ponder in the mind. John has been speaking of how the Jews have been plotting and planning against Jesus, even so much so that they plan to take his own life. Yet, Jesus goes against that whole notion here, that whole narrative, if you will, and says that it is actually he who is going to give up his own life for the sake of people coming into the kingdom of God. He says that the Father has given him authority over his own life. This is a unique authority. None of us has this authority over our own lives. Wise choices can be made, but we are also subject to other things, even the randomness that is involved in our current world set up due to sin. It has to be that Jesus has authority to give up his own life, otherwise he could not claim, nor could the Father, that what he is doing, this action he is taking by dying on the cross, is actually out of love. Out of love. Satan certainly could charge that he was the one who killed the Christ, and Jesus is just taking credit for it. That would be the case if Jesus didn't have authority over his own life. And it’s also probably the case that Satan himself has no idea of this exchange of authority, expect upon hearing it from Jesus’ lips. Satan likely still believes he’s accomplishing something to his own benefit by killing Jesus.

       Verse 19: “There was again a division among the Jews because of these words. Many of them said, “He has a demon, and is insane; why listen to him?” Others said, “These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind? At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one” (ESV).

       So, we see the great debate that is occurring among the various Jewish individuals who have heard Jesus’ words, those who have been standing around and listening. There is a division. Some still are clinging to their hope that he is somehow demon possessed, that he is crazy. It’s interesting in how they believe in demon possession, isn’t it, and yet have a real hard time believing he is the Christ? That truly doesn’t even make any sense. Yet, this appears to be the hope of a lot of people, and even to our own day and age. But there are others standing around who notice what is impossible to ignore, and that is the power of God. All this debate leads to the Jews finally confronting Jesus in the colonnade of Solomon, regarding whether he is the Christ. They want to know plainly, they say. However, this may just may be an attempt to get him to admit he is the Christ so that they can then prosecute him and put him to death. Unfortunately, that may be what is going on. Hopefully the question is genuine, but we really just don't know for sure.

       A formula presents itself in what Jesus is saying here, and it has to do with the order of which people come in saving faith in Jesus. First and foremost, we can note that the audience is Jewish in this context. That’s actually important, as it seems things are a bit different in our current time with the way this works, versus the time represented here. In this context, in the passage, the sheep, the believing Jews, hear Jesus’ words and then he says “I know them.” It’s as if, once they believe, then Christ recognizes them as his own. He doesn’t say that he knows them, and then they hear his voice. This distinction is important. Second, we can note that after they hear, he knows them, the third step is that the sheep in turn follow Jesus. Again, in this context, that would mean that rather than following the Jewish Law, as they have been following, they are following Jesus’ way instead. It’s probably not that Jesus is referring to a specific, customized path for each individual, but rather that they are following under the way of the New Covenant. Fourth, notice, notice, it’s at this point that he grants them eternal life. This is when eternal life comes into the picture. It’s not that God grants them eternal life, he knows them, they hear his voice, and they follow him, as is often, often laid out. That order is incorrect. The correct order, presented in John, shows us the free-will that God has bestowed upon mankind. Humans have free-will, and they can utilize that free-will to believe, or not to believe. It’s due to this second condition that Jesus keeps appealing to the unbelieving Jews.

       Continuing on considering this forth point, that Jesus gives those who believe eternal life, we can note that this guarantees their salvation. It guarantees it. It appears that’s the better understanding, than to say that one can become saved and then become unsaved. That yo-yoing back and forth doesn’t seem to be the case. A lot of Arminians believe this is the way it works—that one can lose his or her salvation. Even the Eastern Orthodox Christians see salvation as more of a living thing, a progression throughout life, where one continually needs to demonstrate they are saved. Jesus said, “I give them eternal life.” We know this as the ‘gift’ of God, as the Apostle Paul will allude to later with the Roman believers. A gift is freely given, and isn’t something that’s really ongoing. Jesus said, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” Indeed, this was one of the speaker’s favorite verses in his early days as a Christian. This verse brought a lot of comfort, as, becoming saved, sin is clearly apparently and in the forefront of the mind. In trying to eliminate sinful habits from the walk of life, one will need to keep this verse close by. To know that no matter what one does, he or she isn’t going to lose their salvation. That’s a great source of peace. As the Apostle Paul, again, will say, not even Satan himself can separate us from God. Jesus appeals to this fact by saying God is “greater than all.” “[G]reater than all.” That’s significant because while Satan may cause other forms of destruction, even destruction in one’s life, he cannot take away salvation. That’s assured.

       And don’t miss that within the sentence there, there’s another important order, as Jesus said, “My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.” Realize, as it was stated already in this series when going over John chapter 6, that the Jewish people were with the Father first, and then he gives them to the Son. No one can take them away from the Father, or even from the Son. This shows the equality of the Father and the Son. It’s being stated that anyone who is with the Father will also be handed over to the Son. The Jews claimed to know the Father, but that they didn’t know him, Jesus. Also, Jesus is saying that’s impossible as everyone whom the Father has, he gives to him. So, it’s impossible to know the Father, and yet not know the Son. There is encouragement, in that however, for a person who thinks they know the Father from a genuine spirit, that the Father can point that person to the Son. It’s not that the God sticks his nose up in the air toward someone who genuinely wants to know him, but he will point that person in the right direction when possible. That goes for anyone of any religion.

       Let’s note how Jesus said, “I and the Father are one.” It’s couldn’t be any clearer, how Jesus notes his equality with the Father. The Jews definitely understand this, and understand the implications of it. It is something that is difficult to fathom, and especially when it is considered that Jesus is in human flesh. Some theologians note that Jesus is referring only to his is Spirit here, that it doesn’t include the flesh part of him. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case, since we know that Jesus will have his fleshly body for all eternity. It wasn’t that he became a man and now he’s not a man. We know that when Jesus came into the world, as has previously been stated, that he permanently changed to take on human flesh. Perhaps in eternity past he was simply Spirit, but now he has a human body—one that’s sin-free. All of us have human bodies which are affected by the sin-nature, but Jesus’ never was. He had sin of all time put on him, but he didn’t commit those sins. This also shows sequence in God’s experience, wherein Jesus at one time didn’t have a human body and now he does. Nevertheless, God the Son represents all the attributes of the Father in some way, shape, or form, even if they aren’t recorded for us in the Gospels. And this too has big implications, big implications. It means, for one, that God has emotions, and isn’t emotionless, or non-changing in his emotions, as if he experiences everything of all time periods in one eternal now outlook, as Plato thought of it. We really cannot understand what all this entails, but these things are thought-provoking nonetheless.

- Daniel Litton