The Good Shepherd = the beautiful Provider, Protector, PreserverIn verses 7-10 we have two doors in view. In verse 7 we have the first door and in verse 8 we have the relation of the Pharisees to the first door.
In verse 9 we have the second door and in verse 10 we have the relation of the Pharisees to the second door.
In each case we have the truth and then we have those who oppose the truth. The first door is the door of ingress – entering the door, verse 7.
John 10:7 Jesus therefore said to them again, "Truly, truly [point of doctrine], I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.
In verse 8 we had the Pharisees in relation to the first door.
John 10:8 "All who came before Me are thieves [those who rob by strategy = doctrine of demons] and robbers [those who rob by violence], but the sheep did not hear them.
John 10:9 "I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
Now in verse 10 we have the Pharisees in relation to the second door, which again is false doctrine, but this time concerning the path to salvation rather than the identity of the Messiah.
In verse 8 we have emphasis on the thieves and robbers proclaiming to be the Christ – the Shepherd qualified to open the door, but now we have what they teach in terms of salvation from death by means of works and legalism and human merit.
John 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.
The use of the word “thief” again indicates that satan is using false doctrine in order to try and steal the sheep. False doctrine finds its value in its proximity to the true doctrine.
/Religion always attempts to imitate Christianity and therefore the thief can try to lead the sheep astray and steal them.\
By consistently hearing the voice of the true Shepherd the sheep have their senses trained to reject false doctrine – especially in terms of religion and legalism as well as doctrines of the phallic cult.
The N.T. is filled with God’s will for doctrine to be repeated to you and to have your senses trained through practice.
John 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal, and kill
/“kill” – thuo = to offer a sacrifice. When religion gets around to killing people they always come up with a good excuse for doing so.\
It’s amazing to me how many times in human history this has been done and more amazing how weak people have allowed it to be done. There are so many examples that I couldn’t really make myself pinpoint some for illustration so I decided to go with Christ.
John 18:14 Now Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was expedient for one man to die on behalf of the people.
John 11:49-53 But a certain one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all, 50 nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation should not perish." 51 Now this he did not say on his own initiative; but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, 52 and not for the nation only, but that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. 53 So from that day on they planned together to kill Him.
John 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.
So the thief comes to steal (lead the sheep astray); kill (with some false noble cause); and destroy:
/“destroy” – apollumi = to neutralize, to kill, to destroy human freedom by destroying volition as per the state.\
Religion often uses the state to neutralize human volition. This is just another attack by satan to destroy the sheep’s ability to follow the shepherd.
But even if a believer finds himself in the most hostile state on earth, whether it’s fascism, communism, dictatorships, etc. if there is positive volition the state cannot touch the freedom of the soul and the human spirit.
Greater is He who is in you than he that is in the world.
/The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but notice the contrast in what Christ brings… “I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.”\
There are two things that Christ references here. First He says that He has come that people would have life.
/The life that Christ offers is the life of God which is eternal life.\
Eternal life is imputed to every person who believes in Christ. It guarantees life with God forever. You cannot live with God if you don’t share in His life.
Now, there is a second thing that Christ says; that they might have life abundantly.
The logical conclusion might be that you can have life, but not have it abundantly. I don’t agree with that since the very nature of eternal life is abundance.
The Greek word for abundance means a surplus or above and beyond what is needed.
Eternal life is eternal and it cannot be improved upon, however the key to this promise is the difference between eternity and time.
Christ here is talking about the experience of eternal life in time, which is being offered to the fold of Israel in this passage, but is also offered to those who are not of this flock, which will be the church.
The experience of abundant eternal life in time is what we have defined in this ministry as resurrection life – living in time as if you are already in eternity.
/Abundant eternal life, which is experienced in time, requires a wealth of doctrine in the soul and the application of that doctrine to experience, especially undeserved suffering.\
Phil 3:9-11 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith [Paul’s salvation], 10 that I may know Him [intake of doctrine], and the power of His resurrection [application of the filling of the HS] and the fellowship of His sufferings [facing undeserved suffering with doctrine], being conformed to His death [spiritual maturity – loss of self and conformity to the person of Christ]; 11 in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead [literally “dead ones”].
Christ experienced abundant life because of the wealth of doctrine in His soul and His obedience to it when He faced the greatest suffering of any man.
This is the life that He’s offering Israel and this is the life that He’s offering you and me right now.
In verses 11-13 we have the first message of the shepherd.
John 10:11 "I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.
John 10:12 "He who is a hireling, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, beholds the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep, and flees, and the wolf snatches them, and scatters them.
John 10:13 "He flees because he is a hireling, and is not concerned about the sheep.
John 10:11 "I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.
/ “good” – kalos, which means beautiful, symmetrical, perfect character, and maximum attractiveness – all of which apply to the humanity of Christ.\
/Christ is the easiest person to love in the universe, but that requires knowledge of Him.\
Here, one of the “I am” of Christ – He keeps on being, and will be forever, the perfect and beautiful shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep.
/ “for” – huper = the preposition of substitution; “on behalf of the sheep.”\
We deserved eternal death and He substituted Himself for that judgement.
/God desires to share His happiness with man and God found a way to do that through the person of Christ and His substitution for all mankind on the cross.\
With the justice of God propitiated through the cross the barrier between God and man is removed forever (reconciliation) and now God is able to share His happiness with the believer.
You cannot share happiness without being able to love. The cross opened up the love of God to be shared with the human race and through that love you have the opportunity to love in return and this relationship with God supplies an abundance of God’s happiness.
/the good shepherd = the beautiful provider, preserver, protector.\
TLJC, the celebrity of the universe, the unique one of the universe, the King of kings and Lord of Lords, protects you, preserves you, and provides for you forever.
/Tell me one thing that you have to fear?\
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