Authorized Personnel Only - [John 10:7-10]

Well this morning, I would invite you to open your Bibles to John chapter 10, so we continue to teach through the gospel of John Question for you this morning basic one

Are you a Christian? I'm a face of it.

That's pretty easy right you either are you aren't you're a saint or an ain't You're in the kingdom or you're not but when it's asked at the

Point of a sword or at the end of a gun barrel as it was this week in Oregon Takes on an entirely different Dimension doesn't it according to witnesses the shooter this week?

Would ask them if you are a Christian then stand up, and they would stand up.

He'd say Because you are a Christian you're going to see

God in about one second and And then he shot and killed them and he kept going down the line

Doing this to people as one man said The second confessing

Christian was the bravest Because he just seen what had happened what the word.

Yes would mean what standing up would mean And it's really horrifying to Think to contemplate about the hatred

The evil that lies in the heart of mankind isn't it, but this isn't this tragedy in Oregon Wasn't the first of its kind this year

Christians were targeted in Charleston, South Carolina as well for their faith and for their race

Around the world Christians are being put to death Because of their faith as Christians we have to be able to answer one very basic question if you were to die today

Do you have confidence? That you would immediately be in the presence of the

God to whom you profess allegiance and this morning's text Gives us ample reason for that confidence

Ample reason to know That we are in Christ if we are

John chapter 10, I'm gonna read We're gonna focus on verses 7 to 10, but I'm gonna read verses 1 to 10 this morning to give us some context

John chapter 10 verse 1 truly truly

I say to you He who does not enter the she fold 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 trying to say to them.

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 now chapter 9

If you recall was the story of the man born blind healed by Jesus on the

Sabbath and then hounded by the Pharisees as he went home and eventually they

Unsynagogue them then that is to say they kicked him out of the local assembly of the Jews Why because he would not defame

Jesus. He would not give them kind of the the dirt that they wanted on Jesus And after the

Pharisees did this Jesus went and found the man To whom he gave eyesight to and and he asked him if he believed in the

Son of Man If you recall he said that he did after he said well who is this and then he worshipped

Jesus Now the last time we were in John as we looked at verses 1 to 6

Jesus was speaking in metaphors Explaining the differing Responses to the healing of the man born blind because here he was really in an open space and there are no doubts

Pharisees and other Jewish leaders listening So it really is a stunning story because it illustrates that Jesus is

God in the flesh Who else could do such a thing and then who else would stand there in front of these religious authorities who had such power?

and Condemn them in the way that he does Jesus as God that's the purpose of John's gospel

And this story really illustrates the lengths to which his human opponents would go to try and prevent the gospel from spreading

They wanted him dead and they were looking for witnesses any kind of tidbit of information.

They could get to drag him down now this morning I've Fashioned which is a fancy way of saying

I made up eight questions This is kind of a quiz eight questions from our text to help

Break down the text a little bit and these Questions really illustrate the unique imagery of Jesus as the gates.

Well, what does that mean? We're gonna find out He is the one who authorizes to give you a preview.

He's the one who authorizes the sheep to come into his sheepfold And he's also the one who keeps out

The false shepherds the fakes the frauds the swindlers question number one

What does John mean? That he is saying again.

What is it that he's not previously said? Look at verse 7.

It says so Jesus said it again or again said to them Well, they didn't understand the first metaphor the first analogy he made in verses

One to six, so he's he's going to try a different tact. He's gonna come out in a different way.

He's gonna use similar images But he's going to try to explain

His point in another way his exclusivity in another way and isn't that what good teachers do?

I mean if you have a teacher who just says You know, well X equals Y squared and then you say

I don't understand that could you explain it? He says X equals Y squared you say well, okay, but Could you maybe explain that another way and he says

X equals Y squared you start thinking? Okay. This guy's just a broken record He's got a little Hitches giddy up.

He doesn't know what he's doing a Good teacher looks at something and says

I'm going to explain this a different way so that you can get it Question number two see we're gonna be done in ten minutes

You're laughing How is Jesus the door of the sheep look at verse seven again?

Truly truly I say to you I am the door of the sheep now, that's that's just something it's a unique picture

But if you call last time when he talked about The Protection of the sheep in the sheepfold and how he would come up to the door and the doorkeeper would let him in Well now he's changing us so that he is the door and I was reading

One story about how a shepherd talked about how he would you know in the little hole that lets the sheep into the can you?

see this the sheep into the sheepfold That the shepherd would lay down and he would sleep across the door

Think about that sleep across the doorway so that you know I mean imagine a wolf comes up to the doorway

He's there. He's facing the wolf. You know this is really it is an image of protection

That he alone decides who will come in who will be among his sheep

And he starts this by saying amen amen or truly truly Amen, amen, and when he says that it's really because he's going to get it always

Precedes an explanation of what he's just talked about that people didn't understand so he's like okay.

Let me try this again truly truly He wants to emphasize this And then we have these two words famous words in the

Greek a go a me I am One of his

I am statements one of the seven it is meant to underscore his claim to exclusivity

He alone is the door. He alone is the legitimate access point to the sheep

And again, that's what a door does when you walk through a door What happens you pass from one room to another or you go from outside to inside?

Which is more appropriate here in ancient

Greek? literature How did you get to? Heaven as it were not necessarily the heaven, but a heaven you went through a gate

Think about today. What do people say you know when I get to heaven? I'm going to meet

St. Peter at the pearly gates He's the one who's gonna let me in we have this image of a gate, and that's the picture, but here

Jesus says he alone gives access He it's only through him that his sheep will pass only believers only sheep that is to say

Have access Jesus blocks entry for others and as we saw last time as I just mentioned a door is a

Manner of protection. I mean why why is it that we have doors in our homes? Well first of all here But also because we just don't want anybody wandering into our house

We answer the door why because We control who comes in and who doesn't come in and we read last time or we read just a few minutes ago

When someone had bad intentions for the sheep What did they have to do because the door was closed they had to go around the side over the walls and anybody who did that automatically

Had bad intentions they were presumed to have it they were doing something illicit something wrong They were not authorized

Now also this figure of Jesus as the door gives us another picture That is the safety the security of the flock of God He is our protector.

He stops anyone from coming in to put that in practical terms.

What does that mean? Means he approves those who will be Pastors elders teachers

So what are you saying? All right? What are you trying to say it? Do you have like an approved by Jesus stamp on you?

Does he personally approve you well no but He is the guard the

Sentinel I mean we could view him as you know if you go to New York you go to some fancy club And why would you he's the he's the guy at the door who prevents you from going in?

He doesn't want the people inside to be harmed by Outsiders well, how does he do that?

again talking about pastors teachers elders He gave us the

New Testament He gave us qualifications in Scripture men who do not meet these standards ought not to be in ministry

So first we have scripture secondly he uses the sins of men to disqualify them from ministry to prevent

Harm to his flock and this is his flock these are his sheep

This is his church Bethlehem Bible Church is his church Every church where the gospel is preached where the word is upheld where things are done rightly is his church

He's also preserved his word so that we might compare

What is taught whether it be at this pulpit or any other pulpit? With what scripture actually says those who teach wrongly or unbiblically must be corrected and if need be

Removed Jesus is protecting his flock through his word

He is the door guarding the sheep question number three our false teachers simply misguided

Well, the answer is no clearly look at verse 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers

It's an interesting phrase Not something you'd like to have you know on your tombstone.

I mean, what do you want on your tombstone? I'm a thief and a robber well probably not This is a major indictment

Who was he talking about? All who came before me while we think of the long line of prophets and faithful men who went to Israel Well those aren't the people he's talking about He was explaining why the

Jewish leadership of his day Had done what they'd done specifically if we just think about the context how they had mistreated this man who had been born blind

Rather than rejoicing with him in his healing. What are they done? They tracked him down and eventually kicked him out of the synagogue which had a lot of ramifications for his life

Thieves and robbers, that's pretty harsh But who is he talking to the

Sadducees? Ran the temple and they made a lot of money doing that They're supposed to be servants of God and they made a ton of money on poor people

Who would come to the temple? the Pharisees Were described by Jesus in Luke 16 14 as lovers of money

The scribes who also likely would have been listening to Jesus Were known for seizing the homes of widows

These Jewish leaders these religious leaders stole money from God and they took advantage of the defenseless

They were heartless and they were greedy. They were in fact thieves and robbers

They were out for themselves Not protectors of the flock and notice that the text says that they are present tense thieves and robbers

They existed These authorities when he came into the world and they were still in power to that very day and They were still just as faithless as it were the day.

He was born think about the contrast between these criminals and religious guard these criminals with religious positions and an air of supposed holiness

The contrast between them and the Lord Jesus they were out for themselves he was out for the sheep

What about the false teachers today how different is it? Well, first of all, there's no government there's no

There's no government Means of enforcing themselves upon people. They can't just show up at your house and seize it.

They can't force you to pay offerings at the temple But what they do instead is they appeal to the greed of people they mislead people

In fact if I were to if we were to take a survey not inside of the church, but if we were to take a survey of the

United States Unsaved people. Who do you suppose we would see?

You know, who's the most famous Christian? I Don't think it'd take very long to get to the names of False teachers heretics the people who show up on TV.

Is it any wonder? How many of your please no show of hands how many of you ever watched TBN or some of these other networks, but you watch it for just a little while and you start thinking

This is not the gospel This is not what Jesus said This is not the emphasis he placed on things

But that's what unbelievers are exposed to so is it any wonder that they mock Christianity?

Jesus was condemning the heretics of his day, but in Or but the reality is that even today those teachers in Quotations who do not faithfully preach his word to his people are not those who are authorized

They're not those who have rightly gone through the gate. That is to say

Jesus they are not even saved themselves and they have

Not been permitted. They've not been authorized in the sheepfold by the door of the sheep as to say

Jesus He's does not approve of them They speak his name

But they don't know him Question number four do believers tend to get fooled and fleeced

Not genuine believers Look at verse 8 again, but the sheep did not listen to them and again in context.

He's talking about His followers in that time Even thinking about the man born blind

What was his response? He didn't cave into them, even though they had all the means to apply pressure to him.

He didn't He didn't give them what they wanted why because he knew the truth He knew that Jesus hadn't done anything wrong

So what did they do? They used force? They denied him fellowship in the synagogue But despite the cost the man did not deny

Christ, in fact, he worshiped him worshiped him How many believers over the centuries have suffered and even died because they would not deny their master.

I Was really struck by the shooting this week I Don't know What I would have done in that situation.

I know what I would have been thinking I would have been doing a quick calculation about a lot of things But I do find it amazing the faithfulness of those who would say yes ultimately this passage here is a

Commendation when he says the sheep did not listen to them. They did not believe them

It's a commendation of discernment Why because they saw what these people did they heard what they taught they compared it to the word so they didn't listen

They did not listen to these false shepherds Pastor Mike talks frequently about his paradigm of good better best

There are good books to read there are better books to read and then there are the best books to read in other words

There are some men who are good teachers some who are better than good and some who are the best

Well, why would we spend any time studying bad teachers? Here's a really bad book.

I'd like to recommend it to you Here's a really bad show on TV, why don't you watch that we need to be focused on what's good what's pure what's right?

We always have to compare what is taught against Scripture But the less work we have to do when we're reading something the more we can get done

Let me take it just a step further when somebody leaves a false system a false religious system and They're saved we rejoice, right but when somebody leaves a solid church and They go to a false system.

Somebody leaves here and they go to Roman Catholicism Mormonism something else or even just a less solid church

We don't rejoice in fact, there's reason to be concerned not because we think we are the

End all be all that we're the bottom line truth that you know, all truth comes from us

Why because these people have listened to? The thieves and the robbers those who do not care for their souls

And at the very least they've left a diet of meat for a diet of milk or worse

Why leave the truth and go back to? heresy question number five

Are there now this is an easy one. Are there many ways to heaven? Well look at verse 9.

I am the door If anyone enters by me, he will be saved.

Well, that seems pretty cut -and -dry, doesn't it one way? He is the only access point

There are other places where he says I am the way the truth and the life No one comes to the Father but by me right

John 14 6 This is a very exclusive truth claim here

What's the problem? It's pretty basic Except it violates everything popular in our culture today

Everything popular in our culture today We're told that there are several great religions

That there are many roads to heaven that the most important virtue one can possibly have is

Certainly not holiness or Devotion how about imputed righteousness?

I don't think that would go down real well Inclusivity diversity

Our church prides itself on its diversity. I like to say that we pride ourselves on diversity, too

We have all kinds of sinners here, and they're all saved by grace That's diverse But we live in a society that says nothing is to be condemned

No one is to be shunned or defamed except those who hold to the exclusive truth of the

Bible I Was reading on a website this week where the Roman Catholic Church says that even

Muslims can go to heaven via the

Catholic Church those who have never heard The gospel can go to heaven via the

Catholic Church Jesus says

I am the door If anyone enters by me, he will be saved

That's the condition Entering through the Lord Jesus Christ But people say about the

Bible that's thousands of years old it has no relevance to us God loves us all no matter what

I mean there's the

Contradictory claim right that nobody can judge me, but God and God loves me too much to judge me

That's that's the insanity of our society, but going back to Oregon for a moment

This crazy or demon -possessed man whatever he was He had one thing right when the

Christians stood up, and they said yes, I'm a Christian What do you say he said good because in a second you're going to meet

God he had that right? That's the only way

Through Christ for those who have entered through Christ Those who had believed in him those who had appropriated the promises of Christ by faith they entered straight into the presence of Jesus as horrific as that moment was as Shocking as it is to even think about now

It was the best possible thing for those

Who had actually entered by Jesus and were effectively martyred for the faith

There is no other way there are not many ways

There is no other door to salvation Matthew chapter 7 what does

Jesus say says strive to enter by the narrow gates? Broad is the road that leads to Destruction there aren't many doors though sure there are many people saying that they know the way

Follow me Come this way Do these things pray this prayer?

Pay this money, but there are no

Protests no Supreme Court decision no act of Congress no executive order that can change the fact that there is one gate

The creator one door the creator of the universe

Says the salvation is by or through him alone What other testimony do we need?

The question comes up. Well. Why is salvation even needed? Why do we need to be saved safe from what? In this world you'd never know it

That we need salvation Because we've completely abandoned the concept of shame

I See people all the time living shameful lifestyles, and they put every detail on Facebook.

They're proud of their lives It doesn't matter what you've done.

I don't care if You're an adulterer. I do care If you're involved in fornication if you don't support your kids if you refuse to work if you're not paying your bills

These are just minor flaws go ahead and put them on Facebook tell the world tweet it out Pump your chest out be proud, but the

Bible says that any failure to perfectly obey the law of God is a sin a sin a

Sin that makes you as black as night, and you need to be white pure to enter into the presence of a holy

God Nothing on impure nothing unholy nothing unrighteous can enter into his presence into heaven and Scripture says that we all sin every single human being

We're born with sin natures, and we sin because we want to sin and even worse

The Bible describes each sinner as dead not mostly dead, but dead

In other words on our own left to our own devices left to our own strength We are helpless to save ourselves

But the Lord Jesus Came for his sheep He came to save them from their sins the father dispatched him to earth

The Lord Jesus second person of the Trinity He took on a second nature that of a man and as a man while remaining fully

God he never sinned and His sinless perfection is credited to every one of Christ's sheep at the moment they believe

At the moment you believe his perfection is credited to your account

And the father no longer sees you as a Rebel is a sinner as a condemned person

But as one of Christ's sheep one of his beloved sheep Jesus went willing to lead to the cross a died in the place of his sheep paying the penalty for every single sin of every one of his flock and On the third day after his death

Jesus rose from the grave Thereby proving the father's wrath against sin

Was satisfied for every one of Jesus sheep question number six are

There many means of spiritual growth or there are a number of ways that you can grow spiritually

Well, the truth is there's one It's via Jesus verse 9

I'm the door if anyone enters by me. He will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture

He will be saved and he will go in and out find pasture What's the picture again?

Let's get back into the mentality of being a sheep having all that wool all over you and lots of Ticks and stuff attached to you being crowded into the pen.

No The point is this you're in there and you need what there's nothing inside the fold.

You're safe, but there is no food There's no water you go in and out of the door why? to eat

To drink its nourishments is the picture here. This is yet another way as when he said to the

Samaritan woman that Anyone who drank of him would never thirst again This is another way of saying that Jesus is sufficient for all of a believer's spiritual needs

There's nothing to add to Jesus There's nothing beyond Jesus There's no secret truth after him

What spiritual longings can a Christian have? Beyond knowing Christ better Christians have been set free from the penalty and power of sin

Furthermore they have the promise of their Creator that one day in his presence. They'll be free from the very presence of sin

They will be as Paul said delivered from the body of death that they now inhabit they will be

Even now from the mode of salvation safe and secure from all alarms

The worst thing that can happen to you from a human perspective is the best thing that can happen to you

Dying is the end of suffering It's the end of sorrow

It's the beginning of life with Christ forever And if death is not a threat if death has lost its sting as Paul says in first 1st

Corinthians 15 What is there to fear you know it was such a delight

Going to the hospital I mean Go to the hospital is not fun. Let me tell you but Going and seeing

Karen yellow Why?

Because basically she'd tell you That if she died great She lived great and In every single instance that I've seen that attitude.

I mean it is such an encouragement. I remember with Mark Westcott Seeing him in the last few days of his life and just knowing he was ready to go see

Jesus No regrets no fears no concerns the difference between being in Christ between having gone through the door that is

Jesus Christ and not doing that is the confidence that cannot be shaken Christ's sheep have been granted peace with God and Everything that they need to live a fruitful life of service to their shepherd

You need nothing else you have the Word of God You have the Holy Spirit, and you have the testimony of the

Holy Spirit that you belong to him. What else do you need? The answer is nothing

Question number seven are the religious fakes and frauds dangerous verse 10

The thief that is to say the false teacher Comes only to steal and kill and destroy.

I'd be worried about those people Hey, Steve.

Can I come over your house sure what do you want? Oh just to steal kill destroy? Okay, sure come over I'll be sitting behind the door waiting for you.

They come with a threefold purpose, and it's not a good one What are your three points of your sermon this morning?

Well, I want to steal kill and run That's not good the religious leader of Jesus day would use whatever means were necessary to maintain their power

What would he call somebody like that? That's a despot in the worst possible way ruling with tyranny fear

Even at this very moment and for quite some time they'd wanted to put Jesus to death why?

Not because they believed he was the Son of God not because they believed they were gonna put an end to God's plan

But because he represented a threat to their power and their authority 10 ,000

Jews were crucified by the Romans over the years And I can't help but wonder

How many of them could be traced back by the Jewish leaders Using the Romans to do their dirty work like contract killers

To keep the Jews under their collective thumb See what happened to that guy?

Same thing can happen to you if you don't watch your P's and Q's That was the nature of the religious system you bow to us, or you pay the price question number eight

I Had to ask this question Does Jesus promise wealth to those who follow him?

again, look at verse 10 I Came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

I Don't even know how many times I've watched a sermon Where this verse is yanked out of context and it's used to show what?

That Jesus came to this world not to save you from sin. Oh, that's fine. That's good, but he could save anybody from sin

The real purpose is so that you can have an abundant life. And what does that mean?

That means you're supposed to be rich Jesus was rich. Did you know he had a hem that had no garments?

Those are very rare in those days the reason the troops fought over his garment wasn't because Well wasn't to fulfill biblical prophecy, but it was because it was so valuable they wanted it

I've heard so many I mean I could spout heresy after heresy after heresy and all those things are heresy and they're wrong in Context think about what

Jesus did What if he just took that man who had been born blind and he just gave him back his eyes wouldn't that be great?

Wouldn't that be a tremendous gift to anyone? Yes But he did much more than that He gave him new life.

What does a prophet a man to gain the whole world and yet? Lose his soul

False teachers want you to focus on the here and now Jesus promises an abundant life.

Oh, what does that mean? He's talking about eternal life

It's the same. It's a parallelism to being saved in a previous verse

At the moment of salvation from that very moment going forward you have eternal life nothing can take that away

Nothing can take that away not you not anybody else false teachers

Who claim to represent God are out for power wealth? position 57 million dollar airplanes massive mansions, that's what they want

Essentially they want others to Serve them they look at their flock and say you are our servants

Jesus came to serve they are out to intimidate utilizing fear force

Even the levers of government if they can get their hands on them to punish those who do not comply with their wishes

Jesus makes alive they want slaves

Jesus grants freedom Again nothing in the context would suggest wealth or riches

So why would anybody suggest it because they want to destroy those who hear them and believe them?

They want their wealth Jesus the door

Protects his sheep he provides for a sheep He preserves his sheep hit his motives and his methods are

Antithetical they are opposed To those who are false teachers

Jesus is the only way he is the gate is by him and him alone

That we have entry to the father to heaven Let's pray our father in heaven how

Merciful you are to send your son from your side to Interrupt the perfect fellowship that you had from all eternity

Father we thank you for the Lord Jesus Christ for his life for his death for his resurrection

Lord we thank you That in Christ We have been granted newness of life in Christ.

We have been granted discernment In Christ we have been granted freedom freedom from sin freedom from the bondage the power of Sin father for each one here.

I pray that you would just cause us to examine ourselves Determine Once for all what

Jesus Christ means to us if he is the only access to you father if he is that Then let us serve him with all of our heart soul mind and strength.

Let us love him and worship him as We ought to father for anyone here.

Who's not certain for anyone here who? Doesn't know

Christ Even this morning Father by your spirit, would you cause them to be born again?

Would you grant them a new heart with new affections that they might love the

Lord Jesus Christ that they might be? granted entrance through him