(John) the Facts About the Sheepfold — Willie Mullan

We're at John's Gospel tonight, and we're at chapter 10. John's Gospel, and we're at chapter 10 this evening, and here starts this great, wonderful section of the Gospel that brings some of the greatest truths in your Bible before you.

And we're trying to get down this evening from verse 1 right down to verse 30. Verse 1 right down to verse 30. It is because I feel that all these verses stand so related together that I feel it would be wrong to get away from this particular portion.

The Sheepfold, the Shepherd, and the Sheep

Now, I have divided this portion into three. I think it tells us a great lot about the shepherd. The good shepherd who gave his life for the sheep. And it certainly tells us some very interesting things about the sheep.

And then it tells us one or two things that we need to note about the sheepfold. And I've divided the chapter into these headings, facts about the sheepfold, facts about the shepherd, facts about the sheep.

Having given you the divisions of the chapter, before I go on to give you the exposition, let me just take you back to old Jewish custom and show you something that I shall use as an illustration. We'll have the divisions and the illustration before we come to the exposition.

You see, in the days of our Lord in Palestine, and especially on the Judean plains and valleys, when shepherds had attended their sheep all day, just as the evening fell, they brought their flock into a common sheepfold.

And it may be that at evening there would be ten different flocks in the sheepfold. The sheepfold was built with stones, I'm told, sometimes twelve, fourteen, fifteen feet high, four square walls to keep out the wild dogs and wild beasts and thieves and robbers who would come to harm the sheep.

And into this sheepfold was one little square door left. And as the shepherds went home to retire for the night, these different flocks were left in the care of one who was called the porter. Now, I want you to notice the difference between the shepherds and the porter.

You see, the shepherds knew the sheep. They could call their own sheep by name in the morning, and they could lead them out. But the porter only knew the shepherds. Couldn't call the sheep because he didn't know the sheep, but he knew the shepherds.

And when the shepherd would come in the morning, why, he would know the shepherd and he would let him in. The porter opened to him and let him in, and the shepherd would call out his own sheep by name.

And it's just because of this old custom that our Lord Jesus Christ brings this wonderful teaching before the Pharisees. Now, seeing you've got that as an illustration and you've got the divisions, now we'll start from the exposition of the text.

The Door and the Identity of Christ

Verse 1, Verily, verily, I say unto you, and I think it's good to stop and find out who the you is. It is always good to know who the Lord is really talking to. And I believe, without any doubt, that the you refers back to the fortieth verse of the last chapter.

You remember when the poor blind man was put out of the temple, the Lord met him somewhere, and the two Pharisees gathered round. And verse 47, And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words and said unto him, Are we blind also?

Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind ye should have no sin, but now ye say, We see, therefore your sin remaineth. Verily, verily, I say unto you. You see, it's these man-made divisions that we call chapters that sometimes blind us to the whole setting.

And I want you to get the hold of this, that he's talking now to Pharisees. And that's very important, you know, to find out who he's talking to. Somewhere outside the temple, the Lord is talking to Pharisees, and he's going to bring this great talk of the Good Shepherd before them, and I believe with real power.

Now, we'll get down to it. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbers up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. Now, we want to have a look at this sheepfold for a moment or two.

Need to get the facts about the sheepfold. If you take up quite a number of what is really spoken of as good commentaries, it is very sad to notice that some of the great so-called commentators try to teach that the sheepfold is heaven.

An ignoramus like me can find out that this very verse that we're looking at is talking about some who would climb up some other way. The same is a thief and a robber. Well, now, you would know immediately that this sheepfold wasn't heaven, wouldn't you?

You don't think that the Lord would need to say that some thieves and robbers could climb up some other way into heaven. There is only one way for a thief into heaven, and the thief up the height of the cross found it quite crucified.

Let me say that's the only way for the so-called self-righteous ones. And whether you're a king or a pauper, whether you're learned or illiterate, whether you're black or white or red or yellow, there is one way back to God.

Jesus said, I am the way, and no man cometh unto the Father but by me. But the very fact that he's talking about some being able to climb up some other way, and they're just thieves and robbers, they're not the shepherds of the sheep, then he goes on still further.

But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep, to him the porter openeth. And the sheep hear his voice, and he calleth his own sheep by name, and, and, and leadeth them out. You see, some of the other commentators, and you would think that they were evangelical ones, they say that the sheepfold is the church.

Well, let me tell you, once that you find the shepherd is leading the sheep out, it must blast the idea that the sheepfold is the church. The sheepfold can't be heaven while thieves and robbers can climb in, and the sheepfold can't be the church when the shepherd is going to lead the sheep out.

So, we've got to find out something more about the sheepfold. Now, here's something that I want you to get your eyes on immediately. Go down the chapter, we'll go back on the verses in a moment. The Lord Jesus is still speaking in verse 16, and he said, And other sheep I have which are not of this fold, them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd.

You see the word fold there twice in your verse. Other sheep I have which are not of this fold, and there shall be one fold. Now, while the word is there twice in the English, it may be strange to you that these are two different Greek words.

Not the same at all. And the first one is always translated fold, and the second one is always, except here, translated flock. What a wonderful thing it would have been had it been translated flock the way it ought to be.

Because here's how it would read, And other sheep I have which are not of this fold, them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one flock, one shepherd. Now, let's get the hold of this.

The Lord is looking at this particular sheep fold, and he's going to call some sheep out of it, but he's reminding the Pharisees, There are other sheep, you know, that I have which are not of this fold, I'm going to bring them out too, and I'll put the two of them into one flock, one.

And the moment that you see him making two into one, you'll certainly get light if you know your New Testament. Because what the Lord really did in this age and dispensation through grace, is that through the gospel he brought Jews out of Judaism, and brought Gentiles out of the world, and he made them both one, which is the church now.

One flock. So, that would fool your life, and what the sheep fold is. The sheep fold, you see, is just Judaism, and I want you to get the hold of that. You see, that's very important when we get to Sheffing, because he's talking to Pharisees who were the leaders in Judaism.

They were the leaders, they were supposed to be the shepherds. But you saw what they did last week, didn't you, with one who was really one of the true sheep. Yes, they cast him out, put them out of the synagogue, just because they were thieves and robbers, just because they were only hireling.

They didn't know, you see, couldn't recognize the real children of God. And so, the Lord's really going to talk to them now. He's going to talk to them about the sheep fold, and some who had got rulership over the sheep, but where they got it, God only knew, they climbed up some other way.

But he said, you know, the real shepherd of the sheep is coming to this sheep fold, and he's going to bring out his own sheep, and he'll take them out of there. That's Judaism. And, you know, I want you to get this, that all the Orthodox Jews, and all the synagogue-going, ceremonial-loving, pharisaical believers in the Jews, they knew that a shepherd was coming to the fold.

That's what they really waited for. You know, your Old Testament poem of the shepherd coming for the sheep. Let me put you over it once or twice. Look at Ezekiel, chapter 34. Ezekiel, chapter 34, and verse 11.

Now, you younger ones, take your time and find the place, because it's very important to see the Word of God. Ezekiel, chapter 34, verse 11. For thus saith the Lord God, and Mark was speaking, Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out, as a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered.

So will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel, by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country.

And I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be. There shall they lie in a good fold, and in that pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel.

I will feed my flock, I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord. See the last two verses, verse 30. Thus shall they know that I, the Lord their God, am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord God.

And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord God. You know, I could multiply that this evening, because not only in Ezekiel, but in the Book of Psalms, in Jeremiah, in Zechariah, yet in many of the Old Testament prophets and prophecies, there is this great picture of the coming shepherds, who would really be divine.

The Lord God, the shepherd of history. Well, as a hymn we sing sometimes, thou shepherd of Israel and mine. And you know, all these orthodox synagogues going for Ezekiel, ones in Israel, they were all looking for the shepherd coming, the true shepherd, who would really lead the flock out into green pastures, and who would bless them with a joy that would be overflowing.

You know, the twenty-third psalm was something that they were just depending on. Sometimes, if you go through the Old Testament, you'll find the shepherd brought before you of the smitten shepherds. You remember what Zechariah said, let a weak old sword against my shepherds, against the man who is my fellow, the one who was committal, he was to be smitten.

Here you find he would be a saving shepherd. In the twenty-third psalm, he's a sufficient shepherd. You could go through the whole Testament, the whole Old Testament, and you'll get a wonderful picture you can build up about the shepherds.

But the idea is this, that these far-off heathen ones now around the Lord knew the great shepherd would come. And you know, the shepherd was to be the Messiah. And there was a certain way he would come, a certain place he would be born, a certain way he would come, certain things would happen, a certain tribe, a certain family.

My, the door was already cut for him. There was no other way that he could come. He would have to come through the door of the prophecy of the Old Testament. And the door was cut in the sheepfold, and he'd have to come through it.

Now, let's get the hold of that. Just read this over again. Verse one, Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, the one that would come to the Jewish nation and would not come along the line of the old prophecies in the Old Testament, he couldn't be the shepherd.

My, he would either be a thief or a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is, capital T, capital S, the shepherd. Should be the word here. Yes, that's the one. This is not talking about an ordinary shepherd taking the job on.

This is talking about the divine shepherd, the one they were waiting for. He said the one that enters in by the door, he is the shepherd of the sheep. And here's a lovely little word. To him the porter openeth.

Of course he would, because he would know him. Now, who was the porter that opened the door for the Lord Jesus when he came to the Jews? It's a very simple one for you. Who's the porter? John the Baptist.

Wasn't he the last of the Old Testament prophets? Wasn't he the first one who realized, there's one among you, blessed, I'm not worthy to stoop down and lose. Behold, the love of God. My, he knew who he was.

He opened the door for Christ to step into the nation. Now, there's the sheepfold, Judaism, and there's the shepherd coming, and there's the door into the sheepfold. You have to be careful with the word door here in this wonderful 10th chapter, because if you're not, you'll get into trouble.

You see, the first mention here in verse 2 is the door of the sheepfold. That was the door into the sheepfold of Judaism, for the shepherd, the Lord Jesus. And it was made by the Old Testament prophets.

Then, when you get this word door again, down the chapter a little bit, do you see verse 7? Then said Jesus unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. That's different, isn't it?

You know, I think that why mistakes were made about this word door is just because of this. We always seem to hang on to the idea that our door only leads in. Well, sometimes it's marked exit, you know.

So, it says it leads out too, you know. And now, the door of the sheep is the door that took them out. You see, the first door we come to here is the door of the sheepfold that was made by Old Testament prophecies, and only Christ could go through it, and the porter knew him.

But he was going in to bring the sheep out. He was bringing them out of Judaism. And the door of the sheep is the door that leads out. Now, here's another door that's here, and it's different again. You see, verse 7 says, I am the door of the sheep.

Now, verse 9 says, I am the door by me. If any man enter in, he shall be saved. That's the door you go in by. You know, that's the door for any man. Oh, I want you to see how he broadened this out. You know, here's the sheepfold.

It's Judaism. Now, I'm bringing some out. Here are the Gentiles lying over here. If any man, I make this broader, you know, as broad as it can possibly be made. Oh, you fellows that narrow it down to limited redemption.

Do you never read of any man? Well, there are no limitations on that as far as I know. If I were sketching this thing for you on a chart, this is how I would do it. I would draw the Jewish sheepfold there.

Do you see it? And there are Gentiles in this one. And there's a door in for the shepherd. Do you see the Gentiles lying over here? I'll fire off to the cat. It's all there, all right. You just take your time with it.

It's all there. And you just need to batter it down to a wee bit, and it'll just open itself up to you. My friends, that verse that we're looking at, it's a wonderful one. I am the door. Now, I think that's what you call preaching the gospel in simplicity.

The Open Door of Salvation

If there's a non-saved one here tonight, and you're a Gentile, I want to tell you this, my friend, that God's lovely Son came down from the heights of glory, and went to the cross of Calvary, and on yon old blood-stained rugged cross, He gave Himself a ransom for all men.

And He not only died, but the efficacy of His death brought Him back from the dead. And there's a door swinging tonight on two hinges, the death and resurrection of Christ, and it's open for you. And you could be saved.

Don't you tell me you can't be saved. I'm telling you the door's open. Preaching the gospel in simplicity, you just walk through it. That's how you get saved, you walk through it. Now, wait a minute. I am the door.

That conflects with me itself, isn't it? Now, watch this. By me, if any man enter in, that's responsibility. I want you, unsaved friends, tonight to see this. God's Son died and rose again, and opened a door for the Gentiles.

And you can step into my pigeonhole. That's your responsibility. Now, you can do without going in and go to hell, yes. Of course you can, but don't blame God if you do. Don't get so muddled up with election, and predestination, and all the rest of it, that you think you have no responsibility for your heart.

If any man enter in, now that's your responsibility. Yes, but watch this. You see the verse, I am the door, that's simplicity. By me, if any man enter in, that's responsibility. We shall be saved, that's surety.

No quibbles about that, you. You see, the first is the simplicity of the gospel, and the second is the responsibility of the sinner, and the third is the surety of the word. He shall be saved. And when the Lord Jesus Christ looks into your face and says, just step through the door by faith, it's your responsibility.

You shall be saved. There's no quibbles about it. Do you see the text again? Watch this. I am the door, by me, if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out. Do that, it's that liberty.

They'll tie them up, you know, after they get saved. They don't make mumps out of them. Shut them in some place, no. Why, there's some of the believers, you know, when they get saved, they get that narrow, that what they're actually practicing and preaching is isolation.

Oh, they try to call it separation, but they don't bluff me. It's isolation, if you want to know the words. They isolate themselves from every strength and goodness. Well, there's no teaching like that there.

For if you go through the door, and it's your responsibility, you get saved. But you can go in to the Jews, or you can go out to the Gentiles. And I would like to see the man that will stop me. I got liberty from the Lord when I was saved.

And by the grace of God, it'll be mindful as I. So when we fetch, you know, I am the door. That's simplicity. By me, if any man enter in, that's responsibility. He shall be saved, that's surety, and shall go in and out.

That's liberty. You see this bit. And that's sufficiency, isn't it? My dear friends, the day that I, the poor wretch, stepped in through the door of my faith, and got saved and got the liberty, when I stand tonight, from that day until now, I've been saved.

On the finest of the wheat. Oh, there's green pastures, you know, for the believers. When I was out of the house, six hours out in the car, with the Lord and the book, that all your world could give me.

When I came, I told the Lord that. Oh, my friends, I've sat out there until the tears went down my face, and said, Lord, I can't take it all in. There's nothing this world ever give me, was like that, you know, green pastures.

Now, that'll do for the sheepfold. Those are just some facts about the sheepfold. We'll have to get on with the job. Now, we're coming to some facts about the shepherds. Let's try to trace this through.

The Shepherd’s Identity and Sufficiency

You see, verse 2, Angelus in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. Now, this is his identity. He was born where the Old Testament prophets said he would be born. He was born in the way that they said he would be born.

He was born of the tribe that they said he would be born of. He was born of the house that they said he would be born of. And all the other Old Testament prophecies that relate to the shepherd and the Messiah, that made the door into the sheepfold.

Blessed God, it was fulfilled in our Lord Jesus Christ, who is indeed the great shepherd of the sheep. Notice his identity. He is the true shepherd of the sheep. But look at this. Do you see verse, the verse we were asked?

Verse 9, I am the door, by me if any man enter in he shall be saved and shall go in and out and find pasture. I think you can write across that sufficiency. And he's in all sufficiency, not only able to save but able to satisfy with the very best of green pasture.

Now, that's his sufficiency. Now, I want you to get this. Here's a wonderful little verse, down here at verse 11. I am, he's coming out into the open now, I am the good shepherd. He's just letting them know, and the Pharisees didn't know before this, couldn't understand what he was talking about.

But in verse 11 he said, I am the good shepherd, the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. I think you can see his sincerity here. You know, don't let's miss this bit, whatever we do. When God's Son came from heaven, and came through the virgin and was born in Bethlehem, and was entering in through the door into which he poured, remember he knew what it would cost him to bring the sheep out.

Oh, he wasn't bluffed about it, you know. He knew that if I come from heaven to be the shepherd of the sheep and enter in through the door, and I'm going to save them and bring them out, the good shepherd will need to give his life.

You've got his identity and his sufficiency. I'm sure you can see his sincerity. He came to give himself for the sheep. I think you'll see his sincerity again in that 15th verse. As the Father knows me, even so know I the Father, and I lay down my life for.

I want you to notice these words, I lay down. See verse 70. Therefore does my Father love me, because I lay down my life thus. You see, the last one, I lay down my life for. You see, when he says, I lay down my life thus, it is bringing the ability of the shepherd before him.

You see, you've got his identity, he goes through the door. You've got his sufficiency, he can save and satisfy. You've got his sincerity, now you're looking at his ability. He said, I lay down my life thus, I may take it again.

What power is he? That's his wonderful ability. What's this one? See verse 15. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down off. You see, I lay down my life for. Shows his sincerity. I lay down my life thus, I may take it again, shows his ability.

I lay down my life off. I lay it down off. That's his nobility. But nobody took it from him. What a wonderful noble shepherd he was. Nobody pushing him, you know. He could have gone straight back from Mount Calvary to heaven.

No nail fell to a yon tree, you know. We sometimes sing, was it the nail, O Saviour, that held thee to the cross? Nay, it was thine everlasting love, for doth the sinner like me. He was, this was nobility now.

The Shepherd’s Responsibility and Invincibility

Now, you're gazing at the shepherd, you're getting some facts. You see his identity? Do you see his sufficiency? Do you see his sincerity? Do you see his ability? Do you see his nobility? My, this was nobility.

But I want you to watch still further. Come down the chapter a little bit, I'll gather up the verses afterwards. Verse twenty-eight. Verse sixteen first. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold, them also I must bring.

That's his responsibility. You see, he was responsible for drawing these Gentiles to himself and making them eternally his. I want you to notice this, on the day in which he's preaching here, he's talking to Jews, and yet he's looking over the wall, and he can see the Gentiles who are afar off, and he's saying, other sheep I have.

Well, he hadn't hardened up them just then, had he? No, but he's dead sure about it. There are other sheep I have that are not of this, not of this fold, them I must bring. My, he absolutely is putting forth his sovereignty here.

He'll really make them his, and all hell and all the demons won't stop him either. This was his responsibility, to bring these Gentiles into the church. Now, we're way down at verse twenty-eight. And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

That is invincibility. You know, I hear people talking about being lost again, and I sometimes wonder in my heart of hearts, do they know anything at all about the cross-work of Christ? And I'm absolutely sure they don't.

My dear friend, when you talk about being lost again, you are casting a little salt on the cross-work of Christ. You see, he came down from heaven, and entered in through the door that was cut by the prophets, knowing that I must give my life.

Is it not sufficient? Would you like to say no? I dare you. I wish to God you were always the same. Friend, don't spit at the cross, please. He gave his life for the sheep, and the moment that he brought them out through either door into the church, he gave them eternal life, and he told them, they shall never perish.

Or did he not? What's the use of talking about eternal life for six months? It's only blathers. Eternal life for six months. You ever hear the like of man's ear? They wouldn't let the talk from the school talk like that.

If he gives you eternal life, tell me, is it eternal life? No, no, no, I'm sure it's not. Someone will say, you know, maybe six months later, he'll do this, he'll do that. Hey, you never got eternal life.

You never got. You get eternal life, it's eternal life. And you know, when he came down from heaven, he came down to go through the door, and to die on the cross, that he might open the door whereby every believer would be set absolutely free.

He gave his life for the sheep, that he might give eternal life to the sheep. And this is absolute invincibility. There's not a stronger catch in the whole of the New Testament on eternal maturity than the one you're at.

Try to pick holes in it honestly, you'll find you're defeated. But look, there's something else here I think we need to get a hold of. Let's read it again, verse 28. I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

My Father which gave them me. You see, we're beginning to look at the owner of the sheep. I think you know that, don't you? I think you know the shepherd who's in hold of them, don't you? I hope you do now.

The fellow that carries them on the hill, he's the shepherd. But you know, here is the idea, that before the hill, do you know, this to the left receives its frame, the eternal counsel shall come from God, that you, the eternal son, will go down to earth and take upon you the form of a shepherd, and become the shepherd.

And you'll need to go through the door, and you'll need to die, and you'll need to rise again, and you'll need to give them eternal life or they'll never get home. And I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll look after them too.

Here's the owner of the sheep. My Father which gave them me is greater than all. No man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I've always wanted to know what's bigger than God. I've always wanted to know that all my days.

I'm telling you that I'm in God's hands tonight, and whatever is going to take me out is bound to be bigger than God. I've got a lot of riddles about this. I've been lost together. Something's going to take them out.

Well, come on and tell me, would you? I'm willing to learn, but I don't know anything bigger than God. Why, if God's holding on to me, and something's going to take me out, it's something that's bigger than God.

The Shepherd’s Equality and Deity

Oh my dear friends, watch this. Here's how our portion ends as far as that part is concerned. I and, now I want you to get that word my as in italics. Actually, according to the best scholars, it should be I and the Father.

I want, you see, every time the Lord Jesus used the words my Father, he was always in the place of a servant. But on this occasion, he's not standing in the place of a servant, because he's put the eyepatch.

You know, if you were talking about your Father, you would say my Father and I. They tell me that's good English. But when the Lord wants to let people know that he's really God, he's not worried about English enough.

Just on this occasion, he turns it around this way. If you can't see his equality there, then you're blinder than I think you are. It was the Eternal Son who came down to be the good shepherd of the sheep.

And you're not only seeing his equality, you're seeing his deity. But the Israelites wouldn't see it. They're too blind and bigoted. I'll tell you this, the Pharisees saw it all right. You see your next verse?

Then the Jews took up stones. They weren't stoning him for talking, you know. No, they were stoning him because he was saying he was God. And every, and on every occasion in your New Testament where the Lord Jesus Christ demonstrated and proclaimed his deity, they took up stones.

My, they knew. If the Russellites don't know what a Jew is, they knew what he meant. What a beautiful picture we have of the shepherd. Did you get the facts? His identity, then his sufficiency, then his sincerity, then his ability, then his responsibility, then his invincibility, then his equality, then his deity.

These are facts about the shepherd. Now let's get the facts in quick about the sheep. Some great facts about the sheep. See verse three, to him the porter opened up and the sheep hear his voice. Now watch this, and he calls his own sheep by name.

The Personal Calling and Leading of the Sheep

You know their calling is a personal thing. My, you remember as he passed by, there was a man sitting up there in a sheep of custom called Matthew. Follow me. You remember how on that morning he named Mary?

You remember how he called Lazarus? Come forth. You know, he knows every name of every believer, and he called them out of darkness into light by a personal call. This is a personal call. He didn't ask them with their mother's head.

He called. I can remember the very hours when he had dealings with me. It's a wonder of wonders of wonders that he ever took to even think about a thing like me. What is this? I can remember when he drew near and I was convicted.