1/ “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber.
2/ “But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep.
3/ “To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
4/ “When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.
5/ “A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.”
6/ This figure of speech Jesus spoke to them, but they did not understand what those things were which He had been saying to them.
7/ So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.
8/ “All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.
9/ “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
10/ “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
11/ “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.
12/ “He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.
13/ “He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep.
14/ “I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me,
15/ even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.
16/ “I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd.
17/ “For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again.
18/ “No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”
Many who hear the word of Christ, do not understand it, because they will not. But we shall find one scripture expounding another, and the blessed Spirit making known the blessed Jesus. Christ is the Door. And what greater security has the church of God than that the Lord Jesus is between it and all its enemies? He is a door open for passage and communication.
Here are plain directions how to come into the fold; we must come in by Jesus Christ as the Door. By faith in him as the great Mediator between God and man. Also, we have precious promises to those that observe this direction. Christ has all that care of his church, and every believer, which a good shepherd has of his flock; and he expects the church, and every believer, to wait on him, and to keep in his pasture.
Christ is a good Shepherd; many who were not thieves, yet were careless in their duty, and by their neglect the flock was much hurt. Bad principles are the root of bad practices. The Lord Jesus knows whom he has chosen, and is sure of them; they also know whom they have trusted, and are sure of Him.
See here the grace of Christ; since none could demand his life of him, he laid it down of himself for our redemption. He offered himself to be the Saviour; Lo, I come. And the necessity of our case calling for it, he offered himself for the Sacrifice. He was both the offerer and the offering, so that his laying down his life was his offering up himself. From hence it is plain, that he died in the place and stead of men; to obtain their being set free from the punishment of sin, to obtain the pardon of their sin; and that his death should obtain that pardon. Our Lord laid not his life down for his doctrine, but for his sheep.
No comments:
Post a Comment