They Climb in By Another Way

Jesus Christ speaking: 

“’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.

“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.’” (John 10:1-10 ESV)

In our world today we have many false shepherds of the people leading the sheep. We have many “wolves in sheep’s clothing” pretending to be sheep themselves, and to be shepherds of the sheep, called of God, but who are willfully (deliberately) lying to the sheep in order to lead them astray. They masquerade themselves as servants of righteousness, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves out to destroy our Lord’s true sheep and all those who profess to be Jesus’ sheep but who are not following him with their lives.

When we get down to verse 27, we will read that Jesus’ sheep listen to him, they know him, and they follow him. And listening is not just audibly hearing. We can audibly hear words with our ears and have them go in one ear and out the other, and not really take in what they are saying to us. So to listen has to do with hearing, but hearing with intent to obey the Lord. And to follow Jesus is to obey him, to do what he says to do, to go where he sends us, and to say all that he commands.

So, these false shepherds of the Lord’s sheep are those who have entered into relationship with Jesus Christ by a way other than through dying with Christ to sin, and being raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin, but as slaves to God and to his righteousness. So they are not in genuine relationship with Jesus Christ, even though they may profess with their lips to be so. They are false sheep and false shepherds who are out to destroy the sheep.

Now Jesus Christ is the true shepherd of his true sheep (followers). He not only is the door (the way, the truth, and the life) of the sheep, but he entered by the door, by way of the cross, by becoming sin for us on that cross so that in his death he put our sins to death with him so that, by genuine faith in him, which dies with him to sin, we might be delivered from our slavery to sin and now follow Jesus Christ in obedience to his commands. For this is what it means for us to be his true sheep who follow him.

We who are the Lord’s true sheep, his followers, are those who have died with him to sin and who are now following him in obedience to his commands, by his grace, and in his power, strength, and wisdom. This is not of our own doing. We can only come to faith in Jesus Christ when persuaded of God. And God persuades us as to his holiness and righteousness, and of our sinfulness, and of our need to die with him to sin and to now walk in obedience to his commands and no longer in habitual sin against God.

But we need to be on the lookout for these false shepherds of the people who are “thieves and robbers” who are out to destroy the sheep. They should be strangers to us who we will recognize as strangers, and so we will not follow them. For they are not teaching the whole counsel of God but a false (diluted, altered) gospel created by human flesh which makes no requirements for death to sin and for walks of obedience to our Lord and to his commands in order to have genuine salvation and eternal life with God.

They are those who are teaching the people that they can make a profession of faith in Jesus Christ or “pray the prayer to receive Christ into their hearts” and now all their sins are forgiven (past, present, and future) and heaven is guaranteed them when they die, regardless of how they live. They are those who deliberately teach the Scriptures out of context in order to twist them into saying what they do not say if taught in the appropriate context. For they are out to steal from us genuine salvation so we’ll die and go to hell.

But Jesus said that if anyone would come after him that he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to (save) our old lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if for Jesus’ sake we deny self (lose our lives), die daily to sin, and follow our Lord in obedience to his commands, then we have the hope of eternal life with God. For not everyone who professes Jesus as Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING the will of God.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,15-17; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2]

A Believer’s Prayer 

An Original Work / July 31, 2012

With my whole heart, Lord, I pray 

To be Yours, and Yours always.

Lead me in Your truth today.

May I love You, and obey.

Lead me in Your righteousness.

When I sin, may I confess;

Bow before You when I pray;

Live for You and You always.

Love You, Jesus, You’re my friend.

Life with You will never end.

You are with me through each day,

Giving love and peace always.

You will ne’er abandon me.

From my sin You set me free.

You died on that cruel tree,

So I’d live eternally.

Soon You’re coming back for me;

From this world to set me free;

Live with You eternally.

Oh, what joy that brings to me.

I will walk with You in white;

A pure bride, I’ve been made right

By the blood of Jesus Christ;

Pardoned by His sacrifice.

https://vimeo.com/114796263