I Am the Door B

The Lord knows his sheep he calls them out of this world.

He calls them to himself. He calls them by name. They all follow. They will not follow anyone else. He leads them from the full into the blessings of salvation in this age the age to come in the eternal Lamb of God, no one in Scripture has more names than Jesus Christ, and for many of those titles. The meanings are clear, easy to understand but how about when Christ refers to himself as the door. What life-changing truth. Does that metaphor convey well whether you have a pretty good idea, or you have no clue you're going to be encouraged by today's lesson on grace to you as John MacArthur continues a study that focuses on rediscovering the Christ of Scripture and I with the lesson. Here's John MacArthur turning your Bible to John chapter 10 John chapter 10 this is a very familiar portion of Scripture. And it's a rather extensive text running deep into the 10th chapter beyond where will go today looking at the true shepherd the true shepherd.

It's one of the most beautiful word pictures and all of the New Testament.

I want us just look at the first 10 verses 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's a thief and a robber with that verse. He describes the Pharisees and the false shepherds they are thieves and robbers who have no authority and no right and no ownership of the sheep that they seek to fleece and destroy, but he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep to him. The doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out when he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.

A stranger they simply will not follow but will flee from him because they do not know the voice of strangers. This figure of speech. Jesus spoke to them, but they did not understand what those things were which he had been saying to them, so Jesus said to them again, 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 hear them.

I am the door. If anyone enters through 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 that stories of Jesus told are so profound, they are almost unfathomable. It all started out pretty simple.

And the more you think about it in the deeper you go with it, the more profoundly theological and become shepherd always knows his sheep. They always know him because them by name, and the sheep follow because they know his voice. Verse five a stranger.

They simply will not follow but will flee from him because they do not know the voice of strangers that had us here, you can pretty deep now into theology is pretty serious theology here divine sovereignty, irresistible grace, effectual calling. This is all theological what what is our Lord saying here is giving us the theology of salvation.

Here's the theology the good Shepherd has already chosen his sheep.

He's already named them.

He knows who they are. He possesses full authority and sole authority to come into Judaism and into the nations of the world and the countries of the world to find his sheep he knows them he calls them by name. They recognize his voice. They follow him and listen to this. They will not follow a stranger, they will not. They won't follow. They know their shepherd's voice. That's the miracle of regeneration, how deep the Cisco deeper than I have. Unless you want to be here till 600 you know Jesus told simple stories and here's talking to these unbelievers and he's talking to these disciples were kind of the other kind hard to teach because they seem to miss the point of so much in you would want to introduce any complexity to them.

Keep it really simple.

I don't think so. This is so profound. This fulfills the promise of the Old Testament that God will gather a flock from the world and bring that flock into the glory of the kingdom, a kingdom in which they will nothing but blessing upon blessing upon blessing and that'll move into an eternal condition of blessing.

So he comes calls him by name, they know his voice. They follow him. He leads them out. And then it tells us this verse for when he puts forth all his own. This is that Bolling has to get amount yes that it's an effort to get them out of the fall. We understand that we could talk about that. It's hard to believe it's hard to repent that human nature resisted. It's a battle for the sole right because them by name they hear, but not without a struggle. Not without the agonizing yes to throw them out of the comfort of their worldly condition their religious trappings but once he puts them forth. He goes ahead of them, and the sheep do what they follow.

They follow if you abide in my word, you're my real disciple, John eight McNitt he doesn't have to keep pushing us. Once he pushed us out to the miracle of regeneration. Once he made us his own. Once we recognized his voice. Once we began to share his life once we were set free from the bondage of the world's fold. We follow willingly and we will not follow a stranger, please notice that the shepherd leads.

He goes on ahead of them to make the pathway clear the danger to find the water pasture provision. This is security protection provision everything that's bound up in sanctification as he leads us into eternal glory and blessing.

What a thrill to know all of this and isn't striking really the Jesus is unpacking this amazing D theology to some people who have no understanding. Don't even get it is verse six says entered the disciples were so new in understanding but these are true is that all of us must know the leads them out of bondage. He leads them to green pasture Stillwater. I remember as a as a young boy my father had a him that he used to love to sing and so we sang a lot in church. You may remember he deleted me over blessed thought or words of heavenly comfort fraught where I be whatever I do, it is his hand. That leads me may that's the reality.

The great Shepherd checks the danger makes the path finds the pastor finds the water as he leads us. This is salvation in all its beauty and its richness, sovereign salvation, and we follow just another comment or two about verse five stranger. They simply will not follow but will flee from him because they do not know the voice of stranger simple conclusion people who are loyal to false teachers don't know the true shepherd one swear out. Once he has thrown us out of the fold of sin and death and judgment. We follow we follow. We do not listen to a stranger.

We follow faithfully not perfectly.

We will never heed another voice. By the way verse five has a double negative, who may stranger they absolutely will not follow but will flee. Matthew 2424 says that false Christ send false prophets if it were possible, would deceive the elect, but is it possible know that's why that's there.

It's not possible those who belong to God. Those who belong to the true shepherd. They will hear his voice, they will follow they will not hear the voice of a stranger, nothing can break the bond between a true sheet and the shepherd all that the father gives to me. John six will what come to me and no one comes to me unless the father draws the robbers and the thieves. Of course they couldn't understand this in verse six. This figure of speech. Jesus spoke to them they didn't understand what those things were which he had been saying to them. Jesus then adds another word picture. This is one of the iambs of the gospel of John.

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 didn't hear them. I am the door. If anyone goes through me. He will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.

I want you to see the picture here. Here's a second metaphor is not only the shepherd that comes in to take his sheep. He's the door he's the only way out is not about going and it's about going out and the idea of going Internet means moving with freedom when he leads you out of that fold and it's only through him. He alone is the door repeated again.

Numbers nine.

He leads you out, and there is a freedom from bondage. Anyone goes literally through me passes through me. He will be saved marked that word, underline and draw a circle around and that's the first time you move from the word picture from the metaphor to reality to the theological statement of fact. This is about what is about being saved this about salvation. This is the saving shepherd. He will be saved and then he's free to go in and out and find past this wicked we could say is the liberty that we enjoy with come out of that fold and we are now free beautiful way really it's really incredible to think about, but we can roam the world. We can go everywhere we can enjoy the common grace of God.

That's this verse throughout the world.

We have the right to enjoy all we have nothing to fear or do we. What can separate us from the love of God in Christ anything separate us.

Romans eight up so nothing can separate us so we go in and out and it shows a liberty now of freedom. There is no enemy who can destroy us. We have nothing to fear, were safe we can roam free. No threat is held over our head. Romans eight it it it should be read often because it's intending by the use of hyperbole to show the protection that every believer has what will separate us from the love of our shepherd, tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, sword no, I am convinced that neither death, life, Angels, principalities, things present, things to come, powers, height, depth or any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. We have a bond with our shepherd. That will go right on into the kingdom and then right on into eternity. So the Lord is the shepherd and the shepherd is the door, and God feeds us and sustains us with green pastures through our whole spiritual life. We have received all things pertaining to spiritual life and godliness, have we not all things fully sustained, fully supplied, but what is it that is our food.

What is that pasture bullets. The word is in it. It's the word, that word was found. Jeremiah says and that's what became my food. We hear his voice. We know his voice. Where this is voice come to us through hear the word as the Spirit gives life to the word we follow the Scripture we love the word we say with David. Oh how I love your law, it is our delight contrast ends in verse 10 in its stark false shepherds come to steal, kill and destroy. I think all of us and certainly me have been vilified by people for exposing false doctrine, but I could not be a faithful shepherd before my own shepherd if I didn't do my part to protect the sheep. If I say something against anything that usually shows up in some headline in such an outrageous form that it incites anger and hostility, but it's really not about me being angry. It's about me trying to discharge her compassionate responsibility to those who are being victimized by false shepherds who want nothing but the strip them of everything they have and then eat them thief comes to kill the sheep, or some interesting stories.

If the thief came at night and climbed the wall he would have a difficulty getting the sheep out willingly because the sheep don't know his voice and so very often they would slit the throat of the sheep in the fold and throw it over the wall. They knew that they knew the kind of work that robbers did, they would take the wall and then eat the sheep. The thief comes to kill comes to destroy after he has stolen, on the other hand, I come that they may have life and have it parasites over the top. What is salvation just summing it up. The Messiah comes Savior comes becomes to the fold of Judaism in the fold of the Gentile world is sheep are already known to him, because the father has identified them and given them a name and written it down before the foundation of the world.

He knows that they are. He enters the door because he has full authority and right to do so and out of the world and out of Judaism. Pete selects his own calls them by name. This is irresistible grace. This is the effectual call.

This is a call on to life. This is regeneration they follow.

They follow because this is a supernatural work of God that draws them out of sin and death and darkness and blindness. They follow they know his voice. They follow him. They go through him. He alone being the door they come out and then they room the world and enjoy all the rich provision and protection that there shepherd provides for the this is salvation in one day we will enjoy this at a level that was described by Ezekiel 34 in the millennial kingdom. When the earth is completely rejuvenated and restored and that will be followed by the eternal state. Unfortunately, false shepherds and false teachers destroy people Peter says many follow their pernicious ways. I want to close by just looking to something Peter wrote first Peter five. You can look at first Peter five for a minute just to kind of keep things in perspective. This is to me and to all of you serve the Lord is pastors and leaders. I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ in particular. Also, the glory it is to be revealed. That's Peter. He says this shepherd the flock of God.

Great description.

The flock of God and what a sobering responsibility to shepherd the flock of God, the ones who he identified they belong to him. He called them out they came, they heard his voice they follow they will follow till they enter into eternal glory shepherd the flock of God, exercising oversight, not under compulsion because you have to, but voluntarily just for the sheer privilege of it. According to the will of God and not for sword again, not for money but with eagerness not as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proved to be examples to the flock.

While so we are to be Christlike to the flock. We literally shepherd the flock of God is under shepherds under Christ who is the chief Shepherd in verse four and when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the on fading crown of glory. I think when we get to heaven working to know the Lord Jesus as the chief Shepherd and he will have for all faithful under shepherds the full richness of the on fading crown of glory, to be encouraged. The Lord knows his sheep.

He's chosen them. He's name them. The one shepherd the Lord Jesus Christ possesses full authority to come into this world and to call his sheep. He calls them out of this world.

He calls them to himself.

He calls them by name.

They all follow.

They will not follow anyone else.

He leads them from the fold of the world into the blessings of salvation in this age the age to come in the eternal kingdom goes before them to provide all they need to give them complete protection. Father, we thank you that you have given us this rich word and we know that we have just scratched the surface of all these things, but it's enough to almost overwhelm us. How magnificent is your word.

How true is it.

Each passage shines like some glorious diamond but in perfect harmony with every other passage in the more we see it, the more clearly it shines as having been cut by a divine mind, we thank you for this truth. Thank you for calling us as your sheep. We thank you Lord that you have also said that whoever comes to you. You will not turn away.

We pray today that your Holy Spirit might prompt the heart of some who are yours but have not yet been called call them this day, lest they live another day without the blessings and the benefits of your provision and protection call some even from this congregation, this day, as well as everywhere around the world where the truth is proclaimed into your fold into your flock free them from the confines the restrictions of the world set them free to go in and out and find blessing.

Do your work, we pray father we ask the you would do what we can't do certain and accomplish your will and every life. We pray in Christ name, amen. This is grace to you with Bible teacher John MacArthur, the title of John's current series is rediscovering the Christ of Scripture John an important point from today's lesson you said that all of Christ's sheep will come to him and wrapped up in that principle is the doctrine of assurance and eternal security.

And we probably get more questions about those doctrines than anything else. We hear and in line with that we have a question today that came in on our Q&A line is pretty straightforward, but he asks an important question, so I want you to listen to the question, then John, let's get your response from Lowell Massachusetts. My question is how do I know of one of God. What does really will got a nervous Journal. So God bless you John keep preaching that word because you know that a lot of people out there that will I Alan, thank you for the question you need to be nervous. The very fact just your brief statement that you're thankful for the word of God and that you rely on the word of God is evidence that you are the child of God, because that is the first indication of salvation you long for God.

You long for his word you desire to know the truth. I often explain it this way, it is not the perfection of your life.

It's the direction of your life. If you're a child of God you love God you love Christ, you know I've explained it just ends in simple ways. First of all, a true believer loves loves God loves the Lord Jesus loves the word of God loves the people of God loves the church of God that I don't mean there is perfect love, perfect undiluted affection but but there is a craving in the heart for all those realities. The second thing that marks the true believer not only love but holiness and by that I simply mean there is a pursuit of what is right. There is a desire to do what is right. There is a sense of disappointment and guilt when you do what is wrong. So you embrace the things that belong to God in a way that moves you in the direction of sanctification that obviously would know because faster is the direct and the path of sanctification as we wish we would. But that is the direction of our lives, and that means we could say thirdly, obedience characterizes us we we want to hear the word of God in order to obey it.

If you love me Jesus as you keep my commandments wanted keeps my commandments. He's the one who belongs to me and belongs to the father so don't look at the failures in your life. Look at the desires of your heart desires to express love to God and all that is in his kingdom. A desire to pursue holiness and virtue, which translates into an eagerness to be obedient and friend.

If, like Alan, you have a Bible related question for John call our Q&A line 661-295-6288. Leave us a message with your question and you may hear John answer it on future broadcast.

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That's 661-295-6288. Now for John MacArthur and the entire grace to use staff. I'm Phil Johnson inviting you back tomorrow's broadcast. When John continues his series.

That's all about rediscovering the Christ of Scripture. Join us for another 30 minutes of unleashing God's truth one verse at a time on grace to you