Sharing Bread John 10:27-28

SHARING BREAD

27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.


John 10:27-28 (NIV)


Hear and heed – listen and follow – harken and obey- the true sheep of the great Shepherd are indeed called by grace and enabled by grace demonstrating they belong in His pasture. Those who are deaf to His voice are not of His flock. Jesus’ Word of command has and always will be “Follow Me” – in vain do we listen to His voice if we do not follow Him. The Shepherd’s true sheep discern and delight and do according to His leading:

“Grace begins the work: they, through grace, obey His calling, and willingly do as He bids them. The ears of unconverted people are deaf to Christ’s call, but true Christians hear and obey.” J. C. Ryle

This would not have been a novel thought to the hearers in Jesus’ day. Moses spoke clearly regarding the need to listen and follow. We find the following Truth in Deuteronomy:

19 This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Deut 30:19-20 (NIV)

The prophet Isaiah also tells us we can be certain to hear if we are listening for the gentle whisper of His voice:

21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." Isaiah 30:21 (NIV)



We would all do well to heed the heavenly instructions given to Peter on the Mount of Transfiguration:



7 Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!" Mark 9:7 (NIV)


Interestingly, Jesus’ mother gave us a wonderful piece of advice to follow as well through her instructions to the servants at the wedding feast Jesus attended:

5 His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." John 2:5 (NIV)

Our Lord states also in our verses for today that He knows who are His. He is fully aware and familiar with all His sheep. Paul writes to Timothy the following Truth regarding this stating also our responsibility in making every effort to turn from evil:

19 Nevertheless, God's solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: "The Lord knows those who are his," and, "Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness." 2 Tim 2:19 (NIV)




“Neglect, indifference, forgetfulness, ignorance, are all impossible to God. He knows everything; He cares about everything; and He loves us! Surely this is enough for a ‘fullness of joy’ beyond the power of words to express.” Hannah Whitall Smith

In our rich and full and instructive verses for today we find great eternal Truths. True sheep hear their Shepherd’s voice, follow their Shepherd’s leading and are eternally safe in their Shepherd’s care – He will not lose one – not even one. True sheep will never be kept from eternal happiness with their Savior:

39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40 For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." John 6:39-40 (NIV)




I love it that Scripture compares us to sheep. Like the animal, we are helpless and often not very smart with our choices! Sheep, like us, are dependent upon their shepherd. Even at our best, as sheep, we tend to go astray, and are foolish and weak. However, there is one interesting characteristic of sheep that remains superior to other animals – and of which we are promised as believers as well – sheep have a unique ability to discern the voice of their shepherd and will follow no other – seeking help and solace from him alone. The sheep depend solely and wholly on the help of their shepherd for their care – in finding pasture, in healing and in guarding against savage wolves. So too, we as God’s sheep are to depend solely and wholly on our Great Shepherd’s care – discerning His voice and following His ways.



Lastly, our Savior tells us that those who hear His voice and follow Him are assured of never perishing but having eternal life. It is His sheep alone that never perish and live eternally with Him. The one who lives wickedly in habitual sin yet all the while claiming they shall never perish is a miserable self-deceiver. Yet the humble penitent believer who puts his trust in Jesus may rest in this glorious and comfortable Truth that no matter how much Satan tries to snatch we remain safe in the hands of our Lord – our souls never to be lost though everything else may perish. Our soul’s safety lies within the fact that it rests in His hands – it is in His securely holding us, not in our holding Him.



What I glean from this:



• As Jesus’ sheep, I am to hear and heed His voice.


• I am to do what Jesus tells me.


• I am dependent on my Shepherd.

Sharing Bread John 10:22-26

SHARING BREAD

22 Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon's Colonnade. 24 The Jews gathered around him, saying, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly."



25 Jesus answered, "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep.


John 10:22-26 (NIV)

Many times when wanting to know God’s will for a specific circumstance in my life, I have bluntly blurted out my wish for God to send me a letter or an e-mail designating exactly which direction He desired for me to go. I am ignorant enough (and perhaps overly zealous) to believe that I would be totally obedient to this form of His revealed will. How foolish of heart I am – like I am able to walk in total obedience to His revealed will now which I gingerly hold in my hand – The Bible???? (That statement rightly reeks of sarcasm!). Scripture tells us of Scripture:

16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Tim 3:16-17 (NIV)



“It is not for us to teach God how he should teach us, but to be thankful for divine revelation as we have it.” Matthew Henry




“The doleful reality is that very few human beings really do concretely desire to hear what God has to say to them. This is shown by how rarely we listen for his voice when we are not in trouble or when we are not being faced with a decision that we do not know how to handle. People who understand and warmly desire to hear God’s voice will, by contrast, want to hear it when life is uneventful just as much as they want to hear it when they are facing trouble or big decisions. This is a test that we should all apply to ourselves as we go in search of God’s word: do we seek it only under uncomfortable circumstances?.....That we lack the desire to receive God’s word merely for what it is, just because we believe it is the best way to live, is also shown by a disregard of the plain directives in the Scriptures…. It is not wise to disregard these plain directives and then expect to hear a special message from God when we want it…..Anyone who rejects the general counsels of Scripture is in fact planning not to be guided by God and cannot then rely on being able to be delivered from their difficulties by obtaining God’s input on particular occasions.” Dallas Willard

Sadly, I appear to be no different from those Jewish hearers of Jesus’ Words in our verses for today. Human nature never seems to change does it? Jesus had already been abundantly clear – crystal clear – yet, His hearers desired more. There was sufficient evidence that our Lord was the Christ yet they proclaim: “Tell us plainly!” “Don’t keep us in suspense!” Don’t you know our Lord wanted to say, “Read my lips!” “Enough of this!” Yet Jesus responds in kindness to their ill-will tease – a tease which came under pretence of seeking truth yet in reality, only to quarrel. They struggled with their convictions which said He was Christ and their corruptions which said He was not because Jesus was neither what they were expecting nor desiring. How often do we find ourselves in this same dilemma? Convicted of Truth yet searching for reasons not to believe because we simply do not want to change?

“Nothing is more common with hardened and wicked men than to allege a want of evidence, and to pretend willingness to believe, if only more evidence was supplied.” J. C. Ryle

The evidence that Jesus was Whom He claimed to be was certainly not obscure. He had not healed in a closet or veiled His miraculous works with smoke. Indeed, our Lord had been forthright in His actions and Words. The miracles He did openly were more than sufficient proof that He was the promised Messiah. The works He did were also both commissioned and appointed by His Father. He came as God’s Messenger to make God known to man. He never acted independently of God’s will, rather always in unity and harmony. Jesus was continually confidently appealing to the evidence of the miraculous signs He performed. These miracles were not meant so much to convert as to show forth that our Lord was from God and deserved attention – He being Whom He claimed to be. We find the following in John reflecting this point:

36 “I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the very work that the Father has given me to finish, and which I am doing, testifies that the Father has sent me.” John 5:36 (NIV)




Yet, as God would have it, there were some who would believe albeit baby steps of faith:



30 At this they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his time had not yet come. 31 Still, many in the crowd put their faith in him. They said, "When the Christ comes, will he do more miraculous signs than this man?" John 7:30-31 (NIV)



When Peter addressed the Jewish crowds in Acts following our Lord’s resurrection we find this correct response among the hearers:



22 "Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23 This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him……. 36 "Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." 37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" 38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call." Acts 2:22-24 (NIV) Acts 2:36-39 (NIV)




What I glean from this:



• The Bible is God’s revealed will for my life equipping me for every good work.


• The miracles Jesus performed pointed others to His Oneness with the Father.


• Those who are His sheep believe Him and listen to Him.

Sharing Bread John 10:21

SHARING BREAD

21 But others said, "These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"


John 10:21 (NIV)

Jesus’ miracles spoke for themselves. These signs were given in order for the people to ponder their significance and in turn recognize Jesus’ Oneness with the Father - His deeds carrying as much weight and being as important as His Words. Words have always been relatively easy to proclaim therefore people desire proof in the pudding – “Show me the money” or “Put your money where your mouth is” is the mantra of most. He, therefore, backed up His Words by authenticating signs and wonders proving to be Whom He claimed to be. Over and over again we find Jesus healing the sick, raising the dead, restoring sight to the blind - doing what only God can do – things impossible for man to accomplish. We discover the following in Matthew regarding some of Jesus’ actions while His feet walked this earth:

23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24 News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them. Matt 4:23-24 (NIV)

Indeed, in speaking of His miracles Jesus proclaimed they evidenced He was and is One with the Father. We find in the gospel of John the following Words of our Lord:

37 Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. 38 But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father." John 10:37-38 (NIV)




All these actions should have convinced His Jewish hearers that God’s hand was moving towards accomplishing His purposes and they therefore should be readying themselves through repentance and subsequent acknowledgment and trust in Jesus as the coming Messiah. Our Lord also stated this lack of belief in the miracles He performed was a demonstration that they did not belong to Him. We find our Lord’s Words in John:



25 Jesus answered, "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. John 10:25-26 (NIV)



This poses a question for us to ponder as well. Are we readying ourselves for Jesus’ ultimate return through repentance – our turning from sin to Him – and trusting in Him as our Savior and righteousness? It matters you know. Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people. Jesus tells us:



1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. John 14:1-3 (NIV)




Peter gives us the following admonitions to “have hope” and “be holy” in light of this Truth:



13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy." 1 Peter 1:13-16 (NIV)




14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. 2 Peter 3:14 (NIV)




In our verses for today we see some of the Pharisees coming to the defense of our Lord. Though the stream of unbelief ran strong, they dared to swim against it. Two things they believed could not be refuted – the excellence of His doctrine and the power of the miracles He performed – His Word and His works both giving claim to His Deity. It seemed nonsensical to them that people would call Jesus’ Words demonic. Satan and his companions in harm never desire to do good towards any man nor do they desire to glorify God with their words. Jesus’ God glorifying, loving language was anything but demoniac. Our Lord’s works spoke for themselves. Most Jews of that day subscribed to the fact that one of the special miracles of the coming Messiah would be to open the eyes of the blind. The prophet Isaiah prophesized this Truth:



5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Isaiah 35:5 (NIV)



“The only Christ for whom there is a shred of evidence is a miraculous figure making stupendous claims.” C. S. Lewis




What I glean from this:



• Jesus’ miracles spoke for themselves – they had the finger marks of God all over them.


• Jesus’ miracles pointed to the fact that He was and is One with the Father.


• Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people therefore I am to prepare myself.

Sharing Bread John 10:19-20

SHARING BREAD

19 At these words the Jews were again divided. 20 Many of them said, "He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?"


John 10:19-20 (NIV)

When our Lord’s feet walked this dusty earth He certainly experienced plenty of controversy and division, not only amongst the Jews but also amongst His own family. Several times John expresses the hostile statements of these crowds toward our Savior. In their desperate attempt to disparage our Lord Jesus, they were forever calling Him demonically possessed or simply out of His right mind. Their normal course of action when confronted with the Truth of Jesus was to resort to rebuking and name calling in lieu of repenting and restoration. It was much easier for them to say He was crazy than for them to change and be made whole – it seemed to flow so naturally from their hearts by way of their lips. John tells us:

20 "You are demon-possessed," the crowd answered. "Who is trying to kill you?" John 7:20 (NIV)




48 The Jews answered him, "Aren't we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?" 49 "I am not possessed by a demon," said Jesus, "but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. 50 I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51 I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death." 52 At this the Jews exclaimed, "Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that if anyone keeps your word, he will never taste death. John 8:48-52 (NIV)




Not much has changed in over 2,000 years has it? Jesus continues to be a cause for contention due to the carnal mind of man. Human nature seems ever to remain the same – as long as a soul is without Christ we can expect dissention. The unregenerate mind is in enmity against the amazing grace of God. Jesus told us this Truth Himself:



51 Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. 52 From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. 53 They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law." Luke 12:51-53 (NIV)



“The popular image of Christ as ‘gentle Jesus meek and mild’ simply will not do. To be sure, He was full of love, compassion and tenderness. But He was also uninhibited in exposing error and denouncing hypocrisy. Christ was a controversialist. John Stott


Paul confirms this Truth in Romans:



7 the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. 8 Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. Romans 8:7-8 (NIV)


Mark also gives us the following insight in his gospel regarding the schism in Jesus’ own family:



21 When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, "He is out of his mind." Mark 3:21 (NIV)




It seems strange indeed that the One who came preaching peace between God and man should cause such contention – the fault not found in Christ rather in His hearers. Paul writes of this in 1 Corinthians:



14 The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Cor 2:14 (NIV)


We should not be surprised if we experience the same treatment – being thought of as fool or full of folly for our faith. If they treated our Master as such we are likely to go through the same experiences – reproached by ridicule or persecution or harsh words. Jesus warns us of this:



24 "A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household! Matt 10:24-25 (NIV)


Divisiveness among hearers of the Gospel is certainly not an argument against the Truth of it – moreover it would appear as an argument for it as it was foretold by the prophet Isaiah and quoted again in 1 Peter:



14 and he will be a sanctuary; but for both houses of Israel he will be a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare. Isaiah 8:14 (NIV)




6 For in Scripture it says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame." 7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone, 8 and, "A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall." They stumble because they disobey the message--which is also what they were destined for. 1 Peter 2:6-8 (NIV)


What I glean from this:

• Jesus experienced much controversy when His feet walked upon this dusty earth.


• I should expect controversy as a follower of Jesus.


• The sinful mind is hostile towards God.

Sharing Bread John 10:17-18

SHARING BREAD

17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life--only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."

John 10:17-18 (NIV)


In our verses for today Jesus clearly states His death and resurrection was voluntary and sacrificial as well as obedient to His Father’s will. It was planned. It had purpose. It was pleasing to the Father. No one took our Lord’s life from Him; He lay it down on His own accord. The prophet Isaiah had prophesized regarding this:

10 Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. 11 After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light [of life] and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Isaiah 53:10-11 (NIV)




John gives us the following Truth in Revelation:



8 All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast--all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world. Rev 13:8 (NIV)




God is not whimsical in His dealings. He does not say and then not act. He is faithful to His promises and loving toward all He has made. Clearly the decision of Christ’s death and resurrection had been made from the creation of the world and was only awaiting the “fullness of time”. Indeed, “slain from the creation of the world” – before the stars were in place, before the grass and trees and flowers grew, before the animals and even Adam, it was set in stone – Jesus would be the sacrificial Lamb to take away the sin of the world. God is our source of stability as He is ever faithful to His message. He can be trusted. Every promise of God, therefore, is “yes” in Christ Jesus:



20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God. 21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. 2 Cor 1:20-22 (NIV)





Interestingly, our verses for today could be applied to our lives in regard to our Christian walk as well. We are called to die to self and live for Christ – to lay down our lives only to take them up again through His power. Paul puts it this way in Galatians:



20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Gal 2:20 (NIV)


“God will be our compensation for every sacrifice we have made.” F. B. Meyer



We are also told in Romans:



10 But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you. Romans 8:10-11 (NIV)




No one forces us to lay down our lives of selfish ambitions, vain conceits and sinfulness and take them up again to live for righteousness through His power – all for Christ’s sake and glory. When we end the enthronement of self – our self-righteous, self-centered living – we then yield the throne of our life to Another – to Christ. Willingly choosing to take off the old man and put on the new, becoming a new creation in Him. Paul’s life shines as a perfect example of this fleshed out. He goes from persecutor of Christ to proclaimer of His Majesty- a miraculous transformation indeed. All of his laurels – and he had many - he willingly lay aside, considering them loss for the sake of Christ. He lived this new life by faith which released in him the divine power to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. Considering all that Christ had done for him (and for us all), he urges believers to this same course of action of willingly choosing to be living sacrifices. We find his following words in Romans 12:



1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)




“It pleases the Father that all fullness should be in Christ; therefore, there is nothing but emptiness anywhere else.” William Gadsby



Faith, which releases the divine power, believes God. Faith believes God has our best interest at heart. Faith believes God knows best. Faith believes God loves us and that we can rest secure in that love. Faith believes God’s will for us is good and perfect and pleasing. Faith reaches out and grabs hold of the Life God offers that is truly Life.



“Faith is a living and unshakeable confidence, a belief in the grace of God so assured that a man would die a thousand deaths for its sake.” Martin Luther

What I glean from this:



• Jesus willingly lay down His life for my sin.


• As a believer, I no longer live but Christ lives in me through the power of His Spirit.


• I am to offer my body as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.

Sharing Bread John 10:16

SHARING BREAD

16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.


John 10:16 (NIV)


Hallelujah for this verse indeed! The “other sheep” Jesus mentions in our verse for today refers to the Gentiles which must be brought in to His fold and which are not of the Jewish sheep pen. Jesus maintains that this inclusion of the Gentiles is indeed a compulsory necessity – again, Hallelujah for that! The actual wording Jesus uses here meaning “an unavoidable, urgent, compulsory necessity”. Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible - New Testament Lexical Aids. The fulfillments of all God’s promises are just that - unavoidable, urgent, compulsory necessities – not one of His good promises will every fail. The prophet Isaiah had prophesized the following promise in light of our verse for today:

6 And foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD to serve him, to love the name of the LORD, and to worship him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant-- 7 these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations." 8 The Sovereign LORD declares--he who gathers the exiles of Israel: "I will gather still others to them besides those already gathered." Isaiah 56:6-8 (NIV)



Of course this was in light of fulfilling the covenant promise given by God to Abraham all the way back in Genesis:



3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." Gen 12:3 (NIV)



Paul puts it the following way in Galatians linking Abraham and his spiritual descendants - both Jew and Gentile alike - as being made righteous through faith. Abraham was saved by faith and so too are all of his spiritual descendants:



8 The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through you." 9 So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. Gal 3:8-9 (NIV)






Peter states this revolutionary Truth clearly in Acts:



34 Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right. 36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. Acts 10:34-36 (NIV)



This is very sweet news for Gentiles indeed! Paul brings this point home in Ephesians by telling us just how great this sweet news is by describing our condition prior to it:

11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called "uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "the circumcision" (that done in the body by the hands of men) -- 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, Eph 2:11-14 (NIV)



“We came into this world wretched, miserable, and undone creatures, in cruel bondage to sin and Satan, under guilt and under wrath, hostile toward God—the fountain of blessedness—and in a state of condemnation leading to everlasting destruction. But when a man is converted, he is brought out of that state of woe and misery into a sure title to glory, honor, and peace forever. When once a man is converted, all this blessedness that we have heard of is his; he has an absolute right to it. God’s work is accomplished for it; His faithful promise is given.” Jonathan Edwards




All who are believers in Christ - Jew and Gentile alike - are now in one body – being one flock - with Christ the great Shepherd as the Head – and sharers together in all the promises of Christ. We find this confirmed in Ephesians as Paul writes:



6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. Eph 3:6 (NIV)




Interestingly, Jesus tells us that like His Jewish believers, we as His Gentile believers will listen to His voice as well. Isaiah tells us we will bind ourselves to Him and serve and worship Him – not neglecting the Sabbath and holding fast to His covenant. These are all appropriate responses for those who once were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel, foreigners of the promise, without hope and without God. I am reminded of Paul’s words in Romans that present us with an acceptable response to what God has done for us through Jesus:



1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.   Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)



Once you realize all that it cost God to forgive you, you will be held as in a vise, constrained by the love of God.” Oswald Chambers


What I glean from this:

• None of God’s promises will ever fail – not one. 14 "Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the LORD your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed. Josh 23:14 (NIV)


• Jesus’ sheep will listen to His voice.


• In view of God’s mercy towards me, I am to present my body as a living sacrifice – holy and pleasing to God.

Sharing Bread John 10:14-15

SHARING BREAD

14 "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me-- 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father--and I lay down my life for the sheep.


John 10:14-15 (NIV)

Isn’t it the most wonderful thing to be known completely and yet still be loved (smile)? With all of our flaws and fooleries, with all of our pettiness and “little” peccadilloes not to mention our selfishness and propensity to sin, it is no wonder we find it amazing that we as believers can be both fully known and totally loved by our Lord. In our verses for today Jesus states that He is intimately acquainted with His sheep – He is completely aware of their every detail with full and complete knowledge. He knows how we are knit together, He knows our likes and our dislikes, He knows our strengths and our weaknesses – we never take Him by surprise. He bears patiently with our infirmities and does not cast us aside because we are erring or wayward. Even with all this knowledge of His fallen ones, He loved us enough to lay down His life for us. God’s love is amazing to be sure - that the God of all creation would willingly die for you and for me is certainly beyond my limited comprehension. It is a love that passes knowledge. Scripture gives us the following Truths regarding this:

6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:6-8 (NIV)




13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13 (NIV)



“O Love that wilt not let me go, I rest my weary soul in thee; I give thee back the life I owe, That in thine ocean depths its flow May richer, fuller be. O light that foll’west all my way, I yield my flick’ring torch to thee; My heart restores its borrowed ray, That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day May brighter, fairer be. O Joy that seekest me through pain, I cannot close my heart to thee; I trace the rainbow through the rain, And feel the promise is not vain, That morn shall tearless be. O Cross that liftest up my head, I dare not ask to fly from thee; I lay in dust life’s glory dead, And from the ground there blossoms red Life that shall endless be.” George Mattheson

Our verses today also show that there is to be a close personal relationship between our Savior and all of His believing people. Just as He knows us, we are to seek to know Him – ever growing in His image - He being the firstborn among many brothers. We are to know each other well connoting affection and intimacy. This is an important point we do not want to miss. Do we know our Lord well? Are we familiar with His ways, with His desires, with His longings? While our Lord certainly knows His people, His people, on the other hand, are to know Him. They are to maintain a loving trust and confidence that quite frankly baffles the unbelieving world – indeed, onlookers dismiss it as foolishness. Yet wisdom is proved right by her actions. We as believers know Jesus as our friend, observing Him through the eyes of faith and therefore are able to rest our head between our Savior’s shoulders. Tasting and seeing that the Lord is good only whets our appetites for more and more knowledge of Him. I am reminded of Paul’s fervent passion which fueled his every move stated clearly for us in Philippians:



7 But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Phil 3:7-14 (NIV)



What were we made for? To know God. What aim should we set ourselves in life? To know God. What is the eternal life that Jesus gives? Knowledge of God. What is the best thing in life, bringing more joy, delight, and contentment, than anything else? Knowledge of God. What, of all the states God ever sees man in, gives Him most pleasure? Knowledge of Himself. J.I. Packer



“If you wish to know God, you must know his Word. If you wish to perceive His power, you must see how He works by his Word. If you wish to know His purpose before it comes to pass, you can only discover it by His Word.” C.H. Spurgeon

“And the only way to know the God of the Word is to know the Word of God.” Donna Evans



Lastly, amazingly, Jesus likens His unity with us to the unity He has with the Father. Let that sink in for just a minute – the Father knows Jesus just as Jesus knows the Father, indeed Jesus states they are One having the exact unity of purpose. In like manner, Jesus knows the believer just as the believer knows Jesus – the believer seeking to achieve the exact unity of purpose with the Lord through the knowledge of Him who loved us and gave His life for us. Scripture tells us:



30 “I and the Father are one.” John 10:30 (NIV)




6 Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. 1 John 2:6 (NIV)






What I glean from this:



• Amazingly, I am completely known and completely loved by Jesus.


• I want to know everything I can know of Christ this side of heaven.


• I am to be one in purpose with Jesus – loving what He loves and hating what He hates.

Sharing Bread John 10:12-13

SHARING BREAD

12 The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.


John 10:12-13 (NIV)

It is a general rule of thumb that nobody loves a baby like their own Momma and Daddy. We tend to be more protective, more sacrificial as well as much more long suffering with our own than someone we would perhaps hire to watch them. How much more so the Creator of all towards His children – the One who fashioned and formed us within our mother’s womb? We are told in Isaiah:

15 "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! 16 See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me. Isaiah 49:15-16 (NIV)



In our verses for today our Lord sights an example of an unfaithful shepherd – a shepherd who cares nothing for the sheep he is paid to watch. Jesus came down the hardest in Scripture on the religious leaders of His day - who claimed to be righteous shepherds but their walk proved them differently. They were, in fact, anything but. White washed tombs is how our Savior described them, dead men walking around in flowing robes leading the sheep down the same path of destruction they trod. These unfaithful men cared more for their outward pompous display and honor than cleaning the inside of their own cups. Regarding them, Jesus states forth many woes found in the gospel of Matthew and to which we should be red flagged as well – making sure they are not descriptive terms used of us:

• They do not practice what they preach: 2 "The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. 3 So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4 They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. Matt 23:2-4 (NIV)

• They do everything for men to see and honor: 5 "Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7 they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them 'Rabbi.' Matt 23:5-7 (NIV)

• They shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces: 13 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. Matt 23:13 (NIV)


• They are hypocrites: 15 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are. Matt 23:15 (NIV)


• They are blind guides, blind fools, and blind men: 16 "Woe to you, blind guides! You say, 'If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.' 17 You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 18 You also say, 'If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.' 19 You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? Matt 23:16-19 (NIV)

• They are greedy and self-indulgent: You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. Matt 23:25-26 (NIV)


• They are whitewashed tombs: You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. Matt 23:27-28 (NIV)


“Sin is the dare of God’s justice, the rape of His mercy, the jeer of His patience, the slight of His power, and the contempt of His love.” John Bunyan

It is distressing to be sure for leaders in our churches to neither teach nor practice the Truth found in God’s Word. All of Scripture is a “paraklesis” – an exhortation, an encouragement, a comfort profitable for teaching and correcting and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good and profitable work. We do ourselves a great disfavor to sit under someone who does not esteem God’s Word as Truth and seeks neither to put it into practice nor write it upon his heart what he finds written upon its pages. Sadly, there seems to be quite a famine of God’s Word in our land. Biblical illiteracy is rampant and we have no one to blame but the person we see looking back at us in our mirrors. Scripture exhorts us:



15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. 2 Tim 2:15 (NIV)



“If you wish to know God, you must know his Word. If you wish to perceive His power, you must see how He works by his Word. If you wish to know His purpose before it comes to pass, you can only discover it by His Word.” C.H. Spurgeon


“When God calls you to do something, He provides the strength and wisdom you need to get it done. Therefore, you can step out in faith without fear or dread.” Michael Youssef




What I glean from this:



• No one loves me like Jesus.


• I do not want to be unfaithful in my walk. I desire to put my words into practice, to seek to please God rather than man, to lead others to the Lord, to be above hypocrisy, and to not be foolish or blind, or greedy or self-indulgent.


• I am to do my best to correctly handle God’s Word.

Sharing Bread John 10:11

SHARING BREAD

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”


John 10:11 (NIV)


Our Jesus is the good Shepherd – the Chief of all Shepherds - none so faithful, so gentle, so loving, so skillful, so tender and kind as He. I am reminded of the words in Isaiah chapter 40 picturing God as the compassionate Shepherd gently caring for His flock – particularly the young:

11 He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young. Isaiah 40:11 (NIV)


Certainly, King David’s 23rd Psalm comes to mind as he writes of the abundant provisions of the Lord - his great Shepherd:

1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. Psalms 23:1 (NIV)




5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Psalms 23:5 (NIV)





Indeed believer, Jesus as our Shepherd is both our abundant sufficiency and our strength – withholding no good thing for His sheep. The psalmist proclaims:



11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. 12 O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you. Psalms 84:11-12 (NIV)



One of the principal offices Jesus fills for every believer is this one of Shepherd. He leads and guides and comforts and protects all the sheep of His pasture. This title would have been particularly rich in meaning to those following our Lord in His day - His hearers understanding both the comfort and instruction the term carried. Just like a good shepherd, Christ knows all of His children. He is intimately familiar with each one – knowing their names and families and circumstances and trials. He is acquainted with their history, where they live, their experiences. Nothing is a surprise or a secret to Him. We are ever before Him as He tenderly watches over and guides us. Indeed, a few verses later in this same chapter Jesus tells us that no one can snatch us out of His hand:

27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. John 10:27-28 (NIV)






“Like a good shepherd, Christ cares tenderly for all His believing people. He provides for all their wants in the wilderness of this world, and leads them by the right way to a city of habitation. He bears patiently with their many weaknesses and infirmities, and does not cast them off because they are wayward, erring, sick, footsore, or lame. He guards and protects them against all their enemies, as Jacob did the flock of Laban; and of those that the father has given Him He will be found at last to have lost none.” J.C. Ryle



I love the words in Isaiah placing the love and care of God even above a mother and the baby she has borne:



13 Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth; burst into song, O mountains! For the LORD comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones. 14 But Zion said, "The LORD has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me." 15 "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! 16 See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me. Isaiah 49:13-16 (NIV)




“He who counts the stars and calls them by their names is in no danger of forgetting His own children.” Charles H. Spurgeon


Lastly we see that Jesus is eminently qualified to be our good Shepherd as He willingly laid down His life for His sheep. Aware that nothing but His blood could save us, He offers His body on the cross for our sins. He offers all for all. Believers are saved forevermore because the good Shepherd has died for us. Let His death for us not be in vain. It will not profit us anything on the last day if we never heard His voice during our lifetime or followed Him. Paul tells us:



We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Cor 5:20-21 (NIV)


1 As God's fellow workers we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain. 2 For he says,
"In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you." I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation. 2 Cor 6:1-2 (NIV)



“Reader, is the Lord Jesus thy Shepherd? Has He called thee out of the wilderness? Called thy heart from the love of sin and the world, and brought thee into His fold and pastures; brought thee into a close attendance on His ordinances? And does He feed and refresh thy soul with His Word? Canst thou distinguish the Shepherd’s voice from the voice of an hireling? And does thy heart cleave to the Shepherd in faith and love; adoring His person, and approving His laws, as well as admiring His doctrines? Then fear not; the Lord is with thee; Jesus is thy Shepherd: thou shalt want nothing that is really good. Follow thy Shepherd till He bring thee to glory.” K. H. Von Bogatzky




What I glean from this:



• Jesus is my good Shepherd.


• Christ cares tenderly for all His sheep.


• No one can snatch me out of Jesus’ hand.

Sharing Bread John 10:10

SHARING BREAD

10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.


John 10:10 (NIV)

Make no bones about it; Satan is our vicious adversary whose mode of operandi is to seek and to destroy. If he cannot keep us from being saved, he strives to keep us from being used. Satan is ever seeking opportunities for his savage attacks therefore we are to not be fearful rather on our guard. While Satan is most definitely out of our league in power, he is certainly not out of God’s – Hallelujah for that!

“Only two things have ever changed the human soul: the fall and grace, the power of Satan and the power of God. And God is infinitely more powerful. Nothing is stronger than grace. Satan doesn’t have any. God is defined by it.” Larry Crabb

Peter tells us quite plainly:

8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 1 Peter 5:8-9 (NIV)



“The Christian life is not a playground; it is a battleground.” Warren Wiersbe



“Sin is a living, breathing organism with will and intent seeking to destroy us.” It is referred to in the Bible as crouching at our door. It is a roaring lion infecting and controlling natural man. It is alive and well. Dr. Omar Hamada

Just as God has a wonderful plan for our lives, Scripture tells us Satan also has a plan for us albeit for our destruction and death. We can be sure that whatever God does for our good, Satan counters for our harm God comes to bless and give to the full while Satan comes to ravage and steal. Peter tells us to “resist” him meaning to “withstand” him which is a term of defense rather than attack. Christians are able to stand firm against Satan only if they depend totally upon the power of Christ. Hence, we are told to don the full armor of God so that we can take our stand against all of his flaming arrows. Paul writes in Ephesians:



10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Eph 6:10-13 (NIV)



The word translated “scheme” in verse ten is from the Greek word “Methodeia” meaning: “Method, the following or pursuing of an orderly and technical procedure in the handling of a subject.” Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible New Testament Lexical Aids. In other words, our adversary is not willy-nilly in the handling of his subjects (us), he has a plan. And while he is certainly not omniscient, he is a careful study. He seems to target his arrows at our weakest most vulnerable areas or breaches in our walls of self-defense. Thankfully, Satan cannot possess believers – we are sealed with the precious Holy Spirit – yet, he can so oppress us that we may at times feel possessed! How important it is for us to fortify our weakest areas – flee rather than remain dallying with our temptations. We are foolish indeed to give him a foothold. Proverbs tells us:



28 Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control. Prov 25:28 (NIV)

In ancient times the power of the city rested in the strength of its walls. In like manner, Scripture tells us the wall surrounding us is our self-control and when breached causes us to collapse. We are to be on our constant guard against our weaknesses and avoid putting ourselves in situations that are ripe for the taking of our “apples”. Every Christian possesses the gift of self-control by the way (albeit this gift unfortunately remains oftentimes unused) - it is a fruit of the Spirit:

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Gal 5:22-25 (NIV)

“Be thoroughly acquainted with your temptations and the things that may corrupt you.” Richard Baxter

Lastly, Jesus tells us that He has not only come to give us life but give it to the full. No half measures will do – He has come to overflow our cups. He is all about bestowing exceedingly abundantly above all we can ask or imagine through the power that is at work within us. Paul tells us in Ephesians:

20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Eph 3:20-21 (NIV)




“Christ came to give life and something more, something better, life with advantage. Life in abundance is eternal life, life and much more.” Matthew Henry



5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Psalms 23:5-6 (NIV)



What I glean from this:



• Satan desires to destroy me but Jesus desires to give me life.


• I must be self-controlled and alert particularly in the areas of my weaknesses.


• Jesus came to overflow my cup.

Sharing Bread John 10:9

SHARING BREAD

9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.


John 10:9 (NIV)

Safe, delivered, made whole, preserved from danger, loss or destruction are all who rest in the arms of our Surety. Christ is the only Door, the only Access, the only Way. Contrary to what many may think, Jesus is man’s solitary means of salvation. There remains no other way. Peter states this clearly in Acts as well:

12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12 (NIV)




Even the angel Gabriel clearly announced this Truth to fearful Joseph prior to the birth of our Lord. Prophesying the following regarding Jesus’ mission on earth to come, Gabriel states:



20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" --which means, "God with us." Matt 1:20-23 (NIV)


Our Lord states similarly later in John:

6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6 (NIV)






God's mercy is vast and beyond our comprehension. He will never reject anyone who turns to Him for mercy. Nor will He force Himself on anyone who chooses to live without Him.
Michael Youssef

“He will save His people from their sins” – Jesus gives us eternal life, saving us from eternal death, punishment and misery. Not only that, He frees us through His power to live without bondage to sin, death and destruction –in Him, we are set free. Sin no longer has dominion – He has disarmed its power and authority by the cross. We are given the power to overcome sin if we choose – it is a weakness or a cop-out or simply a lack of faith for believers to state we have no power to rid ourselves of habitual domineering sin. Scripture tells us we do. We are given this achieving ability through the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul gives us the following Truths:



16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 2 Cor 3:16-17 (NIV)



1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Gal 5:1 (NIV)




12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! 13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. 1 Cor 10:12-13 (NIV)




“Therefore the gospel . . . should be seen as not only a message of good news for lost people to be saved from sin’s penalty, but also as a message of good news for Christian people to be saved from sin’s domineering power. The goal of the gospel is not merely to forgive us, but to change us into true worshippers of God and authentic lovers of people.” Dr. Steve Childers, True Spirituality



Our Savior also states that we can “come in and go out, and find pasture” – beautifully expressing the habitual communion with Jesus which every true believer enjoys and of which the world knows not of. The grass is always greener in the pasture with Christ! It is there that we may experience His perfect peace and for that matter, all other fruit of the Spirit as well – “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law”:



23 Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me. 25 "All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:23-27 (NIV)

We discover in our verses for today as well that Jesus is our privilege, our protection, our provision, and our peace. In a wide, broad and grand statement Jesus proclaims He is our Access – our Way to God – the Door through which we must enter to be saved and freed. “Whoever” includes any and all – learned and unlearned, righteous or however wicked in times past, great or small, noble or peasant, rich or poor – all is open to all who enters.

“‘I am the Way of access to God. All who come to the Father by Me, whether pastors or hearers, shall find through Me safety and liberty, and possess continual food for their souls.’ It is a grand wide promise to all who enter in.” J. C. Ryle

What I glean from this:

• I am saved through Jesus - He is the only Way of salvation.


• Jesus frees me from the bondage of sin and destruction.


• Jesus offers salvation to all who will come. 28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matt 11:28-30 (NIV)

Sharing Bread John 10:7-8

SHARING BREAD

7 Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.


John 10:7-8 (NIV)


In the highest sense of the Word, Jesus is the only True Gate as no one can come to the Father but through Him. He is our access to God. We are by nature separated from God – sin being the great barrier wall between mankind and a holy God. We are born with this enmity and the longer we live we become more and more proficient regarding this alienation with our constant practice of sin and rebellion. Hence the only way we are able to draw near to God is through the precious blood of our Lord Jesus. Christ is the Mediator between God and Man. He is the Way because He is the Truth and He is the Life:

6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6 (NIV)




Jesus is our clear Way of access into righteousness, communion, fellowship and communication with a holy God. This is why He commands us in the Sermon on the Mount:



13 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Matt 7:13-14 (NIV)





Contrary to popular opinion, salvation is not obtainable through a myriad of ways. There is only one way which exists and it being through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Peter states in Acts:



12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12 (NIV)




Paul writes to his beloved Timothy the following Truths regarding both God’s desire for all men to come to this knowledge of salvation and of Jesus as being our only access and mediator:



3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all men--the testimony given in its proper time. 1 Tim 2:3-6 (NIV)



God, who is by nature a Savior, desires that none should perish but that the entire human race would come to a saving knowledge of the Truth through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ who is the Truth. God’s motivation towards mankind is and always has been love. There is but one God and there is but one way to approach Him – the Man who was God in the flesh – Jesus Christ. He willingly became the ransom for the entire human race, redeeming mankind through His blood which He shed on the cross. Jesus opened the way for sinful man to draw near to God with boldness and without fear. We must take heed to use the Gate and not merely stand outside gaping at it. It is a Gate that is available to the world and within which we find a full supply for every need of our souls. It is God’s desire for us to enter and be saved:



16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 (NIV)


Jesus often taught regarding the reality and severity of Hell. He describes it as being a place of never ending blackest darkness, pain and fire using such terminology as “weeping and gnashing of teeth”. This is not a very popular message from modern day pulpits but Truth none the less. I wonder what the people would tell us from Noah’s day as the flooding began to cover their heads or Sodom and Gomorrah’s residents as the burning sulfur started to fall. Do you not think they would be shouting to us “Wake up!” “Wake up!”? It is God’s desire to awaken us up from our spiritual drowsiness to the reality of the Truth. Why should anyone perish when the Remedy has been so lovingly provided? I am reminded of God’s Words penned by the Prophet Ezekiel:

31 Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, O house of Israel? 32 For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live! Ezek 18:31-32 (NIV)




“The best answer to fear is to have a firm grasp of what it means to be accepted by God.” John Gunstone

24 but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. 25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. Heb 7:24-25 (NIV)



What I glean from this:



• Jesus is my access to God.


• Salvation is not obtainable through a myriad of ways.


• God takes no pleasure in the death of anyone. His desire is for us to live with Him forever.

Sharing Bread John 10:5-6

SHARING BREAD

5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice." 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them.


John 10:5-6 (NIV)


Jesus’ call to all is quite simply “Follow Me”. Just as He called His very first Disciples, He calls each of us to follow Him first in humility, second in honor or glory – the cross always preceding the crown. Scripture tells us through the pen of Peter:

All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 1 Peter 5:5-6 (NIV)



Over and over again our Lord’s command as He walked this earth was follow, follow, follow – do as He says, do as He does - thus proving to be His disciples. This has not changed nor will it. Certainly presenting us - as it did all who walked before us - with a high albeit costly call:

19 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." 20 At once they left their nets and followed him. Matt 4:19-20 (NIV)

26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me. John 12:26 (NIV)




6 Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. 1 John 2:6 (NIV)

What exactly does it mean to follow Jesus? The word “follow” is translated from the Greek word “Akoloutheo” meaning “to be an attendant, accompany, go with or follow; distinguished from the occasional and temporary following of Jesus by the crowds; the individual calling to follow Jesus involved abiding fellowship with Him, not only for the sake of learning as a student from his teacher, but also for the sake of the salvation known or looked for, which presented itself in this fellowship. The first thing involved in following Jesus is a cleaving to Him in believing trust and obedience, those cleaving to Him also following His leading and acting according to His example. Hence the constant stress laid by the Lord Jesus upon the need of self-denial and fellowship with Himself in the cross. Thus following Jesus denotes a fellowship of faith as well as a fellowship of life, sharing in His sufferings not only inwardly, but outwardly if necessary. Such outward fellowship with Jesus, however, could not continue without inner moral and spiritual fellowship.” Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible, New Testament Lexical Aids.


In following Jesus we are the recipients of all spiritual blessings now and the future blessing of sharing with Jesus in all the riches of God’s Kingdom. Paul tells us in Romans:

6 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. Romans 8:16-17 (NIV)



“If religion is worth anything, it is worth everything. They who do not like Christ on these terms, may leave him at their peril. Whatever we part with for this pearl of price, we may comfort ourselves with this belief, that it is well worth what we give for it. The terms are, that we prefer Christ.” Matthew Henry

Those listening to our Lord did not understand Him – nothing seems to blind so much as the insidious monster of pride. Embracing and wrapped up in their false knowledge and conceits these religious leaders demonstrate their lack of true knowledge by not comprehending or following our Lord’s Words. Confirming them not to be His sheep:

4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. John 10:4 (NIV)

“You have heard My voice and have known that I have been ministering to you. You have not followed the voice of a stranger nor sought out strange paths. For this reason have I set My love upon you. I have put My arm around you, and with My wings have I sheltered you. You are the object of My special attention, and you have received My special care….. I have given you of My best because you have loved Me. I have drawn you into My banquet hall because you hungered and thirsted after the things of God. Because you have longed for righteousness and true holiness, I sought you out to instruct you and teach you in My laws and in My ways. I will indeed bring you to a higher realm of experience and revelation because there is a quest in your soul after Truth…...It is no futile path in which I am leading you. It will be laden with blessing and filled with surprises. Never be hesitant to follow.” Frances J. Roberts

What I glean from this:

• Jesus calls me to follow Him.


• The safest place I can be is in the center of His will.


• Pride and vain conceits can keep me from hearing His voice.

Sharing Bread John 10:3-4

SHARING BREAD

3 The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.


John 10:3-4 (NIV)


It has been stated that the most important thing you can know about someone is their name. Sweetly and comfortingly, in our verses for today we see the True Shepherd – appropriately welcomed by the watchman - calling each of His sheep by name. According to Eastern custom, a real shepherd knew his own flock individually - and they in turn would recognize his voice when he called them thereby proving their relationship to him. Sheep follow their shepherd because they know and trust their shepherd – so too, we as God’s sheep should follow our Shepherd – knowing and trusting Him. I am reminded of a passage in Isaiah confirming God’s remembrance of us can always be trusted:

15 "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! 16 See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me. Isaiah 49:15-16 (NIV)

We find one of the most moving passages of Scripture regarding recognizing Jesus’ voice when he calls out our name in the twentieth chapter of John. Mary Magdalene of whom Jesus had cast out seven demons sat despondent at the tomb of our Lord thinking someone had taken His body away and she had no idea where they had put Him. Jesus approached her and asked why she was crying and who it was she was looking for. Not recognizing her Savior and thinking He was but the gardener she pleaded with Him to tell her where her Lord’s body lay. The following was Jesus’ response:

16 Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" 18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!" And she told them that he had said these things to her. John 20:16-18 (NIV)






This little sheep knew her Shepherd’s voice when He called forth her name leading her to grab hold of Him with all her might. She was not about to let Him go. She remembered all too well her demonic possession of the past and she was not at all desirous of going back there again. He was her Savior and the only place she wanted to be was with Him. Modern day believers could certainly use a dose of Mary’s passion and love could we not?



When nineteenth century evangelist Dwight L. Moody was asked how he managed to remain so close to Christ, the following was his reply:



“I have come to him as the best friend I have ever found, and I can trust Him in that relationship. I have believed He is Savior; I have believed He is God; I have believed His atonement on the cross is mine, and I have come to Him and submitted myself on my knees, surrendered everything to Him, and got up and stood by His side as my friend, and there isn’t any problem in my life, there isn’t any uncertainty in my work but I turn and speak to Him as naturally as to someone in the same room, and I have done it these years because I can trust Jesus.” Dwight L Moody

Scripture is replete with verses likening our relationship with our heavenly Father to the shepherd with his sheep. Indeed, upon being told his time on earth was coming to an end, Moses petitioned God for the following regarding his replacement of being shepherd of God’s people:

15 Moses said to the LORD, 16 "May the LORD, the God of the spirits of all mankind, appoint a man over this community 17 to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so the LORD's people will not be like sheep without a shepherd." Num 27:15-17 (NIV)




Certainly King David’s Psalm twenty-three comes to mind when we speak of God shepherding His people. Through this Psalm David demonstrates God’s leading resulting in his satiety, joy, contentment and peace:

A psalm of David. 1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Psalms 23:1-6 (NIV)

Lastly, we see in our verses today that Jesus goes ahead of us – leading us – never requiring us to go where He has not gone first Himself. This allows us to follow with implicit confidence.



“The oriental shepherd always walked ahead of his sheep. He was always out in front. Any attack upon the sheep had to take him into account first. Now God is out in front. He is in our tomorrows, and it is tomorrow that fills people with fear. Yet God is already there. All the tomorrows of our life have to pass through Him before they can get to us.” F. B. Meyer



What I glean from this:

• Jesus sweetly and comfortingly calls me by name – I am precious in His sight.


• I can trust Jesus.


• All of my tomorrows have passed through His hands.

Sharing Bread John 10:1-2

SHARING BREAD

1 "I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep.


John 10:1-2 (NIV)


Following closely on the heels of the preceding chapter and still speaking to His hostile hearers, in our verses for today, our Lord emphatically continues His conversation with the Pharisees regarding their spiritual blindness by which they were leading others into the pit. Jesus states the following in both Luke and Matthew regarding these leaders of the sheep of Israel:

39 He also told them this parable: “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? 40 A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher. Luke 6:39-40 (NIV)



13 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. 15 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are. Matt 23:13-15 (NIV)

Jesus came down the hardest on the false teachers and hypocrites in His day and rightly so. His words demonstrated that false religion was utterly abhorrent to God and deserving of severest condemnation. Beginning this parable with what would have been a common experience of His hearers; Jesus develops an analogy by describing a morning shepherding scene. A shepherd would enter through the gate of a walled enclosure which held several flocks in one large sheep pen. The enclosure would have been guarded at night by a watchman who would stand guard to prevent thieves and robbers from breaking and entering. Anyone striving to enter by climbing over the walled area would have no good purpose in mind – their actions would have been for loss and destruction of the sheep only. By contrast the shepherd always entered by the gate – every true shepherd of God’s people makes use of the gate. Such a man is duly commissioned by the owner of the flock and is recognized by the sheep – they have no need to enter like a thief or a robber. Later in this same chapter Jesus proclaims He is the gate:

7 Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. John 10:7 (NIV)




We should be red flagged by this as well; every teacher is false if they come to us by any other Way and Name but Jesus’. He is the Way, He is the Truth and He is the Life. Many of our modern day ministers know nothing whatsoever about Christ, except perhaps in Name only.



“Unconverted ministers are the dry-rot of the Church. When ‘the blind lead the blind,’ both must fall into the ditch. If we would know the value of a man’s ministry, we must never fail to ask, Where is the Lamb? Where is the Door? Does he bring forward Christ, and give Him his rightful place?.....No one can hope for eternal life who knows not Christ, who is the life, and by that door enters the fold.” J. C. Ryle



Like these Pharisees, many unconverted leaders of our present day churches have not entered by the door themselves making them unable to show it to others through their lives. While we are certainly called to speak the gospel of Christ we are called to live it as well. It is vastly more than head knowledge – it is a changed life that woos others to our Lord – He being the only One that can truly transform a life.



5 But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. 1 John 2:5-6 (NIV)



As Christians, we should never let our guard down in what we choose to believe and what we are motivated to conform our lives to – always taking what we hear back to the Truth of God’s Word. Who is it we listen to? Who is our teacher? We are to be like the Bereans, who were commended for constantly checking Paul’s words to make sure he was on target. We find in Acts:



11 Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. Acts 17:11 (NIV)



"God does not honor men and women and their deeds or their books or their organizations. The Father in heaven delights to honor His Son. It is only the Life of the Lord Jesus - His activity, clothed with you and displayed through you - that ultimately will find the approval of God." Major Ian Thomas

“Be examples in all countries, places, islands, nations, wherever you come, that your life may preach among all sorts of people.” George Fox

What I glean from this:

• Jesus came down the hardest on false teachers and hypocrites who rather than holding out the life of Christ were leading the sheep into the pit.


• Jesus is the Way and the Truth and the Life.


• I am to not only speak the gospel but live it.

Sharing Bread John 9:40-41

SHARING BREAD

40 Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, "What? Are we blind too?"






41 Jesus said, "If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.


John 9:40-41 (NIV)

Always attended by His enemies and surrounded by naysayers, our Lord Jesus’ words and actions were under constant scrutiny of those desirous of doing Him harm. Jesus constantly fleshed out for us a perseverance of effort towards well doing even amongst fierce opposition. In our verses for today we discover the Pharisees caviling over Jesus’ allusion to their blindness. They were Israel’s teachers for heaven’s sake, self-sufficient and confident – how dare He speak to them as such. They valued themselves for their insight, wisdom, knowledge and foresight. Self-satisfied, these sneering leaders sarcastically snap back at Jesus a curt question as if to imply His audacity to even suggest their blindness. Sin remains a constant deceiver of those who abide in falsehood - keeping them blind to their own blindness.

Jesus was ever bringing to the attention of Israel’s teachers their actual lack of belief and knowledge of the Law particularly regarding prophesies He was presently fulfilling. Certainly of all people these leaders should have been aware through their study of the Law what the prophet’s wrote in regard to the coming work of the Spirit yet they remained ignorant of the realm of which Jesus spoke. They had been learning all their lives yet knew very little. “You must be born again” was new news to their ears and news most of whom remained unwilling to embrace. We find Jesus asking Nicodemus – a member of the Jewish ruling council – the following:

10 "You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things? John 3:10 (NIV)

Ezekiel prophesizes the following regarding the work Jesus came to inaugurate – the giving of a new heart and a new Spirit – bringing dead dry bones to life as only God can do:

25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Ezek 36:25-27 (NIV)



The very thing in which these leaders gloried in – their wisdom and knowledge - Christ here in our verses for today, condemns. None are as blind as those who refuse to see. Jesus stated that it would have been better for them to have been blind and ignorant of the Law as then they would have incurred less blame. As it was, claiming to know Truth, they were guilty of the sin of willful unbelief. There was more hope for a tax collector and prostitute than for those who fancied clarity of vision yet remained in the darkness. Their self-satisfied state was ruining them. This is a good question for us to ponder – Is our self-satisfied state ruining us as well? I am reminded of Jesus’ Words to the Church in Laodicea in Revelation:



17 You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. 19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.   Rev 3:17-19 (NIV)



“Let us note what a heavy condemnation this text contains for those professing Christians who are constantly comforting themselves by saying, “We know,” “We are not ignorant,” “We see the truth,” while yet they lazily sit still in irreligion, and make no attempt to obey. Such persons, however little they think it, are far more guilty before God than the poor heathen who never hear truth at all. The more light a man has, the more sin, if he does not believe.” J. C. Ryle



The religious leaders were supposed to be managing the Jewish nation for God until He ushered in the new kingdom. They failed in that task as they were not looking expectantly towards it - catching them unaware. Those possessing a great knowledge of God’s revelation will be required to answer for their lack of response to that revelation. Jesus gives us the following Truth in the Gospel of Luke:



47 "That servant who knows his master's will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. 48 But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.  Luke 12:47-48 (NIV)



What I glean from this:



• Jesus was constantly surrounded by those who opposed Him modeling for me a wonderful example of perseverance of effort amongst conflict.


• I am never so blind if I am unwilling to see Truth.


• Much is expected from those to whom much is given.