Who Protects the Sheep From the Wolves?

Tom:

We are continuing with the Gospel of John and as we have said many times and will say many times in the future, if you’ve not read the Bible—let’s say you’re a Christian, but you’ve always sort of sat at the foot of your Bible teacher or your pastor and sort let him or her, if you are a lady and in women’s Bible study, but you’ve let the leader dictate—that’s not the way to go about it.If you want to know God’s Word, if you want to live God’s Word, you have the Holy Spirit if you are a true believer in Christ and he is the one who is to teach you, but he doesn’t work out of a vacuum.You’ve got to read God’s Word and you’ve got to start somewhere and if you haven’t started, our recommendation is to begin with the Gospel of John.Where should they go from there Dave?

Dave:

Well I think you could carry right on into Acts and see how it worked out in practicality in the early church.

Tom:

Yes, there is church history right there.

Dave:

Yes and then I would say Romans is a very powerful declaration of why we need to be redeemed with the blood of Christ in payment for our sins.

Tom:

Yes, and then I like Galatians.Go to Galatians.Lots of young Christians can’t discern between rules and regulations even though they’ve been saved by the grace of God, through his mercy and so on and they think there’s other things they’ve got to do.Well, the Book of Galatians will straighten that out for you.So let’s pick up with John:10:10The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
See All..., “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”Dave, the last part of that verse, there’s a wonderful scripture!It just ought to speak to every heart.But it’s also a scripture that’s abused in the so-called kingdom of Christ.That is those professing Christianity.I’m thinking in particular.Hey, now you’re a believer, you’ve got the ticket.Let’s really get after the good stuff because God owns the cattle on a thousand hills and it’s all for you.

Dave:

Yes, that’s not abundant life.A man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things that he possesseth the scripture tells us.So it is not talking about things, possessions, wealth and so forth, but an abundant life in fellowship with God and with his people, the joy of the Lord is your strength not the joy of some feast or fortune.But this is a tough part at the beginning.“The thief cometh not, but for to steal and to kill and to destroy.I am cometh that you might have life and that you might have it more abundantly.”It’s quite obvious that the thief comes to steal, to kill, to destroy.The thief is not concerned about the flock.If he has to kill the sheep, he’s interested in eating them in contrast to Jesus who in the next verse says I am the good Shepherd.“The good Shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.”So this thief—there are people who would claim they are not thieves.They simply want to build a big church.They are building an empire for themselves.They are robbing God of the glory.They have people following them instead of Christ.We have people like this today.Paul from Miletum (Acts 20) called the elders of Ephesus and said to them, “After my departing grievous wolves will enter in not sparing the flock and of your own selves shall men arise speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them.So this is a thief.He’s stealing the sheep from Christ; they are no longer following Christ alone.Maybe he’s doing it all in the name of Christ, but in fact he’s building up his own kingdom, his own reputation, his own church, his own ministry, his own following.I think that’s what Christ is talking about here.

Tom:

Yes, Dave, for a pastor, that can be sort of an occupational hazard.They may not start out that way, but every pastor’s heart is to preach, to teach and the more effective you are for God’s kingdom, as I say, occupational hazard can take over and prevent that.

Dave:

Well it’s the pride in our hearts that goes back to the evil and the sin that we talked about to begin with.Wanting something for myself.Wanting the praise of men; wanting to please men.Then of course, it becomes the downfall of a pastor or leader, because now I don’t want to offend anybody.I’ve got this following.We’ve got some influential people and they give money to the church or to my ministry. I must be very careful, I don’t want to offend them and pretty soon I am no longer following God, I am following the wishes of men. The scripture says he who would be the servant of man is not the servant of God.You can’t serve two masters.You can’t serve God and at the same time serve men.Jesus said in Luke 6, “Woe unto you when all men speak well of you for so spake they of the false prophets that were before you.”So the false prophet, he’s not telling the truth to the people.He’s tickling their ears as Paul says in 2 Timothy.That people won’t endure sound doctrine.They will heap to themselves teachers having itching ears.I would say you can interpret that both ways.Having itching ears they will heap to themselves teachers who will tell them what they want to hear. Or they will heap to themselves teachers whose ears are itching for the compliments and the “well done” of the people.Look at it either way you want.I think that’s the thief that comes but for to steal and to kill and to destroy.Verse 11, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.”Now I don’t know that a shepherd—it wouldn’t make sense for a shepherd to give his life to protect his sheep.I think a human life is worth more than sheep and if you have to give your life to protect the sheep let them go.Let the wolf get them.If you’ve got a pack of wolves, you’ve got to get out of there.But Jesus is saying he considers the sheep of such worth and he has such love for us as his sheep, he gives his life for us.Not that he then is dead and gone, but that he goes into death.He tastes death for every man, Hebrews 2 says so that he can destroy death and deliver us.It says he tasted death for every man that he would deliver those who through fear of death have all their life been subject to bondage.I love the way that old hymn says it: “In weakness like defeat…”It looked like defeat.“He won the victor’s crown; tread all our foes beneath our feet by being trodden down.He Satan’s power laid low.Made sin, he sin o’er threw.Bowed to the grave, destroyed itself and death by dying slew.”So this is the good Shepherd who gives his life for his sheep that he might bring them through death.I am crucified with Christ into new life and he becomes our life.

Tom:

Dave, this aspect of the good Shepherd giving his life for the sheep, this is really the heart of Christianity, or it ought to be.I’m not—maybe it’s not the way many of us practice it, but it’s not sacrificial like the Hindu would say, denying self that way.Of course really, that’s a rip.He’s denying self that he might become the ultimate self.Atman being Brahman and so on.But for Christians, it really is a life that’s other directed, first to God and then to others.And living that life is really the abundant life.That’s where the abundance comes in, but we have a kind of perverted idea.We abundance is goodies and lots of this and lots of that, but it’s really the joy of serving him and being used of him.That’s a taste of heaven I think.

Dave:

Tom, I was thinking as I was driving here this morning, talking to the Lord.I was singing a song, “What the Lord has done for me, I cannot tell it all.He saved me and washed me in his blood and so forth and this whole wonderful.We love to sing of the blessings that have come to the sheep because of the Shepherd.And then I thought, but Lord, I really, my heart should be moved with gratitude remembering what you—not the blessings you brought me, although that is wonderful, but what it cost you.That you suffered.You took the hatred, the scorn, the ridicule, the misunderstanding, and the false accusations and then you took the punishment at God’s hands.It pleased Yahweh to bruise Him.You took the judgment that I deserved and what you suffered in agony for me to win my salvation!Lord and I don’t tell you often enough that I love you for this and I don’t try to understand and I don’t appreciate enough what it cost you.And I was thinking about that and thanking the Lord.This is the good Shepherd.I don’t think the ordinary sheep would be grateful but we should be very grateful.

Tom:

And Dave what a contrast.I know in an earlier segment we talked about this gathering at Yankee Stadium with all these other religious figures praying to their own gods.What God is like this?Just as you described.There is none!

Dave:

Amen.