Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20060101.htm

JOHN: TRUSTING JESUS AS MESSIAH AND GOD
Part XXVIII: Hoping In Christ's Able Discipling Over False Leaders
(John 10:1-18 with 9:1-41)

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

As we begin the New Year today, we face the battle of trying to stick to God's truth regardless of influence to the contrary by leaders:

(1) Folk like us who believe the Genesis 1 account and hold the universe gives evidence of "intelligent design" are now called mentally challenged by some "politically correct" leaders ! Local radio talk show host, Brad Davis bristled at this on radio am 610 last Tuesday, claiming reputable scientists now give evidence in support of creation!

(2) Even some Evangelical leaders now dilute our discerning God's truth even on key isues! Recently, I was innocently asked by a believer to review an InterVarsity study guide on Mark's Gospel. In doing so, I found it tolerated erroneous dilutions of Bible verses on key issues so as not to offend the author's broad readership: (a) it softens Jesus' prohibition against divorce in Mark 10:6-9 (p. 102f), referring the reader to the Matthew 19:9 "except for fornication" clause to allow for divorce [when only Matthew's Hebrew readers under the Law could apply that clause, for Christians are never to initiate divorce, cf. 1 Cor. 7:11-16]; then, the guide (b) leaves the reader thinking Mark 13:14-23 may have been fulfilled in A. D. 70 though Jesus has not returned like Mark 13:24-27 foretold He would (p. 108)! [Mark 13:14-27 will all yet be fulfilled in the future Tribulation!] In both cases, the author urges teachers not to spend much time on these verses to avoid controversy (even if the students might not learn the truth)!

(c) Yet, what stunned me most were these words by the author on page 73: "Many people question whether the only way to God is through Jesus and his death . . . Edith Shaeffer has suggested that this is the question Jesus himself wrestled with in Gethsemane . . !"

Astonishingly, Edith Shaeffer is the wife of the late Francis Shaeffer who wrote the book, The Great Evangelical Disaster to lament the drift away from truth by Evangelicals! (John H. Armstrong, The Coming Evangelical Crisis, p. 17) Regardless, in John 14:6, Jesus said He was the only way to God, so His agony in Gethsemane was over the sufferings of the cross, not whether He was the only way to the Father!

Yet, the guide does not condemn this heresy of alternative ways of salvation when it should be calling it a false gospel (cf. Gal. 1:8-9)!

So, in view of the obstacle to truth set up by various leaders, what hope is there that we will be properly discipled in 2006?!

(We turn to the sermon "Need" section . . . )

Need: "In view of the potential for us to be misguided both by errant leaders in the secular realm as well as in the religious realm, what HOPE is there that we will be properly discipled in the New Year?!"
  1. Right after He healed and discipled the blind man in John 9:1-41, Jesus launched into His discourse on the Good Shepherd, 10:1-18.
  2. That talk shows Jesus ADEQUATELY disciples His people even though they face ERRANT shepherds as had the healed blind man:
    1. Back in John 9, Jesus had not only healed the man who had been born blind (cf. John 9:1, 6-7), but did so in a way that had caused him to conflict with Israel's errant , spiritually blind leaders, a fact that had resulted in the man's coming to salvation by faith in Jesus, 9:13-38:
      1. To heal the blind man, Jesus had made clay on the Sabbath in violation of rabbinic rule and annointed the blind man's eyes with it, making him wash it off in public to get the attention of the leaders, Jn. 9:6-16; Ryrie St. Bib., KJV, 1978 ed., ftn. to John 9:16.
      2. These leaders had then tried to get the healed man to say Jesus was a sinner for violating their Sabbath rule; yet, due to his interaction with these men, the healed man had gone from stating Jesus was a mere "man" (John 9:11) to being a "prophet" (John 9:17) and finally to worshiping Him as "the Son of God" (John 9:35-38)!
      3. Hence, these leaders had excommunicated the healed man from the synagogue while Jesus had rightly discipled him, John 9:34, 35-38.
    2. Consequently, via His "Good Shepherd" discourse, Jesus revealed that the discipling He had achieved with the healed man regardless of his exposure to his errant leaders, Jesus regularly does for His own!
      1. Jesus illustrated this shepherding contrast by beginning with a morning scene (Bib. Kno. Com., N. T., p. 309) in John 10:1-5:
        1. Jesus claimed that He as the true Shepherd enters the communal sheepfold in the morning to lead His flock out by permission of the Father, the Porter, where false shepherds in futility try to lead His flock their false ways without God's approval, 10:1-3!
        2. As the sheep know and heed the true shepherd's voice when he calls, Jesus calls and leads His own, and they do not follow the voices of false leaders like the errant Pharisees, John 10:4-5.
      2. Jesus then shifted to a midday shepherding scene as He continued to describe this shepherding contrast, Ibid., p. 310:
        1. Once the shepherd leads his flock to pasture, he takes them to an enclosure near the pasture and he serves as its door, Ibid.
        2. The sheep can enter or leave the enclosure at will to find pasture or the shepherd's help in striking contrast to what would occur if the shepherd a stranger who selfishly would steal or rob from the sheep for their personal gain as had Israel's false leaders with the healed man and his parents, John 10:7-10; 9:20-23, 34.
      3. Jesus finally referred to an evening shepherding scene to round out His description of this shepherding contrast, Ibid.:
        1. At night, wild animals prowled about to attack the sheep, Ibid.
        2. A good shepherd defended the flock with his life at night where the hired hand selfishly fled, leaving the sheep to be attacked.
        3. Thus, Jesus, the Good Shepherd, would sacrifice His life for His own versus what Israel's false leaders did, 10:11-15; 9:22, 34.
        4. Jesus loved His people unlike what the false shepherds did, and so would give His life for their eternal welfare, 10:14-18; 9:34.
        5. Christ also revealed He would unite believing Jews and Gentiles in one new fold, the Church, John 10:16.
  3. By application, God's OBEDIENT UNDERSHEPHERDS (1 Peter 5:1-4) will function like the GOOD (John 10) and CHIEF (1 Peter 5:4) Shepherd, Jesus: they will (A) proclaim the TRUE WORD of GOD that Christ's people will follow God (2 Timothy 4:1-2) and (B) they will SACRIFICIALLY minister for the good of God's PEOPLE versus their OWN ENDS (1 Peter 5:2-3; John 10:11-12)!
  4. Yet, even if there is a LACK of OBEDIENT UNDERSHEPHERDS, as the GREAT SHEPHERD, Jesus PLEDGES HE HIMSELF WILL BUILD HIS CHURCH so that the "gates of Hades will not overcome it," Matthew 16:18 NIV; Hebrews 13:20-21!
Application: (1) May we believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior to become part of His FLOCK, John 3:16. (2) Then, be ASSURED (a) Jesus WILL SURELY guide US to His truth ((1)) either by way of His valid, true Undershepherds who will sacrificially give us God's Word ((2)) or by way of His OWN DIRECT guidance!

Lesson: (1) As the Good Shepherd (a) Jesus leads His own by His TRUE Word (b) to their AID versus self-serving false leaders. (2) As the Chief Shepherd, He leads them by way of OBEDIENT UNDERSHEPHERDS who, like Jesus (a) teach God's WORD (b) and serve SELFLESSLY for the good of God's people. (3) Yet, even if there is a lack of obedient undershepherds, as the Great Shepherd, Jesus WILL build His Church regardless of all evil forces to the contrary!

Conclusion: (To illustrate the sermon lesson . . . )

 Last Sunday morning, Christmas Day, the Lord illustrated this message in two encouraging ways as follows:

(1) First, you will recall the closing illustration of that sermon reflected my concern over an "evolution versus creation" debate that was due to occur in a large Evangelical Church in Avon, Connecticut. I knew from my own interaction with him that the minister named to defend the alleged "creation" side versus the atheistic evolutionist was one who held to the Framework Theory, a type of theistic evolution! I wondered if the people of that Church, like so many unsuspecting Evangelicals "laymen" would be led to side with the minister with the alleged "creation" view and be fed as true the error that God used evolution to create! [As we have before noted, providing one handles God's Word there with the normal, literal, grammatical, historical method of interpretation, Genesis 1-2 does not allow for evolution!]

Well, a visitor attended our service who is part of a family that has attended that large church I had mentioned. After the service, she asked if I might tell her the name of the Church! When I did, she said she had long felt uneasy from her exposure to that Church's ministry! She also said she was taking the sermon notes home to help her family!

This woman went on to explain she had come to our service hoping we would be open though being dissuaded by her family as they thought we would be closed! Yet, due to an unhappy Christmas Eve that had been spent with godless associates, she had come to our Church hungry for God's Word and hoping we would be open! [This made me glad we had decided to hold our service on Christmas Day!]

(2) Then, a letter was read last Sunday from our missionaries with Trans World Radio. They told of a letter that had been sent to them by hand from a Chinese mainland house church that lacks trained leaders. It stated: "We have been listening to TWR programs for many years now. It has helped us greatly in the growth in our spiritual walk . . . We really thank the Lord who understands us and knows His children's needs. He cares for the needs of the church indeed."

Regardless of the status of human leadership around us Jesus TRULY shepherds His flock; if we WANT His Word, HE WILL SURELY supply it to us that we might be FED to the full!

May we TRUST in the GOOD, the GREAT and the CHIEF shepherding work of our wonderful Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ!