Gospel of John - Whose Voice Is Leading Us? Part 1

                               

Whose Voice Is Leading Us?

John 10:1-18

There are many voices shouting with clamorous passion for people to listen and follow them, but there is only one voice, the voice of Jesus, that gives wisdom, knowledge, peace, and understanding of the words of life. There is only one way in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. So the question for all of us is, “Whose voice is leading us?”

  Jesus is still in the outskirts of Jerusalem. He had met with and encouraged the man healed of blindness, and is now speaking to a group of people who are following him and his disciples. Let’s begin with the text,

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.”

It is possible Jesus and the disciples are walking past a sheepfold, a walled pen. Jesus often used object lessons to teach those who were listening. Jesus' desire was to communicate absolute truth, thus the “Truly, truly.” In a sheepfold there is only one entrance, a gate usually narrow enough for one sheep at a time, in order for the shepherd to count and quickly inspect the sheep as they follow his voice through the gate. At the gate, if the flock was large, there was a gatekeeper to open and close the gate.

Jesus teaching the truth on the kingdom of heaven, understood the importance of knowing the truth and the voice of truth. Jesus knew there were people misrepresenting God, who were not speaking the truth from God the Father. They were like thieves and robbers. And they had only one objective, to get from the sheep whatever they could, whether it was for wool, meat, or to steal and sell them to someone else. To achieve this objective, they would try to lure the sheep away by calling them or enticing them. But to the sheep's credit they are skittish to strangers. They know the voice of the one who has taken care of them with gentleness and patience, who has protected them from predators and infestations, and provided green new pasture prepared by the true shepherd, they will usually only follow him. But there are always some sheep who will rebel, or are stubbornly self-willed, they desire a different field or old pasture that has been depleted of grass and is barren of the nutrients need to be healthy. Then there are those who will lead others away as well. Jesus was probably thinking of Isaiah words in 53:6 “All we like sheep have gone astray; we each have turned to his own way.”

When the true shepherd opens the gate to go out to the hills or valleys to graze or water the flock, the flock follow his voice, for they know his voice. He is the only way in or out of the sheepfold. 

Application - I was just reading an article from the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, directed by George Barna. https://www.arizonachristian.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/AWVI2022_Release05_Digital.pdf 

The gist of the research was most Christian pastors in America don’t have a Biblical worldview. The voices of the caregivers of the sheep are listening to different voices. I want to use a story from scripture of a man of God called to shepherd God’s flock to illustrate the importance of listening to God in order to lead God’s flock. Moses, a man driven into the desert, heard God’s voice, listened to God’s voice, and then obeyed God’s voice. For  context, in Ex. 33:12-15, Moses is talking to God, the sheep have gone astray and are listening to the voice of the gods of Egypt, their old masters. They are sinning against God, and even Aaron, God’s priest, has given into listening to the voice of Egypt. Moses has broken the tablets from God, the very voice and words of God because of their sin. Now Moses is back in the tent of meetings, talking and pleading with God for the people. “Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.” The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.” Ex. 33:12-17

Moses was listening to the voice of God, and he sought God on how to lead God’s flock. We as leaders of God’s flock must listen to the very Word of God, and do as it says. There are many voices out there, voices of former masters that had controlled our lives, voices of the world that seem good but lead us astray. Then there are voices of strangers, with enticing words of thoughts and philosophies of the world's power and intelligence and demonic voices of deception.

Jesus said there is only one way into God’s sheepfold. It is by following the voice of the Good Shepherd. We, like Moses, need to be meeting with God in the tent of our prayer time and study time in the only source of truth and wisdom, God’s Word.

As for the sheep, they are easily scared and naturally skittish. But the one thing that brings them peace is the voice of God. The sheep need to hear and know the voice and presence of the Holy Spirit in our time of meeting with God.

Next, there are those who will come as strangers to the truth, as thieves and robbers with another gospel, even wolves whose only objective is to cause division and descension. They have usually had sheep who have been abused, neglected, or used for personal gain. Let’s study the next part of the text, “So Jesus again said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 

Jesus again repeats that the only true way into heaven is through the Son sent from God the Father. He is the only means of entering into the kingdom of heaven. Jesus has been accosted by the Pharisees and teachers of the Law, and he has been labeled by them as demon-possessed, a crazed insane teacher. Many Israelites had left the teachings of God’s Word to worship and follow the gods and teachings of men and the world and the enemy, Satan. They have been scattered all around the world: Europe, Near Asia, and Africa. 

Jesus knowing the schemes and objectives of Satan and his ilk, the true enemy, was to kill, steal, and destroy the works of God and his followers. 

Jesus knew the enemy would try and discredit the works of God and the truth of God’s Word. He stated emphatically, I am the gate or door of the sheepfold, and he came in truth to lead the people by the words of God, the voice of truth. Jesus was the only means of salvation. All who would believe in him, place their faith, trust, and life in him would be saved, and through grace by faith in Jesus, they would have life and that is abundant and eternal. 

Application - Again, it is good to know the original in order to know the counterfeit. The world is full of ways to peace, serenity, safety, comfort, and glory. The strangers or former masters will use these incentives to lure people to believe that this leads to paradise and earthly and eternal fulfillment. Truly, Jesus is the only way to the Father, and it is listening to His voice, following His directions, and submission to His will that brings us peace, serenity, safety, and comfort. To God alone belongs the glory. Those who came before as Jesus said, “All who came before me are thieves and robbers…” Salvation is found in no other, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”Act 4:12

Last, Jesus states I am the Good Shepherd and he brings clarity to his teaching that had perplexed the people by Jesus using figures of speech in his teaching the truth. Let’s look at the rest of the text, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,  just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

Jesus set the truth about the real shepherd, the Good Shepherd. He will lay down his life for the sheep. Jesus saw the hearts and minds of those who had been appointed to feed, care, and defend the sheep (people of God). He knew what the previous generations had done, they had abandoned the teaching of the truth of God’s word, they led the people to follow the voices of the stranger, thief and robber, and the voices of the world and the gods of the world. 

In contrast, Jesus came speaking the Truth, the words of God. He came to bring the sheep into God’s sheepfold. He came to lead them to living water, not stagnant water. He came to bring them to safe and nutritious pastures, and to a pasture where they could rest because the Good Shepherd watched over them, protected them from predators (wolves), infectious diseases (false doctrines), and pestilence (the many thing that poison the body and mind, and bring ill health and death). And greatest of all, the Good Shepherd was ready to lay down his life for the sheep.

 Jesus knew the purpose and will of God for his life. The cost of being the Good Shepherd meant to stand to the death if need be, in order to keep the sheep secure. He knew that this wasn’t just a choice of convenience or duty, it was of love for the sheep. Many had come to teach, preach, and rule over the sheep, but none had stayed to die in providing for the sheep’s lives. 

Jesus alludes to the listeners in Jerusalem, as the Good Shepherd, there were other sheep. “And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.” Jesus knew the will of the Father, it had been written in the scriptures from the beginning, God’s plan was to save the world from sin and death. The sheep of Israel weren’t the only sheep. God’s love also went to the gentile world which he also created for his purpose and delight. Jesus came as well to be the Light to the World, and the shepherd to the  lost sheep among the gentiles (the church) that the Father had given to him as his sheep. They would hear his voice, and follow him into the sheepfold of God, the kingdom of heaven.

Application - In the world today, many leaders have tired of being the hired hand, the servant to the One true good shepherd. They have set up their own sheepfolds (ministries, schools, universities) and promote the voice of another gospel (Gal. 1:8-9, 2Cor. 11:3-4). As a young believer, I walked into a service of a large church in a large city. It had a huge auditorium, music was lively, people were talking and joyful. They had a school and college as well. On the campus, there was training to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. It all looked appealing. Before the service, during worship there was dancing up front and in the aisle. The dancing was segregated, and enforced by usher. There was also something I didn’t see. In separate rooms, men and women could pray and comfort one another, this they called spiritual connections.

 When the pastor preached, it was all about the persecution that he, the leadership, and others were experiencing from others. I didn’t hear the gospel about a loving Good Shepherd who would lay down his life for the sheep that morning. I heard what was most important to the pastor, the things he loved most,  what pleased him most, and what irritated him most. 

I saw the red flags because I didn’t hear the voice of the Good Shepherd, and I fled.  This was nearly forty years ago. As I read the Word of God, about the warnings about the wolves coming into the church, and the research done today. I get dismayed by the decline of the preaching of the truth, the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus was given a charge from God the Father, to be the Good Shepherd, to speak the absolute truth from God, and He would lay down his life.  “For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.” And God has given the same charge to all who would lead His sheep.

This is the gospel message. The Father loved the Son because he laid his life down for the will of the Father freely (of my own accord). He came as the Good Shepherd, and the only way to the Father was through the gate (Jesus Christ) into the pasture of the kingdom of God. Jesus not only died for the sins of all men, He rose again from the grave, and ascended into heaven to the right hand of the Father. Finally, He will come and take His sheep, calling them by name into the sheepfold of heaven.

So, what voice are we listening to today? Is it the voice of the Holy Spirit, whom the Father gave the Son, who gave it to the church (Jn. 14:16-17). And He also  said “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” The shepherds of God’s flock should be shouting to us today to listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd.

 I’m again including the ABC’s of salvation (JD Farag). Please, Jesus, God the Son, came to this world to save all who would believe and trust in him. He desires to reveal himself to you, He is the Light that overcomes the darkness of this lawless world. He hears your prayers, and all authority in heaven and earth have been given to him. He will answer you if you will truly believe. If you haven’t asked him to be your Lord and Savior, today could be that day.

 First, A - Admit that you are a sinner. This is where that godly sorrow leads to genuine repentance for sinning against a righteous God and there is a change of heart, we change our mind and God changes our hearts and regenerates us from the inside out. Romans 3:10 - As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one." Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (We are all born sinners which is why we must be born spiritually in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven). Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The bad news is that the wages of sin is death, in other words our sin means that we have been given a death sentence, we have the death penalty hanging over our heads, that's the bad news. But here's the good news: The good news is that the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Ephesians 2:8-9 - For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. Second,

 B - Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and that God raised Jesus from the dead. This is trusting with all of your heart that Jesus Christ is who he said he was. Romans 10:9-10 - That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. Third, 

C - Call upon the name of the Lord. Every single person who ever lived since Adam will bend their knee and confess with their mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, the Lord of lords and the King of kings. Romans 14:11 - For it is written: "As I live, says the Lord, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God." Don't wait until later — do this now. Romans 10:13 - For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." "O God, I am a sinner. I'm sorry for my sin. I want to turn from my sin. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son; I believe that He died on the cross for my sin and that He was buried and You raised Him to life. I have decided to place my faith in Jesus Christ as my Savior, trusting only in His shed blood as sufficient to save my soul and to take me to heaven. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for saving me. Amen."

Please share this with someone this week, the Lord knows that we and they need it.

If you would like other lessons, please go to http://pmdinhisservice.blogspot.com 

Until next week, In His Service Mike Davis

I am developing a new webpage on Spiritual warfare. Please give it a look. I’m adding answers each week to questions that pertain to our time today.  Thank you

http://uss-warfare3.webnode.com