St. Paul Lutheran Church
Sermon by Pastor Balogh

APR 13, 2008 - listen to this sermon in mp3!

John 10:1-10 (7) Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am
the gate for the sheep."

Do you remember that not long ago we had the gospel reading and sermon
on the man who was born blind that was healed by Jesus? Recall if you
would how the Pharisees and chief priests of the Jews were so upset about
this healing. Think about that. A man born blind and now he sees. A
man born blind and though everyone knows he was blind and now sees
because he was healed by Jesus, the man born blind and the miracle are
rejected. Not denied, simply rejected. We are even told that this man
born blind was thrown out of the synagogue because he would not deny that
Jesus had done the miracle.
Then recall how Jesus found this blind man and revealed himself as the
Christ, the Son of Man. It is in the course of Jesus dealing with the
blind man who now sees that some of the Pharisees heard what Jesus said
to him. Jesus had said, "For judgment I have come into this world, so
that the blind will see and those who see will become blind." Those
upset Pharisees challenge Jesus and say, "What? Are we blind too?" To
those words Jesus replies, "If you were blind, you would not be guilty of
sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains." That
history is just an awesome example of how people, yes, even religious
leaders react to Jesus, and can be so blind to the wonders of God's Son.
Why do I mention all of this? Because all of this takes place in John,
chapter 9, just before the words of our text. Our text is really Jesus
speaking further to the people and especially to the Pharisees about
their problem. It is a problem of faith. It is a problem of claiming to
see and yet not being able to see. It is a problem that today's world
still has. Let's look at the words before us and contemplate them under
the theme: THE FLOCK OF JESUS. 1st. False Shepherds. 2nd. True
Shepherds. 3rd. The Gate!
It is important for us to pay attention to the words we have before us
because if we don't we will make the wrong comparisons. I tell you that,
because almost immediately, because of the language used here, we tend to
think right away about Jesus as the shepherd, the good shepherd. It is
true that Jesus is the good shepherd and it is true that in John 10:11
the text says just that. However the words before us do not say that.
The words before us are pointing to and highlighting a different lesson.
The words before us are words about men like the Pharisees. They are
words about false prophets and how you can tell. What is interesting to
note is that these words still have bearing and application for today.
What is at stake here is the flock of Jesus. Please note that the sheep
spoken of here are those who are believers in the Lord, those who are
protected by, guarded by and taken care of by the Lord. The sheep are
described as being in the sheep pen. The sheep are described as under
the care of the watchman and as sheep who have entered that pen through
the gate of the pen. But in truth, this section of God's Word isn't
necessarily about the sheep as much as it is about the shepherds who are
to take care of the sheep. Do note that there are two kinds of
shepherds, false shepherds and true.
Let's consider the false shepherds first. Concerning the false
shepherds our text says, "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...All who
ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not
listen to them...the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.
Please note a few things about these shepherds. First, it is rather
important to note that these shepherds don't come in by the gate. Now, I
suppose I should have started with explaining the gate first, but I want
to speak of the gate later. For right now, you just need to understand
that the gate is Jesus. When it says that these shepherds don't enter by
the gate it means that they are not the representatives of Jesus, do not
speak his truth, do not serve the wonder and glory of the name of Jesus.
And please note that Jesus calls these back-gate shepherds, thieves and
robbers, strangers, killers and destroyers. In other words, they are a
danger to the sheep.
Who are these false leaders? We can come to better understand them by
looking at a few sections of God's Word. For instance, Jesus, in Matthew
7 says of the false prophets: "Watch out for false prophets. They come
to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By
their fruit you will know them...Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord,
Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive our demons
and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew
you. Away from me, you evildoers!'"
In 2 Corinthians 11 we hear these words of warning: "But I am afraid
that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may
somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For
if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the one we
preached, or if you received a different spirit from the one you
accepted, you put up with it easily enough. But I do not think I am in
th eleast inferior to the 'super-apostles.'...For such men are false
prophets, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no
wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not
surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of
righteousness."
Now there are a number, a huge number of other passages that could be
quoted here (Mtt 24, 2 Pe 2, 1 Jn 1, Jude) but I won't go into them all.
Here is what you need to know in a nutshell. False prophets come in the
name of Jesus but they do not teach the truth of Jesus. They do not
teach that Jesus is the Savior of the world but rather teach that Jesus
wants you to do this and be that. Their message is work righteous, what
you must do or be in order to be saved. They deny sin and its horror.
They turn away from the law of God and its conviction of "all have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God." Jesus is talked about. He is used
as an example of what to be and of how to do something. Jesus may even
be spoken of as the one who empowers you and helps you to live the right
and godly life. But note carefully what Jesus has said. They are
thieves, robbers, strangers, killers and destroyers. They are false
prophets!
They are thieves because they quietly take the truth of God away from
the souls that so need it. They are robbers because many times they
openly and forcefully steal the truth of Jesus and hold souls captive to
their dreams and lies. They are strangers because they do not speak with
the voice and authority of Jesus. They are killers because precious
souls are lost to the horror of damnation. They are destroyers,
following the ways of Satan and working to keep souls from becoming a
part of the eternal temple of God. Worse, is the fact that often these
false shepherds don't even know they are false. They may be sincere and
sweet, dynamic and exciting but they are nevertheless those who do not
serve the Lord and the church.
On the other hand are the true shepherds. Jesus said of them, "The man
who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 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. When he has brought out all his own,
he goes ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his
voice."
The true shepherd is known and welcomed by the watchman. He is let in
by the gate. The sheep know his voice, not because he is so cool and
wonderful but because the true shepherd speaks with the voice of the
Savior, speaks in harmony with God's Word and its revelations, speaks of
the grace and mercy of God to save. He is not busy telling you how to
live your life or that you better be giving more money or doing more
things for the Lord. He simply speaks the inviting words of Jesus. Hear
and be saved. Put your trust and confidence in God's Son who lived
perfectly for you, who died as the atoning sacrifice for the world and
rose from the dead to prove beyond doubt that He lives and so will you.
The message speaks of a Savior who has come to serve and to give you the
true treasure of heaven: forgiveness and with it, the gift of eternal
life. You follow because it is the voice of the Good shepherd heard in
the shepherd.
What is the difference in the two shepherds, the false and true? The
real difference is that the true shepherds enter though the gate. But
that's why we need to understand and grasp who and what the gate is.
Jesus tells us clearly, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the
sheep...I am the gate: whoever enters through me will be saved. He will
come in and go out, and find pasture...I have come that they may have
life, and have it to the full."
The measure of the shepherd is the gate or if you would, Jesus. Is it
Jesus being taught? Not taught about but taught as the Savior from sin.
Is the truth of God's Word prevalent: the simple fact that we are saved
by grace through faith?
Let me give you some food for thought. If one of you had to defend your
Christian preacher and your speech had to be focused on race
relationships what do you think that says? If the message you hear at
your church is most often about how much money you give or should be
giving, what does that say? If the only time you hear the name Jesus in
your church is when it is being used to show you why you should be living
in a certain way, what does that say? If you don't hear about sin in
your church and its devastating affect on your life and the world then
can you expect to hear a message about a Savior from sin? If you are
encouraged to come to communion as an act of obedience to Jesus rather
than as a gift that Jesus gives, what does that say? If you hear that
the Bible only contains the word of God rather than is the Word of God,
what does that say?
Dear people, it is your souls at stake. Jesus is telling you how to
judge your shepherds and what the criteria is. These shepherds are to be
teaching the message of Jesus. Teaching the message of redemption won
through the horror of the cross and teaching the message of complete and
total victory for you because the tomb is empty and Jesus lives. Please
be aware of the fact that this is the measure of the shepherd. As sheep,
you can be lead astray. As sheep you can be the victims of unscrupulous
shepherds who are more concerned for their welfare and comfort than your
eternal life. As sheep you can be stolen from, killed and destroyed if
you don't pay attention. What did Jesus say, "But they will never follow
a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not
recognize a stranger's voice...the sheep do not listen to them." What's
at stake is your salvation and eternal life. What's at stake is the
wonder and marvel of God's gift of forgiveness and the kingdom of heaven.
What's at stake is your soul!
The gate promises us life, full life. That's the promise of eternal
life with Him in heaven. We get this gift from God and His Son Jesus.
In Jesus we have a better grasp of this life and the shadows of death we
will go through...in Jesus we color everything with the hope of the
promise of everlasting life in His kingdom of Paradise. That's life to
the full. That's life in Jesus. May your shepherd be one that Jesus has
let in, one that leads you to the wonders of redemption. Amen.