A New Life in Christ
John 10:1-11
John 10:1-11
(1) Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
(2) But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
(3) To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
(4) And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
(5) And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.
(6) This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.
(7) Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.
(8) All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.
(9) I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
(10) 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.
(11) I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
The word “life” occurs 44 times in 38 verses in the Gospel of John. In fact, it is the key word of this book, and we cannot read through its pages without seeing quite clearly that the purpose for which Christ came into this world was to bring life so we might have it "to the fullest or "more abundantly"
More abundant than what?, we ask.
Before we go any further, we must define what we mean by this new life in Christ. If we were to walk through a forest and pick a flower we would be touching vegetable life. As we proceed on our walk, our attention might be attracted by a beautiful dog and we would be looking at animal life. Later on, we might meet a hunter, coming our way with a gun over his shoulder, and as we greeted him we would encounter human life. Then as we continued we might be fortunate enough to see a young woman relaxing under a shady tree, reading her Bible, and after questioning her we would discover that she possessed spiritual life, a life who’s quality is different than vegetable, animal or human life. This is what Jesus was talking about when He said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the fullest.” When He gave expression to this tremendous statement He was declaring Himself to be the source of a new kind of life. In Him, and in Him alone, can we know this abundant life. In presenting this “fullness” of life to men & women, Jesus spoke of three important matters that demand our close attention:
The 1st matter Jesus brings to our attention is: THE ENEMIES OF THIS NEW LIFE
John 10:10
(10) 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.
The enemies, of course, refer to the thieves, robbers, strangers and hirelings mentioned in this opening paragraph. Unfortunately, in many of our churches and pulpits today are men who are nothing more than thieves and robbers, holding back that “more abundant” life from hungry and thirsty people. Satan is out to rob the church of this gift of abundant life. If Satan cannot deprive us of the gift of life, he will proceed to deceive us about the glory of that life. And so the Master warned us against the enemies of this new life. Jesus pointed out that:
The Enemies are Deceptive in their Methods
John 10:1
(1) Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
Not only in Christ’s day, but in our time there are enemies of the gospel who insist that there is more than one door into the sheepfold of God’s salvation. But this is a lie, and we must not be deceived. Jesus said, in John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved”. Jesus also declared, in John 14:6, “I am the way… no man comes to the Father, except by me”.Jesus also pointed out that:
The Enemies are Defective in their Message
John 10:5
(5) And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.
The voice verbalizes and articulates the identity, reality and authority of the message that is preached. Today the modern voices of liberalism and humanism, fail in their message to redeem man from sin. Jesus also pointed out that:
The Enemies are Destructive in their Motives
John 10:10
(10) The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: …….
Enemies of the gospel don’t give; they take. They don’t quicken; they deaden. They don’t bless; they damn. In other words, they kill, they steal, & they destroy. There are various methods that the enemies of the cross use to “climb in some other way.” A good biblical example is the story of Balak (meaning “devestater”). Balak was king of Moab when Israel emerged from the wilderness to enter Canaan. Having seen what the Hebrews had done to the Amorites, he attempted to prevent Israel’s advance by hiring Balaam to curse them. He built altars at three different sites for the purpose, but each attempt failed. Balak is remembered throughout biblical history as an example of the foolishness of attempting to stop the will of God Almighty. If you want you can read the about Balak in (Numbers 22:1-6); (Joshua 24:9; Judges 11:25). We must remember that Satan’s purpose is to destroy our faith & if he cannot do it the first time he will come back again and again and again. Satan is an enemy of our new life in Christ and we would do well to never forget it.
The 2nd matter Jesus brings to our attention is:
THE CERTAINTIES OF THIS NEW LIFE
Look at what Jesus said, -- in the last part of verse 10
John 10:10
(10) ……..I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
This victorious and continuous life in Christ is not just a philosophy or a theology, it is a Person, the Lord Jesus Christ, concerning whom there are certainties that we cannot ignore or escape. The 1st certainty that we can not ignore or escape is
This New Life in Christ is Historically Observable
This new life is observed in the very fact that Christ came to earth to dwell with us in humanity. This new life is observed and demonstrated through the crucifixion of Christ on your behalf and mine. This new life in Christ is observed and vindicated by His resurrection from the dead.Through the very life, death, and resurrection of life we find that Jesus’ promise to us of an abundant life is to be taken seriously and can be relied upon. The 2nd certainty that we can not ignore or escape is:
This New Life in Christ is Obtainable
John 10:10
(10) …….. I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. Joh 10:28
(28) And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
The Apostle John also picks up this great theme in 1 John 5:11-12 it says: “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life” . We only get this fullness in life in Christ, when we abide in Christ.
There is a 3rd area that Jesus brings to our attention:
THE QUALITIES OF THIS NEW LIFE
John 10:10-11
(10) ……… I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
(11) I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
As we examine these tremendous words, notice three things about this new life in Christ; and as we consider each one, challenge your own heart as to whether or not you have personally experienced this quality of life. The 1st quality of this New Life is:
It is a New Life which is Appealing
Jesus claims that He is the “Good Shepherd”, not just any Shepherd. And this is why the new life becomes so appealing, because we know that our Shepherd is the Good Shepherd & he offers to us a life that is also good. Jesus is placing Himself in contrast to Israel's religious leaders, who were supposed to be faithful shepherds, but were more like those evil false shepherds described in Ezek. 34. In verse 7 Jesus say’s that He is also "the gate of the sheep". In the Near East a shepherd often slept in the entrance of the fold to guard his sheep -- his body literally became the gate. Jesus is in charge of and cares for the lives of the sheep. And to emphasize the access to God He provides, in verses 7 and 9, He calls Himself "the gate", apart from whom no one enters the fold. Jesus also say’s in verse 11 that, He lays down His life "for" His sheep. The greatest benefit to the sheep is that the shepherd dies in their place. Jesus died so that we might live, He lays down His life so that our life might be raised up to a new level. The 2nd quality of this New Life is:
It is a New Life which is Abounding
Isn’t it a great way that Jesus say’s in verse 10: “My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.” This is a wonderful thing about the new life in Christ. As the Word of God deepens our capacity, so the Son of God fills that capacity with all His fullness.
“In attempting to recruit John Sculley, the 38-year-old President of Pepsi-Cola, Steve Jobs, Founder of Apple Computer, issued a tremendous challenge to Sculley. He asked: "Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water or do you want a chance to change the world?"”
What a challenge that same statement can be for all Christians! Do we want to settle for the same lives as our neighbors and co-workers and friends who don’t know Christ, or do we want to live a life so filled with the abundance that Jesus Christ offers that we can change are world? Are we settling for less than God's best in our lives? Jesus offers to us a life that is Abounding, but it is up to us to take Him up on His offer. The 3rd quality of this New Life is
It is a New Life which is Abiding
This life that Jesus offers to us is for the here and now but it is also for Jesus said, (John 17:3) “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” This abiding life does not die when we die physically. Indeed, physical death is only an open door into a fuller life in Jesus Christ. This abiding life is eternal because it begins on earth & continues in heaven. What a glorious gift for those who are prepared to receive it! And we have learned that the source of this life is Christ Himself, who said:
John 10:10
…….. I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
My challenge to you this week is to be the people that others will remember as those who lived their lives in the fullness that Christ offers us. If you do not have that fullness that Christ gives, you can have that fullness today….