PASTOR'S MESSAGE

   

“The Shepherd and the Thieves”

John 10:1-10

 (Preacher: Reverend Timothy D. Storck)

May the words of my mouth and the meditation found in all of our hearts be pleasing to you, O Lord.  Amen.

 Christ is Risen!

He is Risen Indeed!  Alleluia!

 Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.

 Intro.

                On the fourth Sunday of Easter in most churches that use the three year lectionary they are hearing the same story as you heard this morning, the one about the Good Shepherd.  One of the most vivid memories that I have of artwork hanging in my parent’s house was the painting of Christ walking in the midst of a flock of sheep.  Slung on his shoulders was a lamb that he carried out of the midst of the depths of being separated from the flock. 

                Many of you may have similar memories of paintings and other artwork in your own homes or in the homes of relatives.  Some of you may even have real life experience dealing with sheep.  They are truly as dumb as they come.  They are never complacent with the grass on the side of the fence they are on and for some reason they will get stuck in the fence at the same place over and over to reach seemingly greener grass.  The shepherd must then come and free the sheep.

                In our Gospel text today Jesus describes Himself as not only the Shepherd but also the door.  Hear again our Gospel text for today:

Jesus said, “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.

                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.

I.

                As sheep of God’s fold we hear our Shepherd’s voice and know it.  Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life.  I am the bread of life.  I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life.  I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die.

                Only the voice and the work of the Good Shepherd can bring calm to the wearied and worried life of the sheep.  His Word brings you rest.  Christ’s Word gives what it promises: eternal life.  By the work of the Holy Spirit you hear His Voice and follow after Him.  He is also the door to enter into the sheepfold.  Apart from Christ the doors of heaven have been shut to you and me.  Yet through the atoning work of the Shepherd the door to heaven has been opened to all who hear His voice and believe. 

                We are already recipients of the Good Shepherd’s love for us.  We have His promises.  He heals all your diseases.  He forgives all your sins.  He raises you up for eternal life.  You rejoice that all of this work is done by Him, not by you.  Saved solely by His work.  You can’t take any credit for your salvation.  Thanks be to God.

                God has done everything for you.  He provides you with all those things that support your daily life.  He is our Good Shepherd.  He provides both our earthly fodder to feed and take care of us but He also provides for our heavenly well being also.  For through His work you have salvation!

II.

                Be cautious, though, my friends for in and of ourselves we are self-seekers.  We try and rob our Lord of His glory.  Just before our Lord told this parable He was in the midst of a conversation with the man who was formerly blind and also the Pharisees.  As the Pharisees stood listening to Jesus they asked Him, We are not blind too, are we?  Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.

                The Pharisees didn’t want to believe that Jesus was the door.  They were thieves and robbers, that Jesus spoke of in the first verse of our Gospel, 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.  Thieves and robbers attempt to climb in the sheepfold in unexpected ways.  If Jesus was the door yet they did not want to enter by the door, how would they get into the sheepfold?  By their perfect works, of course.  The Pharisees believed that a man or woman had to keep the Law perfectly and anything less than perfect wasn’t good enough.  They tried sneaking into the kingdom of God on the basis of their own words and deeds.

                We are no better than the Pharisees when we believe that we have to keep the Law perfectly.  Even more sly is when you hear, Christ has died for you.  Your sins have been paid for.  Yet you think, that can’t be it, I need to do something else.  Jesus died for my sins only I must do something to merit that work.  My tithing, my work at the shelter, if you believe that any of those things are going to get you into the sheepfold you are kidding yourself.  You are seeking the glory for yourself that you can help in your salvation.   To say that Christ needs our help in redeeming us from the Old Evil foe is a fallacy.  It is one that strips Christ of His Glory.

                Even more poignant is the thinking that our sins can no longer hurt us.  Its common thinking that our sins don’t matter.  I can do what I want and God will still love me.  He will let me in the sheepfold even if I keep sinning and not repent of my sins.  Even more we attempt to strip God of His righteousness.  God is not an angry God anymore.  He no longer demands perfection out of His creation.  Yet we would be taking something away from God.  Or at least trying to.

                As we attempt to rob God of His righteousness we not only do it through sins of commission but also omission.  You have been set free to do good works, to do things that are pleasing to your Lord and neighbor.  Yet, when you think someone else is going to do it.  There are other members in the congregation who will share the Gospel with our community, or as we fail to help those in need, even the littlest ones, we seek to steal and rob from the Lord the means to assist the world.  We are thieves and robbers!

                Our Lord is not only warning us about being thieves and robbers, but is also warning us about others who attempt to steal the glory from the Lord.  He was describing what the Pharisees were doing, leading the people away from God.  There are many in the world that want to steal you away from Christ.  Satan uses many tactics to steal you away and rob God of His glory, righteousness and His precious flock.  There are preachers in the world who will tell you that you can have it all, even your favorite sins, that the Lord will forgive you even with an unrepentant heart.  Other churches will tell you that there are multiple doors to enter in, that Allah, Buddha, the God of the Jews and Jesus are all the same and it doesn’t really matter what or who you believe in, as long as you believe in someone/thing.  Beware of them, for even St. Paul knew of those in the church who would try and steal the flock away.  But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed…For am I now seeking the favor of men or of God?  Or am I striving to please men?  If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond servant of Christ.

III.

                We would not have you stolen by another Gospel.  For Christ is the door, the only way for He is the Way.  You are the sheep.  You know the voice of the Shepherd and have entered in through the door.  Christ didn’t come to lead you to the slaughter house.  Jesus didn’t come to rob you of all you have, but He gives to you freely the salvation He won for you.  He brought you into the sheepfold by shedding His own blood.  He had to give His own life to be destroyed protecting His sheep so that you could enter into His flock.  Jesus didn’t come to earth to die upon the cross and then say, “Well, I did my part.  Now you finish the work.”  He did it all.

                He leads us to the quiet pastures and to the still waters.  He speaks His Word to you to feed you the best fodder possible.  This fodder will never give out nor will it ever dry out and not give nutrition for the soul.  Christ has led you to the table to receive His body and blood that as eager sheep we seek to receive to nourish ourselves.  And we go often, as He commands for it is difficult for a sheep to survive without the best fodder possible, His body and blood. 

                By nature we were born to steal and rob.  To steal God of His honor, glory, and righteousness.  We are no longer thieves, looking to steal form God.  We have become sheep as Christ died for us upon the cross and gave up His very life for us and was woken from death three days later so that on the last day we will also waken from the sleep of death and be gathered together with all the flock of the Good Shepherd in heaven.  Be watchful dear lambs of God, and hear the voice of the Good Shepherd:  Your sins have been forgiven in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

 

May the peace of God which passes all human understanding guard and protect your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, the Good Shepherd.  Amen.

           

  

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