Persecution-Are you Ready?-19

How many sermons have you ever heard about the wrath of Jehovah or the coming persecution of true believers? Jesus warned us about both and we need to not only be prepared, but warn others as well. While we studied this some time ago, it is time for a short reminder.

Ezekiel 33:1  The word of the LORD came to me: 33:2  "Son of man, speak to your people and say to them, If I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from among them, and make him their watchman, 33:3  and if he sees the sword coming upon the land and blows the trumpet and warns the people, 33:4  then if anyone who hears the sound of the trumpet does not take warning, and the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. 33:5  He heard the sound of the trumpet and did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But if he had taken warning, he would have saved his life. 

33:6  But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any one of them, that person is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman's hand. 

Those of us who know Jehovah, know His Word, and daily seek to serve Him, we need to warn others. We all need to prepare for what is coming. Now, where will our persecution come from and what should we do? John 10 is a series of comparisons and contrasts.

John 10:1  "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. 10:2  But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 

10:3  To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 10:4  When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 

The sheepfold is the world. There are basically two types of shepherds, the true, good shepherd and the myriad of false shepherds. Our ‘good’ Shepherd calls His own out by name; it is a personal and individual. And all who are His respond in faith and follow Him, which is to obey Him.

10:5  A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers." How well can you discern the voice and lies of all the false teachers and preachers?

10:6  This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. 

This was often the case with the apostles, they did not understand, not yet at least.

10:7  So Jesus again said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 10:8  All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 10:9  I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 

The door is a picture of being ‘in’ Christ or abiding in Him. This visual depiction of Jesus was a familiar one to the apostles, as there were many herds of sheep and sheep pens in Judah. But, this picture goes all the way back to the exodus of Israel from Egypt.

Exodus 12:21  Then Moses called all the elders of Israel and said to them, "Go and select lambs for yourselves according to your clans, and kill the Passover lamb. 

12:22  Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. None of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning. 

12:23  For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you. 

12:24  You shall observe this rite as a statute for you and for your sons forever. 

The Israelites had to kill the ‘Passover’ lamb, pour out its blood, and then basically spread its blood all around the doorway. In order to save their lives, they then had to enter through this blood stained door. Death was all around them outside, but they were all safe inside. This is the eternal picture of salvation by the blood of Jesus Christ.

10:10  The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 

10:11  I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 

10:12  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. 10:13  He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 

The comparison continues and certain elements are repeated. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for His sheep. The false shepherds are thieves, robbers, hired hands, and wolves. All in it for themselves in some way, but none truly care for their sheep. They will kill and destroy the sheep in their flocks. There are far more false shepherds leading blind sheep to the slaughter than the few good shepherds leading them in truth.

10:14  I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 10:15  just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 

10:16  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. 

This is now the second time Jesus tells them that He will lay down His life. But, the apostles still did not understand although they certainly were listening! Listening is not enough.

10:17  For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 10:18  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." 

This dispels the lies about who killed Jesus. First, Jesus the Son of God did not die, He cannot be killed. His earthly body died, as will ours, but His deity is eternal, as is our soul. Secondly, He is in total control at all times. No one takes His life, He gives up or gave up His life for us. He voluntarily paid for all our sins by His blood.

Romans 5:9  Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 

10:19  There was again a division among the Jews because of these words. 

10:20  Many of them said, "He has a demon, and is insane; why listen to him?" 10:21  Others said, "These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?" 

These divisions continue on today. They will not believe so they make up stories to ease their guilt. He cannot be who He says He is, so He is either out of His mind, or a demon. Some knew that demons don’t heal blind men, who had been blind from birth! But, still did not believe in Him. Than is the world today. Many, when asked, “Who is Jesus?” Many may say that He is the Son of God. But, all rational thought ends with that statement. They never truly take it to the next level of questioning. They remain lost, deceived, and following the false shepherds.

More next Saturday.