AS THE GOOD SHEPHERD, JESUS CHRIST GIVES CHRISTIAN BELIEVERS HIS PROTECTION, HIS GUIDANCE, AND HIS LOVE
The Gospel of John Chapter 10
  1. THREE CONCEPTS In John’s Chapter 10 :

    1. JESUS IS THE MODEL OF A GOOD SHEPHERD TAKING CARE OF HIS SHEEP
    2. THE SHEEP HAVE AN ENEMY THAT IS READY TO STEAL, KILL, AND DESTROY THEM — THE THIEF / SATAN
    3. THE SHEEP HAVE FALSE SHEPHERDS WHO ARE ONLY TAKING CARE OF THE SHEEP FOR MONEY AND THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT THE WELLFARE OF THE SHEEP AND WILL LET THE WOLF EAT THEM — THE HIRELINGS


  2. JESUS CALLS HIMSELF “ THE GOOD SHEPHERD .” WHY ?
    • The sheep hear His voice, recognize Him, He knows their name, they follow Him, and He leads them. [10:3-4]
    • Jesus calls himself the door through which the sheep will go, be saved, and find good pasture. [10:9; 14:6; Psalm 23:1-3]
    • The Good Shepherd laid His life for His sheep. [10:15-18; Isaiah 53:3-9; Matthew 27:26-30]
    • Jesus said: My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. John 10:27-28 NKJV
    • Jesus gives eternal life to His sheep and no one can take them away from Him.
    • Jesus declared that He and the Father are one and the Jews tried to stone Him for this. [10:29-33]
    • Jesus said that the Father was in Him and He was in the Father. [10:37-39] Jesus said that His sheep, born again believers will be in Him, and He in them. [John 14:20, 23; 17:21]

  3. THE SHEEP HAVE AN ENEMY THAT IS READY TO STEAL, KILL, AND DESTROY THEM — THE THIEF [10:8-10]
    • Jesus gives us guidance as to how His sheep are kept saved from the thief / the enemy/the devil :
      • The sheep go through HIM who is the door, they are saved, and the sheep find good pasture.
      • He feeds them [The Word], He protects them [with the armor and angels], He guides them with His Spirit [truth, wisdom, discernment, understanding, knowledge, revelation, power].
    • But sometimes the sheep in rebellion want to leave the protection of the shepherd to wander off by themselves outside the shepherd’s door—and the thief is waiting for the lost sheep to come out.
    • The thief/enemy has many wolfs/demonic spirits ready to attack the rebellious sheep and they come to steal, kill, and destroy the sheep.[10:10]
    • But the “good shepherd” is always looking for that lost sheep to bring back to His protection. [Mat. 18:12-14; Luke 15:4-7, 10]
    • Meanwhile the rebellious sheep is under great attack from all kinds of spirits:
      • The spirit of the world: The prodigal son-Luke 15:11-24; Demas — 2 Tim. 4:10; the things of the world — John 2:16-17; — the cares and pleasures of life — Luke 8:14.
      • The spirit of lust: the man living in sin 1 Cor. 5:5; luring seductive spirits — 2 Peter 2:18-21; perverted sinful sexual way of life — Romans 1:24-32; sinful way of life — 2 Corinthians 12:20-21
      • The spirit of greed and money: Warning from Jesus — Mateo 6:19, 24, 25-34; warning from Paul — 1 Tim. 6:7-10, 20-21; Ananías y Sapphira — Acts 5:1-11
      • The spirit of deception of false doctrines: Another gospel — Galatians 1:6-9, False prophets — 2 Peter 2:1-2; savage wolves — Mateo 7:15-16; Acts 20:29; Doctrines of demons — 1 Tim. 4:1; Itching ears — 2 Tim. 4:1-4
      • There are many more spirits the Word of God describes as from the enemy that come to attack the lost sheep.

  4. THE HIRELING WORKS FOR A SALARY :
    • Jesus said: But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. [John 10:12-13 NKJV]
    • Who are the hirelings “shepherding” the sheep today?
      1. False pastors / shepherds
      2. False apostles
      3. False prophets

  5. FALSE PASTORS / SHEPHERDS :
    • Paul speaking to the elders of Ephesus when he came to give them his last farewell [Acts 20:17-38 NKJV]
      • From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church (20:17).
        IMPORTANT: Paul called for the group of elders and not for one head or lead pastor to come.
      • Paul commands them to take care of the sheep: Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. [20:28 NKJV]
        IMPORTANT: The elders, NOT THE HEAD PASTOR, were to be overseers taking care of the sheep, and they were to shepherd the church of God, which Jesus had purchased with His own blood.
      • Paul gives them a strong warning: For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch…[20:29-31 NKJV]
        IMPORTANT:
        1. Paul warns about the wolfs, not from the outside, but from the inside of the church who would come up to eat the sheep.
        2. Also, from within the church, there will come some who will to take absolute control of the church leading them into false doctrines and many will not see the deception and follow them.
    • Peter speaking to elders in the church in general, not specific church :
      • The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.
        IMPORTANT:
        1. Peter did not direct this letter to the head pastor, or an apostle, or a prophet at the church.
        2. The shepherding government of the church was the group of elders, and the pastor could be part of it, but not the main person in control and directing everything like we see today.
        3. They were to serve as overseers and willingly — PROTECTING THE SHEEP FROM ATTACKS.
        4. They were not to financially exploit the sheep like we see in many churches today.
        5. They were not to lord or have absolute control over the sheep, like it is happening in many churches today.
        6. Finally, Jesus will reward all the good shepherding they do for the flock.

  6. FALSE APOSTLES AND FALSE PROPHETS :
    • Jesus in His message to the church in Ephesus: I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars. Revelation 2:2 NKJV
      IMPORTANT:
      • Today a large segment of the Christian church, just like it was then, is under the controlling leadership of those who call themselves apostles and are not, but are really liars, like Jesus said.
      • Why is this happening?
      • It is happening because there is a new false movement [new apostolic reformation], which claims that at this time in the history of the church, God is raising again apostles and prophets to lead the church in taking over the seven hills of society: government, communication, military, finances, education, health, and the arts.
      • They claim that somehow and with God’s divine intervention these false apostles and prophets are going to lead the church to take over the world [which is controlled by Satan’s kingdom of darkness].
      • Once all these 7 areas of society are controlled by the church, there will be no more wars, sickness, poverty, and all the evil that the enemy has brought to the world. PROBLEM: NOTHING THEY CLAIM IS FOUND IN THE WORD OF GOD, THE BIBLE !!
      • But these dreamers, makers of fables and teachers of another gospel, have found a way to reconcile their false doctrines with the Word of God. [Galatians 1:8-9]
      • And this is where the false prophets come in: They claim that they are receiving new revelation for the church and the people have to believe their revelation. This is also wrong since we are warned in the Word of God not to add or delete. [Rev. 22:18-19]
      • Plus the Word of God states clearly that it is not the church, but KING JESUS, who is returning in His Second Coming to destroy the devil and his kingdom of darkness. [Rev. 19:11-20:3]
      • The church has not been commissioned, not does it have the power to destroy the enemy and his kingdom of darkness — that is Jesus’s work since He does have the power to destroy the enemy.
      • The church has been commissioned and has the power [Acts 1:8] to take the gospel of salvation to those who are captives in the kingdom of darkness so that God will take them out and bring them to His Kingdom. This is the only thing the church was commissioned to do
      • But meanwhile these false apostles and prophets are exploiting the church for their own financial gains. They are also controlling and lording over the sheep with a spirit of control. [1 Peter 2:1-3]
      • And like Peter wrote, they will receive their just reward [punishment] when the Chief Shepherd appears in His Second Coming. Jesus Christ is coming to destroy the kingdom of darkness and to establish His Millennial Kingdom for a thousand years [Rev. 20:1-10]