John 10:7-18 – So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 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. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 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. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 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.”
“Just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.” Jesus has related His deep connected relationship with His flock. (Vs 14-15) He knows them and they know Him. There came a time in our lives when who Jesus is as Savior and Lord became a sure knowledge that brought us out of the wild. It was indeed God who foreknew us and predestined us to become His children. (Romans 8:29) It was God who loved us and brought us to salvation. Our triune God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit who from eternity past set their eye upon us and loved us. The oneness of God is essential to know. God is one in every way, they are never separated from each other and they never separate in will and action. Just as He is not separate from His word to us, just as He is one with it and so Jesus was the Word incarnate, God is one in everything and in every way. Jesus Himself came down to be our Savior but doesn’t the entirety of the Word show hand of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in our salvation? All of our triune God worked in union for our salvation. All were part of the plan. Each playing a unique role and all of the one involved in each other’s unique role, though in truth, all are one though three in all. In these verses we see the oneness that Jesus brings us into. We are brought into that oneness though distinctly not being God Himself, of who there is only one (Deuteronomy 6:4, Isaiah 44:6) and who does not share His divinity with any man or other being. (Deuteronomy 4:39, Isaiah 42:8) Only God truly knows Himself fully. Those who reject belonging to Him cannot know Him. (1 Corinthians 2:14) We who love and serve the Lord, who call Jesus Savior and Lord, have been into the unbreakable unity and perfect love of the triune God. We know Him. (1 Corinthians 2:12) How deep the work of Christ! Praise God!
“And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice.” As the Lord loved His disciple even before they were born, so He loved us. As He had a plan for the lives of His disciples with Him, so He has a plan for ours. As He prayed for the Apostles, so He was praying for us. How great and wonderful our Lord Jesus who included us in His prayers to the Father. Into infinity past He passionately knew and loved us. In His perfect foreknowledge the reality of our future response to Him was utterly real and palpable, though He would wait for us. He was more than ready for us to come to Him, He was more delighted than parents looking upon their new born baby. Thank you Jesus! (Ephesians 1:4-5)
“So there will be one flock, one shepherd.” All who love the Lord Jesus are one. God does not look upon worldly races or cultures, He looks at the Spirit. Time is nothing to Him, the ones who first loved Him are in the same group as we who love Him now. His two great commandments are first to love Him with all that we are and second to love each other as we love ourselves. (Mark 12:29-31) Even to consider each other and to love each other before ourselves. (Philippians 2:3) If we all love each other in this way that we have been commanded to love then His will is done. (1 John 4:12) In Matthew Jesus said that all the laws and commandments are fulfilled in love. Not the love of the world, but His love. Then we become one. Now each one of us becomes one with God and so if we are to be one with God we must be one with each other. No disharmony amongst the Godhead and we certainly shall not bring it with us. If we don’t love as God has called us to love, if we don’t love a brother or sister, then we cannot be part of this unity with God. He will not allow those who will not love to bring that evil into His Godly unity. There will be no stone in that sandal.
“For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 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.” Jesus laid down His life because of His own will. Jesus laid down His life in obedience to the Father. Jesus was led to the cross by the Spirit of God. In all things the will of God is singular. He is His own council. Jesus loved the Father and so was obedient to Him. Just as we love Jesus and are obedient to Him. Praise God for the great love He has for us and for delivering to us the inviolate invitation through Jesus. He is so good to us!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will Hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown you, Oh man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
Numbers 6:24-26 – The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.
by Bob withLuke 6:27-28 “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”
Proverbs 24:17-18 – Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; 18 Lest the Lord see it, and it displease Him, And He turn away His wrath from him.
God has assured that a day of recompense for the evil will come. Though they may hide or bury their fear, let us dread that day for them. They are those who hide their eyes and cover their ears lest they see the light and hear the truth. Let us have for them the fear of God that they should have, because we know what the inevitable future that awaits those who reject Jesus as Savior and Lord. Let us fear as they should fear and truly pray for them with Godly love. Perhaps their hardened hearts will break and they will repent. What a joyous day that will be. A day of glory and honor to Him who does not wish for any person to perish. (Peter 3:9, 1 Timothy 2:4, Ezekiel 3:18-21)
We must love those who have chosen to reject eternal life. We must love those who love their sin and who rage against God. Cry for them. Pray that they stop running to their current destiny, that they stop and love God. Pray that they truly love God by coming to Him through Jesus our Savior and Lord. Pray for them. Love God for them. We who walk with God will have hope for them, the hope they should have. Yet our love and hope for Him does not save them by and of itself, but perhaps their hearts will change. We all have family and friends who don’t love Jesus. The Lord loves even those who raise their fist at Him. For now, He offers them the hand of peace and love, till the day they die.
God is good all the time and He loves us. This is true and immutable. Oh how we love our God in whom we have hope! Praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will Hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown you, Oh man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
Numbers 6:24-26 – The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.
by Bob with