I am the gate

Exeter Temple Message notes

Sunday 11th August 2013

John 10:1-10

The city picture v 1-6
- a public sheepfold
- all local shepherds would come at night with their flocks.
- watchman guarded the door - only allowed legitimate shepherds in
- true shepherds knew their own sheep
- sheep recognised the shepherd through distinctive voice 
 
The truth behind the picture
 a)    Bogus callers
Not everyone who seeks entry into our lives is from God. 
Teaching in John 10 arose out of confrontation with the Pharisees over the healing of the blind man.  Their attitude and teaching showed that they were not the real shepherds of the people that they claimed to be. 
Their teaching was based on     - religion rather than relationship,
                                                   - salvation by works 
Such bogus teaching and wrong thinking is still around today plus such things as humanism
materialism and new age philosophy
b) Identification of the genuine
A true shepherd seeks entry legitimately.  If something is of God it does not need cunning deception, force or manipulation to get its way.
 Who is the watchman?
- John the Baptist- like the watchman in that he ushered Jesus, the true shepherd into his ministry.
- The Holy Spirit - acts on our conscience. Speaks truth and gives discernment to us.
- The Bible - everything that seeks to gain access to our lives needs to be measured against it.
All testify to the authenticity of Jesus as the true shepherd and will only open the door for him.   If something doesn’t measure up to the word and the witness of the Spirit then we must not let it into our lives.
 c)    Familiarity
The best safeguard is to know the shepherd personally.
Sheep were trained to recognize the voice or the tune played by their shepherd.
 
2. The country picture v 7-10.
- sheep herded into a low walled enclosure of piled rocks with small  opening.
- sheep returned to the fold at night after a day of grazing,
- shepherd accounted for, inspected and ministered to each   sheep as it entered.
- shepherd lay down across the doorway to protect sheep.
 
Further reading:     
Psalm 121                 Hebrews 10               Revelation 3:8

 Prayer focus

Think about the people who may come through or to your front door this week and pray for them. 
What are the doors of opportunity that have opened to share the love of Jesus recently?   What do you need from the Holy Spirit to help you walk through them?
Open Doors is an organisation which supports persecuted Christians, pray for your brothers and sisters in Christ, as they seek to bring the gospel in places that try to shut the door to them. 

God bless
Alan and Carol