John 10:7

             

              In the Ancient Near East, the flock would be put into small pens and the shepherd would sleep in the gate at night. This way he could keep the sheep safe in the pen and predators out. He would make himself the door to the pen. Jesus is using an illustration that would be familiar to His hearers.

              If you want to enter a building, you go through the door. The way we enter the church of Christ is through Jesus. It is only by faith that we can come to God and truly be part of his people. Jesus is the only door by which you can enter into salvation (John 14:6)

Have you come into the church through faith in Jesus Christ? Is your Christianity a real spiritual truth? Or is it just your traditions, just your culture? There are many false doors into the church that will only lead to death and separation from God. There is only one door that leads to God and life. It is Jesus himself. Have you gone through Jesus to enter salvation and the Church of God?

Consider: Matthew 7:13

John 10:6

                                                                                       

            Jesus is speaking to the ones who claim to be the authority on all things          spiritual, however, they do not understand what Jesus is saying to them. Jesus is using a figure of speech about Himself. The problem was that the Jewish leaders refused to see Jesus for who He was: the Messiah and the Son of God.                                                                                   Have you ever looked at something and been confused about what you saw until     someone explained it to you. This is what the Holy Spirit does for us as believers. He opens our eyes, our minds, and our hearts to see Jesus for who He is as our Savior and Lord.                          You need to read your Bible everyday, but you also need to pray for the Holy Spirit to illuminate your heart and mind to know Jesus and clearly understand what God’s Word says.

Consider: Romans 11:7-10

John 10:5

              Shepherds in Israel would lead their sheep by moving in front of their flocks and calling to them. This was the voice of safety, food, water, and comfort. If a stranger comes in and tries to lead the flock, they would not follow him     because they did not know his voice.                                                                                                                                                                              It is amazing to me to watch birds in large nesting grounds. There  are some species of birds that nest in large numbers. Although the numbers are great, mother birds and their chicks know each others voices.                                                                                      

              There are many voices that call to us in this world. Voices of the world, the devil, and false teachers are all seeking to lead us to destruction. How do we know what voice is God’s? If you are a Christian, you have a helper. You have the Holy Spirt that testifies inside of you that the Word of God is true. It shows us that the Word of God is consistent with the character of God. It shows us that as we trust in and experience the faithfulness of God to His Word, that word is true. It is in the Word that we hear the voice of our Good and Great Shepherd. Just like sheep, the Christian knows the voice of our true shepherd because of experience and trust. What voice are you following?

Consider: Psalm 29:3-9

John 10:3-4

True sheep hear and follow the voice of the one who is leading them to Christ. This voice leads them by the Word of God to be the People of God. The Church follows the true shepherd because He leads them only to Christ. A strange voice they will not follow. God is at work in every believer. The Holy Spirit helps the   believer to hear the true shepherds of God. Are you trusting in God to help you know who is a true shepherd and who is not?

Consider: 2 Timothy 1:13-14

John 10:1-2

Jesus uses a figure of speech or a parable to instruct us about false teachers. This is related to the events that just took place in Chapter 9. He his calling the Pharisees and the Scribes, “thieves and robbers” among the flock of God’s sheep. These false teachers do not enter in through the door. Here, Christ is the door. They come not in Christ but against Christ. If they were true shepherds, then they would have come in Christ’s name to do His work. Instead, they rule the people for their own gain and glory and not Christ’s! Is Christ at the center of your life, your family, your church? He should be!

Consider: Titus 1:10-11

John 9:40

The Pharisees are an example of those who on one hand see and yet on the other hand are blind. They have a head knowledge about the things of God. They know the outward traditions and laws of Israel, but they are blind to the Jesus the Old Testament proclaimed and prophesied. They were even blind to the Jesus that was speaking to them in that moment. Their hearts were         hardened to God and to Jesus. How is your heart? Is it hard to God and His Word or do you know the warmth of Christ’s love?

Consider: Revelation 3:16-18

John 9:39

Jesus came to set things right: to find the poor and the lost and open their eyes to see the grace of God. Those religious leaders who misuse the house, laws, and ceremonies of God for their own gain will remain blinded to the grace of God in Jesus even though they are surrounded by the evidence that points to Christ. Though they see, yet they are blind. Today, we in the church must be careful to never depart from the Word of God. We must ask God to open our eyes and help us to see. Are you caught up in the traditions of the church or do you see clearly the power of God in the Gospel?

Consider: Ezekiel 12:2

Tuesday, August 23, 2016 - John 9:35-38

John contrasts the treatment of the blind man by Jesus and that of the religious leaders. Jesus hears that they have put him out and so He seeks after the man until He finds him. God is good to search for us and lead us to Jesus. Jesus revels himself to the man and the man believes in Jesus. Make sure that you are praising God for searching for you and giving you a heart to believe in Jesus. We must never think we have done anything to save ourselves it is all of grace. 

Consider: 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Monday, August 22, 2016 - John 9:31-34

The World is cruel to those who disagree with it. Here we see a man who was born blind. By the power of God he was healed. Now as he comes to give glory to God and testify to the truth of his being healed, he finds himself put out of the temple and the people of God. What happened? What did he do wrong? He simply went with the truth over against the narrative of the wicked religious leaders of the day. We should never be surprised when the world in their spite and hate go to great lengths to exclude us even in the face of overwhelming evidence. 

Consider: 3 John 1:9-11

Saturday, August 20, 2016 - John 9:30

I do not know if this man is innocent or sarcastic in his response, but he continues to drive the point home. Here is the religious leadership of Israel and they have no idea from where this man comes, but He has a power to heal that can only come from God. The healed man has no questions because he was blind and now he sees. This healing came clearly from Jesus. Today many churches have leaders who refuse to see or acknowledge Jesus and His Word. They are doing what is right in their own eyes and seek to have power in this world. They are no different from the leaders we see here.

Consider: 2 Timothy 3:3-4 

Friday, August 19, 2016 - John 9:26-29

They ask the same question looking for a different answer or maybe an inconsistency in his story. The man is clear about what happened. He asked if they wanted to be Christ’s disciples. This causes a caustic reaction. They saw themselves following Moses, but Moses proclaimed Christ. It is a false dichotomy. The choice is not whether to follow Moses or Christ, but to follow God’s Word in which Moses and Christ agree. Make no mistake. This is about power and control. Jesus was a threat to the leaders control and position. Jesus is still a threat to those who seek worldly power, especially in His Church. 

Consider: 2 Timothy 3:1-9 

Thursday, August 18, 2016 - John 9:24-25

They call the healed man back in a second time. This time they make sure and lead him to understand that Jesus was not to be given credit. “We know He is a sinner”. The man’s answer is clear and perfect. He cannot speak to Jesus being a sinner, but he does know one thing. He was blind and now he sees! This is all we need to know: Christ has saved us. We want people to grow in their faith, but to be saved is to be healed spiritually by Christ. Though you may not understand it fully at the beginning, you will know that you have been saved. 

Consider: Matthew 13:31-32, Mark 9:24 

Wednesday, August 17, 2016 - John 9:20-23

Tyrants are often bullies. They work in fear and intimidation. Here we see the parents of this man, who should be praising God for the miracle of their son’s healing, forced to play dumb out of fear of these leaders and their hatred for Christ. Ours is a reasonable faith, and we should work through the questions of our faith on bended knee, in prayer, with our Bibles open. God does not need us to intimidate. We are called to pray for the lost, live our Christian lives in front of the lost, and proclaim the truth of the gospel. 

Consider: 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 

Tuesday, August 16, 2016 - John 9:18-19

The Jews are so set on disproving Jesus that they are convinced the man is lying about being blind from birth. They call on his parents to confirm that he really was blind. It is important for us to be open minded and to examine things. J.C. Ryle said that the hardest people to reach with the gospel are those who are convinced of their own feelings and thoughts. They are not open to see or hear what is plainly in front of them. We often think that if God would work a sign, people would believe. The fact is that unless the Holy Spirit opens our eyes and our hearts we will not see or believe even if it is right in front of our faces.

Consider: 2 Corinthians 4:6 

Monday, August 15, 2016 - John 9:13-17

Jesus has performed this awesome miracle of healing a man blind from birth, but now the religious leaders of the day are looking into the event. At the center of the controversy is that Jesus did this on the Sabbath day. Their objection is not correct, because there is no prohibition to doing good on the Sabbath day. The Sabbath is made for man and not man for the Sabbath. We must never add to or take away from the Law of God, which is what the Pharisees are doing in making this objection. 

Consider: Matthew 12:1-8, Isaiah 58:13-14