1 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. John 10:1-2 (LSB)
Just because someone claims to be a Christian does not mean that person is regenerate, justified, sanctified, or adopted into God’s family. Many base their standing as a Christian on religious acts they have done. Others claim salvation based upon their good words plus their religion. Tragically, there are also many, and more each day it seems, “Christian leaders” who preach and teach things that they portray as the Good News, but are, instead, only the result of marketing techniques.
I once attempted to listen to one of Joel Osteen sermons. I didn’t make it all the way through. I got really tired of his continual drawling out of his feel good message of doing good works and being positive about everything. While there was nothing wrong with what he was saying, the message was not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. There was an absolute value of zero of any theological value in what he was saying. He did not tell anyone that without God’s grace they were hopelessly lost in their sins. No, there was no preaching of the Good News. Sadly, the “church building” he uses now that used to be a basketball arena was packed full of smiling people eating up everything he was saying.
What is Jesus’ standard of being one of his shepherds? Look at the passage I placed at the top of this post. Who was Jesus speaking to when he made that statement? We have to back up a few verses for that.
35 Jesus heard that they had put him out, and after finding him, He said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 He answered and said, “Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?” 37 Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him, and He is the one who is talking with you.” 38 And he said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped Him. 39 And Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind.” 40 Some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these things and said to Him, “Are we blind too?” 41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains. John 9:35-41 (LSB)
Jesus healed a man born blind. This happened on the Sabbath so the Jewish leaders were very upset. They taught that people suffered because of their sin. This man was born blind and they reasoned that it was because of the sins of his parents. Jesus disciples made this mistake as well. (John 9:1-5) No, God used this blind man for His glory. Jesus healed him and this created a point of contention between Him and the Pharisees. When they cast the man out of the synagogue, Jesus found Him. Then he believed. We will meet this man in Heaven. He is there with His Lord right now. Look what Jesus tells him, “For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind.” Jesus not only healed this man, he also gave Him eternal life. Jesus used this point of contention to create “blindness” in those who professed to be the only ones who had righteousness. When Jesus speaks of false shepherds in Chapter 10 He is speaking to these Pharisees. <Continue reading post>