The King Over All The Earth

Psalm 47

Ascension Day is on Thursday of this week, the day when the Lord Jesus left earth and returned to heaven.  Our Scripture for later this week will go more into that event.  However, since that event commemorates more than just His return to heaven, but also His exaltation as Lord, and His enthronement at the right hand of God the Father, let’s look at another Scripture that speaks of God as King, reigning over the world.

Psalm 47 is one of several psalms written by the Sons of Korah.  Korah was a man from the tribe of Levi who led a rebellion against Moses (Numbers 16:1-40).  God judged Korah and those in rebellion with him by opening the earth, which swallowed them alive.  However, his children and descendants weren’t harmed.  Later they worked in the Temple, particularly with worship music, and also writing several of the psalms.

Our psalm speaks of the universal kingship of Yahweh, how He is the sovereign King over all the earth, and how one day all nations will submit to His rule.  This will happen when Jesus returns and sets up His Millennium reign.  This psalm is both present - God reigns now, and prophetic - Jesus will reign visibly and universally in the future.

The Sons of Korah begin their psalm by calling out to everyone to clap and shout their praises to God (vs. 1).  These are to be expressions of victory for the Lord.  This is a call to everyone, not just Israel.  God’s kingship is not tribal or regional.  He is God of everyone, everywhere, and there is a day coming when all nations will acknowledge Jesus as Lord (Philippians 2:10-11).

The reason to shout and praise Yahweh is that He is awesome, inspiring wonder and worship (vs. 2).  He is also totally worthy of reverence.  God is not just Israel’s King, He is King over all the earth.  Most of the pagan gods worshiped in that time and place were regional deities.  They were the gods of this or that mountain, plain, or river.  They might have power over some specific weather event.  However, Yahweh’s dominion, power, and rule is absolute and universal.

The Sons of Korah look into the future with a prophetic promise (vs. 3).  This verse looks forward to the Millennial Kingdom, when Jesus rules, and His people are restored to a place of prominence (Isaiah 2:1-4; Zechariah 14:9, 16-17).  It is God Himself, not any human effort, that will bring the nations of the world into submission to Him.  We do not win people to the Lord by force, but the Holy Spirit’s intervention does.

Continuing on, we see that God gives His children their inheritance (vs. 4).  It is not self-earned.  His choices are rooted in grace, not in our own merit.  We can rest in the knowledge that God’s love for us is faithful, and all of His choices for us are perfect.

Now we come to the verses that relate to the Ascension (vs. 5).  This is royal coronation language, picturing God ascending to His throne after victory.  Prophetically it points to Jesus’ ascension spoken of in Acts 1:9-11, and then later to His return with the sound of the trumpet (I Thessalonians 4:16), and His enthronement in the Millennium.  Jesus is the victorious, exalted King.  Continuing, we are told five times to sing praises to God (vs. 6-7).  We are to be joyful to the Lord.  Our praise should be with understanding, intelligence, not just random babble, and it should be directed to God, not to ourselves, any preacher, or to any singer or musician.

As the Sons of Korah bring this psalm to a close, we see that God reigns over the nations of the world (vs. 8-9).  His rule is holy, not random or by chance.  Even now, though many nations are in rebellion against Him, He is still sovereign.  His reign is not threatened by human rebellion.  And in the future, Jesus will rule visibly and perfectly.  All earthly rulers and their people will gather to worship Jesus.  Their “shields”, which symbolize their authority, power, and military strength, will be given to God, as they ultimately belong to Him.

Approximately forty days after Easter, Jesus ascended and returned to heaven, where He is seated on His heavenly throne.  This psalm was one that anticipated His literal, earthly kingdom, where He will rule from Jerusalem.  God is not some tribal deity, but rules all nations, all peoples, and the whole universe.  Some may wonder where God is in all the mess that is happening throughout the world, and may wonder if He has somehow lost control, or has stepped back and is not involved in anything anymore.  We can trust God’s plan for the future.  History may seem like it is spiraling out of control, but it’s not.  It is moving towards the visible reign of Jesus Christ.

Ancient of Days

Daniel 7:9-14

When many people think of the Book of Daniel they immediately think of the account of Daniel in the lion’s den, or of his three friends being thrown into the fiery furnace and coming out unharmed.  Those are certainly the most familiar parts of the Book of Daniel.  However the majority of the book contains prophetic visions Daniel had, or interpretation of dreams that he gave of future events, particularly end-time events.  Today’s portion of Scripture from the Book of Daniel is one such passage.  It reveals the heavenly courtroom where God, the Ancient of Days, will judge the kingdoms of men, and will grant everlasting dominion to the Messiah, the Son of Man, who is clearly identified in the New Testament as Jesus Christ.  Let’s see what God’s Word has to say.

Chapter 7 begins with describing a dream and visions that Daniel had.  First he described four Gentile empires which would come.  Then, as our portion of Scripture describes, the vision moves from earth to heaven, where God will judge these kingdoms, and establish His own.  This Scripture gives a divine perspective on world history - that human empires rise and fall, but God’s kingdom is eternal.

As our Scripture begins, Daniel had a vision of God seated on His throne as the divine Judge (vs. 9-10).  Daniel used the name “Ancient of Days”, a name for God the Father which is found only in the Book of Daniel.  This name emphasizes His eternality.  The white hair symbolizes God’s wisdom, and His white clothes show His purity and holiness.  His fiery throne shows God’s majesty and authority.  A fiery stream comes forth from God’s throne.  When we read of fire in the Bible, it often symbolizes judgment (Hebrews 12:29), purity, and holiness.  Surrounding God’s throne of judgment are multiple thousands of angels.

The books of judgment are brought to God and opened.  God keeps a record of all that we as individuals do, and also what the nations do.  His judgment is deliberate, righteous, and final.  Later, in another book of the Bible which describes end-time events we read of the Great White Throne judgment where all mankind is judged (Revelation 20:11-12).  However, here we are focused on the judgment of world empires.  God is the sovereign Judge over all nations.  No empire will escape His scrutiny.  Everyone will be held accountable.

As we read on, we read about the fourth beast, which will be the ruler of the final Gentile empire before the Lord’s return (vs. 11-12).  This leader will have immense power in the world, and speak boldly and pompously.  However, this ungodly world leader’s destruction will be sudden and final.  He will be toppled and destroyed, not by any human effort, but by divine intervention.  We see that all human kingdoms, no matter how big or powerful, are only temporary.  God’s kingdom alone is eternal.

Daniel moves on in describing the vision he had, speaking about the Son of Man (vs. 13-14).  This is not an angel, nor merely a human.  This is the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, in His glorified humanity.  Jesus used this title for Himself more than any other, over eighty times in the Gospels.  He is described as “coming with the clouds of heaven.”  The Bible has frequently described God and the Lord Jesus as being surrounded by clouds, accompanying His presence (Psalm 104:3; Matthew 24:30; Revelation 1:7).

This is not describing the Second Coming of Jesus to earth.  This is His heavenly coronation, where He receives authority from the Father.  Some parallel passages that also describe this are Psalm 2:6-9; Psalm 110:1; Matthew 28:18; and Revelation 5:6-14.  We see that the Lord Jesus will receive absolute authority and dominion, divine honor and glory, and a literal, earthly, and everlasting kingdom.

There are several characteristics of Jesus’ kingdom.  First, it is a universal kingdom, with people from all nations and languages.  It is also an indestructible kingdom, which shall not pass away.  Finally, Daniel described it as an eternal kingdom that shall not be destroyed.  This part of the prophetic vision will be fulfilled in the Millennial Kingdom (Revelation 20:1-6), and then in the Eternal State (Revelation 21-22).  Jesus Christ is the rightful King of all creation.  His kingdom is literal, future, and everlasting.

As we close our study in Daniel 7, we should keep in mind that even when world events seem chaotic, as they certainly were in Daniel’s day, we must remember that God is on the throne.  Daniel lived under pagan empires, yet he remained faithful, and so must we.  We can endure suffering, knowing that Jesus will reign, and His justice will prevail.  We know that Jesus is our Savior, but we must also remember that He is the eternal King who deserves our obedience and our reverence.  Since Jesus is the coming Judge and King, we should do our best to warn others, inviting them to trust in Him now.

Which Way Leads Us Home?

John 14:1-11

Many years ago I used to work in downtown Chicago.  Since I lived in one of the city’s many suburbs, I would take a commuter train to and from work.  When I would leave work to return home, I would go to the massive train station where numerous trains were lined up on dozens of tracks.  It was very important that I would get on the correct train.  If I didn’t, I would end up miles from where I wanted to be.  The trains looked very similar, but only one was the correct train.  The same would be if I were to take a bus home.  Only the correct bus would get me to my destination.  Contrary to the popular saying that all roads lead to heaven, there is only one way to heaven.  As we look into our Gospel passage today, we will see what that one way is.

Our Scripture is part of the Upper Room discourse, a series of final teachings that the Lord gave His disciples on the night that He was betrayed.  The disciples were rather shaken at this time, as Jesus had just predicted His betrayal (John 13:21), Judas had abruptly left, Peter was told that he would deny Jesus, and He said that He was going away.  Jesus proceeded to comfort the troubled disciples by revealing three foundational truths - He is preparing a real place for believers, He is the exclusive way to the Father, and He is the full revelation of the Father because He is truly God.

Jesus begins by telling us to not be troubled, agitated or shaken by what is happening in the world (vs. 1).  When circumstances shake us, Jesus calls us to trust His character, not our understanding.  Here He places faith in Himself on the same level as faith in God, an implicit claim to deity.

Next He gives us one of the most comforting promises in the Bible (vs. 2-3).  Jesus promises His believers that He has prepared a place for them in heaven.  Heaven is not a vague spiritual state.  It is a prepared, permanent home for us, a real place, not just something symbolic.  Jesus has a place prepared for each one of us in heaven.  Our home here on earth might be quite humble, it may not be secure from month to month, it may have leaks and be drafty, too hot or too cold.  However, we can trust that the place that Jesus has for us will be perfect for us.  Jesus gave this promise and we can believe it, and wait confidently for that day.

Jesus said that we would know the way to where He was going.  Thomas then asked Him a question, that if we didn’t know where He was going, how could we know the way (vs. 4-5).  He wasn’t doubting, but seeking clarity.  His question set the stage for one of the most important statements that Jesus ever made.  He clearly stated that He is the way, the truth, and the life, and that no one can come to God except through Him (vs. 6).  This is exclusive - there is no other path that leads to God.  Jesus doesn’t just show us the way, He is the way.  Salvation is through Jesus alone, by grace alone, through faith alone.  No other religion or faith can give us a valid path to truth or salvation.  Jesus is the only way.

Every major religion claims it is the only way, but only one can be right.  Absolute truth is absolute.  When religious truths conflict with each other, only one can be correct.  Even a cursory study of the various religions show that the Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, and various pagan gods are different in character and purpose.  We are not all worshiping the same God.  These other religions are taking their members in a completely different, and wrong direction, rather than to heaven.  Only Jesus will get us to heaven.  Jesus took our place for the punishment of sin by suffering and dying on the cross so that we can have eternal life.  Apart from Jesus and His saving work on the cross there is no way home to God.  Look to the cross, and it will lead you home to God.

Philip then asked Jesus to show them the Father.  The Savior responded that those who see Him have seen the Father (vs. 7-9).  Jesus is not merely a representative of God, He is God in the flesh (John 1:1, 14; Colossians 1:15).  Jesus is the visible expression of the invisible God.  If we want to understand God’s heart, look at Jesus.  Everything that He did was an exact representation of His Father.

The last verses of this passage show the unity of the Father and the Son (vs. 10-11).  Jesus’ words are the Father’s words.  His works are the Father’s works.  God the Father is in Jesus, and He is in the Father.  They share the same divine nature.

In closing we see one of the clearest affirmations that Jesus is fully God.  They share one divine essence while remaining distinct Persons.  We also read the truth that salvation is exclusively through Jesus.  There is no other way.  When our heart is troubled, we need to anchor our faith in Jesus’ character.  We can be comforted with His promises of His peace, especially knowing that He has a place prepared personally for us in heaven.

His Chosen People

I Peter 2:1-10

Have you ever felt like you did not fit in with others, either at school or maybe at work?  Maybe you felt like you just weren’t wanted around by others.  Some people were an unwanted child, and ended up in an orphanage or foster home.  For others, though their parents kept them, they let them know they weren’t wanted.  Some children are the last to be picked for a team, or are never invited to join a club.  This sometimes continues on into the workplace or in social groups.  However, there is Someone who is eager to choose you for Himself.  This is one of the subjects that the Apostle Peter touches on in our Scripture today.  Let’s see what God has to teach us today.

In his first general letter to believers, Peter instructs us to put away sin from our life, to desire God’s Word, and live as His chosen people, built upon the Lord Jesus, the Cornerstone.  He begins by listing five sins for believers to get rid of in their life (vs. 1).  We might think that big things like murder, harming children, or robbing a bank would top the list.  However what he lists are malice (a desire to do evil), deceit, hypocrisy (pretending to be spiritual while hiding sin), envy, and evil speaking (slander and gossip).  These destroy our fellowship with God and our spiritual growth.  Contrary to what some may think, these are not respectable sins, and must be rooted out of our life in order to grow as a Christian.  God’s love for us should motivate us to reject these behaviors.

What will help us grow as Christians?  Newborn babies desire milk, which helps them grow.  For a believer, our “milk” is God’s Word (vs. 2-3).  We should be desiring it just like a baby does his milk.  Reading the Bible shouldn’t be something we just check off of a list of things to do.  We should want to get into God’s Word every day.  Peter says to desire the “pure milk of the Word”, which is the Bible, not just other “spiritual” literature.  They cannot replace the Bible, and one must be especially careful that they aren’t teaching false doctrine.  Just as a good mother is extremely careful of what her baby eats, so must we be very careful with what we take in spiritually.

As Peter continues, he speaks on how as believers we have come to Jesus, the Living Stone (vs. 4).  He was rejected by men, but was chosen by God.  He is “living”, emphasizing His resurrection.  A stone is strong, stable, and is used to build a foundation, which Jesus is in our life.  As believers, we share in His life as lively stones (vs. 5).  We are built up as a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, offering to God spiritual sacrifices, such as worship, obedience, and praise.

Peter then quotes from Isaiah 28:16 and Psalm 118:22.  The Lord Jesus Christ is the Chief Cornerstone.  Believers who trust in Him will not be put to shame.  Unbelievers will stumble because they disobey the Word of God.  Just as a building’s foundation is built on a strong rock so that it won’t move, our spiritual life needs to be built on the strong, solid foundation of Jesus.   Christ divides humanity into two groups - those who believe and are built upon Him, and those who reject Him and stumble into judgment.

As we continue on, Peter gives four titles for believers who follow Jesus - a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and His own special people (vs. 9).   You may be ignored or rejected by others, but when you follow Jesus, He has chosen you to be His redeemed people.  We are a royal priesthood, priests with kingly dignity, and access to God, with authority to represent Him.  As a holy nation we are set apart from the world, and as such we should be following God’s Word and not cultural trends.  As Christians we are God’s special people, His treasured possession purchased by the Blood of His Son.

As this Scripture passage comes to a close, Peter alludes to the first two chapters of the prophet Hosea.  We were once alienated from God, but are now adopted by Him (vs. 10).  We were once without mercy, but now we are recipients of His abundant mercy.

As we look back over these verses from I Peter, let’s be sure to continue growing as Christians, and not stay as babies.  We do that by taking generous portions of God’s Word each day.  We should also remember that none of us has to ever feel unwanted, abandoned or rejected, because God has called our names.  He has chosen us for His family.  Remember who you are in the Lord.  It is only when we remember who we are that we can call others out of darkness and into the light of Jesus.

Come and See

Psalm 66

When something special has happened to you, or you have seen something very special and exciting, one of the first things you want to do is tell others, and possibly also show them.  If they are doubting, you might urge them on by saying, “Come and see!”  There are some things that are just too good to keep to oneself.  Our unknown psalmist of today’s psalm felt that way.  He had much praise and worship for the Lord God that he wanted to share with everyone, which we can read today in our psalm.

Psalm 66 begins with universal praise of Yahweh from the whole earth.  Then it moves to national remembrance where the nation of Israel recounts God’s deliverance of them from captivity.  The psalm ends with the psalmist’s personal testimony of answered prayer in his life.  Each of these were things he wanted to share with others, calling them to come and see what God had done.

As our psalm opens, the author gives a universal call to worship Yahweh (vs. 1-4).  God deserves global worship, not just from Israel, but from all nations.  The praise is vocal and public from people, as they sing out and make His praise glorious.  God’s works show us exactly what His character is like.  His deeds are so mighty that even His enemies will eventually submit themselves to Him.  We don’t see that now, but there is coming the day when Jesus returns to earth, and then all nations will bow before Him (Philippians 2:10-11).

The psalmist next calls upon his people, the nation of Israel, to remember what God has done for them (vs. 5-7).  Two events that he particularly points out are the crossing of the Red Sea, and then forty years later, the crossing of the Jordan River, each time where God parted the waters, allowing the people to cross on dry land.  Some people believe that God is a remote God, who does not get involved in human events, and that after He created everything He just left that creation to get by on its own.  However, God is actively involved with all creation. He acts in history, He delivers His people, and He rules eternally.  We see this most personally with the Lord Jesus, the Son of God who came to earth, born as a human, to die upon the cross for our sins.  As the psalmist said, “Come and see!”

The next section of our psalm shifts from God’s mighty acts to that of His disciplining and refining His people (vs. 8-12).  Precious metals are put through a refining process to remove impurities, making the metal more valuable.  The same holds for believers.  God will often put His children through similar processes in order to remove sin.  He will test us, bringing us through figurative fire and water, in order to refine us just as silver is refined.  This discipline is purposeful, not punitive.  These trials are not signs of abandonment, but of refinement (Hebrews 12:5-11).  God allows us to go through times of testing to toughen our spiritual muscles and endurance.  He teaches us to rely on Him, and purifies us to be holy, so that we become more like Christ.  God will preserve us, purify us, and bring us to a place of abundance.

Proceeding on, the psalmist next speaks of his personal worship and vows that he had made to God (vs. 13-15).  Some time in his recent past he had made some vows to God in prayer for deliverance from various troubles that he was in.  Many people make vows and promises to God when they have problems in their life, or when they seek healing from a critical illness, but then when He delivers or heals them, that promise is forgotten.  Not so with our psalmist.  He brings his offerings to the Lord in sincere gratitude.  That should be the case with every Christian.  If we ever make a vow or promise to the Lord, we should be certain to fulfill those vows, and not conveniently forget.

Lastly, the psalmist gives a personal testimony of answered prayer (vs. 16-20).  He reminds the reader that if there is sin in one’s heart, God will not answer.  However, that is not the case with him, as God heard and answered his prayers for help.  God does not find worship acceptable from believers who cling unrepentantly to sin (vs. 18).  Some people choose to live in ungodliness, even after salvation.  If this is our choice, God will not respond to our prayers.  This doesn’t mean we can never make a mistake.  God understands our frailty.  But we must repent of all known sin, and avoid continuing in it.

How often are we, as Christians, calling upon others, both fellow believers and the unsaved, to come and see what mighty works God has done?  He deserves our praise.  Our testimony just might open up some lost person’s eyes and heart to the Lord, leading them to one day call upon the Lord Jesus for salvation.

Forgetting God in the Good Times

Deuteronomy 6:10-25

When are people more likely to pray - when things are going great in their life or when there are serious problems?  We all know that we are more likely to turn to God when we have troubles and we need His help, rather than when we are prosperous.  That seems to be human nature.  However, that shouldn’t be the case for Christians.  In our Scripture passage today from the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy, the people of Israel were about to enter into the land that the Lord had promised them.  This land was to be a blessing to them, an abundant and fruitful land.  On the eve of their entry into this land, Moses gave them a warning.  Let’s look at what that warning was.

For the past forty years the people of Israel had been traveling through and living in the wilderness.  That was a difficult existence, with a scarcity of food and water if it wasn’t for the Lord’s provisions.  Now they were going into a fruitful land, one blessed for farming and raising livestock, a land that had pre-existing cities and infrastructure.  This may seem like a great blessing, and it was.  However, with the blessings, Moses warned that there was a great danger.  Israel’s greatest danger had not been the wilderness that they were leaving.  It was Canaan’s prosperity.

In the wilderness the people had lived in tents, sleeping on the ground or on cots.  It was hot, it was dusty, provisions were scarce, and it was not very pleasant.  Now they were entering a land where the cities and houses were already built, where the wells were already dug, and the farmland was already prepared (vs. 10-12).  This was a blessing from the Lord, a gift of His grace.  The people needed to remember that, and not fall into pride and feelings of self-sufficiency.  God is the giver of every good thing, and they, along with us today, need to beware of forgetting that.

Forgetting God is not a memory lapse.  It is a spiritual drift that can lead to idolatry.  When life becomes easier, prayer often becomes weaker, as we might feel that we don’t need God’s help anymore.  Comfort can dull our spiritual vigilance.  The antidote for forgetting about God is having a grateful heart.

Moses instructed the people, and us as well, to continue to have a fear of God, to have a heart of reverence for Him, to serve Him in obedience, and to swear or show public allegiance to His Name (vs. 13-15).  God demands exclusive worship.  This includes the mixing of worship of Him, of true Christianity, with that of other false religions.  Some churches falsely teach that it is fine to mix into our faith the teachings and beliefs of other religions, however God’s Word warns against that.  Also, idolatry is not only the worship of false gods, but it is also the giving of one’s heart loyalty to anything other than God.  This could include our career, hobbies, entertainment, and relationships.  We must consciously choose God over everything else.

Reading further, Moses reminded the people of an event from their time in the wilderness, where they had tested God at Massah (Exodus 17:1-7), where they doubted God’s goodness and demanded proof from Him (vs. 16-19).  God never has to prove Himself to us in order to deserve our obedience.  Testing God is unbelief, and trusting Him is obedience.  We “tempt God” when we demand signs, manipulate circumstances, or obey only when it is convenient for us.  Faith will always obey, even when the path is unclear.

Our Scripture continues by instructing us to teach the next generation the meaning of redemption (vs. 20-25).  During the days of the Old Testament the people were to explain to their children how God had delivered them from slavery in Egypt, bringing them out and giving them the Promised Land.  Following Jesus’ resurrection, believers are to teach their children about the Savior’s redemption of us through His shed Blood upon the Cross, and the necessity of putting their faith and trust in Jesus.  We should share testimonies of God’s faithfulness, and teach our children His Word clearly, consistently, and joyfully.

As Moses warned, prosperity can become spiritually dangerous.  Forgetfulness of God’s blessings can lead to pride, idolatry, and sin.  Obedience to God’s Word is the only safe response to His redeeming grace.  This passage is a sober warning for believers today who live in a world full of comforts, distractions and competing loyalties.  Let’s remember to praise and thank God during our times of blessings, when things are going well, coming to Him often in worship and prayer, and not develop spiritual amnesia.

Which Door Do You Choose?

John 10:1-10

Every day each of us will likely go in and out of various doorways.  Throughout our homes there are several doorways.  Then as we go out for our day we go in and out of office doors, store doors, even our car doors.  We need to be careful that each of these doors are the correct ones.  We wouldn’t want to accidentally try to go through the wrong apartment or house door, or the wrong car door!  That might get us into trouble!  As important as it is to choose the correct doors in our life, it is even more important that the door we go through as we enter eternity is the correct one!  Our Scripture today from the Gospel of John speaks of the door that we need to make sure that we enter through.  Let’s see what door that is.

A common theme throughout the Bible is that of representing people as sheep with a shepherd looking after them.  The kings of Judah were sometimes spoken of as shepherds guiding the flock of God’s people.  King David was both a literal shepherd in his youth, and then a figurative one as king.  The prophets throughout the Old Testament were frequently referred to in Scripture as a type of spiritual shepherd, guiding the flock of God’s people into His ways.  Just like in life, there were good shepherds that genuinely cared for the sheep, and then there were bad shepherds who didn’t.  There were good kings and good religious leaders who led the people in following God, and bad ones who led the people astray into idolatry and false teachings.

Just prior to the beginning of our Scripture Jesus had healed the man who had been born blind, and the Pharisees in protest, cast him out of the synagogue for believing in Jesus, and then proceeded to challenge Him.  Jesus began to teach the people about false shepherds who lead the flock astray, as that is what the Pharisees were doing.  Sheep were kept in a fenced-in sheepfold overnight, which had a gate or doorway to enter.  There was only one proper way to enter the sheepfold, and that was through the gate, and anyone who tried to enter another way, was up to no good, he was a thief (vs. 1).  The flock was God’s people, and the proper door was God’s appointed way to eternal life which His proper shepherds were to lead to.  False spiritual leaders who claim authority but do not lead by God’s appointed ways, are thieves and robbers.  God alone determines the correct spiritual way.  Any leader who chooses some other teaching besides the Bible is a false shepherd.

A true, God-appointed shepherd will come through God’s appointed means (vs. 2).  Jesus is the Chief Shepherd, and the prophets of the Old Testament and true godly priests and preachers of today come through God’s approved way.  The Chief Shepherd calls the sheep by name. Just like sheep recognize the voice of their shepherd, genuine believers will recognize the voice of the Shepherd Jesus (vs. 3).  He personally cares for His sheep, His children, and knows them each intimately, knowing their name.

Shepherds in the Middle East during Biblical times would always lead their flock from the front, not from behind (vs. 4-5).  That is the way that Jesus leads His sheep, by His example, not by coercion.  His sheep will follow Him because they can trust Him, they know His character, and recognize His voice.  True believers have spiritual discernment.  They may be temporarily confused, but they will not ultimately follow false doctrine or false teachers.  Some of the people listening, including the Pharisees, refused to accept Jesus’ words (vs. 6).  They were spiritually blind, closing their hearts and minds to Him.

Jesus is not only our Shepherd, He is also the Door through whom we must enter to come to God’s Kingdom (vs 7).  Access to God is exclusively through Him, and salvation is only through Him.  This is consistent with John 14:6, where Jesus said He is the Way, and no one can come to the Father except through Him.  All of the false messiahs, the corrupt religious leaders, and self-appointed spiritual authorities, both then and now, are thieves and robbers (vs. 8).  They steal, taking what is not theirs.  They kill by destroying spiritual life, leading to eternal ruin.  How many of today’s false preachers continue to take money to live their lavish lifestyle, and preach their false messages which send their followers to eternal doom?

However, those who follow Jesus, going through His door, will be saved, finding spiritual nourishment (vs. 9-10).  He is not merely the beginning of salvation, He is the ongoing source of spiritual life.  The thief destroys, but Jesus gives eternal life more abundantly.

Whose voice are you following, that of Jesus or some other religious leader or philosophy?  Jesus is the only Door.  No other religion, ritual, or leader can replace Him.  True under-shepherds will lead those in the flock they are looking after through His Door, His way.  They won’t try to climb in some other way, which leads to destruction.  There is only one safe and true Door.  When we walk through the door of Jesus, we are promised eternal life.