Sermon #15351 Miscellaneous Sermons
Title: The True Shepherd and The False
Text: John
10:1-6
Subject: The Differences Between The True and False Shepherd
Date: Sunday Morning—
Tape # X-73a
& X-73b
Introduction:
The Lord God made a promise
to his church in Jeremiah 3:15. It is a promise made to those people to whom
the God of heaven declares, “I am married unto you…I will bring you to
(Jer
3:15) "And I will give you pastors
according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and
understanding."
These pastors after God’s own heart feed the sheep with knowledge—Gospel knowledge—Bible
knowledge—The knowledge of God, of Christ, of grace—and
knowledge of men. They constantly proclaim the Word of the Lord. They
constantly call eternity bound sinners to Christ, and urge God’s people to “walk
in the old paths, where is the good way” that you may “find rest for
your souls.” They feed God’s people with understanding, too—Understanding
You—Understanding the Things of God—Understanding the Times.
When
the Lord God gives his church pastors after his own heart, who feed his sheep
with knowledge and understanding, his sheep shall “fear no more, nor be
dismayed, neither shall they be lacking” (Jer 23:4). Blessed are those
people, blessed is that church to whom God gives such
a pastor!
What kind of pastor is he who is the gift of God to his people? If you will turn with me
to John 10, I will show you. As you know, the word “pastor” simply means
“shepherd.” Christ himself is the good, Shepherd, the chief Shepherd, and the
great Shepherd of the sheep. All faithful pastors are but under shepherds, men
to whom the Lord Jesus entrusts the care of his sheep, men responsible to feed
his sheep with knowledge and understanding, men responsible to guide his sheep
and protect his sheep.
Proposition: In the tenth chapter of John’s Gospel, our Lord Jesus uses himself as
the example, the pattern, the standard by which all
true shepherds are identified and known.
(John
10:1-6) "Verily, verily, I say unto
you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some
other way, the same is a thief and a robber. {2} But he that entereth in
by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. {3} To
him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own
sheep by name, and leadeth them out. {4} And
when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow
him: for they know his voice. {5} And a
stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the
voice of strangers. {6} This parable spake
Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake
unto them."
Context
It is impossible to
understand the message of our Lord in this parable, if we fail to see the
context in which it is given. In this parable our Master is distinctly
addressing those Pharisees, those religious leaders, who use their office for
their own gain, who come not but to rob, and steal,
and kill, those false shepherds who use and abuse his sheep.
In
the ninth chapter, after our Lord healed the blind man, the Pharisees, fearing
they might lose power, position and influence, put him out of the synagague.
Read verses 39-41.
(John
9:39-41) "And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see
not might see; and that they which see might be made blind. {40} And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard
these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also? {41} Jesus said unto
them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now
ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth."
Then the Master said, “Verily, verily, I say unto
you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some
other way, the same is a thief and a robber.” How those words must have stung those
thieves and robbers, those destroyers of men’s souls, those false shepherds.
The title of my message is The True Shepherd and The False.
The subject is of immense importance. I have need of a fresh anointing of God’s
Spirit, that I may open our Savior’s words to you. And I pray that he will open
your heart, as he did
Here is the false shepherd. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that entereth not by the
door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief
and a robber.” With those words, our Master describes every false shepherd.
Here is the true shepherd. “But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the
sheep.” With those words, the Lord Jesus describes himself and every true
shepherd of the sheep.
The False Shepherd
I.
First, our Savior describes every false
shepherd, every false prophet, every false preacher.
The most dangerous thing in this world is a false prophet, a false
shepherd. The Pharisees of our Lord’s day were all
false shepherds. But we are plainly and repeatedly warned in the Word of God
that, throughout the ages of time, until the very last day, false prophets and
false shepherds like those Pharisees will only increase. And, like those Pharisees,
the false shepherds will always be recognized, applauded, and promoted by a
lost religious world, and the true shepherd will always be despised.
(Mat
24:24) "For there shall arise false
Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch
that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."
(Acts
(1
Tim 4:1) "Now the Spirit speaketh
expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving
heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of
devils;"
(2
Pet 2:1) "But there were false
prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among
you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that
bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction."
(1
John 2:18) "Little children, it is
the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are
there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time."
(1
John 4:1) "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they
are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world."
(2
John 1:7) "For many deceivers are
entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh.
This is a deceiver and an antichrist."
A.
Who
is the false shepherd?
The false shepherd is described in many ways in the Scriptures;
but in our text the Lord Jesus lays the axe to the root of the tree and tells
us that all false shepherds that will ever be in the world are those who enter
not by the door, but climb up some other way into the shepfold.
1.
The
false shepherd is one who refuses to enter the kingdom of God by Christ the
Door.—He is a
lost, self-righteous man, one who going about to establish his own
righteousness, refuses to submit to and trust the righteousness of God.
There can be no question about this. Our Lord tells us plainly
that he is the Door.—“I am the door; by me, if any man enter in, he shall be
saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture” (v 9). So the one great
mark by which false shepherds are identified is that they enter not by the
door: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that entereth not by the door into
the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber”
(v. 1). The mark of every false shepherd is just this.—He is not saved himself.
He is a lost, unbelieving rebel.
He enters not in by the door. He makes another way into the
sheepfold. He offers another hope, another mediator. Truly, these are perilous
times!
·
Christ
says, “I am the Way.”—The false shepherd says, there
are other ways.
·
Christ
declares, “It is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of
God that showeth mercy.”—The false shepherd says God has done everything he
can. Now, it’s all up to you.
·
Christ
says, “I lay down my life for the sheep.”—The false shepherd says Christ
died for everyone.
·
Christ
says, “By my own blood, I have purchased forgiveness, put away sin, obtained eternal
redemption, made an end of transgression, and brought in everlasting
righteousness.”—The false shepherd says, Forgiveness,
righteousness, and redemption are possible since Christ died, if you will only
accept it.
·
Christ
says, “It is the Spirit that quickeneth: the flesh profitteth nothing.”—The
false shepherd says The Spirit wants to quicken; but it is really the will of
your own flesh that profits you with salvation and eternal life.
2.
The
false shepherd is antichrist.
Antichrist is not a single figure in a red suit, with horns, a
tail, a pitch fork, and the number 666 tatooed on his forhead. Antichrist is
often represented as one man; but really he is many. Antichrist is all
freewill, works religion and any who promote it.
Our Lord here speaks of one false shepherd, rather
than of many, because all false shepherds are really one.—All
false shepherds are antichrist.—All false shepherds are the man of sin. They
all come into the sheepfold, the churches of Christ, by climbing over the wall,
refusing to enter by Christ, the Door. Paul and Peter describe them as those
who sneak into the church under false pretense as the servants of God, come
into the church “privily” as promioters of righteousness.
The false shepherd is that man who would turn you away from the
gospel of Christ unto another gospel, which is not another (Gal. 1:6-9). The
false shepherd is one who tries to corrupt your minds from the simplicity that
is in Christ, preaching another Jesus, another spirit, and another gospel (2
Cor. 11:3-4).
(2
Cor
The apostle Paul spoke of a day when the man of sin must be
revealed and clearly identified him in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. Here he is. You have seen him and heard
him many times. You can find him in almost every church in this town, in this
country, in this world. He is that one "Who
opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is
worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself
that he is God" (2 Th. 2:4).
(2
Th 2:7-12) "For the mystery of
iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he
be taken out of the way. {8} And then shall that Wicked be revealed,
whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy
with the brightness of his coming: {9} Even him, whose coming is after
the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, {10} And
with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they
received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. {11} And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that
they should believe a lie: {12} That they all might be damned who
believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness."
(Rev
13:1-2) "And I stood upon the sand
of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten
horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
{2} And the beast which I saw was like unto a
leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the
mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great
authority."
There is no question but that the
great enemy of the sheep the false shepherd, who comes like a lamb, but who has
the paw of a bear is Antichrist. He is empowered and directed by Satan himself.
The false shepherd is antichrist. He is the preacher of freewill works
religion, the religion of man. Paul tells us in Romans 1 that
that religion that changes the glory of the uncorruptible God into the image of
corruptible man—that religion that turns the truth of God into a lie—that
religion that worships and serves the creature more than the Creator is the
judgment of God upon a generation that refused to receive the love of the
truth. The fruit of such religion is a constantly increasing moral degeneracy
that is ultimately manifest in homosexuality. Indeed, homosexuality is
but a reflection of freewill works religion.
·
It is a pretense of love that
involves no commitment.
·
It is a union of men that can never
produce life.
·
It is the result of man’s high
opinion of himself, the fruit and exercise of his own will.
·
It constantly seeks to recruit
others.
·
It is condemned of God.
If we are saved from this curse, the curse of antichrist’s religion,
the only reason you and I are not engulfed in it is this—“God hath from the
beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and
belief of the truth: Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of
the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Th. 13-14).
B.
What is the false shepherd’s object? What does he come to do?
I often hear and read what others say when warning us of false
prophets. They couch their warnings in such phrases that you would almost think
they are saying, “These men really are not so bad. Really, they are fine, fine
brethren, whose brains are just a little muddled.” Our Lord does not speak like
that at all. Does he?
The Master says, of every false shepherd, “the same is a thief
and a robber” (v. 1). In verse 10 he says, “The thief cometh not but for
to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.”
Satan's great object in this world is to steal, and to kill, and
to destroy. That is the object of antichrist. That is the object of all false
shepherds. They are God’s enemies, Christ’s enemies; and you ought to count
them such. David did and so did Paul (Ps. 139:21-22; Gal.
(Psa
139:21-22) "Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I
grieved with those that rise up against thee? {22} I hate them with
perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies."
(Gal
5:12) "I would they were even cut
off which trouble you."
They come for the express purpose of robbery and destruction.
·
To
rob God of his throne.
·
To
rob Christ of his glory.
·
To
rob the Son of God of his seed, his satisfaction for his soul’s travail.
·
To
rob you and your children of the Way of life.
·
To
rob you of the only Door unto the Father.
·
To
rob you of redemption, salvation, forgiveness, peace, and eternal life.
·
To
destroy your soul.
(Mat
Be warned. Flee, flee from antichrist! Flee from all freewill,
works religion. Flee from every false shepherd. Twice, the wise man warns us to
flee from that way which seems right to a man, because the end
of that way are the ways of death.
(Prov
14:12) "There is a way which
seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are
the ways of death."
(Prov
16:25) "There is a way that seemeth
right unto a man, but the end thereof are the
ways of death."
Be Warned
If in God’s good providence your pastor should be taken from you
this day, I urge you, my brethren, my family, my children, for your souls’
sake, beware of false shepherds. They come, they always come in sheep’s
clothing; but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Their object is to devour and
destroy.
·
Mixing
works with grace.
·
Mingling
law with the gospel.
·
Calling
bondage liberty and liberty licentiousness.
·
Making
salvation in some way, in some part, to some degree, to be dependent upon and
determined by your will, your work, and your worth.
The True Shepherd
II.
Second, the Lord Jesus describes himself
and every true shepherd (vv. 2-5).
The shepherd of the sheep is Christ himself. He says in verse 11,
“I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.’'
In verse 14 he says, “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am
known of mine.”
·
He is
the good Shepherd because he died for his sheep. The sheep were
condemned to die; but he died in our room and stead that we might live forever.
·
He is
the good Shepherd because he seeks his sheep until he find it. We
were lost; but he sought us and found us.
·
He is
the good Shepherd because, when he finds his sheep that was lost, he lays
it upon his omnipotent shoulders, holds it in the grip of almighty
grace, and carries it all the way home.
Christ is the true Shepherd. But, remember, his purpose in this parable is to show us a clear
distinction between true shepherds and the false, between true pastors and the
false. He uses himself as the example all true under shepherds follow. What
does our Savior tell us about the true shepherd, the true pastor?
A.
The
true shepherd is one who enters into the sheepfold by the Door (v. 2).—“He that entereth in by the
door is the shepherd of the sheep.”'
The door spoken of in verse 2 is commonly thought to be the Word
of God. And it is certainly correct to say that Christ came by the Word of God,
fulfilling all the Scriptures. But our Lord tells us plainly in verse 9—“I
am the Door.” How are we to understand this? Is he the Door? Yes. Did he
enter by the Door? Indeed, he did. That’s exactly what he did (Heb.
(Heb 9:11-12) "But Christ being come an high priest of
good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with
hands, that is to say, not of this building; {12} Neither by the blood
of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy
place, having obtained eternal redemption for us."
Our Savior showed himself the good shepherd by entering in by the
Door, the same Door through which we must enter the
This is the first mark of every true shepherd Christ sends to tend
his sheep.—He
comes in by the Door, by the blood of Christ.
·
He
speaks of sin, because he has seen its greatness.
·
He
speaks of pardon, because he has been forgiven.
·
He
proclaims free justification by the blood, because he is justified.
·
He
proclaims imputed righteousness, because Christ has been made righteousness to
him.
·
He
preaches free grace, because he has been saved by free grace.
·
He
preaches the precious blood, because he has felt its power.
·
He
preaches eternal security, because he is secure on the Shepherd’s shoulders, in
the Shepherd’s grip.
“He that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.”
Without this, no other qualification will do. All the learning a man can attain
in college, or seminary, or by his own diligent study can never make a man a
pastor. All the eloquence in the world will never make a preacher. He who
serves as Christ’s shepherd must enter by the Door of the sheep.
B.
The
true shepherd is one who cares for the sheep (vv. 3-4).
(John
10:3-4) "To him the porter openeth;
and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth
them out. {4} And when he putteth forth his own
sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his
voice."
·
“To him the porter openeth.”—The
Holy Spirit opens the way for Christ. He also opens the way for his servants,
his true shepherds.
·
“And
the sheep hear his voice.” The sheep hear the Shepherd’s voice, his
Gospel. They hear his voice through the lips of his true shepherds, faithful
pastors.
(1
John 4:5-6) "They are of the world:
therefore speak they of the world, and the world
heareth them. {6} We are of God: he that
knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error."
·
“And
he calleth his own sheep by name.”
Without question, this speaks of our Savior’s personal,
particular, effectual call of his elect to life and faith in him by the power
of the Holy Spirit.
It also shows the complete knowledge Christ has of his sheep. He says, “I know them” (v. 27).
You remember Zacchaeus, when he was a straying sheep. Christ said
to him when he was up the tree, “Zacchaeus, Come down; for today I must
abide at thine house” (Luke 19:5). You remember Nathaniel,
when a straying sheep under the fig-tree, “he saw him” (John
This also implies the love of Christ for his sheep. When you love someone, you love their
name. Christ not only knows you, but he calls you by name. The Lord Jesus
Christ loves the names of those for whom he died. Your name is graven on his
heart, and on the palms of his hands.
But there is more here. Our Savior gives his sheep a new
name. He said to Abram, “Thy name shall no more be called Abram, but
Abraham shall thy name be” (Gen. 17:5). He said to Jacob, “Thy
name shall be called no more Jacob, but
And, when we come to the temple above, he says, “Him that overcometh will I
make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out; and I will
write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is
new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God; and I will write
upon him my new name” (Rev. 3:12). Hear me, my friend. Today,
if you hear his voice and follow him, you will get a new name.
·
Jer.
23:6 and 33:16
Those who are Christ’s true
shepherds, like Christ the good Shepherd, love, care for, and are sympathetic
with his sheep. Faithful pastors understand and
know that Christ’s sheep are just sheep, sinful, weak, defiled, and helpless,
because they, too, are his sheep. But, like Christ, they call his sheep by his
new name. They are his saints. Indeed, they are one with him, so thoroughly one
with him that anything done for them is done for him; and anything done to them
is done to him.
(2
Cor
This is the lesson exemplified by our Savior in this parable, the lesson the Pharisees could not
grasp, the lesson the religious leaders of our age cannot grasp, the lesson all
who serve as his under shepherds must grasp.—If we would influence men and
women for good, if we would lead people, if we are to have any power with them,
we must lead them by their hearts, with the power of love, care, and sympathy.
They must be convinced that we care for them.
The power to lead men lies in sympathizing with them, as one who walks in the same path with them. The man of influence is the man of sympathy. The man of power is the man of service. He that loves is he that leads. He that serves is he that rules. The hearts of men cannot be moved by mere external force or power. The heart cannot be influenced by mere logic, reason, and dogma. Hearts are moved by hearts.
You
may chain the limbs of a man — you may coerce his actions or even his words by
religious creeds, religious rules, intimidation, or fear. But how can soul be
in communion with soul, move the will and win the affections? There is only one
way. If we would influence men intimately, profoundly, really, we must enter
into sympathy with them. No man is or can be a true shepherd of the sheep who has
not entered the same Door, who does not walk in the same path, who is not
himself one with the sheep.
This
is the lesson our Master taught and confirmed by his own example. The good
Shepherd proved himself to be the good Shepherd, and illustrated what a true
shepherd is by his care, tenderness, sympathy and love toward his sheep. He
lived for them, walked with them, toiled and hungered and suffered with them.
Our
blessed good Shepherd was and is one with his sheep. He entered into mortal
life through a mother’s womb, just as we do. He passed through life by the same
path of toil and daily care as we do. He made his exit from this world through
the same portal of suffering and death as we must. In life and death he walked
with the sheep. Therefore He could say, “I am the good Shepherd, not merely
because I am commissioned and sent of my Father, not merely because I wield the
power of omnipotence,” but “I am the good Shepherd,” he said, because “I know
my sheep and am known of mine.” How I pray that
he will make me such a shepherd!
·
Here
is another character of the true shepherd—“He goeth before them”
(v. 4).
The shepherd always goes before the sheep, and they follow him.
When he says, “Let us go to the well,” they follow him. When he says, “Let us
go down into that dark valley,” they go after him. So it is with Christ. Christ
never called a sheep to go where he never went himself. He has borne all that
he calls his sheep to bear. Our Savior went into the depths of sorrow, heart
sorrow, soul sorrow, the very sorrow of hell for his sheep. Let us not be
surprised when he calls us to suffer. We will not be called to go where he has
not gone. Do not be afraid to put down your tender feet where he put down his.
It is still true that he goes before you. Do not be afraid. Christ always with
you and always before you.
(Isa
43:2) "When thou passest through
the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not
overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned;
neither shall the flame kindle upon thee."
So it is with all Christ’s true shepherds. They are men who go
before and lead the sheep. They do not whip the sheep, bind the sheep, frighten
the sheep, and drive the sheep. They go before the sheep, leading them.
(1
Cor 11:1) "Be ye followers of me,
even as I also am of Christ."
(Phil
3:17) "Brethren, be followers
together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an
ensample."
(1
Th 1:6) "And ye became followers of
us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of
the Holy Ghost."
(Heb
13:7) "Remember them which have the
rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation."
(Heb
13:17) "Obey them that have the
rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they
that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for
that is unprofitable for you."
·
Here
is one more great distinction between the true shepherd and the false.—“The
good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep” (v. 11).
(John
10:10-15) "The thief cometh not,
but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have
life, and that they might have it more abundantly. {11} I am the
good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. {12} But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own
the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth:
and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. {13} The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth
not for the sheep. {14} I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and
am known of mine. {15} As the Father knoweth
me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep."
Hirelings are just hirelings. They do not care for the sheep. Because they do not care for the
sheep, they will abandon them whenever they can serve their own interests
better by doing so. Not the good Shepherd.
Our Lord Jesus came into this world, lived for, and gave his life
for the sheep that they might have life. And all his true shepherds follow his
example.
·
The
true shepherd’s life is wrapped up in the sheep, in serving their eternal
interests.
·
The
true shepherd is worthy of his hire; but he is no hireling.
·
The
true shepherd gives and lays down his life for the sheep.
Are you following Christ? Do you hear his voice in the Word? Do
you hear his voice in the preaching of the gospel? Do you follow him? Follow
on, my friends, follow on to know the Lord fully. Soon
we shall be where no tempting devil—where no deceiving world—where no false
shepherds are found. There “we shall hunger no more, neither thirst any
more; neither shall the sun light on us, nor any heat. For the Lamb, which is
in the midst of the throne, shall feed us, and shall lead us unto living
fountains of water; and God shall wipe away all tears from our eyes” (Rev.
7:16-17). In that great eternal day, there will be no more need of us under
shepherds, for there shall be one fold and one shepherd!
Amen.