The World Does Not Know Us
January 4, 2012
OUTLINE:
2Ti 3:16-17
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
Spiritual Blindness
The ONLY spiritual phenomenon an unbeliever can understand is the Gospel through “common grace”. Mystery doctrine will remain merely academic at best until they are saved and they receive a functioning human spirit that CAN understand spiritual phenomena.
Keys to Unlocking Joh 10:1-18
- 1st “door” = (ingress to sheepfold) TLJC’s incarnation as a man (Joh 10:1, 2, 7)
- 2nd “door” = (egress from sheepfold) the Cross/Salvation (Joh 10:9)
- “doorkeeper” = God the Holy Spirit (Joh 10:3)
- true “shepherd” = TLJC (Joh 10:2, 10b, 11, 14)
- false “shepherds” = religious leaders (Joh 10:1,8, 10a)
- “hired hand” = religious folks (Joh 10:12, 13)
Qualification To Enter
Only the God-man, the Son of God, the Messiah, the Christ, the Good Shepherd is qualified to enter by the door. This qualification was stamped at the virgin birth.
The Holy Spirit as Doorkeeper
The doorkeeper’s ministry in common grace will only allow the true Shepherd to enter into the sheepfold. Only the incarnate Son of God has this right. The doorkeeper will never allow a “different gospel” (ala 2Co 11:4) to open the gate to the sheepfold. False shepherds therefore attempt to climb up some other way (Joh 10:1).
“His voice”
Refers to the Word of God; this is how He leads us all even today - by means of BD communicated from the pulpit.
Careful Who You Follow
People with “agendas” use people and then leave them because they have no real love for them.
The Love In Heaven
To know the perfect God is to know love and happiness. This eternally exists in full measure between Father & Son in Heaven.
Separate Planes
Individuals minus Truth (Word of God) are indeed loved by God (Joh 3:16), however they do not function experientially in the sphere of His love. This holds true for both the unbeliever and carnal believer.
If They Persecuted Him…
If man can accuse TLJC of being demon-possessed and insane, then why would an advancing Christian expect NOT to be attacked?
John 3:20
“For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.”
Love Is Good
The Word calls us to love the way God loves because love is the great source of power/motivation. Love is much more powerful than evil, however it must be expressed with divine integrity for it to be good.
Bad Reality
The Kosmos will try to re-spin “reality” such that anything that offends its false doctrines is deemed “bad”, when really it is good!
The Great Error
Man most often mistakenly seeks consensus as validation of “good” things because the flesh prefers popularity (aka creature credit) instead of Truth.
Adam Clarke (1Co 16:14)
Let all your things be done with charity - Let love to God, to man, and to one another, be the motive of all your conduct.
Double-Edged Sword
Our thoughts/actions always bear inward and outward fruit. Fruit of the Tree of Life (love) promotes stability and unity. Fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (hate) promotes instability and disunity.
High On Life
Learn to be intoxicated with this grace gift called “life”…be drunk on BD, chug it down, be enamored with it, love it, embrace it, and all the while be ever so grateful for being set free by it!