The Unlimited Christ – The Shepherd Of The Sheep
John 10:9-11,14-16,27-30
“I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. 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. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep… I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one.” (John 10:9-11,14-16,27-30). Christ is Eternal, Infinite and His grace is inexhaustible. In every way, He is Unlimited. Christ refers to Himself as the Shepherd and the Word of God calls Him by the same Name. He is the Door to the kingdom of God, the Grace of God, and the Presence of God. To enter God’s house and kingdom in heaven, you need to go through the Door. He says ‘I am’ the Door, not ‘I was’ or ‘I will’ be. He is the Ever-present One, and He remains the Door that leads to the Father, to salvation and to the fold. He is the Door to God for men in every nation. In His presence there is power, and provision of everything you need. There are many doors that people try to enter in, but they soon realize there is no salvation and eternal life behind those doors. The only Door that leads to salvation and eternal life is Jesus Christ. He allows everyone to come in through the Door. The worst and vilest of sinners can go in through the Door. Jesus Christ came that we may have abundant life. No one that came before and after Jesus could give eternal life – the life of God in man.
Shepherds in the world use part of their flock as food when they are hungry, but Christ is the only Shepherd in the whole world that gave His life for the sheep. This is a unique characteristic of Christ, the Shepherd of the Sheep. Those who come to Christ and turn away from sin know Christ as Shepherd and He knows them as His Sheep. Jesus got some sheep in Israel when He was here on earth but He now has Sheep everywhere in the world. Christ sees you as part of the ‘other’ Sheep who He must bring to God. He invites everyone, everywhere to come through Him to God for eternal life.
1. THE GRACIOUS SAVIOUR OF GUILTY SINNERS
Romans 3:10-19,23-24; Titus 2:11-14; 1 John 4:14-17
“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes. Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.” (Romans 3:10-19). Sinners have gone in the wrong direction and done wrong. Every human being in the world is guilty of sin without the salvation of God through the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not about the nation where we are but the nature of our hearts. We are all guilty sinners in God’s sight, but we have Jesus Christ that gives salvation to us. In man’s natural and normal state, no one understands how to be righteous or live righteously. We have all gone astray and become unprofitable to God. Humanity is not giving God the satisfaction he deserves from His creatures. The nature of man would not allow him to be perpetually good. The language and words we say poison and crush other people. We are guilty according to the standards of the thrice Holy God. All people in all nations are guilty before God. This is why Christ came as Saviour to lead us to God through the propitiation for our sins.
The sins in our lives reduced our stature and we come short of the glory of God. You may attempt to climb the ladder of ideology and philosophy, philanthropy but you still cannot reach God without going through Jesus Christ. The only way you can get saved is through the Gracious Saviour. All you can do now is to recognize the failure of human effort and receive His grace. The forgiveness, transformation, and goodness are in Christ Jesus. The most disciplined man has failed and fallen in God’s sight. Jesus had paid fully for our reconciliation to God and you can receive forgiveness freely. Guilt, condemnation and sadness should not stop you from coming to Christ.
2. THE GREAT SUCCOUR OF THE GRIEVOUSLY SICK
Mathew 8:5-13; 15:22-28; Hebrews 2:14-18
“And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.” (Matthew 8:5-7). Succour is support, support is help and help is healing. Our inward state affects our external bodies. The sadness and guilt inside of man oozes out into different parts of the body causing disease – disturbance of ease. Guilt and condemnation bring disease. Psychologists say psychosomatic diseases are the effects of the mind on the body. There are problems man cannot handle by himself. Man needs Christ the Succour and Deliverer of all men. The centurion could not bring healing to his servant. He came to Jesus and recognized Him as the Lord and Master. The Lord has power to heal all diseases and infirmities. An outsider from Israel manifested faith and trust in the Lord and he got the healing he requested for. When God finds faith in man He always heals and delivers. Accept His Lordship over your body, soul, and spirit, have faith in Him for your healing and it shall be done unto you. The moment we believe He is our Succour, Healer and the Unlimited One, the healing comes.
3. THE GLORIOUS SHEPHERD OF GODLY SAINTS
John 10:10-16; Hebrews 13:12-14,20-21; 1 Peter 2:1-3,9-12,21-25
“Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.” (1 Peter 2:24). We come to God as sinners, but He does not leave us the way He met us. He cleanses us and makes us saints. God formed us, sin deformed us but the Saviour transformed us. He makes us dead to sin and alive to God. When the unrighteous comes to the Saviour, he does not continue in sin, but he starts to live in righteousness and holiness. We have all gone out of the way of righteousness, but as we come through the Door, Jesus Christ, we experience His grace that makes us live godly and saintly in this present world. We are not ashamed, frightened or doubtful of the name of Jesus, for he is the ‘Shepherd and Bishop of [our] souls.’ Return, repent, rely on Christ and you will receive salvation from the Good Shepherd.
