the reading in St. John chapter 10 from verse 1. Most assuredly I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same as a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the door keeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him for they know his voice, yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him for they do not know the voice of strangers. Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which he spoke to them. Some Jesus said to them again, most assuredly I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. Others pray. Work fully in the whole of us, blessed spirit, one with the father and the son, quickening mind and will, enlightening us, causing us to rejoice in truth, to respond to it. As we pray through the merits of Jesus Christ our Lord, amen. I have been interested, as perhaps you have, in the Pope's visits to Nigeria. I am sure all precautions for security have been made, been interesting to see the Muslim President receive him. I have been through that airport, more than I ever thought I would. It has been ranked by the United States government as the most lawless, dangerous airport in the whole world, even in a small airport, like Augusta, Georgia. There was for many years a warning posted, it is not an international airport, ours is not here in Montgomery, we have to get to Atlanta to Memphis somewhere, a warning about the airport in Lagos, Nigeria. We learned before our first trip there that no expat goes without making a range of us to be met by someone who can see you through safely and out of that airport. I have been through it several times, both with Mrs. Oliver and then with a surgeon, and we were never met. We were every time, for one reason or another, on our own. By the time we went with the surgeon who was spending two weeks in a Christian hospital in the north of Nigeria and Joss, while I spent a week teaching and preaching at the seminary there, and then a week of pastor's conference for the diocese in Joss, we were ahead of time given a name that should you not be met, do not get into anybody's automobile, they're highwaymen, get to this gentleman, his workers were a uniform of a certain color, we were not met, and while I tried to rescue our bags from someone who would extort money from us to get them, my doctor friend found a guard, and we said the name of his boss and would he see us safely to that man? He looked straight at me and said, you are his friend, and I said yes, I'd never met him but I was going to be his friend, and we were taken to his office, and he was warm and welcoming, he was a member of the Sudan Interior Church, he'd come to saving faith through one of the Sudan Interior Missionaries, and he was glad to help us in a long, exhausting day, his name, his authority, he exercised his prerogative in our behalf, as we had to move on to the domestic airport, which is indescribable. We simply go on that hot tarmac and 105 degree temperature from plane to plane, where are you going? You call up there, and then, if it sounds like where you're going, you push and shove, what it was all day long, a plane had not come, eight or ten hours later, finally there was a plane rickety, it would take us to our destination, whether final or not we weren't sure when we got on the thing, but with his authority, they opened the door for us first. The Lord Jesus said, I'm the door, and you must understand that in light of his authority and the prerogative which he exercises as the door. Remember the tenth chapter is in the form, the literary form of an allegory, and within it are these little parables, the first of which says that he is the rightful shepherd who goes through the door, and now it changes, and he says in verse 7, I am the door, and he repeats that in verse 9, as we consider the good shepherd. We see him as the door to the sheepfold of grace and salvation and safety, out of the peril of thieves and robbers, highwaymen who would not mind taking your life for your possessions. This is prerogative to be the door, for reasons that are well-founded and stated on down in this chapter, first in verse 15, as the father knows me even so I know the father, and I lay down my life of the sheep. The prerogative of the Lord Jesus to be the door into the sheepfold is because the father, the judge of all the earth knows him, may sound a little strange, a little simple indeed. Of course there are different persons of the same Godhead, of course the father knows the eternal son and the spirit, but this is the judge of all the earth knowing the son incarnate knowing him in evaluation, knowing him in analysis, knowing him thoroughly as a man. And as the incarnate son, through God and through man, the Lord Jesus says, now the father knows every aspect of my human life. And it is under the closest scrutiny of heaven acceptable to him, and therefore I have the right to be the door to him and I am. For in that knowledge of me as a man is the endorsement of God the judge, he endorsed the perfect life of his son incarnate, we're never endorsed, we're not acceptable, except through the door, he is acceptable, he is endorsed. And he exercises that prerogative in saving grace and he says because the father knows me and I know the father and there's nothing hidden and nothing wrong and no failure, no sin whatsoever. I have the full endorsement from the father, now you enter by me under my endorsement. I tell you it was wonderful to get to the office of that new found friend ahead of security for the most lawless airport in the world. I acted like we had known each other for years because it is authority and prerogative and there's ability safely to get us out of danger and to our destination. There's a second thing here about the prerogative of our Lord Jesus Christ as the door of the sheep and it is in verse 17 where he says, therefore my father loves me because I lay down my life that I may take it again. Well again, we have to ask, did not the eternal father always love the eternal son of course he did? And again I say, this is the father in heaven, the judge of all you are loving him as a man and the reason God the father loves Jesus as a man incarnate is because he laid down his life for sinners to make them his feet and the father loves the son for such a loving act and therefore promises in the son to love us. You do understand, don't you, in all true spiritual humility apart from the Lord Jesus you are not lovable to God, does that surprise you? He loves the son. He loves righteousness and in the final judgment he exercises his prerogative as a judge the father does to banish all the workers of aniquity. It is just that he hates sin finally in the last judgment of which we spoke this morning in the creed he hates the sinner. My father loves me because I lovingly laid down my life for the sinner and he loves you because of the Lord Jesus. How do you know the little song, wonderful song, Jesus loves me, this I know. How do you know because he loves the son who laid down his life for us and we enter into that love of the father through the door, the Lord Jesus whom the father loves, the father knows and endorses the son and all of his righteousness, the father loves the son, the term of endearment, and we are endeared to the father, not our own, not by ourselves but because of the son, oh we are dear to him, we would be dear as the apple of his eye, but only because we've gone through the door, the Lord Jesus whom he loves, the prerogative of the Lord Jesus to say exclusively, I am the door, I'm not just one among many, I'm not an option, I am the door to safety and salvation. He has a right to do that because of the relationship with the father who knows him and loves him, who endorses him and in whom he is endeared to the father, think of it. With all of our faults and failure, the father through the son endorses us all who come through that door are endorsed and endeared, but it's all because of the son, let us not think too highly of ourselves, let us think wonderfully highly of him. There's a picture here as well as a prerogative, the picture is really the second half of verse nine where having said that he is the door, he said, the one who has entered will go in and out and find pasture, and again we have to give a little bit of literary license here, it doesn't mean that the sheep go in and out of salvation, oh Presbyterian believes that, the Bible doesn't teach that, and so there's a little broadening here and we all understand literary figure, the trees clap their hands under joyful, what tree is like that? It's literary figure, and so as the door, once we have entered the door, we are by grace in the sheepfold, and there is a picture of those who are truly the ones who have entered, the picture is of a pursuit, sheep go in and out of the fold, they find pasture, sustenance, satisfaction, Psalm 23, it's got to be more than sentiment, it has to do with salvation. If our shepherd is the good shepherd because he lays down his life for the sheep, then we say with King David the bold, the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want, he makes me to lie down in green pastures, verdant, where sheep safely graze and are satisfied and lie down, feeding, filling our lives with things good and helpful and right, longing, hungering for the word, in the scripture union booklet which I use for my own personal daily readings and devotions, there was a wonderful one-page article by a friend of mine whom I have not seen for years, he at one time was on the staff of the cathedral, the Episcopal Cathedral in Columbia South Carolina, and led many young people to saving faith in the Lord Jesus while he was there, and past a rector now for a number of years at the falls church in Northern Virginia, he led his entire congregation for four years of using scripture union guides to feed and nourish their souls, I'll tell you how you know you've gone through the door, you pursue spiritual things, and you find them sustaining and strengthening to your soul and you love them, things that sustain, things that satisfy, things essential and things enjoyable, he makes me to lie down in green pastures, he leaves me beside still waters where I may drink sheep, I am told, will not drink from turbulent water, animals I learn are funny about water, little abandoned kitten that lives now in our home, always once fresh water, I don't care, they tell me with a brain the size of an octopus, we'll get up and lick the faucet if the water is not fresh in the dish, I change the water all the time, I don't want the faucet licked, he leaves me beside still waters that are quiet and cool and refreshing and renewing, there is a picture of a spiritual pursuit of sheep, of sinners who've gone through the door under the prerogative of the good shepherd, with his endorsement from the judge, his endearment with the judge of all the earth, that's your pursuit isn't it, this restless pressure society, you must go there, you must have the other, activity, accumulation, a claim, does it satisfy the soul, the picture is the good shepherd, the door, fleeing from thieves and robbers who would only kill and destroy in this progression of destruction, we pursue things that are essential and sustain our souls and we're glad to, we take the initiative because these things are essential, but not only essential, but enjoyable, the things of Christ, the things of heaven, once we could take or leave,
but having entered the door, there's always a pursuit that follows. And then finally, there is a thought of peril here, it is in verse 9 where St. John records from the lips of the Lord Jesus, I in the door if anyone enters by me and if clause is conditional, isn't it, if somebody in that condition before somebody does not enter the door, they're left to the thieves, they're left to destruction and death, you see it is irresponsible not to enter, to be unresponsive, implied by the if clause here is eternally dangerous, this isn't a matter for those who have a natural interest, there's a peril not to enter, in our part of the world where we have to dodge the gospel to be lost as it were, we can study about the door, we can believe in the door,
we can even fight the liberals who believe that there are doors and not enter the door, there's a peril to be avoided, not only to know about the door and to differ with liberal theologians and preachers who believe there are other ways of salvation and safety, we must enter, remember years ago in another city, dealing with a young graduate of Harvard, where you see just back of Lord and law degree, and I had identified himself in his Harvard days at Harvard Christian fellowship, but by his own admission was not a Christian, he sought me out repeatedly, he liked to argue, he went to lunch a number of times and he would just tug and pull, and finally I said I've had enough, I'm not going to lunch with you anymore, and so I didn't seem for a number of years, phone rang and do time, it was he, what I go to lunch, no thank you, told you I wouldn't, I'm a man of my word, he said well come along, I think it'll be different, so I gave in, I went to lunch,
he said I've entered the door salvation, I spent all that time, I knew about it, he probably had more understanding and knowledge in his mind than the average church person that he'd never entered the door, he was in peril, it was irresponsible, but knowing, finally the spirit of God in mercy, apart from me, unknown to me, did I do the right thing when I said I'm tired of you, you weary me, I'm not going to lunch, I was impatient, I was angry actually, it became good friends, he said before that last lunch, but your church have me, if the good shepherd has had you, the church doors open, for those who've come through the door into the sheepfold, out of the peril,
it's dangerous to know all about the door and to play with your soul by not entering the door and pursuing things that sustain, satisfy our souls, the Lord Jesus, has the prerogative to say, exclusively I am the door, come through, and I will lead you in green pastures, and I will always find still waters where you may drink and be refreshed and renewed in this pilgrimage,
I warn us of the peril, knowing all about it, but not having entered in, you have entered haven't you,
and did you have, is there anybody you pray for regularly that they might enter,
do you have any kind of hope and vision that this would be a great harbor for souls, people would enter out of peril and perishing through the one door into salvation and life in the Lord Jesus along, maybe we don't have because we don't ask, do you understand the peril, do you understand the provision, have you entered, let us pray, our Father in heaven, we thank thee, that thou dost awaken us, to thieves and robbers who would do nothing but steal, kill and destroy life, finally, and in wonderful mercy in sovereign grace thou did show us the door of salvation, and we have entered in and we thank thee and bless thee, for being endeared to the Father through the Son, the shepherd, thy never-lasting love for him is ever-lasting love for us. Oh, despite our failure, despite our rebellion, vow to shower us with saving covenantal love,
bonds of love that cannot be broken by life or death, Father, make us yearn that the throne of grace for those who are yet unresponsive, yay, even irresponsible, given the peril outside the sheepfold of grace, make this a place, oh God, filled with people who have fled to the sheepfold through the one who loved us and gave himself for us, to this end seal the word to our hearts we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. Oh, man,