Survive or Thrive, part 1

2019-04-28 

Pastor Jonathan Falwell 

Key verse: John 10:10 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 may have it more abundantly.

John 10:1-10 (NKJV) "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers." 6 Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them. 7 Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 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 may have it more abundantly.

The key to moving from surviving to thriving is understanding your purpose. The only way to understand your purpose is to know who you follow.

Thriving begins with security.

1. Protection

Vss 1-3a "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice;

• Jesus was talking about the protective nature of the Good Shepherd (vs 11)
• Jesus is giving the picture of Him gathering His “sheep” into the protective nature of the sheepfold

Thriving continues in truly knowing your source.

2. Intimacy

Vss 3b-5 ...and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.

• There is an intimacy the exists between the Shepherd and the sheep which creates a bond that cannot be broken
• That intimacy is vital for a fulfilled life

Thriving grows from experiencing life as God intended.

3. Life-Giver

Vss 9-10 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 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 may have it more abundantly.

• Jesus was referring to the danger of following wrong ideas or teaching. This will always lead to disappointment and destruction.
• But following Christ will always result in life to the fullest.

The shepherd did not drive his sheep; he led them. Christ has gone the way before us. He has journeyed through life’s thorn-grown wilderness. He knows life’s dangers and perils. The Good Shepherd leads His sheep “beside the still waters.” Otherwise a rushing current might sweep away the flock to destruction, or mask the sound of an approaching enemy. But he does not always lead us in pastures green or by waters still. Sometimes he leads us amid the tempests and down into the deep ravines of life. But there is reassurance in the presence of the Good Shepherd (Gariepy, p. 212).John(Vol. 4, pp. 195–196). Holman New Testament Commentary, Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.