We are one church. We love God, love people, love
His mission, and love His church.
Welcome to the One Church podcast.
Josh introduced me. I am a pastor, but I am also a
sheep. I wasn't always a pastor because
at one time I was a very lost sheep.
Around 50 years ago now, which is a long time, I cried out to
the Good Shepherd, whose name is Jesus, and I was on one path.
I was lost. I was confused, didn't know
where my life was going. And I had my eyes opened and I
called out to him and I was transferred to the path of life.
And I just wanted to tell you at the beginning today, just a few
things that the Good Shepherd has done for me.
Well, he gave me life, full life.
And I've experienced this increasingly through the years.
I needed forgiveness. And he cleanses me completely
every day. You know, if you're worrying
today, he is worthy. He is worthy.
Well, am I worthy?
Well, no, we're not. None of us are worthy.
But we can all come to him because he's done it all for us.
And that's what he's done for me.
I tended towards insecurity as a person, and yet he has become my
safe place. I feared the future, but He's
gone ahead of me and He's led me step by step through my life and
will lead me forward as well. I was troubled as a teenager by
what happens after death, and He gave me absolute assurance in my
life with Him that life after this life is eternal.
Our life does go on. And after death, because I
turned to Jesus, my life would only be better because I'll see
Him and I'll be like Him, and eternity will be wonderfully
vibrant and exciting. So there you go.
So there's a few things that the Good Shepherd has done for me.
But enough of me. Because so far on Sundays across
the life of one church this year, we've thought about and
we've been changed by some of the amazing things that Jesus
said. We a few weeks ago learnt how
Jesus said, pray like this. Our Father in heaven, a pattern
for our prayers. I am the light of the world, how
we are called to show the world our good deeds and by that
showing them the Father and his love and the light of Jesus.
Last week, ask, seek not because a wonderful message went out
across the whole of church. I invite each one of you today
to hear another of Jesus words this morning because they're so
clear and also so deep. And I found all these words of
Jesus are both on the one hand very clear, but on the other
hand as well. There's so much in that.
Listen to this John 10 verse 10. The thief comes only to steal
and kill and destroy. I have come that they might have
life and have it to the full. Let's put these words in their
context. This is in John 10, seven to 11.
Therefore Jesus said again, very truly I tell you, I am the gate
for the sheep. All who come before me are
thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them.
I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will
be saved. They will come in and go out and
find pasture. The thief comes only to steal
and kill and destroy. I have come that they might have
life and have it to the full. I am the Good Shepherd.
The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
Now Jesus is speaking to people in the Middle East 2000 years
ago, who would understand that God spoke of his people as sheep
and their leaders as shepherds and of himself as the chief
shepherd. And here Jesus says a lot of
amazing things. He says he is the shepherd.
I am the Good Shepherd. He's the gate for the sheep.
I am the gate. He brings salvation.
Whoever enters through me will be saved.
He brings freedom. They will come in and go out and
find pasture and he gives life to the full and Jesus contrasts
himself to the one he calls the thief who cares nothing.
It says in the verse just after this verse 13, the thief cares
nothing. It says for the sheep.
He only wants to steal, to kill, to destroy.
And people when they heard Jesus say these things, they were
divided because some people said, and he can read this in
verse 21, they said he was demon possessed.
He was crazy. But others said these are not
the sayings of a man possessed by a demon.
Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?
And you know, Jesus opens the eyes of the blind.
And today I want to teach, to pray that not only in the
physical sense, but in a spiritual sense, we would all
have our eyes opened. Some of us need to see more of
what is really real and all of us need to see a little bit more
of what it really means that Jesus came to give us life and
give it to the full. So Lord Jesus, we ask you to
help us right now. Open our eyes to see and our
ears to hear what you want to say to each one of us this
morning in Jesus name, Amen. So we're just simply going to
hone in on the one verse, verse 10.
This morning the thief comes only to steal, to kill and to
destroy. I have come that they might have
life and have it to the full. And here Jesus presents a stark
picture, a choice of two ways. And when you put it clearly, it
seems like there's no choice at all.
He issues a clear call. There's only two ways to live,
and it's the same for every person today.
Here's a few other Bible versions of the same one verse.
And we also have an image which I think just portrays a bit of
the contrast between life and what is not really life at all.
The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy, says
the amplified version. I came that they might have life
and have it in abundance to the full till it overflows.
The passion paraphrase says a thief has only one thing in
mind, he wants to steal, slaughter and destroy.
But I have come to give you everything in abundance, more
than you expect, life in its fullness until you overflow.
The New Living Translation says the thief's purpose is to steal
and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a
rich and satisfying life, a complete contrast, real life,
abundant life versus something that might look like real life
on the outside, but it's actually like the left hand half
of the tree. If we just put that picture up
again, just for a moment, please, of the tree just helps
us to think because the other half is life less, there's life
and there's life less less. And we could think there's
multiple ways we can choose to believe.
You know, all roads lead up the same mountain as it were
multiple ways to live. But let's go back to the
simplicity of Jesus words because it simply gives us 2
choices. One choice actually of two ways.
And it boils down to who will we follow?
And I think this verse just puts it so clearly.
Do we follow the thief or the Good Shepherd?
Will we choose the one who, as we read in that passage, does
not care, or one who loves to the uttermost to the very end?
The thief cares nothing for the sheep.
The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
Now the thief. Here you might be wondering,
what does Jesus mean by the thief?
I think really it's anything that is being used to snatch
away from us the life that God always intended us to live.
And as one Peter 58 warns, behind that there is an enemy,
and he prowls around like a roaring lion.
He steals, He robs people of truth and joy.
Jesus told a story that showed the thief, as it were, when he
told a story about seed being sown in a field.
And he says there was one type of seed where it fell on the
path and as soon as it fell, the birds came and snatched it away
and stole it away. And he says this in Mark 4 as
soon as they hear it. This is relating to the people
who would hear the word of God. Satan comes and takes away the
word that was sown in them. So Satan is a a thief.
Early church leader Paul talks about the thief blinding the
minds of people. The God of this age has blinded
the minds of unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the
gospel that displays the glory of Christ who is the image of
God. So the thief comes, and he
steals. The thief also kills.
He leads people into sin, knowing, as James says in his
letter, it leads to death. He destroys.
His aim is not just to lead us into sin, but his.
His aim is the eternal ruin of as many people as possible.
But he also knows that his time is short.
He will be destroyed at the end of this present world himself.
Revelation 12 gives this picture.
The great dragon was hurled down, that ancient serpent
called the Devil or Satan, who leads the whole world astray.
There you go, he leads the world astray, the accuser of our
brothers and sisters. If you have accusing voices in
your head, this is where they come from.
Who accuses them before our God day and night?
But praise God, we have an advocate in heaven who speaks
out on our behalf, but he has been hurled down.
So our enemy, what lies behind the thief?
He lies, accuses, deceived, condemns, leads people to death.
Anything opposing God's purposes.
Basically false teaching, temptation, fear, addiction,
blindness, apathy, all traces back to the thief, as Jesus
would say. But Jesus says this is not my
purpose. So he says, will you follow the
thief? Will you listen to the thief, or
will you follow me, the Good Shepherd?
Jesus said I am the Good Shepherd.
What a contrast like a shepherd with a lost sheep.
And next week we're going to think about how Jesus went after
the 1. He said he has a heart for the
one. His heart is drawn to our cry
for help. Do you know he cannot help
himself if we call out to him? Run to us, there's no way He
cannot reach us. He says All who come to me, I
will never turn away. Is that not a verse of great
encouragement to each one of us today?
If we come to Him, He will never turn us away.
He loves us to the uttermost to the end.
Romans 8 says, Who shall separate us from the love of
Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or
persecution or famine, or nakedness or danger or sword?
Nothing will separate us or nothing can separate us from the
love of Christ. The only thing that can separate
us from the love of Christ is our own choices.
This is great news. He came to bring life, full
life, forever. The wages of sin is death, says
Romans 6, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ
Jesus our Lord. So Jesus sets out this choice of
two options. Do you want to be someone who
follows the thief, listens to the thief or the Good Shepherd?
Do you want to be a victim or a victor?
Jesus said the thief comes to steal.
I've come. He says that they might have
life to the full. You know, the feeling of being
robbed is not very nice. I remember coming home many,
many years ago. It's the only time our house has
ever been burgled, broken into. I remember feeling very angry.
I think I had there are two boys with us.
David was doing something else at the time.
I remember little boy Tom lying on his bed and saying, but why
didn't God protect us? And I remember saying to him,
well, God did protect us because they only took a few things,
didn't seem to really cut the mustard at that moment.
But, you know, I'm sure later he thought about that.
There are far more important ways, though, to be robbed than
to have things taken from us. Everyone has a choice.
Do we live as a victim of the thief?
Do we have allow our hope, security, joy, peace, even our
life to be stolen? Or do we live above every
circumstance? You know, people often say,
don't they? You say, how are you?
They say, I'm all right under the circumstances.
Well, the Bible tells us in Christ we don't need to live
under the circumstances. We live above the circumstances
we have can have a victorious life in Christ.
In all these things, we are more than conquerors.
Romans 8 through him who loved us, What He gives can never be
taken away. It doesn't perish, it doesn't
spoil, it doesn't fade, it cannot be stolen.
So we can be victors. And in case you think I'm just
talking about external life being this abundant life, we can
be victors even in real hardship, even in pain, even in
places where we would never wish to go, like people who are put
in prison, say, for their faith can still live an abundant life.
Do you want to be victim or a victor?
What about dead or alive? The thief comes to kill.
I have come, says Jesus, that they might have life and have it
to the full. If I came to you today and I
threatened your life and said, do you want to live or die, most
of us would probably say we want to live.
We were always meant to be alive, really alive, in a
relationship with God who made us an eternal, amazing quality
of life. But you know, right from the
start, right from near the beginning of human history, when
the first people were on the earth, they were deceived.
They chose, yes, they made a choice, but their innocence was
stolen and they became alienated from God because of their sin,
infected by evil, and it was like a virus.
That virus has infected us generation after generation
after generation. The devil is still deceiving.
He peddles a certain sort of thing called life.
We see it all around, living for #1 living for what will not
last, living for anything that is not the one true and living
God. Idolising anything or anyone,
experiences, possessions, celebrity, entertainment,
excess, even relationships, religious systems.
All these things are temporary. It's temporary, it's toxic, it's
a sham, it enslaves, it leads to death.
The life to the full that Jesus speaks of actually starts by
saying something completely different.
Not it's all about me, look after #1 but actually, I need
God. I need forgiveness.
God has made us for Himself, and our hearts are restless until
they find their rest in Him. Are you going to choose life or
death? Whichever we choose, it's a
decision that continues forever. Eternally lost or found forever.
That's our next choice. The thief comes to destroy.
I have come that they might have life and have it to the full.
Our enemy's plan is not just death, but beyond that
destruction, eternity without Jesus and therefore eternity
without hope forever. Can we imagine the terror of
life without God or anything that God brings to this world?
Think about everything being removed that is good, that is
kind, that is lovely, everything that is a wonderful relationship
or anything that is just good but alienated, separated.
Judgement will be for everyone. Judgement will be fair.
You know, we want God to get rid of evil, don't we?
We will might look at the news and we say, oh God, will you
deal with these people and will you deal with these things?
But we're infected by evil ourselves.
So we all deserve hell and judgement and we have a choice
now. Preacher Tim Keller put it like
this. He's now gone to heaven himself.
Hell is simply one's freely chosen identity apart from God,
on a trajectory to Infinity. I'll say that again.
Hell is simply one's freely chosen identity apart from God
on a trajectory to Infinity. In other words, we've been given
free will, and if we choose to reject Jesus offer of eternal
life, he will take us at our word.
The writer CS Lewis said this. There are in the end only two
kinds of people, those who say to God your will be done, and
those to whom God in the end will say your will be done.
But the offer still stands until our dying breath or until Jesus
returns. But none of us know how much
time we have left. Jesus said I have come that you
might have life, abundant and eternal life.
So this is our choice. Do you, do you want this amazing
eternal life or are you going to choose something much, much
worse than that eternal separation from God?
Jesus died, He rose, He lives forever, He brings new life, He
forgives, He makes us utterly clean before God.
And however good our life is now, if we're in Christ, we are
not yet aware. We cannot be aware because we
cannot conceive it, of how wonderful and amazing we will
find life after this life. All the pages of the New
Testament are alive with excitement.
I read a book the other day. It says the pages of the New
Testament are wrestling with excitement about what is to
come, what we will experience if we are in Christ.
All the pages of the New Testament speak that one day
we'll experience this life, which is absolutely life to the
full, in completion, with new bodies, with purified hearts,
with eternal spirits. No eye has seen, says the Bible,
No ear has heard what God has prepared for those who love him.
And all I can say is I believe it will be more fresh, more
adventurous and exciting than anything we can imagine.
Once we are here, this abundant life lasts forever, rich in
every way. So there you go, John 1010.
What a choice. Thief or shepherd, death or
life, victim or victor, rejected or held, separated or close,
lost or home. And Jesus says, hear my voice.
This abundant life is the life that we were always meant to
live. It's the life the Good Shepherd
died for us to be able to have. So surely you might be sat here
and say, well, this is an easy choice.
Why is the whole world not following Jesus?
Because this is obvious. Well, you know, sometimes I wear
an eye mask at night. I've brought it here.
I thought this is my attempt of visual aid.
Not very exciting. There you go.
If I put that on, I can't actually see anything much.
We can wear eye masks, you know, as people, and we can wear
blindfolds. When it comes to seeing what is
real, what is true, we can be deceived.
We can settle for less. Would you like to hear a little
story? Do you like stories?
Well, in The Last Battle, which is the final book in the
children's Narnia series by CS Lewis, the world of Narnia comes
to an end and a new world is born.
It's an eternal Kingdom where Aslan the Lion will rule
forever. And all the creatures and people
are just revelling in this beautiful new eternal world.
But the dwarves, who've been sort of on the wrong side of the
battle but had an opportunity to change, they react differently.
They've been tied up, but their chords have now miraculously
disappeared. But they're still acting as if
the chords are there. It's light, but they still
believe it's dark. They can't smell the flowers or
see the light. To them everything is rotten,
and they're in this dark hall where they're fighting and
complaining. Then Aslan the lion arrives.
This is what it says. The sweet air grew sweeter and
there stood their hearts, desire, huge and real.
The Golden Lion, Aslan himself. And through tears, Lucy, who's
one of the children, asks him to do something for the dwarves.
Dearest, says Aslan, I'll show you what I can do and what I
cannot do. He came near and gave a low
growl, but the dwarf said don't take any notice, they won't take
us in again. Aslan raised his head and shook
his mane and instantly A glorious feast appeared on the
dwarf's knees, but it was clear they couldn't taste it properly.
One said he had a bit of hay, one an old turnip, 1A raw
cabbage leaf. They raised golden goblets of
wine to their lips and said, uh, fancy drinking dirty water out
of a through. But soon they began fighting
over what they had, until at last they sat down to nurse
their wounds. Well, at any rate, they said to
each other, we haven't let anyone take us in.
The dwarves are for the dwarves. And Aslan says this.
You see, they will not let us help them.
They're prisoners in their own minds, yet they are so afraid of
being taken in that they cannot be taken out.
But come children, I have other work to do.
And he went to the great door and they all followed him.
He raised his head and roared. Now it is time and the door flew
open. Let's have our spiritual eyes
open. Everyone, what does abundant
life, life to the full look like?
Just to recap, it starts with the truth.
Jesus in this passage says I have come to give life.
I have come. How different from all the other
forces and voices that crowd in on us that Jesus says personally
they may not care. They don't care.
Behind them is an enemy who hates you.
It's all lies. But Jesus personally came
because he loves us. He came to give us life.
That is all. It's fullness, abundant,
eternal, wonderful life. And this life begins with a new
birth. That's what happened to me age
14, John 33 says Jesus said very truly.
I tell you, no one can see the Kingdom of God unless they are
born again. And it comes with a rock solid
guarantee. Whoever believes in the Son,
this is John 3 again has eternal life.
But whoever rejects the Son will not see life for God's wrath
remains on them. This life to the full, this
abundant life, it is not earned. It is a gift.
You know, some people think the Christian life is narrow,
restrictive, but it's not narrow.
Yes, Jesus talks of it as being a narrow Rd, but the narrow Rd
that leads to life, to a big life, to a full life, abundant
life, more than we could ever ask for.
You've ever heard somebody say this is the life?
Usually people say that when they've just gone on holiday and
they've sat around the pool, they've got chips and they've
got a drink and they're going this is the life.
But I tell you, this is the life, the life that we live with
Jesus every day is the life we were made for.
Let's all open our eyes. And it starts with bowing down.
And it's not just surviving, it is thriving.
And maybe it's because it needs humility to say I need God.
Maybe that's one of the reasons why people find it so hard to
find that way. In the end, it's not about
external things, but about a deep, satisfying relationship
with Jesus, who really is the Good Shepherd and who is all we
need. This was true for the early
disciples and it is true for us now.
When Jesus said follow me, this is the sort of life that he's
calling us into. Walking with him, knowing his
love, hearing his voice, learning his ways, being changed
to be like Him, to become more prayerful, more loving, more
giving, more joyful, more patient, more faithful,
compassionate. Being a disciple, this is
abundant life, working with him, seeing what he does, following
him where he leads, laughter, tears, excitement, some ordinary
days, some painful days. But hearing him say, I am with
you to the end of the age, knowing that death has No Fear,
knowing that life is full of purpose.
And so, so many reasons to choose life and to live the life
He won for us every day to the full.
This is the path we're on if we say yes to life.
So can I say to you today, choose life, receive this gift.
There are some of us who know here that we're definitely safe
in the sheepfold, as it were. We definitely belong to the Good
Shepherd, and yet we're still not living out of this fullness
for all of us in the room. Are we settling for less than we
could have in this abundant life?
Let's fight for it. Let's fight for it for us and
for the people around us as well.
And let's pray for blindness to be removed so that we can walk
into all He has for us, and for blindness in people around us to
be removed as well. So Jesus said the thief comes
only to steal and kill and destroy.
I have come that they might have life.
I have come and have it to the full.
Well, I believe this could not be more clear.
Speaking now to every person who's listening.
The choice is yours, choose Jesus today.
So here's a question for all of us as we finish.
This is a question to take into your week.
In what way am I not living this life that Jesus has given me to
the full? I think all of us have a way to
go because we're not yet perfect.
So is there something in my life that the Holy Spirit wants to
highlight in me where I'm not living this life to the absolute
fullness? I'm not living in the absolute
abundance of all God can do and all Jesus has for me.
And if so, what steps shall I take this week to step into that
abundant life that Jesus died, a particular quality of life he
died for me to have. So let's just pray.
Well, Lord Jesus, we just ask you, open our eyes today.
Open our eyes to see there's life to open our ears to hear
what you say to us that you have come Lord, to give us life to
the full in all its fullness, abundant, running over,
overflowing. May we live this life to the
full Lord today and every day, and may we share this life with
others. The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you.
The Lord turn his face towards you and give you peace.