23-0618p - Detailed Summary

The speaker reflects on the comforting nature of Psalm 23, noting its significance and the comfort it has brought to countless individuals. They mention the upcoming discussion on Jesus' statement, "I am the good shepherd," and express a desire to one day give a sermon solely on Psalm 23. The speaker then sets up the context for the next "I Am" statement, "I Am the Door," by establishing the timeline in the Gospel of John, linking it to events from the Festival of Booths to the Festival of Dedication.

This section describes how the discourse in John 10 continues from previous interactions with the Jews and religious leaders during the Festival of Booths, now three months later at the Festival of Dedication. The speaker recalls Jesus' healing of the blind man in John 9 and how this led to a confrontation with the Pharisees, resulting in Jesus declaring Himself as the light of the world and critiquing the spiritual blindness of the religious leaders.

Here, the speaker elaborates on how Jesus criticizes the Pharisees for their rejection of His miracles, their spiritual blindness, and their claim to spiritual leadership. Jesus is portrayed as resuming this critique in John 10, where He uses the metaphor of sheep and shepherds to illustrate His role and the roles of false leaders. The Pharisees are likened to thieves and robbers who enter the sheepfold deceitfully, while Jesus is the true shepherd entering through the right way.

The speaker explains the parable from John 10, detailing the roles of the sheepfold, the gatekeeper, the legitimate shepherd, and the sheep. Jesus is depicted as the true shepherd, contrasting with the false shepherds (scribes and Pharisees). The narrative uses Ezekiel’s prophecy to connect Jesus with the Messianic shepherd expected by Israel. The relationship between Christ, His appointed shepherds, and the flock is emphasized, highlighting the recognition and trust between the sheep and their shepherd.

This section discusses how followers of Christ recognize His voice through His teachings and example, leading them to imitate Christ as their shepherds imitate Him. The speaker elucidates how believers discern true teaching from false, likening it to sheep knowing their shepherd’s voice and fleeing from strangers.

Jesus, frustrated with the lack of understanding, directly explains His role as "the door" for the sheep, emphasizing that access to God’s kingdom and the church is solely through Him. The speaker references Ezekiel’s critique of false shepherds, drawing parallels to the Pharisees' behavior, thus reinforcing Jesus' critique and His own role as the true shepherd who cares for His flock.

The speaker continues to critique the false shepherds, using Ezekiel’s prophecy to illustrate how they fail in their duties, not healing the sick, binding up the broken, or seeking the lost but instead ruling with force and severity. This leads into an analysis of John 10:9-10 where Jesus declares Himself as "the door," offering salvation and life in abundance, while thieves (false teachers) aim to steal, kill, and destroy. The speaker connects this behavior directly to the influence of Satan, quoting Jesus from John 8:44 to label these leaders as children of the devil, accusing them of lying by attributing Jesus' miracles to Beelzebub.

This section extends the critique to modern times, warning against those who claim to speak for God but teach false doctrines, aligning them with Satan’s kingdom. The speaker references Paul’s warnings in 2 Corinthians about false apostles who disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, suggesting that like the Pharisees, they will face a grim judgment, paralleling their

fate to the rich man in the story of Lazarus and the rich man, emphasizing the shock of their damnation.

Here, the focus is on Jesus' exclusive claim as the door to salvation, emphasizing that access to His church and heaven is through Him alone. The speaker reinforces this with Peter’s statement from Acts 4:12 about salvation being found in no one else but Jesus.

The speaker concludes by linking back to Psalm 23, highlighting the comfort and peace that comes from knowing Jesus as the good shepherd who leads, protects, and pastures His flock. They quote Psalm 81 to invoke the imagery of God as the shepherd of Israel, encouraging those in need of this guidance to come forward for prayer during the invitation time.