Passaic City record., 1891-09-19
SABBATH SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOR
SEPTEMBER 20.
Lesson Text: "Christ, the Good
Shepherd" John X, lie
Golden Text: Ps. xiii,
documentary


ten (some twenty-five times in this gospel
that the careless reader is apt to slight them
instead of attaching to them the Importance
which they deserve. verify" is 'sAmen, -
and carries us back to Isa. lxv., 16 where we
read of s'the God of TRUTH or 1.-THE God
Amen (R. ", margin). 81 say unto your
is equal to the s'Thus saith the Lord" of the
prophets, found over $40 times in Jeremiah
and Ezekiel.
HE that entereth not by the door into
| way, the same is thief and robber ,,
There were shepherds of Israel in the days of
| the kings and in the time of Christ also who
were not of Gods appointing, and who cared
| more for themselves than for the sheep.
| They did not strengthen the diseased, nor
heal the sick, nor bring back the driven
away, nor seek the lost, but were cruel and
oppressive rulers of the people Ezek xxxiv.
! A.. Such were the Pharisees of the pre-
'ceding chapter, who devoured widows
houses, and for pretense made long prayers
| (Math. xiii, 14. They even made the house
OF God den of thieves by their merchan-
disc (Math. xxi, 13.
q 'But he that entererh in by the door is
theshepherd of the sheep" Jesus was sent
| of God, as He atfirms over thirty times il,
this gospel. He neither did His own will nor
sought His own glory Chapter vi, 3S; viii.
5O. He pleased not Himself Romans xv..
| 81. He emptied Himself, taking the form Of
| servant Phil. IL, 7-R. VI. He healed the
sick, brought back the driven away, sought
the lost and in every sense proved Himself
the true shepherd of the Sheep
8. ITO him the porter openeth, and the
sheep hear his voice; and he calleth his own
/ sheep by name and leadeth them outn The
| porter is the Lord the Spirit, the third per-
son of the Blessed Trinity, who opens the
heart to the Lord Jesus and His message as
He opened the heart Of Lydia tActs xvi,
! ~; and who also opens doors for the follow
ers of Jesus (Acts xvi, 81; Cor. xvi g; II Cor.
H., 12). His own sheep who hear His voice
are those that are truly His. not having
merely name to live. but having life in
deed, having sincerely received Himself as
their life.
| 4. "And when He puteth forth His own
sheep He goeth before them, and the sheep
| follow Him, for they know His voice. He
| does not drive them out. He does not ask
! His sheep to go where He has not gone Him
! self nor to do what He Himself has not
done. The Pharisees, on the contrary, say
and do not; they bind heavy burdens and
/ lay them on mems shoulders, but they them
selves will not move them with one of their
fingers (Math. xiii, 8, y.
! 8. "And stranger will they not follow,
t put will fee from him; for they know not
thief and robber Of verse !, the shepherds
that feed themselves of Eek. xxxiv., Q. or
the idol shepherds of Zach. XII, II. They are
those who say they are apostles, but are not,
| Tor Jney are liars ttIey. H., n.
| 6. This parable spake Jesus unto them:
| but they understood not what things they
were which He spake unto them" Even the
/! disciples understood not many of His say
| ings John xiii. 16; Luke xvii, 81; Mark tx.
J 82), SO that He had to say to them. ''Are ye
/, also yet without understanding? Do ye not
! understands (Math xy., 16, IN.
z. Then said Jesus unto them again,
Verify, verify, Isay unto you, am the door
! of the sheep" he is the door by which the
sheep enter the fold, for no one can come to
the Father but by Him, and there is none
other name given under heaven, among men
whereby we must be saved John xiv, 6;
Acts iv., 12). He is also the door of access
| to the sheep, for without Him we who be-
! heve in Him can do nothing John XIV, 81.
| 8. "All that ever came before Ne are
thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not
hear them." He could not possibly refer to
| such as Moses and the prophets who were
| before Him in the sense of antecedenr to
| Him, for they were sent by Him and were
| His faithful witnesses, but the word s'before'
sometimes signifies 'instead of or sin pref
erence to-" as when God said, ''Thou shalt
have no other gods before Me- eek Xxx, 81.
! 9. 81 am the door; by Me if any man en-
| ter in he shall be saved, and shall go in and
out, and find pasture" He is not only the
entrance to Life and to the Kingdom, but
Heis an entrance wide open, inviting and en-
| treating all to enter in.
| and to kill, and to destroy; am come that
| they might have life, and that they might
| have it more abundantly." The thief or
| stranger or false prophet is well described in
| Eek. xxxiv., and elsewhere in the prophets.
| His aim is always selfish; he speaks to please
the king and the people, that he may have
! their favor and receive their wealth, or he
| oppresses that he may enrich himself. Jesus,
| on the contrary, seeks nothing for Himself,
! but gives Himself to all who come to Him.
| IL. II am the good shepherd. The. good
| shepherd giveth His life for the sheep" He
/ is also called the Great Shepherd and the
! Chief Shepherd (Heb. xiii, 90; Pet. H.,
| 25). Instead Of killing and destroying for
| His own benefit, like the thief, He suffers
| Himself to be killed for the benefit of
others.
| 12. ssBut he that is an hireling and not
| the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not,
| seeth the wolf coming and lcaveth the sheep.
| and heeth, and the wolf catcheth them and
scattereth the sheep" Hireling and wolf are
all one with the thief and robber that is,
they are all on the side of the enemy, and
against the sheep and the Coop Shepherd.
/, 'He that is not with Me is against Me. and
| he that gathereth not with Me scattereth
abroad (Hath. xii, 39).
| Is. "The hireling heeth, because he Is an
hireling, and careth not for the sheep" He
cares only for his hire, as if a minister should
think more of his salary than of the souls
| committed to his care.
IA. am the Good Shepherd. and know
| My sheep and am known of Mine" This is
the essential theme of the whole discourse.
| The under shepherds may receive into the
church many who are not His, and may fail
| to gather in many who are His. ''Neverthe-
| less the foundation Of God standeth sure,
having this seal, The Lord knoweth them
that are His' I'll Tim. H., 19 In reference
| to receiving those that are not His we would
do well to remember His own words: Every
| plant which My Heavenly Father hath not
planted shall be rooted up" (Math xv., 13.
Is. s'As the Father knoweth Me, even SO
know the Father. And lay down My life
| for the Sheep" At another time He said,
"No man knoweth the Son but the Father |;
neither knoweth any man the Father save
the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will
reveal Him" Qdath. xi., 81. He dwells
| much upon the oneness OF the Father and
| Himself, and also upon the oneness Of be.
! levers with the Father and Himself. If we
but grasped this great truth more FUZZY we
would be more ready to lay down our lives
for the brethren, as we are taught in John
| ill.,, 16.