Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1891-09-11
The THE GOOD SHEPHERD.
LESSON XII, THIRD QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, SEPT. 20.

adolphia.
l. "Verily, verify l'say unto you"
These great and most emphatic words
occur 80 often (some twenty-five times in
this gospeD that the careless reader is apt
70 slight them instead of attaching to
them the Importance which they deserve
'VeEily" Is "Amen," and carries us back
TO lsa Ky, 10, where we read of ''the God
OF Truth" or ''the God Amen" Or. ", mar
ginl u say unto you" Is equal to the
THUS saith the Lord" of the prophets.
Tile that entereth not by the door into
thesheepfold, but climbeth up some other
way. the same is thief and a robber."
Q. "But he that entereth in by the door
Is the shepherd of the sheep"
B 40 him the porter openeth, and the
sheep hear his voice; md he calleth his own
sheep by name and leadeth them out"
The porter is the Lord the Spirit, the
third person of the Blessed Trinity, who
opens the heart to the Lord Jesus and His
message as He opened the heart of Lydia
Acts xvi, l4); and who also opens doors for
the followers of Jesus (Acts xiv, 81; Cor
xyAs 0; Ii Cor. Ii, 12). His own sheep who
hear His voice arc those that are truly His,
not having merely name to live, but hav
ing life indeed, having sincerely received
Himself as their life. AS to calling His
own sheep by name, see FIX xxxiii, IL, IL,
and Isa- Kill, l; and remember how He
spoke TO Simon and Nathaniel and I4aza.
rus and Mary, calling each by name John
1. "a. ~; XII, 43; Xxx, l6),
4 And when He putteth forth His own
sheep, He goeth before them, and the sheep
follow Him, for they know His voice"
lie does not drive them out, but He lead
eth them out. He does not ask His sheep
TO 80 where He has not gone Himself, nor
TO do what He Himself has not done
8. sand stranger will they not follow,
but will fee from him; for they know not
the voice of strangers"
The stranger is the thief and robber of
verse I, the shepherds that feed themselves
Of Ezek. xxxiv. 2, or the idol shepherds of
Zach. XII, H.
O. ''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 sayings John xii, .l6; Luke xviii, "a,
Mark TX, 82), so that He had tosay to them,
"Are ye also yet without understandings
Do not ye yet understands" (Math. XIV, 49,
~. The secret of understanding Is simply
hearing and believing (Math. XIV, 10; Heb
XII, 81 without reasoning orQuestioning.
Z. "Then said Jesus unto them again,
Verify, verify, | say 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, G; Acts iv, l2)
8. "All that ever came before mo are
thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not
hear them"
He could not possibly refer to such rs
Moses and the prophets who were before
Him In the sense of antccedent to Him,
for they were sent by Him and were His
faithful witnesses, but the word "before"
sometimes signifies "instead of" or ''in
preference to-" az when God said, 'Thou
shalt have no other gods before me" eek.
XIX, 81.
Q. ~ am the door, by me IL any man en-.
Ter in heshall be ttved, and shall go in and
out, and find pasture"
lie Is not only the entrance to Life and
to the Kingdom, but He is the only en-.
trance, and He Is an entrance wide open,
inviting and entreating all to enter in.
Any one, whatsoever will, may enter with
the assurance OF being made welcome
John vi, 81; Rev xxi, ~.
TO- "The thief cometh not, but for to
steal, and to kill, and to destroys am come
that they might have life, and that they
might have 1t more abundantly."
The thief or stranger or false prophet Is
we'll described In Ezek. xxxiv and else
where ip 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 Expresses
that he may enrich himself
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 Qleb. xiii, 90; Pet. ii,
25). Instead of killing and destroying for
His own benefit, like the thief, He suffers
Himself to be killed for others
IL "But he that is an hireling and not
the shepherd, whose own the sheep arc not,
seeth tho wolf coming and leaveth the
sheep, and fleeth, and the wolf catcheth
them and scattereth the sheep"
Hireling and wolf are all one with thief
and robber-that Is, they are all on the side
of the enemy, and against the sheep and the
Good Shepherd. "He that is not with me
Is against me, and he that gathereth not
with me scattereth abroad" (Math. xii, 30)
10. "The hireling Aeeth because he is an
hireling, and careth not for the sheep"
He cares only for his hire, as If minis
ter should think more of his salary than
Of the souls committed to his care.
IL al am the good shepherd, and know
my sheep and am known of mine"
This Ia the essential theme of the whole
discourse. The under shepherds may re
ceive into the church many who are not
His, and may fail to gather In many who
are His. Nevertheless the foundation of
God standeth sure. having this seal, The
Lord knoweth them that are His"
15 "As the Father knoweth me, even so
know tho Father. And | lay down my
life for the sheep"
At another time He said, mo man know
eth the Son but the Father; neither know
eth any man the Father save the Son, and
he to whomsoever the Son will reveal
Him" (Math. xi, 81, He dwells much upon
the oneness of tho Father and Himself,
and also upon the oneness of believers
with the Father and Himself. If we but
grasped this great truth moro fully we
would be more ready to lay down our lives
for the brethren rs we are taught in John
III, 10. See how He repeats again aud
again the fact of His laying down His life
for tho sheep; and in chapter XIV, 10, He
tells us that this Is the greatest possible
love of man to man. But in Rom. V, 6, the
Spirit by Paul calls our attention to the
fact that Gods love is so far beyond ours
that He died for sinners
TO- "And other sheep ] have which are
not OF this fold; them also | must bring,
and they shall hear my voice; and there
shall be one fold and one shepherd"
4a "a anaakinu to Jews but His heart