Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1908-04-02
JT7e
S,n7oo,l-Scf7oof
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COM.
NIENTS FOR APRIL B.
Subject: Jesus the Good Shepherd,
John 1O:1-18 Golden Text,
John 1O:11-Commit Verse o.

! Subject: Jesus the Good Shepherd,
! John 1O:1-18 Golden Text,
John 1O:11-Commit Verse O.
Commentary on the Lesson.
TIME.-October, 20 A. D. PLACE.
! Jerusalem.
EXPOSITION.--I. Jesus the Door.
10. Anyone who seeks to get access
to the sheep In any other way than
! by the door, |. e.. by Christ. is thief
| and a robber.. The sheep can always
tell the difference between the true
shepherd and the robber Tvs. 3. a..
&c, 27). Christ's sheep have six
characteristics: 1) They know the
] Shepherds voice ". ~. Every sheep
| in the East. unless he IS sick, recog-
nizes his shepherds voice as soon as
he speaks. Every one Of Christ's
sheep recognizes Christ's voice. The
true sheep recognizes Christ's voice
despite all the destructive critics.
az "The sheep hear His voice. Tvs.
3, 27). They not only know 1t. they
heed 1t. This is one Of the surest
tests as to whether you are one OF
Christ's sheep. Are you needing His
voice? (3) "The sheep follow him"
a, 27). Wherever the sheep see the
! shepherd going they will follow
Matt. 1920. The way may seem
| dark and dangerous and difficult, but
they follow him." (4) "They know
not the voice of strangers. A true
sheep will not follow a strange voice.
| The voice may seem soft and silvery.
1t matters not. it is not the voice of
the shepherd. Those christians"
who are forever running off after
strangers, "iust to hear what they
have to say" are not sheep. 90
"a stranger will they not follow"
Evidently many professed Christians
are not sheep. CO. They "will flee
from him." Jesus Is also the door by
which the sheep pass in. To what is
-,e the door? GD To salvation. "By
Me IL any man enter in he shall be
saved" This makes the way of sal
walton very plain and ,imple, just
pass right In by Jesus Christ. The
door is open to all, "any man. >"
| Though man be the greatest of sim
ners the door stands open II IT,
1879. He is the only door (Acts
4:12). Neither the law, nor the
church, nor morality, nor baptism,
nor a creed is the door 81 am the
door" This door was opened by His
atoning death Tvs. 10. II; Gal, 1913:
Eph. IT; Heb. 9:22). We enter it
! by simple faith In Him from. 1925,
r. "; 4:3, S; Eph. 2:S; Acts 1898,
39). Any one who enters in by Jesus
Christ will be saved, no one else will.
(2) To liberty. shall go in and out. -
The true acceptance of Jesus leads
| not to life of fear and constraint,
but to the perfect liberty of child
! (cf. Rom. 8:15). CD To security.
This too Is found In the "go in and
out" The one who really enters by
Christ is eternally secure Tvs. 2S, 29).
(4) To satisfaction, shall find pas
ture" There Is no such pasture for
sheep in all the world as the one who
enters by Jesus finds. The pasture is
green" FPS. 23:2). 1t Is good" and
"fat" (Ez. 34:14; CT. lisa. 4O:9, 1O.
II. Jesus the Good Shepherd, 10.
16. But Jesus is not only the door.
He is the Shepherd also, "the Good
Shepherd" False christs and leaders
had come claiming to be shepherds.
but really thieves and robbers. The
Pharisees were such. They came to
| SLGdl duu Kill duu uCoIioy. Dot
Jesus mission was glorious. II came
that they may have life, and may
have 1t abundantly." Any of us then
may not only have life, but have life
exceeding" life beyond measure" "
Have you this superabundant life!
So many have such thin thread of
| life. How abundantly we may have
life appears in Jno. 1915 (cf. Col.
1:19; Col. 2:9, 10, r. w.; Eph. 3: 10
19). Then comes that great declara-
ton, II am the Good Shepherd. The
best exposition of those sweet words
is the one you will get upon your
knees ponderlng them, turning them
over and over, constantly looking to
! God to let you into their wealth OF
, meaning. 1t is not only wonder
fully comforting thing that Jesus says
here, 1t is also an amazingly daring
| one. In the Old Testament Jehovah
is the Good Shepherd FPS. %; Isa.
4O:10, IL; Ez. 34:11-13. II we
/ aspire to be true shepherds we
must be ready to do the same. If
at the approach of danger we leave
| the sheep and flee for our own safety
we are hirelings and not shepherds
(cf. / Pet. 5:2). Jesus knows His
own and His own know Him even as
the Father knows Him and He knows
the Father (R. w.. Wonderful, who
can fathom that depth ana intimacy
of that knowledge? And there is life
and eternal security in 1t tJno. 1913;
| 2 TT. 2:19; 1:12). Ten great points
about the Good Shepherd: ID He
! knows the sheep even as the Father
| knoweth Him and He the Father.
(2) He is known by the sheep. (3)
Has personal interest In each sheep
and deals with 1t individually-calls
1t by name ". 81. ~ "Leadeth
them out" 90 Thrust forth the lag
gard sheep ". A.. co Cverlooks
none, "all His own" ". 4, f. W.
(D "Goeth before them He has
trodden every step of the way that
we must take. 50 Careth for the
sheep (v. 13). (9 "Layeth down
His life for the sheep" Tvs. II, l5)
(1O) Giveth eternal and abundant life
to the sheep Tvs. 10, IS, 29). Jesus
has sheep outside Of Israel ". 16).
When He has brought them they will
become one fold tEph. 2:14, 10;
Gal. 3:28). 1t is through hearing
His voice that they are brought The
laying down of His life was per-
fectly voluntary act on Jesus part