Deliverance Promised

Micah 2:12-13

¹² “I will surely gather all of you, Jacob;

    I will surely bring together the remnant of Israel.

I will bring them together like sheep in a pen,
    like a flock in its pasture;
    the place will throng with people.
¹³ The One who breaks open the way will go up before them;
    they will break through the gate and go out.
Their King will pass through before them,
    the Lord at their head.”

We may not like to admit it, but most of us like following someone’s lead.  Left on our own, we’re a mess.  We need a leader.  And who better to lead than God.  God loves us so much he promises to break through the gates of sin and lead us to salvation.

John 10 provides beautiful examples of this played out in the New Testament… The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out (3).  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 may have life, and have it to the full (9-10).

Show us the way, Lord.  Gather your sheep. Go before us to get things ready and then call us by name to join you in Heaven.  We are hungry for a life to the full.  Amen

The Doorway to Life

Do you ever wonder, "Who really cares about me?"  We all experience moments when we feel insignificant or unimportant, but nothing could be farther from the truth.  We belong to God and that alone makes us a valuable treasure.  And our God does treasure us and He stands guard over us as well.

If you know anything about shepherds and the sheep they guard and protect, you would see the reason God uses them to illustrate how he cares for us.  Sheep are not the brightest animals in the world and they really do need a keeper.  Shepherds are trained to guard and protect their charges.  They care about them and seek them out when they wander off.

Can you see the parallel here?  Can you tell where I am going with this train of thought? There have been so many times in my life when I was just plain stupid.  My actions would indicate that I had no common sense and lacked personal pride.  But, God still sought me out; He chased me down until I gave Him my life.  Similar to the sheep that get themselves caught in the most dangerous situations and the shepherd who rescues them from themselves, God does that for me and for you too.

Unlike sheep that need to be guided all their life, I will learn from my mistakes, and eventually submit to my Shepherd's embrace.  I know there is only one way to be safe and have a future and that is through Jesus.  Jesus, the Good Shepherd, is the only way into the heavenly fold. And he stands at the gate, not as a barrier but as a passage way.

"Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have 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." (John 10:7-9)

John 10:1-10

Genesis 3:1-11

We all know the story of Adam and Eve with the serpent. It’s difficult to imagine how Eve could possibly have found credibility in a slithering snake.  The Lord had offered them the most beautiful gift they could ever receive, but they didn't know what they didn't know.

God is our ultimate source of life and fulfillment. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s command, they demonstrated a lack of trust that brought separation from God and therefore, death.

Verse 4-5: “You will surely not die,” the serpent said to the woman.” 

         For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Though the couple did not physically die, they lost the blessing of paradise, recognized their nakedness in shame, and ultimately hid from the Source of Life, who sustained them. This is the spiritual death that sin brings.

Verses 9-10: Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord

God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid

          from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

Though Adam and Eve disobeyed and mistrusted the Lord, He wasn't content to let them be lost to Him forever. He sought them out, calling Adam’s name. “Where are you?” God knew, of course. But Adam and his wife were being held accountable. How had it come to this? Where did they stand with the Lord? What would happen next?

We too, must ask the question. Where do we stand in the eyes of The Great I AM?

In the book of John, Jesus reminds us:

John 6:35  I AM the bread of life…    
John 8:12  I AM the light of the world… 
John 10:7  I AM the gate for the sheep…   
John 10:11 I AM the good shepherd…  
John 11:25 I AM the resurrection and the life…      
John 14:6   I AM the way and the truth and the life...
John 15:5   I AM the vine; you are the branches...                                                                                                                                                                        

Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, God has made a way for our relationship with Him to be reconciled and restored. Are you going to work on that? I AM!

Read/Listen to Genesis 3:1-11

John 10:7-18

Many years ago I enjoyed watching a daytime television game show called, "Let's Make a Deal."  My favorite part of the show was the ending, when the contestants, who were still in the game, were given the opportunity to go for one last prize. The only catch being they had to guess which door the jackpot was behind; door number 1, number 2 or number three.  The suspense was built up to the very moment the final decision was made..."I'll take door number three, Monty."

Often, the contents of one door would be revealed and the contestant had to decide to grab that one or take his chances and try for an even better prize behind another door.  What a blessing for us as Christians that we do not have to play games like this when it comes to salvation -- the greatest prize of all time!  Jesus says He is the gate (door), "I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture." (John 10:9)

We don't have to play games, we don't have to wonder what's behind the mysterious door.  We know that Jesus is the Door, the Gate, the Way.  We don't have to guess, just open the door and walk right in.

Read the John 10:7-18 text here.