Hello and welcome to our broadcast. We're looking at John chapter 10. It deals with a thief, a robber, the shepherd, the porter, a stranger. It talks about the hireling, a wolf, and God the Father, and of course the Lord. A lot of people in this chapter. Be sure and stay tuned. We're going to look at it in a minute. Well, John chapter 10 starts out with, Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. Now, before we get into John chapter 10, it is very important to understand that John chapter 10 is actually and completely a part of John chapter 9. If you go down through until we get to verse number 21, it says there, there was a division therefore again among the Jews for these sayings, and many of them, chapter 8 and verse 59, you see that they took up stones to cast at Jesus, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of the temple, and so passed by. Now, when you get into the first verse of chapter nine, it says, as Jesus passed by. And so here's the picture. He is he is facing these Pharisees who are so upset with him. They're about to fire stones at him. And so he passed by. He got out of there. But as he was getting out of there, he saw a man that was born blind and he stopped. He's not going to let these Pharisees, these religious hypocrites stop him from helping. this person. And the lesson there we saw the other day, it's plain, no matter what kind of problems we're getting into, when we're doing something for the cause of Jesus Christ, be very careful to understand that God will take care of you if you're in the center of His will. You don't have to worry about those fellows with the stones. Well, as he passed by, he saw this blind man, and in verse number 12, after he was healed, we read these blind Pharisees, they said, who is this? Who is this? Where is he? Who healed you? And he said, I don't know. I know not. Well, because what? He's passing by. He's going to stand around while those Pharisees have those stones in their hands. And so Jesus just gets lost in the crowd there. Well, the Pharisees are all upset, and they call his parents, and in verse number 22, these words spake his parents because they feared the Jews. What words did they speak? Well, these Pharisees wanted to know who healed them, who's Jesus, is this your son? Ask him, he said. Ask him. He is of age. Why? Because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue. Oh, we can't be put out of the synagogue. Never mind that this is your son. This is one that was born blind and now he can see. Never mind that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has just healed him. Let's all be concerned about our religion. Oh, we can't be put out of the synagogue. What a sad day it was for this person who had just received his sight for the first time. The religious people were all upset with him. His parents were more concerned about these religious hypocrites than they were his own son. It was a hard start for this fellow who had just received his sight. Well, maybe you're having a hard day. Well, if you're having a hard day because you dared to stand up for the cause of Jesus Christ, that's okay. His day had not finished yet. It says in verse 34, they answered and said unto him, thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out. They fired him down the front steps of the synagogue. Well, we read here in verse number 35, Jesus heard that they had cast him out. Isn't that interesting? Jesus heard. I wonder who told him. Probably some of the disciples. Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and when he had found him, ah, he's coming back. Never mind those stone-thrown Pharisees. Someone here needs me. He comes back, and he said unto him, Dost thou believe? What an interesting question. Dost thou believe on the Son of God? That's the first thing he said to him. Now, believe, that's what this book is all about, this book of John. The word believe is in there 46 times, the word believeth is in there 14, and believed is in there another 25 times. So you have a reference to believing here 75 times in the book of John. It's interesting, the word believe is only found in Matthew 7 times, in Mark 11 and Luke 5, and here we have John referring to it 75 times. Why? Because that's what the theme of this book is all about, that ye might believe. And so what do you believe? You're listening to this broadcast right now. Who do you believe? Do you believe Jesus or the religious Pharisees? Well, the man who was blind and now could see, he answered in verse 36 and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast seen him. He hasn't seen too many people, and most of the people he's seen certainly wouldn't be someone he wanted to worship. Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and is he that talketh with thee immediately. Verse 38 says, And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him. That's what happens when you believe Jesus Christ. Your life changes and you worship him. These people who pray a little prayer with no repentance and then go on living the way they lived before, no more saved than the Pharisees. Now here's the first thing that Jesus says to this blind man who is just. received his sight not only physically but spiritually. Look at verse 39. Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see, and they which see might be made blind." What an interesting message, his first message here for this young man. Jesus said, for judgment am I come into this world. That word judgment is a strong word. It's been translated condemnation five times. It's been translated damnation seven times. He says for condemnation or for damnation am I come into this world that they would see an interesting word. It has been translated take heed twelve times. And so Jesus is saying For judgment I am come into this world that they would see not might take heed and They would see might be made blind Well, the Pharisees are standing by and this is the reason why he's talking like this Jesus said for judgment I am come into this world that they would see not might take heed and they would See might be made blind. Well, some of the Pharisees it says in verse 40, which were with him heard these words and said unto him, Are we blind also? Notice the word also. In John chapter 8 Jesus said, You people don't know anything about the truth. In John chapter 8 he said, You religious hypocrites are the servants of sin. And so they say, are we blind also? And Jesus said unto them, if ye were blind, ye should have no sin. But now ye say, we see, therefore your sin remaineth. They weren't blind to the facts. Romans number 1 and verse 32 talks about those who, knowing the judgment of God, go ahead and do what they do. That's exactly what these religious Pharisees are doing. They knew the Old Testament scriptures inside out. They were without excuse as far as knowing who was talking to them that day. He's talking about them being blind, it says here. In John chapter 9, we have the word blind 14 times. 14 times you have that word blind. And then you have it one more time in John chapter 10 and verse 21, can a devil open the eyes of the blind? And so you see this whole portion of scripture is talking about how blind these religious hypocrites really were. And so we'll look just quickly at these first 21 verses of John chapter 10 and see what he was saying here, and we'll have to continue this tomorrow. He said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. Now, tomorrow we're going to look at what is the sheepfold, who are the thieves, and who are the robbers. Two different names here. Then it says in verse two, but he that enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. So we have thieves, we have robbers, we have shepherds, and we have sheep. And then in verse number three, to him the porter openeth. Now we have a porter. Who's he? And the sheep hear his voice, and he calleth his own sheep by name, and he leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow after him. Very important principle here. For they know his voice. Now in verse 5 he talks about a stranger. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him, for they know not the voice of strangers. And this parable spake Jesus unto them, but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them. Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. Very interesting. Look at it. And all that ever came before me are thieves and robbers. But the sheep did not hear that. I am the door. By me, if any man enter in, he shall be saved and shall go in and out and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I am come that they might have life, and they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd, the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep." And then the Lord talks about the hireling. Verse number 12 says, But he that is a hireling, and not the shepherd, who own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth, and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. And the hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and I am known of mine. And now he brings in God the Father into this picture. He said, as the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep. Now, in verse 16, he talks about other sheep. Very interesting. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold, them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd. Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life that I might take it again. "'No man taketh it from me,' he said here in verse number 18." That's important. "'No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have the power to lay it down, and I have the power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my father.'" Well, that was the end of his message, and there was a division therefore again among the Jews. referring specifically to the leaders here, for these sayings. And many of them said, he hath a devil and is mad, why hear ye him? And others said, these are not the words of him that can have a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind. And so we see there's a division, and notice how it works here. There was a division, and many of them said he was a devil. There's going to only be a small group, a small group. Others, it says, says, no, no, no, this can't be. And so there's going to be a small group, even among those religious hypocrites, those Pharisees, There's going to be a few here that are saying, no, this can't be true. That doesn't mean to say they got saved. They're just arguing with each other. But some sided with the Lord and some did not. Now, the proper way to study the Bible, or any portion of it, is to look at three areas. Number one, observation. Number two, interpretation. And number three, application. Observation is observing something carefully in order to gain information. Information equals knowledge, and knowledge is simply an accumulation of information. And so, that's the first thing we need to do, is look at the Scriptures and observe them, looking in observation. Secondly, in interpretation, explaining the meaning of something. And then third, application. Application is the action of putting something into operation. What is the purpose that this is written? It's not written just so we can get more knowledge in our head about the Bible. How does this apply to us? So we're going to be looking at that tomorrow. Be sure to tune in for our broadcast. We'll try to make it plain and we'll try to make it simple. You. so so