Latest / Dwelling Place: The Bible for Moms / #211. The Honor of Pointing to The Good Shepherd: Biblical Parenting, Obedience & Security in Christ | John 9–10

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#211. The Honor of Pointing to The Good Shepherd: Biblical Parenting, Obedience & Security in Christ | John 9–10 · Dwelling Place: The Bible for Moms

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  This is The Dwelling Place from Entrusted Ministries.
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  I'm Stephanie Hickox, and today we're looking at John chapters nine and ten.
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  Even if you've read these verses since you were a child, the fullness and the richness of Christ's words and His works provide us with much to ponder.
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  Jesus clarifies our security is in Him, that once saved, He is able and He will hold you As He explains that He is the door, we understand that He is the only way to the Father And He continues
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  to set Himself apart as the Messiah that did not create us for ritualistic religion, but rather came for a relationship with us.
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  These chapters show us what it looks like to dwell with the Lord and have our theology transform our reality In chapter nine, Jesus encounters a man born blind from birth.
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  There is not a single account in the Old Testament or in any ancient document of a person born blind that was healed.
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  When Jesus heals this man, it clearly displays He is the Messiah and He is fulfilling the Old Testament prophecies about Him And praise the Lord that Jesus corrects His disciples' faulty theology when they ask, Who sinned, this man
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  or his parents, that he was born blind?"
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  Jesus definitively states that the man's infirmity was not the result of sin And instead that God's glory could be shown in him.
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  Maybe you need that word of encouragement for something that you or your children are wrestling with.
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  If you've believed that it's a punishment or a consequence, maybe you need to be reminded of that biblical truth, that what you're dealing with could actually be an indicator of God's love for you and an opportunity for Him
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  to be glorified In chapter nine, Jesus issues another I am statement john includes seven, which is the number of completion.
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  And in making these statements, Jesus is certainly calling to mind the Tetragrammaton from Exodus 3 when God says, Tell them I Am sent you."
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  This title of God reveals that He is self-sustaining and that He always was and always will be Specifically, he says, "I am the light of the world."
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  And that's why he's healing a blind man to bring life and light to the man's circumstances.
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  When Jesus bends down, spits, and combines the dirt of the ground with his saliva, he's creating clay.
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  Does it remind you of when God created Adam from the dust of the ground?
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  Does it make you think of the prophets saying that God is the potter and we are the clay?
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  Jesus Christ, the embodiment of the living God, the one who created mankind and his very eyes, is more than able to cure them.
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  But this man's obedience is required before he receives the full healing.
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  He's to go and wash in the pool of Siloam.
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  And when he does, he's able to see for the first time.
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  The people are baffled.
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  They know this man has been blind from birth.
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  How could this have happened?
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  He's questioned by his neighbors and then brought to the Pharisees.
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  Because in Christ-like fashion, he brought about this miracle on the Sabbath.
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  The Sabbath is holy to the Lord and is to be full of goodness and joy and worship.
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  Blessing a man with sight is an act fully worthy of God's day.
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  Of course, that's not how the Pharisees see it.
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  They question him over and over, and question his parents too Instead of wanting to find this man who is capable of something that has never been done since the creation of the world, they are threatened by his power
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  and refuse to humble themselves Heartbreakingly, this man who is seeing the temple for the very first time and has had the world opened to him now experiences the synagogue doors being closed Because the Pharisees do the opposite of
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  what Christ did.
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  They cast this man out of the temple But Jesus seeks him out.
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  And it's the first time that the man gets to behold the face of Jesus Christ.
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  as it's revealed that Jesus is the Messiah Jesus' acts in John 9 show the love of God.
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  And in chapter 10, He gives us a familiar picture of what He represents and who He came to be This chapter contains two more I am statements And both are of undeniable importance I'll read much of the chapter
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  beginning in verse one, and then we'll look back together on it Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and
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  a robber.
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  But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
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  To him, the gatekeeper opens.
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  The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
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  When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
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  A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.
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  This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
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  So Jesus again said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.
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  All who come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.
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  I am the door.
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  If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.
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  The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.
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  I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
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  I am the good shepherd.
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  The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
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  He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming- And leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.
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  He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
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  I am the good shepherd.
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  I know my own, and my own know me.
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  Just as the Father knows me and I know the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep And I have other sheep that are not of this fold.
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  I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice.
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  So there will be one flock, one shepherd.
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  For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again.
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  No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.
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  I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again.
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  This charge I have received from my Father."
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  There was again a division among the Jews because of these words.
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  Many of them said, He has a demon and is insane.
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  Why listen to him?"
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  Others said, These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon.
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  Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"
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  At that time, the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem.
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  It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon.
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  So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, How long will you keep us in suspense?
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  If you are the Christ, tell us plainly."
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  Jesus answered them, I told you, and you do not believe.
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  The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me.
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  But you do not believe because you are not among my sheep.
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  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
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  I give them eternal life, and they will never perish.
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  And no one will snatch them out of my hand.
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  My Father who has given them to me is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.
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  I and the Father are one."
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  The Jews picked up stones again to stone him.
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  Jesus answered them, I have shown you many good works from the Father.
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  For which of them are you going to stone me?
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  The Jews answered him, it is not for a good work that we are going to stone you, but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.
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  Jesus answered them, is it not written in your law, I said you are gods?
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  If he called them gods to whom the word of God came, and scripture cannot be broken, do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, you are blaspheming because I said I am the
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  Son of God?
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  Jesus has shown that his care for the people is far beyond that of the Pharisees As Jesus explains that he is the good shepherd, they would've undoubtedly understood That he is likening them to the wicked shepherds in Ezekiel
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  34 and Jeremiah 23 They would be able to recognize that they were those that were being called out in Ezekiel 34 I'll pick out a a few phrases from verses one through 10 God rebukes them, "Shepherds of Israel
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  who have been feeding yourselves, should not shepherds feed the sheep?"
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  The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled
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  them."
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  Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord.
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  Thus says the Lord God, 'Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my sheep at their hand and put a stop to their feeding the sheep.
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  For thus says the Lord God, 'Behold, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out.'"
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  As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered and another rebuke
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  in Jeremiah twenty-three, Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture," declares the Lord.
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  Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who care for my people: You have scattered my flock and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them.
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  Behold, I will attend to you for your evil deeds, declares the Lord.
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  Then I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I've driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply.
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  Behold, the days are coming," declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.
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  They have just done what God rebukes.
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  they cast a man out They do not bring healing or restoration or blessing Now, Most of us probably aren't very aware of the daily life of a shepherd So there are a couple realities I want to explain If
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  we look at the history of Israel, God has continually used shepherds.
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  Abraham was a shepherd.
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  Moses was a shepherd for 40 years.
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  David himself was a shepherd This was a position that required strength and diligent care of the sheep as a young man, David learned to kill lions and bears to protect his sheep In Israel, a flock would have one
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  door and one gate, one entrance to get to the flock, and they would assign a gatekeeper to guard it.
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  And only the shepherd was allowed to come through the gate Mm-hmm.
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  If someone was attempting to steal the sheep they would have to climb over a stone wall to get to them That's why Jesus says that He enters through the door, and the doorkeeper opens the gate for Him.
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  He is the legitimate shepherd of Israel And there's a difference between shepherds in the Western world and in the Eastern world.
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  In the Western world, they drive sheep from behind however, in Israel, the shepherd would go before the sheep and they would respond to his voice Here, Jesus says several times, My sheep listen to my voice."
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  that's one of the ways that you know that you're a believer because you respond to the Word of God when you read His Word, You adjust your life accordingly.
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  You know His Spirit is at work in you because you are convicted and moved to action That's one reason that as parents, we're trained to call our children to obey our voices, because it prepares them to submit to
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  the authority of God as their Savior In part, we have the honor of modeling the goodness of the shepherd who wants blessing for the sheep?
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  And for their protection, for their good, they need to obey the voice of the shepherd There are several other pivotal truths that emerge from this passage.
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  First of all, Jesus lays down His life for His sheep He does it of his own will And that word for in the Greek means on behalf of.
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  He does it in your place Jesus died in our place This is what we call the substitutionary atonement.
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  Jesus is your substitute.
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  He atoned for your sin that you could never atone for.
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  Because He's not only the shepherd, He is the perfect, spotless lamb, He was able to be the sacrifice for all who call on Him and here brings up another question do we respond to God's call?
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  Do we have the choice to come to Him?
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  Or have we been chosen before the foundation of the world?
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  There's an illustration that probably came from Donald Grey Barnhouse in the 20th century, but was also quoted by Charles Spurgeon They explain the tension in this way.
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  Imagine a great door.
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  On the outside of the door is a sign that reads, Whosoever will may come."
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  As you walk through that door into salvation, you look back at the door from the inside.
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  On the backside of that very same door, you see a sign written, Chosen in Him before the foundation of the world."
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  So yes, God is calling, and yes, it's our responsibility to heed that call As we continue through the New Testament, we'll look at passages that confirm That those in Christ have been chosen by Him.
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  but we also know that it's God's will that none should perish.
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  And we'll study that as we walk through the Word Jesus said that no one can snatch the sheep out of His hand Who the Father gives him, he is able to keep.
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  If you've ever wondered if you've lost your salvation or if you could lose your salvation, find full reassurance and comfort in these verses.
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  It's not about you.
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  it's about Jesus' power and ability to keep you Our role is to continue to seek the Good Shepherd, to heed His voice, and to trust in Him And to believe He is able to keep us Do you find
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  it ironic that the Pharisees wanted to stone Jesus saying, How do you, being a man, claim to be God?"
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  When actually Jesus was God coming to be a man to rescue the flock But They don't have eyes to see and to understand that the acts that Jesus did were perfectly in line with the Father's heart for the
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  sheep when Jesus declares, "I am the door," he does not say, I am a door.
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  I am one door."
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  He is the door.
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  He is the only way to the Father but in incredible portrayal of God's vulnerable, persistent love of you, Revelation 3:20 tells us Behold, I stand at the door and knock.
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  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him And eat with him, and he with me Jesus longs to save and to rescue all who will come to Him He laid down all
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  that he was to sacrifice, to restore the sheep to the Father do you realize what a good, loving God you serve?
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  Do you understand the sacrifice of the Savior to bring you back into the fold?
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  And can you humbly rest in that assurance that Jesus is able to keep you?
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  I sang a worship song a few days ago Part of the chorus was, "He will hold me fast.
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  He will hold me fast."
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  it's my prayer and hope that as we read about the Good Shepherd, and we think about training our children to hear God's voice that we would strive to show them That we serve on behalf of the Good Shepherd
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  that our authority brings blessing and favor to our kids As the Ten Commandments say, Honor your father and mother that it may go well with you" What an honor we have to model for our kids that submitting to
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  authority is for their good And that through teaching them to humble their hearts, we get to pave the way for them to submit to the Lord Jesus Christ and to obey His voice as they grow and make their
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  faith their own It is a great privilege.
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  But it's also one we need him desperately for and praise Jesus.
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  We know that that's one that He will answer Heavenly Father We're so grateful for the way that your son consistently modeled your goodness and love thank you that you are not okay with religious leaders That don't love their
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  sheep, and that you are so radically different.
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  Lord, I pray for a deeply rooted confidence in your goodness to reign in the hearts of the moms that listen.
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  And I pray that out of the overflow of this trust in you, that we would be able to model to our kids delight and joy of following and submitting Helping them to understand That we are for them.
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  Thank you, Jesus That you were undeniably for us as you laid down your life on our behalf We could not ask for anything more from you But what I long to be true in my life and in the
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  life of these moms that I speak to is that we would be undeniably for you and for your glory That those that look in at our lives would see our gratitude and our devotion to our Good Shepherd.
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  You are so worthy It's in the name of our sacrificial Redeemer, Jesus Christ, that we pray.
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  Amen