RESTORATION
AND THE GREAT DOOR OF THE SHEEPFOLD
May 13, 2012
MF Blume
John 10:22-23 KJV And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the
dedication, and it was winter. (23) And Jesus walked in the
temple in Solomon's porch.
John 10 is the chapter where Jesus speaks of Himself as the great DOOR
of the SHEEPFOLD and of the Sheep that follow His voice and do not
listen to strangers’ voices.
The chapter begins like this:
John 10:1-5 KJV 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. (2) But he that entereth in
by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. (3) To him the
porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own
sheep by name, and leadeth them out. (4) And when he
putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow
him: for they know his voice. (5) And a stranger will they
not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of
strangers.
The listeners are not really getting what he is trying to relate to
them, …
John 10:6-9 KJV This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they
understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.
(7) Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto
you, I am the door of the sheep. (8) All that ever came
before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear
them. (9) I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he
shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
He only said one had to enter by the door into the sheepfold or else be
a thief and robber.
· Then he later explained he was the door that
he referred to.
· We enter BY HIM and are SAVED.
· So we learn about SALVATION here.
He spoke of the thief coming to steal, kill and destroy, BUT JESUS CAME
TO GIVE LIFE.
· The WOLF is the thief that comes to steal
and kill.
· The hireling is also mentioned, who flees
when the wolf comes so that the wolf can catch them and scatter them.
John 10:10-13 KJV The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to
kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that
they might have it more abundantly. (11) I am the good
shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
(12) But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own
the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and
fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
(13) The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth
not for the sheep.
He also spoke of other sheep not of that fold that HE would bring to
make them all one fold.
Notice the order of statements he makes:
John 10:16-18 KJV 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. (17) Therefore doth my
Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it
again. (18) No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of
myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.
This commandment have I received of my Father.
After he says he will get more sheep and bring them and make them all
one fold, he says THAT IS WHY THE FATHER LOVES HIM.
· And he explains HOW he brings these other
sheep in and makes them all one by saying HE LAYS HIS LIFE DOWN AND
TAKES IT UP AGAIN.
· This is the death and resurrection of the
work of the cross.
Then we read of a DIVISION amongst the people.
· His words always split people into two
groups.
· You see this in the previous chapter 9 when
the blind man is healed.
· He did things to separate LIGHT FROM
DARKNESS.
In the previous chapter, he told a blind man to wash his eyes in the
pool of Siloam.
· The man is told this so Jesus is not present
when healed so the man does not see him because it was to prove
something out later when he would see Jesus.
· The man is healed, and suddenly some reject
the miracle and others accept it!
· The man himself says he was blond and now
could see.
· That’s all he knew about the whole
ordeal.
Jesus then catches up with him and says he heard about the Pharisees
threw him out.
· The man asks who the son of God is so he can
believe on him.
· Jesus explains he is the one!
John 9:38-39 KJV And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped
him. (39) And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this
world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might
be made blind.
This means that those who did not see would see, like the man born
blind.
· And those who claimed they saw, would
actually be made blind and reject Him.
· JESUS is the light.
· If you never knew LIGHT OF TRUTH and then it
comes to you, you accept it.
· Those who claim they see light of truth, but
never met Jesus, and then actually are presented with it, reject it.
Just as a DIVISION OCCURRED over the blind man’s healing, showing
who would really accept truth when shown to their face, and who would
reject it, we see this phrase over the discussion of the SHEEP.
John 10:17-21 KJV Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay
down my life, that I might take it again. (18) No man
taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it
down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I
received of my Father. (19) There was a division therefore
again among the Jews for these sayings. (20) And many of
them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?
(21) Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a
devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind?
SHEEP HEAR HIS VOICE.
· They follow Him.
· Those who are BLIND are those who reject Him.
THEN WE READ THIS REMARKABLE LITTLE NOTE THAT WOULD NOT BE IN OUR
BIBLES IF GOD DID NOT HAVE A MESSAGE CONCERNING THESE DETAILS.
John 10:22-23 KJV And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the
dedication, and it was winter. (23) And Jesus walked in the
temple in Solomon's porch.
After these details, we read of people challenging Jesus to tell them
plainly if he is the Christ/Messiah or not.
John 10:24-27 KJV Then came the Jews round about him, and said
unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ,
tell us plainly. (25) Jesus answered them, I told you, and
ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear
witness of me. (26) But ye believe not, because ye are not
of my sheep, as I said unto you. (27) My sheep hear my
voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
He goes back to the issue beforehand about SHEEP who recognize his
voice.
· The ones who CAN SEE LIGHT while others
reject it.
· He said they were not his sheep since they
were not getting his teachings.
John 10:28 KJV And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall
never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
He gives them eternal life.
Let me explain what the FEAST DEDICATION and Solomon’s porch were.
Both of them have to do with the temple where Jesus was at.
Between the old and new testaments, Antiochus Epiphanes came down to
Jerusalem because he heard how the Jews thought he was dead and
rejoiced.
· He killed 40,000 Jews in three days.
· Sold 40,000 others for slaves.
· Then he took a swine and sacrificed this
UNCLEAN ANIMAL on the holy brazen altar of the temple’s
outercourt.
· He commanded broth be made of the
swine’s flesh and sprinkled it all over the temple,
ABSOLUTELY POLLUTING IT with what the bible said was an UNCLEAN BEAST.
· For three years the temple lay in ruin and
defilement.
Three years later to the EXACT DAY when Antiochus polluted the temple,
25th of Chisleu, JUDAS MACCABAEUS set out to RENOVATE THE TEMPLE and
CLEANSE IT.
· They saw that the oil of the temple’s
candlesticks was all desecrated except for ONE VIAL SEALED WITH HE HIGH
PRIEST’S SEAL.
· One vial was only enough light for ONE DAY!
· They lit the candlesticks and a miracle
occurred.
· OIL ENOUGH FOR ONE DAY’S WORTH OF
LIGHT KEPT BURNING FOR 8 DAYS until they were able to squeeze olives
and get enough fresh oil to supply the candlesticks!
· They made a FEAST out of this and honoured
the MIRACLE FROM GOD of the oil burning supernaturally for 8 days.
· HANUKKAH means DEDICATION.
· The TEMPLE was renovated and rededicated to
God!
· They have a HANUKKIA, distinguishing it from
the MENORAH, with 8 candles and a 9th.
· The 9th is what they light all eight from
and from no other light source.
Jesus was IN THE TEMPLE ON ONE OF THOSE 8 DAYS.
· To this day, Jews honour the miracle in
November and December, for 8 days while they light candles in the
DOORWAYS OF THEIR HOUSES.
· JESUS SAID HE IS THE DOOR!
· Jesus was honouring that FEAST by being at
the temple DURING THAT FEAST, letting us know that the miracle was a
genuine miracle of God, though it occurred after the Old Testament was
written and not include in the FEASTS THAT MOSES COMMANDED in Leviticus.
He is the LIGHT source from which we LIGHT OUR LIVES and becomes LIGHTS.
FEAST OF LIGHTS!
James 1:17 KJV Every good gift and every perfect gift is from
above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no
variableness, neither shadow of turning.
These lights are in the DOORS OF THE PEOPLE’S HOMES!
· LIGHT AT THE DOOR!
· Jesus is the DOOR!
Jesus was also in SOLOMON’s PORCH, which Josephus claimed was
part of the ORIGINAL TEMPLE OF SOLOMON.
· So we have Jesus on a feast that was
honouring a miracle that allowed the men to RESTORE THE TEMPLE that was
desecrated and profaned by sacrifice of a swine, in the part of the
temple that was from the ORIGINAL TEMPLE OF SOLOMON, since this was the
third temple since in Jesus’ day.
· And he just finished talking about TRUE
SHEEP FOLLOWING HIS VOICE and getting eternal life.
· He spoke about BEING THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD
where SOME accepted him and others rejected Him, and BEING THE DOOR
INTO THE SHEEPFOLD.
· Hanukkah is called FEAST OF LIGHTS because
of all the candles being lit in Jewish homes.
IT IS BY TRUTH OR LIGHT THAT JESUS BRINGS US INTO HIS SHEEPFOLD.
· We come INTO HIS TEMPLE and as JUDAS
MACCABAEUS saw supernatural light occur so the people knew they were in
God’s will in cleansing the temple, giving them light to do so.
· JESUS IS OUR LIGHT THAT GIVES US LIGHT
OF TRUTH TO RENOVATE OUR LIVES and make us temples of the Holy Ghost!
That ORIGINAL part of the temple of God called Solomon’s porch
reminds us of the ORIGINAL PATTERN FOR THE TEMPLE in the GARDEN OF EDEN!
· He came to GIVE US LIFE, He said in verse 10!
· Tree of life in the Garden of Eden!
He takes lives born blind as in chapter 9, and makes us SEE THE LIGHT
so RENOVATION CAN OCCUR IN OUR LIVES and He can RESTORE US to be the
temple He originally wanted.
· He’s in the PORCH, that grand ENTRANCE
of the temple –part of the original temple!
· HE IS THE DOOR!
His WORD renovates your lives and makes you HOLY TEMPLES FOR GOD.
· His Sheep are the ones who HEAR THAT VOICE
AND SEE THAT LIGHT that divides everyone into either one of those sheep
or one who is in darkness who rejects Him!
It matters not where you came from and what life you lived.
· When light comes to you and people divide
over the light, YOU MIGHT BE ONE OF THE SHEEP IN GLORY FOR ETERNITY IN
THE END and be one who takes that light and believes on Jesus and
follows Him!
It was the very same day the temple was desecrated, three years later,
that it began to be CLEANSED.
· This makes me think of how God takes a
person who started out desecrated and ruined, and on the same day when
the desecration occurred, renovates you.
· Renovating the temple on the same day three
years later after it was desecrated is like going back to the precise
point when trouble began, and making you new all over again!
John 10:31-32 KJV Then the Jews took up stones again to stone
him. (32) Jesus answered them, Many good works have I
shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?
John 10:39-42 KJV Therefore they sought again to take him: but he
escaped out of their hand, (40) And went away again beyond
Jordan into the place where John at first baptized; and there he
abode. (41) And many resorted unto him, and said, John did
no miracle: but all things that John spake of this man were true.
(42) And many believed on him there.
Back to beginnings again! Where many believed on Him!
· Where ENTRANCE into the PROMISED LAND
occurred! JORDAN!