Living The Sweet Life
John 10:9-11
April 8, 2007
Easter Sunday
Chester First Baptist Church, Chester, Illinois Dr. Mike Fogerson, Pastor
Introduction:
A Today there will be enough Peeps ate that if all lined up end to end, they would circle the planet. (That’s a lot of marshmellow!)
1 In the early 1950’s it took nearly 27 hours to make a Peep and today it only takes 6 minutes.
a The details of how the Peeps get their shape is still a closely guarded family secret by the Just Born corporation that makes them.
b They’re also very healthy:) Only 32 calories each and ZERO grams of fat.
c You would have to eat 62.5 of this little guys to meet your suggested daily caloric intake of 2,000 calories.
2 Many of us have celebrated Easter for decades with these little sweet guys in our Easter baskets.
B Today, I invite you celebrate the sweet life that God so generously offers through His Son Jesus.
1 9 "I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. 11 "I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. John 10:9-11 (NASB)
2 There are plenty of doors for us to choose from with only one leading to the sweet life. (ETS)
a I hope you’ll choose (or reaffirm) the sweet life that only comes from the Good Shepherd. (Objective)
b Which door do you find yourself at trying to find the sweet life?
3 Let’s look at two doors we can choose to go through. (T.S.)
I The door of the Good Shepherd
A Jesus said he was a lot of things.
1 I am the . . . way, truth, life, good shepherd, Alpha, Omega, Beginning, Last, bright morning star, root and offspring of David, gentle and humble of heart. Here; Door.
a Not a semi-gloss lacquered piece of wood with a high-polished bronze handle.
b He’s saying, "I’m how you get to where you want to go."
c Dozens of Discovery Channel documentaries would refute that Jesus is the door.
aa They would attest that He was a great teacher and good man, but not God.
bb If Jesus wasn’t God, then He wasn’t Good because He claimed to be God.
cc John 14:9 "He who has seen me has seen the Father"
dd John 10:30 "the Father and I are one"
2 We have a choice to make about this door named Jesus.
a IF anyone enters through me
aa "if" puts a choice in our laps between "the" door or "another" one.
bb Any thinking person is asking the tough question about God’s sovereignty and man’s free will.
cc If God already knows then I don’t really have a choice, do I?
b C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity, illustrates the balance between God’s soverinty and our freedom to choose.
aa A child playing a piano, whose hands are guided note-by-note by the experienced fingers of a master pianist. At first the expert may play the melody and the child is invited to rest her fingers on the skilled fingers.
bb Then perhaps they change places, the child’s fingers working under the guidance of the skilled hands of the master.
cc The point is that God continues to powerfully work in His sovereignty, but His work always invites (or even demands) our participation.
B Jesus said through Him was salvation, freedom, plenty and abundant life.
1 This Good Shepherd looks out for His sheep; not to eke out a bare and miserable life.
a He is offering a full life with plenty of pasture.
b We find safety and we flourish.
2 As long as we stay under the protection and gift we can experience the best this life has to offer. That’s Sweet!
T.S.: You and I have the capacity to disbelieve and resist God’s effort on our behalf to have the sweet life.
II The door of the thief
A When we choose "another" door we find ourselves temporarily disappointed and eternally regretful.
1 In our text, Jesus tells us what is behind all other doors that are not Him.
a The opposite of saved, go in and out, pasture.
b Lost, slavery, want (v.9)
c Also given in the affirmative: steal, kill, destroy (v.9).
2 The other door holds death: death always brings separation.
a There are two deaths we can experience: physical & spiritual.
aa Physical: Your soul is separated from you body. (No choice)
bb Spiritual: Your soul is separated from God. (Choice!)
b All other doors other than Jesus lead to spiritual death.
3 The thief’s door wants to destroy us. (It’s what he does)
B In the Highlands of Scotland, sheep will often wander off into the rocks to find the sweetest grass & they get into places that they can’t get out of.
1 The drop down 8 or 12 feet on to a small plateau to eat the grass with the only outlet being straight down the mountain.
a The shepherd doesn’t go to rescue immediately. Rather he waits for the sheep to all the grass and begin to hungry again. May take several days. The sheep are faint, frail, no fight left in them.
b He’ll lower himself down and get the fragile sheep. Why not go immediately?
aa The sheep are so foolish that they would dash right over the high edge and fall to their death if they had the strength.
bb If we try to save ourselves with other doors (being good, kind, generous, honest) we are fooling ourselves.
2 No other door can lead us to the sweet life that only Jesus can bring.
Conclusion:
A There are plenty of doors for us to choose from with only one leading to the sweet life. (ETS)
1 We’ve looked at two doors we can choose to go through.
a The door of the Good shepherd.
b The door of the thief.
2 I hope you’ll choose (or reaffirm) the sweet life that only comes from the Good Shepherd. (Objective)
a Choice #1: Choose Jesus (saved, go in and come, life abundant)
b Choice #2: Choose the Thief (lost, slave, steal, kill, and destruction)
B Which door do you find yourself at trying to find the sweet life?
1 When I was a teenager, my folks own a shack on Patoka lake. (Literally a shack. Snake skin on curtain rod in the spring.)
a My dad and I went up to stay a night. (fish, eat, watch one of two channels on our little 12’ black and white TV)
aa I walked down the gravel road for ½ mile to 3/4 mile to a small secluded part of the lake with my Coleman lantern, poles, bait and commenced to catch some catfish.
bb Getting late but’s that alright, I’ve got my Coleman light.
cc The power goes off and my light runs out of fuel. (Dark)
dd I start walking back to the shanny and I’m scared out of my mind. (I grew up with all kinds of boogy men of the silver screen and I thought everyone of them were waiting to jump out at me that night. Snake. Whompess Cat. Bigfoot. Boggy Creek Monster, Aliens from outer space)
b I hear someone approaching me. (I take a step, they take a step. I take another, they take another.)
aa I hear a voice, "Is that you, Michael?"
bb I can remember walking back to the shack but I didn’t have another moment of fear, apprehension, anxiety, or doubt.
cc My dad would protect me from any chainsaw wielding masked manic; silver suited spaceman, Bigfoot nor any Cooper Head snake in Marion county would touch me now. I’m with Dad.
dd I was in the valley of the shadow of the darkest of midnights, but I was alright because my dad was with me.
2 When my times come to walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I’m not going to be afraid because the Lord is my Shepherd.
a When the darkness of death settles in and the faces of my family, friends, and church flash before the eyes of my heart I’m not going to be afraid.
b Jesus will gently say to me, "I’m alive, Mike. I’m going to guide, hold, and keep you. I’ve conquered death for my friends." Sweet
3 Which door do you find yourself at trying to find the sweet life?
a If your tired of beating your head against the door it’s probably because you have been at the wrong door.
b Jesus is calling you to the sweet life today. Will you choice the right door today?
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Mike Fogerson
