Trick or Treat
Introduction:
As we get ready to approach a celebrated event this coming week, we all probably can reflect from the eyes of a child as we were excited to get dressed up in a costume and prepare to tell someone trick or treat. When we really weigh things up the holiday should have made all Christians suspicious. For, when we have to dress up and disguise who we are then something must not be right. Perpetrators have to hide their faces for they are not who they claim to be.
I. Jesus can call his sheep by name (1-5)
Basically when we look at verse 1 in this chapter Jesus says let me set this straight. Sheep are placed inside of a pasture that is enclosed by a fence for the sheep pen. Now, if anyone goes over the fence, or climbs through the fence he is up to no good. He must be a sheep rustler. The shepherd walks right up to the gate. The gatekeeper opens the gate to him and the sheep recognize his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he gets them all out, he leads them and they follow because they are familiar with his voice. They won’t follow a stranger’s voice but will scatter because they aren’t used to the sound of it. In other words the devils will sneak into your life not in a normal fashion and we allow him to come in not recognizing that its not Gods voice. Many wolves have entered into our churches and looked like shepherds but they did not come through the door but were placed in positions when somebody slid them through the hole in the fence by a buddy click and now we have hell in the house. In our lives the devil will trick us into thinking that ill-gotten finance is prosperity. We evidently did not hear the Savior when he was speaking.
II. The Record Set Straight (6-10)
Jesus told this simple story, but they had no idea what he was talking about. So he tried again. "I’ll be explicit, then. I am the Gate for the sheep. All those others are up to no good—sheep stealers, every one of them. But the sheep didn’t listen to them. I am the Gate. Somebody here has been looking for some treat but we have been looking for the right thing in the wrong places. Someone has looked for a treat through drugs. The drugs made you feel good for the moment. However, after the high was over the crack dropped you like a hot potato and you found out after all your furniture and money and clothes were gone that it was not a treat only a trick. A) Someone else thought that my key to success will be a really good job. Then w e begins to put our trust in our jobs and bosses. Jeremiah 48:6 6 Flee! Run for your lives; become like a bush in the desert. 7 Since you trust in your deeds and riches, you too will be taken captive, and Chemosh will go into exile, together with his priests and officials. 8 The destroyer will come against every town, and not a town will escape. The valley will be ruined and the plateau destroyed, because the LORD has spoken. They just got TRICKED. (B)Teenaged girls. This trifling good for nothing guy tells you how sweet you are and how good you look. Then they tell you if you them then you will sleep with them. Now lets get real. Nine months later you don’t seem to look so good any more and you have an additional member of your family. Let me tell you, You JUST Got TRICKED.(C)Teenaged guys. This greedy gold digger sees that you got things going pretty well in your life and you are a hard worker. They tell you high well that six pack looks. They love to ride in your whip sitting on dub deuces. They rub your head and tell you how in love they are. However, months later they have an addition to the namesakes. Then they get mad and don’t want to see you any more and when you find someone else you get the baby momma drama. Guess what? You just got tricked!!!
In verse 9 of our text in John 10 we find that Jesus says I am the Gate for the sheep. All those others are up to no good—sheep stealers, every one of them. But the sheep didn’t listen to them. I am the Gate. Anyone who goes through me will be cared for—will freely go in and out, and find pasture. How many of us are looking for treats from phonies. Martin Luther King was a great man but he was not Jesus. Yes some died for the Civil Rights movement but if they did not know Jesus they were lost. Elijah Muhammad was a good man but if you are depending on Islam to save you you just got tricked. Everything that does not recognize Jesus is a trick.
III. The trickster
A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. He will make you think he is giving you something but he’s really taking you goods. He gives you false dreams and takes your self esteem. He will give you phony toys and take your joy. He will kill your plans of happiness. If you are not wary you will find out he will destroy you. The wages of sin is death. The price you get paid for your good times is death. Everything good to you is not good for you.
IV. Some tricksters
All of mans life he has been dressing up playing games trying to deceive someone. I can recall in the Garden of Eden Eve was looking for a treat. There was a tree in the midst of the garden that had some beautiful fruit. God had told them not to eat from that tree. However, the trickster himself said since you are knocking on my door you shall not die. After eating and Adam eating their eyes were open. They had been tricked not treated. Then they tried to trick God by putting on their Halloween costumes. They put on leaves to cover up themselves. God called them and Adam said here we are but we are naked. God asked who told you so? Then later they have children. Cain and Abel were the names. Both brought offerings to God. God accepted Abels for Abels was the first born of his herd and Cain came from the ground. Cain got jealous and had a temper tantrum and killed his brother. God asked him where is your brother? He tried to hide behind a lie asking “ Am I my brothers baby sitter. God said yes and his blood cries from the ground. You cant hide from God. (A) Then I can see Jacob and Esau.
Twins are supposed to be closed but before they got here in Genesis 26 one was holding on to an ankle perhaps to play tricks later in life. Jacob was a Mommas baby. He was so desperate that when his brother got hungry he played a trick on him and made him give up his birth right for some food. Then when Isaac was ready to pass out blessings Jacob put on a costume and made
himself to become hairy to trick his daddy. Are we getting tricks or treats? Later the trickster Jacob will get tricked and instead of getting Rachel he got Leah.
Delilah tricked Sansom to get the secret of his strength.
Conclusion:
Then another man came on the scene. He said I am tired of all the tricks. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.
11-13"I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepard puts the sheep before himself. The sheep mean nothing to him. A hired man is not a real shepherd. He sees a wolf come and runs for it, leaving the sheep to be ravaged and scattered by the wolf. He’s only in it for the money. The sheep don’t matter to him. Jesus came that the sheep might be safe. In fact he did not have to pretend for he lied down his life for the sheep. No costumes and no gimmicks. They nailed him to the cross and many felt he was only a prankster. He died on that cross. Someone said boo trick or treat. I told you Jesus is a done deal. All night he laid in a grave but early on the 3rd day he got up with all power. The ladies came to the tomb and an angel said why seek ye the living among the dead he is risen. When they headed back they saw Jesus and it was not a ghost but Jesus. Now the trick was on them. He went on back to heaven and he left a ghost here with us not to trick us but treat us. He is the Holy Ghost. Do you want a trick or treat? Jesus is passing out blessings and he has one with your name on it.
