JESUS THE GATE TO THE SHEEPFOLD
Lesson 2
Matthew 16:13-18 (AMP) 13 Now when Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, who do people say that the Son of Man is? 14 And they answered, some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets. 15 He said to them, but who do you [yourselves] say that I am? 16 Simon Peter replied, you are the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17 Then Jesus answered him, blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) are you, Simon Bar-Jonah. For flesh and blood [men] have not revealed this to you, but My Father Who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter [Greek, Petros—a large piece of rock], and on this rock [Greek, petra—a huge rock like Gibraltar] I will build My church, and the gates of Hades (the powers of the infernal region) shall not overpower it [or be strong to its detriment or hold out against it].
1. Peter went through four distinct stages in receiving the revelation of the identity of Jesus.
The confrontation. The Revelation. The Acknowledgment. The Public Confession
A) What confrontation? ______
B) What Revelation? ______
C) What Acknowledgment? ______
D) What Public Confession? ______
2. A) Is there any other way to enter the True Church? Y ___ N ___
B) Why do you think there has to be a direct encounter with Christ? ______
C) Will hearsay ever be enough? Can we ever tag along on the faith of our parents? Can we
enter the True Church by intellectual possibility or ONLY by divine revelation? ______
D) Why would there have to be an inward acknowledgment in order to be genuine? ______
E) Why do you think there has to be a public confession of the inward revelation and life change? ______
F) What do we learn in Matthew 10:32? ______
Matthew 10:32-33 (AMP) 32 Therefore, everyone who acknowledges Me before men and confesses Me [out of a state of oneness with Me], I will also acknowledge him before My Father Who is in heaven and confess [that I am abiding in] him. 33 But whoever denies and disowns Me before men, I also will deny and disown him before My Father Who is in heaven.
G) True or False When God deals with you by the Holy Spirit, you must either confess or deny. True False
H) According to Matthew 10:33 is refusal to confess equivalent to a denial? Y __ N __
Matthew 11:25-27 (AMP) 25 At that time Jesus began to say, I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth [and I acknowledge openly and joyfully to Your honor], that You have hidden these things from the wise and clever and learned, and revealed them to babies [to the childish, untaught, and unskilled]. 26 Yes, Father, [I praise You that] such was Your gracious will and good pleasure. 27 All things have been entrusted and delivered to Me by My Father; and no one fully knows and accurately understands the Son except the Father, and no one fully knows and accurately understands the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son deliberately wills to make Him known.
I) According to Matthew 12:30, is there any neutrality concerning Jesus? Y _ N _
Matthew 12:30 (AMP) 30 He who is not with Me [definitely on My side] is against Me, and he who does not [definitely] gather with Me and for My side scatters.
3. Read John 10:1-9.
John 10:1-9 (AMP) 1 I ASSURE you, most solemnly I tell you, he who does not enter by the door into the sheepfold, but climbs up some other way (elsewhere, from some other quarter) is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The watchman opens the door for this man, and the sheep listen to his voice and heed it; and he calls his own sheep by name and brings (leads) them out. 4 When he has brought his own sheep outside, he walks on before them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 They will never [on any account] follow a stranger, but will run away from him because they do not know the voice of strangers or recognize their call. 6 Jesus used this parable (illustration) with them, but they did not understand what He was talking about. 7 So Jesus said again, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that I Myself am the Door for the sheep. 8 All others who came [as such] before Me are thieves and robbers, but the [true] sheep did not listen to and obey them. 9 I am the Door; anyone who enters in through Me will be saved (will live). He will come in and he will go out [freely], and will find pasture.
A) Who do you think is the shepherd in this parable? ______
B) Who [or what] is the sheepfold? ______
C) Is the sheepfold a gathering together of the sheep? Y ___ N ___
D) Enter a door? Door to what? ______
E) What does Jesus emphatically say in verse 9? ______
F) Does He say, “I am a door”; or, “I am the door”? ______
G) Explain the difference. ______
H) Are there any other doors? Y ___ N ___
I) If someone got into the sheepfold [except by the door] that one is a? ______
J) Did Jesus say it was impossible to get in the sheepfold by some other way? Y ___ N ___
K) Is this talking about the assembling together of the sheep here on earth or in heaven? _
L) Can thieves and robbers get into heaven? Y ___ N ___
M) How can a thief or robber get into the local church? ______
N) Do they? Y ___ N___
4. A) From this parable – who is the Owner of the whole estate, including the sheepfold, the sheep and everything else? ______
B) True or False Jesus crucified became the door. Jesus resurrected makes Him the Shepherd. [see Hebrews 13:20-21] True False
Hebrews 13:20-21 (AMP) 20 Now may the God of peace [Who is the Author and the Giver of peace], Who brought again from among the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, by the blood [that sealed, ratified] the everlasting agreement (covenant, testament), 21 Strengthen (complete, perfect) and make you what you ought to be and equip you with everything good that you may carry out His will; [while He Himself] works in you and accomplishes that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ (the Messiah); to Whom be the glory forever and ever (to the ages of the ages). Amen (so be it).
C) Is Jesus also the only door to the Father? Y ___ N ___
D) Who do you think is the Doorkeeper [or Porter] to the Sheepfold? ______
E) If the Holy Spirit does not recognize you, your motives and your inner faith will He open the door for you? Y ___ N ___
F) Would you say that God has certain conditions that must be met before the Holy Spirit will open the door and let you in? Y ___ N ___
G) If conditions are not met, what is the only other mode of entry into the sheepfold? _____
H) If they would gain entry other than through the door what do they become? ______
5. True or False Any person before or after Jesus who claims to direct any human soul to God by any other way than that of the cross is a deceiver, a thief, and a robber. True False
6. If any group talks today about peace and joy and love, but they do not come by the way of Jesus Christ and Him crucified will their approach be honored? Y ___ N___
7. Does a thief advertise his intentions or identity, or does he operate in secret? ______
8. Is his/her message legitimate if he/she does not emphasize the necessity of Jesus Christ crucified on the cross for our sins? Y ___ N ___
9. Why would the world today dislike the fact that it is being forced into a place of total commitment if they want the benefits of being a part of the One True Church? ______
10. Why would the world not want to accept this uncompromising demand by Almighty God, [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] that you must make a definite, personal, public commitment of the basis of the divine revelation you have received from the Father concerning His Son Jesus Christ? ______
11. Why would the average intellectual not want to have to depend on God for the knowledge of Truth? ______
JESUS AS THE DOOR
SYLLABUS 2
”I am the door. If anyone enter by me, he will be saved…” [John 10:9]
After the “Light of the world” brings light to blind eyes at the pool of Siloam [John 9:1-7], the newly healed man enters into a heated discussion with the Pharisees and is eventually excommunicated [9:13-34]. Jesus then finds him and elicits true worship from the man – unlike those who followed the Savior around, thinking they had unique insight into the things of God [9:40]. This prompts Jesus to discuss shepherding and declare “I am the door” [10:7].
More specifically, Jesus claims to be the door of the sheep [10:7] and later on, the good shepherd [10:11]. At first it might seem strange that Jesus is talking about sheep and shepherding right after healing the man born blind. But there is good reason for a discourse including these metaphors. In context, Jesus is talking to the Pharisees who were the leaders and teachers of Israel. The leaders of Israel were often likened to shepherds and the people, to sheep. David, for example, who was a shepherd-king, would prefigure the ultimate Shepherd-King: Jesus Christ. In these verses, Jesus contrasts Himself as a true shepherd with the thieves and robbers who came before Him in the form of false teachers that included many of the Pharisees.
The focus of our passage is on Jesus being the door, and specifically, the door of the sheepfold [10:7]. On an average day in Israel, sheep could be found grazing in pastures and drinking from streams. Once night fell, however, the sheep were brought into the sheepfold, a structure commonly make of stone with briars atop the wall that served as impediments to thieves. This left the gate as the only proper entryway, and so a guardian was placed there to guard the sheep from thieves and wild animals. Oftentimes several different flocks were placed into the same sheepfold at night. The sheep were not lost, however, because each sheep would know his own shepherd’s voice and would come when his shepherd called.
Jesus uses this early image to convey two important things. The first of these is that God has a sanctuary, a safe place to bring His sheep, where He will save and keep them safe forever. Secondly, the only way to get into this sanctuary is through its one and only door, Jesus Christ. The only access we have to God is through Christ, and Him alone.
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