Life in its fullest
Life in its fullest
So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. John 10:7-10
Jesus became clearer when the people failed to understand. He said, “I am the gate for the sheep” (John 10:7). After Adam and Eve were created, though they were commanded to obey, yet they still have to choose whom to believe. When Satan came and convinced them that if they would disobey God’s command they would gain everything. Their disobedience led them to forfeit being in constant fellowship with God. The loss of fellowship with God robbed them of experiencing His presence and the joy of living their lives for His glory. This is what Jesus is warning us when we allow the thief to rob us of what God has for us. From the text, the Lord Jesus Christ offers Himself as the gate that will protect the sheep in the fold. What He offers is salvation and security. Though the sheep can go out to pasture but it is God who keeps His sheep secure; no one can snatch them out of His hand (John 10:28). They are free indeed to be the person God wants them to be (John 8:36). The false teachers come and will deceive to lead people astray. “All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers” (John 10:8). In contrast with the thieves who came to steal, kill, and destroy, Jesus came to bring true life. “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). This was the purpose why Christ is God incarnate. This was set down in the prologue of John’s Gospel. Jesus is the source of all life, the light of man (John 1:4). It is life that goes deeper than the surface, it is life that penetrates beyond the material, and it is life that outlasts time. The duration and quality of this life are beyond measuring. Near the end of the book, John states that all these things are written that men may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and may have life in his name (John 20:31). In the closing days of His ministry, Jesus said, “I am … the life” (John 11:25; 14:6). Those who have Jesus will not lack life. Satan, like in the Old Testament with Adam and Eve, will be persuasive in convincing people to find fulfillment in the things of the world. If you believe this, you’re robbing yourself of what God has in-store for His children. Sin brings death (Rom. 6:23). Listen to the One who created life and who promised to let us experience life to its fullest.
Blessings,
Noel De Guzman
www.my-wbc.com