<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>John 10;11-16<div><br></div><div><b>11. &nbsp;</b>(Jesus continue) &nbsp;<b>I am the good shepherd. &nbsp;The shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.</b></div><div><b>12. &nbsp;He who is a hireling and not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.</b></div><div><b>13. &nbsp;He flees because he is a hireling and cares nothing for the sheep.</b></div><div><b>14. &nbsp;I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me,</b></div><div><b>15. &nbsp;as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.</b></div><div><b>16. &nbsp;And I have other sheep, that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will heed my voice. &nbsp;So there shall be one flock, one shepherd.</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>We belong&nbsp;to the Good Shepherd. &nbsp;He purchased and won us. &nbsp;His suffering, blood, and holy innocent life was the price paid to make us ‘his own’. &nbsp;Luther, in the Small Catechism explains that his purpose in his own sacrificial death was so the we may be, <i>“<u>His own</u>, and live under him in his kingdom, and serve him in everlasting, righteousness, innocence,&nbsp;and blessedness.”</i><br><br>Paul speaks of dying&nbsp;for others saying, <i>“Why, one will hardly die for a righteous man—though perhaps for a good man one will dare even to die. &nbsp;But God shows his love for us in that while we were sinners Christ died for us.” </i>(Romans 5;7&amp;8)</div><div><br></div><div>W<span>e can imagine ourselves dying for a loved one, but if our enemy was dying, it is not natural to offer one’s own life to save an&nbsp;enemy. &nbsp;Film from&nbsp;World War II, shows that&nbsp;those who defended against suicide bombers in the Pacific, continued to shoot at their enemies even after they had crashed into the sea. &nbsp;Enemies are to be destroyed, not died for. &nbsp;</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>When Romans 5;7&amp;8 calls us ‘sinners’, it could also call us Jesus’ ‘true enemies’&nbsp;who still seek&nbsp;to kill him. &nbsp;</span><span>We imagine ourselves as being like&nbsp;those who were disciples who loved Jesus, but even Peter denied him, and they all fled at his arrest. (See,&nbsp;</span><span>Mark 14;50) When they thought their own lives were in danger, they deserted him. &nbsp;</span><span>Every time we knowingly sin in active disobedience or passive neglect of God given&nbsp;</span><span>duties, we show ourselves to be rebellious&nbsp;enemies of God who seek to kill Jesus. &nbsp;We do not want to think of ourselves this way, but it is true.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Even so, Christ dies for us, his enemies. &nbsp;This is the powerful love of God. &nbsp;This love has the power to transform us from enemy&nbsp;to friend. This is the&nbsp;love which God has poured into our hearts.</span></div><div><span>&nbsp;(see,&nbsp;Romans&nbsp;5;5). It is still working in us, empowering us to walk by the Spirit.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>&nbsp;He cares for us because he knows his love has the power to cleanse us and transform us. &nbsp;Even <u>before</u>&nbsp;we were his own, he laid down his life for us, <u>making</u>&nbsp;us <u>his own</u>. &nbsp;</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Believing he truly&nbsp;cares for you personally, individually, (even with all past failures and&nbsp;your sinfulness still tempting you to oppose him) is the source of your new life with Jesus living in and through you.</span></div><div><span>Our Good Shepherd is the Lamb of God, who lays down his life</span><span>&nbsp;for the sheep.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Prayer: &nbsp;Bless me Father to meditate on you&nbsp;supernatural, sacrificial, transforming love, for me,&nbsp;at work in and through me. &nbsp;In Jesus I pray, Amen.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Love,</span></div><div><span>Dad/Baba/Eric</span></div><div><span>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</span></div><div><span>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.”</span></div><div><br><a href="https://overview.mail.yahoo.com/?.src=iOS" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></body></html>


John 10;11-16
11.  (Jesus continue)  I am the good shepherd.  The shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.12.  He who is a hireling and not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.13.  He flees because he is a hireling and cares nothing for the sheep.14.  I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me,15.  as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.16.  And I have other sheep, that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will heed my voice.  So there shall be one flock, one shepherd.
We belong to the Good Shepherd.  He purchased and won us.  His suffering, blood, and holy innocent life was the price paid to make us ‘his own’.  Luther, in the Small Catechism explains that his purpose in his own sacrificial death was so the we may be, “His own, and live under him in his kingdom, and serve him in everlasting, righteousness, innocence, and blessedness.”

Paul speaks of dying for others saying, “Why, one will hardly die for a righteous man—though perhaps for a good man one will dare even to die.  But God shows his love for us in that while we were sinners Christ died for us.” (Romans 5;7&8)
We can imagine ourselves dying for a loved one, but if our enemy was dying, it is not natural to offer one’s own life to save an enemy.  Film from World War II, shows that those who defended against suicide bombers in the Pacific, continued to shoot at their enemies even after they had crashed into the sea.  Enemies are to be destroyed, not died for.  
When Romans 5;7&8 calls us ‘sinners’, it could also call us Jesus’ ‘true enemies’ who still seek to kill him.  We imagine ourselves as being like those who were disciples who loved Jesus, but even Peter denied him, and they all fled at his arrest. (See, Mark 14;50) When they thought their own lives were in danger, they deserted him.  Every time we knowingly sin in active disobedience or passive neglect of God given duties, we show ourselves to be rebellious enemies of God who seek to kill Jesus.  We do not want to think of ourselves this way, but it is true.
Even so, Christ dies for us, his enemies.  This is the powerful love of God.  This love has the power to transform us from enemy to friend. This is the love which God has poured into our hearts. (see, Romans 5;5). It is still working in us, empowering us to walk by the Spirit.
 He cares for us because he knows his love has the power to cleanse us and transform us.  Even before we were his own, he laid down his life for us, making us his own.  
Believing he truly cares for you personally, individually, (even with all past failures and your sinfulness still tempting you to oppose him) is the source of your new life with Jesus living in and through you.Our Good Shepherd is the Lamb of God, who lays down his life for the sheep.
Prayer:  Bless me Father to meditate on you supernatural, sacrificial, transforming love, for me, at work in and through me.  In Jesus I pray, Amen.
Love,Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.”
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