Dear Friends,
It was an excellent piece of advice that a preacher once gave to his congregation with regards to their reading and study of the Word of God; “Whenever you see a ‘therefore,’” he told them, “always look and see what it's there for.” In other words, the “therefores” of the Word of God point us to the conclusions of the lessons and truths that have gone before; and to understand the concluding word, it is always necessary to look back to what has gone before. In our sermons in John's gospel here in Inverness, when we recently came to what must be surely one of the most amazing “therefores” in the whole of the Bible. It occurs in the seventeenth verse of chapter ten and belongs to our Lord's conclusion of the whole truth that He has been setting forth in the allegory of the Good Shepherd.
He has begun that allegory by showing Himself to be the “Rightful” Shepherd to the nation of Israel who has come to call His elect people out of that nation. He is the One to Whom “the porter opens,” and whose voice the sheep hear and follow out of that “sheepfold” and into another more glorious fold, or flock that He has come to gather. The way “out” of that fold of Israel, and “into” the fold of God is by Him alone, for He goes on to explain that, not only is He the Rightful Shepherd of those sheep, but He is the Rightful “Door”, as well. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.” And not only the Door to give access to God for the natural-born Israelite, but for the men and women of every kindred and tongue and nation under heaven – “I am the door,” He says again, “by me, if any man enter in, he shall be saved.”
Our Lord of course, is speaking about His great work of coming to this earth to redeem fallen mankind to His Father in Heaven; and as the gospel has been ordained “to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile,” so our Lord begins with Himself, first, as the shepherd and Door to Israel, before He moves on to show the full extent of His saving work wrought out upon the earth. “I am the door, by me, if any man enter in …” And so, too, with the picture of the Shepherd: “I am the good shepherd, the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep … and other sheep I have, which are not ofthis fold: them also I must bring and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.” Needless to say, that “One Shepherd” is our Lord Jesus Christ, and that “one fold” is the Church of Christ – bought and redeemed and saved from all the world through the work of the Good Shepherd who “lays down his life” for the gathering of that church. Then comes the “amazing therefore” that we mentioned in verse 17; “Therefore,” Says our Lord, “doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life.”
What an amazing word, my friends! The language, of course, is accommodated to our understanding, but it is meant to leave our understanding absolutely clear, with regards to what our Saviour wishes us to grasp. God the Father always loved His Son; this, surely, goes without saying. But, our Lord is unmistakably saying that His Father's love towards Him rose to its highest heights when He stooped to the sacrificial death of the Cross and offered Himself an atonement for the Church of the Firstborn of God! “Therefore,” says our Saviour. And what is he about to conclude? He is about to conclude His allegory of Himself as the Shepherd laying down His life to redeem that flock of men from the east, and the west, and the north, and the south. And, “Therefore,” He says, “doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life.”
Never did heaven, or earth, or hell, witness such a purpose or work, or plan than the salvation of the Church of Christ. And how it becomes those who confess to know the Lord in these days to have glowing and thankful hearts that ever they were included in that eternally purchased flock, through which God would glorify His Son and reconcile fallen man unto Himself.
These are the days when the Church has been greatly downgraded in many people's eyes, so that obligation towards, or service in, or subjection to it is looked upon as something quite apart from “my own and personal salvation.” They are difficult days, without doubt, and the true church of Christ would barely seem to exist in some areas. But, be that as it may, regardless of how things have developed, the great essential concept of the Church of Christ as God's most treasured possession from all eternity must never be lost. In fact, we would say without hesitation, that one of the most potent forces in the very situation that has developed has been the losing of that very concept.
Once men begin to think so little of the Church, then it pleased the Lord to greatly remove the Church in so many ways, and in so many places. Let our Saviour's “Therefore,” therefore, be a balm and boost to our souls that there is nothing like the Church of the Lord in all the annals of time or eternity. Remember it has been purchased with the amazing price – “the blood of Jesus Christ” – aye, says Paul to the Ephesian elders – “the blood of God.” Surely, God gave His highest price, for His dearest possession. “Therefore, doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life.”
This Page Title – The Pastor's Letter – The Amazing "Therefore". The Wicket Gate Magazine "A Continuing Witness". Internet Edition number ## – placed on line March 2013 Wicket Gate contact address – Mr Cliff Westcombe cw@wicketgate.co.uk If you wish to be notified when each new edition goes on line please send an e-mail to the above address Magazine web address – www.wicketgate.co.uk |