Predators, Prey, and Protectors John 10:1-10

Sermon for the Fourth Sunday of Easter

Immanuel Lutheran Church, Mt. Olive, Illinois April 26, 2026

Summary: The Bible portrays believers as sheep who are preyed upon by forces of evil. The predators come "over the wall," dishonestly disguising their goal of separating us from God and destroying us. Jesus comes through "the door," honestly and justly to save us from our sin. I contrast five examples of predatorily lies with Biblical truth. 

Video Link: https://youtu.be/GPuQ6S-zI3s

Introduction

     I saw an internet post recently in which a horse owner was appealing to motorists to slow down when passing a horse and rider. She pointed out that in nature horses are that they "prey, not predators," and their natural instinct is to flee when trouble is near. That is why a strange sound or rocks kicked up by a passing car and send a horse into a frenzy. Predators are naturally stealthy, and they do all they can to separate their prey from the protection of the herd. The prey are naturally cautious, and will quickly flee from danger.

 

     This compares well to the spiritual side of life. There are predators of our souls, and we need to know when to flee from them and seek a protector. This is why the Bible so often compares believers to sheep. They are the spiritul "prey" of evil. It is important to know who and what is trying to destroy our souls and who and what is trying to save our souls. In John chapter ten, notice how the verses go back and forth between the Evil One and his servants and the Lord and His servants.  Jesus teaches us the their approach, their voice, and the results of their efforts so that we are not drawn off and away from God and destroyed. This does not mean that predators are the only thing Christians should avoid. They also must face their inward sinful self. But I have and will also address that in other sermons. This passage and this sermon will focus on these spiritual predators.

 

Approach of Spiritual Predators and Spiritul Protectors

 

     “He who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way is a thief and a robber. He who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep” (10.1-2). 

 

       God wants our souls and so does Satan. Both sides use human beings to gather us into their respective kingdoms of either evil or good. Jesus calls the servants of evil “thieves and robbers.” He calls the servants of God “shepherds.” These thieves and robbers and shepherds work within different realms such as family, friendships, religion, education, entertainment, and government. Some families are blessed to have parents and siblings who are shepherds. Some families are full of spiritual thieves. Some friends are shepherds and some are robbers. Some pastors and churches are shepherds and others are thieves. Some teachers are shepherds and others just want to rob your souls of faith and life. I think you see the pattern here as it extends to elected leaders, singers, writers, podcasters, and so on. They all fall into one of these two camps: Either they are leading toward God or away from God. 

 

     Jesus begins to show us the difference between the two when we consider the approaches they use. The shepherds who want to lead us toward God come through the door. That is to say, they come openly and honestly. They tell you up front: “I care about your soul. I want you to know, believe and live in the good grace of God.” Spiritual thieves and robbers climb into our lives “by another way.” They avoid talking about the soul, matters of faith, and of God. They assure you that that is your own private matter and that they are not really interested in that. They claim that their schools are not religious, their songs and books are not religious, and that their ideas are not religious. But this is a completely false and dishonest “over the wall,” if you will, claim on their part. Everything in this world is religious whether you want to admit to it or not. Those who say they are not religious are actually hiding their religion. All people have a religion of some kind. They all worship a god of some kind. That God may be the God of the Bible, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, or it may be a god of their own imagination. All people have a moral compass. It may be that of God’s word or it may be the rules of life that they have chosen themselves. All people have a savior or some kind. It may be Jesus, or it may be something or someone else. The first difference between spiritual thieves and robbers and good spiritual shepherds is their approach – whether it is open and honest coming through the door of “this is what I believe and this is the God that I follow,” or, “I don’t really talk about things like religion. That’s your own private matter.” 

 

Voice of Spiritual Predators and Spiritual Protectors

 

     Next, Jesus says, “The sheep hear his voice and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers” (10.3-5).

 

     Last week I was working with the computer application called Google Earth. This app lets you zoom in on almost any part of the world using the technology of satellite images. Just for the fun of it and for memory’s sake I zoomed in on the city of San Diego, to the airport, and to the Marine base that is next to it. I saw something that had made a big impact on my life when I was younger. There is a huge rectangle of asphalt that you can see in the satellite image. It is affectionately known as the “Grinder.” On this Grinder on any given day many platoons of Marines are drilled for hours – marching in formation – “Left , Right, Left, Right…” “Column Right…”  “Column Left…”  “Left Oblique… “ “Right Oblique…” “To the Rear March…” and so on.  On many occasions the drill instructors deliberately march their platoons right next to each other to see if the Marines will follow their orders and not those of another instructor. At first I thought this was a big waste of time. But eventually I saw that they were simply inculcating an instinct – the instinct to follow the correct orders from the correct leaders. Every battlefield is full of confusion. Only the good orders from the good leaders can save. 

 

     Life is full of confusion. Satan loves this confusion and often exploits it when people don’t have the instinct to follow the voice of Jesus. Sometimes he even tries to imitate the voice of Jesus. For example, can you tell which of these statements come from Jesus and which do not:  “Go make disciples of all nations…” Or “Different faiths, like different paths lead to the same place." How about these two: “The Bible was written by men." Or, “God’s word cannot be broken.” Another pair that people often get wrong: “You can do nothing without Me.” Or, “The Lord helps those who help themselves.” How about this pair: "Follow the truth in your own heart.” Or, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” 

 

     The voice of Jesus is the voice of truth. It is the voice that calls us to repentance and the voice that calls us to forgiveness for the sake of Christ’s suffering and death on the cross. The voice of Jesus does not tell us that we can do whatever we feel or may want to do. The voice of Jesus challenges us to engage in the battle between the sinful flesh and the spirit of faith. The voice of Jesus calls out our pride, lust, deceit, manipulation, jealousy, greed, and indulgence. When we do these things, we remember the voice of Jesus and like the Apostle Peter we weep bitterly. The voice of Jesus also inspires us to faith, hope and love, to humility, kindness, and self-sacrifice. The voice of Jesus bids us to follow in His footsteps as He leads us to the green pastures and cool waters of His word which nourish and satisfy our souls. Our “grinder” is our church, our worship, our Bible study, our family and personal devotions. All these things inculcate the instinct to hear and follow the voice of Jesus. 

 

Results

 

      After explaining the different approaches of the thieves and the shepherds and their voices, Jesus explains the results of following either one. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (10.10).

 

     This is the key difference between the spiritual predators and the spiritual protectors. Jesus taught that the devil is a "murderer" (John 8.44). On the other hand, John said in chapter one, verse four, "In Him (Jesus) was life." When we dig a little deeper into the character of each ,we see why one is the murderer and the other is the life-giver. The murderer is also the father of, and constant promoter of sin. The life-giver is the Savior from sin and the constant promoter of forgiveness, faith, and new obedience. One leads to death and the other leads to life. We can use this distinction to avoid the spiritual predators of the world and seek the spiritual protectors. 

 

     Peter said that the devil prowls about like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5.8). Paul said that Satan "transforms himself into an angel of light." And then he goes on to say: "Therefore it is no great thing if his (Satan's) ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works" (2 Corinthians 12.14-15). This is what Jesus means by the thieves and robbers. How are the ministers of Satan, as Paul calls them, transforming themselves into "ministers of righteousness"? 

 

We see this in those who say:

 

* A child conceived in love is a child, but what is conceived by accident is not a child and can be discarded. The Bible says that God forms us in the womb. (Jeremiah 1.5) No conception is an accident.

* You are guaranteed health and wealth if you have enough faith. Paul, Christ's apostle, said "The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil" (1 Timothy 6.10).

* Homosexual behavior and same-sex marriage is okay because Jesus never addressed it. Jesus said "He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.'" (Matthew 19.4-5). God created marriage for a life-long union of one man and one woman. 

* All religions are willed by God and can lead their followers to salvation. Jesus said, "No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14.6), and "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me he will be saved" (John 10.9). While any religion may have some truth in it, only Jesus gives us the truth of forgiveness and salvation, therefore only Jesus saves.

* The Bible teaches there should be economic equality for all. The Bible actually teaches "You shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty. In righteousness you shall judge your neighbor" (Leviticus 19.15). The Bible teaches just economic opportunity not unjust economic equality. 

 

     These are just a few examples of the way that "thieves and robbers" attempt to draw people away from the God of truth and mercy to the gods of lust, self-righteousness, and materialism. They all lead to death and destruction. 

 

          Let’s think a little more about this “life” that Jesus gives “abundantly.” The word for “abundant” is simply the word “more.”  Jesus promises to give life and more and more of it. It doesn’t degrade, deteriorate or diminish over time. Rather, it increases and improves. It literally overflows. How can He say this when it is obvious that our physical lives are always declining from the time we are born? Jesus, the Good Shepherd, promises an abundant life because He alone came to take away the malady of sin that undermines and destroys all life. When you look at the list of false teachings that I just gave you, you will notice that they all focus on the abundance of the flesh, not the abundance of faith, hope, and love. Our physical lives are important because God created them. But if you really want to improve your physical life, you have to begin with the improvement of the spiritual life - and that means addressing sin through repentance, forgiveness, and striving for new obedience to God's will. We don't improve our physical lives, contrary to the false teachers, by denying sin, avoiding repentance, and not following God's will. I love this promise from 2 Corinthians 4.16 “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.” In Christ we are never just dying. We are always dying and rising just like Him. We have an “inward man.” We have a soul. And God wants that soul to live by faith in Him more and more and forever and ever.

 

Conclusion

 

     One of the greatest lies of spiritual predators use to capture their prey is the promise of freedom. "Come over the wall with me," they say. "Don't follow God's commandments or trust in His only way of salvation. You will have a better life." But the Bible and life experience tell of a much different outcome. Freedom from God is not freedom at all. It is slavery and destruction. On the other hand, the sheepfold, the Shepherd, and the pasture promise us protection and life. Amen.  

Grace Before Glory 1 Peter 1:13-21

 

    

Grace Before Glory
1 Peter 1.13-21

    https://youtu.be/IbFtr2RuF_Q?si=Qdsg0mOrZpKc5nMB

Introduction

     We human beings naturally desire glory. We want all things to be good, beautiful and heavenly. We want to win, not lose. We want to succeed, not fail. We want love, not hate. We want happiness, not sadness. There are different ways to pursue these goals. Most of them have some good in them. But today we see how faith in the Easter miracle of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead tops them all and will always remain the essential gift of God that gives us ultimate glory. 

Paths to Glory

     What are some common “paths to glory”? Let’s begin with a good work ethic. The Bible says that we should “…aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind (our) own business, and to work with (our) own hands” (1 Thes 4.11). We teach children to make their beds and pick up their toys. We hope this will lead them complete their assignments in school, show up for work when they get a job, and lead a productive life. In this way they can take care of themselves and others. Next, we can add being a good person and following the Golden Rule, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” which is found six times in the Bible (Le 19:18; De 5:14,15; Mt 7:12; Lu 6:31; Ro 13:9; Ga 5:14). A third important path to glory is marriage and family unity. David said, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” (Ps 133). Marriage and family are the foundations to life. Where these fail, life will fail. A fourth path to glory would be good government. Peter says in the next chapter of this letter that good governments are sent by God “…for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good” (2.14). Without good government, the coarse crimes against life would plunge us into chaos and destruction. God commands all these paths to glory, and we should always pray for these paths of glory: Work Ethic, The Golden Rule, Marriage and Family Unity, and Good Government. 

The Reason These Paths Fail

     Everything I have just said is really common sense. These four paths to glory are commanded in the Bible, but you don’t need the Bible to know them. They are deeply imbedded in nature itself. Benjamin Franklin, one of the founders of our country, wrote about them in his Poor Richard’s Almanac. They are good paths, but by themselves they won’t lead to glory. Why? Because none of them can address and cure the problem of sin that is just as deeply imbedded in our hearts. 

     We may start on the path of good work ethic, but soon laziness and covetousness will tempt us especially when we see others are succeeding more than us. We begin to think we are victims and that life isn’t fair. We may strive to love our neighbors as ourselves, but it becomes all too easy to pick and choose our neighbors. Is it the drug addict that needs our help?  Is it the unborn baby that just wants to live that we need to protect? Is it a starving person in another part of the world? No one wants a troubled marriage or a disordered family. But we get on each other’s nerves and say and do those things that drive us apart. Everyone wants good government, but when sinners govern sinners, there are bound to be problems. We have a temptation to turn away from civic duty in disgust and pass those problems to the next generation. The real problem with these paths of glory is that they are all missing God’s grace. Therefore, they lack the power to get control of sin. 

     The Bible consistently teaches us that sin and separation from God is the cause of all misery and unhappiness in this world. No matter how well you know the paths to glory and pursue them, sin will catch up and pull you back down. Worse than that, much of the world now denies the paths of glory and deliberately. They avoid work but want all its benefits. They redefine the meaning of “good,” so they glorify their base desires. They have practically destroyed marriage and family and deny that it is even necessary. They use government not to commend the good but to defend and promote evil. 

Grace Is the Key to Glory

     Peter was well acquainted with this world as we are. He was a hard-working fisherman, but he could see that hard work and striving for goodness would never lead to glory. The sin within and without would eventually destroy everything. It seemed hopeless. Then one day he met Jesus. It wasn’t Jesus’ intelligence, or wisdom, or power, that impressed Peter the most. It was His holiness. When the fishing wasn’t so good one day, Jesus told Peter to cast his nets on the other side of the boat. The nets were filled, and Peter realized Jesus was different; He was holy. He said, “Depart from me O Lord, for I am a sinful man” (Luke 5.1-11). But Jesus didn’t depart. He stayed. He stayed with Peter and the other disciples. He stayed with this world all the way to the cross so that He could bring the one thing to them and to us that is the key to glory – His divine grace. This is what he was saying in 1 Peter 1.13-25.

Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

          Pastors have rightly said, “GRACE is God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.” As Easter Christians we now have the true path to glory. We have the grace of the precious blood of Christ for the forgiveness of our sins. This is the hope to which we constantly cling. Every day as we walk those paths to glory, we now have Jesus, the Son of God walking with us. Peter says that we “gird up the loins of our minds.” This means that we prepare ourselves mentally and spiritually for all that we do. Our week begins with Jesus in worship. Each day should begin and end with Jesus in word and prayer.  We don’t just go to work. We don’t just assume we are being good each day. We don’t just get married and have a family. We don’t just vote, advocate, and serve for good government. Our walk is with Jesus, and thus our daily life, is a holy walk. When we work, when we interact with other people, when we live at home with our spouse and children, when we speak to or about our politicians, we are always catching those sinful lusts and desires that crop up like weeds but need to be dug up and thrown out with repentance and faith in Jesus. More than that, our walk with Jesus is always pointed toward Judgment Day. We “conduct (ourselves) throughout the time of (our) stay here in fear.” This is not a fear of being condemned, but it is a serious realization that we have been redeemed by the precious blood of Christ. Therefore, our walk isn’t “aimless” and destined for destruction. Our walk is destined for the glory of the resurrection of Jesus and the resurrection of our own bodies on the last day. 

Conclusion 

     When the Emmaus disciples were walking on the day of Christ’s resurrection, they were sad because they had hoped Jesus would “redeem Israel” (Luke 24.21). They knew those paths of glory since Jesus has spoken of them. But they hadn’t realized the one thing that was necessary for us to walk the paths of glory successfully – that it was necessary for “the Christ to have suffered these things and (then) to enter into His glory?” (Luke 24.26). God’s grace, His redemption through the life and death of Jesus, was the key to His glory and ours. This week, as you go about all your normal activities, remember the hope of God’s grace, His redemption, the gift of forgiveness, and holiness, so that you will live a holy life of faith and realize His glory. Amen. 

"Mary!"

https://youtu.be/WUt778sq4Sg

But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb.  And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.  Then they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus.  Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say, Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’ ” Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her. John 20.11-18

Introduction

 

     During our Lenten Season, in preparation for Easter, we've been studying the "Witnesses of the Passion." These are the people who were there when Jesus died and rose again. We've learned good things from Mary, the sister of Lazarus, Peter, Malchus, Pilate, Judas, and John. Today, on Easter Sunday, I want to present to you one of the greatest witnesses to the passion: Mary Magdalene. As we think about the impact of Jesus on her life, I pray that we would also be moved to faith as she was. 

 

A Woman of Substance

 

     The first time we meet Mary Magdalene in the New Testament is in Luke chapter eight, where she is described as one of three women disciples, along with Joanna and Suzanna. Luke describes all three of them as women of some means who were able to support Jesus financially. (There is a tradition that Mary Magdalene is also the sinful woman we read about in Luke 7.36, but there is no way to be certain of this.) These women loved to hear what Jesus said so much that they not only took every opportunity to listen to Him, they also supported Jesus with their money so that He and His disciples could reach more and more people with God’s truth and love.

 

Seven Demons

 

     Luke also tells us that Jesus had cast seven demons out of her.  She must have been very tormented by those demons, and so she was very appreciative for the healing she received from Jesus. Many people think they are free in this life, but if they don’t have the Holy Spirit and the gift of repentance and faith, they are not free from sin or from the power of the devil. The Bible tells us that Jesus partook of flesh and blood “that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2.14). It is good for us to think about how we are spared from the fear of and the dominion of evil through Jesus’ death and resurrection.

 

“My Lord”

 

     Mary’s faith in Jesus is one of the strongest we find in the Bible. She was one of the disciples that stood by the cross and stayed with Jesus all the way to His death. Whenever we find a list of women disciples in the Bible, Mary Magdalene is always mentioned first. She was the first disciple to go to the tomb on Easter morning. She was the first to realize that Jesus had risen from the dead. All the disciples called Jesus “Lord” when He was living. But Mary is the only disciple who referred to Jesus as “the Lord,” and “my Lord” even after He was crucified and before she knew He was raised. This was the beginning of the true faith that all disciples have. He is our Lord no matter what. He is our Lord no matter what the world says about Him or what it has done to Him. He is our Lord no matter what the world says or does to us. This is a beautiful example of the way we fear, love and trust in God above all things. 

 

Do Not Cling to Me

 

     Jesus spoke to Mary, but she thought He was the gardener. She did not recognize Him or His voice physically. Like all the other disciples, Mary had to go through a transition. She had to move on from the old way of knowing Jesus when He was physically present with His disciples. We call this the time of Jesus' humiliation. It is the time from His birth to poverty to suffering and finally to dying on the cross. Jesus went through this in order to become a sacrifice for our sins, to stand in our place under the judgment and wrath of God. But when He said "It is finished," that time of His humiliation and suffering for us was over. After those words in the Bible, you will see that no one argues with Jesus. No one tries to arrest Him or hurt Him. He began to be in the state of exaltation.  In this state Jesus rose from the dead and the soldiers guarding His tomb fell unconscious like dead men. In this state of exaltation that He commissioned the disciples to go baptize and teach all nations. In this state He ascended into heaven and poured out the Holy Spirit on Pentecost and Gospel began to be preached throughout all the world. In this state He is now at the right hand of the Father and rules over all things for the church. In this state He will come again on the last day. Jesus told Mary not to cling to Him because that old way of knowing Jesus in His humiliation was over.  We must hold on to Jesus now in a different way. How? How do we hold on to Jesus since He has risen and ascended into heaven? 

 

     I have noticed that if you ask any Christian this question: "What does Jesus want us to do?" I will get a variety of good answers. Some will say, "Love your neighbor." Yes, that is true. Jesus tells us that three times in the Gospels. Another person will say, "Tell others about Jesus." Yes that is true. That is the great commission. One day I was in Troy, Illinois making evangelism calls. I walked down a long street knocking on doors and inviting people to come to church. Finally I got to the last house and a very nice Baptist lady thanked me for what I was doing. But then she said, "Pastor, I bet most of the people on this street told you they were Christians." "Yes they did," I said. "But," she said, "On Sunday morning these streets will be empty. Hardly any of these folks will go to church." They knew about loving others. They knew about evangelism. But they didn't know about "clinging to Jesus" in His exaltation. The first disciples clung to Jesus as they sat at His feet and listening to Him in His humiliation. But how did they cling to Jesus after His resurrection and ascension into heaven? How do we today "cling to Jesus"? 

 

     The answer is in the very next words that Jesus told Mary, "Go to My brethren..." Mary and all of Jesus' disciples would cling to Him by clinging to each other, by being with each other in worship and fellowship. Jesus told them earlier about this when He said, "Where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them" (Matthew 18.20). Six times in the Lord's Prayer Jesus uses the words "our" or "us" showing us that Christianity is not as much about "me and Jesus" as it is about "we with Jesus."  St. Paul taught the Christians in Colossae to cling to Jesus by "[Letting] the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God" (3.16). 

 

Conclusion

 

     Mary Magdalene was a great disciple of Jesus. Though she was wealthy, she didn't idolize her wealth.  She listened carefully to Jesus and supported His ministry. When she was troubled with demons, she came to Jesus and was healed. She was the first disciple to see Jesus risen from the dead. And she was the first disciple to cling to Jesus by going to Jesus' brethern and telling them of the resurrection. I hope that all of you would agree with me when I say that I want to have a faith like Mary Magdalene. I want to listen carefully to Jesus because He teaches me to repent, believe, and live by faith. I want to go to Jesus with all my demons that trouble me in my life. I want to cling to the exalted Jesus by going to His brothers, my fellow Christians, and saying as we do every Sunday, "He is risen!"

 

     A couple of weeks ago we were talking about the importance of our faith in Jesus in a Bible study. We also talked about what life without that faith might look like. I compared it to a jigsaw puzzle that was missing one piece. What would you do with a puzzle like that? Would you spend a lot of time putting it together even without that one missing piece? I don't think you would frame it? More that likely you would throw it away. Mary Magdalene shows us a lot about our life with her life. She had friends. She had wealth. But she had demons. She had something missing in her life until she found it in Jesus. I hope you find that as well. Amen.