| Bible Study: Thieves & Robbers |
By: Evangelist W.C. “Dub” Dellinger
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In John, Chaper 3, Jesus has already told us what needs to happen before we can get to Heaven. Now in chapter 10, verse 1, he uses a parable to drive home the point. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.” Jesus is the only way to Heaven. Jesus paid the price for all of us that day at Calvary. You cannot outsmart, cheat or buy your way into Heaven. Going to church, pretending to be a Christian, tithing heavily and saying all the right words will not get you to Heaven.
At your funeral, the preacher can say a lot of nice words about what a kind-hearted person you were, how you attended church and helped others and maybe even sang in the choir. However, the truth still remains. If you have not been saved by the shed blood of Jesus Christ by confessing that you are a sinner, asking Jesus to forgive you and come into your heart, by professing your belief that Jesus died for your sins, that he stayed in the grave for three days then rose from the grave and later ascended to Heaven, all the kind words the preacher can say will not get you to Heaven. Jesus says you must enter by the door and then in verse 7, He says “...I am the door of the sheep.”
Jesus tells us He and His Father are One. I write this so as to show that Jesus was not just any ordinary Hebrew or Jew as some would have you believe. He calls us His sheep and He the Shepherd. He says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” John 10:27-28. Jesus loved us so much that He willingly died on that old cross and defeated death, hell and the grave so that we may live with Him forever. Do you know that if you were the ONLY person in the world, He still would have paid that price to save YOU. If one little lamb gets lost, the shepherd will leave his flock to go after it. Jesus is your Shepherd and He will come after what is His. The price is paid! There is absolutely nothing you can do to earn your way into Heaven. It is a gift and all Jesus asks is that you accept it. Have you accepted Jesus as your Savior? Are you still trying to beg, borrow or steal your way into Heaven with the thieves and robbers? It won’t work. It’s time to wake up! Jesus says “TODAY is the day of salvation”.
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