John 10:10 The thief comes not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life… Notice - I. THE MISSION OF HUMAN SELFISHNESS. We are taught by Christ that there is such a mission in the world. It is as old as the temptation of our first parents by that evil and selfish spirit, the devil. It was active in the world before and at the time of Christ, and to a greater extent afterwards. Every false teacher, every one that assumes Christ's position, or leads souls from Christ and God either intentionally or unintentionally, is pronounced by Christ a thief, and his mission is that of selfishness. 1. Its spirit and aim are selfish. (1) It is inspired by self-advantage. The thief comes to steal. What is the inspiration of the thief? It is self-advantage and aggrandizement. This is the inspiration of the mission of selfishness in every age. Its aim is self-advantage, power, authority, glory, fame, the praise of men, numerical strength, and predominant influence. (2) It is inspired by self-advantage at the expense of others. The thief in benefiting himself robs his fellow-man. The principles of honesty and justice are recklessly violated. The selfish teacher is a thief, living on mental and spiritual plunder; gratifying himself at the expense of man and God, and at the expense of honesty and rectitude; robbing man of his spiritual birthright, liberty, and manhood, and standing between him and the light of heaven; robbing Christ of his office and position as the only Medium of spiritual blessings, and robbing God of the homage and glory due to his Name, and of his throne in the human heart. (3) It seeks self-advantage by cunningness and stealth. The thief attains his ends under the cover of darkness in the night, when his victims are asleep and off their guard. Before the public he studies to appear as an honest man, but behind their backs' he studies to rob them. The counterpart of this has been and is in full play in the religious world. The selfish teacher attains his ends by stealth. He makes use of Christ to rob him, and wears the garb of holiness to defraud it of its reality. In the degree he deceives he succeeds, and deceives by the most consummate craftiness, and his true character is fully known only on the other side. 2. Its spirit and aim are murderous. "And to kill." (1) It kills the life of the body. If the thief cannot carry his booty by stealth, he will not scruple to take away the life of him who may oppose him. What killed the prophets, crucified our Lord, martyred his apostles, persecuted, imprisoned, and burnt hosts of his followers through the ages? It was this mission of selfishness in its varied forms. Is not its spirit the same today, and are not scores of precious lives taken away by this mission in the Name of Christ? (2) It kills the life of the soul. By keeping it in ignorance, by standing between it and its true life and elements of support, by lowering its aspirations and centering its affections on things below and not on things above, on its lower self and not on God, on the present and not on the future, on this world and not on the other, by supplying its wants with false and unsuitable nutriment, and materializing its affections, thus it is lost and stealthily killed. 3. Its spirit and aim are destructive. "And to destroy." If the thief cannot steal and kill, he will destroy valuable property. The mission of selfishness in the time of our Lord had not only killed the very life of the nation, but also had destroyed the spiritual food of the sheep with an admixture of human tradition and the devilish spirit of selfishness and murder. Thus in every age this mission poisons the living water and the bread of life, and adulterates the milk of the Word; and if it cannot kill the sheep, it will as far as possible destroy their pasture and spiritual supplies. 4. Its spirit and aim are entirely self-seeking, cruel, and destructive. "The thief cometh not, but," etc. The genius and history of the mission of selfishness are spiritual robbery, murder, and destruction. II. THE MISSION OF DIVINE LOVE. In contrast with the mission of selfishness, we have the mission of Divine love in Christ. "I came," etc. 1. It is a mission of Divine authority. The mission of selfishness was unlawful, and existed by stealth, robbery, and unrighteousness. The mission of Christ was legal and Divine. He came not as a thief, but as a Divine messenger, openly, according to the Divine plan, to fulfill the Divine promise and purpose. He came in the volume of the book written of him. He came in the fullness of time, in the open day. His appearance was heralded, and he carried with him all the credentials of Divine power and authority. 2. It is a mission of Divine benevolence. (1) Christ came to give. "That they may have," etc. If we have, Christ must give. The mission of selfishness is to steal, to take away from men what they have, and deprive them of what they may have. But Christ came that men may have; he came to give, to benefit the human family. He came not for his own sake, but for the sake of others. He became poor to make the world rich. (2) He came to confer on men the greatest blessing. "That they may have life." The Divine life, the spiritual and highest life of the soul, the life it had lost by sin and kept from by a sinful and a selfish mission. This life was men's greatest need; for this they panted, and nothing but this could save them from spiritual death and make them happy. Man's greatest blessing is that which will satisfy his greatest want. Spiritual life is this, and to bring it within his reach Christ came to the world. (3) To confer this blessing on men was the sole object of his coming. He had no other message. Every other consideration would cause him to remain in his native happiness and glory, and keep him forever from the adverse circumstances of his human life, and from the repulsive scenes and treatment of this world. But as nothing but his appearance in human nature could bring life to a dying world, he came, and this was the sole burden of his mission. (4) His coming actually brought the blessings of a Divine life within the reach of all. "That they may have life." He is the Fountain, the Author, and Support of all life; and when he came, life came with him; and whatever insurmountable obstacle there was in the way of fallen men to obtain it, he removed; and whatever strength and inspiration they required, he furnished by his self-sacrificing life and death. So that all who will may have it. There is many a mission benevolent in aim but defective in execution; but the mission of Christ, in inspiration, aims, and results, is most divinely benevolent and practically efficient. 3. It is a mission of Divine abundance. It is not merely benevolent, but most abundantly and overflowingly benevolent. "Have it abundantly." (1) This life is abundant in itself. It contains the elements of spiritual life in all their quickening energies, perfection, and fullness. For Christ is the life; he lived in our world, and laid down his life, and by his Spirit infuses it into the soul, and the soul by faith may appropriate it as its example, model, and inspiration. Christ is our life; as such, it is the highest life possible, and will satisfy the soul's deepest wants and divinest aspirations. (2) It is abundant in the means of its support. Christ, the Author and Model of spiritual life in the soul, becomes also its Sustainer. He is not only the life, but also the Bread of life. From the fullness of his life, and by the ever-active agency of his Spirit, the believing soul continually receives fresh energy and strength. It cannot lack for anything. The means of support are infinitely full and various and accessible, and are as abundant as the life itself. (3) It is abundant in the advantages and certainty of its perfect development. This world is most advantageous as the place of its birth, the cradle of its infancy, the nursery of its youth, and the arena of its dawning manhood. It finds advantages of development here which cannot be found elsewhere. The adverse circumstances of life, its trials and temptations, are specially adapted for its first exercises, growth, and confirmation. Its spiritual nature renders it safe from material weapons, and its union with Christ from the hurt of spiritual foes; and even death, which seems to put an end to all here, is made to serve its highest interests - introduces it to its native land, to the very presence of its Source, where all is life, where it enjoys the most congenial scenes, society, and employment, and where it reaches full development, and perfect safety and happiness. (4) It is abundant in the scope of its enjoyment. When this life outgrows the material conditions under which it exists here, it is born into the spiritual world, the final and natural home of all spiritual life, and time being too short for its full enjoyment, eternity is laid before it to enjoy God, the delights of his presence, the service of his love, and the society of his family forever. LESSONS. 1. We are surrounded in this world with religious thieves. These characters are not confined to the material and social worlds alone, but to a greater extent they are found in the religious world. Some things more valuable than silver and gold are stolen. There are thieves of souls, consciences, wills, and life. 2. We are greatly indebted to Christ for the revelation of the fact. In the light of him who is the Light of the world, the powers and works of darkness are revealed, and the mission of human selfishness is manifested in its self-seeking aims, its cunning and cruel character and destructive results. Thus we are put on our guard, and furnished with the means of defense. 3. The mission of human selfishness serves as an effective background to the mission of Divine love in Christ. At the back we see the dark shadows of the arch-thief of souls with his deluded emissaries, and their spoliations of cunning and cruelty. In the front, surrounded with a halo of glory, stands Jesus, offering eternal life to a perishing world. By contrast how beautiful and welcome his appearance, and how calculated to inspire gratitude and a hearty acceptance of his life! - B.T. Parallel Verses KJV: The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. |
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