1“Most certainly, I tell you, one who doesn’t enter by the door into the sheep fold, but climbs up some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2But one who enters in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4Whenever he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5They will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him; for they don’t know the voice of strangers.” 6Jesus spoke this parable to them, but they didn’t understand what he was telling them.
7Jesus therefore said to them again, “Most certainly, I tell you, I am the sheep’s door. 8All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them. 9I am the door. If anyone enters in by me, he will be saved, and will go in and go out and will find pasture. 10The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.
11“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who doesn’t own the sheep, sees the wolf coming, leaves the sheep, and flees. The wolf snatches the sheep and scatters them. 13The hired hand flees because he is a hired hand and doesn’t care for the sheep. 14I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and I’m known by my own; 15even as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep. 16I have other sheep which are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will hear my voice. They will become one flock with one shepherd. 17Therefore the Father loves me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it again. 18No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down by myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. I received this commandment from my Father.”
19Therefore a division arose again among the Jews because of these words. 20Many of them said, “He has a demon and is insane! Why do you listen to him?” 21Others said, “These are not the sayings of one possessed by a demon. It isn’t possible for a demon to open the eyes of the blind, is it?”
22It was the Feast of the Dedication at Jerusalem. 23It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in Solomon’s porch. 24The Jews therefore came around him and said to him, “How long will you hold us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”
25Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you don’t believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name, these testify about me. 26But you don’t believe, because you are not of my sheep, as I told you. 27My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28I give eternal life to them. They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29My Father who has given them to me is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30I and the Father are one.”
31Therefore the Jews took up stones again to stone him. 32Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of those works do you stone me?”
33The Jews answered him, “We don’t stone you for a good work, but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.”
34Jesus answered them, “Isn’t it written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods?’ 35If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture can’t be broken), 36do you say of him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You blaspheme,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God?’ 37If I don’t do the works of my Father, don’t believe me. 38But if I do them, though you don’t believe me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”
39They sought again to seize him, and he went out of their hand. 40He went away again beyond the Jordan into the place where John was baptizing at first, and he stayed there. 41Many came to him. They said, “John indeed did no sign, but everything that John said about this man is true.” 42Many believed in him there.
Jude 3: "Beloved, while I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I was constrained to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. 4 For there are certain men who crept in secretly, even those who were long ago written about for this condemnation: ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into indecency, and denying our only Master, God, and Lord, Jesus Christ."
Even though Jude wanted to write about our life in Christ, he felt compelled to address the false teaching, problems, and assaults we encounter as believers. He wanted to write about the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus and our salvation in Him, but Jude says that he “found it necessary” to write exhorting them to “contend earnestly.” When he talks about contending for the faith, he means, “to strive in opposition or against difficulties; to struggle…as those in a race.” Strong’s Concordance speaks of it as “to struggle upon, appropriately.. with skill and commitment in opposing whatever is not of faith.” I always hate to bring up struggle because it's not very fun to listen to, but much of our Christian journey truly is a struggle against opposition. So why is that? Why does it never let up? Scripture gives us the answer,
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (Ephesians 6:12, KJV).
For our entire lives, we will be in a wrestling match with the rulers of darkness in this world. We will never be done contending for the faith. There will be attacks on the gospel until we go home to be with the Lord. You might be wondering why we must contend for the faith. Well, for one thing, we contend for the faith because it is the truth. Truth is valuable to all men, and it takes men out of bondage. The truth of God’s Word is what will set us free. “32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32, NKJV). It is the truth of Christ crucified and raised that sets us free. It not only frees us from damnation, but it frees us from the power of sin in our lives.
One reason we must contend for the gospel is the freedom or deliverance it offers. It is constantly under attack. The enemy desires to kill, steal, and destroy, but Jesus offers an abundant life (John 10:10). Jude tells us to “contend for the gospel.” It is interesting that Jude is not telling us to “contend for the truth.” By that, I mean that we don’t have to get wrapped up in every current fight for what is true. If we do, all we will be doing is fighting for the truth. Truth is based on objective facts and reality - not imagination or illusion. There are so many untruths and so much false information in society and culture today that if we get wrapped up in fighting on every front, we risk losing sight of the gospel itself. We can become so distracted in fighting every untruth in society that we’ll be sidetracked from THE FAITH that we are told to contend for: Christ crucified, buried, and raised from the dead as the payment for our sins on the cross. Here are just some of the truths of the faith for which we must contend: The proclamation of that blessed hope of Jesus coming again. He will come back for His bride, and then He’ll come at the last battle, the Battle of Armageddon. He will gather His own unto Himself. Wow! That’s something to hope for. These are the things for which we must contend. Let’s not get caught up in fighting every battle on every hill.