The True and Good Shepherd
Gospel of John • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 41:50
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· 14 viewsJesus is the good shepherd who deeply knows, loves, and gives His life for God's people!
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REFLECTION: Psalm 23
A Psalm of David.
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
3 He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
SERMON READING: John 10:1-18
MEMORY: Matthew 6:27-28
27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,
BENEDICTION / CLOSING:
Revelation 1:5–6 (ESV)
5b To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
INTRODUCTION
Last week we looked at the incredible miracle of the man born blind that Jesus healed.
This week, on the surface, it looks like a complete gear-change to the “Shepherd Discourse” of the gospel of John.
But this breaking the “theme” is not as radical as first appears.
The healed man has been treated with disdain by the religious leaders. He was thrown out of the synagogue.
The next thing the Holy Spirit has John write down is that THIEVES AND ROBBERS destroy the sheep, while the TRUE AND GOOD SHEPHERD leads his own out from the sheep pen and into his own flock.
Instead of kicking them out - he’s bringing them in.
Lest we Christians think more highly of ourselves than we ought (“have an exaggerated opinion of ourselves, let me remind you…better, let the Apostle Paul remind us who we ran with:
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
If that religious crowd would have still be in high leadership positions today:
treated unkindly
you would have been thrown out
11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
TRANSITION
WOW - What a Savior!
Jesus will use the imagery of Sheep and Shepherding in 3 ways in this passage.
1. The Pharisees are false shepherds, who destroy.
2. Jesus is the true Shepherd who leads to abundant, nourished, safe, eternal life.
3. Jesus will clearly point out the danger that the sheep are in without him. He will say, without hesitation, that He lays down his life for his sheep.
Now, there is a lot of sheep talk here…that’s not really normal for many of us seated, or streaming this morning.
SHEPHERDING BACKGROUND
Most likely what comes into our minds today when we think of shepherding sheep is a far cry from what everyone would have known to be normal when Jesus said this.
Shepherding was actually an INTIMATE occupation.
The Palestinian shepherd did not drive his sheep—he went before them, he led his sheep.
And while sheep were indeed raised by some for food and sacrifices, MOST sheep were raised for wool.
That means that a shepherd would typically tend his sheep for years.
He would call each of his flock by name.
The very existence of a sheep depended on the shepherd and his twenty-four-hour-a-day care.
Remember when Jesus used the picture of sheep without a shepherd, in Matthew 9:36?
36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
That was such a tragedy for the ancient mind to think of…that’s why Jesus said it. It was tragic for him to think of too.
(Sometimes I get asked, even by family...”Do you really need to be a part of a local church family to be a Christian?”)
Jesus never thought lone sheep were a good thing…then; and he still doesn’t today.
Jesus makes some incredible promises here…but He does it against the backdrop of negative things.
Jesus is the TRUE and GOOD Shepherd; and he uses False and Bad Shepherds to show the difference.
I’m going to group this text in 3 familiar groupings…(they’re not entirely original); but they are entirely natural when reading the text.
In the first grouping of our text, we see Jesus defining real/true sheep & shepherds.
We see a shepherd guiding his flock & gathering.
1. The True/Good Shepherd Gathers His Sheep
1. The True/Good Shepherd Gathers His Sheep
The False/Bad shepherds scatter the sheep.
Text: John 10:1-5
Let’s look at the way Jesus positively identifies things first!
(V1) This is the TRUTH! (Truly, Truly or Very Truly). Jesus deals in truth.
(v2) There is one way to enter - the Shepherd does it the right way.
(v3) The Shepherd has full access...
(v3) The Sheep know the Shepherd’s voice
(V3) The Shepherd calls His own sheep BY NAME!
NOTE: Palestinian shepherds named their sheep according to their characteristics. One might be called Long Nose or Black Ear or Fluffy. This shows how much our Lord cares for us. He calls us by our own characteristics, and we hear his voice and follow him.
(v3) The Shepherd leads His own sheep individually AND together to be nourished.
(v4) The Shepherd is concerned for all of them.
(v4) The Shepherd leads from the front.
(v4) His sheep follow Him because they KNOW HIS VOICE - they know HIM!
The Shepherd knows…and is known. And remember, this is no ordinary shepherd:
His knowledge extends into the deepest part of our lives. It even goes back beyond birth.
15 My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.
Before we leave this section, remember, we said, “The True/Good Shepherd Gathers His Sheep; The False/Bad shepherds scatter the sheep.”
(v1) They are climbing/ascending (anabaino) in - not getting low to the ground near the gate.
(v1) They come in another way - not the right way.
(v1) They are consumed with greed - they will steal and humiliate in order to profit.
(v4) They are actually strangers and do not belong. Since they are not truly of the flock, they cannot really lead the sheep toward nourishment.
True sheep do NOT respond to a stranger’s voice.
The sheep will flee from a stranger.
ILLUSTRATION:
Sometimes travelers to the Middle East have been known to pay a shepherd to exchange clothes with them and then try to call the sheep, but the sheep do not come because the sheep only obey the voice they know.
Even though sheep may not be remotely close to the smartest animal, they know their master’s voice.
I hear the Lord pointing us to the fact that the Pharisees that rejected him were not acting in the people’s best interest…just their own.
There is a caution here that reaches into our modern day.
DO YOU KNOW THE LORD?
IS HE THE SHEPHERD OF YOUR SOUL?
IF SO, You will RUN…RUN from voices that attempt to lead you away from truth and life and light!
You may not have a flashing image of “STRANGER DANGER” but you will respond just like Joseph did in the Old Testament when Potiphar’s wife tried to attack him…YOU WILL FLEE!
You’ll give it a healthy “NOPE” and walk out.
There is also a distinction to given to those who claim to lead God’s people.
Unfortunately, like the catholic church, protestant churches have been plagued by FALSE and BAD SHEPHERDS who may have had a title...
...they may have climbed some sort of ladder…
but they behaved, led, acted in a way that proved they viewed the sheep as a means to accomplish their own ends.
The text is very straightforward here:
Nobody’s words trump God’s Word.
God leads us by His Word.
We follow HIS direction.
We WILL NOT follow the course of this world of pop culture that conflicts with the beauty of the Creative order and the supremacy and sufficiency of Christ alone!
Let God be true!
TRANSITION
Well, the true and good Shepherd not only GATHERS His sheep...
2. The True/Good Shepherd Guards His Sheep
2. The True/Good Shepherd Guards His Sheep
The False/Bad shepherds expose the sheep
John 10:7-10, 12-14
Our LORD is no hireling. He doesn’t flee at the first sign of trouble.
It’s worth noting though, that he did withdraw himself from situations we red-blooded Americans would’ve liked to see him stand up for himself in. But He wasn’t trying to impress us! He’s not concerned with us LIKING or APPROVING His style - He has to remake us to even look His direction. :)
No, Jesus knew a great deal about timing, too. Every hill was not a hill to die on - but Calvary was. We’ll get to that in a moment.
Jesus is not going the route of the PROFESSIONAL RELIGIOUS RULERS - a friend of mine would often say in some ministry team meetings, “Jesus didn’t call us to be a bunch of religious bureaucrats here!”
Jesus mentions here that He is THE DOOR!
What is this talking about?
A friend recorded a story that George Campbell Morgan shared from his eastern travels:
He was one day traveling with a guide, and came across a shepherd and his sheep.
He fell into conversation with him.
The man showed him the fold into which the sheep were led at night.
It consisted of four walls, with a way in.
Sir George said to him, “That is where they go at night?”
“Yes,” said the shepherd, “and when they are in there, they are perfectly safe.”
“But there is no door,” said Sir George.
“I am the door,” said the shepherd.
Now this shepherd was not a Christian man, he was not speaking in the language of the New Testament.
He was speaking from the Arab shepherd’s standpoint.
George looked at him and said, “What do you mean by the door?”
Said the shepherd, “When the light has gone, and all the sheep are inside, I lie in the open space, and no sheep ever goes out but across my body, and no wolf comes in unless he crosses my body; I am the door.”
Some of you might get all the “feels” on that one!
But this is what our TRUE & GOOD Shepherd does - HE GUARDS THE FLOCK.
Jesus promises to guard and protect his sheep from those who desire to hurt them.
Remember what just happened: the religious leaders just excommunicated a man because he publicly confessed his faith in Jesus.
Jesus reminds them that God called the religious leaders wicked shepherds who harm the sheep.
The false shepherds of Israel cast the sheep aside, endangering their lives, but Jesus, the good shepherd, lovingly gathers his sheep to himself and then guards them from all danger.
He’s calling out the wicked shepherds AND the hirelings - the mere professionals who will cut bait and run when the going gets tough!
Our True and Good shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ, gathers the sheep that are drawn by the Father.
Our true and good Shepherd, the precious rose of sharon, the Lord Jesus Christ, guards his sheep…nothing comes to His sheep that doesn’t pass through Him first.
Finally this morning…it is right in the text. It’s the incredible truth glaring us right in the face.
While false and bad shepherds only look out for themselves and their initiatives...
3. The True/Good Shepherd Gives His Life For His Sheep
3. The True/Good Shepherd Gives His Life For His Sheep
John 10:11, 15-18
Let’s read that text together.
In fact, read this first verse out loud with me,
11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
The Bible continues in verse 15…(I’ll start in 14, for the complete thought)
14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
The Bible makes frequent use of this idea of Shepherding.
Many of the great men of the Old Testament were shepherds:
Abraham,
Isaac,
Jacob,
Moses,
David
As national leaders, Moses and David were both considered “shepherds” over Israel.
But these were all flawed men. Great patriarchs, but flawed men.
Leon Morris writes...
“A” good shepherd does not characteristically give his life for the sheep; “THE” Good Shepherd does. Moreover, the death of the Palestinian shepherd meant disaster for his sheep. The death of the Good Shepherd means life for his sheep.
When Jesus says he lays down His life for us…he is not doing this for his sheep to simply serve as some kind of example - throwing himself toward death in a grotesque and futile display while bellowing, ‘See how much I love you!’
No!
The Shepherd that lays down His life - doest it because the sheep are in mortal danger;
The only hope for their defense is that their Shepherd places himself in harm’s way!
In so doing, his life is lost.
In the shepherd’s loss of life...in defence of the sheep - they are saved.
His death means their life!
Jesus - our true and good Shepherd.
Jesus - the lover of our souls.
Jesus - the savior of our souls.
Jesus - the only hope that we have to escape the danger that awaits all those who reject God.
JESUS IS THE TRUE AND GOOD SHEPHERD WHO SAVES - BY HIS OWN LIFE!
And He knows YOU BY NAME!
He didn’t just lay down His life for a “people group” of sheep, or a nation of sheep, or a world of sheep...
NO, friend!
He knows each of his sheep personally.
He’s a personal shepherd.
He knows your strengths and weaknesses.
He knows if you’re an older sheep who walks a little slower now.
He knows if you’re a younger sheep full of energy and enthusiasm who likes to wander away and explore.
He knows when you need to rest and when you need to eat.
He knows everything about you.
And still…this True and Good Shepherd
gave Himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age according to the will of the Father
loved us and gave himself up without blemish to God... FOR US, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God
The Lord Jesus Christ - the Son of God and the Son of Man.
Sent into this world to be born of a virgin that He might be sinless,
that He might be born under the law, to keep the very law that you and I break day after day, after day.
Jesus perfectly met all the requirements of God’s law, and is ready to give His righteousness to us that we would have a perfect standing before God.
This same Jesus went to a cross;
there He was lifted up to die.
The sins of everyone who would believe in Him were transferred to Him while on that cross.
This perfect, true and good shepherd who knew no sin was made to be sin by the Father for us that we might become the righteousness of God.
The great exchange of the cross—the worst about me laid upon Him, the best about Him now to be laid upon me as He shed His blood upon that cross.
This true and good shepherd makes it clear that there is no other way for us to have a relationship with an infinitely holy God except through the blood of the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And it was by his sin-bearing, substitutionary, vicarious death upon that cross that humanity can be reconciled to this thrice holy God.
It was as if Jesus took sinful man in one hand, and holy God in the other hand and brought the two together through His death.
By that death He satisfied the righteous anger of God and appeased His wrath towards all who would believe in Him.
Dear friend,
The danger that you and I are being rescued from...
is NOT a bad day.
is NOT heartbreak.
is NOT depression.
is NOT trouble.
The danger we face is from ourselves…our own selfish bent toward self destruction.
but there is a danger far greater still…it is God Himself. it IS the wrath of an all knowing, almighty God poured out on those who would turn away from this free offer of the gospel.
It’s the eternal peril for those who would trample underfoot the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ - the only TRUE and GOOD Shepherd.
Hell cannot be hot enough for you to hear this message, to hear this truth, and to refuse the Lord Jesus Christ who suffered and bled and died upon Calvary’s cross to save sinners.
If you refuse the gospel your blood is on your own hands and you will suffer in hell forever under the torment of the wrath of God. You will be among the torment of the damned, and you will never find relief for your soul.
YOU AND I ARE IN DANGER...
But just like Jesus’ death is NOT the final word…neither is condemnation yours.
He was buried in the rich man’s tomb and on the third day the power that was inherent in Him—the Son of God—He raised Himself from the dead.
He came out of that tomb a risen, living, victorious, Savior.
He ascended back to heaven, He is now seated at the right hand of God the Father, and whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
He is mighty to save to the uttermost all who call upon Him.
Believe on Jesus Christ today - Repent of your sinful rebellion and cast yourself totally on Him for your forgiveness today…so that you might LIVE!
The preacher in Hebrews reminds us that He is working for us TODAY - he calls him the Great Shepherd
20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
And one day soon, this TRUE AND GOOD Shepherd will return as the CHIEF SHEPHERD
4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
There is NO ONE LIKE JESUS.
There is NO SHEPHERD like our HIGH SHEPHERD.
A Biblical Church is Jesus-ruled FIRST and FOREMOST!
The LORD is my Shepherd…I shall not want.
He is our shepherd.
He gives His life, while those who are not shepherding for His glory look out for themselves.
For your homework this week, you should take a peek at Ezekiel 34 - to see God’s stern warning to the False and Bad shepherds of His sheep. Then be encouraged that even in that stern OT warning, we find the Lord saying,
“‘I will rescue my flock...
I will bring them out from the nations...
I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel...
I myself will tend my sheep...
I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak...
I will shepherd the flock with justice...”
----
QUOTE: Francis Schaeffer (How Should We Then Live)
Humanism has no way to find the universal in the areas of meaning and values...Humanism has changed the Twenty-third Psalm:
They began—I am my shepherd
Then—Sheep are my shepherd
Then—Everything is my shepherd
Finally—Nothing is my shepherd.
There is a death wish inherent in humanism.
—Francis Schaeffer, How Should We Then Live?
With our Bibles open, we see the TRUE & GOOD SHEPHERD leads His sheep to LIFE...
He gathers us.
He guards us.
He gave His life for us.
This is what good and true shepherds do…and there is NO ONE LIKE JESUS!
LET’S PRAY!