Christmas Eve (For Now) - John 10:1-18
Advent 2023: Why He Came • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction
Introduction
Christmas Eve was always a big night for me when I was growing up. My parents would save our biggest gifts for Christmas morning, but we got to open the “appetizer” presents that were under the tree on Christmas Eve. And, you knew that if the presents were good on Christmas Eve that they were going to be really good on Christmas morning.
Until Jesus returns, that’s a helpful way for us to think about the Christian life. Jesus has already come and given us the “firstfruits” of the gifts that are to come. Every day is Christmas Eve for Christians. Our sins have been forgiven. Our future has been secured. The Holy Spirit is comforting us and transforming us and ensuring peace takes over our hearts. But, here’s the Good News: As good as God has been to us on Christmas Eve, Christmas morning is right around the corner when we will enjoy the gifts that Jesus has for us in their fullest extent.
God’s Word
God’s Word
You see, John 10:10 says: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” That is, Jesus came so that human flourishing could be restored and so that all of his people would enjoy the fullness of life that God intended for them to enjoy. Now, this gift won’t be unwrapped in its fullness until Jesus’ second Advent. But, just because the greater joy doesn’t come until Christmas Day doesn’t mean that Christmas Eve isn’t wonderful! Jesus intends for his disciples to begin enjoying the abundant life He came to secure right now. So, this morning, I want to ask: How is Life with Jesus Abundant? (Headline)
You’re “known” and “knowing.”
You’re “known” and “knowing.”
In ancient Israel, there would be a central pen in the middle of the community called the “sheepfold.” During the day, the shepherds would all lead their flocks to various pastures so they could eat and graze, but at night all the various herds would come together in a single pen. They’d often pool their resources together to pay for a gatekeeper who would ensure the sheep were safe over night.
The next morning, only the shepherds who had contributed to the pen would be allowed in to get his sheep, but all of the different sheep from all of the different herds would be mixed together. But, this was no concern. The shepherd spent all of his time with his sheep, and the sheep spent all of their time with their shepherd. So, they knew one another. In fact, a shepherd would often name his sheep because of his endearment to them, and so he’d go to the gate and call his sheep by name. Then, they would separate from the rest of the heard and follow him out to their pastures.
And, this is a picture of our relationship with Jesus.
He “knows” your “name.”
John 10:1-3 ““Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. “To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”
If you stomp on an ant bed, thousands and thousands of tiny, faceless, seemingly worthless little ants ping about every which way. And, as you stand over them watching their whole world being flipped upside down with a single, careless step, you’re not prone to feel remorse. And, I think that’s how many of us feel God sees us when He looks down upon the world. Our world’s are being flipped upside down with seemingly arbitrary suffering, and it doesn’t feel like we matter. But, there’s something in us, isn’t there, that says we want to matter. Genesis calls in the image of God in us. Solomon calls it eternity in our hearts. But, we seem to intuitively know we’re meant for more than just scurrying about from one meaningless tragedy to the next.
You see, you were meant to recognize that you matter in the eyes of your God. His people aren’t faceless. You aren’t just another sheep that will live out its usefulness and then die. You’re his “own sheep.” And, He cares enough to call you “by name” so that He can lead you toward his “pastures,” aka “abundant life.” When your shepherd comes to the gate, He comes calling your name with affection and joy, looking forward to seeing you.
But, our comfort isn’t just that He knows us; it’s that we know him.
You “know” his “voice.”
John 10:4–5 “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.””
Sheep are naturally skiddish. They don’t just coming running to you because you say their name. They come running only when their shepherd calls their name, “for they know his voice.” They recognize the voice of the one who has fed them, saved them, protected them, and petted them. They recognize the one with whom they’re safe, and when he comes calling, they go running.
Jesus says, again and again, that his people, his flock will know his voice. You and your neighbors are in this pen together. You face the same struggles, and you face the same disappointments. All the sheep herds are vulnerable to the wolves. So, what allows you to have an “abundant life” here and now is not the elimination of your struggles and circumstances, but the presence of your shepherd. Not everyone will hear and “know” Jesus’ voice. They’ll try to feel better by self-medicating or by trying to ignore their circumstances or by giving up. But, not you, because you’re his sheep, and you hear his voice.
When I was a kid, I lived in the woods. I would come home from school in the afternoons and immediately go into the woods to hunt or play or whatever. Well, I remember one time, very distinctly, when it got dark and I became disoriented. When you’re little and lost in the dark woods, it’s terrifying. I really didn’t know what I was going to do. But then, I heard my dad calling out my name, and it immediately, I wasn’t scared any more. You know, if I would’ve heard any other voice out there, I would’ve been more scared, not less. But, it was my dad’s voice, and I knew he had come to help me. I knew he would make sure I was safe and okay. And so, my dad began to call out my name and say, “Just come toward my voice, son. Just come toward my voice.” And, I knew I was saved. And, that’s what our shepherd does for us. We’re lost and disoriented. We’re afraid and nervous. But then, Jesus calls us by name, and we know his voice. And, He says, “Just come toward my voice, son. Just come toward my voice.” That’s an “abundant life” given to us right here, right now, isn’t it?
You’re “safe” and “secure.”
You’re “safe” and “secure.”
Especially devoted shepherds wouldn’t hire a gatekeeper for the pen, especially if there was a known threat or particular concern for the flock. They’d man the gate themselves. In fact, there wasn’t usually a gate at all. Usually, the gate amounted to little more than a gap in the fencing. And, the gap in the fencing was usually made about as wide as a man is long. So, you see, what the vigilant shepherd would do to protect his flock is he would make himself the gate. He would sit in the midst of the gap. If he had to sleep, he would lay himself across the opening so that nothing could enter or escape without stepping over him first.
That is, the shepherd literally would give up his own body so that he knew that his sheep were safe. And, Jesus says this is a picture of how He protects us. He says, “I am the door.” That is, Jesus is the one stretched out at our gate to make sure that we’re okay. He wants to know that you’re safe.
He “saves” you from the “wilderness.”
John 10:9 “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.”
John is in these middle chapters of his book showing how Jesus is the fulfillment of the various Jewish festivals, and in the beginning of chapter 10, John is concluding a section that’s meant to show Jesus as the fulfillment of the Feast of Booths/Tabernacles. This was an annual festival that commemorated Israel’s wandering in the desert with Moses. They would build for themselves these makeshift tents that Israel lived under and remember how God had provided. And so, you see, Jesus is being shown to us as the greater Moses who will lead us to the Promised Land (“pasture”) where we will experience the fullness of what God has for us.
Oh, here’s a sweet promise for those of you who are suffering: Jesus won’t leave you in the wilderness. Jesus won’t leave you to dry out and die. He’ll lead you to the pastures where you can flourish. Now, on Christmas Eve, we haven’t gotten the full gift yet. So, those pastures aren’t without their struggles or their difficulties. The pastures have crosses in them. But, you’ll be there with Jesus, and Jesus will use those crosses to increase your trust in him. So, even in your suffering, you’ll know that you’re safe with Jesus.
You’ll know that….…
He “secures” you in his “flock.”
John 10:14–15 “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.”
Now, this is a breathtaking reality that’s so deep we couldn’t find the bottom of it if we searched for the next 10 million years. And, the intention here is so that you, as the people of God, can stand up straight and strong no matter what seems to be bearing down on you. What we’re getting here is an insight into how Jesus was able to live an “abundant life” with God, though He was hated and crucified for it. It’s insight into how Jesus was able to live as the most secure person who ever has.
You see, Jesus was able to be hated by every person that mattered and live in complete and utter poverty and keep a very demanding schedule, all without melting down. How? “The Father knows” him and He “knows the Father.” That is, the only thing that mattered, his rightness with God was fully known and fully secured. So, who cares that a self-important priest didn’t like him? Who cares if He wasn’t accepted into the upper echelons of society? His standing with God is secure. And then, Jesus says something that should blow your doors off the hinges. He says, “I know my own and my own know me, JUST AS the Father knows me and I know the Father.” Satan and his demons and his cunning plots are powerless in the face of the Triune God. Father, Son, and Spirit will never be separated or divided. It’d eternally done. And, Jesus says that his knowledge — his intimate, familial, unchanging, relational knowledge — of you is the exact same way. You are as secure in Christ as Christ is secure in the Father. It will not change, no matter what Satan does or his demons do or you do. The demons beg Jesus to not destroy them, and Jesus is your shepherd!
I read an account of a missionary on the Gospel Coalition's site. They were planting a church in a post-communist, atheistic region and were experiencing a number of strange occurences. It all climaxed with their two year old son experiencing horrific nightmares. The nightmares went on for months until he was finally able to describe to his mother what he saw. He described to her in great detail a horrifically demonic figure. It was the kind of description that a two year old is unable to come up with on their own. And, that's when it clicked for them that they were in the midst an 'evil day' of aggressive spiritual warfare. So, they along with members of their church gathered in front of their son's window and prayed while he slept. When he awoke, his mother asked him how he slept, and he said that he had slept much better. She then asked him if the demon had not seen the demon, and he responded, "No, I saw her. But, this time she was outside of my window and couldn't come in." Y’all, that’s a picture of us! Jesus is our shepherd laying at the gate, and no enemy will be able to step over him to get to you. You’re safe. You’re secure.
You’re “atoned” and “assured.”
You’re “atoned” and “assured.”
Now, everything that I’ve said so far may lead you to believe that being a shepherd was the most honorable position in Israel, but it wasn’t. Shepherds didn’t have good reputations. They were often thieves who would scurry out some of your flock when they were picking up theirs. And, the same is said of the metaphorical shepherds of Israel, which were their leaders. In this section in John, the Pharisees and leaders of Israel are in constant conflict with Jesus. They’re the “thieves” and “hired hands” that John 10 is referring to.
So, Jesus is showing himself as a contrast to these bad shepherds. He’s not like them. He’s not like those who seek to take advantage of you for his own good. He’s not like those who want to steal you away for his profit. He’s not like those who will runaway from you as soon as times get tough. That may be who your dad is or who your ex-wife is or who your last pastor was, but that’s not who Jesus is. He is “the good shepherd.”
And, that’s what we’re about to remember as we take the Lord’s Supper this morning. We’re remembering that..
He came to “die.”
John 10:11–12 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.”
Most people see in you what they can get from you. They don’t love you so much as they love what you can do for them. That’s how “thieves” and “hired hands” do. But, if the wolves come, if you’re life begins to add drama to theirs, if your suffering begins to intrude upon their peace, they’ll leave you holding the bag. But, not Jesus. He is “the good shepherd” who “lays down his life for the sheep.”
And, that means that your job isn’t to atone for every bad thing you’ve ever done. You can’t. Your job isn’t to try to impress Jesus so that He will love you. You don’t need to. Your responsibility is to look up to Jesus and recognize him as the Shepherd who has already atoned for you. It doesn’t have to be your life now. Because it was his life. He died so that you can have “abundant life.” So that you can live without your sin and your shame and your guilt and self-loathing hanging over you. It’s done, and He’s done it.
But, we also remember that He didn’t just come to die.
He came to “win.”
John 10:18 “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.””
A dead shepherd wouldn’t help us much. Once the wolf kills the shepherd there’s no one left to defend the sheep. Now, they’re vulnerable. And that’s why it matters that our Shepherd has “authority to take it up again.” Jesus didn’t just die. He won. Death lost. Satan lost. Sin lost. Jesus won!
And so, we come to the table together this morning to join Jesus in his death that we might one day enjoy the fullness of his victory. That is, communion is a reminder that our Shepherd is here with us right now in this moment seeing us through. And, it’s a reminder that our Shepherd is coming back to get us to lead us to the pastures of the New Creation forever. It’s a reminder that Christmas Eve has come and Christmas Eve is coming. The Good Gift has come, but the Better Gift is coming.