Good Shepherd - Pt. II

A shepherd knew his sheep and the sheep knew him and his voice; even if mixed with other sheep. They would not follow another person, shepherd. They would lead not force.

A shepherd who was a hireling (hired hand): One who is hired by the shepherd or someone to look over someone else’s sheep.

A shepherd protected his sheep from wolves and any thing that wanted to harm the sheep

The hireling (hired hand) oftentimes would flee if there was danger.

The shepherd would watch over the sheep in an enclosure at night; anyone coming any other way but the door was a thief and a robber (10:1)

Tonight we are going to look at the description of the Good Shepherd. And, of course we need to start with the passage.

John 10:11–12 NASB95

11 “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. 12 “He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.

John 10:13–14 NASB95

13 “He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep. 14 “I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me,

John 10:15–16 NASB95

15 even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 “I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd.

John 10:17–18 NASB95

17 “For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. 18 “No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”

Gleaning from the Word

What did you notice, what caught your attention in this passage?

If you were to give a paraphrase of this passage what would you say?

Who is talking in this passage?

Who is He speaking too (you have to look back for answer)?

Who does Jesus say He is and who is He comparing Himself to(vv.11-12)?

What does the hired hand (hireling) do when sees the wolf coming (v.12)?

What does the good shepherd know (v.14)?

What is the good shepherd willing to do for the sheep (v.15)?

There are some very significant statements made in (v.16), what are they?

Why does the Father love the Good Shepherd (v.17)?

What commandment and authority does the Good Shepherd have from the Father (v.18)?

Good Shepherd lays down His life for the flock

“The essence of the gospel is not what Jesus will do for you—it’s what He already did for you when He died for your sin” (Courson)

So it is not about prosperity, it is about salvation, that Jesus died for your sins. Not that you get a new car, will never be sick, never have trials or tribulations. It is so you can have eternal life in His name.

Jesus plainly states He is the Good Shepherd.

Good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep.

A good shepherd is willing to take risks for the sheep. It may still be rare to find one who is willing to die for the sheep. Defend yes, die, maybe not.

Jesus as the Good Shepherd gave His life for His sheep. Spurgeon said: “He is giving His life still. The life that is in the man Christ Jesus he is always giving for us. It is for us he lives, and because he lives we live also. He lives to plead for us He lives to represent us in heaven, He lives to rule providence for us.”

Good Shepherd has other sheep not of this fold.

We must remember how big God is, God man is that is why we must careful of sectarianism (legalism) not accepting others that do not think the exact way we think and that they have no place in heaven. If they came by the prescribed way, through blood of Jesus, the rest is nonessential.

Jesus said has other sheep.

Jesus speaks of other sheep

What do you think Jesus means by “other sheep”?

Is this the Gentiles, or Jews that are not from Jerusalem? Like the Hellenistic Jews?

What does Jesus say the Good Shepherd must do with these

They must be brought in.

Are you of the other fold? How did Jesus bring you in?

There is one fold, one Shepherd, there maybe many flocks, but still one Shepherd.

It is our job as the sheep to protect the unity of the body (Eph4:3-6); but is in not our job, our responsibility to unite the body, Christ already did that.

FF Bruce said: “What was to hold his enlarged flock together and supply the necessary protection from external enemies? Not by enclosing the walls by the person and power of the shepherd. The unity and safety of the people of Christ depend on their proximity to Him.”

Another good quote that I want to share is from Barclay:

“The unity comes from the fact, not all sheep are forced into one fold,but that they all hear, answer and obey the one shepherd. It is not ecclesiastical unity, it is a unity of loyalty to Jesus Christ.”

I like Spurgeon said, and I will just give my thought, but along the same thought pattern. I may listen to, read from, many different people, not all are of the same belief in all areas, but we all have the same shepherd. We cannot just discard everything because we don’t agree on everything.

Let me share a story with you about a doctor by the name of Evans Keith who back in 1925 wanted to a new procedure when doing an appendectomy, a local anesthesia. He could not get any takes on this procedure, other doctors agreed with him it was a great idea, still no one volunteered to do it. That is until February 24, 1925 when Dr. Keith became the patient and he was the first one to have it done.

Jesus was willing to lay down His life that we might find life. Dr. Keith was willing to take the risky so that others may have benefits from it. With Jesus the Shepherd, the Good Shepherd, the Great Shepherd became the Sheep that we His sheep might know our Shepherd and listen to His voice.

Something more to consider. As an Old Testament believer if you had broken fellowship with God, or you wanted to be touched by God you would bring a sacrifice (a lamb) to the temple. It would be carefully inspected, scrutinized for any spot or blemish. It was not the worshipper that was judged, it was the lamb.

It is our Lamb, the Lamb of God (1:29) who took on our sins.

In Jesus, our lamb, took on the sins for us, what was due us, because of His great love for us, we can expect some things.

God will exceed our expectations picture here

Eph3:20 “20 Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,”

Forgiveness of sins; gift of the Holy Spirit

We can look forward to His blessings on us

We can trust and rely on Him to lead us to safe pastures; even when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, those dark times we face in this world.

I can expect though I am not spotless, that because Jesus was, is spotless we are continually washed white as snow by His blood, as we walk in the light.

I can expect to receive blessings not because of anything I have done, but because what He has done for me, by being the perfect and acceptable sacrifice on my behalf.

It makes me think of Song 950 “Lamb of God” in our song book. We have a few minutes, open them and let’s sing it (JAMES LOOK AT THE TIME FIRST), then go on to our last point for tonight.

I lay it down

When you think about laying something down, what do you think of?

Of course most of the time you lay it down to pick it back up when you need it, right?

John 10:18 NKJV

18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”

What does Jesus say about His life here?

No one takes it

I willingly, lay it down

I have the power to lay it down

I have the power (the authority) to pick it up again

That power, that commandment was received by Me from my Father.

Jesus claims to have power of life and death. Makes sense though doesn’t it since He created all things and nothing was created that He did not create (1:3). Jesus had the power to raise from the dead, Lazarus (11:1-44); the widows son of Nain (Lk7:11-17); and Jairus daughter (Lk8:40-46).

Jesus said, “I lay down my life” He did not say, you’d better lay down your life if you expect to be blessed. No, sure didn’t He tells us He laid down His life for us so we would be blessed. First off our sin problem taken care of.

Jesus does say to pick up your cross and follow Him, but that does not get you into the kingdom of heaven, Jesus does, not your works as a result of your faith. It is based on who He is not on what you have done.

In laying down His life, he becomes the door in which the sheep must enter (Jn14:6) for there is no other way in which man must be saved (Act4:12). He is door, He is the Rock, He is the Light, He is the Son of God and the son of man, the second Adam.

Jesus had the power then, power to lay it down, power to pick it back up. And in stating such it tells of the special relationship with the Father for we also know (Mt28:18)

Matthew 28:18 NASB95

18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

anyone can lay down their life for another, but only One can take it back up again, that one is Jesus.

Jesus death was not coerced by the Father; it was totally voluntary. It was not a type of suicide as some may say. It was a part of God’s grand plan to save sinful man. To submit, surrender self to be crucified to could be raised on the third day to fulfill scripture and prove that He is the Son of God who came to take away the sins of the world.

Jesus is still the Good Shepherd who is watching over His sheep

He is guiding us, leading us, protecting us, calling us by name. For He knows His sheep and calls them by name (10:3) Yep, personally knows You. He is the big God who knows you by name. You are personal to Him, you are important to Him. Listen to Him and you will not be led astray.