I Am The Good Shepherd

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SERMON: I Am The Good Shepherd
TEXT: John 10:11-18
OUTLINE:
1. The Good Shepherd Took My Place vvs. 11-13
2. The Good Shepherd Offered Me Salvation, vvs. 14-16
3. The Good Shepherd Has Authority over me, vvs. 17-18
INTRODUCTION:
I have seen a lot in my 40-year Air Force career of which I have spent 27-years as a Chaplain. I have enjoyed worshipping with service members all over the world from France to Germany to Kuwait to Afghanistan to Saudi Arabia to Turkey. Here in the United States I have worshipped with them in Alabama, Colorado, Idaho, Texas, Virginia, and Wyoming. Through those assignments and deployments, I have been able to help service members and their families understand the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ. It has been an honor seeing them become Christians and grow in their faith.
EXPLANATION
Let’s look at the Good Shepherd from John 10, verses 11-18.
1. The Good Shepherd Took My Place vvs. 11-13
TEXT: 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 does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
- I just love the imagery God as a Shepherd. We first read of God as a Shepherd in Genesis 48:15, “Then he blessed Joseph and said: The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day….”
- Of course you cannot mention shepherd without referencing the 23rd Psalm, “The LORD is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack. 2 He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. 3He renews my life; He leads me along the right paths for His name’s sake. 4 Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff —they comfort me.”
- One more reference of God as a shepherd comes from Isaiah 40:11 “He protects His flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them in the fold of His garment. He gently leads those that are nursing.”
- I have to pause when I think about the fact that The Good Shepherd took my place. My sin caused enmity between me and God the Father. Although He loved us, our sin hiders the relationship.
- I love how the Apostle John describes this event.
a. Definition of Good, Kalos
i. Good as to quality and character
ii. Jesus was good because He was without sin.
iii. His good character comes out as he lays down his life for us willingly.
b. Warren Wiersbe wrote in his commentary of John, “Five times in this sermon, Jesus clearly affirmed the sacrificial nature of His death (John 10:11, 15, 17-18). He did not die as a martyr, killed by men; He died as a substitute, willingly laying down His life for us.”
i. I like the description I found in The Life Application Bible Commentary. It reads, “According to the imagery in this chapter, a shepherd's life could at times be dangerous. Wild animals were common in the countryside of Judea. A good shepherd may indeed risk his life to save his sheep.”
c. John contrasts The Good Shepherd and the hired man
i. I already spoke about the Good Shepherd
ii. The hired man is paid to watch over the sheep whereas Jesus did everything for us as the Good Shepherd out of His love for us.
iii. The thought of the Good Shepherd denotes protection.
iv. The best protection we receive from the Good Shepherd is that of substitutionary; He took our place
Illustration:During my deployment to Afghanistan, I will never forget the self-sacrifice of an Army Captain. The story was related to me from Air Force members who were involved in the incident.
During a fierce firefight, an Air Force Tactical Air Party member, TACP, were calling in an air strike on enemy personnel who had pinned them down. The enemy moved closer and continued to fire upon our U.S. personnel. One of the enemies began to fire a Rocket propelled grenade (RPG) at the TACP. An Army Captain saw what was happening and threw himself in front of the TACP taking the brunt of the impact. He gave his life for the life of the TACP.
2. The Good Shepherd Offered Me Salvation, vvs. 14-16
TEXT: 14 “I am the good shepherd. I know My own sheep, and they know Me, 15 as the Father knows Me, and I know the Father. I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 But I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice. Then there will be one flock, one shepherd.”
a. “I know My own sheep”
i. From the original language we have the word Ginosko which means to know, in a beginning sense
ii. To me that is akin to Jeremiah 1:5, “I chose you before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart before you were born. I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
iii. To be known by the Lord is a great feeling.
iv. John Piper wrote, “What defines us as Christians is not most profoundly that we have come to know Him but that He took note of us and made us His own.”
b. “They know Me.”
i. In the Life Application Bible Commentary the author wrote, “And his followers, in return, know him to be their Messiah, and they love and trust him. Such knowing and trusting between Jesus and his followers is compared to the relationship between Jesus and the Father: “as the Father knows me and I know the Father.” And Jesus repeated his point—that he is the Good Shepherd and that he will lay down his life for the sheep.”
c. “I have other sheep that are not of this fold.”
i. Here is where He speaks of the Gentiles who are also His sheep, but not of his fold.
ii. Fold = group of sheep owned by different owners
iii. Flock = group of sheep owned by same owner
Illustration: The Conversation of Kat Von D
Earlier this month, Kat Von D posted on Instragram her Baptism.
I don’t know if any of you have been going through changes in your lives right now, but in the last few years I’ve come to some pretty meaningful realizations — many of them revolving around the fact that I got a lot of things wrong in my past.
Today, I went through my entire library, and threw out books that just don’t align with who I am and who I want to be.
I’ve always found beauty in the macabre, but at this point, I just had to ask myself what is my relationship with this content? And the truth is, I just don’t want to invite any of these things into our family’s lives, even if it comes disguised in beautiful covers, collecting dust on my shelves.
In no way is this post designed to put anyone down if you’re into this stuff, because I think we are all on our own journey, and I love everyone regardless of where they might be at. But right now, it’s never been more clear to me that there is a spiritual battle taking place, and I want to surround myself and my family with love and light.
With that being said, I want to send extra love to everyone out there, and hope through some of these trying times, you are making meaningful changes in your life, too!
Thanks for listening.
3. The Good Shepherd Has Authority Over Me, vvs. 17-18
TEXT: 17 This is why the Father loves Me, because I am laying down My life so I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down on My own. I have the right to lay it down, and I have the right to take it up again. I have received this command from My Father.”
a. The Father’s Love
i. Jesus was being obedient by laying down his life
ii. Jesus did not gain the Father’s love because He gave his life.
iii. In the Life Application Bible Commentary, the author writes, “When Jesus said "I lay it down . . . and take it up again" he was claiming authority to control his death and beyond. John's original readers needed to remember that Jesus specifically foretold his death and resurrection. We need the same reminder. Jesus gave up his life; it was not taken from him.
b. Sacrificial Love
i. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down on My own.
ii. “Jesus does more than predict His crucifixion and resurrection. He also shows that He has the power to lay down His life and take it up again, once more asserting His deity.”
APPLICATION:
1. We need to remind ourselves that our salvation is not based on anything we do, but on Jesus taking our place
2. We need to be reminded that it was the Good Shepherd who offers us Salvation
3. We need to be reminded that the Good Shepherd has authority over me.
Let us pray.
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