I AM: The Good Shepherd

Intro.

Today, we continue the I AM series with the 4th installment:

I AM: The Good Shepherd

We have seen how Jesus is:

The Bread of Life The Light of the Word and, last week, The Door

As I said last week, The Door and the Good Shepherd are linked.

Both analogies place us as sheep, and Jesus as Shepherd.

This morning we are going to learn some things about sheep, shepherds... and how that relates to our trust in our Savior.

Let’s read:

John 10:11–14 ESV

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. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,

To understand how Jesus is like a shepherd... we first need to understand how we… are like sheep.

Sheep easily get lost The reason this happens is because they are so focused on eating the food in front of them that they get distracted forget what is happening around them.

Sheep have a great sense of smell, so they just keep eating the food then – all of the sudden – the rest of the flock is gone out of sight.

Additionally, sheep don’t have a “homing instinct” like other animals so they are totally incapable of finding their way to their flock even when it is within sight.

The situation happened so often that when Jesus told the parable about the shepherd who had 100 sheep and one became lost... everyone listening to the parable understood perfectly.

They would be standing around saying, “How many times has that happened to me?” Sheep are pretty defenceless Yes they can use their horns to defend themselves and they do have a powerful kick, but they are no match for predators such as wolves.

They have no capacity to out-run much faster animals.

Nor do they excel in a fight.

Add to this the problem that sheep keep growing their fleece. So, if they are not shorn, the fleece just keeps getting bigger and bigger until it is so heavy they cannot move.

If they are left to their own devises the sheep would be an easy target, or they would self-destruct.

Sheep need protection. {video}

Sheep are followers by nature They have a reputation for being mindless crowd followers.

Which is a real problem when the lead sheep, is left to his own devices… and..., also has no idea where it is going.

If the lead sheep steps off a cliff, the others will follow. If the lead sheep goes to a place of danger, the others will follow.

So – when a shepherd looks after his sheep these are some of the issues he needs to overcome.

This makes the job quite a challenge, except for the fact that... sheep have one redeeming feature.

Sheep have excellent hearing They are very good at distinguishing different pitches and volume of sounds.

With this understanding of sheep in mind let’s read John 10:1-6

John 10:2–5 ESV

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. 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.”

Remember last week when we talked about the sheep pens?

When the shepherds had the sheep out on the hillsides...

There were the makeshift corrals made of brush or sticks, or the shepherds slept in the open air with the sheep.

They when they were closer to home there would be pens fashioned out of stone (often attached to the side of houses.

Many times... These pens would be communal. Multiple flocks would be herded into the same pen.

Then, when it came time for the shepherd to get his flock in the morning... he would stand at the entrance and the shepherd would call his sheep.

The sheep have been learning their shepherd’s specific call since they were newborn lambs.

Only that shepherd’s sheep will respond to his call, because:

They know his voice.

They know his call.

They know who they have to follow.

Their shepherd will lead them out. The other sheep wait for the call of their keeper.

They all know the voice of their shepherd.

So, before we move on to the shepherd, let’s summarize what we now know about sheep.

Because…Well... WE... are like sheep.

We are prone to follow our desires and easily lose our, spiritual, sense of direction.

Isaiah 53:6 ESV

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

As self-reliant as we try to be, we don’t, REALLY, have the ability to meet our own needs.

Philippians 4:19 ESV

And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Without our shepherd, the enemy will have us for dinner.

We will follow the crowd to our own destruction without his guidance.

This is what the Lord says to me with His strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of this people. Isaiah 8:11 NIV

But... we DO have (at least) one redeeming characteristic.

We can learn to hear our Shepherd’s voice.

John 10:4 ESV

When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.

After being taken out of their pen the shepherd would take the sheep to places of water and food.

He would do this by walking ahead of the sheep and, as he walked, he would keep calling out. The sheep know the voice of the shepherd and, because they trust what they hear, they follow the voice.

If a sheep becomes distracted – the voice of the shepherd would bring them back on track.

If the sheep got lost, the voice of the shepherd in the distance is enough to give the lost sheep direction.

We are sheep in need of a shepherd.

Fortunately, we have one, And He is greater than we could have ever dreamed.

Many great leaders of the Old Testament were shepherds.

Abraham

Isaac

Jacob

the prophet Amos

King David

Their lives as shepherds helped them understand their relationship with God.

It was David who penned:

“The Lord is my Shepherd, I have all that I need” Psalm 23:1 NLT

They were GOOD, True shepherds.

As they walked through life … every aspect of life … provision, protection; care, concern; through easy times and difficult times … as they walked through life the sheep are led by the shepherd.

‌This is the empowering imagery that sits behind the “I am” passage which we are focusing on today.

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The Good Shepherd Sacrifices Himself

John 10:11 ESV

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

We, of course, get the picture Jesus is painting.

Our Savior will die a horrifying death on the cross to pay for our sins.

A voluntary sacrifice for our sin. A death that enables life. God in the flesh giving his life for His sheep.

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The Good Shepherd is Committed to the Sheep

Our passage today differentiates between the good shepherd and the “hired help.”

John 10:12 ESV

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.

The employee doesn’t have the vested interest that the owner does.

Have you ever had taken your car to a youth car wash fundraiser?

If the leader of the of the teens is smart, he will come up to you and say, “Is everything to your liking?”

Whether you say anything or not... You see EVERY speck of dirt that the kids have missed.

Because, (and I’m not saying anything bad about the students)... It matters more to YOU than it does to THEM

It’s YOUR vehicle.

I can just imagine a shepherd pulling a wayward sheep out of the ditch for the umpteenth time thinking to himself:

“Why didn’t I become a doctor, like my mother wanted?”

The Good Shepherd never tires of caring for His sheep, because He cares for them... for us.

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The Good Shepherd Knows the Sheep

He doesn’t drive them... They follow.

Psalm 78:52 ESV

Then he led out his people like sheep and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.

When they are in the pasture he knows the ones that eat slower and need more time.

He knows when they need to be shorn, and when their toes need to be clipped.

He knows when they are feeling skittish or afraid.

As we said last week, He can identify each one of them individually.

Nothing is hidden from the shepherd – which means he can give the best care.

And nothing is hidden from the Good Shepherd.

There is nothing about us that He doesn’t know – from that which is most obvious to that with you thought you had hidden!

He even knows things about you that you don’t know about yourself.

And, because He knows, He is able to provide for each of us individually.

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The Good Shepherd is Committed to Expanding the flock

There are those who are part of the flock, and those who are still to become part of the flock.

John 10:16 ESV

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.

The Good Shepherd is not building some sort of exclusive sheep-pen – where no others are welcome.

The Good Shepherd has his eyes on the sheep who have been abandoned, or lead astray by false shepherds, or discouraged and abused by the thieves and the robbers.

There is always a place in the sheep-fold for those who realize how grace-filled and forgiving the Good Shepherd is.

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Conclusion:

So the simple question for each one of us today is this - Are you tuned in to the Shepherd’s voice?

‌It is a simple question, and it is an important question, because there are a lot of voices out there vying for your attention.

‌There are voices that want people to have nothing to do with Jesus and to get rid of Him.

They existed when Jesus was on Earth. I believe they are even louder today.

‌The voice of hate. The voice that won’t make room for faith. The voice of the thief and the robber and the hired hand.

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That is one voice. Another voice is the voice of inconvenience.

Simon from Cyrene wanted to be somewhere else – he was in Jerusalem for a pilgrimage.

But now... because he had to carry the cross and help Jesus and... touch blood … now because of this he is unclean and can’t go to the temple… can’t finish the pilgrimage.

Not only that... It is about a mile to Golgotha – carrying the heavy cross will not be easy.

His holiday is ruined. It is all very inconvenient.

‌It is inconvenient following the Good Shepherd.

He knows us – so He knows what we need to change and the secret sins we keep hidden. He knows when our faith is faltering, or when it is just a facade... a mask... He knows when we are playing games.

He calls out to us to change direction when we are on the wrong path

‌He exposes our sin to us when we need to repent.

There are so many voices calling out for us to follow. Our Finances Our Hobbies Our Hurts Our Temptations

There are so many voices calling out for us to follow. Then there is the voice of Jesus.

‌· The Good Shepherd who lays down his life.

· The Good Shepherd who never abandons.

· The Good Shepherd who knows the sheep.

· The Good Shepherd who keeps on the look-out for more sheep.

‌What does Psalm 23 say?

Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. Psalm 23:4 NLT

‌The Lord is my Shepherd… He is the Good Shepherd.

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Crucified. Risen Again. Sitting at the right hand of God

‌What greater reason do you need to tune in to His voice … and listen?

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