The Good Shepherd
Notes
Transcript
The kids asked if i had seen the dog bowl, I said I didnt know he could.
I love waiters…. they bring a lot to the table.
We’re going to be in John 10 this morning as we continue in this series. This marks the third week we’ve sat in this story surrounding the healing of a man born blind. What I find interesting is that at the end of this section, verse 19 tells us that a division arose among the Jews. They couldn’t quite figure Jesus out. Some said that He had a demon. Others said, “There’s no way! A demon can’t heal the blind.” So one way or another, everyone was making a decision on whether to follow Jesus.
Which leads me to ask the question. Have you ever wondered if following Jesus was worth it? Quite likely, the thought never crosses our minds when things are going well. But then with the flip of a switch, everything can change; we can find ourselves in one season of struggle after another, and so we may begin to wonder, “Does God even love me? Does God even care? Does God even know my name?”
Or maybe you came to Christ and began following the commands of Jesus, only to find yourself in one season of struggle after another. Or it may seem like this whole Christian thing just isn’t living up to the hype and expectations you had. And so you began thinking, “You know, life was better/easier/more fun when I didn’t follow Jesus.”
Or maybe you’re sitting here this morning and you haven’t followed Jesus. But you’re still asking those questions. “Why should I follow Jesus? Is it worth it?” If that’s you, then our passage answers that question. And the conclusion I hope you’ll find, the one thing/truth I hope you pull away from the text this morning is this. Jesus laid down His life for us; so we’d be crazy not to follow Him.
1. The meaning of “Good Shepherd” (vv.11–13).
Jesus gives us two reasons he is called the Good Shepherd
11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
a. Jesus is called the “Good Shepherd” because He gave and sacrificed His life for the sheep
We talked about this at great lengths when we celebrate his resurrection a few weeks ago. Jesus paid the ultimate price for us
And in this one verse we see three things clearly about Jesus’ sacrifice
1. The Cross is the central part of Christianity
Jesus tells us here the reason he is a Good shepherd is because he gave and sacrificed his life for us. The reason we should realize he is good is because of what we celebrated we need to look at that as the most important thing, because clearly Jesus is placing emphasis on it here.
2. Jesus death was voluntary
Jesus says here that he lays down his life for the sheep. That means he gave it away. He will point to this again in a few minutes in John 10:15 and John 10:18 he goes deeper and says John 10:18
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.”
And there are critics to this in the world today as they look at Jesus’ words and they say Jesus didn’t give up his life freely that he was bound and delivered to Pontius Pilate and pilate was ultimately the one that sentenced him to death, but Jesus made it very clear in the garden that if he wanted to he could have called on angels to come and save Him, but he did not, because that was not the reason he came. So he willingly gave up his life for us. He laid it down.
3. Jesus death was for us
The word that we use for this was his death was vicarious for us… he said he did it FOR the sheep, and paul teaches us this exact same
6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—
8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
The second reason Jesus tells us he is a Good Shepherd and what is is comes from the next two verses
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.
b. Jesus is called the “Good Shepherd” because He is not a hired or employed shepherd. Jesus is the Shepherd by birth. He was born to be the Shepherd with all the Shepherd’s rights.
I love the way Phillip Keller, who was a shepherd in his lifetime talks about his first flock:
“They belonged to me only by virtue of the fact that I paid hard cash for them.
It was money earned by the blood and sweat and tears drawn from my own body during the desperate grinding years of the depression. And when I bought that first small flock I was buying them literally with my own body which had been laid down with this day in mind. Because of this I felt in a special way that they were in very truth a part of me and I a part of them...
This made those thirty ewes exceedingly precious to me!”
And he is telling us that the sheep are his, he paid for them and he worked for them and paid for them with his own sweat and blood and he wasn’t going to let anything happen to them. And as you raise children you can see how much more they value things as they get older, especially as they begin to pay with their own money.
And he is saying if you are just a hired shepherd when the things get rough you will just leave, because its not your sheep you are leaving behind, sure you’re the shepherd and leading them but when it gets down to brass tax, you have to worry about you more than those sheep and he is trying to show us, that he is the good shepherd, because we are HIS. Think about that… if you are a follower of Jesus he paid for you in teh same way…
And he tells us three things we can remember about the hired shepherd that isn’t a true shepherd
1) The irresponsible shepherd flees when he sees danger (the wolf). He seeks to save himself and to protect his own security and position even if it means forsaking the sheep and leaving them exposed to the danger.
and we can see this in shepherds today… those that get caught in trouble run away…
2) The irresponsible shepherd causes the sheep to be caught in the danger and in the error.
What often happens is a false shepherd will lead sheep astray and cause them to get eaten by the wolf or predator….today this could look like a false shepherd who is teaching wrong thigns allowing that theology and teaching to lead people to severe danger or something worse… you can look at all the cults of the world who have lead to destruction for their followers… or you can look to churches who don’t teach the truth of the gospel and what God has taught and have allowed themselves to sway to a Jesus that is all love and no justice and teach anything goes, and those shepherds are in deed leading people to death and destruction
3) The irresponsible shepherd lacks genuine care for the sheep. He is not involved and concerned with the fate and eternal welfare of the sheep.
We can see this in false shepherds today as well, you can see it in cult leaders… there are some pastors that want to build their own name above Jesus and want you to look to them… this is as super dangerous thing as well…
2. The proof that Jesus is the Good Shepherd (vv.14–16).
2 (10:14–16) Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd: the proof that Jesus is the “Good Shepherd.” There are four proofs.
Proof 1. Jesus knows His sheep, and they know Him. There is an intimate knowledge between Jesus and His sheep.
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.
As we talked about a few weeks ago, Jesus knows his sheep:
• by name, individually and personally
• in all their joy and blessings
• in all their trials and sorrows
• in all their wanderings and stumblings
• in all their need and lack
And this is the desire of the real community we talk about constantly running after as a church… the community where you sit around and now these things about one another… this is what people are yearning for in todays society whether they want it or not… we can say we have community, but if you don’t or are too afraid to share you weaknesses as well as your victories you haven’t arrived yet. And if you say, anyone can share with me anything, but you know there are things in your life you are too scared to shared because you are too ashamed we haven’t made it yet. And there is so much peace and love and comfort when you keep get to that place…
And not only does Jesus know his sheep, but his sheep know him… and because they know him they trust him…they know:
• His love and care
• His mind and Word
• His companionship and leadership
• His experience and knowledge
• His destiny and pasture (heaven)
The fact that the sheep know Him so well is clear proof that Jesus is the “Good Shepherd” of their lives.
and here is the thing, when we really know and trust jesus as the good shepherd we have so much peace in our lives… because we know he is leading us to good pastures… we know even in the middle of the chaos that its fine… he is with us… and this is what we see in thsoe people that we say Something different about them…
Proof 2. That Jesus is a good shepherd Jesus knows the Father of the Sheep.
You see it in John 10:15
15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.
And this isn’t the same as We know God… because he says he knows God in the same way that God knows him… and WE do not know God in the same way he knows us….but he knows the father Perfectly… just as God knows us perfectly….and he is claiming because he knows God so well he is the good shepherd…
Just think about that claim… why is he the good shepherd… well he can lead you because he knows God perfectly… he knows exactly what God does and what he wants for you, so he can lead you exactly where you need to go…. its such a deep claim and we just glance by it… but he can lead you exactly where you need to be….because he has intimate perfectly knowledge of God….
Proof 3. Again Jesus tells us he will Die for His Sheep. Jesus will die for the sheep. He was the “Good Shepherd,” not a bad shepherd; therefore, He would face the enemy of the sheep. He would not flee from His calling and purpose. He would stand and fight the enemy as the Good Shepherd was sent to do. Note two striking facts.
1) Not just fight for and protect… DIE… he knew what was coming
Proof 4. Jesus wanted to make the sheepfold larger. Jesus worked to enlarge the fold.
Look at John 10:16 again John 10:16
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.
Note several facts.
1) When he is talking about Other sheep he is talking about worldwide evangelism… not just the people that were with him but all the people of the world… red and yellow black and whhite… they are preciosu in his sight….
Paul tells us the same in RO 10:12
12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.
2) The word must(dei) means necessity, constraint. Jesus was compelled to reach the other sheep.
34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.
4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.
3) He tells us the new sheep will become part of his sheepfold by hearing his voice…
4. again he shows us there is one flock…. we all become a part of HIS flock… and he is the only shepherd… the good shepherd
3. The final proof of Jesus’ claim (vv.17–18) t
The final, ultimate proof of his good shepherd ness is his death and resurrection.
John 10:17-18 A shepherd could do no greater “good” than to give his life for his sheep. A shepherd who died for his sheep was beyond question a good shepherd. But there is something else here as well. The owner was pleased, deeply appreciative that the shepherd gave his life for the flock. The owner countedthe shepherd to be a “good” 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.”
Jesus made two revealing points.
a.He says his sacrificial death was the reason his father loved him even more….and he said he would raise himself up again…
b. His death was the supreme act of obedience. It was voluntary; He willingly died. No man took His life; He sacrificed it Himself. The power to take it was His and His alone.
His calling was from God..… This gives a higher meaning to the death of Jesus than just meeting man’s need. It means that Jesus did not just die because of sin but because He wished to glorify and honor God. He wished above all else to show His love and adoration for God.
This is an aspect of Jesus’ death that is often overlooked—an aspect that rises far above the mere meeting of our need. For in giving Himself as an “offering to God,” Christ was looking beyond our need to the majestic responsibility of glorifying God. This means that His first purpose was the glory of God. He was concerned primarily with doing the will of God, with obeying God. God had been terribly dishonored by the first man, Adam, and by all those who followed after him. Jesus Christ wished to honor God by showing that at least one man thought more of God’s glory than of anything else. Jesus wished to show that God’s will meant more than any personal desire or ambition which He might have.
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4. The reaction to Jesus’ claim (vv.19–21
John shows us the reaction to JEsus.
19 There was again a division among the Jews because of these words.
20 Many of them said, “He has a demon, and is insane; why listen to him?”
21 Others said, “These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”
The question today is, is jesus worth following… and what are you following today…