Trust in His Finished Work

Trust in His finished work.

John 10:11-21

June 23, 2024

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About 28 years ago I came up with a brilliant idea for my bachelor’s party. I wanted to do the most extreme thing I could think of before I had to grow up. So in a moment of insanity or brilliance, I decided to take all of my groomsmen skydiving. Interestingly though, only one of the 6 did it. The rest “were busy” that day. Chickens.

The only groomsman who had the guts was Christopher, my brother-in-law. Now, his experience was completely different from mine. They couldn’t get us all in the same plane so I went first. It was AMAZING! I completely trusted my instructors and pilot. The plane was a little old but we got to 10,000 feet and jumped.

Now, Christopher’s experience was 100% opposite to mine. When he landed on the ground I came running out to him in excitement and joy only to be met with sheer panic on his face. He was as white as a sheet. I kept asking him what was wrong. After all, you are safe and on the ground. What’s the problem? He could only say that we need to go, now!

I left that field a bit confused. How could I have such an amazing time and he be so terrified? It took old Christopher several months to calm down and tell me what happened. The plane he was in was held together with duct tape, the pilot was drinking a beer, and Christopher’s instructor fell asleep and forgot to hook him up to the parachute until Christopher had to remind him of that important detail. His experience was completely different from mine. There was NO reason to trust his instructors.

The word TRUST means to place confidence, to be confident, to permit to stay or go or to do something without fear or misgiving, to rely on the truth, to believe. We trust many things today. Planes, banks, grocery stores, power grids, cars etc. Trust is something that you are willing to put your faith in some truth so implicitly that you are willing to overlook the risk.

We are very objective and pragmatic when it comes to our money and our health (you have heart failure, so you should go to a dentist?) But when it comes to spiritual things, it all becomes relative and open to opinion. We live by the “you do you man” moto.

Context:

This entire section of John is around one single act of healing. Back in chapter 9, Jesus heals a blind man and it turns the Pharisees into a complete meltdown. But, Jesus uses this to teach the religious rulers that they are truly blind in their sin. They can’t even admit that they are actual sinners at the end of John 9. That is their true blindness.

John 9 ends with 4 verses that if left on their own are very confusing. Remember, that is why we must continue to read into chapter 10. The last 4 verses of 9 are explained in detail with the allegory Jesus uses in Chapter 10.

Two weeks ago, we looked at the fourth use of “I AM” statement that Jesus used to describe Himself as the “Good Shepherd” (a concept that we will continue today). But I need to pause and clarify something that I said 2 weeks ago. As I reviewed my notes, I do not think that I clearly articulated who the Gatekeeper is in 10:3. To be clear, the gatekeeper is the Father. He opens the door for the Son to lead out and bring in the sheep. I need to make sure that we understand that.

Jesus is using an allegory to teach an important principle. We need to be very careful when we read it to not make the allegory go in a direction that it should not by adding our own variations. That is why I want to make sure that we are very clear who the Shepherd is (Christ), who the Gatekeeper is (Father) and who the sheep are (true believers).

As we study Chapter 10, we see Jesus continue to expand the use of His shepherding allegory. After today, I want each of us to look at this event differently. I want all of us to trust in your Shepherd more. See what He is, did, and for who.

1. HE is the Good Shepherd.

As we continue to study, God continues to open the door to His identity. We must understand the word choice and why He would use it. The word “GOOD” is not what we would think it is. When we hear the word good, I would say, that cheeseburger was good, that steak was good.

The good here in our text is: (kalos). adj. beautiful, good, desirable. Indicates an object that is intrinsically sound in a moral or ethical sense.

The word kalosindicates that which is essentially flawless, morally good, or beautiful. In the nt, the word is often used synonymously with ἀγαθός (agathos, “good”)

Agathos means to be good morally. It’s a great word to attribute to our Lord but Kalos means “beautiful, excellent, flawless and gorgeous”. When He says this, He is saying, I am the GOOD ONE. Meaning, there isn’t another one who is this good.

When Jesus uses the word kalos, it comes with a specific lesson for us and the Pharisees.

When the Pharisees thought of the good shepherd, can you guess who they had in mind? Think about your old Sunday school lessons. Who in the OT was a shepherd? Who was it that fought lions, bears, and giants? David! Isn’t this interesting? In Jesus’s allegory, Jesus was taking out the patriarchs that the Pharisees were standing on. Look back at 8:39 where Jesus confronts them on their Abrahamic heritage.

8:39 “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did…56 “Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day…58 “Truly, truly I say to you before Abraham was, I am.”

But that is not all! Who was the other major patriarch that they were standing on? How about their greatest lawgiver? John 9:28 “And they reviled him, saying you are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses.”

And now, Jesus is taking another crutch that religion stands on. When He says that He is the Good One, He is saying, I am THE SHEPHERD. Jesus Himself confronts them in Matthew 22:43-45

“How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying,

44 “ ‘The Lord said to my Lord,

“Sit at my right hand,

until I put your enemies under your feet” ’?

45 If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?”[1]

Jesus is the great crutch destroyer. A crutch is a nice way of saying that the pride of a hard heart is running out of excuses for seeing who He really is. We have our crutches of pride today. It may not look like Moses, Abraham or David, but we have our own standards that we think Jesus should have to measure up to. But, as we will continue to see, we will quickly run out of excuses to trust Him. The cure for this pride is staying in His Word lest we forget His identity.

The Pharisees should have gotten this reference. Just by this claim, He is referencing the “Good Shepherd” in: Isa. 40; Ezek. 34, 23; 37; Zech. 13; Heb. 13; 1 Pet. 2; 5:4; Ps. 23; Rev. 7][2]

We should now see the importance of this allegory. When Jesus brings up the “hireling”. He is pointing the finger at those who do not really care for the sheep. The one who runs in the face of inconvenience or trouble. They would never do the hard thing for the sake of the sheep.

My greatest prayer and goal as your pastor is to be a good hireling. I can’t open the door for the Good Shepherd, that’s the Father. I am definitely NOT the Shepherd, that’s the Son. But, I can be a hireling.

But even in that, my abilities are limited. My life is nothing compared to His.

2. He lays down His life.

Please allow me to give some historical and cultural context behind the shepherd. We talked a bit about how hard their lives were two weeks ago but we did not talk about the true dangers. The shepherd has a sacrificial role. It never paid well and was considered a lowly position. A Shepherd was on the lower rungs of the ladder.

They were tough! They had to be. They willingly fought lions, bears, and wolves. You see, they not only had to protect those sheep that they named personally, but they put themselves in harm’s way to make sure that the sheep lived. If a sheep was torn apart by the wolves and lions, they were required to kill the lion and take the lamb parts from the lion’s mouth and use it for proof that that lamb had died. They would have to use the lamb bits to identify the personal identity of that lamb.

We don’t understand this level of commitment. I know that I have some ranchers in here. Would you hunt down a pack of wolves and kill the wolf to take the calf bits from its mouth and stomach so you can identify the calf you personally named, cared for, and raised as if it was your own child?

This is a picture of the greatest Biblical truth known to mankind. The Good Shepherd sacrifices His life for the sake of sheep while we were still sinners. Not while we were all cleaned up. Rather, while we were hating Him He died. It is called “substitutionary atonement.” Simply defined:

2 Corinthians 5:21

21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.[3]

Simply, His life for ours. This is THE great exchange. Or better yet, His life for your life. He dies so that you do not need to. You bring sin to the table; He brings His life to the table for that sin. You are giving your worst in exchange for His best. That is what this Good Shepherd does.

I want to help us see that this is not mechanical. Often when we understand this intellectually we miss the weight of this in the heart. Can I please ask for one second to talk with the heart? I talk to your mind a lot, but I need your heart to engage! I wish to instruct the mind, inspire the heart and then allow Jesus to invite the will. Listen to the Word of our Lord in John 15:13-15:

13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends[4]

Look at how we who are IN Christ are no longer servants, but friends. A friend is an intimate relationship not held by the servant! Now, we are not equals, but we are in a new position of friendship. We are adopted sons and daughters! For those who only rely on an intellectual knowledge of Him, you are missing a very important understanding that He wants your heart! If Christ has saved you, look at what He made you, His Friend and own.

3. He knows His own.

What makes someone a friend? It’s being known. It is familiarity not like a common acquaintance. Look back at verse 16.

Vs 16 “And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice.”

This verse has been the subject of hijack in the past. I have heard this verse used as the proof text for the LDS faith along with those who would say that Jesus went to other planets to save souls. I want to be 100% clear, that is not what this text is saying. Rather, this passage and point that Jesus is saying clearly teaches, He came for the Jew, the Greek and the Gentile.

This passage is our (Gentiles) comfort. He did not come for just the children of Israel, He came so that we, in the United States with no Jewish blood can come to the foot of the cross comfortably and confidently.

But, does that mean that all people, friends or strangers get saved? No, that is not what the Word of God or our passage teaches. The Word of God does not teach universalism! It teaches, some sheep hear and come to the Shepherd’s voice and then there are those who do not. A perfect example, Judas. Salvation is not about just the mind, Judas had 3 years of training all to not be saved in the end.

Not all will come. Not every single person who has ever been or will ever be born. But, rather all people without distinction. Meaning, people from every tribe, nation, and tongue. God wants all to be saved, not in the sense that He wants to save every single person who will be, but all in the sense that He does not only want Jews.

It all comes down to that word Know:

VS 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,[5]

To Know: ginosko means an intimate knowledge of someone or something.

Allow me to use an example: Adam “knew” His wife Eve and the result was Cain. That is “knowing” someone intimately. When our Lord says He knows His sheep and they know Him, this is a relationship that is deep, intimate, and effectual and more importantly, for knowing from eternity past. Allow me to be very clear. Our Lord must know you.

Matthew 7:23

23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’[6]

I would challenge you to read that entire chapter. When Jesus is casting those who He didn’t know out, these were the people who THOUGHT that they knew Him. But, Jesus did not know them “ginosko” them. Does Jesus know of them? Sure! But does He know them personally? No. It is far more important that He knows you than you know Him intellectually. It has to be an intimate, heart-knowledge for it to be real.

Remember when I used the sheep video when the shepherd called them? The sheep were hearing the voice but also the cadence and tone of the shepherd. Although that was a good analogy, it was not quite accurate. To be 100% accurate, that shepherd should have called them “blacky, spots, jimbob.” That would have made that video correct. That is how our Lord calls you, by name. This calling is not a group sale, it is 100% personal. That is true love.

This is an example of the “narrow way”. He is the Gate, and His call for the believer is called by name.

4. He is loved.

The relationship between the Father and Son is above our mental capacity but we do have enough to go on. I hope that you trust this relationship and can appreciate the fact the Father and Son and the HS are all on the same page. At no time did this plan of salvation happen without the Three in one executing the plan.

What I mean by this is that from eternity past to eternity future, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in unison and out of perfect love planned to have the Son pay the ultimate price for sinners like you and me. The plan of salvation was executed in perfect obedience by the Son and thus, the Father loves Him.

Vs 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.” [7]

This God can do ANYTHING! Our confidence should go through the roof based on this one verse. This plan is outside the hands of man. Pilot may have said, don’t you know that I have the power to kill you or keep you alive? No, he did not. Caiaphas and Annanias (high priests) had no authority over Jesus. They were active parts of a plan already set in motion. Judas had no power over Jesus. Did he betray Jesus? Yes, but his actions were already according to the plan.

It mattered very little how hard the devil tried to keep this from happening or ignorantly tried to get it to happen, the plan was going to go forward. The reason is found in this passage, “I have authority to lay it (His life) down AND “I have authority to take it up again.”

And that right there makes Him stand out of all human history! The Love of the Father and the authority over death. No other person can make such claims nor should they. This claim is beyond all comprehension but I trust it completely. Do you want to know why I trust it?

“FOR”. Look at the first word of verse 17: “FOR”. Some texts say “Therefore”. This thought is the RESULT of the Good Shepherd obediently going after, caring for, knowing, and dyeing for His Sheep. That garners the Love of the Father, why? Because it is the plan from the start. This is all connected. This is all a perfectly woven tapestry. Pull one thread and it is all connected.

Do you trust the plan? I want each of you to think about that for a second. Do you trust the plan as it is being laid out before us? The response from those hearing Him was mixed at best, and rejected at most. Look how this passage ends, “there was a division among the Jews.” Do you think His claim is still causing division? YES! That is why I have a major point I want each of you to ponder. The Gospel is divisive on purpose. He said it Himself. Now, do you trust this?

5. Trust the finished work of the Good Shepherd.

I am asking you, no, begging you, trust in the plan, work, and identity of the Good Shepherd. It is again the difference between your head and heart that will make you known to the Shepherd. If you have only an intellectual understanding of who He is, you will hear “Depart from me, I never knew you.” Maybe you are still struggling, okay, allow me to give a clear road map.

In your mind:

a. You know what He is? Good Shepherd.

b. You know what He did? He died for His own sheep.

c. You know who He died for? You.

d. You know what to do? Trust in the work of the Good Shepherd!

It all comes down to that last point for people.

Vs 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?” [8]

This is how this section concludes. I wish with all my heart that all of them fell on their knees and were saved but that is not what happens. Why in the world would I be so naive to think that HE was standing right there, how could they possibly miss it? Look, I understand how you can miss it with me speaking, but seriously, they had THE Shepherd and were still missing it.

My question is simply that last question for you. You know what to do? Trust in the work of the Good Shepherd! Don’t walk away saying like these guys did. They were confused. It’s not confusing! Trust in this Shepherd!