I AM The Good Shepherd

The Israelites were under attack from the Moabites and Ammonites, and the odds were against them. So King Jehoshaphat called all the people together in a sacred assembly and asked them to fast and pray, just as many of us did earlier this week as we’ve been confronted by a different sort of enemy.

Then, in response to their prayers and fasting, the Spirit of the Lord came upon a man named Jahaziel, and he spoke a prophetic word. Do you know what it was? It was a Word of guidance from God for that time and, I believe, for this moment in time as well.

Ref. 2 Chronicles 20:15. “This is what the LORD says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s…. You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions, stand firm, and see the deliverance the Lord will give you. Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.”

Then, just a bit later in the account, King Jehoshaphat said this. And notice coincidentally, that this is from 2 Chronicles 20:20. King Jehoshaphat said, “Listen to me, people of God. Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.”

Then the King did this: he ordered all the singers to the head of the army, so that they were led out to face their enemies in praise and worship.

So friends, with that I invite you into a time of worship this morning. Even though most of you are at home, watching and listening on a computer screen, this is not a time to be a spectator. This is a moment to rise up, open your heart and mouth to the Lord, and declare his goodness and faithfulness!

Worship

Congregational Prayer

Scripture Reading: John 10:1-21

“Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.

7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to 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 authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

Message Introduction/God Story:

Illustration: Martin Rinkart (from a story told by Jim Daly)

Crack open a history book and you’ll soon discover that as dire and as difficult as things may seem today, the world has faced much worse in the past. Back in the 1600s, there was a Lutheran German pastor named Martin Rinkart. He found himself ministering in the midst of horrendous famine and disease. At one point, he was the only pastor left in his town and conducted up to 50 funerals in a single day. Yet, the world may never have remembered Rinkert, if not for him writing the well-known hymn, “Nun danket alle Gott” – otherwise known as, “Now, Thank We All Our God.”

By the way, here is what you should know about Martin Rinkart’s famous hymn, a tune we sing in a spirit of gratitude, often around Thanksgiving: It was written in the midst of the great plague he and his countrymen were enduring, proving once again that struggle and suffering may knock us down, but God will always be there to lift us up when we turn to Him, whether in this life or the next.

Friends, this morning, once again I want to focus in with you on next "I Am" statement Jesus made.. the fourth one of seven, which is found in John 10:11 and 14. And once again, as I did last Sunday, I also want to use this statement to speak to the very issues we're all grappling with right now, as our city and country endures this unprecedented crisis.

This has been another very difficult week for all of us, but more difficult for some than others. So I find myself compelled by the Holy Spirit to speak words of life, hope and encouragement to you this morning. Fear not. The LORD is for us and with us, and eager to speak to us.

So let me connect for you the promise and hope found in John 10, with the desperate need we're all feeling uniquely conscious of this morning.

These are the words Jesus spoke about himself:

Ref. John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."

Ref. John 10:14-15 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep."

Now here again, as with the first three "I AM" statements we’ve already studied, we're dealing with analogy. We are not literally sheep, and Jesus is not literally a shepherd. But Jesus spoke these words, John tells us, as a figure of speech... to communicate a vital principle about the nature of our relationship with Him and the nature of his true identity.

So what does this analogy really tell us about Jesus? What makes Jesus our Good Shepherd? And what makes a Good Shepherd good?

Let's start with this:

Message Point 1: As our Good Shepherd, Jesus truly cares about our well being.

Perhaps you're aware that one of the oldest philosophical and theological objections to believing in God is captured in a simple question:

How could a truly good God allow bad things to happen to good people?

Questions like this are particularly relevant to people at a time like this, when the whole world is threatened by a public health crisis. If Jesus is one with God, and he is truly good, then how in the world could he let something like this Coronavirus Pandemic happen to us? For many, sadly, the assumption is that either he isn't God or he isn't good... for if he were a good God then surely he would rescue us from this mess we're in.

That kind of thinking may seem logical, but it misses something vital to the nature of God: In His goodness and love, God has allowed humans beings to have a measure of freedom...

Here's how Jesus himself understood and explained his goodness: he explained it terms of his genuine care for his followers.

In fact, he used the same shepherding analogy, but added another character as a foil, or point of comparison.

Ref. John 10:12-13 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

What does this tell us? In the language of the analogy it tells us that when sheep are under threat from a powerful adversary, a hired hand will not protect them like a truly good shepherd will. The hired hand runs away in fear, because he doesn't really care about the sheep. But a good shepherd, on the other hand, always cares for his sheep.

Now, translating that into the language of our reality, let me put it this way. I take the hired hand to be any other leader or Lord who wants your allegiance. And I take the wolf to be the devil himself.

So the question Jesus is driving at goes something like this: Would you want a leader who is himself afraid of threats to your well being and can't be counted on to protect you? Or, would you want a leader who cares about you so deeply that they would risk their own safety for your well being? Would you want to give your life to following a leader that can't stand up to the devil, or one that will stand up? That's the difference, Jesus says, between him and anyone else. He is not like the hired hand, who flees in fear. He is faithful and dependable to those under his care, because he truly does care about them.

In fact, he cares about us so much that he will stand up for us against the wolf. So we're not talking here about Aesop's shepherd boy who cried wolf, then wept because no one would come to his aid after two previous false alarms. We're talking about a shepherd in the likeness and lineage of David, who would stand up to and fight off a wolf or a bear with his own hands.

That brings us to another great insight in the very next words that came from Jesus' lips. Listen to this: He repeats himself, and then he adds another twist to the analogy.

Ref. John 10:14-15 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—...

What's the new twist? Jesus added to his "Good Shepherd" job description that to care for his sheep is to know them... In fact, to know them so well, so intimately, that there is between him and his sheep the same kind of knowledge as there is between Jesus and his Father in heaven.

In other words, this analogy is all about relationship!

Think about that... that's actually a rather remarkable statement! For if it's really true, it tells us something profound about how well Jesus knows us and cares for us. It tells us that he loves us. Those who are his and belong to him, are to him as he is to the Father. Think of it this way: You can't really care for someone if you don't really know them... the two are intertwined together. Caring is typically established by knowing. The more deeply we know someone, the more deeply we tend to care about them.

So check this out: though he lived on earth almost 2000 years ago, Jesus is still alive in heaven now, and seated at the right hand of God the Father Almightly. And he personally knows and cares for each person who chooses to follow him. To know and love Jesus and be known and loved by Jesus is what Christianity is all about. So if there are some of you listening today that don't really know or love him yet, let this serve as your invitation into a relationship that is truly life-changing. To know him and love him will rock your world in the best way possible, and especially at a time like this when those who don't know him are being rocked by fear instead of faith.

That brings me back to the question I posed earlier about where Jesus is now, while we're experiencing a pandemic, and what in the world he's doing about it? I agree with and love the answer to that question I found in an article by Jim Daly, President of Focus on the Family, that I read online yesterday. Here's what he had to say in an article entitled "Where Is God During The Coronavirus Pandemic?"

Quote from Jim Daly Fox News Article "Where Is God During The Coronavirus Pandemic?":

As a Christian, I believe God is in the middle of everything – the good and the bad – and yes, even COVID-19. As sovereign over all things, He remains in full and complete control...

Despite all the strife and suffering, God is there – because He is everywhere. God is currently in every hospital, strengthening doctors, nurses and medical personnel as they treat the sick and comfort the dying. God is working through the government’s response to this crisis, providing President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence and the Coronavirus Task Force wisdom and guidance as they plot and plan their attack on this lethal pathogen. If you look at the massive humanitarian effort that's unfolding not only in this country but all across the world, you'll see God - often in the form of his devoted servants - in the middle of blood drives, food donations, and churches and businesses that are opening their parking lots for drive thru testing locations.

What's he really saying? Jesus is present and actively at work in and through the lives of his followers.

Be his design, His care for the world is now demonstrated through the church, which is the community of those who follow him.

So then, Jesus is good because Jesus truly cares for those who follow him. But there's more to it than that... here's another take:

Message Point 2: As our Good Shepherd, Jesus laid down his life for us.

This is the supreme act of care Jesus knew was yet to come when he spoke these words. Think about it. Long before it ever happened, Jesus declared to his followers that he would lay down his own life to save their lives.

In fact, it seems to me that this revelation Jesus was sharing was so important to him that he felt compelled to repeat it multiple times. Did you notice that? I think he wanted to be absolutely sure that his disciples would understand how vital this act was to his role as their Good Shepherd.

Notice with me three specific examples just in this one paragraph from John 10.

Ref. John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."

Ref. John 10:15 ...and I lay down my life for the sheep.

Ref. John 10.17-18 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

So here's the deal: Jesus doesn't simply know you and care about you. Jesus cares about you so much that he sacrificed his own life for your well being... for your salvation. And he knew, well in advance of when it happened, that laying down his life and then taking it up again would be pinnacle of his mission on earth. That, my friends, is not just a random prediction... it's foreknowledge.

So what we're talking about here is not only a shepherd who leaves the 99 to go on the hunt after one single lost sheep, as a famous parable tells us. What we're talking about is a shepherd who actually sacrificed his own life for the sake of his sheep.

That is the essence of love and goodness in action.

Consider how John would later describe this in his first letter:

Ref. 1 John 4:9-10 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

What kind of shepherd is willing to lay down his own life for the sake of his sheep's lives?

Illustration:

Message Point 3: To be our Good Shepherd, Jesus must be the embodiment of God.

As we wrap up this morning, I want you to consider what led to Jesus making this statement, "I AM the Good Shepherd."

As we saw several weeks ago when I taught on the significance of the words "I AM", those two words alone identify Jesus with the Great I Am of the Old Testament, which is literally the personal name of God.

But frankly, something very similar holds true for the words "Good Shepherd". Those words were not some random analogy Jesus chose just because he was talking to lots of people who knew firsthand what shepherding was all about. No. Jesus chose those words because he was purposefully connecting himself with the One True Living God of the Old Testament, and also with the Messiah who had been prophesied about throughout the Old Testament. In other words, He chose this particular analogy and this particular title because it was loaded with Old Testament significance.

Get this: The statement/Title was meant to set off alarm bells in the minds of Jesus' listeners, and it did. For their were only two choices if you were an God-fearing observant Jew. Either Jesus was committing blasphemy, or Jesus really was who he said he was.

How do I know this? I did my homework.

Did you know that there are at least a dozen or more references in the Old Testament to Yahweh being a great Shepherd over his people, or to the coming Messiah being a Shepherd? A dozen. So this was not an unfamiliar idea, and especially to those who knew their Scriptures well.

In many instances Yahweh himself is described as a Shepherd to his people.

For example, consider the blessing Jacob bestowed upon Joseph and his boys, Ephraim and Manasseh:

Ref. Genesis 48:15-16 Then he blessed Joseph and said,

“May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked faithfully,

the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day,

the Angel who has delivered me from all harm —may he bless these boys.

May they be called by my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac,

and may they increase greatly on the earth.”

Friends, this is all the way back in Genesis. And then the same idea gets repeated multiple times after that.

We won't look them all up, but if you're interested you'll find some examples of this in these passages:

Genesis 49:24, Psalm 23:1, Psalm 28:9, Psalm 80:1, Psalm 95:7

Of these, the most famous and familiar of course, is Psalm 23:1.

Ref. Psalm 23:1 "The LORD (YaHWeH) is my shepherd, I shall not want.”

In Hebrew this is the phrase “Yahweh Rohi”, and let me tell you just how significant this statement it. According to one Commentator, Nathan Stone, whose studied and written about the names of God, “no designation of Yahweh has brought more comfort to the heart or sounded sweeter to the ears of the saints of both Old and New Testaments, ancient and modern, than this beautiful expression."

But what's even cooler than that is how several of the Messianic prophecies pointed directly to the identity and mission of the coming Messiah as a Shepherd over God's people.

You'll find examples of this in Isaiah 40:10-11, Jeremiah 31:10, Ezekiel 34:12,16,23, Ezekiel 37:24, Micah 5:2-4, Micah 7:14, and Zechariah 9:16.

And one of these [Micah 5:2-4] even gets quoted in the New Testament by Matthew, who describes the birth of Jesus as it's fulfillment:

So we find in Matthew 2:5-6, this statement in response to Herod's question about the birth of the King:

Ref. Matthew 2:5-6 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’"

So listen: here's the point I'm wanting to make with an exclamation point or two on the end: Jesus knew all this. He knew all these Scriptures.

So I submit to you that Jesus chose his words very purposefully and for good reason. When he said "I AM the Good Shepherd" he was intending to identify himself as the Messiah, sent from God and in fact one with God. He was intending to proclaim, "I'm the one you've been waiting for.

The wait is over. I am the one Yahweh promised to send to you. I am, in fact, the embodiment of Yahweh himself."

It's like this: If what you're saying to someone is really true, then it's not just a conspiracy theory or a crazy idea.

Jesus wasn't a dude with a Messiah complex. He was the Messiah. If you're the real deal then it's not a complex.

I love the way C.S. Lewis sums up the significance of Jesus' statements about his own identity. He wrote...

Quote from C.S. Lewis:

So then, if Jesus really is who he said he was... if Jesus really is our Good Shepherd, then the question turns to who we are? Are you, or are you not one of his followers? Do you, or do you not know him and love him as your Good Shepherd?

In verses 19-20, at the very end of this story, we see two reactions to Jesus' words. One guy thinks he's raving mad and demon possessed. While the other guy considers the meaning of his words in combination with his deeds. "How could he be demon possessed if he opens the eyes of the blind too?"

Friends, I'm here to tell you the greatest adventure in the world, and the greatest experience of abundant life you could ever hope for comes with following Jesus.... learning to listen to his voice and allowing him to lead your life. That's what the journey of discipleship is all about. It's not just believing in Jesus. It's knowing the heart of Jesus, knowing the voice of Jesus, and loving Jesus so much that you trust him completely with every aspect of your life.

If you’ve never experienced the abundant life Jesus offers you, then maybe this is your moment to make that decision and open your heart to him.

As for those of you who have known him for some time, here’s a word of encouragement and a practical challenge for each of you. If you already know Jesus as your Good Shepherd, then why not capture some of the extra time you have right now to draw near to him and invite him to speak to you in new and deeper ways. Why not practice hearing his voice more clearly? Maybe some of you know him and love him, but you haven't been listening too closely for his voice lately. Maybe it's time to recommit yourself to following his voice instead of other voices.

Illustration: Kent’s word to Pre-Service Prayer Group on Zoom

Listen, there’s a fascinating verse in this passage that I’d like to close with today that we haven’t yet looked at. It’s verse 16, where Jesus says...

Ref. John 10:16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.

Do you realize that when he spoke those words Jesus was thinking about and speaking about all of us? Essentially, He was speaking about the ingathering of the Gentiles, who were “not of the same sheep pen” as the Jews. But notice the defining mark of all the sheep who would become part of his flock. What did Jesus say about them? He said “they too will listen to my voice.”

Friends, according to John 10 that is the very essence of knowing and following Jesus. It’s learning to recognize his voice and to distinguish it from every other voice that might call out for your attention. Whatever else this season of our lives might be described as, this is indeed a sacred opportunity to hear God speak to us. So I encourage you to draw near to him and listen closely.

Important Reminders/Announcements:

Uganda Mission Trip - not yet cancelled.

Virtual Women’s Night Out via Zoom

Morning Prayer at HOPE now 6-7am

Prayer Focus for March - Stewardship…. Reminder about Online Giving.

⠀

Benediction:

The Aaronic Blessing from Numbers 6:24-26

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you

and give you peace.”’

HYPERLINK "https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+1%3A29-34&version=NIV" https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+1%3A29-34&version=NIV