In Good Hands WK 2

I shared some of my story with you at Friendsgiving and if you were there you’ll probably remember me sharing with you about how God used me injuring my knee in 9th grade to really call me to full surrender and follow him. Now, that was a huge turning point in my life, but that is actually only part of the story.

So, that was 9th grade, torn ACL and Lateral Meniscus half way into the Basketball season, had to have surgery and stay out of sports for a year. After that I was so excited to get back to basketball. And I would pray for God to not let me get hurt again!

10th grade year playing basketball again, I ended up in the ER with a badly strained muscle and then later that season I broke my wrist and I am pretty sure I had a minor concussion from being thrown into a wall in the middle of that basketball game. After that I changed schools and was starting the season with the new team in 11th grade. I thought surely, God I have learned my lessons, I have been through injuries, just please let me enjoy this season and not get hurt. Well, before the season even really started, the last practice before the first game, my knee went out during a drill and I had to have surgery for cartilage damage in the same knee as before.

So, 9th grade, 10th grade, 11th grade, all injuries and not being able to do the one thing I wanted most.

For me during that time I got to the point where I was just like, “God, what is going on? I am following you now, I am growing and serving and even pursuing your calling to ministry, what else do you want from me? Why do you keep letting me get hurt!?”

Have you ever been in one of those moments? Where you just don’t get why God is letting you walk through something? We have all been there, and these can be big or small moments in life, but we face challenges, or suffering and we start to wonder- If God is so good why would he really let me go through all of this right now?

Now, I will be honest, we aren’t going to tackle that question exactly today. Really what we are going to do, like week one of this series, is to remember that no matter what we face in life, we are in Good Hands, the best hands, we are in God’s hands.

There are moments where it can be easy to think, “How is it that God is good when all of these bad things have happened to me? How is it that God is good when this thing feels so heavy and hard to carry?” There are probably some of you who are even in that place today. This morning I want us each to be encouraged that even in the midst of our deepest and darkest struggles our God is still good and still has us in his caring arms.

This morning, open your Bible with me to John 10, we are going to look at a passage where Jesus gives us an illustration of who He is and what God is like for His people.

As you turn there, you need to know something. Jesus is going to compare people to sheep. And I can’t ever hear this story without thinking of a time when I was in a class in the school of Ministry at Palm Beach Atlantic University. The dean of the school of ministry was teaching this class. His name was Randy Richards and he served in ministry for years, mainly he was a missionary in Indonesia before going into the academic world. But I really won’t ever forget that class because he always had the most incredible stories and examples. One time in particular, he was talking about sheep. We were looking at the same passage we will be in today. Dr. Richards went off on this whole tangent about sheep being the dumbest animals in the world. We all were thinking the sheep illustration was so nice and sweet and helpful. But he stopped us and was like NO, don’t you guys realize sheep are stupid!? Now, I need to tell you this is all coming from an old man with grandchildren ok? But he is like- being a sheep isn’t necessarily a compliment. They are dumb and nearly blind. There is a reason they need a shepherd so badly. They are totally defenseless, they will walk right ff the edge of a cliff or into a pit, and they’ll follow each other off into the middle of nowhere and die if no one stops them.

Dr. Richards’ point was simple- as humans, we are in desperate need of a Good Shepherd to lead us, protect us, and provide for us. Otherwise, we don’t stand a chance of ever having a good, full life.

Keep this in mind as we read, in response to seeing the unhealth of the jewish leaders at that time Jesus says this…

John 10:1-5

John 10:1–5 CSB

“Truly I tell you, anyone who doesn’t enter the sheep pen by the gate but climbs in some other way is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought all his own outside, he goes ahead of them. The sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will never follow a stranger; instead they will run away from him, because they don’t know the voice of strangers.”

Verse 6 goes on to say that no one had any clue what Jesus was talking about, which I love that that is a verse in the Bible, it helps me feel better about myself for sure!

But then in the next few verses Jesus stops and explains what he was saying. Before we read that, I want to give you a little more context.

Now, in that time, as a shepherd you had one goal- keep your sheep alive and well. They would build pens for their flock of sheep out of stones and back it up against a rock or the side of a mountain. Pen would be a short wall made of stones with sharp, thorny branches on top like barbed wire. Then at the front, across from that back wall of rock or mountain, there would be the gate opening where the sheep could come in and out. During the day, the shepherd would lead his flock out to find good food and water, and then lead them back to the safety of the pen. At night, they would guard the pen to make sure no predators came in and killed the sheep. It was a hard job and required a very strong, caring and dedicated shepherd to do it well.

So, what does this have to do with Jesus? Let’s keep reading in verse 7. We’re going to read a little while here, but try to lock in and immerse yourself in the picture that Jesus is painting here. Follow with me, John 10:7.

John 10:7–18 CSB

Jesus said again, “Truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them. I am the gate. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand, since he is not the shepherd and doesn’t own the sheep, leaves them and runs away when he sees a wolf coming. The wolf then snatches and scatters them. This happens because he is a hired hand and doesn’t care about the sheep. “I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me, just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep. But I have other sheep that are not from this sheep pen; I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. Then there will be one flock, one shepherd. This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life so that I may take it up again. 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.”

I know there’s a lot here.

First, Jesus says he is the gate. He is the only way into God’s flock of Sheep. Anyone who tries to offer life, truth, leadership without Jesus is not a good shepherd. Unfortunately, we have a lot of false, or bad shepherds in our world. People who say they have the key to a good life, but it doesn’t have any power in it because it lacks Jesus!

The false shepherds are bad shepherds because they are just looking out for themselves. Like the thief and robber- they say they care about you and your life but in the end they just want what’s best for them- they want your time, your money, and your attention but they don’t care what actually happens to you. Bad Shepherds can’t offer good life! The only way to experience the good life, is by knowing the Good Shepherd.

Jesus goes on to say that he IS the Good shepherd. He is the one who came to offer us good, abundant life. He is the gate that leads us into the flock of God’s children and then he is Also the Good Shepherd who tends to us, leading us to good food and water and protecting us from enemies.

The Good Shepherd is the only source of good Life!

Now, why can Jesus offer us the good life? What makes him such a good shepherd? Well he tells us.

The Good Shepherd Knows His sheep.

God knows us each by name because he made us, He loves us, and He has a plan for each of our lives. In return we need to know Him. We need to know our Good Shepherd personally like we talked about on Wednesday night. Be familiar with His voice so we follow Him and not the lies of this world. Sheep knew their shepherds so well that if their shepherd made a particular sound, all the sheep would start running towards him no matter what was going on. Even if two shepherds mixed their sheep up, a good shepherd could call his sheep and His sheep would come to him. Jesus is the good shepherd, he knows us and we can know Him!

He’s the good shepherd because He knows His sheep. But he’s also the Good Shepherd because

2. The Good Shepherd Loves His Sheep.

We can’t base our view of God on what circumstances we walk through. Christians and non-christians, good people and bad people, all will have good times and really bad times in life. If we base our view of God on how we feel or how life is going, we will never have an accurate picture of Him.

Jesus doesn’t say he is the good shepherd because the sheep are always happy or nothing bad ever happens to the sheep.

No, He says he is the good shepherd because no matter what happens the sheep will be loved, cared for, and protected by their Good Shepherd. The thieves, robbers, hired workers all run when life get’s rough for the sheep. But not our God!

In fact, when things were the absolute worst for us, when we were lost in our sins, deserving of death for all eternity because we were rebels against God- our Good Shepherd came to us in the midst of our mess, he faced our sin and punishment head on for us, he sacrificed his own life WILLINGLY as Jesus points out in verse 18, and He lead us through death into resurrection life!

The Good Shepherd doesn’t help us avoid the struggles of life, he leads us through them by his Grace, Strength and self-sacrificial love.

The good shepherd, God knows us and loves us so much that He was willing to give up his own life for us to live!

Today, I don’t know what each of you are going through but God knows what you need, why you need it, and when you need it. You can find comfort and encouragement today in knowing that you are in the hands of the Good Shepherd—One who doesn’t just say He’s good, but who has and will continue to always prove it.

When you are struggle to remember you are in the good shepherds hands- remember He knows you, so be intentional to stop and listen for His Voice. He will speak words of comfort, peace, truth, and love to you.

And Remember He loves you, look back to the cross, and realize that whatever you are walking through right now, however dark and difficult- our God understands your pain, He knows your struggle and he is with you in it. Don’t give up, God won’t let you go!

Our God is a good good shepherd and you are in his hands today.

Let’s pray and get into our groups.

reminder to be vulnerable and honest…we need other sheep…