THE TRUE SHEPHERD
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THE TRUE SHEPHERD
THE TRUE SHEPHERD
CALL TO WORSHIP
CALL TO WORSHIP
Let’s pray in meditation.
The true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.
Oh, Lord our God! Be with us in our worshiping place so that we may worship you in spirit and truth.
CONFESSING SIN
CONFESSING SIN
Our Father we confess that we did not love you with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind and with all our strength and that we did not love our neighbor as ourselves. Forgive us our sins and cleanse us with the blood of Jesus.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
The True Shepherd
The True Shepherd
In the passage we shared last week, we saw that the Pharisees treated the man who had been blind harshly and concluded that he was a person born in severe sin. They were religious leaders of the Jews, but they were not true shepherds. If they had been true shepherds, they would not have treated the sheep so carelessly.
Recently, there was a presidential election in Korea. Whenever a new leader emerges, people place hopeful expectations for the future on that leader. So Korean Stock Market skyrocketed.
Throughout our history, excellent leaders have appeared, but on the other hand, there have also been terrible leaders. Among the kings that Koreans are proud of from the Joseon Dynasty that existed before the Republic of Korea is King Sejong the Great. His greatest achievement was creating Hangul (the Korean alphabet). He was a person who left such great accomplishments that even foreigners know his name. While his achievements were outstanding, not many people know that he was also the king who left the most serious systematic problem in the country of Joseon. He was the king who created a system that discriminated between legitimate and illegitimate children, and a system that made children born to slaves unconditionally become slaves. When he created that system, he probably didn't know how serious the consequences would be, but as time passed, it became a social structure where the majority of Joseon's people were exploited in very low social positions. A very small number of the ruling class were exempt from military service obligations. This system later caused serious problems, eventually weakening the country to the point where it surrendered the sovereignty to Japan without any resistance. Even someone who is considered a good leader for us is only to this extent.
Calvin said this: when a society becomes severely corrupt, God establishes evil and foolish kings. The presense of evil and foolish king itself is the judgment to the people. When evil kings emerge, we should recognize this as God's judgment on the sins prevalent in that society and quickly repent. When we do so, God bestows forgiveness and salvation on that society. Let me give a couple of examples of evil leaders.
When Hitler emerged, most German citizens were enthusiastic. As a defeated nation from World War I, the economy was already in ruins and inflation was seriously at legendary levels. The German people placed great expectations on Hitler. The inflation problem was soved. So they were enthusiastic to Hitler. But what was the outcome? Germany became a totalitarian state and finally started a war, trying to dominate all of Europe. Twenty-seven million Soviet citizens were sacrificed, six million Jews were massacred, five million German soldiers died, and two million civilians of Germany died. Countless cities, railways, and ports were destroyed. Parts of their territory were taken by Poland and the Soviet Union.
What happened after Mao Zedong emerged in China? Twenty million to forty-five million people died from the Great Leap Forward. As a result of the Cultural Revolution, about two million people died. Because of a leader in whom the people had placed great expectations, countless people starved to death and were beaten to death.
The Old Testament also made this point.
The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord God: Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep.
They were not true shepherds. They exploited them.
The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them. So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts. My sheep were scattered; they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them.
Let’s read John chapter 10 in this context.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
He is a thief and a robber. We need a true shepherd.
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.”
The sheep hear his voice but they will flee from strangers.
This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.
I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
No one took his life from him. He laid down his life for the sheep. It was the will of the Father.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
No one comes to the Father except through Jesus. He is the door. He is the way.
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, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.
He laid down his life for his own. Are you his own sheep?
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.
What does it mean? This fold means the fold of Israelites. There will be another flock. What is it? Yes, the flock of the Gentiles. Both flocks will be one flock under one shepherd. There is only one true shepherd.
For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may 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 I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
Many preachers say that the Father is angry God but the Son is soothing him and that the God of OT is angry God and NT God is the God of Love. They are wrong. The more you read OT, the more you will find that the God of OT is the God of love. The most prominent characteristics of OT is ‘hesed’ and ‘emet.’ ‘Hesed’ means ‘everlasting covenatal love.’ And ‘emet’ means faithfulness, truthfulness and truth. He loves His people with the everlasting covenantal love with faithfulness.
He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
This is the will of the Father that His Son is to be sacrificed for His people. And the Son obey the will of His Father. For this reason the Father loves him, because Jesus laid down his life. And He took it again. “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.”
Theree have been numerous shpherds to us. But they were not the true shepherd. But we have one person who is the true shepherd. So, king David confessed like this:
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
We are waiting for the coming of the kingdom of God and the king.
So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”
Save us, we pray, O Lord! O Lord, we pray, give us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We bless you from the house of the Lord.
