086 - The Good Shepherd

Our culture has provided images for us in our minds. And most of us, when we think of a shepherd are inclined to think of shepherds as sentimental beings, perhaps somewhat effeminate, with their arms full of cuddly lambs.

Think about the Sunday School stories of David the little shepherd boy.

David was just a little shepherd boy tending his father’s sheep night and day.

And we have the deceiving image in our mind of a simple boy simply watching over some very cute and cuddly sweet little lambs.

Oh how cute and how wonderful.

The shepherds life, especially in the middle east, was not anything so romantic. It was hard and difficult. The sheep had to have grass to eat and water to drink, two precious commodities that are many times hard to find in the middle eastern desert lands.

Not only that but the precious little sheep are some of the dumbest animals alive. You constantly have to keep your eyes on them to keep them from straying into the thickets and becoming separate from the flock.

And then there are raiders and thieves looking to steal away the sheep.

The shepherd must be fearless and courageous and able to stand up to the thieves.

And then there are wild animals.

David, when he came to Saul demanding that he be allowed to go and fight Goliath said to Saul,

1 Samuel 17:34–37 NKJV

But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.” Moreover David said, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!”

So I hope you are beginning to get a better picture of the Shepherd.

He is a noble character possessing high moral qualities showing integrity, generosity, and courage.

He is fearless in times of trouble willing to even go after wild beast that seek to destroy anyone of his flock.

Loving his flock and caring for them, feeding them and leading them to water.

Looking through our western eyes we fail to see the responsibilities of the shepherd.

Illustration

As our children grow up many times they will ask their parents for a pet, hopefully something simple like a little puppy.

But sometimes they want a pony, without the understanding of the responsibility of taking care of a pony.

One of the funniest and maybe saddest stories I have every heard was a story my good friend Randy Spencer told of his little pony.

All Randy ever asked for was a pony. Time after time Randy would go to his dad begging him to buy him a pony.

“Son, Randy’s dad would say, having a pony requires responsibility. Every day you must care for that pony, brushing his coat to keep him clean, feeding him twice a day and being sure that he always has water. And you have to keep the stable clean so he will have a clean dry place to lay down and sleep every night. Having a pony requires a lot of responsibility and if ever you neglect your responsibility to the pony, well he will die.”

But Randy said he understood, he wanted a pony and promised to love him and take care of him. So his dad bought Randy a pony.

Randy said he loved that little pony so much, he would brush on him for hours.

But then as summer came around and school was out. Randy got busy playing with friends and going camping with them. Going to ball games and practice.

And then one night as he was laying in bed, he got thinking about the pony.

When was the last time he saw the pony.

When was the last time he gave the pony any food or water.

And he jumped up out of bed and ran to the barn to give the pony some food and water only to find the water bucket empty and the pony lying dead in the stable.

DEAD - all because he had gotten all tied up in other things and forgot all about his responsibilities of taking care of his little pony.

Application

Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.”

Jesus had such a love for you, and you, and you, and even me, that He stepped down out of heaven, out of His glory, the place that only the Bible describes as a place where

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

He left heaven to come to this earth and take on flesh to become one of us so that He could have a relationship with us.

Verse 14 says,

John 10:14 NKJV

I know My sheep, and am known by My own.

He knows and understands us, our joys, and our sorrows, He knows the problems that we face because He faced the same problems and difficulties.

We can come to Him and trust in Him knowing that He is our protector.

He is not just a simple hired hand.

A hired hand is not a shepherd, he is only concerned about his wages and his self-preservation. The flock means nothing to him. He will flee at the first sign of danger.

The Good Shepherd is always more concerned about his flock than himself.

The Good Shepherd gives his life for the sheep and knows the sheep and the sheep know Him.

Transition

Now we know who the Good Shepherd is and have a better understanding of His role and responsibilities. We see His great unyielding love for the sheep, but who are the sheep?

Identifying the Sheep

Throughout the Bible, people are frequently referred to as sheep. This imagery is used to represent both God’s people and those who lack any spiritual guidance. The comparison between people and sheep stems from sheep’s characteristics, such as their helplessness, tendency to stray, and need for a shepherd’s care. In the Old Testament God’s people are often described as “the sheep of His pasture” while in the New Testament, this metaphor is commonly applied to believers. We see this so called dispensational shift here in verse 16 where Jesus brings into the flock the Gentile believers and both Jewish and Gentile believers become one flock with one shepherd.

John 10:16 NKJV

And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.

Explanation

But as we examine the sheep we will find that there are two groups, or two types of sheep.

The Sheep outside the Flock

In verses 19-24 of our text we read about a division that arose among the Jews. Many of the people were saying that Jesus was a demon, an insane person and question why in the world anyone would listen to such nonsense.

But then there were others who questioned, “can an insane person do the works this man is doing?”

And they were all commanding Him to tell them who He really was.

They were confused and divided amongst themselves.

Unbelievers who are unwilling to, by faith, accept the words and works of Jesus and Jesus plainly tells them:

John 10:26 NKJV

You do not believe, because you are not of My sheep.

These are the sheep wondering around in darkness, following every wave of the sea, swallowed up by one world philosophy after another.

In the words of the apostle Paul, they are:

2 Timothy 3:7 NKJV

always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

The Sheep of the Flock

These sheep are made up of both Gentile and Jewish believers, all who ever have and ever will come to faith in Christ Jesus.

They are a special group of people, the Bible says that they are the Called out ones, The Elect, The Redeemed, Disciples of Jesus.

They are known by the Good Shepherd by name and they know and understand the Words of The Good Shepherd.

And they follow the Good Shepherd not only putting their trust in Him to provide for them but to learn from Him and to do His will, allowing Him to teach them His words so that they will be able to teach the gospel message to others.

Illustration

Growing up I had horses. At one time I owned, even as a young teenager, six horses and had several others in my care that I would be braking to ride or showing for others.

I also had a good friend who together we formed a sort of partnership, working, training and showing horses.

I had horses and he had horses.

And sometimes we would have all of our horses all in the same pasture.

But my horses knew me, I had this whistle that I would do that sounded like this,

And when my horse heard that they would all look up and come running to me.

My friends horse would normally not pay any attention to the whistle, they would just keep their heads down eating the tall green grass.

But my horses knew me, they knew my whistle, and when they heard my whistle they came.

And I knew them too, I knew everyone of the by name. I knew which one rode the smoothest, which one was the fastest, and which one, well unless you were feeling the need for some excitement, you just did not want to get on.

I knew them all and they knew me.

Application

Jesus the Good Shepherd knows His sheep, and the sheep know His voice, when Jesus calls out to his sheep his sheep come to Him.

Jesus says that He lays down His life for His sheep, and just as my horses where purchased by me, with my hard earned money, Jesus has also purchased His sheep.

They have been purchased by the Good Shepherd

John 10:16 NKJV

And other sheep I have which are not of this fold;

“I have” “I possess” “I own by means of purchasing

The fact that we have been purchased by the Good Shepherd is perhaps the most neglected fact that we have concerning our relationship with Jesus.

God Himself has bought us at a price and that price was the precious blood of His beloved Son, who is here referred to as the Good Shepherd who has laid down His life for the sheep.

If you are a part of the sheep of the flock of Christ you have died to yourself and given your life to Christ. You no longer have a say in what you are to do. This is why Paul always referred to himself as a bondservant or slave to Christ Jesus.

But we want to hold on to this “self-ownership theology” which is this unbiblical mindset where believers operate as though they control their own lives, rather than being servants or slaves of Christ. We would rather consider ourselves as free to do our will than to be slaves, the word itself carries a negative weight evoking images of oppression, dehumanization, and the loss of freedom and dignity.

We live this “Lordless Christianity” where we have faith in Jesus and believe in Him but are reluctant to embrace Him as the Lord of our life.

It is seeking “Redemption without surrender” we love the thought of being redeemed by Jesus but are not quite yet willing to live as His possession.

But let me tell you, being a slave to Jesus is the most fulfilling life that anyone can ever live. You see Jesus did not come and die for you so He could purchase you and take away from you, He purchased you so that he might set you free, braking the chains that have held you captive for so long, the chains of drugs, alcohol, pornography, the chains that are keeping you from living life as it was intended to be living.

Jesus does not take away He gives and He gives it abundantly.

Transition

And that leads us to our last point, The Pasture Land.

All sheep need pasture to feed on to live in, the pasture in a sense is our world, our life and so it is important to know what pasture we are a part of.

The Pasture Land

As we have seen throughout our study this morning, there are two flocks of sheep, the flock that belongs to the good Shepherd and the other sheep, the sheep of the world.

Explanation

The sheep of the Good Shepherd

The sheep of the Good Shepherd are all the people who have come to faith in Christ Jesus. They have heard the call, “Come and follow Me” and they have responded and repented of their sinful ways and have chosen to follow Jesus, to become His disciple and to learn from Him, to think like He thought and to allow Him to teach them to become like Him so that He can carry out His mission on this earth through them. They are followers of Christ Jesus, His bondservants, seeking to fulfill His will.

And in verse 16 we read that He gathers us all together, where there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for we are all one in Christ Jesus.

And while we remain here on this earth He remains with us for He says He will never leave us nor forsake us. He has promised us the comforter who has come to live in us and to teach us all things.

And in verse 28 we see that we have three promise from the Good Shepherd:

John 10:28 NKJV

And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.

Three Promises

The promise of eternal life.

The promise that we will be kept from the destroyer.

The promise that are salvation is secure.

Notice first the promise of eternal life - Not something that the believer receives when they die; they obtain it the moment they believe in Christ as Savior. You do not die physically and then receive eternal life. You receive eternal life the moment you die to self and take up your cross and follow Jesus. You never taste death, the Bible teaches that the moment you physical body takes its last breath you take you next breath in the presence of the Lord Jesus.

Secondly, the promise that you will be kept from the destroyer - The text says, “you will never perish.” The word for perish is apollymi and means to destroy or to cause the destruction of. In the pasture of Christ Jesus you are safe from destruction.

And the third promise, the promise of security - the verse plainly says, “no one will snatch them out of my hand.” And Jesus clarifies by adding:

John 10:29 NKJV

My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.

Let me just say in the words of actor Dennis Haysbert, “You are in Good Hands”

The Other Sheep

They find themselves lost and alone.

The promises of the world have deceived them.

The find themselves on a dead end street to nowhere.

But then there are the other sheep. The sheep who are tossed to and fro by every new thing that comes along.

Their shepherd is the hireling, the philosophies and culture of the world that we live in.

And they end up finding themselves lost and alone.

No one cares, they are wondering around in the darkness trying to find comfort in the pleasures that this world has to offer

only to find out that the promises of the world has deceived them.

And they find themselves on a dead end street to nowhere, chained to the burdens of their sin with no hope

Illustration

There is a saying that we all know way to well:

Sin will take you farther than you want to go,

Sin will keep you longer than you want to stay,

Sin will cost you more than you are willing to pay.

The Great Preacher Charles Spurgeon once said:

Sin is a thief. It will rob your soul of its life. It will rob God of his glory. Sin is a murderer. It stabbed our father Adam. It slew our purity. Sin is a traitor. It rebels against the king of heaven and earth.

Charles Spurgeon

Application

For the sheep of the Good Shepherd, the pasture is full of promises. Promises not only of life but of abundant life in Christ Jesus.

For the other sheep, the pasture is filled with sadness, sorrow, depression, hopelessness, and even death.

Conclusion

But there is good news for all.

In verse 7 Jesus said,

John 10:7–9 NKJV

Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.

If you are outside the flock of the Good Shepherd, lost and all alone, all the promises of the world have deceived you, and now you find your self on that dead end street, lift up your heads this morning and listen to the Words of Jesus, the words that He told to a Pharisee, one of the leaders of the people. A man who had reached the pinnacle of life as a Jew but was in misery and standing all alone on a dead end street.

Jesus said,

John 3:16 NKJV

16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Look at me, if you are on the outside looking in, don’t turn away this morning, come to the door of the sheep and bow before him, repent of your sins and enter in to the flock of the Good Shepherd.

And pray with me right now:

"Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. In Your Name, amen."

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