The Door & Shepherd

INTRO:

Back in 2005 in Turkey, shepherds stepped away for breakfast while their flocks grazed. Suddenly, one sheep wandered too close to a cliff and stepped right over the edge. And then something crazy happened: the rest of the flock followed. Sheep after sheep walked off the cliff simply because the one in front of them did. By the end, about 1,500 sheep had gone over the edge. The pile of bodies at the bottom was so large that some of the later sheep survived by landing on the ones below, but more than 400 sheep died that morning.

Sheep don’t always see the danger ahead. They follow voices, they follow the crowd, and without a shepherd to guide them away, they’ll walk right off a cliff. That’s the difference Jesus makes—He doesn’t just let us wander into destruction. He came to lead us away from cliffs and into green pastures — He leads us to life!

Sheep don’t just need fences, they need faithful shepherds. A bad leader lets the flock drift—or worse, drives them toward danger. And if you keep sheep caged up, they’ll starve. Good leaders guide them to pasture, stand guard at the cliffs, and love the flock enough to lead them toward life.

Jesus does it best. Watch how Jesus Himself says a Shepherd ought to be.

John 10:1-18

(PPT) The Trustworthy Door (Security)

V.1-2

Thief VS Shepherd Approach

A “Sheepfold”

In the first century, sheepfolds weren’t glamorous structures—they were whatever the shepherd could provide to keep the sheep safe. Some were strong stone walls with a roof, some were rough pens of thornbushes or woven branches, sometimes even caves with a makeshift wall at the entrance. Big or small, permanent or temporary, the fold had one defining feature: there was only one opening. The shepherd himself would lay across that opening, becoming the gate, his very body the barrier between the sheep and danger.

The sheepfold wasn’t about comfort—it was about safety and presence. The sheep could rest because the shepherd was near. Whether in a sturdy stone enclosure or under the stars with a wall of branches, what mattered most was not the materials but the shepherd himself.

So when Jesus says in John 10, “I am the door of the sheep” and “I am the good shepherd,” He’s declaring that He is our security, our boundary, and our peace. In Him, we are protected, known, and cared for—not because of the strength of the walls around us, but because of the strength of the One watching over us.

Open Door & Closed Door

Keep Out (imagine if you had no door to your house)

There’s a line of protection around His people. Not everything gets access to the sheep. The door is a boundary.

Sin and death can’t get in and steal the sheep

Their weapons can’t get in to harm either - the weapons of fear, condemnation, hopelessness — don’t get the final say, because the door is shut against them.

Allow In

The door swings both ways—He protects us from what would destroy us, and He opens the way to lead us towards what will restore us.

But He also allows in sheep that He gathers up and calls with his voice

(PPT) The Voice That Guides(Relationship)

V.3-4

Voice recognition is essential - there are communities of shepherds with their sheep, so they separate by hearing their shepherd call.

He Leads By Calling, By His VOICE!

He wants GOOD for me

Every “no” Jesus speaks is to keep us safe. Every “yes” Jesus gives is to let us flourish. He wants only good for me - why not follow? What is affected in my life?

V.5

You recognize who NOT to follow by knowing the ONE so well!

Anybody preaching less than that which God has spoken is doing me a horrible disservice. I need His voice; I need the word thoroughly taught and thoroughly explained. And if I’m not in a place where that’s happening, I need to get there.

Am I listening more to Him than to man?

I’m not if I’m not reading…

We need to find the Shepherd, not just follow our own selves or a person. You ever heard someone say “I need to find myself” or “I need to discover my purpose for living”?

Find the shepherd = finding purpose/identity.

The stranger, the dangerous voice would say “life is about making a name for yourself; it’s about making and achieving goals that lead to financial prosperity; it’s about fighting for what YOUR dreams and desires are; there is no purpose to life, this is all an accident, so eat drink and be merry” … That’s the dangerous voice.

You don’t make or discover your purpose on your own! The voice of Jesus teaches us that we were created ON purpose and FOR a purpose.

Eph.2:10, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Listen to the inventor talk about his creation to understand it.

It’s not a just about memorizing what he said to do. It’s also about doing it!

Illustration: leaving a note for the kids to do chores. Come home to find out they didn’t do it. “we read it. We memorized it, We can quote it. We made a song with it and we sang it. We all made copies and we carry our wallet so we know what it says.” But if you heard that as a parent, you’d be frustrated because they didn’t actually do what you wanted them to do.

To actually hear the voice and be considered as someone who hears the voice of Jesus is to be someone who obeys its call and follows it.

V.7-9

Through the door are multiple blessings! He leads us to what we need with the fine pasture.

Psalm 23:1–3 “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.”

Sheep are jittery animals and have a hard time resting but a good Shepherd can bring them to the right place for them to do that.

He both saves me and continually cares for me. We read that and we think “He’s gonna take care of everything!” No, no…He’s gonna take care of ME throughout everything.

That next verse in Psalm 23:4 says, “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.”

God didn’t’ remove the valley. “But that means I might have a rough life! That means I might have some hardships” -— you might…but you’re going to be able to overcome that, IF He’s leading you, IF you are listening to the voice of the shepherd.

Sometimes in order to get all the benefits of the still water and green pastures you gotta get through the tough valleys. That’s only done in trusting and following Jesus. You won’t get there any other way, you won’t overcome any other way.

The Good Shepherd’s presence should make us feel good and reassured.

(PPT) The Good Shepherd (Sacrifice)

V.10

What does a sheep with an “abundant life” look like and have?

Healthy sheep are a result of a diligent shepherd.

A BAD Shepherd…

Self-Serving (just a job)

Neglectful

Part-time/temporary

The bad shepherd leaves when doing the job costs him too much; the Good Shepherd pays the cost!

A GOOD Shepherd…

Food/Water

Sheer the wool, remove your burdens of sin

Goes out of His way to recover

Battles the threats

He guides away from the cliff

Sheep don’t always see the danger ahead. They follow voices, they follow the crowd, and without a shepherd to guide them away, they’ll walk right off a cliff. That’s the difference Jesus makes—He doesn’t just let us wander into destruction. He came to lead us away from cliffs and into green pastures — He leads us to life!

ABUNDANT life. Jesus came primarily to save – not make good people. He came first and foremost to save! And because of that salvation we want to grow in His likeness and that makes us good people.

He’s going to make sure that if you follow Him, you’re going to go where He leads. He’s going to tell you where to graze, where to drink, and which way to go. He’s going to push you, especially if you’re tired and say “I need a break I’ll catch up”, He’ll say I can’t leave you behind because you’ll die. Keeping up can be hard sometimes, but you get to the pasture and realize it wasn’t “TOO hard” and that it was worth it.

Christ diligently, actively, takes care of me. He’s saved me and He’s keeping me saved. He’s nurturing me to grow. I’m not just getting by in Jesus, we have abundance!

V.11

“Jesus I’m not worth it” – He never said anything about worth, but He everything about the fact that He loves you that much. He saw everything that you needed, and He became the best fulfillment to that need. That’s love. Seeing the need and doing what you can to supply the need.

V.12-13 (about the Pharisees/Priest)

All of us need a shepherd. We need GOOD leaders who lead like THE Shepherd.

We need people in our lives that care about us and want us to succeed as a Christian and won’t run away from us when the wolf comes. We need someone who cares enough about us to not run or quit when the going gets tough.

But you know…if we say we need that, why don’t we say “we need to be that”? I need to be a shepherd! Not just acknowledge my need for a shepherd, I need to be one! There are more people that say they need a shepherd than there are that are trying to be a shepherd!

This isn’t just for preachers or elders. It’s not just a “men’s job.” Every one of us can take on the heart of a shepherd. That’s what our CAREGROUPS are for. We check in with one another and find someone may be struggling or triumphing - and either way we encourage and bring God to the table of discussion. And in that moment, we’re doing more than checking on someone—we’re helping them grow stronger because we’ve brought God into the conversation.

I shouldn’t just say “I need a shepherd” but I should also try to be one. I want that I encourage others to remain faithful unto death. How? There’s only one truly good shepherd, and I got to point people in His direction to say “keep following”, to say “hey, we sheep are going this way, come on with us”.

V.14-15

Jesus wants me to know Him as well as He knows the Father. How well does He know the Father? Look at verse 30. “I and the father are one”.

He wants He and I to be one…

Do I want that? Do I expend any energy to make me like Him? Do I expend any time to make me like Him? Have I ever stuck it in my head “I want to be like Jesus”?

It needs stuck in my head, it needs stuck in my heart that I am going to be like Jesus, and it needs stuck in my schedule.

2nd time He’s stated that He’s the one that lays down his life. If and when we ask “why should I follow Jesus? Why should I give up the world and follow Him instead?” This is the best answer

Everywhere in the world and all throughout history there are the people who serve those in power and they are the ones marching through to conquer, they’re the ones digging the ditches, they’re the ones doing all the hard work – not really the main guy in charge. Never a king.

But Jesus, the true King of the whole world and universe, He paid the ultimate sacrifice, not the troops. He did all the dirt work, not our troops. He personally paid the ultimate sacrifice to get me saved and keep me saved.

If I just be a good sheep and follow the good shepherd.

CONCLUSION

A home with no doors → unsafe, restless.

A life without the Shepherd → just as vulnerable.

Jesus is the Door → keeps out destruction, opens to restoration.

Jesus’ Voice → calls us by name, gives purpose & direction.

Jesus the Shepherd → laid down His life for the sheep.