UMEI Devo

Opening Illustration — The Boy Who Cried Wolf

You’ve probably heard the story of the boy who cried wolf…

There was a shepherd boy who was tending his master’s sheep.

He was told if a wolf came to call the villagers who would come and scare off the wolf.

He got bored, so he decided to trick and cried, “Wolf!”

They came out and found him laughing.

He was so amused, a few days later he did it again, and cried “Wolf!”

Again the town came out and found no wolf, but the boy laughing.

Well one day the wolf did come,

and although the boy shouted louder than the other times,

the villagers ignored him, not wanting to be fooled by him again.

And the wolf devoured the sheep.

Transition to Jesus, The Good Shepherd

Jesus used a similar analogy in the passage I want to read with you today.

He wants us to know that He is the Good Shepherd,

who does not abandon His sheep,

which is why we should surrender to Him!

John 10:11–16 ESV

11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 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. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 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.

EXPLAIN

The reason you should surrender to Jesus the Shepherd is because…

a. He will protect you

Jesus says in verse 11-13

John 10:11–13 ESV

11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 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. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

Hired Hand

Shepherd’s can not watch their sheep all the time,

so they hire people to watch their sheep while they are gone.

But Jesus is saying since they don’t own the sheep,

they don’t really care about them,

therefore they won’t risk their lives for them.

If a wolf comes, they are going to save their own life,

rather than risk their life for the sheep.

Jesus

Jesus is not like that!

He is the Good Shepherd!

He lays down His life for the sheep!

He is willing to do this because they are HIS sheep!

Jesus is not going to run away when His sheep are in trouble,

but is willing to risk His life to protect His sheep…

AND EVEN LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR THEM!

Application

Think of all the people in your life who you look up to…

maybe you have friends who influence you…

maybe you have people you follow on social media who influence you…

Here’s a question you should be asking yourself:

Will they be there for you when you’re in trouble?

Or will they abandon you to save themselves?

I’m not trying to get you to doubt your friends/family,

I’m trying to encourage you to trust Jesus!

There are many people in this life who say they are on your side,

but will run away when they will not lay down their life for you…

BUT JESUS WILL NEVER DO THAT!

You can trust Jesus because He DID lay down His life for you!

So choose to surrender your life to Him, and follow Him

Transition

The next reason you should surrender to Jesus the Good Shepherd is because…

b. He will know you

Jesus says again…

John 10:14–15 ESV

14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.

Here Jesus talks about the intimate relationship He has with His sheep…

He knows them, and they know Him!

This isn’t just a shallow/superficial knowledge,

but a deep, intimate, personal knowledge.

Being Asked If You “Know” Someone

You’ve probably had someone mention another person

and ask if you know them,

and you know of them, but don’t really know them.

Maybe on another occasion someone asks if you know someone,

who happens to be a close friend/family member…

YEA I KNOW THEM!

There’s a difference between knowing someone,

and KNOWING someone!

Jesus is saying that he KNOWS His sheep…

He knows them by name.

He knows all about them.

This isn’t to say Jesus’ knowledge is limited like ours with knowing certain people…

Jesus knows every single heart perfectly—He is the all-knowing God.

But in this passage He is talking about a different kind of knowing:

not just informational knowledge,

but relational, covenantal knowledge.

He knows His sheep the way a father knows his children—

deeply, personally, lovingly.

And His sheep know Him.

The only way a Shepherd and sheep can intimately know one another,

is by spending a lot of time together!

The close relationship shared by Jesus and His sheep is so close,

He compares it to His relationship with His Father…

John 10:15 ESV

15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father

This is incredible!

Jesus,

the Good Shepherd,

God in the flesh,

says that His sheep can know Him,

and they know Him,

as intimately as He and the Father know one another!

This reminds me of a quote from Timothy Keller:

“The only person who dares wake up a king at 3 am for a glass of water is a child. We have that kind of access.”

Jesus, the Good Shepherd of the sheep,

invites you to know Him this intimately,

and promises to know you!

Surrender to Him!

Transition

The next reason you should surrender to Jesus the Good Shepherd is because…

c. He will welcome you

Jesus then says…

John 10:16 ESV

16 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.

Jesus is referring to the fact that He is not exclusively the Shepherd of Israelites/Jews,

He is the Shepherd of all people!

Through His death and resurrection,

Jesus was going to open up the way to the Father for everyone!

Peter, quoting the prophet Joel, says…

Acts 2:21 ESV

21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

Jesus is the door,

and He will welcome anyone who will come!

And there will be one flock, and one Shepherd.

All who come to Jesus are welcomed into the fold of God,

and become the sheep of His pasture,

and He is the Shepherd of ALL of them!

Summary

Jesus wants us to understand that He is the Good Shepherd!

He is not like the hired hand who doesn’t care about the sheep and abandons them…

He loves His sheep because they are His own, and He:

protects them…

knows them…

welcomes others in.

Since Jesus is such a Good Shepherd,

SURRENDER TO HIM!

ILLUSTRATE — Video of Sheep Listening to the Voice of their Shepherd

Thinking about this passage this week

reminded me of a video I saw from a sheep farm in Harestua, Norway.

A group of people are standing outside the sheep pen as they are grazing,

and three different people try calling the sheep,

using the SAME WORDS as the shepherd,

and the sheep don’t even budge!

Then the shepherd comes and calls the sheep.

They instantly all look up…

start baa’ing…

and then run towards the shepherd!

It is an incredible video,

and such a beautiful illustration of what Jesus is talking about in this passage!

Over time, the shepherd has gotten to know the sheep so well,

that they know his call and trust him.

Sheep are naturally anxious, and easily startled.

They are vulnerable animals, and easily frightened,

UNLESS…

they trust their shepherd!

When they trust their shepherd to provide for them, lead them, and protect them,

they follow him into the pen,

or out into the pasture,

and aren’t worried about a thing!

And that’s exactly what these sheep were doing…

grazing in the field without a worry in the world.

When the strangers voices were calling them,

they ignored them!

But when their Shepherd called,

they ran to Him!

APPLY

This is the hope and confidence we can have in Jesus, the Good Shepherd!

He knows us,

and is going to protect us…

therefore we can surrender to Him!

We know that wherever He leads us,

He is there with us,

and we don’t need to worry!

When other voices call us,

to give in to sin…

to find joy and satisfaction in this life…

to distrust and turn away from our Shepherd…

WE CAN IGNORE THEM!

Those are voices of people who don’t love us,

and don’t care about us…

they only care about themselves!

We only listen to the voice of our Shepherd,

because we trust Him!

Psalm 23 beautifully portrays the heart of a sheep, David,

who trusts His Shepherd!

Psalm 23:1–3 ESV

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Psalm 23:4–5 ESV

4 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. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Psalm 23:6 ESV

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Summary

There are times in your life where God leads you to:

green pastures…

still waters...

everything seems to come easy!

There are times in your life where God leads you to:

the valley of the shadow of death… or

you will have enemies all around…

it seems like nothing is going your way!

No matter where you are,

trust Jesus, your Shepherd!

Surrender to Him and His ways, because:

He is working in you…

He is working through you…

as you become more like Him,

and shine as a light so that others can come into the fold,

and find rest in Jesus as their Shepherd!