Baa Baa Black Sheep

INTRO

You have probably heard the old saying: “If it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, and acts like a duck—it must be a duck.”

The point is simple: identity produces recognizable evidence. What something truly is eventually reveals itself in how it behaves.

Jesus uses a similar picture in John 10, but He is not talking about ducks—He is talking about sheep. More specifically, He is talking about His sheep.

How can you know that you truly belong to Christ? Is it because you once walked an aisle, prayed a prayer, signed a card, or remember a powerful spiritual experience? Those things may be meaningful, but what happens when your feelings change? What happens when doubts creep in, temptation overwhelms you, or you fail miserably? Can you still know that you are saved?

Jesus does not leave us guessing. He tells us what His sheep look like: they hear His voice, He knows them, and they follow Him. Then He gives them one of the strongest promises in all of Scripture: “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.”

Our assurance does not rest upon the strength of our feelings or the tightness of our grip upon God. It rests upon the identity, sacrifice, power, and unbreakable grip of the Good Shepherd.

So this morning, let us ask two important questions: Do I bear the marks of one of Christ’s sheep—and can I trust my Shepherd to keep me?

Eternal Security is Crucial for Spiritual Fitness

Eternal Security is Crucial for Spiritual Fruitfulness

The Comparison

John 10:1–6 ESV

1 “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. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

v. 1. Christ uses this to illustrate the way to heaven (see John 14:6, Acts 4:12).

v. 2. Christ is the good Shepherd.

v. 3. The door to God’s salvation is opened by Christ to those who accept His leading.

vv. 4, 5. Sinners do not follow Christ because they do not know His voice.

v. 6. This parable is a spiritual lesson not understood by worldly people.

The Confession

John 10:7–15 ESV

7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 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.

v. 7. Christ is the door. He is the only way of salvation. Note the wrong way—Prov. 14:12. Christ is personal—eight times in John, He says, “I am.”

Proverbs 14:12 “12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.”

v. 8. All those before Christ were the thieves and robbers, blinded spiritually and without understanding. They were dead in sin; He came to quicken us—Eph. 2:1.

v. 9. Those who come to Christ will be saved. He turns none away (see Rom. 10:13; John 6:37). His blood cleanses us from all sin—1 John 1:7.

Romans 10:13 “13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.””

v. 10. He came to give enjoyable life (cf. Ps. 16:11).

Psalm 16:11 “11 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

v. 11. Christ the Good Shepherd gives His life for His sheep (cf. John 15:13).

vv. 12–14. The “hireling” is someone to whom doing God’s work is a job—not a divine calling.

v. 15. He gave His life for the sheep. We are always safe in Him (cf. Ps. 91).

The Commandment

John 10:16–18 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. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 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.”

v. 16. The world needs Christ.

Christians should not be content with their own salvation—they should feel compelled to reach the lost (Mark 16:15).

Mark 16:15 “15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.”

v. 17. Christ gave His life willingly. He died for all people everywhere—John 3:16.

John 3:16 “16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

v. 18. “No one can kill me without my consent—I lay down my life voluntarily. For I have the right and power to lay it down when I want to and also the right and power to take it again. For the Father has given me this right”—LB.

The Confusion

John 10:19–24 ESV

19 There was again a division among the Jews because of these words. 20 Many of them said, “He has a demon, and is insane; why listen to him?” 21 Others said, “These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?” 22 At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”

v. 19. Christ’s healing of the blind man, and His statements concerning His power to give or withold His life caused a division among the Jews.

v. 20. “Some of them said, ‘He has a demon or else is crazy. Why listen to a man like that?’ ”—LB.

Mark 3:29 “29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”—”

v. 21. How could a demon heal a man? Only the Son of God could do such a miracle. Satan has power, but he doesn’t use his power to help or to do good.

vv. 22–24. The Jews kept asking Christ, “Are you the Son of God, the Messiah?” Jesus had told them before, but they refused to accept His statements.

The Conformation

John 10:25–30 ESV

25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”

v. 25. The proof He was the Messiah was in the miracles He performed. He did these miracles with the power of God, to convince the people He was the Messiah, the Son of God.

vv. 26–27. They could not believe because they were not of Christ. Those who know Christ will follow His voice.

vv. 28–29. Eternal life in Christ. No one can take us out of the Father’s hand. However, we can remove ourselves by our indifference and sin.

v. 30. Both Christ and God are ONE. One in unity—John 17:11, 21–23. Christ is equal to God in power!

The Conflict

John 10:31–38 ESV

31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. 32 Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” 33 The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.” 34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? 35 If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken— 36 do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 37 If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; 38 but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”

vv. 34–36. Verse 34 is a quote of Psalm 82:6. “Gods” means Hebrew judges of the Old Testament. If the Jews could believe these judges, why not believe Him?

v. 37. “Don’t believe me unless I do miracles of God”—LB.

v. 38. Seeing the miracles and believing were necessary to believe in God. Note Jesus’ words in John 14:1.

The Conversion

John 10:39–42 ESV

39 Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands. 40 He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing at first, and there he remained. 41 And many came to him. And they said, “John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.” 42 And many believed in him there.

vv. 39–40. They tried to arrest Christ. Christ escaped. He went to where John was baptizing in water.

v. 41. Attention was called to the fact that all the predictions of John concerning Christ were true. John did no miracle, though he had power to do so—Luke 1:17.

v. 42. Many accepted. We do not know the exact number.

Jesus begins with the sheepfold, the door, and the Good Shepherd. But then He turns the picture toward us. He does not merely tell us who the Shepherd is; He also tells us how His sheep respond to Him.

If assurance comes from a relationship with Christ, what does that relationship look like? Jesus gives us three identifying marks in verse 27

Let us begin with …

1. The Marks of Christ's Sheep

Theme: Assurance flows from a certain kind of relationship, not a feeling.

John 10:27 ESV

27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

They Hear His Voice

(v. 27a) — recognition born of relationship; the sheep know their Shepherd's voice among many others

They Are Known by Him

(v. 27b) — not mere awareness but covenant knowledge, the same intimacy language used elsewhere for God knowing His people

(v. 14b-15a) - Jesus knows you as well as the father and wants you to know Him as well !!

They Follow Him

(v. 27c) — hearing and knowing issue in obedience; following isn't optional evidence, it's the natural fruit

Imagine a crowded school playground filled with children talking, laughing, and shouting. To most adults, it sounds like one great wall of noise. But then one child cries out, “Mom!” Almost immediately, the right mother turns around.

How did she know? Dozens of children were making noise, but she recognized the voice of her own child because relationship had made that voice familiar.

That is the picture Jesus gives us. The world is filled with competing voices—culture, temptation, fear, ambition, social media, and our own desires. Yet Christ’s sheep increasingly learn to recognize the voice of their Shepherd through His Word.

That does not mean we hear an audible voice. It means that, because we know Christ, His truth becomes familiar to us. We recognize what agrees with His character and His Word. And when the Shepherd speaks, His sheep do not merely admire His voice—they follow where He leads.

The question is not simply, “Did I once hear about Jesus?” The question is, “Am I listening for His voice, and is my life moving in His direction?”

Application: Test the marks, not just the memory of a decision. Do I still hear, still follow?

Those marks help us examine whether we truly belong to Christ, but they can also make us uneasy. We know that our hearing is sometimes distracted and our following is often imperfect. If our security depended entirely upon the perfection of our obedience, none of us could ever possess assurance.

That is why Jesus moves from the response of the sheep to the promise of the Shepherd. Verse 27 tells us what His sheep do, but verses 28 and 29 tell us what He does for His sheep.

That brings us to …

2. The Security of the Sheep

Theme: The believer's safety rests on divine promise and power, not personal grip.

John 10:28–29 ESV

28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.

The Opportunity Offered

(v. 9 & 16) - this is a standing offer and a enduring promise (if / then)

The Gift Given

(v. 10b & 28a)— eternal life, a present possession, not a future hope only

The Peril Denied

(v. 10a & 28b)— "shall never perish," a double negative in the Greek for emphasis

The Hands That Hold

(v. 28c)— no one can snatch them from Christ's hand

(v. 29)— the Father's hand encloses the Son's; a double security

Picture a father walking through a busy parking lot with his young child. Cars are backing out, people are passing by, and the child is surrounded by dangers he does not fully understand.

The child may say, “Don’t worry, Dad—I’m holding on to you.” But the father knows better than to entrust the child’s safety to that little hand. The child’s grip may weaken. He may become distracted. He may stumble. So the father wraps his much stronger hand around the child’s hand.

The child is safe, not because his grip on his father is so strong, but because his father’s grip on him is strong.

That is the comfort of John 10. Jesus does not merely tell us to hold on to Him. He says that His sheep are held in His hand. Then He adds that they are also held in the Father’s hand. Our feelings may weaken. Our confidence may shake. We may stumble as we walk. But no enemy, failure, suffering, or power in creation is stronger than the hands that hold us.

Our salvation is not secured by the strength of the sheep. It is secured by the strength of the Shepherd.

When sheep refuse to follow the shepherd, they go astray; they face the possibility of being killed by other animals. As long as we remain in Christ, and He in us, no harm can come to us. If we stray from Him, we forfeit His protection and guidance; let’s follow our Shepherd closely.

Application: Anchor assurance in whose hand you're in, not how tightly you think you're holding on.

But that promise raises one final and crucial question: Who is this Shepherd who makes such an enormous claim?

Anyone can make a promise. The value of a promise depends upon the character and ability of the person making it. If Jesus promises eternal life and declares that no one can take His sheep from His hand, we must know whether He truly possesses the power to keep that promise.

John does not leave the Shepherd’s identity unanswered. Jesus is not merely a wise teacher offering comforting words. He is the Good Shepherd who lays down His life, the risen Lord with authority to take it up again, and the Son who is one with the Father.

The security of the sheep is only as strong as the identity of the Shepherd. So let us look finally at why the Good Shepherd is and must be God.

3. Good Shepherd, Good God

Theme: The security of the sheep is only as strong as the identity of the Shepherd — so John climaxes the passage with a claim about who Jesus is.

The Shepherd's Sacrifice

(v. 11 & 15b) — a Shepherd who is willing to give everything for his sheep

John 10:11 ESV

11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

The Shepherd's Power

(v. 17-18) - authority over life and death = ultimate authority

John 10:17–18 ESV

17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 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.”

(v. 28–29) — a Shepherd whose grip no creature or circumstance can break, backed by the Father Himself

John 10:29 ESV

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

The Shepherd's Identity

John 10:30 ESV

30 I and the Father are one.”

(v. 30) — "I and my Father are one" — the reason His promise carries divine weight; this is likely what triggers the attempted stoning in v. 31

(v. 38b) - “The Father is in me and I am in the Father” - you cannot separate the two

Suppose someone handed you a check for one million dollars. At first glance, it might look incredibly valuable. But the paper itself is worth almost nothing. Its real value depends upon two things: whose name is signed at the bottom and whether that person possesses the resources to honor the promise.

A million-dollar check signed by someone with five dollars in the bank is worthless. The size of the promise means nothing if the person making it lacks the ability to fulfill it.

Jesus makes an astonishing promise: “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish.” Can He honor it?

Look at who signed the promise. This is the Shepherd who willingly laid down His life for His sheep. This is the Lord who possessed the authority to take His life up again. This is the Son who declared, “I and the Father are one.”

The promise of eternal life is trustworthy because Jesus possesses both the character and the power to keep it. Calvary proves His love. The empty tomb proves His power. His unity with the Father proves His divine identity.

Our confidence is not merely in the beauty of the Shepherd metaphor. Our confidence is in the divine identity of the Shepherd Himself.

Application: Our confidence isn't in a good shepherd metaphor but in the deity of Christ. If He is not one with the Father, none of the preceding promises hold.

CLOSE

Jesus does NOT say, “My sheep never struggle.” He does NOT say, “My sheep never wander, stumble, doubt, or fall.” He says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”

The evidence of salvation is not sinless perfection, but a living relationship with the Shepherd. His sheep recognize His voice. They are personally and completely known by Him. And when they wander, His voice continues calling them back to follow.

That is where our assurance rests. It does not rest in how strongly we feel today. It does not rest in how perfectly we have performed this week. It does not even rest in how tightly we believe we are holding on to Christ. It rests in the pierced hands of the Good Shepherd—the Shepherd who willingly laid down His life, triumphantly took it up again, and promises that no one can snatch His people away.

Perhaps you came this morning burdened by doubt. Look again to your Shepherd. Listen to His voice. Trust His promise. You may feel weak, but His hands are strong. You may feel uncertain, but His Word is sure. You may stumble, but the Shepherd who died for you will not abandon you.

But perhaps you realize today that you do not know His voice because you have never truly entered through the Door. Jesus says, “If anyone enters by me, he will be saved.” The invitation remains open. Come to Christ. Turn from your sin, trust in His finished work, and receive the eternal life that only He can give.

And for those who know Him, follow Him closely. There are still other sheep who need to hear His voice. Let us live faithfully, speak courageously, and point others toward the Shepherd who came to seek and save the lost.

The great question is not whether you are strong enough to hold on to Jesus. The question is whether Jesus is strong enough to hold on to you.

And the answer of John 10 is a resounding yes.

Group Questions

In John 10:1–6, what distinguishes the true shepherd from the thieves and strangers?

Jesus says, “I am the door” in verses 7–9. What does this teach us about the way of salvation?

What do you think Jesus means when He promises His followers “abundant life” in verse 10? How is that different from an easy or trouble-free life?

According to verse 27, Christ’s sheep hear His voice, are known by Him, and follow Him. Which of these three truths means the most to you right now, and why?

What are some of the “stranger’s voices” competing for our attention today? How can we become more familiar with the voice of Christ?

What is the difference between following Jesus as evidence of salvation and trying to earn salvation through obedience?

How do Jesus’ promises in verses 28–29 provide assurance when we struggle with doubt, failure, or fear?

Why is it important that our security rests on Christ’s grip rather than on how tightly we believe we are holding on to Him?

How do Jesus’ sacrifice, resurrection power, and unity with the Father demonstrate that He is able to keep His promises?

Who in your life needs to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd, and what practical step can you take this week to help point that person to Jesus?