I AM: THE GOOD SHEPHERD

ME

Two of the most important questions I have asked myself in life are “Who am I”? and who is Jesus? I found that those two questions always cross paths. The book of Genesis says “I am created in the image of God” and in the book of Colossians it says that Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God. So our identity is in Christ and Christ alone

WE

The problem we have as a culture is that we put our identity and worth into our titles, bank accounts, jobs, and even our sexuality.

When you meet someone new, one of the first things people mention is where they work at and what their title is. Someone will say “I work for a law firm and I AM a lawyer” or I work at a restaurant and “I AM” a manager. or if they don’t have a job they will say “I AM” unemployed or I AM retired.

Background:

God describes Himself in the Old Testament as the “Great I AM”. In he appears to Moses and says “I am who I am”. God told Moses to tell the people of Israel that “I AM” has sent him to the people. In the Hebrew “I AM” is Yahweh or Jehovah and it is the most Holy and sacred name as it means self-existant and reveals that He is the uncreated one. It reveals Gods majesty, power, and soveignty! We should revere His great name and not take it in vain. If His name truly is the name above all other names than we shouldn’t use it casually as if it’s of no power or importance!

Now in the New Testament Jehovah is revealed to us in Jesus through different images and snapshots through the 7 “I AM” statements found in the Gospel of John.

The first image of the Great “I AM” I want to look at is the revelation of Jesus as being “The Good Shepherd”

GOD

(NKJV)

WE

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. 12 But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. 13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 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. 17 “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. 18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”

The Good Shepherd protects His sheep

There was this story that broke out in the news in 2017. It reported that, in France, a bear was chasing a single sheep and over 200 other Sheep panicked and plunged to their death by hurling themselves off a cliff!

The first thing I see that a Good Shepherd does is protect his sheep. The Sheep pen was a place of safety and refuge not one of danger. It would look like either a circled or squared space of enclosure with the only way out being one break in the wall where the Sheep could leave. The most dangerous time for the sheep though would be at night where ravage wolves and all kind of other creatures were looking for their next meal. So what the Good Shepherd would do to protect His sheep would be that he would lay across the entrance into the sheep pens so no intruders would enter and cause harm to His sheep.

Some intruders that could still make it’s way into the Sheep-pen were flies, mosquitos and other insects. They would burrow into the Sheep’s ears and noses causing much irritation and even sometimes leading to death. The way the Good Shepherd would protect His Sheep from these smalls pests would be to anoint the head of His sheep with oil, so they were covered under the anointing.

Now the term Messiah literally means “The Anointed One” so in essence we are covered under the blood of Jesus because He is the anointed one.

Perhaps you know that the Garden of Gethsemane was at the base of the Mount of Olives. But. Did you also know that “Geth” means “press” and that “semane” means “oil?” So the very same place where Jesus sweat what was said to be like drops of blood. This is where Jesus gave everything. Therefore when Jesus set out for the Garden he went to the very spot where he would begin the process of his agony…where he would be “pressed upon” and the oil of heaven would be poured out for the world.

We have an enemy who is out there to steal, kill, and destroy and wants nothing more than to dispell the agents of light so the kingdom of darkness will prevail. But we have a lamb that was slain and by His blood we have our victory over sin and death. He is the perfect spotless lamb of God that sacrificed His very own life to appease the wrath of father. It all was done because of the great love He has for us! Satan will do everything he can to the child of God to defeat and discourage them but if we claim the name of Jesus Christ with authority and power then even the demons will run from us. The Good Shepherd gives us his protection and provision that even the Gates of hell will not prevail against his church!

The Good Shepherd Guides His sheep

The Good Shepherd not only protects His Sheep but, He also guides them. You see Shepherds always held this staff and whenever they seen a Shepherd heading in the wrong direction such as an edge of a cliff, they would reach out their staff and guide the sheep in the right direction.

We all need direction and guidance in life. Think about the quality of Guides that you have had before. If you ever had a tour Guide. Some of the qualifications of them being a good guide is that they know the place that they are guiding well or else they will guide those that they are leading in the wrong direction. The Good Shepherd knows this world well for He was there at it’s creation, so we can trust Him to lead us through it.

If we were left to our own devices it would end up in disaster. We all need God’s GPS which stands for GOD’S PLAN OF SALVATION! We need to follow Gods roadmap for our lives. When we follow the Good Shepherd and heed to His guidance, he will led us home, straight to the heart of the father. We will be like King David, a man after God’s own heart.

The Good Shepherd Knows His sheep

The Good Shepherd Knows His sheep

The Good Shepherd not only protects and Guides but, He also knows His Sheep. King David began the 23rd Psalm by saying “The Lord is MY shepherd”. He is making it personal by saying this. That the Lord is His Shepherd, the one that protects, guides, and knows him. The Good Shepherd also knows us like that in a personal and intimate way. He knows our weaknesses, He knows your strengths, He know how and why you react to certain things, He knows your pain and sorrows, he knows your comforts and Joys and He knows your every thought. He knows your name. He knows yours fears, insecurities, your deepest and darkest secrets and still after knowing all this, He still loves us!

King David also said in the 139th Psalm where can I go to escape your presence? He knows when you sleep, he knows when we are awake. He knows when you sit and he knows when you stand. He also knows when you feel alone. He knows when you are scared. He knows when you are worried. He loves you when you are at your worst and He loves you when you are at your best.

YOU

Do you know His name? Do you hear Him when he calls? Do you really know, the Good Shepherd? The one who knows you to the very point of how many hairs are on your head. The one who protects, guides, and knows you by name? The one that was mocked, beatened, and slained for your sin. Maybe you are one that has backslidden and has been led astray by the cares of this world. Come back to Him today. The fires of hell are not worth the compromises of this world. Repent, turn from your sin and turn to God and he will give you new life!

WE

What if we approached our Good Shepherd in authentic repentance, and just pleaded His blood over our lives, and approached his throne of mercies, knowing that when we confess our sin that he offers us forgiveness because He understands us, He will protect and guide us under the shadows of the most high. He knows our weaknesses and our brokenness is ever before him. As He did with King David, he will anoint our head with oil and our cup will runneth over as we enter in the protection of the Divine.

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