Easter 4
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11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to 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 authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
We protect what is important or valuable to us. Especially if what we value is at risk.
What is valuable to you? This can be answered according to different categories.
Our possessions are of value: Home, vehicles, land, machinery, electronic devices, jewelry, savings accounts etc. We protect them by keeping them secure, proper maintenance, insurance etc. Even though these protections may be costly, we value what they are protecting so much that we invest quite a bit of time, money, and effort in keeping them safe.
What else is of value to us? Although I do not own any animals, I realize that for many people animals are of great value whether it is a farm animal or the family pet. People will go at great lengths to protect them. Growing up on the farm we had free range chickens. Apparently free range chickens are more tasty and healthy for us to eat than those cooped up all the time. The local foxes on our farm certainly would have agreed. With 300 chicken in a hen house that all looked pretty much the same, we did not count them every day but every once in a while (and more and more often), we would find a bunch of feathers and some chicken bones. Well, chickens were valuable to us so we protected them. How? No longer were they allowed to run in the fenced off portion of the farm. The threat was also eliminated. My uncle, a Korean war veteran, set up a sniper’s nest with his M-1 carbine and removed the threat.
What else is of value to us? I would hope that we would answer (and probably first) — people. Our spouse, our children, grand children, parents, other family members, friends etc. Recall or consider what kinds of things you do to keep your loved ones safe. We create a safety zone in the home, in the vehicle, in the schools, at church to protect them from many threats. One of the greatest tragedies that anyone can face is when harm comes to a family member who was not kept safe.
Of course, our own life and health is perhaps most valuable to us. Jesus acknowledges that when he tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves indicating that we do indeed care for ourselves.
We could continue with many other examples but we get the point. We protect what is valuable to us and the more valuable it is, the more we will do and invest to keep them safe.
This is the lesson that Jesus is teaching to us today.
First of all, make no mistake, you are valuable to God. To me this is amazing. In some cases the more more you have of something, the less valuable it is. It is known as the economic law of supply and demand. This is why nearly extinct animals are often protected. A rare diamond is much more valuable than a lump of coal (which under the right conditions eventually can become a diamond.) Well, believe it or not, people are not rare. There are over 7 billion of them on the earth right now. In fact, some people have been convinced that with so many people, life is worthless and can be ended in the womb before that child takes its first breath. Abortion has been allowed to run rampant throughout the world. To such people, those lives are disposable because they infringe on their lives which they value more than that of their own children.
But even with 7 billion people in the world, each one is precious to God.
26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
(see passages on value). We are worth more than many sparrows.
Our lives are valuable. Not just our life on earth but our eternal life. And they are at risk! The Bible clearly teaches that we have but one life and when we die we will face the judgment. God’s will is that we are saved and that when we die, we will not face the eternity we deserve but the eternity God has planned for us. But we are all at risk of not being saved. Baptism reminds us of the condition we are in when we are born. We are born outside of God’s grace and need to be saved. We baptize infants because God teaches us that “baptism does also now save us.” We can be sure that today a spiritual miracle happened in Maya’s life. She was made a child of God through faith in Jesus.
Faith in Jesus. What does this mean? This means that a person believes that Jesus is the Son of God and that what he predicts in our text that he would do, he has done. He laid down his life for the sheep.
Why? Because we are valuable to God and because God loves us.
We have already heard how valuable we are. God shows his love for us by what he did for us when we were at risk. Jesus laid down his life for us to protect us because of the dangers we face. And we are at risk.
And the risk does not stop when we are baptized.
Or confirmed.
Or been attending church for 70 or 80 years.
We are constantly under attack. I recall almost 20 years ago at my first examination here that just before the end of that ordeal, I asked the class. “Who would hinder you from keeping your confirmation vows?” I was shocked by the answer. One of the students said with confidence, “Pastor!” PAUSE The answer still hurts me to this day. Maybe she didn’t know what hinder meant or was under pressure. I assure you that I want all of God’s people to keep their promises to remain faithful to the God who saved them.
But why did I ask that question? Because there are those who would seek to hinder us from keeping our confirmation vows, from keeping safe, from remaining saved. Like the fox who prowls around the hen house, our spiritual enemies are looking for ways to destroy us.
See passages regarding the world, the flesh, and the devil.
8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
How can we be safe?
18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
How can we be safe?
It begins not at our baptism but with Jesus Christ. Here he describes himself as the good shepherd. Unlike the other shepherds who consider their own lives more valuable than those of the sheep and run away when the threats occurs, Jesus truly cares for us. We see that demonstrated in his ministry (passages on how he had compassion on people). He demonstrates it ultimately in giving up his life for us.
11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
Application: We can be assured of how much our God loves us.
Application: We can be assured of how much our God loves us.
What impact will that have on our lives? It brings about a shift of what is truly important for us.
And it is not our possessions that we clutch and insure so whole heartedly.
It is not our pet’s that we would run into a burning building to rescue.
It is not even our own lives that we protect through proper diet and exercise.
Or our own children that we would give up so much for.
It is our souls — eternal life.
In the sermon on the mount Jesus spoke to people who were so concerned about food and clothing and those who stored up treasures on earth which were so much at risk. He did not present a how to guide on how to grow better crops, store food, make clothes, prevent moth infestations, or how to build a stronger vault to prevent thieves and robbers from breaking in. He commands us to seek first the kingdom of God — to pursue our relationship with God with more intensity than anything else. As St. Paul said above: “To live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen