The Good Shepherd

Josh Clink

Down to Earth • Sermon • Submitted 5 years ago

John 10

The Good Shepherd

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Follow the Good Shepherd and Believe

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John 10 ESV

“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. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 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. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 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. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 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.” There was again a division among the Jews because of these words. Many of them said, “He has a demon, and is insane; why listen to him?” Others said, “These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?” At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. 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.” 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, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 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. I and the Father are one.” The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” 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.” Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken— 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’? If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; 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.” Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands. He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing at first, and there he remained. And many came to him. And they said, “John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.” And many believed in him there.

8/24/19

- The Good Shepherd is Down to Earth

ME:

GOD AS SHEPHERD IN OT

Thankful for Ken Wilcox

The picture of a shepherd caring for his sheep is the image used in the Bible to communicate the way God cares for His people

, Jacob says in his blessing to Joseph that God has been his shepherd all his life

pleads with God to shepherd His people and carry them forever.

, , , refers to God’s people as the sheep of His pasture

and 78:52, God led His people like a flock

the Psalmist in 119:176 confesses that he has gone astray like a lost sheep and asks God to seek him out

(ESV) — 4 And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth.

Psalm 80:1

English Standard Version Psalm 80

1 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,

you who lead Joseph like a flock.

You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth.

Isaiah 40:11

English Standard Version Chapter 40

11 He will tend his flock like a shepherd;

he will gather the lambs in his arms;

he will carry them in his bosom,

and gently lead those that are with young.

Similarly in , God will gather Israel as a shepherd keeps his flock.

and , Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your inheritance.

Perhaps the most commonly associated passage in regard to the shepherd, ;

1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He leads me beside still waters.

3 He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness

for his name’s sake.

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.

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.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

There are also many prophecies about the shepherd Messiah

In God condemns the religious leaders of Israel for their mistreatment of His sheep, and in vs. 11-12 the Lord says;

“Behold, I, I Myself will search for My sheep and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is mong his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness.”

Then we get to verse 23 which reads;

(ESV) — 23 And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd.

Now David had long been dead at this point.

So David actually serves as an archetype for the Messiah that would come from his line here

We see David referenced in the same way later in Ezekiel;

(ESV) — 24 “My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall walk in my rules and be careful to obey my statutes.

Even in the NT we see a prophecy.

(ESV) — 6 “ ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ”

Later in Matthew, Jesus quotes the prophet Zechariah;

(ESV) — 31 Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’

Understanding this sets the stage for our discussion in this morning

Two weeks ago we went through where Jesus healed a man born blind.

This blind man went through three rounds of interrogations by the Pharisees.

He refused to denounce Jesus and the result that he was cast out.

Then in the closing verses we saw Jesus seek him out as a shepherd seeks out his flock

Fulfilling the prophecy from

God has not forgotten about His flock, the Good Shepherd came down to earth to rescue and care for His sheep

As we get ready to explore this in , let’s pray together.

In the opening verses of , we see Jesus our Good Shepherd gather us because we are His sheep

And guard us because He cares for us

Follow along with me in vs. 1-10.

WE:

JESUS GATHERS & GUARDS ()

John 10:1–10 ESV

Jesus is teaching through His conversation with the Pharisees.

The Good Shepherd is a title for Jesus Christ indicating believers’ dependence on him as he protects, tends and guides those whom he knows intimately.

HE GATHERS BECAUSE WE ARE HIS SHEEP (vs. 1-6)

Jesus seeks out His lost sheep

(ESV) — 12 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray?

(ESV) — 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

He knows His sheep

And what are His sheep to do?

Sheep follow Him. (vs. 4)

Why do Jesus’s sheep follow Him? How is He the gate?

Not only does Jesus gather us because we are His sheep,

But He also guards us because He cares for us

Look again at ;

John 7–10 ESV

After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He would not go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him. Now the Jews’ Feast of Booths was at hand. So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” For not even his brothers believed in him. Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil. You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.” After saying this, he remained in Galilee. But after his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not publicly but in private. The Jews were looking for him at the feast, and saying, “Where is he?” And there was much muttering about him among the people. While some said, “He is a good man,” others said, “No, he is leading the people astray.” Yet for fear of the Jews no one spoke openly of him. About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching. The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?” So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood. Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?” The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?” Jesus answered them, “I did one work, and you all marvel at it. Moses gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because on the Sabbath I made a man’s whole body well? Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.” Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, “Is not this the man whom they seek to kill? And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ? But we know where this man comes from, and when the Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from.” So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, “You know me, and you know where I come from. But I have not come of my own accord. He who sent me is true, and him you do not know. I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me.” So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. Yet many of the people believed in him. They said, “When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?” The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to arrest him. Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.” The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? What does he mean by saying, ‘You will seek me and you will not find me,’ and, ‘Where I am you cannot come’?” On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. When they heard these words, some of the people said, “This really is the Prophet.” Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” So there was a division among the people over him. Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him. The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man!” The Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been deceived? Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.” Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?” They replied, “Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.” They went each to his own house, but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” So the Pharisees said to him, “You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true.” Jesus answered, “Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.” They said to him therefore, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” These words he spoke in the treasury, as he taught in the temple; but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come. So he said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.” So the Jews said, “Will he kill himself, since he says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” He said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.” So they said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning. I have much to say about you and much to judge, but he who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.” They did not understand that he had been speaking to them about the Father. So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.” As he was saying these things, many believed in him. So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.” They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.” Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.” The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’ Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple. As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing. The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” Some said, “It is he.” Others said, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” So they said to him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed and received my sight.” They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.” They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them. So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.” The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” (His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.) Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.” So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.” He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” And they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” The man answered, “Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out. Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.” He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains. “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. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 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. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 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. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 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.” There was again a division among the Jews because of these words. Many of them said, “He has a demon, and is insane; why listen to him?” Others said, “These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?” At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. 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.” 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, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 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. I and the Father are one.” The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” 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.” Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken— 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’? If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; 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.” Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands. He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing at first, and there he remained. And many came to him. And they said, “John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.” And many believed in him there.

John 10:7–10 ESV

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

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

HE GUARDS BECAUSE HE CARES FOR US (vs. 7-10)

He has compassion for His sheep

(ESV) — 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

In His compassionate care, He guards us

He provides for and protects His sheep

Look specifically at

John 10:9–10 ESV

I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

-10 (ESV) — 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

John 10:9 ESV

I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.

These verses teach us about the Doctrine of Salvation

Doctrine of Salvation. (vs. 9-10)

-Salvation goes through Christ.

-Salvation "finds pasture"

-To find pasture means to find peace, safety, rest, comfort, etc.

So to find salvation is to find peace, safety, rest, and comfort.

-Salvation is not just life but abundant life.

-This abundant life is why Jesus came.

The thief figuratively refers to the devil. (vs. 10)

Jesus guards us from the devil.

Meanwhile the devil is seeking to attack our belief.

He wants to foster unbelief in our minds and hearts.

We’re going to skip ahead to vs. 22-39 to see how our Good Shepherd guards us from the thief.

Guards us from the devil by exposing unbelief.

In what ways does Jesus care for His sheep? What ways does this stir your emotions?

What have you been saved from and saved to as a Christian?

GOD:

JESUS EXPOSES UNBELIEF

Jesus exposes the reasons, the consequences, and the foolishness of unbelief.

The Good Shepherd came down to earth to expose unbelief.

Unbelief as a response to God is the stubborn and sinful refusal to accept God’s word and his messengers. Since the coming of Jesus Christ it is frequently expressed in the rejection of his person and teaching.

First we’re going to look at the reason for unbelief in vs. 22-26.

THE REASONS ()

John 10:22–26 ESV

At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. 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.” 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, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep.

If you remember back in

(ESV) — 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.

Then in it says Jesus did not do many mighty works [in His hometown], because of their unbelief.

Jesus was rejected by His own people.

Here again, Jesus is being rejected by His fellow Jews.

They were unwilling to believe, trying to blame Jesus, claiming He is keeping them in suspense, that He hasn’t told them plainly He is the Christ.

Which is simply ludicrous!

Just a few examples, in Chapter 2, Jesus turned water into wine

in Chapter 3, John the Baptist testified that Jesus is the Messiah

in Chapter 4, He healed the son of a royal official without even going to the town where the boy was

In Chapter 5, He healed a lame man, called God His Father, Himself the Son of God and the Son of Man

in Chapter 6, He fed the 5,000, walked on water, and proclaims He is the bread of life and the Son of Man

In Chapter 7, at a Jewish festival, He teaches from , inviting the thirsty crowd to come to Him and receive living water

in Chapter 8, He continued teaching at the festival that He was the light of the world, again referring to God as His Father and Himself as the Son of Man

But not only that, continuing by referring to Himself as I Am, God’s Holy name

In Chapter 9, He healed the blind man

and now in Chapter 10, He is showing that the messianic promises about the Good Shepherd refer to Him

He has told them plainly He is the Christ.

They were unwilling to believe.

Likewise, today we have been told plainly that Jesus is the Christ.

Are we willing to believe?

But Jesus continues, plainly stating that the reason these Jews do not believe is because they are not among His sheep.

Like we saw in the previous chapter, they are blind to the clear evidence before them.

They don’t believe, because it has not been granted to them.

As R. C. Sproul summarizes it;

“Only those who are Christ’s, whom the Father has given Him, come to faith. Others are so blinded by their sinful prejudice that they refuse to believe. Only the regenerate, who have been ‘born again’ believe.”

R.C. Sproul

Jesus interweaves this balance between human responsibility and divine sovereignty in this section as the reasons for unbelief.

This passage doesn’t say “You are not my sheep because you don’t believe.”

No, it says, “You do not believe, because you are not my sheep.”

And as we confessed when we were in , this is a hard teaching, many debate where human responsibility and divine sovereignty meet.

The reality is, we don’t know, but we know there is an aspect of human responsibility.

So as much as it is in our power, we best believe what Jesus has stated plainly.

That He is the Christ.

And at the same time we confess that we are unable to save ourselves, it is only through Divine Sovereignty by which we are saved.

As Pastor Matt Carter teaches;

“This truth compels each of us to listen for the Master’s voice. Jesus shows us our inability to save ourselves. Unless God gives us to ability to hear the voice of Jesus, we will not be able to hear it. We must recognize our utter helplessness apart from Jesus to receive salvation and turn to Him alone. We don’t do anyone a favor by suggesting they can in some way assist God in saving themselves. This truth is pictured in the miracles on either side of this passage. Could the blind man make himself see (Ch. 9)? Could Lazarus raise himself from the dead (Ch. 11)? Can a blind and dead sinner give himself sight and life? Only God can save.” -Pastor Matt Carter

So there is an element of human responsibility and divine sovereignty in unbelief.

Jesus continues from these reasons for unbelief into the consequences of unbelief in vs. 25-31.

Why do the Jews ask Jesus one final time to tell them plainly whether He is the Messiah?

Why do the Jews have no excuse for their failure to believe Jesus is the Messiah?

What are the reasons the Jewish leaders don’t believe?

THE CONSEQUENCES ()

John 10:25–31 ESV

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, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 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. I and the Father are one.” The Jews picked up stones again to stone him.

Define eternal security. How is it a consequence of belief? What does it mean for you right now? How does it affect your life?

To discover the consequences of unbelief, we must first realize what the consequences of belief are, which Jesus teaches here.

Jesus promises the precious gift that can never be earned to His sheep, eternal life.

Therefore the opposite is true for those who are not His sheep, death.

A believer will never be separated from God, and unbeliever will perish, cut off from God for all eternity

Belief results in safety and security

Another

“Eternal Security” or “Perseverance of the Saints” teaches that if Jesus saves you, you are saved for good.

Unbelief loses everything

There is no safety apart from Jesus Christ

Only death and uncertainty.

The consequences of unbelief should lead to great fear for those who don’t believ

But the consequences of belief bring tremendous hope, encouragement, and comfort.

Satan is the father of lies.

He seeks to lie to you, to have you believe that your sin is too great for God to forgive

That is simply not true.

Our hope is in what Jesus promises here, not in our religious or moral performance.

We can rest in the promise of Jesus because, as He again proclaims here in vs. 30, He and the Father are one.

And once again we see the Jews respond by seeking to kill Him.

So we see Jesus respond by moving on from the consequences of unbelief by trying to reveal the foolishness of unbelief in vs. 32-39.

THE FOOLISHNESS ()

John 10:32–39 ESV

Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” 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.” Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken— 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’? If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; 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.” Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands.

How can you respond to the foolishness of Satan’s lie that your guilt is too great for God to forgive?

Jesus quotes in his response the the Jews here

Bringing our minds into God’s Word in the OT.

Because, the OT prophesied about this foolishness of unbelief in spite of the miraculous signs performed by the Messiah.

(ESV) — 32 In spite of all this, they still sinned; despite his wonders, they did not believe.

But the OT also prophesies about the continual grace, mercy, and love of God in the midst of this unbelief.

(ESV) — 17 They refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them.

In vs. 37-38, Jesus exposes the means to overcome unbelief

Jesus teaches not to believe Him if He is not doing the deeds of the Father. (vs. 37)

BUT

Jesus teaches to believe the deeds He is doing so that we would know and understand He is in the Father and the Father is in Him. (vs. 38)

It is the evidence of His miracles.

Scripture teaches other means of overcoming belief as well.

teach that it is through preaching the Gospel;

(ESV) — 14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”

teaches that the behavior of a believing spouse can overcome unbelief;

(ESV) — 1 Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives,

But above all, teaches that it is God’s mercy that overcomes unbelief;

(ESV) — 13 though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief,

So Jesus teaches us the reasons of unbelief, the consequences, and how foolish unbelief despite all the works He has displayed.

But in the midst of our foolishness, God is still merciful, He is ready to forgive, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, and He does not forsake us.

Instead, going back to vs. 11-21 now, Jesus, the Good Shepherd, gives you life.

YOU:

JESUS GIVES YOU LIFE ()

John 10:11–21 ESV

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 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. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 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. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 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.” There was again a division among the Jews because of these words. Many of them said, “He has a demon, and is insane; why listen to him?” Others said, “These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

John 10:11–21 ESV

How does Jesus give you life? How can He make the promise of eternal security?

Jesus teaches us that He lays down His life for His sheep.

He lays down His life to give you life.

The Good Shepherd came down to earth to give His sheep life.

You are a sheep.

Look at all the references in just this chapter that prove this reality;

Vs. 1, the sheepfold

Vs. 2, the shepherd of the sheep

Vs. 3, the sheep hear His voice, and He calls His own sheep by name

Vs. 4, the sheep follow Him

Vs. 11, the Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.

Vs. 12, the hired hand who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf and leaves the sheep

Vs. 13, the hired hand cares nothing for the sheep.

Vs. 15, Jesus lays down His life for the sheep.

Vs. 16, there will be one flock

Vs. 26, you do not believe because you are not among My sheep

Vs. 27, My sheep hear my voice

You are a sheep.

And Jesus is the Good Shepherd.

Vs. 2, the shepherd of the sheep

Vs. 11, I am the Good Shepherd, the Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep

Vs. 12, a hired hand is not the shepherd

Vs. 14, I am the Good Shepherd

Vs. 16, there will be one flock, one Shepherd

You are a sheep.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd.

For whatever reason, this is a challenging truth for some to accept.

What does it mean that Jesus is the Good Shepherd?

What all does a Good Shepherd do?

Well we see in Revelation;

(ESV) — 17 For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Hebrews 13:20-21

English Standard Version Chapter 13

20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

(ESV) — 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

The Good Shepherd guides you to springs of living water.

He wipes away every tear from your eye

He equips you with everything good to do His will

Working in you that which is pleasing to His sight

He gives you the unfading crown of glory

So what does the Good Shepherd do?

The Good Shepherd gives you life!

As a sheep, your response is quite simple

As a sheep, all you do is know the Shepherd, believe the Shepherd, and follow the Shepherd.

To know the Shepherd is to be familiar with Him, as Jesus says, we know His voice.

It is to have Him speak and to recognize, oh that’s my Shepherd.

He speaks to us through what He teaches us in His Word.

The enemy makes belief the battlefield.

That is why Jesus taught in this context to expose unbelief.

Jesus also warns us in Matthew;

(ESV) — 16 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. “

We equate our beliefs with truth.

You see, because we equate our beliefs with truth.

Just because you believe something, does not make it true.

Being a sheep for example.

You may not like that, or may not believe that is an accurate way to describe you.

But just because you don’t believe it, doesn’t make it untrue.

You are sheep.

Unbelief is dangerous.

And sheep, in the midst of this danger, your Shepherd is saying, stay close to Me, listen to My voice, follow Me, and I will protect you, I will lead you into green pastures.

(ESV) — 32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

This promise promotes a willingness to follow Him.

Or at the very least, a desire to familiarize yourself with the Shepherd so that you can come to know His voice.

So that you too can follow Him into green pastures.

As we see in the closing verses of this chapter, vs. 40-42, the example set by the many.

To follow the Good Shepherd and believe.

WE:

FOLLOW THE GOOD SHEPHERD AND BELIEVE ()

John 10:40–42 ESV

He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing at first, and there he remained. And many came to him. And they said, “John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.” And many believed in him there.

-"many came to Him" (vs. 41)

Could also be understood as many followed Him

-"many believed in Him" (vs. 42)

As a means of protection for His sheep, the Good Shepherd exposes the reasons, consequences, and foolishness of unbelief as a response to God.

We must follow Him, His teaching, and believe in Him as the Good Shepherd.

As a sheep, we must know the Shepherd, follow the Shepherd, believe the Shepherd.