Sermon Tone Analysis

This morning I want to continue our study on the biblical theme of shepherding and the Chief Shepherd to prepare us for our exposition of Chapter 5 of 1st Peter.

Although we did not quite finish the exposition of due to time and schedule I want us to move to this morning.

This is in my mind the key text that teaches us about Jesus as the Good Shepherd.

This passage helps us connect the dots between what we learn about shepherds in the OT to Christ’s fulfillment of this role in the NT.

And as we we will learn in , the consummation of His role when the Chief Shepherd appears in all his glory in the eschaton!

Let’s begin by reading John 10:1-21.

This is a large section of Scripture and we will not fully exegete all there is in this passage this morning.

There is much to learn about Shepherds, sheep, wolves, hirelings, owners, etc. However our goal this morning is to learn about specifically of Christ as Shepherd this morning.

We will discuss these other elements, but ultimately I want us to leave here this morning gaining a better understanding of who Jesus is as the Good Shepherd.

D.A. Carson explains,

Just as John 15, far from offering a parable of a vine, simply provides observations on viticulture with various symbolic connections spelled out, so this chapter provides observations on sheep-farming, not as an end in itself but as a vehicle to get across the desired message in symbolic ways.

But it is the message that controls the sheep-farming symbols, not vice versa.

As we study the theme of sheepherding, it is important for us to understand that these parables on sheep and shepherds are not just to provide us more knowledge on what sheep-farming was like, but to help us gain a better understanding of who Jesus was, who our Savior is and how he cares for protects, leads, and feeds His sheep.

I. Mistunderstood Warning Against False Shepherds

When we read chapter 10 following chapter 9 it almost seems out of place.

We go from Jesus healing the blind man to a warning of following false shepherds.

It seems like two completely different themes and narratives.

But, remember who Jesus is rebuking in chapter 9, the religious leaders who were mistreating the blind man.

Listen to

These leaders not only didn’t believe Jesus was healed by Jesus they didn’t believe the words of Jesus, they didn’t see the connection between Moses and Jesus.

Now when we read,

Do you see the connection?

These leaders of the Jews were trying to gain entrance into the sheepfold another way.

They thought Moses was the one leading them, they thought the law was going to get them into the fold.

But Jesus say’s these men are trying to climb in another way.

They are trying to lead you in another direction.

Don’t be mistaken, these men are thieves and robbers!

The are seeking to steel authority and glory from the true shepherd by steeling sheep from His fold.

Now this is an odd term that we don’t us a lot.

But when John references the sheepfold he is essentially talking about a sheep pen which would probably have been in a family courtyard where families kept their sheep.

They would have had a hired hand many times to watch the door of the pen, make sure none got out and to keep predators out.

The hand or gatekeeper would as Jesus said let the Shepherd in but keep anyone else out.

This explains the imagery of the thieves and robbers trying to slip over the fence to steal, kill, and destroy.

D.A Carson again is helpful here,

His point is that these unauthorized people enter and brutalize the sheep.

By contrast, the shepherd knows his sheep, is recognized by the watchman and by the sheep alike, and leads them out for their own good

Remember the time we spent back in last week.

What did the LORD rebuke the shepherds of Israel for?

Abusing the sheep!

Not caring for the sheep, eating the fat ones and letting the rest starve and be overtaken by disease.

Now, I want us to think about this specifically for a moment.

As the church today, as God’s sheep, what are some ways we can heed Christ’s warning here?

How can we keep our eyes out for false shepherds?

What are some ways false shepherds may abuse or harshly treat the sheep?

Now listen to how Jesus describes a/the Good Shepherd,

John 10:2-

Jesus says, but, or in contrast to the thief who climbs the wall, the true shepherd enters through the front gate.

The shepherd the owner of the sheep, walks up to the gatekeeper and wants to go in and check on his sheep.

As he walks up the gatekeeper knows the shepherd and lets him in.

He knows not only why he is there, but his motive for coming to see his sheep.

What happens when the shepherd gets there, he calls for his sheep, he wants them to come to him.

He wants to take them out to pasture, to those still waters, to a place of rest.

Where they can eat, drink, and find peace.

Notice how specific this call is, he calls his own sheep by name.

This helps us to get an even greater picture of knowing and listening to Jesus.

In this pen there were probably sheep on by different shepherds of the clan.

So when the Good shepherd calls his sheep by name they begin to separate out of the flock and sort themselves out and run to their shepherd.

The know his voice, the others are like nope, not my shepherd I am going to stay here and wait on another one!

You have to love the imagery in,

Can you see it in your mind’s eye?

The shepherd goes in the gate, calls out to his sheep, they come running, fall in behind him, and as he walks out of the gate the sheep follow him.

They know he cares for them, they know he has their interest in mind and they will follow and obey his commands.

Now what does Jesus say in, verse 5.

When the true sheep hear a stranger, one whom is not the shepherd, one who is trying to enter the pen from the back the don’t follow, they flee from him.

Hear is another lesson for us church.

Who are we listening to?

We often hear of false heterodox teachers to eat the meat and spit out the bones.

If these teachers are doing anything other than pointing us to the Good Shepherd, flee from them, don’t let them call you away from the One true shepherd, their motive is not the gospel of Jesus Christ, and their concern is not your good!

What is the issue with Jesus warning in verse 1-6?

These religious leaders didn’t get it, they didn’t understand.

Jesus used a very common figure of speech they understood shepherding better than we do, but they didn’t realize they were the thieves.

They didn’t realize Jesus was the Shepherd.

They still thought Moses was the shepherd that would lead them into the pen, their back door was the law and Jesus is saying, I am the shepherd, I am the one through whom you will gain access to the fold, follow me!

This brings us to our second point, following Jesus’ misunderstood warning, he provides a,

II.

More Detailed Description the Good Shepherd.

John 10:7

A. Jesus is the door of the Sheep.

John 10:7

Jesus said, let me clear this up for you, I am the door of the sheep.

I am the one by which the sheep gain access to the sheepfold and the back out to the pasture.

Steve Lawson, explained in his sermon on this text that the shepherd would lay down in front of the door to keep sheep in and predators out essentially laying down his life for the sheep.

Jesus goes on to explain anyone who enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.

This leads us into verses 10,11 where we see,

B. Jesus is the Life Providing Shepherd

John 10:10-

Jesus leads the sheep to good pasture while the thief comes to destroy the sheep, to fleece the sheep, to take advantage of the sheep.

In contrast Jesus, does two things,

Provides life for the sheep by leading them to good pasture, still water, and protecting them from the evil one.

Secondly,

Instead of coming to kill the sheep Jesus is killed for the sheep!

C. Jesus is not a Hired Hand

John

Notice, what Jesus says,

The hired hand flees when danger comes, when times get hard, he leaves the sheep to fend for themselves.

Why does the hired hand do that?

Because he is not the owner, so he doesn’t really care for the sheep, he has no relationship with them and nothing invested in them.

I took one of the worst scoldings I ever took in Nebraska by the owner of the cows one day.

We were driving cows to another pasture and one broke and ran, and my instinct said take off after her, so I bolted, and she ran even harder and farther from the herd.

Mr. Roy ran me down and talked to me like a dog for chasing his cow like that, and like causing her injury....He cared for the cow he owned, and what I thought was good for her, getting her back to the herd could have hurt her because of the way I was trying to get her back.