4-5-2020 I AM the Good Shepherd

Text: John 10.11-18 Title: “I AM the Good Shepherd” Topic: Christ the Shepherd of his Sheep Series: “Self-Portraits of Christ, Sermon 5” Occasion: Sun AM, April 5, 2020, Duncanville FWB Church (Palm Sunday) Introduction: When I was a student at the Farmington Christian Academy, there were two pictures of Christ that hung in our Learning Center and often captured my attention. The first was the common picture of Jesus standing outside and knocking on a door. The second was a picture of Jesus walking along the Judean hills carrying a sheep on his shoulders. This image of Jesus does not come from a historical episode in the life of our Savior. Remember that before entering his public ministry Jesus was a carpenter not a shepherd. Rather this painting is based on the self-portrait that Jesus provides of himself in John 10.11-18 Reading of Text: John 10.11-18 It is no wonder that Psalm 23 is probably the best known and most beloved of the psalms. It is the psalm that declares “The Lord is my Shepherd.” The image of Christ as our Good Shepherd is one of the oldest, dearest, and most endearing images of Christ. Today we want to look at some of the things Jesus says about being our Good Shepherd. I. A Good Shepherd has an Intimate Relationship with His Sheep (vs. 14) I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me My boys love to go to the Zoo especially to the petting zoo where the sheep are. To me all the sheep look alike, but the shepherd knows every sheep by name (cf. v.3). He knows their characteristics and personality; he knows their habits; he knows their weaknesses. The Shepherd has an intimate knowledge of his Sheep. And the sheep know their shepherd as well. The sheep will wander around and be hand-fed by the Zoo guests, but it amazing how they will gather around as soon as they see the shepherd and hear his familiar voice. In the Middle East, the Shepherd lives with his sheep. He is in the field with them all day and as we noted last week, he even sleeps with them at the door to the fold. Being a shepherd is not an eight-hour day, five day a week job. The shepherd spends his life with the sheep and so an intimate bond develops between the sheep and the shepherd. There is a close and tender relationship between the sheep and the shepherd. II. A Good Shepherd Leads His Sheep (v.4) When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. The shepherd does not drive his sheep, he leads them. He goes on before them. The sheep follow the shepherd confidently, because they know he has been where they are going. Christ has gone before us. He has journeyed through life’s thorn-grown wilderness. He knows life’s dangers and perils. Our Good Shepherd does not always lead us beside still waters or in pastures green. Sometimes the path will be rocky and steep. Sometimes he will lead through the deep ravines of life, and through the storms of life. But we proclaim the words of the old hymn “Where he leads me I will follow, I’ll go with him, with him all the way” with confidence – a confidence that comes from knowing we are in the presence of the Shepherd. III. A Good Shepherd Protects His Sheep (v.12) In verses 12-13, Jesus contrasts the Good Shepherd with the hired hand. The first distinction that he draws is found in verse 12, that the Good Shepherd is one who protects his sheep. When danger comes the hired hand deserts the sheep and protects his own life, but the Good Shepherd stands firm, putting his own life on the line to protect and defend his sheep. If there was ever an argument against the evolutionary idea of the survival of the fittest it is the sheep. Sheep have many natural predators – coyotes, wolves, foxes, bears, dogs, eagles, bobcats, mountain lions, vultures, even ravens. But the sheep has no natural defenses – It doesn’t have large sharp teeth, or camouflage, great speed, or poisonous venom. Sheep are vulnerable to predators because they are basically defenseless. The sheep’s only hope is a Good Shepherd who will not only lead but also protect the sheep. The Psalmist said of the Lord his shepherd, “Your rod and your staff they comfort me” (Psalm 23.4b). The Shepherd’s rod or staff was a stout piece of wood. The shepherd used his staff for two purposes: 1) as a weapon to fight off any animals that would threaten the sheep, and 2) as a tool to guide the sheep by laying it across the sheep’s back or prodding the sheep in the side to direct it away from danger. Both uses were for the protection of the sheep. We have a Good shepherd that protects us from the deadly enemies of our soul – both by defending us from those who would seek to destroy us and by prodding and correcting us when we begin to wander astray. And this leads to the second distinction between the Good Shepherd and the hired hand… IV. A Good Shepherd Cares for His Sheep (v.13) The reason the Shepherd stays and places his own life on the line, while the hired man runs away is that the Shepherd loves his sheep while the hired hand cares nothing for the sheep. This speaks of the great compassion the Good Shepherd has for his sheep. We see the heart of our Good Shepherd in other scriptures as well. The Prophet Isaiah comforted the people of Judah with these thoughts: See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young. Isaiah 40.10-11 What a tender image of the care and compassion of our loving Good Shepherd who gathers his lambs and carries them close to his heart. Think of the tenderness that must be shown to a Ewe that must be led but still has young lambs that she is nursing. A Good Shepherd knows that she cannot be driven hard or her young may be lost. That is the tenderness that God has for his people. We see this same tenderness, love and care in our Savior in many places throughout the New Testament. In Matthew 9.36 we read, When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. We are all like sheep, often foolish and prone to wander. But the Good Shepherd has an urgent, active love on behalf of his sheep. In Luke 15.4-6, Jesus described himself as a shepherd who had 100 sheep. Ninety-nine were safe in the fold, but one was lost. The shepherd went into the wilderness to find and bring back the lost sheep. He brought the lost sheep back on his shoulders and called his neighbors to celebrate with him, “Rejoice with me, I have found my lost sheep.” Our Lord is a Good Shepherd who cares deeply for his sheep. V. A Good Shepherd Sacrifices Himself for His Sheep The greatest evidence of our Lord’s care for his sheep is the fact that he was willing to lay down his life for his sheep. Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. He was willing to sacrifice himself on the cross to save us from sin and death. But Jesus did not lay down his life to remain dead. He took it up again so that we would not be left without a Shepherd. Yes, he died on the cross to pay the debt of our sin, but he was also raised from the dead. He lives today and still is our Good Shepherd caring, leading, guarding, and protecting the souls of his Sheep. Conclusion: Let us give thanks for Christ our Good Shepherd, and may we commit to remain close to him and listen to his voice.