The Good Shepherd

Good evening Village Church!

I am so excited to be here with you tonight. I feel like I’m an honorary member to be honest! So, it’s definitely like being at a close friends house!

Well, before I get going this evening, I want to take a moment to pray for your pastor. John-Michael and Brittany are in El Salvador right now and we want to cover them in prayer.

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Well, I’m also excited to be starting this new series with y’all on Unpacking the Parables. / / Man, what a topic. There is so much wisdom and revelation in the parables. And that’s the fun part, is that Jesus actually challenged people to work through them. He would tell them these stories and then see if they could figure them out. If they were willing to work at them.

If you don’t know what a Parable is, a parable is a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson.

So, Jesus would tell these stories to get a point across. To share some sort of insight, and to teach people the ways of God’s Kingdom. In fact, a lot of the parables actually start with those words, The Kingdom of God is like...

I’m excited to be kicking this series off, and actually the scripture we’re going to read tonight is going to show us WHY these parables are so important, and why we need to listen up.

We’re going to read from John 10:1-18 tonight. Let’s read it and then we’ll dig into it a bit.

/ / “I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber! But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.”

Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn’t understand what he meant, so he explained it to them: “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for his cheep. A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. The hired hand runs away because he’s working only for the money and doesn’t really care about the sheep.

“I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep. I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.

“The Father loves me because I sacrifice my life so I may take it back again. No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded.”

So, we’re asking the question tonight, what’s Jesus saying in this parable? vs 6 said, Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn’t understand what he meant. So I feel like I’m in good company. Sometimes what Jesus says is confusing and I need it explained.

What’s Jesus saying?

Basically He’s saying, “You, me, and everyone else are sheep. And not only are we sheep, but everyone is after us. The thief wants to steal you. The hired hand is using you for money. The wolf wants to eat you. And Jesus, wants to save you.”

There’s multiple characters in this story, and we’re right at the center of it. It might sounds like he’s talking about himself. And he is, but really, he’s giving us a road map for our lives. And The reason I love that I get to be here with y’all tonight is because this road map is going to lead you through this series on the Parables of Jesus.

Now, Jesus does three things in this story. And remember, He’s talking to you. So, for you tonight, I believe that Jesus is providing a Solution, He’s providing Instruction and He’s providing a Warning. Solution, Instruction, Warning and we’re going to look at each of these.

/ / The Solution

This is where Jesus is sharing with us His role in our story. He’s just called you a sheep, but he’s not calling you a sheep that’s lost in the wilderness, he’s calling you a sheep that’s got a home.

First things first. In this passage, Jesus is talking to Jewish people. So he starts by talking about sheep that are already in the fold, God’s chosen people, Israel. But, in vs 16 he says this, “I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.”

So, Jesus has just included me and you, and everyone else that isn’t Jewish. It’s like he’s leveling the playing field and saying, “All that is required to be my sheep is to hear my voice, recognize it, and follow me.”

Alright, what’s the solution?

Jesus says three things through these verses that give us the ultimate solution for our lives. I’m not even kidding here, this is the entire package for your life.

/ / Jesus is the GATE

vs 7, “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.”

If the sheepfold is the Kingdom of God. If the Sheepfold is Heaven. If the Sheepfold is salvation. Jesus is the one and only gate. There is no other way. People don’t always like hearing that. They like to think that there should be multiple paths to heaven, but there aren’t. Jesus is the gate. And the only way in is through him.

2. / / Jesus is the SHEPHERD

Both vs 11 & 14 Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd.”

This is where the choice to follow is made. Salvation comes through believing in Jesus Christ. He is the GATE, he is the only way to be saved. But once we are saved, once we have been received into the sheepfold, we have a choice to make. Do we truly become a follower of Jesus?

There’s a difference between believing and following, isn’t there? I can say I believe in Jesus Christ as my savior, but does my life reflect that I am truly following him? See, recognizing that Jesus is the good shepherd means when he says go, I go, stay, I stay, go over here, I go over here. I no longer just say, “Ya, I believe in Jesus.” But I’m saying,

“My life is about doing everything the shepherd tells me. I do what he says because I know that he cares about me and I can trust what He says.”

3. / / Jesus is the SACRIFICE

vs 11 says, “The Good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.” and vs 15 says, “So I sacrifice my life for the sheep.”

Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice for our salvation. See, when you read the old testament, God instituted a whole host of sacrifices that were used as a way for Israel to repent of their sins. If they did something wrong, there was a solution, bring a goat, a ram, a bull, a turtledove or pigeon and go to the temple where the priests would sacrifice the animal and God would consider you forgiven. It was a solution, but man, was it a messy one. So, in part of God’s redemption plan we know that He sent Jesus, and in John 1:29 it says, “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”.

So, now Jesus becomes the sacrifice, once and for all. And he willingly gave his life for us. John 10:18 says, “No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again.”

That last little bit right there. That’s what makes all the difference. “and also to take it up again.” See, without the resurrection of Jesus, He’s just a prophet, maybe a good teacher. A great Rabbi even. And that might makes some of the stuff he said true, but a whole lot not true, because he had claimed to be the son of God, he had claimed to be the Messiah, He had claimed to be the savior of the world. How’s that work if he’s dead and gone?

BUT, because of the resurrection ALL of that IS true. He IS the Son of God. He IS the Messiah. He IS the Savior of the world. There IS NO OTHER God but our God. There is NO other way to salvation.

And in becoming the sacrifice for us, WE RECEIVE ETERNAL LIFE.

Right, John 3:16, For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever BELIEVES in Him will not perish but have eternal life.

And he’s saying that again here in John 10. When he explains this parable again, he says in vs 10, My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

These three things in John 10 that are His solution for our lives sound strikingly similar to what He says in John 14:26. If you know that verse, Jesus says, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no one comes to the father except through me!”

The Gate … The Way (He’s our way in)

The Shepherd ... The Truth (It’s who or what we follow)

The Sacrifice … The Life (This is what we receive because of what He did)

OK, I said we’re looking at three things tonight. The Solution, The Instruction, The Warning.

/ / The Instruction

John 10:1-18 gives some pretty amazing instruction for our lives.

vs 3-4 says, The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice.

Alright, the instructions are pretty simple actually, although sometimes can feel difficult.

/ / Listen to His Voice

He says it three times here. “the sheep recognize his voice” “He calls his own sheep by name” “because they know his voice”.

This has got to be the #1 most important instruction for our lives. Listen to the Voice of the Shepherd.

First of all, that means you have to read your bible. The Bible is the Word of God. It is a HUGE aspect of His communication to us.

Second, when you know his word, you will begin to know what his voice sounds like. How? Because you will know his character, his heart and his intentions. And because of that, you will be able to begin to listen for his leading in your life on a daily basis.

/ / Follow what He Says

This is the second instruction. Sure, seems pretty straight forward, but you’d be awfully surprised at how many people just can’t seem to get this. Listen AND Follow. It’s not enough to just listen. It’s not enough to just read the Bible, you gotta apply it to your life. Do what it says!

When you know what He says, AND you do it, You realize that the intention of his instruction was to lead you to his purpose and blessing.

God does not give you instruction for your life to be a buzz kill.

God does not tell you what’s good for you because he wants you to suffer without what you think is good for you. It’s because He ACTUALLY knows what’s good for you. Listen, I’m preaching to the choir here. Jesus is desperately trying to lead you into the fulness of the life that he has for you.

John 10:10, My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

Listen, this is the #1 best advice that anyone could ever give you. I’m going to give you the #1 key to success in life. Right here.

/ / Dedicate your life to following Jesus.

Do everything you can to learn what He says and follow it.

Do everything you can to develop your ability to hear the voice of God in your life.

Do everything you can to pack the bible into your mind and heart so that you KNOW what his leading is for your life.

And when you’ve read it, seen it, heard it.....FOLLOW it. Because it will lead you to life.

The third thing that Jesus shows us through this parable in John 10 is:

/ / The Warning

OK, we’ve had The Solution. That is Jesus Christ. He is the solution, He’s the gate, the shepherd, the sacrifice. He’s the way, the truth and the life.

We have the Instruction. Hear His Voice // Follow What He Says

Now, he brings us a warning. I said earlier, there’s a bunch of characters in this story.

The Sheep, the gatekeeper, the shepherd, the thief, the hired hands, the wolf. And in this story Jesus gives us a warning. See, in telling us WHO to listen to and follow, he’s also giving a warning that others will try and come to get us to follow them, and in that is the warning.

/ / The Thieves

vs 1, right away, Jesus starts his story with this, it’s got to be important... “I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber!”

And when he then explains the parable he mentions the thief two more times.

vs 8, “All who came before me were thieves and robbers.”

vs 10, “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy.”

Now, I don’t know your background, what you’re church history is, but to me, the only take away from this verse that I remember was vs 10, “the thief’s purpose is to steal kill and destroy”, and that was clearly the devil, the devil is trying to steal and kill and destroy.

Listen, that’s not wrong at all. 1 Peter 5:8 says, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”

The devil is definitely a no good character trying to steal, kill and destroy.

HOWEVER, in this passage of scripture, Jesus is actually talking about those who would try to lead people to follow them through wrong teaching and lies. First, Jesus isn’t the first person to claim that he’s the Messiah sent from God. He just happens to ACTUALLY be the Messiah sent from God. This is why he says, “All who have come before me are thieves and robbers.” If you’re not the Messiah, but you say you are, can you actually save people? No, so your teaching will do what? You’re leading people to something that will not bring life.

False Messiahs, False teachers, those who would use the word of God for their own gain, those who try and teach something contrary to the Kingdom of God, they are the true thieves and robbers.

Think of it this way. Very simplified. Anyone who is teaching you anything that goes against the Word of God is setting you up to be stolen from, to see things die in your life, and to see destruction. No good can come from it.

/ / The Hired Hands

vs 12-13, “A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. The hired hand runs away because he’s working only for the money and doesn’t really care about the sheep.”

Hired Hands, these could be some of the same as the first group, but not necessarily. The Thief comes to steal for the sake of stealing, wanting you to follow them and their path leads to destruction. The hired hand is fine with you being where you are, as long as they profit from it.

So, Israel had had its fair share of false prophets, false messiahs, and false teachers, but the motivation here is different. It’s, I’m not trying to start my own thing, or lead you for you to follow me, I am happy for you to be there, as long as I can profit off of you. So I’ll do my duty, and maybe I seem legitimate, you won’t know until it really gets tough. That’s when this type splits.

I hope you have never had to endure this, but the sad reality is that the hired hands in this story still exist today. People who work in Christian Ministry for their own gain more than for the leading of God’s people. This is all the more reason to be thankful for people in your life like Pastor John-Michael who the real shepherd is. That ministry isn’t about growing a following for the pastor, it’s not about financing our own dreams, it’s not about fulfilling our mandate, but that it’s about the good shepherd and his leading of his people.

Little illustration for you. Think of a group of sheep, and they’re all doing their thing, and the shepherd starts trying to get their attention. You don’t notice at first, so you’re still yackin’ away to the sheep next to you. Then one sheep gives you a gentle nudge and says, “shh.... the shepherd is trying to get our attention..” That’s the pastor right there, that’s the ministry, that’s the “high calling”.... always, in all we do, pointing to the Good Shepherd.

Ministry isn’t glamorous, or, it shouldn’t be.

We don’t strive to teach so we can be on stage.

We don’t join the worship team so we can rock out.

We don’t want to be the main singer so we can hear, “You have such a great voice....”

The ministry of the kingdom is, has always been, and forever will be about loving the sheep around us just like we need love, and serving the shepherd together, always pointing to him.

We unfortunately live in a world where videos get up online about ministers asking for donations so they can buy a private jet. We have pastors in mansions while single mothers struggle to pay rent. $1000 shoes on the preacher when the kids in the church are afraid to go to school because they couldn’t get their clothes washed this week.

Now, hear me, I am not saying a preacher having money is wrong. And I’m not saying a preacher should be broke, the bible says a worker is worth his wage. But as soon as that line is crossed and you become a hired hand in it for the paycheck, you’ve lost the purpose of serving the True Shepherd.

Your pastor shouldn’t have to worry about money, he should be paid well. And I know his heart, AND I know what he’s sacrificed. Village Church is a church you can trust with your finances. If you don’t give to this church, check your heart. If you don’t tithe 10%, I want to encourage you to honestly, truly ask God about it. Because the good work that is done through this church is BECAUSE people are faithful to give. It’s simple. The bible shows us clearly that if we all choose to give, and 10% is the same for everybody, then there will be MORE than enough to look after the temple, AND the people.

/ / The Wolves

Alright, this is the 3rd warning Jesus gives. vs 12 in talking about the hired hand says, “He will abandon the sheep… And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock.”

Why does a wolf snatch up a sheep? Dinner.... He’s hungry and looking for dinner.

There is evil in this world that wants to stop you from experiencing the Life that Jesus promised.

Whether that is the devil and his demons. Whether that is the drug dealer down the street. Whether that’s the alcohol addiction you’ve struggled with for years. The girlfriend or boyfriend that’s convincing you that you don’t need to wait for marriage to sleep together. The person at work that’s trying to convince you to just do things off book, or dirty, not honest. The wolf only shows up when he’s hungry. The wolf doesn’t hang around the sheepfold because it wants to see the sheep thrive.

/ / THE SUMMARY

I want to wrap things up tonight by giving you two invaluable lessons from this:

/ / Don’t stray from the flock.

When you stray from the flock you are easy pickins… the wolf, the thief, the robber, he sees a sheep by itself and what is that…it’s like shooting fish in a barrel. There are people all the time that think they don’t need to get to church, like their life doesn’t depend on it. Well, guess what. Your life depends on it.

You ever hear the saying, There’s safety in numbers?

Do not, for any reason, allow anyone, any situation or anything to convince you that you are better off isolated. It doesn’t matter that you can watch the best churches in the world, worship to the best worship leaders on the radio or youtube. You are designed to be a part of the FLOCK. And the flock is meant to stick together.

Don’t isolate. Don’t do it. Don’t run alone. Yes, you can cultivate your relationship with God alone at home. Yes, you can watch the best services, and listen to the greatest podcasts and the worship music that’s out there these days, my goodness....it’s incredible. we live in an age where so much is available to us all the time. But all of those things will NEVER be able to replace what the church is. We are the body of Christ, we are the sheep of HIS flock.

/ / Run, Forest, Run...

As I was reading this passage of scripture a few weeks ago, the most important part that stuck out to me was vs 4-5. “After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.”

vs 4 is what I was talking about earlier, Jesus said Listen to my voice and follow my instruction. That’s the key to the most successful life you could ever dream of, listen to the word of God and follow it. And for that you have to read your bible and you need to develop a prayer life, not just talking TO God, but listening for his direction.

and vs 5 is the run part. Listen, some of you have been allowing any voice to direct your path. Some of you have been so confused with your life and not seeking after the truth that you’ve allowed whatever anyone has told you to become your truth. We have that saying these days, don’t we? It’s YOUR truth. You gotta live YOUR truth. But truth is by it’s very definition something that is not mine, or yours, or anyone else. See, it may seem to be true. It may feel true. It may really feel like it’s the only way, but if it isn’t what the Word of God says, it’s a lie and it’s trying to lead you away.

What does Jesus say, “They won’t follow a stranger; they will RUN from him because they don’t know his voice.”

If you’ve been listening to the wrong voice, I understand, trust me, you’re not alone in this, but don’t keep listening, turn and run. Run back to the shepherd tonight.

If you’ve been letting the words of your friends be louder than the words of Jesus. Turn and Run.

If you’ve been letting the media, facebook, twitter and tik tok be louder than the Bible. You need to run from that voice.

Don’t wait around to see if it gets better.

Don’t wait to see if maybe they change.

Turn, Run, back to Jesus, back to the Good Shepherd.

vs 10 is where it’s at. Everything else will steal, kill and destroy from you, but Jesus said HIS purpose was to give you a rich and satisfying life. BUT you have to LISTEN to his voice and OBEY his instruction.

If you’re in any of those categories tonight I want to invite you to respond to that. wether it’s listening to the wrong voice. listening to your own voice, letting the world dictate where you should go, what you should do, how you should believe… maybe you’ve fallen victim to the lie that you can have your own truth and that’s ok. I’m not saying you’re bad. I’m not saying God doesn’t like you. I’m saying there’s a better way, and the lie you’ve been told, as true as it may feel, was designed to break you down, but the Truth of the Good Shepherd is here tonight to build you up and give you life.