Sermon Tone Analysis

Intro

Where have we been?

Week 1: Jesus says, “I am the Bread of Life”; he alone sustains us spiritually.

Week 2: Jesus said, “I am the Light of the World”; he alone is the hope of the world and able to give sight to the spiritually blind.

Week 3: Jesus says, “I am the Gate”; he alone provides access to eternal life, as well as freedom and protection, to those who enter through him.

The question that John is answering whether we realize we are asking the question or not is “Who is Jesus?”

The Good Shepherd Can Be Trusted

Jesus took the picture that the Jews knew where God refers to himself as the Shepherd of his people and “one-upped” it.

He lays down his life

This is the primary characteristic of this shepherd that Jesus is declaring himself to be

Jesus showed that his identity as the good shepherd went far beyond the normal expectations of a shepherd

The phrase “lay down” (τίθημι tithēsin) refers to Jesus’ death but it also carries the meaning that Jesus risked his life.

Jesus’ ministry was marked with conflict and risk.

Risk that eventually led to his death (that he freely lays down)

He served us

Jesus modeled as the Good Shepherd that serving one another was key characteristic of the shepherd and the sheep

Jesus rebukes James & John because they misunderstood this concept.

He modeled it to his disciples during the Last Supper.

He is motivated through His love for the Father, and the Father’s love for us

Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night he was betrayed

The Good Shepherd Knows Us

I know my vehicles.

I know all the sounds it makes that are ok and the sounds it makes that are not ok.

If you drive old high mileage cars, you need to pay attention to these sounds.

Story of Zack borrowing our VW Bug to go on his honeymoon.

I explained all the sounds and when to expect them and what to do if you hear them.

Long story short, he didn’t understand the noises our car made.

He blew it up outside Baker City Oregon and I had to rebuild the motor in the basement of our house.

Good times.

The ways that Jesus knows his sheep is intimate.

This intimacy is gained as we come through the gate.

The Good Shepherd Unifies Us

The Good Shepherd unifies his flock.

When Jesus states that he has additional sheep “that are not of this sheep pen” (John 10:16), he is referring to the Gentiles that will believe and follow him.

Jesus’s passion is to unite all the nations (or people groups) so that there will be “one flock and one shepherd” (John 10:16).

We find it again as Jesus is praying to the Father before he is arrested in the Garden.

After his resurrection and immediately before his ascension to his Father, Jesus commissions his disciples to go into all the nations to bring people into relationship with God and to be his disciples Matthew 28:19–20 Acts 1:8

When Jesus returns, all his followers will be united to him and one another.

In today’s world, unity and reconciliation is a crucial need.

By all appearances, in today’s world we are a disconnected people.

Author Brené Brown illustrates the disconnection of our world by stating that we are “surrounded by ‘us versus them’ cultures that create feelings of spiritual disconnection.

... The only thing that binds us together now is shared fear and disdain, not common humanity, shared trust, respect, or love.

... Rather than coming together and sharing our experiences.

... We’re screaming at one another from further and further away” (Brené Brown, Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone [New York: Random House Publishing Group, 2017], 33, 45).

As followers of Jesus, we must lead the way in connecting with others in love and compassion.

Whatever “other” agenda we have that motivates us in life, has to come under the authority of the Good Shepherd

“Who do you say that I am?”

As I was praying for this message and wrestling in my heart with this passage, by divine accident, I prayed

“Lord, I want to know and experience you as MY Good Shepherd”

Look back at verses 2-5

Do you know the Good Shepherd’s voice?

Whose “voce” are you following or listening to?

Jesus goes on to say that he knows his sheep.

We must know the Good Shepherd.

Is Jesus your Good Shepherd?

The jews were struggling with this.

The famous question Jesus asks his disciples.

It is the same question that John has been answering as he writes his Gospel.

Matthew 16:15 (NIVUK84)

The Jews were divided on who Jesus was.

Are you?