Jesus the Good Shepherd

If you have your bibles this morning turn with me to John chapter 10, I have titled the message this morning, “Jesus the Good Shepherd” We are getting close to being halfway done with our study of the gospel, and if you are new to us either in person or online, all the sermons from the gospel of John are on our facebook page if you want to go back and listen to them. Before we get started with the sermon today please pray with me…

If you joined us last week we saw Jesus healed this blind man from birth, and the text today goes along with the text from last week. In the text this week we see two of the I am Statements, where Jesus calls himself the door, and the good shepherd, each of those titles will be important as we look at the text today. Jesus in the text is really going after this bad shepherds that Isreal has had including the Pharisees that he is dealing with during his ministry on earth. Isreal has had a few good shepherds leading them along the way, but mostly those shepherds did not do a good job leading the people of Isreal, and it is believed by many including myself that Jesus is using this illustration of a Shepherd, because of the bad shepherds they have had, also to drive home the point that he is the good Shepherd, and true and heavenly Shepherd.

If you go to Ezekiel 34. There is a prophecy against the Shepherds of Israel in this text you see that the shepherds were taking care of themselves and not the sheep, they will looking our for themselves when it came to food and drink, they were not caring for the sick, or looking for the strays and lost as a Shepherd should. And God is telling them the sheep are scatted they dont have a shepherd to to care for them, and as a result the sheep were becoming prey, and they did not have what they needed to survive. And God said he would be against the shepherds who were suppose to be taking care of his sheep, and he is going to take away all the shepherds have and is going to rescue his sheep.

So he tells them in Ezekiel chapter 34 that he is going to search for his sheep, and will rescue them from all over the places they have been scattered to. Not only is he going to rescue them he is going to make sure they are fully taking care of like they were suppose to be.

God is going to bring back all those sheep who are his that are lost, injured, weak. And he is going to give them one shepherd, David, and David will feed them, and be their shepherd. But really the one shepherd is not going to be David, because when this prophecy had come David was already dead, but one who would be coming would be the true Shepherd who could truly rescue them, and that Shepherd is Christ.

So for those taking notes today the main Idea I want you to get is this…

Main Idea: Jesus the good shepherd calls, protects, and saves his sheep.

We are going to break down the calling, protecting, and the saving as we unpack this text. If you would follow along we me as I read John 10:1-6

John 10:1–6 ESV

1 “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. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

First sub point…

Jesus the good shepherd calls.

One Scholar would say, “In those days, there was one large, central pen, or sheepfold, in a given community, and at the end of the day people brought their small individual flocks and led them into the big sheepfold. With their combined resources, they paid a gatekeeper, and it was his job to stay with the sheep during the night.”

And what Jesus in the text does is contrast two opposite things. One he says those who climb in another way are thief's and robbers. ( and he is referring to the pharisees )

But the other who enters through the door is the shepherd of the sheep, and he is referring to himself.

The Gatekeeper is usually a someone who was a hired under-shepherd, and many shepherds would intrust this man to protect their sheep at night. But when the shepherd would come back to get his sheep he would call his sheep and they would come, it would not matter if there were many other shepherds there with different sheep, only those sheep who belonged to him would come to their own shepherd.

If you have never seen this for yourselves its quite fascinating look it up after the sermon today. but The sheep would know the shepherd so well that when he called they would come, and often the shepherds would names of the sheep, they knew them so well that they knew everything about them, and the sheep would follow them because of this relationship.

and in the case of this text The Gatekeeper is the Father and the Shepherd is the Son.

The Father opens the door so the Shepherd Jesus can call out his own by name. So in this text there is a clear distention between a true shepherd and a thief and a robber, and thats the sheep will know Jesus and hear his voice, and follow him. Jesus knows us so well like a Shepherd knows his sheep, he knows our names, he knows our weakness, he knows our our needs, and if you are in him he calls you by name, and he leads you.

The difference between a western shepherd and an eastern shepherd is that a western shepherd drives his sheep hard often with dogs, while the the eastern shepherds simply goes before them where they need to go looks and makes sure everything is safe, and calls them by name and they follow him.

Shepherding is hard work, but in the case of people, when a shepherd knows his people , and his people know him, they will follow him, and in the case of Jesus his sheep know his voice and they follow him.

Sheep are so in tune to the shepherd that when other voices come and call their name they tune them out. They know the Shepherd will lead them and call them to where they need to be therefore they do not listen to those who are not their shepherds. Not only do they not listen but they run and flee from the voices of the strangers.

For the case of Christians we dont need to listen to all those who call on us if its not the good shepherd, because we should know no good can come from it if they are calling us out of the safety of the good shepherd’s hands. So when the world calls you to do things, ask would my shepherd who is Christ call me to this as well, because if not, do not listen, stand your ground in the comfort and safety of Jesus.

All those who know Jesus will understand what he is saying, and as we have have hammered home in our study of John, those who know him know him, and those who don’t dont.

Jesus the Good Shepherd calls…

verse 7-

John 10:7–10 ESV

7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Second point this morning…

Jesus the good shepherd protects.

We see one of the two I am statements in text the first is that Jesus is the door, and as the door he is the only one who can truly enter it, he is the door and the one who can walk through that door, and its one of those doors that only he can get open. His security system is the best.

And he is going to protect from all the bad leaders that came before him, like those leaders I told you about in the beginning of the sermon,

His sheep don’t listen to those leaders.And when one goes through the door of Christ by faith they are saved, and their put in this pasture, where they are free to roam and live in safety, because as the good shepherd he went their first, he made the sure the pasture was free from the wolves those thief's, and those robbers.

and as Christians we can rest in the security that he brings as the door, because no-one is getting in that is not suppose to because Christ has secured it for all those who are his sheep.

This does not mean there will be no evil in this world for the believer, the thief who comes only to steal, kill and destroy impacts this world. The enemy comes in many forms, and in many ways seeking to steal the sheep away from God, with words that not from him, but the sheep who are of them cannot be stolen. though they may be attacked, The enemy comes to kill , and death comes in many ways, and though the enemy may take our lives, Christ will still protect you, let me read you something if death is what you fear.

Matthew 10:28 ESV

28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

If you are a sheep of Christ, no need to fear those who can kill, because you are his in this life and the life to come.

Finally, the enemy may say I am here to destroy you, and the work of Christ, but as a reminder, the enemy is the not the door, he doesn’t rescue you, he doesn’t protect you, and as hard as the enemy may try to destroy you, he can never through off the plans of the Lord, the enemy is a thief, a murder, and a destroyer, but Christ is the protector, and he came that his sheep can have life and have it abundantly.

Christ came not only to protect us but so we could live, live in the green pastures with him looking over us, calling us, and driving out the enemy and he can do that because of what he did while he was on earth. He gives us a life where his sheep don’t have to live in constant worry because he protects his sheep.

Jesus is not like any shepherd the people have ever had, and we are about to see why this is the case…

verse 11.

John 10:11–18 ESV

11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 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. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 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. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 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.”

Third point…

Jesus the good shepherd saves.

Jesus lays down his life for his sheep.. ( we see the second I am statement in this text I am the good shepherd…) and what makes him so good is that no matter what the enemy comes with, such as stealing, killing, and destroying Jesus is always there standing in front of his sheep. He takes all the enemy has, and he lays down his life for his sheep.

If you think about what the enemy has tried to do in your life, and your a believer in Christ, Jesus Christ lays down his life for you, and all the burdens, and sins you have ever had.

need more assurance that this is the case. let us unpack these verses.

In verse 11. He says the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. He stands in front of the enemy to die for those who are his..

and again in Verse 15.. he lays down his life for his sheep… again in verse 17 I lay down my life, and in verse 18.. I lay it down on my own accord. He doesn’t lay his life down, in some sort of last ditch effort to save those who are his he lays it down because he loves his sheep… It was the plan of God from eternity past for Jesus to come and lay down his life for his sheep.

He essentially says to the enemy not their life mine.. (think about that) He tells Satan these sheep are mine and all you throw at them in this life I am going to lay my life down for them.( Church family the God who created all things laid down his life for his sheep )

I was at a retreat one time and one of the men teaching brought out a wooden cross, and he said put the sins down on a piece of paper that you can’t handle anymore and nail them to that cross, and later that day after teaching about Christ he said go back to where you nailed that sin and grab your paper, and guess what they did it was a blank sheet of paper the sin that was weighty for all those who were there was now gone, and Jesus as the good shepherd saves you from your sin. He lays his life down for you.

He lays down his life so that you may have life, the darkness that attacks from the flesh, the world, and satan cannot overcome Jesus laying down his life for his sheep. Hear that this morning.

Jesus is not like the other shepherds who are hired, who get paid to do the work of shepherd he is the shepherd who paid it all, he is not like the shepherd who sees wolves, coming and snatching away his sheep and flees, he is the shepherd who never leaves his sheep.

and he is not like other shepherds because its personal for him. He knows his sheep, Jesus knows everything about you, your greatest friends, your spouses, your co workers may know you, but they don’t know you like Jesus does, and the incredible thing to me, and for you should be is he still loves you.. Jesus knows your worst, and he still laid his life down for you.

In fact this relationship should be so personal for us because he compares it to the Father and the Son. The most personal relationship is the between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, there is nothing that comes close, and John in the text is comparing it to the Father and the Son.

Its personal also because Jesus is going to die for sheep that are not in the fold, and in the text he is referring to the gentiles, who because of him laying down his own life, will be united to the people who once claimed the one true God exclusively the jews. So people from all over the world would have one Shepherd who laid down his life for his sheep, and they would be all one flock and the flock would listen to him. ( for us who are hear today that good news )

Its personal to Jesus, because the Father loved him for this work of laying down his life, and it was personally because the Father called him to this mission.

and not only is it personal, Jesus also has authority to do it. He lays down his life so he can take it up again, and as I have mentioned already he does that willingly, and because he not only lays down his life, but take it up those who are his sheep can have eternal life.

If Jesus just died on the cross, taking the wrath of God, and never returned again, his sheep could not have life. As great of an act of sacrifice him dying on the cross would be it would have been worthless, but, but because he took it back up again we can have life in him. and because he rose again he is the good shepherd who saves.

verse 19

John 10:19–21 ESV

19 There was again a division among the Jews because of these words. 20 Many of them said, “He has a demon, and is insane; why listen to him?” 21 Others said, “These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

forth point this morning is this…

True believers follow the good shepherd.

we see two sides one side who says this man has a demon, and is insane, because of the things he says.. a common thing we have seen in our study of the gospel of John. Not only do people not believe in him, but they accuse him of having a demon, of not really being from God.

but there are some in this text that ask the question can a demon open the eyes of the blind?

Which mean’s there are some who by the grace of God come to understanding that Jesus is the good shepherd and they will follow him, but for us who hear this today, and believe in him must follow the good shepherd.

I have alluded to this already but we are to follow the voice of God, and we have motivation to do that because of his love for us, because of him lying down his life for us, because he is calling us, because he is protecting us, and because he is saving us, and in order for Christians today to follow God we have to be in tune with what the word of God says. He is still calling us, and he is calling us to follow him and his word.

We have access to all sorts of information today, and rather than us seeking out information that feeds us, we inhabit our times with things that don’t help us follow the Lord. I read about the puritans and reformers and the feasted upon the word of God, like they a sheep in a field full of grass to eat, and they did not have the access that we have today.

I am convicted myself when I look at my bookshelves in our home library knowing that God has provided me with more bibles that those puritans and reformers , and so many books that I can learn about him, and feast upon his own goodness, and yet I feed myself with other things, not that all those things are bad, but those things are not helping me follow the good shepherd. He laid down his life so I could be set free to follow him, and the same goes for you if you are a believer in him, so are you following what he wants to do in your life.

When we are so transformed by Jesus knowing he is our good shepherd, who calls us, protects us, and saves us, I believe Psalm 23 will become our heartbeat. I want to read it to you, David the shepherd says this..

Psalm 23 ESV

A Psalm of David. 1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. 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.

Sound’s alot like the promises we seen today John 10. Sheep don’t need much, and a good shepherd makes sure the sheep has all he needs, and with a shepherd like Christ what else could we want, he provides, he restores, he leads, he protects, and prepares a place for us. How much better can it get than that? Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.

But the question is do you know the good shepherd? Do you know that Jesus the good shepherd, calls, protects, and saves his sheep? Are you one of his sheep? To be one of his sheep you must repent of your sin, and have faith in him to save you. He can save you because he laid down his life for his sheep, and his sheep follow him, and believe in him.

Are you using what you know about the Shepherd as motivation to follow him. He has done far more for you than you can ever know, the world continues to distance itself from the good shepherd thinking it knows how to lead itself but what it really needs is a shepherd to follow.

sheep need shepherds because the shepherds show sheep where to go. The good shepherd never leads you into a place where he himself has not gone for himself so follow him as he leads you.

The Christian life does not stop when you believe in Christ as Lord its only the beginning, use the knowledge you have of him to live out all your days.

I pray you know the good shepherd, if you don’t please come talk to me after the service, or reach out to me if you are online.

But always remember… Jesus the good shepherd, calls, protects, and saves his sheep. Let us pray..