The Good Shepherd
Sermon Notes
This past week I’ve had several people ask if we plan to re-open soon and if we’ll continue our online services even after re-opening. The answer to both those questions is yes. Our leaders are currently finalizing plans for re-opening, and those plans will include live streaming for those who don’t feel comfortable combing back right away. We recognize some of you are ready to come back ASAP, some are ready to come back with certain safety guidelines, and some aren’t ready to come back even with those safety guidelines. It’s a complex issue with an array of views, so I want to ask 2 things of our church. 1st be empathetic toward those who have a different view than you, and 2nd pray for wisdom for our church leaders and other church leaders in our city as we finalize and implement plans for re-opening. We want to do things safely, update our equipment to livestream, and care for every member in our church regardless of their views on re-opening. So pray for wisdom in finalizing and implementing plans for re-opening, we’ll get those plans to you very soon, and it’ll include options for gathering both onsite or online. If you have any questions about this, feel free to chat with one of our hosts in the chat box or email us at info@cityawakening.org.
Now as for today we’re jumping back into our teaching series called Visible God, which is about seeing God through the life of Jesus. For the past year we’ve been studying a book of the bible called the Gospel of John, which records the life and words of Jesus as it was written by an original source, an original follower of Jesus, and today we’re gonna talk about what makes Jesus such a good shepherd. What makes Jesus such a good shepherd, and why should we want him to shepherd our lives? The truth is we want to be our own shepherds, we want to be the leader of our own lives, so today we’re looking at what makes Jesus such a good shepherd, and why should we want him shepherd our lives. Let’s turn to John 10:1-21 and get into it. If you open your bible to the middle, turn a few books to the right, you’ll find John. We’ll be in John 10:1-21. The title of today’s message is The Good Shepherd, and here’s the big idea. Jesus is the good shepherd, who’s always good to us...Jesus is the good shepherd, who’s always good to us.
Context:
Here’s your context. In ch 9 Jesus claims to be the light of the world, and then he backs up that claim by healing a man born blind, a man who’s seen darkness his entire life. He not only heals the man physically, he also heals the man spiritually, and the guy starts worshiping Jesus. But there’s some Jewish religious leaders called the Pharisees who get upset over this because they don’t like Jesus. So Jesus is about to make another claim, it’s the 4th of his 7 I am claims, and it’s that he’s the good shepherd. He’s the good shepherd who’s always good to us, not the Pharisees, and I’ve broken the text down into 3 sections so you can see what makes Jesus such a good shepherd. It’s because of his Leadership, his Commitment, and his Sacrifice. It’s his leadership (vs 1-10), his Commitment (vs 11-13) and his Sacrifice (vs 14-20). Let’s check it out.
The Word:
John 10:1-21 states this, “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.” The imagery of a shepherd leading his sheep was common back then. In fact sheep are mentioned more than any other animal in the bible. The bible mentions cattle 131 times, dogs 41 times, and cats 0 times. Sorry cat lovers but Butterball didn’t make the cut, and Chewbarka did. If we’re talking Tiger King big cats then cats are in, because lions are mentioned over 40 times in the bible. But no animal’s mentioned more times in the bible than a sheep. Sheep are mentioned over 200 times, lambs over 198 times, and shepherd over 100 times. Combined this shepherd and sheep imagery is used close to 500 times in the bible, and it’s to point out something very significant about the human condition. It’s that we’re like sheep who need a shepherd...We’re like sheep who need the leading, the guidance of a shepherd...I mean sheep are known for being defenseless, directionless animals. In 2006 over 400 sheep died in Turkey when one sheep tried crossing a canyon that was 50 feet deep, and the rest followed. They followed that one sheep off the cliff and all 400 of them died. It’s because they needed the leading, the guidance of a shepherd. Without a shepherd the sheep will die. They don’t have any sense of direction or discernment; they fall off cliffs, eat poisonous plants, get attacked by predators, can’t roll over if they fall on their backs and they’ll die. Sheep are so helpless, they need a shepherd to lead them. The reason the bible uses this imagery so much, is so we’ll realize we’re the sheep. We’re the helpless sheep, and we need Jesus to be our shepherd.
But our hearts fight against this idea of being helpless, so instead of seeking Jesus as our shepherd we seek him as our consultant. Instead of seeking Jesus as if our lives daily depend on him like sheep needing a shepherd, we seek him only when needed like a consultant. It’s because deep down inside we think we can lead ourselves, shepherd ourselves, go through much of our daily lives without him. Even those who claim we want Jesus to be our shepherd often live like independent atheists, instead of like sheep dependent on a shepherd. Your overestimating your ability to lead your own heart, on days you live without Jesus leading your heart. It happens every day. We overestimate our ability to shepherd our lives every day. For example you made some decisions in life you now realize were foolish. In the moment you thought it was a good decision, but 10-20 yrs later you realize it was a bad decision that harmed you, maybe even those you love. And 10-20 yrs from now you’ll be able to say that same exact thing. You’ll be able to see some of the decisions you’re making for your life right now, and realize they weren’t good decisions after all. Now the good news is Jesus can shepherd and lead us through the pitfalls of today, and redeem the pitfalls of yesterday. But my point is we often overestimate our ability to lead our own hearts, and underestimate our need for Jesus to lead our hearts. Everybody needs the guidance of a good shepherd, and your 10-20 yr self will prove that. Jesus is saying he’s the good shepherd who can lead our hearts well, not the Pharisees or our overestimated selves. But what’s he leading us to? What’s Jesus talking about leading us to? Let’s pick it up in vs 7-10.
Vs. 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.’” That’s what Jesus is leading us to. He says he’s leading us to not just life, but life “abundantly.” So everybody needs a shepherd to lead them, but what makes Jesus such a good shepherd is that his leadership is leading us to an abundantly joyful life. When Jesus is the shepherd of your life, it’ll always lead to a more abundantly joyful life than the one you’re living now. Now that doesn’t mean you won’t ever face hardships, instead it means you can trust he’ll be there to guide you through your hardships. It means you can say, “Life’s hard and doesn’t always feel abundantly joyful. But I trust what Jesus said, I trust I’ll eventually see much greener pastures, than the rugged terrain my eyes are currently on.” In vs 7-9 Jesus says he’s the door, and it’s the image of a shepherd taking his sheep out of the pen to enjoy a nice green pasture. In that situation the shepherd would corral the sheep into a closed area so the only way in and out is through him. He’s literally the door. Jesus is promising that those who trust him as their shepherd, will receive eternal salvation, eternal pasture, an abundantly joyful life with him.
But the issue is we let other things shepherd our hearts thinking they’ll bring us more abundant joy than Jesus. For example some people make their spouse their shepherd. They think getting married, having a spouse meet all their relational needs will fill the joy void in their hearts, but it doesn’t...Some people make their career their shepherd thinking a successful career or increased salary will fill the joy void in their hearts. But it doesn’t, because there’s always a desire to have more success and money...Some people in our society right now are making the government their shepherd. They think the government will solve all their economic and health care problems, but they won’t. Because the government’s shepherding always leads to somebody feeling left out, feeling they’re cheated out of a stimulus check or something else. Our hearts will forever be restless, until we accept that nothing can shepherd our hearts to abundant joy like Jesus can. What makes Jesus such a good shepherd, is he’s always leading us to abundant joy. He’s always leading us to good things. He’s the good shepherd, who’s always good to us.
Vs. 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.” This is the 2nd reason we consider Jesus such a good shepherd. The 1st is his leadership, he’s constantly leading us to abundant joy. The 2nd is his commitment to us, it’s that he’s deeply committed to his sheep. Notice he contrasts the difference between the hired hand and his commitment. He’s the good shepherd who’s willing to lay down his life for his sheep, but the hired hand isn’t willing to do that. If the hired hand sees a wolf or danger he flees leaving the sheep to be devoured. Jesus says it’s because the hired hand cares nothing about the sheep. But Jesus cares deeply for us and is deeply committed to us. This starts to get interesting if you really dive into the history of shepherding, because sheep were considered highly valuable animals back then. In fact they were considered pound for pound the most valuable animal you could have. It’s because every part of the sheep was valuable. The wool, the skin, the meat, it was all highly valuable. So a shepherd highly treasured their sheep, and you know what Jesus is saying here about you? He’s saying he highly treasures you! He highly treasures you, me, those who are considered his sheep. He’s saying “I’m so committed to you, I treasure you so deeply, that I’m willing to lay my life down for you. I’m willing to die so my sheep can live!” It’s incredible, because Jesus already owns a cattle on a thousand hills! He already owns every oceanfront property! He already owns all the silver, gold, jewels, everything in the entire world and universe! Yet he doesn’t lay his life down for any of those things! The only thing he treasures so deeply that he’s willing to lay his life down for is you!.. It’s you, me, those who want him to be their shepherd. He treasures us, cares for us, is more committed to us than the hired hand or anyone else. He’s the good shepherd, who’s always good to us.
Vs. 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.” This is the 3rd reason we consider Jesus such a good shepherd. The 1st is his leadership, the 2nd is his commitment, and the 3rd is his sacrifice. What makes Jesus such a good shepherd is he’s willing to sacrifice himself for us. In vs 13-18 Jesus says 5 times I lay down my life for my sheep, and in vs 15 the Greek word for can also be translated as instead of, meaning he’s pointing to the cross! He’s pointing to his substitutionary atonement for our sins on the cross! He’s saying he’s willing to die for us, to die instead of us, to die in our place on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins. But he’s also pointing to his resurrecting power. He says he isn’t like all other earthly shepherds in the world, because he has the very power and authority to lay his life down and take it up again. He has the very power and authority to resurrect himself and us from the dead, proving he really is leading us to an eternally abundant pasture.
Now here’s what’s great about all this. It’s that he was still willing to go to the cross for you, even though he knows every little crevice in your soul. He repeatedly says he knows his sheep by name, meaning he knows who you are, he knows every little crevice in your soul, yet he’s still willing to go to the cross for you. Jesus still signed up to be your shepherd even though he knew the kind of sheep you’d be. Some of you need to hear that today. You need to stop hiding in fear of losing his love, and start living in the eternal security of his love. You need to rest in hearing our good shepherd say, “I treasure you! I care about you! I know every part of you, including the things you’ve done recently, and yet I’m still glad I saved you! I’m still glad I died for you.” Knowing this should cause us to want to follow Jesus comprehensively, because if he knows you completely yet still died for you sacrificially, then what’s there to hide from him? What’s there to hide?...Sometimes we’re like “Lord I can handle this sin. I can handle this issue. I can be the shepherd of this part of my life. I need your help here, but not here.” When we do that we’re back to treating Jesus as a consultant instead of as our shepherd. But there isn’t any area of our lives that Jesus can be excluded from. Not your social life, your sexual life, your political, professional, financial, recreational life. He’s more than a consultant for those things, he’s a good shepherd over those things! If we truly believe he’s a good shepherd, then we should want him to be shepherd over every part of our lives. A sheep must be dependent on its shepherd every day of its life, and if we have that same mentality with Jesus, it’ll completely change our daily lives, including how we handle our daily hardships. It’ll make Psalm 23 a reality.
Psalm 23:1-6 states, “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.” Jesus is the good shepherd who can provide us with all these things. He’s the good shepherd who can satisfy our thirsty souls so we’re no longer in want. He’s the good shepherd who can take us to green pastures, to still waters, to calm and restore our weary souls. He’s the good shepherd who can give us the abundantly joyful life we all want. But Jesus is saying “I can’t give you these promises if you don’t follow me as your shepherd.” He isn’t asking for our perfection, he’s asking for reliance. He’s asking for us to be reliant upon him in every aspect of our lives. So if you don’t know what it’s like to have Jesus as your shepherd, then ask him to be your shepherd today. If you already know what it’s like to have Jesus as your shepherd, then grow in your daily reliance on him as your shepherd. Don’t settle for saying he’s your shepherd in belief, but then live like he isn’t your shepherd in daily practice. Instead let’s seek him as our shepherd daily, rely on him comprehensively, and trust he’s leading us to places that’ll provide still waters for our soul. Let’s trust there’s abundantly joyful pastures ahead.
Communion:
Communion is a great reminder that Jesus is our good shepherd, who’s always good to us. It’s a great reminder that he’s our good shepherd who laid down his life, to give us abundant life. If you don’t believe in the gospel, if you don’t believe Jesus is your shepherd who died for your sins, then please refrain from participating in Communion so we can talk with you about the gospel. We’d rather you learn the importance of the gospel and Communion, instead of going through motions of it. Jesus told us to do this in remembrance of him, in remembrance of who he is and what he did for us on the cross. So let’s take a few minutes to prepare our tables and our hearts. Let’s take a few minutes to ask Jesus to forgive us of any sins we’ve committed, thank him for dying for our sins, and ask him to shepherd our hearts.
On the night Jesus was betrayed he was having a meal with his friends. He took some bread, gave thanks for it, and broke it saying “This is my body which is to be broken for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. As often as you eat it, do so in remembrance of me, in remembrance of who I am and what I’ve done for you.” When supper ended he took the cup, blessed it, gave thanks for it, and said“This cup is a symbol of my blood which is to be shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. As often as you drink of it, do so in remembrance of me, in remembrance of who I am and what I’ve done.” City Awakening let’s eat, let’s drink, and then I’ll close us out in prayer. (Pray through Psalm 23)