I AM The Good Shepherd

Good evening and welcome to the Panhandle. Well the summer programs are all done and our kids will be going back to school soon. We will start our Wednesday Night Youth back this month and After School Bible Club will start back in September so we don't slow down as much as shift gears. We as a church body try to shepherd the kids and students so that they might know our Lord and Saviour, Christ Jesus. Try as we may; and I think we do a pretty good job; there really is only one “good shepherd,” and that is Christ Jesus.

We looked at the “I AM” statement in John 10:7, 9. It was in these verses that Christ Jesus stated, “I am the door (gate) of the sheep.” In the previous chapter the Pharisees had been offended because Christ Jesus had healed a blind man on the Sabbath. They had questioned the man who now had his sight as to who had healed him, if he had really been healed; but the man did not know who it was. After a lot of questioning the angry Pharisees cast the man out of the synagogue. The man then found Christ Jesus and acknowledged Him as the Messiah.

The Pharisees found Christ Jesus speaking to the crowd that had gathered because of the miracle that had occurred. And as usual Christ Jesus and the Pharisees end up in a debate. It is in this debate that Christ Jesus calls the Pharisees blind, blind to the truth. Blinded by their strict adherence to the law, blinded by their self-righteousness, and blinded by their arrogance. To further make His point Christ Jesus refers to Himself as the door or gate to the sheep pen. Anyone who wants to enter in to the pen must enter through Him. The Pharisees and other religious leaders He compares to thieves and robbers who try to get in the pen a different way. Christ Jesus came so that those who listen to Him will have life and have it abundantly. (John 10:10)

Now as we continue in John, chapter 10 Christ Jesus makes His next “I AM” statement. Here He tells the crowd and the Pharisees, “I am the good shepherd;”

D.L Moody tells this story about Dr. Andrew Bonar(Minister and a leader in the Free Church of Scotland). Dr. Andrew Bonar told me how, in the Highlands of Scotland, a sheep would often wander off into the rocks and get into places that they couldn't get out of. The grass on these mountains is very sweet and the sheep like it, and they will jump down ten or twelve feet, and then they can't jump back again, and the shepherd hears them bleating in distress. They may be there for days, until they have eaten all the grass. The shepherd will wait until they are so faint they cannot stand, and then they will put a rope around him, and he will go over and pull that sheep up out of the jaws of death. "Why don't they go down there when the sheep first gets there?" I asked. "Ah!" He said, "they are so very foolish they would dash right over the precipice and be killed if they did!" And that is the way with men; they won't go back to God till they have no friends and have lost everything. If you are a wanderer I tell you that the Good Shepherd will bring you back the moment you have given up trying to save yourself and are willing to let Him save you His own way. - Moody's Anecdotes, pp. 70-71.

John 10:11-18
11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

14 "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me- 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father-and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life-only to 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 authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."

1. The Good Shepherd Protects the Sheep (vs. 11-13)

Christ Jesus again openly identifies Himself, “I am the good shepherd.” In so doing Christ Jesus lays hold of the rich meaning of Yahweh as Israel’s shepherd, their Ruler, Protector, Leader, and caring Companion. We have seen His warm, pastoral concern in calling and healing the blind man. Those who hear Christ Jesus' voice and come to Him discover He is “good.”

Christ Jesus is the Good Shepherd because He gave His life for the sheep. Few today would miss the implication of Christ Jesus' words when He speaks of laying down His life for the sheep. Two thousand years of Christian tradition tells us this is why He has come. When we see the words, the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep, we look to the cross and Christ Jesus' sacrifice on it.

But stop and think about this a minute, a shepherd who is deeply invested in his or her task has made a life choice; a choice to become a shepherd. The shepherd has chosen to cares for the sheep daily, watching, feeding, and protecting them. He or she has chosen to deal with the danger, and face the mightiest thief. Our Good Shepherd is no different, Christ Jesus chose to leave heaven and come to earth as a shepherd. He took on role completely – calling, leading, and protecting His sheep. He has faced the evil one, who spreads darkness and disorder through his own servants, the false shepherds. And in doing so has defeated him once and for all. 

 

The good Shepherd still watches over His sheep, taking care of the wondering, and vulnerable. Sheep to the shepherd, are more than a commodity, more than just a job, they are an investment. An investment in which they pour their lives into. We too are an investment. God invested Himself in us by sending Christ Jesus to save us from the consequences of sin. Because of this, great care is taken by God to protect us. Are you experiencing the protection of the Good Shepherd?

2. The Good Shepherd Knows the Sheep (vs. 14-16)

Christ Jesus is also the Good Shepherd who knows the sheep and they know Him. There is a loving intimacy between Shepherd and sheep. The Shepherd knows the weak and the strong, the stubborn and the submissive ones, the hurts and the needs of every sheep. The sheep know and trust their Shepherd—every inflection of his voice, his tones, and by the way he leads them out to pasture. It should be the same for us. We should know and trust the Good Shepherd. We should know His voice and His tones through His Holy Word. And we should trust Him to lead us to good pasture. 

 

There are stories told about shepherds in the Middle East who play hand carved, wooden flutes. Even if some other shepherd get a hold of the flute, the tones, cadences, and the rhythms of each shepherd are unique enough that the sheep will only follow when their own shepherd plays. Some sheep are said to “dance” to the tune of their shepherd as they are called to follow. Why? Because he is their shepherd and they are His sheep. Do you know the Good Shepherd, personally?

“Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves!… you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock… with force and cruelty you have ruled them… . So they were scattered because there was no shepherd; and they became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered” (Ezekiel 34:2–5).

3. The Good Shepherd Confronts Danger (vs. 17-19)

It is because of the love for the sheep that the Shepherd lays down His life. Notice the difference in the way Christ Jesus speaks in this passage. He begins to move from analogy to personal application. He begins to make claims that confront the Pharisees and their long held beliefs by talk of His unique relationship with the Father, with Israel, and with the wider world of the Gentiles. 

 

Christ Jesus makes a radical statement, and when He does, He does it so that there is no question as to His identity. “The Father knows me and I know the Father,” He said in vs. 15. These were not veiled words, but words spoken with a boldness and without reserve. The Lord of creation spoke about His relationship with the Father, and those who heard had to decide what to do with this statement. Would they hear it with skepticism and doubt or with faith and wonder? It is the same for you this morning, how will you hear and process Christ Jesus' words? 

 

“For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again.” Do you realize that with this statement Christ Jesus was saying, “Not only will I confront the dangers of this world, but I will over come them.” His suffering was no accident or unfortunate set of circumstances, and it was not the successful end by those who plotted His death. Christ Jesus' death on the cross was a part of a great plan coming together. His death on the cross meant that God's plan had succeeded, that now mankind has a way of redemption and a restored relationship with God.

In a world where the power of evil seems rampant and unchallenged, it is imperative for Christians today to stand on that assurance. Contrary to appearances the mission of God is advancing. Although evil is pervasive, it is not ultimate. Although sin ravages and destroys, it is not victorious. Even though battles are hard fought, and setbacks occur, the final victory of Christ Jesus is a certainty that will never change! We have no reason to be timid or shy in our proclamation of this wonderful truth: Christ Jesus crucified, buried, and resurrected for the salvation of man. No matter how much the world tries to scoff and belittle Christians, the Good Shepherd still reigns! - Jesse Middendorf

Conclusion: As the Good Shepherd of the sheep, Christ Jesus walked the road to Calvary, carrying the cross on which He would be crucified. He gave His life, shedding His blood, to pay the price for the sins of all. He arose from the grave so we could have everlasting life. Isn't it comforting to know that we have such a tender and compassionate Shepherd? Like the shepherd in Luke 15:4, 7 Christ Jesus is willing to leave the flock safely in the pen to go looking for the one who is lost. Are you that one this morning? Listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd now and be saved. - Nancy Rowland