Well, once again, we're glad you're here today and thank you for your patience and bearing
with us as we do the best we can under the limited circumstances allowed by the amount
of power we're able to get into our building. Would you open your Bible, please, to John
chapter 10 as we think together regarding the majesty of Jesus Christ as our shepherd.
We'll read the words of our Lord in the first half of the chapter.
Truly, truly I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep,
which climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door
is a shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens and the sheep hear his voice and he
calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he puts forth all his own, he goes
before them and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. And a stranger they simply
will not follow but will flee from him because they do not know the voice of strangers. This
figure of speech, Jesus spoke to them, but they did not understand what those things
were which he had been saying to them. Jesus therefore said to them again, truly, truly
I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers,
but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters through me, he shall
be saved and shall go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and
kill and destroy. I came that they might have life and have it abundantly. I am the good
shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hireling and
not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, beholds the wolf coming and leaves
the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he
is a hireling and is not concerned about the sheep. I am the good shepherd. And I know
my own and my own know me, even as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay
down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep which are not of this fold. I must bring
them also and they shall hear my voice, and they shall become one flock with one shepherd.
For this reason the Father loves me because I lay down my life that I may take it again.
No one has taken it away from me, but I lay it down on my own initiative. I have authority
to lay it down and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from
my Father. As I thought about this passage of scripture, I thought it was remarkable
in one sense that Jesus compares himself here to a shepherd. We tend to romanticize the
life of a shepherd, perhaps because of the Sunday School stories that all of us are familiar
with concerning David, the shepherd boy with his sling and the giant that he brought down.
But despite the honorable people who are mentioned in the Bible as shepherds, and those would
include Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, the prophet Amos, despite them, in Jesus' day
the occupation of a shepherd was considered a lowly one. It was the bottom rung of the
ladder of vocations, we might say. Shepherds were known as tough and rugged men. They were
typically not very clean, nor were they at all refined. And so I say that in one sense
it's surprising that Jesus would identify himself as a shepherd. But on the other hand
it's not surprising at all because Jesus always went out of his way to identify with the outcasts
of society. Why did he do that? Well, perhaps it was because often those who are the outcasts
of society are more sensitive to their spiritual needs and seek hope beyond the world that
they're living in. As you look at those who are receiving the gospel in the context of
the whole world, you find what has always been true, that those who are the poorest
are those who are most receptive to the Savior. They have less that they have hope in in this
world, less that they can depend upon. And so they are more open to the Savior. Jesus
elevated and dignified the role of a shepherd by identifying himself as the good shepherd.
And as you may know, the New Testament builds upon this concept calling him the chief shepherd,
as we read in 1 Peter 5 together, and also the great shepherd, as the writer of Hebrews
calls him. The majesty of Jesus Christ is to be found in this role as the shepherd of
the soul. It was Isaiah who declared that we are all like sheep who have gone astray.
He says each one of us has turned to his own way. Jesus himself, observing the multitudes
that were seeking him, compared them to distressed and downcast sheep who were lacking a shepherd.
And the apostle Peter reflected that you and I were like sheep, continually going astray,
but we have now returned to the shepherd and the guardian of our souls. The most important
need of every human is to realize that truth. That is, one's own true lostness, one's helplessness
as though a sheep, our inability to help ourselves, to save ourselves, to come into a right relationship
with God by our own efforts. That is the most important need we have to realize that. Because
that will bring us to see that we need the good shepherd. Jesus is like the shepherd
in the parable that he told of the one shepherd who had a hundred sheep, but who, finding
that he had lost one, went back out into the night there to search for the one that was
lost. Jesus came into the world to seek lost ones. To seek and to save that which is lost
is the way that he put it. As we think about his majesty as the shepherd of our souls,
I'd like for us to think of three aspects of it. These arise out of our text in John
chapter 10. The first is the wonder of his majesty as our shepherd, the wonder of it.
The wonder might be capsulated in this word, that he truly loves his sheep. That stands
in contrast to the thief and the robber that Jesus mentions in our text. Thieves and robbers
come only to exploit. Their only desire is to achieve their own ends. That's all they're
interested in. They care not for those that they rob. They come to kill, to steal, to
destroy, says Jesus in verse 10. But the good shepherd is not like that. Nor is the good
shepherd like the hireling that Jesus speaks about. The hireling has no sense of responsibility
or ownership for that matter. In verses 12 and 13, Jesus talks about the hired man as
being one who runs when he sees the pack of wild dogs approaching. His response says,
hey I'm hired to feed the sheep, I'm not hired to fend off the dogs, and he runs. He
sees himself as but rented out to care for these sheep. It reminds me that it's important
how we view the jobs that we have. Hopefully none of us are like thieves and robbers who
are only interested in exploiting the company that we work for or the person that we are
employed by so that we can achieve our own selfish ends. Hopefully we would never be
like that and hopefully too we would be more than mere hirelings. People who are hired
to do the basic minimal job and that's it. But we see ourselves there to be a good testimony.
We see ourselves there to get the job done that we've been hired to do and then more.
That whatever we do, we do it as unto the Lord and not just our employer or the boss.
Well Jesus says that he loves his sheep. Unlike the thieves, the robbers, the hirelings, as
the good shepherd, he loves his sheep. May I say that if you serve Jesus Christ as a
shepherd of other people, beware of falling into the trap of exploitation of them. Or
doing only the basics that you have to do to get by. But those of us who are the teachers
of Sunday school classes or the ministry pastors of small churches or the leaders of discipleship
groups or elders or pastors, we who have some responsibility of shepherding, let's see ourselves
as Jesus saw himself as a good shepherd who loves his sheep. That he loved his sheep was
made clear by what he did on our behalf. He says, I came that they might have life. He
is the shepherd of love. He came to seek our good and our benefit. That's what real love
does. Love does not seek its own selfish fulfillment. Jesus didn't say, I came that I might gain
something. But he says in verse 10, I came that they might have life. That's the way
real love is. I'd like to stop there for just a moment and pull out that thought to
apply to relationships that we can sometimes get into. Romantic relationships, for example.
Young ladies sometimes hear young men say, look, if you loved me, you would do this because
I have this need to be fulfilled. When there is that kind of statement, you can mark it
down immediately that that is not love. That is lust. Because you see, love does not seek
its own fulfillment. It seeks the benefit and the good of the other party. Some of you
men may work in offices where you have ladies, perhaps co-workers, who come to you and begin
to pour out their story of woe about the way things are at home. And you sense that there
is a bit of a snare being thrown out there to see if you might step into it. And indeed,
you know that you could exploit that if you desired to, because here is a vulnerable and
hurting person. Love does not seek its own fulfillment. Love does what is truly best
for the other. Jesus said, I am the good shepherd. I love my sheep. I came that they might have
life. Love does not consider the cost that must be paid, but the value of the one who
is loved. That is how Jesus looked at us. He did not shirk the cross, though that was
the price of his love. But he looked at us and considered us valuable. So that while
we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. The songwriter has captured it with the words,
the wonder of it all, oh the wonder of it all, just to think that God loves me. You
see, we were not sheep that were obedient, content, and peaceful. But we were lost sheep,
hostile, wild, and rebellious sheep, undeserving of that love. Nonetheless, the good shepherd
came. Oh, the wonder that he should love us enough to do that.
So that brings us to the second aspect of the majesty of him as shepherd. It is his
will as the shepherd. It's what he chose to do on our behalf, his willingness to sacrifice
on our behalf, to do for us what we could not do for ourselves. He willfully took two
actions. Deeds were not forced upon him. He was not coerced by man or by God, his father.
But he willingly, of his own initiative, took two actions on our behalf. By his own will,
first of all, he laid down his life. At least three times in our text we see him saying
that, I lay down my life for the sheep. You see, that's what was necessary, that his
sheep might be delivered from a certain enemy that would destroy them, the enemy of sin
and death. Make no mistake about it, his sheep were in eternal danger. And because of the
great love that filled his heart, he willfully took the action of laying down his life on
behalf of the sheep. A hireling will never do that. We cannot even speak of a thief
or a robber. But here is a good shepherd, a shepherd who is so committed to his sheep
that he is willing to die so that they might escape. And that's exactly what Jesus did.
God majesty in this shepherd, this good shepherd who laid down his life. But there's a second
action that he took. He says that he will take it up again, verse 18. I lay it down,
I have authority to do that, and I have authority to take it up again, talking about his resurrection
from the dead. He did what was essential that we might be delivered. For he had to die,
but he also had to be alive to save us. And so he did both. He laid down his life to pay
the price that we might be delivered from our sins, condemnation and death. And then
he raised himself from the dead by his own authority. And in raising himself from the
dead, he now lives forever to save those that come to God by him. So here is a shepherd
who was willing to lay himself down, not merely in principle, but in point of action, to lay
himself down on behalf of the sheep and to be raised again on their behalf from the dead.
So we've looked at the wonder of this shepherd and the will of the shepherd. Let's close
by looking at the work of the shepherd. It's threefold, as Jesus explains it to us in the
larger context. Moving ahead to the latter part of the chapter, verses 27 and following.
The work of the shepherd. I did not read these verses because we covered them in some detail
a few weeks ago on a Sunday evening. But let's recapture some of the thoughts. The work of
the shepherd in the first place, he describes as calling out his sheep. Look at verse 27.
My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. He calls out his sheep. Jesus
is drawing upon a very common picture from that day. When shepherds would bring their
various flocks together for their overnight keeping. They would come together to a cave
or perhaps to a sheep fold, either a permanent one or a temporary one made of bushes out
in the fields. They would allow their flocks to mingle for the evening and they would rest
that night. And then in the morning they had to separate the sheep again. And so one by
one the shepherds would come to the gate of the fold. And there each one would yell with
a particular call that the sheep would recognize. It would be distinct of that shepherd. They
would recognize not only the call itself but the tone of the voice of their shepherd. And
the shepherd's sheep would get up and come out from the other sheep to where he was at
the gate. And he would put them out. He would even call many of them by name. Whatever the
names may have been. Whitey. Come on Blacky. Let's go Spotted. Come on Aloysius. Whatever
he called them. And as they came recognizing his voice they would follow him. Now Jesus
applies that to himself. Who are these that he calls my sheep? Well as we look at the
fuller context they are those who are given to him by the Father. They are those sheep
that the Father has chosen to give to the Son. Those are Jesus' sheep. And he says,
my sheep have an ear for my voice. They know me. And I know them. And they follow me. You
see the proof that they are his sheep is the fact that they follow. The proof that one
is a genuine Christian is not found in the fact that he can look back to a time when
a prayer was prayed or he went forward in an invitation. Although I'm not knocking that.
But the real proof that one is a genuine Christian is found in the fact that he follows the shepherd.
That there's a pattern of continuance in his life. That's the real proof. Jesus says, my
sheep hear my voice and they follow me. His work is to call out his sheep. Secondly it
is to keep the sheep. Verses 28 and 29. I give eternal life to them. They shall never
perish. And no one shall snatch them out of my hand. My Father who has given them to me
is greater than all and no one is able to snatch them out of my Father's hand. We have
here the protection that the shepherd gives for his sheep. This was a primary responsibility
for a shepherd. To that end he had some equipment with him. He carried in the first place the
shepherd's rod, a stick of some kind of hard wood that was about yay long. About the same
size as the policeman's night stick. And often on the end of it there would be nails that
had been driven through so that there was a sharp head to it. It was a club that could
be used to strike a wolf or some other predator. Or actually it could be thrown some distance
with accuracy by a good shepherd to protect his flock. He also had a staff with him. That's
the traditional staff we think of. A long piece of cane perhaps that had a crook in
it. And with that he was able to guide the sheep. He was able to snatch them from danger.
It was part of his equipment. And then a shepherd often carried with him a sling with which
he became quite skilled. David of course carried a sling. And he had with him a little bag,
a scrip, which was on his side. A bag in which shepherds often carried dried fruit or cheese
or bread or perhaps olives which they ate. It was their lunch bag. In David's case he
put five smooth stones in there before he went out to meet Goliath. And he picked up
his sling shot and went out there and powerfully slung it. And God directed that stone right
to the most vulnerable spot on the giant he fell dead. Well shepherds were able to use
stones with wolves, wild dogs and bears and panthers and other kinds of animals that were
the natural predators. They were able to use them with thieves as well. A stone well slung
could kill a person. So these were powerful weapons. Now Jesus draws upon that whole picture
and he says, I give life to them, my kind of life, eternal life. And they shall never
by any means perish and no one is able to snatch them away from me. And no one is able
to snatch them out of my Father's hand either. He is talking about the security of the believer.
That one who is a sheep of this good shepherd is eternally kept saved and kept safe from
all of his enemies. So the work of the shepherd is that he calls his sheep and keeps his sheep
and finally that he consolidates his sheep. Going back to verse 16, Jesus says prophetically,
I have other sheep which are not of this fold. I must bring them also and they shall hear
my voice. Our Lord was undoubtedly speaking of sheep that were his from among the Gentiles.
He came of course to his people, the Jews, and his primary ministry was to them. But
later his apostles would go to the Gentiles as well. Jesus is saying there are other sheep
that will someday hear my voice that are not a part of this fold and I will consolidate
them. He says there will be one flock and one shepherd. That of course became spiritually
true on the day of Pentecost when there was a oneness that was created by the coming of
the Spirit of God and then eventually Gentiles were added to that, Cornelius and his household
and then others under the ministry of the apostle Paul. Paul in fact elaborates on this
whole idea in Ephesians 2 and he says no more is there a difference between Jew and Gentile.
There's not anymore two different foals. It's just one flock now that God's calling together.
Today God is still in the work of calling out people from Jew and Gentile alike to be
a part of this one flock under the one good shepherd. There is an important application
to this and it is that among those of us who genuinely know and trust the Lord Jesus Christ
there is no place for factionalism. For a party spirit that creates divisiveness it
may be that there are some who do not worship exactly as we do or who have different traditions
but if they know and love our Lord Jesus Christ and are a part of God's flock then let's
not create divisions with them. Let's not declare them the enemy. But let's understand
that we are a part of the same flock under the one shepherd. Neither is there any place
among God's people for any sense of racism. For if a man or woman of a different color
or who speaks a different language knows the Lord Jesus Christ as I know the Lord Jesus
Christ we are one in spirit. One flock and one shepherd. And one day we are told the
chief shepherd is going to appear in glory and at that time he is going to unite the
flock that part in heaven and that part which is on the earth together forever and never
will there be again any kind of separation among the Lord's sheep. The shepherd I think
is a meaningful picture of Jesus Christ and it suggests to us the loving, tender care
that he provides for those who belong to him. What majesty is his that he should do so?
David, his grandfather, according to the flesh, penned that song that all of us love which
says the Lord is my shepherd. It is a perfect song. Someone has written this based upon
that thought. The Lord is my shepherd. That's perfect salvation. I shall not want perfect
satisfaction. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. Perfect rest. He leadeth me
beside the still waters. Perfect refreshment. He restoreth my soul. Perfect restoration.
He leadeth me in paths of righteousness. Perfect guidance. I will fear no evil. That's perfect
protection. Thou art with me. Perfect company. Thy rod and thy staff comfort me. That's
perfect comfort. Thou preparest a table before me. Perfect provision. Thou anointest my head
with oil. Perfect consecration. My cup runneth over. Perfect joy. Goodness and mercy shall
follow me. Perfect care. And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. That's
a perfect destiny. How wonderfully that psalm pictures the care of our good shepherd. Life
cannot be more full and more rich than when one walks with the shepherd. But I cannot
close the service without bringing to our attention one underlying thought that I have
not brought out of this text. It is found, for example, in verse 9 where Jesus says,
I am the door. If anyone enters through me, he shall be saved. It's found again in verse
28 where he says, I give eternal life to them and they shall never perish. Now Jesus is
primarily talking about the way that he cares for his sheep, but there is an underlying
thought. The question arises, what about those sheep that don't belong to him? The answer
is by implication they will not be saved. They will perish if they don't come to him
in faith. And so if there be someone here today who is not trusted in Jesus Christ,
and you can't honestly say that the Lord is my shepherd. If you've never placed your
faith in him who came and laid down his life and took it up again, that you might have
fullness of life, or that you might do that today. You say, but how can I know I'm one
of his sheep? You said that the Father gives his sheep to him. How can I know if I'm one
given to him by the Father? The answer is very simple to that. You can know that you're
one of those sheep just by trusting him. For if you trust him, that's evidence that you're
one of his sheep. Will you today? You see, the choice is thrown to you whether or not
you will choose to place your faith in the shepherd. When he says they will perish, he
is talking about being lost forever and separated from God in the frightening reality of hell.
I got one of those phone calls this week that you don't like to get. And it was relating
the news to me that an aunt of mine had died after a lengthy illness. I can remember on
at least a couple of occasions, once before I was married and once after I was married,
sitting with her and her husband, who was alive at that time, explaining to her what
it meant to be a Christian. You see, she was raised in a religion of works. She didn't
follow it in her life, but as a little girl she was raised in this religion with its rituals
and then just kind of went her own way in her life. She wasn't a bad person. She certainly
wasn't perfect and she would admit that. But as far as I know, my aunt Marie never
came to the point of trusting in the good shepherd. My friend, don't follow her, assuming
that that was her case. But listen to the voice of the good shepherd, who promises you
that if you will come to him, he will give you eternal life and you will never perish.
That's his promise. And the good shepherd makes his promises good. Let's pray.
I hope you might do that today, dear friend. That if you have no hope of sins forgiven,
of eternal life, that you would trust in this Savior, this shepherd, who loves you. Right
where you're seated, you can do that. You can open your heart and say to him, Lord Jesus,
I understand that you're the shepherd who died for me and rose again. And I recognize
my own inability to save myself. You save me. You come into my heart, my life, and save
me now. And dear friend, as you depend upon him alone, he will do that.
Let's all sing together this chorus that we know.
I have decided to follow Jesus. I have decided to follow Jesus. No turning back. No turning
back. Dear Christian friend, are you following the shepherd today? Are those paths of righteousness
in which he would lead you the ones that you're following? Or have you strayed from him? Peter
tells us that we need to return to the shepherd of our souls. And that may be your need today
as a Christian. The shepherd is seeking you to come back. Will you do that?
The world behind me, the cross before me. The world behind me, the cross before me. The
world behind me, the cross before me. No turning back. No turning back.
Would you stand together with me please? And if today you have a need to talk with someone
about your relationship to God, I'll be here in the front shaking hands afterward. There
will be others around. Please seek us out and let us know that you have a personal need.
You'd like some help. We'll be glad to spend some time with you.
And now our great shepherd of the sheep, we bless you for the blood of the everlasting
covenant. Work in us today and this week to equip us to do that which is well pleasing
in your sight. And may we follow you, recognizing our dependence upon you as finite creatures.
May we rejoice and draw upon you, our great, our chief, and our good shepherd. Amen.