22 Jun I AM the good shepherd

John 10:11-18

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.”

 

I have been a follower of Jesus now for almost 23 years and one of the things that I have always known in my head is Jesus Loves Me. But if you are like me, I can know something in my head and even believe that it’s true but a lot of times it’s really hard to see. We need more than just facts, truth, more than intellectual clarity to be able to understand it. Eph 3:19 Paul said the love of God surpasses any understanding. Scripture writes about God’s love for us, but it is expressed through a relationship, with God and one another.

Simply put, we need more than just information to internalise His love (you absorb it, so it becomes a part of you) — we need personal experience through which we can see the expression of that love. Aren’t we all agree that often through experience esp like sufferings, dark valleys, hard times. Often through such experience, we don’t just know but we feel His love for us in deeper ways.

Maybe you are in that season right now, maybe we are collectively as a church, in some sense going through such experience. And we all know about God’s love in our head but we are having hard time to see it. I pray today that HS will minister in our heart as we learn. He has not abandoned you. He is with you no matter what’s going on in your life. My prayer is that we not only get to know more of God, but we also experience His love.

Today we are going to talk about 4 points:

• First, we are going to briefly learn about the problem of sheep.

Then as the title today, we are going to see what The Good Shepherd provides for His sheep:

• Life
• Calling
• Presence

 

 

1) The Problem of Sheep

It’s hard to relate with our modern days because none of us lives in a countryside or a farm or a ranch. So let me give us a quick course about sheepness –  call it new shubject – SHEEPOLOGY. Get it?? I’ve been waiting to say this for so long, guys.

First, sheep are the most helpless animal of all. They don’t have any sort of defend, like teeth or scary claws. They are not speedy either or agile to run away from danger. Sheep is curious but not very intelligent; in fact, they are one of the most stupid and stubborn animals. If you are stubborn but you are smart, that’s fine. If you are stubborn but also dumb– that’s the formula for disaster. So, sheep gets into all sorts of trouble and what’s worse, they cannot help themselves at all.

Even the strongest, largest, healthiest sheep can become a casualty. Let me tell you how. Say that sheep is lying down comfortably in some little hollow on the ground. It may roll slightly to stretch a little. Suddenly the centre of gravity of the body shifts so the feet no longer touch the ground. It starts to panic and paw frantically. It makes things worse because it rolls even further on its back. Now it is quite impossible to get back on its feet until someone came to help. Believe it or not, it will just kind of lay there, stressed, and eventually die, really. As simple as that.

Sheep follow each other and have no sense of directions – they often wander around and get lost and die. Even when you find a lost sheep, it’s very hard to round them up. They are like crazy stressed person, frantic, sometimes the shepherd needs to break their legs and put them on his shoulder to bring them home.

They require a high maintenance, great amount of attention, affection, and patience – because they are dumb and stubborn.  They are losers in many ways.

The Bible often portrays us as sheep, and it is an appropriate picture of human beings that accurately describe our nature and character, and our desperate need for a Saviour. It depicts our utter helplessness spiritually. We are totally the opposite of self-sufficient. We are so limited in what we know and what we can do, that we must depend on someone else.

Tim Keller said that we are dependent in two main ways. First, we have limited in wisdom and understanding. We continually over or underestimating what we are capable of.  As a result, we continue to misjudge and make wrong judgment and hence bad decisions. The easiest example, when we look back and see our 15- or 20-year-old self, we would say ‘Back then I did not understand yet. Or back then I was so naive, simple minded, so silly! But now I get it. I understand now.” Have you ever said that? You would say the same thing to your current self by the time you hit 65. Do you get it?

We don’t realise that we will continue this cycle, because at that moment in time, we feel like now finally ‘get the hang of it’. We thought that we are finally there, but we are actually never there yet.  We are spiritual fools who always need someone to help us making a right choice.

Second, we are also dependent in self-image. We cannot feel beautiful by keep saying to ourselves ‘I am beautiful’. It does not work that way. You cannot bless yourself. Somebody externally got to tell you and bless you and give you that name. Spiritually, that means you are completely dependent on somebody else, whether it is your parents, or your boyfriend or girlfriend, your spouse, your child or your boss. Like a little lamb, you will alwaysbe completely dependent on some kind of shepherd to bless you, to give you name – because we cannot bless ourselves.

Not only with such sheepness in general, but each one of us also has our own personal sheepness. Like the woman Jesus met on the well in John chapter 4. Jesus said, “I knew all the men you slept with”. He sees all our personal skeleton, all that stinky, filthy trash no one knew about, that we hide deep under. He’s seen all our stupid moves, our insecurities, our fears, our present longing, all beneath our swag. You may be good at covering things up, but he’s seen your ugliest and deepest thoughts, defenseless. Not just stupid things we did, but also, ones we have yet to do. He sees it from the bud. He sees everything about us, to the T.

Do you realise that all these problems of sheepness comes from the nature and character of sheep itself? The dictionary says ‘nature’ means inherent, it’s built in, inborn. There is nothing, nothing, you can do to change and save yourself. We are doomed to disaster, unless something happens from outside of us. Which leads me to second point.

2) Life for the Sheep

Now, we start to dive into the passage. 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.

There is a bigger problem here, because not only sheep are dumb and helpless. But there is also an external danger. There are dangerous wolves roaming around ready to attack and snatch the sheep. It’s life and death situation.

Very very interesting that Jesus is so specific. He is contrasting himself with a hired hand.

“I am a good shepherd, because I am not a hired hand”. The hired hand does not own the sheep, but “the sheep are My own”. They are mine. I own them.  There is a sense of cautiousness, faithfulness, ownership, because he has strong attachment to his own belongings.

You can tell a big difference between owning your own home or renting a place. We tend to take wayyyyy better care of our own place than renters do. Of course, we still take good care of our rental because we’ve paid our bond and we don’t wanna lose our money. Do we all agree that we take way better care of something we own than we do to the things of others? We have much higher standards for our belongings. And Jesus knew it and used it to contrast his commitment to us versus the hired hand.

Parents, contrast yourself with a babysitter. There are great sitters out there, but even so, even the greatest sitters, their commitment to your kids doesn’t compare to yours, right?

The hired hand cares for the sheep to earn a living, not because they love the sheep. So when a pack of wolves attack, and you’re just a hired hand, you run. You don’t risk your life and fight the wolves. That’s too costly! Who cares about a few sheep, right?

But not with Jesus, he says ‘I love my sheep so deeply, that when the wolves come, I will not abandon them. Instead, I will jump in and rescue them’. The original Greek word on “I lay down my life FOR” – the preposition word “FOR” means “in the place of” or “on behalf of”. 

Do you realise something? When he jumps in to rescue the flock, it means that Jesus becomes ‘a Lamb’ Himself. He became a lamb among his lambs, risking his life to face the wolves.

Take a moment to process this, especially in the light of what we just learned about our sheepness. Our human tendency is that when we finally get to know a person enough to know all their weaknesses and ugliness and stupidity – that moment of truth, chances are we either keep some distance, or worst, we might cut relationship and leave that person entirely, because we got the “ICK”. But that’s not what Jesus is doing to us. In fact, He did the exact opposite. He knows us to the bottom, He’s seen all our ICKs, no filter at all, yet He sticks with us. He does not give up on us. He lays his life down for us, voluntarily, willingly, even after he sees us all the way. The bible says in a different expression, it says even when we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Take a moment to let that sink in. Do we really get the depth of His love for us? Reflect on the way you live now, do we live in such a way like someone who knows and experience that love?

It’s not something that we can easily relate, because even our greatest love is limited. Put the context between a human and an animal. I have a friend who is a truly animal lover. She loves animals so much that she eventually decided to be a vegan at a her young age. We can love animals so much, but even so, our love has a limit. We can love our fur babies like our own babies, but when they ran off the cliff or fell into a burning fire, we will scream, wail, cry and grieve, but we would not jump to rescue them, would we? There is a limit to our love. But Jesus loves His sheep more than his own life.

The wolves he is talking about here represents the ultimate enemy of our soul – sin and death. He has faced and fought them on our behalf. He saw them coming from afar; he became one of us and went out to meet them; He gave his life to kill them and take away their power so that they could not destroy the flock. This does not mean that we will stop having hard times or difficulties in life. We still experience the sting of pain, we still struggle hard, but Jesus promised none of that will destroy us. Eternally speaking, in a grand picture of eternity, we are secure in Him. He has saved us from our greatest, ultimate problem, once and for all.

 

3) Calling 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.

The passage compares our relationship to the one Jesus has with the Father, “just as the Father knows me”. And there is no deeper, nor more satisfying relationship in the world than that. There is no more intimate relationship than which he has of us. He knows us inside and out. And we will know Him.

References say that a Shepherd has his own ways to call His sheep, he has this kind of unique particular sort of song to call his sheep and only his sheep will respond to this call. Only His flock, will respond to His calling. Let’s watch a quick video so we get the gist of this idea.

— Insert Video — The Sheep know the Shepherd’s voice – Quick Truths

 

How cool is that?  Interesting fact is that while sheep are one of the dumbest animals, out of the long list of loser material they are, one thing they know for sure, that is they never mistaken the voice of the shepherd.

Pay attention to this. John Piper said, “being one of Christ’s sheep enables you to respond to his call”. It is not the other way around: responding to his call does not make you one of his sheep. In John 10 Jesus affirms us that we become sheep not when he saves us but that we are saved precisely because we are his sheep, given to him by his Father for this very purpose. These sheep are already his, and because they are his sheep he must go after them and bring them home.

(John 10:26–28) And you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.  

How often we think that we are in control with our faith. We think that we play some tiny part in the final determination of our lives. We have nothing whatsoever to boast in our unbelief or our belief. You don’t become Christian because you are better spiritually. You also don’t become Atheist either because you have a strong will power.

 Our coming to faith in Christ for salvation was not an accident, and it did not stem merely from our own “decision.” It was the outworking of God’s own purpose, in His mercy, from eternity. Like Edrick said last week, there is a solid assurance – those who are saved, will always be saved.

The problem of the Gospel is not because it is too difficult to understand. It’s not an intellectual issue. If it is, then the smart cookies would end up believe while the rest of us won’t be able to get it. Our human mind is so darkened so tainted by sin that it cannot rightly see or grasp the gospel. It just can’t handle it. In John Jesus said “I tell you the truth you do not believe me” (John 8:45). Our blindness makes it impossible for human to initiate our own salvation. The choice MUST resides only with God, for in our natural, unenlightened state we cannot see in order to believe. Salvation is God’s choosing is in His sovereign grace, for otherwise we would never have chosen him on our own. It is indeed a divine initiative and divine intervention. Jesus assures us, His own sheep will believe and will receive eternal life. Nobody will snatch them out of His hand.

4) Presence for the Sheep

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.”

Christianity is not merely being saved from sin and death; it also means having a living Shepherd to guide you and feed you and heal you and protect you, care for you and walk with you. He is present with you. He offers that closeness of a satisfying relationship, not just any relationship. He is the Living Shepherd that answers precisely our sheepness.

If we go back to our first point, in our dependence in understanding – When you believe in Him, He is right there with you. A Good shepherd leads His sheep. When He brings the flock, He will never lose eye contact with every single one. When we become His sheep, it is not up to us to figure out His will in our lives, but it is on the Shepherd’s ability to lead his sheep. He does not just give you a map, He walks with you. You are being led. NO matter what you do, He is right there with you.

We can rest in his lead. That means, you either make a wise decision and He’ll be great, or you make the foolest decision, He’ll use it to prepare you for something greater that you could not think of at that moment. If you messed up, He is right there weaving your stupid decision into his loving plan for you, even when you don’t understand what He is doing. Either way, you could never be doomed.

Second, He doesn’t just walk with you but he gives you name. The bible tells us over and over again, the Shepherd will call his sheep by their name. Jesus gives us identity. He blesses us with this sense of purpose and mission. And when you start doubting, He will reassure you over and over again, He will remind you who you are in Him. He will reveal what He has in store for you as you walk with him step by step. It is from Him alone that you finally get what you are truly looking for.  Tim Keller said, If you look to anybody else to do this kind of ultimate naming and leading, you will find some of them are like thieves, they just use you, or they are like a hired man, they just run when you most need them. Because they are human being, they are your fellow sheep, they are sinners, they never gonna give you what you need.

Gospel Connection

Interesting how it was mentioned four times “I lay down his life” – Jesus keeps on emphasizing it, that’s a Good shepherd’s heart, full of sacrificial love. I forgot where I read it, but there is a story about France soldier who lost his arms during the war. The doctor at the war zone had a hard time telling this soldier about his loss. When the soldier finally awoke, he told the soldier that he has lost his arms. To his surprise. do you know what the soldier said to the doctor? “Doc, I do not lose my arms. I gave them up for my country”.

Jesus died because He laid his life down on his own initiative. D. A Carson said, He is prepared to do so from the start. John Piper said it comes out of His own will, not out of circumstances, not out of pressure, but out of what He really longs to do for his people.

He looks beyond our sheepness and voluntarily laid down his life. Jesus did not lose his life on the cross. He gave it out of love for his sheep. This is the heart of the gospel, the doctrine of substitutionary atonement. Jesus becomes our substitute. He gives His life for His sheep. The Gospel is about what Jesus’ done FOR us and ON our behalf. Not what we do for ourselves and what we might do for God.  It is all because of Him, by Him alone.

Let me close with few applications:

• Unbelievers – Maybe some of you here are yet to put your faith in Christ. You heard about Christianity and this Jesus but you are not sure. Maybe some of us are currently lost but you happened to be here tonight. It’s not by luck or coincidence. It is the Good Sheperd that has sought for you and found you. Maybe you heard this message tonight, you say” I hear about what you said but no way it is true not me”. It is too good to be true, it cannot be for me, Lis. You don’t know what I have done, the struggles that I have been dealing with. You have this thing that you wish you could have done differently.

 

Matt Chandler uses this illustration, which sticks with me. He said, let say I want to give you a billion dollar. Would you go “I am not set up for that. That’s crazy generous but I can’t even handle my 50K a year, I don’t know what I would do with a billion. I dont know how to manage such thing.” Are you  insane? Take the billion and figure out – Hello? You don’t have to take the forgiveness of God and figure out. Take the grace and learn how to walk in it. He will walk with you. The Good Shepherd’s eyes are searching for you, and He will not give up until He find you. Don’t resist Him. Take the grace of The Good Sheperd.

 

• For Christians – Trust His lead

Trust is not something that happens instantly. It is built in small moments. It’s require a process, a journey. If you are His sheep, our part is less about figuring out which directions and destinations. Our part is to follow where he leads. It may less about knowing what or which, but our part is to keep our heart close to Him, and mind and eyes open before Him, our part is to keep walking with Him closely and hold things with open hands. If God leads you to the end of something, then you can gladly let it go. On the other hand, if it is His will for you to continue certain path, He will work things out. Every single thing. He will work through ppl ard you, He will work through the scripture that you read, he will work in your heart, He will work out His provision for you. Do the next right thing,  keep your hands open, and trust His lead. He will show you.

 

• For Christians – Keep being His friend

 

The reason Jesus calling himself as a Shepherd is because He longs for a personal relationship with you, His sheep. Psalm 23 the famous passage about ‘The Lord is my shepherd’ – when you read it, you can sense the sweet relationship the sheep with the shepherd. It’s more than just human and animal. They become like friends.  He does not want you to be just a sheep, he wants you to be his friend. He wants your friendship. He doesn’t just want you to follow the rules, He yearns for a personal intimacy. He wants you to be his close friend.

 

In order to know someone intimately we need both information and personal experience. Information makes us know about someone. Personal experience makes us know that person.

 

Other religion founders died and left us with their teaching. So all we can do is follow the teaching, but no person, no presence, no relationship. But only Jesus is the Shepherd who died and was raised to life, and He is present and he wants to have relationship with you. God’s love for us is not only written all over scripture, but He also sends His own Son in order for us to have that personal experience, so now it is possible for us to be in an intimate relationship with Him. Will you accept His friendship?

 

 

Discussion questions:

1. What struck you the most from the sermon?
2. Jesus calls Christians “My sheep.” How is this truth both offensive and comforting?
3. “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” What does it teach you about Christianity and following Jesus?
4. In your own experience, what are some hurdles for you to trust the shepherd’s lead in your life?
5. How does the gospel enable you to trust Jesus as your good shepherd?