SERMON: I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE

 

Naylor Community Christian Church

Naylor, Georgia

 

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to John 6:24-35

 

John 6:24 Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.

 

25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”

 

26 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”

 

28 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”

 

29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

 

30 So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”

 

32 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

 

34 “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”

 

35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

 

            -- there is a show on TLC -- The Learning Channel -- called "My Strange Addiction" -- it's about these people who seem to be normal people in everyday life, but who have these obsessive compulsions to do some pretty strange behaviors

            -- the shows document people who do things like sleep with running hairdryers in their bed every night even though they have been burned and they know they run the risk of catching the bed on fire -- adults who still obsessively suck their thumb or who live like a baby -- wearing diapers and sleeping in an adult-sized crib at night

            -- some of the people are obsessed with dolls -- one lady carried her ventriloquist dummies with her every where she went -- to school -- to work -- on dates -- another guy treats his life-size doll like it's his wife -- eating with her -- buying clothes and gifts for her -- treating her like she's alive -- others are addicted to smelling things, like mothballs or gasoline

            -- but a lot of the episodes cover people who eat strange things -- this one girl eats toilet paper -- she admits to eating half a roll of toilet paper a day -- another girl eats laundry detergent and bars of soap -- and this one lady, who used to eat dirt as a kid, now craves cigarette ashes

            -- these people who are eating all of this strange stuff actually have a disease called Pica Disease -- it is diagnosed when a person has an overwhelming desire to eat things that are not considered food -- they just have this obsessive desire to eat and fill the body with things that won't sustain them or keep them alive -- things that might even be harmful for them¹

 

            -- thankfully, people with Pica Disease are pretty rare and the disease can be medically treated -- but did you know there is a spiritual disease very similar to Pica Disease? -- in fact, it's something we're all born with -- it's diagnosed when someone tries to satisfy the needs of their heart and spirit with the things of this world -- when they obsessively chase and long after what the world tells them is important -- money -- looks -- material things -- bigger homes -- bigger cars -- better jobs

            -- we all do this to some extent -- why do you think all of the gyms in town are packed right after New Year’s Day and then again right before summer? -- it could be that some of these people are truly desiring to become healthier and to get into better shape, but for the majority of these people, the reason they are flocking to the gym is not for health purposes -- they’re hitting the gym because they want to look better -- they want to be more attractive

            -- think about the advertising and the magazines and all the commercials on TV -- I was at the store the other day and glanced at the magazines at the checkout stand -- every one of them was telling me I needed to chase after something different in order to be better in the eyes of the world -- the cover of Men's Health magazine told me that if I didn't have six-pack abs I wasn’t a real man -- and then you have Better Homes and Gardens -- the key word there is “better” -- better than who? -- better than you, that's who -- these people’s homes and gardens are all better than yours, so this magazine says that you need to fix up your house or you just won't measure up

            -- and when we hear all of this -- when we take in all the messages of the world that constantly bombard us and encourage us to chase after temporal and material things -- we find ourselves caught up in spending all our time and money and energy on things that won't satisfy -- feeding ourselves on the things of the world to become acceptable to the world while neglecting what is truly important in life

            -- the Bible tells us in Isaiah 44:20 that what we are doing is feeding on ashes -- we are being deluded by our hearts -- thinking we can save ourselves when all we're doing is filling our stomachs and our lives with things that don't matter and that can't sustain us or give us eternal life

            -- but what's crazy about this spiritual Pica disease that we are all so prone to having is that it causes us to turn away from the true source of food that can sustain us and meet all our desires and give us eternal life

 

            -- this morning, we are continuing in our sermon series on discovering who Jesus is so that we can answer the question for ourselves that Jesus asked His disciples, “But who do you say I am?” -- we’re doing so by looking at what Jesus said about Himself in His seven "I Am" statements from the Book of John

            -- to remind you of the basis of this study, these "I Am" statements of Christ serve two purposes -- first, Jesus' use of the phrase, "I Am" -- ego eimi in the Greek -- is a declaration that He is God -- Jesus is using the same name of God that Moses was given at the burning bush -- and by saying “I Am” in that way, Jesus is declaring that He is God to those who are listening and have ears to hear

            -- secondly, in each of these statements, we see a different aspect of Christ's nature that reflects how He relates to us in our daily lives

            -- so far, we have looked at two of these declarations of Christ -- "I Am the Good Shepherd" and "I Am the Gate"

            -- this morning, we're going to look at Jesus' declaration, "I Am the Bread of Life"

 

II.  I Am the Bread of Life

            -- we find this statement of Christ in the sixth chapter of the Book of John -- and it is obvious this declaration, "I Am the Bread of Life," is given at this moment because of a miracle the people had just experienced

            -- earlier in this chapter, we find the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 -- and just to refresh your memory of this event -- Jesus had been sitting on a mountain just east of the Sea of Galilee -- He had been preaching and teaching the people all day -- sharing with them the good news that the Kingdom of God was at hand

            -- as the day started to end, His disciples urged Him to send the people away so they could buy food for their evening meal -- but Jesus told them, "You feed them" -- the disciples didn't know what to do, but Andrew and Phillip found a boy who had some food with him -- two fish and five loaves of bread -- and they brought the boy to Jesus

            -- Jesus took that kid's sack lunch and multiplied those fish and loaves and bread to the point where over 5,000 people were fed and satisfied -- and there were even 12 baskets of food left over

            -- after experiencing this miracle, the people wanted to declare Jesus as King -- don’t forget that the people’s concept of the Messiah was an earthly king who would lead a revolution against the Romans and take back the Holy Land and establish the throne of David in Israel again

-- but this was not a true understanding of the Messiah or why the Father sent Jesus to earth -- so, knowing their desires to have Him declared king, Jesus slipped away and hid Himself and went up on a mountain to pray, sending His disciples on to Capernaum by boat -- later that night, after all the people had left, Jesus walked across the Sea of Galilee and met up with His disciples

            -- which brings us to our passage for today

 

            --  look at verse 24-26

 

John 6:24 Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.

 

25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”

 

26 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.

 

            -- when the people got up the next morning, they looked around and couldn't find Jesus or His disciples -- and they realized they had gone across the sea to Capernaum -- so they loaded up into their boats and they went looking for Jesus

            -- sounds good, so far, doesn't it? -- isn't that what we want people to do? -- to look for Jesus? -- sure, but only if they are looking with the right motive -- only if they are looking for the right reason

            -- when the people showed up in Capernaum and found Jesus, they revealed their true hearts -- they weren't looking for Jesus as their Messiah -- they weren't searching for Him to be their Savior -- they were looking for breakfast -- they were looking at Jesus as someone who could fill their stomachs with food

            -- you've got to remember, in the Jewish culture, the people looked to the king and the other leaders to provide them with food -- going back to the time when Joseph fed the people during the famine in Canaan -- all the way to when God sent manna to the Israelites wandering in the desert as they waited to get into the Promised Land -- the Jews had always looked to their leader to provide

            -- in their eyes, this was the mark of a king -- and since Jesus had fed the 5000, obviously they thought that Jesus should be their king -- and when He disappeared, they sought Him out -- not because they saw Him as the biblical Messiah -- not because they saw Him as God -- they sought Him out simply because they wanted breakfast

            -- and so, Jesus tells them, "You missed the point -- you missed the reason for the miracle -- you missed the sign that was given pointing to Me as the Messiah -- pointing to Me as God -- it wasn't about meeting your hunger in this life -- it was about meeting your spiritual hunger for eternal life"

            -- and pay attention to what Jesus is saying there -- notice that He says that the people were given miraculous signs -- not just miracles

            -- when Jesus did miracles, such as the feeding of the 5000, it wasn’t to get the people’s attention with awe and wonder at His power -- no, these miracles were signs -- and signs point to something

            -- in this case, the miracles of Jesus were miraculous signs that pointed to Him as the true Messiah -- as the Son of God -- as the promised Savior -- but the people couldn’t see the message through the miracle

 

            -- verse 27-29

 

John 6:27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”

 

28 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”

 

29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

 

            -- Jesus' focus was spiritual -- and He was trying to change the focus of the Israelites from the temporal to the eternal -- from the material and the worldly to the spiritual

            -- He tells them, "Don't work for and seek food that will spoil, but seek eternal food -- spiritual food -- that the Son of Man will give you"

 

            -- don't misunderstand what Jesus is saying here -- He's not saying we don't need food in our daily lives -- we have to have food to live -- just like we need a place to stay and clothes to wear -- He tells us to pray for this in the Lord's prayer -- He knows we need this in order to survive

            -- but He doesn't want that to become the focus of our existence -- He doesn't want our physical and material needs to become the reason for our lives -- He doesn’t want us to put all our time and energy into seeking that which is only temporary

 

            -- in Matthew 6:24-34 Jesus tells us to not worry about our lives -- about what we will eat or drink -- or about our bodies -- what we will wear -- He says, "Is not life more important than food and the body more important than clothes?"

            -- in verses 32-33 Jesus tells us, "The pagans run after all these things, and your Heavenly Father knows that you need them -- but seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well"

 

            -- that's what He's trying to get the Israelites to understand here in this passage -- He's trying to change their thinking -- "You crossed the Sea of Galilee looking for Me because you thought I could give you breakfast, but you should have been looking for Me because I can give you eternal life."

            -- the Israelites respond by asking, “How do we get this eternal life? -- What works do we have to do to receive it?” -- everybody wants to work their way to heaven -- everybody wants to know what price they have to pay to get there -- but Jesus replies with the heart of the gospel -- "All you have to do is believe in Me"

            -- as we read in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this not of yourself -- it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast.”

            -- our salvation is the free gift of God through faith in Christ’s redeeming life and death on the cross -- to be saved, we don’t have to do anything -- we can’t do anything -- all we must do is believe in Him

 

            -- verse 30-31

 

John 6:30 So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”

 

 

            -- I can sum up the response of the people to Jesus in two words: "Prove it"

            -- "you say you can give us food that will never spoil -- you say you can give us food that will endure to eternal life -- prove it -- show us a miracle"

            -- you're probably sitting there with the same thought I had when I read this passage -- how can they ask for another miracle? -- didn't they just experience Jesus feeding 5,000 of them with no more than two fish and five loaves of bread? -- what more do they want?

            -- they're still looking at life with earthly eyes and an earthly understanding -- they’re looking for breakfast -- they're sitting there thinking, "He fed us all yesterday, but can He do it again today? -- was that a one-time deal or can this Jesus do like Moses and give us manna every day for 40 years?"

            -- so, they reply back to Jesus and say, "Look, you tell us to believe in You -- if you want us to believe in You, then prove you can feed us again and again and again and then we'll believe"

 

            -- we do the same thing, don't we? -- we don't like to live off of yesterday's answered prayer -- we don't like to stand on fulfilled promises in our lives -- we want to know what Jesus is going to do for us today -- we want proof that Jesus will take care of us today because we still harbor a doubt in our mind that He can do it again -- just like these Israelites

            -- why do so many people stay in jobs past their expiration point? -- why do so many people cling to their current situation? -- because we don't trust that Jesus is going to take care of them in the future -- we're okay right now, but if we step out into the unknown, how do we know for sure Jesus is going to be there?

            -- that's exactly what these people are saying to Him right here -- you fed us yesterday, but now you're telling us to trust you with our future -- to step out and believe that you will meet our every need -- and that's scary -- so prove it -- show us another miracle

            -- and do you know what would have happened if Jesus had shown them another miracle? -- they would have asked for another miracle again the next day

            -- the Bible tells us that faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see -- Jesus was asking these people to step out in faith -- and when He calls us to move out of our comfort zones in our own lives, He's asking us to do the same -- to step out in faith and trust that He will provide, even though we don't see how it is possible right now

 

            -- verse 32-35

 

32 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

 

34 “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”

 

35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

 

            -- Jesus explains to them the truth -- all good things -- ever good and perfect gift -- comes down from the Father above -- Moses didn't give them the manna -- God did -- the bread and the fish they ate yesterday? -- it came from God

            -- in fact, every meal they had ever had -- everything they owned -- everything they needed to survive in this world and in the world beyond -- all of it came from the hand of God and no one else -- Jesus tells them the true bread comes from Heaven, not from man and not from the world

            -- He's trying to change their focus -- He's trying to get them to see the source of life is not this world nor what this world deems important -- the source of life -- both physical and spiritual -- is God

            -- and just as God provided the manna in the desert to keep the Israelites physically alive, He is now sending the true bread of Heaven to bring spiritual life to the world

            -- in response to their cry for this bread, Jesus issues the proclamation, "I Am the Bread of Life" -- "I am the source of life -- I am the One who sustains -- I am the One who meets the true needs of your heart -- I am the One who gives you eternal life"

            -- "If you believe in Me -- if you trust in Me -- if you put your focus and faith in Me -- you will never hunger or thirst -- the deepest needs of your heart will be met -- and you will know life -- eternal life -- abundant life -- life to the full"

            -- “I Am” -- eigo eimi -- I Am the Bread of Life -- take and eat of Me and you will live forever

           

IV.  Closing   

            -- let’s wrap this up -- "In his book entitled God’s Psychiatry, Charles Allen tells this story:

 

“As World War II was drawing to a close, the Allied armies gathered up many hungry orphans -- they were placed in camps where they were well-fed -- [but] despite excellent care, they slept poorly -- they seemed nervous and afraid.

 

“Finally, a psychologist came up with the solution -- each child was given a piece of bread to hold after he was put to bed -- this particular piece of bread was just to be held—not eaten -- [the kids were just to go to sleep holding it in their hands]

 

“the piece of bread produced wonderful results -- the children went to bed knowing instinctively they would have food to eat the next day -- that guarantee gave the children a restful and contented sleep."²

 

            -- that is exactly what God has done for us -- God sent Jesus to us to be our true bread -- to let us know that He was the Bread of Life

            -- because of Jesus, we can go to bed at night and rest secure in the promise of God -- because of Jesus, we know that our eternal destination is secure -- because of Jesus, we don't have to worry about the future because our future is set

            -- trusting in Jesus and resting in His promise and presence in our lives causes us to cease chasing after the wind and seeking to devour all this world offers -- it causes us to shift our focus to eternity -- it causes us to seek first the kingdom of God and trust that all we need will be supplied

           

-- where is your focus this morning? -- where is your faith? -- are you truly trusting in Jesus to supply all your needs?

-- or are your lives characterized by fear and anxiety and worry -- are you living without faith, not believing Jesus can meet your needs in the future?

-- are you feasting on Him as the true bread of life or are you still snacking on the temporary food this world offers?

            -- Jesus stands before us and declares, "I Am the Bread of Life -- trust in Me -- believe in Me -- eat Me -- and you will receive eternal life -- I Am the Bread of Life -- Come"

 

            -- let's pray

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

¹http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Strange_Addiction, accessed 26 January 2014

²SOURCE: Quinton Morrow in "I am the Bread of Life" on www.sermoncentral.com

 

SERMON: I AM THE GATE

 

Naylor Community Christian Church

Naylor, Georgia

 

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to John 10:7-10

 

John 10:7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

 

            -- Some doors, like the front gate of the White House, are tough to walk through -- The White House has one phalanx of security after another, and you simply don't get in unless you are wanted -- unless you have clearance -- or unless you have an appointment.

            -- Some people do get into the White House based on who they are -- and some get in based on who they know.

-- On Sunday July 26, 2009, one of the biggest and most famous men in the world—NBA star Shaquille O'Neil—tried to get into the White House without an appointment, but it did not go well for him

-- As an international celebrity -- 7 ft and 1 inch tall and 325 pounds -- multiple NBA championships from years of playing for the Los Angeles Lakers -- and with his characteristic smile and good personality, Shaq was accustomed to being welcomed wherever he went -- he could walk up to any restaurant or business or home and be welcomed in with open arms -- doors open for Shaq

            -- and so Shaq decided to put his ability to open doors to a test -- he knew that President Obama loved basketball -- and the two had spoken before -- so he wanted to see if he could just go into the White House without an invitation

            -- He was on a D.C. sports radio show on Friday July 24th, and he put this question to the listeners: "Check this out, I got on a nice suit, I'm in D.C. paying a visit, I jump out of a cab in front of the White House, I don't use none of my political or law enforcement connections. If I go to the gate and say, 'Hey, I'm in town, I would like to see the President,' do I get in, or do I not get in?"

            -- so, two days later, Shaq gave it a try -- he pulled up at the gate of the White House -- told them who he was -- and said, “I want to go the White House and see President Obama” -- but even with his winsome personality and celebrity status, the guards refused entry -- only those on the list -- only those who had been given permission to pass through those gates -- were allowed in -- and Shaq wasn’t on the list¹

           

            -- this morning, we are continuing in our sermon series on knowing God -- on learning how to answer the question that Jesus asked His disciples, “But who do you say I am?” correctly by studying the seven “I Am” statements of Jesus from the Book of John

            -- last week we looked at Jesus as our Good Shepherd -- our guide and our leader -- the One who directs our paths

            -- this week we are looking at Jesus as our protector as we examine His declaration, "I Am the Gate"

 

II.  Scripture Lesson (John 10:7-10)

            -- look back at verse 7

 

John 10:7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.  

 

            -- as we begin our study of this passage, I want to remind you of the two things I told you to look for in each of these "I Am" passages

            -- the very first thing we should see if Jesus' use of the phrase, "I Am" -- ego eimi -- here in verse 7

            -- like we talked about last week, to us this is just a normal way of talking -- for instance, I might say: “I am a wildlife biologist -- I am a father -- I am preaching to you this morning”

            -- but that's not the way this term was used in the Bible -- in this passage, when Jesus uses the phrase "I Am," it has a completely different meaning than the one we normally give it

            -- in the Greek, the phrase "I Am" -- ego eimi -- is emphasized -- it echoes the name of God given to Moses in Exodus 3 at the burning bush -- this was the name by which God revealed Himself to the nation of Israel -- and ego eimi was only used in reference to God's holy name

-- and that is exactly the way Jesus uses this phrase here in verse 7 -- so when Jesus pronounces "I Am the Gate" here in verse 7, Jesus is declaring to the world, "I Am God"

            -- and that's really important to get -- because if He wasn't God, then what He tells us next is meaningless -- He would not be able to live up to who He says He is -- for instance, last week Jesus said "I Am the Good Shepherd" -- if He was not God -- if He was not ego eimi -- then He could not be good and would have no authority to lead us or guide us in our daily lives -- but because He is God, He is both good and our guide who can be trusted

 

            -- so, what is Jesus asking us to trust Him with in this passage? -- this is the second thing I told you we need to look for -- what aspect of Jesus' nature and character is being revealed to us in this "I Am" statement?

            -- in this case, Jesus says "I Am the Gate" -- because I am God, you can trust Me to be the gate -- in other words, Jesus is offering us His protection

 

            -- now, at first read, this idea of Jesus being our gate doesn't seem to make a lot of sense to us -- how could Jesus be the gate? -- it would make better sense if He said, "I guard the gate" or "I keep the gate secure" -- but not, "I am the gate"

            -- to understand this, you have to know two things about sheep and sheepfolds and shepherds in the first century

 

            -- first, you need to understand that the relationship between the shepherd and his sheep was entirely different from what we understand in our country -- a lot of people around here have livestock -- granted, we don't have a lot of sheep -- but we do have a lot of cattle and pigs and other animals

            -- farmers here gather their livestock up and put them in a pasture with plenty of food and water and basically just leave them alone -- they might check on them every day or so -- but they don't stay with them 24/7

            -- it wasn't like that with the shepherds in Jesus' day -- the shepherds in Jesus' day lived with their sheep -- they didn't have cultivated, fenced-in pastures like we have here -- they used natural areas to pasture their sheep -- and because they weren't cultivated or fertilized, their pastures were often poor quality and had very sparse grass

            -- so, it took quite a bit of area to feed a flock of sheep -- the shepherd would stay with the sheep, leading them from one valley of grass to the next and leading them from the field to a water source in the middle of the day

            -- because they were using communal pastures and communal drinking holes, there were times when the sheep from one flock would mix with the sheep from another -- but, because of the amount of time they had spent with the shepherd, they would recognize him -- and when it was time to go, they would see him leave and hear his voice calling to them and they would separate themselves out from the other sheep and follow their shepherd -- just like a bunch of ducklings following their mother from the nest to the water

            -- so, in the first century, sheep were not just livestock to the shepherd -- they were like family -- like we talked about last week, they knew the shepherd and the shepherd knew them

 

            -- secondly, you need to know that the shepherd was the supreme protector of the sheep -- sheep aren't the brightest bulb in the lot, if you know what I mean -- sheep need protection and they need guidance -- they need someone to lead them and show them where to go and what to do -- and they depended on the shepherd to do that for them

            -- so at night, the shepherds wouldn't leave the sheep alone like we do with our livestock -- they'd make a sheep-fold for them -- using rocks or branches or something like that the shepherds would make a temporary corral with just a small opening for the sheep to enter for the night -- very similar to what the nomads still do today in parts of the Middle East and Africa

            -- but these sheep-folds didn't have a gate -- the shepherd himself would be the gate -- he would lay down in front of the opening and sleep there at night -- making sure the sheep didn't wander out during the night -- and making sure that nothing would come in and harm the sheep

 

            -- George Adam Smith, the 19th century biblical scholar tells about traveling one day in the holy land and coming across a shepherd and his sheep -- He fell into conversation with the shepherd and the man showed him the fold into which the sheep were led at night -- It consisted of four walls, with an opening for the sheep to get in --  Smith asked him, "This is where the sheep go at night?" 

            -- "Yes," said the shepherd, "and when they are in there, they are perfectly safe." 

            -- "But there is no door," said Smith.

            -- "I am the door," said the shepherd.

            -- He was not a Christian man and wasn’t speaking in the language of the New Testament -- he wasn't saying ego eimi -- he was speaking from an Arab shepherd’s viewpoint -- Smith looked at him and asked, "What do you mean you are the door?" 

            -- "When the light has gone," said the shepherd, "and all the sheep are inside, I lie in that open space -- and no sheep ever goes out but across my body -- and no wolf comes in unless he crosses my body -- I am the door."

 

            -- that's what Jesus is saying in this passage about His sheep -- "I am the gate" -- I know who you are -- I gather you in -- I bring you to safety -- I protect you from harm -- nothing is going to bother you when you are in my fold -- nothing is going to harm you when you are in my care -- I am the gate -- and I won't let anything in at night

 

            -- verse 8

 

John 10:8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them.

 

-- many people had come before Jesus, claiming to be the Messiah -- claiming to know the secrets of life -- claiming to be able to protect the people and to guard them -- but none of them were the real deal -- none of them were the gate -- they were only thieves and robbers who came to steal the sheep away in the night or to steal from the sheep

            -- we still have a lot of that going on today with a lot of people on TV and the radio and in our churches claiming to be the shepherd but fleecing the flock for all they're worth

            -- we have a lot of that going on with our politicians and elected officials -- who claim to be the protector of the people but who are getting rich and powerful on the backs of those who voted for them

            -- not everyone who claims to be your friend is your friend -- and not everyone who claims to be looking out for your best interest really is -- Jesus warns us to watch out for those who claim to be one thing but are not, for they are nothing more than thieves and robbers

            -- but Jesus said, "Those who know my voice -- those who know the Promise of the real Messiah -- those who know who I am -- they refuse to listen to the stealers of their souls and instead listen only for their Master's voice and trust Him to keep them safe"

 

            -- verse 9-10

 

John 10:9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

 

-- Jesus is the gate -- He is the only gate -- there is no other gate

            -- Jesus is the only way to safety and security and rest -- He is the only way to eternal life -- as it says in Acts 4:12, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." and in Romans 10:9, "If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

            -- the only way to eternal life with the Father -- the only way to Heaven -- is through the gate -- through Jesus -- there is no other way to salvation

            -- Jesus promises that if we enter through Him -- then we will belong to His fold -- we will be part of His flock -- and He will not allow harm to come our way

 

            -- to enter through the gate means that we are in the hand of Jesus -- and nothing can take us out of His hand -- nothing can separate us from the love of God that we have in Christ Jesus -- not death nor life -- not angels or demons -- not the present or the future -- nor any powers -- not height or depth -- nor anything else in all creation

            -- when you are safe in the arms of Jesus, there is nothing that is going to harm you -- there is nothing that is going to hurt you

            -- oh, the world might throw all it has at you -- it might throw trials and trouble and storms your way -- it is going to try to steal and kill and destroy you and all you hold dear

            -- but once you are safe in the sheep-fold of Christ -- once you have gone through the gate of Christ and salvation and been justified by the blood of the Lamb -- then there's nothing that the world or the thieves or the robbers can really do to you

 

            -- in Matthew 10:28, Jesus says, "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell."

            -- they might take your material possessions -- they might take the temporary things of this world -- they might even take your life -- but they can't take you out of the super-strong arms of Christ -- they can't kill your soul

            -- only God has the power of death and life in His hands -- only God has the power to destroy both soul and body in hell -- but Jesus says, "If you come in through the Gate -- if you trust the gate to protect you -- then I will protect your soul -- I will guard your life -- and I will lead you out to green pastures -- I will make you lie beside the still waters -- I will give you rest -- you have nothing to fear -- I Am the Gate"

           

III.  Closing

            -- let me close by sharing with you a true story from World War II -- During World War II, a US marine got separated from his unit on a Pacific island -- the fighting had been intense, and in the smoke and the crossfire he had lost touch with his unit

            -- Alone in the jungle, he could hear enemy soldiers coming in his direction -- scrambling for cover, he found his way up a high ridge to several small caves in the rock -- Quickly he crawled inside one of the caves -- but he knew that this would only be a temporary refuge -- when the enemy soldiers climbed up that ridge, they would surely search all of the caves for any U.S. soldiers who might be hiding there

            -- he crawled back as far as he could and tried to hide himself in the shadows and just sat there, waiting for the enemies to come -- while he was waiting, he prayed, "Lord, if it be your will, please protect me. Whatever your will though, I love you and trust you. Amen."

            -- After praying, he sat there quietly listening as the enemy soldiers climbed up the ridge and began searching for any American survivors -- He thought, "Well, I guess the Lord isn’t going to help me out of this one --they'll be here in just a moment and then they'll find me"

            -- Then he saw a spider begin to build a web over the front of his cave -- even while the enemy was searching for him, he watched as that spider layered strand after strand of web across the opening of the cave.

            -- the Marine laughed -- "What I really need is a brick wall and here the Lord has just sent a spider -- God does have a sense of humor."

            -- As the enemy drew closer, he watched from the darkness of his hideout and could see them searching one cave after another -- as they came to his cave, he got ready to make his last stand. -- To his amazement, however, after glancing in the direction of his cave, they moved on.

            -- Suddenly, he realized that with the spider web over the entrance, his cave looked as if no one had entered for quite a while. "Lord, forgive me," prayed the young man. "I had forgotten that with You a spider’s web is stronger than a brick wall."

 

            -- this is a hard world -- and all of us face times of trouble and uncertainty in our lives -- we need a place to go where we will be safe -- we need to know someone has our back -- that's what Jesus is telling us in this passage -- Jesus is saying, "I've got your back -- I Am the Gate -- I will keep you safe -- I will protect you through the night -- I will see you safely home"

            -- we need to remember that in this declaration of His deity and power, Jesus offers us a great promise of protection -- Just speak the name of Jesus -- trust in His power -- and He will keep you safe from all harm

            -- let us pray

 

1 Source: J. E. Skeets, "Shaq rejected at White House," Yahoo Sports Blog (7-27-09)

2 modified from an anonymous illustration at SermonCentral.com

SERMON: I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD

 

Naylor Community Christian Church

Naylor, Georgia

 

I.  Introduction

      -- turn in Bibles to Exodus 3:13-15

 

Exodus 3:13 Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”

 

14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”

 

15 God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’

 

“This is my name forever,

    the name you shall call me

    from generation to generation.

 

      -- What is the value of a name? -- that is the very question that sportswriter Jason Gray asked as he looked at an old baseball card sitting on display on the table before him -- it looked like an ordinary, unexceptional, very old baseball card -- no different from the hundreds of cards on display around it -- but undoubtably this card was special -- you knew that because of the armed guard who was sitting on a stool next to its display case -- but what made it special?

      -- it wasn’t the paper it was printed on -- or the size -- or even the year it was printed -- it wasn’t even the fact that there were only 10 of this particular card known to exist -- no, it was the name that made this card so special -- it was the first known card depicting the famous Babe Ruth

      -- Jason had the opportunity to view the card before an unprecedented auction -- this was the first time an original first edition Babe Ruth baseball card had been available for sale in over 10 years, and people had gathered from around the world all for the chance to bid on this card because of the name

      -- the auction began November 16, 2023 -- within hours, bidding had hit $5.25 million -- the card was eventually sold for $7.2 million -- making it one of the most valuable baseball cards in the world¹

      -- this card was valuable because of the name on the card -- but there is another name that is even more valuable -- the name of Jesus Christ -- His name means everything -- and His name is worth infinitely more than any name in heaven or on earth

 

      -- this morning, we are continuing in our Lenten sermon series on the name of Jesus, focusing on the question that Jesus asked His disciples during Holy Week -- “But who do you say I am?”

      -- as we talked about last week, the world has many opinions of Jesus -- but who the world thinks Jesus is does not matter -- what matters is who you say He is -- who He is to you -- and that is the focus of our messages as we remember Jesus and remind ourselves of who He is and what He means to us as we prepare ourselves to celebrate Easter again this year

      -- for the next seven weeks, we are going to be looking at the seven statements from the Book of John where Jesus tells us who He is -- the “I Am” statements

 

      -- Let me share with you all seven of these “I Am” statements now so you have them in mind -- and then we’ll be going over one every week up through Easter

 

      -- I Am the Bread of Life

      -- I Am the Light of the World

      -- I Am the Gate of the Sheepfold

      -- I Am the Good Shepherd

      -- I Am the Resurrection and the Life

      -- I Am the Way, Truth, and Life

      -- I Am the True Vine

 

II.  Context of the "I Am" Statements

      -- now to us today, these declarations seem like no more than just poetic illustrations or metaphors that Jesus was using to make a point in His sermon -- but to the people of Jesus' day -- in the cultural context of a Jewish society steeped in Old Testament knowledge -- these declarations meant a whole lot more

      -- in each of these statements, Jesus is telling the Jews who He really is and why He has come -- He is declaring Himself as the promised Messiah -- as God Himself

      -- to understand how Jesus’ audience would have heard and received these names, we’re going to have to go back to the Old Testament for some context

 

            -- look back at Exodus 3:13-15 again

 

Exodus 3:13 Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”

 

14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”

 

15 God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’

 

“This is my name forever,

    the name you shall call me

    from generation to generation.

 

            -- these verses are set in the familiar story of Moses and the burning bush -- as you probably know, Moses had been living in the wilderness of Midian for about 40 years at this point -- he had fled Egypt and his privileged life in Pharoah’s court because he was afraid of being charged with killing an Egyptian overseer

-- one day, as Moses is tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, he sees a bush burning in the distance -- and he is curious because the bush is not being consumed by the fire, so he goes over to investigate, and God speaks to Moses from the burning bush -- giving him the mission to leave Midian and to return to Egypt to set God’s people free

-- in this exchange between God and Moses at the burning bush, Moses asks God what he is to say when the Israelites ask him what God has sent him to them -- so, in verse 13, Moses asks God, "Who do I say sent me? -- What is your name?"

            -- and God replies, giving Moses two names by which He was known to the Israelites -- in verse 15, He tells Moses His name is "Yahweh" -- Y - A - H - W - E - H -- our Bibles typically translate this as "LORD" -- usually in all capital letters -- when you see the word Lord written in your Bibles in all caps, know that this stands for Yahweh

            -- Yahweh was the sacred name of God -- the name that the Jewish people so revered that they wouldn't speak it out loud -- and when they wrote it down, in Scriptures such as these, they would only write down the consonants and leave the vowels out so that people wouldn't even be able to read God’s name and think it or say it to themselves in their minds as they read it

 

            -- just as an aside, some Bible translations substitute the name "Jehovah" in this passage or similar passages instead of Yahweh or Lord in all caps -- this comes from a fairly modern mistranslation and mispronunciation of the Hebrew name

            -- as I told you, when the Jewish scribes wrote the name of God down in the Bible they would leave out the vowels -- but so the person reading the scriptures out loud in the synagogues would have something to say when they got to that word in the scriptures instead of the actual name of God, they would often write the name "Adonai" above it -- Adonai is a Hebrew word that means Master or Lord

            -- when the Bible was being translated from Hebrew into English in 1278 AD, a monk misunderstood what was going on -- he thought the word he was translating was just shifted -- and that all the letters should be put together in his translation

-- so, this monk added the vowels from Adonai to the consonants YHWH -- when further translation work was done by the Germans -- who substitute "J" for "Y" and sometimes use "V" for "W" -- the translators eventually came up with the name "Jehovah" -- I gave you a handout before church that shows you all this, so you can see how this name of Jehovah came to be in some Bible translations

-- so, you will see Jehovah in some Bibles and you will hear some people use "Jehovah" as the name of God -- that's perfectly fine, but when you see the name Jehovah in your Bible, understand that it is the combination of the name Yahweh with the vowels from Adonai, and not a name that God gave us Himself

 

            -- going back to our study about the context of Jesus’ “I Am” statements, we see here that the first name that God gave Moses to describe Himself was Yahweh -- but there was one more name that God gave Moses, and this is the name that we are going to be focusing on over the next several weeks

-- we see it in verse 14 -- when Moses asks God what he is to say when the Israelites ask him who sent him to Egypt -- what the name of the God who sent him to them was -- God replies in verse 14 by telling Moses  -- "tell them I AM WHO I AM -- tell them I AM has sent me to you"

            -- this name of God -- "I AM" -- ego eimi  in the Greek -- was the name that God chose to use to reveal Himself to Moses and the Israelite people in a special way -- it refers to God's nature and character and existence -- when God calls Himself, "I AM," He is telling us about Himself -- He is telling us that He is eternal, unchanging, self-existent and self-sufficient -- in other words, God is and always has been and ever more will be

            -- there has never been a time when God was not -- and there never will be a time when God is not there -- He is always present -- always with us -- always there -- He is I Am

            -- and once the Jewish people learned of this special name of God, they revered it and kept it holy, just as they did with the name Yahweh -- they would not use the name I Am in regular, everyday speech -- in fact, to use the phrase ego eimi -- "I Am" -- would be tantamount to claiming yourself God or equal to God

 

            -- but when you look at the gospels, we see Jesus doing just that -- in the Bible, Jesus used two main terms to describe Himself during His time on earth -- the first was the Son of Man -- and the second was "I Am" -- ego eimi -- both of which were declarations of His deity

            -- for instance, in John 8, Jesus was teaching in the temple courts when he was confronted by the Pharisees -- they questioned His authority -- they questioned what right He had to teach and to do what He was doing  

            -- in John 8:24, Jesus tells the Pharisees "you will die in their sins, unless you believe that I am" -- and, in John 8:28, Jesus says "when the Son of Man is lifted up, then you will know that I am"

            -- finally, in John 8:58, after the Pharisees questioned how Jesus could be older than Abraham, Jesus replied, "before Abraham was, I Am" -- using the words ego eimi

-- to us that phrase "I Am" sounds so innocuous -- but to the Pharisees, it was blasphemy because to use that name and to claim that name for yourself was the same thing as claiming to be God -- when they heard Jesus call Himself, “I Am,” they picked up stones and tried to kill Jesus on the spot

            -- this is why it's important to know context and to have a good working knowledge of Scripture -- all Scripture -- not just the New Testament -- you have to understand what was being said in the context of the time and the audience to which it was written before you can apply it to your own life

            -- I've had people tell me Jesus never said He was God -- and in one sense, you could agree with them -- Jesus never did come out and just say "I Am God" in a way we would understand it today -- but if you understand the context -- if you understand the meaning behind the words He was using here -- you can clearly see that He does -- and it was calling Himself, “I Am,” that caused the Pharisees to get upset and try to kill Him -- just using that phrase meant Jesus was calling Himself God and that's exactly how the people of His day would have understood it

 

III.  Jesus is the Good Shepherd (John 10:11-18)

      -- with that background, let’s look now at the first “I Am” statement in our series

      -- please turn over in your Bibles to John Chapter 10 and let's get started -- as you’re doing that and as we study this passage, I want you to remember to look for two things in each of the passages where we find these statements:

      -- first, we are going to see Jesus declare Himself to be divine by using the reserved phrase, "I Am" -- ego eimi -- we know that when Jesus used those words, He was declaring to the world, "I Am God"

      -- and, secondly, we're going to see in these statements a revelation of certain aspects of Jesus' nature and character -- the intrinsic qualities that will help us better understand and relate to Him as our Lord and Savior -- to know Him in a real and personal way so that we can answer the question that Jesus asked His disciples, “But who do you say I am?”

 

      -- we're going to start this study with Jesus' declaration, "I am the Good Shepherd"

 

      -- look with me at verse 11

 

John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

 

      -- in this verse, Jesus gives us two declarations of divinity -- the first, of course, is "I Am" -- "ego eimi"

      -- the second, is a little less obvious -- notice what Jesus says here in this verse -- "I am the good shepherd" -- not "a" shepherd -- not just "I am the shepherd" -- but "I am the GOOD shepherd"

      -- by using this term, Jesus was claiming Himself divine

 

      -- hold your place here and flip back over to Mark 10 and look at verses 17-18

 

Mark 10:17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.

 

      -- in these verses, we see a man coming up to Jesus and wanting to know how to inherit eternal life -- He cries out to Jesus, "Good teacher" -- and notice what Jesus' response is, "Why do you call me good? -- no one is good, except God alone" -- Jesus gets to the heart of the matter -- to be good is to be God -- and if the young man wanted to inherit eternal life -- if he wanted to enter into God's kingdom, then he had to recognize Jesus as being more than just an upstanding moral teacher -- a man who knew God -- he had to recognize that Jesus was God -- that Jesus was good and therefore was God

 

      -- turn back over to John 10 -- in the same way, here in verse 11, Jesus is saying He is more than just a shepherd -- the word "shepherd" can also be translated as "pastor" -- the Pharisees could say they were shepherds -- they were the pastors -- the leaders --of the church and the temple in Jesus' day

      -- but the difference was they were not and could not be "the good shepherd" -- only God is good -- and only Jesus, as the God Man, was the good shepherd

 

      -- Jesus makes that point very clear in verses 12-13 -- look at verse 12-13

 

John 10:12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own 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.

 

      -- the Pharisees and the other shepherds in the church were not "the good shepherd" -- they were merely hired hands -- they didn’t own the sheep -- they were hired to just look after them for the owner

      -- and, as a result, they failed to take care of the sheep as they should have -- when trouble came their way, they turned and ran, leaving the people of Israel to their fate

      -- in the Book of Ezekiel, God pronounces judgment on these false shepherds -- these leaders who don't take care of His people

      -- in Ezekiel 34:1-4, we read: "The word of the LORD came to me: -- Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel -- prophesy and say to them: `This is what the Sovereign LORD says -- Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock?

      -- You eat the curds -- clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals -- but you do not take care of the flock -- You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured -- You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost -- You have ruled them harshly and brutally."

      -- God says that because these false shepherds -- these hired men -- have refused to take care of the sheep, God is going to remove the flock from their care

      -- in Ezekiel 34:15-16, God says: "I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign LORD. I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice."

      -- in other words, God is saying, I will be the Good Shepherd -- and here in John 10, we see Jesus proclaiming to the Jews that He is the promised Good Shepherd

 

      -- verse 14-16

 

John 10:14 “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.”

 

      -- in Isaiah 40:11, we see a touching picture of Jehovah Roeh -- Jehovah the Shepherd -- Isaiah writes, "He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young."

      -- Jesus tells us that He is the good shepherd who relates to us in this way -- He cares for us as a shepherd cares for his flock -- as a shepherd takes care of the health and well-being of the sheep in his care

      -- there is a relationship there -- the good shepherd knows His sheep, and they know Him -- and for those of us who are in a right relationship with God, that means that He knows us and we know Him -- this word "know" that Jesus uses in these verses doesn't mean just head knowledge, it means heart knowledge

      -- when we hear the word "know," we tend to think of head knowledge alone -- but you can know facts about someone -- you can know all the intimate details of their lives -- but still not know them as a person

      -- for example, think  about how a lot of people know celebrities -- if we’re watching a movie and Brooke is in the room, I guarantee you that she will eventually say, “I know them -- they were in this other movie or tv show or something similar” -- she knows a lot about actors and  how old they are and what other shows they’ve been in and who they are dating and all about them -- but she doesn’t really know them because she’s never met them -- she doesn’t know who they are as a person

      -- so, when Jesus says that He knows His sheep and they know Him, He's talking about more than head knowledge -- He's talking about heart knowledge

      -- the Greek word that is translated as "know" here means more than just factual knowledge -- it means knowledge gained by experience -- it means knowing with the head and the heart -- it means knowing intimately -- knowing as a husband knows a wife and a wife knows her husband -- or as a Father knows His Son -- that's how Jesus as the good shepherd knows us and we know Him

 

      -- notice that Jesus says that everyone who is in His sheep pen belongs to His flock -- that’s the thing about Jesus’ sheep pen -- it’s big enough for everybody -- as Audio Adrenaline sang, God’s house is a “big, big house with lots and lots of room” -- there’s room for everyone and it doesn't matter if you are Jew or Gentile -- male or female -- American or European -- African or Asian -- if you know Jesus as your Good Shepherd, you are part of Jesus' flock

      -- as it says in the familiar children's song, "black and yellow, red and white, they are precious in His sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world" -- once you receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are in His flock -- and there is only one flock and one shepherd -- the good shepherd

      -- just as Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:4-6, "There is one body and one Spirit-- just as you were called to one hope when you were called-- one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."

      -- all of us who have entered in through the gate of Christ are in His flock together -- and I think that’s something that we need to remind ourselves of with all the divisions and animosity towards other ethnic and political groups in our country today

 

      -- look back at the second part of verse 15 again

 

John 10:15b I lay down my life for the sheep.

 

-- now look down at verse 17-18

 

John 10:17 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.”

 

      -- Jesus is the Good Shepherd, but He is also our Savior -- as the Good Shepherd, Jesus lays down His life for the sheep -- it is a choice -- it is something that He willingly does

      -- it is not something that was forced on Him -- it is something that He willingly chose to do because of His great love for us

      -- the crowd may have said "Crucify" -- Pilate may have pronounced the judgment and sent Him to Golgotha -- but it was not their choice or any human decision that put Jesus on the cross -- it was His own free will

      -- do you remember the movie, "The Passion of the Christ?" -- one of the most compelling scenes in this movie that really stuck with me was at the crucifixion of Jesus -- Jesus has collapsed on the ground at Golgotha -- on Mount Calvary

      -- the cross is laying on the ground where Simon has dropped it at the direction of the Romans -- and as the Romans move to put Jesus on the cross, He stirs Himself up and crawls onto the cross Himself, spreading His arms on the crosspiece and placing his legs on the cross

      -- in this act -- as Jesus puts Himself on the cross -- there is no doubt -- it was Jesus' choice to be on the cross

      -- as it says here in verse 18, "I lay my life down of my own accord" -- Just as it was Adam and Eve's free will that allowed them to take the forbidden fruit and eat it and bring sin into the world -- it was Jesus' free will that allowed Him to go to the cross and lay His own life down in place of ours to take the punishment for our sin and replace it with His righteousness

 

      -- notice, too, in verse 18 that His death was not the end -- it was merely the first step in God's great plan to bring us back into a relationship with Him -- Jesus willingly laid His life down for us -- but Jesus also took up His life again -- He emerged from the cold, darkness of the tomb triumphantly alive

      -- and in doing so, Jesus became the reconciler between God and man -- the redeemer of all the sheep of the flock

      -- that is what a Shepherd does -- that is what a Savior does -- that is what our God does

 

V.  CLOSING

      -- In what is probably the best-known Psalm of all -- Psalm 23 -- King David wrote:

 

      The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.  He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.  He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

     

      -- Philip Keller, a sheep rancher, shared some thoughts about this Psalm in his book, "A Shepherd Looks at the Twenty-third Psalm." -- Keller says that sheep require more attention than any other type of livestock -- they just can’t take care of themselves.

      -- Unless their shepherd makes them move on, sheep will actually ruin a pasture -- eating every blade of grass -- until finally a fertile pasture is nothing but barren soil

      -- Sheep are near-sighted and very stubborn, but easily frightened -- Keller says an entire flock can be stampeded by a jackrabbit

      -- on top of that, they have little means of defense -- domestic sheep are timid, feeble creatures -- their only recourse is to run if no shepherd is there to protect them, but they have no homing instincts -- when they run, they run blindly, and will never make their home on their own            -- Keller says the over-riding principle of Psalm 23 is that sheep can’t make it without a shepherd -- we can't make it without a shepherd²

 

      -- as I close this morning, let us celebrate the fact that we don't have to try to do this life alone -- we have a shepherd to lead us -- a good shepherd -- Jesus tells us here that He is our good shepherd and He takes care of us

      -- as our good shepherd, Jesus directs our lives -- He leads us down paths of righteousness -- when we go through our day, Jesus is there -- pointing us in the right direction -- speaking into our hearts and leading us beside the still waters -- keeping us away from danger -- helping us to choose what is right and turn from what is wrong

      -- and as we reflect this week on what it means for us that Jesus is our Good Shepherd, let us celebrate the wonderful truth that Jesus laid down His life for us -- that He willingly gave Himself over to the cross of Calvary so He might lead us -- His sheep -- safely home to the Father

      -- this week, I want to encourage you to spend some time thinking about what it means for Jesus to be your Good Shepherd -- listen for His voice -- let Him lead you and guide you -- and I pray that you may come to know Him in a new and real way as we hear Jesus proclaim to us, “I Am the Good Shepherd”

 

      -- let us pray

 

 

1 Modified from Jason Gay, “This Baseball Card Could Be Worth $10 Million. Or Much More.” The Wall Street Journal (11-16-23)

2 Modified from Melvin Newland in "The Lord Is My Shepherd" on www.sermoncentral.com.