I Am: The Good Shepherd

This morning I want to talk about a statement Jesus made a few chapters after the events that we talked about last week, where he claimed to be the lighter of the world. Two chapters after he tells the Pharisees that he is the light of the world, he heals a blind man. That’s cool because Jesus is cool like that. But then the Pharisees want to go investigate it like he didn’t really heal a blind man who was blind from birth. I don’t know how you disprove that a person couldn’t see from birth and can now see in his mid-thirties is something sinister, but whatever, that’s what people tried to do. Jesus turns around and says, [slide change] “I am the good shepherd, who is willing to die for the sheep.” (John 10:11). He said this for a reason. The reason was because he had equated the blindness that he had healed in the blind man to the blindness a lot of people like us get spiritually. We don’t see God because we’re too busy not looking for him. But it goes further than just that. The reason we can’t see is because we’re like sheep. Have you ever heard somebody call you sheep? Perhaps you’ve called some people sheep. What does it mean to be called sheep? Well, it’s not a good thing to be called a sheep. Another interesting thing you’ll learn at church today that you can show off to your teachers on Monday: sheep is one of those words that stays the same whether in singular or in plural. But here’s my point: being a sheep sucks. It’s bad, it’s horrible. You don’t want to be a sheep, but at the end of the day, we all are sheep, whether we want to admit it or not. As such, I’m going to give you four challenges of being a sheep. The reason I’m telling you this is because if we’re all sheep, whether or not we believe it, we must have some characteristics within us for me calling you that. One of these four things should resonate with you, and its not because it’s overly generalized, it’s because it’s true. Challenge 1. Sheep get lost easily. Let me give you an example of this—you can’t find your left hand when you’re sitting on  your right hand. You need your phone to find the local starbucks across the street. All streets look the same to you after your first coffee. When somebody says something, you’re not really listening or understanding what that person is saying. Yes, you are a sheep if you get lost easily. Challenge 2. Sheep are defenseless. If you’ve ever been tricked, conned, or beat up, then you know there is nothing you can do about it. If you’ve been yelled at for no reason, been a scapegoat for a crime you didn’t commit, or even been in a situation that you couldn’t control, like a bad driver rear ending your nice car with an uninsured jalopy, and then you know you are defenseless, therefore you are a sheep. Challenge 3. Sheep are very stubborn. If you’ve ever determined to do something knowing quite well that nobody else agrees with what you’re doing or how you’re going about doing it, then you are stubborn. But if you ever made a decision to do something knowing it’s wrong or bad but you resolve to do it anyway, then you are stubborn. Usually you do something that is dumb and stupid, which makes you stubborn; like being unable to change your bad habits. When you are stubborn in a good way to do awesome things and good in the world, people call you focused—and as such, we know we aren’t the most “focused” people. Most of our stubborn decisions stem from the sin within us to do bad things and be “bad.” Therefore you are sheep. Challenge 4. Sheep are filthy. Here’s what I mean by that. Some of us need to so desperately take showers and wear some clean clothes. But most of us are filthy on the inside. We think bad things, dirty things all the time or like 99% of the time. In fact, we spend more time thinking about how to cheat the system than actually working the system. Yes, we are all filthy thinkers. We are sheep. Now that we’ve all come to the conclusion that we are all sheep and facing some direr challenges in life, we must begin to explore then, why Jesus calls himself the “good shepherd.” More specifically, why would Jesus, who is God, want to be around troubled and problematic sheep and shepherd them? Let’s go to John 10. Jesus said, “I am telling you the truth: the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber. ² The man who goes in through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. ³ The gatekeeper opens the gate for him; the sheep hear his voice as he calls his own sheep by name, and he leads them out. ⁴ When he has brought them out, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they know his voice.⁵ They will not follow someone else; instead, they will run away from such a person, because they do not know his voice.” ⁶ Jesus told them this parable, but they did not understand what he meant. (John 10:1-6). Remember the four challenges sheep had that you wrote down? Well, the first reason why Jesus called himself the “good shepherd” was because [change slides] He GUIDES. [change slides] Look at what Jesus says in verse 3…the sheep hear his voice as he calls his own sheep by name, and he leads them out. He takes lost sheep and takes them out so they don’t get lost. That’s what Jesus does—he makes sure that you’re not lost when you’re out and about. It’s so easy to get lost morally, spiritually, emotionally and physically. If Jesus is your shepherd, and he is any good as being a shepherd, he will make sure you don’t get lost again, ever. Look at verse 4, Jesus says, “When he has brought them out, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they know his voice.” More evidence of why Jesus is a good shepherd and how a good shepherd guides—he talks to the sheep, he is recognized by the sheep. They know what He sounds like. When you yell for your mom in a room crowded full of moms, nobody will turn to look at you except your mom. That’s because your mom knows your voice. In the same way, you know God’s voice deep down inside of you. It may resonate like your conscience, but you know your conscience isn’t that good, so you know it’s not you, but somebody else. Let’s continue to verse 7. [change slides] A good shepherd provides. ⁷ So Jesus said again, “I am telling you the truth: I am the gate for the sheep. ⁸ All others who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. ⁹ I am the gate. Those who come in by me will be saved; they will come in and go out and find pasture. ¹⁰ The thief comes only in order to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come in order that you might have life—life in all its fullness. Did you see verse 9? Underline that – they will come in and go out and find pasture. There’s nothing that Jesus will not give to take care of you. You may be defenseless and stubborn, but when Jesus is your shepherd he takes care of you—so as not to leave you defenseless nor unable to act because of your stubbornness. Jesus provides for you. Last point, and this is where we close shop today. A good shepherd protects. How does Jesus protect you at all? I mean, if you think about it, you go through bad situations all the time. You get your feelings hurt; people seem to attack you for no reason. Overall, God kind of lets you down. Let’s go to verse 11. ¹¹ “I am the good shepherd, who is willing to die for the sheep. ¹² When the hired man, who is not a shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees a wolf coming, he leaves the sheep and runs away; so the wolf snatches the sheep and scatters them. ¹³ The hired man runs away because he is only a hired man and does not care about the sheep. ^14-15 I am the good shepherd. As the Father knows me and I know the Father, in the same way I know my sheep and they know me. And I am willing to die for them. ¹⁶ There are other sheep which belong to me that are not in this sheep pen. I must bring them, too; they will listen to my voice, and they will become one flock with one shepherd. How many people do you know are willing to die for you? Jesus says, I am the good shepherd who is willing to die for the sheep. Nobody in their right mind is willing to die for you, sheep just aren’t worth dying for. But Jesus says I am willing to die for somebody that seems to be insignificant. That’s why he’s a good shepherd. That’s why he calls himself the good shepherd. Let’s go to verse 17. ¹⁷ “The Father loves me because I am willing to give up my life, in order that I may receive it back again. ¹⁸ No one takes my life away from me. I give it up of my own free will. I have the right to give it up, and I have the right to take it back. This is what my Father has commanded me to do.” If we are going to follow anybody. If we are going to accept anybody to take care of us. If we’re going to believe in anything and not let go of it, it is Jesus. Jesus is the good shepherd, and he calls himself that. He willingly died and gave up his own life for people that are lost, defenseless, stubborn and filthy. He gave it all up for you, and for me. Jesus is the good shepherd and that’s what we’re celebrating today. I want you to know that we have a memory verse, that if you’re still not convinced that Jesus is the good shepherd, you should hear because this is the spoils of following the good shepherd, Jesus, and it comes from Psalm 23. “The Lord is my shepherd; I have everything I need. He lets me rest in fields of green grass and leads me to quiet pools of fresh water.” (Psalm 23:1-2). Let’s sing this song together.