The Good Shepherd

When we come to our passage this morning of John 10, 1 through 21, there's a lot of conversation about sheep.

And I have probably found myself in the last few years thinking about sheep more often than I probably should.

And for the reason that I'm not a farmer, I don't own sheep.

I don't um I'm not a rancher or anything like that, but I do, one of our dogs is a border collie.

And if you know anything about a border collie, they are a working breed.

They love to work, but more specifically, they love to herd.

It's something that comes natural to them.

I never had to train him uh to do this.

We did have to have him uh trained for other behavioral issues just because um because they like to herd, they will herd anything, including our own children.

Um and when things get still to this day, when things get a little chaotic in our house, kids are rambunctious, he flies in, I can hear him coming, he flies in, he's gonna bring order to tell him to stand down, place him on something, and he sits on a chair and watches.

As I can tell, he's so anxious and he wants to be a part of this.

But if I take him out to a wide open space, like the first time I can remember clearly, it was at a 4-H center in Indiana, and we took um a couple dogs out for a walk, and we got out there, and I could see it was kind of clear.

I let him off the leash because I can recall him and things like that.

But I let him off and I noticed for the first time ever he did this big loop.

And he kind of looped around.

And then I remembered all the different border collie videos I've watched of them herding, and watch how they go out and they loop around the sheep to kind of bring order, to bring them to where they're gonna go.

Or if you've ever seen a uh border collie competition where they're herding, they're they're moving around and they're shifting, they're always keeping themselves in front of the animal they're trying to herd, and they will back down a bull, they'll back down a cow, and they'll back down sheep, and they'll put them where they need them to go.

And I see this with him as well.

If I get a ball out, he comes flying in and then he stalks up to me and he pauses and he freezes.

And he his eyes are locked.

Wherever that ball goes, I can do this, his body shifts.

He's one of the most agile creatures I've ever been around.

It's pretty incredible when you see this take place.

But in reality, what I know is he only does what I tell him to do.

Same with all border collies or any herding dogs.

They will only do what they're told to do by their leader.

They need someone else.

They need a farmer, they need someone to give them the direction on what commands they need to be doing and participating in and doing.

And they need a shepherd.

They need something, someone to guide them to where they go, which brings us to our idea really this morning of shepherds in the text as well.

For most of us, though, shepherds are kind of a foreign concept.

We know what they are, we know what they do, but we're not really living in the context today of when these events took place or these stories that we have in the Bible were written.

So they're not as common to us.

We don't understand sometimes that they're, they were kind of the outcasts.

They lived out in the fields, they stunk, they smelled, and so people didn't really care to be around them.

But when we go back through the Old Testament, it wasn't uncommon to see the language of sheep and shepherds throughout.

Psalm 23, one, the Lord is my shepherd.

Psalm 81, give ear, O shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock, you who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth.

Clearly understanding that God is the shepherd and his people Israel are the sheep.

But then we come to a book like Ezekiel, and he writes this, Ezekiel 34, 23 through 24.

And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them.

He shall feed them and be their shepherd, and I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them.

I am the Lord, I have spoken.

And if you understand anything about the book of Ezekiel, this prophecy that Ezekiel was given by God to give to Israel, David at this point in history was already dead.

He had already passed on.

And so what we discover is that Ezekiel was looking forward to a time when a king in the line of David would come as the Messiah for what?

To gather and rescue his people or his sheep.

And it's fascinating because when we come to John 10, we discover what Pastor Justin preached last week in John 9 that there was a man born blind.

And what did the religious leaders do to this man?

The Pharisees.

They cast him out of the synagogue.

They reject him like a sheep without a shepherd to wander alone into the wilderness.

And what happens?

Jesus hears that they've cast him out, he goes as the good shepherd, finds that gentleman, finds that guy, and gathers his lost sheep by healing him.

And Jesus fulfills the prophecy from Ezekiel 34, setting us up for our passage today in John 10, that Jesus is the good shepherd.

And so what we're gonna do is we're gonna understand from this passage today that because Jesus is the good shepherd, we have to ask ourselves the question: how does he care for his sheep?

And we'll see that in three ways.

Number one, Jesus gathers his own, Jesus protects his own, and Jesus lays down his life for his own.

So let's jump into the first way Jesus, the good shepherd, cares for his sheep.

And we see that in verses one through six with our summary, and it's this Jesus gathers his own.

So at the end of in chapter nine, Jesus has this conversation with the Pharisees, and what we get in chapter 10, sometimes we like to pull passages out on their own in the Bible and just kind of look at them, but it's a continuation of what has been taking place of this conversation that's been happening in chapter 9.

Jesus is continuing on.

Now we have to remember who were the Pharisees?

The religious elite of the day.

They were the ones who called the shots, they were in charge.

If you went against them, you went against the religious establishment of the day, and it did not end well for you.

It would have been a terrible situation for you.

And so when we jump into chapter 10, Jesus is still engaging with the Pharisees.

And he's using a figure of speech in this discussion that clearly we get into with verse 6.

They did not understand.

What does he say in verse 6?

This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

So we're seeing that they're confused, they don't understand what's happening because Jesus begins to talk about the sheepfold and the door.

And if we don't understand the context of this time and what a sheepfold was, it didn't really make much sense.

In very basic terms, it was basically a pen, just a sheep pen, a structure that would keep sheep in and keep predators out.

That was the purpose of it.

It would have been constructed with four walls, and sometimes they would build a sheep pen up against an existing structure that already had a wall.

So you'd have that permanent wall, you'd build three structures around it to connect, and then you would always have in one of the walls a door, not a physical door, just an opening.

That's all it was.

It was just an opening, but it was a door, is what they called it.

G.

Campbell Morgan, he lived during the time of the 1800s.

He was an evangelist and a preacher, and he told the story of the time he was traveling through the East, not like the Eastern United States, but like the Middle East.

And he's journeying through and he's with a guide, and he comes across a shepherd and his own sheep.

And so, because of his understanding of the Bible and the New Testament, he begins to engage this shepherd in a conversation.

The man showed him the sheepfold or the pin into which the sheep would be led at night.

It consisted of four walls with a way in.

And G.

Campbell Morgan said to him, So this is where they go at night.

Yes, said the shepherd, and when they are in there, they're perfectly safe.

Morgan responds, But there is no door.

And the shepherd said, I am the door.

Now this intrigued Campbell because the shepherd, he was not a Christian man.

He was not speaking in the language of the New Testament that Morgan was familiar with.

He was speaking from an Arab shepherd's point of view.

G.

Campbell looked at him and said, What do you mean by the door?

The shepherd answered, When the light has gone and all the sheep are inside, I lie in the 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.

The shepherd is the door.

Nothing goes in except through the shepherd.

Now remember, this discussion is coming on the heels of Jesus healing the blind man and the Pharisees rejecting him from the synagogue, the blind man, literally kicking him out.

Jesus finds this man, heals him, and the man confesses, Lord, I believe, and worships Jesus.

The Pharisees had no authority to reject this man, to kick him out.

Why?

Because the Pharisees were not the shepherd.

Jesus is.

He is the good shepherd.

If anyone tries to get into the sheepfold and be with the sheep, apart from going through the door, Jesus says what?

Verse 1.

Truly, true I say to you, he who does not enter by the sheepfold by the door, but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber.

Jesus is helping the people understand.

He's helping, he's trying to help the Pharisees understand that you have no authority over my sheep if you really aren't the shepherd.

Why?

Because the sheep will only listen to the voice of the shepherd.

Why?

Because the shepherd knows each sheep by name.

There is a care for the sheep that a thief or a robber does not have, will never have.

But with a good shepherd, there is a relationship.

He knows the sheep by name.

Focus here, we have to remember, is not on the sheep, it's actually on the shepherd.

This is a great reminder for any follower of Jesus Christ this morning.

How good is the Good Shepherd?

Well, he knows his sheep by name.

He cares for them.

Keep your eyes on Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd.

Follow his voice.

Typically, the problems that you and I face as followers of Christ begin because we take our eyes off of Him, the Good Shepherd.

We start to set our gaze and our focus on other areas of our lives as ultimate.

Now I'm not talking about focusing on other areas of lives.

I'm talking about when we make them ultimate.

They are the pinnacle.

That's what we're striving for.

Because if our ultimate focus and lens we see everything through is not the gospel of Jesus Christ, then we have missed the mark.

So whether we're striving to have a better career, maybe we want to be a better man, a better woman, a better husband, a better wife, a better father, a better mother, a better child, a better student, whatever it may be, and we don't start with Christ, then we have wandered off like sheep without a shepherd.

This is why we focus so much at Sacred Mission on Jesus.

Remember our first value: Jesus first and foremost.

Making Jesus the focus in every aspect of our lives.

We are first called to be like Christ.

Everything flows from this point of view.

Why?

Because as followers of Christ, we are the sheep he has gathered and he knows us by name.

He's not faking it, he's not making anything up.

But here's what it's incredible about Jesus, the good shepherd.

Not only does he gather his own, but he protects his own.

So the Pharisees, they don't understand what Jesus is saying in verse is one through six.

Jesus calls that out in verse six.

So Jesus again starts in verse seven, and here's our summary of verses seven through ten.

Jesus protects his own.

They don't understand, and so Jesus is narrowing his focus in now.

He's like, you guys are idiots, you can't figure this out.

Let me help you understand.

Let's go a little bit deeper.

He didn't understand the first time.

It's it's like um, I'm not, I didn't refer to our children as idiots, I'm not saying that.

But think about when you're interacting with kids and you try to explain something, and then you're like, well, that wasn't very clear, or they just don't get it.

And you're like, okay, here we go.

Let's go over a second time.

Let me try to make it a little bit easier.

And he uses a metaphor here, a figure of speech.

He says, Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.

Now remember, this isn't the first I am metaphor Jesus has used throughout the gospel.

In John 6, we're reminded, and he's told us that I am the bread of life.

He was helping the people understand that he is the one who nourishes people spiritually and satisfies people deeply.

Then in John 8, Jesus says, I am the light of the world.

I am, showing the people that he is the one fulfilling the Old Testament promises of the coming light of salvation.

And then here in John 10, we get to the third I am statement metaphor, saying, Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.

Now remember, this is a metaphor.

Jesus isn't saying I'm an actual door.

He's not trying to confuse them in that way.

He hasn't lost his mind or anything like that.

He's saying, if you are one of my sheep, then you have come through the door which is me.

It should remind us if we look forward in the Gospel of John to chapter 14 and verse 6, where Jesus says, I am the way and the truth and the life.

No one comes with the Father except through me.

There is one way, there is one door, and it is Jesus Christ.

Now let's remember back what's just happened in John 9.

Pharisees kicked the man out of the synagogue for confessing faith in Jesus Christ.

They had claimed to be the door.

They believed they had the authority to keep someone from God.

But because Jesus is the door, because he is the only way to God, they are the thieves and robbers that Jesus is referring to in verse 8.

What does he say?

All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.

These religious leaders, Jesus is calling out, were the go-to men of the city.

If you wanted favor with God, you went to them.

You had to do what they said.

You had to keep their list of rules.

The people listening to Jesus here had faithfully followed these men.

They had to obey everything these men put forward.

Their hope was found in the words of these shepherds who actually turned out to be thieves and robbers.

They were the ones who tried to climb in by another way, like Jesus said in verse 1.

These men were wolves in sheep's clothing.

Let's be real honest with ourselves.

The same thing continued to happen in the early church, and it continues to happen today.

There are men today who claim to preach the gospel, but then want to add on to it.

There's more.

I'm doing something to earn my belief.

And this is exactly what the Pharisees wanted here in John 10.

Now don't misunderstand me.

I'm not talking about the fact that we're rejecting obedience.

That's also one of our values as sacred mission.

We have to remember though, it is God who justifies you, meaning it is God who changes your standing before him through Jesus Christ.

It is God who sanctifies you, meaning he is the one who continues to make you more and more like Jesus Christ.

But when we start to believe that we can move past the gospel, then we've actually failed to believe the gospel.

I love this quote from Tim Keller, who was a pastor and author and is now with Jesus.

He says this the gospel is not just the ABCs, but the A to Z of the Christian life.

It is inaccurate to think the gospel is what saves non-Christians, and then Christians mature by trying hard to live according to biblical principles.

It is more accurate to say that we are saved by believing the gospel, and then we are transformed in every part of our minds, hearts, and lives by believing the gospel more and more deeply as life goes on.

The gospel not only changes our standing before God, but what continues to transform us every single day.

If you want your life to change, believe the gospel.

If you want to see other people's lives changed, then share the gospel.

Why?

Because the gospel is about Jesus.

He is the door to the Father.

And because Jesus Christ is the door, he says in verse 9 that everything is through him.

First, if anyone enters by me, he will be saved.

Another reminder that salvation and getting to the Father is only through Jesus.

But then he goes on to make the statement in verse 9, and will go in and out and find pasture.

What is Jesus saying here?

Come in through the door for protection and go out through the door for provision.

Now think about this for a moment.

All sheep need, the only things they need, are protection and provision.

That's it.

They need protection from wolves and thieves, but they also need to be provided what they need to live, and it's found in the pasture.

They can't survive without food and water.

Listen to the psalmist, what he says in Psalm 23, 1 through 3.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Sometimes I think as followers of Christ, we start to look at Jesus Christ as only our rescuer.

That's it.

As only saving us from sin, which he did through his life, death, and resurrection.

But the shepherd doesn't just take the sheep and hide them away to protect them and they starve to death.

No.

No, the shepherd takes them out to lush pasture where they eat and live, where there's an abundance of green grass and their hunger is satisfied, where the water continues to run and their thirst is quenched.

This is what the sheep have with the shepherd.

And this is what we have with Jesus, the good shepherd, which actually leads us, and we find our main idea this morning in verse 10.

And it's this Jesus, the Good Shepherd, gives abundant life.

Jesus compared here in verse 10 two options: what the thief does and what Jesus provides.

The thief comes only to what?

Steal, kill, and destroy.

The thief, let's break that down, is self-centered and focused on his desires.

The thief is okay with your death as long as he lives.

But Jesus, that's a different story.

Jesus came to bring abundant life, not for himself, for his sheep.

He cared more about our lives than he did his own.

He's not self-centered, he's other centered.

Smells like others.

And we have to stop and ask ourselves, what is the abundant life Jesus is talking about here?

Does he mean the good life that when we look around, that people who have more than us and they have nicer things than us and they have maybe better families than us, whatever we might say, do is that what Jesus is talking about?

Does Jesus mean health, wealth, and prosperity?

Does he mean if you just work hard enough, the abundant life is talking about, you'll just have everything you could ever imagine and dream in this life?

We have to understand what abundance is from a biblical perspective.

Because Jesus promises to give abundant life.

And if Jesus was talking about a lavish life here and now that included health, wealth, and prosperity, and everything we could ever imagine, then not only did the church throughout history miss it, but so have we.

Because even Jesus said in Matthew 8, 20, Jesus said to him, Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.

Even Jesus missed it.

But if health, wealth, and prosperity is not what Jesus meant, then we have to ask the question: what is it that Jesus is offering?

The Christian life is not just about being saved from something like sin and death.

The Christian life is about being saved to someone.

It's about being saved to Jesus, it's about being in Christ.

And just because we're saved to Christ and we are in Jesus Christ does not mean that we won't go through difficult times in this life.

Jesus doesn't promise us that we won't go through hard times, that we won't face difficult moments.

Jesus never promised that we won't face job loss.

He never promised that we wouldn't face the loss of a loved one.

Jesus doesn't promise that we wouldn't have a child who would wander from the faith and reject the gospel and walk away.

What Jesus promises us is joy that is greater than any terrible moment you could ever face.

And what is that joy based in?

And all may know the joy of his salvation.

It's about Jesus.

Look back at verse 3.

To him the gatekeeper opens, the sheep hear his voice.

And what do the sheep do?

Verse 4 the sheep follow the shepherd who is Jesus.

Why?

Listen to Psalm 23, one through three again.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

The Lord is my shepherd.

He does all of these things, meaning he's providing everything we need.

But he does all of this.

Why?

The end of verse 3.

For the sake of his name.

It's all about Jesus.

If your life is about anything other than Jesus Christ, it will rob and steal your joy.

If you pursue anything as ultimate in your life other than Jesus, it will fail.

You'll be let down.

But in Jesus Christ there is abundant life.

Why?

Because no matter what you face, no matter what terrible situation you go through, what hardship you face, whatever comes your way, if your foundation is in Jesus Christ, it will be good.

I'm not saying it won't be hard.

But there will be joy in that trouble.

See, when the world offers you life, it's only when everything is going well.

It's only when things are good.

But the moment everything around you crumbles, what the world offers as life, the world says if you have the perfect job, what is the perfect job?

If you make enough money, well, how much is enough?

I think it was Warren Buffett asked at one point, they asked him, How much is enough money?

He said, The next dollar.

One of the wealthiest men in the world.

If you have the perfect spouse, what's the perfect spouse?

If your kids are well behaved, what does it mean for them to be well behaved?

If you have a great house and the list could go on forever and ever, if you have, and just fill in the blink, then you have life.

That's what the world promises.

But then when a crack in the foundation comes of any of those things, the list, the life that the world offers, has now stolen, killed, and destroyed you.

Literally crushed you under the weight of your hopes, dreams, and desires in the world.

Why?

Because your foundation was never in Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd.

And when life starts to crumble, and hear me this morning, it will crumble at some point.

Maybe not yet.

Maybe everything has gone just perfect for you.

From the time you were little to the time you're older, you had maybe, you know, you got a hangnail, whatever might, you know, you had something maybe bad happen.

But like for the most part, everything's been pretty good for you.

It's just flowed.

Life has just one thing after another, been awesome.

But guess what?

That's not gonna last.

At some point, you will face something you never imagined you would face or you believed you would actually go through.

But guess what?

If your life is in Christ, He is your foundation.

And if that's the case, you will weather that storm.

When the winds of life beat on you, when the rain of life pounds on you, the good shepherd will guess what?

He will lead you from that into green pastures and still water.

But the problem a lot of us face is that we actually believe we can find better pasture and better water apart from the shepherd.

We have to understand that sheep are dumb.

Newsflash.

If we notice, if you go through the Bible, we are a lot of times associated with sheep, and they're not the smartest animals.

Shepherds will lead sheep to good places, lush pastures, great water, and what do they do?

What are sheep known for?

They wander away, they get out, they go, they leave, and the shepherd has to go and find them.

It doesn't make any sense.

They're not very bright.

And that's exactly what we do sometimes.

We're not very bright.

Jesus has offered us abundant life, a life of joy and happiness in him.

But we say, uh, maybe I want something better.

Maybe there's something better out there for me.

This is what leads us to our story this morning.

It's this.

We wander away from the good shepherd.

And I believe we do this in two different ways.

I believe as followers of Christ, we wander away from the shepherd in two ways.

We either fall into the trap of legalism or antinomianism.

I love how Wayne Grudum, who's a theologian and an author and a professor, he defines both of these terms in a pretty easy to understand way.

He says legalism is placing more of an emphasis on obeying laws than God does.

You create your own laws.

On the other side, he says antinomianism is putting less emphasis on obeying laws than God does.

So think about this for a moment.

You're traveling down a road, and the road is pretty wide in a sense, but on either side of the road there's pretty deep ditches.

Ditches deep enough that and wide enough that if you go off into one of the ditches, you have to have a tow truck come along and get you.

And it's still like there's gonna be a ton of damage, right?

Like you can't get out on your own.

Doesn't matter if you have a Dodge, a Ford, or a Chevy, okay?

Doesn't matter.

On the one side, in one ditch, you have legalism.

It's a pretty deep ditch.

On the other side, you have antinomianism.

So, what is the legalism ditch that Christians, followers of Christ, typically drive off the road and need to be pulled out from?

Here's a couple examples.

Making obedience a necessary aspect of salvation, when scripture clearly teaches that salvation is by grace through faith.

So adding to it.

A second example of legalism that Christians love to talk about is outward conduct and appearance, like clothing and beauty, but neglecting the heart.

And I've talked about this before.

This is a very easy trap for parents to fall into.

I focus more on my child's obedience and behavior so they look like they act the part.

They are well behaved, and I never actually get to the heart of the matter.

I never actually talk to them and say, why are you doing this?

and get to the root of it so that the gospel can speak to it.

Because if we believe deep down, and this is not just for children, but even adults, that behavior modification is the key to lasting change, we will be sure sorely disappointed.

Because guess what?

I can put parameters in place all the time, but guess what?

If your heart's not changed, you're gonna fight against that every single day.

Because your heart's not changed.

Unless a person's heart is changed through the gospel, then it won't really matter and it will all be in vain.

That's legalism.

But then we have the other side of the road, the opposite ditch, which is antinomianism.

Here's a couple of examples.

You hear things like sin isn't really that big a deal.

Right?

And if you ever talk about lies with people, they're like, well, it's a white lie.

As if it's like less than, like it doesn't appall God any, you know, less than it does for a major lie.

Because of God's grace, I can continue to sin and neglect obedience to Christ, falsely believing that obedience is not important.

Because we love Jesus, that drives our obedience.

It starts and ends with the gospel.

Guys, that's why we drive the gospel home so much.

Because the gospel is what drives and changes everything.

The gospel changing our hearts leads us to say, Jesus, I love you more than that sin.

That's less than.

We love to flip it around though and go, don't do that.

Well, why?

Because okay.

The gospel should change us.

Another example of antinomanism is neglecting the consequences of sin in your life.

You talk to someone and you see where they're at today, and it's just a terrible situation that they're facing.

And you start working back and you see every decision they made that was sinful and rejecting God has led them there to this point, but they can't grasp it.

They don't see it, they don't understand.

They continue down this path of sin and they can't understand how the issues they're facing now are a direct result.

Years ago, I worked in student ministry and I'd have conversation and conversation with teenagers, and it would go something like this.

I'd be like, I'm just struggling with the sin.

Or I'm just curious about this sin.

Okay, why?

Well, I've never actually done it, but it sounds interesting.

I'm like, well, and we talk through it, and they go, well, that sounds interesting, pretty good, but like, how do I know?

I want to experience it for myself.

I I just really need to do it myself.

And I'm like, what are you like, you don't understand where that's going to lead in your life?

The only way for both legalism and antinomianism to be corrected is for the good shepherd to come along and rescue us, to pull us out of that ditch.

As we wander away from the good shepherd, we need him once again to come and correct our wandering with his staff.

And we see how Jesus rescued us from our wandering and our gospel conviction today.

And it's actually found in verses 11 through 21.

It's this Jesus, the Good Shepherd, gave his life for his sheep.

Jesus, the good shepherd, gave his life for his sheep.

So as Jesus is still in the midst of this conversation he's having with the Pharisees in verses 11 through 21, he promises four different times that he will lay down his life for his sheep.

Verse 11, verse 15, verse 17, and verse 18.

It's pretty important.

He repeats it over and over and over again.

If there is any threat to the sheep, the shepherd will get between the threat and his sheep.

We see how this works in the Old Testament when David is having a conversation with Saul in 1 Samuel 17, 34 through 35.

We see this.

But David said to Saul, Your servant used to keep sheep for his father, and when there came a lion or a bear and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth.

And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him.

That's pretty good.

You gotta think for a moment, like that's impressive.

Like, not only if I didn't kill him immediately and he tried to rise up and come after me, well then I grabbed his beard and then I killed him.

Like, that's pretty intense.

So when we get to verse 12, Jesus is telling the Pharisees that they're not the true shepherd, and Jesus, like, this is what he's telling the shepherds, these false shepherds, the Pharisees, that he is willing to do.

And how does Jesus do it?

He compared them, the Pharisees, to a hired hand.

What does a hired hand do?

When a hired hand sees a threat, they don't get in the middle and chase after the sheep.

What do they do?

They leave, they flee, they run.

Why?

Jesus tells them in verse 13.

He flees because he is a hired hand and what?

Cares nothing for the sheep.

A hired hand loves his life more than he loves the sheep.

But that's not the good shepherd.

A good shepherd loves, cares, provides, and protects his sheep.

Verse 14, Jesus says, What?

I am the good shepherd.

When Jesus sees the threat of a wolf, he doesn't flee or run away.

He steps up in the middle and gets in the way.

And what are the predators that are attacking the sheep?

Sin, judgment, and death.

John 1 29.

The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and said, Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away what?

The sin of the world.

John 5.24.

Truly, truly I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life.

He does not come into judgment, but is passed from death to life.

Jesus does this why?

Because he loves his sheep.

They are his.

Jesus even mentions in verse 16 how there are other sheep he will gather, pointing forward to the fact that his death will not only be for the Jewish people, but also the Gentiles, which the Pharisees would have been appalled by.

They hated anyone that was not Jewish.

So you have the Gentiles they don't like, and then the Samaritans, who are a half-breed to them, they're a mix of Jew and Gentile, intermarried, having children, and it is terrible for the Pharisees.

They're appalled by this, and Jesus is showing them that one day anyone, anyone who professes faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ will be gathered into his flock.

They will be known, loved, cared for, and protected.

And we need that why.

Isaiah 53, 6.

Isaiah says this, all we like sheep have gone astray.

We have turned, everyone, to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

The iniquity Isaiah is talking about here is our sin.

It's our rejection, it's our wandering away from what is incredible for something far less.

And because of this, we needed a Savior who would lay down his life and sacrifice himself so that our sin could be forgiven.

But we also needed a savior who would not only defeat our sin but also death.

I love how Jesus says in John 17, 10, 17, that he lays down his life.

No one forced Jesus to do this.

Let's get that straight.

Jesus wasn't caught off guard by Rome.

Okay, all right, you got me.

I'm stuck.

Like that was his plan.

That was his purpose.

He was heading there to die.

But then he follows up with that he will also come back to life.

John Piper, who was a pastor and author, said the story doesn't end with a mangled shepherd lying dead among three dead wolves and sheep scattered, thirsting and starving in the desert.

No, Jesus rose from the dead and still continues to shepherd his people today.

Jesus is a living shepherd who gave his life to defeat sin and rose from the dead to defeat death.

So what does that mean for you and me?

How does this impact our life today?

Our every day, every time we wake up the next morning and we're struggling to go to that job we have, or the marriage we're in, or dealing with our kids' rebellion, or whatever it might be, you feel in this, how does the gospel change us now?

It's our gospel vision, and it's this Jesus, the Good Shepherd, gave his life so that we could live abundantly.

Jesus, the good shepherd, gave his life so we could live abundantly.

The abundant life starts and ends with our eyes clearly focused on Jesus Christ.

Follow Jesus, the Good Shepherd.

Don't look away.

Don't wander off believing there are greener pastures outside of Christ.

Don't wander off believing there is better water that will quench your thirst elsewhere.

Believe that in Jesus Christ you have everything that you could ever need.

I'm gonna tell you right now, and I know this from experience myself.

The more you long for Christ and you spend time in his word, you spend time in prayer, you spend time dwelling over scripture, the more you will long for Jesus.

The more you reject Jesus, the more you neglect his word, the more you neglect time in prayer, the more you neglect time meditating on scripture.

Guess what?

He's just a shepherd.

And I can find something better elsewhere.

Don't wander away from the good shepherd.

Believe that in Jesus Christ you could have everything you could ever need.

As the psalmist says in Psalm 23, when we are tired and exhausted, Jesus will give you rest in green pastures.

When we are thirsty, Jesus will give us water to drink.

When we are afraid, Jesus will be there to protect us.

So today, as you leave, ask yourself this question: Where am I looking for rest outside of Jesus Christ right now?

Where am I seeking to quench my thirst right now, apart from what Jesus provides?

Where am I looking for protection because I'm fearful of what I'm currently facing?

And this morning, maybe you are facing something monumental in your life.

And you're trying every way in your own power, your own strength, in your own works to fix it.

Have you stopped to consider that maybe Christ wants you to turn to him?

And that as you continue to walk through that difficult moment, I'm not saying it will be fixed immediately, but guess what?

Your mindset will, and you might have joy going through that because you understand that Christ is walking with you.

Because if you answered any of those questions this morning without repeating the words Jesus Christ as your answer, then you need to repent.

You need to look to the Good Shepherd who loves you and gave his life for you.

Let's pray.