The Good Shepherd And His Sheep

I have to say it's a blessing to be at Maranatha Baptist in so many ways.

! At least half a dozen or more different occasions this morning, somebody greeted me with, hey

! Pastor, we're praying for you today.

Let me tell you, there's nothing that makes me rejoice more as a person who is to bring

the word than to hear that you're praying.

Not only praying that the word of God would be brought in the spirit in power, but I'm

sure also praying for your own hearts that God would do a work there.

That God would begin the process before you even come to this moment.

That he would prepare a heart that is ready to hear the word and not just be hearers of

the word, but doers of the word.

And I tell you, I get the sense from this church that it is a church that loves to know God

and loves to make God known.

And that makes, this makes me happy as a person who brings the word.

But also, I guess, it makes me a little humbled.

Sitting in a Sunday school class and hearing the word being taught and being challenged for

myself, what are the answers here?

How do you answer that question?

It's great to be a part of a church that knows the word and can sharpen the pastor as much

as I am seeking to sharpen you.

And that's refreshing to me.

It's great to be in this church.

And I tell you, if you missed the theme of the songs this morning, you must not be awake

because what we were singing about today is what we're going to learn about in the message

in John chapter 10.

John 10 · chapter mention

Our continuing message as we're working through this gospel narrative and as I have been trying

to catch up to where you are in John chapter 10, I've been listening to messages going back

John 10 · chapter mention

to November of 2014.

That was John 3.

Yowzers.

So I've had a lot of work to do these last few weeks and a lot of sermons to listen to

and a lot of reading to do as I've been reading and marking the gospel of John and trying to

catch up.

Where are you in terms of this gospel narrative?

And what is the flow of this passage?

And how does the gospel writer develop his thoughts?

And why is John 10 important?

And where are we in the story?

And I can tell you, it's been a great study for me.

And I trust this morning as we look into the word, it will be encouraging and challenging

as we get to see the shepherd put on display.

Our good shepherd.

Put on display for us to see.

So that I, my prayer for us this morning is to fall in love with the Savior in a whole new way

as we look at the good shepherd.

Just yesterday I got a text from a friend of mine.

He's a friend who lives in Illinois.

He's an elderly gentleman about 67 years old.

And for the last several weeks he's been experiencing some difficulty physically.

The kind of difficulty that kind of puts you out.

He's been kind of checked out of life.

His back pain has kind of crippled him for the moment and kept him from being productive.

At least from a physical standpoint.

But what he has not been able to do in a physical way he has made up for in terms of spiritual activity.

About a month ago I was talking to him and encouraged and challenged by his statement to me that says,

I'm falling in love with the Savior in a whole new way.

And through the course of these last four weeks,

this quietness in his heart has helped him turn down the volume of life

and turn up the volume of his good shepherd.

Just yesterday he sent me this text and in this text he says this.

He says,

Continually in longing for my first love.

Content with that.

And no burden.

I hope that's where we are today.

But my guess is that you're a little like me.

That it's easy to get distracted by life.

It's easy to turn up the volume on all of the other things in life that are good things.

So that the still small voice of God,

the whisper of God is inaudible.

You can't hear it.

You can't quite discern what the Savior's path or direction for you in this moment is.

And we listen to the experts.

You listen to the philosophies of this world that says,

Certain things are expected of you in your parenting.

Certain things are expected of you in your being a good spouse.

Certain things are expected of you in terms of being a good student.

And we turn up the volume of all of those good things in our life.

And for this elderly gentleman,

it was turning up the volume on the news.

And turning up the volume on the political environment.

And turning up the volume on the talk radio.

And letting the voices of the world speak to his heart.

And essentially set the direction for how he felt and how he thought.

The frustration that can come when you listen to the world.

But over the last three or four weeks,

he's turned off the radio.

He's turned off the news on the TV.

And he's allowed that still small voice of God to speak to his heart.

And it has led him to refreshment and joy and new love for his Savior.

This morning I want just the theme of this message to stand.

Are you listening to the voice of your good shepherd?

Are you listening to the voice of your good shepherd?

Now maybe you're wondering,

Okay, he speaks to you audibly, pastor?

Or is there some other way that you're referring to here?

And so this morning as we look into John chapter 10,

John 10 · chapter mention

I want us to fall in love with the Savior in a whole new way.

So that we can see him for who he is.

And we can understand what are the dangers of not following him?

What are the dangers of turning up the volume on this life?

What are the dangers of following after all of those other worldly influences?

But what are the blessings of turning up the volume of God in our life?

Of listening to his word?

Of pulling back?

Of finding a place of retreat?

Of making the good shepherd preeminent in your life?

What are some of the benefits of that?

And how does that play out?

So if you will, please turn with me to John chapter 10.

John 10 · chapter mention

And I want to just read for you the first five verses.

But we'll cover the first 18 verses of this passage.

So let me read verses 1 to 5.

If you're a guest with us this morning,

the Pew Bible in front of you, page 896.

It says this,

Truly, truly, I say to you,

he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door,

but climbs in by another way,

that man is a thief and a robber.

But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

To him the gatekeeper opens.

The sheep hear his voice,

and he calls his sheep by name and leads them out.

When he has brought out all of his own,

he goes before them,

and the sheep follow him,

for they know his voice.

A stranger they will not follow,

but they will flee from him,

for they do not know the voice of a stranger.

So this morning as we're looking at the good shepherd,

and as we're looking through this passage,

the first thing that stands out is

there is only one legitimate shepherd.

There is only one voice

that you are obliged to listen to.

It is the voice of your good shepherd,

the voice of Jesus Christ as he speaks to you.

There is one voice,

and on one hand,

that should be comforting to us,

to know that we don't have to have multiple voices

speaking into our ears,

but there is just one singular voice that matters.

Are you captured by his voice?

Are you marveling at his goodness?

Are you listening to his call?

Are you listening to the voice of your shepherd today?

There is just one legitimate shepherd.

Jesus, here at the outset of this passage,

wants to call attention to his audience.

Now, we've been away from this for a couple of weeks,

and I just want to remind you

that we're still connected to the context

of what preceded it in chapter 9.

And actually flows all the way from chapter 7.

So chapter 7, 8, 9, and 10

all kind of stand together

as one continuing setting for us.

As Jesus is in Jerusalem

at the Feast of the Tabernacles.

And maybe different days,

but still kind of in this same week of festivity.

And in the moments before,

Jesus, if you remember,

just heal the blind man.

And I love that story of the blind man.

Talk about a guy of sarcasm.

I mean, he is bold,

and he is quick with his tongue,

and here he is,

this blind man, uneducated,

probably not able to go into the temple,

probably not even able to hear the Word of God,

has such discernment,

has such perception,

that he is actually instructing

the Pharisees and the scribes.

It's truly remarkable.

And here at the end of chapter 9,

the Pharisees are a little begrudging.

They're complaining.

They're frustrated at what's taking place.

And notice with me at the end of chapter 9

what they say.

Some of the Pharisees near him

heard these things and said to him,

Are we also blind?

Jesus said to them,

If you were blind,

you would have no guilt.

But now that you say that we see,

your guilt remains.

And now Jesus is picking up this narrative,

and he wants these Pharisees

and these scribes and religious leaders

to understand who he is categorically,

definitively.

He is painting with bold strokes.

The gospel is exclusive.

The gospel is differentiating.

And here we find Jesus

painting in bold strokes

and in a loving touch

and a willingness to speak

clearly and boldly

to this group of religious leaders.

He says here in verse 1,

Truly, truly, I say to you,

he who does not enter by the sheepfold

but by the door,

but climbs in another way,

that man is a thief and a robber.

There are two groups of leaders.

There are the illegitimate leaders.

There are the counterfeit leaders.

But there is the one shepherd.

Notice, it says there is one door

here in verse 1.

Notice in verse 2,

there is one shepherd

who enters by that one door.

Notice in verse 3,

his sheep, singular,

recognize his name

and follows his lead, singular.

When he has brought out

all of his own, singular,

that is one shepherd

leading his flock,

there is only one legitimate Savior.

What surprised me about

the gospel of John

is that we find that Jesus

is making several trips to Jerusalem.

If you were to look at Matthew,

Mark, and Luke,

you would find that the vast majority

of his ministry is spent in Galilee.

But here, Jesus is showing up on the scene.

Jesus is showing up in Jerusalem.

And at least seven times,

six or seven times,

we find specific mention of Jesus

in Jerusalem through his ministry.

I believe Jesus is doing that

because he's not just a minister

on the fringe.

He's not just willing to speak

bold things on the perimeter,

but he's willing to address

those who would be known

as the shepherds,

those who had the responsibility

of leading the people,

and he is confronting them

face to face.

And here we find Jesus

lovingly confronting

this group of religious leaders.

About 73% of the gospel of John,

Jesus is actually in Jerusalem.

which is astounding

when you look at the other gospels.

The significance of this

is that Jesus is proving

to be the shepherd of Israel,

the only legitimate shepherd of Israel.

And for hundreds of years,

the shepherds,

those who were put in place over Israel,

were leading in a way

that was disruptive and hurtful.

keep your finger in John chapter 10

John 10 · chapter mention

and turn with me

to Ezekiel chapter 34.

Ezekiel 34 · chapter mention

Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel.

Ezekiel 34 is a narrative

of God's indictment

on the shepherds of Israel.

Notice with me here in verse 1.

It says,

The word of the Lord came to me.

Son of man,

prophesy against

the shepherds of Israel.

Prophesy and say to them,

even to the shepherds,

thus says the Lord God,

Ah, shepherds of Israel

who have been feeding yourselves,

should not shepherds

feed the sheep?

You eat the fat,

you clothe yourselves

with the wool,

you slaughter the fat ones,

but you do not feed the sheep.

The weak,

you have not strengthened.

The sick,

you have not healed.

The injured,

you have not bound up.

The strayed,

you have not brought back.

The lost,

you have not sought.

And with force and harshness,

you have ruled them.

So they were scattered

because there was no shepherd

and they became food

for all the wild beasts.

Now drop down with me

to verse 11.

It says this,

For thus says the Lord God,

Behold, I,

I myself,

will search for my sheep

and I will seek them out

as a shepherd seeks out his flock.

When he is among his sheep

that he,

that had been scattered,

so will I seek out my sheep

and I will rescue them

from all the places

where they have been scattered

on a day of clouds

and thick darkness

and I will bring them out

from the peoples

and gather them

from the countries

and will bring them

into their own land.

Verse 14,

I will feed them

with good pasture

and on the mountain heights

of Israel

shall be their grazing land.

Down to verse 15,

I myself

will be

the shepherd

of my sheep,

declares

the Lord God.

And here Jesus,

standing before

this group

of religious leaders,

denounces

their leadership

and essentially

exalts himself

as the shepherd

of Israel.

This is an emphatic statement

declaring himself

to be the Messiah.

Here he is

standing in front of them

declaring that he is

the promised one

of Israel.

Notice in verse 6,

going back to chapter 10

of John,

John 10,

John 10:6

verse 6,

Jesus has just shared

these words with them

and notice the response.

It says this,

this figure of speech

Jesus used with them,

but they did not

understand

what he was saying

to them.

Now that's common.

You see this

time and time again

as Jesus is

sharing the message,

there is

a disconnect

in their mind,

an inability

for them

to discern

the spiritual truths

that Jesus

is laying out.

And so from

verses 7

to verse 18,

Jesus unpacks

for them

what he is

trying to get at

in the first

five verses.

Now I don't know

if you're anything

like me,

my thinking

is more systematic.

My thinking

is a little bit

more linear.

My thinking

tends to build

one logical path

on another.

And John

doesn't think

like that.

John thinks

in clusters.

John thinks

in groups

and patterns.

And here

as he is

sharing

Jesus' words,

he's conveying

not a stream

of thought,

but he's

sharing groups

and clusters

of thoughts

to build

this argument

as he is

conveying

the words

of Jesus.

So as we're

working our way

through this passage,

there's not going

to be verse 7

that speaks

of this

and verse 8

that speaks

of something else,

but it's all

kind of intermingled

and kind of

fits together

as one

massive group.

So,

I'd like to

draw out

from verses

7 to 18

some of the

main points

that we find

about our

Savior

and help to

draw your

attention to

those

and ask you

to just

highlight

or underline

whatever works

for you

to draw your

attention as you

look back at

this passage

those things

that stand

out about

this person

Jesus

who is the

good shepherd.

He is the

legitimate shepherd

and Jesus

goes on

from verse

7 to 18

to make

that point

clear.

We find

here in

verses

7 and

verse 11

that he

refers to

himself

excuse me

verses 7 and

9 as

I am the

door of the

sheep.

I am the

only way

I am the

only path

into the

fold.

This

exclusive

right to

be the

leader

shepherd.

As it

were.

And then

in verse

11 and

then in

verse 14

we find

himself

amping

this

statement up

even more.

I am the

good shepherd

he says in

verse 11.

And then

in verse 14

I am the

good shepherd.

Jesus in

these

definitive

statements

was declaring

himself to

be the

Messiah.

Was declaring

himself to

be that

shepherd that

had been

promised in

Ezekiel

Ezekiel 34 · chapter mention

chapter 34.

The one who

had come to

replace the

illegitimate

shepherds.

Those scribes

and Pharisees

who only cared

about themselves.

Those scribes

and Pharisees

whose work

was dysfunctional.

Jesus came to

set the record

straight.

He came as

the only

legitimate

shepherd of

his people.

One voice

and one

leader knowing

who was part

of his

flock.

Jesus

begins this

section

identifying

the threat.

What is the

threat of not

following the

good shepherd?

He says

here in

verse 1

those

who do not

enter the

sheepfold by

the door

but climb

in another

way that

man is a

thief and

a robber.

What is the

alternative to

finding and

following the

good shepherd?

The alternative

is to

follow those

who are

robbers and

thieves.

Those who have

no interest

in the

flock as

we read

from Ezekiel

Ezekiel 34 · chapter mention

chapter 34.

Those who

only have

self-interest.

Jesus

describes them

even more

in verse 8

when he says

all who

came before

me are

thieves and

robbers but

the sheep

did not

listen to

them.

They're only

interested in

themselves.

They're only

interested in

their own

welfare.

They're not

interested in

how to care

for the

sheep but

how to care

for themselves.

But Jesus

stands out

as the

legitimate

shepherd caring

for the

flock and

we'll learn

about that

more as

the passage

goes on.

I am

the good

shepherd

Jesus says.

And as

Micah

prophesied in

Micah chapter

Micah 5 · chapter mention

5-4 he says

this,

the Messiah

would arise

and shepherd

his flock

in strength

of the

Lord.

In the

majesty of

the name

of the

Lord his

God.

And here

Jesus has

stepped onto

the scene.

Jesus is

speaking directly

to these

Pharisees,

these religious

leaders and

he says,

I am the

only legitimate

shepherd.

One commentator

writes of his

experience in

the land of

Israel.

His experience

of all of

these sheep

being joined

together in

one enclosure.

Four different

groups of

sheep and

four different

shepherds who

all put their

sheep in one

enclosure for

the night.

One place of

protection.

But in the

morning when

the sheep are

to be let

out, each

shepherd calls

their sheep

with their own

distinct whistle

or their own

distinct call.

And all of

those sheep that

belong to that

shepherd then

follow that

shepherd out.

That is the

picture of what

we have here.

The picture of

those who know

the Savior, who

know the

shepherd will

follow their

shepherd.

But this

morning I want

to concentrate on

the shepherd

himself.

And then in a

couple of weeks

when we come

back to this,

I want to talk

about the

sheep and what

the sheep do.

But the

question for us

this morning is,

are you listening

to the voice of

your shepherd?

Do you know

the voice of

your shepherd?

Are you turning

up the volume of

the voice of

your shepherd in

your life?

Because to do

otherwise, to

listen to the

thieves and the

robbers, the

illegitimate

shepherds as

they were, could

be fatal, could

be risky, could

be detrimental to

you spiritually.

But the joy is

that he is not

only the

legitimate shepherd,

we find here

also that he is

the loving

shepherd.

shepherd.

We find that

here in verse

three and

also scattered

throughout the

rest of these

verses, it says

this in verse

three at the

end, the sheep

hear his voice

and he calls

his own sheep

by name and

leads them out.

Sheep hear his

voice and in

verse 9b he

says, I am the

door.

If anyone enters

by me he will

be saved and

he will go in

and out and

find pasture.

Pasture.

Verse 12 and

13, Jesus

draws a contrast

between his

shepherding and

the hired hand.

He says, the

hired hand and

not a shepherd who

does not own the

sheep sees a wolf

coming and

flees.

He flees because

he is a hired

hand and cares

nothing for the

sheep.

in contrast

with the good

shepherd who

cares everything

for the sheep.

And then in

verse 14, I am

the good shepherd.

I know my own

and my own

know me.

In these verses,

this collection or

cluster of verses

and thoughts that

John is bringing

together, not in a

linear stream but

as kind of a

collective idea,

John is helping

his reader understand

that there is a

loving shepherd.

shepherd.

Jesus is the

good shepherd who

loves his sheep.

Notice the

intimate relationship

that he has with

them.

He calls them by

name.

They are his

own.

In verse 14, he

claims them and

they claim him.

Their feelings are

reciprocal, flowing

from one to the

other and back and

forth.

There is this

mutual care and

love between them.

But notice also the

implicit trust.

The sheep hear his

voice.

He calls them and

they follow.

They follow because

they trust in the

places where he

leads.

They trust that he

has their best

interest in mind.

But also notice the

gracious care.

We find that in

verse 9.

There is

deliverance.

Deliverance from

the wolves.

There is

protection.

There is

provision as he

leads them to the

pasture.

It is reminiscent of

Psalm 23 that we

kind of read

responsibly this

morning.

The Lord is my

shepherd.

I shall not want.

He leads me in

green pastures.

He leads me beside

the still waters.

Jesus is making

another bold

comparison.

He is that good

shepherd.

The shepherd that

cares for his sheep.

Not only the

legitimate shepherd but

the good shepherd who

loves and cares for

his own.

The distinction

between this shepherd

and the hired hand

comes front and

center.

The hired hand that

cares nothing about

the sheep.

Whereas this good

shepherd cares and

loves for his sheep.

And we will see the

extent of that love

in a moment.

The term for good

is the term

kalos.

It is the implication

of beauty.

The implication of

something being

authentic.

John I think uses

this as he does in

many other ways to

call to attention the

authentic care and

concern of this good

shepherd.

All throughout the

gospel of John he

is drawing attention

to Jesus as the only

true one.

He is the true

light.

He is the true

judge.

He is the true

bread.

He is the true

vine.

He is the true

testimony.

All throughout the

gospel of John he

is trying to draw

attention to Jesus

as the only one.

And here he is the

only good shepherd.

The only loving and

caring leader of his

flock.

Describes the

significance of his

relationship in this

term to know.

This is the term not

only to know facts

and data as we saw a

couple of weeks ago

we understand that

when the gospel uses

this word know it's

talking about the

intimacy of relationship.

That Adam knew Eve

and they had children.

That God is one who

desires this intimate

relationship with us.

One that goes beyond

what we know about him

and leads us to

trusting him and

following him and

loving him

experientially.

There is intimacy in

this knowledge with

God.

The depth of that

knowledge between the

persons of the

trinity then shows up

here as well.

In verse 14 it

says,

I am the good

shepherd.

I know my own and

my own know me.

Notice this.

Verse 15.

Just as the father

knows me and I know

the father.

that's the extent to

which the relationship

that we can have with

God can go.

It's almost mysterious.

It is almost beyond

comprehension.

That we can have this

abiding intimate

relationship with a

holy God.

In a few chapters from

now Jesus says,

abide in me and I

will abide in you.

My words abide in

you.

This ongoing

perpetual relationship

that we can have

with God.

This intimacy that we

can experience with

the creator himself.

To think that we can

participate in that

kind of knowledge.

That kind of

fellowship with our

good shepherd.

This morning I wonder

again.

Are you one who is

listening to the

voice of your good

shepherd?

Do you see him as a

loving shepherd?

Well he's not only

the legitimate shepherd.

He's not only the

loving shepherd.

But we find here

also that he is the

leading shepherd.

The leading shepherd.

We find that here at

the end of verse 3

and then continuing on

to verse 4.

It says,

The sheep hear his

voice.

He calls his sheep by

name and he leads

them out.

And when he is brought

out all of his own,

he goes before them

and the sheep follow

him.

For they know his

voice.

We find in verse 3

that he is leading

them.

We find in verse 4

that he is leading

them.

In verse 5 we see the

contrast that they

will not follow the

counterfeits.

We find also in verse

16 he says that he

has other sheep that

he will find and he

will lead them out.

He is the leading

shepherd.

The shepherd will

lead.

So what does he lead

us with and what does

he lead us to?

Well he leads us with

himself.

He leads us with his

truth.

And he leads us

into righteousness.

He leads us into

deeper revelation of

himself.

He leads us into

relationship with

him.

He leads us to

protection and

provision and

safety in himself.

Essentially he leads

us to God.

The Lord's assertion

is here.

All who came before

me are thieves and

robbers.

Now that's an

unusual statement.

What does Jesus

mean by that?

Does it mean that

John the Baptist,

does it mean that

Moses and Abraham

who came before

Jesus are illegitimate

in some way?

No, what it means

is that those who

lead to God are

leading for him.

Whereas those who

stand in the way of

God are leading in

the way that these

are thieves and

robbers.

Jesus was referring

to the false

shepherds of

Israel.

Her wicked kings,

her corrupt

priests, her

false prophets,

her pseudo-messiahs.

Jesus was saying

that the quality of

those who would be

true shepherds,

who would represent

the over-shepherd,

would be those who

would be governed by

the truth of God's

word in leading

people in to

truth.

Whereas false

shepherds always

lead away from God

rather than leading

to God.

All throughout the

gospels, Jesus'

clarion call was

follow me.

As the shepherd,

he had the right to

say, follow me.

And he did on

numerous occasions.

Twenty-two times he

says this throughout

the gospels.

He says, follow me

and uses those

specific words.

This would be

synonymous with

discipleship.

This would be the

defining quality for

those who belonged

to him.

They would follow

the good shepherd.

They would follow

Jesus.

As Luke 9, 23

says, if anyone

desires to come

after me,

let him deny

himself, take up

his cross daily

and follow me.

Let me ask you

this morning, are

you following after

your Savior?

Are you following

after your good

shepherd today?

In order to

follow your good

shepherd, you have

to know what your

good shepherd says.

And in order to

know what your

good shepherd says,

you have to be

immersed into the

truths, into the

word that God has

given to you to

know who he is

and to know his

instructions for

your life.

I've got a

confession to make.

It is really easy

for me to lose

touch with the

truths of the

scripture.

It's really easy

for me to get

distracted and

caught up in the

affairs of life and

to set that aside.

God, anyone like

me out there?

How many, how many

mornings go by where

your good intentions

are overcome by a

sleepy eyes?

Your desire to get

up in the morning,

your desire to carve

out that special time

of just you and

the Lord is

overcome by the

distractions of the

day, by the agenda

of your schedule,

what you know is

coming.

It's really easy for

us to get overcome

by the affairs of

this life and to

miss the voice

speaking through his

word, the voice of

our Savior, our good

shepherd speaking

speaking through his

word.

But if you want to

be led today, if you

want to follow the

good shepherd today,

you need to listen to

his voice.

Are you listening to

the voice of your

good shepherd?

And finally, finally

we come to this last

aspect of our good

shepherd, that he is

the life-giving

shepherd.

shepherd.

He is the life-giving

shepherd.

And there are two

aspects of this last

feature.

The first is that he

gave his life for you.

The second is that he

offers life, abundant

life, for you.

So he gave his life so

that you could have life

and so that you could

have it to the full, so

that you could have it

abundantly.

He is the life-giving

shepherd.

And five times, in

eight verses, this

quality of our Savior

comes to the forefront.

In verse 11, underline,

the good shepherd lays

down his life for his

sheep.

In verse 15, underline,

I lay down my life for

the sheep.

In verse 17, I lay down

my life that I may take

it up again.

And in verse 18, two

times, I lay it down on

my own accord.

And I have authority to

lay it down.

And I have authority to

take it up again.

This is a distinct

feature of the gospel of

John.

And in using this phrase

of Jesus willingly laying

his life down for his

sheep.

phrase is unique to John.

And this is the quality

of shepherding that sets

Jesus apart from all

other shepherds.

It was a self-sacrificing

love, not a self-serving

love.

It was the love of Christ

in laying it down.

Those religious leaders who

were standing in this

audience were only

interested in what they

could get from people.

And Jesus had confronted

them on numerous occasions

about their love for

attention, their love for

authority, their love for

prominence in setting the

rules.

They loaded men down with

burdens too hard to bear.

They would tie the mint,

but they would not tie their

works.

They would not love God in

the justice and grace that

he had called them to love.

These leaders had fattened

themselves in the flock but

cared nothing about the

souls of those.

They were called to lead.

But at the end of the day,

isn't that what sheep are

for?

If you were to think about

it, aren't sheep for the

benefit of the shepherd?

In a really practical way,

the sheep provide nourishment

for the shepherd.

They provide clothing for the

shepherd.

But let's not allow our

familiarity with this text and

the understanding of Jesus'

self-sacrificing love to help

bring this into the forefront.

This is a unique and divine

love.

This is a self-sacrificing

love.

This is a love that goes

beyond extraordinary.

This is a love of Christ for

his people.

A divine love.

It's a love we find was given

willingly.

It says in verse 18,

no one takes it from me,

but I lay it down of my own

accord.

It was a powerful love.

I have authority, he says in

verse 18, to lay it down and I

have authority to take it up

again.

It was an obedient love.

He says at the end of verse 18,

this charge I received from my

father.

This life-giving shepherd gave his

life to show his love.

And in giving his life, he offers

life.

Life for us.

Life that is abundant.

We find that in verse 10 at the

end.

It says this,

I came that they may have life

and have it abundantly.

To excess.

To the max.

Overflowing.

Would you describe your life in

those terms?

That your life is lived to the

full.

That your life is lived to the

max.

That your life is abundant and

full of joy.

That's the life that Christ came

to give.

And it's not a life that is

wrapped up in the circumstances

of the day.

It is a life that is resting in

the hope of eternity.

In the accomplishment of Christ.

And what he's accomplished for

you in leading you to eternity.

In giving you eternal life.

Forgiveness from sin.

In fellowship with the Savior.

So we come full circle this

morning.

We could at the very close of

the service offer an invitation

for those who don't know Christ

to come and to receive him.

To enter into fellowship with him

and certainly that offer is there.

But I would like to invite those

of you who do know the Savior.

Are you listening to the voice

of your Savior today?

Are you enjoying his abundant life?

Are you blown away by the

person of Christ?

The good shepherd who sets himself

up as the only legitimate standard.

the only legitimate leader.

The only legitimate lover

of his people.

The only one who cares

for your soul and cares

for your situation.

He is a worthy shepherd.

Lord.

I wonder

how many mornings

have slipped by

or how many evenings

whenever your time is

to be with your Savior

in a

undistracted way

without these competing

voices in your ear

so that you can

turn up the volume

of God

turn up the volume

of his voice

and turn down

the volume of the world.

Are you listening

to your Savior

this morning?

Do the affections

of this world

have they overshadowed

your first love?

Or can you say

with my friend

continually

in longing

for my first love

content with that

and no burden?

What would happen

this week?

Let's keep it

in manageable chunks.

What would happen

this week

if you turned off

the TV?

What would happen

this week

if you turned off

the Game Boy?

You turned off

the games on

the phones

or the iPads

or whatever it is.

Turned off

the music.

Turned on

the Word.

Listened to the Scripture.

Read the Word.

Spent some

time in prayer.

Carved it out

free of distraction.

In the morning

with a coffee cup

in your hand perhaps.

Whatever works for you.

What would happen

this week

if you turned up

the volume

of the voice of God

in your life

and turned down

the volume

of the world?

Let me offer

some suggestions.

Read the Gospel

of John

this week.

There's 21 chapters,

three chapters a day.

That's not too bad.

You could probably

do that in 10 minutes.

But as you're reading

through,

take some notes.

Underline some

key phrases.

Like,

maybe circle the word

believe.

I challenge you

to do that

and without looking

at a concordance,

tell me how many

times the word

believe

shows up

in the Gospel

of John.

You will be

blown away.

I mean,

that's why

John wrote this.

He wrote this

so that you would

believe.

So see

how important

believing is

to John

and how it

plays itself

out throughout

this Gospel.

See how many

times Jesus

is in Jerusalem

and how important

that is

as he is

bringing

the message

directly to

the shepherds

of Israel.

Highlight the

I am statements

and know where

they are.

Highlight the

truly,

truly statements

in the Scripture.

Highlight the words

love

and whatever

else stands

out

and be amazed

once again

at your

good shepherd.

Let's pray.

Oh Lord,

I pray this week

there would be

a holy

amazement

of our God.

A brand

new

appreciation

for who

you are.

A wondering,

a marveling

at the

grace

and love

of God

as you

seek to

lead us

tenderly,

compassionately,

protectively.

Your concern

for us

stands in

contrast

with the

self-serving

love of

all those

other voices

that seek

to redirect

our attention.

So,

this week,

Lord,

we give you

our affections,

we give you

our time

and we

commit ourselves

this week

to make it

a whole new

experience of

falling in love

with our

Savior.

So,

Lord,

help us

in that

endeavor.

I pray that you

would show up

in unique ways

for each person

who is here,

that you would

show the qualities

of yourself

as the

good

shepherd

who loves

his people,

who laid down

his life

for his people,

who offers

life abundantly

and full.

May we

experience a

measure of

that

this week

as we

turn up the

volume on

the still

small voice,

we listen

to your

direction

and your

leadership

and all the

affairs of

this life.

We pray

these things

in Jesus'

name.

Amen.