I Am the Good Shepherd
Text: John 10:11-18
Core Idea: Jesus Christ is our Good Shepherd who knows us completely, gives Himself willingly, and seeks out the lost passionately. Are you one of His sheep? Let’s worship and rest in His grace. Do you want to be part of His flock? Offer yourself to Him today because, in Him, you’ll find life and life to the full.
INTRODUCTION
Today, we’ll take a break from our current sermon series and look at two “I AM” statements of Jesus to prepare ourselves for Easter. Now, for those of you who may not be familiar with them, think of them as statements made by Jesus to describe the essence of His identity and mission – to teach us who He is and what He came to do. There are seven in total – “I AM the Bread of Life (Jn. 6:35); I AM the Light of the world (Jn. 8:12); I AM the Gate for the sheep (Jn. 10:7); I AM the Good Shepherd (Jn. 10:11); I AM the Resurrection and the Life (Jn. 11:25); I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life (Jn. 14:6); and I AM the True Vine (Jn. 15:1).” Now, they’re extremely important for another reason, in that, “I AM” was the personal name of God Himself. In Exodus 3, when Moses asked, “Who should I say has sent me?” God responded, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you’” (Ex. 3:14). Up until this point, the Israelites referred to God only as “Elohim” – which is just a Hebrew word for “God.” But for the first time in history, God was disclosing His name with His people – “I AM WHO I AM” or “Yahweh” in Hebrew. Now, without going into too much detail, I AM is the ultimate statement of self-sufficiency and self-existence, in that, His existence is not contingent upon anyone else, and His plans are not contingent upon any circumstances. It’s basically saying that He is who He says He is – glorious, eternal, and unchanging. And here was Jesus applying that name to Himself – which by the way was intentionally done to declare His divinity. How do I know? Because the Bible tells us that there was an uproar from the Pharisees every time Jesus made these statements – they accused Him of blasphemy. We may not fully get it, but these religious leaders knew exactly what Jesus was doing – no wonder they were constantly plotting to kill Jesus. These statements clearly show us that Jesus wasn’t just a great teacher or a gifted helper to God, but that He really was God incarnate, the Promised Messiah that the Israelites have been so desperately waiting for. Then this Easter, let these messages help you fix your eyes on Jesus (the Author and Perfecter of our faith) so that you won’t go through this season mindlessly but respond in passionate worship to our Lord and Savior. With that in mind, please open your Bibles to John 10:11-18. We’ll look at the statement, “I AM the Good Shepherd” today, and “I AM the Resurrection and the Life” next Sunday. John 10:11-18 – let me read this for us.
11 “I am the Good Shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 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. 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.”
Amen. This is the Word of God for you today.
Let me share three things from this passage.
· THE GOOD SHEPHERD KNOWS US COMPLETELY
· THE GOOD SHEPHERD GIVES HIMSELF WILLINGLY
· THE GOOD SHEPHERD SEEKS OUT THE LOST PASSIONATELY
1) THE GOOD SHEPHERD KNOWS US COMPLETELY
Verse 14, “I am the Good Shepherd; I know My sheep and My sheep know Me.” It makes sense that a good shepherd knows his sheep because he’s the one who takes care of the sheep. He’s not a partner to the sheep – but he really is everything to the sheep. Now, I’m not exaggerating when I say this because, in my research, I learned that sheep are incredibly dependent animals. They simply cannot survive on their own – which means that they need a shepherd who knows them well to care for them. Then why are they so dependent? Three reasons. First, sheep are dim-witted. There was a short article published on The Peninsula Qatar titled “400 Sheep Fall Off Cliff in Turkey” – and this is what it said, “Hundreds of sheep followed their leader off a cliff in eastern Turkey, plunging to their deaths this week while shepherds looked on in dismay. Four hundred sheep fell 15 metres to their deaths in a ravine in Van province near Iran but broke the fall of another 1,100 animals who survived, newspaper reports said yesterday. Shepherds from Ikizler village neglected the flock while eating breakfast, leaving the sheep to roam free, the Radikal daily said. The loss to local farmers was estimated at $74,000.” Can you just imagine this scene? 1,500 sheep – just walking off a cliff, one after the other. It’s completely absurd but it clearly tells us that they’re really not the smartest animals in the world. No wonder they need a shepherd. Second, sheep are directionless. Studies show that sheep are prone to wander (as the article clearly showed). Even if you put them in the most perfect environment with everything they need (like green pastures and still waters), if the shepherd doesn’t micromanage, sooner or later they will wander off and get lost. Lastly, sheep are defenseless. Left to themselves, sheep will not and cannot last very long because they cannot fight or run well. If a predator came, they would just flock together hoping that another sheep would be taken. All that to say, sheep need a shepherd who knows them well – someone who knows the needs of his sheep, lives with them, and takes care of them in every possible way.
Now, Jesus tells us that He’s our Good Shepherd and that we are His sheep – that He knows everything about us. Then how does this make you feel? Comforted? Warm? Peaceful? If you know Christ as your Lord and Savior, it definitely should. But what if you don’t know Him well? Then this could be a frightening thing. Let me explain. What if a stranger came up to you and said, “I know everything about you. In fact, I know what you did last week”? How would you feel? Safe? Probably not. You’ll be incredibly uncomfortable – maybe even scared because you don’t know what they really know. The truth is that we all want to be known – which is why we value relationships. But at the same time, we don’t really want people to know everything about us – which is why when people get too close to us, we draw a line and say, “You can come this much but no more than that.” Why? Because we don’t want to be rejected – because we feel like they’ll despise us if they find out the real us. So, even though we want to be known, we don’t want people to know us completely. Then how terrifying is it to hear that the Creator God, the King of kings, the One who will come to judge the world knows us inside out? Our instinct will be to hide because all of us have thought, said, and done things that we’re not proud of – the things that we know are far short of God’s holy standard. But, knowing this, Jesus gives us a reason why it’s safe to trust Him.
Verse 14, “I know My sheep and My sheep know Me – just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father.” What kind of relationship do God the Father and God the Son (Jesus) have with each other? The one that is driven by love. The Bible tells us that they have been praising one another, honoring one another, delighting in one another, and serving one another for all eternity – which means that for Jesus to know us is for Him to love us unconditionally because that’s exactly how the Father relates to Jesus. Does that make sense? To put it differently, Jesus not only knows us to the bottom, but He also loves us to the skies. Yes, He knows the darkest side of our hearts, but He also loves us with endless patience and grace. Yes, He knows that we don’t deserve life, but He also gives it to us anyway simply because He loves us and is committed to us. Brothers and sisters, Jesus tells us that He treasures us. You’re not just one of many sheep among the flock. No, He knows you by your name. He knows your needs. He knows your deepest thoughts and your silent longings. He knows it all, and He also loves you. He wants to care for you. And most importantly, He delights in you. Think about how radical that is. We are sinners deserving of death and yet He has set His heart upon us. Dane Ortlund writes, “His heart for His own is not like an arrow, shot quickly but soon falling to the ground; or a runner, quick out of the gate, soon slowing and faltering. His heart is an avalanche, gathering momentum with time, a wildfire, growing in intensity as it spreads.” Friends, that’s the kind of love that He has for you – it’s an avalanche, a wildfire that can never be stopped. Have you experienced this love yet? Are you aware of this love daily? It’s available for you today. Now, if you’re in any way hesitant to come because you feel like you’re just not good enough, because you feel like you’ve done something that can never be forgiven, because you feel like He can never love you if He found out the real you, remember that He knows you to the bottom – which means that nothing will surprise Him. You might say, “Jesus, You don’t understand – if You knew what I was thinking...” Jesus will just say, “But I do know – and I still love you.” “But when people found out that I did this and that, they all left me.” “But I’ll never leave you or forsake you.” “But I might disappoint You and let You down.” “That’s okay. I love you not because you’re perfect but because you’re Mine. No matter what, My love for you will never waver. I will never fail you.” Friends, do you know this Good Shepherd? I pray that you’ll meet Him today – and if you already do, I pray that you’ll cultivate deeper intimacy with Him.
2) THE GOOD SHEPHERD GIVES HIMSELF WILLINGLY
Verse 11, “I am the Good Shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” Jesus tells us that He’s a Good Shepherd, that He knows us and loves us because He lays down His life for us. Now, I’m sure shepherding is not easy – it must be tiring and sometimes dangerous. But even then, no shepherd would actually die for their sheep. They may take care of them, guide them, and go out of their way to protect them in the face of danger but they won’t give their life for their sheep because even though they are important, they’re not that important. In fact, there’s not a single story in the Bible where we see a shepherd dying for his sheep – except this one. Then we can’t help but ask, “Why? Why would He do this for His sheep?” Because of His unwavering love for us. That’s exactly what we talked about in the previous point. Then, here, what I want to show you is how He displayed that love for us. Now, pay attention to what I’m about to say because this is just absolutely amazing. Jesus wasn’t saying, “I will stand to protect My sheep even if I have to lay down My life for them” – which is still noble. But He was instead saying, “I will stand to protect My sheep by laying down My life for them.” Do you see the difference? It’s not that He will do this if it’s necessary – the way that He will protect them is through giving up His life for them. If you’re wondering where I got that, look with me to verse 11 again, “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” This word “for” in Greek is huper which has the nuance of “instead of.” In other words, Jesus was basically saying, “I’m a Good Shepherd and this is how I show My love to My sheep – I lay down My life on their behalf. When the wolf comes, I will take their place – I will substitute My place with them so that they can go free.” This is incredibly important because it shows us that Jesus knew exactly what His mission was. He knew that He came not to be served but to serve. He came not to reign but to die for His people so that in taking their place, they would have life and life to the full. In fact, that’s exactly what happened on the cross. The wolf that’s mentioned here is not ultimately talking about false teachers and bad leaders (though they certainly can lead the sheep astray) – Jesus was talking about our greatest enemy, death. Because of our sin and disobedience, all of us were guilty and deserving of death. Listen to how Paul describes this in Ephesians 2:1-9, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins… All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.” That’s what Christ did for us.
Now, let’s not ever think that this was easy for Jesus – just because He laid down His life for us as the Good Shepherd doesn’t mean that it was effortless and painless. In fact, His agony is clearly displayed in Mark 14 as we find Jesus deeply distressed and troubled at the Garden of Gethsemane. We read that He was deeply distressed and troubled – being overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death (Mk. 14:33-34). And if that wasn’t enough, listen to His prayer in Mark 14:36 which He prayed as He was sweating drops of blood, “Abba, Father, everything is possible for You. Take this cup from Me.” Imagine this with me. The Son was speaking to His Father, “Father, I know that You can do all things. All things are possible for You. Then could You remove this cup from Me? Is there any other way? I’m dying down here. I’m hurting so bad. Remove this burden from Me.” We know that He was desperate for this because we read that Jesus prayed this three times. But listen to the way He ended that prayer every time, “Yet not what I will, but what You will” (Mk. 14:36). Jesus was saying, “Father, I know what I want. But I pray that Your will be done because if You say so, I’ll gladly obey because I know that Your ways are always good.” And the crazy thing is that Isaiah 53:10 says, “Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer.” In other words, God was saying, “Son, I know Your pain. But it is My will to crush You because this is the only way to save My people. They have no way to pay the penalty for their sins – and they certainly don’t have the power to overcome death. You must die in their place so that they may have life and life to the full.” And that’s exactly what Jesus did.
Verse 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 was basically saying, “No one is forcing Me to do this – I’m doing this because I desire to do this. It’s My choice. I do this because I want to do the Father’s will.” This is very important to point out because it means that He wasn’t being helplessly victimized by a series of unfortunate events. This wasn’t an accident. And this certainly wasn’t meaningless. No, Jesus died to substitute His place with us. He was taking our place, taking our sins upon Himself so that we would take His place of righteousness. He was being treated the way we should be treated so that we would be treated the way He should be treated. He was bound so that we might go free. He took the punishment so that we could have the reward. He took the cross so that we could receive the crown. He died in the dark so that we might live in the light. The Son of God was rejected by the Father so that we may become sons and daughters of God. Isaiah 53:5 says, “He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed.” Brothers and sisters, this is the kind of love that Jesus has for you today – the kind of love that lays down His life so that you and I can have life and life to the full. Then let me ask the Christians, “When’s the last time you thanked and worshiped Jesus for that – for the fact that He was nailed upon the cross for you, that you no longer have to fear death, that you can have hope and courage even if you’re walking through the valley of the shadow death all because He laid down His life for you?” I pray that this gospel truth will move you to passionately worship Jesus today – to honor the Lord knowing that He alone is worthy of our praise.
But there’s one more application – namely, that we can be confident of our salvation. I know that this wasn’t part of our passage but a few verses down, this is what Jesus says in John 10:27-28, “My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of My hand.” Once you are His sheep, you’ll forever be His sheep. Now, you might say, “But what happens if I just walk away from Him? Wouldn’t that be the end of the story since I’m no longer doing life with Him?” If you’re thinking this way, I want to turn your attention to Luke 15:4-6 because Jesus tells us what a Good Shepherd does if and when a sheep wanders off – “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’” What does the shepherd do when just one sheep wanders away? He goes after the sheep, puts it on his shoulders, and comes back home. And when he gets home, he tells his friends, “Let’s have a party. I found my sheep.” Isn’t that just an amazing picture of our relationship with Christ? If we were ever to wander off, Jesus reminds us that He will go after us and carry us back on His shoulders. He doesn’t do this out of duty – He doesn’t come back and say, “I can’t believe that I have to do this again! Why do I have to constantly go out of My way to get the sheep that doesn’t even want to be in the pen? This is not what I signed up to do!” No, that’s not what He says – instead, Jesus tells us that there will be a great rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents. Friends, no one can snatch you out of His hands because you are safe in His arms. In fact, even if you wander off, He’ll carry you back home again and again and again. Then I invite you to rest in Him today – let Him guide you, protect you, feed you, and shape you in every aspect of your life. You can entrust yourself to Him, depend on Him daily because He is our Good Shepherd.
3) THE GOOD SHEPHERD SEEKS OUT THE LOST PASSIONATELY
Verse 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.” I know we didn’t get to talk about the context but, here, Jesus was speaking to the Jewish audience – which means that the other sheep that He refers to in this passage are the Gentiles just like you and me. This is important to see because it shows us that God’s heart doesn’t just go out to Israel but to all nations. No wonder we read in the Book of Revelation that men and women from every tribe, tongue, and nation will worship the Lord when Christ comes back. All that to say, Jesus desires to see people from all nations being reconciled to God so that they may receive life and life to the full. Then how will He accomplish this? He will go and bring them back.
Now, I’m sure you’ve heard of the term “seeker.” It’s a word used by Christians to describe those who haven’t made the decision to give their lives to Jesus but are intentionally asking questions about the Christian faith because they really want to understand what it teaches. In fact, we may have some seekers in this room right now – and if that’s you, thank you for spending your time with us. My prayer for you is that your minds will be satisfied by the truth of God, that your hearts will be captivated by the beauty of Christ, and that your lives will be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit so that you’ll not only understand but embrace this good news that we all love so much. Now, as much as you’ve been deliberately seeking, what I want you to see from this verse is that Jesus has been seeking after you as well. Why? Because He wants to be your Shepherd, to bring you into His pen so that you can have life and life to the full. In fact, I firmly believe that the very reason why you’re here today is because He has been seeking after you – in other words, it’s not a coincidence that you came. You’re here because He has been reaching out to you – prompting you and moving your heart to grow in your curiosity, to hunger for intimacy, love, and hope which can only be found in Christ alone. Then, friends, let Him minister to you, serve you, and lead you. Jesus can be your Good Shepherd too if you would just surrender yourself to Him. So, don’t delay – come and receive this wonderful love that He has for you today.
But what does this mean for Christians? Is there anything we can take home? Absolutely. Because we’re called to follow in His steps, if Jesus desires to bring the lost sheep back to His pen, it should be our desire to do the same – to join Him in leading people around us to the Good Shepherd, the true Seeker. What does this mean practically? Well, it definitely means that we should resume praying for the lost in our lives again. Because we know that the Holy Spirit alone can turn a heart of stone into a heart of flesh, we must endeavor to intercede for their souls – asking God to have mercy on them and that He would open their eyes to see and taste the goodness of God. But this also means that we must do life with them and love them so that when an opportunity arises for us to share the gospel, they will respond with open hearts. Now, I’m not saying that you should view them as projects – engaging with them, doing life with them only to evangelize. No, what I’m saying is that we should carefully look for ways to share the gospel with them because we love them and because we firmly believe that Jesus is the only One they truly need. Will they always respond with open hearts? Of course not. You may be rejected and ridiculed – but what I want to remind you is that your labor won’t be wasted. It’s true that we may not see the fruit of our work but those who are truly His will one day respond – and we’ll know that all our prayers and sacrifices were worth it. Then let’s faithfully go and make Christ known to the world – following the steps of our Good Shepherd. But let’s also go confidently knowing that His sheep will hear His voice and become part of the flock – our labor will not be in vain.
CONCLUSION
Lighthouse family, Jesus Christ is our Good Shepherd who knows us completely, gives Himself willingly, and seeks out the lost passionately. Are you one of His sheep? Let’s worship and rest in His grace. Do you want to be part of His flock? Then know that He has been waiting for you. So, offer yourself to Him today because, in Him, you’ll find life and life to the full.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1) Jesus shares that He is our Good Shepherd. What do you think it means? What do you feel when you hear this? How does this truth impact your life today?
2) Read verse 14. Are you comforted or frightened to hear that Jesus knows you completely? How does verse 15 offer you a reason to trust Him? What does it mean to rest in His love?
3) Read verses 11 and 18. What do these verses tell us about Jesus’ identity and mission? How can this truth transform every aspect of your life? Share examples.
4) Read verse 16. How is Jesus the true Seeker? How does this motivate our evangelism? Pray for the lost in your life – that the beauty of Christ will be made known to them during this Easter season.