[0:00] Well, it's good to come together to study God's Word. As you're aware, we've been doing a study in the seven I Am sayings of Jesus in the Gospel of John.
[0:13] ! For those that are visiting here, as you can see there, we're now at the passage that we read at the Good Shepherd. We've looked at the bread of life. Jesus claimed that he was the light of the world and the gate for the sheep.
[0:26] And we pray that as we come together tonight and look at what Jesus says to us as the Good Shepherd, that we would indeed, each one of us, know the Good Shepherd and be guided by the Good Shepherd in our own lives.
[0:44] So as we continue this study, we pray that God will bless us. We pray that as we look at the Good Shepherd tonight, that whatever may be on your mind, whatever you may be thinking about, that you would indeed know what it is to be still before God and think on His Word and what He is saying to each one of us this evening.
[1:10] So in turning to the passage, particularly John 10, verses 10 to 18, I do appreciate that Ken may be volunteering to read.
[1:24] He didn't expect to have to read such a long passage, but I thank him for reading it and pray that we are indeed blessed as we now turn to study it.
[1:34] As I said, we're now in the fourth of our studies. And the last time we were together, we looked at Jesus being the gate of the sheep.
[1:47] And as we studied that, we looked at what it was like for Eastern shepherds in the past. But we also looked in the passage as Jesus spoke to the people that were there with him, that the priests were then referred to as thieves and robbers.
[2:09] And please remember that as we study the passage tonight again. We see right away in the passage again that there's reference made to thieves and robbers.
[2:21] And we see that the children of Israel again are referred to as sheep. And so often we see ourselves as sheep.
[2:36] Now there's so much within the passage that we read. It's difficult for us to spend time studying each verse individually. So it will very much be a skip through the passage.
[2:51] But what we will try and focus on is, as we see on the screen there, Jesus being the good shepherd. We'll look at the claim that Jesus made about himself.
[3:03] We'll then contrast the good shepherd with the hired hands that we read of. We'll look at the commitment of the good shepherd. We'll look at the comfort that we receive from the good shepherd.
[3:16] And finally and quickly we'll look at the call of the great shepherd, of the good shepherd. Right at the beginning we have the claim.
[3:29] But just before we come to the claim in verse 11, we read in John 10.10, where it says, I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
[3:45] And we have a quote from J.C. Ryle in relation to that. The truth contained in these words is of vast importance. They supply an antidote to many crude and unsound notions which are abroad in the world.
[4:02] Christ did not come to be only a teacher of a new morality or an example of holiness and self-denial or a founder of new ceremonies, as some have foolishly asserted.
[4:14] He left heaven and dwelt for 33 years on earth for far higher ends than these. He came to procure eternal life for humanity. By the price of his own victorious death, he came to be a mighty fountain of spiritual life for all, to which sinners coming by faith might drink and drinking might live forevermore.
[4:40] By Moses came laws, rules, ordinances and ceremonies. By Christ came grace, truth and eternal life.
[4:53] So if there's any question amongst any here tonight as to why Jesus came, Jesus came to bring eternal life. And I would ask that as we go through the passage this evening, that you do indeed remember these things that have been spoken by J.C. Ryle.
[5:13] So what is the claim that Jesus came to make? We see in verse 11 that Jesus came and made the claim that I am the good shepherd.
[5:29] Now in saying that he was a good shepherd, we can go back to the beginning of John and we see when Nathaniel was introduced to Jesus and was pointed out to Jesus, the first thing that Nathaniel asked, can anything good come out of Nazareth?
[5:47] And then we have in Mark and in Luke, when Jesus is met by the rich young ruler who calls him good, Jesus asks the question, why do you call me good?
[5:58] No one is good except God alone. But then as we read here this evening, I and the Father are one.
[6:10] John 10, 30. So Jesus was asked, can anything good, or was said of Jesus, can anything good come out of Nazareth? Jesus said that there was no one good except God.
[6:24] But then Jesus tells us himself that I and the Father are one. And Jesus claims, and claims rightly, I am the good shepherd.
[6:37] The claim that Jesus made about himself, why does he call himself a shepherd? Well, as we read in Ezekiel, God said that he would come and he would search for those that were lost, the sheep that had been scattered.
[6:53] And Jesus now comes as the good shepherd and comes to find those that are lost. Question for each and every one of us here this evening, are we lost?
[7:10] Or do we know the good shepherd? Have we come to the good shepherd? Let's see what the good shepherd has to say to us as he speaks to us through his word this evening.
[7:21] After saying that he is the good shepherd, what does Jesus then go on to explain? He goes on to explain in verse 12 and 13, He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees.
[7:44] And the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. The hired hand is not committed to the sheep.
[7:57] He doesn't really care for them. He doesn't have any affection for them. As soon as danger is on the horizon, he flees. More concerned about his own welfare than that of the sheep.
[8:10] He runs and leaves the sheep to be preyed on by wolves. As we said, he cares nothing for them. We see in Ezekiel in the earlier part of the passage that again, how Jesus spoke or how the prophet spoke to the priests of old.
[8:31] Some son of man prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to them, even to the shepherds, thus says the Lord, as shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves, should not shepherds feed the sheep.
[8:47] You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with 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.
[9:09] Who would want to be shepherded by shepherds like that? Of all the animals that we see around us, sheep are the ones that need to be looked after.
[9:23] In many respects, they can do nothing for themselves. They need to be gathered, they need to be fed, they need to be led, led to pastures, otherwise they will go and they will wander and wander the hills and very often put themselves into danger as they try and find food.
[9:43] Jesus was speaking to a group in the passage there that would have read and would have sung the 23rd Psalm that we sang in Gaelic earlier on.
[9:56] We can look at the Psalm there and see what it says to us this evening. The contrast again between the hired hand and the good shepherd.
[10:11] 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.
[10:25] A passage that each and every one of us know could probably repeat and rehearse without having to look at it. but do we see what each of these passages or each of these lines actually mean to us?
[10:42] That the Lord is my shepherd. Is that your prayer? Is that your statement this evening? That the Lord is your shepherd? Do you know what it is to have that relationship with the shepherd?
[10:59] You shall not want. He supplies all our need. Do we indeed trust that Jesus does supply all our need?
[11:10] He makes me lie down in green pastures. Do we know the rest and the refreshment that comes from knowing the good shepherd? He restores my soul, the healing that he brings to us.
[11:25] He leads me in paths of righteousness, the guidance that we receive. and the purpose behind it all is for his namesake. Even though I've walked through the valley of the shadow of death, just because we're on the side of the good shepherd doesn't mean that there won't be times of testing and times of trial.
[11:49] But where do we get that protection? With walking with the good shepherd, we know what it is to fear no evil. And then as the psalm goes on, for you are with me, the faithfulness of the good shepherd, he will never leave us.
[12:09] Your rod and your staff they comfort. There are times that each and every one of us need to be disciplined. The rod maybe needs to give us a prod to keep us moving in the right direction so that we don't get stuck in a rut.
[12:25] We maybe need the crook to catch us and guide us as we may be stray. Do we know the discipline of the Lord? Have we experienced the discipline of the Lord?
[12:39] Do we know that we need the discipline of the Lord? The good shepherd prepares a table before us in the presence of our enemies.
[12:51] Do we have that hope that Jesus will prepare a table for each one of us? You anoint my head with oil. The consecration that comes from the good shepherd.
[13:06] And do we know the abundance, the blessing and the security that we will have for eternity. That the good shepherd overflows our cup. That goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our lives.
[13:20] and the security and the joy of dwelling in the house of the Lord. How long for? For eternity.
[13:34] But to experience that, what do we need to do? We need to know the good shepherd. We need to be within the flock of the good shepherd.
[13:44] shepherd. And we need to know that the good shepherd loves each and every one of us. We could read the 20th Psalm and think that it's a great job description for a shepherd.
[14:00] It's almost a perfect job description. But in the passage that we have before us tonight in John, there's one element that adds to it that Jesus himself says that does or would make this a perfect job description.
[14:19] What does Jesus say about the good shepherd? The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. The psalmist spoke of a shepherd that provided everything.
[14:34] Jesus put himself forward as the good shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. And what does that point towards for each and every one of us?
[14:47] If we hear God calling us tonight, it points towards not just a shepherd that was prepared to lay down and stop sheep leaving the fold or stop danger getting into the fold as we looked at before, as we looked how sheep were looked after out in the Far East in days gone by.
[15:10] Jesus is a good shepherd that wasn't just going to lay his life down at the door. He was going to lay his life down so that we could then enter in, not just enter into the sheep fold, but at the end of time enter in to heaven to be with him.
[15:30] And as we learnt before, how do we do that? By believing. Believing in the good shepherd that came to lay down his life.
[15:42] We see in the 23rd Psalm, where else do we see a contrast between what a good shepherd is and what a hired hand is? Well, we can turn to 1 Peter 5 and 2 to 4.
[15:58] And as we read this, we recognise that Peter, Peter wasn't a shepherd. Peter was a fisherman and yet he writes, shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you not for shameful gain, but eagerly, not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.
[16:28] And when the good shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. And when Peter wrote this, primarily he was writing to the elders.
[16:41] But we can read it here this evening and we can apply it to each and every one of us who may be in any position of leadership, whether within the church or within our own homes.
[16:53] How do we guide? How do we lead? How do we nurture? Remembering that as Jesus taught, as Peter taught, we are all like sheep in need of a shepherd.
[17:09] So whether we're involved as elders, deacons, Sunday school teachers, youth leaders, as parents, how do we take on our responsibility of nurturing those that have been put in our care?
[17:24] As we said, Peter was a fisherman, shepherd, but he speaks here in the language of how do we shepherd our flock. Where did he learn that?
[17:37] Well, as we know, Peter disowned Jesus three times, but then on the shores of Galilee, Jesus called him and asked him three times, Peter, do you love me?
[17:50] And as Peter responded, yes, Lord, he was told, feed my lambs, tend my sheep, feed my sheep.
[18:03] What do we feed to lambs? Well, I'm not a shepherd, but I know enough that lambs are fed milk. How do we feed the children that God has blessed us with?
[18:18] Here within the congregation, do we feed them on the milk of God's word? And as they grow, as sheep grow, they have to be tended. And we saw through the 23rd Psalm there how we can be disciplined, how we can be guided, how we can be brought along.
[18:37] At the same time, the sheep need to be fed. And yes, during the summer months when the grass is green, they can be fed and the grass that they can chew on. And during the winter months, they may be taken in and given hay, other feed stuffs that they can chew on.
[18:56] Are you growing from lambs into sheep, having taken the milk of God's word and now feeding upon that which you can chew to understand and grow further in God's work?
[19:12] Peter was taught a lesson and each one of us can learn from it as we take on different roles and different responsibilities whether in our own homes or here within the church and let us be encouraged through that.
[19:32] What does the passage then tell us about the commitment of the good shepherd? Well, we see on five different occasions that the good shepherd as we have spoken about already lays down his life for his sheep.
[19:50] Verse 10, verse 15, verse 17, sorry, verse 11, verse 15, verse 17, and then again in verse 18 where we see that Jesus talks about the good shepherd laying down his life for the sheep.
[20:04] he then says I lay down my life for the sheep. And when he says that he lays down his life, that doesn't mean that Jesus is passive in what happened to him on the cross at Calvary.
[20:23] It doesn't mean that Jesus let everything happen because he had no control over it. It's the exact opposite. Jesus had control over everything.
[20:39] And we see that when we go down into verse 18. I lay down my life of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down.
[20:51] Jesus didn't just be passive. He was very much active. He might have been silent, but he was in control of everything that took place as he was there at the cross.
[21:06] And he was nailed to the cross. Who for? For the lost. The lost sheep. And as we consider these things, as we consider what Jesus did for us on the cross, do we actually recognize that it was for us?
[21:26] And that he was calling us to him? we saw as we looked at the sayings of Jesus on the cross, when we were looking at them back in September and August last year, just how much Jesus was in control of everything that happened on that day at the cross.
[21:50] The soldiers didn't have to come and kill him or break his legs. He breathed his last. He was the one that was in control.
[22:02] And that same one that was in control on that day is the one that was here speaking as the good shepherd. Jesus was committed to laying down his life.
[22:16] Why? For us. Why? Because he was the only one that could. He was the one and only son.
[22:28] And he was the only one that could come and die for us. And we learn that Jesus loves the sheep. They had been given to him by his father. The sheep in the fold had been bought by his blood.
[22:42] When Jesus spoke these words to the original audience that were around him, he was speaking about something that was going to happen in the future. That he would lay down his life for the sheep.
[22:55] As we read, and as we study this tonight, that event has taken place. He did lay down his life for us. We have been bought with a price.
[23:09] Are we hearing his message and his call? Comment on verse 17 as we see it there, for this reason the father loves me.
[23:21] Because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. We read in other gospels that at the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist, the voice that came from heaven and spoke declared, this is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased.
[23:42] It was an unconditional love between the father and the son. the father didn't need a reason to love the son. But Jesus tells us here, if you needed any justification or any reason as to why the father loved the son, it was because the son was prepared to come and lay down his life that he may take it up again.
[24:07] And in these verses, Jesus doesn't just speak about him laying down his life and dying for the lost sinners of this world. But he points towards his resurrection.
[24:20] His resurrection from the dead and the joy that that brings to each one of us that he overcame death and came back to life and now sits waiting to come back again.
[24:37] The great comfort that we have in knowing that Jesus promised when he said that he was a great shepherd that he would lay down his life has taken place.
[24:49] Which brings us to the point of what is the other comfort that we have in the good shepherd? Ken read for us in Ezekiel 34 chapter 4.
[25:03] Behold, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so I will seek out my sheep and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of cloud and thick darkness.
[25:20] I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and I will bring them into their own land and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel by the ravines and in all the inhabited places of the country.
[25:34] I will feed them with good pasture and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down on good grazing land and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel.
[25:50] As we looked at the 23rd Psalm earlier and we saw what the Lord as our shepherd provides, we read what was prophesied in Ezekiel here and how God promised to search for the children of Israel and he sent his son to come and search us out and we see within God's word that what was promised has been fulfilled and there's a great comfort and knowing the love that our heavenly father has for us that he cares for us so much that he was prepared and did send his son to search out those that were lost that he seeks to rescue us that he'll feed us in good pasture lying down in good grazing those of you that keep sheep know that it's difficult to very often see or for sheep to lie down unless they're totally at rest ticks midges irritate them they can't rest we see that when we're trying to drive along the road and sheep are wandering along the road because they have to get away from the grass but if they're well fed if they feel secure their surroundings are safe they're then prepared to lie down we know that the least thing can startle them and as they startle they run and very often when one runs the others follow behind them but here we have a loving heavenly father that comes to search for us and has promised that he will give us good grazing and while that was good grazing in the land of the children of Israel that promise is for a future where we will be kept safe in the arms of
[27:54] Jesus when he returns Jesus said in John 10 14 16 I am the good shepherd I know my own and my own know me just as the father knows me and I know the father and I lay down my life for the sheep and I have other sheep that are not of this fold I must bring them also and they will listen to my voice so there will be one flock and one shepherd again in the far east shepherds used to name their sheep there's a practice that some people still name their lambs here sheep but that can cause problems when you're then sitting around the table wondering what's the name of what's on your plate but in those days they used to name a sheep and the shepherd would know them and he would count them in and out each night and he would know that something or one of them was missing what a comfort it is to us to think that Jesus knows those of us that are his sheep he knows us by name he cares for us and he desires to keep us within his fold he mentioned earlier on that when
[29:18] Jesus was speaking to the crowd that were gathered around him that they were indeed predominantly a Jewish crowd and the Jews at that time were certain that a saviour was coming for them but what delight and comfort do we take tonight in the west when we read these words that are on the screen there I have other sheep that are not of this fold that Jesus came not just for the children of Israel but that invitation to come into the fold is extended beyond the children of Israel and comes to us here again this evening I know my fold I know my sheep I call them by name are you hearing God's voice calling you this evening you may have heard it before you may have dismissed it you may have tried to run away from it there's something that we need to think about it says there at the end of the passage that's on the screen there so there'll be one flock and one shepherd and it brings us to our final point the call of the good shepherd
[30:48] I have other sheep that are not of this fold I must bring them also and they will listen to my voice are you listening to God's voice as he speaks to you this evening as he speaks to you through his word he sent the good shepherd to lay down his life for you he's calling you are you hearing his voice why did Jesus come as a good shepherd it says there in verse 18 this charge I received from my father he came to do the father's will the father has given him the flock he came to protect the flock he came to gather the flock into himself to go to the lost sheep of Israel to go to the lost sheep that are here this evening those that are without a shepherd those that have been wandering from the fold those that have been led astray he's calling are you listening we started off when we looked at verse 11
[32:11] I am the good shepherd the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep we saw that the claim of the good shepherd is true we saw that there is indeed a contrast between the hired help and the good shepherd knowing that the good shepherd does care for us we saw that the good shepherd was committed and promised and did as he had said he lay down his life for the sheep we read of the great comfort that there is in knowing that good shepherd is calling his flock together and he may be calling one or two of you here this evening you may be calling others who are listening online my question to you is have you heard the call if you hear it come and join the flock if you already heard it stay within the flock we started with J.C.
[33:16] Ryle and I'll give J.C. Ryle the final work let us only take heed that this role of Christ is not set before us in vain it will profit us nothing at the last day that Jesus was a shepherd if during our lifetime we never heard his voice and followed him if we love life let us join his flock without delay unless we do we shall be found on his left hand on the day of judgment lost forevermore let us pray let us let us let us let us let us let us let us!
[33:57] let us! let us! let us