John #17

John 10:1-18
November 1, 2009
Sheep and The Shepherd
Pastor Ben Fleming------------

Turn in your bible to John chp 10. Throughout the bible God likens his relationship with His children like a shepherd to his sheep. King David – a shepherd, when he was a boy, wrote Ps 23. Let me read it for you. Psalms 23:1 - 6 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. ---- Notice that the Psalm does not tell us much about the sheep but it tells us more about the shepherd – the last verse says the most about the sheep – “surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life and I – the sheep will dwell in the house of the Lord forever”…… Philip Keller writes in his book “A Shepherd looks at Psalm 23” these words -

“I recall quite clearly how in my first venture with sheep, the question of paying a price for my ewes (female) sheep was so terribly important. They belonged to me only by virtue of the fact that I paid hard cash for them. It was money I earned by the blood sweat and tears drawn from my own body during the desperate years of the depression. And when I bought that first small flock I was buying them literally with my own body which had been laid down with this day in mind. Because of this I felt in a special way that they were in very truth part of me and I a part of them. There was an intimate identity involved, which though not apparent on the surface to the casual observer, nonetheless made those 30 ewes precious to me. But the day I bought them I also realized this was but the first stage in a long, lasting endeavor in which from then on, I would as their owner, have to continually lay down my life for them if they were to flourish and prosper. Sheep do not just take care of themselves as some might think – they require – more than another class of livestock – endless attention and care.
It is no accident that God has chosen to call us sheep”

Hebrews 13:20, tells us that “Jesus is the great shepherd of the sheep” - Peter says that before a person comes to Jesus their shepherd – “they are like sheep who are going astray but now they have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of their souls” and in 1 Peter 5:4 – “the Chief Shepherd is coming back and when he does – his sheep will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away” --- Peter does not write it but it is understood -- until the time the Chief Shepherd returns --- God has appointed under shepherds who are to shepherd the flock of God that has been placed under their care. In Acts 20:28 Paul “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of what the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.
Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.”

You do not find in the New Testament --- sheep who are not part of a flock and under the care of an earthly shepherd. Comment… Earthly shepherds are designed by God to take care of the sheep until the chief shepherd comes back. The second coming of Christ.

Pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hills Church in the book THE POWER OF WORDS AND THE WONDER OF GOD says this about how an under shepherd should relate to those in and outside of the church --- #1 the shepherd is to feed the sheep (Christians, the flock of Jesus the Good Shepherd) ---- #2 a shepherd is to rebuke the swine (those who claim to worship God but live unrepentant lives of sin) ----- #3 shoot the wolves (false teachers – anyone who ravages the flock and feasts on the sheep) -----#4 beat the dogs (those who bark at God’s people in an effort to control them, abuse them and harm them. If that sounds harsh to you ---- Acts 20:29 Paul says – I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw disciples away.” And then Driscoll says…… “Those in the flock should pray for their shepherd for God to give them a discerning mind, thick skin, a good sense of humor, a tender heart, a humble disposition, a supportive family and evangelistic devotion.”

Sheep and Shepherds are God’s design. Time and time again you are going hear that a churchless Christian is not biblical. You cannot call yourself a disciple of Christ --- you cannot be a sheep and not have a flock that you are part of --- it just is not in the bible. That was my intro. John (10:1-21) ---- Next week we will continue on to verse 30 continuing to examine sheep and the shepherd. READ

In chp 9 – Jesus healed the blind man and the whole point of his healing could perhaps be summed up in verse 39 “for judgment I have come to this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.” He was talking about spiritual blindness. People see physically but are spiritually blind. Here in chp. 10 there is more about Jesus the Shepherd and his sheep than any other section in the bible. Jesus is speaking to the same people who saw him open the blind man’s eyes and there is no time gap between the healing of this man and what Jesus teaches about the shepherd and the sheep

The Shepherd and The Sheep

1. False shepherds try and get into the fold. (vs. 1 - 2) Truly, Truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.” The people who heard the words of Jesus – understood what he was talking about. Many of them where shepherds. A shepherd would gather his sheep into a fold to protect them from thieves – bad weather or wild animals.
A sheepfold could have been a cave, a shed or an open area surrounded by stones or branches some ten feet high or so. Shepherds would bring their sheep to this fold and the sheep would pass under their rod – There was a doorkeeper who watched over the fold at night and when the shepherd came back in the morning, the doorkeeper would only let them in to get their sheep. Everyone knew there was only one gate into the fold and anyone trying to get into the fold over the wall or some other way was a thief.

Jesus was rebuking those who would claim to lead God’s people without pointing the sheep to Christ who was the gate or the door to the fold. In this context – he was pointing at the Pharisees and religious leaders. Lying prophets – who posed as true shepherds – threatened the early church – and they still do today. False sheep will even join with the other sheep and in reality they are wolves. It is easy to be deceived by wolves. Jesus said:

Matthew 7:15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” In the book of Acts to the leaders of the church of Ephesus Paul said,

Acts 20:28 -29 “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood, I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock – and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things…”
Jesus knew sheep and he knew that the under shepherds of his flock needed to be wise and as Pastor Mark Driscoll says they must be ruthless.

Application: Know your shepherd. Pray for your shepherd. Know your bible – Know doctrine. Paul said to Timothy – “charge or warn certain persons not teach any different doctrine”. Knowing and teaching right sound doctrine is biblical and essential. That would not be in the bible if it were not a danger in the church. Come under the rod of your shepherd – this what a church covenant and membership is all about. False shepherds try and get into the fold.

2. Real sheep hear the Good Shepherd’s voice.
(vs.3 - 6) When the shepherd would come back to the sheepfold – he would call out to his sheep and his sheep would be able to recognize his voice. Jesus is saying that when He came those Jews who believed were able to recognize his voice and identify that he was the Messiah and they followed Him. Note all Jewish people were going to follow Jesus – not all Jewish people are God’s children. Paul wrote in Romans 9:6 “not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham just because they are his offspring.” Only someone who is a child of God hears the voice of God. Only someone who has saving faith – hears the God. Phillip Keller writes about sheep hearing the shepherds voice.

“The relationship which rapidly develops between a shepherd and the sheep under his care is to a definite degree dependent upon the use of the shepherd’s voice. Sheep quickly become accustomed to their owner’s particular voice. They are acquainted with his unique tone. They know its peculiar sounds and inflections. They can distinguish it from that of any other person. If a stranger should come among them, they would not recognize nor respond to his voice in the same way they would to that of their shepherd. Even if the visitor should use the same words and phrases of their rightful owner they would not react in the same way. It is a case of becoming actually conditioned to the familiar nuances and personal accent of their shepherd’s call.”

Jesus knows His sheep and His sheep know him because they know his voice and Jesus calls his sheep by name. His sheep will not follow a stranger – because they do not know the voice of the stranger. A true believer in Jesus Christ will never abandon Christ. No one who genuinely has saving faith will finally and completely turn away from Jesus. They will forever follow their shepherd. We will study that doctrine next week.

Application: Can you recognize the voice of Jesus? I can think of several times when someone has told me – “God told me” and yet that person does not read their bible and cannot point to any verse in the bible to support what they think God told them. Perhaps they were simply trying to justify their rebellion. God will never lead you to do something that goes against His Word and the #1 way Jesus speaks to His sheep is through His Word. So – we must not only read the Word of God but we must train ourselves to listen to the Holy Spirit as we read. Real sheep hear the shepherd’s voice.

3. The Good Shepherd is the only door to the fold. (vs.7-10) Jesus says to these people again, I am the door of the sheep – all who came before me are thieves and robbers – but real sheep do not listen to them --- I am the door and if you come through me – you will be saved and go in and find pasture – the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy – I have come that you may have life and have it abundantly.” Did you notice that Jesus changes his approach to these religious people --- first he said he was the shepherd and now he says he is the door through which sheep enter safely into God’s fold. This is the same thing he says in Jn 14:6 “I am the way, the truth and the life – no one comes to the Father except through Me.” The real gospel of Jesus Christ is narrow. The real gospel of salvation is not tolerant. Jesus says – when you come to me and through me you come to satisfying pasture. He is talking about abundant life – when you come to Jesus – through Him – He gives you abundant life --- You begin the relationship of feeding on him and His pasture. You being to experience real spiritual life – you were once spiritually dead but now you are spiritually alive. Look now what the Good Shepherd does for his sheep.

4. The Good Shepherd dies for his sheep. (11-13) Jesus again here identifies himself as the I am – I am (Yaweh). If the Greek were translated literally – it would say – “the shepherd – the good one”.

As the good shepherd he lays his life down for his sheep. Romans 5:8 says “while we were yet sinners – Christ died for us”. To be reconciled to God – there had to be a payment for man’s sin and Christ the Good Shepherd was the perfect payment. Phillip Keller again gives us a great picture of the shepherd and his sheep.

“A good shepherd delights in his flock. For him there is no greater reward, no deeper satisfaction, than that of seeing his sheep contented, well fed, safe, and flourishing under His care. This is indeed His very life – He gives all He has to His sheep. He literally lays Himself out for those who are His. He will go to no end of trouble and labor to supply them with the finest grazing, the richest pasture, ample winter feed and clean water. He will spare himself no pains to provide shelter from storms, protection from enemies – diseases and parasites to which the sheep are susceptible.” The Good Shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. That is what Christ has done for you and continues to do for you. Why does he do it???

5. The Good Shepherd loves his sheep. (14-15) “ 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 again Jesus says , I lay down my life for my sheep. It is as if he is saying I know my own and my own know me and the result of that knowing is that I lay my life down for them. So what does it mean to know? I know my own and my own know me. How do you know that Jesus knows you???? How do you know that you know Him? Do you know someone? Just because you know them does that mean you love them?

Genesis 4:1 “Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived” and verse 17 says “Cain knew his wife and she conceived. --- the NASB translated the Hebrew verb to know as had relations with. It is assumed that the husband and wife love each other. That knowing involves great intimacy. Okay – now in the prophet Amos 3:2 God said of Israel – “You only have I known of all the families of the earth” – it is the same word as in Genesis but it signifies that God had a love relationship with His people – the Jewish nation and no other nation. We find this even in the New Testament: John 17:3 “Now this is eternal life that they may know you the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” Knowing God implies a love relationship with Him. John wrote about this love relationship in 1 John 5:2 – 3 “This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. This is love for God: to obey his commands”. Sheep love the Shepherd because the Shepherd first loved them. Sheep know the shepherd because the shepherd knows them. But those who do not believe -- do not know the Good Shepherd ---there is no love relationship. Matt 7:23 “And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” Jesus is saying that he does not know them. In this verse, the know has the same connotation of a relationship of love. He who does not believe does not love.

6. The Good Shepherd unifies all His sheep. (vs.16) Jesus said, I have other sheep that are not of this fold – I must bring them also and they will hear my voice and they will become one flock with one shepherd. In this context – Jesus is saying that Gentiles will be part of his flock. Non Jews will believe and therefore Jews and Gentiles will follow the one Good Shepherd together. Jesus is speaking of the fulfillment of a prophecy hundreds of years before. ON YOUR OUTLINE

Ezekiel 34:11-13 “For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I , I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when his is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all of the places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land and I will feed them…”

Jesus, the Good Shepherd will bring all of his sheep into the fold. It does not matter what country they come from – it does not matter what culture they were brought up in and from what religious faith they have been following --- it they are one of his sheep ---- Jesus will seek them out and he will rescue them. Look what Exekiel says – “I will bring them out from the peoples (ethic groups) and gather them from the countries.” Jesus is the Good Shepherd and he will unify all his sheep – even the ones that have been scattered. It is amazing to me the things I have heard and read in this past month. Denny Bock gave me a DVD of testimonies of Muslim background believers in Jesus Christ --- Each of the testimonies talked about how Jesus came to them in a dream. Called them and told them to follow Him. Each of the testimonies was of a person from a different nation and culture but they all were Muslims. I just finished Joel Rosenburg’s book Epicenter which talks about the prophecies in Ezekiel 38 -39. Thousands of Muslims are coming to Christ. (Teenage girl in Ohio fro Sri Lanka) --- read paper We know of Mark who has come to Christ this past year as a result of the ministry of Denny and Barb Bock --- we have heard of Japanese coming to Christ as a result of the ministry Ken and Bola Taylor.

God is working in this world --- Jesus the Shepherd is directly speaking to people and He is moving and using mission workers all over the world to bring his sheep into His fold. The Good Shepherd will unify His sheep into one fold.

Let us pray……….