Video Clip – The Good Shepherd from SermonSpice
Title: Remember the Voice
Text: John 10:1-16
Thesis: God in Christ knows you by name, wants you to thrive and live a rich and fruitful life and willingly gave his life for you to make that possible for you now and for all eternity.
Introduction
The setting of which Jesus taught from out text today would seem at first glance… dated and irrelevant to in 21st Century. They say the practice of caring for roaming groups of livestock over a large area, i.e., herding, developed 10,000 years ago when hunters learned that the animals they once chased all over the landscape, could be a reliable and renewable source of meat and milk products as well as hides for tents and clothing. And so nomadic and semi-nomadic herding became a way of life.
In the 1200s, Mongol leader Genghis Khan conquered almost all of Asia by uniting the various nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes who had knowledge of vast expanses of land and knew how to live in rugged, sparse and harsh places for long periods of time.
The herds provided for the herders and the herders protected the herds from thieves and predators.
Many animals naturally live and travel together in groups in the wild. Here in the west we have heard of the massive herds of buffalo that once roamed the plains. An ongoing debate here in Colorado is what to do with the herds of wild mustangs on BLM (public) land. Elk are herding animals.
When I was a kid our family would gather in front of our black and white RCA and watch Rawhide with the young Clint Eastwood playing Rowdy Yates. We would watch Rowdy and all the other cattle drovers moving their herd to market. Now, several times a year, we can settle in for an evening of the Lonesome Dove series and relive moving a herd of cattle from Texas to Montana. And sometimes we can get a snippet of western history as cattle herders and sheep herders and sod-busters get all tangled up in what they used to call “range wars.” Herds and the grazing of herds have the feel of what they did in the old days.
So herding is not a new trend, it is an ancient way of life that has not changed all that much over the centuries. Yet all over planet earth, including the Arctic, 21st Century men and women herd horses, cattle, sheep, goats, reindeer, yaks, musk-oxen, swine and camels over mountain ranges, valleys, plains, steppes, deserts… anywhere there is marginalized land suitable for grazing.
Herding is a harsh life. In January of 2010 The Denver Post ran a news article about sheep herding here in Colorado calling the life of a shepherd “quite possibly Colorado’s worst job.”
And yet, the role of “shepherd” is one of the primary ways God chooses to describe his relationship with people… with us. Arguably, the 23rd Psalm, one of the most well-known passages in the bible, speaks of God as our shepherd and of us as God’s sheep. It is a beautiful and pastoral image of a loving shepherd who leads, provides for, protects and blesses his sheep. And so this morning as we retell and unpack Jesus Christ’s story of the Good Shepherd and His Sheep, be looking for an understanding of what God, as the Good Shepherd, is like in the way Jesus relates to us… even in the 21st Century.
God knows your name.
I. God knows your name
“The shepherd… calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. After he has gathered his flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice.” John 10:1-5
One of the most powerful statements in the bible occurred at the baptism of Jesus when he heard “the voice” from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.” Luke 3:22
Another powerful verse is from I John 3:1: where the bible writer states, “See how much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are!” So, just as Jesus heard “the voice” affirming his relationship with his father, may we too hear “the voice” affirming our relationship with our Heavenly Father.
If you have ever wondered just how intimately God knows you and how much God loves you, the bible says that even before God made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.” Ephesians 1:4
Really, that is not such a far-fetched thought. I was reading about world population and birthrates this past week. In some parts of the world like Africa and parts of the Middle East birthrates are as high as 7.5 children born per woman… in those places overpopulation poses some frightening consequences. Under population also poses frightening consequences. The birthrate of 1.39 children born per woman in places like Germany, Japan, Italy and Greece point to an increasingly aging population being supported and cared for by fewer and fewer younger people. Here in our country the birthrate is approximately 1.9 children per woman which has those who watch demographic trends growing increasingly edgy.
But back to my “not such a far-fetched thought” comment… most folks are into family planning. We have an idea of about how many children we would like to have or feel we can afford to raise and give a good home. If you are planning to be a 1.9 children family a birth is a big deal!
First you have an ultra-sound to see if it’s a girl and a boy. And then you hit the list of best baby names… this year if it’s a girl you will likely consider Sophia, Emma, Olivia, Isabella and Ava. If it’s a boy you will give Aiden, Jackson, Ethan, Liam and Mason a look. (They are the top of the top 100 names… Monty does not make the list.) You paint and furnish the nursery. You are given baby showers. You buy a car seat. You begin to dream about daddy-daughter dances, playing catch, raising an NFL star, getting one of those “My Kid is an Honor Roll Student” bumper stickers. You settle on a name but you keep it a secret and allow the anticipation to build until after the birth and then you announce your baby’s name. Names are important. Names have meaning. Our latest is Avery Charles… Charles in Bonnie’s father’s name. Our children and our grandchildren are among God’s most precious gifts in this life. They are among our greatest sources of pride.
I read in the paper this week that Essie Mae Washington-Williams died. Essie is the daughter of the former and now deceased senator from South Carolina, Strom Thurmond. What is most interesting about all of this is that, though he supported her financially and paid for her college education, the Senator kept her parentage secret for more than 70 years to avoid damaging his political career. (Thurmond’s daughter dies. Columbia, S.C., the Denver Post WireServices, February 5, 2013)
Your Heavenly Father is never going to be embarrassed to embrace you has his child. There is nothing you can do that will ever diminish or destroy God’s love for you.
The Good Shepherd knows your name. The Good Shepherd cares so deeply about you that despite however far a black sheep wonder from home, God will search for you or will wait for you and always welcome you with open arms.
The second thing we lift from our text about the Good Shepherd is that the Good Shepherd wants his sheep to thrive.
II. God wants you to have a rich and satisfying life
“Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures… My purpose is to give you a rich and satisfying life.” John 10:6-10 (I am the way, the truth and the Life…)
The 23rd Psalm begins: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside still waters.
Herders the world over are relentless in their desire to provide for and protect their herds. They constantly move their flocks and herds to where there is good grazing and plentiful water.
What kind of parent births a child and then sets out to plan a life of privation for that child. We want to do the very best we can for our children and God is no exception.
It is a rare condition but not nearly rare enough. One of most distressing diagnoses for an infant is Failure to Thrive. We want our children to thrive and grow and so does God.
Jesus said, “I have come that you might have life more abundantly.” “Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures… My purpose is to give you a rich and satisfying life.” John 10:6-10
While herding is common throughout the world… with the production of feed grains farmers have been able to “confine” livestock in pens and lots and cages for mass production. Hardly an ideal existence for any creature much less a creature pumped full of steroids and antibiotics in preparation for human consumption. Hence the popularity of free-range chickens and hogs and grass fed cattle.
But this is the point… God, as the Good Shepherd and loving Heavenly Father does not create us and raise us to be confined. God doesn’t require that we be all pent up so he can keep an eye on us. God did not create us to stay inside so we don’t get our feet dirty. Jesus says, “Those who come to me will come and go freely and will find good pastures… my purpose is to give you a rich and satisfying life.” (Not a miserable existence!)
Thriving and enjoying an abundant life has little to do with all of our worldly expectations. Someone said, “Never have people been more the masters of their environment. Yet never has a people felt more deceived and disappointed. For never has a people expected so much more than the world can offer.”
Thriving is about knowing God knows your name, knowing God loves and cares for you, knowing that wherever you are and however you are, you are enveloped in the care of a loving Good Shepherd, Heavenly Father.
Illustration: In her blog she wrote, this flower coming out of the brick wall that graces the entrance to my house here in Austin, Texas struck me for many reasons. I hadn’t noticed it at all for the entire time that it was emerging. Then all of a sudden it seemed to just be there! What a smile it brought to my face when I spied it the other day!
What is astounding to me is that this lonely flower is growing out of a crack in the brick wall and actually seems to be quite happy with its unique growing spot. A friend of mine wondered how the heck it was getting enough nourishment to even grow.
To me it is a combination of desire, right environment, and a passion, if you will, to emerge from the dark and grow towards the light. There is also an innate and complex coding that has flowers….. and people….follow the path that has been laid down for them even amidst what seems like difficult circumstances. This is what we like to call the Divine Design.”
There once was a woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, and noticed she had only three hairs on her head. "Well," she said, "I think I'll braid my hair today." So she did and she had a wonderful day.
The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and saw that she had only two hairs on her head. "Hmmm..," she said, "I think I'll part my hair down the middle today." So she did and she had a grand day.
The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that she had only one hair on her head. "Well," she said, "Today I'm going to wear my hair in a pony tail." So she did, and she had a fun, fun day.
The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that there wasn't a single hair on her head. "YAY!" she exclaimed. "I don't have to fix my hair today!" (You don’t have to have hair to be happy when you are a child of God.)
God does not want us to live isolated, sadly withdrawn, morose lives. We thrive as we bask in the knowledge of who we are, whose we are, wherever we are and in whatever circumstances – we know the Good Shepherd.
The third truth about the Good Shepherd I want to make today is that the Good Shepherd gives his life for his sheep.
III. God in Christ gave his life for us
“I am the good shepherd… so I sacrifice my life for the sheep.” John 10:11-18
One of the things herders do is relentlessly protect their herds… shepherds their sheep. A shepherd will stand between a predator and his sheep in order to protect the sheep and sometimes shepherds have died doing so.
Recently in Confirmation Class I asked the students if there was a cause or a person they would give their lives for… and everyone said they would give their lives for their parents and their family. And if I were to ask you who you would be willing to give your life for I suspect you would willingly die for those you love dearly. God is no exception.
• The bible says, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
• The bible says, “The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus.” Romans 6:23
• The bible says, “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.” Romans 5:8
• The bible says, “For God so loved the world that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
• The bible says, “To all who believe in Christ and accept Christ, he gives the right to become children of God.” John 1:12
In an interesting twist, the Good Shepherd in giving his life for his sheep becomes the sacrificial Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world in John 1:29 Note the dual imagery of a shepherd who dies for his sheep and that of the shepherd becoming a sheep and dying as a sheep, for all sheep.
The bible says that “Though Jesus was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead he gave up his divine privileges, took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. And as a human being, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died on a cross” for the likes of you and me. Philippians 2:6-8
In 1957 four climbers – two Italians and two Germans were climbing the 6,000 foot near-vertical North Face in the Swiss Alps. The two German climbers disappeared and were never heard from again. The two Italian climbers were stuck on two narrow ledges 1,000 feet from the summit. Despite rescue crews being called off because to attempt to do so was simply too dangerous – a small group decided to launch a private attempt at the rescue. So they lowered a climber named Alfred Hellepart down the 6,000 foot face into the abyss.
Hellepart later described his experience, “I was a tiny human being dangling in space between heaven and hell. The sole relief from terror was… my mission to save the climbers below.”
The story of the Good Shepherd is of how God lowered himself into the abyss of our sin and suffering in the person of Jesus Christ. In Jesus Christ God became a tiny human being dangling between heaven and hell in a sacrificial rescue effort on our behalf.
The bible says that “for the joy before him Jesus endured the cross.” The Good Shepherd gave his life for us and he did it willingly,
Conclusion
I don’t think I ever truly had an inkling of what my dad experienced in World War II until I saw “Saving Private Ryan.” It was a profoundly well-done and moving film.
In the story, Rangers, led by Tom Hanks were sent on a mission to find and remove Private Ryan from the battle front. When they found him, Private Ryan refused to leave his comrades who were about to engage in a fierce battle. So the Rangers stayed and fought with Private Ryan.
When the battle was over Tom Hanks had been fatally wounded. Private Ryan leaned over him and bent down to hear what Hanks last words.
Tom Hanks said, “Earn this.”
In the story Private Ryan and the viewing audience all understood that Tom Hanks was telling Private Ryan that because of the enormity of the sacrifice, he needed to live the life of a man who had been given the extraordinary gift of life, when so many had lost theirs.
However, that is where the film departed from reality… The Ranger motto for the last 200 years has not been, “Earn this.”
The Ranger motto is (pronounced - sooh- uh- spohn-tay ) “sua sponte.” It means, “I chose this. I volunteered for this. This is free. You don’t have to pay anything for this. I gave my life for you because that’s my job.”
In our text today Jesus said, “…no one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily.” John 10:18
I know we’ve been all over the map this morning but if I could tie this all up into one tight little bundle for you to take away today… This is it:
God in Christ knows you by name, wants you to thrive and live a rich and fruitful life and willingly gave his life for you to make that possible for you now and for all eternity.
And this is the invitation that Jesus, the Good Shepherd speaks to all of us, “Come, follow me…”
