Follow the Lord to the Fullest! - Part 2
The Gospel of John
John 10:1-11
Sermon by Rick Crandall
Grayson Baptist Church - February 22, 2017
(Revised October 21, 2019)
BACKGROUND:
*As we crossed over from John 9 to 10, we started to look at some of the great reasons why people should follow our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ:
-His standards are supreme, because He is the only perfect Judge.
-His warnings are wise because His wisdom is infinite.
-He is God the Son who humbled Himself to become a human being.
-And He is the only door for our deliverance from sin and death.
*Tonight we will continue to see why everyone should follow Jesus, and it all centers around the Lord's statement in vs. 11: "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep." This is the fifth of the eight "I AM" statements Jesus made in John's Gospel.
*First in John 6, Jesus made several statements about being the bread of life. In John 6:35 Jesus said, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst." In John 6:41 He said, "I am the bread which came down from heaven.'' Again, in John 6:48 Jesus said, "I am the bread of life." And in John 6:51 the Lord said, "I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.''
*Then in John 8 and 9, Jesus spoke about being the light of the world. In John 8:12 He said, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.'' And in John 9:5, He said, "As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.''
*Also in John 8, Jesus spoke about being the timeless one who has existed for all eternity. Starting in John 8:56 Jesus said:
56. "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.''
57. Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?''
58. Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.''
*Then here in John 10:7 Jesus told the Jews, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep." Through all of these statements Jesus was claiming to be more than a man. He was claiming to be the only true and living Lord God who revealed Himself in the Old Testament by the name "I AM."
*God first used this name for Himself when He appeared to Moses in the burning bush. And in Exodus 3:10-14, God said:
10. "Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.''
11. But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?''
12. So He said, "I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.''
13. Then Moses said to God, "Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they say to me, 'What is His name?' what shall I say to them?''
14. And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM.'' And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'''
*In Hebrew this name "I AM" was "Jehovah" or "Yahweh," and God used this name almost 7,000 times in the Old Testament. The exact pronunciation and spelling have been lost, because this name was so holy the scribes and teachers didn't dare to pronounce it or completely write it out. Instead, they would write the Hebrew letters equal to our letters YHWH. In many of our English Bibles it shows up as "LORD" written with all capital letters. (1)
*The name "Jehovah" also shows up almost a thousand times in the New Testament because the name "Jesus" means "Jehovah is salvation." And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM.'' And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'''
*Jesus wants the whole world to know that He is the "I AM" Lord God of the Old Testament. And here in vs. 11 Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep."
*In vs. 1-2, the Lord had already reconfirmed that He was the promised Messiah, the only true shepherd for God's people. As He spoke to the Pharisees, Jesus said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep."
*Jesus Christ is the one and only true Shepherd for God's people. He had strongly established His credentials by fulfilling Old Testament prophecies about the promised Messiah. Jesus isn't a spiritual thief or robber! He is reliable, dependable, faithful! And we can always count on Jesus Christ, because He is the Good Shepherd of God. (2)
*With this background in mind, let's read vs. 1-11, and as we read, please think about why we should follow the Good Shepherd Jesus Christ.
MESSAGE:
*Have you ever met a real, live shepherd? Probably not, but people do still shepherd sheep today. As a matter of fact, there are over 5 million sheep in the United States, over 33 million in the United Kingdom, almost 71 million in Australia, and a billion worldwide! (3)
*Even so, you will probably never know an earthly shepherd, but everybody needs to know the heavenly shepherd. And everybody needs to follow the Good Shepherd, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
1. FOLLOW THE GOOD SHEPHERD FIRST BECAUSE YOU WILL GET TO KNOW GOD.
*Biblical shepherds knew their sheep in a close, personal way. And that's the kind of relationship the Good Shepherd wants to have with you. God deeply desires for you to know Him in a close way, but you can only know God the Father through God the Son Jesus Christ. That's why on the night before the cross, in John 14:6, Jesus clearly said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
*This is the most important relationship we can ever have in life. The Lord made this truth clear in John 17:3. There Jesus was praying to His Father and said, "This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."
*Here in John 10, we are still 6 months before the cross, and the Lord helps us understand the relationship He wants to have with us. In vs. 1-5, Jesus said:
1. "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
2. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
3. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
4. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
5. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.''
*God's sheep belong to the Good Shepherd. They are "His own sheep." They belong to Him. He "calls" them "and leads them out," and "they know His voice."
*John Beehler helped us understand the close relationship between biblical shepherds and their sheep. Beehler said, "Most owners didn't own a lot of sheep. A flock of 100 was huge. Most flocks were no larger than 10-20. Sheep were like valued pets. The good shepherd knew everything about his sheep. The individual sheep in a flock all look alike to the untrained eye. But a good shepherd can tell them apart because of their markings or peculiar traits."
*A shepherd was explaining this to one of John's friends, and he was surprised by the shepherd's familiarity with each animal. "'See that sheep over there?' he asked, 'Notice how its feet toe in a little. The one behind it walks kind of sideways. The next one has a patch of wool off its back. There's one with a black mark below its eye, while the one closest to us has a small piece torn out of its ear.'
*He knew each one by name. These were not just sheep. They were 'Patch,' 'Limpy,' 'Blackie,' 'Tag,' and 'Nosey.' By day and night the shepherd lived with them. He was always there for them. You see, a shepherd, in order to know his sheep and care for them, has to live among them. He has to be close to them." (4)
*In the mid-1900s, Bill Rice was a well-known evangelist. He grew up in Texas cowboy country. Bill told about a trip to Israel, where he saw a shepherd leaning on his staff. The shepherd was surrounded by his flock of sheep. It was a moving sight, and Bill told his wife Cathy it must have been how David looked when he was a young shepherd.
*But while they watched, they heard a noise, and along came another shepherd with his flock of sheep. They greeted each other with hugs, and while they visited, the sheep got mixed up. They wandered all around, smelling noses and baaing at each other.
*Bill thought: "Great guns! When these two wake up they'll be fit to be tied. It is a cowboy's nightmare to have two herds of cattle mixed up. It takes from now to Christmas to get two herds of cattle separated." Then Bill said that while they were visiting, "we looked and, so help me, here came a third man with another flock of sheep. They were spread out everywhere and all mixed up. Man alive! Somebody ought to tell their wives they'll not be home for breakfast.
*Finally, one fellow turned around to walk away. He walked maybe as far as 30 or 40 feet; never stopped walking. Over his shoulder he said, 'Mmmmmm, brrrrrr, mmmmm, brrrrr.' And I never saw anything like it in my life. Sheep all over the place picked up their ears, and looked, and came scampering after him.
*He never stopped walking. He didn't stop and count them. He just kept on walking, and his sheep followed after him. When the other shepherd left the same thing happened! 'Mmmmmm, brrrrrr, mmmmmm, brrrrrr.' And here came the sheep."
*After that, Bill tried to get sheep to follow him. He said, "We would be in a taxi going some place, and we would see a shepherd with his sheep. I would tell the taxi driver, 'Hold it! -- I want out. I want to go over there and look at those sheep.' We'd go over there, then I'd say to the taxi driver: 'Ask him if I can talk to his sheep.' 'Ask if you can do what?' 'Ask him if I can talk to the sheep.'"
*The taxi driver would get permission. Then Bill would walk out to the sheep and say, "Mmmmmm, brrrrrr." And he said, "They wouldn't even look up, not a one! I'd change my voice -- high, low. -- Nothin! It was the beatenest thing." (5)
*Again in vs. 3-5, Jesus said the Good Shepherd "calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. (And) they will by no means follow a stranger. . ."
*John Beehler told about a man in Australia who was arrested and charged with stealing a sheep. But the accused man strongly insisted the sheep was one of his own that had been missing for many days. Now this was back when sheep stealing was a big crime in Australia. And it may sound crazy to us today, but we're talking about the death penalty here.
*When the case went to court, the judge didn't know how to decide. So, finally he asked for the sheep to be brought into the courtroom. Then the judge ordered the prosecution witness to step outside and call the animal. The sheep made no response except to raise its head and look frightened.
*The judge then instructed the man on trial to go out to the courtyard and call the sheep. When he began to call, that sheep ran toward the door. It was obvious that he recognized the familiar voice of his master. Then the judge said, "His sheep knows him. Case dismissed!" (6)
*Jesus tells us that His sheep "know His voice." How wonderful that we can get to know God in a personal way! That's a great reason why we should follow the Lord.
2. ALSO FOLLOW THE GOOD SHEPHERD BECAUSE HE WILL PUT YOU ON THE RIGHT PATHS IN LIFE.
*This is part of God's message for us in vs. 4-5, where Jesus said:
4. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
5. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.''
*Now, it may be kind of hard to look at ourselves as sheep, but God say we are. That's because in many ways we act like sheep. And one thing about sheep is that they tend to wander off. They get so busy grazing with their heads down that by the time they look up, they are lost. And Isaiah 53:6 says, "All we like sheep have gone astray."
*We need a guide in life, and the Good Shepherd Jesus Christ is the only one who can keep us on the right paths. King David surely knew this truth. That's why in the 23rd Psalm David could say:
1. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.
3. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake.
*Jesus Christ will lead us in all the right paths of life. Then, when life here is over, Jesus will guide us home to Heaven! That's why in Psalm 23:6 David could also say, "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever." Follow Jesus because He will put you on the right paths in life.
3. ALSO FOLLOW THE GOOD SHEPHERD BECAUSE HE WILL PROTECT YOU FROM SPIRITUAL PREDATORS.
*Verse 6 tells us that the Pharisees still didn't understand the things Jesus told them, so the Lord continued in vs. 7-10 and:
7. . . said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.
8. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.
9. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
10. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. . ."
*We have to remember that sheep need protection. They are pretty much totally defenseless on their own. Sheep are not that big or ferocious. You will never hear a football team called the mighty sheep.
*Sheep don't have sharp teeth or claws to defend themselves. They can't spray like a skunk or sting like a bee. They can't run real fast or fly away, and that matters, because our enemy is out there. In vs. 10, Jesus says our enemy comes to steal, to kill, and to destroy, so we need protection. We need to be guarded, and no one can guard us like Jesus! (7)
*He is our door of protection. We see this in vs. 7 and 9, where Jesus said, "I am the door." Remember that the Lord was talking about a sheep pen that only had one doorway, and the good shepherd was the door of protection.
*When the sheep returned to the pen at night, the shepherd stood in the doorway and inspected each one with tender care as it entered. If a sheep was scratched or wounded by thorns, the shepherd would anoint it with oil to help heal the wound. If they were thirsty, he gave them water. And after all of his sheep had been counted and brought into the pen, the shepherd would lie down to sleep across the doorway so no wolf or thief could enter. (4)
*Jesus wants to be our door of protection. Life is much more fragile than we usually think. All of our technology and all of our efforts can only carry us so far. We need someone who can protect us beyond the boundary of this life. Only Jesus can do that. And He will if you will put your hope and trust in Him. Then you can say what David also said in the 23rd Psalm: "Yea, 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." Follow Jesus because He will protect you from spiritual predators.
4. AND FOLLOW THE GOOD SHEPHERD BECAUSE HE SACRIFICED HIMSELF TO SAVE US.
*We see this truth in vs. 9-11, where Jesus said:
9. "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
10. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
11. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep."
*In vs. 9, Jesus the Good Shepherd promises to save you, if you will put you trust in Him. Again, Jesus said: "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture." Acts 16:31 says: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved!"
*Saved! -- That means rescued, ransomed, pardoned, forgiven, and delivered. John Gill said explained being saved means "saved from sin, saved from the dominion of it, saved from the guilt of it, saved from the condemning power of it, and at last, saved from the existence of it. It also means saved from the wrath to come, saved from every evil, and saved every enemy. The saved are, and forever shall be, in a safe state, being in Christ, and in his hands, from which no one can ever pluck them." (8)
*But none of this could have ever happened without vs. 11, where Jesus said: "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep."
*Before Jesus miraculously fed the 5,000, Mark 6:34 described the scene this way: "When Jesus came out, He saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things."
*Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd who cares about lost sheep. He cares so much that He laid down His life for His sheep. And that is what Jesus did when He died on the cross for our sins. But He rose again from the dead! And the Risen Lord will save you if you will put your trust in Him.
*Author Stephen Ambrose told the story of an American paratrooper unit in World War II. Some of you probably read the book or saw the mini-series, "Band of Brothers." This book includes the story of one of the lost sheep from my parents' generation. His name was Sgt. Skinny Sisk, and he was one of the few men to survive from beginning to end.
*After the war, Sisk had a hard time shaking his memories. In July 1991, he wrote a letter to explain to his old Captain, Dick Winters. Skinny said:
"My career after the war was trying to drink away the truckload of Krauts that I stopped in Holland, and the die-hard Nazi that I went up into the Bavarian Alps and killed. Old Moe Alley made a statement that all the killings that I did was going to jump into the bed with me one of these days. And they surely did. I had a lot of flash backs after the war, and I started drinking. . .
"Then my sister's little daughter, four years old, came into my bedroom. (I was too unbearable to the rest of the family, either hung-over or drunk.) And she told me that Jesus loved me, and she loved me. And if I would repent, God would forgive me for all the men I kept trying to kill all over again.
*That little girl got to me. I put her out of my room, told her to go to her Mommy. There and then I bowed my head on my Mother's old feather bed and repented. And God forgave me for the war, and all the other bad things I had done down through the years.
*I was ordained in the latter part of 1949 into the ministry, and believe me, Dick, I haven't whipped but one man since, -- and he needed it. I have four children, nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. The Lord willing and Jesus tarries, I hope to see you all at the next reunion. If not, I'll see you at the Last Jump." (9)
CONCLUSION:
*I love that story because it shows us how the Lord can change any life, and save any soul. The Good Shepherd Jesus Christ sacrificed Himself to save us, and now the Risen Savior wants to save your soul. So put your trust in the Good Shepherd and begin to follow the Lord.
(1) Adapted from SermonCentral sermon "Jehovah/Yahweh - I AM" by Marc Kelley - Exodus 3:1-15
(2) Some examples from John Phillips:
-Jesus "had entered by the door, by the legitimate means of entry. He had been born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:21-23).
-He had been born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:4-6).
-He had come "in the fulness of time" (Galatians 4:4).
-Out of Egypt God had called his Son (Hosea 11:1; Matthew 2:14-15).
-His arrival had provoked the rage of the enemy (Jeremiah 31:15; Matthew 2:16-18). Therefore, Jesus was the right person, born in the right place, arriving at the right time, summoned from the right country, and attended by the right sign."
-EXPLORING THE GOSPELS: JOHN by John Phillips, Kregal Publications, Grand Rapids - "His Exposure of the Wickedness of Men" - "His Death in Focus" - John 10:1-21
(3) Sources:
-https://www.nationalsheep.org.uk/know-your-sheep/sheep-facts/
-"Wonder of the Day" #910 - Are There Still Shepherds Today? - https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/are-there-still-shepherds-today
-"Total number of sheep and lambs in the United States from 2001 to 2019 (in 1,000s)" by M. Shahbandeh, last edited Oct 8, 2019 - https://www.statista.com/statistics/194403/total-number-of-sheep-and-lambs-in-the-us-since-2001/
(4) Adapted from SermonCentral sermon "Be a Smart Sheep" by John Beehler - John 10:1-10
(5) Bill Rice, "The Branding Iron" - June 1979 - Source: SermonCentral sermon "The Good Shepherd" by Ted Sutherland - John 10:1-18
(6) Sources:
-SermonCentral sermon "Be A Smart Sheep" by John Beehler - John 10:1-10
-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_in_Australia
(7) Thoughts from John Phillips - exact source unknown
(8) JOHN GILL'S EXPOSITION OF THE BIBLE by Dr. John Gill, D.D. - 1697-1771 - Published in 1746-1766, 1816 - John 10:9
(9) KERUX ILLUSTRATION COLLECTION - ID Number: 20439 - SOURCE: Book: Band Of Brothers, Touchstone: 2001 - TITLE: Forgive Me For All The Men I Kept Trying To Kill - AUTHOR: Stephen E. Ambrose - DATE: 2001
