Shepherds and Sheep
John 10: 1 - 18
Intro: If you are able, I want you to stand with me this morning. We are going to do a little dance to get ourselves ready to hear God’s word today. OKAY! READY! Fellow me: “You put your right arm in. You put your right arm out. You put your right arm in and you shake it all about. You do the Hokey-Pokey and your turn yourself around. That’s what it’s all about.”
You can be seated now. / Think for a moment about what we just did. What if the Hokey-Pokey is really what it is all about? / Perhaps your life is like an unending Hokey-Pokey.
I Many people today are tired of living the Hokey-Pokey existence.
A They are tired of living up to someone else’s expectations. Maybe you’re tired of hearing me tell you what it’s all about!
B There is an alarming number of professing Christians who really don’t know where God has called them to be, or what God has called them to do.
C So, what does Jesus, the Good Shepherd say it’s all about? VSS 1 – 5
II If you claim that God is your co-pilot; it’s time to change seats. What does that mean? Vs. 9 – Jesus is the gate. VSS. 11 & 14 – Jesus is the Good Shepherd.
A Jesus is the gate, the one who has “authorized access.” One enters the fold through Jesus. Those enter by other ways are thieves and bandits.
B Jesus is the Good Shepherd. The adj. “good” in GK is Kalos (?a???) which also means “model” or “true”
C Jesus is our model, the true shepherd of the sheep. All who gather around Jesus receive their identity as members of the flock.
III Jesus compares us to sheep and teaches us that the way to a FULL-NONHOKEY-POKEY life is by listening to him, the Good Shepherd. There are 3 characteristics of the sheep of Jesus:
A THEY KNOW HIS VOICE. We hear “voices” all the time telling us what we need, what we deserve, what you are to do or be. Do those voices align with Jesus as the model?
B The second characteristic of the sheep of Jesus is THEY FOLLOW HIM. When sheep follow the shepherd, they don’t ask what they are going to get out of it. They don’t ask where he is taking them. They are confident that his destination is better than theirs.
C Finally, THE SHEEP SHALL NEVER PERISH. The eternal life of the faithful sheep will never be taken away. It is a gift from God who is more powerful than any enemy we may encounter.
Concl: If your life feels like an endless Hokey-Pokey, it is time to sit down and have a serious chat with your Good Shepherd. You need to spend more time listening than talking. Don’t say you don’t have time! If you have time to spend a couple hours a day on Facebook, or reading a book or watching baseball, basketball or football, then you have time
