“I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD” – HE LAID DOWN HIS LIFE - John 10 – PART 2
The study of the great “I AMs” of John’s Gospel is so lovely as we look at the Person and Ministry of our Lord Jesus. In all His offices He is serving His Church and all the individuals in the Church. Those are termed sheep, and in the current “I AM” we are considering Jesus as the Good Shepherd of the sheep. We continue with the Good Shepherd and will look at His sacrifice for us all.
[C]. JESUS THE GOOD SHEPHERD IN PSALM 23
Psalm 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd. I shall not want. Psalm 23:2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside quiet waters. Psalm 23:3 He restores my soul. He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil for You are with me. Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You have anointed my head with oil. My cup overflows. Psalm 23:6 Surely goodness and loving-kindness will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
The term “Good Shepherd” implies there are not so good shepherds, and bad shepherds and we have looked at that at the start of the talk. The most famous shepherd psalm is the one we have mentioned earlier, Psalm 23, which outlines the connection between Jehovah and Israel. David wrote it from a personal experience but it is true also for Israel. Let us look at the salient points that apply to a good shepherd;-
Verse 1 – The shepherd provides what is needed, so there will be no want. The sheep in the good Shepherd’s care will never lack any good thing. I said “good thing” not “material things”. If it is taught that a Christian must be rich and healthy, “wealth and health doctrine” as it is called, it is satanic. There is no spiritual want for us that the Good Shepherd will not supply.
Verse 2 – The shepherd feeds the sheep the best possible pasture. The green pastures are the places of contentment, and the still waters are the places of peace and excellence, for it is said sheep drink from still waters, not turbulent waters. It is the True Shepherd who knows where the pastures and waters are located. Did you know there are pastures in the bible and that your Shepherd will lead you to them in times of spiritual hunger and need?
Verse 3 – The shepherd leads to contentment and the water of life, and he cares individually by restoring the needy sheep. Yesterday’s memories are not relevant for he renews and restores all our walk, in other words, gives us a fresh walk all the time. The paths of righteousness are so important, so it is the Shepherd who controls us. His guidance is essential.
Verse 4 – The shepherd protects always through the rod and staff of his power. The shepherd’s tools will guide and correct us. He uses them correctly. The Shepherd accompanies His own dear sheep in the time of trial and danger and when the shadow of death comes.
Verse 5 – The shepherd provides the table of fellowship and contentment in the presence of enemies. A table of fellowship is prepared in the enemy’s very presence. The head is anointed in honour, an expression of grace and love by the Good Shepherd. The cup of provision overflows with the Lord’s blessings. These are expressions of the fullness of God for His own.
Verse 6 – He wraps up all he does in goodness and mercy as the sheep are in his control. This verse is the voice of assurance, for all that the good Shepherd does will mean His continual presence, and future security forever.
We see in that Psalm that the Shepherd is gracious, all-giving, all-righteous, and all-caring. That is the Good Shepherd, our Lord Jesus Christ. The bad shepherds were the opposite, and maintained themselves at the expense of the sheep. The not so good shepherds were confused with commitment and care, and time and effort, and with their calling. They did not think to anticipate the needs of the sheep. They had one foot in God’s camp and another in the world.
In the New Testament churches, the word shepherd and pastor are the same. All pastors are shepherds but how do they fulfil the role of shepherd in the church today? Are the hearts totally given to feeding and protecting and advancing the sheep. I find it very strange when a pastor requires two days for the purpose of preparing a 20 minute sermon. My mind goes to the readiness of Peter at Pentecost. Those who walk with the Lord have the Lord’s message right at hand when it is required. It is the Lord who readily gives His word.
[D]. THE GOOD SHEPHERD BECOMES THE SACRIFICIAL SHEPHERD
Can we turn to John 10 again, beginning at verse 10 – {{“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly. John 10:11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. John 10:12 He who is a hireling and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, beholds the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. John 10:13 He flees because he is a hireling, and is not concerned about the sheep. John 10:14 I am the good shepherd and I know My own, and My own know Me, John 10:15 even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father, and I lay down My life for the sheep.”}}
In the Middle East, when the flock is small, the shepherd handles his sheep without any help, but if the flock becomes too large, then it becomes necessary for him to hire someone to help him with the sheep. One man can usually handle from fifty to one hundred sheep, but when he has more than one hundred, he usually seeks a helper. The hireling does not usually have the personal interest in the sheep that the shepherd has, and so cannot always be trusted to defend the flock in the way the shepherd himself would do.
This is a serious passage where the Lord indicates His life will be given for His own sheep. It is a whole new dimension that the Lord will surrender His life for the welfare of the sheep. I think it implies the shepherd stands firm in the face of severe danger, to intervene for his flock. He does not debate the matter. He does not count the monetary implications of it all. His automatic reaction is to do what is best for the sheep. It is like when the ravenous lion comes against the flock, and the shepherd will not run away as would all the hired hands, but he stands his position for the safety of the sheep. If necessary, he lays down his life for the sheep. The absolutely fantastic fact about the Lord is that He had authority to lay His life down, and authority to take it up again.
It was not just the lion that would be engaged in the battle for the sheep but robbers also. At the cross the Lord, for the sake of the sheep, fought the raging lion for this is how Satan is described – {{1Peter 5:8 “Be of sober spirit. Be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour, 1Pet 5:9 but resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.”}} Also at the cross he fought the powerful robber, who is Satan, for the devil robbed the human race of fellowship and Eden’s peace with God. The Redeemer fought the enemy to restore what Satan stole.
We know Satan goes about as a roaring lion seeking all he can devour. That is an interesting concept – the devouring. It is not a literal devouring but once a person has left this life, there is no longer any chance of repentance. Satan’s quest is not just to frustrate the work of God and prevent people from hearing the gospel, but he will destroy/devour people’s lives through government laws, drugs, philosophy, humanism, liberalism, and a whole lot of other “isms”. When the Good Shepherd came face to face with the devil, the Shepherd stood His ground and defeated Satan through death. Through death, He defeated him who had the power of death. {{Hebrews 2:14 “Since then the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, Heb 2:15 and might deliver those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.”}}
The Good Shepherd in laying down His life was not only for the sheep’s protection; it was also for their elevation. He would move them from the physical pasture to the celestial pasture when all things had been fulfilled, to feed on the hills of heaven, as it were. The sheep would have both physical and spiritual pastures. Daniel Whittle, hymnwriter, wrote a great hymn of testimony and the opening stanza and verse of one is this:-
[[Come, sing, my soul, and praise the Lord,
Who has redeemed you by His blood,
Delivered you from chains that bound,
And brought you to redemption ground.
Redemption ground, the ground of peace!
Redemption ground, O wondrous grace!
Here let our praise to God abound,
Who saves us on redemption ground!]]
The Lord not only saves; He saves for better things. He has saved us from the penalty of death, from misery, and from hell; but He has saved us to the gift of life, to joy, and to heaven. This is what is meant by life and having it more abundantly. We not only are saved, having been taken from the prostitution of idolatry and the wrath of God against sin, but we are continual guests at the table of the King. Grace has designated us sons and daughters of the living God, and as such, heirs of the eternal God. We feed on all the delights of heaven supplied by the Good Shepherd, all the blessings of our heavenly citizenship.
[E]. THE SACRIFICIAL SHEPHERD BECOMES THE CHIEF SHEPHERD
The Good Shepherd died for us, rescued us, saved us, elevated us, feeds us, keeps us (for He is able to keep us from falling), and watches over us for our eternal inheritance. With all that in mind, He will return as the CHIEF SHEPHERD of the sheep, to claim His blood-brought Bride, His redeemed Flock. From that point onwards, all other shepherds will be redundant. The passage in which this term occurs is this one –
{{1Peter 5 v 1-4 Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God among you, not exercising oversight under compulsion, but voluntarily according to the will of God, and not for sordid gain but with eagerness, not lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. When the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.”}} As I understand this passage, Paul is exhorting the elders, and I suppose in a wider sense, the leaders working as shepherds and pastors among God’s heritage, to be absolutely faithful in their ministry, and when the Lord returns, He gives an unfading crown of glory to His servants.
In the book of Revelation, we see a picture of the redeemed Flock and of the Good Shepherd in heaven. It is in Revelation chapters 4 and 5. There, the redeemed sheep know their calling and position. {{Revelation 5 v 9-10 “and they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals, for You were slain and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign upon the earth.” Rev. 5:12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honour and glory and blessing,”}}
In those chapters, the Shepherd is seen as the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. This is one of the great truths of scripture, how the slain Lamb can be the Good Shepherd of the sheep.
[F]. THE GOOD SHEPHERD ENSURES THE SECURITY OF THE SHEEP
{{John 10 v 27-30 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them and they follow Me, and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. My Father who has given them to Me is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”}} The Lord is thrilled to list the great blessings of security for His sheep. I won’t go through these in this message. They are contained in those verses. I do want to hone in on what it means in verse 27, to follow Him, to hear His voice, to be obedient, and to follow Him closely.
[G]. PRACTICAL POINTS
There is an old proverb about leading a horse to water but not being able to make it drink. The Shepherd leads His people to the best of the green pastures, but they can refuse to eat, preferring the coarse grass and the nutritionless straw of the world. He leads them beside the still waters, but they can refuse those waters of vitality, and crave, rather, the polluted waters coming from the world’s muddy streams.
What does it mean to follow Him? Here are 8 points I’d like to share.
1. There is to be no known sin. (1 John 1 v 9-10). Some of us find that hard as sins keep jumping on us and we carry them around.
2. Be sure to hunger for righteousness. {{Matthew 5 v 6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”}}
3. Having a great thirst for the water of the word. {{1Peter 2 v 2 “like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, 1Pet 2:3 if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.”}}
4. Having a desire to intermingle with the sheep. This is having fellowship with one another. It is vital, for we must not be aloof, exclusive sheep in the fold.
5. Seeking a closeness of walk. It is walking close to the shepherd’s feet. Observe a flock and see it spread out. The committed and affectionate sheep are at the front.
6. Able to wait on the Lord, not rushing around, or rushing ahead, or being slothful, and lagging behind. They that wait on the Lord will know Him. Seek to be His close and loyal followers.
7. Able to hear His voice. It is not to have spiritual deafness, but to know the True Shepherd’s voice among all the confusing voices of the world.
8. You don’t have to know the path or the stops and goes. You just have to know THE WAY, who is the Lord Jesus Christ.
I am the Shepherd of the sheep means He is not the shepherd of the goats. Many goats seem to have attached themselves to the herd with their various bleats and cries that can lead the sheep off the shepherd’s path. My challenge to you, is to make sure at this time, that you are one of the sheep, not one of the goats, or that you discern the difference and reject the goats.
ronaldf@aapt.net.au
