The Door And Good Shepherd Series

The Door and Good Shepherd

In His Own Words

11/09/08 PM

Text: John 10:11-16

INTRODUCTION:

Throughout the book of John, Jesus makes statements about Himself, revealing something important about His divine nature, His character, or His mission. Each statement speaks to a particular relationship of Jesus to the our spiritual needs.

With this lesson, we continue the sermon series, “In His Own Words,” the “I AM” statements of Jesus found in the Gospel of John. It is my desire and hope that this sermon series will deepen our knowledge and appreciation of our Savior. Last week we looked at the statement: “I AM the Light of the World.” This week we are going to focus on two statements of Jesus found in John 10:1-16

I.About the text

A.Jesus heals on the Sabbath John 9

1.Jesus is in the midst of a controversy with the Pharisees over healing a blind man on the Sabbath.

a.The scenario begins when His disciples asked Jesus who had sinned in order that this man was born blind. In this culture it was felt that previous sin in the person’s family was the cause for the condition, in this case blindness.

b.Jesus answered them by saying that the man was blind not by the power of someone’s sin, but rather to show the healing power of God. With that Jesus went on to heal the man.

c.The man was then brought to the Pharisees to investigate the healing. The Pharisee’s were hoping for a way to get something, anything on Jesus. The issue thus became an issue of healing on the Sabbath. The healed man was eventually thrown out of the synagogue for defending Jesus.

d.It is after seeking out the healed man and affirming His Deity to him that Jesus dialogs with the Pharisees:

John 9:39 - 41 (NASB) 39And Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind.” 40Those of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these things and said to Him, “We are not blind too, are we?” 41Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.

B.The parable of the Good Shepherd

1.Read John 10:1-6

a.Jesus tries to show the Pharisees that the only way to righteousness was properly through Him as Lord and Savior.

b.They did not understand so Jesus tries again and provides the first statement for our consideration.

II.I Am the door of the sheep v7-10

A.Jesus is the only portal to salvation.

1.Christ assures us, John 10:7, that he is the door into the fold of the sheep.

a.Peter states in Acts 4:12 (NASB) 12“And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

b.So if anyone seeks to shepherd by any other name, for any other purpose than His, is a thief and a robber in the sheepfold.

1)The thief (in the context, unfaithful leaders) acts for his own good, not that of the flock

c.Jesus promised to provide abundant or full life to the sheep.

1)Abundance of life points to depth of living now and length of living in eternity. It is not only life as good as it can be, but also life beyond what we can imagine!

III.The Good Shepherd v11-16

A.Background of the statement

1.Those who heard this statement would have been familiar with the relationship of shepherd to sheep and would have understood the biblical background as well.

2.The biblical imagery is rooted in two facts. God is often represented as Shepherd and Israel as His sheep. And human leaders are also cast as shepherds, responsible for the well-being of the people in their care.

a.The most familiar passage casting God as Shepherd is, of course, Psalm. 23. There are, however, many other passages.

1)Psalm 80, a hymn used in public worship, begins, “Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock;

2)Ezekiel uses the image of the shepherd to convey God’s love for His people:

Ezekiel 34:14 - 16 (NASB) 14“I will feed them in a good pasture, and their grazing ground will be on the mountain heights of Israel. There they will lie down on good grazing ground and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15“I will feed My flock and I will lead them to rest,” declares the Lord GOD.”

3)Jeremiah, warning against false shepherds who care nothing for God’s flock, makes a promise the Messiah will one day fulfill:

Jeremiah 23:3 (NASB) 3“Then I Myself will gather the remnant of My flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and bring them back to their pasture, and they will be fruitful and multiply.