GOOD
SHEPHERD SUNDAY
April
16-18, 2016
Pastor
Timothy J. Spaude
Text:
John 10:22-30
“WHAT A JOY TO BE JESUS’ SHEEP!”
1.
Sadly
some refuse to be.
2.
Happily
we are!
John
10:22-30 (NIV 1984) “Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It
was winter, 23and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon’s
Colonnade. 24The Jews gathered around Him, saying, “How long will
You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 25Jesus
answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in My
Father’s name speak for Me, 26but you do not believe because you are
not My sheep. 27My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they
follow Me. 28I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish;
no one can snatch them out of My hand. 29My Father, who has given
them to Me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of My Father’s
hand. 30I and the Father are one.”
Have you ever taken a personality
test? There’s all kinds of them out there. They ask you questions about your
likes, dislikes, how you would likely respond to different situations. Many of
the tests of the past used animals to describe your personality and so you
might test out to be a lion, a beaver, an otter, or a golden retriever. I saw
one that claimed to use over 50 different animals to really nail you down. I’m
guessing that under most circumstances it’s not considered good to test out as
a sheep. And yet the Word of God before us clearly shows that a sheep is
exactly what each of us wants to be, at least when we are talking about Jesus’
sheep. What a joy to be Jesus’ sheep!
Sadly some refuse to be. “Then
came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23and
Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon’s Colonnade.” John chapter
10 in the Bible is known as the Good Shepherd chapter of the Bible. Because of
God’s constant pictures of His care like that of a shepherd with his sheep,
most notably in Psalm 23 Jesus used the picture too. As he revealed Himself
again and again as God’s Son, the Messiah, the Savior from sin, He called
himself the Good Shepherd, a picture the Jewish people would readily recognize
from everyday life and Old Testament Scripture. He is the Good Shepherd. It’s
now about two months after Jesus revealed that truth. He’s at the Temple at a
time when many would be there.
“The
Jews gathered around Him, saying, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If
You are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Now at first this sounds pretty good.
It sounds like they are eagerly seeking truth. Until you hear Jesus’ response. “Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do
not believe. The miracles I do in My Father’s name speak for Me, 26but
you do not believe because you are not My sheep.” In many different ways
Jesus had already told them who He was. He used the Bible’s titles for the
Messiah. Every time Jesus said “I Am,” he was telling the people who he was,
God. They knew it because sometimes they tried to stone Him. The specific
miracles Jesus did, causing the lame to walk, the blind to see, the deaf to hear
were all specifically mentioned in the Bible as the miracles the Savior would
do. They already knew. That’s why Jesus spoke to them some of the scariest
words of Jesus that a person could possibly hear. “You are not my sheep.”
“You are not my sheep.” There are some
words you don’t want to hear. “You failed the test. You’re fired. You were 20
miles over the speed limit. You’ve got cancer.” These are so much worse. “You
are not my sheep.” While those other words mean some consequences for earthly
living, these are for eternity. For those who are not the sheep of Jesus are
the goats to whom He said, “Depart from me you who are cursed into the eternal
fire prepared for the Devil and his angels.” Who hears these words? Those who
don’t believe. Those who don’t believe Jesus is God’s Son and Savior. Brothers
and sisters, hear these words and take them to heart and join me right now in
praying, “Lord Jesus, please do whatever you have to do so that I am my loved
ones never reject you. We do believe, help us overcome our unbelief. Amen.”
Sadly some refuse to be Jesus’ sheep.
But oh what a joy for those who are! “My sheep listen to My voice; I know them,
and they follow Me. 28I give them eternal life, and they shall never
perish; no one can snatch them out of My hand. 29My Father, who has
given them to Me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of My
Father’s hand. 30I and the Father are one.” Hey, let’s take one
of those animal tests. What are Jesus’ sheep like? Maybe you want to jot down
or underline these words. They: listen, are known, follow, have eternal life, are
safe. First, Jesus’ sheep listen. They listen to His voice. Now this makes
sense. Those who are not Jesus’ sheep do not believe. No one can believe on
their own. That only happens when the Holy Spirit works in hearts and he does
that in God’s word. This is where Jesus’ voice is. Now take the test. Are you
listening to Jesus’ voice? Well yes here and that’s great but do you have a
habit of daily listening? I’m not asking for a show of hands but do it inside.
Jesus’ sheep hear His voice and listen to it.
Jesus’ sheep are known. What a joy
filled truth. Jesus knows each one of us personally. He knows your name. He
knows what gives you godly happiness. He knows what you need. He knows when you
are hurting and just what happened. He knows all those things you try to hide
from other people and would be so ashamed if they find out. He knows and loves
you every day the same whether you had a good day of serving God or a sin filled
one.
Jesus’ sheep follow. They follow Him.
Kids here today, what does it mean when your teachers tell you to follow
directions? It means that you not only read what they say but you actually do
them, right? Older kids called men here today, have you ever had to put something together that had
some assembly required and something didn’t quite fit only to hear, well did
you read the directions? Of course not, we always follow the directions… or
not. Jesus’ sheep follow Him. His directions. You know we could go through
every one of the 10 Commandments and find out each one of them is really for
our good, to bless us. When we don’t follow the directions, sin, it hurts us.
Jesus’ sheep follow Him. Do you follow Him? Is He your authority or is it the
latest self help fix your family in five easy steps guy or gal? Or your own
ways, what makes sense to you? Jesus’s sheep follow Him.
Jesus’ sheep have eternal life. Being
a sheep of Jesus means all kinds of blessings for this life. He guides and
guards us every step of the way. Nothing happens that he won’t work for good.
But as the Apostle Paul once said, “If only for this life we have hope we are
to be pitied more than all men.” But we don’t. We have more. Jesus’ sheep get
eternal life. And when my short life is ended, by his angel hosts attended. He
shall fold me to his breast, there within his arms to rest.
Jesus’ sheep are kept safe. One of the
top needs of children of all ages is security. They need to feel safe. One of
the top concerns of parents for their children, you got it, safety. Now, while
I really hate to remind you of elections and politics, have you noticed how
high safety is listed on the candidates’ platforms? People have a need for
safety. Jesus’ sheep are kept safe by Him. “No
one can snatch them out of My hand. 29My Father, who has given them
to Me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand. 30I
and the Father are one.” The Bible makes clear that the real enemy of God
and people is the Devil. The Devil hates God. The Devil hates people. He would
like nothing better than snatch us away from Jesus. In times of trial or when
things are going easy Satan is right there trying to snatch us away from Jesus.
Not going to happen. Jesus won’t let it. He has the power of God and is God. He
and the Father are one. When you feel like you are slipping or just can’t go on
Jesus holds you his hands. You are safe in the arms of your Shepherd. Oh the
joy of being Jesus’ sheep.
The people of the world might look
down on those who are considered sheep like. But it’s those who aren’t Jesus’
sheep that we need to feel sorry for. They are missing out. We are not. We know
the joy of being Jesus sheep. Today Jesus looks at us and says, “You are my
sheep and you listen to my voice. I know you and you follow me. I give you
eternal life and no one can snatch you out of my hand.” What a joy to be Jesus’ sheep! Amen.
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