Monday, April 22, 2013

April 20-22, 2013 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: John 10:22-30


GOOD SHEPHERD SUNDAY
April 20-22, 2013
Pastor Timothy J. Spaude
Text: John 10:22-30

COMFORTING WORDS FROM A CARING GOOD SHEPHERD
                             1. The Good Shepherd speaks plainly.
                             2. The Good Shepherd’s sheep listen and follow.
                             3. The Good Shepherd keeps His sheep safe.

John 10:22-30 (NIV 1984) “Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. 24 The Jews gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”

          Brothers and sisters, we live in a messy world, don’t we? Probably at the forefront of our minds right now is the Boston bombing. But there is more, so much more. North Korea. Ricin in the mail. Deaths in the family. Accidents and disease. Drug use among teens on the rise. So many messy things going on in life. So many things that cause us to fear. But this is nothing new for God’s people living in a sinful world. That’s one of the reasons that God’s picture of Jesus as our Good Shepherd is so near and dear to our hearts. So many Scripture references. So many hymns and songs and paintings and pictures of Jesus the Good Shepherd.  All of them comforting us, soothing our fears. Today as we celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday let’s take our fears, worries and concerns to the Lord who loves us and listen to some comforting words from a caring Good Shepherd.
          They came after Jesus had healed a man who had been blind from birth. The Pharisees who fancied themselves shepherds for God’s people in Israel criticized the man for being healed, accused him of being a liar, questioned Jesus’ authority to heal. Jesus responded with what is known as the Good Shepherd chapter of the Bible, John 10. Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. 24 The Jews gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep.”
          The Jewish religious leaders came to Jesus with a question and a complaint. If you are the Christ, the Messiah, the one sent from God, tell us plainly. You are keeping us in suspense. They were full of baloney. Jesus had spoken plainly, several times. He identified Himself as I AM. That’s God’s name. John the Baptist had pointed to Jesus as the Lamb of God. Jesus called Himself the Son of Man. Religious leaders who read the book of Daniel certainly heard a Messianic title. Then the miracles. All the miracles including healing the man who had been born blind. You  see the problem wasn’t that Jesus wasn’t speaking plainly enough. He was speaking too plainly and they did not believe.
          But these are comforting words for us who do, for us Jesus’ sheep. It’s a comforting and caring Good Shepherd who does not leave us in suspense but speaks comforting and caring words quite clearly. Like, “I will be with you always to the very end of the age. In my Father’s house are many rooms. I go to prepare a place for you. I will come back and take you to be with me. Come to me. I will give you rest. Today you will be with me in paradise. This is my body. This is my blood for the forgiveness of your sins. As the Father has loved me so have I loved you. I am the way, the truth, the life. In all things I work for the good of those who love me. I am seated at the right hand of God will everything under my control.” These and so many more. We don’t have to wonder if someone else was meant. Is there trick language. Jesus speaks plainly. Whatever He says you can count on.
          It’s important that you do. While Jesus pointed out that the religious leaders of the Jews were not His sheep, listen to how the Good Shepherd describes those who are. “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” Imagine you are in a field. It is filled with thousands and thousands of sheep. They are all from different flocks. They are all mixed up and milling together. Your job is to separate them, each to its own flock. You have a minute to win it. What will you do? Have their shepherd call them of course. They know their own shepherd’s voice. They feel safe and comfortable following him. The reason the Jewish religious leaders did not believe Jesus was simple. They were not His sheep. But we are. Jesus knows us. Even when we are covered in the mud of our sin He knows and owns us. And now it’s gut check time. Do you listen and follow? The voice of the Good Shepherd is here in God’s Word. You listen when you come to church. Can you listen some more? Will you make the time for the one who loves you each day with some Bible reading or devotion? Do you follow? When it comes to what marriage is and isn’t and when we use God’s gift of sex and don’t and when we live together or not whose voice do you listen to, who are you following? The Good Shepherd or the government or your own desire, your friends, your lover? When Bible truth comes under attack, the Devil is causing doubts there’s only one voice to listen to, one for us to follow. Jesus, because we are His sheep.
          And glad to be for He keeps us safe. “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.” People have many needs on earth. One of the strongest needs that people have is for safety and security. Children have that need very strongly and that’s why parents try so hard to provide that for them. Parents have the need to know their kids are safe. Any parent who has been in a store or a mall and “lost” their child for 30 seconds or 30 minutes knows the awful fears, the worries and how your imagination runs wild. The whole goal behind terrorist plots and evil bombings is to attack people’s feeling of safety at normal events.
          The Devil is a terrorist of sorts. He likes to cause hurt. He likes to play on our fears. He wants us making our decisions and living our lives out of fear rather than faith in Jesus. The Good Shepherd has a different plan and more power. He promises to give us eternal life. He says we can never perish. He tells us that no one can snatch us out of the Father’s hand because no one is greater, stronger than Jesus and the Father. Comforting words from a caring Good Shepherd. Sometimes when a believer is facing their death and you tell them it’s OK you’re going to be with Jesus . As the Devil tempts them they might say “I hope so.” “I don’t know. I’m not a good person.” Lifelong believers will say that. How nice to replace doubts with the comforting words from a caring Good Shepherd. O yes you will. It doesn’t depend on you but on Him. Your loved ones who are believers, sheep of Jesus, they can’t get snatched at the last moment. Your children who are sheep of Jesus. They are safe. Fear gets to be replaced with faith.
          And that’s a good thing because we don’t live in a clean world but a messy one. It seems like it’s going to get messier. If present trends continue there will be more frequent random acts of violence, more and more of our country’s laws will be in defiance of God’s holy will as fewer and fewer American citizens are really sheep of the Shepherd. But that’s OK. Jesus remains the Good Shepherd. He knows us. He owns us. He keeps us safe. He speaks plainly. His Bible book is filled with comforting and caring words. Let’s make sure we listen and follow. Amen.

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