Today is my favorite day of the week because this is the day that I have the privilege of posting the Weekend Sermon. I thank you for reading this blog, and I pray that the Lord's blessings will be upon you this day.
This week has gone pretty well at work. I haven't felt too bad physically either. I thank you for your prayers on my behalf. I have been praying about some financial decisions that I have to make in the near future, and I believe that I have things worked out. Please pray that everything will come together so that I can once and for all get my financial difficulties of the past behind me. Also, please pray for me as I continue to work on the religious book project I am presently engaged in.
In prayer this week, please pray about the situation with the terrible forest fires in the American West. Pray that these fires might be extinguished. Also, as I am writing this blog, there is a bad storm in the Caribbean. Please pray that this storm will weaken, and that it won't damage anyone's life.
Let us continue to pray for peace in Syria and Iraq. Pray for the Gospel to reach the Maldives, Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia.
Last week, we continued in our series of messages in examining the divinity of Jesus as presented in the Gospel of John. We examined Jesus' "I Am" statement, "I Am the Door." Jesus is the door of the sheepfold. He provides safety in the fold and protects us.
Today, we continue with the " I Am" statements of Jesus and focus on His statement "I Am the Good Shepherd" which is found in John 10:11.
John 10 is probably my favorite passage of scripture. For me, the idea that Jesus is the Good Shepherd is filled with a great deal of meaning. I would like us to examine some of what it means that Jesus is the Good Shepherd.
In this chapter, Jesus states one of the meanings of His statement that He is the good shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.
One of the jobs of a shepherd is to make sure that the flock is safe at all costs. We see this is the Old Testament from the example of David before he became King of Israel. David was a shepherd tending a flock. At least twice, he was called upon to protect the flock from predators. David had to slay a bear and a lion in order to protect the sheep that were under his care.
We are the sheep that the Father has given to the Lord Jesus. Jesus came to this earth to give His life as a ransom for sin that those of us who are His sheep might be redeemed and find forgiveness, peace and hope. Jesus was willing to give His life in order to bring us salvation. He willing placed His life on the line to help us when we could not help ourselves.
Jesus is the Good Shepherd in contrast to false shepherds who do not really care for the sheep. In this passage, I believe that Jesus has in mind the religious leaders of His day. The false shepherds can also refer to other relgions that do not offer truth and hope. Sheep will not find what they need from these shepherds.
Ezekiel chapter 34 is a great chapter that contrasts the bad shepherds with the Good Shepherd. In Ezekiel it states that the Good Shepherd finds the scattered members of the flock and brings them back into the fold. This is similar to the words of the Jesus. Jesus says that the Good Shepherd leaves the 99 in the fold, and then He goes out and diligently searches for the one lost sheep that has gone astray.
This has two meanings. First of all, the Good Shepherd seeks after those who have not placed their trust in Him. Jesus' arms are open wide for anyone and everyone who wants to come to Him. Jesus said that whoever comes to Him, He will not cast them out. Jesus said, "Come to me all ye who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
Jesus is also diligently searching for the Christian who has fallen away from doing what is right. There are many Christians who have left their first love and who are not faithfully following the Lord. Jesus is seeking after these people. He wants to reconnect and bring those who are wandering back into the safety that only He can provide.
Let us look at a few other examples of what a Good Shepherd does. A Good Shepherd like Jesus looks after the welfare of the sheep. Sheep require a lot of care. They are subject to a variety of different ailments, and when they are free grazing, they are frequently injured. It is the shepherd's job to maintain the flock and help them along.
Jesus as the Good Shepherd helps the injured and the weak among His flock. I know that I have to rely on the Good Shepherd everyday to help me through the difficulties that I face in life. Through struggles with depression, grief and bad health, Jesus has always been there to help me along the way. I can feel His guiding presence and His comforting hand in my life. When I am at my lowest, I can sense His encouragement like a rock in a stream not letting me sink any lower.
When I suffered what I consider great spiritual abuse as a young man in a fundamentalist church I felt like giving up on organized religion. However, I never felt like giving up on Jesus. This is especially true when I truly discovered who Jesus is and what He is all about.
As a young man, I was given the picture of Jesus as someone to fear. Jesus was the one who would make something bad happen to you if you didn't give 10 percent to the church. I was told that Jesus would take my dog away if I loved him too much. Our church stressed that Jesus is the judge, and that one day I would have to give a reckoning. Those who didn't measure up would still make it to Heaven, but Jesus would punish you greatly for wasting your life on earth.
Everything was based on fear. Through a study of many, many books about Jesus written by a wide variety of authors, I came to understand who the Good Shepherd really is. I grew to love Him with all of my heart.
I know that He wants what is best for me. Jesus loves me and He cares about me. He wants to bring me into good pasture and not bring fear and punishment and hardship into my life. I learned that Jesus is my friend.
One other aspect of the Good Shepherd is that the Good Shepherd leads His flock into good pastrue. I know that if I follow Jesus, He will lead me into a closer relationship with Him. He will allow me to know more about Him, and through that I will be able to minister to others who are in need. Ultimately, Jesus will lead us who follow Him to the place that He has prepared for us. Where Jesus is, we will be with Him for all of eternity.
There is one other thing that I want to mention. When Jesus refers to Himself as the Good Shepherd He is clearly stating that He is God. In Ezekiel 34, it is God Himself that states He is the Good Shepherd that will lead His people Israel. Jesus uses this same language to show us that He is the Lord of all creation come in human flesh to provide redemption and to lead His flock in the way that we should go. Everything that is mentioned about God as the Good Shepherd in Ezekiel is made manifest in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.
Next week, we will continue in our series on the "I Am" statements of Jesus. I will post the verses on Monday and a review on Wednesday. May God bless you all. Amen.
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