2017.03.12                                    John 10: 1-21

              I am the Good Shepherd

Good Morning…. I am glad to be with you this morning… I have Good News for You! His name is Jesus… We are on a great adventure… We are Experiencing the Life and ministry of Jesus… Once again this morning we are studying the Gospel of John… Turn in your Bible to John chapter 10…  As we begin today… Jesus is still in the Temple area… It is still the same conversation that ended ch 9… Jesus is still trying to shake the religious leaders…. He wants them to see the truth and repent and come to Him… They are false Shepherds… They are blind and they are failing to point the people to Jesus… As we continue… We will be looking at Jesus… He is the true Shepherd… let´s dig in… John 10… v1…

John 10: 1-21                       NLT  Neues Leben

1 “I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber! 2 But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. 5 They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.”

6 Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn’t understand what he meant, 7 so he explained it to them: “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. 9 Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. 10 The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. 12 A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. 13 The hired hand runs away because he’s working only for the money and doesn’t really care about the sheep. 14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, 15 just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.17 “The Father loves me because I sacrifice my life so I may take it back again. 18 No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded.”19 When he said these things, the people were again divided in their opinions about him. 20 Some said, “He’s demon possessed and out of his mind. Why listen to a man like that?” 21 Others said, “This doesn’t sound like a man possessed by a demon! Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

1 »Ich versichere euch: Wer sich über die Mauer in den Schafpferch schleicht, statt durchs Tor hineinzugehen, ist ein Dieb und ein Räuber! 2 Denn ein Hirte tritt durch das Tor ein. 3 Der Torhüter öffnet ihm, und die Schafe hören seine Stimme und kommen zu ihm. Er ruft seine Schafe, die ihm gehören, beim Namen und führt sie hinaus. 4 Wenn er seine Herde versammelt hat, geht er vor ihnen her, und die Schafe folgen ihm, weil sie seine Stimme kennen. 5 Einem Fremden aber folgen sie nicht, sondern laufen vor ihm weg, weil sie seine Stimme nicht kennen.« 6 Die Zuhörer wussten nicht, was Jesus mit diesem Bild meinte, 7 deshalb erklärte er es ihnen. »Ich versichere euch: Ich bin das Tor zu den Schafen«, sagte er. 8 »Alle, die vor mir kamen, waren Diebe und Räuber. Doch die Schafe hörten nicht auf sie. 9 Ja, ich bin das Tor. Wer durch mich hineingeht, wird gerettet werden. Wo er auch hinkommt, wird er grüne Weiden finden. 10 Ein Dieb will rauben, morden und zerstören. Ich aber bin gekommen, um ihnen das Leben in ganzer Fülle zu schenken. 11 Ich bin der gute Hirte. Der gute Hirte opfert sein Leben für die Schafe. 12 Ein Schäfer, der nur für Lohn arbeitet, läuft davon, wenn er einen Wolf kommen sieht. Er wird die Schafe im Stich lassen, weil sie ihm nicht gehören und er nicht ihr Hirte ist. Und so greift der Wolf sie an und zerstreut die Herde. 13 Der bezahlte Arbeiter läuft davon, weil er nur angeworben wurde und die Schafe ihm nicht wirklich am Herzen liegen.14 Ich bin der gute Hirte; ich kenne meine Schafe und sie kennen mich,15 so wie mein Vater mich kennt und ich den Vater. Ich gebe mein Leben für die Schafe. 16 Ich habe auch noch andere Schafe, die nicht in diesem Pferch sind. Auch sie muss ich herführen, und sie werden auf meine Stimme hören; und alle werden eine Herde mit einem Hirten sein. 17 Der Vater liebt mich, weil ich mein Leben hingebe, um es wiederzuerlangen. 18 Niemand kann es mir nehmen. Ich gebe es freiwillig hin. Ich habe die Macht, es hinzugeben, und ich habe die Macht, es wieder zu nehmen. Denn mein Vater hat mir diesen Auftrag gegeben.« 19 Wegen dieser Worte waren die Menschen1 wieder geteilter Meinung über ihn. 20 Manche meinten: »Er hat einen Dämon und ist verrückt. Warum hört ihr auf einen solchen Mann?« 21 Andere dagegen sagten: »Das klingt nicht nach einem Mann, der von einem Dämon besessen ist! Oder kann ein Dämon etwa den Blinden die Augen öffnen?

I am the Good Shepherd…

This is one of the most beautiful word pictures in all of the Scriptures… It is an illustration of God’s care for His own people…

There were many famous shepherds in the Old Testament…  Abraham was a shepherd…  Isaac was a shepherd…  Jacob was a shepherd…  Moses was a shepherd…  David was a shepherd…

But the most well-known Shepherd in the Old Testament was God Himself…

Psalm 23 says, “The Lord is – ” what?  “ - my Shepherd.”  Psalm 77:20,  Psalm 79:13, Psalm 80:1, Psalm 95 says… He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand…

These are all great texts… We do not have time for the many places that we find God illustrated as a Shepherd… But I want to look at one… Look with me at Ezekiel ch 34…

Ezekiel 34: 2-5                       NKJV   slt 2000

2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God to the shepherds: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? 3 You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock. 4 The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them. 5 So they were scattered because there was no shepherd; and they became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered.

2 Menschensohn, weissage gegen die Hirten Israels, weissage und sprich zu ihnen, den Hirten: So spricht Gott, der Herr: Wehe den Hirten Israels, die sich selbst weiden! Sollen die Hirten nicht die Herde weiden? 3 Das Fette verzehrt ihr, mit der Wolle bekleidet ihr euch, und das Gemästete schlachtet ihr, aber die Herde weidet ihr nicht! 4 Das Schwache stärkt ihr nicht, das Kranke heilt ihr nicht, das Verwundete verbindet ihr nicht, das Verscheuchte holt ihr nicht zurück, und das Verlorene sucht ihr nicht, sondern mit Gewalt und Härte herrscht ihr über sie! 5 Und so haben sie sich zerstreut, weil sie ohne Hirten waren, und sind allen wilden Tieren des Feldes zum Fraß geworden und haben sich zerstreut. 

v2a… Son of man… This is a title of the Messiah…

v2b… prophesy against the shepherds of Israel...  In this prophesy…. God Rebukes the false shepherds and says that He will seek and protect the flock…v11,12…

Ezekiel 34: 11,12     NKJV   slt 2000

11 ‘For thus says the Lord God: “Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day.

11 Denn so spricht Gott, der Herr: Siehe, ich selbst will nach meinen Schafen suchen und mich ihrer annehmen! 12 Wie ein Hirte seine Herde zusammensucht an dem Tag, da er mitten unter seinen zerstreuten Schafen ist, so will ich mich meiner Schafe annehmen und sie aus allen Orten erretten, wohin sie zerstreut wurden an dem Tag des Gewölks und des Wolkendunkels.

v11… I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out... God says…. I will shepherd and gather my sheep…  

look at verse 23... Then He points to the Messiah as the true shepherd to come…  He says… I will

Ezekiel 34: 23,24                       NKJV   slt 2000

23 I will establish one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them—My servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd. 24 And I, the Lord, will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken..

 23 Ich will ihnen einen einzigen Hirten erwecken, der sie weiden soll, nämlich meinen Knecht David; der soll sie weiden, und der soll ihr Hirte sein. 24 Und ich, der Herr, will ihr Gott sein, und mein Knecht David soll Fürst sein in ihrer Mitte; ich, der Herr, habe es gesagt!

v23… My servant David…  David lived long before… Who is He talking about?  He’s talking about the Son of David… The Messiah… He will become the true Shepherd who will gather His people… not only from Israel… but from all the nations…  

This prophecy in Ezekiel 34 is fulfilled by Jesus…  He is that one true Shepherd…  Back to John 10 … v1,2… scroll down…

v1…  A thief and a robber… The Pharisees have shown that they are ungodly leaders… False shepherds of Israel… Proved  by their rejection of Jesus… the Messiah and the only hope of humanity…

v2… He who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep… As we see in these texts… Shepherds were  common Old Testament pictures of the leaders of God's people… The good shepherds fed and protected the sheep…

Scroll down…  John 10: 3-6  

v3a… To him the doorkeeper opens… In towns, sheep from many flocks were kept for the night in a common sheepfold… They were overseen by one "doorkeeper….

v3b… He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out… The shepherd calls the sheep by name… The shepherd has a personal connection with the sheep…. They knew His voice… The shepherd leads them out… Here, Jesus speaks of calling his own sheep from the fold of Judaism…

v4… he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice... In the common sheepfolds of ancient times… the shepherd merely gave his distinctive call and his sheep came out from the others… following him out of the sheepfold… Sheep are experts at discerning their shepherd's voice…

Scroll down… John 10: 7-10…

v7… I am the gate for the sheep… Jesus is the gate… the only way into the fold of God´s people…   When Jesus speaks of the door in this passage… He refers to a   type of sheepfold that was used out in the fields…

It was an enclosure for sheep with only one entrance... It might be a cave… Or a stone or mud-brick structure with walls to protect the sheep…

The shepherd actually laid his body across the entrance… to keep the sheep in and to keep out the wolves… The shepherd was in fact the gate or door... Foto…

v8… All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers… Jesus is pointing to the false shepherds…

v9… I am the gate…Those who come in through me will be saved… They will come and go freely and will find good pastures… Jesus shows the choice and the contrast between Himself and the False shepherds who claim to speak for God…. They are deceived and they lead many astray…

 v10… the thief… kill and destroy… There is great danger for every believer... False teachers… They have poisoned their own hearts by filling themselves with pride…. They are Hypocrites…. They are like robbers and thieves… They are after us… How do we stay safe…? We follow Jesus… We must not loose sight of Jesus… Even as believers… We are in danger of a form of temporary Blindness… Let´s call it The Beam in the eye syndrome… Matt ch7… We are quick to hit someone over the head with our Bible… We apply the Word of God to others…  Without first searching our own hearts… We make 2 big mistakes….

Avoiding temporary Blindness

1 We compare ourselves with others instead of with the Word of God… That Scripture is for brother so and so… oh man… Sister blah blah needs to read this…

2 We do not let the scriptures shape us… We read and even memorize the Bible… But we don´t let it sink into our own Hearts and minds…

3 We do not let the Word of God move us to repentance… They become mere texts that we say we believe… We Call Jesus Lord…. But we do not do what he Says… Luke 6:46…

How do we avoid the same pride and hypocrisy that poisoned the Scribes and Pharisees?

1 We apply the Word of God to our hearts first…. Then we can see well enough to humbly help our brothers and sisters…  Then we all learn obedience and thankfulness…  

2 We listen to His voice… The voice of our Good Shepherd… We see with our ears as we study the Word of god and apply it to our own hearts first… Then and only then… Can  we truly follow him…

Scroll down to John 10: 11-15…

v11… The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep… The bad shepherd thinks the flock exists for his benefit, but the good shepherd lives for… and even lays down His life for the sheep…  

The Good Shepherd and His Sheep

The good shepherd sacrifices for the sheep

The good shepherd knows his sheep

The good shepherd is known by the sheep

The faithful pastor is an under-shepherd… Shepherd´s assistant… He will with the Lord´s help…  display the same characteristics as the Good Shepherd… He will sacrifice for the sheep… know the sheep… and be known by them…  The title pastor translates the same ancient Greek word used here for shepherd… poimēn(greek)   Scroll down to v16-18…

v16… I must bring them also... They will listen to my voice… and there will be one flock with one shepherd.… These "other sheep" are Gentile believers… It includes the nations of the world… not just the fold of Israel... There is one flock and one shepherd…  Jesus calls out His sheep from more than one fold... He makes them into one flock… The redeemed…

v17… Therefore My Father loves Me… because I lay down My life that I may take it again...  Anyone can lay down his life… only Jesus can take His life up again… Because Jesus has the power to take up His own life… it is proof that He is God… And proof of His unique relationship with The Father.

v18a… That I may take it again … I have power to take it again… In this sense, we can say that Jesus "raised Himself" from the dead… He had the power to lay down His life, and He had the power to take it up again… This is very important truth…  

v18b... This command I have received from My Father… The death of Jesus was the plan of God… It was pictured in every OT sacrifice… Jesus willingly submitted to death on the cross... He knew that  then He would rise from the dead in victory over death and the grave… That was the command Jesus received from God the Father…. Let´s look at the last section…19-21…

v19… the people were again divided…

v20… He’s demon possessed and out of his mind… Jesus made such radical claims about Himself that people divided over Him… Some believed that anyone who claimed to be God… Must either have a demon or be mad...

v21… This doesn’t sound like a man possessed by a demon! Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?...   Some of these people Repented and believed the good News of the gospel… They believed He was who He said He was... They saw the miracle with their eyes…. They saw the truth with their ears…  They Listened to His voice… They were moved to follow the Good Shepherd… They followed Jesus…

Many of us have seen the truth of who Jesus is with our ears…. We read and learn about Jesus as we study the Bible… The Holy Spirit uses this book to show what is in our hearts and minds…And then to correct us and to transform us step by step into the very image of Jesus… We become more like Jesus day by day… We follow our good shepherd and he blesses and transforms us to be like Him… That affects every relationship that we have… look with me at Colossians 3 v12-17…    

Colossians 3: 12-17                   NLT   Neues Leben

12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.

15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

12 Da Gott euch erwählt hat, zu seinen Heiligen und Geliebten zu gehören, seid voll Mitleid und Erbarmen, Freundlichkeit, Demut, Sanftheit und Geduld. 13 Seid nachsichtig mit den Fehlern der anderen und vergebt denen, die euch gekränkt haben. Vergesst nicht, dass der Herr euch vergeben hat und dass ihr deshalb auch anderen vergeben müsst. 14 Das Wichtigste aber ist die Liebe. Sie ist das Band, das uns alle in vollkommener Einheit verbindet.

15 Euren Herzen wünschen wir den Frieden, der von Christus kommt. Denn als Glieder des einen Leibes seid ihr alle berufen, im Frieden miteinander zu leben. Und seid immer dankbar! 16 Gebt den Worten von Christus viel Raum3 in euren Herzen. Gebraucht seine Worte weise, um einander zu lehren und zu ermahnen. Singt Gott aus ganzem Herzen Psalmen, Lobgesänge und geistliche Lieder. 17 Doch alles, was auch immer ihr tut oder sagt, soll im Namen von Jesus, dem Herrn, geschehen, durch den ihr Gott, dem Vater, danken sollt!

When we see Jesus with our ears… When we let the Word of God soak into our lives… We are daily transformed to become more like Jesus… And others see Jesus in us… That is why we are here… To love and encourage each other…. And to show Jesus to this lost and dying world… Let´s pray…