Hello family and friends,
Here are my sermon notes
from Sunday, September 13, 2015
Please
feel free to copy and share with others.
Sermon Title: “The Shepherd and His Flock” - Part 1 of 2
Opening statement: This chapter is filled with Spiritual Truths and begins with an extended figure of
speech or illustration, similar to a parable, about shepherds and sheep. The
Apostle John provides two aspects of the illustration: the “gate” and the “shepherd”, each
with its own interpretation - the “gate” is interpreted in verse 7-10, and the “shepherd”
is interpreted in verse 11-18. Theme is: Salvation and Jesus is The Good Shepherd. Its' about our relationship with the Lord. You see,
Christianity is more of a relationship than it is a religion. I must say that the lessons learned here are
applicable to all generations. We’ll discover
a lot of symbolic meaning in today's scripture. 1. True believers know and hear the shepherd's voice and
follow him. 2. The True Shepherd is revealed to believers through the Holy
Spirit. 3. Jesus is the One and only
way, and there is no other! Not Muhammad, not Buddha, etc. Comment: Often Jesus
uses physical objects, or settings to depict a certain spiritual aspect and to
teach a lesson. In today's scripture message he uses the sheep and shepherd to
teach us. Note that Romans 9:6 – 9
addresses the Islamic / Jewish question as to who are the true children of Abraham.
Also Genesis 17:21 addresses the
Islamic / Jewish question.
Was
presented September 13, 2015
Written by: Bill Ferguson
Scripture Reading
…......................................... John 10:
1 – 21
Also Romans 9:6-12
Referring Scripture
....................Isaiah 40: 1-11.
Responsive Reading …...... Psalm 24
… # 755 &
756
The Words of God for the people of
God, thanks be to God!
Paralleling leaders with shepherds and
their people with sheep was a common analogy in the Bible (it still is in the
Middle East). Shepherding was a common occupation; many of the
Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) leaders were shepherds, as
were most of the ancestors of the entire nation of Israel. God is often
called a shepherd and his people the sheep. Several of the
illustrations
in verse 1-18 can be readily assigned a symbolic meaning. Here
are some examples:
1. The “good shepherd” is the Messiah – who is Christ Jesus
2. The “sheep”
are the Jewish believers – followers of Jesus
3. The “sheepfold”
is Judaism (and the flock of believers)
4. The “gate”
is Jesus - as the way to life
5. The “other
sheep” are Gentile (non-Jewish) believers
6. The “gatekeeper”
is God
7. The “thief
or robber” is Satan or someone up to no good
The entire passage calls to mind the
imagery of Ezekiel 34, where the prophet severely reprimand the false
prophets (Israel's evil leaders) and predicted that the true
Shepherd (the Messiah) would come and provide God's people with
genuine care and leadership. In comparison to the Pharisees, who
were bad leaders of God's people, Jesus was (and still is) the
true Shepherd of all God's people. The healed man who believed in Jesus (in
the previous chapter - who had been born blind) represented all
believers who would come out of Judaism to follow Jesus, as sheep follow
their shepherd. We must remember
that the first Christians were Jews.
Listen closely to Jesus' words in verse
1 – 2 - NIV. “I tell you the truth, the man who does
not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a
thief and robber. The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep.”
The “gate” is the main entrance (is
also translated “door” - NKJV). It is important that we realize that the
sheepfold had only one entrance. Jesus explained that anyone who tried
to get in any other way besides going through the gate would be a thief and a robber – that person
would be up to no good. The gate
represents the position of Messiah because Jesus went on to say, “The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his
sheep.”
Listen. Only the shepherd has the
right to enter the sheepfold and call his own sheep out to follow him.
Friend Jesus is the only way to Salvation. That’s what this scripture is saying. Jesus is the gate and the
shepherd. No one else. There is no other door by which we may
enter to meet God.
These words speak clearly to us about
false leaders and false religions. Jesus rebuked those who claim to lead
God's people without regarding the Messiah (who is in their midst, but
unrecognized by them). Such leaders have false ambitions, selfish
desires, and evil intentions.
There is an important lesson here. Listen. Jesus' love for his people is contrasted with the treatment
given the people by the Jewish leaders of the day. That contrast would
hold for any leader, in any generation (past, present and future),
who attempts to use the flock of God to his or her own selfish purposes.
Let’s take a look at the contrast
of character:
False
Religious Leaders Jesus
Self-centered From God,
is true
(thieves and or hired hands)
Strangers Knows
his sheep and they
recognize him.
Lead sheep away from God Leads sheep to God
Flee when danger threatens Provides real safety and
assurance (Psalm
23)
Have no heart of compassion Lays down his life for the
for the
sheep
sheep (Psalm 22)
Will abandon the sheep in Will return for his sheep
time of
trouble or danger. (Psalm 24)
Listen to Jesus in verse 3-6 - NIV. “The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to
his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has
brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him
because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact,
they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice.” Scripture
tells us that “Jesus used this figure of speech, but
they did not understand what he was telling them.” Jesus
explained it in verses 7-11.
Friend the shepherd is also the gate for
the sheep – which in the illustration
meant Jesus is the only way to eternal life, the only way into the
kingdom of God. The sheepfold of Judaism held some of God's people who
had waited the coming of their Shepherd-Messiah (recorded in
Isaiah 40:1-11). When the true Shepherd came, believing Jews
recognized his voice and followed him. It is important that we realize
that not all Jews were God's people. Listen closely to what the Apostle
Paul wrote in Romans 9:6-8, “It is not as though
God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.
Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the
contrary, ‘it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.’ In other
words, it is not the natural children who are God’s children, but it is the
children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.”
In Romans 9 Paul address the Islamic/Jewish
issue as to who are the true children of Abraham. Read it closely. The
promise in Romans 9:9 includes Sarah – Abraham's wife, not Hagar! Hagar is the mother of Islam.
We could say that this scripture lesson is
a revelation in Reverse. From the
vantage point of the resurrection and two thousand years of church history, our
position is almost exactly the reverse of what Jesus' listeners experienced.
We understand
better what
Jesus meant, but are largely unfamiliar with the shepherding process that
he described.
The challenge for us is to take Jesus'
self-description seriously. He called himself the Gate and the Good
Shepherd. Beloved, Jesus is the entry point and the caring master. The
question is: Have you and I responded to his voice and are we following
him?
I'm not out of sermon but I am out of
time. Lord willing, we'll continue our study next week and have a part 2.
Dear Heaven Father, we praise your name. Forgive us of
our sins and guide us into thy sheepfold. We ask this in your Son’s name, Amen.
