Would you mind turning in your Bible to John chapter 10.
It's on page 1065 of your pew Bible.
! And we've been out of the Gospel of John for a couple weeks,
and now we're back into the Gospel of John.
The series we've titled Behold, Believe, and Live.
Behold Jesus, Believe in Jesus, and Live for Jesus.
As you're turning there,
you know, we live in a time of great mistrust and skepticism
regarding leaders in general.
Maybe you've lost confidence in the political leaders of our country.
Well, the church is no exception.
It seems every other month we learn of some Christian leader
who has failed or has drifted or has undermined the Gospel,
who've compromised themselves.
A lot of Christians, even in this room,
have been deeply hurt by compromised shepherds.
Throughout the Bible, shepherding is used as a metaphor
of leading God's people.
Shepherd lead people.
And we shepherds get to lead God's people, His flock.
And throughout the Bible,
God refers to Himself as a shepherd of His people.
I mean, Steve started off this morning,
called us to worship in Psalm 23.1,
The Lord is my shepherd.
And what we're going to see from Ezekiel 34 this morning
is that God is going to claim that title again,
but in the context of a rebuke.
In the New Testament, Jesus, God incarnate,
is described as the great shepherd of the sheep.
It's Hebrews 13.20.
He is the chief shepherd, 1 Peter 5.4.
And in our passage this morning, in John 10,
Jesus calls Himself the good shepherd.
So, I want to help us ask and answer this question this morning.
What is so good about this good shepherd?
What's so good about this good shepherd?
And what difference will that make for us today?
Throughout the passage we're going to be looking at,
verses 1 through 21,
there's this running contrast
between the failed leaders of Israel,
the Pharisees,
and the good shepherd,
the leadership of Jesus.
And what I want to help you to see this morning
are three truths that Jesus claims about His leadership
that should make you fully trust Him.
And here they are.
Truth number one,
He is the legit shepherd.
Truth number two,
He is the purposed shepherd.
And truth number three,
He is the committed shepherd.
So, legit, purposed, committed.
And all of these come together
to make Him the good shepherd.
And what you're going to see
is that His goodness runs red.
So, let's look at this first truth
that Jesus speaks of Himself.
What we're going to take is kind of piece by piece,
make our way through this passage.
And now I'm going to read John 10, 1 through 6.
Let's look at this first truth
where Jesus describes Himself
as the legit shepherd.
Jesus begins,
Truly, truly, I say to you,
He who does not enter the sheepfold by the door,
but climbs in by another way,
that man is a thief and a robber.
But he who enters by the door
is the shepherd of the sheep.
To him the gatekeeper opens,
the sheep hear His voice,
and He calls His own sheep by name
and leads them out.
When He has brought out all His own,
He goes before them,
and the sheep follow Him
for they know His voice.
A stranger they will not follow,
but they will flee from Him
for they do not know the voice of strangers.
This figure of speech Jesus used with them,
but they did not understand
what He was saying to them.
Who?
Verse 6.
Who are these them, they, them?
We need to understand
who Jesus is speaking to.
In chapter 9, Jesus heals this man born blind.
And it climaxes at the end of verse 9
where this man who now sees,
sees Jesus for the first time,
and he says,
Lord, I believe,
and he worships Him.
But then in verse 39,
we read,
Jesus said,
For judgment I came into this world,
that those who do not see me
may see, may see,
and those who see may become blind.
Some of the Pharisees near Him
heard these things and said to Him,
Are we also blind?
And Jesus said to them,
If you were blind,
you would have no guilt,
but now that you say,
we see,
your guilt remains.
Now let's just pretend
there's no chapter break.
But now that you see,
say we see,
your guilt remains.
Truly, truly,
I say to you,
do you know who the you is?
The Pharisees.
Jesus is speaking these words
to the failed religious leaders
of Israel.
And so what we have before us
is a bit of a confrontation
between Jesus
and the failed leaders
of Israel.
This is a passage about leadership,
believe it or not.
Truly, truly,
I say to you,
Jesus says,
we've bumped into this phrase,
truly, truly,
I say to you,
a number of times
in the Gospel of John,
and what Jesus is doing
is simply setting
the record straight.
He's like,
listen up,
let me just lay it clear
for you.
And He starts
by painting a picture
of a sheepfold.
He says,
He who does not enter
the sheepfold,
what is a sheepfold?
A sheepfold is like
a sheep pen,
a sheep corral.
It's basically
a kind of
a walled-in enclosure,
a fenced-in enclosure
to bring sheep in
during the night
to keep them safe.
And the enclosure,
sometimes sides
of buildings were used,
other times they'd weave
like sticks and branches
and they'd bring them
really high
so that nobody could get in
and the sheep couldn't get out.
And it only had one door.
Only one way in
and one way out.
And it's here
that He begins the contrast.
Look what He says.
He who does not enter
the sheepfold by the door
but climbs in
by another way,
that man is a thief
and a robber.
Who is He talking to?
The Pharisees.
Do you know what He's
saying to them?
You're trying to come
into the sheep pen
kind of like
in an illegitimate way,
thief and robber.
What He's contrasting
is illegitimate leaders.
And so He begins
this contrast.
Illegitimate people
trying to access
the sheep
and they've got
ill intent.
They're thieves and robbers.
They don't go through the gate.
But in verse 2,
the legitimate shepherd
is known.
He's recognized.
He's trusted.
But he who enters
by the door
is the shepherd
of the sheep.
To him,
the gatekeeper opens.
He's like an under-shepherd.
He's kind of working
the door
of the sheepfold.
Recognizes that
this guy's legit.
The sheep hear His voice
and He calls
His own sheep by name
and leads them out.
He's legit.
The sheep recognize Him.
They trust Him.
They hear Him
call their names
and they follow Him.
They go after Him.
Literally,
He calls them by name.
He knows His sheep.
He's recognized.
He's legitimate.
Did you notice
the kind of language
Jesus is using here?
He's saying,
to Him the gatekeeper opens,
the sheep hear His voice,
and He calls His own sheep
by name.
His own sheep by name.
The shepherd,
obviously,
is Jesus referring to Himself.
He knows His own sheep.
He calls them by name.
Christian,
if you're in the room
and you've been like,
does Jesus know me?
Absolutely.
He knows everything about you.
He knows your name.
He called you by name
to follow Him.
You are not some nameless face
in a crowd
that Jesus poured out His blood
generally for.
He shed His blood for you.
His goodness runs red.
What He says here is striking.
He's saying something
with clarity and confidence.
He's saying,
my sheep will recognize
my voice.
This is getting at
what theologians call
the irresistible call.
There's the general gospel call,
which the gospel goes out
to people,
all people,
and then God
effectually
is working within that
to call a people
and the elect
to Himself.
those He's known
from the foundation
before the foundation
of the world.
His voice
is recognized.
It's distinct.
It's known.
We've learned some things
about Jesus
along the way here.
Remember John 1,
1,
in the beginning
was the Word
and the Word
was with God
and the Word
was God
and the Word
became flesh
and dwelt among us
and He was full
of grace and truth.
He's full of steadfast
love and faithfulness.
He puts on God,
God on display
in an incarnate way.
It's glorious.
And then at the end
of chapter 8,
do you remember
what Jesus says
before Abraham
was I am?
Do you know
what makes Jesus
the legit shepherd?
He's God.
He is the God.
So like Psalm 23,
the Lord Jesus
is my shepherd.
I shall not want.
He's the real thing.
In verse 5,
Jesus comes back
to the contrast.
He says,
a stranger
they will not follow
but they will flee from Him
for they do not know
the voice of strangers.
A stranger
is unrecognized,
unknown,
untrusted.
Do you see
the contrast
Jesus is doing here?
And do you remember
who He's talking to?
He's talking to these Pharisees
who He's calling thieves
and robbers
and strangers.
Unrecognized
by the sheep.
His sheep.
The sheep won't follow
a stranger.
They don't know
His voice.
They're illegitimate
shepherds.
And so what Jesus
is doing in verses
1-5
is emphasizing
that He is
the legit leader
of God's people.
The legit shepherd
because He is
God in the flesh.
He's no thief,
robber,
or stranger.
His sheep
recognize them.
And then verse 6
we have something
very ironic.
The sheep
read this.
This is John
piping up.
This figure of speech
Jesus used
with them,
the Pharisees,
but they did not
understand what
He was saying to them.
Now isn't that ironic?
Because His sheep
will hear His voice
and follow Him.
But these men
do not hear His voice.
They are not
following Him.
They are not His sheep.
Who would you rather
have as your leader?
A thief,
robber,
stranger,
or God incarnate?
We move on
to the second truth
Jesus
describes Himself
with
about Him
and
the purposed
shepherd.
So let me just read
chapter 10
verses 7-10.
And Jesus said
to them,
Truly,
truly,
I say to you,
I am the door
of the sheep.
All who came
before Me
are thieves
and robbers,
but the sheep
did not listen
to them.
I am the door.
If anyone enters
by Me,
he will be saved
and will go in
and out
and find pasture.
The thief comes
only to steal
and kill
and destroy.
I came
that they
may have life
and have it
abundantly.
So the second truth
is about
the purpose
of the good shepherd.
And verse 7
begins with another,
Truly,
truly,
I say to you,
and again,
He's speaking
to the Pharisees.
And so it's like
Jesus is like,
I know you don't
understand Me,
so I'm going to
come in from
a different angle.
I'm going to
speak from
the perspective
of the door
of the sheep pen.
perspective of
the gate,
the sole entrance
in and out
of the sheep fold.
Now,
let's just
ask a basic question.
What is the purpose
of a door?
What's the purpose
of a gate?
The purpose
of a door
or gate
is,
generally speaking,
to keep
bad things out
and keep
good things in.
I have a grandson.
His name is Hudson.
He's 18 months old.
He's mobile.
We have a fenced
backyard.
We keep the gate
closed.
We don't want
anybody coming in
that shouldn't be there
and we don't want
Hudson getting out.
A door serves
a purpose.
And what we have here
is Jesus describing
Himself as a purpose,
a function.
Jesus
is presenting
Himself as the door
that both
protects
the sheep
and provides
for the sheep.
Let me point it out
to you.
In verse 8,
there's this picture
of protection.
Let me read it.
All who came
before me
are thieves
and robbers,
but the sheep
did not listen
to them.
I want you
to turn
to your Bibles
to Ezekiel
chapter 34.
It's on page
857
of your pew Bible.
This is kind of
a lengthy section
I'm going to read,
but I'm going to read it
so you get it.
What Jesus
is saying here
has roots
in Ezekiel 34
that you will see.
So in Ezekiel 34,
God speaks
to Ezekiel
who also goes
by the Son of Man.
And in 34.1
we read this.
The word of the Lord
came to me.
Son of Man,
prophesy against
the shepherds
of Israel,
the human leaders
of Israel.
Prophesy and say
to them,
even to the shepherds,
thus says
the Lord God,
ah, shepherds
of Israel
who have been
feeding yourselves.
Should not shepherds
feed the sheep?
You eat the fat.
You clothe yourself
with the wool.
You slaughter the fat ones
but you do not
feed the sheep.
The weak
you have not strengthened.
The sick
you have not healed.
The injured
you have not bound up.
The strayed
you have not brought back.
The lost
you have not sought.
And with force
and harshness
you have ruled them.
Maybe you've experienced
a human shepherd's
force and harshness.
So they were scattered
because there was no shepherd
and they became food
for all the wild beasts.
My sheep were scattered.
They wandered over
all the mountains
and on every high hill.
My sheep were scattered
over the face of the earth
with no one to search
or seek for them.
And down in verse 9
he says,
therefore you shepherds
hear the word of the Lord.
Thus says the Lord God,
behold,
I am against the shepherds.
And I will require
my sheep at their hand
and put a stop
to their feeding the sheep.
No longer shall
the shepherds
feed themselves.
I will rescue
my sheep from
their mouths
that they may not
be food for them.
Okay, so this is a big rebuke
of the human shepherds
of Israel.
They've failed.
And then God says
in verse 11,
for thus says
the Lord God,
behold,
I myself
will search for my sheep
and will seek them out.
as a shepherd
seeks out his flock
when he is among his sheep
that have been scattered,
so will I
seek out my sheep
and I will rescue them
from all the places
where they've been scattered
on a day of clouds
and thick darkness.
And I will bring them
out from the peoples
and gather them
from the countries
and will bring them
into their own land
and I will feed them
on the mountains of Israel
by the ravines
and on all the inhabited
places of the country.
I will feed them
with good pasture.
How about that
for a contrast?
You know what God is saying?
I am the shepherd
of my people.
There's no accident
in Jesus using
this shepherding language
with the Pharisees.
He is calling them
failed shepherds
without calling them shepherds.
These Pharisees
are thieves and robbers.
They're strangers.
And Jesus is the gate.
And he is protecting
his sheep
from these thieves and robbers.
From going out
and following them.
From hearing their voice.
They don't recognize it.
They're not going to go.
So,
what we see going on
in John 10
is this fulfillment
of Ezekiel 34
happening in the coming
of Jesus.
In verse 9,
he says,
I am the door.
And now we have
a picture of provision.
Not only is he just
protecting his flock
as the gate,
he's providing for them.
Look what he provides.
Verse 10,
the thief,
no, excuse me,
verse 9,
if anyone enters by me,
he will be saved.
If anyone comes
into the sheepfold
through him,
he will be saved.
The sheepfold
is his people.
The flock of Jesus,
the good shepherd.
And if you want
to be part of his people,
you need to come
through Jesus.
It's similar
to what he says
in John 14, 6.
I am the way,
the truth,
and the life.
No one comes
to the Father
but through me.
Jesus is saying,
hey,
you cannot be saved
unless you come
through me.
I'm the gate.
And the way
that you come
through Jesus
as the gate
is by believing
in his name,
by trusting in him.
This is an exclusive
claim of salvation.
Salvation is found
in no one else.
The only way
to be saved
is to become
part of Jesus' flock
and to be part
of Jesus' flock,
you need to come
through Jesus.
But once you
join his flock,
you come in
and out
and find pasture.
You know what
that's a picture of?
Life.
If you're a sheep,
it's a picture
of the good life.
You come in
and out in safety.
You eat green
from green pasture.
The Lord Jesus
is my shepherd.
I shall not want.
He leads me
besides still waters.
He leads me
to good pasture.
He restores my soul.
In verse 10,
we have this
emphatic contrast
of purpose.
Look at the purpose
of these failed shepherds.
The thief comes only
to steal and kill
and destroy.
What's the purpose?
Kill,
steal,
destroy.
These failed shepherds
are in it for themselves.
They're using the sheep.
They're trying to
advantage themselves
through the sheep.
But look at
what the legit shepherd does.
He says of himself,
I came
that they may have life
and have it abundantly.
It's the complete opposite
of what thieves
and robbers do.
He came to give life
and to give abundant life.
It's his purpose
and it's being pictured
as dependent
on Jesus.
We're dependent
on him
for the good life.
He's the one.
He's the gate.
He's the shepherd.
He brings us in and out
and helps us find pastures.
The good life
is in Jesus,
the good shepherd.
Let me just
expand on that
a little bit.
The good life
is a life
that glorifies God.
And it's not a life
of independence
from God.
It's a life
of dependence
on God.
Later in John,
we'll get there
in a few weeks,
John 15,
Jesus pictures
another way
of talking
about dependence.
He says
in verse 5,
I am the vine,
you are the branches.
Whoever abides in me
depends on me
and I in him.
He it is
that bears much fruit
for apart from me
you can do nothing.
And then in verse 8
we read,
by this my father
is glorified
that you bear much fruit.
and so prove
to be my disciples.
That's the good life.
Dependence on Jesus,
bearing fruit
for his name's sake,
bringing glory
to his father.
So what we have here
in verses 7 through 10
is a contrast
of purpose.
We have these
illegitimate leaders
who are thieves
and robbers,
self-serving
at the cost
of the sheep,
destruction,
killing,
stealing.
And then we have
the legitimate shepherd
who is sheep-serving.
He brings life
to his sheep.
Abundant life.
The good life.
A life of dependence
on God.
What would you rather have
from a lever?
Abuse
or abundant life?
which brings me now
to the third truth
that Jesus speaks
of himself.
And this is in verses
11 through 18
and I'm using
the word commitment.
The committed shepherd.
So we've seen
Jesus speak
about him
being legit,
about him being
purposed
to give life.
And now let's
look at how
he kind of
spells out
his commitment
to his own.
in verse 11
he says
I am the good shepherd.
And then if you look
down in verse 14
he repeats it.
I am
the good shepherd.
What is so good
about this
good shepherd?
What
what's his goodness?
What we're going to see
is that
his goodness
runs
red.
in verse 12
he continues
with this
contrast
between leaders
and he
he changes
his language
now.
He's no longer
talking about
thieves and robbers
or strangers.
He's talking
about a hired
hand.
And so he
says this
he who
in verse 12
he who is
a hired
hand
and not
a shepherd
who does not
own the sheep
sees the wolf
coming and leaves
the sheep
and flees
and the wolf
snatches them
and scatters
them.
He flees
because he's
a hired
hand
and cares
nothing
for the sheep.
A hired
hand
is not
a shepherd
Jesus says.
In other words
he doesn't own
the sheep.
He's just been
hired
to make a
wage.
And what
Jesus points
here in
verses 12
and 13
is that
this hired
hand
is out
with the
sheep
and he
sees a
wolf
coming
and what
does the
hired
hand
do?
He splits
and leaves
the sheep.
He abandons
the sheep.
And if
you've been
around sheep
which I try
not to be
I'm not one
who likes
sheep
or goats
but sheep
they're
defenseless
beast.
Easy
pickings
for a
wolf.
And so
what this
hired
hand
does
is
in
order
to
save
his
own
skin
he
leaves
the
sheep
these
vulnerable
animals
to fend
for
themselves
and
they
will
not
last.
I mean
look what
we read
and the
wolf
snatches
them
and
scatters
them.
Why?
Why would
they do
this?
Why would
they bail
on the
sheep?
Well Jesus
tells us
in verse
13
he flees
because
he's a
hired
hand
and
cares
nothing
for
the
sheep.
He cares
for himself.
Now remember
who Jesus
is talking
to.
He's talking
to Pharisees.
And what
Jesus in a
veiled way
is saying
to them
is he's
calling them
selfish
and cowardly.
because
they're not
willing to
stick around
for his
sheep.
And in
contrast to
that we
learn that
the good
shepherd
verse 11
lays his
life down
for the
sheep.
It's the
complete
opposite.
Verse 14
we're told
why.
I'm the
good shepherd.
I know
my own
and my
own
know
me.
I
know
those
who are
mine
from before
the
foundation
of the
world.
I
know
them.
I
go out
for them.
I
die
for
them.
The
question
is what
does it
mean
for him
to
know?
I
know
my
own
and
my
own
know
me.
Look
at the
beginning
of
15.
He
actually
gives
us an
analogy
of what
this
knowing
is.
So he
says at
the end
of
verse 14
I'm
the
good
shepherd.
I
know
my
own
know
me.
What
kind
of
knowing?
Just
as the
father
knows
me
and I
know
the
father.
It
is a
relational
knowing.
It
is a
loving
of one
another.
If
you
swap
out
the
word
know
with
love
listen
to
that.
We
read
it.
I'm
the
good
shepherd.
I
love
my
own
and
my
own
love
me.
Just
as
the
father
loves
me
and
I
love
the
father.
This
kind
of
knowing
that
Jesus
is
speaking
about
here
is
an
intimate
relational
knowing
like
I
know
you
by
name
and
I
love
you.
I'm
committed
to
you.
That's
why
this
good
shepherd
lays
his
life
down
for
his
sheep.
He
knows
he
loves
his
sheep.
It's
an
intimate
knowledge.
And so
out of
love
for
his
own
Jesus
laid
his
life
down.
His
goodness
runs
red.
Verse
16
we have
a bit
of a
surprise.
We
read
and I
have
other
sheep
that
are
not
of
this
fold.
Huh?
What are
you
talking
about?
I
must
bring
them
also
and
they
will
listen
to
my
voice.
So
there
will
be
one
flock
one
shepherd.
So
Jesus
is
in
Jerusalem.
He's
talking
to
the
Pharisees.
He's
in a
Jewish
context
and
he's
saying
to
them
I've
got
other
sheep
that
are
not
in
the
Jewish
fold
that
are
not
ethnically
Jewish.
Do you
know
who he's
talking
about?
Gentiles.
I
have
sheep
from
the
Gentile
world.
That's
good
for
us
a
room
full
of
Gentiles.
He
would
come
for
us.
And
so
what
he's
saying
here
this
surprise
is
that
he
has
a
mission
that
goes
well
beyond
the
Jewish
people
to
every
nation
of
the
world.
Every
tongue
every
tribe
every
nation
he
has
people
he
has
sheep
that
he
has
died
for
that
he's
going
to
call
to
himself
and
he's
going
to
bring
together
in
one
flock
with
one
shepherd
it
is
a
multi
ethnic
flock
with
Jesus
our
good
shepherd
his
big
plan
for
the
fullness
of
time
is
to
save
many
from
every
tongue
tribe
and
nation
and
then
to
unite
them
all
together
to
follow
him
our
good
shepherd
this
is a
beautiful
thing
he's
saying
you
know
what
my
hope
is
for
VBS
in
August
I
hope
a
whole
bunch
of
people
get
saved
that's
what
I'm
praying
and
I'm
praying
that
a
whole
bunch
of
people
who
are
white
brown
and
black
get
saved
and
people
who
are
children
and
adults
and
that
they
find
themselves
in
this
room
with
us
and
we
get
to
unite
together
as
one
flock
with
one
shepherd
the
good
shepherd
who
laid
his
life
down
for
us
all
his
goodness
runs
red
in
verse
17
we're
told
that
Jesus
says
this is
the
reason
the
father
loves
me
because
I
lay
my
life
down
that
I
might
take
it
up
again
it's
bigger
than
what
it
sounds
like
what
Jesus
says
God
loves
me
the
father
loves
me
the
son
because
I
willingly
have
given
my
life
for
the
sheep
I
willingly
laid
it
down
it's
uncoerced
God
the
father
delights
in it
that
Jesus
would
willingly
give
his
life
for
us
in
verse
18
it's
that
willingness
that
gets
emphasized
no
one
takes
it
from
me
but
I
lay
it
down
of
my
own
accords
you
see
his
goodness
ran
red
he
shed
his
blood
on
the
cross
that's
what
he's
talking
about
when
he's
talking
about
laying
down
his
life
his
death
on
the
cross
where
his
blood
flowed
down
and
he
died
in
order
to
bear
all
of
God's
wrath
for
all
of
our
sins
so
that
we
could
be
brought
into
a
relationship
with
the
living
God
he
did
that
willingly
uncoerced
because
he
loves
us
this
is
the
authority
that
has
been
granted
to
the
son
of
man
to
lay
down
his
life
and
then
to
take
it
up
again
he's
talking
about
his
resurrection
this
is
gospel
this
is
Jesus
talking
about
the
gospel
in
different
language
he's
talking
about
laying
!
it
down
and
taking
it
up
again
you see
the shepherd
of the
sheep
not only
laid
his
life
down
for
us
but
he
was
raised
three
days
later
and
do
you
know
what
that
means?
he's
alive
today
the
shepherd
of the
sheep
who
laid
his
life
down
for
you
is
now
sitting
upon
a
throne
of
grace
and
he
bids
you
come
in
your
need
you
shall
not
want
!
I
will
lead
you
know
what
this
is?
This
is
commitment
his
commitment
to
us
if
he
was
willing
to
lay
his
life
down
for
you
his
goodness
runs
red
how
much
more
will
he
be
willing
to
provide
everything
that
we
need
for
life
and
godliness
what
a
wonder
Jesus
is
the
legit
shepherd
he
is
god
Jesus
is
the
purposed
shepherd
he
has
come
to
give
abundant
life
and
Jesus
is
the
committed
shepherd
his
goodness
runs
red
it's
his
love
for
you
his
commitment
to
you
he
laid
down
his
life
for
us
this
is
the
good
of
the
good
shepherd
that
he
would
die
and
be
raised
so
that
we
could
be
brought
into
his
one
flock
so
here's
what
that
means
for
all
of
us
in
the
room
because
your
good
shepherd
is
fully
committed
to
you
fully
committed
you
can
fully
trust
him
you
can
trust
him
so
for
those
of
us
in
the
room
who
have
yet
to
respond
to
the
call
of
the
good
shepherd
you
haven't
become
a
Christian
in
verses
19
through
20
of
chapter
10
we
see
this
divided
response
to
Jesus
we
have
some
people
who
think
that
Jesus
is
demon
possessed
and
insane
and
then
we
have
others
who
are
saying
a
demon
doesn't
speak
like
this
a
demon
can't
open
the
eyes
of
a
blind
man
and
we
have
two
responses
to
the
words
of
God
incarnate
so
the
words
of
that
Jesus
is
speaking
to
you
today
if
you're
not
a
Christian
he
is
calling
you
out
to
come
be
his
sheep
to
become
one
of
his
own
so
let
me
ask
you
if
you're
not
Christian
in
the
room
do
you
believe
that
Jesus
is
God
do
you
believe
that
he
gives
abundant
life
eternal
life
and
do
you
believe
that
he
laid
down
his
life
for
you
with
your
name
in
his
mind
do
you
believe
!
that
if
you
believe
that
today's
the day
that you
enter
his
fold
that
you
come
to
him
that
you
confess
him
as
your
good
shepherd
he
knows
your
name
you
say
to
him
Jesus
I
have
been
wandering
from
you
and
trying
to
figure
this
out
on
my
own
but
I
have
now
come
to
see
that
you
are
my
good
shepherd
you
are
my
Lord
my
king
and
I
will
follow
you
I
see
that
your
goodness
ran
red
for
me
and
I
will
trust
you
that's
how you
become
a
Christian
it's
by
trusting
!
you
can't
earn
it
you
receive
it
now
if
you
are
already
his
sheep
but
let's
you
say
you've
been
wandering
a
little
bit
I
want
to
remind
you
of
his
goodness
towards
you
his
goodness
runs
red
he
loves
you
Christian
even
in
your
wandering
he
has
pursued
you
surely
goodness
and
mercy
shall
follow
me
all
the
days
of
my
life
you
know
what
the
Hebrew
actually
maybe
better
says
surely
goodness
and
mercy
pursue
me
all
the
days
of
my
life
could
it
be
wandering
sheep
that
your
savior
has
been
pursuing
you
all
along
in
your
wanderings
maybe
it's
time
for
you
to
fully
trust
him
he's
fully
committed
to
you
he
laid
his
life
down
for
you
he
took
it
up
again
he
sits
on
a
throne
of
grace
maybe
it's
time
for
you
to
trust
him
fully
third
we
join
him
in
his
gathering
of
one
flock
with
one
shepherd
think
about
vacation
bible
school
coming
up
on
the
first
week
of
August
as
the
good
shepherd
calling
his
own
sheep
to
himself
and
we
can
rest
knowing
that
his
sheep
will
respond
we
get
to
be
part
of
that
not
just
in
one
week
in
August
but
every
week
throughout
the
year
we
get
to
join
him
in
what
the
good
shepherd
is
doing
finally
I
just
want
to
wrap
up
with
a
word
on
leadership
this
passage
is
a
contrast
in
leadership
the
leadership
of
the
Pharisees
who
are
thieves
robbers
strangers
hired
hands
their
motives
were
to
steal
to
kill
to
destroy
they
were
in
it
for
themselves
that's
one
kind
of
leadership
we
see
that
kind
of
leadership
all
over
the
place
that's
not
Jesus
kind
of
leadership
the
leadership
of
Jesus
runs
red
it's
loving
it
knows
his
flock
it's
sacrificial
he
lays
his
life
down
and
you
know
what
here's
some
good
news
unlike
the
hired
hand
who
bails
on
the
sheep
Jesus
will
never
leave
you
nor
forsake
you
he
has
bound
himself
to
you
through
his
blood
he
provides
the
ultimate
example
for
all
Christian
leaders
whether
you're
a
husband
or a
dad
a
pastor
elder
a
deacon
you're
part
of
the
women's
ministry
you're
a
life
group
leader
you're
overseeing
some
children's
ministry
you're
teaching
children
whatever
it may
be
Jesus
is
the
ultimate
example
for
all
Christian
leaders
so
as we
follow
Jesus
the
good
shepherd
we
help
other
people
follow
Jesus
the
good
shepherd
if
you've
been
deeply
wounded
by a
Christian
leader
in the
past
you
can
trust
your
good
shepherd
now
he's
still
your
good
shepherd
and
your
trust
in
him
will
help
you
to
begin
to
trust
his
under
shepherds
your
trust
can
be
restored
you
know
what
you're
looking
for
you're
looking
for
leaders
who
lead
like
him
loving
knows
the
sheep
and
give
their
lives
sacrificially
what
is
the
good
of
this
good
shepherd
in
love
he
laid
down
his
own
life
for
us
his
sheep
and
he
will
never
leave
us
nor
forsake
us
and
do
you
know
how
we
know
that
because
his
goodness
runs
red
will
you pray
with
me
Lord
Jesus
we
cannot
thank you
enough
for what
you've
done
for us
willingly
to
bring
us
into
your
fold
to
unite
us
together
with
other
sheep
from
all
around
the
world
to
give
us
abundant
life
through
your
death
and
resurrection
Lord
Jesus
we
confess
you
as
our
good
shepherd
and
for
the
balance
of
this
day
we
gladly
follow
you
in
Jesus
name
we
pray
!
Amen