Good morning, church.
As we look forward to a new year,
!
This morning, we're going to be looking at the great shepherd of the sheep, our Lord Jesus.
!
For the surpassing love of God in Christ.
There's also a challenge as Jesus disputes with his adversaries.
So let's go to the Lord for his help as we open up his word.
Let's pray together.
Father, as we open up your word,
give us eyes to see and ears to hear.
Open our eyes.
Open our eyes to see wondrous things in your word.
You show us your power.
For the sake of your kingdom and your great and mighty name.
Would we decrease and would Christ increase, we pray.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.
As we enter into a new year,
I don't think I need to convince you that we live in a world
where it's become increasingly more difficult to become lost.
Thanks to that device in your pocket
and the exponential explosion of technology.
At our fingertips are vast amounts of information.
GPS,
generative AI like chat GPT.
It's been said that we all have a team of PhD-level experts right in your pocket.
It's become very difficult to become lost.
In the internet age, why then do we feel lost?
And some have turned to AI to cope with this feeling of loneliness
to find in a chatbot a listening ear.
For example, if you listen to Sam Altman, the CEO of chat GPT,
he will say that in just a few short years,
the most compassionate conversation that you can have will be with the chatbot.
But if you zoom out in this moment we're living in,
isn't there a promise being held out about the future?
A promise that you and I and all humanity will evolve into something greater
because of this brilliant technology.
A promise of security.
A promise of safety.
Amidst life's confusions.
When you have a problem,
you have something to shepherd you
through the ups and downs and the dark places in your life.
Humans will no longer be lost
if we have a benevolent, compassionate AI to guide you.
Well, of course, if you're like me,
you're probably skeptical of these claims.
AI is no true shepherd.
And as it turns out,
these technologies cannot be 100% reliable.
Why?
Because they rely on information that is quickly changing.
About you.
About the world.
It turns out that the output is only as good as the input.
If the input is all human knowledge,
then you get both truth and error.
You may find you're getting life advice
on ultimate questions from some random guy on Reddit.
AI is no true shepherd.
But what guide can you follow?
What or who can shepherd us in this new year infallibly?
When you're anxious,
where can you turn for refuge?
That is the subject of our chapter this morning.
And this passes as a chapter that provides comfort,
provides solace,
provides encouragement.
Because there is one who sees and knows all,
who can shepherd you with perfect skill and precision.
Let's read John chapter 10, verses 22 to 30 together.
And I encourage you to keep your Bible open
so you can follow along carefully
to see what God is saying to us.
And that can be found on page 843 of the Pew Bible.
Let's read God's Word.
At that time,
the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem.
It was winter,
and Jesus was walking in the temple
in the colonnade of Solomon.
So the Jews gathered around him and said to him,
How long will you keep us in suspense?
If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.
Jesus answered them,
I told you,
and you do not believe.
The works that I do in my Father's name
bear witness about me.
But you do not believe
because you are not among my sheep.
My sheep hear my voice,
and I know them,
and they follow me.
I give them eternal life,
and they will never perish,
and no one will snatch them out of my hand.
My Father who has given them to me
is greater than all,
and no one is able to snatch them
out of the Father's hand.
I and the Father are one.
What must the good shepherd do?
To what end is he unwaveringly committed?
The good shepherd is unwaveringly committed
to caring and protecting the sheep.
That is the main idea.
The good shepherd is unwaveringly committed
to caring and protecting his sheep.
Let's look at context to situate us
in this chapter.
In John 9,
you'll find Jesus
heals a man born blind.
The disciples asked Jesus,
who sinned,
this man
or his parents?
Neither, Jesus says.
Not because of his sin
or his parents' sin,
but that the works of God
might be displayed in him.
This man was a recipient
of free grace.
He did nothing to earn
gaining his sight.
He simply received it.
The religious leaders, though,
they don't like it.
They interrogate the man.
The man says,
look, I don't know much,
but one thing I do know
that though I was blind,
now I see.
And in this upside-down,
inside-out world,
the story ends in verse 38
in chapter 9.
The man born blind,
he sees.
And the leaders,
the Pharisees,
who think they see,
are blind.
Jesus pronounces judgment
over these leaders.
And in chapter 10,
Jesus begins to draw
a sharp contrast.
Jesus says,
I am the good shepherd.
He says,
these men
are no true shepherds.
At best,
they're hired hands
who run away
when the wolf comes.
At worst,
they are thieves and robbers.
Again,
the leaders don't like this.
So as we come to our passage
this morning,
it's important to see
that the hostility
is growing
with each chapter
between Jesus
and those who would
seek to kill him.
Now some structure.
We're going to look at these
verses in three parts.
A hostile interrogation.
Point number two
will be a profound response.
And then point number three
will be a divine love.
A hostile interrogation,
a profound response,
and then a divine love.
And verse 22
sets the stage.
You'll see Jesus
had been in Jerusalem
for some time now.
It's winter.
It's December
and it's cold outside.
And it says he's walking
near the colony,
the colony,
probably with his disciples.
And the colony of Solomon
was this public space
and it acted as a public forum
for teaching.
We find Jesus walking
during the Feast
of Dedication.
What you and I
would know as Hanukkah.
Hanukkah recalled
about 200 years earlier
a Jewish revolt
against the Greeks
after the Greeks
desecrated
and defiled the temple.
Antiochus,
a Greek king,
unleashed a reign
of terror.
He placed an altar
of Zeus
in the Holy of Holies
and began executing
and crucifying Jews,
many forced
into slavery.
In this pressure cooker,
the Jewish people
revolted
and gained their freedom
from foreign domination.
And so
Hanukkah celebrates
Israel's liberation,
restoring the temple,
and rededicating
the altar.
So as Jesus is walking,
there's a kind of
national pride
in the air.
Then we get to
verse 24.
These religious leaders,
the Jews,
suddenly surround him.
That's what the word
gathered around
in verse 24 means.
They are surrounding him
and closing in on him,
preventing his escape.
Then they make a demand.
How long will you
keep us in suspense?
If you are the Christ,
tell us plainly.
They are demanding
that Jesus reveal
his identity.
Now, if you're here
and you're asking questions
about who Jesus is,
you should do that.
That is one of the most
important questions
you can ask in this life.
Who is this Jesus?
And you know,
it's a normal experience
to doubt
when you're wrestling
with competing truth claims.
The book of Jude says,
have mercy on those
who doubt.
Jesus showed mercy
to Jude who himself
doubted his own
brother's claims.
However,
there could be
a different kind
of doubt
where the person
does not have
sincere intentions.
Have you ever had
a conversation like that?
Whatever you say
won't be enough.
They're just looking
for more reasons
than to not believe.
That's what's happening
here.
So the question asked
in verse 24
is not sincere
nor is it humble.
This is a hostile
legal interrogation.
You see,
they were looking
for a clear confession
in order to use
as evidence
to obtain a legal conviction.
And once they had
their evidence,
they could bring it
to the Roman governor
so they could hang Jesus
on charges of treason
and sedition.
And you can see
their hostile purpose
in verse 31.
They brought stones
with them.
Evidently,
Jesus' response
wasn't what they
were looking for.
And they were prepared
to let those stones fly
to kill him.
In this interrogation,
the question,
it's loaded.
It's leading.
It's like the old
adversarial question
in an interrogation
against the unsuspecting
where someone says,
tell me,
have you stopped
lying to your wife?
Yes, I've stopped lying.
No, I haven't.
There's really no good way
to answer that question
without appearing evasive.
And this question
is leading and loaded.
Now, why isn't this
just a straightforward answer?
Why can't Jesus say,
yes, I'm the Christ?
Well, what makes
this question complicated
to answer
is the confusion
of the kind of Messiah
that Jesus would come to be.
You see,
there were competing definitions
of what it meant
to be the Christ.
to say he was the Christ
would have publicly
been understood
to be a political
and military leader
who would act
as a liberator
from Israel's oppressor,
the Romans,
kick them out
once for all,
just like we did
the Greeks.
So Jesus knows
that a simple yes answer
would have been misunderstood
and it would have been used
as evidence against him.
He is prepared to die,
but not yet.
His hour had not yet come
as we come to John 10.
So they surround him
and they put him
in a dilemma.
And Jesus will be very careful
in how he responds
to this question.
Before we look
at his profound response,
let's notice
the absurdity
of the question itself.
How long
will you keep us
in suspense?
Do you see the irony
in that question?
Jesus' track record
up to this point
about his identity,
let's just say
it's been solid.
But who are they
pointing the finger at
for their unbelief?
How long
will you keep us
in suspense?
Well, it's his fault.
He's the cause.
Jesus, stop with the suspense.
Stop with your games.
What you've said
is not enough.
Friend, they can stare
at the Messiah
in the face
and accuse him
of duplicity.
Do you see
their spiritual blindness?
It was about 20 years ago
when a man dressed up
in a baseball cap
in jeans
walked onto the D.C.
metro during rush hour
to play the violin.
And people thought
this man was
a no-name fiddler
and so they ignored him
and some belittled him.
He was another nuisance
interrupting their commute.
But as it turns out,
this man was
a world-renowned violinist,
Joshua Bell.
And that morning,
Bell played six
of the most intricate
pieces of musical compositions
that the world
has ever known.
And he played
on a violin
worth more than
3.5 million dollars.
It was an experiment
by the Washington Post
and it proved its point.
The average person
is blind to true greatness
when it's right there
in their midst.
friend,
do you recognize
the greatness of Jesus?
Seeing him
as supremely valuable.
You might be here
and you say to yourself,
I have a big degree.
I'm going places.
But if you don't know,
if you don't recognize
who Jesus is,
Jesus will say,
you too are blind.
And spiritual blindness
is not like physical blindness.
It's more dangerous.
See, physically,
you know you're blind.
Spiritually,
we are blind
to our own blindness.
Friends,
do you know
your own heart?
I know mine,
it is frightening.
In fact,
our blindness
can even masquerade
as wisdom,
as humility.
Friend,
ask God
to open your eyes
to see the light
of the glory of Christ,
who is the image
of the invisible God.
And sometimes
the point
in which you may be lacking
is not understanding
your need of Jesus.
And Jesus
has a profound response
to this interrogation.
Point number two.
Look at verse 25.
Jesus answered them,
I told you
and you do not believe.
The works that I do
in my Father's name
bear witness about me.
Now,
Jesus will not give them
what they want.
This is a very calculating
and careful
choice of words.
He's been saying,
look,
I've been answering
this question for months.
where have you been?
But now,
up until this point,
to be fair,
Jesus has not
come out publicly
and said that
he is the Christ
in those words.
He has said it privately.
Remember the woman
of Samaria
in chapter four?
Remember she said,
we know that the Christ
is coming.
When he comes,
he will tell us
all things.
Jesus said to her,
I who speak to you
am he.
But that wasn't
a public declaration.
But Jesus is telling
these leaders,
I have said enough to you.
Jesus is saying,
look,
I told you,
I told you I am the one
who came from heaven.
I told you that
whoever believes in me
has eternal life.
I told you that
you should honor me
just as you honor
the Father.
I told you the Father
has entrusted
all judgment
to me,
the Son.
And I will be the one
to judge humanity
on that final day.
And I told you
that I am Yahweh,
the great I am.
I have claimed deity.
Jesus has said
more than enough
in his teaching.
But the evidence
Jesus points to
mostly are his miracles.
The works that I do
in my Father's name
bear witness about me.
These miracles
speak for me,
he says.
Now his miracles
are not just fireworks
designed to grab
the attention
of the crowds.
No,
these miracles
were pictures,
they were signs.
And he's drawing
from the Old Testament
to prove
his identity.
He's healed
the blind,
the sick,
the lame.
He healed
the paralytic man
who had been lame
for 38 years.
Get up and walk.
And he took up
his matting walk.
He fed the 5,000
with a few loaves
of bread.
He said,
I am the bread
of life
that's come from heaven.
He turned water
into wine.
All these miracles
revealed his identity.
So the problem
isn't that Jesus
has not been clear.
The problem is
they failed to believe
in his clear evidence.
Their eyes were tight,
shut,
and they refused
to open them.
Well, friends,
how much more now?
God hasn't just done
a dozen or so miracles.
God has done
a billion things.
Isn't every Christian
with a transformed life,
a walking miracle?
Church family,
what about our life
corporately?
Do the works
that we do
in the Father's name
bear witness
to the world
about Jesus?
In this new year,
what should our strategy
be to witness
to the world
of his power?
Marketing campaigns?
Social media outreach?
Outstanding music?
Great potlucks?
And we do have
some great potlucks,
so thank you.
Thank you,
hospitality team.
No, none of these things.
Isn't it our unity
and our love
for each other?
Doesn't that bear witness
to the world?
Jesus prayed as much
in his high priestly prayer
before he went
to be crucified.
Praying to his Father,
he asked,
that they all may be one,
just as you, Father,
are in me
and I am in you,
that they also may be in us,
in order that,
for this very reason,
the world may believe
that you sent me.
Whoa, that's real power
right there.
God the Holy Spirit
is so powerful
that he can bind us together
in the gospel.
That's powerful.
Oh, brothers and sisters,
we have so much more
in common than that
which divides us.
And beloved,
aren't you bearing fruit
in this area?
This love and unity
amongst you
is a witness
to God's power
at work in you.
Isn't that evidence
of God's grace
in our life as a church?
We're not united
by shared sports teams,
ethnicity,
education levels,
income brackets.
There is one thing, though.
We want to build our life
on Jesus and his word.
We can say with Paul
to the church
at Thessalonica
that your faith, beloved,
is being reported
throughout the whole world.
That is no exaggeration
in a church like this.
Now, many of you
knew the butlers.
Many of you walked with them
after their daughter
Evangeline's death.
And God recently called
Landon to be a pastor
in Stanford.
And they recently wrote
a note to you
thanking you, church,
for your love for them.
I'm going to read
a part of it.
They write,
Thank you, church family.
Thank you, Trinity,
for being our shelter,
home,
and family
for almost three years.
While God has brought us
to a new community
in Stanford,
we will forever hold you
in our hearts
as one of the most generous
compassionate
and upstanding churches
we have ever known.
If God's commandment
to the church
is to love one another,
church,
you have nothing
to bless you about.
The end with,
we love you very much.
Oh, friends,
continue to abound
in this area.
Abound more in love
for one another.
Let's give the world
something to see
that bears witness
to our Father in heaven.
And students and workers,
go into the office
this week,
into your classrooms,
and display
who you belong to.
Do honest work.
Don't ask ChatGPT
to write your essays.
Do honest work
and work hard.
Don't fudge the numbers
in the lab
because of your insecurity.
Let your work
give glory
to your Father
in heaven.
But despite these works,
there will be those
who still reject
our Lord Jesus.
Why?
Well, here is probably
the most profound part
of his answer.
Right in the face
of his accusers,
he says this to them.
You do not believe
because you are not
among my sheep.
Wow.
We might ask,
what's cause and effect here?
Jesus is saying,
before ever believing,
you must be among my sheep.
Being comes before believing.
They ask Jesus
to speak plainly,
and so here it is.
This is what they were
looking for.
Not only are they
not true shepherds,
Jesus is saying,
you're not even
among my sheep.
Friend,
this is a humbling truth
because whose hands
does Jesus put
the scepter of your fate?
Who is the captain
of your soul?
Who is the master
of your destiny?
Jesus did not hesitate,
nor do we to say
the scepter
is in God's hands alone.
And hasn't Jesus
already testified
of his gracious choice
to his disciples?
He says,
you didn't choose me,
but I chose you.
Not that we love God,
but that he loved us.
He's appointed some
to eternal life.
Now this raises
some questions.
My shockingly brief answer?
Well, go listen
to the seven-week
Sunday school
that John Hinkson
just taught
on the doctrines of grace.
If you still have
questions about it,
come email the elders.
We're happy to talk
to you more about it.
Point number two
is a profound reply.
Point number three
is a divine love.
These next verses
hold infinite sources
of encouragement.
The shepherd
is unwaveringly committed
to caring
and preserving his sheep.
Isn't verse 27
maybe the best definition
of what a Christian is?
Unlike these rulers,
Jesus says,
my sheep hear my voice.
I know them.
They follow me.
Isn't that the story
of every Christian?
We hear Jesus' words.
We recognize him.
We follow him.
If you are in Christ,
this is your story.
You heard his voice.
You heard that you were
in a calamitous condition
from the day you were born.
You heard that
your biggest problem
is that God is good
and holy.
That's a problem.
Because God created
us in his image
to love him
above all else
and to love each other.
And God is good
unimaginably so.
His ways
unflinchingly righteous.
Because of that,
God must punish sin.
We are naturally rebels
against God.
Dead,
inclined only
toward evil.
Unable to lift a finger
to save ourselves.
Our problem,
ultimately,
is not merely
that we are bent
against God,
but we have a blindness.
Blind to God's beauty,
we stood under
God's condemnation.
Our beloved,
but then you heard
that God Almighty
loved you
with an everlasting love.
And the great lengths
he went
to demonstrate
this love
to you.
Because in God's
amazing love,
the Father
would send his Son,
fully God
and fully man,
and the good shepherd
to rescue
his lost sheep.
And the shepherd
would die
so that his sheep
could live.
Jesus bore
the wrath
that we deserved.
Hell was put
into his cup,
and he drank
the cup down
to its dregs,
so that our cup
would overflow
with grace
and love
and mercy.
And this good shepherd
lays down his life
for his sheep.
On the third day,
he rose again,
and he commands
everyone,
everywhere
to turn from sin
and trust in him
alone.
Friend,
if you're here
and you're not a Christian,
do you hear the shepherd's
voice calling you?
If you knew
the heart of the shepherd,
you would come to him.
Brothers and sisters,
you heard this message,
and you listened.
His sheep
listen to his voice.
The shepherd speaks,
the sheep listen.
This is a speaking God.
And he calls you
by name.
In the first century,
that's what would happen.
The sheep would hear
the shepherds
calling them
by name,
and the sheep
would run
to the shepherd.
The Savior calls us,
and we come.
All Christians
have this moment.
We hear the sweet voice
of the shepherd
calling our name,
willing us
to come to him,
laying our burdens
down upon him.
He says,
come to me,
all who are weary,
and I will give you rest.
We come to him,
and we lay our burdens down,
and we find rest
for our souls.
Jesus says,
I am the water,
the living water.
Come and drink
of this well.
And we come and drink,
and we are satisfied.
Oh, you heard
the shepherd's voice,
and you listened.
But notice the description
here given to the people
whom he loves,
these sheep.
First,
he claims us
as his unique possession.
These are my sheep,
he says.
He claims them
as his own.
Jesus plucked
his enemies
out of a burning building
headed for destruction.
She is mine.
He is mine.
They are mine.
They are my sheep.
You know,
the t-shirt that says,
Jesus loves you.
But then again,
Jesus loves everybody.
That might be
how we think about
God's love for us,
right?
As Christians,
God loves me,
but then again,
that's kind of his job.
God loves the world,
I'm part of the world,
so I guess God loves me too.
Doesn't he love everyone?
Nothing special
about that.
No, friend.
These sheep
claim a special place
in the Savior's heart.
This is about a husband
who seeks
his beloved bride,
who's wandered
far away
into the far country.
He finds her
deep in sin,
a prisoner
of this world.
It is not only
that he has secured
the opportunity
for her release,
opening the cell door,
no,
but because of God's
amazing love for her,
he reaches
his almighty hand
into the prison cell
and by grace
grabs her out
into his everlasting arms.
That love
actually exists
for you,
Christian.
Christian,
God loved you
with an everlasting love.
This love
stretches back
in eternity past.
it had no beginning,
it will have no end.
Paul can write,
before the stars
were created,
before the planets
orbited the sun,
in the mind of God,
he delighted
and loved you.
Ephesians 1,
in love he predestined
us for adoption
as sons.
In eternity past,
his heart was
wedded to his bride.
And God
distinguished her,
set her apart.
In the fullness
of time,
God came
and gave himself up
for this beloved bride.
What does he give
to this bride
of his?
Jesus says,
I give them
eternal life
in verse 28.
I came to give them
life
and life to the full.
And that life
is eternal life.
life.
It's the life
of heaven.
It's the life
of God himself.
In verse 28,
his emphasis
is not on the quality,
but it's security.
You know,
at this point,
it's as if Jesus
invites all
who can say,
the Lord is
my shepherd.
He invites us
to step onto
a balcony
and to look
into the distance.
and you begin
to see these
vastly lush
green hills,
the rustling grass,
the sunshine
of God's grace
shining on your face.
You can almost
hear the trickling
waters.
The shepherd says,
you,
my beloved,
you can rest here
and you can rest
securely.
I am your shepherd
and I will
protect you.
You will dwell
in the house
of the Lord
forever.
These are fresh
and clear rivers
for weary sheep
to drink
and be satisfied.
He not only
claims us,
he also intimately
cares for us.
Brother and sister,
how do you think
God feels about you?
Do you doubt
Christ's love
for you?
Does he merely
tolerate you
as he holds
his nose?
No, no.
Christ's
marvelously says,
I know them.
I know my sheep.
That is
covenantal
language,
rich with intimacy.
Christ knows us
with a special
affection
and interest.
Christian,
you are the
apple of his eye
by sheer
unmerited grace.
The way a husband
knows his bride.
God is faithful
to his people
because he delights
in them.
About a month ago,
I was at a
trampoline park
with my kids.
And for those of you
who haven't been
to a place like that,
it's a cacophony
of noises.
It's loud.
There's hundreds
of kids.
It's crowded.
It's chaotic.
The kids are yelling
and screaming.
They're running
into each other,
jumping up and down.
The music is blasting.
And when I was there,
I faintly heard
a child cry.
And I merely knew,
that's my child.
I know my child.
I know them
in a personal way.
They are not lost
in the crowd.
Parents,
this is the difference
between the love
you have for all
the kids in the nursery.
You love them.
You do good to them.
But there's a difference,
isn't there,
between that
and your love
for your own kids.
You hear the cacophony
of crying,
and then you recognize
their cry in the crowd.
God.
You know,
we can think of God,
maybe the way
we would as a president
claim,
they love the citizens
of their country.
You know,
God bless all you citizens.
I love all of you.
A sort of general love,
a goodwill
for all.
No,
but the kingdom of heaven
is not like that.
It's not like that.
The kingdom of heaven
is like a mother
who personally knows
each of her children.
She knows them by name.
And if a mother
has a sick and self-willed child,
is she going to just
cast a child into the street?
Of course not.
Not if that's her beloved child.
Can the stream
of a mother's love
for her children
be fuller,
more wider,
more deep
than the fountain of mercy
in God's heart
for his people?
It can never be.
God's checking account
of mercy
is never overdrawn
for his children.
All Christian,
God knows you.
He loves you
in a special way.
His love for you
is higher,
deeper,
wider,
more infinite,
more incomprehensible.
So,
brother and sister,
you may be unknown,
overlooked at work,
passed up for the promotion,
but know that Christ
does not overlook you.
You are not lost
in the crowd.
Do you come here alone,
betrayed,
abandoned,
permanently stained
by guilt?
God has a special compassion
and concern
for his sheep.
And there is no anxiety
that the shepherd
cannot soothe.
Do not be anxious
for tomorrow
or this next year
for you are worth
more than,
you are worth
more than many spare-offs.
And God has loved you
with an everlasting love.
You know,
leaders in the church,
is this not how
we ought to be shepherds?
To go out
and know the sheep
and to care for them?
Husbands,
let me ask,
are you modeling
this kind of care
for your wife?
Do you ask her
how she's doing spiritually?
If you're single,
are you modeling
this care
for other members
of the church?
If you're preparing
for marriage,
this is what it looks like
to be a faithful husband
or wife,
to care,
to know your bride,
your husband.
Wives,
what are ways
you can model
this kind of care
for your husband?
You know,
if your spouse
is failing in this area,
which they surely will,
look to the Good Shepherd.
He models this care
perfectly.
See,
he claims us,
he cares for us,
but marvelously,
he keeps us.
Look at the promise
in verse 28.
I give them
eternal life
and they will never perish
and no one
will snatch them
out of my hands.
Notice the certainty,
the totality.
Jesus will lose
none,
no one.
They will never perish.
Is Jesus one
to make a promise
and not deliver on it?
No.
Christ will give
an account
for each one
of the sheep
that the Father
had given him.
Not one will be lost.
Jesus will not look
at the countless
multitudes of sheep
and say,
well,
I'm glad 99.9%
of them got home.
No.
He must have
all of them.
And not one atom
of this security
belongs to us.
It is not found
in our performance.
It is not found
in our personal fortitude.
It is not found
in our own righteousness.
You know,
sheep are not known
for their high IQ.
No,
this promise
is about the supreme
love
and sovereignty
of the shepherd.
By the power of God,
he will make sure
his children
are preserved.
You will reach
the finish line.
He will cause you
to persevere
through deep valleys
and hard trials
for his glory.
Oh,
you will finish
the race
and you will
make it home.
And there are
many dangers,
toils,
and snares
as the hymn writer
says.
It is true
that we stumble
and we are prone
to falter.
Our faith
is often fickle.
Our knowledge
is so often
limited.
But the shepherd
takes complete
responsibility
for his sheep.
Step by step,
he leads us
from grace
to glory.
Hasn't this been
your experience
this past year?
with a power
that is never
exhausted,
a patience
that never
worries.
He continually
has shepherded
you.
When you were
weak,
you felt
you could go
no further.
He strengthened
your steps.
When you erred,
he corrected
you.
He brought
another person
in your life
to correct you.
When you were
grieving,
he has dried
your tears
and comforted
you.
And one day
he will wipe
away every tear.
Oh,
how near
he must
draw to you
to wipe
away your tears.
But even now
he stays
that close
by your side.
Can you see
his shepherding
hand
even this past
year?
How he has
showed his
unfailing
skill
and how he
has shepherded
you.
Through the ups
and downs,
twists and turns,
how God
has protected
you.
He's protected
us even
from ourselves.
He has
slammed doors
in your face.
He's closed
them because
he knows
they would
not be
good for
you.
When something
is supremely
valuable,
you place it
in good hands,
don't you?
Parents,
you know,
sometimes you
have kids
and you leave
them by themselves
for more than
five minutes
and they're
going to lose
an arm or
a leg.
So you're
not going
to let
anyone watch
them.
No,
you place
them in
good hands.
If you
own a
Mona Lisa,
you're not
going to let
just anybody
look at it.
There are
thieves and
robbers out
there.
No,
the Mona Lisa
is guarded
24-7,
maximum
security,
bulletproof
glass.
Look at
verse 29.
The Father
has placed
his sheep
in Jesus'
hands.
Ah,
friends,
you are
in good
hands.
And that's
the belt.
He adds
suspenders,
then a
clasp connecting
the two so
nothing falls
to the ground.
Jesus just
piles it on.
It's not just
the will of
the Son.
This is the
will of the
Father in
verse 29.
My Father
who has given
them to me
is greater
than all,
and no one
is able to
snatch them
out of the
Father's
hands.
This is the
ultimate
assurance of
your security
Christian.
It's as if
the Father
clasped his
almighty hands
underneath you,
underneath Jesus'
strong hands,
both hands
holding you
up.
How safe
you are in
the arms of
the Father
and the Son.
I might add,
and the Spirit.
Oh,
friend,
do you doubt
that the
eternal God
has pledged
his faithfulness
to you?
He has given
you this
testimony of
his love for
you,
and should
we distrust
him in
this new
year?
Jesus
concludes,
I and the
Father are
one.
One in
power.
One in
will.
One in
mission.
One in
affection.
The
Father,
Son,
and the
Spirit
unwaveringly
united in
their task
of saving,
caring,
preserving the
sheep.
God
for
the
enemy of
our
souls
may be
strong
and
mighty,
and there
are
many,
but the
Savior is
stronger,
mightier,
more
powerful.
What's
security?
Infinite
Encouragement
in this
passage.
But let's
zoom out for
a second.
Why does
Jesus go
here after
being asked
to reveal
his identity
as the
Christ?
Well,
he is
answering their
question,
isn't he?
Because the
question that
Jesus wants
you to ask
is this.
Who can
say these
things?
Who can
say I
and the
Father are
one?
He is
no
Joe Schmo.
Jesus
is God,
the eternal
self-existent
one.
He simply
is.
He is the
king of the
ages,
immortal,
invisible,
the only
God who
honor and
glory forever
belong to.
Jesus takes
them to the
very height
of who
he is.
This is the
glorious doctrine
of the
Trinity,
one God,
co-equal,
co-eternal
persons.
He could
not have
been more
clear.
This one
is the
great shepherd
of the
sheep,
the one
who stands
before them
is God
himself.
He could
not have
been more
clear,
but they
picked up
stones
to kill
him.
To conclude,
the best
scene
in Narnia
is probably
the third
book,
The Horse
and His
Boy.
C.S.
Lewis tells
a story
of Shasta
Shasta.
And Shasta
is walking
in darkness.
He is in
despair.
A series
of terrible
misfortunes
befell him.
He was
abused growing
up,
chased by
lions.
Everything
has gone
wrong in
his life.
He's been
there.
As Shasta
is walking
in the field,
the tears
are rolling
down his
cheeks.
But then
Shasta
suddenly
senses that
someone or
something was
walking beside
him in the
darkness.
He asked,
Who are you?
He heard a
loud, large,
and deep
voice, one
who has
waited long
for you to
speak.
Are you a
giant?
He asked.
The voice
replied,
You might call
me a giant,
but I am not
like the creatures
you call
giants.
And this
voice chronicled
every bit of
suffering in
his life.
And Shasta
begins to
feel sorry
for himself.
Don't you
think it was
bad luck for
me to meet
all these
lions?
The voice
said,
I do not
call you
unfortunate.
And then he
revealed himself
as Aslan,
the lion.
He says,
There was
only one
lion.
I was a
lion.
I did all
these things.
I wounded
you to
shape you
and mold
you.
his entire
life,
Aslan had
been right
there beside
him.
Through the
good and
the bad,
the lion had
been there
behind the
scenes,
shaping him,
protecting him,
since he was
a baby,
guarding him,
guiding him,
shepherding him.
The lion of
Judas says the
same to you.
Behold,
he is the
one who
keeps you.
He will
neither sleep
nor slumber.
Let's pray.
Father in
heaven,
we thank
you for
this rich
cup of
free grace.
This cup
overflows.
Surely
goodness and
mercy will
follow us
all the
days of
our life
because of
the good
shepherd's
love for
us.
Father,
we are
more than
conquerors
through you
who have
loved us.
Nothing in
all creation
will separate
us from
this love.
We pray
we answer
this new
year confident,
bold,
that you
are with
us always.
In Jesus'
name.
Amen.