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 a robber.
The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep.
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.
Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them.
Therefore Jesus said again, I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.
All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.
I am the gate.
Whoever enters through me will be saved.
He will come in and go out and find pasture.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.
I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.
I am the good shepherd.
The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep.
So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away.
Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it.
The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
I am the good shepherd.
I know my sheep and my sheep know me, just as the father knows me and I know the father.
And I lay down my life for the sheep.
I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen.
I must bring them also.
They too will listen to my voice and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.
The reason my father loves me is that I lay down my life only to take it up again.
No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.
I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again.
This command I received from my father.
At these words, the Jews were again divided.
Many of them said, he is demon possessed and raving mad.
Why listen to him?
But others said, these are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon.
Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?
Thanks, Chris.
Many of you will have noticed that I am not Johnny.
Johnny is away this weekend.
He is speaking in Dublin at a church weekend for Grosvenor Road Baptist Church,
the church that he served his apprenticeship in.
So we can be praying for Johnny as he is up there speaking to the church.
But in this place, we have Michael Grant.
The name is familiar.
Johnny's father.
It is great to have you with us this morning, Michael.
And if I can invite you up as you share God's word with us this morning.
I knew he wasn't Johnny.
He's got more hair than Johnny.
Anyway, it's good to be with you once again and to be able to share from God's word.
And as you've already heard, we're looking today at the good shepherd.
And I think last week you looked at I am the bread.
And we see in John chapter 10 and verse 11, the same thoughts on I am.
I am the bread of life.
And here in verse 11 of chapter 10 of John, we have I am the good shepherd.
Of course, there are lots of descriptions regarding the Lord Jesus Christ.
And all of them describe something of his attributes, something of his character, if you like, something of his beauty.
And it's true of this particular description from the words of the Lord Jesus himself.
It's very beautiful.
I am the Lord's shepherd.
I am the Lord is my shepherd, says the psalmist.
And here it is.
I am the good shepherd.
There was a commentator by the name of John Brown who lived a number of years ago.
And he was studying these words.
And this is what he said about them.
They are at once transparently clear and unfathomably deep.
There is much important truth on the surface.
There is more, much more beneath it.
Much meaning meets the year, but more meets the mind.
The words express much.
They suggest more.
They are replete with emphasis.
And if you want that in everyday English, a child can understand these words.
I am the good shepherd and can gain much from it.
Some of us who were brought up through Sunday school, we heard the story of the good shepherd
and the seeking shepherd who went out to look for the lost sheep.
And we understood it.
And we gained something from it.
And yet there is something here.
If we have studied the scriptures for the whole of our lives, we can still learn more.
And I would suggest to you this morning that as we look at this subject of the Lord Jesus being a good shepherd,
that our minds are open to receive things that perhaps we have not heard before,
that will encourage us, not only now, but in the very day of our death also,
when we shall meet face to face with the good shepherd.
But to interpret this with these words of the Lord Jesus,
we need to see that the idea of the shepherd is firmly rooted in the Old Testament scriptures.
We tend to look at a shepherd through our Western eyes,
and we see, as I did when I was coming over from Killa today,
we look at fields, and we see sheep in them.
And there's all things that can go wrong with sheep.
And the shepherd has to go to the field and look out for things,
particularly this time of the year when there's lambing going on.
And we tend to think of a shepherd in those terms,
but we dare not think of a shepherd in those terms.
We think of an Eastern shepherd, and we think of one who,
in this particular title of the Lord Jesus,
a title that is firmly rooted in the Old Testament.
It reminds me of a story of somebody who was taking a group of young people
over to the Holy Land, so-called,
and he was taking them over,
and he was giving talks each day about various aspects of life in the Holy Land.
And one of the talks this particular morning was on the good shepherd
who goes before and calls his sheep by name,
and they follow him.
If you go out to Israel,
indeed I've seen it in Spain as well,
a shepherd going before,
and the sheep following after the shepherd,
leading them to the good pasture.
And the pastor who was leading this particular group said,
well, it's a good thing to do,
and it's a lovely story of the shepherd leading the sheep.
And he was telling the people about this.
Well, as they were going out on their coach tour that particular day
to one of the sites,
they saw some sheep going along the road,
but the man wasn't in front.
He was behind.
And they were saying,
I thought you said the shepherd goes ahead.
Well, he does, he said.
I can't understand this.
Stop the coach.
So he went back and spoke to this man.
And there was nodding and talking going on.
And eventually he comes back to the coach,
and he says,
well, I found out the secret.
That wasn't the shepherd.
That was the butcher.
The butcher drives his sheep.
The shepherd leads his sheep.
And thank God for a shepherd who leads his sheep.
So let's look at this story together.
Let's see that the title suggests the deity of the Lord Jesus.
I am the good shepherd.
Just a few chapters before in chapter 8 and verse 58,
Jesus says to the people,
before Abraham was born, I am.
And the people are ready to stone him because he said that.
They said, you're a man,
and yet you're making yourself equal with God.
That's not correct.
And they're ready to stone him.
I am was a title that spoke of deity.
So when we read these words,
I am the good shepherd,
it's saying that Jesus is truly God.
I am is rooted way back in Exodus chapter 3.
Remember that Moses was out in the desert.
He was watching sheep.
And he sees a bush that's burning with fire.
And yet it's not consumed.
And Moses goes over to look at this bush
to see exactly what is happening.
And God speaks to him from the bush.
He tells him to take his shoes off
because he's standing on holy ground.
And then in Exodus 3 and verse 6,
he says,
I am the God of Abraham,
the God of Isaac,
the God of Jacob.
And Moses is terrified
because he's face to face with the living God.
And God speaks to Moses and says,
I've chosen you
to lead my people
out of the land of bondage,
out of the land of slavery,
into the land of Egypt.
You're going to be the leader.
Now, Joseph,
Moses rather,
doesn't like the job description.
And he argues with God.
He doesn't want to go.
Let somebody else go.
I can't speak.
And he goes through all the arguments.
And then in verse 13 of that same passage,
he says,
Suppose I go to the Israelites
and say to them,
The God of our fathers has sent me to you.
And they ask me,
What is his name?
What shall I tell them?
And God says to Moses,
This is my name.
I am that I am.
Tell them,
I am has sent me to you.
What does it mean,
I am?
Well, God was making known to Moses
that he was unchanging.
That he was Yahweh, Jehovah,
the one who would be with him.
He would be with Moses.
His presence would go with Moses.
His power would be with Moses.
He would go with him
in order to accomplish the task
of bringing the people
out of the land of slavery
into the land of promise.
I am the ever-present one,
the unchanging one.
We, for ourselves,
are always changing.
We cannot be everywhere present.
I am here today.
I don't expect to be here tomorrow.
Because I'm here today,
I cannot be in my own local church
in Middleton.
And the day will come
when I will pass from the scene of time.
And they will speak of Michael Grant
in the past tense.
He was.
Etc.
But the God that we serve
and the God who reveals Himself to us
in the person of the Lord Jesus
is the I Am.
In the Lord Jesus,
we have One who is eternally present with us.
I am the Good Shepherds.
We have the eternal presence
of the eternal God
in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
So when Jesus says this,
I am the Good Shepherd,
He is making it clear
that He is the eternal,
ever-present One.
I am the bread of life,
always there to satisfy us.
I am the resurrection
and the life.
He is the eternal life.
And our life is in Him.
He is the bread.
He is the resurrection and the life.
He is the Good Shepherd,
the I Am.
I am the Good Shepherd.
And that again speaks to us
of the One who is eternal.
If you were listening to Jesus' words
for the first time
over there in the land of Israel
as it is today,
you would immediately go back
to the Old Testament Scriptures.
The New Testament
wouldn't have been available
for these people.
It was yet to be written.
So their Scriptures
were the Old Testament Scriptures.
What were the Scriptures
that they would think of
as Jesus says,
I am the Good Shepherd?
They would think
of Psalm 23 and verse 1.
The Lord, Yahweh, Jehovah,
is my shepherd.
And yet Jesus is saying,
I am the Good Shepherd.
He was saying that that shepherd
that David spoke of
in the 23rd Psalm,
that's me, I manifest in the flesh.
They would think of perhaps
Psalm 95 and verse 6.
Come, let us bow down in worship.
Let us kneel before the Lord,
our Maker,
for He is our God
and we are the people
of His pasture,
the flock under His care,
the concern of a shepherd
who's worthy of worship
and praise.
And the psalmist is thinking
of Him being not only
our Lord and Maker,
but the one who watches
over Him personally
and over His people.
Or maybe they would think
of the prophecy of Ezekiel,
chapter 34 and verse 15.
I myself will tend my sheep
and make them lie down,
declares the Sovereign Lord.
So thinking of this title
that the Lord Jesus gives to Himself,
He's clearly demonstrating
that He is the eternal I Am,
that He is the Good Shepherd,
that He is the shepherd
who was spoken of
in the New Testament,
who is now being manifest
in the flesh.
My friends,
when we think of this,
it should cause us
to praise and worship.
We are His people.
He has come down
to where we are
to bring deliverance for us,
to deliver us from the,
not only sin,
but the power of sin.
It should thrill our hearts.
It should cause us to wonder,
to stand in awe.
And if we are true Christians today,
we can say with Peter,
as he does in 1 Peter 2 and verse 25,
For you were like sheep
going astray,
but now you have returned
to the shepherd
and overseer of your souls.
You have been brought
into the fold of God
through the One
who was eternally God
who came down
to live among us.
The Lord reveals His deity
in these words.
But also in these words,
the Lord reveals His destiny.
And what was His destiny?
Well again,
if you go back to verse 11,
we see I am the good shepherd.
The good shepherd
lays down His life
for the sheep.
We have the same thought
in the latter part
of verse 14.
I lay down my life,
says the good shepherd.
We have the same thought
in verse 17.
The reason my Father loves me
is that I lay down my life.
Jesus is speaking
to His disciples
amongst others
and He's telling them
what is going to happen.
He will become
even more specific
later on
as He goes to Gethsemane.
And He says to His disciples
in Matthew 26 and verse 31,
This very night
you will all fall away
on account of Me,
for it is written,
I will strike the shepherd
and the sheep of the flock
will be scattered.
Which is a direct reference
to Zechariah 13 and verse 7.
So when we think
of this particular
I am of Jesus,
we have to associate it
with His death.
He is different to others
who came before Him.
Jesus refers to them
in this passage
as hirelings.
What happened
to the hired hand?
Well, Jesus contrasts Himself
with the hired hand.
In verse 12,
He says,
The hired hand
is not the shepherd
who owns the sheep.
So when He sees
the wolf coming,
He abandons the sheep
and runs away.
He doesn't care
and He doesn't have
an interest
in the flock.
Soon,
not only the wolf
would attack,
but the pack of wolves
would attack
the Lord Jesus.
There would be
the chief priests,
the Pharisees,
Herod,
Pilate.
They would all
attack Him
in one way
or another.
But He doesn't run
because He cares
for the sheep.
The Good Shepherd
knew that He came,
yes,
eternally God,
but He becomes man
in order that He might
die there
upon the cross
of Calvary.
He becomes
obedient to death,
even death
upon the cross.
He lays down
His life
because He's not
the hired hand
and He lays down
His life gladly
and willingly.
Look at verse 18.
No one takes
my life from me,
but I lay it down
of my own accord.
I have authority
to lay it down
and authority
to take it again.
This command
have I received
from the Father.
Oh, there was
ample opportunity
for Jesus
to run away
as hired hands did.
But He didn't run.
He went all the way
to Calvary.
He lays down
His life
as the good shepherd.
No one
took His life
from Him.
He lay it down
of Himself.
Think of this
for a moment.
Jesus goes
to Gethsemane.
We know
that He could
have called
the legions
of angels
to come
to His aid,
but He does not.
He prays,
Father,
if You be willing,
take this cup
from Me,
this cup of suffering,
this cup of death.
Yet,
not My will,
but Yours
be done.
And as He prays,
we are told
His sweat
was as it were
drops of blood
falling to the ground.
He was in agony
as He faced
death
upon the cross
because He was going
to bear the sins
of many
there upon
the cross.
As He's in the garden,
we see Judas
approaching
with the officials
and the chief priests
and the Pharisees.
and they're all
armed to the teeth.
And John,
giving his account
of this particular
happening,
says in John 18
and verse 4
that Jesus
speaks to these
crowds
that are coming
to get Him.
Who is it
you want?
Jesus of Nazareth,
they reply.
And then Jesus
says,
I am He.
And we're told
that they fell
backwards.
Who's in charge
of the situation?
Is it those
that are armed
to the teeth?
No,
they're not in charge
of the situation.
When Jesus said,
I am He,
they drew back
and fell
to the ground.
And only then
does Jesus
allow them
to take Him
away
to be crucified.
He lays
down His
life
as the
Good Shepherd.
And He
lays down
His life
to bring
a people
to Himself.
It's not just
that He dies
a martyr's death
as others
have done
for various
religions
of the world.
But He lays
down His
life,
we are told,
for the sheep.
He says
it in verse 11
that He lays
down His
life for the sheep.
Again,
we have it
in the latter
part of verse 14.
I lay
down My
life
for the sheep.
Who were
these sheep?
Well,
they certainly
included Jews,
but they also
included Gentiles.
It included
people like
you and
I.
Verse 16
says,
I have other
sheep that
are not of
this sheep pen.
I must bring
them also.
They too
will listen
to My voice
and there
shall be
one fold
and one
shepherd.
So here
the Good Shepherd
lays down
for His sheep.
Elsewhere
they're referred
to as His
elect,
His chosen.
But He lays
down His life
and gives His
life a ransom
for many.
How many?
Revelation 7
and verse 9
tells us,
a great
multitude
that no man
could number
from every
nation
and tribe
and people
and language.
And I like
the certainty
of this.
The Good Shepherd
is going
to bring
a people
to Himself.
He came
into the world
to seek
and to save
those that
were lost.
And those
of us who
knew the Good
Shepherd
this morning
could look
back to
a time
when they
heard the
Good Shepherd
calling them
out of
darkness
into light.
perhaps they
were in
a church
service.
Perhaps they
were in
their own
home
reading
their own
scriptures.
But they
heard the
voice,
I not
only died,
but I
died for
You.
And humbly
you said,
Lord,
I'm a
sinner.
I need
the Good
Shepherd
as my
Savior.
He died
for me.
And you
were able
to say
from your
heart,
Hallelujah!
What a
Savior!
The
Great
God,
the
Eternal
Shepherd,
became man
to die
in order
to bring
a people
to Himself.
Do you
know the
Good
Shepherd?
Are you
one of the
sheep today
that has
been brought
into the
fold?
Let's
follow this
up.
Because
there's a
third thing
I want
to bring
before you
this morning
and that
is this,
that the
Lord Jesus
in these
words reveals
His
uniqueness.
I am
the Good
Shepherd.
The Good
Shepherd lays
down His
life for
the sheep.
Go back
to verse
7.
Therefore
Jesus said
to them,
said again,
I tell
you the
truth.
I am
the gate
for the
sheep.
He's
making it
very clear
that there's
only one
way to
enter the
fold and
that is
through
Him.
I
alone
am the
door to
the sheep.
sheep.
There is
no other
entrance
into the
fold of
God's.
In verse
1, I
tell you the
truth, the
man who
does not
enter the
sheep pen
by the
gate but
climbs by
in some
other way
is a
thief and
a robber.
There's only
one way to
enter into
the sheep
fold and
that is
through the
Lord Jesus
Christ.
Let's
underline this
truth.
We always
have to
remember the
context of
Scripture.
The chapter
headings and
the verses are
there for
our convenience
and our
help.
But we
remember that
chapter 9
preceded
chapter 10.
And in
chapter 9,
you have
a blind
man who
comes to
know that
the Lord
Jesus Christ
is indeed
the one
who's healed
him, who's
also the
Messiah.
And
eventually this
man, because
he puts his
trust in the
Lord Jesus
Christ, is
thrown out
of the
synagogue.
The Pharisees
were upset.
They didn't
like this
man coming
to the
Lord Jesus.
and putting
his trust
in the
Lord Jesus.
They wanted
to put him
from the
scene, as
it were,
this Jesus.
He's not
God.
He's not
a prophet,
as you're
making him
out to be,
they say.
Why were
the Pharisees
upset?
Well, they
thought that
the way of
salvation was
through the
law, through
what they
had to say.
they were
people who
were encouraging
others to
climb in
some other
way.
And maybe
there are
those here
this morning
who think
that they
can climb
into the
sheepfold
through their
own good
works, and
through their
own efforts,
through what
they do,
through their
supposed
obedience,
through their
own righteousness,
righteousness.
But that is
not the
way into
the
sheepfold.
Jesus says,
you must
come through
me.
You must
come through
my death
there upon
the cross
of Calvary.
I am
the way.
In John
14 and
verse 6,
he says,
I am
the way,
the truth
and the
life.
no one
comes unto
the Father
but by
me.
But if we
come through
the Lord
Jesus,
if we come
to him
acknowledging
our sin
and come
through him,
we're told
in verse 9
that Jesus
says,
I am the
gate.
Whoever
enters
through me
will be
saved.
It's an
old-fashioned
word,
but it's
what needs
to happen,
that you
and I
need to
come to
the Lord
Jesus
Christ
if we
would be
saved.
Some
people say,
and maybe
even thinking
in their own
hearts this
morning,
because I
don't know
what's going
on as you're
listening to
me,
you're very
dogmatic.
You're not
leaving any
other way.
No,
I'm not.
Because the
Bible doesn't
give any
other way.
there's not
so many
ways into
this
sheepfold.
There's only
one way,
and that
is through
the Lord
Jesus
Christ.
The Lord
Jesus
Christ
himself
gave a
commission
to his
church
to go
into all
the world
and preach
the gospel,
to go
and make
disciples.
and he
promised to
those who
would go
that he
would be
with them
to the
end of
the age.
It is
Jesus
himself who
says that
there is
no
alternative.
It is
Jesus
himself
who says
there is
no other
way.
And
therefore,
the world
needs to
hear that
there is
only one
good shepherd
shepherd
who can save.
There is
only one
good shepherd
that can
bring people
into the
very fold
of God.
But that
was the
good shepherd
who laid
down his
life for
the sheep.
So if
men and
women would
be saved,
they must
come through
the Lord
Jesus Christ,
the good
shepherd.
The final
thing I want
to say to
you this
morning,
and that
is this,
that this
Lord Jesus
reveals
himself to
us,
not only
as the
eternal
God who
entered
into time,
not ceasing
for a moment
to be God,
but becoming
man and
dying a
death upon
the cross
of Calvary.
Not only
does he
show himself
to be
unique,
but he
shows himself
to us
as being
good.
let's
focus on
the wonderful
fact that
this one
who did
indeed enter
into time
is good.
He is
good in
the three
ways we've
already
mentioned.
He's
good in
the fact
that he,
though he
was eternally
God,
that he was
ready to
enter into
time.
the word
became
flesh.
We think
about that
at Christmas
time,
don't we?
The word,
the eternal
God,
became flesh
and made
his dwelling
among us.
And we
have seen
his glory,
the glorious
of the one
and only
who came
from the
Father,
full of
grace and
truth.
Now isn't
that good?
That the
eternal God
didn't stay
up in
heaven,
as it were,
and look
down upon
us in
all our
sin and
degradation?
No,
he came
to where
we are,
and he
looked upon
us as
sheep
without a
shepherd,
and he
had compassion
upon us,
full of
grace and
truth.
God's
only begotten
Son should
come from
the glory
of heaven
to be
my shepherd.
Is that
good or
isn't it?
It's good
and calls
us to
worship and
to wonder
and to
marvel that
he should
not only be
good,
but good
to me.
Good
not only
in his
deity,
good in
his death.
Through
his death
he purchased
me.
Through
his death,
we who
were dead
in trespasses
and sins
are brought
into the
fold.
Remember those
words of the
apostle Paul
as he writes
to the
Ephesians in
chapter 5
and verse
25.
Christ
loved the
church
and gave
himself
for us.
We're from
various nationalities
this morning,
various
backgrounds,
but we've
been brought
together
to worship
the King
of Kings,
the Lord
of Lords,
the great
shepherd of
the sheep.
We've been
brought
together.
Why?
Because Christ
has died
for us
and risen
again for
us.
We are the
other sheep
that have been
brought into
the fold.
What a
good shepherd
that he should
love miserable
sinners like
ourselves
and bring
us into
his fold.
He's good
in his
uniqueness.
Look at
all the
religions of
the world.
They can
all be put
together.
And all
of them say
something like
this,
oh yes,
you need
faith,
but you
also need
works.
And if you
have done
enough works,
you may
or may
not enter
into salvation
because you'll
never know
how many
works you
have to
do.
But our
good shepherd
went to
the cross
and he
died
and he
cried,
it is
finished.
I've
paid the
price once
and for
all.
He saves
us by
grace.
his free
favor
lavished
upon us.
No other
religion in
the world
says it's
free.
It's
faith plus
works.
But
Christianity
says,
trust in
this Jesus
who's paid
the price
once and
for all
and you
have the
gift of
eternal
life.
And it
will show
itself
in a
life of
good works.
But not
only is he
good in
these ways,
he's
pastorally
good.
He's
pastorally
good.
In order
to get a
reflection of
this, look
at chapter
40 of
Isaiah
and verse
11.
There's a
beautiful
description
of the
good shepherd
there.
Isaiah
40 and
verse 11.
He tends
his flock
like a
shepherd.
He gathers
the lambs
in his
arms and
carries them
close to
his heart.
He gently
leads those
that have
young.
What a
tender
description
of the
good shepherd.
There's a
caring here.
There's a
pastoral
concern
here.
How can
a shepherd
care for
us?
Does he
have that
power?
Does he
have that
authority?
Is he
able to
do it?
Well, look
at the
context of
those words
in Isaiah
and you
will come
to these
words.
Who has
measured the
waters in
the hollow
of his
hand?
Or with
the breadth
of his
hand marked
off the
heavens?
Who has
held the
dust of
the earth
in a
basket or
weighed the
mountains on
the scales
and the
hills in
a balance?
Think of
the creation
of the
world.
That God
flung stars
into space.
That he
measured the
waters in
the hollow
of his
hand.
My friends,
that's the
good shepherd
who holds
you and
I.
He holds
the world,
yes, in
all its
trouble and
all its
anguish,
but he
holds you
and I.
He tends
his flock
like a
shepherd.
He gathers
the lambs in
his arms and
claries them
close to
his heart.
He gently
leads those
that have
young.
And this
good shepherd
that is
described by
Isaiah is
the same
one that is
brought before
us in the
person of the
Lord Jesus
Christ who
speaks to
his sheep.
John 10
and verse
3, the
sheep listen
to his
voice.
Verse 16,
other sheep,
they too
will listen
to my
voice.
He speaks
to his
people
pastorally
through his
word.
He may be
speaking to
you and
reminding you
of the fact
that he is
the good
shepherd this
morning.
He comes
to you.
It may be
through your
private reading.
It may be
through your
friends.
It may be
through the
promptings of
his Holy
Spirit.
But he
comes whether
it be in
the storms
of life.
And he
says to
us, I
am your
good shepherd.
Fear
not.
And as
the good
shepherd,
he speaks
to us
sometimes to
rebuke us
because we're
apt to
stray.
But he
does it
with love
and great
tenderness.
Why?
Because he
is the
good shepherd.
He's
pastorally
good.
He speaks
to us.
But also
this good
shepherd leads
his sheep.
Again,
verse 3,
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.
Was
Jesus
himself
thinking of
the 23rd
psalm,
he leads
me beside
still waters.
He restores
my soul.
He guides
me in
paths of
righteousness
for his
name's sake.
Even
though I
walk
through the
valley of
the shadow
of death.
And that's
a walk
that all
of us
will have
to take
one day
and we
do not
know when
it will
come.
But he
leads us
through the
valley of
the shadow
of death.
Why?
Because he's
a good
shepherd.
He
pastorally
cares for
us.
Philip
Henry,
who was
the father
of Matthew
Henry,
the great
commentator,
fell in
love with
a young
lady.
And she
came from
a very
aristocratic
family.
And her
family were
objecting to
her going
with this
nobody,
as it
were,
this
nobody
pastor.
But what
did she
say to
her parents
who objected
to the
romance?
She
said,
he knows
where he's
going and
I want
to go
with him.
In other
words, she
was saying
that he
knows that
he's going
to heaven
and I
want to
go with
him.
The Lord
Jesus has
gone to
prepare a
place for
you and
me, our
bridegroom.
We are
his bride.
We want
to go
with him.
He leads
us
because he
is the
good
shepherd.
I am
the good
shepherd.
And the
final thing
is this,
that he
gives us
fullness of
life because
he is the
good shepherd.
I have
come,
the latter
part of
verse 10,
that they
might have
life.
and that
they might
have it
to the
full.
The
Lord Jesus
gives us
security of
life in
the here
and now.
My
sheep,
verse 27,
listen to
my voice.
I know
them and
they follow
me.
I give
them eternal
life and
they shall
never perish.
No one
can snatch
them out
of my
hand.
My
father who
has given
them to
me is
greater than
all.
No one
can snatch
them out
of my
father's
hand.
I and
my father
are one.
I'm not a
carpenter.
I'm not very
good at
do-it-yourself.
But I'm
told that
sometimes
carpenters,
when they're
hammering in
the nail,
maybe in
a roof
joist,
that they
will knock
the nail
through.
And there
may be a
few inches
exposed at
the other
end.
What they
do then is
bang that
nail into
the wood.
They
clinch it.
Jesus
says he's
laying down
his life for
the sheep.
They will
never perish
and no one
is able to
pluck them
out of my
hand.
He clinches
it.
He
clinches it.
You see that?
He holds us
secure and
firm.
But there's
more.
The father
that has given
them to me
is greater
than all.
There's a
nail going
in.
He
clinches it
and no one
is able to
pluck them
out of my
father's hand.
It's though
we're held
in a double
grip.
The father
and the son
who Jesus
says are
one.
He's good
and we
should be
rejoicing.
He's given
us fullness
of life
and that
life that
he gives
us is
resurrection
life.
He lays
down his
life that
he might
take it
again and
he takes
it again
that we
might enjoy
his life
in us.
I am
the good
shepherd.
Do you
know him?
Do you
love him?
Are you
listening to
his voice?
Are you
following him?
Or will
you forget
all about
it tomorrow?
My friends,
I trust
that you
know what
it is
to be
in the
fold.
But I
plead with
you this
morning.
If you're
not in
the fold,
then humble
yourself
and bow
the knee
before the
good shepherd
and take
him as
your
savior.
Let's
pray together.
father,
you know
all our
hearts.
You know
where each
of us
stand here
this
morning.
If we
know the
shepherd,
we pray,
oh lord,
that we
might rejoice
that we
know him
and recognize,
oh lord,
our standing
in him.
thank you
for who
he is.
Thank you
for what
he came
to do.
Thank you
for his
uniqueness.
Thank you
for his
pastoral
care.
If we
don't know
him,
we pray,
oh lord,
that you
will speak
to us
in the
power of
your
holy
spirit,
that we
might hear
his voice
speaking to
us for
the first
time,
saying,
I am
the good
shepherd,
and I
lay down
my life
for the
sheep.
Amen.