So if you have a Bible, perhaps you want to turn back with me to John chapter 10 on page 1076.
!
We have concerns for home security and personal security.
The very word conjures up ideas of protection, safety, perhaps having a safeguard, a form of a guarantee.
It's always a relevant topic.
I think it's really timely just now because we seem to be moving into a time of insecurity.
Certainly globally, we think about the situation developing with Iran and there's the fear of it escalating,
but nobody quite seems to know where that's going to go.
We're already beginning to anticipate, aren't we, the knock-on effects?
What's it going to mean even for our energy supplies?
What's it going to mean for our travel plans?
What's the impact going to be on our finances, never mind thinking about what happens anywhere else?
Sometimes, though, that sense of insecurity might come because of a different factor.
There's been a number of reports recently about the rapid rise of AI,
and then the impact that that is having on job sectors.
So that can spark a sense of insecurity.
We've maybe seen the effect on our culture, our culture makers.
Again, sense of insecurity.
What does it mean for my intellectual property or even for my identity?
Perhaps we feel somewhat insecure if we're less tech savvy.
Will I be taken in by fake news or by scams developed by increasingly elaborate AI?
Security functions often for us like our walls and our foundations.
And when those start to crack, we can feel somewhat exposed and unprotected,
uncertain about our present and about the future.
And if we find ourselves in that place, and perhaps we do, perhaps we've been there recently,
or if we know people in our lives who wrestle with anxiety and fears and uncertainty,
then it's good for us to spend some time here.
It's good for us to think together and to hear from the Bible, to hear from Jesus
about the real and the lasting security that he offers.
So we're going to ask ourselves some questions about this topic of security.
We're going to explore some of the ways that we find ourselves searching for security,
some of the challenges and the weaknesses to our different approaches,
and we'll turn to hear what Jesus says about himself
and the promise of security that's found in him.
And as I said at the beginning, there'll be a chance for us to chat afterwards over tea and coffee
if you have time to stick around.
So the first question I suppose that we need to address is what is security for you?
Because I think it's fair to say there's no one-size-security-fits-all.
There are different ways that we look to find security,
different ways that we feel either secure or insecure.
I was thinking personally this week and recognizing that at different times
and different phases of life, security looks different.
So perhaps in sort of childhood and teenage years especially,
security comes if I had a group of friends who were there
and who liked me and who I could spend time with.
Perhaps later it became, well, do I have enough money in the bank
to make sure that all those bills get met?
Sometimes it's finding security and having a family around.
What is security for you?
Perhaps it's a freedom from fear.
The fear of illness or failure.
The fear of losses.
If we could live without those, then we'd feel secure.
Perhaps security comes from reliable resources.
It comes from having money in the bank.
The house that's getting paid up.
The job that has a decent salary and a level of stability.
Perhaps it's reserves in case there are those crashes that come.
For others of us, we may think about security in terms of the people in our lives.
We may think about predictable relationships.
Two of, I guess, the classic sitcoms of all times very much played on that.
Friends theme tune, I'll be there for you.
And cheers.
You want to be where everybody knows your name.
That idea of here is a group of people I can trust.
They will show up when I need them.
Sometimes we can find security in our plans.
The plans that we have after we finish school or after we finish university.
Perhaps we find security if we feel that our retirement is well cared for.
Maybe we find security in just the idea of knowing a five-year plan.
And so we find ourselves thinking and saying things like,
if I just had that thing, then I'd be okay.
You know, if I get the right product or if I make the right investment,
if I land the right job or achieve in my career,
if I belong to the right group or raise the right family,
or if I have the right work-life balance
and I can control my environment and my schedule,
then I'll have security.
So it's important from the outset to ask ourselves the question,
what do we think security looks like?
And that in part will take us to the second question,
how do we try to fulfill the desire for security?
This week I've been asking church members,
in what way do we feel Jesus provides security?
Because one of the things that we believe as Christians
is that our faith offers us a unique power and stability.
We have a security both in the present,
knowing God is with us and for us,
but security eternally.
And it's been interesting to have those conversations
and to hear themes reappearing,
themes that actually very much link to this shepherd theme
we've been considering.
That sense of, in everyday experience,
well, I know God is present to protect me and guide me.
When I need help and wisdom,
I know that I can pray.
And I sense his love.
There's a real security in that.
And then people are talking about,
well, in times of difficulty,
times when perhaps those foundations were shaken.
Still to know God is in control,
to be able to rest in God keeps his promises,
to have that reality that as we pray and connect with God,
that brings a measure of peace.
And even being able to keep going,
knowing it's not in my strength,
but it's God's strength.
So there are remarkable resources
within the Christian faith.
Some of you may have seen the interview
of Ben Ganondoke, the Scottish footballer.
He's returned back to his childhood faith.
And it was a really interesting interview.
He's had a very prolonged and difficult injury recently.
And he was reflecting on it saying setbacks,
setbacks, they're part of God's plan.
He spoke about relying heavily on God to keep him strong.
He said this, he said,
when you have God on your side,
you know he's never going to forget about you
and he's not going to abandon you.
There is strength and security in God.
And there seems to be common threads
within Christian experience.
And it's interesting to share our stories
of how we see God provide security.
But how do we search for security
outside of and apart from God?
I suspect it often involves one or a combination of these.
And we probably find ourselves
leaning into our possessions.
There's a Bible proverb,
I think it's in Proverbs 18,
that says,
the wealth of the rich is their fortified city.
They imagine it a wall too high to scale.
So picture a city under siege,
but the residents feeling secure
because they have strong walls and high walls.
And the idea that money provides a safeguard,
a protective wall from the shocks that might come.
Another way that we search for security
is in the people in our lives.
There's lots of studies that speak about the early years,
developmental stages,
and when there is strong investment in those early years,
good support networks,
stable family,
good nursery provision,
it tends towards more stable,
more confident,
more resilient children.
When we have people who love us,
people we can trust,
people we can rely on,
that tends to bring
an inner confidence
and a security.
It allows us perhaps to provide
and build a stable identity.
Or our family or our friends
might become a form of an anchor
when storms come
so that we don't collapse under the pressure.
There's a goodness, isn't there,
when we have friends,
when we have family,
when we have a social group who stick by us.
The Bible tells us that community is God's good design.
Family is God's good design.
There's a verse that we maybe have heard at a wedding,
Ecclesiastes 4,
though one may be overpowered,
two can resist.
Moreover, a cord of three strands is not easily broken.
That sense of resilience from togetherness.
So we might well find ourselves looking to people for security.
We may, on the other hand,
turn towards performance.
Because one way that we can seek to find security
is in our doing,
our achieving,
in our abilities.
We might find job security
knowing that we will,
if we outperform others
in our team
or in our company.
So long as we hit the right targets,
if we perform,
we can probably hope for security.
Or maybe we imagine
financial security
if I have the wisdom
and the prudence
to make the right,
careful investments.
And so we can
gain a sense of security
from ourselves
and our own abilities.
Now,
each of these,
you know,
people,
possessions,
the ability to perform,
those are
good things.
Of course they are.
But it's important for us
to recognize
there are limitations.
That each of these
can provide,
they can provide
at very least
a temporary fix.
But it's fair to say
that they cannot remove
every threat
that we experience
to our security.
People will still leave
and contracts will still end
and oil prices
will still spike.
And more significantly
than that,
as we consider
all the challenges
that we face,
none of these
are able to offer
any help
when faced with
the ultimate source
of insecurity,
which is our great enemy,
death.
And so as we're thinking
about what gives us security,
we need to think
beyond,
well,
where do I look today
to where do I hope
will give me strength
in that day?
A third question is this,
how can some of our strategies
produce unhelpful results?
Because it is important
to recognize
that in striving
for security,
sometimes that can lead us
down unhelpful paths,
unhelpful attitudes
or patterns of behavior.
For example,
if I imagine
that I will be secure
if I have money,
then that might tend
towards my greed.
Perhaps I will hoard
instead of being generous.
Perhaps it means
I will live
to consume
rather than recognizing
life is about more than.
it may lead us
to try and control
and manipulate.
If our performance
is really important
to our sense of security,
then we might want
to insist
that everything
and everyone around us
is just so.
And we can put a lot
of pressure
on other people
demanding
that everything
be just right.
there might be a pride
that forms
in our heart
if security
is found
in my performance,
striving to try
and prove
and justify myself
compared to others.
On the flip side,
there might be despair
when we find
our security fails,
when all our best efforts
come to nothing.
It was striking
to see
after the last,
I guess,
big global economic
crash in 2008,
the number
of bank executives,
people within
the financial industry
who committed suicide.
Their security
was gone.
Their sense of identity
was gone.
We see it all too often
as well
with retired sports people
when the fame
is gone
and they struggle.
Some of our strategies
can produce
even the unhelpful result
of
idolatry.
It's a Bible idea
that I think
we can all recognize
when I place
my ultimate trust
in someone
or something
for security
rather than
in the one
true
and living God.
So just to pause
for a moment
to take stock.
I imagine
each one of us here,
we both value
and we want security.
We will all try
and find it
in different ways.
But what I hope
we're beginning to see
is that when we try
and do that ourselves
without God,
without Jesus,
there are at least
some times
where we will find
ourselves heading
down the wrong roads.
That we may find
ourselves pursuing
solutions that
don't satisfy
and there may still
be that nagging feeling
that something
is still missing.
Where we can't
really rest
because there's
no sense
of permanent
security.
And so it's
important for us
to have a chance
to hear
from Jesus.
So turn with me
to John chapter 10
to think about
this image
that he uses
of himself
as the shepherd
as we ask
ourselves
one more question
together.
And the question
is this,
how does Jesus
promise to fulfill
our longing
for security?
So we have
Jesus in verse 11
saying,
I am the good shepherd.
Verse 14,
I am the good shepherd.
That image
was an image
used by God
in the Old Testament
also.
It contains
within it
that idea
of a covenant
commitment
to rescue
and to bring
a people
to himself.
It's a picture
that's applied
to kings.
Here is God,
the powerful,
loving king
who is committed
to restoring people
and ruling
for their good
and Jesus
comes along
and says,
I am
the good shepherd.
So he's making
a big claim
about himself.
He's claiming
a title of God.
And John
is revealing
to us
that Jesus
is none other
than the son
of God.
And so as we
listen in
as Jesus
speaks about himself
and what he offers
we need to recognize
he's speaking
to us
not just
as any old
person,
he's speaking
to us
as the son
of God.
And in this
little section
that we've read
we discover
three qualities
of Jesus
the good shepherd
that all connect
with this idea
of security.
So we'll think
briefly about
the personal
relationship
with Jesus
that he offers
the sacrificial
salvation
that he came
to bring
and the safety
of belonging.
So first of all
to think about
a personal
relationship
that Jesus
offers
a secure
relationship
that no one
else
in this world
can match.
Look at our
verses
we'll see a few
ways this is true.
Verse 12
of John chapter 10
Jesus compares
himself with a
hired hand
someone who
works as a
shepherd
for pay
but the sheep
don't belong to him.
The hired hand
is not the shepherd
and does not
own 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.
By contrast
Jesus says
I am the good
shepherd
and I lay
down my life
for the sheep.
So Jesus
is committed
to us
compared to
this hired
hand.
There is a
deeper relationship
there is a
selfless service
that Jesus
is the kind
who will
not turn
and run
when the
wolves
come.
When the
trials
come
rather
Jesus
will place
himself
in harm's
way
for the
good of
his
sheep.
He is
committed to
us
and he
knows
us.
He continues
in verse
14
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 so
there is
another
comparison
here.
So just
as the
father and
the son
within the
eternal
trinity
they know
one another
and they
love one
another
and they
delight in
each other
and they
can't be
separated
from each
other
and they're
in the
closest
possible
relationship
to one
another
Jesus
says the
same is
true between
me and
my people.
He's
committed
to us
he knows
us
and in
verse 16
he also
calls us
I have
other sheep
that are
not of
this
sheepfold
I must
bring them
also
they too
will listen
to my
voice
and there
shall be
one flock
and one
shepherd.
So there's
another
comparison
Jesus
compares
himself
with
the
strangers
with
thieves
and robbers
who would
come along
and want
to take
the sheep
away
but the
sheep
recognize
that's
not a
voice
to be
trusted
rather
they will
listen
to the
shepherd
because
this
shepherd
invites
us
into
relationship
he is
the one
who has
our best
interest
at heart
he is
the one
who will
seek
and save
and call
to bring
into
his flock
and in
that flock
there is
safety
and there
is this
promise
that Jesus
voice is
powerful
and effective
and he
calls people
into
the security
of
relationship
with
himself
and so
in this
whole section
Jesus is
announcing
to us
that he
provides
personal
relational
security
the text
is full
of eyes
Jesus
personal
commitment
as the
shepherd
to his
people
his sheep
and that's
the story
that some
of you
have been
sharing
and it's
the story
that I
imagine
are the
testimony
of many
of us
who are
Christians
that we
go into
dark
places
and we
know
Jesus
is with
us
and for
us
and he's
actually
been there
first
of feeling
overwhelmed
but then
at the
same time
experiencing
a sense
of peace
and comfort
from knowing
Jesus is
there
even those
stories of
having
wandered
far away
those times
perhaps of
wanting nothing
to do
with Jesus
but still
patiently
persistently
searching
to bring
us back
and it's
this Jesus
who invites
each one
to trust
him for
security
to find
that one
relationship
that will
never end
that one
relationship
that cannot
be broken
even by
death
to place
our lives
in the hands
of one
who will
never leave
us
or fail
us
there is
security
in a
personal
relationship
with Jesus
here is
a second
way that
Jesus
promises
to fulfill
our longing
for security
it's in
his
sacrificial
salvation
Jesus offers
to remove
threats
that no one
else can
three times
in our
verses
we heard
Jesus say
I lay
down my
life for
the sheep
it's there
in verse
11
it's there
in verse
15
and it's
there in
verse 17
let me read
it there in
verse 17
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
and so
we're invited
to picture
the scene
with Jesus
as he
uses this
image of
sheep
and a
shepherd
to picture
flock
on a
hillside
and they're
being led
by a
shepherd
perhaps
they're
feeding on
good
pasture
but then
from the
rocky
crags
come the
wolves
and the
wolves
surround
the
sheep
and while
the hired
hand
will turn
and run
we have
this picture
that Jesus
gives of
himself
the shepherd
who makes
his stand
with club
in hand
perhaps with
a short
sword
drawn
here is a
shepherd
who will
fight
for his
sheep
and remarkably
dying
so his
sheep
would live
this teaching
is in the
form of a
parable
and whenever
Jesus tells
a parable
a story
and you
find a
surprising
detail
you know
this is
where the
meaning
lies
and so
Jesus
wants us
to take
us beyond
the metaphor
of here's a
shepherd
here's a
sheep
to think
about
Jesus
own
mission
to think
about
his
mission
of coming
to sacrifice
himself
in order
to save
others
that Jesus
uses this
parable
actually to
speak to
us about
the cross
think about
those words
in verse
17
the father
Jesus says
he loves
me because
what does
Jesus do
the father
loves the
son because
the son
lays down
his life
and so
all of a
sudden we're
discovering
something about
the eternal
love of
God the
eternal plan
of God
that God
the father
will send
the son
and that
God the
son will
come in
order to
suffer and
die
in order to
save his
sheep to
save sinners
to provide
eternal
security
the father
loves this
son who
with all
authority
gladly
lovingly
lays down
his life
for the
good of
others
it's a
remarkable
statement
and within
verse 17
there's another
remarkable
statement
there's a
massive claim
that Jesus
has authority
to lay
down his
life only
to take
it up
again
so we
find ourselves
on the way
to Easter
and Jesus
here is
taking us
to the
events of
Easter
reminding us
that he
will die
on that
Roman cross
but he
will walk
free of
the tomb
on Easter
Sunday
and as we
put those
two truths
together
the twin
truths of
Jesus
death and
resurrection
we can see
that there is
power in
Jesus to
remove
some of
those ultimate
threats
against us
one of
those
things
is the
guilt
that we
experience
whenever we
find ourselves
recognizing
that there
is a
God
with whom
we have
to deal
and we
know that
we have
done things
that are
wrong
and that
we have
broken
his command
then we
become aware
of our
guilt
and the
wonderful news
about Jesus
is that he
has come to
be the answer
to our
guilt
because when
Jesus dies
and it's
here in the
image
he does
so as a
sacrifice
and just as
the sacrifices
offered in the
Old Testament
were a way to
cover over
guilt and
shame and
sin
so Jesus
ultimate
sacrifice on
the cross
covers our
guilt and
shame and
sin because
he does it
not for
his sin
but for
ours and
he does it
as a
substitute
Jesus the
judge is
judged in
our place
so that
when our
trust is
in Jesus
God's
verdict on
our life
must be a
positive
verdict
because Jesus
has secured
that positive
verdict through
his death
and his
resurrection
so when we
trust in
Jesus we
can know
today that
we will not
be condemned
that we will
be welcomed
and accepted
into heaven
that we are
as loved
as Jesus
is loved
there is
real security
in that
there is
security
from Jesus
death and
resurrection
from the
fear of
death
isn't this
the ultimate
storm that
shakes our
foundations
isn't this
the great
wolf that
would destroy
all our
great plans
and securities
it's the
last enemy
how is it
that Jesus
is able to
give security
even as we
consider our
own death
because he
has conquered
death and
the grave
and his
resurrection
stands for
us as
proof
and now
where Jesus
is resurrected
to new life
and ascended
to the glory
of heaven
where he
Jesus is
his people
will follow
he is the
shepherd who
won't lose
any of his
flock
he will make
sure that we
are safely
brought into
pasture as it
were from
here until
eternity
there is
security
a few
chapters later
in John
chapter 14
Jesus speaks
to his
friends and
his disciples
he says
don't let
your hearts
be troubled
he knows
that they
know that
Jesus is
about to
die and
they're
troubled
about what
that means
for Jesus
and for
them
don't be
troubled
and he
tells them
that his
journey will
take him
from the
cross
to the
resurrection
and back
to his
father's
home
and he
says
listen
I'm
going back
to my
father's
home
and I'm
preparing a
place for
you and
I'll come
back and
take you
to be
with me
that you
may be
where I
am
and so
the bible
allows us
to face
death
with a
sense of
honest
confidence
we are
honest
death is
a horrible
reality
it is a
great enemy
but for a
Christian
there is
that wonderful
security
from Jesus
that he
will take
us home
to be
with himself
that truly
for the
believer
death is
the last
enemy
there is a
promise of
life after
death that
will be
perfect
that will
be without
enemies
that will
be joyful
and secure
and with
Jesus
forever
and so
thirdly and
finally
we come to
understand from
Jesus words
and from the
bible that
there is a
safety
a security
that comes
from belonging
to Jesus
I think it's
part of the
beauty of the
shepherd image
you know we
can recognize
by ourselves
how prone
we are to be
like sheep
we can feel
weakness
we can feel
foolish
we can be
prone to
wander
sometimes we
will follow
the flock
and we will
head for
danger
but with
Jesus as
good shepherd
we know
that he will
always lead
us towards
life
that we will
always experience
God's love
that we will
be part of
his family
forever
that nothing
can separate
us from
God's love
or God's
goodness
or God's
mercy
when we
know Jesus
as our
good shepherd
and so he
invites us
to swap
our anxiety
and our
insecurity
to lay down
our consuming
our striving
our attempts
to control
and manage
our environment
to forge
a security
for ourselves
and to
replace that
with a simple
reliance
and dependence
on Jesus
to turn our
back on
those self
made attempts
at security
from trusting
in other things
to save us
and instead
to trust
in the one
who died
to save us
to believe
that Jesus
really is
the son of
God
he really is
the promised
saviour
he really is
a good shepherd
and that in
Jesus
there is
present security
and there is
the eternal
security
that we all
long for
and it's
found
in life
with Jesus
let's pray
to
He really is
a good shepherd
to
God
He really is
a good shepherd
He really is
a good shepherd
He really is
of God
and He really is
a good shepherd
and He really is
of God
and He really is
a good shepherd
of God
a good shepherd
of God
and He really is
!
of God
and He really is