The Abundant Life Part 2: The Shepherd - John 10:11-18

1:25Let me just go back and reread to you. You, the first five verses of chapter 10, because this is a figure of speech, a metaphor that he uses throughout the chapter. And he keeps referring back to it. In verse 1 of chapter 10, truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him because they do not know the voice of strangers. And as this figure of speech, Jesus spoke to them, but they did not understand what those things were which he had been saying. And so then Jesus keeps on going. And in verses 7 through 10, he speaks about himself being the door. And I can't see what's going on on the back on this one, but that's okay. I'll even look over here. So he makes an analogy in the first six verses. And then, and we'll just again to make sure we have this fresh on our minds, we'll review this analogy of a sheep pen back in the day, in Jesus' day. There was a door. You see the door? Right there, standing there. There was a doorkeeper, and in this text this morning, he'll refer back to that. And I will see this one as the hired hand, if you will. Then there's the sheep, different folds. Sometimes they would put different several different shepherds bring their fold of sheep into this sheep pen, and they would hire it out to a doorkeeper, and they would go spend the night. And then the next morning, the shepherds would come and call their own sheep out by name. Very familiar custom. Then you see the thief. A thief comes in, didn't come in through the door. He comes in the other way. Because he has his desires for the sheep, he wants to kill, still, destroy, barbecue, all that kind of stuff.

3:50And then there's a shepherd. Shepherd comes to the door. He comes and he calls his sheep out by name. So Jesus, last time we looked at the analogy, and then he referred to himself as the door. Now, today, as we move forward, Jesus is also going to refer to himself as the shepherd. So, drawing on this same imagery that he has already laid out, he is not only the door, but he is also the shepherd. He is the way into the permanent blessing of God, but he is also the one who leads us through that door of himself. So, I'm going to be looking at the abundant. Life, looking at the shepherd. And specifically, I want you to look at five reasons why Jesus is the only person to whom you should entrust your soul. Five reasons. He came to give life, and he came to give it more abundantly.

4:46And he is the one. In fact, I would say this about John: as you come to John chapter 10, he's going to shift gears. After John chapter 10, Jesus is no longer going to be in the public ministry, he's going to be focusing in on his disciples. This is a very pivotal moment in the Gospel of John. And what Jesus has done by virtue of going through chapter 9 and by healing the blind man and the blind man really being interrogated before the Jewish leaders, you see this imagery of this blind man being one of Christ's sheep who heard his voice, who comes out. And what's going to happen is, who do you trust your soul to? John is leading us to the point, he's leading his readers to this point, to this very important point, really to this real important message of his gospel. To whom are you going to trust your soul? To whom are you going to entrust your soul? You know, we are spiritual beings, we have a material. Component, but we have an immaterial component. We have a body, we have a soul, soul spirit. We have a body, but that's not all that we are. In fact, scripture, by and large, says that the most important aspect of your being is not your physical body, but your eternal soul.

6:25So the question is: to whom you entrust your soul, becomes very important. Who are? To whom is? To whom does your soul belong? Who shapes you? Who are you trusting for the eternal welfare of your soul? There are many schools of thought out there. Perhaps you've put your trust in a school of thought. Maybe it's the latest scientific fad, or maybe it's a professor, maybe it's a certain philosophy, maybe it's a certain religious leader, maybe it's a certain denomination, maybe it's yourself.

7:05But if you'll be honest with yourself, somewhere you are right now have entrusted your soul. You've entrusted the internal well-being of your soul to someone or something. And what John wrote, he wrote so that you, he wrote his gospel, he wrote so that you would be encouraged and exhorted to put your trust in the Shepherd. And that's why he writes. And what does entrusting your soul involve? Well, it involves listening to Jesus, letting him shape your view of God and the world around you, believing what he says, and going where he leads. That's what entrusting your soul to Jesus looks like. He calls you to adjust your mind, to adjust your will, and to adjust your emotions according to who he is and where he leads. So John, when he presents Jesus as the one to be followed, he doesn't just present Jesus as a wise choice among many. John presents Jesus as the only prudent choice for your soul because he wants you to put your faith and trust in him and wherever he leads, go.

8:35You see, Jesus came in the right manner. He came with the stamp of God's authority and he came bringing God's blessing and he came giving himself to the well-being of those he calls to follow him. You see, we need a shepherd for our souls. And John's saying, I found him. I found him. I know who he is. That's why we have the Gospel of John. And that's why we're here this morning. And so I want you to see five reasons why Jesus is the only person to whom you should entrust your soul. The only person.

9:20Number one, Jesus deeply cares for his people. Let me just go ahead and before we get there, let me just go ahead and just read so this comes fresh to your mind, beginning in verse 11. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees. And the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know my own, and my own know me, even as the Father knows me, and I know the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep which are not of this fold. I must bring them in also. And they will hear my voice, and they will become one flock with one shepherd. For this reason, the Father loves me, because I lay down my life so that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from me, but I lay it down on my own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. Commandment I received from my Father.

10:34So, first of all, first reason that you should entrust your soul to Jesus is because Jesus deeply cares for his people. And what Jesus does in these next couple of verses is that he makes a contrast between a good shepherd and a hired hand. Two metaphors that he will use that will describe two very different levels of concern. And notice that who Jesus is drives what he does. Who Jesus is drives what he does. He is the good shepherd. Look at verse 11. I am the good shepherd. I am the shepherd, the beautiful. I am the shepherd, the benevolent. I am the shepherd, the good. And it's important to note that he isn't just a good shepherd, but he is the good shepherd. And this drives what he does. Look at verse 11. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. So who he is drives what he does. The good shepherd gives himself up for the sheep. Or he's certainly prepared to make great sacrifice for the sheep, right? He sees himself as the one ultimately responsible for the sheep.

11:52That's what the good shepherd, that's how the good shepherd sees himself. And he lays down his life. He places his life. Himself. He places the sheep. He places himself on behalf of the sheep or before the sheep. Now, contrast that with a hired hand. And notice that a hired hand is also defined by who he is, and what he does comes out of who he is. So look at verse 12. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep. Notice how Jesus described him. He described him what he's not. He's not the shepherd. He's not the owner of the sheep. That's what a hired hand is. He's neither one of these.

12:40And who he is, he's hired. He's hired for wages and agreement. He's to take care, watch. And notice who he is drives what he does. Verse 12, he who is a hired hand sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep. Interesting picture. Now this is different from the thief and the robber. You know, the thief and the robber, there's something intrinsically evil about that picture, right? A thief and a robber come to, they're just bad, right? But there's nothing intrinsically evil about being a hired hand, right? Had agreed wages. Come, watch over these sheep.

13:35But both of these groups have something in common. The thief, the robber, and the hired hand have one thing in common. They are interested in the sheep for personal gain. Now, the hired hand does it a little more noble, right? But he is still interested in personal gain at the expense of the sheep. The hired hand's ultimate motive is not the well-being of the sheep, but his wages. And so when he sees the wolf coming, like, whoa, this is getting too dangerous. Hey, not paying me enough for this. I'm out of here, right? He gets out of there, and what happens? There's no protection for the sheep. The wolf has an open field day, right? Takes the sheep, takes the good ones, the ones he wants, scatters the rest.

14:34But Jesus cares for the sheep. He's the owner, shepherd. And he sees himself as ultimately responsible for their well-being, and he has given himself to that end. You know, businesses just run better when there's an owner present. Have you ever noticed that? I have one of my favorite burger places close by. When I walk in, I can tell whether the owner is there or not, even before I even see him. You can walk into the establishment. I mean, the tables are cleared. They're wiped clean. The vacant tables have chairs that are put in order.

15:22The staff is a lot more friendly. Hi, welcome. You don't get that when the owner's not there. And the food tastes better. For some reason, when the owner's there, the food tastes better. There's something about an owner's presence that makes a big difference. And it really doesn't matter if you're talking about a medical place or if you're talking about a burger place or whatever. There's a level of care that comes with ownership. The same is true about parenting, really. That's why it's very important that, I mean, listen, no one is going to care for your kids like you do. Okay?

16:07So just remember that. That no matter who you farm your kids out to, they're never going to care like a parent. And that's why it's important that parents be involved, right? Be close, proximity, right? And no one is going to. There's something about an owner's presence, and the same is true about people. Life is worth living when the owner is present. Okay? When the good shepherd knows you, he knows life. He knows how it is to be lived. And there's something wonderful. Life seems to work well and be abundant.

17:00And the life is worth living when he's present. You see, Jesus cares enough for his people to lay down his life for them. Why? Because of who he is. He is the good shepherd. The hired hand runs. Why? Because he's a hired hand. So, first reason why Jesus is the only person to whom you should entrust your soul is that he deeply cares for his people. No one else can care for people like him. He's the creator.

17:37Second reason Jesus intimately knows his people. And look at verse 14. He says it again: I am the good shepherd, and I know my own, and my own know me. I am knowing my own, and my own are knowing me. Look at how. He describes this relationship he has with his people. He knows them. One of, I know my sheep. He knows them. That's why he calls them. He knows everything about them. Incredibly deep. They know him, and that's why they follow him when he calls them. They know him. They recognize him. And look at this comparison. And this is where we start moving into some deep thoughts. Oh, this is deep thoughts, right? It's the Bible. Then Jesus takes us into another level here. I am the Good Shepherd, and I know my own, and my own know me.

18:46Verse 15, even as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. Now, the Father intimately, exhaustively knows the Son. And that's how Jesus is saying, that's how I know my people. Listen, nobody knows you like that and loves you anyway, right? Amen. And yet the sheep also know him. They're growing in their allegiance. They're growing in their obedience. They are growing in their intimate knowledge of him. You see, Jesus has a unique relationship. Relationship with his people. It's a reflection of the relationship between the Father and the Son. And just as the Father has a unique relationship with His Son, the Son has a unique relationship with His people. Listen, good leaders know something about the people they lead. In fact, good leadership is dependent upon exhaustive knowledge. The more you know, the more you're fit to lead.

19:59And He knows every detail about us. He knows every detail about the Father. And that perfectly qualifies Him to lead us into the abundant life. He intimately knows His people. Third reason why Jesus is the only person to whom you should entrust your soul is that Jesus sacrificially gives to His people. Not only does He deeply care for His people, not only does He has intimate knowledge of His people, but Jesus sacrificially gives to His people. Look back. Look back there at verse 15, at the very last statement. Look at where all this intimate knowledge about the Father and the intimate knowledge about His sheep takes Jesus. His intimate knowledge of the sheep and the intimate knowledge of the Jesus. Knowledge of his father compels him to lay down his life for the sheep. Look at that last phrase in verse 15. And I lay down my life for the sheep, as if it's just some kind of tacked in there. Well, it's linked to what he's just said. I absolutely and intimately, exhaustively know my father, and I absolutely, intimately, and exhaustively know my sheep. And guess what? That's why I lay down my life.

21:32You see, his sacrifice for his people isn't based upon some half-witted idealism of a well-intended leader, or as one commentator said it, it's not some martyr-like commitment of a devoted man. No, his sacrifice is built upon the intimate knowledge of his father and his sheep. You see, it's as though Jesus is saying, I know that laying down my life is necessary for my sheep. My sheep are in mortal danger. I know my father. I know my sheep. They're in mortal danger. And unless I lay down my life, they will be lost.

22:26You see, his sacrifice for us comes out of his. Intimate knowledge of us and of his father. See, there's a real threat to our well-being that cannot be averted unless Jesus lays down his life for you. And look back, his sacrifice goes beyond the nation of the Jews. Look back in verse 16. I have other sheep which are not of this fold. I must bring them in also, and they will hear my voice, and they will become one flock with one shepherd. So, who are these other sheep? Who is this other sheep pen? They're Gentiles. There he is. He has gone to the Jews first. He is proclaiming who he is. And there are those among that sheep pen that are hearing his voice, that are coming out, following him.

23:36And yet he has other sheep. And look at the verb is really impressive here. I have other sheep. I presently own other sheep, even though he hasn't brought them out yet. It's because he owns them that he is going to go to them and call them. And bring them out. I take those back to very clearly what he, the same thought was expressed in chapter 6 and verse 37: all that the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me, I certainly will not cast out.

24:19They are a gift. These sheep are a gift from the Father to the Son, and so he comes to call them out. He will sound forth. Look back. He will, how will they come into the fold? How are they going to come? He is going to sound forth his voice, and they will hear his voice. They will recognize his voice. And just like those in the Jewish sheepfold, they will follow him. And they will be one with the others.

24:55You see, the mission of the Gentiles didn't occur because the Jews rejected Jesus by and large. And so these disciples said, well, let's just go on and go to the Gentiles as kind of a second plan. No, no, the mission to the Gentiles was Christ's plan all along because he is given for all people. And he sacrificially gives himself. For his people. So, five reasons why Jesus is the only person to whom you should entrust your soul. Number one, Jesus deeply cares for his people. Number two, Jesus intimately knows his people. Number three, Jesus sacrificially gives to his people. And number four, Jesus is profoundly loved by the Father. And there isn't anyone else that you can say this about.

25:55Look at verse 17. For this reason, the Father loves me because I lay down my life. Now, that's a little bit of a startling statement. There's a reason why the Father loves the Son. At first glance, we might expect it to say something like this: well, the Father loves the Son simply because who he is, and simply because the Son, or the Father loves the Son simply because He is, and it just so happens that the Son is going to go out and die for His people. That's not what it says.

26:33I mean, I think this is how we kind of think of love in our Western world. We think of love like this: Love me the way I am, no matter what I do. Right? That's more tolerance than it is, love, right? But that's the way we think of it. You will love me regardless of what I do. That's not what Jesus is saying here at all. For this reason, the Father loves me, because I lay down my life. I have to think about it. Out this one.

27:03But the meaning is clear. The death of Jesus is the will of the Father. And because Jesus is in perfect harmony with the Father's will, he lays down his life for the sheep. You see, the love of the Father is eternally linked to the perfect obedience of the Son. And this perfect obedience of the Son was ultimately expressed on the cross. You see, this link between obedience and love. Look at, I think one commentator says it very well. Carson says it like this: It is not that the Father withholds his love until Jesus agrees to give up his life on the cross. Rather, the love of the Father for the Son is eternally linked with the unqualified obedience of the Son to His Father, his utter dependence upon him culminating in his greatest act of obedience: willingness to bear the shame of Gogotha, the isolation and rejection of death, the sin and curse reserved for the Lamb of God.

28:18You see, we can think of it like this: the Father loves the Son because the Son is the perfect expression of the Father's will. He is the incarnate God. The incarnate God perfectly expresses the will of God. And so the Father loves the Son because the Son is the perfect expression of the Father's will. It's all wrapped up in this triune God. The love of God must express itself. And therefore, the Father could not love the Son, nor could the Father even know the Son if the Son did not express the Father's love perfectly. That's why he loves him.

29:14And all this, as you go through, you begin to realize this connection between the Father and the Son is one of will and obedience. Obedience and love are directly connected, and they're directly connected throughout John's gospel, especially as it relates to the Father and the Son. Look, we are just the spillover effect of the love that the Father has for the Son. That's what's going on. God loves, the Father loves the Son. In fact, you see this as you start focusing on what Jesus has been saying throughout this gospel, it starts coming into a little more clear focus. Listen to what he says in John 3:35. The Father loves the Son and has given all Things into his hand. So we know the Father loves the Son. John 5, 20, for the Father loves the Son and shows him all things that he himself is doing. There's no secret between the Father and the Son. And why is all this? John 8, 29, and he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone. Why? For I always do the things that are pleasing to him. So here you see the Son's obedience. Always, perfectly, that's what I do.

30:32And we'll come to this later, but in John 14, 31, I read it just a little while ago. In fact, in verse 30, I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in me. But so that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded me. So that's Jesus' response to the Father. I do exactly as he has commanded me. Perfect obedience. And that's why when the devil comes, when the ruler of the world comes, you don't see Jesus like a little hired hand running away. What does he do? He stands. He sees the wolf coming. And he lays down his life for the sheep.

31:23You see, obedience and love are connected. And guess what? Jesus is going to say this. Same about his disciples. Chapter 14 and chapter 15. I'll just give you a couple of chapter 14, 15. Jesus says, if you love me, you will keep my commandments. Chapter 15, 10, if you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my father's commandments and abide in his love. You see, the Father eternally delights in Jesus.

31:57And if you want war with heaven, treat Jesus as a person of little worth. Let him just become a common curse word on your lips. Let him become of little value, of little weight, and you're guaranteed to have eternal war with heaven. Because the Father profoundly loves his son. Deeply, exhaustively, profoundly, because his son is the perfect expression of who he is. Jesus takes us pretty deep in theology in these verses. But then we're faced with this, really, this metaphoric catastrophe. We're in this world of metaphor right here.

32:50And the reality is that a good shepherd of Israel did not lay down his life for his sheep. Oh, he may have been ready to make unusual. Sacrifices for his sheep, as David did, but the death of a shepherd would be catastrophe for the sheep, right? Could you imagine David out there? Here comes the wolf, here comes the bear, and David runs out there, I'm gonna, you're not gonna get my sheep. There goes the shepherd, and then what happens to the sheep? They're left wide open, right? So the reality is, a good shepherd didn't lay down his life for the sheep. I mean, you can picture David's dad, you know, and Jesse, right? Coming in saying, well, yeah, way to go. Lost my son, lost a good shepherd, and all the good sheep. Now all I got is little scrawny ones left, you know.

33:50No, that's not what a good shepherd did. Only the good shepherd could lay down his life and still shepherd his people. Look back because there is a reason why the son laid down his life. Look at verse 17, so that I may take it again. The resurrection was the purpose for the death. The father, the father, right? The father had a reason why he loves the son, it's because the son lays down his life for the sheep.

34:31And the Son had a purpose for laying down his life so that he may take it up again. He's not through shepherding his father's sheep. And only the good shepherd could lay down his life because his sheep were in mortal danger and save his sheep and spare his sheep and rise again to continue to shepherd him. Only the good shepherd could do that. You see, he died in order to rise. And as we work our way through John, you'll find out he rose in order to be glorified. Chapter 12 and chapter 17 says, and he was glorified in order to pour forth his spirit upon his people.

35:14John 7, verse 37 to 39 says, And he poured forth his spirit so that his people could live and have abundant life. That's what he says in our text this morning. I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly. And in all of these things, Jesus perfectly obeyed his father, therefore expressing the heart of his father to his people. When we see Jesus laying down his life, we're seeing the perfect expression of the father's love for us.

35:51And that's what the father wanted to communicate through him to us. Do you hear his voice? Calling you today. And this is why the Father loves him and always will. And always will to the profoundest degree. Well, the fifth reason why Jesus is the only person to whom you should entrust your soul is that Jesus perpetually shepherds his people. Look at verse 18, and he wants to make this very clear: No one has taken it away from me, but I lay it down on my own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from my Father.

36:41That's what Jesus wants to make it clear, and what John wants to make clear to his readers: Jesus' sacrifice was willful. And it wasn't even compelled. It wasn't even that the Father compelled him to do it. Jesus is saying this: I lay it down on my own initiative. It was a willing sacrifice, his own willing sacrifice. His sacrifice was not somebody else's doing, not even his father's. It was his own volition to lay down his life out of a love for his father. And a Out of a love for those that the Father loves. It's profound.

37:38So as you keep working your way through John, you're going to come to John chapter 18 and 19, and you're going to witness the horrible crucifixion, the passion of our Lord. But it's important as we read these chapters to keep in mind that what John portrays in chapters 18 and 19 is not the account of what people did to Jesus, but what Jesus did for people. You see, the narrative of the crucifixion does not tell the story of a mission that's gone horribly wrong, but rather it tells the story of a mission that went gloriously right.

38:25And when Jesus uttered these words, it is finished, in John 19:30, he had done something that only God can do. The perfect sacrifice was completed. The power of a perfect, holy sacrifice was released. The redeeming price for his people was paid in overflowing abundance. The perfect covering for man's naked shame has been forever revealed. The distinguishing mark of Jesus' blood was forever upon him. On his people, the greatest expression of God's love was made, as Jesus will say in John 15:13, no greater love has anyone than to lay down his life for his friends. But also, the basis to draw people to himself was established, the cross, and the voice that his people would recognize has sounded forth. It is finished.

39:34You see, no power exists to keep him from being the shepherd of his people. There is no external force that's going to keep him from it. Death could not keep him from shepherding his people. It is his father's will and heaven's great delight that Jesus continued to shepherd his people. And there is no internal hesitation on his own part to shepherd you. He willfully gave himself completely. So there is nothing anywhere that's going to cause him to cease shepherding his people.

40:23Now, that's there's not going to be a change of guard later, there's not going to be a change in the government, only an increase. To it. That's why it's wise for you to entrust your soul to Him. Well, five reasons why you should entrust your soul to Jesus as the only prudent person to do so. Jesus deeply cares for you. Jesus intimately knows you. Jesus sacrificially gives himself to you. Jesus is forever and profoundly loved by the Father. There's not going to be any other figure. And Jesus perpetually lives to shepherd his people.

41:14It's wise to put your trust in him. And it's wise to do it today if you never have. And if you have, it's wise to trust him all the more. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, your goodness, we just see all through this passage. I feel like we are just in little boats, just scurrying around the surface of these monumental truths. And yet we know enough to see your love for us. We see enough to know that this isn't ever going to change because of the solid relationship between the Father and the Son.

42:00We thank you. Forgive us for all the ways we've entrusted our souls to others, to other philosophies, to other schools of thought that are adamantly opposed to the Christ revealed in Scripture. Help us to hear, open our ears. May we hear your voice. There is no one that has come forth from the grave calling people to follow him. May this room be full of his people this morning who will recognize that call. There isn't anyone else that has risen from the dead and calls us to follow. Thank you for his atoning sacrifice. Thank you for all we believe. Help our unbelief and help us to believe more. In Christ's name, amen.