church

INI
Jubilate, The Second Sunday after Easter
May 15, 2011
Ascension Lutheran Church, Tacoma WA
Paul Naumann, Pastor

FINDING A GOOD SHEPHERD
John 10:1-11

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
Our text for today comes from the Gospel of John, chapter ten, beginning with
the first verse, as follows:

"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door,
but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2 "But he who
enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 "To him the doorkeeper
opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and
leads them out. 4 "And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them;
and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 "Yet they will by no
means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice
of strangers." 6 Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the
things which He spoke to them. 7 Then Jesus said to them again, "Most
assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 "All who ever came before
Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 "I am the door.
If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find
pasture. 10 "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.
I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more
abundantly. 11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for
the sheep. Here ends our text.

In the Name of our Risen Lord Jesus, Dear Fellow Redeemed,

What if farm animals could choose their owners, instead of the other way
around? Normally, a farmer goes to the sale barn and picks out the livestock he
wants for his farm. But what if it were reversed? What if cattle could select the
ranchers who would take the best care of them? What if sheep could choose
their own shepherds? It's a ridiculous thought, of course. Animals are unable to
distinguish the good from the bad. -- But we're not! When it comes to our
spiritual "shepherds" - the religious leaders we listen to and learn from - we
Christians have choices.

How can I tell which preachers are "good shepherds" - people I can trust to
feed my soul spiritually, and to guide me safely along the path to heaven? How
can I tell the difference between them and the false shepherds, whom the Bible
warns are so terribly dangerous to my soul? And with all the dangers that
threaten a Christian nowadays, what chance have I got of making it through to
heaven? Our text for today reveals that there is a way to insure that you and
your family have good spiritual leadership in your walk through life. Today's
theme is:

FINDING A GOOD SHEPHERD

I. One who preaches Christ is A good shepherd.
II. Jesus Himself is THE Good Shepherd.

The background for our text this morning is interesting. Jesus had once again
found Himself in conflict with the Jewish religious leaders, the scribes and
Pharisees. Christ had healed a blind man on the Sabbath, and these people were
upset about it. But Jesus turned the tables on them. He told them that they
were the blindest of anybody! They claimed to have religious knowledge, they
claimed to be spiritual leaders for the people, and yet they completely rejected
the very Messiah that God had sent to save the people!

Some religious leaders! Instead of shepherding the flock of God, they were
fleecing it. Instead of guiding the people to heaven, they were leading them
straight to hell! What the Lord said about them through the prophet Ezekiel
was true: "Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the
shepherds feed the flocks? You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool;
you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock." -- Ezek 34:2-3.

The thing was, these Pharisees looked good. What I mean is, they appeared
very upstanding and religious on the outside. So Jesus told this allegory about
the shepherds. He wanted to give His people a sure-fire way to tell the godly
leaders from the thieves and robbers, the true shepherds from the false. The
key, He said, was simple: one who preaches Christ is a good shepherd.

In this allegory, the sheep, of course, stand for the people of God. Jesus
pictures them in the "sheep fold," or pen, which in those days was usually a sort
of stone corral with a hinged door, or gate. Now - Jesus said - here's how you
can tell the true shepherds from the false. If you see somebody climbing over
the wall, or sneaking into the sheep fold some other way, you know he's a thief
or a robber. Because the true shepherd always uses the door to get to the sheep.
"Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.”

You get the point? Jesus is the Door. Anyone who claims to be a shepherd - a
religious leader for God's people - had better come to God's people through
Jesus Christ. That means he better come in the name of Christ, preaching the
words of Christ, and directing the people to Christ alone as the only way of
salvation. If he doesn't, Jesus said, you can mark him right off as a thief and a
robber.

Well, that described the scribes and Pharisees right down to the ground. Sadly,
it also describes many false shepherds in our day: the religious hucksters, the
charismatic televangelists, and the latest big thing: the purveyors of the
“Prosperity Gospel.” “Join my mega-church and listen to me, and you’ll have
happiness, a big house, and a successful career.” Now, many of these preachers
certainly seem very good and pious. Sometimes even their message sounds
pretty good. But that's not the question. The question is: are they using the
Door? Is their preaching directing people to Christ and His cross -- or is it
directing people to them, and to their talents, and their ministry? Some of these
preachers seem very sincere, and I'm sure many of them are. But if the focus of
their teaching is NOT on the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ, then what
you really have is very sincere FALSE SHEPHERD, leading his flock (ever so
sincerely!) away from their Lord and Savior!

My Christian friends, don't shrug off the dangers posed to your souls by these
false shepherds! Their object, Jesus says, isn't just to deceive you and rob you.
Their final object is to destroy you eternally! If you don't think false doctrine is
a very serious matter, then you'd better wake up. The Apostle Paul (I Tim.
2:15-18) said it's just like cancer: even a little bit is a very serious matter, and if
you don't cut it out of the body immediately it will eventually kill you. Jesus
said, "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but
inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits." -- Mt
7:15.

So here's the sure way to secure a good shepherd: find one that uses the Door.
One who preaches Christ is a good shepherd. Of this kind of preacher our Lord
says, the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads
them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the
sheep follow him, for they know his voice. The sheep will recognize, and be
reassured by, the voice of such a preacher, because it is in reality the voice of
Jesus. He speaks Jesus' words to them, adding nothing to the Bible and taking
nothing away. He nourishes them, Sunday by Sunday, with the pure Word of
God. By the way, this first part of the allegory holds out a delightful promise to
preachers. It’s the surest formula for success in your ministry: Use the Door!
Preach Christ alone, and all will be well!

Up until this point in the allegory, Jesus has pictured himself as a DOOR: the
door of the sheep fold. If that seems like rather strange imagery to you, then
we'll move on to a more familiar picture. In the last part of our text, Jesus
portrays Himself with a different image, one that is known and loved by every
Christian. No longer as a door through which all good shepherds pass, but as
THE Good Shepherd Himself! Jesus says, The thief does not come except to
steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that
they may have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd
gives His life for the sheep. If you're looking for a shepherd in your life, then
don't forget the obvious: there is One you can always depend on. Jesus Himself
is THE Good Shepherd!

Most of us have been believers since we were little kids, and we've gotten used
to hearing Jesus described as our Good Shepherd. I hope we're not so used to it,
however, that we miss the full importance of this picture.

"I am the good shepherd," Jesus said. "The good shepherd gives His life for the
sheep." -Consider that statement for a moment. When you think about it, that
really doesn't make much sense. I knew several people in my former parish who
kept sheep, and certainly they went to a good deal of trouble to provide food
and pasture for them, and to protect them from predators. Sheep are valuable,
after all, and it just makes sense to take care of your investment. But what
would you call a person who actually gave up his life for the sake of his
livestock? You wouldn't call him the good shepherd, would you? More likely
you’d call him the crazy shepherd! It wouldn't make any sense at all to sacrifice
a precious human life for the sake of dumb animals! -- Would it? My Christian
friends, that's exactly what Jesus Christ did for us. He gave His life for us, the
lost and straying sheep of His pasture!

At this point I'd like to call your attention to a little word in our text: the word,
for. "The Good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep." You know, that's sort of
a lame translation of the Greek. In the original, what the word actually means is
instead of, or, in the place of: "The Good Shepherd gives His life instead of the
sheep!" So you see, the metaphor here is not of a shepherd bravely battling a
wolf, and dying in defense of his flock. It's a different picture entirely. This is
the picture of a shepherd going to the slaughterhouse, and offering to be killed
himself -- so that his sheep can live. And isn't that the exact picture Isaiah
paints of Jesus, "The LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all... He was led
as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He
opened not His mouth." --53:6,7.

As we heard a few weeks ago on Good Friday, Jesus went along quietly. He
offered no defense before Pontius Pilate, He made no protest when the nails
were being driven through His hands and feet. For He knew exactly what He
was doing. With His death on the cross, Jesus was dying instead of us. He was
taking our place, acting as our substitute, and making the payment for our sins
that we could never have made for ourselves. The Good Shepherd gave His life
instead of you giving yours. He bore the punishment, so you need never bear it!
He endured the consequences, so you need never endure them. He was
forsaken by God so that you can now be reconciled to God. He went through
hell on the cross in order to open heaven to you. The Apostle Paul put it this
way: "You, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked
works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death." --
Col 1:21-22.

Are you seeking The Good Shepherd? Then you've come to the right place, for
no one could possibly be a better shepherd for your soul than Jesus Christ. Do
you have sins which burden your conscience? We all do. Bring them to the Lord
Jesus. He is THE Good Shepherd, and with His blood He has atoned for every
one of them. Are you struggling with a particular sorrow in your life? Come to
the Good Shepherd, for as the Psalmist says, "He heals the brokenhearted And
binds up their wounds." Are you anxious about the future? Is there danger
lurking along your path? Come to the Good Shepherd, and you too will be able
to say with the Psalmist, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow
of death, I will fear no evil; For Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff, they
comfort me." -- Psa 23:4.

Perhaps you're a straying sheep, someone who has spent months or even years
wandering far from your God. Come back to the Good Shepherd. He welcomes
wanderers! "For," Peter says, "you were like sheep going astray, but you have
now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls." -- 1 Pet 2:25.

Yes, come to Jesus Christ. For Jesus Himself is THE Good Shepherd. He
provides for all your wants and needs, physical as well as spiritual. One thing
you know: if Jesus already sacrificed Himself to save your eternal soul, He's not
going to begrudge you the other things you require for your body and life! He
gave you forgiveness of sins -- He's certainly going to give you money to pay the
electric bill. He shed His blood for you -- He's not going to omit to put food on
your table. The very idea is ludicrous. "Your heavenly Father knows that you
need all these things," Jesus says. "But seek first the kingdom of God, and His
righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you." -- Mt 6:32-3.

Nor is it only the bare essentials that our Good Shepherd provides for us; on
the contrary. Especially when compared with the hollow, self-seeking,
spiritually-empty lives of the unbelievers around us, the life our Good Shepherd
gives is spiritually very rich and full and satisfying. That's why Jesus says, in our
text, . I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more
abundantly.

I saw a painting once that I particularly liked - perhaps you've seen it, too. It's a
picture of Christ with a shepherd's staff, guiding a flock of sheep toward a
far-off destination. The sky is dark, and the path is narrow and treacherous,
with a steep drop-off on either side. Nevertheless, the sheep are safe. The
Shepherd, with His staff, is guiding them unerringly toward their distant goal.
My Christian friends, you are those sheep, the members of Jesus' flock. You are
even now treading the thorny and dangerous path toward heaven. With all the
dangers that beset your path, with all the false shepherds and religious hucksters
clamoring for your attention, with all the thieves and robbers seeking to destroy
you, it might seem like you will never make it to your final destination of
heaven. But take heart! You know how to find a good shepherd. Remember:
one who enters through the Door - who preaches Christ - is a good shepherd.
And Jesus Himself is THE Good Shepherd. And He has made you a promise - a
promise that He'll never break. You'll find it in John 10:28: "My sheep hear My
voice," Jesus said, "and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them
eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of
My hand." -- Jn 10:28. AMEN