Title: The Good Shepherd / John 10:10
Title: The Good Shepherd / John 10:10-
Our problem today will be the absence of excellent leaders.
Jesus refers to himself as the [Good Shepherd]. In these words, Jesus points out that we are living in a time of religious turmoil that Ezekiel pointed out.
Ezekiel 34:1 The word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Ezekiel 34:2 Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy to them, the shepherds, and say, “Woe to the shepherds of Israel, who feed only on themselves, says the Sovereign Lord!
Ezekiel 34:3 You slaughter fat sheep and eat their fat, and wear their hair, but do not feed the flock.
Ezekiel 34:4 You did not strengthen the weak, you did not heal the sick, you did not bind the wounded, you did not give back to the outcasts, you did not seek the lost, but you made them strong.
And it testifies that he is the good shepherd that Ezekiel prophesied next.
Ezekiel 34:11 I, the Sovereign LORD, seek and seek my sheep, saith the Sovereign LORD.
Ezekiel 34:12 As the shepherd finds his flock when the sheep are scattered on the day he is among them, so I will search for my sheep and deliver them from all the scattered places on a cloudy and dark day.
Ezekiel 34:15 I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, says the Sovereign LORD, and I will make them lie down.
Ezekiel 34:16 I will seek the lost, I will restore the outcast, I will bind up the wounded, I will strengthen the sick, but the fattened and the strong I will destroy, and I will feed them according to justice.
Ezekiel 34:23 I will set up a shepherd over them to feed, and he will be my servant David, and he will feed them and be their shepherd.
Ezekiel 34:30 They shall know that I the LORD their God are with them, and they shall know that the house of Israel is my people, says the Sovereign LORD.
Ezekiel 34:31 Ye my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord GOD.
I hope this time will be a time of precious fellowship and sharing by meeting Jesus, the Good Shepherd.
1. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
(1) It is a love that lays down one's life.
① It is a sacrifice that gives life to the people.
A shepherd's most important job is to keep and protect his sheep. To this end, it must be done until the end of life.
The very death of Jesus is [a life-giving death]. Therefore, it is qualitatively different from exemplary sacrifices such as martyrdom.
② He died on the cross.
Matthew 20:28 The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.
(3) It is a substitutionary death.
Romans 5:6 As promised, while we were still weak, Christ died for the ungodly.
Romans 5:7 It is not easy for someone to die for the sake of a righteous person, but some might dare to die for a good person.
Romans 5:8 God demonstrates his love for us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
(4) It is a voluntary death.
John 10:18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself...
Romans 5:6 As promised, while we were still weak, Christ died for the ungodly.
Romans 5:7 It is not easy for someone to die for the sake of a righteous person, but some might dare to die for a good person.
Romans 5:8 God demonstrates his love for us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
* First of all, love.
(2) The worker is not like that.
John 10:12 The wager is not a shepherd, and the sheep are not their own. When they see a wolf coming, they leave the sheep and run away, and the wolves plunder and scatter.
① A wage earner is a person who loves wages more than work.
There are wage earners, of course, there are those who are zealous, but here we refer to those who only think about wages. In normal times, there is not much difference, but in times of crisis, they reveal their true nature, abandon the sheep, and run away.
Of course, these words were addressed to the religious leaders of Judea at the time, but the same applies to our generation today.
2. The good shepherd is a spiritual shepherd, a true shepherd, a wise shepherd, and a good shepherd.
(1) It is not blind.
① A good shepherd is not a person who unconditionally approves of his sheep without any distinction between good and evil, or does what he wants.
(2) The good shepherd is a spiritual shepherd.
①For the Jews, the parable of the shepherd is very different from what comes to us.
② In the Bible, God also called Himself a shepherd,
Psalm 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Psalm 100:3 Know that the LORD is our God; he is our Maker.
We are his, his people, the sheep of his pasture.
*Moses was also called a shepherd (Isaiah 63:11),
*Many of the disciples in Israel were from shepherds. Abel, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, etc.
③ Therefore, to Israel, [shepherd] means a spiritual leader.
④Jesus is the [good] spiritual leader of Israel.
⑶ A good shepherd is a [true] shepherd.
① It means a true shepherd.
②So, knowing the needs and conditions of the sheep, God and Jesus Christ in the relationship between the Father and the Son,
Just as he maintains the relationship of whole-person knowledge, he knows all the circumstances and circumstances of the sheep.
Psalm 31:7 I will rejoice and rejoice in your lovingkindness, that you see my troubles.
He knew my soul in tribulation
Psalm 139:1 You have searched me, O LORD, and you know me.
Psalm 139:2 You know when I sit down and when I rise, and satisfy my thoughts from afar.
Psalm 139:3 You see my way and my lying down; you are well acquainted with all my deeds.
Psalm 139:4 O LORD, there is not a word that is not understood by my tongue.
③ Not only that, just as the sheep know the shepherd through experience, so do we, his sheep, know him.
④Job said
Job 42:5 I used to hear about you with my ears, but now I see you with my eyes.
**Here is true comfort and peace.
When you pray to the Lord who knows everything, He will provide you according to your present situation, situation, and needs.
⑷ A good shepherd is a wise shepherd
⑸ A good shepherd is a good shepherd.
3. The good shepherd brings harmony.
John 10:16 And I have other sheep, which are not of this fold, and I must lead them; they too will hear my voice and become one flock, with one shepherd.
⑴We (group)
①Jesus is already saying that the gospel will be witnessed to the other sheep, that is, to the Gentiles.
②In Cornelius's house
Acts 10:45 The circumcised believers who came with Peter
I was amazed at the outpouring of the Holy Spirit even on the Gentiles.
(2) Jesus is the shepherd of harmony, reconciling enmity and envy.
Isaiah 53:5 ... and by his discipline we have peace ...
***conclusion
1. When you do everything, you must do it with a sense of ownership.
2. Let's follow the Lord who is the Good Shepherd.