The Good Shepherd part 2

Pastor Mike will be speaking on The Good Shepherd part 2. He will be in John 10:11-30

The Son willingly said, I will give my life for the redemption of mankind. I will give my life for the salvation of souls. I will give my life to bring forgiveness to those who are humble enough to admit that they are a sinner.

Today we’re going to be in the Gospel of John chapter 10 again, and we’re going to be studying the Good Shepherd. This is part two, and we want to share with you these incredible truths about Jesus being our shepherd.

When you think of a shepherd, they are people who live a sacrificial life, and there is no one who sacrificed more than Jesus Christ. He is the one who gave us His life so that we might have eternal life.

He sacrificed His life for us. And friends, He is the Good Shepherd. And remember what the Bible teaches us, that we can cast all our care upon Him because He cares for us. Let’s get into the Word of God today and learn more about what the Bible has to say.

The second thing that I want us to note in this text about the Good Shepherd is His unique claims, the unique claims of Jesus. In verse 15, He says, the Father knows me, and even so I, the Father. He reminds us that Him and the Father are one.

We jump down to verse 30 of chapter 10, and He says, I and my Father are one. Now the Jews were not mistaken. They were not confused about what Jesus was saying. You and I might be a little bit confused about it, but here’s what Jesus was saying, that I am equal with Him.

God, that I am God, that me and the Father are one, that there is no distinction. Jesus would tell his disciples to know me, meaning Christ, that is to know the Father. They are one. When we think of the oneness of God, this unique claim that Jesus is making, Jesus was not ambiguous about his deity.

He was not kind of like trying to confuse people that he was God. But he was bold about it, and he proclaimed it loudly, he proclaimed it clearly, and so he claimed divinity, he claimed deity, and he was saying that he is God.

And this was hard. It’s so upset the Jews. Look at verse 31. The Jews took up stones again to stone him. Now why would they do that? If Jesus was kind of just being… you know, not clear about who he is, why would they throw stones at him?

Because the law demanded anybody who would proclaim deity be stoned to death. You see, my friends, what I want you to note is that Jesus claims to be God. And I want you to note that in this claim, He is boldly telling us that he and the Father are one.

They are one in their essence. And what I mean by that, when I say that God is one and the Son and the Father are one in essence, we are saying that they are one in the sense that if God is everywhere, the Father is everywhere, the Son is everywhere, and the Spirit is everywhere.

If we say that God is powerful, we are saying that the Father is powerful, the Son is powerful, and the Spirit is powerful. If we say that God knows everything, then we are saying the Father knows everything, the Son knows everything, and the Spirit knows everything.

The Bible teaches us they are one, yet they are distinct persons. Father, Son, and Spirit. One in essence, here, hang on, one in attributes, meaning character. So when we say that God is holy, we say the Father is holy.

The Son is holy, the Spirit is holy. One. They are one. They are one in their character. If the Father, if God is love, then the Father is love, the Son is love, and the Spirit is love. Are you with me?

One in essence, one in their attributes, but one in purpose as well. They are one in purpose. Jesus was sent to the earth on a mission to seek and to save those who are lost. Jesus Christ is sick. seeking out sinners, and he is drawing them to him that they might have eternal life in Jesus Christ.

It’s no accident that you’re here this morning, for God has sovereignly put you here because the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are on a mission to bring you into a relationship with God Almighty. Jesus Christ is the only one in his claim to be qualified to pay the penalty for our sins.

Because of all of humanity being sinful, and I tell people, if you doubt that people are sinful and selfish, why don’t you have children? Because when you have children, you don’t train children to have meltdowns at Walmart.

You don’t train children to pick up a roll and throw it across the table when they’re mad and angry. You don’t have seminars on how to have a bad attitude with your kids. You know why? It’s natural. It is part of who they are.

And it’s all in all of us. It’s in all of us. We are selfish people who are flawed and have a sinful nature. It is bent towards what is wrong as opposed to what is godly and what is honorable. And so when we see someone godly, we see someone honorable, we see someone loving God, we see someone pursuing Christ, it’s because of the good work of Jesus in their hearts.

Not themselves, it’s Christ in them. And so God is drawing you and He’s trying to help you to acknowledge that He is your shepherd and that you must humble yourself before Him and admit your sinfulness and receive Him as Lord and Savior.

The Bible prophesied in Micah, referring to Christ, Micah 5, verse 4, and He shall stand and shepherd His flock in the strength of the Lord. In the majesty of the name of the Lord is God and they shall dwell secure and now He shall be great to the ends of the earth.

God is inviting you into a real relationship with the shepherd. This morning, we’ve not only noted the character of our shepherd and the claims, His claims are not only His sonship, but His signs. These claims, look at verse 25.

Jesus answered them, I told you and you believed not. The works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me. Jesus didn’t just come and say, I am God, He showed it. He verified it, He authenticated.

How did He verify that He was truly God? By His works. We’ve been going through the Gospel of John together on Sunday mornings and we watched. in John chapter 2, what did Jesus do? He turned the water into wine.

We watched Jesus heal a man whose arm was all crippled. We watched Jesus walk on water. We learned about how Jesus took a little boy’s lunch and multiplied and that he fed over 4 ,000 people. We watched Jesus come across a blind man and touch his eyes and bring healing that he could finally see.

When we read the other gospels we find that Jesus interrupted the funeral procession of a little girl and he raised her from the dead. We’ll go on to learn in the gospels that how Jesus raised a man who had been dead for 4 days.

His name was Lazarus and when he came, he called out Lazarus’ name. Lazarus awoke from the dead. What I want you to know is that you say, well Mike miracles happen all the time. They do. I get that. But nobody did miracles like Jesus.

Nobody did miracles like Jesus. Listen to me friends, I’m a pastor, I do a lot of funerals. I haven’t seen anybody come up from the casket yet. Nobody’s raised a little girl from the dead. Nobody has walked on the streets and walked up to a man and put a little dirt on his eyes and touch him and all of a sudden instantaneously he can see.

No one has showed up at church and said to a man whose arm was shriveled and paralytic and that he would take that arm, touch that arm and then it would become holy healed. Nobody my friend. There may be charlatans who project themselves as healers only to find out that they are fake and just trying to take advantage of people’s emotions.

What I want you to understand is Jesus verified that he truly is who he said he is. In some of the most unique ways his claims were distinct. His claims stood out and they were special and they were claims that verified that he truly was God.

His works are evidences of his claims. If you doubt whether Jesus is God, look at his life. Look at what he did. Look at the amazing things that happened. The Gospels were written to remind us that Jesus is exactly who he said he was.

Listen, the most amazing work that Jesus did is he went to the cross and when he went to the cross he bore the sins of mankind. He bore your your sins and my sins, the wrath of God came upon him, and the fury of hell came upon him.

And yet he endured it all, and he gave his life for you, and then three days later, he arose again. He arose again, unless you think it’s not true. Listen, Jesus appeared to over 500 people in the space of 40 days.

In 40 days, 500 people who had seen Jesus Christ die on the cross, who knew that it was real, that he really did die on that cross, and that he was buried. Three days later, he came out, and he interacted with his disciples.

He interacted with people in general. Three days later, he sat down, and he ate meals with people. Jesus, verifying to all that he is truly God, and then to top it off, the disciples gathered together on Mount Olivet and they watched Jesus ascend into heaven.

And the angel reminded them, why do you stand here gazing? This same Jesus who went to the cross, this same Jesus who came out of the ground, this same Jesus who performed amazing miracles, he is gonna return like he left, visibly, bodily.

And he is coming for his people. He is coming for his sheep and we will hear his voice. And when we hear his voice, our heads will look up and we will lift up into the heavens and we will see our savior and my friends.

We will instantaneously be drawn up to the father. We will follow him. And the Bible says the dead in Christ shall rise and we which remain shall be caught up together and we’ll forever be with him. Can God’s people say amen?

My friends, his signs are evidence that he is truly God. But I want you to note the last point that I have for you this morning. And that is the unique capabilities of the good shepherd. In verse 16, the Bible says Jesus himself, that other sheep I have, which are not of this fold, them also I must bring and they shall hear my voice and there shall be one fold and one shepherd.

Look at verse 26, but you believe not because you are not of my sheep as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. And I give unto them eternal life and they shall never pay attention.

perish and neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My father which gave them me is greater than all and no man is able to pluck them out of my father’s hand.” What I want you to note about the unique capabilities of the Good Shepherd is that first of all, he provides eternal life.

He provides eternal life to all who believe in Him. Again, we note that special passage of Scripture in verse 28. And he says, I give unto them eternal life. Who are the them? They are the ones who hear the voice of the shepherd.

They are the ones who respond to the shepherd and they follow the shepherd. Jesus Christ gives eternal life to every person this morning. who will believe in Him, who will follow Him. Jesus gives eternal life to those who repent of their sins and trust in Jesus Christ.

You say, Pastor, am I among those who are the sheep that hear the voice of God? I say, my friends, if you hear His voice this morning, if you hear His word this morning, if you hear the pastor teaching and preaching to you this morning to come unto Jesus and to believe in Him, then you, my friends, are among those that He is calling to eternal life and I invite you to receive Christ as your Lord and Savior this morning.

We are His by sovereign grace. We are His by deliberate choice that each and every one of us must recognize that God is wooing us. He is drawing us through His grace to eternal life and that we have a responsibility to respond to Him and to receive Him as Lord and Savior.

The Bible so clearly says that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. This shepherd provides eternal life and here’s the beautiful thing, did you know He says that there are other sheep?

There are other sheep, I’m so glad that Jesus said that because did you know I am part of the other sheep? In the context of Jesus saying this, He was telling the Jewish people because their hearts are so resistant to Him, they’re not part of His sheep.

Because their heart was so rebellious towards Him and they refused to believe in Him, He said, you won’t believe in Me. Look at verse 25, I told you and you believe not. There’s people like that, no matter what we tell them.

No matter what Christ has done, I always ask people, what else does Christ have to do? What else does Christ have to do to bring you to eternal life? Because he’s already done everything. He went to the cross, he died for your sins.

What else does Christ have to do? He arose again the third day, he draws you, he seeks you, he reaches out to you, he keeps pursuing you. What else does Christ have to do? The onus is not on Christ, it’s on us.

And so we must respond to him, but aren’t you so thankful there are other sheep? Because listen, we are that other sheep. Listen, there’s more sheep out there to get. He said, I got other sheep. Jesus is still calling, did you know that?

He is still reaching out. He’s not reaching out just to you this morning. He’s reaching out to all. He’s reaching out to many this morning. He is reaching out to other sheep. The religious crowd thought they were the only ones that could have eternal life.

And Jesus said, no, I’m reaching out beyond ethnicity. I’m reaching out beyond economic boundaries. I’m reaching out beyond educational status. I’m reaching out to all. I am calling all to salvation.

Listen to what Paul said in Galatians 3 .28. There’s neither Jew nor Greek. There’s neither slave nor free. There is no male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. The answer, my friends, to the racial division in our culture and our society is Jesus Christ.

Because in Jesus, there is no division. You see, I want you to know it’s man that divides. It’s man that labels. It’s mankind that tries to put you in a box and determine who you are. But God tears down those barriers and God does not label you.

God is working to unite us because he has other sheep that he must reach out to. And he is gonna unite us all together in the family of God. It doesn’t matter the tone of our skin. It doesn’t matter our educational status.

It doesn’t matter what job we have. It doesn’t matter our family name. It doesn’t matter what country you’ve come from. My friend, we are all one in Jesus Christ. What we see in this text is the universal scope of salvation.

We are promised in the scriptures that one day that there will be people from every nation, that there will be people from every ethnic group that will stand before the throne of God and they will give praise.

and glory to Jesus Christ. We as a church must understand that it is our responsibility to reach out to any and all that we can, and that we must take to the gospel to every heart and every home, and we must reach to the ends of the earth so that all can hear the wonderful name of Jesus Christ and that the fulfillment that there will be many that will come to him, and they will stand and worship to God before the throne of God can be fulfilled through the church doing its mighty work on this earth.

The gospel is not confined. The gospel is not limited. The gospel does not have chains on it. The gospel is not imprisoned, but the gospel has been set free, and church, let us rise up and let us tell everyone that Jesus provides eternal life for those who will believe in him.

First John 2 -2, he is the propituation. for our sins. He is the substitute for our sins, not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. This shepherd not only has the capability of providing eternal life, but preserving eternal life.

When we think of eternal life, it means life that does not end. And this shepherd preserves that eternal life. Look at verse 28. He says, I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish. They shall never perish.

What I want you to know is the hope that every believer has is that even though this body will perish, our soul and spirit will never perish. The hope that we have is that even when our loved ones leave this world, that their soul and spirit goes to be with God instantaneously.

Immediately, there is no purgatory. There is no pay $200 before you get there. But the point is that we have eternal life in Jesus Christ and that God is going to preserve that eternal life in us forever.

They’ll never perish. You see, God doesn’t make a promise and then break it. God doesn’t make a promise and back down from it. God doesn’t make a promise and start walking it back. But God says, if you believe in me, then you will never perish.

And people say, well, Mike, if they don’t live straight, and if they don’t live right, and if they don’t cross their T’s and dot their I’s, and if they don’t fulfill my list of do’s and don’ts, there’s no way God could give them eternal life.

And I’m here to say that eternal life is not based on me, but it’s based upon what Jesus did on the cross. Did you get that? I read that verse earlier, he made a covenant with you. If eternal life was based upon Mike Sander, that I would never have eternal life.

But it’s based on what Christ did, and he says they will never perish. You say, Mike, does that motivate you to live ungodly? Does that motivate you to be a sinner passionately? Does that motivate you to do the wrong things?

Absolutely, just the opposite. Because of this incredible promise, and this incredible love, and this incredible hope, I am passionate about being all that God wants me to be. And when I fail, I am miserable.

You see, the most miserable people in this world are not unbelievers. I know that may startle you, but the most miserable people in this world are believers who are not living up to the excellency of Jesus.

The most miserable people in this world are people who are backslidden. who are living in sin and they know that’s not who they are. They have a different identity. Their identity is not in the world.

Their identity is not in sin. Their identity is not in Adam. Their identity is in Christ. And they are a new person in Jesus Christ. And I want to tell you that He is capable to preserve you. He is capable to get you, not only from the start of eternal life, but all the way to the end of eternal life.

And what I mean is in this life, listen to what Paul says in 2 Timothy 1 .12, I know whom I have believed. And I am persuaded that He is able to keep or guard that which I’ve committed unto Him against that day.

I’m not putting my salvation in Mike’s hands. Because I’ll fail. I will falter. But I am putting it in God’s hand. I committed unto you, God. I’m going to do my best, God. I will fail you. But I know that you made a covenant with me.

And I know that you have me. And you’ve got this. And you’re going to help me get to the end. The third and final thing that He is capable is to protect eternal life. He is able to protect eternal life.

I just want you to know two phrases, and I’ll be quick. But I want you to note this, that Jesus says in verse 28, He says that I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish. And neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

And then He goes on to verse 29. He says, my father who gave them me is greater than all. And no man is able to pluck them out of my father’s hand. Would you note two phrases in verse 28 and 29? I want you to note that as a believer who has eternal life, that you are in the hand of Jesus, but you’re also in the father’s hand.

Like as if the hand of Christ was not enough to preserve and protect your eternal life. You are in the hand of Christ and you are in the hand of the Father. No one can pluck them out. No one can come in and steal them.

There is no wolf, there is no deceiver. There is no one that can take you out of the Savior’s hand and out of the Father’s hand. Why? Because he is the noble, good shepherd to believe. Hear me, I’m gonna make you mad.

And I think it’s nice that I let you know ahead of time. To believe that you can lose your salvation, that you can be snatched out of the Father’s hand and the Savior’s hand is an attack upon the good shepherd’s character.

It is to doubt that this shepherd who got you started can keep you and this shepherd who got you saved can protect you. It is to say he’s not the good shepherd. He’s not the noble shepherd. He’s not the all -powerful shepherd.

He is weak, and there are things that can happen that can cause us to get out of this. No, my friend, the hand of the shepherd is the father’s hand. It’s the supreme power of God. It’s the ultimate guarantee of the sheep’s safety.

God holds each and every one of us who believe in him in the palm of his hand. Can you think of a better place to be? Can you think of a better place to be? I wish that I could say much more, but note this, verse 29.

My father, which gave them me, is greater than all. He’s greater than you. He’s greater than all the enemies of the gospel. He’s greater than the devil. He’s greater than all the temptations of this world.

You are a gift from the father to the son. You are a gift from the father to the son, and Jesus says, I got a firm grip on this gift. You’re in my hands, and the father says, you’re in the father’s hand, and we’re gonna protect you, and the father’s greater than all.

I’m not letting this gift go. Jesus loves when the father gives him more gifts, and the gifts that the father gives to the son is the salvation of souls, and he’s got it. He’s got you from beginning to end.

You’re not leaving his hand. You’re not getting out of his protection, and let us rejoice that we are under his protection, but if you’re here this morning, and you don’t know Christ, I’d say, rather being in the world’s hands, it’s better to be in Jesus’ hands.

The Bible teaches us that there is a difference between a hireling and a shepherd. Jesus is not somebody just hired to take care of the sheep and, you know, watch over them, but rather he is someone who has given his life and has great care for the sheep.

And he claims that he is the true shepherd, not someone who is fake, not someone who is misleading the sheep or trying to steal the sheep, but rather someone who provides for us eternal life. I hope today that you will hear his voice and that you will respond to him knowing that he is the true and good shepherd.

Now don’t forget my friends that we have a website, HopeWorthHaving .com. Take advantage so many good things on that website that give you access to more Bible study material. and gives you the opportunity to grow in your faith.

Check us out on hopeworthhaving .com. This is Pastor Mike Sanders reminding you that in Christ, there is hope worth having.