Hope in Christ Fellowship
The Willful Sacrifice of The Good Shepherd
- Victory in Jesus
- Somebody Loves Me
John 10:11–21 NASB95PARA 11 “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. 12 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. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, 15 even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. 18 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.” 19 A division occurred again among the Jews because of these words. 20 Many of them were saying, “He has a demon and is insane. Why do you listen to Him?” 21 Others were saying, “These are not the sayings of one demon-possessed. A demon cannot open the eyes of the blind, can he?”In these passages, we find a Shepherd who is genuinely concerned for His defenseless, helpless, straying sheep. In the first 10 verses of Chapter 10 we find that Jesus contrasted Himself with Israel’s false shepherds by using two images: He is the true Shepherd of the sheep, and He is the only door to the sheepfold.We found that the sheep require constant oversight or they will perish. They must constantly be cared for because they are weak against wild predators and vulnerable to thieves and robbers. The safest and most restful place for the sheep, is in the fold or the sheep's pen, under the watchful eye of a trusted shepherd. The sheep place their well being and the hope of their existence in the hands of the trusted loving shepherd. Not all shepherds are true shepherds, but there are false shepherds as well. Therefore, the sheep must only follow the shepherd that has proven time and time again, His love for them. “A stranger they simply will not follow.” The true sheep are, of course, the true believers. True believers will not abandon Christ and follow an imposter.John 10:11 NASB 11 “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.Jesus had previously identified Himself as the true shepherd. He now goes a step farther in making the distinction between Himself and all other shepherds. He literally say, “I am the shepherd, the good one!”One of the great images of Jesus is that of the “good Shepherd.The word “good” translates from the Greek word “kalos”.It can also be translated (perfect, authentic.) There is no other shepherd that can make that claim. He is preeminent above all others. There is no other who is so faithful in His duties as the Good Shepherd, and we the church can testify to that!Why is it that “the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep?” Because there is no greater love that can be demonstrated, than that of a shepherd who not only is willing but who actually volunteered His life in sacrificial death.John 15:13 NASB 13 “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.To be part of His flock means to be chosen, to be received as His own.There is great comfort in this reality!Like the Good Shepherd that He is, He tasted of death for our sins, He became a curse for us, that He might deliver us from this present evil age!Our Lord explains...John 10:12 NASB95PARA 12 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.In contrast to the religious Pharisees who were like the “hired hands,” posing as shepherds, only Jesus can authentically wear the title of the Good Shepherd.The “hired hands” are those who are always mercenaries…they “do” ministry for other reasons than for the souls of men or for the love for the truth. Typically, it money or stature that is their motive.Peter exhorted the elders....1 Peter 5:2 NASB 2 shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness;The “hired hand”...John 10:13 NASB95PARA 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep.Fake shepherds will flee at the first sign of threat to their well-being, because they are not genuinely concerned for the sheep. The “hired hand” will leave the sheep to preserve his own life.John 10:14 NASB95PARA 14 I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me,I must confess, that I get so busy loving the Lord, that I tend to forget the reality that the Lord, really does love me.However, it is needful to remind ourselves that this is not a one-way relationship, but two-way!We that the word “know” describes an intimate love relationship beginning in Genesis with husband and wife, Adam and Eve.John 10:15 NASB95PARA 15 even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.When the Lord says, “I know My own and My own know Me,” He is saying, we have a relationship of love. As believers, we are caught up in the deep and intimate affection that is shared between God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ.Now here is a very interesting statement that Jesus makes and should cause us to sit up and take notice! HE said...John 10:16 NASB95PARA 16 I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd.In this parable, up to this point, Jesus was referring to the Jewish converts as His flock of sheep. You might have wondered if this included the Gentiles.Well, here Jesus informs His listeners that He has other sheep!Keep in mind the Jews despised Gentiles. The idea that there were other sheep who were not Jews was difficult for the Jews to accept.But Jesus says to them, “I have other sheep, which are not of this fold;” Jesus was assembling a flock of His own that expanded broader than the house of Israel. In fact, He was talking about the expansion of the gospel to the world of Gentiles. The “other sheep” are the elect Gentile converts; those whom the Father had given to Him, who would repent and believe the gospel. The idea that Jews and Gentiles could come together in one flock is a radical concept and the Jews were slow to accept it.Jesus, the Good Shepherd says, “I must bring (or lead) them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd.”It is Jesus whom we follow, and we will not heed to the voice of a strange shepherd.Wrapping up this portion of His discourse, Jesus said...John 10:17–18 NASB95PARA 17 For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. 18 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.”Jesus revealed to those who were already plotting His death sentence by warning them: “You can’t take My life from Me. I give my life for My sheep, but you have no power over Me unless I give it to you”Do you recall, on the night of His arrest, when one of Jesus’ disciples drew a sword to fight for His release?Matthew 26:52–54 NASB 52 Then Jesus *said to him, “Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword. 53 “Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? 54 “How then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen this way?”At any moment, Jesus could have put an end to His execution. In fact, He could have prayed to His Father, and just as a myriad of angels surrounded Elisha in the Old Testament, they could have come to Calvary, brought Jesus down from the cross, and slaughtered all of His enemies. But the Father had given the Son a cup to drink. The cross was the Father’s command; and the Son was perfectly obedient, it happened in fulfillment of the Scriptures.Pilate had no power over Him, Caiaphas had no power over Him, Annas had no power over Him, the Roman emperor certainly had no power over Him. All of humanity is weak and powerless before our Lord who possess’s all power.The Good Shepherd voluntarily laid down His life for His sheep, to save His sheep from something far worse than wolves, thieves, or robbers.... but to save His sheep from the judgment of God.John 10:19 NASB95PARA 19 A division occurred again among the Jews because of these words.Jesus’ teaching always created division among those who heard Him.The gospel divides all of humanity into two categories: the saved and the lost; the redeemed and the unredeemed; those who will experience eternity in heaven, and those who will experience eternity in hell.Luke 12:51 NASB95PARA 51 Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division;How people respond to Jesus will not only divide people in eternity, but also in the here and now.There are those who are enemies of God and their father is the devil. And then there are those who believe Christ, repent of sin and submit to the full authority God.There will be no peace among the people, as long as some remain enemies of God.John 10:20 NASB95PARA 20 Many of them were saying, “He has a demon and is insane. Why do you listen to Him?”How blind they were. Instead of even considering what Jesus was saying, “many” dismissed His truths.Rather than repent and receive their own Messiah as the Good Shepherd, “many of them” blasphemously judged Him and concluded, like before, that “He has a demon and is insane.” When in fact, they were doing the work of their father the devil. The devil is a false accuser isn’t he?They had also previously accused Him of being a sinner…remember that? The healed blind man said, “Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”These Jews being led by these Pharisees proved to be irrational.--When those who are irrational are not receptive to the truth, they resort to outright ignoring the truth. They say here, “Why do you listen to Him?”We have witnessed first hand, how irrational rebellious man, the haters of Light and the lovers of darkness, have become in this present generation. The word of God gives this warning!...Isaiah 5:20 NASB 20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!In our day, the world would still demand that Barabbas the vicious murderer be set free and the sinless Lamb of God be crucified.Lets read it again...John 10:20–21 NASB95PARA 20 Many of them were saying, “He has a demon and is insane. Why do you listen to Him?” 21 Others were saying, “These are not the sayings of one demon-possessed. A demon cannot open the eyes of the blind, can he?”Among this divided crowd were those, in spite of the pressure to not listen to Jesus, they were saying, “These are not the sayings of one demon-possessed.” Some among the crowd had determined the same thing as the blind man did. It is obvious that a demon would never do something so wonderful as to show compassion and give sight to the eyes of a man who had never been able to see. Only One who is truly sanctioned by, and sent from God, would have the power to do such a merciful act.John 10:11–21NIRV
John 10:11NIRV
John 15:13NIRV
John 10:12NIRV
1 Peter 5:2NIRV
John 10:13NIRV
John 10:14NIRV
John 10:15NIRV
John 10:16NIRV
John 10:17–18NIRV
Matthew 26:52–54NIRV
John 10:19NIRV
Luke 12:51NIRV
John 10:20NIRV
Isaiah 5:20NIRV
John 10:20–21NIRV
Hope in Christ Fellowship
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