Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus. the founder and perfecter of our faith. What do you hold on to when you feel threatened? When sheep are being attacked by wolves, they know enough to listen to the voice of their shepherd, whom they know will lead them to safety. Today, another look at the Good Shepherd and why listening to his voice is the key to being protected from life's dangers.
Stay with us. From the Moody Church in Chicago, this is Running to Win with Dr. Erwin Lutzer, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line. Pastor Lutzer, we've been learning about sheep and shepherds from Psalm 23. But today we'll meet the real Good Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Yes, you know, David, in the Old Testament, of course, we are presented with the Good Shepherd. And in the New Testament, Jesus Christ, again, is referred to as the Good Shepherd. And he picks up that theme in John chapter 10 and helps us to understand our relationship to him. as his sheep. Today, even as we look into this topic.
I'm reminded of the fact that this is very unique because never in history, so far as I know, Has a shepherd ever laid down his life for his sheep? But Jesus is special. And that's why I think you're going to be blessed as we go into God's Word today. And also I think I want to let you know that we are making a very special resource available for you. It's a book entitled Life-Changing Bible Versus Every Woman Should Know.
You know, of course, that women, and men as well, struggle with issues regarding anger, regarding hurt. Regarding a sense of loneliness, or lack of fulfillment. All of these issues are talked about in this book. And at the end of this message, I'm going to be giving you some contact info as to how it can be yours. But for now, let us listen.
I think that if there's anything that you and I want as human beings, it is the knowledge that we really do matter, that we matter. But we matter first of all to one another, that's important, and if you say that it's not, you probably are bitter. and wounded. But not simply that we matter to one another, but even more importantly, that we really matter to God. We matter so much that someday we will see him.
and we will step on shore. and find his hand there. In the 10th chapter of the book of John, Jesus speaks about being both the door and the good shepherd. And if you have your Bible, I would invite you to take it and to turn with me to this passage. And I shall read the tenth chapter, verses 1 to 5.
Jesus says, 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 the 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 of his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice, and a stranger they simply will not follow. but will flee from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.
Jesus is using this metaphor from the Middle East because in those days when the shepherd came to the sheepfold in the morning, he oftentimes was confronted by a huge sheepfold with high walls in which there were hundreds of sheep, different flocks that belonged to different shepherds. How would they even separate them? All that the shepherd needed to do is to begin to speak. And those who belong to him would immediately recognize his voice, and they would cluster around this shepherd, another shepherd would speak, and the sheep would cluster around the second shepherd, and so forth, because the sheep know the voice of their shepherd.
Now don't miss the analogy. Jesus is saying that he came to the sheepfold called Judaism and. As he looked over this sheepfold, as he began to speak, those who belonged to him recognized his voice and came out of the sheepfold of Judaism. And later on in this passage, he's going to say that there are other sheep that he has that are not of this fold, them also he must bring. That is the Gentiles, those who are non-Jewish.
That's you and me, who now also can be a part of this wonderful sheepfold that Jesus Christ has. I want you to notice with your Bible open that Jesus says in verse 7, the last part of the verse, I am the door of the sheep. Again in verse 9, I am the door. You'll notice in the text, he says, I am the door, but he also says, I am the shepherd. And actually, he's both.
Because remember, now that he comes to the sheepfold and he takes those who belong to him, he begins another sheepfold that really is exclusively his. And in those days, sometimes the shepherds would actually sleep at the door of a sheepfold so that no robber or no animal could enter in and harass the sheep.
So Jesus is both the door, because he says that no one can enter into that sheepfold unless they go through him. He is both the door, but he is also the shepherd, true to Middle East custom.
Now, there are several things that we can say about a door. First of all, we notice that a door means entrance, it is the means of entrance. Not a one of us has ever seen a building without a door. If you have seen a building without a door, you have seen an encased tomb because there has to be entrance in and out. And Jesus is the door to this second sheepfold that we must belong to if we want to step on shore someday and find it to be heaven.
I want you to notice that in the Ark in the Old Testament there was but one door, and in this sheepfold there is but one door, and that is Jesus Christ. A door is a means of entrance. It is also a means of separation or inclusion and exclusion. We've all had the experience, I'm sure, of that sometime having a door slammed in our faces. Jesus said that someday there will be people who fully expect to get into heaven, and they will have the door of heaven shut, and even though they knock, it will not be opened unto them.
When you have a door, there are some who are inside, and there are some that are outside.
Something else that can be said about a door, it is a means of protection. When the cold wind blows, we close the door and then behind that slab of wood. There is warmth and there is protection, but outside it is very cold. Jesus said, I am the door and there is none other but him.
Well, you say fine, but how does this relate to whether or not we really matter? What is the connection that you're trying to make? What I'd like to do in the next few moments is to give you three benefits that come to us when we receive Christ as door and shepherd. What are the three benefits that are far-reaching in their implications and that can transform our lives once we know the shepherd? And we are absolutely persuaded that we are one of his sheep.
What are those benefits?
Well, here they are. First of all, there is the benefit of salvation. Of salvation. Notice Christ says in verse 9: I am the door. If anyone enters through me, he shall be saved and shall go in and out and find pasture.
He shall be saved. That's a good New Testament word. To be saved means that we have been reconciled to God, we are in the fold. The fold of those who know Christ as Savior who can be assured of eternal life.
Now how does this salvation come about? I want you to know that there's no cheap deal here. Jesus Christ purchased the sheep at high cost, at high cost. I was counting this week as I was reading this passage of Scripture and discover that from verse 11 to verse 18, five times he says, I lay down my life for the sheep. Notice he says in verse 11, I am the good shepherd.
The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. Let's pick it up in verse 15. Even as the Father knows me, I know the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep. Again in verse 17 and twice in verse 18. He lays down his life for the sheep.
He dies for them.
Some things that will help us to understand the death of Christ. First of all, it is a voluntary death. He says, no man takes my life from me. It is I who lay it down. I choose to die voluntarily.
Now, at this point, he is different from any other shepherd, either in the Middle East or in America or anywhere else in the world, because I don't know of any other shepherd who would voluntarily die for the sheep. Any other shepherd would use all of the resources at his disposal to make sure that he would live. Including trying to outrun the opposition. You remember that story that floated around a few years ago, where there were two guys in the center of a forest and they saw a bear that was off in the distance coming toward them, and one of them, one of the guys, kneeled over and he tightened his shoelace, and the other guy said, Don't even bother, you can't outrun the bear. The guy said, I don't plan to outrun the bear, I only plan to outrun you.
Well That's the way most shepherds do it. In other words, if I can outrun somebody, I'm not going to voluntarily. And here's Jesus who could have called 12 legions of angels and they would have been delighted to deliver him. And he voluntarily lays down his life to purchase them at a high cost. It is a voluntary death.
It is a substitutionary death. He says, I lay down my life for the sheep.
Now, hang on to this. In the Old Testament, it is sheep who are taken and sacrificed. The sheep died for the shepherd. In the New Testament, you find that the shepherd, Jesus, dies for the sheep. What a remarkable turn of events.
He says, I lay down my life for the sheep.
And it is a temporary death because he says, I take it again. I take my life again. And so on Good Friday, Jesus Christ in effect said to the wolf, Wolf, today you win. But on Easter Sunday, the wolf loses and Jesus Christ wins. He says, I lay down my life and I take it again.
Good Friday was not the end, it was only the beginning.
Now, why does Jesus Christ do this?
Well, look at verse 10. What a beautiful word Jesus says. The thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy. I am come that they might have life and have it abundantly. You see, the very life that Jesus Christ lays down is the life that his sheep now receive.
Now in ordinary life, if a shepherd dies, the sheep are in great peril. The sheep Are severely damaged. They are without leadership. But in this case, Jesus Christ dies, and because He appears again and takes over, He actually gives them the life that He laid down. He says, I give them life and I give it to them more abundantly.
Always remember: the life that He gives is not eternal existence, because everybody has that. The life that he gives is a life of satisfaction, of being back in contact with God. When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, it was as if you were to take a lamp and pull out the plug. But Jesus Christ because of his death can reconnect us with God. And so we enjoy life more abundantly.
So, the first benefit that this good shepherd gives to the sheep is the benefit of salvation, and he lays down his life. that we might have it. But there's a second benefit, and actually it is a part of salvation, though for my purposes I've separated it. The second benefit is the gift or the benefit of significance, of significance. We matter to God.
And we see this in the text when it says that the good shepherd Knows his sheep by name. He knows his sheep by name. One day I was at a Bible conference, and a couple came to me and they said, Do you think that Jesus Christ is going to know us in heaven?
Well, the answer is, yes, of course, He's going to know you in heaven. And he's even going to not only know your name, but he's going to pronounce it correctly. And for some of us who have names that have multiple spellings, he's even going to spell it right. He's going to get it right. One of the most sobering things is to know that someday when we do step on shore, Jesus will look at us and He'll call us by name.
He'll say, Faith Wilson, thank you. for singing of me with such clarity and power. And what a day that is going to be. I used to be a little bit concerned, not that I have to be concerned with a name like Lutzer, but. Those of you who are Smith, Oh, John Smith.
You know, you look at the telephone books of Toronto or Chicago or Atlanta, and you see all of these John Smiths, you think, you know, God's computer is going to be so confused, He's going to say, Yes, you're John Smith. What John Smith? I want you to know that he knows you. He knows the number of hair on your head, and you are special to him, and he calls you by name. Personal knowledge of us and personal communication.
Verse 14: I am the good shepherd, and I know my sheep, and my sheep know me. Notice the reciprocal relationship there. It isn't all one-sided. I know my sheep, but my sheep know me. And I hope that you can say today, yes, I know Christ.
I don't know about you, but I've been talking with him this morning. I hope you have been too. Blessed are those who know him. And you know, he also says, if anyone is saved, he shall go in and out and find pasture. Jesus is saying that there is going to be something about this life that is going to be enjoyable to people.
I've sometimes said to Jerry Edmonds, and one of these days I'm not just going to say it, I'm going to request it, that we learn that song that we used to sing when I was growing up. My God and I, we walk the fields together. We walk and talk as good friends should and do. We clasp our hands, our voices ring with laughter. My God and I, we walk the meadows through.
We go in and out and find pasture. And we matter. We matter.
Some of you. don't matter to your parents, unfortunately, or you don't matter to your friends. But I want you to know today that you can matter to you. God. He gives salvation, significance, and then, as if that wasn't enough, security.
Now, In order for you to understand these next verses, and we're going to pick it up at verse 27, in between time Jesus has an altercation with some of the Jewish people who are listening to his speech, we pick it up at verse 27 and actually verse 26. But before we look at this text, I have to ask you a question. Is there any possibility of belonging to Jesus Christ's fold to be a member? of his sheepfold. To have figuratively speaking his mark in your ear, and he calls you by name, and then at the end of the day you end up in the wrong sheepfold, and you don't step on shore, and you find that you're not in heaven.
Is there a chance that that would happen?
Well, with that question in mind, let's read these verses. Speaking to the Jews, he says, But you do not believe because you are not of my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish. and no one shall snatch them out of my hand. My Father who has given them to me is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.
Seems to me that those sheep are pretty secure. Let's look at it this way. First of all, they are secure because of the Father's purpose. These sheep. Are a gift from God the Father to God the Son.
Notice Jesus said: the Father who has given them to me is greater than all, they are a gift. I don't know how many times, but if you read the Gospel of John at least a dozen times, probably more. Christ's sheep are referred to as a gift that God the Father is giving to God the Son. God the Father wanted God the Son to have sheep. And the text says, My Father has given them to me.
They are very, very special to the Father. But notice also the Father's power. The Father who gave them to me, verse 29, is greater than all. He's greater than all. He's greater than the wolves.
He's greater than the bears. He's greater than All of the doubts, even that we might have, my Father who gave them to me is greater than all that. Was something like 20 years ago, not quite 20 years ago, I was a teacher at Moody Bible Institute. And I'll never forget Debbie White, who was the secretary to several of us who were on faculty. She was only 21 years old and yet had a very rare form of cancer.
And then there was some cure that was supposed to help, and it appeared to, but in the end, Debbie died, and some of us had the privilege of being at her funeral. I remember before she died. She sometimes said, I don't want to fall asleep because I may fall asleep and she knew that she might not wake up again. And she knew that that possibility existed, and she was fearful.
Well, eventually, that's exactly what happened. She went to sleep, and she never did wake up. But I want you to know today that the father, because she was such a fine Christian and a believer in Jesus Christ, which we'll explain in just a moment, the father. Who gave her to Christ was greater than all, even greater than those doubts. And I have no doubt today that she stepped on shore And found it to be heaven, and felt a hand, and found it to be God's hand.
Because my Father who gave them to me, said Jesus, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of his hand. The word snatch is the very same word in verse 29 as is used in verse 12 of the wolf who snatches the people of the flock. You see, in Old Testament times as well as in New Testament times, sometimes the shepherds would hire a hired man to take care of the sheep.
Now, a hired man was not going to lay down his life for the sheep, I can tell you. That's why Jesus said earlier, verse 12, he who is a hireling, a hireling, that's the hired hand, you see. And not a shepherd who is not the owner of the sheep, he beholds the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees. But Jesus is saying, I'm not going to do that under any condition because I own these sheep. I'm simply not a hired hand.
About a week ago, I came out of a store and someone was handing out tracts with Bible verses on them. They asked if I would take one, and I was most pleased to take one, but then I asked... who wrote the tract or who is the religion that is behind the tract? And I discovered that it's these folks, bless them, who really do not believe that Jesus Christ is God. They believe that Christ is less than God.
And I just in a few moments urge them to believe on a Savior who is God, because if you believe in a Savior who isn't God, he's disqualified.
Well, the point to be made here is that Jesus is saying, They are mine. No man is able to snatch them out of my hand. And then he said, no man is able to snatch them out of the Father's hands. How many hands are here anyway?
Well, there's Christ's hand, verse 28, there's the Father's hand. Years ago, I was thinking of preaching on this text, and I was going to entitle it Hands in Harmony. But notice that it's the father's hand and the son's hand, and no one can snatch them out. Oh, I know there are many people who say, yeah, but. We can wiggle out of the hand.
We can do it if we want. You talk to a shepherd who leaves with a hundred sheep in the morning and you ask him whether or not it's possible for one of those sheep to be lost. It's possible, but if so, the reputation of the shepherd is at stake. He will be ridiculed for having lost sheep.
Okay.
Well, my friend, isn't that good news? Because all of us suffer from depression at times, discouragement, perhaps hurt? It's wonderful to know that no matter what happens in life, we are in the hands of the Father and the hands of the Son. If we've confessed the Son as Lord and as Savior, and he has to be Lord, if he is to be a savior. If we are one of God's sheep, if we have received Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, We belong to Him and no one can snatch us.
Out of his hand and the hand of God, yes, indeed, hands. in harmony. I'm holding in my hands a very special book. It's entitled Life-Changing Bible Verses Every Woman Should Know.
Now this book actually is written by my wife. I think it's going to be a tremendous blessing to everyone. Let me read some of the topics. It has to do with anger. The armor of God, twenty five different topics that oftentimes all of us really wrestle with.
Now very quickly, I hope that you have a pen or pencil in your hands, because I'm going to be giving you some contact info I want you to write down. For a gift of any amount, it can be yours. Here's what you do. Go to rtwoffer.com. That's rtwoffer.com or pick up the phone and call us at 1-888-218 9337.
Ask for the book Life-Changing Bible Verses Every Woman Should Know. It's not just Bible verses, it's an exposition of topics. from the Bible. Go to rtwoffer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337. You can write to us at Running2Win 1635 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois, 60614.
We are nearing the end of our series on the Good Shepherd, finding that Jesus fits this role perfectly. We're in John chapter 10, learning from Jesus about the protection His shepherding provides and why we matter so much to Him as members of His flock.
Next time, final thoughts about the picture of the Good Shepherd we find in John's Gospel. Thanks for listening. Running to Win is sponsored by the Moody Church.
