The Shepherd of the Sheep

Q: What does the Bible say about Jesus as the Good Shepherd?

The Bible teaches that Jesus is the Good Shepherd who knows His sheep and lays down His life for them (John 10:14-15). In John 10:14-15, Jesus identifies Himself as the Good Shepherd, highlighting His intimate relationship with His sheep. He states, 'I know my sheep, and my sheep know me,' illustrating the personal connection He has with those He has redeemed. This relationship is not merely transactional; it is grounded in love, care, and sacrifice. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep, which speaks to the atoning work of Christ on the cross, where He died as a substitute for His people, ensuring their salvation.

Q: How do we know the doctrine of substitutionary atonement is true?

The doctrine of substitutionary atonement is affirmed in Scripture, particularly when Jesus states that He lays down His life for His sheep (John 10:15). Substitutionary atonement is a foundational doctrine within the Reformed tradition, asserting that Jesus died in place of sinners, taking upon Himself the punishment deserved by those He redeems. This is evidenced in John 10:15, where Jesus asserts, 'I lay down my life for the sheep.' This phrase indicates a specific intention behind His sacrifice - He dies not just generally for all people, but specifically for those whom the Father has given to Him. This concept is further reinforced through numerous passages throughout Scripture, including Isaiah 53:5, where it declares, 'He was wounded for our transgressions.' The reality of Christ's sacrificial death embodies the core of what it means for Him to be both our Good Shepherd and our Savior.

Q: Why is Jesus being the Good Shepherd important for Christians?

Jesus as the Good Shepherd is crucial for Christians as it assures them of His care, guidance, and sacrificial love (John 10:14-15). The identity of Jesus as the Good Shepherd holds significant importance for Christians. It encapsulates the core of His mission - to demonstrate God’s love through His life, death, and resurrection. By referring to Himself as the Good Shepherd, Jesus highlights His role as protector and guide for His people, ensuring that they are never alone or forsaken. Furthermore, His claim that He lays down His life for the sheep provides a profound assurance of the depth of His commitment and love towards them. This relationship fosters a sense of security and belonging, reminding believers that they are known and loved by God. Such understanding drives Christians to live in grateful service and devotion to the One who has loved them with an everlasting love.

Q: What does it mean that Jesus knows His sheep?

When Jesus says He knows His sheep, it signifies an intimate, personal relationship that conveys love, approval, and commitment (John 10:14). The phrase 'I know my sheep' in John 10:14 carries profound significance, indicating more than mere awareness. It highlights a deeply personal relationship that Jesus has with each of His followers. Unlike general knowledge, Christ's knowledge of His sheep is intimate and transformative; it suggests love, care, and a deep-seated commitment to their well-being. This relationship is reciprocal, where His sheep also come to know Him as their Savior and Shepherd. Furthermore, this assurance is affirmed in other parts of Scripture, such as 2 Timothy 2:19, which states, 'The Lord knoweth them that are His.' This indicates that God's knowledge is purposeful and connects His eternal plan with the individual believer's life. Knowing Jesus is foundational for believers, as it shapes their identity and fosters a confident relationship with God.

I want you to open your Bibles
today to the book of John, a very familiar passage of Scripture
found in the 10th chapter of John. Now, this is a message
in two parts. Today I'm going to preach on
the subject, the shepherd of the sheep from John chapter 10. We'll look at verses 14 through
18, John 10, 14 through 18. And the subject will be the shepherd
of the sheep. And then next Sunday, next week,
I'm going to bring you the second part of this message and the
title of the message will be The Sheep of the Shepherd. Now
if you want the message on tape, remember those titles. Two messages,
they'll be on the same cassette tape. I'll bring one this morning
and then one next Sunday. And the subject today is The
Shepherd of the Sheep. And next Sunday, next broadcast,
I'll speak on the sheep of the shepherd. Now, there are several
reasons why this is an important message in two parts. There are
several reasons why all of you should be interested in these
messages and why I'm emphasizing them like I am. I want you to
listen today and listen next Lord's Day, and then I want you
to get the tape and share it with friends. This is an important
message in two parts. the shepherd of the sheep and
the sheep of the shepherd. Now, there's several reasons
why this message is of great importance. First of all, these
are the words of our Lord Himself. Now, I know that the entire Bible
is the Word of God. I believe very strongly that
the Bible is verbally inspired, that it is the Word of God. I
believe that very strongly. But these words that I'm going
to be dealing with today and next week are the words of our
Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He spoke these words to a congregation
of people. This is His message. This is
His sermon. This is His exhortation. And
that's why it's so important. And then secondly, these words
have to do with His person and work. He's talking about Himself.
He's talking about the shepherd of the sheep, And he's talking
about the sheep of the shepherd. He's talking about who he is.
He's talking about what he came to do. He's talking about the
people for whom he did it. In other words, these are the
words of our Lord. And he's talking about himself,
the shepherd of the sheep. And he's talking about his people,
the sheep of the shepherd. I just came back from Mexico.
I was down there visiting some missionaries. and preaching in
some of the pueblos in Mexico. And there's a man down there
by the name of Roberto. He owns a coffee plantation,
a coffee ranch. And he comes to hear the missionary
quite often, the missionary down in Chiapas. And they're good
friends. And one day they were riding
in the truck together. The missionary was driving and
Roberto, the man who owns the coffee ranch, was sitting next
to him. And he turned to the missionary and speaking in Spanish,
that's the language they speak there. He said, I heard you say
that God sent you to Mexico to preach the gospel because the
Lord had some sheep down here and that you came down here with
the gospel seeking those sheep. He said, do you suppose that
I could be one of those sheep that God sent you down here?
to preach to and to find. And the missionary said, well,
I certainly hope so. And that's what our Lord's talking
about here in John chapter 10. He's talking about the shepherd
of the sheep and he's talking about the sheep of the shepherd.
And he's saying these things in his own words. And I'll tell
you the third reason why that you ought to be interested in
this 10th chapter of John and what our Lord has to say here.
is because of the two-fold effect which these words had upon the
people that heard them. Now, a lot of people heard what
our Lord had to say here. And this message that He preached
here, these two messages that I'm going to be bringing you
this Sunday and next Sunday, these words had a two-fold effect
upon the people. First of all, some got quite
angry, quite angry. It says in verse 19, there was
a great division among the people because of these words. Some
of them said, he hath a devil. Some of them said, he's crazy.
Why do you listen to him? They got so angry at these words
of our Lord. In verse 31, after he talked
about the sheep of the shepherd, that's what they had to say when
he talked about the shepherd of the sheep. They said, he's
crazy, he's got a devil. They're talking about the Lord
Himself. And then after He talked about the sheep of the shepherd,
they took up stones to stone Him. They were so angry they
were going to kill Him. So some people got quite angry,
but some were very comforted by these words. And some of you
will be very comforted. Maybe some of you will get angers.
Maybe some of you will be comforted. But which will it be, anger or
assurance? Will it be comfort or will it
be consternation, disapproval? Well, let's take the first one.
You should open your Bible there to John chapter 10 and let's
look at verse 14. John 10, 14. The Lord Jesus says,
I'm the good shepherd. That's the first words he uses
here. I am the good shepherd. Now, whatever type or symbol
our Lord chooses by which to reveal His person and work, He
always uses this definite article. I am the Good Shepherd. There isn't another. As far as
shepherds are concerned and redemption is concerned and life eternal
is concerned, I am the only Good Shepherd. He says that I am the
door. There is no other door. By me,
if any man enter in, he shall be saved and go in and out and
find pastures. I am the door." He said, I am
the light of the world. There is no other light. He said,
I am the bread of life. I am that bread that came down
from heaven. Moses gave you bread from heaven,
but they ate it and died. If any man eat this bread, he'll
never die. I'm the bread. I am the water
of life. And then he said in John 14,
6, I'm the way. The way to God. There's no other
way. I am the truth. All truth is
in Christ. I am the life. The way, the truth,
and the life. So here he says, I'm the good
shepherd. Well, there's none good but God,
but he's God. And he's good. Our Lord Jesus
Christ is good in that he's sinless. He's holy. No fault in him. No blame, no sin. He's good in
that he loves his people. And he's good in that he goes
out and seeks the sheep and brings them back. I'm the good shepherd.
And again, he's called the great shepherd. Paul, in the book of
Hebrews, chapter 13, said, God brought again from the dead that
great shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting
covenant, the great shepherd, the victorious shepherd. victorious
over sin, victorious over death, victorious over the grave, victorious. He is the great, the great shepherd. And then Peter talks about him
in this vein. He said, and when the chief shepherd
shall appear, then shall you receive a reward, a crown of
righteousness. That chief shepherd, all other
shepherds are under shepherds. under servants. He's the chief
shepherd. So when our Lord uses a symbol
or a type, I'm the good shepherd, a definite article always. The
good shepherd, the great shepherd, the chief shepherd. Look at verse
14. The second statement, he says, I know my sheep. I know
my sheep. Now the question may be raised,
but pastor, doesn't God know Everybody? Doesn't God know all
things? Is there anything or anyone that
God does not know? My friends, it's true that God's
omniscient. Now, we say God's omnipresent,
all-present, present everywhere. God is omnipotent, all-powerful. God is omniscient, all-knowing. And there's a sense in which
God knows all things. God knows all men. God knows
even their thoughts. Oftentimes, the Scripture says
that Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said this. But my friends, as
He says this, I'm the good shepherd, I know my sheep. God does not
know all people in the same way that He knows His sheep. That's what He's talking about
here. I know my sheep. I love my sheep. I approve of
my sheep. I accept my sheep. I know them.
You see, in Matthew chapter 7, at the judgment, our Lord said,
many will say to me, Lord, we preached in your name, cast out
devils in your name, did many wonderful works, but I will reply,
I never knew you. I never knew you, your workers
of iniquity. I know my sheep. He knows about
those workers of iniquity. He knows of them. He knows their
deeds. He knows their doings. but he
doesn't know them in the sense he knows his sheep any more than
any more than a man knows all women like he knows his wife.
The scripture says Adam knew his wife. There was an intimacy. There was a union. There was
a oneness. And when Christ says here, I
know my sheep, that's what he's saying. Like he said in II Timothy
2.19, the foundation of God standeth sure having this seal, the Lord
knoweth. them that are his. I know my
sheep. I'm the good shepherd. I know
my sheep. Now watch this. He knows them
because the Father gave them to him. Known unto God are all
his works from the beginning. He said in John 17, Father, I
finished the work you gave me to do. You have given me power
over all flesh that I should give eternal life to as many
as thou hast given me. He knows His sheep in that the
Father gave them to Him. And then He knows His sheep and
calls them His own. He says they're My sheep. My
sheep. He says they're, it's My church. I will build My church. He says
they're My disciples. He calls them My jewels. They're
His. He knows them because the Father
gave them to Him. He knows them because they're
His and He's always known them. You know what he said to Jeremiah?
He said, Jeremiah, Jeremiah 1, 5, Before I formed thee in the
belly, I knew thee, I knew thee. Now, he said to those people
at the judgment, I never knew thee. And he says to Jeremiah,
I've always known thee. before I formed thee in the belly.
I knew thee before you came from your mother's womb. I sanctified
you and set you apart before you had any existence. I knew
you. He says to Jeremiah also in chapter
31, I have loved you with an everlasting love. Therefore,
with loving kindness have I drawn thee. Why did he draw Jeremiah? Because he's always loved him.
Why does he love him now? He's always loved him. Jacob
have I loved. He said to Jacob and Esau's mother
before the children were born, before they did any good or evil,
he said, Jacob have I loved. Jacob have I loved. Esau have
I hated. I'm the good shepherd, the great
shepherd, the chief shepherd. I know my sheep. I know my sheep. And he says, they know me. Yes,
I know. We know in part. There's none
of us going to boast about how much we know of the Lord, how
much we love the Lord, and how much knowledge we have. We know
in part. We preach in part. We see through
a glass dimly. But we do know whom we have believed. It's not I know what I believe.
It's I know when I believe. It's I know whom I have believed. We know Him. Scripture says in
I John 5, and we know that the Son of God has come and has given
us an understanding that we may know Him, that is true, and that
we're in Him, that is true, even in His Son, Jesus Christ, and
this is the true God, and this is eternal life. And that's how
we know Him, as the true God, as the only God, as the living
God, as bare God and bare God. We know Him. We know Him as the
Christ. He's the Messiah. He's the one
whom God said would come. And He's the one that did come.
And He's the one who intercedes at the right hand of the Father.
We know Him. We know Him in His office. He's our prophet, priest,
and king. Prophet to reveal God, priest
to make atonement before the Father, and king to reign over
us. We know Him as our Mediator. The only Mediator between God
and men is Christ Jesus. We do know Him. We continue to
come to Him and continue to believe on Him and continue to look to
Him. And we trust by the Word of God. We grow in grace and
in the knowledge of Christ. So much to learn. So much we
don't know. So much we don't know. But we
do know Him. We can say with Paul, I know
whom I have believed. And I am persuaded, confident
that He's able to keep that which I've committed to Him against
that day. Our confidence and our hope is
in Christ. The songwriter said, My hope
is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and His righteousness. And I dare not trust the sweetest
frame, but I wholly lean on Jesus' name. His oath, His covenant,
His blood, His oath, His covenant, His blood support me in the whelming
flood. When all around my soul gives
way, He then is my only hope. And look at verse 15. He said,
As the Father knoweth me, even so I know the Father. Now this
statement is read with the preceding verse. Now listen to it together. Christ said, I'm the Good Shepherd.
I know my sheep. They know me. As the Father knoweth
me, even so know I the Father. In other words, I know my sheep
and my sheep know me as the Father knows me and I know the Father.
I know that seems to be beyond understanding. How can we know
God and God know us like God knows the Son and the Son knows
the Father? I don't know, but I know he prayed in John 17.
He says, Father, that they may be one as we are one. I in them and thou in me, that
they may be one. And the glory which thou gavest
me, I have given them. I don't understand that, but
I'm just saying that Christ said, I know my sheep, and my sheep
know me, as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. And
then he said this, look, I lay down my life for the sheep. Now
here are some things that are quite clear. Everybody listening
to my voice knows that this is true. Jesus Christ, the Son of
God, came into this world. Do you know that? I know that.
That's so. Jesus Christ, the Son of God,
lived on this earth. He was born of a woman, made
of a woman, made under the law, lived a perfect life. No one
could find any fault in Him. He died on a cross. He died as
a substitute, as a sin offering, as a sacrifice on a cross for
sin. He died just for the unjust,
to bring somebody to God. He arose again. He arose from
the grave on the third day, and He ascended to glory. And the
Scripture says He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty
on high. And there He is an advocate.
We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ. Our forerunner
has entered for us within the veil. He's at the right hand
of God. He's the mediator. The Scripture says there's one
God and one mediator between God and men. Advocate, mediator,
and intercessor. Now, you know those things to
be true. Did I go through them too quickly? No, I didn't. He
came, He lived, He died, He arose, He ascended, He seated, He reigns,
He intercedes. Now the question comes, for whom
did He come? For whom did He live and die? For whom did He arise from the
grave and ascend and intercede. For whom does he pray? Well,
he tells us right here. He says, listen. Now this is
the reason some were comforted and some grew angry. He said,
I am the good shepherd. Now I know my sheep and they
know me. And I know them like the Father
knows me and they know me like I know the Father. And I lay
down my life for the sheep. I lay down my life for the sheep. What does the word for mean,
F-O-R? For. Well, it means in the place
of, doesn't it? In the stead of, if boys are
playing basketball and a young man goes in for another one,
they say number 15 is going in for number 25, that's a Texas
place, doesn't it? Number 25 comes out, number 15
goes in, goes in for him, in the stead of, in the place, what,
for. he's carrying the load for me. What does that mean? He's
doing it and I'm not. He's doing it for me. He paid
the bill for me. We go into a restaurant or into
a clothing store and they tell me I owe so much and the fellow
says, I'll pay it. He pays it for me. Well, I don't pay it,
he did. And this is what our Lord is
saying, I lay down my life for my sheep in the place of, in
the stead of. That's what Isaiah said, he's
wounded for our transgressions. Then I'm not wounded, he is.
He was bruised for my iniquities. Not I, but he has been wounded
and bruised. And by his stripes I'm healed.
Put your name in there. He was wounded for Henry Mahan's
transgressions. He was bruised for Henry Mahan's
iniquities. The chastisement of Henry Mahan's
peace was laid on him, and by his stripes Henry Mahan's heel."
That's substitution. And then he said in verse 16,
I lay down my life for my sheep, and then he says in verse 16,
other sheep I have which are not of this fold, them I must
bring. In other words, he looked at these 12 disciples, Peter,
James, John, Nathanael, all of them, and he says, these are
not all of my sheep. I'm the good shepherd. I know
my sheep, but this is not all of them. Other sheep I have. I already have. Other sheep I
have. Where did he get them? The Father
gave them to him. Other sheep I have. Now watch what he says.
And them also in the same way that I call Matthew, I'll call
them. Matthew, follow me. Peter, James, John, follow me.
I call these, I'll call them. Also, I must bring, must. Oh, how many times does it say
in the Scripture, the Son of Man must be lifted up. He must
needs go through Somalia. He said the Son of Man must go
to Jerusalem, must suffer and die. It's a necessity. And He
says, these sheep that I have, I must bring them. I must bring
them, not stand back and invite them, Not stand back and challenge
them to come. He says, I must bring them. The
shepherd went out into the wilderness and found the sheep and put it
on his shoulders and did what? Brought it home. He brought it
home. He didn't lead it home or drive
it home. He brought it home on his shoulders. And he died just
for the unjust to bring us to God. Do you see that? Other sheep
I have, maybe I'm talking to some sheep. Roberto down there
at San Rafael in Lower Chiapas, maybe he's one of God's sheep.
Maybe God sent that missionary to tell him about Christ so he
could bring him home, so he'd believe. And here's what he says,
and they shall hear my voice. They shall. I love the shalls
of God's Word. They shall. No maybe, perhaps,
or due to certain conditions. They shall. They shall hear my
voice. They'll hear His voice of regeneration. They that are in the grave shall
hear the voice of the Son of God and live. And they'll hear
His voice in the gospel in whom you trusted after you heard the
word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. They'll hear
my voice. They will. As I preach, someone just reminded
me, this is program number 500. Number 500. Number 900, I beg
your pardon. This program number 900 in all
of these telecasts that I've been making up here at Channel
13. Number 900. And I've preached
to a lot of people. And this is what I know when
I preach. When I preach this gospel, His sheep shall hear
His voice and they will come. He'll bring them. They'll come.
and they shall be one fold, one fold and one shepherd. Does this
sound like there's any doubt about the population of his kingdom
or the populating of his kingdom? Does it sound like there's any
doubt about the populating of his sheepfold or of heaven? He's the good shepherd, the great
shepherd, the chief shepherd who has a sheep and knows them
and they know him. And they shall hear my voice,
and they shall be one fold and one shepherd, because I must
bring them. I must. Now look at verse 17.
Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life,
that I might take it again. How do we find out what this
means? Well, I believe we find out what this means by discovering
what we already know. what we already know. Christ
said, therefore, because of what I've done, doth my Father love
me. Well, I know this. The Father's always loved Him.
The Father's always delighted in Him. The Father's always accepted
Christ as the eternal Son of God, one with God in essence
and power and purpose. The Father's always loved Him.
But Christ is saying here, because of what I've done and who I am,
my Father loves me. because I lay down my life, my
Father loves me. He's speaking here as the shepherd
of the sheep. That's my subject, the shepherd
of the sheep. He's speaking here as the redeemer of a people.
He's speaking here as the Messiah who sent and the servant who
came to do the Father's will and the successful mediator.
And the laying down of his life was the supreme act of obedience. And he said, therefore, doth
my Father love me because I laid down my life. Though he were a son, yet he
learned obedience for the things that he suffered. The father's
pleased with my substitute, he's pleased with me. This is my son
in whom I'm well pleased, the father said. If his father accepts
my substitute, he accepts me. He said, no man takes my life
from me. Verse 18, I lay it down of myself. Jesus Christ, most
unusual. He chose when he would come into
the world. He chose the nation through which he'd come. He chose
the woman who'd give Him birth. He chose the time that He would
die. He chose the way that He would
die. He chose the people for whom He would die. He's truly
Lord. When you see these signs in a
church, Jesus is Lord, is He really? Lord of lords and King
of kings, sovereign over all things. That's the Christ, that's
the shepherd of the sheep, and that's why He can bring His sheep. Well, write for the message if
you want it. Send two dollars, the shepherd of the sheep, and
the next message, the sheep of the shepherd. Till next week,
God bless you.

The Shepherd of the Sheep

What does the Bible say about Jesus as the Good Shepherd?

How do we know the doctrine of substitutionary atonement is true?

Why is Jesus being the Good Shepherd important for Christians?

What does it mean that Jesus knows His sheep?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

Joshua

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Music

Recent Comments

About

Legal

Subscribe

Account

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Recent Comments

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Collections

Music

About

Legal

Subscribe

The Shepherd of the Sheep

What does the Bible say about Jesus as the Good Shepherd?

How do we know the doctrine of substitutionary atonement is true?

Why is Jesus being the Good Shepherd important for Christians?

What does it mean that Jesus knows His sheep?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

More from Henry Mahan

Related Sermons

Same Scripture

Articles by Henry Mahan

Books by Henry Mahan

Joshua

Where this book stands in the tradition

Plato

Augustine

The Western Christian Tradition

This Book