The Shepherd of the Sheep

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

The Bible describes Jesus as the Good Shepherd who knows and lays down His life for His sheep (John 10:14-18). In John 10:14, Jesus states, 'I am the Good Shepherd. I know my sheep, and am known by my own.' This title of 'Good Shepherd' signifies His unique role and relationship to His people. Unlike any other shepherd, He is sinless and perfect, embodying both love and sacrifice. The Good Shepherd has a personal knowledge of His sheep that is intimate and profound, as He knows those who belong to Him and loves them deeply. His sacrificial death on the cross was not random; it was a deliberate act of atonement for His sheep, ensuring their salvation and eternal security.

Q: How do we know Jesus is the Good Shepherd?

Jesus proves His identity as the Good Shepherd through His claims and sacrificial love for His sheep (John 10:14-15). The certainty of Jesus being the Good Shepherd is rooted in His declaration and His actions. In John 10:15, He says, 'I lay down my life for the sheep,' highlighting His role as both protector and sacrifice. His death was specifically for His sheep, making His claims substantiated by the reality of His sacrificial love. Jesus emphasizes that no one takes His life from Him; He willingly lays it down (John 10:18), illustrating His sovereignty and purpose in fulfilling the Father's will.

Q: Why is Jesus called the Good Shepherd?

Jesus is called the Good Shepherd because He exemplifies perfect care, sacrifice, and love for His flock (John 10:11). The term 'Good Shepherd' conveys the idea of selfless love and commitment to the well-being of His sheep. In John 10:11, Jesus proclaims, 'I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep.' This sacrificial aspect indicates that true shepherding involves laying down one’s life for the sake of those under one’s care. Jesus contrasts His role with that of a hireling who abandons the sheep when danger arises, demonstrating His ultimate dedication. His life, teachings, and actions throughout the Gospels exemplify the nature of true shepherding.

Q: What is the significance of Jesus saying 'I know my sheep'?

'I know my sheep' signifies an intimate relationship where He loves and approves of His followers (John 10:14). In John 10:14, when Jesus states, 'I know my sheep,' He emphasizes the depth of His relationship with them. This knowledge is not simply intellectual; it reflects a profound, relational knowledge characterized by love, acceptance, and belonging. Unlike the general knowledge God has of all humanity, this intimate knowledge indicates a special relationship. Jesus’ sheep are those He truly knows, having been given to Him by the Father. This assurance reinforces the security and confidence that believers have in their relationship with Christ, knowing they are loved and recognized as His own.

Q: Why did Jesus lay down His life for His sheep?

Jesus laid down His life for His sheep as an act of substitutionary atonement, fulfilling God's plan for salvation (John 10:15). The purpose behind Jesus laying down His life for His sheep is centered in the doctrine of substitutionary atonement. As noted in John 10:15, He states, 'I lay down my life for the sheep.' This encompasses the great theological truth that Christ took the place of sinners, bearing their sins and satisfying the wrath of God in their stead. His sacrificial act was necessary to secure the salvation of those whom the Father had given Him, ensuring that they would not face the judgment they deserve. This underscores the core of the gospel message: Jesus died for His people intentionally and effectively, fulfilling His role as the Good Shepherd.

I would like for you to open
your Bibles to the book of John, chapter 10. Now this is a message
in two parts. John, chapter 10. I'll begin
this morning and speak to you from verses
14 through 18 on this subject, the shepherd of the sheep, the
shepherd of the sheep. And tonight I'll begin where
I leave off this morning and go through verse 30 and speak
to you on the sheep of the shepherd. This morning message the shepherd
of the sheep, and denied at 6.30 the sheep of the shepherd. There are several reasons why
all of us ought to be very interested, especially in these messages
and in these verses. First of all, these are the words
of our Lord himself. He says in verse 14 of John 10,
I am the Good Shepherd. I know my sheep, am known of
mine. As the Father knoweth me, even
so know I the Father. And I lay down my life for the
sheep. And 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. Therefore doth
my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take
it again. No man taketh it from me, but
I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down.
I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received
of my Father. That's the shepherd of the sheep. Now, I know all the Bible is
the Word of God, but to us, these are the words of our Lord himself
speaking to the people. That's the reason I especially
like this portion of Scripture. There's something special about
what he himself said while he was here on the earth to the
people. And these words stirred up a
great deal of controversy, a lot of division among the religious
people. For example, in verse 19, when
he finished identifying the shepherd of the sheep, it says in verse
19, there was a division, therefore again among the Jews for these
sayings. They didn't particularly like
what he said. And some of them said, verse
20, he hath a devil, he's demon-possessed. Can you imagine that? These were
religious people, these were the Pharisees. And our Lord said,
I'm the good shepherd, I know my sheep. These words I read
to you, and they said, he's demon-possessed, he's a devil. Others said, he's
crazy, he's mad, he's crazy. Why do you listen to him? Now
those, that's, you know, that's the division and controversy
that was stirred up over these words. And I'll tell you this,
to prepare you, the reaction to these words will be the same
today. If they're preached as they were
preached then, if they're spoken as they were spoken then and
not explained away, that's what a lot of preachers explain away
the words of Christ. These people knew what he was
saying, and knew exactly what he was saying. He clearly defined
his message, and they heard it, and there was a division. They
said, he's demon possessed, he's crazy, why do you listen to him?
And to be the same today, But some of them said, listen, verse
21, everybody didn't think he had a devil. Everybody didn't
think he was mad. Others said, these are not the words of him
that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of
the blind? These are not the words of a man who's crazy. Some
believe. So if these words are accurately
spoken, clearly defined, there'll be assurance and there'll be
anger. There'll be comfort, there'll
be consternation. There'll be joy, and there'll
be objection. But let's see what to say. Let's
see what our Lord said about the shepherd of the sheep. And
who knows better than the shepherd himself? So verse 14, he says,
I'm the good shepherd. I'm 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, THE. Every time. He says, I am. He
didn't say, I'm a good shepherd. I'm one of many shepherds. I'm
THE good shepherd. Always uses that definite article
because he's the only one. He's the only one. He says, I'm
the door. By me, if any man enter in, he
shall go in and out and find pastures. He said, I am the light
of the world. John the Baptist said, I'm not
that light. I'm sent to bear witness of the light. But he's
the light, the light. I'm the bread of life. He said, I am the way, the truth,
and the light. And here he says, I'm the good
shepherd. And he's the only one that could
take that word good. He's the sinless shepherd. There's
none good but God, and that's our good shepherd. He's good.
He knew no sin, he had no sin, he did no sin. He's the good
shepherd. He's the good shepherd in that he's the loving shepherd,
the kind shepherd, the tender shepherd. A bruised reed shall
he not break, smoking flax he'll not quake. He's good. Our God
is good. Why do people hate him? The Lord
Jesus Christ went about doing good, and yet to crucify him. Spit at him. Spit on him. Why? Every word he spoke was the word
of God. Every deed he did was to relieve
someone's trouble and suffering and sorrow. Every promise was
of life and glory everlasting. Why do they hate him? Holiness personified. Holiness came down to earth in
the form of a man. And people nailed him to a cross. Someone told me they were listening
to Donoghue's program and there were some people on there that
once in a while they'd quote the Bible. And every time they'd
quote the Bible, the whole assembly would start booing and turning
their thumbs down. Why? In quote, Shakespeare, nobody
does that. In quote, Aristotle or Plato
or Socrates, nobody does that. But it seems like if someone
quotes God's word, it sets folks off like the tea set on edge. They just got in an uproar. He's the loving shepherd, the
kind shepherd, the good shepherd. And he's called the Great Shepherd
in Hebrews, that Great Shepherd of the sheep. God brought forth
from the dead that Great Shepherd. Oh, I'm an under-shepherd. He's
the Great Shepherd. The Great Shepherd. He was victorious
over sin and death and the grave. He's the Great Shepherd. He calls
himself the Chief Shepherd, and when the Chief Shepherd shall
appear, He's God over all, blessed forever. The sheep belong to him. I am
the good shepherd. The great shepherd, the chief
shepherd. Look at the next line. This is
important. I know my sheep. I know my sheep. Now, listen to me a moment. Someone
might say, but doesn't God know everybody? Doesn't God know everything? Here's God in human flesh, this
Lord Jesus Christ, and He said, I am the Good Shepherd, I know
my sheep. Doesn't He know everybody? Doesn't
He know everything? Yes, it is true. God knows everything,
God knows everybody. God is omniscient, all-knowing. Turn to Genesis 20. I want to
show you something a minute. Genesis 20. God knows everything. Now, here
is a Genesis 20. Here is a heathen king, a totally heathen king. His name
is Abimelech. Now, Abraham was journeying through
his country. Abraham is a child of God, and
he's journeying through his country. Abraham has a wife named Sarah,
who's a very beautiful woman. And this heathen king at least
say down south, took a liking to her. And when heathen kings want something,
they get it. And so Abraham told Sarah, he
said, he'll kill me to get you. Tell him you're my sister. Tell
him you're my sister. And that's what she did. Verse 2. And Abraham said of
Sarah, his wife, she's my sister. And Abimelech, king of Gera,
sent and took Sarah. But God came to Abimelech in
a dream by night and said to him, Behold, you're but a dead
man. The woman which you've taken,
she's a man's wife. Not only a man's wife, she's
my man's wife, Abraham. But Abimelech hadn't touched
her. He hadn't come near her. And he said, Lord, would you
slay a righteous nation, a righteous man? I haven't done anything. Said, verse 5, said he not unto
me, she's my sister? And she, even she herself said,
he's my brother. In the integrity of my heart,
innocence of my hands have I done this, and God said unto him in
a dream, I know. Yes, I know that I, I know, God
knows everything. Nothing's hid from God. I know,
I know your thoughts, I know you did this in the integrity
of your heart. And I also, for I also withheld thee from sinning
against me, I kept you from touching her. Therefore suffered I thee not
to touch her." That's God's knowledge, God's omnipotence, all-powerful,
God's omniscience, all-knowing, God's omnipresent, all-present. This is a heathen. And yet God knows ever he misthoughts. Now therefore, verse 7, restore
the man his wife. He's a prophet, and he'll pray
for you, and you'll live. If you don't restore, know thou
that thou shalt surely die thou, and all that is thine." Well, that's sufficient to let
us know the knowledge of our God. The king's heart's in the
hands of the Lord. Here, when our Lord Jesus, go
back to my text now, he said, I'm the good shepherd, I know
my sheep. God does not know all people in the way that he knows
his sheep. Does not know. The word know
here is love, approve, approbation. acceptance. As Adam knew Eve,
his wife, she conceived and bore a son. It's oneness. I know my
sheep. You see, let me show you a verse
over where God says there's some people he doesn't know. Turn
to Matthew 7. Though he knows about them, he
does not know them in the sense that he loves them and approves
of them and accepts them. In Matthew 7. And these are religious
people, too. These are not just folks off
Skid Row, verse 21 of Matthew 7, Not every one that saith unto
me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he that
doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many, many people
will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied
in your name? And in your name have cast out
devils, and in your name done many wonderful works. That's
what they say they're doing. And then will I profess unto
them, I never knew you. I never knew you. I know you not. Everybody on television that
appeals to you to support their program, don't do it. God doesn't even know them. I
never knew you. I never knew you. Depart from
me ye that work iniquity. Your religious works If they
don't glorify Christ, they're works of iniquity. They're not
true to God's word, they're works of iniquity. Everything religious
is not good. He said, I never knew you. You
see, back to my text in John 10, he said, I'm the good shepherd,
I know my sheep. You see, his father gave them
to him, he knew them. He knew them when the father
gave them to him, made him their surety. in a covenant of mercy. I know my sheep. The Father gave
them to me." And then he says, I know my sheep. He owns them. He calls them his own. I know
my sheep. I know my sheep. He calls them
my sheep, my church, my jewels, my disciples, and my sheep. And he loves them. Turn to Jeremiah
chapter 1. Jeremiah chapter 1. I want you
to listen to what it says about Jeremiah. Jeremiah chapter 1,
verse 5. Verse 4 and 5. Jeremiah 1, 4
and 5. Then the word of the Lord came
unto me, saying, Before I farmed thee in the belly, I knew thee."
This is what he's talking about. I'm the good shepherd. I know
my sheep. My father gave them to me. I
know them. I know who they are. I know how many they are. I know
where they are. I know them. I know them. Before they're born, I know them.
I knew you. Before you came out of the womb,
I sanctified you, I ordained you a prophet." Turn to Jeremiah 31, verse 3. The Lord hath appeared of old
unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting
love." Jeremiah, I loved you with an everlasting love, always. Therefore with loving kindness
have I drawn thee. Jacob have I loved. Esau have
I hated. All right, back to the text.
The shepherd of the sheep. Now this is the shepherd. He
says, I'm the good shepherd. I'm the good shepherd, chief
shepherd, great shepherd. I know my sheep. I know them. And look at this. He said, they
know me. I am known of mine. They know
me as the living God. Our Lord said to the disciples,
whom do men say that I, the Son of Man am? They said, well, some
say you're a great prophet. Some say you're Elijah. Some
say you're John the Baptist. Some, whom do you say that I
am? They said, Thou art the Christ.
We know who you are. You're the Christ, the Son of
the Living God. And my sheep know me. Oh, to a lot of people,
Jesus Christ is a prophet like Mohammed, a prophet like Buddha,
a prophet like Confucius, a prophet like somebody else. No, he's
not a prophet like anybody. He's the prophet, the one and
only. Some people say, well, he's a
priest, he's a priest, a religious priest like all the other priests.
No, no, he's not. He's a priest like Melchizedek.
No mother or father, no beginning of days, no end of days, an everlasting
priesthood. It's just one and only, him.
In fact, when God gave Melchizedek as a type of Christ, the only
one who could effectively typified Christ was Christ himself. So
Christ came, pre-incarnate revelation himself, to reveal himself. He's that priest. And my sheep
know me. They know me as the Christ. They
know me as the God-man. They know me in my offices, the
Prophet, Priest, and King. They know me as the only Mediator.
That's what Paul said. There's one God and one Mediator
between God and men. That's the man Christ Jesus.
Only one. And when God's sheep, when the
Lord's sheep said, I'm the Good Shepherd, thee, I know my sheep. And they know me. How do they
know him? John said, we know that the Son
of God has come and has given us an understanding that we may
know him. That is true. This is the true
God. And this is eternal life. And
we're in him. That's how we know. He came and
told us. The disciples said, well, show
us the Father. He said, you're looking at him.
I am the Father of one. He that has seen me has seen
the Father. No man has seen God in any time. The only begotten
Son hath revealed Him, hath manifested Him, hath declared Him. They know me. And every Old Testament
name, Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord will provide, Abraham's Jehovah-Jireh,
we know who that is, that's Christ. Jehovah-Rapha, the Lord that
healeth, I know who that is, that's Christ. Jehovah Nisa,
the Lord our banner, Gideon's banner, that's Christ, I know
who it is. Jehovah Shalem, the Lord our peace, Shalom, peace,
I know who that is. He made peace through the blood
of his cross. Jehovah Raya, the Lord is my shepherd, that beautiful
Psalm 23, the Lord is my shepherd, I know who that is. You know
who that is. My sheep know me. Jehovah Sidkenu,
the Lord our righteousness, I know who that is. The Lord is present. Now, what's
this? Verse 15. As the Father knows
me, so even so know I the Father. Now, this is read in connection
with the preceding statement. Read them together. Verse 14. I am the good shepherd. I know
my sheep, and they know me. Even as the Father knows me,
and I know the Father." This relationship, are you listening? This relationship between Christ
and His sheep is the relationship between the Father and the Son,
they're one. I know my sheep, my sheep know
me, as my Father knows me, and I know my Father. That's exactly
what he's saying there, Bob. He's saying, I know them as my
Father knows me, as my Father sent me into the world, I send
you. The same way that He knows me, I am in Him, of Him, from
Him, my sheep are in me, of me, from me. I know them just like my Father
knows me, and they know me like I know my Father. I come to do
His will, they come to do my will. I love him, they love me. I'm submissive to him, they're
submissive to me. Same way that he knows me, I
know them. Same way I know him, they know
me. That's what that says. Same thing. And listen to this, and I lay
down my life for them. Now there's got to be a pretty
good relationship between two for one of them to lay his life
down. Got to be a pretty good relationship.
You'd lay down your life for that boy right there, in a moment.
And for that girl. I know you would. And you would
for yours. And you would for yours. And
you would in a moment. Why? You're one. You're family. You love them. They're part of
you. What happens to them happens
to you. There wouldn't even be any question. If you were going
to take one of my children's lives, there wouldn't be a question.
Or my wife, or these, or you even, as much as I love. You
wouldn't say, take me. Just kill me. And that's what
our Lord is saying. My sheep, I know them. They know me. The relationship
between me and my sheep is the same as my Father, that He prayed
that they may be one as we are. And I lay down my life for them. Now listen to me. Jesus Christ
came into the world. There's no doubt about that.
You've got a calendar in your pocket that tells you that. You
don't even need a Bible. The calendar says B.C. A.D. Anno Domini, in the year of our
Lord. Jesus Christ came into the world.
He lived a perfect life. Nobody can find any fault in
anything he ever said or did. He died on a cross. No doubt
about that. He arose from the dead. No doubt
about that. Read Josephus, the historian.
He ascended to heaven. He ever lives to make intercession.
Question, why did he come? For whom did he come? Was it
a shot in the dark? Why did he die? Why did God and
human flesh die on the cross? Would God, would God venture? In a venture, in a, in a, like I
would, I, you know, I will start a service here and I say when
anybody comes it wants to. Would God do things that way?
Would he send his son to the cross to die in case somebody
wanted him? For whom did he die? For whom
does he intercede? He tells us, I lay down my life
for the sheep. For the sheep. Far, what does far mean? In the
stead of? In the place of? What is a, you
boys and girls, a sports announcer? He's announcing a basketball
game. And he says in the, as he's talking about the basketball
game, Here's Parker out on the field and so-and-so out on the
court and so-and-so. Here's Smith. Now, Jones is going
in for Smith. And Edwards is going in for Parker. What do you mean for? In his
place. Parker's coming out. You see what I'm saying? For.
When you all sit down by the scores table, you say to the
scorer, I'm going in for number 24. I'm taking this. He's got to come out. My Lord
died for His sheep. His sheep deserved to die. His
sheep offended God. His sheep are the sinners. He
died for them. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. You know what it says? Far, F-O-R, in the stead hop,
in the place hop. You see, substitution. Here's
the key to the gospel. It's just two words. And it's
two words that are rarely used in today's preaching because
they don't believe in substitution. They don't believe in an effectual
substitute. The kind of gospel they preach
now is if Smith goes in for Parker, Parker wants to come out. No.
Both of them can't be out there. One of them's got to come in.
If he died for me, I don't die. If he died for my sins, I don't
die for him. If he took my place, then I'm
not in that place. That's just, that's just common
sense. Common sense. He died for us,
in the stead of us, in the place of us. Died for my sins. Turn to John 17 a moment. John
17. Those two words that sum up the
gospel are these, substitution and satisfaction. Learn them,
and you'll learn the gospel. Substitution. Took your place,
Cecil. Satisfaction. He fulfilled everything
God required. Everything. He cannot fail. John
17, verse 9, I pray for them, and talking about those whom
God gave him, I pray not for the world. Christ never prayed
for the world. I pray for them which thou hast
given me, for they are thine, and thine are mine, and mine
are thine, and I'm glorified in them. They're my sheep, and
I pray for them, and I die for them, lay my life down for them,
my sheep. All right, verse 16. Now listen
to this, "...and other sheep I have, which are not of this
foal. Them also I must bring, and they
shall hear my voice, and there shall be one foal and one shepherd."
Christ Jesus, our Lord, looked on these disciples here. He was
saying this to the Pharisees. These are the folks he's saying
it to. You read the preceding chapter, you see, he's saying,
he's telling them who he is. And he said it for the comfort
and encouragement of his disciples. And he says, and I have other
sheep, which are not of this twain here, and not even of this
nation alone. I have other sheep. Where did
he get them? The Father gave them to him.
When did the Father give them to him? Before the world began.
And he said, I must bring them. I must. No question about it. Then Martha said, I must bring
them. The Son of God must be lifted up. He must need go through
some areas. Everything that Christ did was
ordained of the Father. He must do it. He said, I must
bring them. I must bring them. Brother Ronnie Lewis and Martha
were over in North Carolina this week and they passed a church,
had a billboard like our billboard out here. And we put nothing on our billboard
but Scripture. I don't think you can improve
on the Scripture. Our little quaint, cute clichÃ©s won't do
the job. God's Word will. Tom takes care
of that and puts Scripture out there. But Ronnie Martha saw
this billboard, and I believe you stopped and backed up, didn't
you, and pulled over to the side to read it and make sure he saw
what it said. And this is what it said. God dwells wherever man will
let him in. God dwells wherever man will
let him in. God dwells everywhere. God is
everywhere. David says, Whither shall I flee
from thy presence? If I ascend into heaven, thou
art there. If I make my bed in hell, thou art there. If I take
the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts
of the sea, even there shall thy hand hold me. Where is God
not? Where man won't let him. Oh,
this generation's God is pitiful, impotent, Oh, what kind of God
is this that preaches? This is the God right here. Other
sheep I have which are not of this fold, them also I must bring. And they shall hear my voice. They shall. They will. I'm going
to Mexico this week. We'll preach day after tomorrow. Tuesday night we'll be in Yobain. preaching to, I'll be preaching,
Brother Paul, me and Brother Todd will be preaching. Some
of you may have been there. You know where I'll be, and I'll
be preaching to Mayan Indians, Mexicans, poor people most of
the time, very poor people, very simple people, very uneducated
people. I tell you this, my Lord's got a people down there. They
love the same gospel you do. If I preach this sermon, I may,
Tuesday night, I may just wind this one up again and preach
it to them, and they'll sit there just like you. That's right,
preacher, they'll say it. See you, amigo. Hombre. Brother. See. He's got some people out of every
tribe, kindred, nation, tongue under heaven. If I go to Russia,
I'm going to find somebody over there that loves it. Right here. There'll be a lot of them. We're
going to send our books over 11,000 sets in July. 11,000 in Russian. And those
books are going to find one of these sheep. Two, three of them. Ten or twelve of them maybe.
He must bring them. And he says, they shall hear
my voice. They shall. I promise you they're going to
hear my voice. They're going to hear my voice. Well, Breacher,
you just hope somebody will. I don't hope somebody will. I
know somebody will. I sure do. I know somebody will. I just know it. My Lord knew
it and I know it. And they're going to hear my
voice and they're going to be one fold and one shepherd. That's
the shepherd of the sheep. That's the conquering, victorious,
eternal shepherd. He cannot fail. Therefore, listen. Therefore does my Father love
me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again."
Christ speaks here as the servant, as the Messiah. You see, the
Father loved him from all eternity. He said, I was with him before
he laid the foundations of the earth, and I was daily his delight. Glorify me with the glory which
I had with thee before the world was. But he says this as the
Messiah, as the servant. He said, the laying down of my
life is the supreme act of obedience to my Father, therefore doth
my Father love me. I lay down my life. My Father
loves me. See what he's saying? This is
the Son. Philippians 2 says this, he thought
it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation. took upon himself the habit of
a servant, was made in the likeness of sinful flesh, and became obedient. He learned obedience for the
things he suffered. He was the obedient servant.
And my Father loves me because of my obedience as the Messiah."
You see that? Therefore God hath highly exalted
him and given him a name which is above every name. He's obedient
unto death, even the death of the cross. That's what he's saying
here. I lay down my life. that I might
take it up again. You know, the death of Christ,
verse 18, of course, no man takes my life from me. You see, somebody
may say, well, those old cruel people took Christ's life. Yeah, in a sense, they did what
they wanted to do. They did what their wicked hearts
planned to do. They did what God ordained to be done. Everything
they said and did, Every drop of spit was ordained from the
foundation of the world. Every lash of the whip, the driving
of the nail, they pierced my hands and feet, they plucked
out my beard. Every bit of that was ordained of God. Please the
Lord to bruise it. I lay my life down. No man takes my life from me. I lay it down of myself. He chose,
listen to me, He chose to be our surety. The Lamb slain from
the foundation of the world. He chose to come into the world. This can't be said of any creature.
He chose the nation to which he'd come, Israel. He chose the
tribe through which he'd come, Judah. He chose the family, Jesse,
David. He chose the woman who would
bear him. You loved your mama, but you
didn't choose her. Isn't that right? Our Lord did. He chose
the woman. She was of the house and lineage
of David. He chose the day he'd be born. He chose the town, Thou
Bethlehem. Did you make any choice? He chose the town where he'd
be born. He chose Nazareth. Can any good
thing come out of Nazareth? He chose Egypt. My son, I've
called out of Egypt. He chose how long he'd live here.
He chose how he would die, where he would die, when he would die,
and for whom he would die. He said, that's a great Savior. That's my Savior. That's my shepherd. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not walk. That's the only way you, you
cannot say that, I shall not want, if he's dwelling where
you let him. If he's doing what you let him.
If he's giving what you'll receive. Uh-uh. The only way you can say,
I shall not want, is to say, the Lord Almighty, the Lord Sovereign,
the Lord who does what he will, when he will, with whom he will,
and works all things out for my good. The Lord is my shepherd. Therefore, I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside
still waters. He restoreth my soul. He leadeth
me in pairs of righteousness for his namesake. He fills my
cup till it runs over." The Lord Jesus Christ wasn't
a beggar here and he's not one now. He's King of kings and Lord
of lords. Now that's the shepherd of the
sheep. And that's what the men of the
past all preached, who knew God. Augustine, Dacius, Polycarp,
Calvin, Luther, Spurgeon, Whitfield, Knox, Hurst, Edward, Bunyan,
Gill, that's what they preached, Cary, Judson, Brainerd, McShane,
The man whom God used through the years, the Heidelberg Confession,
the Westminster Confession, the London Confession, that's the word of God. That's the shepherd. And I tell
you, that's the one men worship. We don't play games, you know.
I don't have to impress you. You don't have to impress me.
We don't have to hold hands around here and burn candles and try
to create a religious atmosphere. You can drive down the highway
in the midst of a snowstorm and worship God while your nerves
are on edge and cars are whizzing by you and trucks are throwing
slush over your windshield. Thank God he runs things. He's
on the throne. I'm not concerned. Worship God. That's just facts. Truth, let
God be God and ever man alive. Worship Him with understanding,
with confidence, with faith. That's the shepherd of the sheep.
Worship Him in spirit, in your spirit, your heart, and in truth,
truth, not make-believe, not play a game, not put on. The
children make believe. They play like we used to say,
play like you're this and play like I'm that. We're not play-liking.
He is God. I bow to Him. Just that simple.
That's it. I bow to Him. Christ is the only
Savior. I receive Him. Heaven waits. I look with expectancy because
of what He did for me. Far. I lay down my eyes. Far.

The Shepherd of the Sheep

What does the Bible say about the Good Shepherd?

How do we know Jesus is the Good Shepherd?

Why is Jesus called the Good Shepherd?

What is the significance of Jesus saying 'I know my sheep'?

Why did Jesus lay down His life for His sheep?

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The Shepherd of the Sheep

What does the Bible say about the Good Shepherd?

How do we know Jesus is the Good Shepherd?

Why is Jesus called the Good Shepherd?

What is the significance of Jesus saying 'I know my sheep'?

Why did Jesus lay down His life for His sheep?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

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