The Shepherd and His Sheep

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

Jesus, as the Good Shepherd, lays down His life for His sheep, knowing them intimately and personally. In John 10:14-15, Jesus identifies Himself as the Good Shepherd, emphasizing His unique role as the only one who can bring salvation. He claims, 'I know my sheep, and my sheep know me,' highlighting the personal and intimate relationship He has with His followers. This relationship is not just superficial, but as deep as the knowledge shared between the Father and the Son. Jesus lays down His life for His sheep, ensuring their eternal security. The essence of His shepherding is about protection, guidance, and the sacrificial love He displays through His death and resurrection.

Q: How do we know that Jesus laid down His life for His sheep?

Jesus explicitly states that He lays down His life for His sheep, demonstrating a specific purpose in His sacrifice. In John 10:15, Jesus asserts, 'I lay down my life for the sheep.' This statement defines the scope and intention behind His death. Unlike a generic offer, Christ's sacrifice is effectual—it serves a specific purpose for those whom the Father has given Him. The assurance lies in the fact that His death was not in vain but fully intended for the redemption of His sheep. This truth resonates with the entirety of Scripture, affirming that His sacrificial act is a fulfillment of God's eternal covenant and love for His chosen people.

Q: Why is it important for Christians to understand the concept of Christ as the Shepherd?

Understanding Christ as the Shepherd affirms His authority, love, and the security He provides to believers. Recognizing Jesus as the Shepherd is crucial for Christians as it encapsulates the depth of His commitment to His followers. In John 10:14-16, He not only identifies Himself as the Good Shepherd but also highlights the intimate connection with His sheep, indicating that they will hear His voice. This relationship assures believers of their security in Christ—no one can snatch them from His hand (John 10:28). Knowing that Christ actively shepherds and protects His people encourages a life of faith, trust, and obedience, knowing that their salvation and well-being rest in His capable hands.

I'm going to speak today from
the 10th chapter of John. If you'd like to follow in your
Bibles, I wish you would. Turn to John chapter 10, and
our subject is the shepherd and his sheep, the shepherd and his
sheep. But now, while you're turning
to the Scripture in John 10, I want to make two or three comments
about this message and about this subject I'm dealing with
today. First of all, when our Lord... These are the words of
Christ. These are the words of the Master
in John chapter 10. And when these words of Christ
were spoken to the religious people of that particular day,
it caused great anger. It caused much division. When
our Lord spoke these words, The people who heard him got very
angry, and the scripture says there was a division among the
people because of what he said. Now let me read you that. This
is down in verse 19, John 10, 19. And when he said these things,
there was a division among the people for these sayings. And
many of them said, he has a devil. He has a devil. He's crazy. He's
mad. Why do you listen to him?" Now,
that was the response to this message that our Lord preached
in John 10. That was the response. They got
angry. There was a great division among
the people because of these sayings. And some of them even accused
Him of being demon-possessed. They accused the Lord of glory
of being demon-possessed and of being crazy. And they asked
people, why do you listen to Him? Now, that was the response
to the message when he preached it. And I might add today, this
message that I'm going to bring in a few moments and these words
of Christ our Lord are in direct conflict with most of today's
organized religion. I know that before I begin. And
these words literally contradict what most preachers preach today
and what most people believe today. And when I bring this
message, it is a message that caused division then, and it's
a message that causes division today. But these are the words
of the Master. These are the words of the Son
of God, and they're plain words, clear words, easy, easy to be
understood. Now, you listen to them. I'm
just going to Let's start with verse 14, John 10, 14. And let's just read these words
that our Lord preached. This was a message He preached
that caused so much division. There was a division. These men
got angry. These were religious people,
religious leaders, and they got angry because of what He said,
even accusing Him of being demon-possessed and being crazy. and asking people,
why do you listen to it? Now, listen to the Word. First
of all, in John 14, he said, I am the good shepherd. I am the good shepherd. Now,
whatever type or symbol our Lord chose by which to reveal Himself
and His work, He is always the only one. He didn't say, I am
a shepherd, one of many shepherds. He said, I'm Thee. shepherd. I'm the good shepherd." And every
time he used a type or a symbol or a picture, he always identified
himself as being the only one. He said, I am the doer. By me,
if any man enter in, he shall be saved and go in and out and
find pasture. I'm the only doer. I'm the doer,
the only one. And then he said, I am the bread
of life. I'm the bread of life. There
is no other bread. He said, Moses gave you not that
bread from heaven. You eat of that bread that Moses
gave you and die. I am the living bread. And then he said, I am the way.
There's no other way. I am the truth. All truth is
in Christ. I am the life. I'm the way, the
truth, and the life. And no man cometh to the Father
but by me. And here he begins this message
in this way, begins this part of the message with, I am the
good shepherd, the good shepherd and the only one. He has no rival. He has no equal. He has no competitor. The Bible calls him the chief
shepherd. The Word of God calls him the
great shepherd. He's the only seed of woman.
There is no other seed of woman. The seed of woman is promised
all the way back in Genesis 3, right after the fall in the garden
at the beginning of this creation as we know it. He's the only
seed of woman. He's the only priest like Melchizedek. He's the only prophet like Moses.
He's the only king like David. He is the, he said, I am the
good shepherd. And my friends, if he's not your
shepherd, then you have no shepherd because he's the shepherd, the
good shepherd. Other foundation can no man lay
than that which is laid, Christ the Lord. There's none other
name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved."
You see what he's saying? I am the good shepherd. All right, go to the next line.
And he said, I know my sheep I know my sheep." Now, the word,
know, there, I know my sheep, K-N-O-W, has many meanings. He owns them. He loves them. He possesses them. They belong
to Him. And He's acquainted with them.
He knows them by name. He knows. He said, I know my
sheep, my sheep. He owns them. They're His sheep.
He calls them, my church. He calls them My disciples. He calls them My sheep. He calls
them My jewels. When I make up My jewels, My
brothers. You see, the Father gave them
to Him. Verse 29 says, My Father which gave them Me is greater
than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father's
hand. In His great priestly prayer in John 17, six times, Six times he mentions the fact
that God gave him these people. He owns them. They're his. They're
my sheep. I know my sheep. I know them, he said, by name.
In fact, verse 3, back there in John 10, 3, says he calls
them by name. He certainly called Abraham by
name. Abraham, get thee out of thy father's house. Zacchaeus,
come down. Matthew, follow me. saw, saw
my persecutors down me." He knows them. I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep. They're my sheep. They belong to me. My Father
gave them to me. And He's always known His sheep.
He said to Jeremiah, before I formed thee in the belly, before you
came out of your mother's womb, I sanctified you. I ordained
you. I knew you. Paul said, God who
separated me from my mother's womb, Galatians 1.15, and called
me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me. And
Paul, writing to the church at Thessalonica, said, We're bound
to give thanks unto God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord,
because God hath from the beginning, from the beginning, how long
has he known his sheep? From the beginning chosen you
unto salvation. This word, K-N-O-W, know. You say, well, he knows everybody.
He knows about them. He knows their birth. But he
said in Matthew 7, 23, to those at the judgment who boasted of
their works in his name, I never knew you. I never knew you. They said, well, we preached
in your name and cast out devils and did many wonderful works
in your name. I never knew you. I never knew you." He said, I
am the good shepherd. I know my sheep. I own them. I call them by name. My Father
gave them to me. I've always known them, and I
always will know them. And look at the next line, and
my sheep know me. They know me. In John 17, again
referring to that high priestly prayer, He said, Thou hast given
me power over all flesh, that I should give eternal life to
as many as Thou hast given me. And this is life eternal, that
they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom
Thou hast sent. He said, I know my sheep, and
my sheep know Me. They know Me. They know the Father,
the only true and living God, and they know Me, Jesus Christ,
whom He has sent. They know Me. In I John 5, John
wrote this, and we know that the Son of God hath come and
hath given us an understanding that we may know Him that is
true and that we're in Him that is true. And this is the true
God. This is eternal life, to know
Him. Paul said that, I know whom I
have believed. I know Him. Job said that. I know my Redeemer liveth. How do they know Him? They know
Him as the one true and living God. They know Him as Christ,
the Son of God, the Son of Man, the God-Man. They know Him as
the surety of the everlasting covenant in which they take great
comfort and delight. They know Him as their prophet,
priest, and king. They know Him as their one and
only Mediator. and they know him as their Lord. My sheep know me." All right,
he went on in verse 15. I'm the good shepherd. I know
my sheep. My sheep know me. And verse 15
says this, as the Father knows me and I know the Father. How
well does Christ know his sheep? Now you listen carefully. This
is a mystery. Paul called it a mystery. the
mystery of Christ and His church. How well does Christ know His
sheep? And how intimately is He related to them? He tells
us. He says, I know my sheep, my sheep know me, as the Father
knows me and I know the Father. That's how intimately they're
related. He knows and loves His sheep
as the Father knows and loves Him. He prayed again in John
17. He said that those that thou
hast given me, I pray that they may be one Father as thou art
in me and I in thee, inseparably joined to Christ. You know how
close the sheep are to Christ? He said He's the head and we're
the body. Now you figure that one out.
That's how closely related His sheep are to Him. They're part
of Him. They're in Him. He's the head. They're the body.
He's the vine. They're the branches. You know,
when you look at a tree, you don't say, well, there's the
tree trunk, and there's the branches, and there's... No, you just say
there's a tree. The vine and the branches are one. When you
see a person, you don't say, well, there goes a head, and
there goes a body. No, there goes a person. They're
one. And that's what he's saying here,
I know my sheep, I'm known of them. As the father knows me,
and I know the father. Oh, that's a mystery, but it's
true. They're one. He didn't quit,
listen. And I lay down my life for the
sheep. I'm the good shepherd, I know my sheep, and they know
me. As the father knows me, as I
know the father, I lay down my life for the sheep." Now, listen
a moment. Jesus Christ came into the world. No doubt about that. The Bible
says, "...in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God. And all things were made by Him.
Without Him was not anything made that was made. And the Word
was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory."
John said, "...we saw Him, we touched Him, and we heard Him."
He came into the world. No doubt about that. Jesus Christ
is the Son of God. He's the Son of Man. No doubt
about it. I'm going to speak next week
on what the witnesses had to say about that. Jesus Christ
lived on this earth a perfect life without sin. No doubt about it. Jesus Christ
died on a cross. There's no doubt about that.
That's true. and he rose again. In other words,
Jesus Christ laid down his life. Well, the question is, for whom
did Jesus Christ lay down his life? For whom did he come into
this world? For whom did he obey the law?
For whom did he rise from the grave and ascend to heaven? And
for whom does he live and intercede? For whom did he suffer? For whom
does he pray? Well, let him tell us. I'm the
good shepherd, the only one. I know my sheep. I know my sheep,
and they know me. As my Father knoweth me, even
so I know the sheep, and I lay down my life for my sheep. I
lay down my life for my sheep. Let's go back to John 17 again,
in the ninth verse. He said, I pray not for the world.
I pray for those whom thou hast given me. They are Thine, and
all mine are Thine. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities.
The chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes
we are healed." Whom? The sheep of Christ. You know,
if you look down at verse 24 of John 10, when he spoke these
words in verse 24, some of these religious fellows gathered around
him. And they said to him now, he'd
been talking about these sheep, I'm the good shepherd, I know
my sheep, they know me. As my father knoweth me and I
know the father, so I know the sheep. And I lay down my life
for the sheep. And they'll never perish, I give them eternal life.
And these fellows began to ask him this, they said, well now,
if you be the Christ, tell us plainly, if you're the Christ,
if you're the Messiah, if you're the Son of David, tell us plainly."
He said, I told you. I told you. And you didn't believe
me. Look there at verse 29, 24 and
25. I told you and you didn't believe
me. The works that my Father bear
witness of me. They tell you who I am. But every
plant that my Father hath not planted shall be rooted up. You
believe not because you're not of my sheep. That's why you don't
believe. My sheep, hear my voice. And they follow me, and I give
them eternal life, and they'll never perish. My Father which
gave them me is greater than all, and no man's able to pluck
them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one." That's
when they took up stones to stone him. So if you ask me, for whom
did Jesus Christ die? I tell you, he died for his sheep.
Whoever they are, wherever they are. You ask me, for whom did
Jesus Christ die? I say he died for the same people
for whom he prayed. He said, I pray for them which
thou hast given me. I pray not for the world. I pray
for them which thou hast given me. I lay down my life for the
sheep. The death of the Son of God is no offer. It's a gift. The death of the Son of God is
not an attempt to redeem. It's an effectual redemption.
He cannot fail. The death of the Son of God is
no failure. He shall see His seed and be
satisfied. The death of the Son of God is
no down payment. It's a full payment. Jesus paid
it all. All the debt I owed. Sin left
a crimson stain and He washed it white as snow. Are you with
me? You say, that's kind of contrary
to what I've always heard. That's what I said when I started
this message. He preached this message. And
there was a division. They said, you're crazy. You
have a devil. They said, why are you folks
listening to him? But this is what he said. I'm the good shepherd.
I know my sheep. And the sheep know me. And I
know the sheep. As the Father knows me and I
know the Father, even so I lay down my life for the sheep. Now
watch this next comment, verse 16. He then looked at these few
disciples. these 12 men standing about him.
And he said this in verse 16, "...and other sheep I have which
are not of this foe." Other sheep I have. He didn't say I might
have if they'll let me. He didn't say I could have them
if enough people will be soul winners and talk them into making
a profession. He said, other sheep I have.
I know these sheep and other sheep I have. This is not all,
not just this Handful here these few Jews our Lord has a people
out of every tribe kindred nation tongue unto heaven As the sands
of the seashore has the stars of the sky multitude which no
man can number and Watch what he says other sheep. I have which
are not of this foe them also I must bring I must bring He's
the surety of an everlasting covenant. He must bring them.
He must bring them to Himself. He must bring them to the Father.
He must bring them to glory. He must bring them, every one
of them. I must bring them. Must. The Son of Man must be
lifted up. And then He said this, And they
shall hear My voice. They shall. This is so positive. They shall hear my voice. Other
sheep I have, which are not of this foal, them I must also bring,
and they shall hear my voice." Well, will He speak to them from
heaven? No. Will He speak to them in a dream
or a vision? Nope. Well, how will He speak
to them? By His Word, through His preachers. Like the Ethiopian eunuch. He
heard a preacher. He was one of God's sheep. And
God sent Philip to him to preach the gospel to him. He heard that
gospel, came to Christ. Cornelius, he's one of the sheep. God sent Peter to him, he heard
the gospel, came to Christ. Lydia, one of the sheep, God
sent Paul to her. The Philippian jailer. You see,
in Romans chapter 10, it said this, Romans the 10th chapter.
Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
But how shall they call on him in whom they've not believed?
And how shall they believe in him of whom they've not heard? My sheep, what? Hear my voice. And how shall they hear without
a preacher? And how shall they preach except
they be sent?" You see, God had chosen by the foolishness of
preaching to save them that believe. Romans 1, 16, Paul said, I'm
not ashamed of the gospel. The gospel is the power of God
unto salvation to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For therein
is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith. Of his own
will beget he us with the word of truth. My sheep hear my voice. And that's how they hear his
voice, through his word. It's not a matter of selling
something. We're not insurance salesmen. We're not trying to
close a deal. We're proclaiming the gospel. We're preaching the
truth. We're preaching the good news,
the glad tidings of redemption through Jesus Christ. And he
said, My sheep will hear my voice. I'm the good shepherd. I know
my sheep. As the Father knows me and I
know the Father, so I know the sheep. And I lay down my life
for the sheep. And other sheep I have. They're mine. My Father
gave them to me. And they're my must-bring. And
they shall hear my voice." There's no if, ands, perhaps, buts about
it. They shall hear my voice. And
they shall be one foal and one shepherd. That's so clear. And then verse 17, listen. Therefore
doth my Father love me. My Father loves me. You know,
All men today need to hear the truth about God's love. We've
heard enough error on this subject. I don't know how preachers can
point their finger at a television camera and at the people listening
and say, smile, God loves you. Smile, God loves you. How do
you know God loves them? We say God loves everybody. It's
not what the Bible says. Bible said he hated Esau. Jacob
have a love, Esau have a hated. The Bible says he hates the workers
of iniquity. The Bible says he's angry with
the wicked every day. The Bible says he that believeth
not on the Son, the wrath of God, the what? The wrath of God
abideth on him. The flood in the days of Noah,
was that expression of love or judgment? The burning of the
cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, was that an expression of love?
Did God love those people? But I'd be much obliged if He
didn't love me. He poured out His wrath on them. I'll tell
you where the love of God is. The Father loves the Son, and
He loves everyone in the Son. He that believeth on the Son
hath life. He that believeth not on the
Son of God shall not see life. The wrath of God abideth on him. The love of God was on that ark.
And everybody outside the ark was under the judgment and wrath
of God. God's love was upon the ark. We need to hear the truth
about God's love. It's in Christ. It's indescribable. Oh, love
of God, how rich, how pure, how measureless, how strong. It shall
forevermore endure, the saints and angels saw. It's everlasting. He said, I've drawn you with
an everlasting love. It's unchanging. I'm the Lord,
I change not. He's the same yesterday, today,
and forever. It's in Christ. Nothing can separate
us from the love of God which is in Jesus Christ our Lord. That's where God's love is. He
that loveth me, him will my Father love. I'm telling you that, and
I'm telling you the truth. The Father loves the Son. and
hath given all things into his hands." And that's where the
love of God is, and it's just like the days of the flood. God's
love is upon the ark, and Christ is that ark. Outside of Christ,
there's no love. He said, I lay down my life that
I might take it again, verse 18. No man takes my life. I lay
it down. I have the power to lay it down.
I have the power to take it up again. This commandment have
I received of my Father. My friends, our Lord is not a
beggar. He's a king. Our Lord is not a weak, impotent,
failing, frustrated, defeated superstar. He's a sovereign,
conquering, victorious, omnipotent Lord and Savior. Our Lord has
a people. They're called His sheep. Oh,
by His grace, may I be one of those sheep. For He said, I'm
the good shepherd. I know my sheep. and I lay down
my life for my sheep, and they'll never perish, neither shall any
man pluck them out of my hand. My Father gave them to me, and
no man can pluck them out of my Father's hand." You want this
message? The title of it is, The Shepherd
and the Sheep. On the other side, I have a message
on six serious solemn charges. Write for it. Here's the address.
Send $2. We'll mail it to you. Until next week, God bless you.

The Shepherd and His Sheep

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

How do we know that Jesus laid down His life for His sheep?

Why is it important for Christians to understand the concept of Christ as the Shepherd?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

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The Shepherd and His Sheep

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

How do we know that Jesus laid down His life for His sheep?

Why is it important for Christians to understand the concept of Christ as the Shepherd?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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