THE GOOD SHEPHERD – PART TWO
Friend, I greet you again, in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We want to continue with our discussion last time, on the Good Shepherd. Our major text is from Psalm 23. But today, as I’m going to introduce the Good Shepherd in the New Testament, we will go to John 10 and read some verses.
John 10:11, 15-18 Jesus says,
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.
15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.
17 “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. 18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”
PRAYER:
Thank You again, Lord. We have come to search Your Word. Let the entrance of Your Word give us light, life, health and all that we need for life and Godliness, in the Name of Jesus. Amen!
Last time, I introduced the Good Shepherd in the Old Testament. Today, we want to see the Good Shepherd in the New Testament. Our confidence in Him will grow; the better we get to know Him. And that is why we are spending time to introduce this Good Shepherd.
Before we go into the other aspect of what the Good Shepherd does, let us not assume that we know the Good Shepherd enough; for the finite, that is, you and myself can never come to a full knowledge of the Infinite – that is, God or the Good Shepherd.
In this discussion, I want us to look at:
- The identity of the Good Shepherd – Who He is
- The ability of the Good Shepherd – What He can do
- And the Quality of the Good Shepherd – His character
The Identity of the Good Shepherd – Who He is
The Good Shepherd has a consistent identity in the Old Testament as well as in the New Testament. In the Old Testament He is identified as the LORD – capital L, capital O, capital R, capital D, which means, Jehovah the I AM.
Exodus 3:14, that’s where God introduced Himself to Israel through Moses as the I AM. He told Moses when he was asking, what’s your name; what will I tell them when I go to them? He said, Tell them that I AM has sent you. And we find that in the New Testament He is still the I AM. Is it any wonder then that Jesus expresses Himself as the I AM seven times in the Gospel of John?
And the Gospel of John is the book that presents Him as the GODMAN. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1
John 1:14
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
This GODMAN is the I AM. Jesus says in John 6:51, I am the living bread…
In John 8:12, I am the Light of the world;
In John 10:9, I am the Door;
In John 10:11, I am the Good Shepherd;
In John 11:25, I am the Resurrection and the Life;
In John 14:6, I am the Way, the Truth and the Life;
In John 15:1, I am the True Vine – and My Father is the Vinedresser.
Notice that none of the above claims is an empty claim. Each one has its justification.
I am the Living Bread. Because I am the Living Bread if anyone eats of this bread, Jesus says, he will live forever.
Because I am the Light of the world, he who follows Me shall never walk in darkness.
Because I am the Door anyone who enters in by Me will be safe.
Because I am the Good Shepherd, I will give My Life for the sheep.
Because I am the Resurrection and the Life, he who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live.
I am the Way, Truth and the Life. There is no other way by the Father except by Me.
So, you see that all of these claims, each one has its justification. But in case you are not convinced that Jesus is saying that He is Jehovah in those claims, listen to this exchange between Jesus and the Jews:
John 8:56-59
56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.”
57 Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?”
58 Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”
And listen to the implication of what He said.
John 8:59
59 Then they took up stones to throw at Him.
Why? Because He had “blasphemed”.
What are the implications of His identities as Jehovah?
As Jehovah He is the uncreated Creator. All created things have their explanation in Him. And His own existence is explained by Himself and Himself alone. He is self-existent. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. John 1:3&10
Colossians 1:16
16For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.
The Good Shepherd is the I AM. And as the I AM, He is the uncreated Creator. As the I AM and as the uncreated Creator, He cannot but be self-sufficient. And if He is self-sufficient He must be all-sufficient. And because He is all-sufficient you cannot serve Him as though He were a beggar – as though He cannot do without you. In fact, He can do without you; He can do without me – but we cannot do without Him. We need Him. He does not need us to be God.
I have heard some people say that God needed fellowship so much, so He created man. That is close to blasphemy. God is not in need of anything because He is the uncreated Creator; and He is self-sufficient. He had enough fellowship in the trinity.
Acts 17:24-25
24 “God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands
[He doesn’t need us to build Him a place]. 25 Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.
If He gives to you and to me the very life that we have, the breath that we have and all things, why do you serve Him then as though He is dependent on you? You are the one who is supposed to be dependent on Him. What a blessed thing to have the self-existent, self-sufficient and the all-sufficient Jehovah as my Shepherd, as my Shepherd – if you would receive Him. If this does not boost your confidence in Him; if this does not make you fully dependent on Him, nothing else will, friend. The sheep of Jehovah has nothing to worry about, nothing to fear in time and eternity. Let me say that again, the sheep of Jehovah the great I AM has nothing to worry about, nothing to fear, both in time and in eternity. That’s why Jesus says in Matthew 6, do not worry – do not worry! Look at the birds of the air. They do not worry about anything and yet you are far greater in importance than they, because the Good Shepherd takes good care of His own. The sheep of Jehovah has nothing to worry about – nothing to fear. No wonder His sheep can boldly say, I shall not want. How about you, friend?
What is important, actually, is your choice – your decision regarding the Good Shepherd. If only you will come to the realization that the Good Shepherd is who you need in this life, and then you would come to Him humbly as a sinner and yield yourself to Him unreservedly you will not have anything to worry about, in time and in eternity. Much of our worry, much of our anxiety is because we do not know Him well enough. When you do get to know Him, you will worry less.
I invite you, friend, to submit your life, yourself to the Good Shepherd.
PRAYER:
Father, as many as are surrendering their lives to this Good Shepherd, the great I AM, the uncreated Creator, the One who is in control of the universe, the One who looks after His own with all the power in heaven and on earth; as many as are coming to Him now, I say Lord, manifest Yourself to them. As You forgive their sins give them assurance and undertake for them O God, for now and unto eternity, in the Name of Jesus we pray. Amen!