A Different Kind of New Year’s Resolution
John 10:7-18
January 4, 2008
NOTE: THE ME/WE/GOD/YOU/WE FORMAT IS FROM ANDY STANLEY’S BOOK, "COMMUNICATING FOR A CHANGE."
Me: This is the time of year when we really hope to make a new start on things, or maybe start something new.
I made a few resolutions last year. Made some of them happen, missed some.
My one big health resolution last year was to stop drinking caffeine, and I was successful.
Now instead of drinking caffeine, I just eat coffee beans straight…
Actually, I’ve only had caffeine twice in the last 4 months, and those were drinks given to me by people who didn’t know I was cutting off.
This year I’m hoping to drop a few pounds around my gut.
I’ve got some spiritual goals this year, mainly getting some reading done that I’ve been wanting to do for awhile that have to deal with the spiritual life of pastors, leadership, and things like that, as well as continue my habit of reading through the Scriptures each year.
One of my biggest goals for the year, however, is to get to the point where I can take Saturdays off so I can spend them with my family.
This means getting more organized than I’ve been up to this point, so I would be grateful for your prayers on that front.
I tell you that because, just like my caffeine goal of last year, I want you to feel free to keep me accountable, and see how I’m doing, okay?
We: Anybody here make any New Year’s Resolutions? Any that they’d be willing to share?
I used to kinda “poo-poo” resolutions because it seems like that while January is the time to make them, February seems to be time to forget about them.
Now obviously that’s not true for everybody and every resolution, but for a lot of people, that’s what happens.
And for some of those people, it just adds to a sense of disappointment and regret in their lives.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Today I want to offer you a resolution that you can keep making year after year, because really it should be a regular part of your life all the time.
And I’m convinced that if you’re serious about this resolution, you’ll find a fullness to life that maybe you never thought possible.
God: The basis for what I want to share with you is found in John 10:1-18 (p. 759-760) –
1 "I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. 3 The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice." 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them.
7 Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
14 "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me-- 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father--and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life--only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."
As you saw from the slides, there was one thing in particular that I wanted to emphasize, and that is that Jesus came to give you a life that is full.
Full of what?
Full of direction, full of purpose, full of protection, full of provision, full of peace, full of family, full of everything we need to enjoy God and enjoy our lives in Him.
He wants that for you and He came to bring it to you.
Isn’t that great?
You look around at some Christians and you’ve just got to wonder if they’ve ever read this part of the Bible.
They seem to think that being a good Christian means they’ve got to go around pointing out all the bad in life and in the lives of other people.
They’re quick to judge, quick to speak negatively, quick to think that God’s main job is to punish people, including them.
There’s no joy, no fulfillment, no sense of purpose or meaning in life. And they’re miserable for the most part because they don’t recognize all the good that God has for them.
I often have to wonder what the “good news” of Jesus really means to them, because they don’t seem to think it’s “good.”
I’m not talking about those who go through tough times and are discouraged for a season. Some of you are going through some hard times right now.
Jesus never said that life would always be easy. I wish He would have!
But remember the words of that great gospel song, “I beg your pardon, I never promised you a rose garden.”
My point here is that Jesus didn’t come to give us a life of misery or just a so-so life. He came to give us a full life.
He wants us to enjoy Him and all His benefits.
And this full life is available to everyone here regardless of your circumstances.
He gave His life so we could not just get to heaven when we die, but so that we could also have a satisfying and fulfilling life here on earth.
You: So here’s the resolution I think we can all make:
Reach for the full life Jesus wants you to have and that he came to bring.
This passage talks about some ways to do that, and I want us to take a look at them.
1. Reach for the full life by making Jesus your savior.
Jesus talks about this a number of times in this passage.
In verse 9 He says –
“I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.”
A couple verses later He says –
"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
And then again in verse 15 He says –
“I lay down my life for the sheep.”
The shepherd is the one who keeps the sheep safe – both from predators and themselves.
I don’t know a lot about sheep, but from everything I’ve read about them, they’re one of the dumbest creatures on God’s earth.
Coming in a close second, I think, might be humans.
We think we know better than our Creator, so we go our own way, making our own rules, and the next thing you know, the wolves have us.
The Bible says that all of us have fallen prey to the wolves – we have all sinned. And the Shepherd gave His life so we could be saved from what we deserve for our sins.
If you’ve put your faith in Jesus for forgiveness and a home in heaven, then you’ve got this part covered.
The second way to make this resolution real in your life is to…
2. Reach for the full life by making Jesus your security.
In verses 12 and 13, Jesus paints a picture of a hired hand who really doesn’t care for the sheep, and in fact, will abandon them when danger comes.
He says, “So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away…(he) cares nothing for the sheep.”
But Jesus says that He is just the opposite. He won’t just stick around, He’ll go all out to protect His sheep.
He has given us His words and His Spirit to show us that when we live in the protection of His pasture, we’re safe.
We’re safe from the harm the world wants to bring to our hearts and souls. We’re safe from the wolves.
So many people look at Christianity as just a bunch of do’s and don’ts. What they don’t realize, and what we need to be reminded of once in a while is that those rules are there for our protection!
They are there to safeguard us. They’re like locks to keep us from running into the street in heavy traffic.
Any of you watch “Super Nanny?” I hate to admit it in front of the guys here, but I really like that show.
And what I like about it is that the Nanny, Jo Frost, really stresses rules in the house. And she stresses that rules are there for the their benefit and their protection.
Just on Friday, these little kids aged 6 and 5, I think, were running outside the house and into the swimming pool, unattended by the frantic babysitter who had absolutely no control over any of the three kiddos in that house.
Obviously, that’s not a good thing.
The solution, aside from helping these children understand the place of rules, included putting locks up high on the doors so the little bugger couldn’t get out.
Was that mean? Hardly. The parents’ job is to keep their children safe.
Jesus says that one of His jobs is to keep us safe.
So we reach for the full life by grabbing the security that is in Christ and His Word.
The third way to make this great resolution your own is to:
3. Reach for the full life by making Jesus your provision.
Jesus said in Matthew that if we would His Kingdom our priority, He would take care of our needs.
In this passage, He says in verse 9 –
“I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.”
Jesus is saying that if we let Him lead the way, we’ll have plenty to eat. And I don’t think He’s just talking about what’s on the supper table.
I think He’s saying that He’ll provide for all we need in every area of life – financially, vocationally, relationally, whatever.
If we follow Him – He takes care of us.
He’s proven it to me many times, and there are others in here today who can tell you the same thing.
Again, that’s not to say things won’t get tough from time to time.
But I can tell you that when we have put our trust in Him, and followed Him even during the tough times, He has provided.
I’ve told you some of those stories, and if you want to hear them again, come talk to me privately.
But in any case, I am fully aware that everything I have is from God, and that He has provided me with the ability to work and earn a paycheck.
That alone is huge. I hope you never take your talents and abilities for granted. They are from God to help you provide for your families.
And here’s the fourth way from this passage that will help us make this resolution real for us this year:
4. Reach for the full life by making Jesus your source of information.
Look back at verse 4 –
“When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.”
Folks, there are lots of voices out there trying to get your attention.
Some of those voices are bad, and some of them are good. But if even well-intentioned voices are telling you something that is contrary to Christ, then they’re wrong.
You need to listen to Jesus and filter everything else through His Word.
Obviously the best way to get that filter in place is to read the Scriptures so you can spot error when it comes up.
I read the newspaper through the filter of Scripture, especially the opinion pages. Everyone has opinions about stuff, but if their opinion contradicts Jesus, then their opinion is wrong.
I’ve had opinions that I’ve had to change because I found they were wrong, according to Jesus.
Folks, when we follow the voice of Jesus, we’re kept safe, we’re led to good pasture, we’re give security, and everything good we can need or want.
A follower of Jesus listens for the voice of Jesus.
(Pause)
The key to having this full life is in “knowing Jesus.”
Verse 14 –
“I know my sheep and my sheep know me.”
Here’s what I would suggest for a good first step in getting to know Christ better than ever:
Read through the gospels at least once this year.
Put aside your devotional books or booklets and just read the gospels. Don’t rely on another person’s knowledge of Jesus. Gain your own knowledge.
I’m not against devotionals and stuff like that – I use them from time to time myself. But they’re no substitute for you just taking the time to read about the life and teachings of Jesus on your own, asking the Holy Spirit to open your heart and your mind to greater understanding.
There’s only one real problem with this resolution to reach for the full life: it’s not very measurable.
You can’t say, “I’ve accomplished this,” and be able to check it off like you could if your resolution was more tangible like dropping some weight or changing out some habits.
So I’d suggest doing whatever you can to simply ask yourself throughout the year whether or not you’re intentionally reaching out for the full life in any of these areas.
We: Sheep may be dumb, but at least they understand that the Shepherd will take care of them if they’ll listen and follow.
Let’s show the world around us that we are first and foremost followers of Jesus.
No matter what we’re doing for a living, no matter how old or young we are, no matter our social or financial position.
First and foremost, followers of Jesus.
And because we’re, we’re confident that our lives will have something that those without Christ will never have: things like real meaning and purpose, real direction, real peace, because we have peace with God and we have the peace of God.
All these things that are part of what Christ means when He says He wants us to have a full life.
Note: for some reason I didn’t get my conclusion finished before I preached this - so I had to "wing it." Sorry about that!
