“Doors and Shepherds” – I Am Sermon Series
John 10:7-16 ~ Psalm 23 ~ et al
February 9, 2003
(Note: this sermon uses a technique called the Lowry Loop which is basically telling all the negative and then showing how the Gospel speaks and liberates us from it.)
Purpose: Jesus is committed to care for, keep watch over, and protect those who are His.
Introduction – I don’t know about you, but to me, things haven’t been looking to good lately.
- with war on the horizon…the stock market has slumped, our children and our neighbor’s children are being sent over seas in vast numbers separating families for unknown periods of time, and just this week we’ve been put on high alert by our government telling us that Sept. 11 could happen all over again.
- and if that weren’t enough…we saw 72 cars pile-up on an I-94 killing one and injuring many, we’ve seen people move from high paying careers to low-paying jobs due to the poor economy and other factors, and as a nation, we are still grieving the loss of seven courageous astronauts of Columbia.
- and if we were to widen our scope…we would hear about extensive flooding in Mozambique, a severe cold spell hitting South Asia, continued recovery form hurricanes, tropical storms, and typhoons around the globe, hunger in Zimbabwe and Central America, nuclear worries stirred up by Kim Jong Il in North Korea, and the extensive earthquake damage in Mexico…to just name a few.
And in the midst of it all, it seems like people are trying to persuade us this way, while others are trying to pull us in a different directions. We sense that there is so much to do, so much that needs to be understood, so much that we cannot begin to get our minds around it all.
A feeling of helplessness pervades our thinking…like sheep without a shepherd…it seems that humanity in our “humanness” is wandering all over the place and not finding any source of faith, hope, and love anywhere.
But we often forget that Jesus has told us all of this would happen. In fact, through the Word we are told that this is only the beginning. “Wars and rumors of wars…hunger…failing world systems…crumbling economies” are not a surprise to our Creator.
But there is some good news this morning…
Jesus said not only is He the door that provides access, protection, and the only entrance to the
kingdom of His father, but He is also the good shepherd, willing to lay down His life for
those of his fold, as well as those who will be of his fold.
Jesus is committed to care for, keep watch over, and protect those who are and who will be His.
But how does this happen…how should we respond?
I
First, I believe that we need to understand that we are protected by the strongest of doors.
This isn’t often easy to remember! When we have television blaring high alert levels,
radios in our cars relating and repeating all the bad news, and newspapers delivered to our homes each day reminding us of all that’s wrong in the world, we tend to forget that we don’t have to let the “thief come to steal, to kill, to destroy” (v.10) our faith.
Instead, we as the people of Jesus Christ can proclaim from the rooftops that even in these days
our God has come, a door has been provided, so that “we may have life and have it more abundantly!” (v.10)
Jesus said that “If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find
pasture.” I don’t know about you, but some pasture sounds good this morning…Amen?
I’m sick of listening to the nay-sayers…
Like the words of the old gospel spiritual, I don’t need to study war no more…
Instead of relying upon my own strengths and abilities, and of those around me, I’m going to stand up and shout that I am a protected member of the body of Christ and there is nothing that this world can say or do to tell me any different!
I will still pray that those who lead will do so by God’s will. But I will do so recognizing that I am a part of a protected people, protected by the strongest of doors that no human can destroy.
II
The second part of the good news is that we are following this great shepherd and no one else.
Church, please hear me clearly when I tell you that there are many hirelings running
around that aren’t doing dittily to protect this flock from the wolves.
There are hirelings telling us that we need to make more, be more, and have more…that we need make our own way at the expense of everyone else…that we need to forget about others and focus on ourselves…
There are other hirelings even in the universal church, that draw us away with this issue or that,
instead of healing, they talk about division, instead of focusing on Christ, they focus on themselves, instead of coming and protecting when the times get tough, they flee, leaving their followers to that pack of wolves that always follows…(v.12)
There are hirelings, that are screaming at with all the lung power they can muster that we should be following them…but the Bible says otherwise.
Hear me closely when I tell you...we are foreigners in this world! We may live here…we may work here…we may worship hear…But our Bibles tell us that as the flock of Jesus Christ, we don’t follow just because someone shouts the loudest…
In fact, this flock already has a good shepherd…in fact, THE good shepherd. Hired hands need not apply
here.
(Pslam 23 rewritten)
Our good shepherd finds the green pastures. He leads us beside still waters.He restores our soul.
We have no wants because our good shepherd leads us in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.
Threaten us with death…go for it…we fear no evil.
Our shepherd is with us, guiding, protecting, and directing us.
Even in the presence of the enemy, we have no fear…
It is Christ who heals our wounds by anointing our heads with oil. It is Christ who said that through his providence we have an “abundant life” so much that our cup runs over. It is because of Christ we can say with confidence, that goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our lives.
Why? Because we will dwell in His House forever.
We are following the Great Shepherd.
We are protected by the strongest of doors.
III
And the third part of this good news is that we are spiritual more than physical.
The minute we put more focus on our physically safety than over our spiritual safety, we miss one of the basic points of our faith.
We are “one flock” led by one Spiritual Shepherd!
Paul said to the church at Corinth, “We walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Cor. 5:7)
In 2 Corinthians 5:1ff, Paul leads up to this fact by saying the following(according to Peterson’s translation)
“We know that when these bodies of ours are taken down like tents and folded away,they will be replaced by resurrection bodies in heaven—God made, not handmade—
and we’ll never have to relocate our “tents” again.
Yes, sometimes we can hardly wait to move—and so we cry in frustration. But compared to what’s coming, living conditions around here seem like a stopover in an unfurnished shack, and we’re tired of it!
We’ve been given a glimpse of the real thing, our true home, our resurrection bodies! The Spirit of God whets our appetite by giving us a taste of what’s ahead. He puts a little of heaven in our hearts so that we’ll never settle for less.”
That’s why we live with confidence and good cheer. You won’t see us drooping our heads or dragging our feet! Cramped conditions here don’t get us down. They only remind us of the spacious living conditions ahead.
(NIV) We walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. We are a spiritual people, much more than just physical.
Isn’t that what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount… (Matthew 6:25)
Do not worry about what you will eat and what you will drink (the physical) but seek first the kingdom of God and its righteousness and then everything will be added. (the spiritual)
Does that make us foreigners in our own land? Unfortunately….yes.
And it makes us so very different from so many around us who have no hope…who have no joy…who see no abundant life in their future.
Because when we place our minds on the spiritual, the physical doesn’t seem to be as important anymore.
When we take the time to feed the spiritual in devotions, Bible Study, and worship, the physical
begins to take care of itself.
When we become the spiritual beings that our Creator has intended us to be, then we can speak to the spiritual and physical needs of others.
Conclusion
Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd…I know My sheep and am known by them..”
We can be protected by the strongest of doors.
We can follow this great shepherd instead of the hirelings who lead people astray.
We can strive to be more spiritual than physical trusting God himself and nurturing the
relationship we have through His Son, Jesus Christ.
Praise God we can say that no matter what happens in this world, we know that we are cared for, kept watch over, and protected as a sheepherder would care for his sheep, as a door that keeps out those who would do us harm, and as a parent who cares for their children.
Even in the midst of all that is happening around us…we hear our Shepherd’s voice and we follow.
Will you join me in prayer?
Gracious Shepherd,
We come to you in the midst of all that is happening around us over-burdened, over-wrought, and over-run.
We turn on the television each day Lord, and see a world that is falling apart, even as it thinks that it’s making progress.
Lord, we’ve had enough! Our strength is waning…
But we realize in these moments, when we are at are worst, you are at your best.
Shine your light in the midst of the darkness.
Be the door that gives salvation, leading us to greener pastures.
Be the good shepherd, who not only laid down his life for his sheep, but one who continues to protect, provide, and be known by your flock.
Lord, we tired of listening to hirelings, who are here today and gone tomorrow. We are tired of letting this world making us feel hopeless, as each passing day goes by.
Help us to remember that only you protect perfectly, that only you are the good shepherd, and that our physical life is in no comparison to our spiritual life that is to come.
In the name of our great shepherd, we pray…Amen.
#381 – Savior, Like A Shepherd Lead Us
Closing Blessing – As we leave this place…
May the Shepherd be with us to guide us.
May the Door who protects be near and be our refuge.
And may we experience the Spirit who leads and directs, as we continue in the journey.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, may this be our prayer…Amen
NOTE: If you did not find this sermon helpful, please contact me (gb@clergy.net) and tell me why. I appreciate everyone’s advice. Thanks.
