Sermon Central
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Follow The Lord To The Fullest! - Part 2 Series
Contributed by Rick Crandall on Oct 21, 2019 (message contributor)
Summary: Follow the Good Shepherd because: 1. You will get to know God (vs.1-5). 2. He will put you on the right paths in life (vs. 4-5). 3. He will protect you from spiritual predators (vs. 6-10). 4. He sacrificed Himself to save us (vs. 9-11).
Follow the Lord to the Fullest! - Part 2
The Gospel of John
Sermon by Rick Crandall
Grayson Baptist Church - February 22, 2017
(Revised October 21, 2019)
BACKGROUND:
*As we crossed over from John 9 to 10, we started to look at some of the great reasons why people should follow our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ:
-His standards are supreme, because He is the only perfect Judge.
-His warnings are wise because His wisdom is infinite.
-He is God the Son who humbled Himself to become a human being.
-And He is the only door for our deliverance from sin and death.
*Tonight we will continue to see why everyone should follow Jesus, and it all centers around the Lord's statement in vs. 11: "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep." This is the fifth of the eight "I AM" statements Jesus made in John's Gospel.
*First in John 6, Jesus made several statements about being the bread of life. In John 6:35 Jesus said, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst." In John 6:41 He said, "I am the bread which came down from heaven.'' Again, in John 6:48 Jesus said, "I am the bread of life." And in John 6:51 the Lord said, "I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.''
*Then in John 8 and 9, Jesus spoke about being the light of the world. In John 8:12 He said, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.'' And in John 9:5, He said, "As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.''
*Also in John 8, Jesus spoke about being the timeless one who has existed for all eternity. Starting in John 8:56 Jesus said:
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.''
*Then here in John 10:7 Jesus told the Jews, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep." Through all of these statements Jesus was claiming to be more than a man. He was claiming to be the only true and living Lord God who revealed Himself in the Old Testament by the name "I AM."
*God first used this name for Himself when He appeared to Moses in the burning bush. And in Exodus 3:10-14, God said:
10. "Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.''
11. But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?''
12. So He said, "I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.''
13. Then Moses said to God, "Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they say to me, 'What is His name?' what shall I say to them?''
14. And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM.'' And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'''
*In Hebrew this name "I AM" was "Jehovah" or "Yahweh," and God used this name almost 7,000 times in the Old Testament. The exact pronunciation and spelling have been lost, because this name was so holy the scribes and teachers didn't dare to pronounce it or completely write it out. Instead, they would write the Hebrew letters equal to our letters YHWH. In many of our English Bibles it shows up as "LORD" written with all capital letters. (1)
*The name "Jehovah" also shows up almost a thousand times in the New Testament because the name "Jesus" means "Jehovah is salvation." And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM.'' And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'''
*Jesus wants the whole world to know that He is the "I AM" Lord God of the Old Testament. And here in vs. 11 Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep."
