Sermon
The Good Shepherd
John 10:9–14
U.S. Army Chaplain (MAJ) Ken Harris, Jr.
Taegu, Korea
I. ANNOUNCE THE PERICOPE: John 10:9-14
OTHER REFERENCES: Isaiah 40: 11 (Comfort for God’s People): He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart. Ezekiel 34: 23(Shepherds and sheep): I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend to them; he will tend them and be their shepherd. Hebrews 13: 20 (Resurrection of the Shepherd): May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep. 1 Peter 5: 4 (The Chief Shepherd): And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away; Psalm 23 (The Lord is my Shepherd).
II. READ THE PERICOPE: John 10: 9 - 14
III. READ THE TEXT: John 10: 11 – 13 (…11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. 12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. 13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
IV. PURPOSE: To motivate the hearers to become dependent upon Jesus (as their Lord and Savior) to be their Good Shepherd.
V. SERMONIC THEME: “The Good Shepherd”
*********TAKE 5 BEATS*********
MOVE 1: Can we say together, “I thank the Lord for letting me live. After being alive…for I am born again.” Now if that’s not your testimony, please know that it can be your testimony before you leave this place on today. Is that alright?
a. Turn to someone and say, “Neighbor…The Good Shepherd.” The Good Shepherd…
b. The book of Psalms 23 is one of the most powerful poignant Psalms that we could ever read. Theologically speaking…it is a book that identifies folk like us.
c. It identifies folk who are hurting in their hearts sometimes.
d. It identifies folk that don’t quite understand why things happen the way they do.
e. It identifies folk that sometimes find themselves in turmoil.
f. You don’t really understand why you’re there. All you know is one morning you woke up and you were feeling good and it was sunny outside. Then the next morning, you were running for your spiritual life.
********TAKE 5 BEATS********
MOVE 2: When I read the book of Psalms 23, it does something to me. When I was reading it last night and early this morning, tears broke through my eyes and I just couldn’t help it.
a. For don’t you remember David. In 2 Samuel Chapter 15 , David, with all his wisdom, had done some things WRONG in his life. Sometimes wrong things happened without trying. I wish I had a witness in here.
b. Sometimes we can do wrong things by mistake and not even know it. By omitting to do the right thing, we can do a wrong thing.
c. Turn to someone and say, “Neighbor…by omitting to do the right thing, you can do a wrong thing.”
d. For … you may recall that In 2 Samuel, David’s daughter Tamar was raped by David’s son Amnon and David did nothing about it. By David doing nothing, he did something.
e. It caused another one of his sons, by the name of Absalom, to get indignant. Absalom was so angry at the fact that his brother had raped his sister that he killed his brother Amnon.
f. Still, Absalom was angry with his dad for not doing anything. As result, he devised a plan to dethrone his dad and to become king of Judah.
g. So what he decided to stand with his horsemen. And as folk would come up to Judah to receive righteousness judgment and advice from the king, Absalom would tell them that there is no one that could give them better council than himself.
h. In fact, I can imagine him grabbing their hannds and almost kissing them to deception.
i. Turn to someone and say, “Wickedness can cause divisiveness”
j. Wickedness can cause division.
k. Wickedness can cause folks to devise something to cause division.
l. He promised them a FEEL GOOD decision AND SUGGESTED THAT THEY TELL OTHERS OF THEIR POSITIVE EXPERIENCE WITH HIM.
********TAKE 5 BEATS*******
MOVE 3: My brothers and sisters … Absalom did this for forty years. That’s a long time. That’s a long time to be doing something when you know that you are doing the wrong thing.
a. Eventually … David would receive a word from a messenger that told him that Absalom was trying to dethrone him Now … at that moment … my brothers and sisters, somehow David knew that it was time to run. The Bible tells us that David left ten of his concubines back at the palace to keep the palace up. But he told everyone else, “We got to get out of here!” For you see … my brothers and my sisters, David knew that Absalom would kill because he had already proven to kill. It tract record was deadly.
b. So they left. They ran. David ran. The King David…the one who was a man after God’s own heart. He ran into the wilderness of Judea for his life.
c. Sometimes it takes a wilderness for us to realize how deep the trouble we’re in …I wish I had somebody.
d. You know…as long as you are ON the mountaintop, you think that you got it going on. But it’s not until certain trials and tribulations come your way that causes you to realize that you’re nothing. You are just a drop in the bucket baby. We’re nothing … in and of ourselves … WE NEED someone outside of ourselves to help us.
e. Turn to someone and say, “I need somebody to help me and I believe that SOMEONE IS JESUS.”
f. Often times, my brothers and my sisters, that knowledge doesn’t come until we’re in the midst of the wilderness experience. When we’re there all by ourselves and we don’t have the luxuries that we once had grown accustomed to. We can’t get water when we want it. We can’t get food either. We’re BY OURSELVES AND WE’RE AWAY FROM OUR COMFORT ZONE OF LIVE. This is when we realize that help is needed.
g. Many theologians believed that it was at that point of time when David wrote the famous Psalms 23. For don’t you remember … He said that the Lord is my Shepherd.
h. David was a young lad caring for sheep. Even then … God was somehow working something in him, and in his duties as a lad. So perhaps one day David could reflect on his life and recall what The Lord had brought him through and utter The Lord is my Shepherd. Now wait a moment…
i. In order to say the Lord is your Shepherd, you’ve got to see yourself as a sheep. For some reason, David identified with the past. He said, “I use to be a Shepherd. I use to talk about those sheep big time. Oh…don’t you know … Sheep are the dumbest animals on the face of this earth.
***********TAKE 5 BEATS*********
MOVE 4: Sheep are so dumb! If it is raining outside, they are not smart enough to get out of the rain. They are so dumb; they will stand right next to a snake and let the snake bit them. They are by far THE DUMBEST ANIMALS ON THE FACE OF THIS EARTH. In fact, when I was reading this passage, I got offended.
a. I got offended wondering WHY THE LORD identified me with sheep. Why Sheep?
b. They are the dumbest animals. They don’t know anything. They are stupid. They don’t understand anything. They don’t know how to do anything. They have no wisdom of their own. They can’t do a thing by themselves. They have to look at the clothing on the back of their Shepherd to even follow him in the daylight. If he happens to go under a knife, they’ll go right behind him.
c. They are by far the dumbest animals on the face of the earth. They have no sense of direction. They can’t do anything by themselves. They are just plain dumb.
d. Turn to somebody and say, “They are just dumb.” DUMB!
e. I will never forget my Bosnia experience (December 1995 through November 1996). The convoy that I was a part of was driving our HMMWVs and 5 ton vehicles down the streets of Bosnia when I saw sheep and real live Shepherd. Some of the sheep got off track. They lost track of their shepherd. We beeped our horns, as the wayward sheep approach our deadly and dangerous “READY TO FIGHT TONIGHT” vehicles. Still, the wayward sheep continue travelling directly towards us. We had to stop our 5 ton vehicles and wait for their shepherd to rescue them. They are also the dirtiest animals on the face of the earth.
f. At least dogs know how to clean themselves. The sheep won’t even do that. They are just dumb. They won’t do anything.
g. Turn to somebody and say, “That’s dumb.”
*********TAKE 5 BEATS*********
MOVE 5: You have to create a path for them as a Shepherd. Even if you engrave that path really good, they’re so dumb that they will get off the path if the Shepherd doesn’t direct their every step. They can’t do anything by themselves. They are totally dependent on the Shepherd.
a. As result, I said Lord, “Why identify Christian with sheep? Why can’t we identified with the eagle? I want to soar above trouble. I want to fly above the storm and THE READY TO FIGHT TONIGHT VEHICLES. Lord I want to be like the eagle!”
b. Now the sheep that I just described to you are the full-grown. If those sheep are just dumb, what do you think ABOUT THE EWES? I mean…what do you think about the babies? I apologize for belaboring the point, but Even goats are smarter than sheep.
c. But … You know what? Let the truth be told…I am just like the sheep because I’m nothing in myself. I need the Lord’s guidance and I need Him to go before me to clear out the path.
d. If the truth must be told, my whole dependence is on the Lord. I don’t see anything in advance. I need the Shepherd to go before me with His rod and His staff. I need Him to take that snake and push it to the side so I can follow Him. For ALL I really have to DO IS FOLLOW MY SHEPHERD!
e. If the truth was told, whenever I got in trouble, it was because I strayed away from the Shepherd’s guidance. But whenever I followed the Shepherd, I HAVE BEEN ALL RIGHT! To be honest with you…without the Shepherd, I’m nothing but a dirty rag. Without the Shepherd, I can do nothing! I can’t even go to work because I have no job without my Shepherd. The Shepherd takes and He guides me; He leads me before still waters because I’m so dumb that I’ll stand in running water.
f. My brothers and sisters …. Sheep are afraid of running water. They are so timid. They are so scary. They fear darkness because they don’t know what’s going to happen. They sometimes can’t see their Shepherd in midst of darkness. So the Shepherd slows down so the sheep can see him.
g. The Lord…is right … and so was David. The Lord is my Shepherd I don’t understand everything that is happening. I don’t know why things happen the way they do.
h. Turn to somebody and say, “Follow the Shepherd.”
*******TAKE 5 BEATS********
MOVE 6: Now, my brothers and my sisters … It’s not enough to follow a Shepherd. We have to follow the GOOD SHEPHERD because every Shepherd isn’t good. By the mere fact Jesus said, “I am the Good shepherd” in our passage, let’s us know that there are bad shepherds. I wish that I had a witness in here.
a. I know that everybody isn’t concerned with my welfare. I know that everybody isn’t concerned about getting the word in me … spiritually …, teaching me how to pray for myself, and teaching me how to cast devils out for myself.
b. A GOOD SHEPHERD will go before me to check out the path so he can SEIZE and capture the snakes in my life. For I’m so dumb that I can’t see the snake even when they’re sitting right next to me. I’m so dumb. I don’t even know if I’m shaking hands with a friend or foe. I’M SO DUMB THAT I DON’T KNOW IF (as pastor) I’VE APPOINTED SOMEONE IN A LEADERSHIP POSITION THAT IS A SNAKE or RABBIT.
c. I need to follow the shepherd. I need to follow Him because He will move the snakes out of the way. When He sees me getting off course, He has a hook on the end of that staff so He can grab me … and pull me back on the PATH OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. I’M TALKING ABOUT THE GOOD SHEPHERD!
d. I DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT I HAVE TO FOLLOW HIM. I have to keep my eyes on Him. I have to watch Him no matter what happens. I have to be just like the sheep. UNFORTUNATELY, Sometimes we don’t realize how important that is until trouble comes.
e. When David’s son was after him and wanted to kill him, he ran and thought in the wilderness ... It’s not my wife. It’s not my husband. It’s not my brother. It’s not my sister. It’s not my boss man. It’s not my best friend THAT CAN DELIVER AND PROVIDE FOR ME. IT’S THE LORD! He is the only one that can TRULY MEET MY NEEDS!
f. THE LORD WILL PROVIDE .
g. Turn to somebody and say, “GOD WILL PROVIDE.”
h. We don’t quite understand what’s going on. We don’t need to understand everything, but GOD WILL MAKE A WAY SOMEHOW!
i. Turn to somebody and say, “Yes He will!”
********TAKE 5 BEATS********
MOVE 7: Even if you are in a foreign country and nobody knows your surname, God is able to catch somebody’s heart and cause them to take care of you.
a. The Bible tells us that there were three individuals, in the wilderness, that somehow found their way to David. They brought food to David. ALLELUIA!
b. Turn to somebody and say, “He will make a way!”
c. Oh…now I’m not saying that it won’t cause you some tears. I’m not saying that you won’t wake up early in the morning and say, “Oh God…why me?” I’m not saying that you won’t have to have that extra box of tissues. But, what I am saying is THAT your circumstances and situations WON’T BREAK YOU. Instead, they’ll WILL MAKE YOU. ALLELUIA! YEAH!
d. You all know this particular story, but I’m going to share it with you anyhow. They tell me that there was a brother who was so into himself, his troubles, his turmoil, his difficulties, his crises, and his challenges that he went for a walk on the beach. It seemed like everybody that he tried to talk to couldn’t give him a word. It seemed like he was there all by himself. He couldn’t find his mom. He couldn’t find his dad. He couldn’t find his brothers, sisters, or friends.
e. As he walked on the beach, he was having a conversation with God. He said, “Lord…I need your help now!” He felt nothing and he saw nothing. A few months later, things were better y’all. He had his home back. Mom was doing well. His wife was doing well. His family was doing well. There was money in the bank. There was gas in the car.
f. Life was good and all of a sudden the Lord shows up. Then he asked the Lord, “Where were you, when I was going through?” The Lord said, “Do you remember when you were going through, you had your head down? Do you remember?” He said, “Yes.” The Lord then said, “Do you remember that there were other steps in the sand? You didn’t quite understand where they were coming from. It didn’t look like your steps, but you saw that there were prints in the ground. That was me carrying you.”
g. My brothers and sisters, I don’t know what you are going through. I don’t need to know. What I do know is that there is solace in the fact that God is a God that cares for us so much. He will reach down and pull you up, but you’ve got to want to follow the Good Shepherd. You’ve got the want Him to take control. YOU’VE GOT TO WANT HIM TO DIRECT YOUR PATH. YOU’VE GOT TO WANT HIM TO DIRECT. YOU’VE GOT TO WANT HIM TO PROTECT. YOU’VE GOT TO WANT HIM TO LEAD YOU.
h. They tell me that if you want to get a flock of sheep in a certain area, the shepherd will use a certain type of sound that the sheep identifies to. In Bosnia, the shepherds have a certain whistle that they blow. You know why they identify to that sound, because they’ve heard it over and over again.
i. One of the problems that cause us not to identify to His voice is WE DON’T KNOW WHAT THE WORD SAYS. WE DON’T COME OUT TO SUNDAY SCHOOL. WE DON’T COME OUT TO BIBLE STUDY. WE DON’T COME OUT TO WORSHIP SERVICE ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY THE WORD OF GOD. WE’VE GOT TO KNOW WHAT THE WORD SAYS! GOD’S VOICE IS IN HIS WORD!
j. Turn to somebody and say, “God’s voice is in His word.”
k. It’s in His word my brothers and sisters. IT’S IN HIS WORD! If anybody tells you any other thing, let him or her be a liar. If fact, Jesus refers to him or her as a thief and a robber. Jesus said, “The only reason why they come is to steal my sheep, to kill my sheep, and to destroy my sheep.” Those are the only reasons that thieves come. They don’t care for you.
l. Turn to somebody and say, “The devil doesn’t love you.” He just wants to break your heart.
**********TAKE 5 BEATS**********
Celebration: David was, in the wilderness of Judea, realizing that he was nothing on his own. He realized that he use to pick at those sheep when he was young; he use to talk about how dumb they were; he talked about how they needed him for everything; he talked about how he would pour the water out of the bottles and the sheep would run scared; he talked about how nighttime came and they were scared to move on their own, but right now I’m feeling like that too.
a. I’m feeling like I better not move without God.
b. I’m feeling like I need the Lord to grab me and to hold me. I need to hear His voice to comfort me. I’m feeling like that right now!
c. SPEAK LORD! SPEAK LORD! I NEED TO HEAR YOU! I NEED TO SEE YOU MOVE! I NEED TO FEEL YOU!
d. Does anybody else feel like that? Do you need to feel the Lord? Would you be happy if the Lord just came to you? Do you want the Lord to pull you with His hook to keep you on the right course?
e. IF YOU FEEL LIKE THAT, STAND UP AND GIVE THE LORD SOME PRAISE!
