Good Shepherd of His Sheep
(A sermon preached by Rev Dr Jeffrey Khoo at True Life BPC on 7 June 2009)
Text: John 10:11-16, 27-29
One of the most comforting metaphors in the Bible to describe God’s relationship with His people is that of a shepherd. The well-known and well-loved Psalm 23 captures this metaphor most vividly, “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want” (Ps 23:1).
The Gospel of John which is often known as the Gospel of Love tells us even more about our Good Shepherd and identifies Him to be none other than our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. How is Jesus Christ our Good Shepherd? I can see four ways whereby He is our Good Shepherd.
Giving
Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd because He gave His life for His sheep. Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11). Consider how great this sacrifice is for the one who gave His life was none other than the Creator Himself (John 1:1-4). Imagine the Creator suffering for His creatures in order that they might obtain the joys of eternal life. Consider how great God’s love is since He died not for His friends but for His enemies. Romans 5:6-8 says, “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
It is also important to understand the uniqueness of this Good Shepherd for He was not only Shepherd, He was also Sheep—“the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29). No shepherd can become sheep, but Jesus Christ could. Our God could become man because He made us in His image. Do note that when God became man, He did not cease to be God. Jesus Christ was both God and man when He was on earth. The Holy Shepherd became a sinless Lamb in order to be the Unique Sacrifice for our sins. Isaiah 53:4-7 describes this well, “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.” God became man—Immanuel, God with us—in order to bear the penalty of our sins on the cross.
Knowing
The Good Shepherd knows the names of His sheep. “But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. …I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep” (John 10:2, 3, 11). Our Lord knows us not generally but personally, individually, and particularly. When important people remember us by our names we feel very honoured; here we have the Lord God Himself calling us by name, knowing each and every one of us deeply and intimately. Our friends who know us might forget us especially when they do not see us, as the saying goes, “Out of sight, out of mind.” But not so with the Lord; we are never out of His sight, and never out of His mind. Not only does our Lord know our names, He also knows the number of hairs on our head. We are very valuable to Him. Jesus said in Matthew 10:28-31, “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.”
The Lord knows our every weakness and our every need. He is a most trustworthy Shepherd and He knows how to provide for our every need. That is why in Hebrews 4:14-16 we read, “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Do not ever say, the Lord does not know or understand my needs and my struggles. He does. Our Good Shepherd became a sheep too. He feels for us and feels with us, and He understands, and being sinless He is powerful to save us from our sins and help us in time of need.
Feeding
The Good Shepherd does not fleece but feeds His sheep. There are many false shepherds. The Bible calls them “wolves in sheep’s clothing.” Our Lord had warned, “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves” (Matt 7:15). We need to be vigilant for they will come to steal and to kill. The Apostle Peter described them in 2 Peter 2:1-3, “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise (Greek emporeuomai, from which the English word “emporium” is derived) of you.” The Apostle Paul warned us, “they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly [Calvin added, “whose religion is their kitchen”], and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.” (Phil 3:18-19).
Our Good Shepherd gives us good food. Psalm 23:2 says, “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.” A good shepherd will not lead his sheep to fields of thorns and thistles, but green and healthy grass for feeding. He will not lead the sheep to polluted or dangerous but clean and safe waters to drink. And our God has provided us indeed with good and healthy food for our spiritual feeding which is none other than His Word—the Holy Scriptures. He not only gave us His Good Word in the beginning, He kept His Word pure throughout the ages, even today. Every grain of rice is good and should not be wasted. Similarly every book, chapter, verse, word, syllable, and letter of God’s Word is good, pure, perfect, infallible and inerrant and should not be despised. Everything in God’s Word is essential. There are no non-essentials in the Bible.
The good sheep will be able to recognise the voice of the Good Shepherd and will follow Him and no other. Jesus said, “the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers” (John 10:4-5). Why do you believe the Bible is 100% perfect without any mistake, perfectly inspired and perfectly preserved to the last jot and tittle? Why do you believe Jesus is born of a virgin, fully God and fully man without sin? Why do you believe in the miracles of Christ, His substitionary atonement, His resurrection from the dead? It is because you hear and know His Voice of Truth, and we know His Voice from His Word—the Holy Scriptures. But there are those who do not believe, even those who claim or profess to be sheep. Why? Jesus said, “ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:26-27). As there are false shepherds, there are also false sheep—they look like sheep but are actually goats. Sometimes it is difficult to tell the sheep from the goats. But Jesus knows and when He returns He will separate the two. “When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matt 25:31-33). Are you His sheep, or are you the goats? We need to examine ourselves. We know we are His sheep if we behave like the Good Shepherd.
In order to discern the good voice of the Good Shepherd, we need to know well His Good Word. The more we know the words of God, the more we will be able to discern the voice and will of God. So, I would urge you again to read the Bible, study it, memorise it, apply it, know all its doctrines and you will find yourself more and more in tune with God, knowing His heart and mind, and able to tell truth from error, right from wrong, good from evil. As Christians, we ought never to remain as babes in Christ, but grow to become spiritual adults who are skilled in the deep things of God as taught in His Word. Hebrews 5:13-14 tells us that “every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”
Keeping
Our Good Shepherd protects and preserves His sheep from harm and danger. He will make sure that they will finally arrive safe home which is heaven itself. They will never be lost, and will never lose their way in their pilgrim journey on earth. Jesus said in no uncertain terms, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.” (John 10:27-29). That is why once a sinner becomes a sheep of God, he will remain a sheep forever. He will not change back to become a goat. Today, you have people who are born male but they want to become female, so they go for a sex-change. Nothing of this sort can happen to a believer who is truly born again. A sheep is a sheep for life and the Good Shepherd will make sure of it. The sheep will also have no desire to be a goat. He will follow the Good Shepherd, and the Good Shepherd promises His sheep eternal security. No one, not even the devil, is able to tear them away from God’s almighty hand. Is anyone more powerful than the Lord? There is none!
Are you His sheep?
