Sermon -- 4th Sunday of Easter (May 8, 2022)

JOHN 10:22-30

THE SHEPHERD KEEPS THE SHEEP SECURE.

M: Alleluia! Christ is risen!

Cong: He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

In the name + of Jesus.

     The Pharisees who had gathered around Jesus made a ridiculous request of him.  They “said to him, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense?  If you are the Christ, tell us plainly’” (John 10:24).  The question was ridiculous for a few reasons.  Jesus listed them.  “I told you, and you do not believe.  The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me, but you do not believe…” (John 10:25).  Jesus had not only fulfilled Messianic prophecies, he even declared himself to be the great I AM.  The Pharisees had picked up on that claim, and then picked up stones to kill him for it.  The Pharisees could not deny the miracles Jesus had performed, but they would not accept them as signs from heaven.  They refused to acknowledge Jesus as the Christ or the Son of God.  The Pharisees did not ask Jesus about being the Messiah because they wanted to know if they should follow him, listen to him, or worship him.  They were looking for reasons to slander and accuse him. 

     How could the Pharisees be so blind as to reject so much evidence of Jesus as the Messiah?  Because if someone refuses to believe the word of the Lord, they will reject any evidence presented to them.  Jesus summarized the Pharisees’ attitude exactly that way: “You do not believe because you are not among my sheep” (John 10:26).  But the true sheep listen to the Shepherd, and the Shepherd keeps them secure.

     Now, you are among Jesus’ sheep.  You know and believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and the Savior of the world.  You did not come to this on your own.  The Holy Spirit worked through God’s word to enlighten you to see the glory of Jesus.  The Holy Spirit worked through God’s word to open your ears to recognize the voice of truth.  The Holy Spirit has converted your heart and your mind to agree with the word of God.  The Bible states, “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).  So, the Shepherd speaks.  By his word, he gathers his sheep to him.  And the Shepherd keeps the sheep secure.

     How secure?  This is what the Lord says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.  My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand” (John 10:27-29).  The Shepherd guards and protects you from all enemies.  The Shepherd keeps the sheep secure. 

     The enemies are sin, death, and the devil.  The Shepherd keeps you secure from sin because he has taken your sin away from you.  He stood between you and God’s wrath to absorb all of God’s wrath for your sins.  If God’s wrath has been taken completely by Jesus, the Father has nothing left for you but blessing.  The Shepherd keeps you secure from death.  Oh, yes, I know—we are all going to die one day.  But death does not own you.  The Lord Jesus went into death for you, but he has risen from the dead.  Your Good Shepherd has overcome death and the grave, so they do not get to keep you.  Rather, the living Savior will summon you up from your grave and give you a body that will never again be subject to sickness, weakness, stress, sorrow, decline, or death.  Your Shepherd keeps you secure from the devil as well.  Jesus snatched you out of the jaws of the devil who then focused his attack on Jesus.  The devil sank his fangs into Jesus because, as your Good Shepherd, he is your protector and Savior.  And though the devil’s bite was lethal, his victory was momentary.  For, Jesus Christ is risen from the dead.  He has robbed the devil of any power or claims on you.  Jesus has delivered you from the curse of sin, the power of death, and the claims of the devil.  The Good Shepherd keeps you secure from all your enemies.

     Once again, note how secure you are in Jesus’ care.  He said, “No one will snatch them out of my hand.  My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand” (John 10:28-29).  You cannot get kidnapped out of the kingdom of God by the devil.  The Shepherd keeps the sheep secure.  Jesus tells you how: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27).

     But the Good Shepherd’s voice is not the only one which tries to instruct and influence you.  The devil tries to draw you away from the word of the Lord.  He cannot snatch you away, so he entices you to leave on your own.  He either gets you to stop listening to God’s word or he seduces you to turn away from God’s word to something he convinces you is better.  The devil tries to deceive you with clever sounding arguments.  The world pounds its sentiments at you so that you would adopt its wickedness as praiseworthy or harmless—or at least as something you would not dare call evil for fear of being cancelled.  And your own sinful flesh is an ally.  We all still have a sinful nature which finds such deceptions attractive and appealing. 

     So, for example, you will hear people say, “God just wants us to be happy.”  Well, that sounds fantastic.  And guess what: I want to be happy!  So, God and me, we agree on this!  But here is the problem: What is it that makes you happy?  Some would say, “I like getting drunk.  That makes me happy.”  Others might say, “I like gossiping about my co-worker so that her reputation destroyed.  Maybe she would even be forced to quit.  That would make me happy.”  Most recently, the battle over abortion has heated up again with the leaked opinion from the Supreme Court which suggests overturning Roe v. Wade.  Those who support abortion are outraged.  Men who impregnate women want to be free from responsibility for the babies they father.  Women who do everything that results in pregnancy reject accountability for their actions.  This is couched in terms of health care and freedom.  It is the murder of a child.  What is especially heinous is that doctors have to invade the womb to do it.  But to keep abortion legal will make many people happy.  Self-serving, self-glorifying, and self-righteous actions and attitudes make us happy.  Is this really want God wants????  Repent.

     The teaching, “God just wants us to be happy,” is a lie.  God does not want you to be happy; God wants you to be faithful to his word.  If God has converted your heart and mind to believe that his word is true and good, then you will find joy in hearing his word, meditating upon his word, and putting his word into practice.  You will even find joy in being corrected of your sin and redirected so that you walk on the path of righteousness.  By clinging to the word of the Lord, you retain salvation and security.  By listening to other voices, you will be drawn away from the Good Shepherd.  And while it may appear attractive and even beneficial to embrace other voices, there is nothing outside of the Lord’s sacred fold except sin, death, and the devil.  You will be consumed by the enemies Jesus would save you from. 

          The Shepherd keeps the sheep secure.  But take note of how he does this.  He told the Pharisees, “You do not believe because you are not among my sheep.  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:26-27).  The Pharisees had God’s word in their possession.  They read it in synagogues.  They heard it from Jesus himself.  Their problem was not ignorance.  Their problem was not lack of evidence that Jesus is the Christ.  Their problem was their own sinful, stubborn unbelief.  They were not Jesus’ sheep, but it was by their own fault.  They believed that they earned God’s favor by their own morals and virtue.  They trusted in their church attendance and their piety—tithing, fasting, and prayers.  They had the praise and admiration of the people and assumed God must feel the same way.  This is why they despised Jesus.  He taught that God’s favor is not given because people prove themselves worthy.  God’s favor is a gift that comes by faith in Jesus alone—even for the likes of tax collectors and prostitutes.  Jesus rescues sinners from the jaws of the enemy and protects them from being prey again.  The Shepherd keeps the sheep secure.

     Jesus continues to speak to you so that you will not be seduced by worldly wisdom, no matter how attractive or appealing it sounds.  Occasionally, that will mean God’s word will strike you with a corrective blow.  When a shepherd tends his sheep, he uses a rod and a staff.  The rod and staff can be used to offer a little whack to correct a sheep which is going astray from his master.  Of course, the sheep does not like being whacked, but he gets the message.  To wander away from the shepherd means danger, perhaps disaster.  So, the shepherd afflicts the sheep for his own good. 

     The Lord does the same for you.  If you are drifting away from the word of God because a worldly spirit is attracting you, the Lord will offer a corrective whack with his word.  It may seem harsh or mean.  No one likes to be whacked, but God wants you to be aware that there is danger or disaster if you depart from him.  God does this out of love so that you do not leave the path of righteousness.  He calls you to repent and to amend your ways for your own eternal good.  With Jesus, you are assured of eternal good.  He promises, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:28). 

     The Lord Jesus laid down his life for the good of the sheep.  Then he took it up again for the good of the sheep.  He lives to grant you eternal life.  He reigns to keep you secure from your enemies.  Even though the devil, the world, and your own sinful flesh are always seducing, always stalking, and always present, Jesus spreads a table before you so that you may feast in peace and joy for strength, for salvation, and for security.  Jesus supplies a joy that cannot be stolen—the forgiveness of your sins, the hope of the resurrection, and the confidence of salvation. 

     The Shepherd keeps the sheep secure; for he has secured your forgiveness, your resurrection, and your place in his fold.  Goodness and mercy are yours.  And you will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.