The Good Shepherd

Harvest Pointe Methodist Church

Gospel according to John, chapter ten. Gospel of John, chapter ten. Now, historically, this Sunday, this fourth Sunday after Easter is known as Good Shepherd Sunday because, well, we're dealing with the good shepherd today. All right? And so if you would turn with me to, again, John ten, where we have this passage.

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And this one's not dealing with the resurrection like the others, but rather the good shepherd here. So stand with me when you have found that, notice these words in John ten. And we'll start with verse eleven. Jesus said, I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

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The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away. And the wolf snatches and scatters them. The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me, just as the father knows me, and I know the father.

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And I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also. And they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

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For this reason, the father loves me. Because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I've received this command from my father, Lord Jesus.

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Thank you for your word. And, Lord, now we pray that the same author of this word would enlighten our minds to hear and our hearts to obey. Today we pray in your name. Amen. You can be seated.

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Years ago, I took a trip to India. And on that trip I went to a gift store. And it was at the end of my trip, I was in Bangalore, or what they call Bengaluru now. And I went to a little gift shop. Of course, the gift shops, there are idol shops.

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You know what I mean? In other words, they have idols everywhere, right? That's what they're selling. And, I mean, I can't describe to you if you. We just don't have a concept of what it would have been like to been in ancient Greece or been in ancient Rome or what it would have been like or what it is like to be in India, which is probably the closest representation to that sort of polytheistic mini gods mindset.

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And I was there in the gift shop. I was looking for something to take home. And they had all these beautiful carved out of wood idols, all hand carved wasn't through machinery for sure. And they were tall. And I'm looking through there.

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And of course, because I teach on Hinduism, I knew quite a few of them just by their symbols. In other words, if you've got a snake involved, that's probably Shiva, right? Because the snake is powerful, it's wily, and there's this whole story to do with it. So I'm, like, looking there, and then I see Hanuman, which is the monkey God, and so on and so forth. And then all of a sudden, something catches my eye, and it's a, you know, all of them are in human form, right?

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So it's not unusual to see a human represented in idol worship, right? But I see one human who has a lamb wrapped around his neck. And, of course, this was Jesus. And here's Jesus literally among the gods, right? And of course, that's the reason I had come, was not to learn about Hinduism, but instead to preach Jesus on this trip.

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And it was so moving in that moment. I can still picture exactly where on the shelf Jesus was. Just, like, in the mix there, right? All these other gods are wielding power with snakes and with cows and with swords and with all these magical powers. And here's Jesus among them with a lamb wrapped around his neck, carrying it back.

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And of course, that is a fish famous icon or painting of Jesus going after the