#26 Jesus Christ: The Good Shepherd Who Cares for You and Me (25/05/02)

By Robert A. Schuller

I'm going to give you a little celebrity quiz today. These celebrities made a quotation and a claim about themselves and let's see if you can tell who said it.
"I am the greatest." (Muhammad Ali)

"I am not a crook." ( Richard Nixon)

"I am woman, hear me roar." Do you know who that is? (Helen Reddy, who wrote the song, "I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar) And she helped usher in the women's movement today.

This one may be tough. "I am not an animal." (That is from John Merrick in the "Elephant Man.")
Here is a good one for all the baseball fans ... "I am the luckiest man on the face of the earth. (Lou Gerrig on the last day he played with the Yankees)

You all should get this next one right ... "I am the Good Shepherd." (Jesus Christ)

"I am the Good Shepherd." (Jesus Christ)

Yes, my father and I have been sharing the "I am" statements of Jesus Christ. And today I want to share with you this statement of Jesus, "I am the Good Shepherd ... " Jesus is actually quoting from the Old Testament book of Ezekiel.

Thousands of years earlier, God had said through the prophet Ezekiel,

"Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says, 'I will save my flock and they will no longer be plundered. I will place over them one shepherd and he will tend them. He will tend them and be their shepherd ... and I will bless them. I will send down showers in seasons. There will be showers of blessings ... Then they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them and that they are my people,' declares the Sovereign Lord. 'You, my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, are people and I am your God,' declares the Sovereign Lord."

Now in His earthly ministry, Jesus declares, "I am the Good Shepherd. I am the one Ezekiel told you about." You can read about this claim of Jesus in the Gospel of St. John, the tenth chapter and find the Bible verses that connect to these next four points. "I am the Good Shepherd"

1) The Good Shepherd KNOWS His sheep.
2) The Good Shepherd LEADS His sheep.
3) The Good Shepherd CALLS His sheep
4) The Good Shepherd LAYS DOWN HIS LIFE for His sheep.

1) The Good Shepherd KNOWS His sheep

John Calvin's Institutes were written nearly 500 years ago. He wrote this 1500 page theological dissertation while he was still in his 20's. It is amazing. And John Calvin begins his work with the understanding that for us to be able to come to know God we really need to know ourselves. And in order for us to know ourselves, we need to know God. When we really understand God, then we know who we are.

It's like the little boy who was in a wedding I conducted. He was the ringbearer so he came carrying the pillow down the aisle of the church. But he began to act so strange and everyone started laughing at him. He would take a few steps, then he would roar, "rroarrr." He'd take a few more steps and he'd look in the other direction and go, "rroarrr." He did this all the way down the aisle until he got to the front of the church. Everyone was laughing. He was as cute as he could be. After the wedding I asked him, "What were you doing as you walked down the aisle. Why did you roar?" And he proudly told me, "Well, I am the ring bear!"

When we don't know who we are, what happens is that we start acting out in really weird ways. When we think we're something that we are not, we even do things that are harmful and destructive. Pretty soon our whole life falls apart and it's all because we think we're something we're not ... and we are not being what God has called us to be.

The Good Shepherd knows His sheep and the sheep know their Shepherd. When you know God, you know who you are. That transforms your life and suddenly everything fits.

2) The Good Shepherd LEADS His sheep

As we learn to follow Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, things just seem to work out right. Everything falls into place. It's like the poem, "The Unfolding of the Rose." [1]

It is only a tiny rosebud; a flower of God's design.But I cannot unfold the petals with these clumsy hands of mine. And the secret of unfolding flowers is not known to such as I. GOD opens this flower so sweetly, when in my hands they die. If I cannot unfold a rosebud, this flower of God's design, Then how can I have the wisdom to unfold this life of mine? So I'll trust in Him for leading each moment of my day. I will look to him for His guidance each step of the pilgrim way. The pathway that lies before me, only my Heavenly father knows. I'll trust Him to unfold the moments, just as He unfolds the rose.

The Good Shepherd KNOWS His sheep ... the Good Shepherd LEADS His sheep ... and ...

3) The Good Shepherd CALLS His sheep

As we go though life, there are times when we start to move away from God. And maybe you are in this position now where you feel far from God. But the truth is, the Good Shepherd calls His sheep ... He calls them back to Him. "Come back ... Come back." It's like the man who was hiking with his son through the mountains. The son said, "You know, Father, I'd love to go and see what's over that hill, but I'm afraid if I get too far away I'll get lost.

And the father replied, "Well, here's what you do, son. Every few minutes you stop and call out to me and I'll respond. As long as you can hear my voice, you haven't gone too far. But as soon as you're out of the range of my voice you will know it's time to stop and turn around."

When we no longer hear the voice of God, or no longer feel His Presence, it is time for us to come back to the church, to prayer and the Bible.

In 1991, Rabbi Wisser moved to Lincoln, Nebraska. But what he didn't know was that in Lincoln, Nebraska, the Grand Dragon of the KKK lived. And as soon as the Rabbi moved into that community he started getting threatening phone calls and all kinds of violent actions against him began happening. It was a very bitter and sad time. But instead of running, Rabbi Wisser decided that he would confront the Grand Dragon. So he called him on the phone. The phone rang and rang and rang. Then a message came on and the Rabbi had to listen to five minutes of white supremacy propaganda. He listened to this hate message until it ended and when the beep sounded, the Rabbi left this message. "You're disabled. Did you know that in Nazi Germany those who were disabled were not given the right to live anymore than we Jews? Just thought you should know." And he hung up. The Rabbi continued to call the KKK leader day after day until one day, to his surprise, the Grand Dragon himself answered. And the Rabbi said, "I know you're disabled."

"Yes," the KKK leader said, "I've got your messages."

And the Rabbi asked, "Can I do anything for you?

"No, I don't need your help. I have everything I need." Was his reply as he hung up.

But the Rabbi continued to call until one day the Grand Dragon actually said, "I'm interested in getting out of the Klan. Can you help me?" And by 1993, the Grand Dragon himself, Trapp was his name, exposed the Klan's activities in that area. He converted from his evil ways after he accepted the help of the Rabbi who had called and called and called until he got a response.

In the same way God calls you and me. No matter how far away you feel from God today, He calls and says, "You can come. I'll be your friend. I love you."

Jesus said, "I am the Good Shepherd!" A Good Shepherd KNOWS His sheep ... A Good Shepherd LEADS His sheep. The Good Shepherd CALLS His sheep ... and

4) The Good Shepherd LAYS DOWN HIS LIFE for His sheep.

We have to realize that Jesus is speaking in allegory. In biblical times the sheep were the livelihood of the entire family. And if the sheep were killed by wild beasts, the shepherd's entire family would lose their financial income. They didn't have any welfare nor social security to fall back on. They had nothing. And so a shepherd who owned the sheep would give his life for his sheep because he was really giving his life for his family. That's what Jesus is saying. He's saying, "As the Good Shepherd I'll give My life for My family. And you are my family."

I Am the Good Shepherd!

A Good Shepherd KNOWS His sheep ... A Good Shepherd LEADS His sheep. The Good Shepherd CALLS His sheep ... and ...

The Good Shepherd LAYS DOWN HIS LIFE for His sheep. And Jesus Did.

Jesus Christ gave his life that whoever calls upon Him will be saved. No matter where you are today, if you feel far from God, open your heart. Open your mind to the call of God for He is calling you right now. Today is the day. It is the day of new beginnings. I want to invite you to join me in prayer and receive Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. And say, "Yes, Jesus, You are the Good Shepherd. I am going to follow You. I hear Your call today. I want to join Your family."

Dear Heavenly Father, I thank You that Your voice is being heard, that You are calling me today. Give me the faith, O Lord, to follow You, to say "yes" to You. Give me the self-esteem and the self-respect to realize that You love me even though I'm not perfect. And so, O God, I thank You for the untold showers of blessings I'm experiencing of hope, joy and goodness. I love You, Lord, and I praise Your name. Amen.