I AM the Good Shepherd
I AM
Pastor Tom
March 14, 2010
John 10:11–21
But if we limit ourselves to whatever picture of Jesus this paints in our minds, we can get an unbalanced view of Him. In fact, if this image is all that people know about Jesus, they might view Him as a kind friend who helps the weak. But He has little or nothing to offer in the real world of school, business or the high tech life. We might even think Jesus is a wimp.
The wimpy Jesus image can gain strength when we consider Him as a shepherd. One commentator puts it this way: “Many people in the industrialized west (except Australians!) think of shepherds as sentimental beings, perhaps somewhat effeminate, with their arms full of cuddly lambs.” So Jesus is great for women and little kids. But for “real men” or “with it” youth or “active families,” Jesus the shepherd is at best irrelevant and at worst a loser.
But is He? Might our view of shepherding need some serious correction? Might our view of ourselves need some serious correction?
As we approach Easter, we have let Jesus speak for Himself. We’ve listened to His claims. He’s said – I am the Bread of Life. I am the Light of the World. I am the gate for the sheep. Today we’re looking at the next major statement: “I am the good shepherd.”
I AM the Gate for the Sheep
I AM
Pastor Tom
March 7, 2010
John 10:10
Now I don’t know where you’d rate your quality of life today or what measurement you’d use. But I do know Jesus had a lot to say about life during His time on Earth. He even spoke about the quality of life. Today, we’re going to see Him reveal how to find the highest quality life. So no matter what rating you gave your life, Jesus has something to say about improving its quality. To reach the highest quality life—continuously come to Jesus.
Through this pre-Easter season we are looking at what Jesus did and said in the Gospel of John.