THE GOOD SHEPHERD
This past Monday, we kept the Last Day of Unleavened
Bread. In doing so, we completed the
first Holy Day season of the year. We understand that there are three seasons in the year that God commands
us to appear before Him. So we’ve
completed the first season of the year with our keeping of the Last Day of
Unleavened Bread.
During the Spring Holy Days, during the season itself and for several weeks
prior, actually, in this area, a lot of emphasis was placed on Jesus the Christ
and what He did while in the flesh; the laying of His life down as the
fulfillment of the Passover lamb and all that He did in the flesh.
Today, in the sermon, I would like for all of us to
consider what He is doing for us now. It
seems that during the Passover season and prior to it, we put a lot of emphasis
on what He has done. We, also, in the Fall, put a lot of emphasis
on what He will do. We talk a great deal about His return and
about Him establishing a government here on
this earth, and all of what will transpire during that window of time
that is the Millenium. We spend a lot of
time talking about what He will do, but it seems that we don’t spend a whole
lot of time talking about what He is
doing right now. He’s doing a
lot and we need to recognize that and think about it and consider it as we make
up part of His bride-to-be at this time.
I’d like to begin, as far as the scriptures are
concerned, by asking you to turn to Romans chapter five. I’d like to begin by reading verse six.
Romans 5:6 For when we were still without strength, [Paul writes] in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
Well, I guess if I just read that and didn’t know
what he was talking about, I would have to ask, “well, do we have strength now?” For when we were still without strength, it says.
We, along with all of humanity, were in a helpless, powerless state when
Christ died for us. We were all literally helpless—we were destined to
die and that death would be an eternal death, without Him doing what He did.
For when we were still without strength, in other words, in that state, when we were in that condition, at that time, Christ
died for the ungodly. All of us who
found ourselves in that state. It says
here “in due time”. Now, in the margin
it shows, in my Bible, that “at the right time”.
For when we were still without strength, at the right time, Christ died for the
ungodly. So, when it was time, in other
words—in the great plan that God is working out—when it was time for this major
step in that plan to be fulfilled, then the Word of God emptied Himself from
His status there with the One who would become His Father, He emptied Himself
and came to this earth, as a human being, in the human flesh, so that He could
die—so that He could fulfill this giving of Himself in sacrifice for, as it
says here, “the ungodly”. Then verse
seven:
Romans 5:7 For scarcely for a righteous
man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to
die. [And we have cases where that
happens. Every once in a while, you’ll
hear of a situation where someone will give his life in an attempt to save
another. It happens. But here it says, verse eight:] 8 But God
demonstrates His own love toward us,
in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
So, as we pointed out before, in a very literal
sense, while we were spitting in His face, He died for us. While we were still beating Him up, you might
say, through our sins, He died for us.
Then verse nine:
Romans 5:9 Much more then, having now been
justified [or made just] by His blood,
[last part here] we shall be saved from wrath through Him. [I’ll just pose the
question right here. How are we saved
from wrath, through Him? What does this
mean? How does this happen? Verse ten]
10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the
death of His Son, [So we were, through His blood, as it says back up in verse
nine, we were made just and in this process we were reconciled to God, since He made atonement for our sins, which
separated us from God. The veil was rent
and so He made it possible for this reconciliation with God to take place
through His death.] much more [it
says], having been reconciled, we shall
be saved by His life.
Now, how are we saved by His life? How does that
work? How is it that we shall be saved by His life? What does this
mean? Let’s go to John 14. This, of course, is the record of the words
that Jesus Christ said on the night that He was betrayed. He would die the next day. He said,
John
We shall be saved by His Life it says in Romans 5.
Here He says, Because I live,
you will live also. Now, as I mentioned before, the ones to whom
He is speaking here, were alive then physically. They had physical life. He, too, had physical life at the time, but
He is talking about life beyond the
physical life and He’s saying Because I live,
you will live also. Now, He knew that He would live again. He knew He was facing death but He knew He
would live again. On that very same
evening, earlier that evening, back in John 13:3, it states there:
John 13:3 Jesus, knowing that the Father
had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to
God,
So He knew—He recalled and remembered the
relationship He had with His Father and the status that He had—that He came
from that. But He also realized full well that He was going to God—He was going to have that status
reinstated. He prayed in that prayer in
John 17, a little bit later than evening in verse five
John 17:5 And now, O Father, glorify Me
together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world
was.
So He knew that He was going to experience this; He
knew that He was going to regain that status again. He knew He was going to live in the way that
He meant it here when He said, Because I live,
you will live also. How does this work, though? How does this work? Is it just
because He was resurrected to live again that we can live? Think about this. How is it that we can live through His life? Is it just because He was resurrected to life
again that somehow that resurrection
of Him makes it possible for us to be resurrected? Let’s go to 1 Peter chapter one where Peter
seems to be saying this. We’ve read this
numerous times, but let’s read it again in this context.
1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us
again to a living hope through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
So it almost seems to be saying here that, as a
result of the fact that Jesus Christ was resurrected from the dead, that we now
have hope—that it’s that in itself that gives us hope. Well, is it?
Do we have living hope of a resurrection from the dead just because He
was resurrected from the dead? Is it just the fact that He was resurrected
or is it because of what He can do
since He has been resurrected? Now,
think about that. Is our living hope in the fact that He was resurrected from
the dead or is our living hope in what He can do for us since He was resurrected from the
dead? In 1 Corinthians 15:45, let’s read
one verse there. Again, this is a
section of scripture that has been referred to many times and read from and
you’ve read this very verse but, in this context, let’s notice it.
1 Corinthians
In John 6:37, all of these scriptures that we’re
reading, so far, are very familiar because we’ve been through them just
recently.
John
Now let’s go to Matthew 28. This took place, what we’re about to read
about here, during the countdown to Pentecost—which is where we are right
now. We are in that period of time
where we’re counting down to Pentecost.
They were in that same period here at this time.
Matthew 28:16 Then the eleven disciples went
away into
So He made several appearances to the eleven as well
as with others, during a 40-day period of time, which we understand once the 50
days began to be counted, He spent
40 of those 50 days making appearances to the eleven, along with others and
then He ascended back to His Father ten days prior to Pentecost. So this is during the 40 days.
Then the eleven disciples went away into
Matthew 28:17 When they saw Him, they worshipped Him; but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and spoke to them saying,
All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
Now, if you have an Authorized Version, I believe it says “all power”. All power or all authority has been given to
Me in heaven and on earth. Now, who is
it that gave Him the authority? Who gave Him the power? Who gave Him the authority? I think we know the answer to that right away
but then we also ask the question, when?
When was it given to
Him? He said all authority has been given so, at this point, He
had been given all authority in heaven and on earth. So, when did it happen? When did this occur? Well, as we pointed out before and this is
going to be redundant to some of you who have heard me talk about this part
right here before. But as you see in the
margin of the New King James Version—at
least mine—for all authority has been given to Me, they show a reference to Daniel
7:13, 14. So, I’d like to go back there
again and read that. Of course this is
not an inspired margin; God didn’t put that reference there. Those who put this book together or put this New King James Version of the book
together, they’re the ones that placed that in the margin. So let’s notice what we read and I think we
all know what we’re going to read there, where it says:
Daniel 7:13 I was watching in the night
visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven!
He came to the Ancient of Days and they
brought Him near before Him. [Now we
know this is a prophecy of this particular event happening, but it doesn’t tell
us when it was going to happen. But it
was going to happen some time after Daniel was inspired to write it
down.] 14 Then to Him [to this One like
the Son of Man] was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples,
nations and languages should serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away and
His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed.
Now, when was this to occur? Daniel doesn’t tell us. Has it already happened or is it yet to
happen and can we know? And is it
connected at all with what we read there in Matthew 28:18? Let’s go back there. I want to notice what He went on to say
there.
Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke to
them saying, All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go
therefore
So, in other words, as a result of this happening,
now I’m sending you. And, in another
place, He said He was sending them as
the Father had sent Him. So He’s sending
them on a mission and it says, go therefore—as a result of the fact that all
authority has been given to Me in heaven and earth, you go therefore
and [you] make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
And we’ll read the rest of that in a moment. So, during the forty days then, following His
resurrection, He’s telling them that He’s already received the authority and,
as a result of this, He’s sending them on this mission or this commission. Now, do we have record of a time that the
Bible specifically says when He made appearance before His Father? Do we have record of that? Do we have record in the scriptures of a time
that had already occurred when He appeared before His Father and we’re told the
exact date that it occurred? Now let’s go to John chapter 20.
John 20:1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.
So this is the morning after the Sabbath—the weekly
Sabbath—following Jesus Christ’s death.
Now, this, as I’ve pointed out before, instead of it being worded ‘on
the first day of the week’, it actually is, according to the Companion Bible and other sources, it
should read ‘on the first day of the
Sabbaths’. Now, why is it worded
that way? Let’s go back to Leviticus
23. This is all kind of tying in with
the days in which we’re living right now.
This has to do with the counting process to Pentecost.
Leviticus 23:15 And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, [Now you go back to verse 9 where it
says] 9 And the Lord spoke to Moses,
saying, 10 Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: When you come into the land which I give to
you and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of
your harvest to the priest. 11 He shall
wave [or he shall elevate] the sheaf
[this small measure of this grain] before the Lord to be accepted on your behalf; [when?] on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. [Okay, over in verse 15 again] 15 And you shall count for yourselves from
the day after the Sabbath [So
beginning with that date], from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave
offering; seven Sabbaths shall be
completed. [So if you begin with the day
after the Sabbath, and you count
seven Sabbaths, you’re counting seven complete
weeks.] 16 Count fifty days to the
day after the seventh Sabbath, then
you shall offer a new grain offering to the Lord.
So back here, then, in John 20:1, this morrow after
the Sabbath here is the first of the Sabbaths. This is the first day in the counting of
seven Sabbaths. In other words, this is
the wave sheaf Sunday. This day marked
the beginning of the count to Pentecost.
John
And later on that day, He allowed them to touch Him
and so He did ascend. In other words, on
this particular day He had made an appearance before His Father. Now, I’d like to attempt to help us kind of,
in our mind’s eye, see that. In
Revelation 4; let’s turn back there and read a few verses. We read there in Daniel where Jesus was
brought before the Ancient of Days or One like the Son of Man was to be brought
before the Ancient of Days and it sort of just leaves it at that and you don’t
really get the picture of what that scene was like or what it would be
like. Let’s just read here in
Revelation 4:1 After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in
heaven. [And so John had this incredible
opportunity, in vision, to see this thing.]
And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me,
saying, “Come up here and I will show you things which must take place after this.” 2 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and
behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. 3 And He who sat there was like a jasper and
a sardius stone in appearance; [so John is trying to, in his humanity, describe
what he’s seeing here] and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance
like an emerald. 4 Around the throne
were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones, I saw twenty-four elders sitting,
clothed white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads. 5 And from the throne proceeded lightnings,
thunderings, and voices. [Now not literally lightnings, thunderings, and
voices, perhaps, but he’s trying to describe what he’s seeing by using things
that we know of and he knew of] Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne,
which are the seven Spirits of God. 6
Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around
the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back.
I’m going to stop there, but this kind of helps us
to get a mental picture—to the level that we can—of the time when this Being
presented Himself before the Father. Now
let’s go to Philippians chapter two. I
personally believe, as I’ve expressed before, that it was at the time, on that
wave sheaf Sunday, when He presented Himself before His Father, that this “all
authority” was granted to Him. I
personally believe that and I’ll show you why as we read in Philippians 2. This is a very familiar scripture to us.
Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not
consider it robbery to be equal with God.
7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant,
and coming in the likeness of men. 8 and
being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to
the point of death, even the death of the cross.
And so all that He did in laying His life down for
us is described here—His willingness to empty Himself of His equality with God,
actually, is what this is saying here.
His willingness to empty Himself of that and come down and become a
servant to all of us in the flesh. Then
verse 9, as a result of that,
Philippians 2:9 Therefore, [it says] God also has highly
exalted Him [as a result of Him doing what He did, His willingness to do
what He did and following through and doing it] and given Him the name which is
above every name.
Now this is just another way of saying all authority
has been given to Him, because He has been exalted to the point where He is
given a name which is above every name. I guess I would ask the question, what is
that name? We could say He is God now;
He has been, once again, reinstated in that position of His equality with God;
He’s there at His right hand. He’s
sitting next to Him in authority, you might say. So, you could say His name is God. Well, perhaps it goes even beyond that. Let’s continue to read here in verse
ten. As a result of Him exalting Him to
this level,
Philippians
Now I want to point out something right here—the
very last words that are said here. The
acknowledgment and the recognition of the exaltation of Jesus Christ does not diminish, in any sense, the
role of the Father. As a matter of fact,
it glorifies Him. It says here “to the glory of God the Father”. This word kurios,
in the Greek means owner, master or ruler.
But what is interesting is that, when we see scriptures quoted in the
New Testament from the Old Testament—in other words, Old Testament scriptures
that are quoted in the New, those scriptures that contain the word YHWH—The Eternal—when that occurs, kurios is substituted. In other words, in the Greek, the word kurios, is used for YHWH. I just want to give
one example of that, let’s go back to Acts chapter two, since I mentioned that
we’re counting down to Pentecost. Let’s
just read what was said on Pentecost, that very first one there following
Christ’s death. Peter’s sermon there, he
quotes from Joel and let’s notice what he quotes:
Acts 2:16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 And it shall come to pass in the last
days, says God, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your
daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall
dream dreams. 18 and on My menservants
and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; and they shall
prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in
heaven above and signs in the earth beneath; blood and fire and vapor of
smoke. [So, as a result of what
occurred on this day, as God began to pour out His Spirit, Peter quotes from
Joel.] 20 The sun shall be turned into
darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and notable
day of the Lord. 21 And it shall come to pass that whoever
calls on the name of the Lord
shall be saved.
In both cases this “Lord” in the Old Testament is rendered from the Hebrew word YHWH.
Here in the New Testament, as it is rendered in the Greek, the word kurios is used. So, perhaps back here in Philippians, what is
being said is that every tongue is to confess that Jesus Christ is Owner,
Master and Ruler and also acknowledging and understanding of who He was before
His human birth. Let’s just make the
point here that this exaltation that was given to Him, occurred after He had fulfilled what He had to
fulfill as our Savior. He emptied
Himself, He came to this earth, He lived His life in the human flesh, He’d
given that life in payment for our sins, He had fulfilled what the Passover
Lamb pictured and then it says: therefore God also has highly exalted Him. So it came after that and Jesus there, during
the forty days, is saying that He’d already been exalted; all authority had
been given to Him. That’s why I feel
that it was at the appearance on the wave sheaf Sunday that He was
exalted. Now, back to Ephesians 1. We’re going to be reading down to a verse
that I want to get to, but this is one of those sections where Paul writes one
of his really long sentences, so
we’re going to begin up here in verse 15 and read down to where I want to get
to.
Ephesians 1:15 Therefore I also, after I heard
of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 do not cease to give thanks for you,
making mention of you in my prayers. 17
that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and
revelation in the knowledge of Him.
[the knowledge of Jesus the Christ.] 18
The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the
hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the
saints, 19 and what is the exceeding
greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working
of His mighty power 20 which He worked
in Christ Jesus, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right
hand in the heavenly places. [All still
one sentence and we’re not finished yet.]
21 far above all principality [notice, following His resurrection] and
power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this
age but also in that which is to come.
22 And He put all things under
His feet and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who
fills all in all.
By the way, that sentence finally ended at the end of verse 21; verses 22 and 23 are real short ones. What I’d like to point out here is, verse 22. And He put all things under His feet and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, The New International Version and the Revised Standard Version renders that for the church. And He put all things under His feet and gave Him to be head over all things for the church.
You see, brethren, this exaltation that Christ received was not for His benefit. He doesn’t need that. God doesn’t need the exaltation to benefit Him. This exaltation is not for Him, but it’s for the purpose of benefiting others. He’s been given this so that He can benefit others. And here, if the New International Version and the Revised Standard Version have it correct, specifically, right now, it is for us. It is for us. It is for the church. Now, let’s go back to Matthew 28. I want to read all three verses at the end of this chapter this time.
Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke to
them saying, All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit. [In other words, begin the process of building the church. He said, ‘I will build My church.’ So, as a result of all authority being given
to Him, then, let’s get it going; let’s get the process under way.] 20 teaching them to observe all things
that I have commanded you; [and notice this last part] and lo, I am with you always, even to the end
of the age.
Now the first thing you’d have to take note of here, if He was going to be with them to the end of the age, this statement involves more than just the eleven. They weren’t going to live to anywhere near the end of the age. They were going to live another several years here and they’d be off the scene. So, in other words, if He was going to be with certain individuals to the end of the age, it would involve others whom this would apply to. And since He is telling them, “let’s get the church under way here. Let’s start building the church.” Is this a statement that applies to all of the church?
teaching them to observe all
things that I have commanded you; and lo, I
am with you always, even to the end
of the age.
What is interesting here, this word “with” (I am with you), is meta in the Greek. It means in the midst, with or among, it means companionship, fellowship or accompaniment. This word “always” (I am with you always) means every day and all the days. “I am with you; I am a companion to you”. I am with you always; every day and every day to the end of the age. Now, this Being who had all authority given to Him, the One God exalted far above all principalities and power and might and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come, is saying He will be with us always. Think about that.
One other thing, this name keeps coming up here. This name.
Back in Revelation chapter three happens to be the promise made to the
era of the
Revelation
So He is saying here that He has a new name but He doesn’t tell us what it is. Now we know, as we already saw, in Old Testament times, He is referred—He and the Father, by the way—are referred as the YHWH, which simply means the Everliving One or the One Who Has Life Inherent within Himself, the One That Would Never Die. However, there in Philippians, after this Being had died, it says that God highly exalted Him, gave Him a name above every other name. Now is that name the one He’s referring to in Revelation 3:21 that He doesn’t tell us what it is or, does it simply mean He reinstated Him to the status that He had as God?
Now think about something. This Being who would never have died (and that name YHWH fully applied to Him) gave up that status so that He could die. So, technically, that name doesn’t apply to Him now, because He has died. But He’s got a new name that He’s going to name on us. Now, what is that name? Could it be a name that describes the fact that He was at a status where He never would die, yet He gave it up and He did die? God gives names that describe people, things and places and so forth. Could it be that this new name describes Him as the One who did that? But then, since He’s going to name that name on his Bride, when we take that name, too, could it be that it’s describing the fact that He was resurrected from the dead to a level of God, which we are promised—we have a living hope of attaining. So, it’s just interesting. Just think about that; I’m not saying anything dogmatically here, I’m just pointing out what these scriptures are saying and asking some questions. With all of this said, let’s read some verses in John 10.
John
Now, I think that we all know enough about shepherds to know that, when a shepherd takes his flock out to feed and out in the fields—except in those cases where the shepherds would bring their flock into a large sheepfold, where many shepherds would bring their sheep—if he just erected his own sheepfold for his own flock, he never left them. He stayed with them all the time. He was with them at night when they slept. He would put them in a sheepfold. He would lay across the entrance to the door and that’s where he would sleep. He would always be with them, as Christ said that He would be with us. I’ll be with you—I’m with you always, even to the end of the age. But here He says, “I am the good shepherd”. If you want a title to this message, it is The Good Shepherd. Back up in verse seven, let’s read a few verses here.
John 10:7 Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
So the only way into the fold, into the flock, is through Him, He said. He’s the door, He’s the way in. Now hold your place there. Let’s go to John 14 again, where He said that evening—this is the night in which He was betrayed.
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
So I am the door, in other words. The only way into the flock, the only way into the fold is through Jesus Christ. Now, continue to hold your place there in John 10 and go to Acts 20:28, where Paul has assembled some elders and he’s giving them instructions:
Acts
So others have been given responsibility as shepherds, but
Jesus the Christ is the owner of the
sheep. He has purchased them with His
own blood and, remember, the sheep that are purchased make up the
John 10:9 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. [Remember He said that because I live, you will live. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.] 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. 12 But He who is a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. 13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. [So some who have had the responsibility of a shepherd assigned to them, have proven themselves to be hirelings.] 14 I am the good shepherd; and I know my My sheep, and am known by My own.
Now I could go to 1 Peter 5, I was intending to here, but I’m not going to, but there you’ll find Peter’s instructions to other elders and he said that he himself was a fellow elder and they had responsibilities as shepherds. Then he mentioned that when the Chief Shepherd returns, which is Jesus the Christ. So, the Chief Shepherd has assigned shepherding responsibilities to certain ones. We read about that in Ephesians 4, where it talks about the gifts that Christ gave and he talks about that among those gifts are apostles, prophets, so forth. So He gave certain gifts, He gave certain ones to be shepherds. But those given responsibility of shepherds, should always point the people to the Chief Shepherd. Always. He is the One that’s head of the church. Now some of us have made a mistake of putting our trust in these human shepherds and we’ve been disappointed. If you go to Jeremiah 17 and read, real quickly, some verses.
Jeremiah 17:5 Thus says the [Eternal—the YHWH]: Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord. [In other words, if you put your trust in a man, your heart will turn from the Eternal. If you’re trusting in a man, you will turn from the Eternal.] 6 For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when good comes, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land which is not inhabited. 7 Blessed is the man who trusts in the [Eternal], and whose hope is the [Eternal]. 8 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, not will cease from yielding fruit.
Back in 1 Corinthians 11, notice what the apostle Paul stated there, as it’s rendered in the New King James, I believe in the Authorized Version it’s got “follow me”, but in the New King James it’s got it rendered correctly.
1 Corinthians 11:1 Imitate me [Paul wrote], just as I also imitate Christ.
So those individuals whom Christ has sent and given as gifts to be shepherds, as they imitate Christ, we are to follow their example. We are to imitate them.
1 Corinthians 11:2 Now I praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things and keep the traditions just as I delivered them to you. 3 But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ
“I want you to know that—yes, I’m an apostle”. He said he was on other occasions and he had a responsibility delegated to him and he had a responsibility to be an example to the sheep as Peter told them back there in 1 Peter 5, that a shepherd is to be an example and he knew he had that responsibility and that’s why he said imitate me just as I also imitate Christ. “So, as I do it, as I imitate Christ, then imitate me,”
1 Corinthians 11:3 But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man
So, the marriage state, as we’ve talked about so many times, is a type of the relationship of the church to Christ and so in that type, the head of the woman is man.
1 Corinthians 11:3 But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God
Now back to John 10 again. So we need to keep this in mind always, who is our head.
John
The Good Shepherd, brethren, is our personal shepherd. He knows us personally. We need to understand that. Even though He is who He is, on a level that we can’t even come in the presence of right now, He knows us personally. With all that authority, with all that power and all that ability, He is our personal shepherd. He knows us personally and He said He would be with us always. In John 10:23
John
So they’re working together. In Acts 2:32, I just want to begin here to show you how He began the process of providing for us as our Good Shepherd, from the very beginning of the church. On the level that the Father exalted Him to, from that level He is beginning to provide for the sheep—those that make up the church—from the very first day that the church began. Let’s notice,
Acts
So the Father delegated to Him the responsibility to begin pouring out the Spirit that gives us life. This was just the beginning. This was just the beginning of what He does for us; what He’s continuing to do for us. Now, this sermon is going to stand on its own but I want to follow it up by showing you what He is doing for us beyond that. He began to do that on the very first day that this church began. These scriptures bring out how that He is our servant now. He is serving us. Remember what He said there in Luke 22, let me just quote it real quickly, where He said:
Luke
That service didn’t end with His death. It continues. He continues to be our servant. He is our Savior. We haven’t received salvation yet—not the fullness of it—we’ve received the earnest of it. He began to pour that out on the first day, that day of Pentecost. We haven’t received our salvation yet. We shall be saved through His life. He’s the author and finisher of our faith. He was the author, but He’s also going to finish it. He’s going to be instrumental right to the time we finish. He’s the true vine, remember? We have to be attached to Him. It is through Him, He’s our Master, which means teacher, instructor. It is through Him we receive light. When He was in the flesh, He was the light of the world, remember? But He gives light to every man who comes into the world, we read that in John chapter one. We received the light through Him. He’s the bread of life—John six—all that He said there about us consuming Him. He’s the Head of the church. He is. He now is the head of the church. He’s our High Priest. He is. He’s fulfilling all the responsibilities of a high priest now, to us. He’s the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls—what does that mean? Bishop means overseer. He’s our Advocate with the Father; like we’ve got our own personal lawyer there interceding for us. He’s a Mediator. He’s the Intercessor. He’s our Rock. He’s our Judge.
As the Good Shepherd, brethren, He provides for the needs of the sheep. He is actively providing these services to us now. As a result of His resurrection and the life that He now lives, He’s able to serve us in this way.
In actual fact, He continues to lay His life down for us.
Transcribed by KDO May, 2004