I AM Pt 4 – I Am The Good Shepherd

On Sunday we continued with our fourth message in the sermon series based on the “I Am” statements Jesus made. The title of the message was “I Am the Good Shepherd”.

In John 10:11-15, Jesus declares twice about Himself, “I Am the Good Shepherd!”. He is the the culmination and the totality of everything in a shepherd. He is saying to us, “I Am the Good Shepherd and I want to lead the way”. I want to lead every aspect of your life.

Why does Jesus want to lead the way? Because:

1. The Good Shepherd knows you: Jesus knows you better than you know yourself. Psalm 139:1-4,13 shows us that He knows us intimately and He understands us completely. He knows our character, our gifting, the way we think, our strengths and our weaknesses. He has our best interest at heart (Jeremiah 29:11). So who better to lead our lives and show us the way to go? In Isaiah 48:17, God says He is the one who teaches you what is best for you and directs you in the way you should go.

2. The Good Shepherd protects and defends: 2 Thessalonians 3:3 says that God is faithful and He will protect you from the evil one. Psalm 34:7 says that “the angel of God is encamped around those who fear Him, and he delivers them”. When we allow Jesus to lead, and we follow Him, we can enjoy the promise of His protection and He comes to our defence when the enemy attacks. The Good Shepherd is a mighty warrior and when He sees His children under attack, He send the armies of heaven to fight for us.

3. The Good Shepherd carries the sick and hurting: scripture tells us that Jesus is near to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18). Isaiah 40:11 shows us that the Shepherd tends the flock and carries them close to His heart. That’s the picture of our Jesus! We live in a broken world, a world full of suffering, pain and struggle.We have a Shepherd who doesn’t want us to go through life limping or bleeding. He wants to carry us close to his heart and heal us. But we must allow Him to lead our lives!

Jesus is the Good Shepherd; the only Shepherd, and He wants to lead the way of your life!