John 10:22-42 Sermon – The Good Shepherd and His Sheep

Originally shared at Guangzhou International Christian Fellowship, October 6, 2024.

Intro

Who is Jesus?

The entire purpose of the Gospel of John is to show us the identity of Jesus.

John 20:31 – But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

John wants us to be crystal clear about Jesus’ identity and how His identity impacts us. That is the crux of His gospel. And that is also the core point of the passage today.

That is what all the people around Him were asking. They had seen His works and heard His words and they wanted to know who this man was. So today let us consider Jesus’ identity and what that means for us.

John 10:22-42 – At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.” Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, I said, you are gods’? If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken— do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands.
He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing at first, and there he remained. And many came to him. And they said, “John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.” And many believed in him there.

I. Jesus’ identity – Who is Jesus?

John 10:24 – So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”

This was the question of the day. Who was Jesus? Was He the Messiah?

Now we should note that there are a lot of reasons for asking questions. Some are asked out of idle curiosity. Some are asked to try to make a person look good or to make a person look bad Others are asked in all sincerity. This question was not asked in sincerity. These were people trying to find a pretense to attack Jesus. We can see their hostility toward Jesus in that after He answers their question, they try to stone Him.

A wise person looks deeper than the question to understand the reason it is being asked.

Jesus is wise so He often didn’t directly answer their questions. He didn’t directly answer this question, “yes” or “no.” He didn’t say, “no” because it would have been a lie. He didn’t say, “yes” because that may have provoked a premature attack which could have derailed His plans.

Let’s look at His answer and what that shows us about His identity.

John 10:25 – Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe.

Jesus had already given them all the information they needed to make an informed decision to believe in Him.

Let’s review that.

A. His works reveal His identity

Note what Jesus didn’t say. He didn’t say, “Just believe,” or “You don’t need any evidence.” He cites His works as evidence.

Some people may think it is very spiritual to say, “I don’t need any evidence. I just believe.” While it is admirable to have strong faith, Jesus did not ask them to abandon reason and logic to believe in Him. He didn’t say, “It doesn’t make any sense. Believe anyway.” Rather He pointed to His works.

John 10:25 – The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me.

He encouraged them to look at the facts, the miracles, the evidence and to weigh all of it in making a decision.

God does not ask us to have a blind faith. Do not fall into the world’s trap to think that you have a weaker position. It is much stronger. There is every reason to believe God exists. And here Jesus points out that there is every reason to believe that He is the Son of God, the Messiah.

Review some of His signature works to this point in John.

• Jesus turned the water into wine. (John 2:1-11)
• Jesus healed a nobleman’s son. (John 4:53-54)
• Jesus healed a man who was an invalid for 38 years (John 5:3-16)
• Jesus fed five thousand plus people (John 6)
• Jesus walked on water (John 6:16-21)
• Jesus healed a man born blind (John 9:1-7)

His works do not only include healing people. This was a small part of Jesus’ ministry. They were also to observe how Jesus treated people.

Many had witnessed his kindness to the woman at the well. He showed compassion to the hungry before the feeding of five thousand. He was zealous for God’s glory at the temple and drove away the greedy sellers exploiting people.

His miracles, demeanor, attitude, character, and words all bore witness to His identity as the Son of God. If they had eyes, they had all the evidence they needed.

Application – Look at the facts. Look at the evidence. If someone asks you, “Why do you believe in God?” could you answer? If they ask you, “Why do you believe the Bible is true?” could you answer?

• Here is one reason I believe in God. The design theory.

Perhaps when you were growing up, your mom told you, “God gave you a brain; use it.” That is true. God gave us a mind and He wants us to use it. We are commanded to defend the faith.

1 Peter 3:15 – But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.

We should understand what we believe and why we believe it and be equipped to defend it. This verse says to be prepared. Are you prepared? If not, get prepared. (Answersingenesis.com, creation.com)

And today if you have not placed your faith in Jesus, I would invite you to seek out the evidence. Examine His works. Ask questions. Ask me or another elder or deacon. Find the answers.

If the Jews had examined Jesus’ works, they had all the evidence they needed to place their faith in Him.

But He gave them more anyway.

B. His claims reveal His identity

• Jesus claimed to have authority to forgive sin (Mark 2:10)
• Jesus claimed to be the judge (5:22)
• Jesus claimed to be the Son of God (5:25)
• Jesus claimed to have power of life and death (5:25-26)
• Jesus claimed the title of “Son of Man,” a Messianic title (5:27)
• Jesus called God Father making Himself equal with God (5:18)
• Jesus claimed to have the power of eternal life (6:51, 54)
• Jesus claimed to be eternal (8:58)

The I AM statements

• I am the Bread of Life (6:35)
• I am the Light of the World (8:12)
• I am the door (10:7)
• I am the good shepherd (10:11)

Jesus didn’t only do the works and then say, “figure it out.” He told them very clearly who He was. His claims bore witness about His identity.

C. His essence (oneness with the Father).

Who is Jesus?

Here is another claim.

John 10:30 – I and the Father are one.

Jesus made a big claim. No prophet or leader in Jewish history had ever said such a thing.

Jesus claimed to be one with the Father. What did that mean?

He did not mean that they were the same being. Rather, they have the same power, same purpose, same nature, and the same essence. It is a claim to divinity.

Hebrews 1:3 – He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature.

We understand that this is true because God is a triune God.

Westminster Shorter Catechism –

Q: How many persons are there in the Godhead?
A: There are three persons in the Godhead: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory.

The Jews clearly knew that Jesus was claiming to be God. Look at their reaction.

They were correct that Jesus was claiming to be God but incorrect that He was not.

D. His title (Son of God) Reveals His Identity (36)

John 10:34-36 – Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, I said, you are gods’? If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken— do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?

First, look at Jesus’ claim. He didn’t say, “I am not the Son of God; you misunderstood.” Rather, He reaffirmed and defended this statement. Jesus claimed the title “Son of God.”

Now look at how He defended that.

He points to a verse from Psalm 82.

Psalms 82:6 – I said, “You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you.”

The logic is a fairly simple argument from the lesser to the greater. If their rulers could in some sense be called a “god,” then how much more should the actual Son of God be called by that title?

Scripture cannot be broken.

In this passage, we see Jesus’ respect for Scripture. He knew the Old Testament well. What is more, He used a very obscure passage to make a relevant and important point. He was using exegesis in this passage. By doing this, He showed us that Scripture does not become outdated. We can study it and preach it with confidence.

He said it cannot be broken. That means it is inerrant. It has no errors. Wherever Scripture speaks, it is correct. Many have tried to break it. Many have tried to extinguish it.

• In 100 BC. Antiochus IV brutally persecuted Jews and burned all the Scriptures he could. Spoiler alert. The Scriptures lived on.
• In 303 AD, Emperor Diocletian attempted to stamp out Christianity and burn all the Bibles. Spoiler alert; he failed.
• William Tyndale was killed for his role in translating the Bible. More were printed and spread than ever before.
• In 2024 AD, the Bible is illegal in 52 countries.

In the future, there may be more attempts. But these too will fail.

Jesus guaranteed it.

Matthew 24:35 – Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

Now two thousand years later, Jesus’ words still ring true. The Bible is the most published, most translated, most read book in the world.

Through the unbroken Scriptures, we still see Jesus’ identity. His works show us who He is. His claims show us who He is. His titles show us who He is.

Who is He?

• The Son of God
• The Son of Man
• The Messiah / The Christ
• Fully Man
• Fully God
• The Creator
• The Judge
• The Bread of Life
• The Light of the World
• The Door of the Sheep
• The Good Shepherd
• The Alpha and the Omega
• Our Savior
• Our Lord
• Our Friend

This is the identity of Jesus.

It is not just theory or an interesting fact to file away. His identity directly relates to ours. Our identity is in Him.

The world today is all about understanding themselves. A quick search on Google shows countless articles and assessments such as “8 Approaches to Know Yourself Better,” and “The Importance of Knowing Yourself.”

It is good to know ourselves, but we have to start with who God is, and who Jesus is. Our identity is rooted in Him. A person who attempts to divorce their identity from God will become self-centered and ultimately fail to know who they are and why they exist. They will miss their purpose in life and be unfulfilled.

II. Jesus’ Sheep – Our Identity

John 10:27 – My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

A. Sheep –

Did your kids ever ask you what kind of animal you would choose to be if you were an animal? Mine ask me these kinds of things all the time. Did you ever answer “sheep?” This would probably be the most biblical answer.

Why did Jesus use the analogy of sheep?

• Sheep are dependent on humans (the shepherd) for survival. They cannot defend or protect themselves. We need God.
• Sheep are good at following. We are to follow Him.

Sheep don’t exist in the wild. They don’t exist on their own. Their existence depends on the good will of their master and so does ours.

Application – Next time you are tempted to be prideful, remind yourself that you are a sheep. You do not and cannot exist on your own without God.

B. His Sheep Hear His voice (they hear His Word / Living by the Word)

Sheep are actually very good at listening to the shepherd. Sometimes shepherds on the trail will cross paths and walk together for a while. While they do, their flocks mix while walking behind them. Then the shepherds go their separate ways and the sheep listen to their shepherd’s voice and correctly “unmix” and follow their shepherd. They have the ability to distinguish voices and know who is their shepherd and who is not.

As His sheep, we are to listen to Him. There are many voices in the world vying for our attention.

• Teachers – Not all of which reflect the voice of God
• Relatives – Not all of which reflect the voice of God
• Peers – Not all of which reflect the voice of God
• Media / Music / Internet – Not all of which reflect the voice of God

Sometimes these voices are very loud and very insistent. Sometimes there are even so-called Christian voices loudly proclaiming their message.

Application – Can you distinguish the voice of the Shepherd? Are you being distracted by another voice? Are you being pushed off course by a different message?

We need to train ourselves to listen to His voice. Our theme this year is Living by the Word. While He can speak to us through godly counsel, the primary means He speaks with us is through the Word.

Acts 17:11 – Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

How is your Bible reading going? Are you on track to finish the Bible reading plan? Either your own or GICF’s? Are you memorizing Scripture so you can listen to His voice throughout the day even when you have no Bible? Are you helping your spouse and family to listen to His voice by having regular family devotions?

As sheep, we should love to listen to His voice.

So we have seen that we are sheep and that we are to hear His voice.

C. His Sheep Are Known by Him

Tell your neighbor, “Jesus knows you.” That could be both scary and comforting. Jesus knows everything about you. He knows your struggles and temptations. He knows what you do when you are alone and no one else is around. He knows your dreams, hopes, fantasies, and thoughts. He knows your darkest secrets. He knows your character, your weaknesses, and your strengths. He knows all of this and does not cast you or me out. He still offers forgiveness and eternal life.

He knows if you have been mistreated and abused. He knows your deepest sadness. He knows your unrealized dreams and hopes. He knows your pain and hurt. He knows all of your wounds and scars from birth until now. He knows and He cares. He will support you, listen to you, befriend you, and strengthen you.

I have heard that some shepherds know their sheep individually and even name them. Those who do must have small flocks. God’s flock of sheep numbers in the hundreds of millions or even billions. He knows each one of us. This phrase “are known by Him” shows that our relationship with God is personal. He doesn’t just “love the world,” He loves you. You are not just a number or a statistic to God. He knows you on a deep and personal level that no one else does.

In the Lord of the Rings, the evil dark lord Sauron says, “I see you.” He sees with the intention to hurt. He is opposed to the one he sees.

But when God sees you, it is the opposite. His intention is to heal and nurture you.

Isaiah 42:3 – A bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice.

Application – Be honest in your prayers. God already sees and knows you. Trying to hide who you are or what you feel will not work. One clear fact is seen about the mighty people of prayer in the Bible. They were honest and direct in their prayers.

Confess your worst sins to Him. Bring them to the light. Come to Him with your hurts. He knows you. And He cares.

D. His Sheep Follow Him

“They follow Me.”

This is what sheep do. Sheep aren’t good at a lot of things, but they are quite good at following.

I have often noted that people are like this. We often follow others without even thinking. I have observed a group of people walking on the sidewalk. When the first person goes around an obstacle in one direction, generally most people in his group follow him. This is generally subconscious. It is called the “power of suggestion.” The same “power” causes multiple people in a room to start yawning after one person does.

Many experiments have shown that students will knowingly give the wrong answer to a question in order to follow the crowd so as not to stand out or draw attention to themselves. This herding tendency can be very dangerous. The forces of culture are like a powerful current that most people follow without even thinking.

Social media can contribute to this type of thinking. Platforms like TikTok can make the craziest trends go viral.

For the young people out there, don’t follow every challenge or trend you see. One such trend is NyQuil chicken, which is cooking a chicken with NyQuil medicine.

That is one of the more outlandish things. A lot of other ideas fly under the radar.

• Early retirement and spend forty years on pleasure? – What would Jesus say?
• Choose a job based solely on salary – What would Jesus say?
• Put off marriage until you buy a car and house and enjoy being a bachelor – What would Jesus say?

We are not called to follow the world. Jesus said, “My sheep follow Me.” We are followers of Jesus.

Sometimes I find that the term “Christian” can carry baggage and is not always clear. I prefer to tell people that I am a follower of Jesus.

Are you a follower of Jesus?

Again, our theme this year is Living by the Word. We are not called just to know the Word. We are called to obey it.

Application – A follower is someone who takes action. He is moving in the same direction as the one he follows. Here is one simple way to be a better follower of Jesus.

When you come to the word (in a sermon, Bible study, or personal devotions), try to make one simple application each time. Answer the question, “What will I obey?” from this passage. It could be very simple. It could be, “I will say ‘thank you’ to my spouse for making dinner” or “I will pray for the driver that cuts me off instead of honking.”

E. Are secure in Him

John 10:27-29 – My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.

This is one of the strongest passages in the Bible that teaches the security of the believer. The teaching is simple. Once given to us, salvation can never be taken away. There is nothing and no one that can then remove us from God’s love and forgiveness.

Salvation is a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8-9). He gives it to us when we do not deserve it. It is not because of our good works. It is because of grace through faith. If you are not saved because of your good works, you can not keep salvation because of your good works. Neither can you lose salvation because God says, “Hmm. He doesn’t deserve it anymore.”

That means we do not need to live in fear of losing our salvation. If salvation was lost because of sin and gained again due to confession each of us would gain and lose salvation repeatedly every day. That would be frightening because what if we died right after sinning and before confession? What if I get upset and lose my temper, say an unkind word and then have a heart attack right after? Am I doomed to eternity in hell?

No! God’s grace covers our past, present, and future sins. Jesus knew all of that when He died for you.

Jesus wants His sheep to be and to feel secure in God’s powerful and loving hands.

Paul taught the same thing.

Romans 8:38-39 – For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Do these verses mean that since our salvation is secure we can do what we want and sin freely?

Again, NO!

Jesus said that His sheep follow Him. If a person refuses to follow Him and instead willfully follows the world, is he a sheep? It doesn’t look like it. Now perhaps this person will repent in the future. Only God knows. But the teaching is clear, a sheep follows Jesus.

A person cannot both claim to be a sheep and to have security in Him while refusing to follow Him. God calls us to follow Him.

We don’t follow perfectly. We sometimes stumble. But we follow Him.

God’s grace does not absolve us from personal responsibility to hear His voice and follow Him. The Bible is filled with warnings about not falling away.

So two truths are taught.

1. The true believer has eternal security by the grace of God.

2. We have a personal responsibility to continue in the faith and to follow Him.

What about those who claim to believe and then who fall away?

We have all known people like this. This is what John says.

1 John 2:19 – They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.

Our identity in Him.

• We are sheep.
• We are to hear His voice.
• We are known by Him.
• We are to follow Him.
• We are secure in Him.

III. Our response

Today we have seen that Jesus claimed to be divine, the Son of God. How will we respond?

When people are asked their opinion of Jesus, they say that He was a good man. But Jesus did not leave that option open to us.

Jesus claimed to be the Son of God.

That means there are three possibilities.

• He thought He was the Son of God and He was not. If I claim to be a monkey, you will say that I am crazy. Was Jesus a crazy madman?

• He knew that He was not the Son of God but He intentionally misled people. If that is the case, He is not a good man. He would be a scam artist, a liar, a deceiver.

• He, in fact, is the Son of God.

The Jewish leaders understood what Jesus was claiming. They didn’t believe Him and tried to kill Him.

There is no middle ground. For me or against me.

What will you choose? If you believe Jesus’ claims, then He asks you to listen to His voice, rest in His knowledge and care for you, and follow Him.

If you want to follow Jesus, I would invite you to stand with me as we have a closing prayer.

Thank the Good Shepherd for laying down His life for you. Tell Him you want to follow Him. Think about any areas of your life where you have not, and confess those to Him.

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