Word of Salvation – Vol.02 No.10 – May 1956
I Am The Good Shepherd
Sermon by Rev. G. Van Wilgenburg on John10:11+14
ORDER OF SERVICE
- Silent prayer
- Votum and Salutation
Our help is in the name of Jehovah, who made heaven and earth. Amen.
Grace be unto us and peace, from God our Father, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
- Hymn 402
- Ten Commandments
The Lord Jesus has taught us these commandments in a summary (Matthew 22:37-40): Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.. And the second is like unto it: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
- Hymn 417:1 and 3
- Proclamation of forgiveness:
To all of you who sincerely repent of their sins and take refuge with the only Saviour, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, we preach the forgiveness of sins in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
- Hymn 416 : 2
- Scripture reading: Psalm 23
- Prayer
O eternal God and merciful Father, we humble ourselves before Thy great majesty, against which we have frequently and grievously sinned. We acknowledge that if Thou should enter into judgment with us, we would deserve nothing less than eternal death. We are deeply conscious of the fact that, on account of our original sin, we are unclean before Thee and children of wrath. Since we are conceived and born in sin, all manner of evil desires against Thee and our neighbour fill our soul.
We continually transgress Thy commandments failing to do what Thou hast commanded us, and doing that which Thou hast expressly forbidden. We all like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way. We acknowledge our waywardness, and are heartily sorry for all our sins. We confess to our humiliation and to the praise of Thy mercy that our transgressions are innumerable, and that our debt is so great that we cannot even begin to repay. We are not worthy to be called Thy children, nor to lift up our eyes heavenward to Thee in prayer.
Nevertheless, O Lord God and gracious Father, we know that Thou dost not desire the death of the sinner, but rather that he should turn to Thee and live; we know that Thy mercy toward those who turn to Thee is infinite; and so we take courage to call upon Thee from the depths of our hearts, trusting in our Mediator Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. We pray that Thou, forgiving all our sins for Christ’s sake, wilt have compassion upon us in our infirmities. Wash us in the pure fountain of His blood, so that we may become clean and white as snow. Cover our nakedness with His innocence and righteousness, for the glory of Thy Name. Deliver our understanding from all blindness, and our hearts from all wilfulness and rebellion.
Open now the mouth of Thy servant, and fill it with Thy wisdom and knowledge, that he may boldly proclaim Thy Word in all its purity. Prepare our hearts to receive it, to understand it, and to preserve it. Inscribe Thy law, as Thou hast promised, upon the tablet of our heart, and give us the desire and the strength to walk in the ways of Thy precepts, to the praise and glory of Thy Name, and to the edification of the Church.
All this, gracious Father, we implore in the Name of Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray, saying: Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth. Give us this day our daily bread; And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors; And bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
- Offerings
- Hymn 354 (tune Hymn 27)
- Text: John 10:11 and 14
I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
- Sermon
Congregation beloved of the Lord,
I wonder, what you would answer, if I were to put the following question before everyone in this congregation:
What do you feel, what do you imagine – when the words are read: “I am the good Shepherd”?
I am pretty sure that most of us have the same feeling and the same picture in their minds: There goes an old man – or he might even be a young boy like David was over the moors and the heather.
The sheep drift silently from shrub to shrub. The sheepdog runs hither and thither and barks occasionally.
No danger is lurking, no sound can be heard, only the call of the skylark high in the air.
It’s peace all over this picture.
Yes – most of us feel that way when Jesus calls Himself the good Shepherd.
Good means then: good-natured, kind, gentle, friendly, even: sweet.
You need not be afraid of the Lord Jesus.
He wouldn’t do you any harm.
He wouldn’t hurt you.
He is not the majestic, severe Son of God on His throne.
He is only the good Shepherd.
May I ask you: where in the world did you get this idea about his goodness?
Who told you that there is nothing to fear from our Saviour?
You know you have everything to fear from Him! IF YOU ARE A WOLF.
You must be very afraid of Jesus when you don’t belong to His flock, when you are not one of His sheep.
Jesus is not “good” in the sense of kind and gentle-for-everybody.
He is not kind for his enemies.
He is not gentle in his battle against the wolves. He can hate. And He can fight.
He hates Satan.
He fights hell and darkness and sin and death and all that is connected with them in your life and mine. Jesus is somebody to be very scared of when you live in the opposite camp and belong to the army of the enemy.
That is the meaning of the words: “I am the GOOD Shepherd”.
He fights and He hates.
He fights because He wants the peace to live in our hearts, the peace that surpasses all understanding.
He hates.
Because the great power that’s hidden in all His undertakings is the love. His love for God and mankind. Therefore Jesus fights and hates. He fights evil and its originator: the devil.
So don’t go into a relationship with this king of darkness for your life’s sake.
Every time you choose for sin you choose for the devil.
Every time you open the door of your heart for evil thoughts you choose for the wolves. Every time you let loose in your life lust and avarice and greediness you deny the Kingdom of God and build the kingdom of God’s great enemy.
And every time you’ll find Jesus on your way. He Himself will be your mighty Opponent. That’s something to be afraid of isn’t it? Would not we rather have the old picture of the gentle Jesus… who is not dangerous at all?
No I wouldn’t!
I prefer my Saviour to be the powerful hero who can defend His Church and safeguard His flock. Even if that means that I myself might find Him sometimes as my Opponent.
Because I know that all His enemies are mine. I know that sin is not a friend but a foe, who will destroy my happiness, my life for eternity. I know that the devil is an angel clad in the robes of light, but a FALLEN angel who tries to bring me down too in his own fall.
I didn’t know these things myself.
I didn’t choose against sin and darkness and death.
But I saw Jesus fight against it.
I saw through the looking-glass of the Word of God, through the window of the bible how He, my Lord, struggled with the devil and all his power.
I saw Him die on the cross, this good Shepherd of mine and that is why I hate sin and evil and pray God that I may walk in the paths of His divine law, now and evermore.
He gave His life for the sheep.
Was that not what the Church preached on good Friday?
So far did He go that He sacrificed Himself for us and died.
The good Shepherd.
But there is more!
If it had only been that He was willing to DIE for us, than we could not really call Him GOOD. We should call Him: faithful, or something like that.
What we need is a LIVING Lord. Our Saviour can’t be somebody about whom we may read in the dusty pages of history. He can’t be a Man of the past only.
We need His power, His protection NOW. We need Him TODAY.
You can’t be saved by the example of Jesus Christ!
Oh – I agree with everybody who says so – it is a very nice and beautiful thing that at least once in all the centuries of human life on earth somebody had the spirit and the will to fight evil to the bitter end.
But that can’t really help me now!
What I wish for, what I pray for, what I can’t do without, not even for a moment that is: the living Lord, who will lift me up high above the waves of Satan’s power and sin’s temptations and KEEP me forever in His loving kindness.
Well then – He lives indeed!
Did we not sing on Easter Sunday: Christ the Lord is risen?!
Jesus lives. He won the victory over death and sin and devil and hell.
That’s why they shiver and shudder – those devils – whenever the name of Jesus is heard.
And that’s why everyone who gave his heart and life to Jesus must be glad and happy. We have a GOOD Shepherd Who ended the struggle in triumphant victory!
But it’s time now – I think – to ask who gets the benefit.
In other words: what kind of people does the flock of Jesus consist of?
Who are the sheep?
Most church-goers have their answer to this question ready at hand. That’s easy – they think. Of course you’ll find the sheep of the good Shepherd in the-church. They are the people who don’t swear. Who attend the Sunday services regularly. Who behave in a decent way, always – or at least – as a rule.
They are the ones who read their bible and know the most important texts from holy Scripture by heart. They don’t go to the pub, they don’t indulge in the passions connected with the lotteries.
And so on. And so on.
And the wolves?
Those are the others. Some call them: the world.
Now mind you: there is one good thing about this division of mankind. That is this: there are only two sorts of people, not three.
There are the friends of Jesus the followers of Jesus, those who belong to Jesus AND the others.
The sheep AND the others.
His beloved ones and His enemies. You can’t be neutral.
Either you are His property or you are in the power of His might opponent: THE DEVIL.
But that is the only good thing in this way of dividing mankind.
Because in all other aspects it is wrong!
The line of division runs right through what we call the church. And it is not a question of being decent or not.
And you can read your bible every day and even be able to quote it freely by heart but all the same you might not belong to the sheep.
It does not matter what your neighbour says about you or what your friends think.
What matters is: what does Jesus think. What does Jesus say about you!
He tells us here: I am the good Shepherd and I know my sheep.
How does He?
He looks in your heart.
Do you love Him?
Did you accept His grace to salvation?
Did you flee to Him for the .forgiveness of your sins?
Did you take your refuge in the storms of this life and of the judgment of God with the only Saviour? So not do you put your trust in your own goodness and decency and faithfulness and devoutness…!
But are you prepared to say with Paul: these things which were gain to me, I counted them loss for Christ, yes doubtless, and I count ALL things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.
Forbid it Lord that I should boast,
save in the death of Christ, my God:
all the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them through His blood.
Don’t say that I am defending here a way of life in which there is no obedience to the Law of God.
I think a Christian cannot but ask for holiness of life and fight against all the powers of sin and ugliness.
But the point I want to stress is: in the end there is but only one thing that matters and that is: does Jesus know you as His own?
How can you be sure?
You will never be sure, my brother, my sister, when you keep examining only your own life and your own ideas.
The voice of love for Jesus in the hearts of men is never born out of our own power. And we don’t take the initiative.
Jesus does. I know my sheep and am known of mine. My sheep know my voice.
That’s it.
I heard the voice of Jesus say: Come unto me and rest.
I came to Jesus as I was, weary and worn and sad.
I found in Him a resting place,
And He has made me glad.
His is the initiative.
Jesus calls you. Will you come? And stay with Him?
Then you are one of His sheep.
Don’t be a wolf.
Accept your Saviour!
Amen.
- Prayer
O Lord, Almighty God, we pray that Thy holy Name may not be blasphemed on account of our sins. For we have sinned against Thee in many ways. We do not obey Thy holy Word as it behoves us. Through ignorance, unthankfulness, and discontent, we daily provoke Thee to wrath. We confess, Lord, that Thou art just in inflicting punishment upon us.
But we beseech Thee, O Lord, remember Thy great mercy and have compassion upon us. Teach us truly to know our sins and sincerely to mourn for them and to amend our life. Strengthen the ministers of Thy Church in order that they may faithfully and steadfastly preach Thy holy Word. Likewise, Lord, give strength to our rulers that they may wield the sword of civil authority in justice and equity!
Keep us, we beseech Thee, from all hypocrisy and unfaithfulness, and frustrate all evil and subtle designs against Thy Word and Thy Church.
O Lord, do not withhold from us Thy Word and Thy Spirit, but grant us increase in faith, and patience and steadfastness in all suffering and adversity. Succour Thy Church, and deliver Thy people from opposition, ridicule, and tyranny, which it suffers at the hands of wicked men. Impart from on high strength to those that are sorely burdened with sorrow. And visit upon us Thy peace through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who gave us this sure promise: Verily, verily, I say unto you, If ye shall ask anything of the Father, he will give it you in my name.
Amen.
- Hymn 406
- Benediction
Lift up your hearts to the Lord and receive His blessing:
The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.