２０００年４月９日 ヨハネ１０：１ー１８
『私は良き羊飼い、そして門です。』
テーマ イエス様こそ『現実』のもの
１．イエス様だけが私達に対して権威をもっておられる。
２．イエス様だけが私達の命の鍵を握っておられる。
３．イエス様だけが私達に罪の許しを与えることができる。
Text: John 10:1-18
Title: "I am the Good Shepherd, who IS the Door!"
Big Idea: Jesus is the "real thing".
Outline:
I. Jesus alone has the right of authority over us (10:1-6).
II. Jesus alone holds the key to life for us (10:7-10).
III. Jesus alone can offer the forgiveness of sins to us (10:11-18).
Introduction:
About 10 or 15 years ago, America had the famous "cola
wars", (I don't know if you had them in Japan). It was
an advertising war and it took place on television and on radio
and billboards everywhere. They asked America, "Which tastes
better, Coke or Pepsi?" And they drove us all of crazy with
their "taste tests" inside shopping malls and outside
of supermarkets. ("Sir, please try these two sodas and tell
us which tastes better!") Of course, none of the public
really cared about whether Coke or Pepsi was better-- / because
unless you are soda connoisseur, they pretty
much taste the same, don't they?
But Coca-Cola eventually caught on that most people can't
TELL the difference between Coke and Pepsi. And so they took
a different marketing track. Instead of trying to convince people
that their product tasted better, their new advertisements now
read, (slowly) "Coke is the REAL THING!"
They said, "All the other colas out there are fakes. They
are 2nd rate imitations of OUR product. We are the ORIGINAL,
we are the REAL THING!"
(pause)
But as we all know, there is a much more serious battle going
on in the world than those silly cola wars, isn't there? (slowly)
The real battle in this
world revolves around people influencing what you think and believe
about life. What you think about God. What you think about yourself.
What you think about the world around you. In other words, we
are surrounded by people eager to convince you that their views
of life are the "REAL THING". They say, "If you
want to be happy, then you need to have x, y, and z." And
everyone tries to fills in "x, y, & z" with their
own ideas. Some say you need to be married in order to be happy,
others say "No, no, you need to remain single and free."
Some say happiness comes with finally having children / or with
early retirement, / or with someday being able to buy anything
you want from the store of your choice without even having to
look at the price tag, / or with finally owning your own house
or business. We are told that if we want a satisfying life we
need to pursue status, relationships, money, security. It's endless,
isn't it?
But what is really the "REAL THING"? There
are so many philosophies of life, so many systems of ethics.
How can we know which is right what is really worth living for?
There are so many choices, and every idea looks just as good
as the next. And like with Coke and Pepsi, unless you are a
connoisseur, all these so-called "answers to life" kind
of taste the same, can't they? And in the end, they never really
taste as good as you expected, do they? With all these opinions,
how can we by ourselves possibly know what is the REAL THING to
live for? The answer: (slowly) we can't!
By ourselves, you and I are NOT able to tell the difference
between what are genuine answers to life's deepest questions,
and what are cheap imitations. Only God can tell us that. Only
GOD is eternal. Only GOD is all-knowing. Only GOD has created
the universe and so knows how all the
pieces fit together. Only God has the right perspective to know
what is GENUINE and what is NOT. (pause)
So we must ask God the question, "Which are the real
answers to life, and which are the cheap imitations?" And
fortunately for us, God gives us an answer. (pause) He says,
"Jesus is the REAL THING!
(pause and repeat)
He says, "I sent my only Son Jesus Christ to die for
your sins on the cross /so that YOU can enter into a relationship
with ME. I offer you forgiveness through my son Jesus Christ.
I offer you hope through my son Jesus Christ. I offer you new
life through my son Jesus Christ." God says, "ANYONE
who tries to offer you a higher and better life apart from my
son Jesus Christ (pause) is a liar. They are offering you a cheapimitation.
Jesus is theREAL THING!" (pause). ------------ Our passage
today, the gospel of John10:1-18, considers three reasons why
Jesus is the REAL THING. So let's
beginwith vv. 1-6.
I. Jesus alone has the right of authority over us (10:1-6)
(pause) In these verses, a picture is painted of a
large, village sheep pen, where typically different herds of sheep
were kept together. As v. 1 implies, there is only one door to
the sheep pen. And we see in v. 3 that this door is guarded
by a doorkeeper. Only the owner of the sheep is allowed to enter
through the door, and in v.2 we see that this is the Shepherd.
Other people, who just want to steal or brutalize the sheep,
have to avoid the gate and sneak in another way. V. 1 identifies
these people as thieves and robbers.
This picture is a metaphor for the world around us. We
are like the sheep in the sheep pen-- completely defenseless and
vulnerable to false religion and philosophies of life. The
one who guards the door to the sheep in v. 3 is probably God Himself,
/ because God alone determines who is
authorized to have access to your soul. God alone has determined
who is the "real thing." And so God guards us from
imposters.
Now these thieves and robbers are anybody who try to offer you
a better and higher life apart from Jesus Christ. They are spiritual
charlatans. They are called thieves because they rob the sheep
of a truly rich, fulfilling, and abundant life. Their words are
deceptively beautiful, but they carry no
weight because they lack authority.
They can appear as false religious leaders, as politicians, as
poets, as the university intellectual, as the hedonist who lives
next door. God tells us in today's passage that anyone who claims
that you don't need Jesus in your life to be made right with Him--
is a thief and a liar. Anyone who claims
that you don't need Jesus in order to have a rich and satisfying
life is a fake. They don't have God's authority to make such
claims.
These people may be very smart and talented. But at best, these
people who claim that you don't need to follow Jesus to have a
rich and satisfying life will just disappoint you. At worst,
these people will lead you down the path to eternal destruction.
So God says, "Don't let them rob you of true life!
I have only given ONE person the authority to enter into the sheep
pen. ONE person for the sheep to follow-- JESUS CHRIST the GOOD
shepherd." (pause)
In vv. 3-5 we see that Jesus' unique authority is not only testified
by the gatekeeper, but it is also testified by His sheep. There
are many different sheep in the sheep pen, some from different
flocks. But when the Good Shepherd comes and calls them ("Suiiii
sibi se se" or whatever it is Israelite shepherds used to
say) His sheep respond, and they come. The
Good Shepherd knows each sheep intimately by name-- He gives
them shelter, he leads them, he cares for them. There is a special
bond between the Good Shepherd and His sheep, and the sheep trust
Him. All of you who trust Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior
have testimonies about how you first heard His call to salvation.
You each have stories about how He has changed your life forever,
and how He has carried you through the storms of life. His goodness
and mercy have no end, all of you can testify to that. Once you
have EXPERIENCED the deep riches of a relationship with Jesus
Christ, you have tasted the "real thing." And as v.
5 says, (slowly) you now refuse to listen any fakes. (pause)
Brothers and sisters, there are other sheep in the sheep pen who
don't yet know the Good Shepherd. There are people in your neighborhood
and workplace who need to hear of the work that Jesus has done
in your life. There are so many spiritual charlatans out there
in world-- how can people know which is the REAL THING? They
need to hear your testimony, as well as God's
testimony in the Scriptures, that Jesus alone has the authority
to offer them a higher and better life. (slowly) Jesus alone
has the authority to offer us a higher and better life.
But what exactly are we talking about when we speak of a higher
and better life? Let's look at vv. 7-10 now (read).
II. Jesus alone holds the key to life for us (10:7-10)
(pause) Jesus changes his metaphors now. In vv. 1-5,
He was the shepherd who entered through the door. He gives the
sheep shelter, nourishment, and direction. But in vv. 7-10, Jesus
is not just the Shepherd who goes through the door, He IS the
door itself. In other words, Jesus alone is the one that we must
go through in order to find salvation. V. 9 tells us that "if
anyone enters through JESUS, two things will happen: / 1) He
shall be saved, and 2) he shall go in and out, and find pasture."
(pause)
Now what image comes to mind when you think of sheep sitting out
in a well- protected pasture? (slowly) I think of content, peaceful
sheep lying down in a warm, green field-- not being terrorized
by thieves and robbers. They have peace because they know that
their shepherd is looking out for them.
(pause)
In v. 10 Jesus calls this peaceful and content scene "the
abundant life." (slowly) ONLY JESUS can offer you this abundant
life. V. 9 tells us that this abundant life consists of two things--
salvation and finding pasture. In other words, we have eternal
life with the God the Father and a dynamic
life with the Holy Spirit. Together, these make up the ABUNDANT
life of v. 10. When I put my faith in Jesus back in my junior
year of high school, God forgave my sins and gave me eternal life.
But you know, at the time, I had a very immature understanding
of salvation. You see, to me, salvation through Jesus Christ
was not really part of the abundant life, / it was more like fire
insurance so I wouldn't have to go to hell. Knowing that I was
saved through faith did not really change my life that much because
I had separated salvation from my day-to-day experience. I thought
that this wonderful gift of eternal life was really only something
that I received after I died, / I
thought that eternal life had little impact on the trials that
I face in this life.
But over the years I have discovered that salvation through Jesus
Christ is not just fire insurance from hell, / it is also the
promise that I can be in His presence forever starting TODAY.
I finally realized that I don't have to die first before I can
really live life with God. He is eternally present
in my life right now. I can reach out to Him in my good times
AND in my bad times and I know that He will be there for me.
And knowing that He is with me NOW and that He will be with me
FOREVER in HEAVEN not only gives me peace, but it gives me hope
as well. Because I know that if I am on God's side, then in the
end all things in my life will work out for good. Only Jesus can
offer you this confidence of having eternal life with God the
Father. But there's more. Because Jesus also offers us a dynamic
life with the Holy Spirit. The apostle Paul writes in Eph. 1
that we receive the Holy Spirit
the moment we believe the gospel of salvation. The Holy Spirit
then dwells with your spirit, and begins the process of transforming
you into the likeness of Christ. As you spend time praying,
/ meditating on His Word, / and living life in the power of the
Spirit-- / you will begin to notice this
process of transformation.
As I grow in my Christian walk, I become increasingly aware of
how holy God is, and how utterly sinful I am. And when I realize
this, I find that I can respond in either one of two ways: I
can either turn away from God out of guilt, / or I can turn towards
Him and ask Him to change me through the Holy Spirit. If I choose
to turn away from God then I give up the opportunity to grow.
But if I humble myself and embrace God in my weaknesses, then
the Holy Spirit has a chance to begin transforming me. And as
I grow in holiness, then my relationship with God grows even closer.
So we see that believing in Jesus Christ and receiving eternal
life is NOT the end of the Christian life, it's just the beginning.
NOW the journey of transformation into the likeness of Christ
begins. NOW you can experience TRUE freedom, / TRUE contentment
despite circumstances, / TRUE peace, / and TRUE hope that WILL
not fail. (pause)
ONLY Jesus Christ can offer you eternal life with God the Father.
And ONLY Jesus can offer you a dynamic life with the Holy Spirit.
Together, as a package, these make up "the ABUNDANT LIFE"
of the believer. (pause)
But on what basis can Jesus offer us this life? Let's read vv.
11-18.
III. Jesus alone can offer the forgiveness of sins to us (10:11-18)
(pause) On what basis can Jesus offer us the abundant
life?
(slowly)
Because the Good Shepherd laid down His life for the sheep.
So we see that Jesus is not just a shepherd. (pause) He is the
Christ, He is the Messiah.
Jesus says five times in this passage that He lays down
His life for the sheep. This tells us that we should pay attention
to what this means.
He is drawing attention to the fact that He is our Messiah and
our Savior.
But WHY would Jesus need to be our Savior? WHY would Jesus need
to lay down His life for us? Jesus doesn't tell us in this passage.
But elsewhere, Scripture tells us that it's because God wants
us to be a part of His life. He wants you to be a part of His
plans for this world. The Creator of the universe loves you,
/ cares about you, / and wants to be a part of YOUR life, too.
Sounds great, right? But, there's a problem: you see, we're
sinful, and He's not. He is holy, but we're not. And so there
is separation between us and God.
Scripture also says that the consequences of our sin is death--
/ so that all of us deserve to die because of our sins. All of
us deserve to be eternally separated from God. But what does
Jesus say? JESUS says, "I lay down my life for the sheep."
In other words, He died for your sins, so that you
wouldn't have to! The consequences of our sin have been paid
for, so that NOW we can have a relationship with God through faith.
NO one ELSE can ever claim to have died for all your sins:
past, present, and future. (pause).
In short, only Jesus has the authority to offer you the abundant
life, because only He ever died for your sins. (repeat slowly)
And that is why Jesus is the REAL THING.
Conclusion:
We have seen in our passage today three reasons why Jesus is the real thing. If you are following along in your outline, we have seen that He's the real thing because
1) Jesus alone has the right of authority over us.
No one has the authority to offer you a higher and better life
(pause) except Jesus alone. We have also seen that Jesus is
the real thing because
2) He alone holds the key to the abundant life for us. No
one can offer you eternal life with the Father, and a dynamic
life with the Holy Spirit
(pause)except Jesus alone. We have also seen that Jesus is the
real thing because
3) He ALONE can offer the forgiveness of sins to us. Buddha never
DIED forus. Karl Marx never DIED for us. NO ONE ever died so
that you could be with God (pause) except Jesus alone. And that
is why Jesus is the REAL THING.
So now what? Now that we know that Jesus is the real
thing, what do we do?
1) tell others about it! (read v. 16). Jesus wants the
word to get out. (point to cross) We all have family and friends
who don't know why Jesus is the real thing. DON'T keep this good
news to yourself, tell others about it!
2) Spend time with God! (v. 10 says-- I came that they might
have life and might have it abundantly!) You are not going to
experience the abundant life by wasting hours in front of the
TV or surfing the internet. Those things are not bad in themselves
but time is just so precious! Let's not squander our potential
for having a dynamic life with the Holy Spirit by living foolishly.
Spend regular time with God in the Word and in prayer and in
your thought life. SAVOR the abundant life that you
have access to.
3) If you don't yet believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, ask yourself, "Why not?
What's stopping me?" James 4 says that "If
you draw near to God, He
will draw near to you." Ask God to remove the doubt, to
remove the fear, to remove
whatever it is that is keeping you from God and the abundant life.
Talk to me after the
message, or to sensei.
(slowly) And we would be happy to talk to you about why
Jesus is the
REAL thing.
(let's pray) Jesus, thank you for laying down your life for
us-- so we couldhave life, and have it abundantly:
- an eternity with God the Father in heaven.
- and a rich, meaningful life with the H.S. right now.
You are our light and our salvation, Whom shall we fear?
You are the strength of our lives, Of whom shall we be afraid?
We trust you O Lord, for you are the Good Shepherd.
Blessed be your name! For it is in your name that we pray, Amen.