There is an 'I' in the 'I AM' (Part 4)

The concept of sheep and shepherd is far removed from our 21st century mindset it's removed from our Herbalife. A person could live all his life or her life and MIC as sheep in the petting zoo, or somewhere, but they really don't ever see a shepherd. So much so that today's there are many pastors who say don't call me pastor because nobody really understand what the shepherd is but call me CEO because people can relate to other Seo does but the truth is there are so many deep and rich and majestic understanding in that term shepherd that it could not be comprehended except by explanation, not by transliteration and take it into our modern day life in the Old Testament times and in the times of Jesus. It was a an everyday experience for them. It's part of the everyday vocabulary that they comprehended it, but that should not be a reason for us to abandon it, but rather to understanding. In fact, I really personally think that the concept of shepherd should apply to every father in the home. The concept of a shepherd should apply to every CEO and the leader whatever they may be because when Jesus said I am the good shepherd.

He told us everything that we need to know about our Lord whom we worship and assembly oligomers and ornamented everything yes everything is not a mistake.

I wanted to listen carefully now for those of you are visiting just to kind of remind you we are in the middle of a series of sermons it is and I and the IM and we looking at this time and I explained in the very beginning why Jesus used the term IM because he wanted to remind his Jewish hearers that he is the one in his pre-incarnate form, who appeared to Moses at the burning bush that he and his pre-incarnate form is the one who told Moses go down to Egypt until my people. I am who I am sent you in his pre-incarnate form. Christ is the one who identified himself as IM so he was trying to bring to the mind that the same one who appeared to Moses that I am in his pre-incarnate form now in his incarnate form. He is making these claims. I am IM I am.

I am I am who I am and I am who I am, tells us at the outset that this is an all-inclusive description of who God is.

It's an all-inclusive for it refers to God as timeless. It refers to God as all sufficient within himself that he is all sufficient means that he needs nothing and no one hears all self existent that he does not need any wisdom from anybody. For he has all wisdom, that he does not need power from anyone who is he all-powerful he does not need to be worshiped out to be served. For he is self-sufficient he is not accountable to anyone. For he answers only to himself but that name also means he's timeless.

Here's the terminal. He is the unchangeable God. He is the one who was is the one is and always will be. The great ion and I wanted to think with me just for a minute. Regarding the greatness of God and all the things I just said of what IM means. Think about the majestic meaning of at the map all power and all wisdom, all self-sufficient God and then you take that magnificent term IM and then you stick the good shepherd to it. They don't go together, they are polar opposites. There are two extremes as East and the West cannot meet in the impossibility. Why because the great I am the all-powerful, the Almighty becomes a shepherd is incomprehensible is he back in the days of Jesus. In the early days of the New Testament shepherds work considered to be the lowest of the low. It's the lousiest job that anyone can have their work could be no lower job in the world of the world as being a shepherd. The shepherd job is 24 seven. It is that your nine it's never ending.

It is summer and winter. The good weather and bad in the family when they needed a shepherd. They got the youngest boy in the family and got the drop on him because in the Middle East not only back then but even today, the youngest in the family is the runs in the family, especially the boy. The youngest boy was a runt in the family is the one who can take account of sheep is how Joseph ended up that's how David was treated. That's how I was treated. I only know too well. I'm only grateful to God that my family were not shepherds, the great God of the universe. Think about this all sufficient. The limitless the great God of the universe hi Mikey he stoops down to be the lowest of the low, the lower job of all nobody ever wanted the great God of the universe stoops down to thick cut of the flock, the great God of the universe takes care of you and me. He stoops down to find us. He stoops down to redeem us stoops down to Bob regardless he stoops down to care for everyone of our needs stoops down to embrace us. He stoops down to heal us stoops down to protect us. He stoops down to defend us who still spell something better.

But is something else here. I need to tell you about the good Shepherd before I get to the message. The word good I know is translated good in English, but really it doesn't give you the full meaning especially in the use of the word every day. It can be easily translated. The lovely shepherd the beautiful shepherd the noble shepherd the genuine shepherd the perfect shepherd. No one like shepherd which reveals his inexplicable love for his sheep, which reveals his comprehensive knowledge of all the details in the life of every one of his sheep which reveals his all sufficiency for the speed I want to give you three things to reflect on the perfect shepherd. First of all, his character is all attractive. His concern is all-inclusive is call is unchanging. This character is all attractive. This beautiful shepherd this perfect shepherd. This genuine shepherd his love for the sheep is complete without qualifications and without conditions.

Look at verse 11 of John chapter 10 I am the perfect shepherd, and the perfect shepherd lays his life for the sheep. And then Jesus goes into contrast himself with three entities three different entities all have to do with sheep.

The contrast himself with the thief. Then he contrast himself with the Wolf. Then he contrast himself with the hireling. I'm going to go through those very quickly. He contrast himself with the thief, the thief is a very cunning and conniving creature he really is.

He comes across as he is a caring shepherd, but in reality he really wanted to steal the sheep this all he wanted to do. The thief is the one like false teachers and preachers and cults today.

Those who see the sheep as mere tools to enrich themselves, those who see the sheep as tools to use those who do not feed the sheep on the word of God, but on the trends of culture, but understanding of society by conforming to this world. In fact, I remember reading a story some time ago, but just really brought this to my mind, a man whose only knowledge about sheep and shepherd was from the Bible is never seen the sheep in the shepherd and then he saw what appeared to be a shepherd. He was breathing the sheep with the stick and he was yelling at the sheep and screaming at the sheep in the following stop and reset my knowledge that a shepherd supposed to lead the sheep.

The man looked at him and he said I'm not the shepherd on the butcher without lots of butchers around appeared to be shepherds. The second contrast with Jesus. Contrast himself with his wolf. The Wolf etc. ferocious and fearsome beast whose strategy listen to me. He has one strategy and that is to come in and scare the sheep and scatter them once he scatters the sheep and they are all over the place. He does target one and he really pursues that one sheep because after that one.

She until he isolate that sheep from the rest of the flock until he gets that one sheep totally exhausted and lonely and helpless and then he moves for the kill. This is how Satan works among believers who try to get you away from Christian Fellowship to get you away from your small group fellowship to get you away from studying the word of God and feeding upon the word of God. He gets you away from other believers.

He gets you far away from accountability and then when he gets away and get your spiritually exhausted Hebrews for the kill. The third contrast is Jesus contrast himself with the hireling.

The hireling is the person who works with the sheep owners because and only sheep he works for a paycheck. His heart is not on the sheep but his selfish ambitions. His life is not lived for the welfare of the sheep for his own welfare and as soon as this hireling sees trouble. As soon as he sees the enemy. He cuts and runs. It doesn't stay with the sheep. As soon as he finds a better opportunity is gone. He jumped ship.

By contrast, the beautiful shepherd the perfect shepherd the genuine shepherd. He said I lay my life for the sheep. Just think about it if you working for a company and you notice that there is some sign of trouble in the company. What is the natural thing to do natural thing to do is to go and get another job right. That's human nature, but the owner of the company cannot do that. He just can't do that.

His life investment is in the company. So he hangs in there. He works nine and night. He can do away with the necessities of life. Even he can go without food without sleep and he works hard, why to salvage the company. This is his lifeblood. He owns it, he cannot abandon it. Now I know company is an inanimate object, not try to take that. I multiply it a million times and you get an idea of what the good Shepherd doesn't like and his relationship with his sheep see when Jesus hung on the cross he got down and dirty with the wolf with the devil I mean on the cross he broke his legs. He knocked her jaw and knocked out his teeth when he was on the cross, he proved the head of Satan, and he rendered him brain-damaged. He rendered him ineffective when it comes to the sheep in size character is all attractive. Secondly, his concern is all-inclusive. He cares for every one of his sheep because for every detail in the life of the sheep using once he took on the big bad wolf on the cross job did not finish. That was not the end after the resurrection, his protection of his sheep from the wolf did not stop there. He continuously give us almost a fight he fights our battles for us.

He defends us when we can defend ourselves and he protect us when we don't even know we need protection. He cannot cut them run.

He does not leave us in the lurch because he loved us all the way to be in. After all, he gave us his last name your one of his own and so he does not only know you by name. He knows you intimately and he does not just love you today and tomorrow he loves you all the way through eternity until he presents it to his father without a spot or blemish, a man who knows you intimately. I grew up with sheep and shepherd, not closely, but as a city slicker, but I ended up going to villages and ice to see sheep nice to see shepherds, and I watched how he was dealing with sheep and he was dealing with everyone individually and differently. Of course he drives them altogether. But then when they down make sure this one goes there and this one does this and wonders that the master want unless it how can they tell the difference. They all look alike to me is if you don't understand. I can tell you the characteristics of each one of those. This one is frisky.

This one is timid.

This one is this this one is need this one is not going even less. I help her meet this one will do this and this one will scare the other. This one will do this and this will intimidate him and he just literally knew every single one of initiating and if a human being ever a man who takes care of sheep can say things like, they literally blew my mind at the time their marriage and are perfect shepherd. You can't possibly imagine how much not only he knows and he cares about every single detail in your life. He knows your strengths and knows your weaknesses. He knows that your Achilles' heel to know the limitations he knows our thoughts before we think them.

He knows what cares recounting what burdens we are carrying.

He knows what causes us to stumble. He knows what causes us to fall. He knows what blesses us. He knows what encourages us. He knows you not just by name, but he knows you intimately far more than your nearest and dearest will ever ever ever know you even better than you know yourself might be a huge flock, but he knows each one individually. He loves everyone and cares for every one of them individually.

Not one of his sheep is excluded not one another. Some Christians especially when the going through a tough time underselling on just not favored by God like so-and-so this and that is wrong thinking. Don't think that way because God is giving somebody what is not giving you, doesn't mean he's favoring one over you. He loves us all equally. He loves us individually. This concern is inclusive.

Look at verse 16. I have another sheep that is not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also very, to listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. What is he talking about these other sheep that is not in yet you know it is all about is talking about you and me actually the Gentiles because he speaking primarily to a Jewish congregation. All the first church was hundred percent Jewish. They are coming to Jesus Christ and the coming into that fold.

These are Jewish believers. But when the Holy Spirit came to dwell on the earth, God the Holy Spirit gave Peter a special revelation you remember when it is in Joppa and literally he saw a special revelation and meant that for him to go over there and get Cornelius and his household. The first Gentile ever in the New Testament to be baptized into Christ and that's why he opened the door for the Gentiles to come in and join with their Jewish brothers and sisters together form one flock into one pen that belongs to Jesus today. His fold includes believers from every corner of the globe there from the jungles of Indonesia to the depths of central Africa from every tribe and every nation and every time God is gathering his sheep and he's bringing them every day and we hear about them every single day. At leading the way. Jesus is bringing his sheep from every corner of the globe and you are part of it, whether you know it or not you're part of it. We hear it all the time. Again and again in my prayer need to pray for me that I don't become jaded when I hear this incredible things that are happening and how people at the risk of their own lives coming to Christ that doesn't become just another day because these stories you not going to hear on CNN, but you'll hear them from other believers, but the one thing that all these sheep who are in and those are coming in.

The one thing they have in common is they recognize his voice. They hear his voice from China to South America to the ends of the earth and we have been privileged to participate in the sheep calling from every corner of the globe from this place. 3000 times a week. The message of the gospel goes out in 21 languages and you are being used of God to do that is character is attractive. His concern is all-inclusive. Thirdly, his call is unchanging is unchanging. Listen to verse 27th is what he said my sheep listens to my voice.

I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life. Listen to this and they shall never perish.

They shall never perish.

No one can snatch them out of my hand. He got to the triple lock.

No one can snatch them out of my hand. No one not even you a note today with all the new technology in the stuff that we do with Internet and Facebook and twitter and all of the twitching, never going around in all this new technology or not they what is causes brain to scatter more than your discounted and is always brought with it conflicting voices and me to too many confusing voices that we hear more than any other time in history, and yet with the cacophony of voices and sounds that are vying for our attention. His voice is heard by his sheep even the lazy sheep. Even the sheep that stubborn that she is running away. The sheep doesn't want to hear his voice, that you notice he did not say that religious people can hear my voice not is a this people in the church are going to hear my voice no hearsay those people who claim to be Christians are going to hear my voice he said only those what is going to hear his voice in fact a true story that comes from World War I and was written by a British soldier who was stationed in Jerusalem, the city was standing there one day he saw a group of Turkish soldiers came into the fold of sheep and the shepherd was sound asleep of this would be an appetite exhausted and they came in they heard the sheep out to them out of the pen and he woke up only to discover these Turkish soldiers just driving the sheep down the ravine he can fight them is only one man. So all of a sudden he stood on that hill, put his hand to his mouth and he issued a call, a call that he issues every single day to call them back at that moment that the first call all the sheep stopped then on the second call they turned around side of the ravine up to where the shepherd was in the soldiers could not catch up with him and when I read this I said that's my shepherd who said that my sheep recognize my voice even when they deliberately try to run away from it. They will hear my voice. Many of you know my testimony and that Thomas will not run away from the Lord. I still could hear his voice was rebellious. I was trying to ignore it but I couldn't affect part of my testimony says if you go back to Egypt and you look at the sand. You notice the marks of my heels as he dragged me by the back of my neck not digging my heel. What a great shepherd with what a great shepherd. We have always brings his own back, no matter how far you might wander off no matter how deep you might dig your heels, no matter how long your departure. Look at verse 18 no one.

No one can snatch them out of my hair. I want to take this with me account going to again thought I don't want to to Mrs. those are the very hands that he willingly let them be fastened and negative to a wooden cross so that he might redeem all of his sheep.

Those very hands are holding you tight that no one can take you out of those fans. No one complex you out of those hands of the same hands that would nail to the cross, Jesus goes on to say I'm not forced to do that. I'm not under obligation to do that. I do that willingly. I lay it for my sheep because I am the perfect shepherd. I don't know where you are. He does you do that your simple cry to him today say Lord I thank you for loving me to the end I think you that you've given me your last name.

I thank you for loving me all the way to the cross and I thank you for not giving up on me.

I come back to you whatever doubts allow them to my life whatever fear, whatever anxiety, whatever deception the enemy brought to my life. I surrender to you and I come to you precious father, I thank you for Jesus, the great shepherd the perfect shepherd the lovely Shepherd. I thank you that he said I have authority to lay it down and he did and I thank you that he took it up again and I thank you for the resurrection, and I thank you for the fact that he soon coming back to take the believers with him to reign in the room with him and have father I pray for each one of us that whatever we are, we might discover a fresh the incredible bones of love that the good Shepherd has forms that those bones bring us back in Jesus name. Thanks for listening to this message from Dr. Michael.

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