Tabor Baptist Church

Introduction

• 'Tent Making' - a solicitor in Child Protection
• One case that he particularly remembers - the hatred of a father towards His son
• Turn to John 10 - some of the most remarkable words ever written
• v17-18
• He died in obedience to His Father's command
• He rose in obedience to His Father's command
• Exercises by Jesus of His own authority
• His Father loves Him because He did this
• Let us dive deep into these verses
• Overview:
• Background
• The Person who spoke
• The Authority He exercised
• The Father's Love

Background

• The welfare of the sheep was bound up in the calibre of the shepherd looking after them
• The picture of a shepherd becomes a ruler
• The Kings becomes responsible for the welfare of his people
• Context of verses:
• The blind man has been cast out by unworthy shepherds
• He will never be cast out by the great Shepherd
• Two words for "good"
• May we know the attracting power of the Lord Jesus Christ
• These people also knew their Old Testament

The Person who spoke (v17)

• Ezekiel 34:11-17a
• The shepherds are making such a bad job that I am going to have to come Myself
• Jesus comes and claims "I am the Good Shepherd"
• He is saying 'I am God'
• v22-23
• One shepherd
• This shepherd will be David
• John 1:1
• The Word was made flesh
• One person - both God and man
• Fully God and fully man
• Quote from John Murray
• The Bible continues to teach that Jesus is God and man
• Isa 45:21
• Jesus had no problem with sense of identity - He knew full who He was

The Authority He exercised (v18)

• He is not saying that men did not kill Him
• He was in perfect control
• He dismisses His spirit into His Fathers' hands
• He offered Himself (Heb 9)
• He took His life up again
• John 6:37-40
• There is an eternal plan
• A people to save (v16)
• Salvation will come to the Gentiles
• There will be one flock and one Shepherd
• You must look to the Son and believe upon Him
• No-one can say on the last day that salvation was not offered to them
• His obedience did not end with death
• He received a command from His Father
• Jesus raised Himself up (along with the power of God the Father and the Holy Spirit)
• Jesus authority and obedience are intertwined

The Father's Love

• God is love
• A dynamic relationship in the Godhead - explanation
• God loves Jesus because He lays down His life
• Unconditional love - how can God love Jesus more?
• Isa 53:12
• Psalm 22:30-31
• Our call as Christians is to heap honours on Jesus' head
• Doing one thing in many ways
• To live to the praise and glory of His grace
• We are the sheep, He is the shepherd