Sheep, shepherds, hired hands, and thieves (John 10:9-16)
Gary McManus, 07/31/2022Part of the Life With Jesus is Better series, preached at a Sunday Morning service
July 31, 2022 John 10:9-16
Sheep, shepherds, hired hands, thieves, and
the Good Shepherd
Of those who renounced their faith in Jesus, they
did so BECAUSE of the thieves and hired hands.
(Jesus had a special warning for them, Matthew 18:6.)
Jesus’ concern for the sheep is, in part, based on those very men who are only hired hands or thieves.
We should still have concern for them because they have NO shepherd. No shepherd = danger
Jesus’ “sheep talk”: door salvation
The Good Shepherd gives his life for the sheep.
The Good Shepherd knows the sheep.
(And, there are even more sheep.)
The thief and the hired hand don’t care about the
sheep. If they give the sheep food and water, it is
only for the purpose to further abuse them.
Jesus wants more for the sheep than survival mode.
Jesus wants the sheep to thrive life abundantly.
(But NOT American abundance.)
If thieves want the sheep to have American abundance, it is only so they can steal more from the sheep. Recent news stories tell it. Mr. Nathan Peachy.
The Pastors in Warsaw, Indiana at New Life Christian Church abused the sheep for YEARS.
(John 10:9, 13 )
It is possible that these hired hands were at one time
true shepherds. They must have wandered far from
Jesus.
H. Reinhold Niebuhr, The Purpose of the Church
and Its Ministry, 1956.
For Pastors, the book states, there is a temptation
--to wanting to be the boss—the man in charge—the authority
--A temptation to believe in their own self-importance
--A temptation to self-deception. That is a form of denial. To refuse to see reality accurately
including the reality about the Pastor’s own humanity.
--A temptation to popularity
--A temptation to visible success
All of these temptations are temptations to faithlessness. Jesus Himself (See Matthew 4, Luke 4) was tempted by the devil to become faithless. Therefore, the shepherds after Jesus will ALSO be likewise tempted.
In America, especially, there is the temptation to popularity. America has become a celebrity culture. Many don’t care where the celebrity comes from or how it is obtained. American Pastors are not immune to temptations to popularity. Also, a shepherd/Pastor can be tempted to visible success. (See the book Preachers n Sneakers, Ben Kirby, 2021)
In America, all Jesus followers face these same temptations. All of these temptations are temptations to faithlessness.
Anyone who has replaced Jesus with a golden idol,
they may want a Pastor who is the picture of American success.
(Examples: build a Crystal Cathedral (Robert Schuller), building a hospital (Oral Roberts) and Jim and Tammy Faye Baker’s Heritage USA. Did these people give into temptation?
Whose dreams are they fulfilling? God’s? Jesus’ dream for them?
There is an additional problem for Jesus’ Gospel: all the publicity of the appearance of success allows casual observers and heathens to believe that ALL churches are like that.
What is the answer? You know: Jesus. Mark 1:15
“. . .repent and believe in the Gospel.”
(See Revelation 2:4-5, NLT) Pastor hopes you don’t need this sermon. Pastor still might. It is a reminder that temptations come from Satan, but might even appear as good ideas—not God’s ideas.
Our true security is in Jesus (Psalm 23): prayer, worship, mission, table, Bible. . .The answer is Jesus. Amen.
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