You cannot be saved unless you accept Who Jesus said He is
John 8: 24 ‘…unless you believe that I Am who I claim to be, you will die in your sins’.
Turn to John 10
John 10: 11a Jesus said ‘I am the good shepherd.’
Q. What does that mean?
A. Just like a shepherd cares for his sheep, Jesus cares for us
When Jesus said, ‘I am the good shepherd’; we are reminded of Jesus great love for us
1/ Because Jesus loves us – He sacrificed His life for us
Before I was a Pastor (Last 27 years) I worked 15 years as a Govt. Inspector in animal health and food hygiene
I know a lot about cows, pigs, goats and sheep
Sheep: can’t protect themselves from danger/get attacked by other animals/jump fences and get lost easily/fall into ditches
Sheep need a shepherd to save them from danger
Like sheep we need a shepherd to save us
Jesus, ‘the Good Shepherd’ saves us from the greatest danger of all – our Sin
He did this by laying down His life for us!
John 10: 11b, 15b, 17a, 18b
Because of Jesus sacrificial death on the cross, we have eternal life
John 10: 28
2/ Because Jesus loves us – He continues to care for us
How could Jesus be ‘the good shepherd’ if He were still dead?
We, His sheep would be lost
Yes, Jesus sacrificed His life, on the cross, for our salvation, but on the 3rd day He arose from the dead!
Why? – So that He could continue to care for us
John 10: 18
How does He care for us today? – As a shepherd calls the sheep to himself, so Jesus calls us to Himself, keeping us eternally safe in His care
John 10: 27-28
Q. Are you sure of your salvation – Are you in the eternal care of our loving ‘good shepherd’?
‘Pastor David – am I a cow, pig, goat or a sheep’?
If you hear His voice calling you, you are one of His sheep; you belong to Him, so come to Jesus today
John 10: 26
Confess your Sin to God/Receive His forgiveness/Entrust yourself into His care