Who is Jesus? | I AM the Good Shepherd | John 10:11-18 Sermon

New City Church - Nashville

What/ who do you look to to guide you in life?

Are you satisfied with where you are or where you are going?

Is it an internal compass that guides you? Is it a particular philosophy or a person or something else?

In this message, we'll talk about some things it means when Jesus says he is the good shepherd and how he is the one who leads to a rich and satisfying life.

Jesus is not only our Savior, he is the model for how we are to live.

We'll talk about common reasons we stray from following Jesus and what God has for us as well as 10 common fears that hold us back in life and how Jesus offers a different way of being.

Sheep (aka - us) stray for reasons like:

1) if they sense of danger approaching

2) to satisfy curiosity

3) if they are not paying attention while grazing

4)If other sheep are doing it too (strong flocking instinct)

Ten Common Fears that Hold People Back in Life (According to Amy Morin in INC Magazine)

1. Change
2. Loneliness
3. Failure
4. Rejection
5. Uncertainty
6. Something bad happening
7. Getting hurt
8. Being judged
9. Inadequacy
10. Loss of freedom

We'll talk about each of these fears and how Jesus offers a different way than being governed by these and how he speaks to each of these fears.

John 10:11-18 (NLT)

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. 12 A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. 13 The hired hand runs away because he’s working only for the money and doesn’t really care about the sheep.

14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, 15 just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.

17 “The Father loves me because I sacrifice my life so I may take it back again. 18 No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded.”

RESOURCES:

A Church Called Tov by Scot McKnight and Laura Barringer