SFD Training Center - Bible Study - Fourth Sunday of Easter - 04/21/24 - Sermon - “Being A Shepherd!”

      Sunday 04/21/24 – Bible Study (SFD–Training Center)

Sermon Title: “Being A Shepherd!”                                                           

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 23                                       

New Testament Scripture: 1 John 3:16-24

Gospel Lesson: John 10:11-18

          He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! Alleluia! Happy Fourth Sunday of Easter, as we will once again be in this season of Easter until Pentecost Sunday, on Sunday May 19th! On this day, Jesus has been risen from the dead for about three weeks now, and he has and had continued to appear to his disciples and others.

          The last couple of weeks I have been preaching about how even though the original handpicked disciples of Jesus Christ were with Jesus for three years, they still didn’t get it. They saw and witnessed Jesus heal people, raise people from the dead, and perform all sorts of other miracles. They say and witnessed everything Jesus taught, said, and did. Yet on the day of Jesus’ crucifixion, all the disciples, except the beloved disciple, John abandoned Jesus. Peter denied Jesus three times, and outside of the women that followed Jesus, including his mother Mary, and the Apostle John, everyone scattered out of fear.

          Our two-thousand-year Christian faith grew in its first three-hundred years under the heaviest of persecution. Christians were jailed, marginalized, oppressed, killed in the Roman Coliseum, thrown to lions, crucified, burned alive, and etc. Yet these early Christians for the first three-hundred years of our Christian faith never stopped preaching that Jesus Christ is Lord. They believed that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, was God in the flesh, that he lived a sinless life, that he performed miracles, that he transformed lived, and that he died for the sins of the world on a Roman cross. They also believe that this same savior physically rose from the dead three days later, after which he appeared to his disciples, Mary Magdalene, and hundreds of others. They also believed that this same savior ascended to heaven, is sitting at the right hand of God the Father, until he returns in glory to judge the living and dead.

          Even though Jesus’ first twelve disciples lost heart, and even though being with him and seeing and hearing everything he did for his three years of public ministry on this earth wasn’t enough to keep them from hiding and doubting, Jesus stilled pursued them. Jesus still pursues us. Some in the Sidney Fire Department have joked having said the phrase “Jesus Saves” to me. The reality is, is that Jesus does save, and has saved billions of people over the last two-thousand years. This saving though isn’t just the moment where we repent of our sins, it’s our continued life in Christ. It’s a daily surrender to Christ, it is lived out in community, and guess what it changes us, it changes our family, it changes our communities, and it changes the world. The gospel of Jesus Christ continues to transform lives, restore hearts, and the Christian Church for it’s first three-hundred operated under complete persecution. In many places the Christian faith was illegal, and yet it thrived, because the transforming power of Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit changed lives. The Christian faith is also illegal in places in the world today.

          In the past few weeks of our “Bible Studies” I talked first about the story of “Doubting Thomas”. The Apostle Thomas would not believe the Jesus rose from the dead, until the physically risen Christ stood in front of him, and allowed Thomas to touch the nail holes in his hands, and to touch the spear wound in his side. Thomas of course at the sight of the physically resurrected Jesus feel at Jesus’ feet and worshiped him.

          Last week in our “Bible Study,” Jesus physically appeared to his disciples, who were still scared, and he said, “Peace be with you”. I talked last week about the tradition in many Christian churches of passing or sharing the peace of Jesus Christ with each other. We do this to love each other, to be a strong Christian community, but hopefully we also mean it literally. Hopefully, we want people to have the peace of Jesus Christ that passes all understanding. Jesus appeared to his disciples last week, and said, “Peace be with you,” because he wanted them to put their full trust and faith in him. When we believe fully, we have courage, fire, and strength to go forward, we are changed, and it can change the world around us.

          One of the concerns that I have as a young pastor is that I think that some Christians and some churches do not have  the full peace of Christ. We come from a faith where people risked their lives to bring the hope of Jesus Christ to the world. In the Methodist tradition, before we had cars, our preachers were on horseback. These preachers or “Circuit Riders” risked life and limb to bring people the hope of Jesus Christ. At about 1840-1850, half of all Methodist Circuit Riders died before the age of thirty. Some died from disease, exposure, attack, etc. They would ride with reckless abandon into the areas no one would go to. They would sleep in a farmer’s barn, eat whatever they were given to each, and sometimes would literally oversee the physical construction of a church. Friends this is why there are so many Methodist Churches. Sidney United Methodist Church was started when circuit rider rode his horse into Sidney in the 1830’s.

          If we really believe in Jesus, his gospel, the transformation that only he brings through the power of the Holy Spirt, then what would we do to promote, to teach, and to spread this good news that we have believed for two-thousand years? One of the ways that pastors, priests, and church leaders can aide with all of this is to be a shepherd. What I mean by this, is being among the people, caring for them, serving them, and loving them. This is what a Shepherd does. When the current head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis was elected Pope in 2013, as the Roman Catholic Bishop of Rome, or the Pope, he quickly challenged all Roman Catholic clergy. Pope Francis challenged them, saying of his clergy that “The shepherd must have the fragrance of the sheep”. What Pope Francis was challenging his clergy to do with this challenge was this, be among your people. If you are a pastor, like me, then you are in “Pastoral Ministry.” Why is called “Pastoral Ministry?” The answer is, is because where do sheep graze or eat grass? Often the sheep are out in the pasture, eating the grass to live. The shepherd is there to love the sheep, protect the sheep, coral the sheep, and sometimes even correct the sheep. So, if the shepherd has no fragrance of smell of sheep on him or her, then what kind of shepherd is that? We are also called to keep the wolves out of the flock.

          As Christians, Christians leaders, chaplains, pastors, priests, etc., a big part of what we are supposed to do is to be among the people. Be in the community, spend time with the people, join organizations, get involved, because shepherds are among the sheep, are among the flock. There is a huge difference between being a Sunday morning preacher and a shepherd. Since we are all called to live and love like Jesus, then we all called to be shepherds in our own right, knowing that the great and high shepherd is Jesus Christ. If you have ever seen a painting or a portrait of Jesus with sheep, or holding sheep, this is exactly what I am talking about. Is it true sometimes that there have been corrupt or harmful shepherds? Absolutely! People and flocks must be led by men and women that teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, the authority of God’s word, and by men and women that love and care for the people, or the flock.

          As we also know from the scripture, as well, sometimes wolves come in. These wolves can kill the sheep, and sometimes people you may know have had their chickens and or other animals killed. Shepherds that are seeking to follow and live like Jesus Christ are not serving for money, or an easy “job,” they are there to be among the people. They are there to love and serve all people, for this is why Jesus came.

          In one of Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances, he appeared to the Apostle Peter and the other disciples. In part of this gospel narrative, Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved him. Why did Jesus do this? Jesus did this because Peter denied knowing Jesus, loving Jesus, or following Jesus on the day of Jesus Crucifixion on Good Friday three times. Each time Jesus asked Peter if he loved him in this post-resurrection appearance, Peter said he did. In response Jesus said, “then feed my sheep”. One time Jesus said, “then feed my lambs”. If we are all shepherds in our own right, we have a duty to stand for the truth, to teach the truth, and to live like our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I don’t know well I have done this in Sidney and the Sidney area, but I strive to be a shepherd. I strive to be a person that is “nameless to history, and faithful for eternity.” I strive to serve and love all, so that some might be saved, and transformed, thus transforming their families, their communities, and the world. This is what shepherds do, as we are all called to be shepherds of Christ in different ways. Instead of incessantly arguing over social issues, and trying to make the church of Jesus Christ into everything we want it to be, let us instead love all, serve all, tell people about the one who died for sins and rose again! When do this, our faith will grow, lives will be changed, and the church will grow like wild fire. Being in the Sidney Fire Department right now though, they know a thing or two about wild fire!

          When I looked our Psalm 23 reading for this morning on www.biblegateway.com, that I often use to copy the Sunday scriptures for my Sunday sermons, I noticed that the description for this Psalm, was not just “A Psalm of David.” In addition, the description for Psalm 23, which is the header that explains parts of the scripture, says “The Divine Shepherd.” When looking at our reading from Psalm 23 for this morning, once again, as many of us have likely heard countless times, it says:

¹ The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. ² He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters;  ³ he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake. ⁴ Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. ⁵ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. ⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long (Psalm 23, NRSV).

 

          Throughout our lives and eternally God is with us, though Jesus Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit, if we put our faith and trust in Jesus. For people that don’t know Jesus, who have never even heard his name, how will they know? Are willing to be among them. Are we willing to be shepherds. While there are many great things in the world today, we have very serious struggles and problems in our communities and in the world. How will people know about Jesus if we don’t tell them? How will the community grow, change, and improve if we don’t shepherd the people?

          In looking at our 1 John 3:16-24 reading for this morning, we hear, starting in 1 John 3:16, once again:

¹⁶ We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers and sisters. ¹⁷ How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help? ¹⁸ Little children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth. ¹⁹ And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him ²⁰ whenever our hearts condemn us, for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything (1 John 3:16-20, NRSV).

 

          Our scripture reading from 1 John 3:16-20 reminds us once again this morning that Jesus in perfect love died for us, and we need to love each other sacrificially. We are to love, to care for, and to serve each other, because this my friends, my brothers and sisters in Christ, is what shepherds do. We are all shepherds in our own right, and if we know Christ than we carry with us the truth of the gospel.

          Further, as our reading from 1 John 3:16-24 concludes in 1 John 3:21-24, we are reminded of being bold in our faith.

²¹ Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God, ²² and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him. ²³ And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. ²⁴ All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us (1 John 3:21-24, NRSV).

 

          Live the gospel of Jesus Christ, worship passionately, love extravagantly, and witness boldly. In our own ways may we be shepherds for Christ. If not us then who, and if not now than when? Live and love like Jesus. If we don’t, where will our country and the world be in 10-years? I believe that the hope of the world in Jesus, and the only hope of the world is Jesus Christ.

          In looking again at our gospel of John 10:11-18 reading for this morning, we have one of Jesus’ “I Am” statements. Statements where Jesus is stating that he is God in the flesh. As God told Moses “I Am who I am” in the burning bush, when, Moses asked God his name, we have seven “I Am” statements in the Gospel of John. Jesus said, he is “the way, the truth, and the life,” he said, “I am the vine,” “I am the gate,” etc. Today in our lectionary reading however, as we have been discussing here today, Jesus talks about being a shepherd. Jesus is the ultimate shepherd, and the shepherd over all humanity, the world, and the universe.

          Let’s hear what our gospel of John 10:11-18 reading has to be say for us today. This reading, once again, begins with Jesus making an “I Am” statement. Starting in John 10:11 Jesus says, once again:

¹¹ “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. ¹² The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. ¹³ The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. ¹⁴ I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me, ¹⁵ just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. ¹⁶ I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. ¹⁷ For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. ¹⁸ No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father”            (John 10:11-18, NRSV).

Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior is the good shepherd. He leads us, we can trust in him, and through him we can share him with the world. We can all be shepherds in various ways. The question though is how serious are we about Jesus? How serious are we about serving people, guiding them, loving them, and helping them? Our answers to these questions and how we live and love like Christ will can change us, can transform lives, can transform communities, and can transform the world. In this my final sermon that I am giving in Sidney my dear friends, brothers and sisters in Christ, we are called in various ways to be shepherds. The world needs Jesus, I need Jesus, and so do you. So go tell them, live like Jesus, and love like Jesus. Amen.