Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Foreign.
[00:00:07] This is Pastor Chuck Allen, and I'm back with another weekday podcast. Today we're stepping into John, chapter 10, the first 14 verses. John 10, 1:14 from the New living translation. I want to invite you to hear these words not as an ancient parable, but as a living, breathing invitation.
[00:00:27] So take a deep breath. Let's go on this journey. Because what Jesus says here about sheep, about gates, about shepherds, is about you, me, and about what it means to belong, to be led, and to be known. Now, just let me take those three words again. To belong, to be led, and to be known.
[00:00:47] So let's imagine the scene. Jesus says, I tell you the truth. Anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold rather than going through the gate must surely be a thief and a robber. But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. After he's gathered his own flock. He walks ahead of them and they follow him because they know his voice.
[00:01:17] Okay, just let that image settle in. Sheep not driven, but led. The shepherd not behind with a whip, but ahead with a voice. And the sheep, they follow not out of fear, but because they know and trust that voice. There's intimacy there. And remember that word, trust. But Jesus, listeners like us, we just don't get it. So he goes on further. He says, I tell you the truth. I am the gate for the sheep. All who come before me were thieves and robbers, but the true sheep did not listen to them. Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. So let's stop. Jesus says, I am the gate. Not a barrier, but a way in. Not a wall, but a welcome. And then this. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. Not just survival, not just getting by, but abundance, fullness, life that overflows. And then the heart of it all. Jesus says, I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. 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. The hired hand runs away because he's working only for the money and doesn't really care. About the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep and they know me. I want you to see the contrast here. There are thieves, robbers and hired hands. People who take, people who use, and people who abandon when things get difficult. But then there's the good shepherd, the one who stays, the one who knows your name. The one who lays down his life, not because he has to, but because he loves you.
[00:03:17] So what does that mean for me and you? Well, maybe it's this today that there are a lot of voices out there. Voices that promise life but deliver emptiness. Voices that demand, that accuse, that scatter. But then there's the voice of the shepherd, the voice that calls you by name. The voice that leads you out, that brings you in, that offers you green pastures and still waters and a place to belong. And maybe the question today is this. Whose voice are you following?
[00:03:48] Where are you looking for life?
[00:03:51] Are you sneaking over walls, chasing after thieves? Or are you listening for the shepherd? The one who knows you, who loves you, who lays down his life for you.
[00:04:03] Because the invitation is always open. The gate is never closed. The shepherd is always calling. And the life that he offers is rich. It's full. And it's all for you, friend.
[00:04:16] Chase after the shepherd. Listen for his voice and learn to know it. Thanks for listening in, friends. I'm so glad you joined me on today's weekday podcast.
