{"id":31130,"date":"2024-05-15T22:00:05","date_gmt":"2024-05-16T05:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/john-10_1-10-copy\/"},"modified":"2024-05-07T15:44:55","modified_gmt":"2024-05-07T22:44:55","slug":"john-10_11-21","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/john-10_11-21\/","title":{"rendered":"God\u2019s Got Other Sheep for You to Reach"},"content":{"rendered":"

John\u00a0 10:11-21 \u00a0 (CLICK HERE FOR\u00a0BIBLE VERSES)<\/a><\/p>\n

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Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

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Today\u2019s passage is John 10:11-21.\u00a0 I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit\u2019s help, then read the GAME sharing below.\u00a0 Let’s go!<\/p>\n

John 10:11-13 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n11\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
\n12\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it.
\n13\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 11-13:\u00a0 Here Jesus calls himself the good shepherd, the one who loves the sheep so much that he would lay down his life for the sheep.\u00a0 This is exactly what Jesus would do for us when he would die on the cross for our sins.<\/p>\n

Who is the \u201chired hand\u201d that verses 12-13 are referring to?\u00a0 It is not absolutely clear.\u00a0 Israel had had its share of corrupt kings, lying prophets and false messiahs who should have led and taken care of Israel but only took care of themselves.\u00a0 Prophets like Jeremiah (see Jeremiah 23:1-4, for example), Ezekiel (see Ezekiel 34:2) and Zechariah (see Zechariah 11) would speak against them.\u00a0 Perhaps these were the \u201chired hands\u201d Jesus was referring to.\u00a0 Alternatively, Jesus could simply be using the image of a hired hand as a foil, that is, as a hypothetical picture to contrast with what the good shepherd is like.<\/p>\n

John 10:14-15 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n14\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me–
\n15\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0just as the Father knows me and I know the Father–and I lay down my life for the sheep.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 14-15:\u00a0 Here Jesus the good shepherd speaks about the intimate relationship he has with his sheep, how he knows the sheep and the sheep know him (v14).\u00a0 He compares the closeness and intimacy of that relationship to the relationship Jesus has with the Father (v15).<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this?\u00a0 They say that in business it\u2019s not what you know but who you know.\u00a0 That is even truer in the kingdom of God.\u00a0\u00a0No matter how much you think you know about the Bible, religion, or philosophy, you only come into the flock called the kingdom of God by knowing the shepherd who is Jesus.\u00a0 It\u2019s a relationship with Jesus, not your own knowledge, that saves you.<\/strong><\/p>\n

John 10:16 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n16\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 16:\u00a0 Who is Jesus referring to when he talks about \u201cother sheep that are not of this sheep pen\u201d and that he must \u201cbring them also\u201d?\u00a0 He is likely referring to the Gentiles, the non-Jewish people of this world.\u00a0 Jesus came to rescue and save people from every nation, background and culture.\u00a0 Together all those who trust in Jesus form one flock under one shepherd.<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this?\u00a0 Jesus isn\u2019t content to just have the sheep He currently has.\u00a0 He wants to bring in as many people as possible.\u00a0\u00a0If we are followers of Jesus, we are to have a heart like Jesus to see those who don\u2019t know Jesus come to know him<\/strong>.\u00a0 God is on a mission to save as many people as possible.\u00a0\u00a0We are sheep on mission with our shepherd to lead other lost sheep into Jesus\u2019 fold.<\/strong><\/p>\n

John 10:17-18 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n17\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life–only to take it up again.
\n18\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 17-18:\u00a0 Four times in John 10:11-18 Jesus talks about laying down his life.\u00a0 In other words, Jesus would voluntarily give up his life for us, as verse 18 emphasizes.\u00a0 At the same time, we also learn from these verses that laying down Jesus\u2019 life was something that the Father commanded Jesus to do, and that is why the Father loves him (i.e. is so proud of him). So which one is it: was Jesus commanded to lay down his life or did Jesus choose to do it?\u00a0 Both.\u00a0 Jesus, in obedience to his Father\u2019s will, chooses to lay down his life for us.<\/p>\n

Finally, notice that not only would Jesus lay down his life, but he would \u201ctake it up again\u201d (v17).\u00a0 Here Jesus refers not only to his death but also to his resurrection.\u00a0\u00a0Jesus conquered our two biggest problems \u2013 sin and death \u2013 by his crucifixion and by his resurrection.<\/strong><\/p>\n

John 10:19-21 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n19\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0At these words the Jews were again divided.
\n20\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?”
\n21\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0But others said, “These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 19-21:\u00a0 The people were divided over who Jesus is (v19).\u00a0 The same is true today.\u00a0 Don\u2019t let the presence of many different opinions about who Jesus is discourage you from discovering who Jesus is for yourself.\u00a0 One day, when you stand before God in heaven, He will effectively ask you, \u201cWho do you say Jesus is?\u201d\u00a0 At that time, He won\u2019t ask you what other people say, but what\u00a0you<\/em>\u00a0say.\u00a0\u00a0Each of us needs to make a decision on who Jesus is: was Jesus crazy?\u00a0 Was Jesus lying? Or is Jesus who he says he is?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Take a good look at the different opinions and ask yourself, \u201cWhich opinion, which perspective, makes the most sense considering all the evidence available?\u201d\u00a0 I think you\u2019ll find that the most reasonable conclusion based on the evidence is that Jesus was not demon-possessed or crazy, but that Jesus is who he claimed to be: the Son of God.<\/p>\n

Lord Jesus, thank You for being the good shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep.\u00a0 Thank You that You love me, know me, care for me, lead me, and protect me.\u00a0 Since you have other sheep to reach, please use me to bring those other sheep to You.\u00a0 In Jesus\u2019 name, AMEN!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Copyright \u00a9 2022 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is John 10:11-21.\u00a0 I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit\u2019s help, then read the GAME sharing below.\u00a0 Let’s go!
\n\u00a0
\nJohn 10:11-13 (NIV)
\n11\u00a0\u00a0“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
\n12\u00a0\u00a0The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it.
\n13\u00a0\u00a0The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.<\/p>\n

On verses 11-13:\u00a0 Here Jesus calls himself the good shepherd, the one who loves the sheep so much that he would lay down his life for the sheep.\u00a0 This is exactly what Jesus would do for us when he would die on the cross for our sins.\u00a0
\n\u00a0
\nWho is the \u201chired hand\u201d that verses 12-13 are referring to?\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31133,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31130","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gametime-sharing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31130","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31130"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31130\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31134,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31130\/revisions\/31134"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31133"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31130"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31130"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31130"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}