Category: Good Shepherd

The Uniquely Qualified Shepherd

4/17/2024

Miscericordias Domini Sunday (Easter 3)
John 10:11-16
Pastor James Preus
April 14, 2024

“I am the Good Shepherd,” declares Jesus. Well, what is Jesus declaring about Himself? Who is the Good Shepherd? Throughout Scripture it is the LORD God, who is declared to be the Good Shepherd. King David declares in Psalm 23, “The LORD is my Shepherd, I shall not want…” And again, in Psalm 80, the psalmist prays, “Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock! You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth.” And we just heard from the Prophet Ezekiel, chapter 34, “I Myself will be the shepherd of My sheep, and I Myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God.” (vs. 15) Yet, the LORD spoke through Ezekiel just a few verses later, “And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd.” Well, which is it? Is the LORD the shepherd or is David? Both. This David of course, is not the shepherd boy turned king of Israel who died several hundred years before Ezekiel prophesied. This David is the Son of David, the shoot from Jesse, Jesus Christ. Ezekiel calls Him David, because He is descended from David and takes David’s throne. He is the son of David and the Son of God. The LORD is the Shepherd of Israel. David is the one Shepherd of Israel. The LORD and David are one Shepherd. Christ Jesus is true God and true man. This is why Jesus later says, “I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30)
All of Scripture has built up to this moment. The LORD is the shepherd of His people. Yet, all the patriarchs were shepherds and served as types of Christ, from Abel to David. Shepherd-boy David even rescuing sheep from the mouths of lions and bears. Then Micah prophesies that the Christ will be born in Bethlehem, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days, and that He will “shepherd His flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD His God.” (Micah 5:2-4) For Jesus to call Himself the Good Shepherd is to claim to be the promised Christ, true God and true man.
What does the Good Shepherd do? He lays down His life for His sheep. This too was prophesied long ago. ‘“Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who stands next to me,’ declares the LORD of hosts. ‘Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered,’” prophesied Zechariah. And Isaiah prophesied, “Surely, He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:4-5) Jesus is uniquely qualified to lay down His life for the sheep. If anyone else were to lay down his life for the sheep, he would not be able to take it up again. But Christ has the authority to lay down His life and to take it up again. This is because He is both God and man in one person. As a man, He can suffer and die for sin, and as God He is able to bear the weight of all the worlds sins, and wash them away in His blood. This is why St. Peter writes, “you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” (1 Peter 1:18-19) Only the blood of Jesus could ransom you from your sins, because He is true God and true man. The Shepherd became a lamb and was slaughtered for the flock. God became a man and died to rescue His human sheep.
Only Jesus is the Good Shepherd. There is no other Good Shepherd. Only Jesus is true God and true man. Only Jesus suffered and died to take your sins away. And so, only Jesus can gather His sheep into His one flock, the Holy Christian Church. This leads us to the second thing the Good Shepherd does. He calls and gathers His sheep. “My sheep hear my voice. I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. Neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:27-28) After laying down His life and taking it up again, ransoming His sheep from sin, death, and hell, Christ sent out His apostles to the whole world to preach the Gospel with the promise of the Holy Spirit. They all preached the same Christ with the same Holy Spirit working with them.
This is important for us to remember today, as the Church appears so divided into sects, some saying one thing and others another. And what is most alarming, is that many, in an attempt to bring unity, try to cast out Jesus the one true Shepherd and His sacrifice for our sins. You’ll notice that there is often talk about God without any talk about Jesus. Most people believe in a god. So, as long as we do not specify which god we are talking about, we can have the veneer of unity. And when they do talk about Jesus, they try not to talk about what He did for us, namely, lay down His life, so that He may take it up again. Instead, people would rather limit Jesus to vague teachings about love and acceptance. But that is not the Jesus we know from Holy Scripture. The Jesus we know from Scripture, is the only Good Shepherd, true God and true man, who laid down His life for us.
It has become increasingly popular for people claiming to be Christians, to claim that Jesus is not the only way to heaven, that people can be saved without faith in Jesus. But Jesus makes it abundantly clear that He is the only Shepherd and that there is only one flock. He says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) And He says, “Whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:16)
The nation of Israel is currently embroiled in a war against Hamas after the horrifying attack last October. As with most wars, there are protesters on both sides, accusing the other side of atrocities. Those who criticize Israel are quickly called antisemitic. And to avoid the charge of antisemitism, many Christians have gone so far as to say that the Jewish people will be saved apart from faith in Jesus Christ. This is a horrendous teaching, which is contrary to what Jesus taught and does no favor to the Jewish people. Jesus came first to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. All His Apostles and most of His first followers were Jewish. The promise of forgiveness and salvation through faith, which Jesus proclaimed He first proclaimed to the Jewish people. Yet, Jesus also said, “I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one Shepherd.” It is you Gentiles, who are those other sheep, which He has called to join His one flock. Christ did not set up a separate flock of Gentiles to be saved by faith in Him, while a separate flock of Jews were saved apart from faith in Him. Rather, St. Paul affirms, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of salvation to all who believe, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16)
It is not antisemitic to pray for the conversion of the Jewish people. Christ’s Church on earth has been praying for the conversion of the Jewish people from the very beginning. They were the first believers and Christians, and many have been grafted back into Christ’s Church over the millennia. We should continue to pray for the conversion of the Jews and when given the opportunity, confession Jesus as the Messiah to them. Jesus shed His precious blood for them. And He stretches out His arms to them as a hen trying to gather her chicks under her wings.
So, if Christ is the Good Shepherd, true God and true man, who lays down His life for His sheep, what does that make you? It makes you a sheep, who has gone astray! “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6) This is another error people accept today. They think it is a good thing to go their own way. But it is not. We are sinners. When we go our own way, we follow our sins and flee from Christ. But it is time for you to return to the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls, Christ Jesus. Repent of going your own way, satisfying your own lusts and pride, pleasing your own ignorance, and worshipping your own identity. Christ has called you to come to Him and be part of His fold, to learn from Him, to listen to His voice, to be fed and nurtured by Him.
You need to be forgiven. Like a sheep trapped in the mouth of a lion, you need your Good Shepherd to pull you out, or you will be devoured by the jaws of death and hell. You need to be led, which means you need to listen to the voice of your Shepherd. And Jesus is still leading and guiding His sheep. He has given us the Holy Scriptures, the preaching of the Gospel, and His Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. He has commanded His ministers to feed and tend His sheep (John 21:15-19). St. Paul told the pastors in Ephesus, “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which He obtained with His own blood.” (Acts 20:28) And this charge remains on all ministers of the Word.
Christ did not abandon His flock when He ascended to heaven. Rather, He promises that He is with us always, where His Gospel is preached and where His Sacraments are administered in remembrance of Him. There is no excuse for going your own way, for ignoring Christ’s voice. We hear Christ’s voice today, when we listen to His Word preached. And Christ says that His sheep know His voice and follow Him. It is not only a sin to stay away from Christ’s preaching, it is remarkably foolish. It is to wander into the wilderness where there are devouring thorn bushes, lions, and bears. We are sinners, who have gone astray. And we stray frequently. So, we must return frequently to where our Good Shepherd has promised to be.
And what does our Good Shepherd give us? Eternal life. The only one qualified to lay down His life and take it up again, because He is both God and man, is also the only one qualified to give you eternal life. And He does. He forgives you, strengthens you, and leads you. He brings you to green pastures and quiet waters, that is He preaches His Word to you. The word for shepherd comes from the word to pasture. To pasture means to feed. Jesus commanded Peter and all His pastors to feed His sheep. Pastor means shepherd. Pastors feed Jesus’ sheep by preaching the Word. This is what it means that He makes you to lie down in green pastures. This right here is your green pasture, where you are strengthened in faith and given eternal life. He who feasts on these pastures will live forever. Amen.

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One Shepherd; One Flock

5/1/2023

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Gospel: John 10:11-16
11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing 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 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

Good Shepherd Sunday
John 10:11-16
Pastor James Preus
Trinity Lutheran Church
April 23, 2023

In the Smalcald Articles, a confession of the Lutheran Church, Martin Luther writes, “Thank God, [to-day] a child seven years old knows what the Church is, namely, the holy believers and lambs who hear the voice of their Shepherd. For the children pray thus: I believe in one holy Christian Church.” (SA 3:XII) And this is exactly how Christ describes His Church in John 10. Church means assembly. A flock is an assembly of sheep. Jesus’ Church is His flock of human sheep, who hear His voice and follow Him.
There is only one Good Shepherd even as there is only one Lord. “The Lord is my shepherd,” the faithful have confessed ever since David wrote those words. For Jesus to call Himself the Good Shepherd is to call Himself God. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for His sheep. If he does not lay down his life for the sheep, he is not the Good Shepherd. Jesus laid down His life for His sheep. He suffered and died on the cross for their sins. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—everyone—to his own way. And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6) Jesus died for our sins and He took His life back again, because He is innocent, and He is God. Only the Good Shepherd does this. Only Jesus is the Good Shepherd.
And there is only one flock. This is why we confess one Holy Christian and Apostolic Church. There is only one Church of Christ. It is made up of those who listen to the voice of their Shepherd. It doesn’t appear that there is only one Church. The Church looks scattered to kingdom come, with different sects teaching different doctrines. Yet, Scripture is clear that as there is only one Lord, one faith, one Baptism, and one Father over all, so there is only one holy Christian Church, a community of saints, Jesus’ precious sheep. The Church is united in Christ. That the Church is one is an article of faith. We don’t see it. We confess it, because Scripture tells us it is true.
How can we confess something that appears not to be true? Because the Church is invisible. The Church is invisible, because membership in the Church depends on faith. You may be able to see some of the fruits of faith, but you cannot see faith. Faith is in the heart. And the entire Christian Church is united in one faith in their one Lord and Shepherd, Jesus Christ. He has one voice, and they recognize that voice and listen to it and follow Him.
Jesus is the Shepherd and Bishop of your soul. But Jesus has ascended into heaven! How can you recognize Jesus’ voice today? Christ has appointed under-shepherds and under-bishops, who are to preach His Word and administer His Sacraments. In John 21, after Jesus’ resurrection, He appeared to Simon Peter and six other disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and St. John records the following:
Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved that Jesus said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him,” Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.”
Jesus did not only give Peter the responsibility to tend His flock on earth. Jesus instituted the Office of the Ministry, so that His Church on earth would always have pastors to preach the Gospel, so that His precious lambs may hear the voice of their Good Shepherd. Jesus said to the seventy-two, whom He sent out to preach the Gospel in Luke 10, “The one who hears you hears Me, and the one who rejects you rejects Me, and the one who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.” (vs. 16) So, Jesus’ sheep have confidence that when they hear the preaching of the Gospel, they are hearing the voice of their Good Shepherd. St. Peter instructs pastors in his first Epistle, “shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight.” (1 Peter 5:2) And St. Paul instructed the pastors of Ephesus in Acts 20, “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which He obtained with His own blood.” (vs. 28) The Holy Spirit Himself makes pastors overseers or bishops, so that they care for the Good Shepherd’s flock, which He purchased with His own blood!
St. Paul instructed Pastor Timothy in chapter 4 of his first letter to him, “Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.” Did you hear that? The preacher saves himself and his hearers. The Gospel is so powerful, that those who hear it from the mouth of a poor miserable sinner, who himself needs to be saved, are hearing the very saving voice of their Good Shepherd!
A Christian cannot assume that since the Church is invisible, he doesn’t need to go to church to worship God or hear His voice. The Church is invisible, not because we cannot recognize where the Church is. We know where the Church is. The Church is where the Gospel is preached in its truth and purity and where the Sacraments are rightly administered. The Church is invisible, because faith is invisible. But those who have faith listen to the voice of their Shepherd. Jesus says that He knows His own and His own know Him. How can they know Him if they do not listen to His teaching? How can they know Him if they reject His Baptism? How can they know Him if they reject His body and blood? No, Christians do not have the freedom to ignore God’s preaching and Word and to reject the Sacraments.
For this reason, the Apostle in Hebrews 13 instructs all Jesus’ sheep, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.” (vs. 13) Pastors must give an account for what they teach and preach, to whom they give the Lord’s Supper, and how they conduct themselves as pastors. They do not have freedom to preach whatever they want. They must preach according to Holy Scripture, the Bible.
This is important to recognize, because you are called to judge your pastor. Jesus says, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” (Matthew 7:15) And Jesus warns us against hirelings, who only serve their own bellies, but care nothing for the sheep. Yet, how are you to judge your pastor? Certainly not by your own opinions, but according to God’s Word! You can’t tell whether your pastor speaks the voice of your Good Shepherd by whether you like what he says or how he says it. You can only tell that your pastor speaks the voice of your Good Shepherd if his preaching agrees with the teaching of Jesus in the Bible.
St. Paul warned Pastor Timothy, “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wonder off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” (2 Timothy 4:2-5)
As many rejected the teaching of Jesus, so many will reject the preaching of His under-shepherds. These words of St. Paul are being fulfilled in our sight. People will not endure sound teaching, but will accumulate teachers to suit their own passions, to scratch their itching ears. And so, we have preachers who teach everything under the sun. Clear biblical truths are rejected, because people don’t want to hear them! Sexual immorality is now taught as good by churches. Human pride is praised while Holy Scripture is abased. People go to hear what they want to hear, even if what they want is wrong and sinful.
And what is important for you to realize is that it is not just other people who have itching ears. You have itching ears. You want to hear what you want to hear. Your sinful flesh wants to stoke your pride. And so, you need to curb your sinful flesh by submitting to the teachings of Holy Scripture. Then you know that you are hearing the voice of your Good Shepherd.
Yet, an under-shepherd is not faithful to the Good Shepherd simply if he condemns the things the Bible condemns. He must preach the Gospel. At the Great Commission, Jesus commanded His disciples, “Go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:15-16) St. Paul declares, “For if I preach the Gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16)
The Gospel is the good news that Jesus Christ died on the cross for sinners and rose again from the dead. He died for His sheep, so that He might give them abundant life. Jesus gathers His sheep into His fold through the preaching of the Gospel. Whoever believes in Christ Jesus receives everlasting life.
Jesus said “I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one Shepherd.” The fold Jesus was speaking of is the faithful of Israel. Jesus calls sheep outside of Israel. He calls Gentiles to join His flock. And Jesus is still calling today. He searches out lost sheep, so that He might bandage their wounds, heal them, and save them.
Every one of Jesus’ sheep in His fold is a sinner, who strayed. Jesus needed to die for the sins of every one of His sheep. (Isaiah 53:6) His sheep are holy, not because they deserve to be holy, but because Christ Jesus has shed His blood to wash them of their sins. Do not think that because you are a sinner that you do not belong in Jesus’ flock. Do not think that because you have strayed that Jesus does not want you back. No matter how grievous your sin is, no matter how wicked your heart has become, no matter what evil you have done, Christ searches and calls out His sheep. He separates the sin from the sinner. He loves you despite your sin.
The Good Shepherd searches out His sheep. He strengthens the weak. He heals the sick. He binds up the injured. He brings back the lost, who have strayed. He rules over His sheep with tenderness, patience, and forgiveness. (Ezekiel 34:16) If you are weak, sick, injured, or lost, listen to Jesus’ voice. He calls you. Return to the Shepherd and Bishop of your soul. He laid down His life for you. He forgives all your sins. And He promises you abundant life. Jesus is not yet done gathering sheep into His fold. And every sheep He gathers receives mercy, forgiveness, and everlasting life. Amen.

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Jesus Our Good Shepherd

5/1/2022

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Bernard Plockhorst, Good Shepherd, 19th C. Public Domain

Easter 3 (Misericordias Domini Sunday)
John 10:11-16
Pastor James Preus
Trinity Lutheran Church
May 1, 2022

Jesus said, “I am the Good Shepherd.” This is a significant statement. In Ezekiel 34, the LORD God says, “I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep.” And in Psalm 23, David confesses, “The LORD is my shepherd.” So, it is unmistakable, when Jesus calls himself the Good Shepherd, he is calling himself the LORD God. Jesus is the LORD God, and yet he is a man. He even lays down his life for his sheep. God cannot die. God cannot lay down his life. Yet, since God has become man, he does die for our sins and takes his life back again. This teaches us that there is only one Good Shepherd. There is only one God. And there is only one man, who is God, Jesus Christ. And he has proved himself to be the LORD by laying down his life for us and taking it back again. Jesus didn’t just die. He described how he would die and he rise from the dead, and he did it. This is why this is such a wonderful Easter lesson. Jesus, before he suffers and dies, makes the grand claim to be the Good Shepherd, which would mean that he is God, then he declares that he will lay down his life for his sheep and take it up again. And then he does just that.

The Good Shepherd joins his sheep fold. He himself becomes a lamb and dies for his sheep, and then he rises from the dead to shepherd his sheep forever. This is what St. John teaches us in Revelation 7, “For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” The Lamb will be their Shepherd. As the Shepherd becomes a lamb, so the LORD became a man. And as the Lamb continues to shepherd his sheep, so our Lord Jesus is a man forever. He forever makes intercession for our sins.

There is only one Good Shepherd. If your shepherd is not the LORD God, then he is not the Good Shepherd. If your shepherd did not become a man, then your shepherd is not the Good Shepherd. If your shepherd did not lay down his life for his sheep, then your shepherd is not the Good Shepherd. There is only one Good Shepherd who gives eternal life. Apart from him, you cannot be saved.

Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd, who lays down his life for his sheep, so that they may have eternal life. And he tells us that he gathers his sheep into one flock. But how does Jesus gather his sheep? We recite from Psalm 23, “He leads me besides the still waters,” but what does that mean? Jesus ascended into heaven. None of us has seen him with our eyes? Jesus says, “They will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.” Jesus’ sheep listen to his voice. Jesus shepherds his sheep with words.

This is why Scripture uses the word pastor as a name for preachers of God’s Word. The word pastor means shepherd. Now, obviously your pastor is not the Good Shepherd. There is only one Good Shepherd, who is God and man and died for your sins. Your pastor is not God, he is a sinner, and he has not died for your sins. Yet, after Jesus’ resurrection he told Peter to feed his sheep. And St. Paul exhorted the presbyters in Ephesus to “pay careful attention to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.” (Acts 20:28) And St. Peter exhorts the presbyters in chapter five of his first epistle, “Shepherd the flock of God that is among you.” (1 Peter 5:2) So, Christ’s ministers are under-shepherds, who care for Jesus’ sheep by using words.

The voice that Jesus’ sheep recognize is not a certain pitch or tone or accents or even a language. Jesus’ voice can be heard in every language, and in multiple tones and accents. Jesus’ sheep recognize his voice by the doctrine, that is, by the teaching, which that voice teaches. This is why Jesus keeps repeating, “I lay down my life for the sheep.” This is the chief doctrine that reveals the voice of the Good Shepherd. Jesus died for the sins of all people. Whoever trusts in Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection for forgiveness and salvation will be forgiven and be saved. So, if a voice does not preach Christ crucified, or denies that Jesus’ death makes atonement for all our sins, then that is not the voice of the Good Shepherd.

Many preachers get bored with the Gospel. So, they try to make their preaching more relevant to their hearers, by discussing issues that are more relevant for the here and now. Heaven is a far way off, but I need advice for today. Yet, what does Scripture say? “If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.” (1 Corinthians 15:19) Jesus died so that we might have eternal life. It is the job of the preacher to proclaim eternal life. Eternal salvation is always relevant. And you will not figure out how to sort out your life if you neglect your eternal life.

This lesson gives opportunity to warn Jesus’ sheep against false prophets, who, Jesus tells us, come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves (Matthew 7:15). Jesus tells us that we will know them by their fruits, that is, by their teaching. So, Jesus’ little lambs must pay attention to what is being taught to them. They must discern whether the preacher is preaching the Law and the Gospel from the Bible or whether he is teaching some human commandment; whether he is preaching the way to eternal life through faith in Jesus, who alone laid down his life for his sheep, or whether he is preaching a different way that leads to hell.

Yet, it has become so dire, that the wolves don’t even need to wear their sheep skins to fool the sheep. People will listen to enemies of the Gospel with reckless abandon while ignoring the voice of their Good Shepherd, as if these voices will have no affect on them. Consider this though, how much time in a week do you spend watching television or some other streaming service, or listening to the radio, or reading secular articles and books and how much time do you spend hearing the Word of God at church or reading your Bible at home? Do you know what your children are watching on the internet?

Recently, Disney has been criticized, because the children’s entertainment company opposed a bill in Florida, which would make it illegal for public school teachers to talk about sexual topics with children third grade and under. In response, supporters of the bill accused Disney of being “Groomers.” Groomers are perverted adults, who use their influence over children to manipulate them so that they may take advantage of them and that they might become perverts like them. It is a form of child abuse. It’s a very offensive title to give someone. Yet, the title fits. Disney, Nickelodeon, YouTube for kids, and many other children entertainment companies have been producing content, which encourages young children to support and explore homosexuality and transgenderism. This includes cartoons. People are rightly horrified by this. Yet, most continue to watch movies and shows from these companies and permit their children to watch this content as well, often without reviewing the content beforehand. But even if you avoid the most offensive content, mass entertainment is filled with messaging that is contrary to the Christian faith. And it has been from the beginning! Disney and Hollywood have been promoting pantheism, moral relativism, the occult, evolution, fornication, and many other messages contrary to what God teaches us in the Bible.

Do these messages affect you and your children? Of course, they do; especially if you consume many hours of this content. Yet, even if you try to avoid these bad messages (which you should), you’ll never completely silence them. You still live in this world. And even if you did silence them, you’d still have your old sinful nature to lead you astray. “All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned, every one, to his own way.” But now we have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls.

We need to hear Jesus’ Word. We need to hear his voice. We must be taught what is right. We must learn to turn from our sins and fight our fleshly desires, to reject being conformed to this world. We need to learn that we are sinners, who need a Savior. We need to hear that Jesus laid down his life for us, so that we might have abundant life. But if you will not hear this voice, then you are not Jesus’ little lamb.

People think that they can be Christians without hearing the voice of their Shepherd. But that’s not true. Jesus says that whoever does not gather with him scatters. What would a flock of sheep look like if the sheep didn’t come when the shepherd called? It would look scattered, wouldn’t it? We need to hear the voice, that is, the teaching of our Good Shepherd Jesus, so that we may have eternal life.

Jesus says, “I know my own and my own know me.” With these words he teaches election. Election is the teaching that Jesus’ sheep are chosen before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4). This is why Jesus says that many are called, but few are chosen. Jesus desires all to be saved. That is why he calls them. But only those who are chosen are ultimately saved. This is a comforting message, because it gives us certainty of salvation. Jesus says in this same chapter of John, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” (John 10:27-29) This is immensely comforting, because no one can snatch you out of your Good Shepherd’s hand. No one can take the life Jesus has given to you away from you. It has been determined before the foundation of the earth.

Yet, how can you know that you are elect? How do you know that God has chosen you before the foundation of the world? Because you hear his voice and follow him. Don’t try to delve into the mysteries of God’s mind, which not even the angels can comprehend. Rather, listen to the voice of your Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. Jesus’ sheep hear his voice and follow him. Jesus gives his sheep eternal life. If you hear this voice and believe it, then you are Jesus’ sheep. You are elect. No one can snatch you out of the Father’s hand.

Before you knew him, your Good Shepherd knew you. And he has made himself known to you by the proclamation of his Gospel. He died, so that you may live. He promises you eternal life. If you believe this, you are most certainly Jesus’ little lamb. Amen. Let us pray.
Lord, my Shepherd, take me to Thee.
Thou art mine; I was Thine,
Even ere I knew Thee.
I am Thine, for Thou hast bought me;
Lost I stood, But Thy blood
Free salvation brought me. Amen.

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"For faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." ~ Romans 10:17

The Uniquely Qualified Shepherd

One Shepherd; One Flock

Jesus Our Good Shepherd

Rev. James Preus

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