just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father. And I lay down My life for the sheep.even as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep.As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.even as the Father knoweth me, and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.
5 sermons cite this verse
… That's why I'm the good shepherd, says Jesus. And then he says, I lay down my life for the sheep. I want you to take a moment and notice how often he says it in this passage. Verse 11, he lays down his life for the sheep. Verse 15 concludes, I lay down my life for the sheep. Verse 17, because I lay down my life that I may take it again. Verse 18, twice, I lay it down. I lay it down. Now, that's not just a busy observation. Jesus is emphasizing that he is good because he voluntarily lays himself down. Biblical Christianity has sharpened its tools for centuries on the substitutionary work of Christ. In other words, when Jesus Christ hung on the cross, he hung as a substitute for the sinner. He hung in our place, on our behalf. You and I deserved death because of sin. He bore. He carried. He withstood. He took our sins and in our place he died. That's called the substitutionary atonement. …
… at all. I heard myself reading this in the introductory video here. I'll read it again. This is John 16. I lay down my life for the sheep, Jesus says. I lay down my life for the sheep, and I have other sheep that are not of this fold, this Jewish fold. He's talking to Jews. I have other people, Jews, my Jewish disciples. I have other people besides you outside this fold, outside this Jewish fold. They will, let me back up, I must bring them also, must. They will listen to my voice, not may, will. I will be, there will be one flock and one shepherd. That's John 10, 15, and 16. That's John's promise of a successful mission among Gentiles. I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. Do you see the connection between the meticulous sovereignty, providence of God, and the success of the mission we're calling you to be a part of? It can't fail. The doctrine of God's sovereignty, the reality of God's sovereignty, and the reality of the success of missions stand or fall together. I will build my church. So number one, God's providence is all-embracing. Number two, there's no gospel without that providence. And number three, the missionary purpose of God cannot fail because of that providence. And finally, number four, to bring it home to you. …
so grateful for the honor of bringing these messages to you after all these decades of preaching i've never quite gotten over the fact that you would give me some of your minutes some of your time and your trust. And I pledge to be a good steward of both. Gracious Lord. Gracious Lord. as we open your word, would you open our hearts? Would you deposit truth in the deepest recesses of our souls? Would you defy the lies, silence the voices that are not from you? forgive our speaker you know his sins are many and grant that we see Jesus just Jesus through Jesus we pray and all who agreed with the prayer said well Joe was ticked off at Jesus I've never seen anyone so angry at Christ I've seen few people so angry, but never anyone is angry at Christ. He was red-faced, clenched fists, spit-spewing, angry. Prior to the encounter, I'd never met Joe. A mutual friend asked if I could intervene in what he described as a crisis of faith. …
… But I am the good shepherd, and I know my sheep, and am known by my own. As the Father knows me, even so I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep, and other sheep I have which are not of this fold. Them also I must bring, and they will hear my voice. There will be one flock, one shepherd." Now let me just pause there. Jesus introduces into this discourse something that's totally inflammatory to the Pharisees who are listening to it when He talks, when He compares the relationship between the good shepherd and the sheep, how that the shepherd knows the sheep and the shepherd loves the sheep and the sheep know the shepherd and the sheep love the shepherd. He likens that to His relationship with the Father. The Father knows me just like the Good Shepherd knows his sheep, and I know. And he makes this somewhat cryptic statement, and other sheep I have which are not of this fold. …
… I know my sheep and have known by my own. And as the Father knows me, even I know the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep have I which are not of this fold. Them also I must bring, and they will hear my voice. There will be one flock and one shepherd." So now Jesus contrasts Himself not with the thief and the robber, but with the hireling. Sometimes people took care of their own sheep, but also sometimes if they were too busy with other things, they would hire somebody to look after their sheep. And Jesus said the difference is this. If you're out in the wilderness and you're grazing there and you're leading your sheep, you own the sheep, they're your possession, and the wolf comes. You stand there in the gap. You use the rod of the shepherd to beat off the attack of the wolf. If necessary, you lay down your life for those sheep. But if you're just being paid a wage, you don't own the sheep. …