Jesus The Good Shepherd (John 10:10) by Tim Blankenship

From the rolling hills of a dairy farm to the bustling streets of Madison, Wisconsin, my path has been anything but ordinary. The cherished concept of Jesus as the Good Shepherd has been a constant companion on this journey, and in today’s conversation, I'm eager to share how this powerful imagery has shaped my life and faith. You'll hear how my background in farming has given me unique insights into the three profound aspects of the shepherd's care: inclusivity of love, intimacy of knowledge, and immensity of sacrifice, all of which converge in the person of Jesus.

As we unpack the depths of John 10:10 together, I'll take you through personal anecdotes that reveal the Good Shepherd's desire for unity among His diverse flock and the remarkable way He knows each of us intimately. We'll also contemplate how trust and silence can anchor our spiritual walk, offering hope and steadfastness through all seasons. Join me for an uplifting message that will not just inform but transform, as we explore the heart of the Good Shepherd and His call to 'come and see'—an invitation to experience the fullness of life and love He offers.

Transcript

Tim: 0:35

Good morning East Side Church. It's great to see everybody here this morning. My name is Tim Blankenship, elder and trainee at East Side Church. So, yeah, this is my first time preaching at East Side, so hang on for about a two and a half hour sermon and no, bring it.

Tim: 0:58

So, for my first time preaching here at East Side, houston gave me some options and times to pick from. He gave me plenty of time to prepare and as I looked at the text, this one stood out to me. First of all, john 1010 was a verse that I memorized as a young boy. It was in a Wednesday night class in my church back in Missouri called RAs, which stood for Royal Ambassadors. It was a mission focused program. We did lots of things, activities, and it was just a lot of fun and I learned a lot there. And John 1010, I learned that verse. I memorized that verse. Never in a million years did I dream that 50 years, almost 50 years, later I would be preaching here in Madison, wisconsin. So God is pretty amazing. It's how he places us. Second of all, this is why I know that Houston was not surprised of my picking of this text. It was about taking care of sheep or being a farmer, a shepherd, for the roles of you that don't know me. I was born and raised on a dairy farm, and that's what brought Lori and I to Wisconsin to be a herdsman on a dairy farm. I took care of cows for nearly 40 years of my life, so the language in this passage is very, very familiar to me and hopefully together we can all see what Jesus is saying to us and find a way to apply it to our lives.

Tim: 2:19

So, before we dive in, would you please pray with me. Holy Father, we praise you. We thank you for allowing us, god, first of all, to be able to open your word and to hear what you have to say to us. And God, you are a good shepherd, you love us, you draw us to be like you, so help us to learn more about you today, what it means to love one another well, but most of all, god, to understand what it means for you, the good shepherd, as you lay down your life for us. So would you open our hearts, draw us closer to you. And, god, just give me words, give me the ability to speak well and open hearts, God, that even in the mistakes that I might make, god that you would be glorified in all things. So open our hearts today and we praise you and thank you for bringing us here today, amen. So the title of our message today is Jesus, the Good Shepherd.

Tim: 3:24

Before I give you three points that I would like us to see today, I wanted to look at the word good. So I looked at my study Bible to see where it would take me, and I love where it went. It took me to Genesis, chapter one, the beginning. So I'm going to read a few verses out of there. You don't have to turn to Genesis, why don't you want to feel free?

Tim: 3:44

But Genesis, chapter one, verse four and God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. Verse 10, god called the dry land, earth and the waters that were gathered together. He called seas, and God saw that it was good. Verse 12, the earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed according to its kind, and God saw that it was good. God made two great lights the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night. And the stars God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, to rule over the day and over the night and to separate the light from the darkness. God saw that it was good, so God created. This is verse 21,. So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the water swam, according to their kinds, and every wing bird according to its kind, and God saw that it was good. Verse 25, and God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds, and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind, and God saw that it was good. And God saw everything that he made. This is verse 31,. And behold, it was very good. These things that God made were good, they were pure, they were perfect.

Tim: 5:16

So we can know our sermon title today Jesus the Good Shepherd means that we can leave here today knowing that Jesus is good, he is pure, he is perfect, correct, awesome. That's my message. See you next week. Probably we ought to look a little bit deeper. Means how. This is my first message, and I'm pretty sure that my elders would want me to go just a little bit deeper. So here are the three points that I have and they are in the bulletin today the Good Shepherd has other sheep that must be brought into the fold. The Good Shepherd knows his own and they know him. And the Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. Again, the first point the Good Shepherd has other sheep that must be brought into the fold. Number two the Good Shepherd knows his own and they know him. And number three the Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. First, the Good Shepherd has other sheep that must be brought into the fold.

Tim: 6:16

As Sam read, jesus began chapter 10 by saying truly, truly. I say to you there's different translations the NIV says truly. I say to you, as she read from the CSB truly, I tell you. The NIV says very truly. I tell you, jesus wants us to understand, by saying truly, truly, that this he wants us to hear him. He wants us to understand that this is truth. He wants us to hear that he has a flock and this blind man that was healed from chapter nine is a member of the flock and there are others who must be brought in.

Tim: 6:50

We didn't read about this man very much last week, but Houston talked some about him After Jesus left the Jewish leaders who wanted to kill him. He passed by this blind man. This man was blind from birth. Jesus' disciples asked him who sent him, or his parents, that he was born blind. Jesus answered him neither, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. John 9.5 says it's told us that Jesus told his disciples once again that he is the light of the world.

Tim: 7:23

Ben preached about this light a couple weeks ago. We sing about the light all the time and those that are regular here know that I'm a whole lot more comfortable back there than I am here. I can sing a whole lot better than here, but we sing about the light. In our Genesis readings we talked about the light. Jesus is the light. There's no darkness in Jesus, there's only light. So Jesus healed this man. He spat on the ground, he made some mud with his saliva, put it on the man's eyes, told him to go wash in the pool of slalom and he was healed.

Tim: 8:00

There was a great division among the spiritual leaders of Jesus' state. They hated Jesus. They tried to stone him. Houston talked about this last week. They tried to kill him. They called him a Samaritan. What a terrible insult in that day. They called him a Samaritan and they said that he had demons in him.

Tim: 8:20

The Jewish leaders believed that they were the only ones that God knew. Jesus taught through his whole ministry on earth that the gospel was and is for all people, jews and Gentiles. He says in verse 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. It's crazy to try to understand the sovereignty of God. Our minds cannot grasp the magnitude of his wisdom. God had planned from the beginning of time that this man was going to be born blind. God knew that his son, jesus, was going to come at this particular time, in this particular time in the world to heal him, and it was done for the glory of God. This man wasn't important, he was nothing in the eyes of the world, but he was one of God's sheep, part of the flock, and this man's eyes were opened and he saw Jesus, believed in who he was and became part of the flock that day. There are other sheep, they are not part of the fold yet there will be one flock, one shepherd Verse 19,.

Tim: 9:35

There was again a division among the Jews because of these words. Many of them said he has a demon and is insane. Why listen to him? They did not want to hear anything about one flock or one shepherd. They could not accept Jesus teaching that the good shepherd is going to bring all of his sheep together into the fold. Many people at this time were coming to and giving their lives to Jesus. The Jewish leaders did not like this because people weren't listening to their voice. They wanted to be heard. They did not want Jesus to be heard, but people were listening to Jesus' voice. This brings us to our second point. The good shepherd knows his own and they know him. Think about this blind man. Once again, the shepherd knows his flock. Jesus the good shepherd knew exactly how to take care of this man because he knew him. Verse 14, I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me.

Tim: 10:36

Being born and raised on a dairy farm, my passion for taking care of cattle began at a very early age. My parents gave all of us boys a heifer calf whenever we were old enough to help on the farm, and as she grew and became part of the milking herd, I got one third of her milk. Check Now I know that doesn't sound like much one third, but let me help you understand my dad's mindset. He gave me the calf whenever she was a baby, once she grew and started milking. It cost money to feed her. It cost money to keep her. So he gave me a third of her milk check and that's how I made money. Growing up I bought my first car. Anything that I did I paid for because I got part of this cow's milk check. I knew that calf. She was mine. I knew her mother. I knew her three sisters. It's kind of so reminiscent of me as a boy.

Tim: 11:36

This one cow her name was Lady my mom. We were small enough farm that my mom named all of our cows. We milked about 50 cows. She named them all. Lady was kind of the top cow on our farm. My dad actually had a painting of her on the front of our main shed. This cow was awesome. She was beautiful. She had a lot of daughters. She had three daughters, but I got to have one of her daughters and her name was Ladybug.

Tim: 12:04

When we were farming on our own and Lori and I and my brother and his wife were farming on our own, we milked about 80 cows. I knew all of my cows. When Lori and I moved to Wisconsin I went to work on a 400-cow dairy. It was kind of sad to think about as I would come in. It's like there's no way I'm going to know my cows. But I did. I worked on that farm for a year. Then the last farm that I worked on, I worked there for 12 years. We were milking a little over 900 cows. Then again it was hard to think that I wouldn't be able to know my cows, but I did. I knew my cows well enough that I could know the mothers when they came in. I knew her daughters when her daughters came into milk.

Tim: 12:51

I thought of this this morning. This is where I'm going to stray just a little bit from what I have typed out. This was an interesting one about one of my cows. She was a red-holstein. One time she had twin daughters. So when you have twin heifers, they're perfect, they're fine. The heifers. These sisters grew up together and then on this, this cow's fifth lactation, her daughters came into their first lactation. All three of them kevved on the same day. She had two daughters and her had babies on the same day. That's how you know. You're her. That's the passion that I had for the cows. I saw all these cows. There were many generations of cows and I knew them.

Tim: 13:33

Jesus knows his sheep. His sheep know him. I could walk into any one of my barns where my cows were and they wouldn't even acknowledge that I was there, because they knew me. But if a stranger walked in, things got very tense because the cows didn't know this person.

Tim: 13:52

The shepherd in Jesus' day led the sheep out into pastor in the daytime. He led them back to the fold in the evening and stood in the door and expected them and cared for each and every one of them as they came in. In that day the fold could have been a fenced in or a yard where there was stones around it, where the sheep could only come in in a certain way. That way he could inspect them and watch them. When they come in he would speak and they knew his voice. It's an amazing bond that the shepherds have with this flock. There were some who heard the voice of Jesus and followed because of the teachings of the Old Testament prophets of the coming of the Savior. There were some who heard his voice for the first time and they followed. This still happens today. Some have been born and raised in church, been in church all their lives, heard the gospel all their lives and they followed Jesus. Some have heard but didn't hear and didn't follow. Some have never been in a church but they heard Jesus' voice and followed. That was a problem for the religious leaders of the day. They could not accept Jesus' teaching that the gospel is for everyone.

Tim: 15:01

Jesus knows who his sheep are and those that will be his sheep. Jesus knows his sheep, those that have placed their faith and trust in him, and he has known them from the beginning of time. Let's go back to the first five verses of our text today. Truly, truly, I say to you he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, this man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him, the gatekeeper opens the sheep here his voice and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers. Jesus said remember this truly, truly. This is important. This is truth. The sheep hear his voice and he calls his own sheep by name and he leads them out. Right here.

Tim: 16:54

Jesus goes much deeper than just being a shepherd of sheep. He's being our shepherd. He knows each and every one of us by name. He knows everything about us. Think about that just for a second. He knows this by name. He knows everything about us. He knows our pain. He knows our struggles, our joys, our sorrows, our fears. He knows what excites us. He knows our injuries. Like the blind man, he knows how to make us see. He goes before us, leading us, talking to us, protecting us and loving us, loving us so much that he laid down his life for us. This brings us to our third and final point.

Tim: 17:49

The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. Those of us that have placed their faith and trust in Jesus are part of this flock. We know him and he knows us, but do we have any comprehension of the kind of love it takes to lay down your life? If you're a parent, I thank you. Do for your child, but for the whole flock, the good shepherd does anything for the flock, verse 11-13,. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He, who is a hired hen 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. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep On the farm.

Tim: 18:48

When a cow would get sick and couldn't walk, you'd have to go into the pen where she was With a skid steer, with a bucket on the front, and you'd have to go and get her picked up. Okay, this is a cow, not a sheep. This is my experience. A sheep will weigh 150 to 200 pounds. A full hosting cow will weigh 1,600 pounds. You'd have to go into this. This cow would be extremely frightened because she couldn't get up. She would be lashing around in there because she can't stand. She's scared. So the guys would go in with the skid steer. They'd try to calm her down as best they could. Two guys would get her legs, one guy would get her head. Lay her head down on her side as best you can, roll her up a little bit, bring the skid steer under her and try to get her picked up.

Tim: 19:34

Now here's some of the hardest part of this demonstration the love of a shepherd. This cow is in a pen. This is on the dairy farm. Again, the cow is in a pen with over 100 cows in it. So there's probably a little bit of manure that has to be dealt with Again. She's scared. She's lying down, she's covered. Rarely did the first attempt to get her in the bucket work Rarely so they'd try again until they succeeded, until they were able to get her picked up and taken to a safe place a bedding pack. It was clean, easier for her to lay down, to where the shepherd could take care of her, where the herdsman could take care of her and get her to feel her better.

Tim: 20:15

The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired man won't do this. When the wolves come, he runs away. He doesn't care for the sheep like the shepherd does. He doesn't know them like the shepherd does. Jesus says in verses nine and 10, I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and to kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. His promise to us is if we enter by him, call on his name, we will be saved. The thief comes only to destroy, but Jesus offers abundant life.

Tim: 20:56

Remember Jesus two times in his text said truly, truly. We cannot look past these words. These words are truth. We can trust. What Jesus says is truth. He wants his sheep to enter into his protection and care. So how do we trust these words that Jesus is saying to us? We have something today that the people of Jesus state did not have. We have his word. The word of God is full of promises and teaching that guide us to this abundant life. But we have to trust and in his word and live by it. That causes us to do something that is very hard live by faith and trust that Jesus's words are true. But that is foolish in the eyes of the world. Today it's no different than in Jesus's day. Jesus still calls his sheep and his sheep still hear his voice and take comfort in his voice. If you are here today and you do not know Jesus as your Lord and Savior and you're curious or have any questions, please don't ignore those feelings. This is Jesus's voice. Jesus knows you, he knows why you're here, and it's not an accident that you are here today. Please seek someone here, pastor Ben, pastor Houston, they would love to talk to you about this wonderful shepherd that calls his own. If you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, what does this text mean to you? How does it help you to be a part of this flock?

Tim: 22:29

This past week, in our prayer guide that Pastor Ben has put together for us Psalm 62, verses 5 through 8 was the day that just really really got to me. It was just awesome. I want to read those verses For God alone. Oh my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress. I shall not be shaken On. God. Rest my salvation and my glory, my mighty rock. My refuge is God. Trust in him at all times. O people, pour out your heart before him. God is a refuge for us.

Tim: 23:08

We've been challenged all week to spend time in silence. I am not good at silence, but this Psalm calls us to wait in silence. Our hope is from him. He is our rock and salvation, our fortress. We are called to trust in him, not some of the time when things are good, things are going easy. But all the time and I know sometimes it's easy we think about that a little bit in reverse. There's times that we feel like it's easy not to talk to God when things are going good, but when things get tough, okay, we're going to call on God. We're called to call on God and to call on him as our fortress and in silence, all the time, even when things are good, even when things are bad, when bad things are happening. We are to trust. God is sovereign in all things. He has a plan from time, eternity. We can pour out our heart before him. He is our refuge.

Tim: 24:04

The shepherd knows everything about his sheep, even things that are hidden from others, but he still loves and protects them. Our good shepherd knows us and loves us, even when we are down, surrounded by others that don't seem to have the same struggles that we do. He knows the struggles. He knows about the thieves and the robbers and the wolves. He knows us even when we are covered in the muck. He's still laid down his life for us. Let's close with this.

Tim: 24:35

Today, jesus is the good shepherd, and I was thinking about this as I was preparing and rereading and thinking this morning. I love this, this draw that we have going at Eastside Church right now, of this of this series come and see. The invitation is there. Come and see Jesus the good shepherd. He is the only one that truly knows us. Come and see. He knows our sadness, our struggles, our sin, yet he still loves us, cares for us, picks us up when we are in the muck and cleans us up and takes care of us. Come and see. That invitation is there. He is the one. Even through all of these things, he laid down his life for us. We can do nothing but praise him for this kind of love. Jesus, our good shepherd, come and see. Would you please pray with me this morning?