I Am The Good Shepherd

John 10:11
Jesus identifies Himself as the "good shepherd" in verse 11 and says that "all who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers" in verse 8. The mission of these thieves and robbers who came before Jesus is explained in verse 10: "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy."

False teachers come in all types and varieties. Some false teachers are of a different faith, while some are atheists without faith. Still others hide under the banner of Christianity, but are nevertheless false teachers.

In this passage, they were the Jewish religious leaders of the day who were leading God's people astray.

One thing false teachers have in common is that they deny that Jesus is the one and only way to eternal life. But Jesus Himself makes it clear that He alone is the way to eternal life when He says, "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved" (verse 9).

The Bible says that Satan is the father of lies (see John 8:44), and is the one who is ultimately behind all false teaching. He is the one who wants to steal, kill, and destroy you!

But thank God that, with Jesus as our Good Shepherd, Satan will not be able to accomplish his goal in our lives. As Jesus says in verse 28, "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand."

Verse 11 says "The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep." Jesus sacrificed His life for us on the cross, and paid the penalty for our sins. He died so you and I would not have to.

Psalm 23 tells us more about our Good Shepherd. In this Psalm we see that the Good Shepherd . . .

A Psalm of David.
1The Lord is my shepherd;
Ps. 78:52Ps 80:1(Is. 40:11)Ezek. 34:1112(John 10:111 Pet. 2:25Rev. 7:1617)

(Ps. 34:9Phil. 4:19)
I shall not want.

Ps. 65:11–13Ezek. 34:14
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;

(Rev. 7:17)
He leads me beside the still waters. 3He restores my soul;

Ps. 5:8Ps 31:3Prov. 8:20
He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.
4Yea, though I walk through the valley of #
Job 3:5Job 10:2122Job 24:17Ps. 44:19 the shadow of death,

(Ps. 3:6|NoBook| 27:1)
I will fear no evil;

Ps. 16:8(Is. 43:2)
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
Ps. 104:15

You anoint my head with oil;
Ps. 92:10Luke 7:46

My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever Amen

Provides rest. The sheep are able to lie down restfully because they know their Shepherd meets their needs and keeps them from anxiety.

Provides guidance. He leads them beside peaceful streams and along right paths. We, by nature, are wanderers, but as followers of God we now have Someone to follow!

Provides safety. In the valleys of life, our Good Shepherd is with us and protects us, so we can fear no evil.

Provides for our needs. No matter what, God will give us what we need—not necessarily what we want.

Guides us safely home to heaven. As Christians, we not only have abundant life now, but we also "will dwell in the house of the LORD forever" (Psalm 23:6).

Satan's goal for your life is to steal, kill, and destroy. But Jesus, the Good Shepherd, has come to give life abundantly.