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2	Introduction The Good Shepherd
3	The analogy of a shepherd also tells us something about ourselves as sheep. Sheep aren’t very bright. They wander easily. They are both timid and stubborn. They can be frightened easily. They are absolutely defenseless against predators.
4	It has been said that out of all of the animals we have domesticated, sheep take the most work.
5	All of this is to say, we need a shepherd.
6	I. The heart of the Good Shepherd. John 10:1-21 He knows us. Verses 1-6 There are two kinds of sheep pens – in the country and in the village. There are two kinds of shepherds – true shepherds and false shepherds.
7	Jesus knows his sheep. This knowledge implies a relationship of trust and intimacy.
8	He provides for us. Verses 7-10 He provides salvation. He provides pasture – our daily needs. He provides life – abundant and eternal.
9	In contrast, the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.
10	“I am the gate.”
11	He protects us. Verses 11-21 He lays down his life for the sheep.
12	The thief is interested in himself and not the sheep. The hired hand cares only about his wages and not the sheep. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, cares about his sheep and so he laid down his life for us.
13	There is one flock and one shepherd. Verse 16 Who are the other sheep? The Gentiles.
14	Jesus death was not an accident and it wasn’t a tragedy. “It was the great turning point of history. It was planned before the foundation of the world.” J. M. Boice
15	Revelation 13:8 says he was “the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.”
16	He was not a helpless victim. He had the authority to lay down his life and take it up again.
17	II. The identity of the Good Shepherd. Verses 22-42 The Feast of Dedication is the celebration we call Hanukkah.
18	Jesus was in the temple area called Solomon’s Colonnade on the east side of the Temple Mount overlooking the Kidron Valley and the Mount of Olives.
19	The Jewish leaders ask Jesus to tell them plainly, “Are you the Christ?” Jesus replies, “I did tell you, but you did not believe.” “I and the Father are one.”
20	Then Jesus quotes Psalm 82:6, “I said you are ‘gods’.” His argument is this. If mere mortals (kings, rulers and judges) can be called “gods”, how much more can the one the Father has sent be called God’s Son?
21	Jesus slipped from their grasp and traveled east of the Jordan to Perea. In Jerusalem they rejected him. In Perea they welcomed him.
22	Conclusion Do you know the Good Shepherd? Do you need him today to be your comfort, guide, protector or provider?