WWUTT 902 The Hired Hand Leaves the Sheep?

Jesus has warned about thieves and robbers who come only to steal and kill and destroy. Well, there's another who is a threat to the sheep, and that is the hired hand.

And he just flat doesn't care and abandons them when stuff gets hard, when we understand the text.

This is when we understand the text, studying God's word to reach all the riches of full assurance in Christ.

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Pastor Gabe Hughes. Thank you, Becky. We come back again to our study of the Gospel of John chapter 10.

And as with yesterday, I'll start reading in verse 7 through verse 18. The Apostle John wrote,

So Jesus again said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you,

I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.

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 kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 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.

He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd.

I know my own, and my own know me, just as the Father knows me, and I know the

Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. 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.

For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again.

No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again.

This charge I have received from my Father. So we finished up yesterday in verse 10,

John 10, 10. Again, probably the most popular verse in John chapter 10.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Note that the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. Whatever it is the thief says, whatever it is the false teacher says, whatever it is

Satan says, is always going to lead to death and destruction. It will never lead to goodness.

You think of just the first time that Satan slithered his way into the garden and spoke to Eve.

Genesis chapter 3 verse 1. He says to Eve, did God really say that you must not eat of the fruit of any of the trees of the garden lest you die?

And of course that wasn't what God said. He said, you may eat of every tree except the one in the middle of the garden, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

For the day that you eat of it, you will surely die. So Satan comes in asking this question, did

God really say it? Everything that he had to say, everything that he said to Eve. Sometimes we'll take apart the stuff that Satan said and we'll say, well, he was right about this.

Like for example, when he said, you will not surely die for God knows that when you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God knowing good and evil.

And after Adam and Eve eat from the tree, God himself says, behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil.

And so sometimes we'll read that and we'll go see Satan was actually right about that. But even if Satan says something that you could take as a truth, it's always going to be a half truth.

Because what said in context, what else is surrounding the statement that comes from Satan is ultimately to lead you to death.

It is never to lead you back to Christ or ever to lead you to life. The lies of Satan always lead to death.

He is a murderer, as Jesus had illustrated back in John chapter eight.

He was a murderer from the beginning. And whoever does the deeds of Satan, their father is

Satan. But whoever is a follower of Jesus Christ, their father is their father in heaven is

God in heaven. So here, Jesus says in John 10, 10, the thief comes only to steal, to kill and to destroy.

I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. One of the things that I had mentioned yesterday in reading

John 10, 10 is that the prosperity preachers will use this passage to promise how you're supposed to be filled with all these riches and abundance.

And, you know, Joyce Meyer saying, speak to your checkbook, say, oh, you checkbook, you're not going to stay empty all of your life.

And if somebody goes, well, this is just too weird. Joyce Meyer says, well, fine, then stay broke for the rest of your life.

You know, as she's talking about this, the audience will laugh and they'll think it's all funny and everything.

And people love this stuff. They eat it up because they're looking for teachers to scratch their itching ears.

They want somebody to tell them, God, God wants me to be healthy and wealthy. So they'll go after those guys or those gals in Joyce Meyer's case, because that's what they want to hear.

They want to believe that God is for me and he's a vending machine and he's just going to give me all the stuff that I want.

But that promise leads to death. When a false teacher starts promising things like that, starts promising the world's prosperity or makes you feel guilty because you don't have it.

See, the reason why you don't have is because you don't have enough faith. You don't believe hard enough. That's why you haven't received these things.

That's what they'll say. They'll heap a burden upon the hearers. See, even though the hearers have heaped these preachers up upon themselves so that they will tell them what they want to hear.

But ultimately, what they're burdening them with is lies, false teaching, nothing that can save all of this stuff leads to death.

They think in hearing them quote this verse, John 10, 10, that God wants me to have all the stuff that I want.

He just wants me to be happy. And this would make me happy. So I know God wants me to have that. But the irony and that is the sad and tragic irony is that very verse that they'll use to justify their prosperity.

Teaching actually warns that these prosperity preachers are bringing nothing but theft and death and destruction.

They're thieves. These rich guys are thieves. I can't remember who it was.

I heard say this, but the only person who prospers from the prosperity gospel is the prosperity teacher as the only person who prospers from it.

All the listeners, they're always going to lose. You're giving your money to this guy who has told you that if you sow a seed of money that you'll receive this abundance in return.

That's that's not the way it works. He's got your money. You've got nothing to show for it. So this is this is a verse that warns against such kinds of teachers.

They're thieves. They come only to steal and kill and destroy. Same reference that Jesus was making back to Ezekiel and to Jeremiah talking about those false shepherds who would fatten themselves.

They would feed themselves, but they were not feeding the sheep. And so God brought them into judgment, taking those references from those prophets.

Jesus is warning here about the thief and the robber. The sheep will not follow the false teacher's voice.

They will not follow the the robber's voice for they know the voice of the good shepherd.

And Jesus goes on in verse 11 to say, I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

Remember, Jesus is in the line of David, right? He's a descendant of David that he might inherit the throne of David, which would be established forever in the kingdom of God.

The throne that Christ would sit upon at the right hand of the father as a descendant of David.

David, as a shepherd, laid down his life for the sheep. He fought lions and bears.

OK, that's risking his life for the sheep. And Jesus, as one who is descended from David, does the same.

And in fact, he will die for his sheep to redeem his sheep, those whom he is called.

So David laid down his life for the sheep. Jesus, who is a greater David, will lay down his life for the sheep.

I've been reading through Genesis with my kids. And right now we've been in the in the story of Jacob.

And we just finished up actually Genesis chapter 31. And this is after Jacob had left

Laban. And he now having married both of Laban's daughters and he's had many sons of his own.

He is wanting to be able to have a land for himself that he might also be able to prosper in a land that the

Lord his God is going to bring him to. And Laban kind of chases him down because he believes that Jacob has stolen some property from him.

And it's when Jacob is making his appeal to Laban, talking about the the manner of work that Laban or that Jacob had done for him for so many years.

This is Genesis 31, starting in verse 38. He says, These 20 years

I have been with you. Your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried, and I have not eaten the rams of your flocks.

What was torn by wild beasts I did not bring to you. I bore the loss of it myself.

From my hand you required it, whether stolen by day or stolen by night. There I was.

By day the heat consumed me, and the cold by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes.

So Jacob is just presenting before Laban his work ethic. This was a guy who laid down his life for the sheep to work for Laban and to tend for and care for the sheep.

And of course, Christ is from the line of Jacob as well. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And so these are examples in in Jesus ancestry of those who had laid down their life for the sheep.

And Jesus is even greater than they, for he is literally going to die for his sheep.

His death upon the cross, his spilled blood to redeem the sheep. Remember, the sheep were raised to be sacrifices.

And Jesus is the one who is going to be the spotless lamb of God who will sacrifice himself for the flock.

The good shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep. Verse 11 again,

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 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. Now, this one whom

Jesus is referring referring to as the hired hand. This is different than the thief and the robber, but their motivation is still the same.

Ultimately, they don't really care for the sheep. They care about themselves. But while the thief and the robber comes to steal and kill and destroy, the hired hand is just flat, careless.

So he's not actually looking out for the best interest of the sheep. When the going gets tough, when things get difficult, when things are hard, he's going to abandon the sheep because he's not profiting.

He's not benefiting from this in any way. He's not there to lay his life down. He's there to gain for himself.

And when the gain is not there or things get difficult or he sees that the pressure is coming upon the church or the sheep or whatever else, he's going to abandon his sheep.

He's going to abandon the flock that he was entrusted to care for. And then those who are false teachers, the predators, those who are coming to lead the

Christians astray, they're going to weasel their way in. And they're going to be successful in doing so because there's no shepherd to protect the sheep.

Remember that one of the jobs of a shepherd is specifically talking about a pastor here, according to Titus one nine, is that he must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, giving instruction in sound doctrine and also rebuking those who contradict it.

So he's supposed to be feeding the sheep and he's supposed to be protecting the sheep from the wolves, the false teachers, the thieves and robbers who are supposed to come in.

But the hired hand who doesn't care for the sheep, whenever that threat comes upon them, whenever forces start pressing in from the outside, whenever Satan starts to have his way and he's weaseling his way into the church and things start getting difficult.

Maybe within the church, people are fighting with one another. Maybe there are certain skirmishes that have developed.

Maybe the church is not disciplining its own members. The pastor is just turning a blind eye to it.

He's hoping that the problem will just solve itself instead of confronting those who are causing division.

And Satan is using that as an opportunity to break up the church. Maybe the church has become lax on a biblical understanding of membership, and that's caused some problems within the church.

Some of the scandals that we're looking at happening in the church in America today are a result of churches not following a biblical understanding of membership.

Maybe the money just isn't coming in and things are starting to get tight. The pastor might even have to sacrifice the amount of pay that he's collecting because the church is not bringing in enough money, whatever it might happen to be.

Whenever these things get difficult, he abandons the sheep. He goes and runs away to somebody else because he's the hired hand because he doesn't care.

He's careless. He doesn't care for the sheep. He's not there to lay down his life for the sheep. And the wolf snatches them and scatters them.

Maybe you even have a pastor who just gets lazy. He's just pursuing his own interests, and he's not actually caring for his own flock.

And then his flock, over a period of time, falls into hopelessness because nobody is caring for them.

Nobody is considering their needs, caring for their spiritual hurts, pains, and some of these kinds of things.

And so, because that pastor is lazy, Satan and his ways are able to come in and take advantage of those who are hurting.

They're at a weak point in their lives or in their faith. It's in Zechariah 11, verse 17.

The Lord says, There is going to be a judgment that's going to come upon those who did not serve the sheep faithfully as the way they should have.

Not just the false teachers. Not just the thieves and the robbers. But even those shepherds to whom

Christ had commanded, Feed my sheep. Who wouldn't feed the sheep, but when the going got tough, they abandoned the call.

They're going to have to stand in judgment before God as well. But Jesus Christ is not like these.

As he said to his disciples, As we read in the Great Commission in Matthew chapter 28.

He says, Baptizing in the name of the

Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.

And lo, I am with you always. Even to the very end of the age.

In the upper room, he said to his disciples, I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you.

I will comfort you. And we read in 1 John 4. We love.

This is 1 John 4, 19. We love because he first loved us.

If anyone says, I love God and hates his brother, he is a liar. For he who does not love his brother whom he has seen,

Cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him,

Whoever loves God must also love his brother. And that needs to be exemplified in the pastor, the shepherd,

The one who cares for the sheep. If he abandons the sheep whenever the enemy draws near,

Then isn't he showing that he does not love his brother, But in fact hates him? That the shepherd has his own interests in mind

Instead of serving the chief shepherd? As Peter instructed the elders in Asia Minor, 1

Peter 5, verse 2. Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, Exercising oversight willingly,

Not for shameful gain, but eagerly, Being examples to the flock. And when the chief shepherd appears,

You will receive the unfading crown of glory. Jesus is not like these hired hands.

He does not abandon us in our darkest hour, But he is with us. And in fact,

Romans 5, verse 8. God demonstrated his love for us, In that while we were yet sinners,

Christ died for us. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

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. He flees because he is a hired hand And cares nothing for the sheep.

Jesus again in verse 14. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me.

This is Christ having placed his affection on us. Before we knew

God, he knew us. That's what foreknowledge means, by the way. Whenever the

Bible makes these references to foreknowledge, It's a reference to God having known us

Before we were even born. And placing his affection on us. It doesn't mean that God foreknew

A future decision that we were going to make. It means that God knew us. This is an intimate term.

He knew us and had placed his affection on us Before we were even born. So this we read in Romans 8 .29.

Those whom he foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed To the image of his

Son, In order that we might be the firstborn Among many brothers. God had placed his affection on us

That we would be conformed to the image of Christ. And Jesus applying that same thing here

When he says, I know my own, And my own know me. Jesus knows us before we know him.

But it's by his goodness and his grace That we come to know him. Just as the Father knows me and I know the

Father, And I lay down my life for the sheep. That's where we'll pick up again tomorrow. You know, I had a particular passage set aside

That I was going to read here. And this was back when I was in John 10 .10. But I missed it. I kept going. So I want to come back to that.

John 10 .10. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

And as I said yesterday, That abundant life that we receive Is not just in what we are going to get in heaven.

Though that certainly applies. We're not just talking about the kingdom of God in heaven. We're also talking about the kingdom of God on earth.

And all the benefits that come with that. As Paul said to the Philippians, Rejoice in the

Lord always. Again, I will say rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone.

The Lord is at hand. Do not be anxious about anything, But in everything, by prayer and supplication,

With thanksgiving, Let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, Which surpasses all understanding,

Will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. And we have meaning and purpose in this life.

We know that we have peace with God. His wrath is no longer upon us, But we are the objects of His love.

Because of what Christ has done for us. And we are able to enjoy now, Some of that abundant living.

Because we know that we have peace with God. Through our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said to the church at Laodicea, In Revelation chapter 3,

He said, You say that I am rich. I have prospered. I need nothing.

Not realizing that you are wretched, Pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. See, this was a church that lived in a very prosperous city.

And they believed that they had everything. They even thought they had safety. Because, hey, Who can come and attack us and destroy us?

Look at how great and rich and powerful we are. But Jesus said, You're not rich. You're pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

I counsel you to buy from me, Gold refined by fire, So that you may be rich.

And white garments, So that you may clothe yourself, And the shame of your nakedness may not be seen. And salve to anoint your eyes,

So that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline. So be zealous and repent.

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him,

And he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne.

As I also conquered and sat down with my father on his throne. This is the abundance that we receive in Christ.

We have fellowship with God now through our Lord Jesus Christ. And then we will also receive his kingdom at the very end of the age.

So know that it is in Christ that we have our abundance. This world has nothing to give us. Christ gives us everything,

For he has given us everything, Laying down his life for us, That all who believe in him will not perish,

But have everlasting life. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

Amen. Thank you for listening to When We Understand the Text with Pastor Gabe Hughes.

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