证道题目：「好牧人与祂的羊」

证道经文：约翰福音10:22-30

教会年主日:复活节期第四主日(丙年)

愿恩惠、怜悯、平安从我们的父上帝并主耶稣基督归于你们，阿们。今天是什么日子？是。。。在社会上今天是母亲节。。。。这是在社会上的一个节日；也是一个好的节日—因为上帝的确透过我们的母亲给我们很多的祝福。但是，我们如果要谈教会呢？今天在教会是什么日？有没有人知道？是「好牧人主日」。

那么，好牧人是谁呢？当然是耶稣。今年，在这段约翰福音第十章的经文里，耶稣谈论到谁是祂—好牧人—的羊。在今天的崇拜还有很多其他地方也都提到这好牧人的题目。我们现在就简单地看一下。。。从入坛词开始：「我是好牧人，我认识我的羊，我的羊也认识我，并且我为羊舍命」(约10:14-15和合本)。这入坛词其他的部分也继续谈这牧人与羊的题目—包括：「这样，你的民，你草场的羊，要称谢你直到永远，要述说赞美你的话直到万代」(诗篇79:13和合本)。

接下我们看我们的共祷文。它很清楚就是一个「好牧人主日」的祷告：「全能上帝，仁慈的父，因为祢已经从死人里复活祢羊群的牧人，求将祢的圣灵赐予我们，因此我们能认出我们好牧人耶稣基督的声音，并且当祂按著名叫我们的时候，使我们跟随他的领导。」

接下是我们今天的第一段经文，从使徒行传，第20章。虽然这段没有提到「好牧人」，但是它提到好牧人的羊群—教会。在这段，保罗在给以弗所教会的长老—就是牧师—一些劝勉的话，关于他们如何要牧养羊群。我现在再念28-29节:「圣灵立你们做全群的监督，你们就当为自己谨慎，也为全群谨慎，牧养上帝的教会，就是他用自己血所买来的。我知道我去之后，必有凶暴的豺狼进入你们中间，不爱惜羊群」(徒20:28-29和合本)。

我们现在换到我们的第二段经文，从启示录第七章。这段是很有意思因为这段四次把我们的好牧人耶稣叫做一只「羔羊」—对，牧人也是羔羊。是的，耶稣又是我们的牧人，又是为我们舍命的羔羊。因为这位羔羊被杀、流出祂的宝血，为我们舍命，所以，我们这些在罪里面走迷的羊得蒙救赎、我们的罪蒙赦免。我们也白白地得到永生在那完美的天堂里面。

现在请再听一次启示录7:13-17:「长老中有一位问我说：『这些穿白衣的是谁？是从哪里来的？』我对他说：『我主，你知道。』他向我说：『这些人是从大患难中出来的，曾用羔羊的血把衣裳洗白净了。所以，他们在上帝宝座前，昼夜在他殿中侍奉他；坐宝座的要用帐幕覆庇他们。他们不再饥、不再渴，日头和炎热也必不伤害他们，因为宝座中的羔羊必牧养他们，领他们到生命水的泉源；上帝也必擦去他们一切的眼泪』」(启7:13-17和合本)。是的，我们的羔羊耶稣会永远地牧养我们在那没有眼泪的天堂里面。这是一个非常宝贵的应许；也是一个非常确定的盼望。感谢主的怜悯！

好，我们那样就是简单地看完了今天其他的经文关于好牧人的部分。我们现在就要看我们今天的圣福音—约翰福音10:22-30。在这段经文里除了好牧人耶稣之外，我们很清楚看到两群不同的人—一群是耶稣的羊群—就是相信耶稣的人—就是基督徒。另外一群是拒绝相信耶稣的人—他们不是耶稣的羊群，他们是一些犹太宗教领导人。那么，在这段经文里面，这第二群人来挑战耶稣，要耶稣明明地说祂是不是上帝在圣经旧约的时候一直应许要差来的弥赛亚基督。耶稣说祂已经告诉过他们；但是，他们就是不信，不接受。他们这样就明明不是耶稣的羊。

接下，耶稣谈祂的羊的情况是怎么样的—他们是多么的受到祂的照顾与保守。最后，耶稣说祂与父上帝原为一；这就算是回到犹太领导的问题—「你是不是基督？」耶稣说祂与父上帝原为一—祂就是上帝—是上帝的儿子。接下，因为耶稣这样说，我们经文之后的下一节—第31节，就 说:「犹太人又拿起石头来要打祂」(约10:31和合本)，就是要用石头来打死祂，因为他们根本不相信耶稣与父原为一、不相信耶稣是基督、不接受耶稣当他们的牧人。

好，我现在就再次念这段，22-30节。请注意到这两群人，并特别注意到耶稣的羊是多么的安全，多么的不用害怕。「在耶路撒冷有修殿节，是冬天的时候。耶稣在殿里所罗门的廊下行走。犹太人围着他，说：『你叫我们犹疑不定到几时呢？你若是基督，就明明地告诉我们。』耶稣回答说：『我已经告诉你们，你们不信。我奉我父之名所行的事可以为我作见证，只是你们不信，因为你们不是我的羊。我的羊听我的声音，我也认识他们，他们也跟着我。我又赐给他们永生，他们永不灭亡，谁也不能从我手里把他们夺去。我父把羊赐给我，他比万有都大，谁也不能从我父手里把他们夺去。我与父原为一』」(约10:22-30和合本)。

好，应该很容易听得出那两群不同的人—一群是耶稣的羊，另外一群很明显不是—他们拒绝耶稣了。那么，关键的问题是：你是属于哪一群呢？你受洗了吗？因为你如果受洗了、归入基督了，你就是披戴了、穿上了基督了—你这样一定是基督的羊，你在祂的羊圈里面。当你受洗那天的时候你就是第一次很清楚听到好牧人声音的时候。虽然那天耶稣是借用一位牧师的口，但是，背后是耶稣呼唤你的名字—祂的确认识你，我们都听到“我奉父、子、圣灵的名给你施洗。”这样，你就领受了三位一体上帝的名、成为父上帝的儿女、成为耶稣的羊。

你受洗之后，每次你来到教会—像现在一样—你也就继续听到好牧人的声音。每次你在家里把你的圣经打开来读的时候你也听到祂的声音。每次弟兄姐妹们跟你一起聊天的时候，分享到上帝的道的时候—背后那也就是你好牧人耶稣的声音。礼拜领圣餐的时候你会再一次地听到好牧人的声音，说：「拿着吃，这是我们救主耶稣基督的真身体，为你的罪而舍的。拿着喝，这是我们救主耶稣基督的真宝血，为了赦免你的罪而流出来的。」

你是耶稣的羊。你听祂的声音。你也跟着祂—包括你有的时候会背着你的十字架来跟随耶稣；是的，你有十字架要背。但是，好牧人耶稣给你开路了。祂已经走过这条十字架的路；祂现在也带领你走—不用害怕。是的。你在祂的手中；没有人可以从祂的手里把你夺去。对，你已经有永生。将来你也就会跟随好牧人耶稣一直到天堂里去。当好牧人耶稣的羊是多么的棒！

好牧人主日就是应该给我们安慰与勇气。但是，这日子另外也应该给我们一个提醒。如果耶稣是你的好牧人的话，那就意味着你是个羊。对。你是个羊，而不是个马、也不是个老鹰或是个老虎。马、老鹰或老虎好像都不需要一个牧人。牠们应该都可以自己照顾自己。但是，你不能。你是个羊。羊不是很聪明。羊很会走迷了。圣经不是说，「我们都如羊走迷，各人偏行己路」(赛53:6和合本)？你如果很难接受你只是个羊的话，那么，那骄傲的态度就证明你正在走迷了！

我们羊会听好牧人的声音—这是个事实。但是，我们有时候也会听别的声音。我们有时候也会忘记我们好牧人的声音说些什么。我们就是会走迷。我们走那骄傲地看不起别的羊的路。我们走那自私地不分享给别的羊的路。我们走那刻薄地讲别的羊的坏话的路。我们走那谁都不管、自我中心、又偷懒的路。

我们就是很会走迷了—我们就是羊。你也绝对不要想你不是。因为你如果不是的话，那么，你就没有一个好牧人。只有羊有牧人。只有病人需要一位医生。只有罪人需要一位赦免他们罪的救主。我们今天经文犹太宗教领导人的问题就在这里。他们骄傲地以为他们不是罪人，不是病人，不是羊。因此，他们就是没有好牧人。很可惜。请你不要走他们的路。他们的路会带你到地狱去了！请你再次承认吧！你是个羊。你是个属灵疾病的人。你还是一个天天需要你救主的赦免的罪人。

你如果做出这样的承认的话，感谢主。虽然当羊不是个很荣耀的事—当马或老鹰才是；但是，当羊就是有那关键的好处—那永恒的好处—你有耶稣基督当你的好牧人。你今天再一次地听到你好牧人的声音。刚才祂就叫你要悔改，对不对？祂叫你再次承认你是个羊，你是个罪人。但是，祂现在要安慰你说：「我是你的好牧人。我为你舍命了。我今天也再一次地寻找你这位迷失的羊。我也找到你了。我也赦免你的罪。我拥抱你。我把你放在我的手里。没有人可以从我手里把你夺去了。你是我的羊。我是你的好牧人。你不用害怕。你很安全。阿门。」「上帝所赐出人意外的平安，必在基督耶稣里，保守你们的心怀意念」(腓4:7和合本)。阿们。

**Sermon Title: "The Good Shepherd and His Sheep"**  

**Scripture: John 10:22-30**  

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen. What day is today? It’s… In society, today is Mother’s Day… This is a holiday in society, and it’s a good one—because God indeed blesses us greatly through our mothers. But what about in the church? What day is it in the church today? Does anyone know? It’s “Good Shepherd Sunday.”

So, who is the Good Shepherd? Of course, it’s Jesus. This year, in this passage from John 10, Jesus talks about who His sheep are—those belonging to Him, the Good Shepherd. The theme of the Good Shepherd is mentioned in many parts of today’s worship service. Let’s take a brief look… Starting with the Introit: “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, and I lay down my life for the sheep” (John 10:14-15). Other parts of the Introit continue this theme of the shepherd and sheep, including: “So we, your people and the sheep of your pasture, will give thanks to you forever; to all generations we will tell your praise” (Psalm 79:13).

Next, let’s look at our Collect prayer. It’s clearly a prayer for Good Shepherd Sunday: “Almighty God, merciful Father, since You have raised from the dead the Shepherd of Your flock, grant us Your Holy Spirit, that we may recognize the voice of our Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, and follow His leading when He calls us by name.”

Then we have our first reading from Acts 20. Although it doesn’t directly mention the “Good Shepherd,” it talks about the Good Shepherd’s flock—the church. In this passage, Paul gives instructions to the elders of the Ephesian church—pastors—about how to care for the flock. Let me read verses 28-29 again: “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock” (Acts 20:28-29).

Now let’s turn to our second reading from Revelation 7. This passage is fascinating because it refers to our Good Shepherd, Jesus, as a “Lamb” four times—yes, the Shepherd is also the Lamb. Indeed, Jesus is both our Shepherd and the Lamb who gave His life for us. Because this Lamb was slain and shed His precious blood for us, we, the sheep who were lost in sin, have been redeemed, our sins forgiven. We also freely receive eternal life in that perfect paradise.

Listen again to Revelation 7:13-17: “Then one of the elders asked me, ‘These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?’ I answered, ‘Sir, you know.’ And he said, ‘These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes’” (Rev. 7:13-17). Yes, our Lamb, Jesus, will shepherd us forever in that tearless paradise. This is a precious promise and a certain hope. Thanks be to God’s mercy!

So, that’s a brief look at the other readings today regarding the Good Shepherd. Now let’s turn to our Holy Gospel—John 10:22-30. In this passage, besides the Good Shepherd, Jesus, we clearly see two different groups of people. One group is Jesus’ flock—those who believe in Him, the Christians. The other group is those who refuse to believe in Jesus—they are not His sheep; they are some Jewish religious leaders. In this passage, this second group challenges Jesus, demanding that He plainly say whether He is the Messiah, the Christ promised in the Old Testament. Jesus says He has already told them, but they don’t believe or accept it. By doing so, they clearly show they are not His sheep.

Next, Jesus describes the condition of His sheep—how they are cared for and protected by Him. Finally, Jesus says that He and the Father are one, addressing the Jewish leaders’ question, “Are you the Christ?” By saying He and the Father are one, Jesus declares that He is God—the Son of God. Because He said this, the very next verse after our passage—verse 31—says, “Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him” (John 10:31), intending to kill Him with stones because they did not believe Jesus is one with the Father, did not believe He is the Christ, and did not accept Him as their Shepherd.

Now, I’ll read the passage again, verses 22-30. Notice the two groups of people, and especially note how safe Jesus’ sheep are, how they have no need to fear. “Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.’ Jesus answered, ‘I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one’” (John 10:22-30).

It should be easy to distinguish the two groups—one is Jesus’ sheep, and the other clearly is not; they rejected Jesus. So, the key question is: Which group do you belong to? Have you been baptized? Because if you have been baptized and brought into Christ, you have been clothed with Christ—you are certainly one of Christ’s sheep, in His fold. On the day you were baptized, you first clearly heard the voice of the Good Shepherd. Though Jesus spoke through the mouth of a pastor that day, it was Jesus calling your name—He truly knows you. We all heard, “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” In this way, you received the name of the Triune God, became a child of God the Father, and became one of Jesus’ sheep.

After your baptism, every time you come to church—like today—you continue to hear the Good Shepherd’s voice. Every time you open your Bible at home to read, you hear His voice. Every time brothers and sisters in Christ talk with you and share God’s Word, that, too, is the voice of your Good Shepherd, Jesus, behind it. When you receive Holy Communion, you hear the Good Shepherd’s voice again, saying, “Take and eat, this is the true body of our Savior Jesus Christ, given for your sins. Take and drink, this is the true blood of our Savior Jesus Christ, shed for the forgiveness of your sins.”

You are Jesus’ sheep. You hear His voice. You also follow Him—sometimes even carrying your cross to follow Jesus. Yes, you have a cross to bear. But the Good Shepherd Jesus has gone before you. He has already walked the way of the cross; He now leads you on it—do not be afraid. Yes, you are in His hand; no one can snatch you from His hand. Indeed, you already have eternal life. In the future, you will follow the Good Shepherd Jesus all the way to paradise. How wonderful it is to be a sheep of the Good Shepherd!

Good Shepherd Sunday should bring us comfort and courage. But this day should also serve as a reminder. If Jesus is your Good Shepherd, it means you are a sheep. Yes, you are a sheep, not a horse, not an eagle, nor a tiger. Horses, eagles, or tigers don’t seem to need a shepherd. They can probably take care of themselves. But you cannot. You are a sheep. Sheep aren’t very smart. Sheep easily go astray. Doesn’t the Bible say, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way” (Isaiah 53:6)? If you find it hard to accept that you’re just a sheep, then that prideful attitude proves you’re already going astray!

We sheep hear the Good Shepherd’s voice—that’s a fact. But sometimes we also listen to other voices. Sometimes we forget what our Good Shepherd’s voice says. We do go astray. We take the proud path of looking down on other sheep. We take the selfish path of not sharing with other sheep. We take the unkind path of speaking ill of other sheep. We take the self-centered, lazy path of caring about no one but ourselves.

We are very good at going astray—we are sheep. And you absolutely shouldn’t think you’re not. Because if you’re not, then you don’t have a Good Shepherd. Only sheep have a shepherd. Only the sick need a doctor. Only sinners need a Savior who forgives their sins. The problem with the Jewish religious leaders in today’s passage is exactly this. They proudly thought they weren’t sinners, weren’t sick, weren’t sheep. Therefore, they had no Good Shepherd. What a pity. Please don’t follow their path. Their path leads to hell! Please confess again: You are a sheep. You are spiritually sick. You are still a sinner who needs your Savior’s forgiveness every day.

If you make this confession, thanks be to God. Being a sheep isn’t very glorious—being a horse or an eagle would be. But being a sheep has that critical, eternal benefit—you have Jesus Christ as your Good Shepherd. Today, you hear your Good Shepherd’s voice again. Just now, He called you to repent, didn’t He? He called you to confess again that you are a sheep, a sinner. But now He comforts you, saying, “I am your Good Shepherd. I laid down my life for you. Today, I have once again sought you, my lost sheep. I have found you. I forgive your sins. I embrace you. I hold you in my hand. No one can snatch you from my hand. You are my sheep. I am your Good Shepherd. You don’t need to be afraid. You are safe. Amen.” “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). Amen.