Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
This automated analysis scores the text on the likely presence of emotional, language, and social tones. There are no right or wrong scores; this is just an indication of tones readers or listeners may pick up from the text.
A score of 0.5 or higher indicates the tone is likely present.
Emotion Tone
Anger
0.13UNLIKELY
Disgust
0.08UNLIKELY
Fear
0.11UNLIKELY
Joy
0.61LIKELY
Sadness
0.19UNLIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.52LIKELY
Confident
0.47UNLIKELY
Tentative
0UNLIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.87LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.69LIKELY
Extraversion
0.22UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.89LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.7LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
Worship Our Wonderful Shepherd Jesus Christ
The Gospel of John
John 10:11-18
Sermon by Rick Crandall
Grayson Baptist Church - March 15, 2017
(Revised November 1, 2019)
BACKGROUND:
*Tonight, we will focus on some great reasons why everyone should worship the Good Shepherd Jesus Christ.
It all centers around the Lord's statement in vs. 11.
There Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd.
The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep."
*In vs. 1-2, the Lord had already reconfirmed that He was the promised Messiah, the only true shepherd for God's people.
As He spoke to the Pharisees, Jesus said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep."
*Jesus Christ is the one and only Good Shepherd for God's people.
He had strongly established His credentials by fulfilling Old Testament prophecies about the promised Messiah.
*John Phillips noted some of the evidence in God's Word.
For example, Isaiah 7:14 promised that the Messiah would be miraculously born of a virgin, and Jesus was.
Matthew 1:21-23 and Luke 1:30-35 both confirm this truth.
Micah 5:2 prophesied that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, and Jesus was.
God's Word confirms this fact in Matthew 2:1-6 and Luke 2:1-6.
Hosea 11:1 prophesied that God the Father would call His Messiah Son out of Egypt.
And we see the fulfillment in Matthew 2:13-15.
Also, Galatians 4:4-5 tells us that Jesus came "in the fulness of time."
Therefore, Jesus surely is the one and only Good Shepherd of God, born the right way, in the right place, at the right time.
Jesus isn't a spiritual thief or robber!
He is reliable, dependable, faithful!
And we can always count on Jesus, because He is the Good Shepherd of God.
(1)
*Moreover, it was also crucial for the Messiah to be a descendent of King David.
For example, Psalm 132:11 tells us that "The Lord has sworn in truth to David; He will not turn from it: 'I will set upon your throne the fruit of your body.'"
*Then in Jeremiah 23:5-6 God's Word tells us:
5. Behold, the days are coming,'' says the Lord, "That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; a King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.
6.
In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely; now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS."
*It was crucial for the Messiah to be a descendent of King David.
That's one key reason why the Holy Spirit led Matthew and Luke to include genealogies of Jesus in their Gospels.
Matthew traced the Lord's birth line through His adoptive father Joseph.
He was descended from King David through his son King Solomon.
Luke traced the Lord's birth line through His virgin mother Mary.
She was descended from King David through Nathan, another son of David.
(2)
*The Messiah King Jesus surely was a descendent of King David.
That's also why Jesus is called the "Son of David" 12 times in the New Testament.
Other Scriptures also clearly state that Jesus was the promised eternal heir to David's throne.
For example, in Luke 1:30-33, the angel Gabriel told Mary:
30. . .
"Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
31.
And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.
32.
He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.
33.
And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.''
*Years later, in Romans 1:1-3, Paul opened his letter to those Christians by saying:
1. Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God
2. which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures,
3. concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh.
*Another great example is one of the last things Jesus said in the New Testament: "I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches.
I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.''
(Revelation 22:16)
*With this background in mind, let's read vs. 11-18, and as we read, please think about why we should worship the Good Shepherd and King of Kings, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
MESSAGE:
*One of God's greatest goals is for us to truly worship Him.
But what does it mean to "worship" God?
In the Old Testament, the main word for worship is a word picture of us bowing down before the Lord.
That's good.
We should humbly bow down to give God reverence and honor.
*But the most common New Testament word for worship has a totally different word picture.
The English word "worship" is found 80 times in the New Testament, and 60 of those times, God chose to use the word "proskuneo."
It means "to kiss," and it has the wonderful word picture of an affectionate dog licking his master’s hand.
*As a dog-lover, I'm really glad God used this word picture for worship.
I can really relate to it because when I come home, our dog Freckles is so glad to see me, she jumps up and licks my hand.
*When I'm home, my dog will lay down in submission, wanting her belly to be scratched.
She almost always wants to be close to me.
When I go to another room, she usually goes with me.
And when I pick up my keys to leave, she wants to go with me.
*Now you may not care a thing about dogs, but we all need to get this: The way my dog treats me gives us a big clue about how God wants us to worship Him.
Of course it's not really about the licking.
It's about the affection.
Most any dog would lick your hand if you just finished eating a piece of bacon.
*Real worship is humbling ourselves before God and exalting Him in our hearts.
But one of the best parts of worship is the joyful affection we have for God.
He is our loving Master who takes good care of us, so we love Him too, and we are happy to be with Him! Worship is not about the external things.
It's about our hearts.
And tonight's Scripture gives us some great reasons why we should worship the Good Shepherd Jesus Christ.
1. FIRST, WORSHIP JESUS FOR HIS COURAGE.
*We get a glimpse of the Lord's courage in vs. 11, where Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd.
The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep."
That's courage: the willingness to do the right thing in spite of the danger and difficulty.
Courage is the willingness to sacrifice yourself, to give yourself, to take a risk for someone else, and that's what Jesus did for us.
*We can see much courage in our world today, -- certainly in our police, fire-fighters and the brave soldiers who serve our country.
We can also see great courage in Bible heroes like the Prophet Daniel.
He was willing to be thrown into the lion's den rather than stop praying to the Lord.
Daniel had great courage, so did Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, when they were cast into the fiery furnace, so did David when he stood against the giant Goliath.
*I also think about the Apostle Paul, and how he bravely suffered for the cause of Christ.
I think of the Christians today who are suffering great persecution in places like Iran, Communist China and North Korea.
And I think of our missionaries serving around the world.
Some of them have paid the ultimate price.
*It's also important for us to know that God will give us all the courage we need in life.
In Psalm 34:4, King David said, "I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears."
God wants to calm our fears, so when we seek the Lord, He will hear us, and somehow He will deliver us from all our fears.
No wonder that in Psalm 56:3, David also said: "Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You."
*God will give us the courage we need, but the greatest courage of all belongs to Jesus Christ!
The greatest courage belongs to Jesus, because He made the greatest sacrifice, and He did that on the cross at Calvary.
Worship Jesus for His courage.
Never get over what Jesus did for us on the cross!
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9