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[00:00:00] Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia. It is the Sunday of the Good shepherd. Hey, St. Paul Lutheran Church. This is a Sunday drive to church podcast. I'm Pastor Wolf Muller. This is for the fourth Sunday of Easter, April 21, year of our Lord 2024. Driving safe to rejoice in. Oh, there's some gifts that the Lord has to give today. Now, you know, we use the three year series of readings back in the old historic one year lectionary.
[00:00:28] The third Sunday after Easter was good shepherd Sunday. So you had Easter then one Sunday, then, whap, you're right there. Misericordia's Domini. So you had John, chapter ten right after. And I think the connection between Easter and good shepherd is the Micah prophecy. It's the prophecy that we normally think about at christmastime. Where's my Bible? I wasn't planning on talking about there. It's the Bethlehem prophecy, but there it talks about not only the birthplace of Jesus, but also his resurrection to be our good shepherd.
[00:01:08] Here it is, Micah chapter five. It says verse two. But for you, Bethlehem Epaphratha, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you will go forth from me to be ruler in Israel. His going forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity. So he's born in Bethlehem, but he's eternal. Two natures already there. His birthplace, Bethlehem, that's there we normally. So that's our Christmas text. But then it says, therefore, he will give them up until the time when she who is in labor has born a child. Then the remainder of his brethren will return to the sons of Israel. This is the resurrection of Jesus. He will arise and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord, his God. And they will remain, because at that time he will be great to the ends of the earth. This one will be our peace, so that he arises. It says here, he will arise and shepherd his flock. So the resurrection of Jesus and his work as good shepherd are bound together. And that's why, that's my guess anyways, that a few weeks after Easter, we have good shepherd Sunday. So historic one year last week for us on the three year lectionary this week, which means we're going to hear psalm 23 and John, chapter ten. But a lot of other good shepherd stuff as well. A beautiful woodcut, medieval reformation woodcut on the COVID of Christ, the good shepherd. And it's this. I mean, I don't know of a more comforting image other than the crucifix of Jesus, who is the shepherd who's carrying the sheep over his shoulders. That comes from the parable that Jesus tells, what shepherd of you, having 99 sheep, leaves them in the wilderness to go and find the one that's lost. Jesus is after the lost sheep, and he's rejoicing at finding you. All the themes of God the shepherd, the good shepherd, Christ the good shepherd, and we, his lost sheep, are gathered up in all the readings and all the lessons and all the hymns today and even in the collect. So I'll pray the collect. It's a traditional form, so it has the address. The address here is to God the Father.
[00:03:27] The rationale, which is always the next part of the collect, talks about the resurrection of Jesus, but it's addressing the Father as the one whose waken from the dead, the shepherd of your sheep. So the resurrection is the Father waking up the son. It's beautiful. And then there's a prayer for the Holy Spirit that when we hear the voice of our shepherd, we may know him who calls each of us by name and follow where he leads. So it's a prayer that when we hear the voice of Jesus, we would know it and we would follow it. And it's through the spirit that we might accomplish this. It's a particularly trinitarian collect. So let's pray. Almighty God, merciful Father, since you have wakened from the dead, the shepherd of your sheep, grant us your holy spirit, that when we hear the voice of our shepherd, we may know him who calls us each by name and follow where he leads, through the same Jesus Christ, your son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, and the same Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
[00:04:36] All right, we're into it now with the readings. We are still hearing from the book of acts for our Old Testament reading. Old Testament? It's the history of the New Testament. And for whatever reason, it's not terrible, I guess. But for whatever reason, the three year lectionary wants us to hear from the history of the early church. In the season of Easter, we're still in Jerusalem, and it's right after Peter and John.
[00:05:03] I better check on that. Peter and James. Peter and. Hold on a minute. Let me look this up. Peter and John. Okay. Doubted myself there. Peter and John had healed the lame man by the temp, by the front of the temple, and this has caused quite a commotion, and they're continuing to preach. Notice that they're still preaching the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, verse two. And the result is the sadducees are, quote, verse two, greatly annoyed. Now, their great annoyance is going to be a problem for the early church, for Peter and John and James, that annoyance is going to get them killed. But look, they're not. They're not afraid. This is the amazing thing, is that to compare the apostles in acts, chapter one to the apostles in acts, chapter two, or here in acts, chapter four, the boldness that they have, the confidence that they have to face trouble and to face persecution, they just can't be. They can't be. They're undaunted. They can't be frightened. They can't be coerced. They're going to confess Christ.
[00:06:13] By what power? By what name did you do this? They asked him. And Peter filled with the Holy Spirit. That's where this boldness comes from, says rulers of the people and elders. If we're being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by him, this man is standing before you. Well, this Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders. That's psalm, 1822, which has become the cornerstone. And there's salvation in no one else. For there is no other name under heaven given among men, by which we must be saved. Now, that is such beautiful good news for us. But notice how profoundly offensive it is to the sadducees and to the pharisees and to the world.
[00:07:03] We as christians should just note this, that the exclusive nature of the christian gospel, that there is no other name in heaven and on earth by which we must be saved except the name of Jesus. That that is offensive to the world, but tremendously comforting to us. And it's a bit of an astonishment that that piece of news could be such good news to us and such bad news to everybody else.
[00:07:32] But I suppose it's hmm, what's the picture that I use? It's kind of an obnoxious picture, but can you. You gotta imagine a city with a huge wall around it. And you want to get into that wall because you can smell the barbecue and the donuts and the coffee, and everything nice is inside the city. And you want to get in there. But there's this wall around the city, and you think, oh, there's no. I can't get in the city until someone says, well, here's the door.
[00:07:59] Here's the door. You can get in. That's beautiful news. There's a door. There's a way into the city.
[00:08:04] Now, the problem comes when you say, well, I don't want to go in there that way. I want to go in over here.
[00:08:10] I want to go in over there. Well, there's no door over there. You can't get in that way. But the world says, no, this is the way. I want to be saved. I don't want to be saved by Jesus. The door. I want to make my own door. I want to make my own way. Well, it's too bad there's a wall there.
[00:08:27] You're separated from God by your own sinfulness, but the Lord has provided a way. In fact, that's one of the I am statements of John, chapter ten. We don't have it in our text, but it's a neighbor to our text. I am the gate, says Jesus.
[00:08:44] So that is the beautiful first lesson. Acts, chapter four, verses one to twelve. A gradual is an adaptation of Matthew 28, hebrews two, and psalm eight. Christ has risen from the dead. God the Father has crowned him with glory and honor and made him ruler over the works of his hands and has put everything under his feet. That psalm 110 is in there, too. Psalm eight. It's beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. So the resurrection and the ascension of Jesus is his coronation to be the merciful king of the universe.
[00:09:19] The epistle. We continue to hear from one John, chapter three. In fact, we're hearing from one John last few weeks and for the next few weeks as well. So it's a good time as a family to read John one John, the epistle. It came up.
[00:09:35] I know when it came up. I was.
[00:09:38] This is Friday, by the way, when I'm recording this, and this morning, I was on issues, etcetera. Pastor Katchelmeyer and I were on there doing the q and A, and there was a question that Todd didn't actually ask us, but I was looking at. It was a question about, someone was asking, how can the Bible, I tell us both that we are sinners that are going to be judged by God and that we are the redeemed, not to be judged by God? Which is it?
[00:10:11] Second corinthians five talks about how we have to give an account for everything that we do. But Paul says that's good news. He looks forward to that day. The reason why the judgment day, when everything is exposed, is good news for us is because the Lord is bringing about justice for all those who are oppressed, and also because we are in Christ.
[00:10:34] All our sin has taken away, and we have been given the righteousness of Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit so that there is, romans eight, no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
[00:10:47] John, chapter five. Jesus says, you've passed from death to life. You will not come into judgment. Absolutely beautiful. Well, how do these two things fit together? And my suggestion in answering this question is to read the epistle. One, John, because he wrestles with that, he says, I write these things to you so that you will not sin.
[00:11:11] But if you do sin, we have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ, the righteous one. Anyone who makes a practice is. Later, John says, anyone who makes a practice of sinning is not of God. We make a practice of righteousness. But John also says in chapter one, whoever says he has no sin deceives himself. So this is the law and the gospel, that we are sinners, but we are not clinging to our sin. We're clinging to Christ, the savior of sinners, the forgiver of sins, the giver of the Holy Spirit, and the one who gives us righteous instructions and the power to lead a righteous life.
[00:11:54] So John chapter three, continues that theme. In fact, the beginning has this beautiful we have an advocate with the Father. It's so great. We behold what manner of love. Oh, that's chapter two, chapter three. Behold what manner of love the Father is given unto us, that we should be children of God. We picked this up in one John 316, where he's talking about love, and he says, by this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
[00:12:25] If anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us love not in word or talk, but in deed, in truth.
[00:12:36] By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him. But whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart and knows everything. One John 320. That in a really profound way, is the theme verse, I think, of my own pastoral ministry. It's the theme verse of has American Christianity failed? The book that's written there? If our heart condemns us, we have one who's greater than our heart, because so often we try to judge how it is with us and God by how we feel about it.
[00:13:20] Pastor, I just don't feel close to God.
[00:13:24] Well, what does God say? I'll never leave you or forsake you. And that's true whether you believe it or whether you feel it or not.
[00:13:34] Pastor, I don't feel forgiven. Well, what does Jesus say, Father? Forgive them.
[00:13:40] Neither do I condemn you. Whoever sins you forgive. They're forgiven. Go in peace.
[00:13:49] In fact, not only do you feel the wrong thing, but we can repent of feeling the wrong thing about God and be forgiven for feeling the wrong thing about God. Like God has forgotten us. Like God has abandoned us. Like God is angry with us.
[00:14:04] So that if our heart condemns us, we have one who is greater than our heart. And your heart is not the judge on the judgment day. On the judge. Can you imagine how helpful this is on the judgment day? You don't have to stand before your own heart and be judged. You have to stand before the Lord to be judged. And that's. And he is the one who's died for you.
[00:14:30] He's the one who shed his blood for you. That's the judgment.
[00:14:35] Wow.
[00:14:36] The gospel is John, chapter ten. It's hard to think of more beautiful words than John, chapter ten. Jesus says, I am the good shepherd. There are seven of these I am statements in the gospel of John. I am the door. I am the way, the truth, and the life. I am the resurrection and the life. I am the light of the world.
[00:14:56] I am the bread of life. I am the good shepherd. That I am. In Greek, it's Echo. Amy. That's how the I am from the burning bush is translated when Moses says to the Lord, who are you? So I can tell the Israelites who sent me. And God says, I am who I am. So Jesus is referencing those I am statements I am. In fact, there's seven.
[00:15:24] I am the statements in the gospel of John. And there's seven sort of raw I am statements in the gospel of John. Those are harder to find.
[00:15:34] Okay. I paused it for a long time, and I can't remember what I was talking about, but I tracked down these seven statements. In fact, this is amazing stuff. This doesn't really have to do with I am the good shepherd, the seven I am statements, I am the bread of life, John six. I am the light of the world. John eight. I am the gate for the sheep. John ten. I am the good shepherd. That's our text today. John ten. I am the resurrection and the life. John eleven. I am the way and the truth and the life. John 14. That's our text. Well, for, I suppose, yesterday for me, tomorrow for Bach's funeral. It's beautiful. I am the vine, John 15. But these I am to the woman John, chapter four, verse 26. To the woman at the well, I who speak to you am he.
[00:16:24] And in Greek, ego e mi hala onsu I am. Or to the disciples on the boat, Jesus said to them, it is I. Ego e me. Do not be afraid.
[00:16:36] Jesus says, if I bear witness about myself. The father who sent me bears witness about me. I am the one who bears witness. Ego Aimee. I am the witness. I am the martyr. That's an interesting one. It's kind of right in the middle. I am the martyr. I am the witnessing one.
[00:16:51] Jesus is a true and faithful witness. From revelation in John, chapter eight. Listen to these. This is verse 24 and 28. Jesus is fighting with the Pharisees. I told you that you would die in your sins. Unless you believe that I am he, you will die in your sins. In the Greek, it's just this. Unless you believe that I am.
[00:17:13] So this is Jesus again, taking this divine name. I am who I am again. He says, when you would have lifted up the son of man, then you will know that I am.
[00:17:23] I do nothing of my own authority. In John, chapter eight, Jesus said to them, before Abraham was, I am.
[00:17:32] And then to the disciples, I'm telling you all these things now. This is John 1319. I'm telling you all this before it takes place. So that when it does takes place, you may believe that I am.
[00:17:44] And then beautifully, in the garden of Gethsemane. When the soldiers come to arrest Jesus, he says, whom do you seek? They say, jesus of Nazareth. Jesus says to them, I am.
[00:17:55] When Jesus says, I am. They drew back and fell to the ground, tumbled like bowling pins.
[00:18:01] He asked them again, whom do you seek? And they say, Jesus of Nazareth. He answered, I told you, I am.
[00:18:07] If you seek me, let these guys go.
[00:18:10] So those are the seven kind of raw I am statements of Jesus.
[00:18:17] Boy, that's wonderful. But here we're dealing with the I am the I am the good shepherd. And so many things are happening in this claim that Jesus is making. I am the good shepherd. The first is that Jesus is taking up all of the old testament promises. That the Lord would shepherd his people. Ezekiel 34. He'll destroy the faithless shepherds. And he, I myself, will shepherd my sheep.
[00:18:44] Psalm 23. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. I didn't even talk about that. That's our psalm. The most beautiful psalm. Note this in psalm 23.
[00:18:55] I didn't notice this till this year. I don't know how many thousands of times I've read the psalm. And I never noticed that it switches from a sermon to a prayer right in the middle of the psalm.
[00:19:09] So it starts out preaching, the Lord's my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul. It's talking about God. But then it switches to talking to God.
[00:19:23] You are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
[00:19:27] You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. And then at the end, surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life. And I'll dwell in the house of the Lord forever. It's a sermon at the end. It's an amazing switch from a sermon to a prayer. And where does it switch from a sermon to a prayer? In the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you're with me. So in the midst of our trouble and our temptation and our.
[00:19:57] In the midst of the valley of the shadow of death, our preaching turns to praying.
[00:20:04] The hymn the king of love, my shepherd, is actually gets that. I thought at some point a few years ago, I said, I bet you the hymns missed this change. Because I was trying to.
[00:20:16] You know, I was trying to say, well, I missed it a thousand times. I bet everybody else did. No, they did not.
[00:20:23] The hymns get it perfectly. They all. You'll notice that the hymns also switch from preaching to praying. It's beautiful. And when Jesus says, I'm the good shepherd. He grabs up psalm 23 and psalm 95 and psalm 100 and all the psalms that talk about how the Lord is our shepherd. And he says, that, lord, who is your shepherd? That's me. That's me.
[00:20:46] He's the one who seeks, the one who's lost and finds him and puts him on his shoulders.
[00:20:51] But then so fantastically, so beautifully, beyond what we could ever ask for or imagine, the Lord takes the picture of the good shepherd and presses it even further. Farther than you could ever imagine. And he says, I'm the good shepherd. I lay down my life for the sheep.
[00:21:13] Can you imagine someone saying, hey, I'm a good rancher.
[00:21:16] I die for my cows.
[00:21:19] It's the cows who are supposed to die for the livelihood of the rancher, not the other way around. Could you imagine? I am the good chicken farmer.
[00:21:31] I die for my chickens.
[00:21:33] That's pretty extreme. Well, yeah. Yeah, this is. It's pretty extreme. What? Jesus, he says, look, the sheep don't die for me. I die for the sheep. In fact, this good shepherd is the lamb who takes away the sin of the world.
[00:21:50] And that idea that the lamb is our shepherd, it's all through the. Especially one Peter and the book of revelation. That contrast that irony that Jesus is the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world and that that lamb is the chief shepherd.
[00:22:09] You, your shepherd, the thing that sheep have going for them. Apparently, I'm no pro with sheep, but in fact, I'm always. This is, I called up a, I called up a sheep farm, a shepherd this week to see if I could come and visit the, and see what a sheep is like when it's being shorn, because next week we have that text and, and the Bible says, like a sheep, before it shears is quiet. I.
[00:22:40] So he opened not his mouth. And I just want to see what a, how a sheep acts when it's being shorn. Because I'm so rural. Some of you know much more about all these things than I do. But this, this is the thing that I'm told, is that sheep don't have a lot going for them. The only thing they're good at is determining who's talking to them. Is it the shepherd or is it someone else?
[00:23:01] And Jesus is my sheep. They know my voice. They recognize the sound of my voice. They know that that's my shepherd talking to me.
[00:23:11] So Jesus, when he calls a sheep, he says, look, the only thing you need to be good at, you don't need to be strong or fast or ferocious or anything else. You just need to be good at listening.
[00:23:23] My sheep hear my voice, and I call them by name, and I lead them out and they follow me. This is, this is our christian life, to follow after Jesus.
[00:23:34] Beautiful.
[00:23:35] We'll sing. I am Jesus, little lamb the Lord's my shepherd I'll not want little flock fear not the foe him 666 chosen on purpose it's a.
[00:23:47] I always, it's one of my favorite hymns. I always think it's a Luther hymn. It's not a Luther hymn. It's beautiful. It has that kind of courage inducing nature to it, like Luthor hymns have. Oh, little flock, fear not the foe who madly seeks your overflow. Dread not his rage and triumph. We'll sing that, too. It's great. And we'll dig back into hebrews. We'll be back at it this week, so hopefully you'll be there for that as well. All right. Dear saints, Christ is arisen. He's risen indeed. Alleluia. And he's risen to shepherd us, to stand and to shepherd us, to guide us, to keep us, to call us, to comfort us, to protect us, to die for us, so that we would be the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hands. God be praised. See you soon. Sunday drive to church.