Today’s reading includes one of my favorite passages, John 10:10, which tells us that we have abundant life in Jesus. I’ll actually be preaching on this passage this coming Sunday at St. Matthew’s. But I wanted to take a little time and talk about the sheep. They learn the voice of the shepherd, and they follow. Not only do they follow the voice of the shepherd, they learn to run from any voice that is not the shepherd. Today, we must learn to hear the voice of our good shepherd. We must learn to follow Him wherever it is that He calls us. Listen for His voice today and follow wherever he calls. 

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Good morning! Happy Tuesday! I hope your week is off to a great start. Today, we’re diving into John chapter 10, a passage filled with meaning and insight. This section is quite long, so we’ll break it up over the next couple of days. Today, we’ll focus on John 10:1-10, and tomorrow we’ll cover verses 11-19.

John 10:10 is one of my favorite verses in the entire Bible. In fact, I’ll be preaching on it this Sunday as we start a new sermon series at St. Matthews. This verse resonates with me deeply because of its focus on the concept of abundant life. Jesus declares that He has come so that we may not just live but live life to the fullest. This “abundant life” speaks to a life that is rich, full, and meaningful—exactly the kind of life we find in Jesus.

Think about the power of that statement: Jesus came to give us life, and not just any life, but life in abundance. For Christians, the life we live in Christ should be joyful, fulfilling, and full of purpose. I’ve always found it odd when people give their testimony and speak of their past, sinful life almost as if it were more exciting than the life they now live in Christ. But the truth is, life in Jesus is the best life. It’s full of love, grace, and the peace that only He can offer.

Without giving too much away about Sunday’s sermon, we’ll explore this concept of abundant life, but perhaps in a way you might not expect. It’s a powerful message, and I’m excited to share it with you.

Today, though, I want to highlight verses 3 and 6 where it says, “The shepherd opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.”

This image of the sheep recognizing and following the shepherd’s voice is such a beautiful analogy. It reminds us that as followers of Christ, we are to recognize His voice in our lives, and we must be cautious of the many “voices” out there trying to lead us astray.

A friend of mine once told a story about being in Israel and seeing a shepherd chasing after his sheep. My friend thought this was strange because, according to the Bible, the sheep are supposed to follow the shepherd, not the other way around. When he asked his guide about it, the guide explained that the man wasn’t the actual shepherd—he was a false shepherd, and that’s why the sheep were running away. The sheep knew this wasn’t the voice of their true shepherd.

This story perfectly illustrates Jesus’ point. We, too, must be able to discern the voice of our true Shepherd—Jesus. There are so many voices in our world competing for our attention. Media, social platforms, influencers—all of these voices can distract us from the voice of God. But Jesus reminds us to follow Him, the true Shepherd, and to flee from those voices that are not of God.

How do we learn to recognize the voice of our Good Shepherd? By spending time with Him. Just like how a child begins to sound like their parent after spending years together, we begin to recognize and understand God’s voice by spending time with Him in prayer, scripture, and worship. The more we immerse ourselves in His presence, the easier it becomes to distinguish His voice from the noise of the world.

There’s a lot vying for our attention in this life, but we must learn to tune our ears to hear the voice of God. Just like the hymn says, “Tune my heart to sing Thy grace,” we must also tune our ears to hear His call. Sometimes, in the midst of darkness or difficulty, it’s hard to see where God is leading. That’s when it becomes even more critical to listen for His voice.

God knows us by name. He loves us deeply, and He calls us forward, even when we can’t always see the path ahead. Just as a dog recognizes its owner’s voice and comes running, so should we recognize and respond to the voice of our Good Shepherd.

Today, I encourage you to spend time in prayer, scripture, or meditation so that you can hear the voice of Jesus more clearly. May we all learn to listen for His voice and follow Him wherever He leads.

Thanks for being with us today. I hope you have a blessed day, and I look forward to seeing you tomorrow as we continue with John 10. Take care!