Can I be honest with you? I've preached a version of this sermon before. It was at a point in my life where I wasn't sure what I was doing or where I was going. I wasn't sure of my identity. I wasn't sure who I really truly was. And this text from John 10 was a huge comfort for me.
Read through it if you have the chance. Jesus' identity is there. He says: "I AM." I am the Good Shepherd. Did you catch your own identity there? If Jesus is the Good Shepherd, then you are the sheep.
And there's so much in that metaphor. I could talk about how sheep are wanderers, they're followers, and they put themselves willingly in dangerous situations. There's a lot of truth in that for us isn't there? But as a sheep who has Jesus as your shepherd- what else is true? You have one who lays down his life for you. And you have one who leaves the 99 to come after you. And you have one who will not leave you when things get tough, but will protect you in every situation.
There's rest in that identity. There's rest from the stress of needing to give ourselves identity on our own. There's rest in knowing that the big question of our lives is not "Who are you?" It's "Whose Are You."
