Now, as we continue with our studies with the theme Christ in all the Scriptures, I want to speak to you for a little time today about Jesus Christ, the Shepherd. Now, let me read to you some verses from the New Testament and then a portion from the Old Testament to prove that Christ the shepherd is presented to us throughout the whole of the word. In the Gospel according to John chapter ten reading at verse eleven here we have the record of the words of the Lord Jesus Christ himself when he said I am the good shepherd the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. Then when we turn over to the Epistle to the Hebrews, the last chapter, chapter thirteen, and reading at verse twenty, now the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus that great shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. There then he is presented as the great shepherd, risen again from the dead. Now in the first epistle written by Peter, And chapter five and reading at verse four. And when the chief shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. There we have three scriptures in the New Testament, presenting the Lord Jesus Christ to us in his character as a shepherd. First of all, he is the good shepherd, showing his sympathy for his sheep, becoming a substitute for them. In the second scripture I read, he is presented as the great shepherd, displaying his sufficiency as a sustainer of his sheep. But in First Peter, chapter five, verse four, he is presented as the chief shepherd, showing his supremacy as a sovereign over his sheep. That reminds us then of that well-known portion now from the Old Testament, Psalm twenty-three. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restores my soul. He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His namesake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou prepareest the table before me in the presence of mine enemies. Thou anointest my head with oil. My cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. I'm sure the Lord will bless to each listener today the reading of these verses. You know, whenever I think of the Lord Jesus Christ in his character as a shepherd, I'm reminded of an old hymn that used to be sung often. I don't think it's sung just so often nowadays, because it seems we have a lot of new modern hymns. But here's one of the old hymns. I have a shepherd, one I love so well. How he has blessed me, tongue can never tell. On the cross he suffered, shed his blood and died, that I might ever in his love confide. Pastures abundant doth his hand provide. Still waters flowing ever at my side. Goodness and mercy follow on my track. With such a shepherd nothing can I lack. When I would wander from the path astray, Then he will draw me back into the way. In the darkest valley I need fear no ill, for he my shepherd will be with me still. When labour's ended and the journey's done, then he will lead me safely to my home. There I shall dwell in rapture, sure and sweet, with all the loved ones gathered round his feet. Following Jesus, ever day by day, nothing can harm me when he leads the way. Darkness of sunshine, whatever we call, Jesus the Shepherd is my all in all. Yes, it's true. He is the Shepherd. Might I ask every listener today, even now, before we say much about the Shepherd, do you know him? Do you know the Shepherd? Now I introduced our subject in a previous broadcast, suggesting that Christ is the theme of all the Scriptures. You find them in the Old Testament in prefigure, in the historical books. You find them in the poetical books in pre-vision. You find them in the prophetical books in prediction. But when you come to the New Testament, you find him in person. That's what we have in John chapter ten. He says, I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But going back to the Old Testament now, I suggest to you again that we find this shepherd character of Christ in prefigure. A way back in the historical books. When you go to the book of Genesis, it is very interesting to notice some of the men who were shepherds. There came a day when Abraham gave all his wealth to Isaac his son. That is, Isaac inherited all his father's possessions. Now remember, Abraham was a wealthy man. So therefore, if his son inherited all that his father left, then Isaac was a wealthy shepherd. You find him in Genesis twenty-four being introduced to the lady who became his bride and his wife, Rebecca. And you know, he loved Rebecca, but he gave certain things to Rebecca before they were married. And the things that the servant took to her indicated that she was going to marry a wealthy man. Ah, but I want to press home this, that Isaac was a prefiguring of the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, he was Abraham's son. He was the son of Abraham who went to the altar on Mount Moriah, and in figure was brought back again from the dead. A figure of Christ in death and in resurrection. A figure of Christ as inheriting all the promises. But remember this. Isaac was a shepherd. He knew how to look after sheep. But the one outstanding thing that I might say about Isaac, as he prefigures the Lord Jesus Christ as a shepherd, he was a wealthy shepherd. But you know, we sometimes think of the Lord Jesus while he was down here on earth as being born in poverty and living as a poor man and making the poor his friends. It's perfectly true he preached the gospel to them. But we should never erase from our minds the thought that before he came to this world he was the Lord of all. He was the possessor of heaven and earth. That cattle on a thousand hills were his. All the wealth and all the minds in the world are his. The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. Yes, the Lord Jesus Christ was a wealthy person he became poor of course that's what the Bible says though he were rich yet for your sakes he became poor that ye through his poverty might be enriched but as Isaac was a wealthy shepherd so the Lord Jesus Christ is a wealthy shepherd and he's a great flock of sheep and not one of them will be missing when he brings them home to the glory. But you know, Isaac had a son called Jacob. And Jacob also inherited the premises from his father. But Jacob also was a shepherd. He had flocks and he had herds. But there was a time when for twenty years he worked to his uncle Laban. And one day he had to face his uncle, because his uncle was playing a charge against him. But Jacob faced up his uncle who was his employer. And he said, as it were, count the sheep, count the flocks. Of all the years I have served you, have you ever lost one at my hand? And in looking after the sheep, he said, I have had to endure the frost by night, and I have had to endure the drought by day. He knew something of looking after the sheep under the sweltering noonday sun. He knew something of looking after the sheep and the cold frosty nights. Yet, while it cost him much to care for the flocks belonging to his uncle, He could stand there at the end of twenty years of service and declare his faithfulness in caring for the sheep, and he said, You never lost one of them at my hand. I could account for them. Ah, Jacob was a faithful shepherd. And if Jacob was faithful with his own sheep and faithful with his uncle's herds, May I suggest to you, my friend, that the Lord Jesus Christ is a faithful shepherd. He says, I give unto my sheep eternal life, and they shall never perish. None shall pluck them out of my hand. My Father is greater than all, and none shall pluck them out of my Father's hand. Jacob was a faithful shepherd. And the Lord Jesus Christ is faithful to look after his sheep. I read to you these verses from the New Testament concerning him. And in John's gospel he's presented as the good shepherd, giving his life for the sheep, showing his sympathy for them, and becoming the substitute for them. But in the epistle to the Hebrews he's also the great shepherd, risen again from the dead. living in the power of an indissoluble life, and there he's caring for his sheep. And he calls them by name, he knows them. But in a coming day he'll be seen as the chief shepherd, recompensing those who have cared for his sheep. But going back again in thought now to the book of Genesis, Jacob had twelve sons, and they also had to look after the sheep. But out of the twelve there's one that we want to direct your thoughts to, and that was his favourite son, Joseph. He was the firstborn of Rachel, the one for whom Jacob served seven years, and he thought it was just as a few days because of the love that he had for her. Joseph was her firstborn son, and Jacob loved Joseph. And you remember it was to Joseph he gave that coat of many colors. But isn't it a strange thing that all the others in that family, they hated Joseph, except, of course, his young brother, Benjamin, all the others who were born of the other ladies, there was Leah. Of course, you remember she was Rachel's sister. And then, of course, there were those that were born of the handmaids. They all hated Joseph. Because of their hatred for him, they put him down into the pit. Then they sold him as a slave down into Egypt. They hated their brother. But remember this. Joseph was a shepherd. And Joseph was hated. that yet he was the one who could forgive his brethren. May I remind you, they hated him without a cause. But when you come to the Lord Jesus Christ, ah, the wealthy shepherd, the faithful shepherd, it's just as equally true he was the hated shepherd. Men hated him without a cause, and their hatred was such for the Lord Jesus Christ. that they nailed him to that Roman cross. They said, away with him, we won't have this man to reign over us. But when you leave the book of Genesis and you come into the book of Exodus, you're introduced now to another man whose name has gone down in history as a great man, the man called Moses. It's perfectly true he was born into the house of a slave, but when he was quite young, he was taken from there into the palace of the king of Egypt and raised, as it were, as one of the king's sons. But there came the time when he stepped, as it were, from that place of prominence. And for forty years he was away in the backside of the desert, and there he was learning to be a shepherd. For forty years he looked after the sheep of the man who became his father-in-law. And then there came the time after he was trained to be a shepherd, and he knew how to guide sheep, that God brought him back again into Egypt. in order to be a shepherd over his people and to guide the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt and to guide them for forty years through the wilderness and took them right to the borders of the promised land. The shepherd of the sheep became the shepherd of men. He was a guiding shepherd. He knew how to guide men and women. and to guide them correctly. And that's the work of a shepherd, not only guarding them, but guiding them and giving to them the green pastures. Now, as you move on in your Bible study, for remember now our theme is Christ in all the Scriptures, and thinking of him now as a shepherd, he is prefigured again by another man, whose name has gone down in history. That is the man who was called David, the son of Jesse. But while David, as a young lad, was trained to be a shepherd on the plains of Bethlehem, and he knew how to look after his father's sheep, and when the wild enemy was coming to take the sheep, whether it was the lion or the bear's, He could take his club or his sling, and he could kill the enemy. He could defend his sheep. But there came the day when David, the shepherd lad, became the king of Israel. He was the reigning shepherd. A shepherd, you say, yes, and sitting on the throne. The shepherd becomes the sovereign. Ah, you see, you've got the whole circle. of the life of Christ here in the work of Christ. He starts off as the wealthy shepherd. He proves himself to be the faithful shepherd as prefigured by Jacob. He becomes the hated shepherd prefigured by Joseph. He becomes the guiding shepherd, risen again from the dead, going before his sheep. He can guide them as Moses, guided them out of bondage. And one day we'll see him as the reigning shepherd, like David, He shall be on the throne, and every knee shall bow to Him. But when you come to the middle portion of the Old Testament, these poetical books, you find the shepherd here in pre-vision. I read to you that beautiful Psalm, Psalm twenty-three. Almost everybody knows that Psalm, if they know anything at all about the Christian faith. Even little children can quote it. The Lord is my shepherd. You can say concerning that, if the Lord is our shepherd, I walk in a good path. Why? Because He is leading me. If He is leading us, you can rest assured the road is right. Where He leads me, I can follow. And if He's leading... and I follow, I will obtain rest. He leads me down into the green pastures, makes me to lie down in green pastures. And have you ever thought, in order to find green pastures in that part of the world, he would have to lead them to a shady place where they would be shaded from the noonday sun. He leads me to the place of rest. He leads me beside the still waters, That is, He leads me into the place of refreshment. But then He restores my soul. He leads me in the path of restoration. Where He leads me then, I can follow. I walk in a good path where the shepherd leads. But not only do I walk in a good path, I have great protection. Because my shepherd is always with me. His rod and his staff, they comfort me. His rod defends me. You know, that rod is what you and I would call a club. And he had to go before his sheep and lead them. He didn't drive them. He went before them and the sheep followed on. He would call them by name. They knew his voice. They understood he was calling and they followed. And that club was there that if an enemy... That little animal that would attack the sheep, that wild dog, the mountain lion, the bear, if he had come out from the undergrowth, he had the club to stand between the foe and the sheep and defend them. And so his rod defends me. He'll defend me from my enemies. And his staff supports me. Have you ever seen a shepherd's staff with the crook on the top? You see, if the little sheep was to slip from the path down the mountainside, he puts down his crook and he puts it round the leg of the sheep and he gently helps it back again onto the path. His staff supports me. I've got great protection because the Lord is my shepherd. But I enjoy a gracious provision because he prepares a table before me in the presence of my enemies. Whatever he prepares is suitable for me. Oh, a shepherd would never leave his sheep unto pastures that were poisonous, or that which was dangerous. He prepares the table before them in the presence of their enemies. And so I enjoy a gracious provision from the hand of the Savior. He gives me my spiritual food. I can feed from his table any day. and any time of the day you can take the word and read it and eat it for your soul. But I have a glorious prospect. You know, the world has no prospects today. Oh, we've had a lot of promises. Why, the politicians will promise us anything. The leaders of the different countries have all got their ideas. But, oh, the world has no good prospects at all. It's getting worse. But the Christians... The believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, the one who claims the Lord as his shepherd, is a glorious prospect, because I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. He is a place to take me into. There we see the shepherd in pre-vision in Psalm twenty-three. In that Psalm it's David putting himself in the place of the sheep, talking about the shepherd. When you come to John chapter ten, It's the shepherd there talking about his sheep. But you have the shepherd in prediction. In the book of Zechariah, one of the prophetical books of the Old Testament, in Zechariah chapter thirteen, verse seven, you'll find there the smitten shepherd. In this verse we find a sword of judgment against the shepherd. That leads you to the cross. The shepherd who is smitten for the sheep and the sheep who were scattered. That happened on the night of the betrayal. He was left alone, and the others all went their way. Ah, the smitten shepherd. But when you come to Ezekiel chapter thirty-four, you have the seeking shepherd. The shepherd will gather his sheep. Then he will guide his sheep, and he will guard his sheep. We have a wonderful shepherd, my friend. Let me ask you, do you know him?