John 10:11-18: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand, who is not a shepherd and does not own sheep, sees the wolf coming and abandons the sheep and runs away. So the wolf attacks the sheep and scatters them. Because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep, he runs away. “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not come from this sheepfold. I must bring them too, and they will listen to my voice, so that there will be one flock and one shepherd. This is why the Father loves me—because I lay down my life, so that I may take it back again. No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down of my own free will. I have the authority to lay it down, and I have the authority to take it back again. This commandment I received from my Father.”

So I’m ending at verse 18. Remember, this is part of my series exploring the theme of the animal analogies of Jesus. In this passage, we see the sheep, and He is the good shepherd. He lays down His life for the sheep, and the sheep hear His voice. He also talks about the wolves.

Let’s talk a little bit more about the sheep hearing His voice. The voice is not just how it sounds. The voice is a stand‑in for what you are drawn toward—what draws you, what moves you, what will move you from point A to point B. So look at the sheep. Someone is talking, and that person is not the shepherd—what will happen? It will not register as anything in the sheep's mind. But the voice of the shepherd is going to register immediately, and that begins to determine the direction the sheep will move.

Something to note is this: when it comes to preaching, are we mirroring Christ? That is how to really ensure transformation in the life of the people—when you are preaching Christ, proclaiming Christ. That means they will be hearing His voice, and they will be moved, they will be changed, they will be transformed. That is the truth. They will hear His voice. So they will not follow a stranger.

Do not speak like a stranger. Do not use the style of the world to move people to take action. Present Christ to them. Because that is what they have been wired to respond to. They have been wired to respond to Christ. When what you are communicating is Christ, then you are going to see the right result.

And here we also have the wolf.

He talked about people who are the right shape, and He calls them wolves in sheep’s clothing. That speaks to me about spiritual leadership that is wolf‑like, that eats up the sheep, that is all about taking advantage of the sheep. It is all about using the sheep to meet your own need—your own need for validation, your own need for respect, your own need for elevation, your own need for resources, your own need for prestige—using the sheep to meet those needs.

But the kinds of people we want are the Christ‑shaped shepherds who communicate Christ, who adopt the attitude of Christ as a servant of the people, and serve them with the Word of God. And so they are mirroring Christ.

Peter wrote that we should not lord it over the Lord’s heritage—the people for whom He shed His blood (1 Peter 5:2–3). Situate yourself properly. Not as meeting your own need to be elevated, to be prestigious. Rather, you are serving the people. And it is tricky, because we have all kinds of things presented as leadership principles, leadership ways, all kinds of approaches, all kinds of excuses given: “Spiritual leaders do not have patience; they are aggressive; they are harsh in their tone; and that is the way you are supposed to run things because they have this big title.”

But the Bible is not giving us that excuse. Do not be wolf‑like, so that we do not devour the people. Do not tear down their self‑esteem to build up your own self‑esteem. That is a danger we need to be aware of—that of being wolf‑like. That thing you are talking to the people about—sheep among wolves, wolves in sheep’s clothing—that is not “them out there”; that could be me, that could be you. But the reason we think, “That is not me,” is because of the divine call, the powerful call, the powerful gifting.

But Jesus Christ said, in effect, “It does not matter your call and your gifting. Take this warning: I will still say, ‘Depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness,’ regardless of your gifting” (see Matthew 7:21–23). So it is not so much about the gifting. He said, “Learn from Me” (Matthew 11:29).

It’s about adopting the heart of Christ and proclaiming Christ also to the people—presenting Christ as the motivating factor.

God bless you.