Fourth Sunday of Easter & Baptism of Leevi Bender - April 26, 2026 8:30 | 04-26-26

The good shepherd steps into a tired life and brings it out. John 10 says he calls his own by name, he goes before them, and they follow because they hear his voice. That voice breaks in right where fear has wrapped tight. That voice delivers. In a body worn down by miles and months, that voice says, You are alive.

John’s picture is not cute and fluffy. The good shepherd takes action. He gathers his flock. He calls their names. He moves out in front. He leads them to pasture. He brings them out. Verse 4 reads like a rescue line. Brought out from snares, brought out from the night, brought out from the self that wants to quit. When the flock hears him, they do not puzzle or debate. They move, because the voice is familiar and safe.

The race becomes a parable. At mile 25, when bodies usually fold, a song about not being a slave to fear locks step with the pavement. The cadence matches the heart. Deliverance lands not as a theory but as a presence. A whisper says, You are alive. That is what the shepherd does. He makes the dead-alive claim stick inside tired bones. He turns just-keep-going into joy.

John 10 also names the threat. Bandits climb in by another way. They do not give life. They take it. Depression steals bright weekends and calls them dull. Consumerism trains the soul to want, then want again. Cell phones siphon time, nearness, and attention. Vanity and ego pull eyes away from pasture toward mirrors. None of those voices know names. None lead out. All they do is rob.

But Jesus says, I am the good shepherd. He is not a taker. He is a giver. Verse 9 sets a table in green space. Verse 10 raises the stakes from survival to abundance. Not just alive, but life abundant. Psalm 23 peeks through: when the Lord is the shepherd, the heart does not want. Contentment does not come from more. It comes from a voice that goes before, calls by name, and delivers.

So the flock learns the sound. The church learns to say what that whisper said. Alive. Alive because Jesus delivered. Alive because the good shepherd still brings his own out and leads them home.

Key Takeaways

• 1. The Shepherd brings his own out. Jesus does not coach from a distance. He enters danger, names his sheep, and physically leads them out. Deliverance in John 10 is not abstract but embodied leadership that cuts a path. Where the Shepherd goes, life follows. [29:43]
• 2. Bandits steal, the Shepherd gives. False voices promise gain but always withdraw life. The test is simple: do they leave the soul thinner, angrier, lonelier. Jesus comes with the opposite economy, replacing depletion with abundance. [31:15]
• 3. Contentment signals the right voice. Consumerism disciples the heart to hunger without end. Psalm language interrupts that cycle by tying desire to a Shepherd who satisfies. Where Jesus leads, enoughness grows and wanting quiets. [32:06]
• 4. Hearing Jesus makes dead hearts live. The gospel’s power often arrives as a word uniquely timed and personally aimed. When that voice lands, fear loosens and joy rises, sometimes mid-stride. Resurrection starts in the ear before it shows up in the feet. [28:51]
• 5. Provision comes with presence and pace. Pasture is not merely stuff to consume but a place kept by one who walks ahead. Abundance shows as guidance, safety, and daily bread set where thieves prowl. The Shepherd’s nearness is the green field. [30:57]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [25:53] - Marathon setup
• [26:22] - A hard five months
• [26:56] - Shipwrecked faith and running
• [27:21] - Grief and steady resolve
• [27:59] - No Longer Slaves at mile 25
• [28:51] - A whisper: "You're alive"
• [29:43] - Jesus delivers like John 10
• [30:43] - What a good shepherd does
• [30:57] - Pasture and provision
• [31:15] - Bandits exposed
• [32:06] - Contentment vs wanting
• [32:26] - Devices, vanity, ego
• [32:47] - Life and life abundant
• [33:18] - Sing it like the living

1. According to John 10:4, what specific actions does the Good Shepherd take for his sheep?
2. The sermon mentions that bandits like consumerism, vanity, and cell phones "steal life." What examples of these "bandits" are described in the sermon? [31:45]
3. How does Psalm 23:1 connect to the idea of contentment discussed in the sermon?
4. In John 10:10, what contrast does Jesus make between Himself and the thieves?

1. Why does Jesus emphasize that His sheep “hear his voice” (John 10:3) and follow Him? How does this contrast with the way bandits operate?
2. The sermon describes a moment at mile 25 of a marathon where a song and a whisper brought peace. How does this illustrate the idea that “resurrection starts in the ear before it shows up in the feet”? [28:51]
3. Psalm 23 says, “I shall not want.” How might this relate to the sermon’s claim that consumerism trains us to “want, then want again”?
4. Jesus says He leads His sheep to “life abundant” (John 10:10). What do you think “abundance” includes beyond material provision?

1. What “bandits” (like consumerism, vanity, or distraction) have you noticed stealing your joy or time recently? How could recognizing Jesus’ voice help you resist them? [32:26]
2. The sermon describes a whisper saying, “You’re alive” during a moment of exhaustion. When have you felt God’s presence or voice in a season of weariness? What did that feel like? [28:51]
3. Contentment is tied to trusting the Shepherd’s provision. What practical step could you take this week to shift your focus from “wanting more” to gratitude for what you already have?
4. Jesus leads His sheep by going “ahead of them” (John 10:4). Are there areas where you’re struggling to trust His leadership instead of trying to control outcomes? What would surrender look like?
5. The sermon says devices can “siphon nearness.” How might intentionally setting boundaries with technology create space to hear God’s voice or connect with others? [32:26]
6. Depression was described as a bandit that “steals bright weekends.” How can you support someone wrestling with this kind of struggle while pointing them to the Shepherd’s voice?