Jesus is good we believe because he doesn't allow bad things to happen to us or at least not the really bad things.

I'm never going to get really sick. I'm never going to suffer a lack of any physical necessities. I'm always

going to have a job that I like that pays me a decent salary. I'll never be lonely.

And he may even make me win more times than I lose at the

casino. This is preaching Christ. Preaching Christ is a radio collection of

sermons from Lutheran pastors around the world who are dedicated to preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ and him crucified for the remission of sins.

Today's

Lutheran Church in Pacific, California.

Mercy and peace be to you from God, our father and from our Lord and

Savior Jesus Christ. Today's Gospel text is John Chapter 10

beginning at verse 11. On this fourth Sunday of Easter we focus on Jesus as Shepherd. And so the Psalm for today as we just

saying is Psalm 23 where David begins the Lord is my Shepherd. And in the Gospel reading for today Jesus calls himself

the good shepherd, and then he tells us what he does for us as the good shepherd. Jesus is the good shepherd not because we have given

him this name or assigned him this vocation ourselves but because the father has done so. Jesus is the good shepherd and he does his

good shepherding the way it was laid upon him by his father to be and to do. This often runs counter to the way that we

want Jesus to be our good shepherd. Take for example the word good.

Usually what's good is contrasted to what's bad and we have our own ideas of which is

which is which.

It's good when we're healthy.

It's bad when we're sick.

It's good when we win at the casino.

It's bad when we lose. It's good when we have a job that we like. It's bad

...