May 3, 2026

Everyday Easter

How The Resurrection Impacts Our Daily Lives

Pastor Matt Hammett

How do we trust and follow the Good Shepherd when life has taught us we’re on our own?

John 10:7-21
7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

19 The Jews who heard these words were again divided. 20 Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?”

21 But others said, “These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

Intimacy = closeness / connection
Independence = agency / responsibility / initiative

When I am in distress is help available for me?

No, I’m on my own.
Maybe, I have to strive for connection.
Probably not, connection feels unsafe.
Yes, help is available.

Landscapes - Core Message Learned

Responses:

Desert of Isolation
No
I’m on my own

Jungle of Anxiety
Maybe
I must strive

Warzone of Chaos
Probably not
Connection feels unsafe

Pasture of Joy & Peace
Yes
I am safe, known, and loved

How do we trust and follow the Good Shepherd when life has taught us we’re on our own?

By Discovering . . .

1. You are known.

John 10:3
The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

John 10:14
“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—

Psalm 23:1–3
1 The Lord is my shepherd;
I have all that I need.
2 He lets me rest in green meadows;
he leads me beside peaceful streams.
3 He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
bringing honor to his name.

2. You are not alone.

John 10:11-13
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

Psalm 23:4a
4 Even when I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will not be afraid,
for you are close beside me.

3. You are secure.

John 10:27-29
27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.

Psalm 23: 4b-5

Your rod and your staff
protect and comfort me.
5 You prepare a feast for me
in the presence of my enemies.

4. You are free to courageously follow. 

John 10:4-5
When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”

“The shepherd calls sharply from time to time, to remind them of His presence. They know His voice, and follow on; but, if a stranger calls, they stop short, lift their heads in alarm, and if it is repeated, they turn and flee, because they know not the voice of a stranger.”

William M. Thomson - The Land and the Book

John 10: 9
I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.

John 10:27
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

Psalm 23:6
Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.