Sunday, October 16, 2011

Good Shepherd | Good Shepherd In My jesus.

Good Shepherd | Good Shepherd In My jesus.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” so begins the journey of a lifetime! (Psalm 23:1).



John 10:1-16 JESUS: THE GOOD SHEPHERD
Intro: "Two men were called on, in a large classroom, to recite the Twenty-third Psalm. One was a published orator trained in speech technique and drama. He repeated the psalm in a powerful way. When he finished, the audience cheered and even asked for an encore that they might hear his wonderful voice again. "Then the other man, who was much older, repeated the same words--'The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want...' But when he finished, no sound came from the large class. Instead, people sat in a deep mood of devotion and prayer.
"Then the first man, the orator, stood to his feet. 'I have a confession to make,' he said. 'The difference between what you have just heard from my old friend, and what you heard from me is this: I know the Psalm, my friend knows the Shepherd.'"
Of the many images painted by John in his wonderful Gospel, probably the most descriptive is that of Jesus as the Good Shepherd. For like a shepherd, Jesus is concerned with the welfare and the care of His sheep. As Jesus delivered this sermon, on the heels of healing the blind man at the Temple, He clearly declares His identity and plainly states His purposes and plans. In these verses, we can the heart of Jesus on display. Here, He reveals His great love for sinners and His plan for dealing with their sin.
As I bring the message this morning, I want you to ask yourself this question, "Do I really know the Shepherd?" If you do not know Him, then I want you to know this is a message that you need to hear. For during the next few minutes, you are going to hear first hand, from the Bible itself, exactly how you can be saved. My prayer for you is that if you do not know Jesus as you personal Savior this morning that you will before you leave this building today. If you do know Him, then you are going to hear how knowing the Shepherd makes your life more abundant and rich.
These verses teach us that Jesus possesses certain qualities that qualify Him to be called the Good Shepherd. I would like to take a few minutes this morning to look into this passage and see for ourselves why Jesus deserves this title. Please go along with me today as we walk through these verses and discover Jesus: The Good Shepherd.
I. V. 1-5 HE POSSESSES THE RIGHT CREDENTIALS
A. V. 1-3a He Came Properly - (Ill. Jesus uses the imagery of the sheepfold to illustrate His message. A Sheepfold was a circular wall about 10 feet tall with a single opening that served as a door. Several flocks might be placed into the sheepfold at night, with one of the shepherds lying in the opening to serve as the door. Nothing could get into, or out of the sheepfold without having to go through the shepherd. Jesus is telling His audience that only thieves and robbers seek to enter the sheepfold by another means besides the door. The shepherd, however, always comes in the right way!)
(Ill. Jesus proves that He is the Shepherd of the sheep because He came into the world in the right manner. He entered according to plan. He had presented His credentials to His people. Notice the proof that He came in the right way:
1. He had been virgin born - Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:21-23
2. He had been born in Bethlehem - Micah 5:2; Matt. 2:4-6
3. He had come in the fulness of time - Gal. 4:4
4. He had been brought out of Egypt - Hos. 11:1; Matt. 2:14-15
5. His arrival had provoked the rage of the enemy - Jer. 31:15; Matt. 2:16-18.
Ill. He was the right person, born in the right place, arriving at the right time, summoned from the right country, and attended by the right sign. He possesses all the credentials necessary to prove that He is the Good Shepherd! (Ill. Luke 4:18-19; Isa. 61:1-2) When Jesus came with the right credentials, the porter, John the Baptist openly introduced Him to the nation and declared His identity - John 1:29.
B. He Calls Properly - (Ill. There may be several flocks sharing the same sheepfold. However, when the shepherd of the sheep walks up to the door and calls his sheep, they instantly recognize his voice and respond to him. They know his call.)
(Ill. A man in Australia was arrested and charged with stealing a sheep. But he claimed emphatically that it was one of his own that had been missing for many days. When the case went to court, the judge was puzzled, not knowing how to decide the matter. At last he asked that the sheep be brought into the courtroom. Then he ordered the plaintiff to step outside and call the animal. The sheep made no response except to raise its head and look frightened.
The judge then instructed the defendant to go to the courtyard and call the sheep. When the accused man began to make his distinctive call, the sheep bounded toward the door. It was obvious that he recognized the familiar voice of his master. "His sheep knows him," said the judge. "Case dismissed!")
(Ill. So it is with the lost soul. There are many voices which compete for our attention in the world, but there is a special note to the voice of the voice of the Lord. When He calls, everything changes - John 6:44. The lost sinners is dead until he is awakened by the Holy Spirit - Eph. 2:1. You see, the voice of the Good Shepherd is the only one that can awaken the dead heart. The only one that can give us hope. The only one that sounds right to a desperate soul. Ill. All other calls sound empty and frightening when compared to the sweet call of the Lord Jesus.)
C. V. 4-5 He Commands Properly - (Ill. When the shepherd calls forth his sheep, he goes before them and they instinctively follow him. He doesn't have to drive them, that is for goats. He just leads them out and they follow close behind.)
(Ill. What a truth! When a soul is saved by the grace of God, they will have a desire to follow the Good Shepherd! When a person is saved and their heart is right with God, they do not have to be begged to come to worship, to tithe, to share their faith, etc. They have been called out by the Shepherd and have a burning burden to worship Him, 2 Cor. 5:17. Their heart's desire is summed up by 1 Cor. 10:31.)
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Good Shepherd | Good Shepherd In My jesus.

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