Shepherds, Sheep, & The LAMB! (2)

A Christmas Focus... shepherds, sheep, & The Lamb!  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  26:46
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Verse 6 “All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way;”
Israel had strayed far from God, a dark place spiritually although probably one of their most “religious” times
Gentiles were strays… far from this God who was their creator. Wondering aimlessly in this dark world
Some here tonight may be straying from God, trying to find the joy of the season, yet feeling the darkness of your soul
Sheep tend to stray away and go their own way often… Sheep need a shepherd...
To feed them
To Care for them
To lead them
To protect them
To shepherd them…
As sheep straying from God in our sin, God, as a Good Shepherd sought us out! He came to His sheep! Tonight I want us to consider the sheep and the situation He came to… Luke 15:1-7
Luke 15:1–7 NASB95
Now all the tax collectors and the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him. Both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” So He told them this parable, saying, “What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? “When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. “And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ “I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

Lost Sheep

This story is the first of three Jesus told the religious leaders expressing God’s heart for the lost!
(THE REJOICING THAT OCCURS WHEN ONE IS FOUND THAT WAS LOST!!!)
I LOVE HOW in this narrative how we see Jesus as One who sinners… and even tax collectors, find approachable as sheep coming up to a shepherd they know cares for them. Ironically it was the religious leaders that really annoyed Jesus and got Him angry.
Jesus did not come to be impressive
Jesus did not come as we heard in Isaiah to be esteemed
Jesus was not her to be showy, but to shepherd lost sheep to the fold
Jesus came to a mess that we made to get messy
Jesus stepped into the mud and mire to help you and I
Israel was probably at one of its peaks of “being religious” but at one of its lowest points as far as having relationship with God… Jesus came to correct this.
The religious leader did not, and could not see through all their works of religion… Their need, their lost state, the darkness of their sin
And they rejected their savior
The outcast, sinners, and tax collectors (ones in the messy mire and mud) felt drawn to Jesus seeing their lost state, their sin evident, the darkness was vivid for all to see
They rejoiced at being found, felt the need to be saved, and wanted out of the darkness
Jesus the Good Shepherd came:
He came to those who were lost
In Darkness, Dirty, and Distant (wanderers)
He came to those who were in sin
He came to the darkness to bring the light of salvation… John 1:1-8 John 1:29, John 1:35-37 John 1:9-14
John 1:1–8 NASB95
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light.
John 1:29 NASB95
The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
John 1:35–37 NASB95
Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.
John 1:9–14 NASB95
There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

To the Dark came the Light

To the Dark Dirty and Distant
Came One who is Light,
Came to show Love,
Came close to give Life
What an amazing titles John gives to our Shepherd
WORD =communicator of the many titles He has… Love, grace, mercy, and light, and life
The WORD… creator coming to His creation
WORD… one with God and God came came to a dark, dark world…
Dim house lights
WORD became flesh and welt (made His home) among us!
What a shepherd what Light!
He came to a dark world, a world of lost sheep that would reject their creator, their shepherd BUT…
Those who believe… we become His, we have the Light indwell within us!
What a privilege to share the Light of Christmas as Jesus came that night long ago to bring people to himself… I am so glad He still seeks lost sheep!
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