Thankful for a Shepherd

Safe in His Care: The Good Shepherd's Promise

Bible Passage: Psalm 23:1–3

Opener: Talk about people who have been mentors in my life. From teaching me to hunt, drive a car, learn to sell, ministry, marriage, etc. They have been important to me.

When I was in military, First Sergeant illustration: Talk about how military used the lower ranks to teach the officers to do their jobs. How 1st Sgt. taught me to be a good XO for my company.

Even if we have mentors for parts of our life, we don’t have one that can help us in every part of our life, except for Jesus.

We are going to share why we can be thankful that Jesus is our Shepherd, so much more to us than just a mentor, but that He is everything to us.

1. Thankful for a Shepherd Who Cares

Psalm 23:1

A. He Designed Us to Follow:

If the Lord is a Shepherd that means that we are his flock. David was a shepherd and knew sheep. He was comparing us to them. Sheep are intelligent. They are social, want to hang out in flocks or herds, can remember faces of people and other sheep, can be trained and know the sound of their masters voice.

But the need a shepherd, because every instinct they have leads to their death. They wander, follow the other sheep, Their a mess. If a sheep gets a scratch on its leg, it can’t clean it to fix it, it just gives us and dies. If it falls over on it back, that’s where it stays. There’s video of them getting stuck, helped out and jumping or climbing right back into the problem they were in.

The more i think about it the more they sound just like us. We follow the crowd. What’s popular or what are idols like we do.

Mike Rowe, Pure Talk, Endorsement Illustration.

B. He Loves Us

Because He is our Shepherd He gives everything for us.

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 10

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand, since he is not the shepherd and doesn’t own the sheep, leaves them and runs away when he sees a wolf coming. The wolf then snatches and scatters them. 13 This happens because he is a hired hand and doesn’t care about the sheep.

14 “I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep.

Jesus shares with us that He is the good shepherds and shows us His love by the fact that He lays down His life for us.

Share the Gospel

He also shows His love by pursing us.

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 10

16 But I have other sheep that are not from this sheep pen; I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. Then there will be one flock, one shepherd.

Jesus loves you enough to pursue you. He does this by putting others in our life to share truth, obstacles to stop us from running the wrong way (Jonah), and disciples us to bring us back to relationship with Him (David and his affair with Bathsheba.)

C. He Takes Care of Us

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 10

Truly I tell you, anyone who doesn’t enter the sheep pen by the gate but climbs in some other way is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought all his own outside, he goes ahead of them. The sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 They will never follow a stranger; instead they will run away from him, because they don’t know the voice of strangers.”

Explain how shepherds would protect sheep at night by containing them and counting them, calling them by name and touching them with staff.

Then the next day would be the first to go out and call them out and then lead them.

Shepherd who Leads

Psalm 23:2

A. He Gives Us What We Can Handle

He takes us to green pastures. Don’t be fooled and think that their pastures where like ours here.

Talk about sheep on Hwy 73 between Macks Creek and Buffalo.

Shepherds had to bring them through scrub brush and along paths to get to there food. Because they are prone to wander and eat just about anything. They needed to lead them to good and abundant food.

Jesus does the same thing for us today. He feeds us when we spend time with Him.

Whey do you think it is such a hard thing to spend time in prayer and bible study? It takes time and we want easy. But we cant trust our instincts.

Illustration of snacks and healthy food.

Same for us when we eat the worlds food vs. God’s food.

B. He Shows Us the Way

Sheep wander and definitely follow the leader, no matter the consequence.

Tell story of Turkey’s 2005 story of sheep falling off a 50 foot cliff.

We also follow the what seems easy and others.

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 12

2 Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

We are so easy trapped by wanting what others say will make us happy.

Illustration of gift, but then you weren’t happy.

We want convenient paths. The ones that cost less and feel good.

The shepherd leads it flock, they don't herd them.

God leads us to not what is convenient but to truth, integrity, obedience, even if its tough because it is what is best for us.

C. He Slows Us Down

Still waters. Sheep will not drink from rapid waters even if they are dying of thirst.

I feel like we are opposite, we are constantly in the rough waters, running around 24/7 like crazy people.

Tell story about white water rafting, fun because it was for a moment.

Explain meme, going with the flow.

Jesus brings us to still waters. He brings us to rest.

The purpose of our daily time is to grow with Him, but also for Him to bring us peace and comfort.

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 11

28 “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

We are designed to go through life by ourselves or figure it out by ourselves. The shepherd shares the burden. It’s his job to take care of the flock.

Talk about yoke designed for us.

3. Thankful for a Shepherd Who Restores

Psalm 23:3

A. He Recharges Us

I love the thought of He renews our life. It makes me think of a hot summer day, working hard and just wiped out. Then some rest in a cool breeze, cold water and your restored.

Jesus restores our lives. Gives us a new start.

But also daily restores us from the troubles of this world.

B. He Shows us the Right Path

He shows us the right way to go.

Like our GPS on our phone or car. Can take us somewhere we didn’t expect, but it get’s us there. Reroutes us for traffic, road construction, etc.

He does it one step at a time. He doesn’t give us the whole route, but he knows it. John reminds us that we know His voice when we grow to focus and concentrate.

Spiritual matters:

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 4

4 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

How to know it is from God,

Align with Scripture

Prayer: ask for wisdom from God

Other: Talk with a Christian friend

C. He Does it For His Glory

He does all of this to point others back to Him.

How we live our lives is a reflection of how incredible a God He is.

He works in our lives because He has branded us with His Spirit. We are the plan that God used to lead others to relationship with Him.