Lessons Learned as a First Time Shepherd

Jesus and Parables

Jesus used parables to illustrate spiritual truths. The parables work, because the hearer relates to that already known in the story and is then able to relate better to the information being portrayed.

Story of Tweety: Vaccuumed, Washed, Hairdried - Have you every had a Tweety kind of day?

John 10:1–21 NKJV

1 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them. 7 Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. 11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. 12 But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. 13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd. 17 “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. 18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.” 19 Therefore there was a division again among the Jews because of these sayings. 20 And many of them said, “He has a demon and is mad. Why do you listen to Him?” 21 Others said, “These are not the words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

Verse 21 harkens back to the context in which Jesus tells this story.

Pharisees are the false shepherds

trampling people

by whom the 10 Commandments became 250

not interested in the sheep

didn’t care that a blind man could see, that one of their sheep were no longer afflicted. They just wanted to kill Jesus to further their own agendas and maintain the status quo along with their authority

A Good Shepherd: David, Ezekiel, even references to the Messiah

As I read , there are four points that I’ve considered in light of being a First Time Shepherd. Explain

The Good Shepherd:

Owns His sheep

Knows His sheep

Leads His sheep

Gives up His life for His sheep

Owns His Sheep

John 10:12 NKJV

12 But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.

We’ve agreed to not only rent Brenton and Sand’s House, but to manage their property for them while they are away. This involves looking after their sheep. In that regard we are hirelings.

Now I would like to think we are better than the hirelings that Jesus spoke about in his parable, but at the end of the day, these are Brenton and Sandi’s sheep.

They have the financial responsibility for them.

They gain from the wool and from selling the lambs.

We care for the sheep, but we don’t own them. We have no say in what ultimately happens to them; whether the lambs stay or go

Buddy and Rosemary

W Phillip Keller is a Kenyan Shepherd who writes about the 23rd Psalm from a shepherd’s perspective.

Started with 30 sheep as a boy

Had to mark the sheep as his own with a knife in the ear. Brenton and Sandi tag their sheep

Deuteronomy 15:12–17 NKJV

12 “If your brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you and serves you six years, then in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you. 13 And when you send him away free from you, you shall not let him go away empty-handed; 14 you shall supply him liberally from your flock, from your threshing floor, and from your winepress. From what the Lord has blessed you with, you shall give to him. 15 You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this thing today. 16 And if it happens that he says to you, ‘I will not go away from you,’ because he loves you and your house, since he prospers with you, 17 then you shall take an awl and thrust it through his ear to the door, and he shall be your servant forever. Also to your female servant you shall do likewise.

Nails driven through flesh

blood on doorframes

permanent piercing, with holes and scars forever

Any of this sound familiar?

In revelation, Jesus marks or seals us!! JESUS HAS PAID WITH HIS BLOOD

The Good Shepherd owns us!!! We give ourselves to him voluntarily in love

Knows His Sheep

Knows His Sheep

I do not know B&S sheep. They do not know me

Story of first time shepherding Lorrie and Lorraine

In the context Jesus is talking about, the Shepherd knows a sheep face in 100. It sounds strange, but I am beginning to understand.

Cant Recognise B&S sheep

Can tell Buddy and Rosemary apart just by looking at them

More importantly, the sheep know the Shepherd

56km of grass for all the sheep in Jerusalem that all the shepherds used. all the sheep mingled together - shepherd called, all the sheep untangled.

Story of Buddy

Buddy and Rosemary know Naomi’s voice.

It comes down to being broken and restorative relationship

W Phillip Keller writes of about “He leads me besides still waters”.

Sheep become agitated when thirsty

when left to their own devices they will drink whatever water they will find

They rely on the Good Shepherd to take them to good water - he alone knows where to find it

The New King James Version Chapter 5

Blessed are those who ghunger and thirst for righteousness,

hFor they shall be filled.

Matt

People today are spiritually thirsty, but are drinking from all kinds of sespools - They need to be led to the Good Shepherd who knows where to find the water!!

People today are thirsty, but are

(NKJV)

Christ Reveals the “Living Water”

37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”

Leads His Sheep

Difference between Driving not Leading

The Good Shepherd leads - he goes before us, He knows the way; He climbs over the rough terrain for us

When evangelising, it is easy to resort to the fear model where we push and poke and prod people into keeping doctrines. It is more difficult to lead.

God leads us through life, the highs and the lows - Eg of eye surgery

Jesus led me; he leads all of us.

Ron Halvonsen Snr in preaching on the Good Shepherd shares a story of people being asked about their favourite Bible verse: eveyone proudly recited theirs. A older man was asked. He said “And it came to pass”. People laughed thinking he was getting forgetful. He went on to say “When I was thirty, I lost my job with 6 children to feed; at 40, I lost my son in the war; at 50, my house burnt to the ground, there was nothing left. At 60, my wife of 40 years was diagnosed with cancer and one year later, after fighting and praying, she died; and through it all, god led me to the 85 times in the Bible that it is recorded: “It came to pass”. Jesus leads us through it all

The Good Shepherd lifts us up out of the ditch every time.

Lay down His life for the Sheep

two ways to lay down your life:

to die for the sheep - preach as HS leads

to lay down like a garment - Jesus lay down His life by leaving heaven, coming as a baby, the Jews were not ready for their Messaih to do that

Jesus’s life wasnt taken!!! IT WAS GIVEN.

The romans did not take his life - The Good Shepherd lay it down

Caiphas did not take his life - The Good Shepherd voluntarily lay it down

The Jews did not take his life! The good Shepherd willingly lay it down

From crib, to cross, to cript Jesus lay it down for you and for me!!!

Will you except the call of the Good Shepherd today???

Charles Heston (10 Commandments and Ben Hur; deep voice) and Billy Graham

same event in Washington DC as guest speakers

Heston asked to recite the 23rd Psalm

Standing ovation; people applauding

Billy Graham asked to recite the 23rd Psalm

no one stood, no one applauded

tears running down the faces of the crowd in silence

Reporter asks HEston what the difference was

Hestone replied “I know the 23rd Psalm, but Billy knows the Shepherd”

The Shepherd is calling: No matter how you have been led astray or how far you have been led astray; The Good Shepherd is seeking you, calling you. Will you respond to him today??