Good Shepherd

Welcome

Welcome to Celebration. We are so glad that you are here. My name is Keith and my wife Maegan and I serve as the Lead Pastors here and we want to thank you for joining us today. If there is anything we can do to serve you and your family, please don’t hesitate to let us know.

Season/Series

Today, I am excited to continue in our series, I am where we will explore the 7 I am statements from Jesus in the book of John. These statements I am statements were significant because we have Jesus directly connecting Himself with the God of the OT. Yaweh, the self existent God, creator of the universe.

Exodus 3:14 ESV

14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ”

John 8:58 ESV

58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”

Last week we looked at where Jesus said He is the True Vine. Please go to our podcast and check it out and take a look at our new Podcast series entitled “After the Message” where we continue the conversation. This week, I want us to look at

John 10:1–11 ESV

1 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. 7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to 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 comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

John 10:

Today I want to talk about what it means to be shepherded by Jesus. I have entitled today’s message, I am the Good Shepherd.

Prayer

Lord, we are thankful even in moments of high stress, hysteria, panic and fear, we can have peace in you. Shalom, wholeness. I pray that you encourage us and strengthen us. Give us open eyes, open ears, and open hearts. In the name of Jesus; Amen!

Illustration

I recently went to breakfast with my son, daughter in-law, grand daughters, Maegan, Caleb, and De’Nira. We sat at the table and everyone ordered whatever they wanted. My grand daughters were crawling all over the place, eating/wasting food. We had a great time. As the conversation began to wrap up, our server brought us the bill and placed it in front of me. As I reached in my pocket to get my debit card to pay for said meal, I noticed no one else even remotely reached for the bill. Everyone was just continuing in their conversation, having a good time. I thought to myself jokingly, it must be nice to not have to worry about the bill. The Holy Spirit whispered in my ear, this is what is looks like when children don’t worry because they know their father has it covered.

Transition

It hit me in my soul because it made me consider moments in my life where that wasn’t my posture. Times, I am sitting at the Lord’s table, Spiritually knowing He paid the price but not feeling like I belong. Times I was sitting at the Lord’s table and instead of letting Him cover it, I took the bill and paid the price. The currency was anxiety, fear, worry; sleepless nights, stress, and circumstantial depression.

Proverbs 12:25 ESV

25 Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.

1 Peter 5:7 ESV

7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

1 Pet

We often carry what we should be casting.

Worrying when we should be worshipping. Walking by fear instead of walking by faith.

Worrying when we should be worshipping.

Walking by fear instead of walking by faith.

We can let circumstances to close in and whisper in the ear of our insecurity and cause us to lose sight that Jesus has it covered. Please understand I am not insinuating that we don’t count the cost of things. I am not saying we don’t consider facts. Truth is, facts should inform our strategy but it can’t inform our faith. When facts bypass faith, they fuel fear.

Observations/Context

This is why this I am statement from Jesus is so crucial for us. When Jesus says He is the Good Shepherd, He was helping His followers know what they can expect from Him. Shepherding was one of the most common and earliest professions there was at the time. God directly associates Himself as a shepherd ( ; ; ; ; , , ; ; ; ; ) Even someone like David, who was a type and shadow of the Messiah, was a shepherd. Even with all of these shepherding connections, the Pharisee’s and aristocrats would have viewed such a profession as unclean and only something for the lower class. Why? Shepherding is messy because sheep are messy. When things get messy, sometimes it is easier to discard then it is to develop.

Pride will struggle with seeing the value in messy things because it thinks it’s too good to clean it up. It’s easier to just throw it away.

Pride will struggle with seeing the value in messy things because it thinks it’s too good to clean it up. It’s easier to just throw it away. I had a pair of original Jordan 11’s. Had them in the 90’s. Once they got about 2 years old, I didn’t care about them anymore. I wore them to cut the grass. Several years later, I heard they had some value. I just had to clean them up. I didn’t. I gave them to a friend who cleaned them up and ended up selling for over $500. In today’s context, they would probably sell for over $1,000! It was easy for me to just throw them away but if I could have seen the value beyond the mess, there was a reward in it. Don’t let your pride keep you from doing the work to unearth the value that may be hidden.

I had a pair of original Jordan 11’s. Had them in the 90’s. Once they got about 2 years old, I didn’t care about them anymore. I wore them to cut the grass. Several years later, I heard they had some value. I just had to clean them up. I didn’t. I gave them to a friend who cleaned them up and ended up selling for over $500. In today’s context, they would probably sell for over $1,000! It was easy for me to just throw them away but if I could have seen the value beyond the mess, there was a reward in it. Don’t let your pride keep you from doing the work to unearth the value that may be hidden. Jesus saw the value in His disciples. He patiently pulled them in close to Him, he developed instead of discarding. He washed His disciples feet. He was showing that a True Shepherd doesn’t runaway when it gets messy. This should be comforting for us, knowing that we have a shepherd that isn’t afraid to get His hands dirty when it comes to us. Jesus develops us, not discards us.

Job Description: Shepherd

; ; ; ; , , ; ; ; ;

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

Shepherds had a very important job description. To guide, provide, and protect.

Psalm 23 ESV

A Psalm of David. 1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

The shepherd knew the condition of the flock. Condition means, face. He knew what they were facing, so He knew what they needed. He ensured they weren’t overworked so they were made to rest. God knows what you need.

Psalm 27:1 ESV

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

Job Description: Sheep

In order for us to truly experience the blessings that come from the shepherd, we have to be the sheep. The job description of a sheep is to follow. That is our job. This what we call being obedient. If we want to experience the will of God, we must surrender our will.

I will not want. God is my provider. He is my True Vine. Jesus is our source. The shepherd knew the condition of the flock. Condition means, face. He knew what they were facing, so He knew what they needed. He ensured they weren’t overworked so they were made to rest. God knows what you need. Our job is to submit our wants so that we can embrace what we need. I don’t want anything God doesn’t want me to have. We have to sustain wants, but God provides and sustains what we need.

Pro

Proverbs 27:23 ESV

23 Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds,

I will not fear. Love casts out fear. I will receive the love of God. I will trust Him. The text says, even if we are in the valley of the shadow of death, we have nothing to fear, because our shepherd is with us. There is victory in your valley if you have the right shepherd. tells us of when the children of Israel were in valley and they were under attack, however, as long as their shepherd, Moses kept his arms lifted up and they won. David in was in valley facing a giant but he used what was in his hand, in the valley to win. The victory is already in your hands. You have nothing to fear, God is with you in your valley.

Psalm 27:1 ESV

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

I will dwell in the house of the LORD. I will stay where God has planted me. Just because it is not comfortable, doesn’t mean you are not called to be there. We talked about this at great length last week, the importance of staying planted, staying rooted. ABIDE IN HIM

Our job is to follow. If we follow God, good things follow us. Are you a good sheep? Good things, unfailing love, peace, joy, hope, strength, freedom, anointing will follow you....but we have to follow Him? Are you following Him?

Church at Home

As we pray through what this next season looks like for us as a church in light of the coronavirus, I want you know that even when we can’t gather, church is never cancelled; we simply expand under different roofs, but still unified by the Spirit. We are going to continue to worship together with Church at Home. If you are interested in being one of our Church at Home Hosts...

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