The good shepherd

Game: What animal are you?

5 minutes

Ask a few campers individually to acts as their animal, and see who can guess.

Jesus uses animal to describe all people. Anyone know what animal he talks about?

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WE ARE LIKE SHEEP

SHEEP

two ways we are like sheep.

We are made to follow

What do you think of when you think of sheep

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this (sheep together)

this (sheep being sheep dogged)

In bible times, and still in some places, shepherding looked quite different.

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Without much grass to graze on, sheep would trust shepherd, and follow him from grassland to grassland.

Bible says we are llike sheep. Made to follow someone or something.

Scientist did some research and found that if you put 200 pepole in a room, and gave 10 of them some instructions to walk around in pattern, 95% would roughly follow.

(If we were to to do that in this room…)

We all trust in someone or something else to give us the life we think we need. The bible says we were made that way. Made by God for a right relationship with him, trusting him to give all we need.

(Think of Adam and Eve in Garden?)

Problem is like sheep we are also prone to wonder. Always believing the grass is greener elsewhere. We look for life outside of God’s rule over our lives. What bible calls sin. We look to the lifestyles of celebraties, and things they promote. Relationships, image, money, power, fame. pusue these thing instead of looking to God for life we need.

Sheep that wonder get eaten by wolves. Bible says Satan wants to do all he can to draw us away from God, promising life, but only bringing death. Leads us from protection and safety and joy and goodness of life lived under God and his design, but it’s a false promise. Instead only find shame, brokeness mess, death and judgement. We only need to look at our world, to see it, or look at our own lives.

Maybe you have experienced this in life. Sin comes back to bite us. Consequences. shame, broken relationships, messes up everything.

Bible says elsewhere we are like sheep who have gone astray. Each has turned to his own way.

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We need a good shepherd.

someone who can bring us back to God.

Reading:

Questions: Who is the good shepherd?

Why is he a good shepherd?

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John 10:11–18 NIV

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

Who is the good shepherd?

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JESUS IS THE GOOD SHEPHERD

Did you see why he is the good shepherd? 3 reasons

HE KNOWS US:

Illustration. gameshow - Mr and Mrs

I wonder who you would say knows you the best. Maybe....

are there things that nobody know?

Well Jesus knows his sheep. Not just a bit. He knows you completely. He made you. He knew you before you were born. He knows every detail. Good and bad. He knows what makes you happy and sad. he knows your best qualities and your worst. He knows you.

Maybe a daunting thought. except that

HE LOVES US: We get this contrast between hired hand and shepherd.

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Hire hand works for money. Doesn’t care for sheep. - How do we know?

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What happes if he sees a wolf coming

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He runs away. they don’t belong to him. He would rather save himself.

BUT

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Jesus is the good Shepherd. They are his sheep. In another parable Jesus told, he talks about the lost sheep, that shepherd leaves 99 to go and find and celebrates when he finds it. This is the kind of shepherd Jesus is, a good shpeherd who knows his sheep and loves each of us. How do we know.

HE LAYS DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS SHEEP

In reality if a shepherd was killed by the wolve, the sheep too would be in danger. scattered.

You might have seen the Avengers end game. In order to save their friends and the universe a number of main characters die. It’s a tragic consequence.

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CROSS

But Jesus death wasn’t a failure or a tragic accident. v18. Jesus vountarily gave his life. Jesus death was for very specific purpose. TO rescue lost sheep.

Our sin seperates us from God. We deserve his punishment. Satan loves to get his claws into us by accusing us. But Jesus loves us despite out sin, and through his perfect life, he lived the life we should have lived. And as he died he was punished in our place for our sin. He takes our guilt away. He protects us from Satan’s accusations.

But he also offers us new life. Jesus has the authority to take his life back up - which is exactly what he did! In rising again he defeated Satan and beat death, and leads us into the presence of God. For those who trust Jesus, there is nothign to fear. Instead there is life. - the life we were made for in a right relationship with God.

Jesus really is the good shepherd - the shepherd we all need.

And he calls us to follow him

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FOLLOW YOUR GOOD SHEPHERD JESUS

How do we become one of Jesus sheep? He is calling. Will we follow?

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John 10:14 NIV

“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—

Do you know him? We won’t follow Jesus unless we know he is a good shepherd, the good shepherd. Do you know Jesus. His love, compassion, care. His power, protection and provision. Get to know him - through his word, and by spending time with his people.

Do we believe that the life Jesus offers is the one that we need. Life in a relationship with our maker. Life forever. Jesus isn’t promising easy life - but a full life. That as we follow him we will have all we need.

Do you know him?

If so are you listening to his voice?

What does it look like to trust Jesus? What does it look like to trust our parents. Listening. If Jesus is creator of universe. If he is one who knows us best - even better than we know oursevles. If he is one who loves us enough to lay down his life for us. Then makes sense that we listen to him.

Will we trust him in all things. As we open his word, will we be ready to obey? That will mean listening to him even when grass seems greener elsewhere. When tempted to look for life elsewhere.

I wonder whether there is sin in your life, and you want to follow Jesus. What will it look like to listen to him?

We are going to hear from somoene who has decided to follow Jesus, and is living with him as their good shepherd.

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Interview with LEO 5 minutes

1) When did you decide to follow Jesus?

2) Why did you decide to follow Jesus?

3) "Can you share a little about what knowing Jesus as your good shepherd is like for you?"

Feel free to ask Leo more

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REFLECTION QUESTIONS

Here are a few questiosn

What other people/things are we tempted to”follow” believing they can give life instead of God?

Do you know Jesus as your shepherd? What does that look like for you?

How do you need his help to listen to him at the moment?

Song: 5 minutes