Jesus is the Good Shepard

JESUS IS…

Jesus is the Good Shepherd

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” John 10:11 (NIV)

“I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber!”    John 10:1 (NLT)

“The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”    John 10:10 (NLT)

FOUR CHALLENGES OF BEING A SHEEP

Sheep get lost easily

Sheep are defenseless

Sheep are very stubborn

Sheep are filthy

WHAT DOES THE GOOD SHEPHERD DO?

HE GUIDES

He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.   Psalm 23:3b (NIV)

“The gatekeeper opens the gate for [the shepherd], and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice.”   John 10:3 - 4 (NLT)

HE PROVIDES

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.    Psalm 23:1 - 3a (NIV)

HE CORRECTS

Blessed is the one whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. For he wounds, but he also binds up; he injures, but his hands also heal. Job 5:17 - 18 (NIV)

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.   Hebrews 12:11 (NIV)

HE PROTECTS

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.   Psalm 23:4 - 6 (NIV)

“Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?”   Luke 15:4 (NIV)