The Good Shepherd

1
The Good Shepherd
2
Who is Your Shepherd?

• Many people are tempted to put their faith and
  trust in their religious leaders to such a degree
  that they become followers of men instead of
  Jesus.

3
Who is Your Shepherd?

• By becoming followers of men, many become abused
  victims in religion, exploited or taken advantage
  of.

4
Who is Your Shepherd?

• For a faith that is strong and confident put your
  faith in the Good Shepherd!

5
John 101-4 (NASB)

• 1 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not
  enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but
  climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a
  robber. 2 "But he who
  enters by the door is a 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 "When he puts forth all his
  own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow
  him because they know his voice.

6
John 105-8 (NASB)

• 5 "And a stranger they simply will not follow,
  but will flee from him, because they do not know
  the voice of strangers." 6 This figure of speech
  Jesus spoke to them, but they did not understand
  what those things were which He had been saying
  to them. 7 Jesus therefore said to them
  again, "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 hear
  them.

7
John 109-11 (NASB)

• 9 "I am the door if anyone enters through Me,
  he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and
  find pasture. 10 "The thief comes only to steal,
  and kill, and destroy I came that they might
  have life, and might have it abundantly. 11 "I am
  the good shepherd the good shepherd lays down
  His life for the sheep.

8
John 1012-14 (NASB)

• 12 "He who is a hireling, and not a shepherd,
  who is not the owner of the sheep, beholds the
  wolf coming, and leaves the sheep, and flees, and
  the wolf snatches them, and scatters them. 13 "He
  flees because he is a hireling, and is not
  concerned about the sheep. 14 "I am the good
  shepherd and I know My own, and My own know Me

9
John 1015-16 (NASB)

• 15 even as the Father knows Me and I know the
  Father and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16
  "And I have other sheep, which are not of this
  fold I must bring them also, and they shall hear
  My voice and they shall become one flock with
  one shepherd.

10
The Shepherding Style of Pharisees vs. the Good
Shepherd.

• Like Pharisees, many religious leaders today
  steal, kill, and destroy.

11
They use unauthorized means to gain access to the
flock

• John 101 (NASB) "Truly, truly, I say to you, he
  who does not enter by the door into the fold of
  the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a
  thief and a robber.

12
They were strangers
to the people

• John 105 (NASB) "And a stranger they simply
  will not follow, but will flee from him, because
  they do not know the voice of strangers."

13

• The Pharisees
  only cared about their appearance and lofty
  positions as a consequence they were truly
  strangers to the people.

14
Matthew 235-7 (NASB)

• 5 "But they do all their deeds to be noticed by
  men for they broaden their phylacteries, and
  lengthen the tassels of their garments. 6 "And
  they love the place of honor at banquets, and the
  chief seats in the synagogues, 7 and respectful
  greetings in the market places, and being called
  by men, Rabbi.

15
Destructive thieves!

• John 1010 (NASB) "The thief comes only to
  steal, and kill, and destroy I came that they
  might have life, and might have it abundantly.
• Hypocrites that did more harm than good for the
  people!

16
Matthew 2313 (NASB)

• "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees,
  hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of
  heaven from men for you do not enter in
  yourselves, nor do you allow those who are
  entering to go in.

17
Matthew 2314 (NASB)

• 14"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees,
  hypocrites, because you devour widows' houses,
  even while for a pretense you make long prayers
  therefore you shall receive greater condemnation.

18
Matthew 2315 (NASB)

• Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites,
  because you travel about on sea and land to make
  one proselyte and when he becomes one, you make
  him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

19
Mere hierlings with no love for the people.

• John 1012-13 (NASB) 12 "He who is a hireling,
  and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the
  sheep, beholds the wolf coming, and leaves the
  sheep, and flees, and the wolf snatches them, and
  scatters them. 13 "He flees because he is a
  hireling, and is not concerned about the sheep.

20
The Shepherding Style of Pharisees vs. the Good
Shepherd.

• Like Pharisees, many religious leaders today
  steal, kill, and destroy.
• The Good Shepherd loving leads, nurtures, and
  saves His flock.

21
Jesus is the Good Shepherd!

• John 1011 (NASB) "I am the good shepherd the
  good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.

22
1 Peter 224-25 (NASB)

• 24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on
  the cross, that we might die to sin and live to
  righteousness for by His wounds you were healed.
  25 For you were
  continually straying like sheep, but now you have
  returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your
  souls.

23
Jesus knows each one of us by name

• John 103 (NASB) To him the doorkeeper opens,
  and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his
  own sheep by name, and leads them out.

24
Psalms 1391-4 (NASB)

• 1 O LORD, Thou hast searched me and known me. 2
  Thou dost know when I sit down and when I rise
  upThou dost understand my thought from afar. 3
  Thou dost scrutinize my path and my lying down,
  and art intimately acquainted with all my ways.
  4 Even before there is a word on my
  tongue, Behold, O LORD, Thou dost know it all.

25
Intimacy between
the Good Shepherd and His flock
is reciprocal.

• John 1014 (NASB) "I am the good shepherd and I
  know My own, and My own know Me

26
The sheep follow because they know His voice and
trust in His loving care.

• John 103-4 (NASB) 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
  "When he puts forth all his own, he goes before
  them, and the sheep follow him because they know
  his voice.

27
Psalms 231-4 (NASB)

• 1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall
  not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green
  pastures He leads me beside quiet waters. 3 He
  restores my soul He guides me in the paths of
  righteousness for His name's sake. 4 Even though
  I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
  I fear no evil for Thou art with me Thy rod and
  Thy staff, they comfort me.

28

• Spiritual leaders in the church today are those
  who imitate the shepherd style of Jesus!
  (e.g. 1 Pet. 51-4).

29
1 Peter 51-3 (NASB)

• 1 Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as
  your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings
  of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that
  is to be revealed, 2 shepherd the flock of God
  among you, exercising oversight not under
  compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the
  will of God and not for sordid gain, but with
  eagerness 3 nor yet as lording it over those
  allotted to your charge, but proving to be
  examples to the flock.

30
1 Peter 54 (NASB)

• And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will
  receive the unfading crown of glory.

31
Jesus is the Door to Heaven.

• The Good Shepherd lays down His life for His
  sheep (John 1011, 15).

32
John 1017-18 (NASB)

• 17 "For this reason the Father loves Me, because
  I lay down My life that I may take it again. 18
  "No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it
  down on My own initiative. I have authority to
  lay it down, and I have authority to take it up
  again. This commandment I received from My
  Father."

33
Romans 56-8 (NASB)

• 6 For while we were still helpless, at the right
  time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will
  hardly die for a righteous man though perhaps
  for the good man someone would dare even to die.
  8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in
  that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for
  us.

34

• In contrast to thieves, Christ
  did not steal His sheep, but He purchased His
  flock with His own blood or life.

35
Acts 2028 (NASB)

• "Be on guard for yourselves and for all the
  flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you
  overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He
  purchased with His own blood.

36

• Similarly, church leaders are spiritual leaders
  who obey Jesus command to love with a sacrifical
  love.

37
John 1512-13 (NASB)

• 12 "This is My commandment, that you love one
  another, just as I have loved you.
  13 "Greater love has no one than
  this, that one lay down his life for his friends.

38

• Like Jesus, spiritual leaders come not to be
  served, but to serve and
  sacrifice with all humility.
  (Mat. 2028 2311-12
  Luke 2226-27)

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Jesus is the Door to Heaven.

• The Good Shepherd lays down His life for His
  sheep.
• Jesus is the only door to salvation.

40
John 109-10 (NASB)

• 9 "I am the door if anyone enters through Me,
  he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and
  find pasture. 10 "The thief comes only to steal,
  and kill, and destroy I came that they might
  have life, and might have it abundantly.

41
John 146 (NASB)

• Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth,
  and the life no one comes to the Father, but
  through Me.

42

• All other religions of the world come short of
  salvation only Jesus the Savior
  our shepherd can lead to us eternal life!

43
Revelation 716-17 (NASB)

• 16 "They shall hunger no more, neither thirst
  anymore neither shall the sun beat down on them,
  nor any heat 17 for the Lamb in the center of
  the throne shall be their shepherd, and shall
  guide them to springs of the water of life and
  God shall wipe every tear from their eyes. "

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• Jesus is the Good
  Shepherd We can believe
  in and Trust!
• Do You Know the Voice of Jesus? (Jn 104 cf. 1
  Jn 23-6)
• When Judgment Day Comes, Will Jesus Know You?
  (Mat. 721-23)