The Shepherd of His Flock Series: The LIFE of the Good Shepherd (1/4) Sunday, August 1, 2004 Larry Cantrell John 10:1-6

Devotion to God’s Word Psalm 23:1-2 (NIV) 1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters

The Shepherd of His Flock The Shepherd cares for the Flock 1.The Shepherd can identify His flock. 2.The Shepherd carries the burden of protection. 3.The Shepherd makes sure the flock follows His leadership. 4.The Shepherd knows the nature of the sheep. 5.The Shepherd smells like sheep. 6.The Shepherd employs others.

The Shepherd of His Flock 1.The sheep will become lost without a shepherd. Luke 15:4 (NIV) 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 2.The greatest need of sheep is love and unselfish protection. Matthew 12:11 (NIV) 11 He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? 3.Without a shepherd the sheep face harassment and helplessness. Matthew 9:36 (NIV) 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

The Shepherd of His Flock 4.Sheep can stray away and return to the Shepherd. 1 Peter 2:25 (NIV) 25 For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. 5.Lost sheep are at the mercy of false shepherds. Ezekiel 34:5 (NIV) 5 So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals. 6.The sheep have a “great Shepherd”. Hebrews 13:20 (NIV) 20 May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep,

The Shepherd of His Flock 7.Jesus was sent first to the “the lost sheep of the house of Israel”. Matthew 15:24 (NIV) 24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”

The Shepherd of His Flock Our need for a spiritual “LIFT” Learn to Teach and to Admonish Involve Others Financial Stewardship Train for Ministry

The Lord’s Invitation John 6:37 (NIV) 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.