1. Welcome to the assembly of the 160th Ave. Church of Christ!
We gather Sunday at 9 a.m.(class), 10 a.m., p.m., & Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Remember our gospel meeting June 24-28

2. Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands
Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands! Serve the LORD with gladness; come before His presence with singing. Know that the LORD, He is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.
(Psalms 100:1-5, NKJV)

3. Shepherds of Scripture
Shepherds' Field by David Niblack is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

4. Five Shepherds Abel: Steward Gen. 4:2 (Heb. 11:4)
Laban: Profit first Gen. 31:41-42
David: Devoted 1 Sam. 17:36, 15
Nabal: Harsh, evil 1 Sam. 25:2-3 (Prov. 12:10)
God: Good Jn. 10:11; Ps. 23
I. Five shepherds
A. Abel- steward Gen. 4:2 (Heb. 11:4)
1. Brought of the firstborn of his flock, and God testified of his gifts
2. Abel viewed work and its rewards as gifts from God which must be used by faith
B. Laban- materialistic, seeking profit first Gen. 31:41-42
1. Everything Laban did with his flocks, was to have more flocks or more __.
2. He had little restraint—willing to profit by cheating others
a. do you think Jacob was the first and last person he mistreated?
b. as a result drove his son-in-law away
C. David- devoted
1. He had the complete trust of his father, had the skill and bravery to kill lions and bears (1 Sa. 17:36), returned from serving Saul at the palace to feed his father’s sheep (17:15).
2. Several psalms use the imagery of sheep and shepherds, in part, because David had been so devoted to it.
D. Nabal- harsh, evil 1 Sam. 25:2-3 (Prov. 12:10)
1. No doubt his sheep, as well as his servants and wife, felt this fury Prov. 12:10
2. He was a drunkard (note you can be very drunk or just drunk—both are sin)
E. God- good Jn. 10:11; Ps. 23 (Ps. 95:7; 100:3; Heb. 13:20; 1 Pet. 2:25)
1. He knows what we need v want, what gifts are good for us, when to give and to withhold for our good
2. And when our needs meant giving His life, He gave it
Shepherds of Scripture
Shepherds' Field by David Niblack is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

5. Shepherds of Scripture
Husbands and Parents
Steward? Prov. 18:22; Ps. 127:3
Profit first? 1 Tim. 6:6-10
Devoted? 1 Pet. 3:7; Heb. 12:10
Harsh, evil? Eph. 5:23, 29; Col. 3:21
Good? Mt. 7:11
II. Husbands and parents
A. Stewards? Prov. 18:22; Ps. 127:3
1. Because of our choice in the matter, we may not view wives or children as gifts from God of which we are stewards---we are temporary overseers who will give an account.
2. When God makes us stewards, it is to prepare us for more stewardship Mt. 25:29
a. husbands and fathers are prepared to be elders (1 Tim. 5:4a, 5) and their wives to be their helpers
b. parents learn the skills of teaching, preparing them to be teachers (Eph. 4:11; Ti. 2)
c. viewing our families as gifts on loan from God, preparing us to serve Him in other ways will make us better shepherds.
B. seeking personal profit first? 1 Tim. 6:6-10
1. Is your family content with food and clothing? numerous gift-giving traditions present a challenge that parents must handle in the nurture and admonition of the Lord..
2. When I and my family are not trained in contentment, Satan has numerous ways to lead us from the faith (complaining, overwork, gambling [casino, lotto, raffle]) or at the least, minimize our growth, development, and maturity (Mt. 13:22, too busy to: teach, open our home, consistently pray fervently).
C. devoted?
1. Like the shepherd David, always learning and improving as a husband 1 Pet. 3:7
2. ‘’ ‘’ ‘’ ‘’ father or mother Heb. 12:10
3. Always asking “What am I doing or not doing, what can I do more of or less of that will benefit my wife or children?,” not because they are the ideal spouse or children—but because you are a servant of Jesus.
D. harsh, evil?
1. How miserable Abigail must have been with a harsh, evil husband—as many wives are today who are not nourished and cherished by their heads (Eph. 5:23, 29).
2. Col. 3:21
a. Harsh parents provoke children to act and react harshly (inconsistently react, over-react)).
b. Some parents are evil because of what they do not do—God is the model parent whose words and deeds meet our need for authority, love, trust, . . .
E. good
1. Mt. 7:11 what makes a gift good—if it makes our children happy or if it makes our children better?
2. Some gifts make them happy and better, happy but not better, better but not happy—which do you give?
Shepherds of Scripture
Shepherds' Field by David Niblack is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

6. Overseers of each church
Steward? Heb. 13:17; Ti. 1:7
Profit first? Ti. 1:7, 8; 1 Tim. 3:5, 10
Devoted? Jn. 10:14, 11
Harsh, evil? 1 Pet. 5:3a (Mt. 23:3)
Good? Heb. 13:17
III. Overseers of each church
A. Stewards? Heb. 13:17; Ti. 1:7
1. God intends for stewardship to benefit the steward
a. Moses, the apostles, etc., their faith grew consistent with their responsibilities
b. It is not intended to be a joyless work but rewarding to play a vital role in the ongoing sp life of many
c. But even in the problems that arise, there is a satisfaction is knowing it is being handled by elders and not everyone.
2. God intends for stewardship to benefit those who are overseen---whenever the Holy Spirit makes overseers for us (Acts 20:28), there is not a Christian here who will not benefit from it.
B. Not self-seeking?
1. Because of the practices of false religion (past, present), many people view religious leaders like the religious leaders of Jesus’ day—get a sense of power from being decision-makers, self-righteous, self-willed.
2. God’s qualifications sorts those people out
a. not self-willed (Ti. 1:7)
b. not greedy for money (Ti. 1:7)
c. self-controlled (Ti. 1:8)
d. 1 Tim. 3:5 he has demonstrated these traits among his family (making wives valuable assessors of their husbands qualifications to serve—if he is not qualified, who will know better than his wife?)
e. 1 Tim. 3:10 he has demonstrated these traits among the church
f. the positive side of this is a leader who is “God-willed,” motivated by spiritual gain, and self-controlled.
C. devoted? How does someone show devotion to the flock?
1. Jn. 10:14 knows them and known by them = not just being in the same place but steadfastly involved in each other’s lives, like Jesus was—publicly and from house to house.
2. Jn. 10:11 Jesus of course gave His life by dying, but we “give our lives” to each other by what we give to and give up for each other.
D. harsh, evil? 1 Pet. 5:3a
1. Mt. 23:3b they say and do not do and the rest of the chapter shows they were harsh and evil
2. the words “bishop, overseer” imply a degree of authority (making judgments related to the church’s work which can be explained and to which all must submit) but they are not “lords” who merely give orders.
E. good Heb. 13:17 they watch out for your souls
1. every decision they are involved in is directly related to the good of souls
2. good may not make us immediately happy but is always for our benefit and makes us better
Shepherds of Scripture
Shepherds' Field by David Niblack is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

7. Shepherds of Scripture
Are you following the good shepherd?
Turn to Christ Acts 2:38; Rom. 10:10
Return to Christ Acts 8:22; 1 Jn. 1:9
Abide in Christ John 15:7
Shepherds of Scripture
Shepherds' Field by David Niblack is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0