I AM: Discovering the Nature of Jesus!
Sunday, March 14, 2004
My Prayer Today
Heavenly Father, thank You for another opportunity to come together with brothers and sisters through Your Son, Jesus, to worship as You! I pray that Your Holy Spirit will be poured out upon us that we may, indeed, worship You in Spirit and in truth. I pray that as we come together today, that we will understand our relationship with You as that of “sheep” to the “Good Shepherd.” I pray for a total dependence on You, not only in our corporate worship, but also in every moment of our lives, as well. I pray that we may hear Your voice, and do Your will. Glorify Yourself in our thoughts, words, and actions, that everyone around us may truly see that the result of being in relationship with You is transformed living. This I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
God's Word Today
John 10:11-20
11“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will leave the sheep because they aren’t his and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. 13The hired hand runs away because he is merely hired and has no real concern for the sheep.
14“I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, 15just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. 16I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice; and there will be one flock with one shepherd.
17“The Father loves me because I lay down my life that I may have it back again. 18No one can take my life from me. I lay down my life voluntarily. For I have the right to lay it down when I want to and also the power to take it again. For my Father has given me this command.”
19When he said these things, the people were again divided in their opinions about him. 20Some of them said, “He has a demon, or he’s crazy. Why listen to a man like that?” 21Others said, “This doesn’t sound like a man possessed by a demon! Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”
Reflecting on God's Word
What is the most comforting aspect of Jesus’ reference to us as “sheep” and His being the “Good Shepherd?”
A Deeper Exploration of God's Word
What are the attributes of the “Good Shepherd, according to Jesus?” (10:11-13)
How are the “sheep” who belong to Jesus identified? (10:14-16)
What is God the Father’s response to Jesus’ activity on earth? (10:17-18)
Understanding God's Purpose
How does Jesus’ analogy of Himself as the “Good Shepherd” and us as His “sheep” demonstrate our relationship to Jesus?
What does knowing Jesus as our Good Shepherd imply about our purpose in life?
Applying God's Word to Our Lives
What is the most important application of today’s reading to your life right now?
Thoughts..."The Good Shepherd!"
When Jesus tells us that He is the Good Shepherd and we are His sheep, we realize immediately that we are in a position of safety. After all, Jesus tells us that He “lays down His life for the sheep.” No matter what situation we find ourselves in as we go through life, Jesus is there searching for us, protecting us, seeking to save us and bring us into the fold. Until the point that we receive Jesus as our Savior and Lord, He searches for us. Jesus is unwilling for even one of His lost sheep to go unfound. After we are “found,” Jesus develops a relationship with us. That relationship is so intimate that He knows each of us by name. We know Him, and we know the sound of His voice. We will follow only Him. What a promise! Imagine that as we go through life each day, amidst all the voices of the world, hearing Jesus’ voice clearly and following Him through the maze of choices and activities before us. That is not merely a dream—it is His plan for us. That plan becomes a reality as we listen and follow the Good Shepherd moment by moment!
What better time than right now, to follow the Good Shepherd!
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