Jesus Unfiltered - Follow - Every Sheep Needs a Shepherd, Part 1

When you think about Jesus what comes your mind for me.

One of the most powerful pictures is Jesus as a shepherd protection, the caring and nurturing the patient is down deep my confession is sometimes I feel like God is down on me and I don't think of Jesus as a shepherd. If you want to know what it's like to have that kind of embassy with Jesus. That's today welcome to this Edition of Living on the Edge with dripping Living on the Edges of international teaching and discipleship ministry bring the Bible we think about Jesus being the good Shepherd X thought logically should be. I guess that makes it bunch of messages called every sheep to ship great reminder. Jesus cares personally, generously, for everyone who belongs to rich up series Jesus unfiltered the authorized biography. The Gospel of John, so you have a Bible open out John chapter 10 let's get started in all the time. The earth is Everyman.

The most important thing that ever happened wasn't simply the birth of Christ is wonderful that and not simply his life.

But the fact of being fully God and fully man. He died, rose from the dead to give life. Here's the question in light of that, consciously or unconsciously. We all ask a question or two as we go through life and what I want you to know is how you answer these two questions will determine the course of your life. I'm not overstating that. If you notice there's a pretty teaching handout at the two questions there. Question number one is in light of this resurrection. This made a claim to be God all of history. The CAD how do you see God knew what comes to your mommy think God what see what you really like them. Is he harsh is he down on you as a kind is he angry is he mildly ticked off is a sort of distant is he like really engaged in what's going on are conning impersonal, they just sort of set this whole thing up and you know whatever happens happens and when you think God what comes in your when you pray, what's the visual image of what God is like listening to you the quote I put there by toes or I think is profound and accurate. What comes into your mind when you think about God is the most important thing about your whole life because what you think about God. There's an invisible law of the soul. You will be drawn to or repelled by the image or the picture that you have and I would guess for most of us, who we think God is and who he really is are two different people.

The second question might even be more important.

How do you think God sees you mean imagine if you will long before computers long before you know servers long before Google, Facebook, twitter Instagram anything, the infinite mind of God, who knows all things about all people every moment. Your thoughts, your behavior, your motives when the picture of you comes up on the screen of this infinite God. How do you think he thinks about me.

What what's his response doesn't feel it like manner. What you get with the program or company, never doing enough or rather still working with this one, or is it you cherished your special your loved you matter. I designed you get a plan for you. There's a special purpose.

You, how do you think God thinks about you is what I can tell you is most of us don't answer that question very accurately as well. In Matthew chapter 9 toward the end of Jesus life he comes into Jerusalem and sees a multitude of people not unlike in this room, and when he looked at the people and he wasn't just looking physically as he looked at their heart, their motives, their lives, their marriages, their singleness, their work, their pain there hurt their cancer the trails the struggles the infighting division. He says he looked at the multitudes and seeing the multitudes, he felt compassion for them. Just circle the word denotes compassion. I don't think most of us know what that means, he felt compassion for them for two reasons because they were distressed and downcast like sheep without a shepherd put a line under distressed and alignment are downcast, distressed, but that doesn't take a lot of explanation right. I mean stressed out, worn out, burned out, struggling relationships not working. Looking for purpose in life. But the word downcast is low but different. Downcast is the shepherd's term sheet wander around and they lie down and sometimes I get with the grass is very soft and there's little indentation and it feels really good and they will lean over and if it if it if a sheep leans over little too much and gets almost upside down.

It can't get up. It can't get up. You know what happens to what's called a cast sheep 100% of the time they die unless a shepherd comes and lifts them and get some back on their feet when Jesus saw the multitudes when he sees us. He sees our distress. He sees our hurts, he sees her struggles. He sees her insecurities.

He sees our pain.

He knows our past. He knows what people and done to us knows the mistakes we made.

He sees her distressed and he sees us as downcast that we were in a situation that we can't solve on our own because were like sheep without a shepherd.

And it gets what it stirs in him. This is how God thinks about you compassion, not down on you not get with the program not do more, not what's wrong with you why did you make that mistake. Once you make that decision. It says he saw the multitudes, and felt compassion. The Greek word here means literally from the innermost parts or the bowels. The Hebrews thought that that the seats of your motions were or visceral you if you ever had your heart go out to someone were almost dewatered up just when you saw someone's pain is almost like something down in your stomach hurt that you had to do something to help them. That's this word back in English. I put a good definition there. It's a deep awareness and understanding of another persons struggle or hurt or pain that compels you to want to help them sympathy and compassion are very different. Compassion is you are compelled and you just long to help solve it.

Make it right.

I had a problem when most compassionate moments I've had in the last maybe 10 years or so on Tuesday I have a little grandson.

His name is Noah so we got really close and Tuesday. His mom was just kinda mopping the floor. He came running behind in and just slipped in a very unusual way came down on his knee and he broke his femur and I mean when he hit she eats tree Teresa got a call from Annie my modern what's wrong he's crying. And no matter what I do mean he's uncontrollable. It's like he's in tear, so they took him to ER than it took him to the orthopedic guy. By the time I heard about it you I drove over the orthopedic guy across from good Sam's and I walked in. As I walked in the orthopedic doctor had put up his x-ray and I saw this bonehead was diagonal fracture in it and he was just beside himself, and if it if it moved at all.

He just is poor little kid that I'm so close to an anti-had been in there for a couple hours and and so she had to go get a drink of water and the doctor and everybody laughed and I just there's this little guy and he looked at me with like tear in his eyes fixed me pop-up. What's wrong and everything in me.

I just something happened is this ever happened you I meet something happened now deep inside me like I just wanted to say it's going to be okay and it's can heal up and you know probably five years and I want to remember and and and and any courses 19 months old he can understand anything and then he just looked at me like hop. Why don't you help. Here's what I want you to know what I felt inside when I saw his need is how God feels about you when he sees your need's plot is the word he sees the divorce in your past. When he sees the strife in your marriage when he sees that the depression and the anger when he sees the conflict. It's happening at work when he sees what ever need the cancer that you're battling the parent that's dying the kid that just doesn't seem to get with the program. Your deepest hurts, needs and mistakes are like a magnet drawl. Jesus love and compassion to you. That's what the Bible teach God now I don't know about you but I was not the picture I've had of God. Most of my life and I've been a pastor for over 30 years and I can tell you that's intellectually the picture I know is true, but I have this default mechanism but have that like on any given day. I can think. I don't think I measure up. I don't think I'm doing very well. God's probably kinda mad at me and it's not that's true, but I act that way.

And part of my family of origin part my personality and so we have to be reminded why did he come. It was compassion so old and New Testament. Sometimes a word picture helps people grasp it, especially the comes out of a culture so we can take sort of these concepts and get them into real life and so 200 times in the old New Testament, God makes the metaphor of sheep shepherd sheep shepherd because that's their world and sheep are dependent, vulnerable have as anyone ever seen a wild sheep or documentary illogic.

You know why they don't exist, but they don't exist that they don't. I mean a sheep without a shepherd. Here's here's here's the game plan die they can't find water on their own.

There vulnerable.

They can't if they if they're not moved to get new food bill sit and eat the grass there down to the roots kill themselves.

If a rollover or cash they can't pick themselves up, they have to be led. Don't take this personally. God calls a sheep and pigs are way smarter than sheep. Sorry. And orangutans are way up there and so sheep are these not that intelligent animals but they're super valuable their wool their milk, whole villages, whole nations have lived on the great value and specialness of what she bring in so all through Scripture, God helps us understand compassion. What is really like by the shepherd and the sheep. There was a time where Israel had, you know, just to use a vernacular blown it big time and you would think God would be just like you know what I'm just and start over.

In Ezekiel 34, after speaking to a group of shepherds who were fleecing the sheep literally and using them in and I just just messing up things.

This is God's word to them. Ezekiel 3411. He says, for thus says the Lord God, behold, I myself will search for my sheep and seek them out and here's the metaphor of the simile as a shepherd cares for his heard in the day when he is among his scattered sheep. So I will care for my sheep and I'll deliver them from all the places in which there scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day by myself is Yahweh Elohim. I think this is God, the Lord, and he looks at his people and he says I myself I'm going to go after them like a shepherd goes for scattered sheep and he doesn't stop me.

Since I will feed my flock and I will lead them to rest. Unlike anybody here like the rest I'm just physical. I mean, in your soul declares the Lord God, I will seek Uzi after the lost I will bring back the scattered all bind up the broken and I will strengthen the sick. Even David when he was trying to express intimacy had with God. Member what he would say we here's a guy that was a king in the psalmist and powerful, and then on a really really weak moment on a bad day commits adultery and then covers it up and commits murder and yet the New Testament looks back on this very flawed person that was very gifted and said he was a man after God's own heart not because he never messed up because of the tenderness of his heart. What he understood was here's what David got. I see how God sees me. I see that God is a God of mercy and compassion and forgiveness and wants to restore and so the Holy Spirit let him one day to save the Lord Yahweh is my shepherd and I won't be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures and what he does. He's gonna leave me by quiet waters because he's going to restore my soul and he says even though I walk through the valley of the shadows of death I will fear evil because he's with me. His rod his staff they comfort me to lead me in paths of righteousness.

He's going to direct my life and be a day when I come through all these difficulties and this can be. This victory banquet and he's going to allow me he's gonna set a table a buffet if you will, in the very presence of my enemies.

And then, just like in the big buffets and the huge moments he will anoint my head with oil like happens on these marvelous celebrations and then instead of waiting for the other shoe to drop, and something bad happened. His mercy and his love will follow me in the word literally is pursue me come after me, chase me all the days of my life. Do you think of God like that so good so kind, so loving these he's trying to chase you down to, say, would you let me give you the best and then maybe the last thing and I know he says I'll dwell in the house Lord forever is a Jesus in John chapter 10 is speaking to a group of people that they just can't figure out some believe in him and some of rejected him and he wants them to know, even those that are trying to kill him about his compassion and his love of why he came in. You pick up the story in John 10, open your notes if you will. And as you do, John chapter 10 working to get the story of Jesus speaking to a mixed group of people.

Some trying to kill him and some who believed and so he gives them this metaphor and what you can see first to see some you see a parable he longs for people, even those on the killing. He longs for them to understand God's compassion, so he gives him a picture in their world that they can understand. I tell you the truth.

Jesus says the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate declines in some other ways a thief and a robber man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep, the watchmen or the Porter opens the gate for him and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and he leads them out.

When he is brought them all out his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will not follow a stranger. In fact, they will run from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice. Jesus used this figure of speech or parable, but they did not understand what he was telling. Now I don't about you and I didn't grow up in the church in interpreting the Bible. But if I wanted to know about God's compassion and I heard those six verses about parable about sheep. It didn't do a lot for me. Okay, if you understand the culture you understand what he now says later. What he basically said was, look you all understand how life works with sheep. It's an agrarian culture there shepherds they can't grow a whole lot. The land is and all that good. So if you're the youngest son. Your job is to be the shepherd and and then in the village you lived off the wool you lived off you could sell the wool the milk occasionally would sacrifice one and so I'm a shepherd your shepherd. He's a shepherd she's a shepherdess and so at the end of the day we would go to the village and in our village would be a shepherds pan if you will often would be about 4 feet high, all made out of stone. A large area and there would be a gate and so I would bring my sheep and I would stand. I will put my rod I would count them and maybe have got 53 sheep and then the next shepherd or shepherdess comes and they got 35 5040 and so this whole big area is filled with sheep and there's an entrance.

He's just describing their everyday life. But now he says something that they really get if you ever seen a documentary or this still happens today. Shepherds named their sheep and sometimes it's no strike leg door bad attitude or stuff like that are white spotted face, but they name all the sheep and they know them personally, but they build this intimacy and relationship is why Jesus uses a so when a shepherd would come at the next morning all the sheep were there there safe.

He would might come in and they almost have like talk to Michael yellow yellow yellow and all about the sheep. They look and he walks and they follow none of the other sheep move and another shiver comes with another 35 sheep and they walked out. So he's explaining how it happens and they says thieves and robbers see at night.

It's about 4 feet or so stone and so might build a higher thief would come during the dark and he would climb over and have a couple friends slip the neck of a sheep and then get as many as they could.

Robbers didn't just steal. They would beat up who was on guard often kill them and trying to pull heard so he's just describing a world about the relationship between sheep and shepherds now listen carefully, because now he applies it to himself would pick up the teaching in verse seven through 10 verse seven says therefore Jesus said, I tell you the truth I am the gate or the door for the sheep. All who ever came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn't listen to them. I am the gate.

Here's his offer. Whoever enters through me will be saved.

He's talking about spiritual salvation in the context of this book. He will come in and go out and find pasture to come to me and believe in me. I will provide for you and I'll protect you with thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. And then he gives his purpose statement for why he came I came that you might have life and have it to the full, or have it abundantly literally the word means to act sex and to overflowing, and so the teaching here Jesus is saying that door the entranceway in and out in relationship I'm the answer I'm the shepherd.

In fact what he says you might jot in your nose. He's saying Jesus is the good Shepherd and and what what they knew in their day. That's what you need a good Shepherd. This is the part of your view of God.

My view of God. Most people's view of God I think is completely skewed. We don't believe he's good and you can't trust someone they don't think is good.

We don't think if we left the decision about a future mate to him. He would make a very good decision. We don't think we left the decision and wanted his guidance about what job to take or where kids to go to school or is it this roommate I should live over here or there or we down D we want to control. We think we know better, and so he wants them to know because the barrier to believe is you got a trust and Watsonville on the good Shepherd. Now the teaching goes on and he's going to say. Let me prove it to you is to say the good shepherd lays down his life now towards greater love has no one than this, that one lay down your life for your friend and so much and I'm gonna lay down my life and as I read this you count maybe three or four different times.

He talks about laying down his life laying down his life and as he does. He's going to say why he does it. He's gonna say that he offers this for all people and that is to say I'm doing it voluntarily. What you learn. This passage is Rome did not kill Jesus and Jews did not kill Jesus. Follow along as I read Ellis pick it up in verse 11. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns a sheet so when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away.

Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he's a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep and my sheep know me, just as the father knows me and I know the father repeated. I lay down my life for circle the word for will come back to it. I lay down my life for the sheep and then speaking to Jews here, but he expands. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. He speaking of us Gentiles.

The reason my father loves me as I lay down my life only to take it up again. No one takes it from me. I lay down my life of my own accord, and I have authority to lay down and have authority to take it up this command I received from the father not notice the response either on Pokémon. Are you kidding these words, the Jews were divided. Many of them said these demon possessed these raving mad. Why listen to him and others said, these are the sayings of a demon possessed man and and can a demon open the eyes of the blind in the last chapter he opened the eyes of man blind from birth, and solicit his offer for life is that little word for I give my life.

I laid in my life for the sheep. In Greek is two words for 41 is sort of on behalf of outside I do for you. The other is I'll do it on behalf of you. But, in place of you. That's this work another 20 things I am going to lay down my life for you as a substitute and what you deserve for your behavior and your sin and what I deserve for my behavior and my sin and how I treated people what I've done instead of me receiving that he said all lay down my life and all. Take what you deserve and you can have what I deserve before God's presence and then he says I'm offering this to whosoever believe in, and finally says it's voluntary. No one is making me do this. There's no group to blame. I have the power to lay my life down have the powder that be back with his just a reminder, this message is from follow volume 2, series Jesus unfiltered in this series chip takes an in-depth look at Jesus walking us through the Gospel of John is authorized biography if you will. Each of the Gospels has a specific purpose than John. We see his focus on proofs that Jesus is the son of God. Closer to home how he wants to be your Lord and Savior starting right where you're at today. You know the reality is listing more than once is the key to mastering the truths in these passages from John to help you do that, the chipping roadmap and ships free message notes are a great way to do in the lead God's word change you from the inside out. Jesus unfiltered.

For more information and discounted resources give us a call at AAA 333-6003 or visit us online at http://livingontheedge.org app listeners just Special offers chipping.

I just love the challenge you're asking us to wrestle with. What do we really believe about Jesus and as were learning. A lot of those ideas may be different from what the Bible actually teaches.

So you've created a great resource that identifies some of those common misperceptions and then address them with verses from Scripture, would you take just a minute and tell us more and more you've parroted with a series what's being challenged.

Here is what we believe me, Jesus has come to explain the father and yet the culture of the world, my flesh, the enemy is constantly bombarding my mind and my heart with lies. As I went back through and I take the key truth out of each chapter as we call these truth cards. Let me give you an example. Here's a lie in private moments, I sometimes have thoughts that make me question my faith did these doubts are thoughts mean that I don't really believe in Jesus and then at the bottom that card it says stop and back.

There's a stop sign there and then we flipped the card over and it says everyone has doubts from time to time. We are bombarded by lies from the enemy, but the historical fact of Jesus resurrection, not my feelings on any given day is the basis of my faith and then right under that I have the core passage out of John chapter 20 is a what we would love to do is put these in your hands so you can just review my time doing it at night before I go to bed not trying even to memorize just pondering and thinking and doing three or four or five cards you do if you have those before you go to bed. It goes into your subconscious mind. It's amazing how your mind is renewed because what we all know what did Jesus promise in John chapter 8 you shall know the truth and the truth will set you free. I hope you order a set of these cards for you and maybe someone you love as well. Will chips truth cards are discounted for a limited time when you go to LivingontheEdge.org there a high-value set of 21 cards with a common-law or spiritual battle we all face and on the flipside there's a passage from the Gospel of John to help you begin to renew your mind with the truth. Let me encourage you to get a set for yourself, then maybe another one or two for people you know. Order your truth cards and get free shipping by calling AAA 333-6003 or online at http://livingontheedge.org app listeners just tap special offers lower your strip with his application as we wrap up today's program. This is a very, very familiar passage that down deep. I'm not sure we relate to it that much.

I don't know anything about. She personally I've been around a few and I've read that their you know, dumb that there helpless in the smell and I guess there's a picture with people there, but the fact of the matter is, the point is is that sheep are followers and sheep are helpless but I think many of us feel very self-sufficient a lot of the time and I think this parable. What Jesus taught really rings home when you're out of work when your spouse walks out on you when when your kids is in ICU or when you get a biopsy report and it says cancer. You see, that's when were helpless. That's when you realize I can't change things. I need a Savior I need God and Jesus is saying I am the good shepherd, and he says what he wanted from the truth. The right. You're drowning in alcohol. Whether you're sick on drugs or whether your stalled and selfishness. I want you to know that I want to rescue you.

Sometimes he corrects, and sometimes he pulls us out of the ditch. But today is the day for you to know there's someone who cares about you there's someone that knows everything in your life if you will admit that your helpless if you admit that you need help if you cry out for help and run to him.

The promise of God is very clear. Draw near to God and he'll draw near to you today. What ever it looks like would you take a moment, would you maybe just go to a park maybe five minutes in the car and would you bow your head and just draw near to God and let them draw near to you. Just before we close. Would you pray for people who heard the truths that are struggling right now we have an enemy who loves to mess with any effort we mix to respond to God.

So would you take a second to pray and if you're the one who's being challenged. Be encouraged that there's an army of believers praying for you as you hear my voice, you're not alone.

I'm so glad you been with us and until next time, this is Dave thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge