The Lamb Will Shepherd Them

Transcription

1 The Lamb Will Shepherd Them 1

2 The Lamb Will Shepherd Them Introduction 1. When John the Baptist sees Jesus in John 1:29 he calls out, Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 2. When John the apostle is called up to heaven and witnesses the great throne scene in Revelation 4 & 5 he sees a Lamb as though it had been slain come and take the scroll from the right hand of God. 3. The image of Jesus Christ being the Lamb of God is one that is familiar and deeply significant to us. Recently, it has come to mean even more to me. 4. The Lamb will shepherd them. Revelation 7:13-17 a) I already knew that Jesus called Himself the Good Shepherd. John 10:11 b) Peter called Jesus the Chief Shepherd. 1 Peter 5:4 c) First time it really hit me that Jesus is the Lamb who became the Shepherd. 5. Inherently, we know that this is a great blessing, but I really stopped and thought hard about why it s so significant! Discussion I. He Knows Us. A. Jesus referred to Himself as the Son of Man more than any other name, because He wanted us to understand that He is one of us! 1. He became flesh and dwelt among us. John 1:1, He came to earth in the likeness of men. Philippians 2:7 B. They say the best way to learn about a culture, or even to get to know a single person is to live with them. C. Also, it s always a blessing when a leader is a man of the people. 1. They know the struggles normal people face. 2. They understand what people really need. 3. They can have compassion for their people. D. Jesus knows us. John 10:14 1. Each one of the seven letters to the churches in Revelation 2 & 3 contains the phrase, I know your works. 2. Jesus has shown that He knows us in a close, intimate way. a) Nathanael John 1:47-48 b) Woman at the well John 4: Because Jesus is both man and God, He is in the unique position to truly know us better than we know ourselves! 2

3 II. He Can Truly Sympathize With Us. A. Jesus came to earth as a normal, everyday person. So He knows what it s like to struggle through the trials and temptations of life under the Sun. Hebrews 4: He knows hunger. John 4 2. At times He was weary. Mark 4:38 3. He knows the grief that death brings. John 11:35 4. His friends disappointed Him. Mark 9:19 5. He even experienced rejection. John 6:66 B. All of this makes Jesus the most sympathetic Shepherd man has ever known. 1. We can see it in His life. Matthew 9:36 2. We can hear it in His call. Matthew 11:28-30 C. Earthly shepherds were known to be close with their flock. 1. It might even be fair to say that most of them loved their sheep, 2. But none of them knew what it was like to be one of the sheep. D. Having the Lamb become the Shepherd means we have an Advocate who knows what it s like, and He has the desire and authority to do what s best for us. III. He Knows How To Care For Us. A. One of the great promises from the OT about the Messiah was the way in which He would take care of God s people. Ezekiel 34:14-15, It would be easy to get caught up in the physical implications of the Shepherd s care for us. 2. Earthly shepherds knew how to take care of the physical needs of the sheep. 3. We need to understand that this is a whole different level of care. B. Because the Lamb of God is our Shepherd He knows what we really need. He knows how to take care of the things that are really important to us. 1. He is the Good Shepherd because He laid down His life for us. John 10: He suffered to give us relief from the bondage of death. Hebrews 2: Jesus Christ did not die to give us wealth. He died to give us eternal life! C. There is a physical aspect to the care He gives, but it is most certainly the lesser fulfillment of this promise. The greater blessing relates to our greatest needs. 1. Peace Romans 5:1 2. Security John 10: Hope 1 Peter 1:3 4. Forgiveness John 1:29 D. Jesus is the only Shepherd who can care for our every need! 3

4 IV. He Will Right Every Wrong. A. Sometimes even the sheep are guilty of mistreating one another. Ezekiel 34: Who better to judge between the sheep than One who lived among them and truly knows them for what they are? 2. Earthly shepherds might not always know the bullies, the selfish, or the unfair, but we can trust that the Lamb who is our Shepherd knows them all. B. Knowing that the Messiah would bring justice was a great comfort to the people of Israel. Isaiah 11: It should continue to be a great comfort to us. 2. If you ve ever been cheated knowing there was nothing you could do about it, you can move forward knowing that God will take care of it! C. Jesus tells us of a day when He will separate the sheep from the goats, and reward each group according to their works. Matthew 25:31ff 1. Again, He is in a unique position to judge us because He is the Lamb that shepherds us; He is both man and God. 2. His judgment will be merciful, just, and fair. V. We Can Trust Him. A. The real message of Psalm 23 is one of trust. Psalm He takes care of our every need. Vss. 1-3a 2. He will lead us through the valley of the shadow of death. Vss.3b-4 3. Even in the face of our enemies we need not fear. Vs Nothing will ever change the goodness and mercy we receive from the Great Shepherd of the sheep! Vs. 6 B. Jesus made this same kind of promise to us. John 10:27-29 C. Paul said he knew He could trust God. 2 Timothy 1:8-12; 4:6-8 D. It s because of this trust in Jesus Paul could mock death. 1 Corinthians 15:55-58 E. Because the Lamb is our Shepherd we know that we will never be led to the slaughter! BUT we must follow Him! 1. The only way to escape death is by following Him. 2. The only way to enjoy these blessing is to trust Him to lead us! 3. He s given us every reason to follow, but it is still up to us! 4

5 Conclusion POS 1. The more I understand about Jesus the more I see the wonder and wisdom of God, and the more I understand my need for Him. 2. I hope this lesson does two things for us: a) Makes us appreciate even more the great Gift God gave us in the sending of His Son to earth. b) Makes us more willing to trust, follow, and obey the Lamb who shepherds us! 3. Are you a member of the Lord s flock? Is Jesus truly the Shepherd of your soul? Simon Harris Columbus, MS 5