The Lord Is the Great Shepherd

Sermon: The Lord Is The Great Shepherd

Part One: Psalm 23: 1

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

We are God’s child. He is our Father, Protector, the Great Shepherd. When David describes the Lord as a shepherd, he is writing about of his own experience as a shepherd when he was a young boy.

Sheep are completely dependent on the shepherd for provision, guidance and protection.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd and we are His sheep.

The New Testament calls Jesus the Good Shepherd, the Great Shepherd, and the Chief Shepherd. The Lord is the Good Shepherd, and we are His sheep. We are not to be frightened or passive. We are to be obedient followers who place ourselves in His hands. He will lead us in the path of rightness.

If we go our own way then we are going to walk the path satan has for us. Do not think that satan isn’t waiting to lead you.

Job 2: 2

“And the Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”

Matthew 4:1

“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted^[a]by the devil.”

Now the devil thought he could tempt Jesus. What do you think he can do with us?

When we put ourselves in God’s hands, we have contentment.

Psalm 23 does not focus on the animal-like qualities of sheep but on the discipleship qualities of those who follow Our Lord and Savior. However, when we choose to sin, we go our own way and we can’t blame God for the consequences of that choice.

Read the Full Chapters of the Scriptures Referenced:
Psalm Chapter 23
Job Chapter 2
Matthew Chapter 4

Join us later this week for Part Two of the sermon, The Lord is My Shepherd.

There’s A Mansion for You in Heaven

Sermon: Take My Yoke Upon You (God Prepares A Place for You in His House)

Part Three (Final): John 14: 2

In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

Many of us have seen our parents, friends, and family members pass away. Those who had accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior are now in God’s mansion. Those who had not accepted Christ are not in his kingdom.

John 3: 16

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Jesus is telling us to put ourselves in his hands and he will lighten our burden. Accept him and he will prepare a place for us in his Father’s mansion.

We are here only for a brief moment.

The next minute isn’t promised; tomorrow is not promised. Accept Christ while you have time. Time is passing by.

Ask God to forgive you of your sins.

Tell him you accept him as your Lord and Savior, and the load/burden you carry will lighten. Only God can lift this from you. The problem may still be with you but now you’ll have Christ to help you with it.

When you give your burdens to him, he will show you that it’s not as bad as you thought.

He will help carry your burdens. But to do that you must accept him and believe he died for you and rose on the third day.

Accept him and watch your life change as Christ becomes part of it.

Read the Full Chapters of the Scriptures Referenced:
John Chapter 14
John Chapter 3

Read the first and second parts of the Sermon, Take My Yoke Upon You

Take My Yoke Upon You
God’s Grace Is Sufficient For Your Needs

God’s Grace Is Sufficient For Your Needs

Sermon: Take My Yoke Upon You (My grace is sufficient for you)

Part Two: 2 Corinthians 12: 9

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

God did not remove Paul’s affliction, and he may not remove ours but God will always be there for us. When people look at us, they may see what we are going through and see how God’s grace is giving us the power to carry the load. And by seeing that, they may be encouraged.

Our weakness not only helps our Christian life but it also deepens our worship. In admitting our weakness, we affirm God’s strength.

Without Christ’s grace in our life, we are lost.

When we are without Christ, we don’t know where we are going. If you don’t know Christ when death comes (and believe me, death is coming for each of us), where will you go?

Will you be living eternally with God or are you going to be living in eternity with Satan? It will be with one or the other. There is no middle place.

Read your Bible. God tells us what awaits after our earthly life is over. Earth is not our permanent home!

Read the Full Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:
2 Corinthians Chapter 12

Read the entire sermon, Take My Yoke Upon You
Take My Yoke Upon You (Part 1)
There’s A Mansion for You In Heaven (Part 3)

Take My Yoke Upon You

Sermon: Take My Yoke Upon You

Part One: Matthew 11: 28-30

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

God is inviting us to come to him. When Christ died on the cross and rose on the third day, he gave us direct access to God, the Father. In accepting Jesus Christ as God’s only Begotten Son and placing ourselves in his hands, we realize that our earthly problems are not important anymore.

1 John 5: 3

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.

We are to keep God’s commandments, and his commandments are not grievous. Christ never promised that obeying him would be easy. But the hard work and self discipline of serving Christ is no burden to those who love him. When we love someone, we do things for them because we want to.

God will never give you more than you can handle.

God created you so he knows you better than you know yourself. Jesus mentioned two kinds of people in his prayer. The “wise” person is arrogant in his own knowledge. He is full of his own self importance.

The other person is like the “little child” who is humbly open to receive the truth of God’s Word. If we are like a child, we are open and willing to learn. We care, we love, and we realize that only God has the answer.

To know God is to accept God as our Savior, and to know God is to know his voice when he talks to us.

I’ll tell you this: God talks to me and he talks to you even if you ignore him. God says to give him your burden. He will help you. God wants to lighten your yoke.

Read the full chapters of the scriptures referenced:
Matthew Chapter 11
1 John Chapter 5

Read parts 2 and 3 of this sermon

God’s Grace Is Sufficient For Your Needs (Part 2)
There’s A Mansion for You in Heaven (Part 3)

God Can Hear Your Cry and Save You

Sermon: The One That Is Lost

Part Three (Final): Isaiah 59: 1

Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:

Hear me, O Lord, I have sinned. Forgive me.

When you ask God for forgiveness, you are knocking on his door.

Matthew 7: 7-8

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

Jesus is at the gate. He is in the wilderness, he is at the door, and he is in search of his lost sheep. If you have not accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, do so now.

Knock on his door. His heart is open and he is waiting to accept you. He is saying to come as you are right now.

Matthew 11: 28

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

If you are one of the lost sheep, accept Christ now. The kingdom of God will rejoice, as each of his sheep return.

Knock, knock on his door, and he will open it!

Read the Full Chapters of the Scriptures Referenced:
Isaiah Chapter 59
Matthew Chapter 7
Matthew Chapter 11

Read the First and Second Parts of the Sermon, The One That is Lost
Part One: Jesus Came to Save the Lost
Part Two: Be Willing to Accept Jesus Into Your Heart

Be Willing to Accept Jesus Into Your Heart

Sermon: The One That Is Lost

Part Two: 2 Peter 3:9

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

In this verse Peter is telling us that we do not know the time or day when God is coming, so we must do his work as if he is coming in the next second, minute, hour or day. God is not willing for any of us to perish, but the final decision concerning your fate is up to you.

God has his timetable …

And his timetable is not on our time. Jesus is waiting so that more sinners will repent and turn to him. We must not sit and wait for Christ to return, but we should live with the realization that our time is short and we have God’s work to do.

Who among you is over 25 years old? When you think back, do you ask the question, “Where did the time go?”

Time waits for no one …

But God is giving you the time to come to him, to ask for forgiveness and accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Be ready to meet Christ any time, even today. Start serving now. We do not know when he is coming, but we know he is coming!

Matthew 18:14

Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.

God loves you and is waiting for you.

All you have to do is accept his son Jesus as your Savior. Since you are here now, God has given you another opportunity to come to him.

Read all of 2 Peter Chapter 3
Read all of Matthew Chapter 18

Please return next week for the final part of the sermon, The One That Is Lost. God Bless!

Jesus Came to Save the Lost

Sermon: The One That Is Lost

Part One: Matthew 18: 11-13

For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.

We are God’s children.

He loves each of us, and is truly saddened for the one that leaves and is lost. Think of it this way – if a family member or friend leaves and you don’t know where they are, you would be worried.

In this story the shepherd has 100 sheep. He knows where 99 are, but one is lost. He leaves the 99 because he not only knows where they are, he has made provisions for them. Before he leaves, he feeds them and puts protection in place so no harm will come to them.

God sent his only begotten son, Jesus, to save us.

This is what God does for us. God sent his son, Jesus Christ, who came into this world to die for our sins and then on the third day rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven to the Father.

But before this, Jesus went about preaching and teaching the Gospel. This is how he was preparing his flock. For the ones who accepted him as their Lord and Saviour, they went into the flock of God’s Hand.

Now for those who knew not of Christ, they were lost and had to be found. Jesus and his disciples had to go out into the wilderness and find the lost ones.

Read all of Matthew Chapter 18

Please return next week for Part Two of the Sermon, The One That Is Lost