OUR GOOD SHEPHERD
Last night I was invited to the church of a friend of mine…I went and enjoyed every minute…It was an Episcopalian church…The people we very friendly, they had some great food and fellowship and then, we all heard some great preaching or teaching from the head rector of that parish church…The word “Rector” from the Latin, means “teacher,” and that is just what this young man was doing last night…
If all pastors, preachers, evangelists and so forth would teach the Word of God to their flock as this young man does, the world would have to be a better place to life…I was extensively impressed……
I was very impressed at how well organized everything was in this church…Somebody knows what they are doing and the main One who knows what He’s doing is God…
The young man who brought the message is truly a gifted speaker…He is also the “under shepherd” of that very large flock of sheep… Now someone may ask what is an ”under shepherd…?”
This man, or, “Under Shepherd,” is the shepherd who is under Jesus…Because Jesus is the main Shepherd…and Jesus is also the Head of the Church…
A shepherd is solely responsible for the well being of the flock…
I was very impressed at how well organized everything was in this church…Somebody knows what they are doing and the main One who knows what He’s doing is God…
The young man who brought the message is truly a gifted speaker…He is also the “under shepherd” of that very large flock of sheep… Now someone may ask what is an ”under shepherd…?”
This man, or, “Under Shepherd,” is the shepherd who is under Jesus…Because Jesus is the main Shepherd…and Jesus is also the Head of the Church…
A shepherd is solely responsible for the well being of the flock…
When David was a young shepherd, he fought both a lion and a bear in order to protect the sheep entrusted to his care…(1st Samuel 17: 34-36)…
If a sheep were killed, the shepherd was required to produce evidence that the incident had not been his fault…(Exodus 22:13)…
Any diligent shepherd would willingly risk danger for the sake of the defenseless animals…(Genesis 3:39; 1st Samuel 17:34)…
In an even greater way, Jesus is our Good Shepherd who was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice and put His own life on the line for us…(John 10:11)…
There are at least three points to consider about our Lord’s sacrifice…
1) Jesus’ sacrifice was voluntary… Jesus was not a hapless victim of the whims of circumstanced and He stated unequivocally; “No one takes (My life) from me, but I lay it down on my own accord”…
If a sheep were killed, the shepherd was required to produce evidence that the incident had not been his fault…(Exodus 22:13)…
Any diligent shepherd would willingly risk danger for the sake of the defenseless animals…(Genesis 3:39; 1st Samuel 17:34)…
In an even greater way, Jesus is our Good Shepherd who was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice and put His own life on the line for us…(John 10:11)…
There are at least three points to consider about our Lord’s sacrifice…
1) Jesus’ sacrifice was voluntary… Jesus was not a hapless victim of the whims of circumstanced and He stated unequivocally; “No one takes (My life) from me, but I lay it down on my own accord”…
If we look at our Lord’s death from a straightforward and purely historical perspective, Jesus died because Judas had betrayed Him, because Pilate was a coward, because the religious leaders hated Him…
If we consider the crucifixion from a theological standpoint, the Son of God died for the sin of the whole world…(Isaiah 53:5-6; John 1:29)…But if we attempt to ponder this event vicariously from Jesus human perspective, we cannot get around the reality that His was the supreme act of love, because He voluntarily gave up His own life for ours…(Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 5: 2, 25)…
If we consider the crucifixion from a theological standpoint, the Son of God died for the sin of the whole world…(Isaiah 53:5-6; John 1:29)…But if we attempt to ponder this event vicariously from Jesus human perspective, we cannot get around the reality that His was the supreme act of love, because He voluntarily gave up His own life for ours…(Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 5: 2, 25)…
2) Jesus’ sacrifice was total… Our Savior set aside His glory as God the Son to enter our world as a vulnerable baby…He experienced being forsaken by God the Father before He succumbed to death…He died physically, but He also died spiritually, bearing the Father’s wrath and accepting His ultimate punishment for our sins—separation from God the Father…(Romans 5:6-11)…
3) His sacrifice was beneficial… Jesus Christ died in our stead…and theologians refer to this as substitution…(1st Peter 3:18)… but He also died for our benefit, for which scholars use the term, “vicarious atonement…”
Jesus died for our sins, and God blesses us by assigning to us the results of that sacrifice…
Jesus died for our sins, and God blesses us by assigning to us the results of that sacrifice…
(2nd Corinthians 5:21; “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him…" )
(1st Peter 2:22; “Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth”)…
Now turning this back toward the young Rector I heard last night…but not only him…but all men who preach and teach the word of God for the edification of the church of Jesus Christ…Theirs is a worthy job…and also worthy of the highest respect from each of us…
A real man of God has been called by God into that special calling in life…So he is called to answer that calling as he volunteers his SPIRIT, time, and effort for the glory of God…
He is to give totally of himself to God and his flock for the glory of God…
He is to know that all he does is beneficial for the kingdom of God, to the glory of God…
A real shepherd must follow in the footsteps of Jesus, for the glory of God the Father…
May the Lord bless you!
Now turning this back toward the young Rector I heard last night…but not only him…but all men who preach and teach the word of God for the edification of the church of Jesus Christ…Theirs is a worthy job…and also worthy of the highest respect from each of us…
A real man of God has been called by God into that special calling in life…So he is called to answer that calling as he volunteers his SPIRIT, time, and effort for the glory of God…
He is to give totally of himself to God and his flock for the glory of God…
He is to know that all he does is beneficial for the kingdom of God, to the glory of God…
A real shepherd must follow in the footsteps of Jesus, for the glory of God the Father…
May the Lord bless you!
Rev. Robert N. Graves, Sr. Fisherman for Christ
posted by Fisherman For Christ at 3/05/2009 01:32:00 PM
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