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“The Chief Shepherd”
(Pastor appreciation Sunday)
October 27, 2013Ainsworth Assembly of God
AM Church
Bible Text: I Peter 5:1-4
1The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed:2Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion butwillingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly;3nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock;4and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.
What a blessing it is to me to receive so many tokens of your love and appreciation as a congregation. To set today as a day to honor Vicki and I as your pastors is very special to us. We are very grateful to God for a loving congregation! It really is great to feel the love that you have for us. You guys are always giving me a bad time about preaching too long and I’m trying to shorten my sermons up some. At least you haven’t done what one pastor had happen to him.
My pastor friend put sanitary hot air hand dryers in the rest rooms at his church and after two weeks took them out. I asked him why and he confessed that they worked fine but when he went in there he saw a sign that read, "For a sample of this week's sermon, push the button."
Well, I hope this is not hot air!
For the next few minutes let us direct our attention to another shepherd. Here in I Peter 5:4, Peter describes Jesus as “the Chief Shepherd.” The Greek word is It refers to the chief or preeminent shepherd. The top dog! The greatest one! Truly Jesus is the most wonderful shepherd one could ever have in life! As Peter writes instructions to the Pastors, he reminds them that we are all serving the Chief Shepherd! This morning…
What makes Jesus the greatest and best Shepherd one could ever have? As I thought about this my thoughts turned to the Shepherd’s Psalm.
I think David offers us some wonderful thoughts in the 23rd Psalm. I would like you to join me for a few moments to meditate with David as he describes the Chief Shepherd.
Notice:
1)This Wonderful Shepherd Knows Our Every Need and How To Meet them.
“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want!”
Have you walked into church today with some overwhelming need in your life?
Friends Jesus called 12 men to follow Him for three and a half years. One thing they learned during that time was that the Lord Jesus knew how to meet every situation and solve every problem.
When it was supper time and the cook was sick, he stood over Peter’s mother-in-law and rebuked the fever. She immediately got up and served them.
When the wedding was headed for disaster because of poor planning, Jesus knew how to solve the problem with a little help from the servants. In John 2, the LORD turned the water into wine and they reported, “You have kept the good wine until now!” (v; 10)
When a great crowd of people showed up for service and stayed way past supper time Jesus knew how to take a little and make a lot out of it. A little boys lunch fed a large crowd of people and they were all satisfied. I haven’t figured out which was the greatest miracle. The multiplying of the loaves and fishes or the fact that all those people ate out and no one complained! Ha! Luke 9:17 NIV
Friends, as we follow the story of Jesus and the 12 disciples through the gospel record, we see that there was no need to big or too small that Jesus did not have an answer to it.
The woman who met Jesus at the well near Sycar had an inner need she could not fill. She had a thirsty soul. She was married 5 times and living with #6. But she was still seeking something to satisfy her thirsty soul. No man on earth could ever do that except the One who called Himself the Good Shepherd. That day as she talked with Jesus I believe she found something to fill the emptiness in her soul. She drank from the fountain that would never run dry. Jesus Christ satisfied her thirsty soul. “…but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:14)
When Peter needed money to pay the Roman poll tax he told Jesus about it. The Lord sent him to get his fishing pole and look in the mouth of the first fish he caught. Sure enough there was a coin worth enough to pay the taxes for both of them. How many of us worry and fret over how we are going to get our taxes paid. Jesus said, “Ged down to the lake and go fishing.” While they were fishing the Lord was working! Isn’t He an amazing Shepherd?
When the ship was about to go down in a storm on Galilee, the disciples woke Jesus up and He stilled the storm.
When the Pharisees and intellectuals brought hard questions to Jesus they went away amazed and scratching their heads because He always had an answer for them.
All through the gospels we find Jesus solving everyday problems and meeting human needs.
He’s the Chief Shepherd, friend because He knows how to meet every need that we have. O, How wonderful He is. If we would only ask Him. If we would only seek His wisdom. If we would only let Him direct our lives! If we would only do as David did and make the LORD our personal Shepherd, we would soon find that He is a wonderful shepherd. He’s worthy of our greatest love and obedience!
A Sunday School teacher decided to have her young class memorize Psalm 23. She gave the kids a month to learn the chapter.
Little Billy was excited about the task, but he just couldn't remember the Psalm. After much practice, he could barely get past the first line.
On the day that the kids were scheduled to recite Psalm 23 in front of the congregation, Billy was nervous. When it was his turn, he stepped up to the microphone and said proudly, "The Lord is my shepherd, and that's all I need to know."
He was right. When it comes down to it, knowing Christ is the most important thing we can do.
2)This Wonderful Shepherd Restores Lives That Have Gotten All Mixed Up.
How does He do this? Notice the 2nd and 3rd verses.
“He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul.”
Are you here today and stand in need of restoration? Life has a way of taking the varnish off of things doesn’t it? As life happens things can get pretty chipped and dented. Things that once were shiny and new, get used to the point they are seemingly all used up.
People restore old cars to their original condition.
People restore old tractors and take them to tractor pulls.
Some people love to restore furniture. Lee Ann loves to buy pieces that have been restored!
We need people who restore things because the new can wear off pretty fast!
The new can wear off of a marriage pretty fast sometimes.
Sometimes the new can wear off of a job. We were excited and looking forward to going to work, but sometimes the new wears off.
The new can wear off of life. In fact many people come to the place where life seems not worth living any more! Friend, why throw it away, let Christ restore it!
You know what I’m talking about. “He restores my soul!”
I think that means He can give us a reason to get up in the morning again.
I think that means He can give us a love for life again.
Souls that have been wounded by abuse and neglect need the healing hand of the Great Shepherd!
I think this wonderful Shepherd does this by “making us lie down in green pastures, “ and by “leading us beside still waters.”
Tight finances can squeeze the life out of our soul at times. I read about a pastoral couple who struggled to make ends meet.
Struggling to make ends meet on a first-call salary, the pastor was livid when he confronted his wife with the receipt for a $250 dress she had bought. "How could you do this?!"
"I was outside the store looking at the dress in the window, and then I found myself trying it on," she explained. "It was like Satan was whispering in my ear, 'You look fabulous in that dress. Buy it!'" "Well," the pastor replied, "You know how I deal with that kind of temptation. I say, 'Get behind me, Satan!'" "I did," replied his wife, "but then he said, 'It looks fabulous from back here, too!'"
Friends, life has a way of beating us up, but God knows what we need to restore us. Sometimes we need to buy a new dress! Sometimes we need to take a trip! Sometimes we need a fishing trip! Sometimes we need to lay down in a green pasture! Sometimes we need the Lord to restore our soul!
Is that you today? I believe Jesus knows what it takes to restore our energy and zip for life! He touched Ruth and told her she was to be a “high stepper!” Don’t you love that?
3)This Wonderful Shepherd Will Lead Me Through Life on Righteous Pathways!
“He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake!”
How twisted and crooked our path can get when we try and direct our own way.
Why is righteousness important?
-Righteousness delivers from death! Proverbs 10:2
Physical and spiritual death! We get on the path of righteousness through simple faith in Jesus Christ. Listen to this from Romans 3:25 “For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood.” NLT
This righteousness delivers us from spiritual death in hell!
-“The righteous LORD loves righteousness.” Psalm 11:7
-“In the way of righteousness is life…” Proverbs 12:28
-According to Philippians 1:11, righteousness produces fruits
that are a blessing to God and in my life. God wants our life filled with this kind of fruit. Paul noted that the Philippian believers were “filled with the fruits of righteousness.”
Right living produces fruit that I can enjoy and others too!
When we have a righteous heart and walk a righteous path we are going to produce fruits of righteousness! What does that mean?
A pastor places his order at the pet store: "I need at least 50 mice, 2000 ants and as many of those little silverfish you can get." The clerk replies, "We can probably do that, but it might take some time. Mind if I ask why you are placing such an unusual order?" The pastor replies, "I've accepted a call to another church and the congregation council told me to leave the parsonage the way I found it." (And that’s what he intended to do!!!)
What’s wrong with that picture? He was doing what he had been asked, right?
The righteousness we are talking about is a heart and life that please God! You can do what you are told but there be nothing about it that is righteous! Our wonderful Shepherd seeks to lead us down roadways in life that bring a blessing!
Why would we resist that?
Notice the LORD wants to lead us in paths of righteousness. He doesn’t drive us. If we want this life that pleases God and produces blessing in my life, we have to consistently walk under His guidance!
One step is not a path. I learned as a kid on the farm that a path is a route that one takes time after time. Pretty soon you have a path.
I haven’t heard it for a while, but I used to hear Christians talk about what God was leading them to do. Then the next week He was leading them to a different job. Then the next week it was something different. Once we get God’s leading on something we need to stay with it. Make a pathway! Be consistent! It gets easier the more you travel the way God lays out for you.
The reason some of us find the Christian life unfulfilling and unrewarding is that we are like the colts I used to lead sometimes. I was leading and they were following, but it was with all four feet braced and their neck stretched behind another horse. It was an unpleasant experience for everyone involved until they learned that when they felt the slightest tug on that lead rope they needed to be moving! It was amazing how much smoother things went when they finally got the idea that I was in charge and not them. It took some skinned necks and noses, but they were usually pretty quick to catch on.
Sometimes we never do catch on to the fact that Jesus really is a wonderful Shepherd. He really does have a good plan and a good path for us to travel through life on.
Now because I don’t want anyone to put any signs up in the bathroom, I’m going to cut this off and finish it tonight.
The story is told of a minister of a church in a small community, retiring after 40 years of service to the church and that community. 1) It was a big day, grand celebration, as an expression of gratitude for all he had done. A young man from the community who had made it big in the theater came home to add to the celebration. A part of the program that day called for the actor to recite the 23rd Psalm, as a tribute to this respected shepherd of the community. The young man, in a performance fit for Broadway, gave a flawless dramatic recitation of that great passage of scripture. The audience cheered, and clapped and called for an encore. He declined, saying it was time to hear from the guest of honor. Just then, the aged veteran of the faith stepped to the podium, made a few remarks and then leaning heavily on his cane in a shaky voice he began, “The Lord is my Shepherd – I shall not want ...” When he finished, there was a hush over the crowd, heads were bowed as if in prayer. Some in the audience however, did not understand. “Why the difference?” they asked. Then the young man stepped to the podium once again and said, “Let me explain. For me you clapped and cheered and called for an encore. But when Pastor Smith was done your were reverently quiet.” What’s the difference you ask? It’s really rather simple. I know the Psalm, but he knows the shepherd.”
That’s my question to you today. Do you know the shepherd? Is He a wonderful Shepherd to You?
SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP
October 27, 2013Ainsworth Assembly of God
ORDER OF SERVICE
OPEN:This is the Day(This is the Hour That…Power)
I’ve Got the Joy, Joy, Joy Down in my Heart
(Peace that passeth understanding, Down…)
KIDS SPECIALGod’s Army
WELCOME/ANNOUNCEMENTS
Operation Christmas Child/Cynthia
PRAYER
HYMN #479 The Lily of the Valley
OFFERING(Pray for special needs in bulletin)
SPECIAL SONG
WORSHIP
God is Good All the Time
Mighty to Save
Everlasting God
Draw Me Close
PASTOR’S MESSAGE
CLOSE#403 What a Friend We Have In Jesus