Jesus is The Good Shepherd
John 10:1-21Intro Questions
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- God is ... What do we learn about God in this passage?
- We are ... What do we learn about people in this passage?
- I will ... What has the Holy Spirit revealed to us in this passage? How can I apply it to my life this week?
- You can ... Who do you know who needs to hear this? Feel free to share with others by social media links at the bottom of this.
- As a child, what was your favorite pet? How did this pet respond when it heard your voice?
- What do the sheep, shepherd, the sheep pen and stranger represent? How does the story in chapter 9 provide one example of what this parable is about?
- How do the sheep respond to the shepherd? How does this relate to the Pharisees' difficulty in understanding Jesus?
- What does Jesus mean by likening himself to a gate for the sheepfold? Who are these "thieves and robbers"? How is Jesus unlike them?
- How does Jesus identify himself with the "good shepherd" (John 10:11-15)? How does Jesus' death relate to his promise in John 10:10?
- Who are the "other sheep" he must bring also? What characterizes his flock?
- What final claim does Jesus make (John 10:17-18)? Why do his listeners respond as they do? How would you have responded?
- What was the turning point for you in terms of hearing "God's voice" and responding?
- How do you discern his voice from all the voices that vie for your attention?
- How does it make you feel to think of God caring for you as the Good Shepherd?
WHEN ONE DOOR CLOSES
November 14, 2018
Dr. Joe Pettigrew
"I am the door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved." John 10:9
Every opportunity is not from the Lord. You have heard it said, or maybe you have said it yourself, "I will wait and see what door opens, and that's where I will go." This sounds more like chance than it does faith. Just because a door opens does not mean it is from the Lord.
We are to walk by faith, not by sight and not by chance. The Bible tells us to test every opportunity to see if it is from God. Why do you suppose the Scripture would give such instruction? Because there is more than one voice out there. More than one voice is trying to speak into your life. More than one voice is trying to control you. Every opportunity is not from God, so we need Biblical discernment to determine who the voice is and if it is there from the Lord. It is the same with the doors that open to us. We need biblical discernment to determine if the door is opened by Jesus or by someone else.
Jesus said in the Gospel of John that He, "is the Door." This means that everything in our life should go through Him. He is the way in and the way out. He is the one who opens up opportunities, and He is the one who closes down opportunities. We are to do all things through Him to make sure we are not going through the wrong doors.
Discernment is not a feeling, it is based on the Word of God, and it is based on having the lines of communication open with Jesus. He is ready to guide you and me in all things and through all things.
Before you go through any door, make sure it is the door the Lord is leading you through. Make sure it is the door that He is opening for you. Make sure you are walking in His marvelous light and not just going through a door of opportunity, because somehow it is open for you. You're tempted to rush into life because of the fast pace to which society is stepping. Many doors will open for you. Many doors will close. What will you do? Remember that through it all, Jesus Christ will be behind every door as you seek Him with all your heart. He has promised never to leave you, nor forsake you.
Thought for the Day: When the devil comes and knocks at your heart's door, cosider saying, "Jesus, please go answer the door." The Lord is there with us to take care of us.
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