The Good Shepherd | Dan Deeble | ONE 2022
Teaching Notes
“I am the good shepherd.”
Jesus (John 10:11, 14)
“Who’s shepherding you?”
Three Suburbian Obstacles Regarding Sheep & Shepherds…
1. They thought of Slingers and we think of Precious Moments
“An experienced slinger could kill or seriously injure a target at a distance of up to two hundred yards. The Romans even had a special set of tongs made just to remove stones that had been embedded in some poor soldier’s body by a sling.”
Malcom Gladwell, David & Goliath
Regarding Sheep & Shepherds…
2. They knew the backstory and we think we are the story
The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally. So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals. My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them….
Ezekiel 34:1-6
I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord. I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice….
Ezekiel 34:15-16
I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd. I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them. I the Lord have spoken.
Ezekiel 34:23-24
To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.
Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
“Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.
Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
The Jews who heard these words were again divided. Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?”
But others said, “These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”
John 10:1-21
What is Jesus saying here?
Ezekiel heard right.
I am…all that was prophesied and promised.
My people have had far too many bad shepherds for far too long
Regarding Sheep & Shepherds…
3. They thought of a business enterprise and we think of a petting zoo
Business: “Woo-le”
Investment Group
Build Infrastructure
Purchase Inventory
Growth Phase
Go To Market
Reinvestment
What were the bad shepherds doing?
They were taking nothing to market.
Who is the thief in John 10:10?
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10)
It’s the religious leaders; the bad shepherds.
What is Jesus doing?
He is deconstructing destructive religion
He’s subverting the entire business model
I will take myself to market.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (- Jesus, John 10:10-11)
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
Isaiah 53:6-7
“Who’s shepherding you?”
Bad Shepherd
Takes from you
Preys upon your vulnerabilities
Leaves you defenseless
Abandons you
Creates Insecurity
Good Shepherd
Gives to you
Protects you
Lays themselves down
Grounds you
Creates freedom
Watching Group Content + Discussion
Find weekly watching group content here.
What stood out to you from today’s viewing?
How would you summarize these chapters in a sentence or two?
What did you learn about Jesus in these chapters?
What did you learn about people/humanity in these chapters?
What is God asking you to do, be, embrace, change and/or believe from these chapters?
Sunday Set List
WFC Lenexa/Online
Child of God- Mitch Langley
Jesus Is Our King- The Collective KC
King of Kings- Hillsong
Believe For It- CeCe Winans
WFC Speedway
Child of Love- We The Kingdom
Mercy - Elevation Worship
Amazing Grace- Chris Tomlin
Be sure to save our Spotify Worship Playlist, updated weekly with the upcoming Sunday’s set!