Digging Deeper | Week of May 8th

I AM | Week 7 | I Am The Good Shepherd
Pastor Dave Pretlove
‭‭John‬ ‭10:10-18‬ ‭NIV‬‬
Jesus wants us to know three things...

1.  “Your neediness is no match for my care.”
John 10:10-11; Psalm 23

2.  “No one knows you like I do, and no one loves you like I do.”
John 10:11-15, 15:13

3.  “I want you to be part of a diverse, global, united flock”.
John 10:16

“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." John 10:11-15

1. Read John 10:11-15. When you look at the comparisons made between a good shepherd and Jesus, can you see where Jesus has been the good shepherd in your own life? What are some examples?
 
2. Verse 14 reads, “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me.” A large part of safety for sheep is their ability to recognize their shepherd’s voice. How do you distinguish the voice of God from the other voices we are so bombarded with? How can you get better at distinguishing His voice?
 
3. Was there a specific part of Pastor Dave’s message that really ministered to your soul this week? Please share.
 
4. Charles Spurgeon says “He is giving his life still. The life that is in the man Christ Jesus he is
always giving for us. It is for us he lives, and because he lives we live also. He lives to plead for
us. He lives to represent us in heaven. He lives to rule providence for us.” What are your
thoughts about this?
 
5. Read something to think about. Ask if anyone in the group has experience with sheep or has witness a shepherd first hand.
 
6. Close by reading Psalm 23 together.

When I lived in Turkey for 2 months I was in a village where half of the people were shepherds
and half were farmers. It was so incredible to watch how the shepherds would care for their
flock and how they knew them individually. They would care for their every need, finding them
new meadows, fresh water, keeping them from dangerous areas, watching for predators, and
bringing them home safe at night. This week meditate on the fact that Jesus knows you completely and he cares for you just as a good shepherd cares for his sheep. May you rest in his guidance and peace.
Dusty Braun
Adult Ministries Pastor