#3 - YESHUA - THE GOOD SHEPHERD
John 10:11 - "... the Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep"
- 6 minute read -
I grew up in Church.
I knew what the preacher was preaching that night.
I had even experienced Yeshua in great measure in the way the preacher was speaking of Him that night.
Even more, I had been filled with Holy Spirit - TWICE - thru the reality of who Yeshua is for me that the preacher was preaching on that night.
But ... ohhhh how I needed to hear again - Yeshua knocking on the doors to various rooms in my soul, asking to come in ... first to reign, then heal, then strengthen, then arrange for people to see Him in me.
The preacher preached - "GRACE IS OUTAGEOUS!"
Many of us know of and are even walking out steps one and two -
1 - Yeshua ALONE is THE Answer - there is no other One to follow for lasting goodness.
2 - Yeshua ALONE is THE Answer in EVERY SITUATION - HE is our "ALL" IN "ALL".
Where we get stuck is step three.
Yeshua defined the role of the Good Shepherd... the GOOD Shepherd "lays down His life for the sheep."
Sheep are rascally characters. And just like Scriptures say, we are prone to wander.
Please do not miss this ... when the sheep wander the first time, the Good Shepherd lays down His life to bring the sheep back into the fold.
When the sheep wanders the SECOND time, the Good Shepherd lays down His life to bring the sheep back into the fold.
When the sheep wanders the THIRD time, the Good Shepherd lays down His life to bring the sheep back into the fold.
Are you hearing me?
When the sheep wanders for the MILLIONTH time, the Good Shepherd lays down His life to bring the sheep back into the fold.
Is this sinking in?
When the sheep wanders for the TRILLIONTH AND FIRST time, the Good Shepherd lays down His life to bring the sheep back into the fold.
The lie the enemy uses to derail people who believe that Yeshua Alone is The Answer in Every situation is this - that you or I will RUN OUT OF TIMES where The Good Shepherd is willing to be our Answer.
Paul - who was so in touch with Holy Spirit that half the New Testament are things he wrote - he testified to this truth about his walk with Jesus -
The things I know I should avoid ... I RUN to them.
And the things I know I should do? ... I run AWAY from those!
Romans 7:19
Doesn't sound much like the testimony of a "holy man," ... so holy that he wrote a bunch of The Bible, does it?
How did such a wretched sinner, like Paul, get restored, get back on track and be such a powerful testifier of Yeshua?
Because He walked in the Outrageous Grace of The Good Shepherd -
Where there was an abundance of sin -
There was a much greater abundance of grace!
Romans 5:20
There is SO much grace it seems outrageous - from our limited perspective - that He would forgive us again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again and again, and again, and again ...
So Yeshua tells the parable of the wandering sheep, and how the Good Shepherd risks his life to bring the sheep back to the fold.
He tells the parable of the wandering son, and the Great Rejoicing of the father when the son returns.
NOTE: The father did NOT tell the son, "I'm glad you are back, but you are going to need to sit the corner and keep quiet and not bug me about stuff." The son was welcomed back JOYFULLY and FULLY. The idea that the son would have to keep working as a servant to pay off the many ways he wronged his father was COMPLETELY REJECTED. The son was fully welcomed back to the father's table of feasting and rejoicing.
Yet I have no doubt that son labored with all his might in service for his father - but NOT out of debt or servitude, but as an expression of love - loving the father because the father first loved him.
Dear One, YOU are desired by The Father back at HIS table of feasting and rejoicing, no matter how far, no matter how many times you have wandered.
The Outrageous Grace of Yeshua moves Him to seek you out, in your wandering - even if it is the trillion-and-first time. His grace is greater than ALL our sin.
This is who our Good Shepherd is - the one who lays down His life willingly for the sheep.
It would be an outrageous thing to think we can rely on His grace to forgive and restore us yet again ... except for the fact The Good Shepherd, Himself, said "If the Son [of God] set you free, YOU ARE FREE INDEED!"
YES! We have a "Get out of jail FREE!" card - paid for by the love and blood of Yeshua!
PRAY - "Yeshua, I don't understand how it is in your heart to love me and desire me after I have failed you so many times. But, 'where else shall I go? You are the Word of Life'! So I come to You - wretched and poor and naked and blind and ashamed of my sin and sorry for rebelling against You and Your Voice of Love, sorry for preferring to respond and follow another voice that is not Yours. Please forgive me. I have no other hope. My only hope is that Your grace is, indeed, greater than ALL my sin. Please wash me clean - white as snow - by Your precious blood spilled for me. Please remove the burden of guilt that tries to weigh me down until I am not able to take another step to follow You. Please remove the mantle of shame that wraps me tight in its grip so I feel like I can't 'live and move and have my being' in You. Please fill every corner of my life with Yourself, Yeshua. Amen"
SONG - Prodigal's Song
The Heavens declare the Manifest Presence of the God of Israel and His Anointed One - Yeshua the Savior, our Good Shepherd. And ALWAYS, if a heart listens, it can hear The Voice of the Good Shepherd, seeking wandering sheep to bring back into our Father's House. This powerful song seeks to stir from an ember to a flame - as He cries out your name, there IS a place deep in your heart responding - "I want to go home to my Father. I want to be a part of where my heart says I belong. I want to wash my weary soul in Living Water."
This song might be the most important prayer you ever pray.
Pray it with as much of your heart as you ablet to give to our Father in Heaven at this moment ... pray it as an act of faith that your desire is to believe Yeshua IS the GOOD Shepherd ... and then listen for His Voice saying, "My Grace IS Outrageous! I have set you FREE!"
CLICK SONG TITLE ABOVE FOR ANOINTED VERSION OF THIS SONG.
Here I am just a poor man
Made poorer still by the knowledge of the riches I have squandered
Oh, I've wandered - I stand convicted
Even knowing that the deepest of my wounds were mostly self-inflicted
Where did my heart go?
Where have I been?
You opened my eyes to the darkness and lies
And I shut them again
And I want to go home to my Father
I want to be part of where my heart says I belong
I want to wash my weary soul in living water
I've been away, way, too long - I want to go home
Out on the bound'ries of my freedom
I was lookin' for fences that would keep me in, and I found there were none
Only your sweet love, Lord And, fool that I've been
You broke the chains of my heartache and pain
And I forged them again
And I want to go home to my Father
I want to be part of where my heart says I belong
I want to wash my weary soul in living water
I've been away, way, too long - I want to go home
Jesus, Lord, please help me, I'm so full of regret
It's so hard to forgive myself, Lord, and it's harder to forget
I need you to hold me and heal me
I need you to mold me and steel me
By the power of your Word to be the son
You've called me to be
And I want to go home to my Father
I want to be part of where my heart says I belong
I want to wash my weary soul in living water
I've been away, way, too long - I want to go home
I've been away, way, too long - I want to go home