Posts Tagged sheep
Sermon Roulette (Pick 1 of 4) Four Sermon Outlines: Pick Which One You Like RSUMC 20150426
Posted by myoikos in Uncategorized on April 25, 2015
Four Sermon Outlines: Pick Which One You Like
We Told You So Acts 4:5-12
The next day their rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. When they had made the prisoners stand in their midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are questioned today because of a good deed done to someone who was sick and are asked how this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. This Jesus is ‘the stone that was rejected by you, the builders; it has become the cornerstone.’ There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.” [NRSV]
Cornerstone, Jesus is the
- Power from the Cornerstone
- Truth from the Cornerstone
- Salvation through the Cornerstone
Our Shepherd Knows Our Needs Psalm 23
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff– they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD my whole life long. [NRSV]
The shepherd leads the sheep to what they need
- Daily Bread
- Daily Walk
- Daily Struggle with Evil
- Daily Worship
1 John 3:16-24 God Jumped In First
We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us–and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help? Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God; and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him. And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us. [NRSV]
Love is an active verb not just a cognitive affirmation
- Christ Acts Before We Do
- God Loves Frist
- Our Response to Grace and Love is Commitment
- We Obey because God Has Already Moved in to Help/Save
John 10:11-18 Listening and Hearing
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away–and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own 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 do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.” [NRSV]
Listening and Hearing
- The shepherd and sheep listen for one another
- Listening because we can
- Listening because we have to
- Listening to see what we choose to hear
- Listening to be found by God
- Jesus has hardwired our connection
Matthew 25:31-46 “Are You A Goat?” RSUMC 20141116
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33 and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 34 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ 40 And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ 41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, “You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” [NRSV]
- All Gathered at the Throne: No real doubt about judgement, all those who believe are not all those who are righteous.
- The Judgement is based not on our belief, but on our response to the belief we profess.
- Loving God is linked to loving our neighbor:
- Punishment is leaving eternal life.
- Sheep Leave a legacy of loving one’s neighbor. The Goats leave a legacy of rules,
Who are the Sheep among us? Who are the Goats? Get to work on our legacy while you can.
Luke 15:1-10 The Found Might Be Lost JUMC 20130915
Posted by myoikos in 5 Practices, Boldness, Christian LIving, Generosity, Ministry, Missions, Risk Taking Mission and Service, Service on September 14, 2013
Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
So he told them this parable: “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
“Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” [NRSV]
What boy have ten baseball cards looses his 1915 Cracker Jack Honus Wagner card, does not search his house and bed room until he finds it and when it does find it her posts on Facebook to tell all his friends. And all his friends “Like” and comment how happy they are that he found it.
What dog breeder, who leaving ninety-nine dogs in the pen to go looking for the one who climbed under the fence and ran away. And when the breeder finds the pup, the breeder puts dog on his shoulder and carries it home with joy and celebration.
What girl having broken her grandmother’s string of pearls in her room would not sweep and vacuum up her carpet looking through the lint and trash until she finds every last one. And when she finds them all goes and tells the good news that what was lost has been found.
What stockbroker who lost their client one million dollars with a bad decision does not research and how to use the remaining 99 million to make back the one that that was lost. And when he does he is no longer afraid to call the client, but shares the good news that their account broken even that day.
What teacher, who leaving the classroom unsupervised to take the one troubled student to the school counselor comes back to the classroom and finds the students and classroom in order and on-task. That teacher rejoices and calls off the pop quiz and joy fills the class.
What politician, who leaving the 99 political party members that are in their back pocket, goes across the isles to do the right thing for the country even though the 99 are mad, threatening and hurt that he bailed on them. And all the people who elected the officials rejoiced that the people were represented over the politician’s party and popularity.
What man, having ten children, leaves at home and at work the nine who are faithful and responsible and goes into the far country to find the one that has run away. And when the father and child return that are all glad to be home together.
What mechanic, having taken apart the engine of a prized race car for cleaning and finds one custom forged bolt has been lost, does not dredge the oil pan and search the shop until he finds the part and completes the rebuild. Does he not rejoice with the others in the shop that he found the part?
What faithful church member, who having been concerned about the budget, the rules administrative council and the proper reverence of the sanctuary does not leave the guidelines behind when the needs of school children who are hunger or without warm coats; or forgets the limits of the budget and gives to send missionaries and mission teams around the world, and opens the doors of the church to show the lost that we care about them more than we care about our own. Who rejoices then?
It’s the same story through out. The parable continues to point us to see when Jesus rejoices… When the found are no longer lost and the lost are completely found.
Vanderbilt Lectionary Weekly Texts- January 26, 2020: Third Sunday after the Epiphany (Year A)Isaiah 9:1-4 * Psalm 27:1, 4-9 * 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 * Matthew 4:12-23
- January 26, 2020: Third Sunday after the Epiphany (Year A)