Two Year Gospel Study Week 92

The Gospel of John Week 14 Scripture: John 10:1-28, Psalm 118. In our text today, Jesus talks of being the Good Shepherd. He talks of His sheep. He talks of being the Gate. He tells us He knows His sheep and His sheep know Him. And He tells us that He brings life to His sheep. Pastor Dodge shares a personal testimony and experience along with many personal photos expounding on what God taught him about the difference between sheep and goats.  Pastor shares how powerfully this revelation has impacted him personally, impacted his teaching on God as the Good Shepherd and given him insight into us as God's sheep.  As Jesus continues, He makes it known that salvation is through Him alone. We see His heart for His people to recognize Him as their Messiah. Jesus doesn't offer us a bunch of rules and regulations - what He offers us is Himself. What He offers us is real life. Life that matters, life that has purpose and significance and life that will never end!  Compare what Jesus gives us to what the enemy brings.  The enemy comes only to steal, kill and destroy. But Jesus brings life, abundant life, life to the full! Jesus wants us to experience the joy of knowing Him, of knowing the Father through Him, of knowing we will live forever. As our Shepherd, even in the toughest of times our lives have meaning and purpose. He is there with us and He will use all things together for our good because He loves and cares for His sheep. Jesus knows us by name - We are precious to Him. 
He is our Good Shepherd.  We can trust Him. We can rely upon Him. Jesus tells the group He's speaking to that He will lay down His life for his sheep. He says after He lays down His life, He will take it up again - death cannot hold Him, He will rise! He is speaking of all that is coming in the next months ahead.
 We see many coming to faith in Jesus after hearing what He said about being the Good Shepherd - but there were many that hearing what He said wanted even more so to get rid of Him. As the class draws to a close, Pastor shares the story of Hanukah - the Festival of Dedication - mentioned in John 10:22. As we finish with today's text, Jesus goes on to retell the people that His sheep hear His voice, they listen to Him, and He gives eternal life to them and no one will snatch them out of His hand. These are powerful and reassuring words for every believer.

Jesus IS the Good Shepherd.  Jesus is OUR Good Shepherd! Our website – https://www.awakeusnow.com Watch the video from our website! https://www.awakeusnow.com/2-year-study-of-the-gospels-upper Watch the video from our YouTube Channel!! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTaaqrC3dMOzMkhPyiNWwlJRpV6Bwpu01     ⁃    The Gospel of John study is part five of five of our Two Year Study of the Gospels.      ⁃    The Gospel of John may be one of the most powerful books ever written. Many people have come to faith after reading only this book of the Bible.  Scholarly and archeological discoveries in recent decades give us new insight on details in the Gospel of John. We can now understand it as the most Jewish rather than the most "Gentile/Greek" of the Gospels, and when we do that we see many things that we missed before. Our 2 year study of the gospels is great for large group, small group or home group study and can be started at any time!