Embracing the Shepherd's Calling This Christmas

Jesus Christ said that he had come to preach the gospel to the poor and so if you feel tonight poverty stricken if you feel you don't have the resources to face life or to face your future he brought good news to you that in him you will find the supply that you need to face what whatever it is that you have to face in the days that are just ahead of you he came to heal those that are bruised and broken in heart and taken captive. [00:00:12]

Lord Jesus Christ God almighty we stretch our hands out towards those that you have allowed us to visit tonight through the internet through this medium of Technology you have brought us into somebody's home now take us into their situation I ask you Lord that you would stretch your hand out God tonight at the sound of our words and that you would bring healing you would bring freedom you would bring Vision you would bring sight God you would do something profound in the lives of people that could only be attributed to the working of your power. [00:01:18]

The Lord has a very sensitive spot in his heart for Shepherds and I'm going to conclude this message today by talking about the reason why I believe he revealed the coming of his son to Shepherds now there was another kind of Shepherd throughout seasons in the history of God's people that had been allowed or pushed their way massay into prominence among the people their motives weren't always clear or clean and quite often the Shepherds that would rise up in a time of spiritual declension were the actual reason why the nation went into declension. [00:05:45]

Woe to the Shepherds who destroy and Scatter the Sheep of my pasture says the Lord now you can see this anger in the heart of God you can understand that there is a day when these Shepherds will stand before the Lord and give an account of what they have done in the commission they were given to bring the people of their time into the knowledge of who God is therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel against the Shepherds who Feed My People you've scattered my flock driven them away and not attended to them behold I will attend to you for the evil of your doing says the Lord. [00:06:28]

The message of the Messiah came to Shepherds the Lord himself bypassed the religious Elite of the today I don't know what they were doing I assumed that they were trying to get the best seats and the best ends they they obviously had no care for a young couple and a young woman who was in labor and about to give birth nobody there could give up their table nobody would give up their bed nobody would give up a meal nobody it seemingly even would rise to help this this young couple that's what religion can become without the heart of God at its center. [00:12:20]

You live where the people live you know the struggles in your community you know the addicted The Afflicted the depressed you know the the food deprived you know the families that are hurting because you live there you're out in the field where they are you see the problem that you don't know yet that you're a Shepherd you don't understand yet that the call of God is on your life to do something now it doesn't have to be grand in a sense the way we see grandness in our generation. [00:13:12]

The Son of God has come the Son of God has come to redeem Humanity the Son of God has come to open prison doors give sight to the blind to release those who are oppressed from oppression to open the resource of Heaven to those who have no power in themselves to go where they need to go the Son of God has come and tonight you're sitting in your Wilderness the Lord's speaking to you and he's saying get up and go see this thing because there's going to be more to this than you understand get up and move towards your freedom. [00:17:17]

I assure you that he can give you hope for the future and become a supply of living water inside of you that the Bible says will never fail you I assure you that the Son of God has a plan for your life much bigger than how you have seen your life thus far and I'll tell you why because you're a sheer sheer because you care you only have a little bit under your hand but you really do care for what's under your hand even even if you did lose some of it you still care you care because you're a Shepherd. [00:18:10]

God is going to raise up Shepherds again in this generation you see folks here it's really simple when Jesus first came the message was given of his coming to Shepherds and before he returns he's going to give the message to Shepherds once again and it's the Shepherds that will gather the people it's the Shepherds that will have the message of God's Redemption they don't they're not in Ministry for any other reason they're not using it for the best seats in the synagogue or to be called Rabbi Rabbi in the marketplace. [00:20:06]

What God puts under your hand might only be your own children might be your own family and then it will expand to your neighbors and your friends and before you know it you just might have a Bible study going in your house because you're a Shepherd you don't have to know it all you have to know him there is a big difference you know the Pharisees knew a lot of scripture the scribes knew a lot of scripture but when he came they didn't know him but when you know him when you understand his kindness. [00:21:01]

Thank you God for giving me a message and a heart to bring it to others thank you God that I can go to people just like me I can tell them what I found I can tell them what I've seen I can tell them they can be free I can tell them that what you've done in my life you go you can do for them thank you God I may not have a big flock but it doesn't matter God I will look after that which you put under my hand I will be a Shepherd to them. [00:24:35]

Shepherds I see Shepherds I see Shepherds everywhere I see Bible studies in homes all over the nation Shepherds just opening and reading the word of God giving encouragement to those that are discouraged helping those who are dismayed helping their young binding up their wounds giving them a reason to live oh God oh God thank you thank you for what you've chosen to let me see thank you Jesus God almighty help those that are online tonight to hear this for the calling on every life is much deeper than we understand. [00:25:17]