John 10:11-21

"When [Jesus] said these things [about laying down his life and taking it back up], the people were again divided in their opinions about him. Some..."

"[Jesus continued,] "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He...."

"Dear Precious One, Few passages of Scripture were more beloved in My time on earth than the twenty-third Psalm. Like in your day, many found great..."

"Just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I give my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not in this flock, and I must bring them..."

"[Jesus said,] "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...."

"[Jesus continued,] "I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my..."

"[Jesus continued,] "The Father loves me because I sacrifice my life so I may take it back again. No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it..."

Inspirational illustration of John 10:14-15 -- [Jesus said,] '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.'

In a world of deception, spin, and verbal hedging, is there anyone we can trust? Tom Norvell shares with us insight into our skepticism and why we find it so hard to trust anyone.

Imagine the audacity of Jesus to identify himself as the LORD, our shepherd, the one David praises in Psalm 23 as well the God of deliverance who identified himself to Moses at the burning bush in Exodus 3! Demetrius Collins & Phil Ware lead through worship in song, the Lord's Supper, a powerful message from God's word about Jesus our good shepherd, along with a closing blessing for worship from home with family and friends in a meaningful way.

How do you know you can trust the promises of Jesus? Phil Ware talks about the promises of Jesus and how we know we can trust them: because he kept the hard and painful promises to die for us.

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."

""I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.""

"[Jesus continued,] "I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be....."

Inspirational illustration of John 10:11 -- I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep.

So what really is your name? Patrick Odum talks about a humorous situation where his neighbor repeatedly called him Jim even though that was not his name.

"Dear Seeker, My words have always provoked strong reactions! I do not leave people any middle ground for their decision about Me. There is no "safe"...."

"[Jesus told his disciples:] "The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give [those who come to Him to be saved] a rich..."

"Dear Friend, There are many voices that call out to you and seek to win your heart. There are many distractions in your busy and high-tech culture..."

The description of the Good Shepherd in John 10 aligns beautifully with Jesus' definition of serving and giving himself to bless us in Mark 10. Phil Ware continues his thoughts on becoming JesuShaped disciples, this week focusing on the horrors of the litany of spiritual abuse cases in the news and how different they are from Jesus’ definition of a JesuShaped leader and godly shepherd.

Can you ever think of when giving up is ever good? Jesus gave up his spirit, but he did not give up his mission, his mercy, his grace.

What are you connected to the most? We are connected to our iPhones, iPads, iTouch, iTunes, iMac, iChat, but have we lost the connection to the I AM?

Seeing the Passion has made a difference in many — how about you? We need to ask ourselves what are we going to do with Jesus' passion in the long term.