Two kinds of Shepherd
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.
But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them (10-12 NKJ).
1. Satan is the thief - who comes to steal the precious things out of your house.
2. Jesus is the source - the One who puts precious things into your house.
Characteristics of a good shepherd
- Loves and cares for the sheep
- Feeds the sheep
- Protects the sheep from predators
- Knows the sheep by name
- Leads the sheep in the right path
Characteristics of a hireling - not a true shepherd
- Fleeces the flock; uses them for his own benefit
- Does not protect the sheep; runs away in the face of danger
- Does not feed the sheep healthy food
- Does not really know or care for the sheep
- Carelessly leads them astray into dangerous paths
Two kinds of sheep
But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand (26-28).
1. Characteristics of His Sheep
- Hear His voice
- Know His voice
- They follow Jesus
2. Characteristics of those who are Not His Sheep
- Don’t hear
- Don’t follow
- Jesus isn’t given the opportunity to know them
Five things it’s going to take to become an effective part of God’s flock
- It takes courage to join a family that is misunderstood by the world.
- It takes discipline to accomplish the tasks God has set out for us.
- It takes vision to overcome inevitable problems and to see what God is doing in the lives of His children.
- It takes endurance to stick with your brothers and sisters in Christ when it would be so much easier to go your own way.
- It takes love to hold God’s family together and to reach out and invite others to join it. It takes the different kinds of love: tender; tough; sacrificial; and radical love.
Victory Leaders let us follow the example of the Good and Chief Shepherd—Jesus Christ!
Dr. George Hill
President/Founder
Victory Churches International