Jesus: The Good Shepherd John 10:11-15

Text:  I am the good Shepherd; the good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep.”                                                                   

John 10:11.

Good morning, well-cared for Christian!  In the physical realm of everyday life in rural areas, a person who would shepherd sheep must necessarily be an individual who truly cares for the sheep in his/her charge.  No cruel and careless individual would be permitted to be in a position of charge over any ‘dumb animal’ - and in the Spiritual Realm, praise God, it is no different.

You and I are saved by, worship, know and love, the Good Shepherd - Jesus Christ.  We are cared for by Him every moment of every minute of every day.  Our Good Shepherd gave His very life for us, His sheep.  He has saved us, He has kept us; He has, does, and always will love us and care for us dearly.  Praise God for Jesus Christ, the Chief Shepherd of our very souls!

“Know ye that the Lord He is God; it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture…For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endureth to all generations.”  (Psalm 100:3;5)

All People That On Earth Do Dwell

(The Old One Hundredth)

All people that on earth do dwell,
Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice.
Him serve with mirth, His praise forth tell;
Come ye before Him and rejoice.

The Lord, ye know, is God indeed;
Without our aid He did us make;
We are His flock, He doth us feed,
And for His sheep He doth us take.

O enter then His gates with praise;
Approach with joy His courts unto;
Praise, laud, and bless His Name always,
For it is seemly so to do.

For why? the Lord our God is good;
His mercy is forever sure;
His truth at all times firmly stood,
And shall from age to age endure.

To Father, Son and Holy Ghost,
The God Whom Heaven and earth adore,
From men and from the angel host
Be praise and glory evermore.

                                             William Kethe  ?-1594

“William Kethe: ?-1594  Died: June 6, 1594, Dorsetshire, England.

William Kethe was a Scottish clergyman who spent a great deal of time in exile for his faith. He lived in both Frankfurt, Germany, and Geneva, Switzerland, and helped translate the Geneva Bible in 1560. Two dozen of his hymns appeared in the Anglo-Genevan Psalter of 1561. He returned to England and served as vicar at Childe Okeford, Dorsetshire (1561-1593), and as a military chaplain under the Earl of Warwick at Havre.

Louis Bourgeois: 1510-1561

Music to the above Hymn: Old 100th, attributed to Louis Bourgeois, in Four Score and Seven Psalms of David (Geneva, Switzerland, 1551)

Born: Circa 1510, Paris, France.  Died: 1561, Paris, France.

Bourgeois followed John Calvin to Geneva, Switzerland, in 1541. He became a cantor at the Church of St. Pierre, and edited the Genevan Psalter. At one point, he was jailed for modifying some well known tunes. Fortunately, hymnists do not face such strict penalties today. Bourgeois reportedly left Geneva in 1557. His works include: Le droit chemin de musique, 1550.”      (© Copy NetHymnal, All rights reserved.)

We have probably all sung the Great ‘Old One Hundredth’ hymn, taken of course from Psalm 100 in our Bibles, but have we really thought it through while singing, and been Spiritually aware of how blessed we are in having Christ Jesus as our Good Shepherd, and not some covetous ‘hireling‘?

“The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.  I am the good Shepherd, and know My sheep, and am known of Mine.  As the Father knoweth Me, even so know I the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.” (John 10:13-15)  Hallelujah!  What a GREAT Shepherd!

Let us give thanks for this great fact of faith.  Let us be obedient sheep.

Thought:  True love for God is shown in true obedience to Christ Jesus.