Part of the Flock

James A. Benson

Grace Church, PC(USA)

Authentic Followers, Authentic Communities • Sermon • Submitted 5 years ago

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Followers of Jesus are part of his community.

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Introduction - The Lone Ranger

Two weeks ago we talked about cowboys and shepherds in order to help draw the comparison to what it means to be an authentic follower of the shepherd

This week I want to look at one cowboy figure in particular - do you recognize who this is:

Show Lone Ranger Image

Backstory on the Lone Ranger

An apt description for a number of Christians

How does it compare with what Jesus says about his relationship with his sheep and our relationship with one another?

One Body

So far

Know the Shepherd’s voice

Follow (obey) the Shepherd

Are known by the Shepherd and know the Shepherd

All can be fairly individual characteristics

So what is our relationship with one another?

The sheep live together as a flock

The sheep in these passages are always together

They all have individual names and are known by the shepherd, but they all follow the same voice

What of this other sheep-pen?

Christ brings all of his sheep together

The major divider for Jesus’ hearers would be Jew & Gentile

Jesus here tips his hand just a bit to show that he has plans that include more than who his hearers might be thinking about

All of Jesus’ sheep, regardless of where they come from, are characterized by the same knowing and following

They all belong to the same flock; they are all part of the community of the Shepherd

Living as One

So how do we do this?

We begin by understanding that the church is more than an organization; it’s a community

We make a conscious choice to engage the community

We act like a community of redeemed people following our Shepherd

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