Ezekiel 34:11-16 says,...
Today's verses are Ezekiel 34:11-16 which read,
11 - For thus says the Lord God, "Behold, I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out.
12 - As a shepherd cares for his herd in the day when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will care for My sheep and will deliver them from all the places to which they were scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day.
13 - I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and bring them to their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the streams, and in all the inhabited places of the land.
14 - I will feed them in a good pasture, and their grazing ground will be on the mountain heights of Israel. There they will lie down on good grazing and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel.
15 - I will feed My flock and I will lead them to rest," declares the Lord God.
16 - "I will seek the lost, bring back the scattered, bind up the broken and strengthen the sick; but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with judgment."
One of the great analogies of Jesus and God is the shepherd picture. This passage is talking of the regathering of the remnant of God's people to the land of Israel. What we will look at today is what God is like in this shepherd role.
v.11 - God Himself searches and seeks out His sheep. I love it in scripture when God puts two pronouns together to emphasis the point. "I Myself"
v.12 - God's care for His sheep is able to be delivered to His sheep wherever they are and whatever the conditions they are in. "...scattered...cloudy and gloomy day..."
v.13-15 - God Himself is a gatherer. There will be a day when all the sheep are brought together and given what they need. "...streams (water)...grazing ground (food)...rest (sleep, safety)..."
v.16 - God will make things right and just at this gathering. "...bind up the broken (restore)...strengthen the sick (heal)...fat and the strong (taken advantage of others) I will destroy (judgment)."
We are in the seeking stage and leading up to the gathering and judgment stages. Christmas is one of those times in the year that we need to keep this "seeking stage" in the forefront of our minds and in our prayers. Our world may have commercialize this time of the year but it is still here and we still have the opportunity to tell and to live out with our lives that God is calling out for His sheep. It is a time to talk about this God who provides what this world cannot offer eternally. It is a time to talk about our God who cares for us no matter where we are or what the circumstances are around us.
Our families and our community and our world need to hear about this God. God will judge but He is now seeking those that He will care for and gather someday unto Himself. God Himself does the seeking but we as sheep will display to our world what kind of Shepherd He is. What kind of Shepherd are they seeing through you?
Pastor Adam
11 - For thus says the Lord God, "Behold, I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out.
12 - As a shepherd cares for his herd in the day when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will care for My sheep and will deliver them from all the places to which they were scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day.
13 - I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and bring them to their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the streams, and in all the inhabited places of the land.
14 - I will feed them in a good pasture, and their grazing ground will be on the mountain heights of Israel. There they will lie down on good grazing and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel.
15 - I will feed My flock and I will lead them to rest," declares the Lord God.
16 - "I will seek the lost, bring back the scattered, bind up the broken and strengthen the sick; but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with judgment."
One of the great analogies of Jesus and God is the shepherd picture. This passage is talking of the regathering of the remnant of God's people to the land of Israel. What we will look at today is what God is like in this shepherd role.
v.11 - God Himself searches and seeks out His sheep. I love it in scripture when God puts two pronouns together to emphasis the point. "I Myself"
v.12 - God's care for His sheep is able to be delivered to His sheep wherever they are and whatever the conditions they are in. "...scattered...cloudy and gloomy day..."
v.13-15 - God Himself is a gatherer. There will be a day when all the sheep are brought together and given what they need. "...streams (water)...grazing ground (food)...rest (sleep, safety)..."
v.16 - God will make things right and just at this gathering. "...bind up the broken (restore)...strengthen the sick (heal)...fat and the strong (taken advantage of others) I will destroy (judgment)."
We are in the seeking stage and leading up to the gathering and judgment stages. Christmas is one of those times in the year that we need to keep this "seeking stage" in the forefront of our minds and in our prayers. Our world may have commercialize this time of the year but it is still here and we still have the opportunity to tell and to live out with our lives that God is calling out for His sheep. It is a time to talk about this God who provides what this world cannot offer eternally. It is a time to talk about our God who cares for us no matter where we are or what the circumstances are around us.
Our families and our community and our world need to hear about this God. God will judge but He is now seeking those that He will care for and gather someday unto Himself. God Himself does the seeking but we as sheep will display to our world what kind of Shepherd He is. What kind of Shepherd are they seeing through you?
Pastor Adam
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