Lesson 36

Lesson Text:  John 10: 1-6

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.  Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”  Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them. (John 10: 1-6)

In the following fill-in-the-blank questions, you will find phrases from our text which emphasize important facts about the Good Shepherd and His sheep:

1.  He who enters by the door is the ______ of the sheep.

2. To him the ________ opens.

3. The sheep hear his_______ ; and he calls his own sheep by _____ and leads them out.

4.  When he brings out his own sheep, he goes _____ them.

5.  The sheep _____ him, for they know his voice.  

6.  Yet they will by no means follow a_______ , but will flee from him.

7. They do not _______  the voice of strangers.

Family Discussion:

Our text says:  “Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.”  Please discuss this illustration of the Shepherd and His sheep. Discuss who the Shepherd and the sheep represent.  Also discuss the “stranger” and who he represents. Stress the danger of following anyone but our Good Shepherd, Jesus.   

The 23^rd Psalm

"1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. 3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.
         
 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
         
 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever." (Psalm 23)

From the beautiful 23^rd Psalm find phrases to make an acrostic using the word “lambs” as your base. I have done the first one to get you started:

Crack the Code

This time your code will be a little more challenging.  You will be given some clues but not all of them.

E=A   J=N   R=D  S=W  T=H  V=E  K=B  C=R  L=I  P=G  Z=S  F=O  M=U  N=T

Find the secret message:

EJR  STVJ  TV  KCLJPZ  FMN  TLZ   FSJ   ZTVVG,  TV  PFVZ  KVYFCV   NTVA;  EJR   NTV   ZTVVG  WFHHFS   TLA,  WFC  NTVD  IJFS  TLZ  BFLQV

RED LETTERS  

DECODE AND UNSCRAMBLE THE RED LETTERS ABOVE TO FIND A VERY IMPORTANT WORD FROM OUR LESSON TEXT. WHEN YOU HAVE FOUND THE MYSTERY WORD, TELL WHY IT IS SO IMPORTANT. 

 Matching Game

Use your lesson text to help you find words that match. After you have them all matched, tell why you think they are matches:

Thought Question:

In our text we learn that the Shepherd brings his sheep out and He goes before them.  Why is it important for the Shepherd to go before His sheep?

Tell in your own words what you learned from today’s lesson.