Description
John 10:22-30
The Jews asked Jesus if he truly was the Messiah during the Festival of Dedication. Jesus had already told them that He was, but their hearts and minds would not believe Him. Jesus knew they were not His sheep and would choose to reject Him. Not everyone will receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ although we are commanded to share it with the world. Some will reject Jesus and face eternal punishment, while others will step into the redemptive family of God and experience eternity with Jesus Christ.
We Lift Our Hearts in Worship
[Preservice options include video countdowns, worship song videos, welcomes), CDs, or live music.]
Welcome & Time of Greeting
Time of Praise and Worship
He Shall Reign Forevermore
Chris Tomlin | Matt Maher, © 2015 S. D. G. Publishing (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing), Sixsteps Songs (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing), Worship Together Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing), Be Essential Songs (Admin. by Essential Music Publishing LLC), I Am A Pilgrim Songs (Admin. by Essential Music Publishing LLC)
My Redeemer Lives
Reuben Morgan, ©1998 Hillsong Publishing (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)
From The Inside Out
Joel Houston, ©2005 Hillsong Publishing
[Traditional Options]
The King Of Love My Shepherd Is
BH 75 215; CH 683; EH 645/646; ELW 502; HWC 468; HLC 46; LBW 456; LSB 709; LW 412; NCH 248; PH 171/174; UMH 138; WIS 425
Lord, Take My Hand and Lead Me
ELW 767; LBW 333; LSB 722; LW 512
The Day of Resurrection
BH 91 164; EH 210; ELW 361; HWC 226; HLC 168; LBW 141; LSB 478; LW 133; NCH 245; PH 118; WC 247; UMH 303; WAR 298; WHM 261
Invocation
Pastor / Worship Leader
Who calls His sheep?
Worshipers
The Great Shepherd!
Pastor / Worship Leader
Who knows His voice?
Worshipers
His sheep!
Pastor / Worship Leader
We are the sheep, the sheep of the Great Shepherd.
Worshipers
To Him we belong, we are the sheep of His pasture.
Opening Prayer / Theme Introduction
Pastor / Worship Leader
Lord, You are the Great Shepherd. We want to know Your voice as we should! Your voice calls us out of the lonely places where we are lost and back into the pasture where we belong. You tend to our needs, and love us when we fail. We ask for your mercy and grace today.
Worshipers
Amen.
Time of Confession and Forgiveness
[Alternate location: following Message]
Pastor / Worship Leader
This life is noisy. It’s filled with opinions from others and ourselves. It’s filled with music that doesn’t glorify the Lord. It’s filled with thoughts from the enemy and voices from the world.
Worshipers
Lord, help us hear Your voice.
Pastor / Worship Leader
We are foolish and fill our lives with noise. We listen to the standards of the world and build our lives on them. We forsake the truth and are swayed by opinions. Lord, the only opinion that should matter is Yours. The only voice that we should listen to is Yours.
Worshipers
Forgive us, Father.
Pastor / Worship Leader
But just as we listen to the other voices, we hear the Great Shepherd’s voice. It rises above all the others, and we know it, for we are His sheep.
Worshipers
We belong to the Great Shepherd, and He calls us back!
Pastor / Worship Leader
We thank You for Your love. We are grateful that You find us when we are lost and return us back to green pastures. Thank You for forgiving our sins and giving us a safe place to belong- the family of God.
Worshipers
Thank You, Lord. In Jesus’ name, amen.
We Hear God’s Word
[Read aloud both the introduction and Scripture]
First Reading Acts 20:17-35
Paul knew that spreading the Gospel was no easy task. He knew that what faced him in Jerusalem was prison and hardship, but he also knew that the Holy Spirit was with him and would guide his every step.
From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church. 18 When they arrived, he said to them: “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. 19 I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents. 20 You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. 21 I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus. 22 “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. 24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace. 25 “Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. 26 Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you. 27 For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. 28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears. 32 “Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33 I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. 34 You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. 35 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
