THE GOOD SHEPHERD

Under New Management #1

Pastor Brandon Cross

Woodland Church

Sunday, June 7, 2026

(John 10:11-16 NKJV) “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.”

MAIN IDEA

The Church belongs to Jesus and we are to be His living, functioning body here on Earth. It is our responsibility to know Him and to be known by Him.

1.  JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY TO SALVATION

(Verses 1-3, 9)

• Hearing His voice starts with first a willingness to acknowledge Him as Savior and Lord, our Shepherd!
•  We have to be willing to be led

Application:

We each need to step back and take an honest look at how much we truly accept His role as our LORD, and how much we actually submit our lives to His leading and listening to His voice. It is very easy to allow competitive voices and influence to distract us.

2.  BELIEVERS NEED TO KNOW HIM INTIMATELY

(Verses 4-6, 14 ,27)

• Intentional daily, practical, and relational routine
•  Individual Recognition: We need to pick out His voice only!
• We are to develop a personal bond with our Shepherd

Application:

We are to spend enough time with Him in The Word and Prayer to understand His voice and recognize His “CALL” above all the other COMPETING NOISE

3.  WE NEED TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN FALSE TEACHING AND HIS WORD/VOICE

(Verses 7-14)

• His Sheep recognize truth and are not deceived by false doctrines or selfish motives
• The Thief represents anything that robs you of spiritual vitality, joy, peace, and connection with God
• His true sheep develop spiritual discernment and an intensely personal relationship with Him.

Application:

We need to prioritize our faith and actions around the mission He gave The Church in Matthew 28:19 to GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES…PERIOD. Anything that distracts us from that mission could be a “Thief and a Robber”

Conclusion:

• Trust in Christ’s Care
• Know Jesus, Be Known by Him
• Embrace the Risk of Abundant Life
• United in Christ

Call to Action:

1. Ask ourselves, “What area(s) of my life needs to be better submitted to His leadership so that I can better reflect Him to others? Journal that and make it a prayer point and intentional area of submission going forward.

2. Ask ourselves, “Do I have any competing “Voices” that need to be let go of so that I can better hear Him and follow Him? (politics, relationships, hurts, mistakes, personal preferences or expectations, etc…)

3. Ask ourselves, “What can I do to help the unity of Woodland Church as we move into this new season?” Ask God to show you what you can personally do to help “build” the future of His work here.