Christ Wesleyan Church
December 9, 2018 - 9:00 & 10:45am
Join us for our primary worship service each week on Sunday.
Locations & Times
CWC Milton:The Auditorium (Entrance #6)
363 Stamm Rd, Milton, PA 17847, USA
Sunday 8:00 AM
Sunday 10:45 AM
Welcome to CWC!
Welcome! We're glad you're here with us today. You can follow this week's message and add your own notes. Visit our website at www.cwc.life to watch past sermons, and discover more about CWC.
Is This Your First Visit?
If this is your first visit with us, welcome! We're so glad you're here! Please stop by The Hub (our welcome desk) for a gift, and if you'd like to discover more about us and the variety of ministries here, visit the Connection Center. If you have any questions, we're here to help!
Connect Online
Watch weekly messages, discover more about CWC, ministries, groups, serving opportunities, and events all on our website.
https://www.cwc.life/
The Shepherds: Supporting Characters
A. God created the greatest Story…
1. God specifically picked each of the characters for this Story!
2. Each character had special significance…there are no accidents in God’s plan!
3. If God’s original creation was spectacular, imagine His plan for the redemption of all mankind!
4. Every detail was part of the plan with prophetic fulfillment; every detail held deeper meaning!
5. This is His-Story of love for all mankind!
B. The Shepherd...
1. “The duties of the shepherd in an unenclosed country like Israel were very onerous. ‘In early morning he led forth the flock from the fold, marching at its head to the spot where they were pastured. Here he watched them all day, taking care that none of the sheep strayed, and if any for a time eluded his watch and wandered away from the rest, seeking diligently till he found and brought it back. In those lands, sheep require to be supplied regularly with water, and the shepherd for this purpose has to guide them either to some running stream or to wells dug in the wilderness and furnished with troughs. At night, he brought the flock home to the fold, counting them as they passed under the rod at the door to assure himself that none were missing. Nor did his labours always end with sunset. Often, he had to guard the fold through the dark hours from the attack of wild beasts, or the wily attempts of the prowling thief.’” Eastons Bible History
2. Jews were the first shepherds. There were many well-known shepherds: Isaac and Jacob’s sons, Abraham, Moses, King David, and many more. However, Egypt’s view of shepherds was poor and thus the shepherds became recognized as the lowest social class, even despised by the Rabbis.
3. Sheep were plentiful. Job had 14,000 and Solomon sacrificed 120,000.
4. The shepherd was always on the lookout for sheep needing personal attention and he carried olive oil in a ram’s horn for the sick and wounded sheep.
5. When the sheep had to cross the stream, the shepherd led the way with those sheep who were closest to him plunged in first.
6. Sheep are directionally challenged and the shepherd had to keep a close eye on his sheep to keep them from straying.
7. The shepherd is responsible for leading his flock to food. Availability of food is very seasonal and the shepherd might be responsible for providing food in the lean times.
8. The shepherd knows his sheep and the sheep know the shepherd’s voice. The shepherd gathers them by calling out to them. Other voices can use the same words, but they will only follow their shepherd.
9. The shepherd never drives his sheep, but only leads them and often walks by their side. He may move to the rear when they get close to home, to make sure he gathers any stragglers.
10. The shepherd will invest hours in seeking after a lost sheep. Upon finding them, he will often gather the exhausted sheep and carry them on his strong shoulders. As a means of affection, the shepherd will gain delight in naming his sheep.
C. The Shepherds on that Holy Night…
1. These shepherds are not remembered by their names, but by the task God had put before them and their experience that one night.
2. These shepherds were watching their flocks at night. They were faithful to their responsibilities.
3. It must have been in the season while weather still permitted them to be in the fields at night rather than the fold.
4. These were not just any shepherds. These shepherds were watching their sheep close to the city. The location would indicate that these were sacrificial lambs for the Temple.
D. Shepherds were chosen...
1. Shepherds were chosen to be present at the birth of Christ because they represented so much about the fulfillment of Scripture.
2. Jesus was called the “Lamb of God.”
3. Jesus would become the perfect sacrifice for our sins.
4. We are all the sheep of this Great Shepherd and the work of reaching others is to feed the sheep.
5. Jesus will forever be recognized as the Lamb because of His sacrifice for us.
E. So grateful for a "Good Shepherd"...
Celebrate Christmas at CWC
You’re invited to join us for Christmas at Christ Wesleyan Church! It’s an exciting month with lots of opportunities to celebrate Jesus this Christmas season with your family.
https://www.cwc.life/christmas/Dive Deep Podcast
A weekly conversation digging deeper into the Sunday morning message.
https://www.cwc.life/dive-deep/Find us on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/christwesleyanchurchmilton/Prayer Requests
Need prayer support? Our prayer team prays for your requests throughout the week. We love to hear how God has answered prayer! If you have a praise that God has answered a prayer and worked in incredible ways, share it with us.
https://www.cwc.life/prayer-request/Give Online
Use this link to give online or text any amount to 84321. Thank you for supporting the ministry of CWC!
https://cwclife.churchcenter.com/giving