We know that without faith it is impossible to please God, and that He only

relates to those who live in complete obedience to His Word. Man's

rebellion and sin will never be able to a ect God's Kingdom. The Kingdom
of Heaven's stock exchange does not depend on man's behavior. God
remains God, equally powerful, for all eternity. Some think that there is a
continuous battle between God and the devil, competing to see who will
be the winner. Such people do not understand that the heavenly Kingdom
is the rmest of all things in the universe. God will never declare Himself
bankrupt. With just His Word, He made the heavens and the earth, and He
can even turn the works of the devil around for the completion of the
purpose He desires - He allows him to tempt people in order to know their
hearts. It pleased God that mankind would relate to Him through faith
alone and we know that faith can only come to our hearts through hearing
the Word of God. It is written: "Consequently, faith comes from hearing the
message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ" (Romans
10:17).

Each of these teachings have been designed to help you grow in faith and
in the knowledge of our God and Redeemer. I used Psalm 23, known as
the "Shepherd Psalm," as a foundation for these teachings because they
contain the basic fundamentals required for a well-balanced spiritual life.

Just as the future of a child depends on the guidance of their parents and
the students' future depends on the guidance of their teachers, the destiny
of the sheep depends on the guidance of their shepherd Placing ourselves
under the covering and direction of Jesus as our shepherd is the best
decision we can make, because nobody can love us more than He. Jesus
said:
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am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down "I his life for the
sheep.” “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know
me" (John 10:11-14).

We can only become sheep in His pasture through faith, and that faith will
bring us protection and security. "My sheep listen to my voice; I know
them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never
perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand" (John 10:27-28).

The following suggestions will help you get the most out of these
teachings.

• Be diligent. Remember that you are the one laying the foundation for
your spiritual life which will help you both in this world and in eternity.
Therefore, you need to play your part in understanding each lesson and
applying it correctly to your own life. Take time every day to study in
depth the class you are taking during that week.
• Be obedient. Know that this is what God is speaking to your heart, and
with diligence, do everything that God calls you to do.
• Endeavor to grow in faith day by day. Your life is like soil, and the Word
of God is the seed. You are the one who decides whether you accept or
reject that Word.
• Have a good attitude. If you receive the Word, have an attitude that is in
accordance with it. If you have a word of success, do not behave like a
failure. If you have a word of prosperity, do not act like a poor person.
The life of faith consists in behaving in accordance with what God says.
Just have an obedient heart.
• Submit to God and resist the adversary. The enemy will attempt to
distract you in many ways so that you give up on your spiritual growth.
However, if you remain faithful to God, you will be able to resist the devil
and he will stop bothering you.
• Expect results. If God gave you a promise, expect the answer.
Remember the Lord said: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my
words will never pass away" (Matthew 24:35).

The Word of God will be accomplished in your life!

Cesar Castellanos
 1. JESUS IS MY SHEPHERD
Objectives

1. Identify the characteristics that Jesus, the One true Pastor, had in His
life.

2. To understand that Jesus is the Son of God and that He is the only
One who can show us the correct way to live our lives consecrated to
God.

3. To understand that salvation can only be accomplished by the Son of

God.

4. To understand Jesus' purpose on this earth: to give us salvation and

abundant life.

5. To nd the example and inspiration that Jesus gives to each believer

INTRODUCTION
David was one of the greatest kings of the people of Israel. He found the
key that opened the door to success in all areas of his life, when he learnt
to have a personal relationship with God from an early age. While
confronting King Saul about his disobedience, the prophet Samuel said,
"The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him
leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lord's command" (1
Samuel 13:14). When Samuel wanted to know who Saul's successor
would be, he went to the house of Jesse, the father of David. After being
introduced to seven of Jesse's sons, he saw David, and it was as if a
beam of light illuminated the house. "Then the Lord said, "Rise and anoint
him; he is the one." So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the
presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came
upon David in power” (1 Samuel 16:12-13). Saul's servants, while
reporting to the king about David, said, "I have seen a son of Jesse of
Bethlehem who knows how to play the harp. He is a brave man and a
warrior. He speaks well and is a ne-looking man. And the Lord is with
him” (1 Samuel 16:18).
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 Everyone close to David knew that God was with him. David had probably
met God whilst out in the elds, taking care of some of his father's sheep.
Those of us who know the Father personally know that we met Him,
simply because the Lord chose the correct moment to reveal Himself to
us.

1. JESUS LISTENS TO PRAYER

At the annual convention held in Singapore, there were twenty-three

di erent nations represented from across Asia, including a pastor from
Pakistan. When I had the opportunity to interview him, my question was,
"How did it come about that as a Muslim you made a decision to accept
Jesus into your life?" His answer was:

" I was the rstborn in a Muslim family. In my city, Dicran, I got to

know someone who I later discovered was a Christian missionary.
His name was Er-On. I began to visit his house, and he started to
teach me the Koran; but, whilst studying with him, he spoke about a
Jesus who was di erent from all the other prophets. If I asked
questions about Jesus, he would teach me that Jesus was di erent
and that He was above all the other prophets. Later I realized that
this was his religion; and I thought that even though this was his
religion, mine was in the Koran. refused to accept his teachings.

Two years later, I nished my high school studies, and one day took
a boat trip with some of my friends. They were jumping I into the
water, swimming and returning to the boat, and I also wanted to
show my courage. People from the woodlands in my country see
themselves as very brave, and it is necessary to demonstrate it in
some way. I jumped into the water as far as I could, but people from
the woodland do not know how to swim; therefore, when I tried to
come back, I found it extremely di cult. I was drowning! I prayed in
the name of Allah, in the name of Mohammed, in the name all the
Islamic gods, but none of them was able to help me. It was then that
I remembered that my friend used to pray in the name of Jesus, and I
said, "Lord, help me; if You help me, I will surrender my life to You,
Jesus." At that very moment I fell unconscious. When I came out and
opened my eyes, I was back on the boat. One of my friends told me
that I had been drowning, but that when they turned around to
rescue me, they saw something was supporting me in the water. I
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 immediately knew that it could only be the hand of Jesus. This was
my rst baptism and my very rst supernatural experience, and I
promised myself, "I will do something great for Him." I experienced a
radical conversion to the Lord. I began winning people for God, and
He opened the doors for me to go back to my community to
evangelize to Muslims.”

2. JESUS, A MAN BEYOND COMPARISON

The one man who has impacted the whole world throughout every age is
known as Christ Jesus. Society has recognized many men as great
because of their conquests, achievements, political abilities, religious or
pious lives, their philosophies and world famous doctrines; some are
eminent moralists, others are great conquerors, excellent political, military
or religious strategists. However, none can be compared to Jesus.

All that He has done, no other man could ever equal; only someone
who is God could have accomplished the work that the Lord Jesus
did.

He is the wonderful Creator of everything that exists. The Word of God

says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things
were made; without him nothing was made that has been made" (John
1:1-3). "He is the image of the invisible God, the rstborn over all creation.
For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible
and invisible whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things
we created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him things
hold together" (Colossians 1:15-17).

3. BORN IN THE APPOINTED TIME

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government

will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).

The apostle Paul said, "But when the time had fully come, God sent his
Son, born of a woman, born under law" (Galatians 4:4).
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 We nd the account of Jesus Christ's birth in the book of Matthew 1:18.
Our God is a God of timing. Just at the right time, the Holy Spirit chose an
ordinary, God-fearing woman to carry Jesus, the Savior of the world, in her
womb. Mary's pregnancy surprised her ancé, but God spoke to Joseph
in dreams and he obeyed God. Both of them understood that the baby
was Emmanuel, God with us. Jesus was the answer to a series of
prophecies given through the patriarchs, through Moses, through the
Psalmists and the Prophets, ever since the very rst couple disobeyed
God (Genesis 3:15).

4.JESUS IS GOD, AND LIVED ON EARTH AS A MAN

"Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared

in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was
preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was
taken up in glory" (1 Timothy 3:16).

The Apostle Paul does not present this subject as a controversy, but as an
undeniable truth. "The Word became esh and made his dwelling among
us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from
the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). If Jesus is God, then it is
worth the e ort to know Him and to make Him known. "For whoever nds
me nds life and receives favor from the Lord. But whoever fails to nd me
harms himself; all who hate me love death" (Proverbs 8:35-36).

Jesus brought confusion among His adversaries when He said that before
Abraham, He already was. The teachers of the law asked how this could
be, as He was not yet even 50 years old. How could He know Abraham
who had lived 2000 years before? Jesus is God. He took the form of a
man to teach all people about the coming glory. The author of the book of
Hebrews declared, "Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:
"Sacri ce and o ering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me”
(Hebrews 10:5).

Know Him as a Person

In order to redeem mankind, God needed someone human, but untouched

by the original sin. After searching both heaven and earth without nding
anyone, He assigned this mission to His Son Jesus, known as the Word of
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God that became esh (John 1:14). He was a human being just as any
other person, but without the stain of sin.

• He sat down to rest (John 4:0).

• He looked for a place to sleep on the boat (Mark 4:06),

• He cried out “I am thirsty" (John 19:20)

• He was tempted by the enemy when He was hungry (Matthew 4:2).

• He was tempted in everything but did not sin (Hebrews 414-18

Jesus our Deliverer

"So if the Son sets you free, you will be free Indeed" (John 8:36).
"The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devils work" (1
John 3:8b).

• Being God, He became man (Philippians 2:6-8)

• Being rich, He became poor (2 Corinthians 8:9).

• Being holy. He became a curse (Galatians 3:13).

• Being righteous, He became sin. (2 Corinthians 5:21),

• Being healed. He took our sickness and our pain (salah 63:4-6).

• Being blameless, He died with the wicked (Isaiah 53:0).

• Being perfect, He was broken for us (Isaiah 53:10).

God created man with a mind able to think and reason, making him
intellectually superior to every other creature. Not only did God give man
intelligence, but He also made him a living soul and spirit. The spirit of a
human being is capable of communicating directly with God; nevertheless,
sin brought a spiritual death upon us. In His mercy Jesus came to give us
eternal life.
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Receive the abundant life He o ers

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they
may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). Humanity was deceived
by the adversary and was destined for eternal condemnation. The Son of
God, moved by the Father's love, o ered His life. By so doing, He rescued
us and, at the same time, gave us abundant life which we can only nd in
Him.

When the apostles wanted to know the way, Jesus explicitly told them, "I
am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except
through me" (John 14:6). Responding to Nicodemus' questions, Jesus
said, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is
born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to esh, but the Spirit gives
birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born
again" (John 3:5-7). When speaking to the woman at the well Jesus said,
“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks
the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will
become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:13-14).
While teaching the Jews, He told them, "You diligently study the Scriptures
because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the
Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have
life" (John 5:39-40). When speaking with the Jews, Jesus declared, "For
the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the
world.” “Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread." Then Jesus
declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go
hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:33-35). At
the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus raised His voice and said, "Whoever
believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will ow
from within him. "By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in
him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given,
since Jesus had not yet been glori ed" (John 7:38-39).

Be inspired by Him

Jesus never wrote a book, but He inspired many writers. He never sang a
song, but He has inspired great singers and musicians. He never studied
medicine, but He has healed millions of people through the ages. He never
founded a university, but He has given more lessons than any other man.
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"No one has ever written about Jesus as much as the Christians have,
because He is God" (Anonymous).

CONCLUSION
As Christians, we possess an extraordinary treasure.

We know that Jesus is the Word of God; the Word who was from the very
beginning, and became man. We know and believe that in Him is life, that
He is the light of the world and that whoever follows Him will not walk in
darkness. He is the Bread of Life Jesus Christ is the resurrection and the
life; whoever believes In Him, even though he is dead, Christ will resurrect
him and bring him to life.