Two Legs Or A Piece Of An Ear

TWO LEGS OR A PIECE OF AN EAR...

SCRIPTURE: AMOS 3:9-12...

I. CARE AND CONCERN...

A. GOD CARES FOR US:

1. For Israel.

2. For Gentiles.

3. For the Lost.

4. For His Children.

B. THE PICTURE OF THE SHEPHERD:

1. The Shepherd as Leader:

2. The Shepherd as Provider:

3. The Shepherd as Protector:

C. HOW MUCH CARE AND CONCERN DO WE HAVE?

* Stanley C. Brown - Leadership, Vol. 5, no. 1 - A young boy, on an errand for his mother, had just bought a dozen eggs. Walking out of the store, he tripped and dropped the sack. All the eggs broke, and the sidewalk was a mess. The boy tried not to cry. A few people gathered to see if he was OK and to tell him how sorry they were. In the midst of the words of pity, one man handed the boy a quarter. Then he turned to the group and said, "I care 25 cents worth. How much do the rest of you care?"

* James 4:17 - Therefore, to him who knows to do good

and does not do it, to him it is sin.

* Words don’t mean much if we have the ability to do

more.

* Lynn H. Pryor, Leadership, Vol. 12, no. 1 - From 1986 to 1990, Frank Reed was held hostage in a Lebanon cell. For months at a time Reed was blindfolded, living in complete darkness, orchained to a wall and kept in absolute silence. Although he was beaten, made ill, and tormented, Reed felt most the lack of anyone caring. He said in an interview with Time, "Nothing I did mattered to anyone. I began to realize how withering it is to exist with not a single expression of caring around [me]. ... I learned one overriding fact: caring is a powerful force. If no one cares, you are truly alone."

* Does what you do really matter?

* Does your life make a difference?

* What are you doing that matters?

II. COMMITMENT...

* ILLUS- the story of the chicken and the pig feeding

the poor.

A. A DECISION:

* You must decide to make a commitment or not.

B. A DETERMINATION:

* You must have the faith, courage and deter-

mination to continue in the face of opposition.

* ILLUS - the two legs and a piece of an ear.