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Jesus, the Good Shepherd, pt. 1
John 10:1-11
Don't miss the main
message of the Bible: God
loves us! With an infinite
love He yearns for us, His fallen children...wayward sheep. The relationship of
the Shepherd to the Sheep is intended to be a depiction of the love of
God. Quote together: Psalm 23:1-2 This is a portrait of
how much we are loved by our Shepherd.
We may not appreciate
this illustration as much as we should, because we live in such an urban
society today. You probably
didn't see any sheep on your way to church today and definitely no
shepherds unless they were German. In many parts of the
world you would still see that scene, and never more than in Bible days.
Over and again God in His Word compares His people to sheep. Matthew 9:36 As we compare people
to sheep, it's not very complimentary, for it describes how needy we
are, but at the same time, how loving God is to us, His sheep.
1.
Sheep are dumb. They will follow the
leader anywhere. Even to
their own death. If they
fall, they can't figure out how to get back up without help.
They can't begin to protect themselves.
They just stand there with a sheepish grin! ill.--go to the circus
and you will see a lot of trained animals.
You can train lions and tigers and bears [oh my!]
At SeaWorld you will see all kinds of aquatic life responding to
prompts. You can train a
sheep dog, but you'll never see a trained sheep other than the ones on
"Babe", and they were animatronic. ill.--a real life
shepherd had a creek running thru the middle of his property, and built
several animal bridges across it so the sheep could graze on both sides
of the water. He verified
that the sheep could not be taught how to find the bridges or cross on
their own. He said they
could be 5 yards away from a bridge but they would simply stand at the
creek's edge and bleat, longing for the green grass on the other side,
until he, the shepherd, came along and herded them to the bridge.
They were too dumb to learn, and so needy that he had to do
everything for them. Now, when I say sheep
are stupid, and that we are compared to sheep, it's not a commentary on
our intellectual ability...it's a spiritual comparison.
Spiritually--until a man is
sought by the Spirit of God,
taught by the Word of God, and literally
caught by the loving grasp of
the Son of God, man is spiritually ignorant, and utterly unable to cross
over to the other side. 1 Corinthians 2:14 But man, like a sheep,
having been sought, taught and caught, can actually then be
brought to greener pastures, and more good things can be
wrought in him than he could
ever find on his own. Have you ever tried to
explain a spiritual truth to a lost person?
They stand there looking at you like a sheep looking at the
creek. "Well, I just can't
see it that way." Don't be
upset at them for saying that.
It's true...they can't see it!
They have no spiritual eyes with which to see.
I mean no insult, but
they are spiritually stupid...and so were you before you were brought
into the fold...and then your eyes were opened! Before Jesus
shepherded you in the right direction, you may have seen things
differently. Maybe you used
to say, like an ignorant sheep, "A woman has the right to choose, after
all, it's her baaaaahdy! [body]"
Then Jesus saved you and changed your mind. Before we were saved
we would flock in the ways of sheer misery!
The devil loves to pull the wool over my eyes.
How about ewe? But
the Good Shepherd combs the valleys and hills in search of old goats
whom He can bring into the fold of truth and understanding...no kidding! Today's universities
lead dumb sheep anywhere they want, and have the masses brainwashed into
believing that life as we know it is a product of evolution.
"The sun shined upon
the scum for eons [and we can't explain where the sun came from or the
scum came from] and somehow a living cell was formed which somehow
became an amoeba which somehow became a fish which somehow became a frog
which one day turned into the handsome prince that is me!"
Tell that in the nursery
and you call it a fairy tale.
Tell that in a classroom and you can call it science. "I was a tadpole when
I began to begin. Then I was
a frog with my tail tucked in.
Next I was a monkey in a coconut tree.
Now I'm a man with a PhD." I have to admit today
that I'd prefer to be a mohhhhnkey indeed, rather than a stupid sheep
that doesn't have a GOOD shepherd guiding me down the right paths. We could go on and on
about many other tenets of this life about which our minds have changed
because we have a Good Shepherd.
Suffice it to say, people are compared to sheep because we need
guided into the pastures of truth.
Sheep are dumb...
2.
Sheep are directionless. By nature, that is.
Sheep have a tendency to wander aimlessly, and once they are
lost, that's it. They have
no internal compass...no sense of direction.
Their only hope of getting back safely is if the shepherd goes
out and finds them. They are
utterly incapable of finding their way on their own.
It's the exact
opposite with dogs. ill.--have you ever
needed rid of a dog? Your
mind concocts a plan.
Perhaps an 'unfortunate accident' will occur.
You begin wiping down fingerprints and rehearsing your 911 call.
Then, your conscience gets the better of you and you decide
instead to take the dog out to the countryside for a joy ride.
Somewhere far out in the boonies you drop him off, just near the
welcoming porch of a farm house.
You drive off hurriedly, and make the many mile trek back home,
where you rest comfortably all night, undisturbed by barking...no mangy
mutt at the foot of your bed.
You awake in the morning and go out to get the paper, and there
he is, right on the porch.
How did he get there? He had
no map to follow. He didn't
take notes during yesterday's drive.
He has a built in sense of direction, like a homing pigeon, which
has often been used in wartime to carry messages thousands of miles when
radio silence was required. We can thank God for
the direction God has given our lives, for before He found us, we
wandered aimlessly. Before you get saved,
this is what the Bible says:
All we like sheep have gone astray, and turned to our own way.
If you aren't saved, the Good Shepherd is looking for you, and
wants to bring you into His fold of greener pastures.
Just as sheep don't
look for their shepherd, humans, by nature, don't seek God.
A sheep will wander aimlessly until it starves to death or is
taken by a predator. The
same is true for a hungry, lonely soul. He will starve spiritually or be
taken by Satan, the roaming lion. Luke 19:10 After Adam sinned he
didn't look for God, he hid from Him. But
God came looking for Adam...in order to redeem him!
God is seeking you, don't run from Him.
Your sins - God won't rub them in, He'll rub them out! If you are already
saved, guess what? You're
still a sheep by nature. We
still have a tendency to leave the fold...to crawl under the fence and
head for the other side. This is why Psalm 23
says, "...thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me."
These are sticks used for guiding, and when needed, disciplining.
How is that comforting? ill.--How many here
had parents smart enough to spank you?
Ever been whipped with a hickory switch?
How many had to cut your own switch?
Were you made to hold still?
And afterward, what would you say?
"Dad, your hickory switch comforteth me!"
Not hardly! God disciplines us
because He loves us. And it
is comforting to know you have boundaries...lines drawn...guidelines.
Sheep are dumb, directionless...
3.
Sheep are defenseless. Utterly helpless,
timid, feeble creatures.
Attack a chicken and at least he can peck at you.
A dog can bite, a cat can crawl.
All a sheep can do is run, and not fast at all. 1 Peter 5:8 Even as a Christian,
you are no match for the devil.
But greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world! ill.--a boy and his
dad went to the big cat section at the zoo, standing right at the edge
of the cage, and a lion turned and came right at them.
The boy was very frightened, but not the dad.
You see, the boy was looking at the lion...the dad was looking at
the cage!
Though Satan is a roaring
lion, he becomes a caged lion
in the presence of God! Stay
close by His side. Follow
the Good Shepherd! If not saved, Jesus
wants you to be one of His sheep. v. 7, 9-10
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