-
For Sheep To Relax
Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 1, 2008 (message contributor)
FOR SHEEP TO RELAX
Philip Keller says that in order for sheep to lie down, four things are required:
First, they must be free from all fear. Sheep are very easily frightened. A stray jackrabbit jumping out from behind a bush can stampede a whole flock. When one startled sheep runs in fright, all of the others will follow behind it in blind fear, not waiting to see what frightened them. But nothing quiets a flock like seeing their shepherd in the field with them.
And sheep will not lie down unless there is harmony in the flock. When there is this tension between rivals, the sheep can’t lie down and rest. They must always stand up and be ready to fight. But when the shepherd is around, they forget their rivalries and stop fighting.
And sheep will not lie down unless they are content. If flies or fleas are bothering them they will not lie down. The shepherd must provide them with relief.
And sheep will not lie down unless they are full. A hungry sheep is always on its feet, searching for another mouth of food, trying to satisfy its gnawing hunger. Shepherds had to search hard for green areas to feed their sheep. (2)
In Jesus Christ, we have a Good Shepherd who will do all these things and more! He calms our fears, comforts us and gives us peace that passes understanding. He feeds us with life-giving spiritual food -- the Word of God. He even gave His life for us.
Source: Philip Keller, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, From Rick Crandall’s Sermon: Part 2 – Living in the Overflow of the Lord
Related Sermon Illustrations
-
Why Do You Follow Jesus? Patrick Morley Has Some ... PRO
Contributed by Jim Kane on Mar 12, 2005
Why do you follow Jesus? Patrick Morley has some important things to say about our answer to this question. "The American gospel has evolved into a gospel of addition without subtraction. It is a belief that we can add Christ to our lives, but not subtract sin. It is a change in ...read more
-
Mark Twain Noted, "Most People Are Bothered By ... PRO
Contributed by Dana Chau on Jul 21, 2003
Mark Twain noted, "Most people are bothered by those passages of Scripture they do not understand, but the passages ...read more
-
More Of A Miracle Than Resurrection PRO
Contributed by Greg Buchner on Mar 28, 2005
Lee Strobel put it like this… “If we were holding a trial to determine the facts concerning the resurrection, and if we were to call to the witness stand every witness who personally encountered the resurrected Jesus and we cross-examined them for only 15 minutes, and if we went around the ...read more
-
Knowledge Is Exploding At Such A Rate—more Than ...
Contributed by Lou Nicholes on Jan 18, 2005
Knowledge is exploding at such a rate—more than 2000 pages a minute—that even Einstein couldn’t keep up. In fact, if you read 24 hours a day, from age 21 to 70, and retained all you read, you would be one and a half million years behind when you finished. How can it be, in a world where half the ...read more
-
In His Book, The One-Minute Manager, Kenneth ... PRO
Contributed by Brent Baker on Sep 13, 2005
In his book, The One-Minute Manager, Kenneth Blanchard recommends developing the practice of "one-minute praising," where the manager (or parent, spouse, etc.) tries to "catch someone doing something right" and then spend a full sixty seconds praising that person for the good deed. This is a lot ...read more
Related Sermons
-
The Road To Victory Series
Contributed by Kevin L. Jones on Apr 7, 2014
A sermon examining the events surrounding Jesus' Triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
-
We Would See Jesus Series
Contributed by Dennis Davidson on Apr 22, 2014
Having heard & observed, these Gentiles were attracted or drawn to Jesus & they wanted to believe in Him, they wanted to "know" Him. Jesus therefore challenges them & us - to die that we might live
-
Taking His Yoke Is No Joke Series
Contributed by David Dykes on Aug 16, 2012
How taking the yoke of Jesus is the key to life.
-
How To Have Less Stress Series
Contributed by Tom Shepard on Dec 24, 2015
This sermon looks at seven principles for stress management. 1. Know Who You Are 2. Know who you want to please 3. Know what you want to accomplish 4. Focus on one thing at a time 5. Make a habit of personal prayer 6. Take time to rest 7. Give your stress to Christ
-
Under The Fig Tree
Contributed by Spencer Miller on May 17, 2013
When Jesus told Nathanael that He saw him under the fig tree, He was telling Nathanael that He knew everything about him, even the deepest longings of his heart.