Back In The Fold Series

Back In The Fold!

Psalm 23:3a

Introduction:

Illust:

Two students working for the summer got a job with the Public Works Department. They were given the job of painting the center lines of a rural road. The supervisor told them that they were on probation and that they must stay above the average of two miles per day to keep their job. On their first day they completed four miles. Yet, on their second day they only completed two miles. Their supervisor was somewhat concerned with the drop in their progress, but didn't say anything because they were still at average. However, on the third day, the students only did one mile. The supervisor decided he needed to talk to them because they had gone from four to one mile in three days. He called them in and said, ''Boys, you did so great your first day, and although the second was not as good, you did the average. But today you only did one mile. You are doing less each day. What seems to be the problem?'' The students replied, ''We keep getting farther and farther away from the bucket.'' 1

That is the picture we have before us in our text this morning. Not some boys getting farther way from a paint bucket but Christians who are getting farther away from the Lord.

Ps. 23 = uses the imagery of a sheep getting farther away from his shepherd. Sheep are prone to wander, and the truth of the matter is, so are we!

Reminded of the hymn writer, Robert Robinson, who was converted under the preaching of George Whitfield in America’s first Great Awakening! Shortly after his conversion Robert Robinson became a pastor and song writer.

Composed one of my favorite hymns… love the words, melody… most of all I love the story behind the hymn.

“Come Thou Fount!”

Come Thou Fount of every blessing,

Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;

Streams of mercy, never ceasing,

Call for songs of loudest praise.

2nd stanza of song would prove to be tragically prophetic of Robinson’s life:

“Prone to wander,

Lord I fell it;

Prone to leave the God I love”

After a number of years of faithful service to the Lord, Robert Robinson lived out the words of his song and wandered away from the Lord…

Sad truth is that everyone of us are prone to wander away from our Shepherd! To leave the God we love…

Ps. 119:176 – “I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant…”

Good News: Ps. 23:3 – “He restoreth my soul…”

I. THE WANDERING SHEEP!

cf. the fact that a sheep needs to be restored means that they have strayed from the Shepherd.

When a sheep who has such a caring shepherd, one who leads them into lush, green pastures and beside pools of refreshing still waters… wonder how they would ever stray away, but they do!

When we have a such a good, gracious and loving Savior… promised to care for us and meet the needs of our lives… how we could every stray away from Him… but we do!

Isaiah 53:6 – “All we like sheep have gone astray…”

Quote: RL Moyer in his book on the 23rd Psalm wrote, “That old sheep of God named Noah did. He was old enough to know better. The old sheep, Abraham, wandered away from God’s promised pastures down to Egypt. That old sheep, Moses, lost his temper and in rage wandered from the path of righteousness. Solomon was one of the wisest sheep God ever had, yet how silly he was over women. David, that sheep whose name means, “Beloved,” wandered far from the path of uprightness. The sheep named Peter did the same. So have you. So have I.” 2

Reasons why we stray…

A. Neglect

Cf. personal neglect of spiritual things will cause us to drift away from the Shepherd:

v.2 – our Shepherd leads us into green pastures and beside still waters and makes us to lie down… peace, safety, satisfaction, rest… why is it that we have to be led to the very food (God’s Word) and drink (God’s Spirit) necessary to sustain our spiritual lives?

Because one of the easiest things to do in the Christian life is to neglect the very things that causes that life to flourish!

Such as daily spending time fellowshipping with God through personal Bible reading and private prayer, regularly attending church and worshiping with people of God, faithfully involving ourselves in meaning service to the Lord, giving of our time and resources Him.

Its not that we don’t know what we should do, we know! Problem is neglect! What we know to do; we don’t do as we should.

Many a sheep has neglected the rich green pastures of God’s Word, failed to avail themselves of the still waters of prayer; failed to assemble with God’s flock on Sun morn, even and/ or Wed… miss service here and another there only to wake up one Sunday morning and find themselves away from God!