Lessons from the Sheep Pen
Intro: [Play youtube clip of crazy sheep sounds]
-Yes, the Bible really does compare us to sheep. But as crazy as what you’ve just heard sounds, it is nothing compared to the craziness that comes from people, whether out of their mouths or out of their lives.
1. Sheep Tend to Wander
Isaiah 53:6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Psalm 119:176 I have strayed like a lost sheep. Seek your servant, for I have not forgotten your commands.
2. Jesus Cares about Lost Sheep
Matthew 9:36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
-HELPLESS ON MY OWN
In his book, "A Shepherd Looks at the Twenty-third Psalm," Philip Keller says that sheep require more attention than any other livestock. They just can’t take care of themselves.
Unless their shepherd makes them move on, sheep will actually ruin a pasture, eating every blade of grass, until finally a fertile pasture is nothing but barren soil. Sheep are near-sighted & very stubborn, but easily frightened. An entire flock can be stampeded by a jack rabbit.
They have little means of defense. They’re timid, feeble creatures. Their only recourse is to run if no shepherd is there to protect them. Sheep have no homing instincts. A dog, horse, cat, or a bird can find its way home, but when a sheep gets lost, it’s a goner unless someone rescues it.
So the over-riding principle of Psalm 23 is that sheep can’t make it without a shepherd.
[SOURCE: Melvin Newland in "The Lord Is My Shepherd" on www.sermoncentral.com.]
3. Jesus Seeks Lost Sheep
Luke 15:4-6 4 "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.'
-Illus: The boss of a big company needed to call one of his employees about an urgent problem with one of the main computers. He dialed the employee’s home telephone number and was greeted with a child’s whispered, "Hello?"
Feeling put out at the inconvenience of having to talk to a youngster, the boss asked, "Is your Daddy home?" "Yes," whispered the small voice.
"May I talk with him?" the man asked. To the surprise of the boss, the small voice whispered, "No."
Wanting to talk with an adult, the boss asked, "Is your Mommy there?"
"Yes," came the answer.
"May I talk with her?" Again, the small voice whispered, "No."
Knowing that it was not likely that a young child would be left home alone, the boss decided he would just leave a message with the person who should be there watching over the child. "Is there anyone there besides you?" the boss asked the child.
"Yes," whispered the child, "a policeman."
Wondering what a cop would be doing at his employee’s home, the boss asked,
"May I speak with the policeman?"
"No, he is busy," whispered the child.
"Busy doing what?" asked the boss.
"Talking to Daddy and Mommy and the Fireman," came the whispered answer.
Growing concerned and even worried as he heard what sounded like a helicopter through the ear piece on the phone, the boss asked, "What is that noise?"
"A hello-copper," answered the whispering voice.
"What is going on there?" asked the boss, now alarmed.
In an awed whispering voice, the child answered, "The search team just landed the hello-copper!"
Alarmed, concerned and more than just a little frustrated, the boss asked,
"Why are they there?"
Still whispering, the young voice replied (along with a muffled giggle), "They are looking for me!" [Christian Cheong, SC]
-Jesus is looking for lost sheep, but does not force Himself on anyone. A lost sheep must admit that he or she is lost, and then be willing to receive help from the Shepherd.
4. Marks of “Found” Sheep
1. They return to the Lord
1 Peter 2:24-25 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
-Phillip Keller again wrote about a “cast-down” sheep and what the shepherd does to get him back on his feet. “When sheep lay on their back, gas begins to collect in their stomach. It hardens the stomach, cuts off the air passage and they suffocate. Not only that, their legs go numb in that position. They need a shepherd to restore them. When a shepherd restores a cast down sheep, it doesn’t just happen immediately. It takes time. The shepherd lovingly massages the four legs to get some circulation back. Then he begins to talk in a reassuring tone to the sheep, "You’re going to make it." Then he gently turns the sheep over and lifts it up because it cannot stand up on its own. He’ll hold the animal there while the sheep begins to get some equilibrium. The blood begins to flow in the legs again and it begins to get some stability. When the shepherd is sure that the sheep can stand on its own, then the shepherd will lovingly have the sheep follow him home.”
What a picture! When you’re on your back and the emotional pain of guilt, grief or grudges are overwhelming you, will you remember that the Lord is your Shepherd? He lovingly comes with tender hands and reassuring words, picks us up and sets us up straight until we can get on our feet again and then says, “Okay, now follow Me home." [Timothy Smith, SC]
-Whether we are sheep who have strayed away from God or sheep who have never known God, it is our Good Shepherd’s desire to help us return to Him! He truly cares for us!
-The next 3 marks of a “found sheep all come from John 10:27.
John 10:27 "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me"
2. They listen to His voice
"Two men were walking along a crowded city sidewalk. Suddenly, one of the men remarked: "Listen to the lovely sound of that cricket."
But the other man could not hear the sound of the cricket at all.
He asked his friend: "How can you hear the sound of a cricket ... amid the roar of the traffic and the sounds of the city."
The first man, who was a zoologist, had trained himself to hear the sounds of nature.
He didn’t explain to his friend how he could hear the sound of the cricket, ..... instead, he reached into his pocket, ....pulled out a half-dollar coin,.... dropped it onto the sidewalk, And watched intently as a dozen people began to look for the coin as they heard it clanking amid the sounds of the traffic and the sounds of the city.
He turned to his friend and said, ..... "We hear ....what we listen for." [J. Jeffrey Smead SC]
3. They know Him and are known by Him
-Now while God in His omniscience knows all about each of us, if we stick with the analogy of sheep and shepherd, we can identify something very important that is required in order for the Shepherd to know His sheep. And that is time and interaction with them. God knows everything, but I believe Jesus is talking about relationship here.
-Look back at v.14 in John 10: John 10:14-15 14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me-- 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father….”
-More than just an intellectual awareness of someone’s identity, this word, ginosko, speaks of mutual relationship. Spending time with God in prayer and in His word is more than something to cross of your daily to do list. It is how we get to know Jesus and how He gets to know us! Jesus said that on the day of judgment many would try to prove a connection with Him by saying, “We did many good works in Your name.” But His response will be, “I never knew you. I never had mutual relationship with you. We shared no interaction. We didn’t do life together. Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.” [Matthew 7:21-23]
-Jesus invites us to come to Him and get to know Him closely. Let’s do it!
4. They follow Him
-Bob Crabtree, former AG Superintendent of Ohio, tells while in the USSR, he saw two shepherds come together in the middle of the road. They had 300 sheep all become one group. He had to wait as the shepherds talked. Finally, Bob wondered how would they ever separate all those sheep. As the one shepherd was leaving, in a low voice he bade his sheep come. The two groups separated instantly and went their ways. The sheep knew the voice!
Bob also told about seeing one shepherd be very mean to his sheep. The shepherd was not in front of the sheep leading them. As the shepherd drove the sheep, he kicked them and hit them with a stick. Come to find out, it was not a shepherd, but rather, he was a butcher from the local slaughter house.
As sheep in God's pasture, choose well who you listen to and follow. The Good Shepherd leads us faithfully, firmly, yet lovingly.
[SOURCE: Wade Hughes, Sr. Edited by SermonCentral staff.]
Conclusion: Do you listen to His voice? Do you have a close relationship with Him? Do you interact with Him and trust Him with your life? Do you follow Him with all of your heart? If so, then you are one of His. If not, then the most important issue in this life had not been settled in your heart. We are all works in process, but if the grand trajectory of your life is not aimed in the direction of Jesus Christ, then heart change and life change is necessary! And God will change us when we call on Him, trusting Him to give us new life. He is eager to help us return to Him, listen to Him, love Him, and follow Him.
-So where are you headed today in your life as a sheep? Are you lost? Do you need to be found? Be assured that your Good Shepherd has been seeking you out, trying to turn your wayward heart to Him. He truly cares about you and wants you to be able to live life to the full as you learn to do life with Him instead of w/o Him. His love never fails… never gives up… never runs out on you! Don’t run from the Shepherd who loves you and is looking for you. He wants to make you whole… complete in Him… lacking nothing!
-King David the shepherd said that because the Lord was his shepherd, he had everything he needed- he lacked nothing.
NJB Psalm 23:1-6 “Yahweh [the LORD] is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 2 In grassy meadows he lets me lie. By tranquil streams he leads me 3 to restore my spirit. He guides me in paths of saving justice as befits his name. 4 Even were I to walk in a ravine as dark as death I should fear no danger, for you are at my side. Your staff and your crook are there to soothe me. 5 You prepare a table for me under the eyes of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup brims over. 6 Kindness and faithful love pursue me every day of my life. I make my home in the house of Yahweh for all time to come.”
