Scripture: Acts 2:42-47; John 10:1-10 and Psalm 23 (Call to Worship)
Title: Sheep Smarts
INTRO:
Acts 2:42-47
2:42 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
2:43 Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles.
2:44 All who believed were together and had all things in common;
2:45 they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need.
2:46 Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts,
2:47 praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.
Grace and peace from God our Father and from Jesus Christ who came to take away the sin of the world!
All of our readings this morning are full of power, majesty and God's Glory. How do you improve on the identity, the mission and the message of the Early Church that we read in Acts 2:42-47? How do you improve on the reality that what we see here is the Church that Jesus envisioned becoming a reality through His Holy Spirit? Who wouldn't be drawn to such a fellowship? Talk about a Church in the Zone - as we heard that passage being read this morning did you catch all the wonderful qualities of this Early Church? Here are some of them:
+They were a learning and growing Church
+They were devoted to community
+They were a grace filled sacramental community
+They were prayer warriors
+They experienced supernatural events
+They shared with one another
+They worshipped together
+They were filled with joy
+They experienced a life of God's anointing and favor
Wow! When you read that passage you come away with the realization that the life this Early Church community was experiencing is the life that our LORD wants all of His churches to experience. When you read that passage you realize that this is what Jesus meant when He preached and taught about being Born from Above, the Abundant Life and Enjoying Oneness with the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY. The picture that Luke paints for us here in Acts 2:42-47 is one that needs to be multiplied a million times all over our world.
But how do we get to be that type of church/community? How do we hope in our present environment to be able to emulate or duplicate this same type of spiritual life experience?
Well, in some ways we can't. We can't turn the clock back and suddenly begin to be the Early Church. However, in saying that it does not mean that we cannot enjoy the same Spirit-filled, Spirit-anointed and Spirit-led lives that they enjoyed. Our times and cultures may differ from those we read about in the book of Acts but the eternal truths are the same. The community, the oneness and the agape love that they were able to experience is ours for the asking. What we read about in this passage was never to be a onetime event. Instead, the picture that Luke paints for us is one that all over the world as Christ followers we are experience, enjoy and encourage.
So, how do we do it? I am so glad that you asked, for that leads us to such passages as John chapter 10 and Psalm 23 where we discover what I want to call this morning - SHEEP SMARTS. Sheep that were smart enough to:
1. Know Jesus as their Shepherd
2. Listen and Follow Jesus
3. Live out the Life of an Abundant Sheep
A great deal over the years has been made concerning the lack of intelligence of natural sheep and even of spiritual sheep. Some of it no doubt has been well deserved. There are a great many sheep both natural and in the church that have exhibited behavior that has been less than idea. We have to admit that there are those sheep that don't live up to the intelligence and follow ability of good sheep.
However, the sheep that we read about in Psalm 23 and in John 10 are sheep that have a great deal of "Sheep Smarts". And it is those smarts that enable them to be very much like the people that we read about in Acts 2:42-47. Now, exactly what do I mean? Well, let's look at a few ways we can all be SMART SHEEP.
I. Smart Spiritual Sheep KNOW JESUS
You have to love the words that both David and Our Lord Jesus use in both of these passages. David starts his psalm off with letting everyone know that he enjoys this deep and wonderful personal relationship with the LORD. "Who is My Shepherd?" David answers - "THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD".
Then in John 10, the LORD wants us to see ourselves as SHEEP. Sheep that know that they are sheep. I know that sounds simple but if we are going to understand this passage we have to get this foundational truth. All of us this morning are SHEEP. We are not to see ourselves as goats nor are we to see ourselves as playing the role of our own shepherd. We are to be who the LORD God Almighty has made us to be - His Sheep.
In calling us sheep, the Lord is not saying that we lack some kind of intelligence or wisdom. On the contrary. What Jesus is wanting his listeners back then and us today is to understand that His Sheep are not only highly intelligent but they possess extreme wisdom as well.
We see their greatest intelligence and wisdom displayed in the fact that they choose the LORD to be their shepherd. David's statement of "THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD" has behind it the idea that as God's Sheep, He (David) chose the LORD to be His Shepherd. All around David were other false and misleading shepherds (bandits, thieves) vying for his attention, worship and commitment. During David's time that would have included the likes of false gods like Baal, Ashtoreth, Chemosh or one of other Canaanite or Egyptian gods. However, David rejects all of these false gods and chooses the only true God - the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY to be His Shepherd. David choose the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY to be the one who gets his attention, his worship and his commitment.
Today, we too have multiplicity of false gods vying for our attention, worship and commitment. For example, we can choose to worship the false gods of science or humanism. We can choose to worship the false gods of Hollywood or money. We can even choose to follow the false gods of paganism. Finally, we can even choose to follow ourselves as our own god. But when we do any of these things we are simply acting the part of a fool and we are throwing away any chance we have at experiencing an abundant here on earth and in the life to come.
God's Word concerning all of this is very clear:
+ "YOU SHALL HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME" (Exodus 20:3).
+ Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. {5} Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. (Deut. 6:4-5 NIV)
+ That all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God, there is no other. (1 Kings 8:60 ESV)
+ "You are the LORD, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them: and you preserve them; and the host of heaven worship you." (Nehemiah 9:6 ESV)
+ "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." ( 1 Timothy 2:5 ESV)
I don't believe any of those scriptures need any more explanation this morning.
In John chapter 10, Jesus makes it plan that as God's Only Son - the Messiah - the King of Kings and Lord of Lords - He is to be our Shepherd and we are to be the sheep of His Flock. He is both the door and the Shepherd. Jesus tells us that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
Smart sheep therefore pick the best Shepherd and I believe this morning that there is no better Shepherd than Jesus Christ, God's Only Begotten Son. The Bible tells us that Jesus loved us so much that He gave His Life for us. The Bible tells us that Jesus became sin, died for mankind and has risen from the dead and is seated at the right hand of God the Father making intercession for each and every one of us. The Bible tells us that Jesus has made a way for us to be rescued and redeemed through the power and presence of His Holy Spirit. As far as I am concerned this morning the Smart thing for any Sheep to do is to allow Jesus Christ to be their Shepherd.
II. Secondly, our passages teach us that Spiritually Smart Sheep listen and follow Jesus
That is to say, Smart Sheep have tuned in ears. Smart Sheep understand that they are to listen to their Shepherd. They know that they need to listen because they know that their Shepherd is smarter than them and will lead and guide them to pastures where they can enjoy an abundant life.
Listening at times is by far the most difficult skill to develop as one of God's Smart Sheep. While we know we need a Savior we are not always sure that we need a Guide, a Counselor or a LORD. While we know we want to enjoy God's richest pastures (abundant life) we not always sure that God's grass is the greenest grass. While we know we need the safety of the Church, community and communion we are not always sure that we can't do better on our own.
It all comes down to listening and then following. And listening comes down to focusing our attention on the LORD. It comes down to getting our own hearts, minds and souls quiet enough to hear His words.
Ecclesiastes 5:1 reminds us: "To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools." The writer goes on to say - "Be no rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you upon earth; therefore let your words be few." (verse 2).
Our contemporary world is not only filled with false Shepherds it is often filled with meaningless noise - Noise that is just noise. All you have to do is attempt to go outside for some quiet and you realize that all around us is a overabundance of noise. Turn on the TV or get on-line and you will find more meaningless noise. Suddenly this person is telling you to watch this video clip or buy this product or program. People are doing all they can to make sure that they network - which all too often is merely a means of making sure that you think that what they say or what they are selling is important and vital to your everyday life.
Ideas like solitude, simplicity, meditation and contemplation are being squeezed out by all the clutter and the noise. However, without times of solitude and stillness we will never be able to hear God's Voice. There is a reason why the LORD leads His Sheep to still water. There is a reason the LORD Jesus Himself would go off to spend quality time with His Father all alone. There is a reason why Adam and Eve would walk with God in the cool of the day.
All of those times were times of stillness and solitude. They were times when the LORD could be with His Heavenly Father and when the sheep could be at peace with their Shepherd. Being alone with the LORD is becoming a lost spiritual discipline and yet all around us we see chaos reigning and ruining. You would think that all that chaos would lead us to know that we need to spend more quiet time with the LORD. The key truth is the more time we spend in the presence of the LORD the better we will be able to spend quality time with one another and live an abundant life.
We all know this morning that in order for us to follow the LORD as our Shepherd we must be able to hear His voice. And to be able to His voice we must make time to learn how to focus in on His Voice. We must take the time to hear His Voice through the Bible, through times of communion with Him in prayer and through God's wonderful gift to us called nature. We must take the time to hear God's Voice through one another as well.
We all live busy lives. The Devil and evil will make sure that we live even busier lives if we are not careful. He nor his host of demons wants us to hear the LORD or follow the LORD. Therefore it is imperative for us to discover places and times to reconnect with the LORD throughout our day. It is imperative for us to have those times when our souls are restored and we are put back on our spiritual feet.
We all need to find places that we can reconnect with the LORD. It may be a spot in a park, the sanctuaries in our churches or the front seat of our cars or trucks. It may be sitting down for a few moments before we go to work or taking a walk away from the noise during our lunch hour.
i would like to think over the next few years more and more churches would include a place for solitude and quiet in their building plans. More often than not we spend millions of dollars on church buildings but all too often we forget to build a little area or two for people to come and spend quality time with the LORD. I personally feel each church needs a quiet space here or there - a garden area or even a room that once can spend a few hours ( or even a day or two) in quiet time before the LORD.
Why? Because there really is no substitute for taking the time to hear God's voice. How can a Shepherd lead us if we can't hear their Voice? How can we follow Jesus if we can't hear His call?
Smart Sheep therefore understand that they need:
+To Know Jesus as their Shepherd (Savior and LORD)
+Learn how to listen and follow Jesus
III. Finally, Smart Sheep Need to Live Out the Abundant Life (SMART SHEEP LIFE)
In Psalm 23 we understand that this sheep is living out the best life possible. In fact, this particular sheep says that there is no where they want to be without their Shepherd - "I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever".
In John 10:10 Jesus words are very clear - "I came that they may have life and have it abundantly".
We see what all that means in practical living spelled out in Acts 2:42 - 47 where we started our message this morning. Earlier we over that list of qualities that this Early Church was able to live out on a day to day basis.
All of this leads us to understand that as Smart Sheep we are to:
+Know Jesus as our Shepherd - that is to say we are to know the LORD JESUS as our Savior and LORD
+Listen and follow Jesus - allowing Jesus through the power and presence of His Holy Spirit to lead us, guide us, comfort us, convict us, rescue us, redeem us, renew us and infill us with His Holy Spirit.
And then we are simply live out the life that Jesus wants us to live. We are to create a sheep fold ( a church) that not only experiences such a life but encourages others to live out such a life. To do that it means:
1. We must focus on be a learning and growing community of faith
In recent days the presence of small groups/life groups/cell groups/Sunday School have taken a back seat. Over time I believe this will cause the death of the Church. We simply cannot exist without the ability to teach one another and the next generation about the message, mission and ministry of Jesus. Without small groups that will be next to impossible. As wonderful as any Sunday Morning Celebration can be it can never replace the learning, fellowship and prayer ministry that happens in small group settings.
The Bible tells us that at times Jesus spoke to thousands of people. At times Jesus gather multitudes that experienced anointings and miracles beyond imagination and number. But none of those were Jesus' bread and butter.
Time after time as you read the Gospel stories you see where these same great multitudes would weaned themselves away and go back to their homes. Then you discovered Jesus alone on some hillside or on the beach teaching his small group of disciples or you find Mary sitting at his feet soaking in His every word and thought. I believe that more than ever today we all need small groups that meet not only for fellowship but for study, prayer and spiritual growth.
We also know that prayer meetings have pretty much gone the way of small groups. And yet, over and over again the scriptures tell us the extreme importance of prayer. Dr. Richard Foster is correct when he shares that a church (person) that chooses not to pray is a church that is opposed to change. Prayer is the central way that the LORD uses to transform His People. When we abandon prayer we abandon the way for us to be transformed by the Holy Spirit. It is just that plain and simple.
Prayer leads us to think the LORD's thoughts, to desire the things that the LORD desires and love the things that the LORD loves. Prayer leads us be able to share the breath of God with our world. Prayer leads us to be a church like the Early Church. (See Foster's book - The Celebration of Discipline)
When the Early Church was tempted to place prayer by the wide side and go the route of focusing only on the social gospel they resisted that temptation. They still made sure that they took care of the needs of poor and disenfranchised around them but they also made sure that they invested their best energies in prayer and ministry of God's Word. (Acts 6:4).
This morning, if we are going to be Smart Sheep - Sheep that know Jesus, that listen to Jesus and follow Jesus then we must make sure that our little sheepfold is one that is saturated in learning God's Word, fellowship and prayer.
2. We must also be receptive to the work of the Holy Spirit
In verse Acts 2:43 we see a wonderful byproduct of being a church that is dedicated to learning, experiencing fellowship and prayer - it is a church that is able to experience the awe of God along with wonders and signs. In other words, it is a church that experiences the supernatural movements of the Holy Spirit. It is a church that is open to receive God's anointings and miracles.
I believe we are to understand that those anointings, miracles, signs and awe-ness are not events that happen by accident. Instead, they are what happens when we first dedicate ourselves to learning, fellowship and prayer. All too often the modern day church wants to experience the movements of the LORD without being dedicated to growing spiritually, sharing with one another and praying with one another.
In Acts chapter eight we read a story about a man named Simon the Magician who attempted to buy the power of the Holy Spirit. He thought that in some way Simon Peter could simply transfer some of that Holy Spirit power or that in some way the Apostle could share with him the knowledge of how to tap into that Holy Spirit power. Simon the Magician wanted to feel and experience what it meant to be in the flow of the Holy Spirit.
The book of Acts tells us that Simon the Magician greatly misunderstood. Simon Peter in verse 21 told the Simon the Magician that his heart was not right. The Magician was not into having Jesus as Savior and LORD. He wanted to bypass the whole listen and follow agenda. He wanted to avoid the whole learning process, the fellowship process and the getting on your knees for prayer process. He simply wanted the power - the signs, the wonders and the outpouring of God's Holy Spirit.
I am afraid this morning that we in the modern church at least here in the United States are tempted to want and even attempted to try to accomplish the same thing. There are some who think if we can merely conjure up the right atmosphere and say the right things than we can create our own awe-ness, create our own spiritual anointings and power. And in our own strength on the surface it does appear that we can create quite a show and if we are not careful the Devil can convince us that our show is quite good. We can gather in large numbers and even raise quite a lot of money.
But as the British use to say - the proof is in the pudding. Are lives truly being transformed? Is our society being transformed? Can we say that over the last 4 - 5 years that our communities are more spiritual, more Spirit-led and Spirit- filled? Are we making an impact on our communities, in our workplaces, our schools or even our homes? Are we being agents of change and vessels of the Holy Spirit?
If we cannot answer those questions in the positive sense - then we must take some time and ask ourselves some important questions:
+Are we engaged in learning more about the LORD?
+Are we growing deeper in the WORD and in the Holy Spirit?
+Are we engaged in loving agape fellowship with one another that extends outside the doors of the Church on a Sunday morning?
+Are we engage in prayer meetings that are true honest to God prayer meetings?
+Are we open to change and transformation?
+Are we willing to receive God's power in our services in the form of anointings and miracles?
+Are we open for God to come down and take over our well ordered service?
+Are we willing to wait for the LORD or do we actually have God on some kind of Sunday morning time table?
3) Finally, we see that we must be willing to allow God to help us to continue to grow and stretch
Smart sheep know Jesus. Smart sheep listen and follow Jesus. Smart Sheep live out a life of spiritual abundance. Smart sheep devote themselves to learning, fellowship and prayer. Smart sheep are open and receptive to the moving, anointing presence of God's Holy Spirit.
Smart Sheep are constantly ready to give all they can and do all they can to receive God's Harvest. Those individuals that made up the Early Church opened up their hearts, their finances and their homes in order to reach out to more people. They sacrificed their time, their resources and themselves for one another especially for those in need. They understood that they had to create a sheepfold (Church) that was creating a proper relationship with the LORD and with others. They understood that the LORD had called them to be co-partners in rescuing, redeeming and restoring people into God's Holy Image. The Early Church was full of dedicated, Spirit-filled SMART SHEEP!
As we close this morning let me ask all of us some questions:
+Do we know Jesus this morning as our Shepherd - as our Savior and LORD?
+Are we listening and following His Direction, Guidance and Will?
+Are we making sure that we are learning, praying and do all we can to experience a life of holiness?
+Are we doing all we can to make sure Easter is more than a huge blip on the screen. Are we willing to allow God's Holy Spirit to break in and bring more souls that we could ever imagine?
This morning, as we close this morning we invite any who would like to ask the LORD JESUS CHRIST to become their Savior and LORD.
+Sharing the Prayer of Salvation
This morning as we close we invite any who would like to ask the LORD JESUS CHRIST to be their Savior - to fill them with the Holy Spirit
+Sharing Prayer of God's Infilling Spirit
