Series: Creating Contagious Compassion
When We Wander Too Far?
( evanglelism, salvation)
Luke 15:3-7
Survivor Eva Hart remembers the night, April 15, 1912, on which the Titanic plunged 12,000 feet to the Atlantic floor, some two hours and forty minutes after an iceberg tore a 300-foot gash in the starboard side: "I saw all the horror of its sinking, and I heard, even more dreadful, the cries of drowning people."
Although twenty life-boats and rafts were launched-too few and only partly filled-most of the passengers ended up struggling in the icy seas while those in the boats waited a safe distance away.
Lifeboat No. 14 did row back to the scene after the unsinkable ship slipped from sight at 2:20 A.M. Alone, it chased cries in the darkness, seeking and saving a precious few.
Incredibly, no other boat joined it.
Some were already overloaded, but in virtually every other boat, those already saved rowed their half-filled boats aimlessly in the night, listening to the cries of the lost. Each feared a crush of unknown. Swimmers would cling to their craft, eventually swamping it.
"I came to seek and to save the lost," our Savior said. And he commissioned us to do the same. But we face a large obstacle: fear. While people drown in the treacherous waters around us, we are tempted to stay dry and make certain no one rocks the boat.
I would assume that all of us identify with that famous picture of the Good Shepherd Jesus with that precious lamb wrapped around his neck safely on his broad shoulders?
Why do you identify with that lamb?
Most of us have wandered off too far. Maybe you feel like you have to be carried back to safety. You have tried to find your way back.. but you end up on dead –end roads?
Maybe the comfort of resting on God’s shoulders brings hope to days of despair?
For one reason or another most of us identify with the sheep in this story.
Some of us have felt like the black sheep in our families.. we have a lot of those in our family.. all on Tina’s side of course.
Shepherds walked in pairs, but this parable does not say this shepherd had a partner. So, in fact, he leaves the 99 in the open and dangerous country... vulnerable to the enemy of thieves and wild dogs.
So, in this parable, Jesus is teaching us how to capture the heart of God.. that God is passionate about lost sheep. That God seeks us out when we wander too far
The OT talks about God carrying His sheep, Ps. 28:9 says, "Be their shepherd and carry them forever".
In 40:11, it says, "He tends His flock like a Shepard, he gathers his lambs in his arms and carries them close to His heart. He gently leads those who have young."
What a joy to be found being carried close to the heart of God almighty?
Once again, in this parable, two people are depicted in this parable.
There are those safely in the fold of the 99, that have not wandered too far, yet they allowed and watched this one wander off too far… I also assume that every sheep in that 99 wandered sometime in their life.
In fact, God says in Romans 3:23, "All have turned away, all fall short of the glory of God."
Peter says, in chapter 2 of His book, "For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd, an overseer of your souls.".
There is also another person represented here, and that is the lamb that wandered too far, another good shepherd is seeking them out.
Last week we learned that to win sheep you may have to follow them into some rough terrain.
In my experience, you may find some lost sheep in your own church. Often, I have found them actually just to be wolves in sheep’s clothing…
But most of the time, I see God’s wandering sheep, in bars, drunk in ditches - so dirty that you could not recognize their wool.
Jesus is preaching to the religious leaders and he is trying to teach them, as well as us, that God does not wait for the sheep to find their way back.. but he seeks them out. He has passion for Lost sheep.
When Christians abide in the sight of the great Shepherd, Jesus Christ, they are held in the security of the flock, but sometimes they become distracted from the flock.
Jesus presents us with the picture of a shepherd whose sheep has gone astray.
In Israel, shepherding was a major livelihood. Sheep provided people with "meat, milk, fat, wool, skins, and horns," many of the necessities of living.
"The economic value of sheep stood in direct proportion to the amount of supervision these beasts required."
The shepherd had to put forth time and effort to train a sheep to stay near him and to remain in the fold. When the sheep went astray the shepherd went after it because he did not want to loose his investment. He did not want to lose all of the hard work that went into making an obedient sheep.
The sheep was only valuable if it stayed with the flock. (emphasize)
Verse five speaks of chastisement. It was just mentioned that the shepherd put forth tremendous time and effort in making an obedient sheep. Why does a sheep have to be obedient? If he is not obedient, then others will see him and follow him, and they too will be led away from the protection of the flock and the shepherd.
A woman visiting in Switzerland came to a sheepfold on one of her daily walks. Venturing in, she saw the shepherd seated on the ground with his flock around him. Nearby, on a pile of straw lay a single sheep, which seemed to be suffering. Looking closely, the woman saw that its leg was broken.
Her sympathy went out to the suffering sheep, and she looked up inquiringly to the shepherd as she asked how it happened. "I broke it myself," said the shepherd sadly and then explained. "Of all the sheep in my flock, this was the most wayward."
It would not obey my voice and would not follow when I was leading the flock. On more than one occasion, it wandered to the edge of a perilous cliff. And not only was it disobedient itself, but it was leading other sheep astray.
Based on my experience with this kind of sheep, I knew I had no choice, so I broke its leg. The next day I took food and it tried to bite me. After letting it lie alone for a couple of days, I went back and it not only eagerly took the food, but also licked my hand and showed every sign of submission and affection.
And now, let me say this, when this sheep is well, it will be the model sheep of my entire flock. No sheep will hear my voice so quickly nor follow so closely.
Instead of leading the others away, it will be an example of devotion and obedience. In short, a complete change will come into the life of this wayward sheep. It will have learned obedience through its sufferings.”
Many times it is the same in human experience. Through our suffering, God may be seeking to teach us obedience and reliance on his care.
Verse five says, "And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders . . ." If one has ever seen the picture of the shepherd with a lamb lying across the back of his neck, the lamb is there because the shepherd has broken it’s leg.
This is another technique similar to what was just seen. The sheep has to depend on the shepherd for its mode of travel and support, and thereby learns to follow and trust the shepherd.
What is demonstrated here is chastisement, or correction. Christians can leave the flock for many reasons. They may quit spending time with the Shepherd, Jesus Christ, and stop studying his Word, because they are having fun watching television or going out to the lake fishing or boating. Maybe a person is consumed by their job and cannot join the flock in church on Sundays.
Or, maybe the person believes they do not need to be in the flock. That person does not receive any fellowship or encouragement because he or she is not there.
If a Christian ever feels like they are far from the Lord, or feels like things are not going right, then maybe he or she is experiencing a time of discipline and correction from the Lord.
The Lord says in Revelation 3:19, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten." Because a Christian has left the shepherd or the flock, the Lord may be disciplining him or her. He may be showing that person that they cannot live without the Shepherd.
More often than not.. the sheep that wanders does not even realize he is far.
Often, we sort of get calloused toward our sins… day by day, less time with the Shepard we get used to Him not being next to our side… before long, a thick callous forms around our heart.
It reminds me of a time my mother and grandma went out to eat. My mom and grandma were best friends. They bowled together, they ate together, they worried about me together. One sunny afternoon, they decided to go to Sonic for lunch. Grandma slapped on her favorite set of Sammy Davis, Jr. sunglasses, after ordering their food, mom looked at grandma and just cackled and laughed.
When mom laughs she laughs with all her heart. She either cries or pees. She looked at grandma and asked, "Mom do you notice anything wrong?" Grandma oblivious to what was so funny, for an hour she had rode around with one of the lens of her glasses out. It must of fell out when she got in the car.
But she had gotten used to what she was seeing.
That little trait must run in the family. I remember one time when I was about 10 and my sister was about 14. We would load up in the faithful Ford LTD - the grocery getter. Now my mom was a stressed out-stay at home mom. I love her for that, but days around the family farm got tense.
Jill and I were sitting around out in the car waiting for mom to come out.
Here she came ranting and raving about never having a life of her own.
She flopped down in the driver’s seat, and said, "Ok, kids where are my *&%$ glasses? If you played with them then I need them back. I cannot drive without them! Do you want a cop to pull us over and me get arrested for not having my glasses?"
Jill and I looked at each other with be wilderment on our faces. I don’t have her glasses! Do you have her glasses?..... No! I don’t have them....
She hopped out of the car to return to the house to look for her glasses. As she mumbled, I remember her saying, "Dang kids, I never have a life of my own."
After a few minutes of tearing the house apart, out came a hot headed mom. She flopped back down in the faithful Ford LTD and began her interrogation, "Ok, kids where are they??" And finally, Jill said, "Mom look in the mirror".
There, upon my mother’s face, were her lost glasses.
See, sometimes we get so used to what we see, that we do not reliaze we have wandered too far. We adjust our vision to our sin. That clarity is called justifying our sin.
From this marvelous story, we can learn some lessons. First of all,
1. Sheep are Dumb - In other words, they are not the smartest animals in the world. As a result, they are constantly getting into terrible situations. People are the same way! People who are away from the Lord live lives that are often just plain dumb, Jer. 5:4!
Unfortunately, even after a person is saved, there is still a definite lack of understanding among most of the Lord’s sheep.
2. Sheep are Directionless - If a sheep wanders off from the rest of the herd, it will have a hard, if not impossible time, finding its way back. They have no sense of direction. So it is with those outside the Lord, there is simply no sense of spiritual direction in their lives. They cannot find their way to the Lord by themselves.
3. Sheep are Defenseless - Lions have teeth and claws, bears have the same. Snakes have fangs, even the fowls of the air have some type of defensive mechanism. Not so with sheep. They have absolutely no means of protecting themselves from danger. If they are attacked, they are simply helpless!
Again, people are the same way. There is no way that anyone can protect himself/herself against the attacks of the evil one. We need someone else to protect us.
Now that we have understood sheep, let’s take a closer look at the shephard and learn three concise things about him.
THE SHEPHERD’S SUCCESS
A. He Locates The Sheep - He finds the sheep. (God already knows where every lost sheep is. He doesn’t have to seek, He knows where you are right now!)
B. He Lays Hands On The Sheep - The shepherd reaches out to the sheep in it’s need. He doesn’t turn away from it and leave it to languish in it’s dangerous place. He loving lays his hands upon it, bringing comfort and hope to the wayward sheep.
When the Lord comes to a lost sheep, He too lays His hands upon it. He reaches right into the midst of the mess we find ourselves in and by doing so shows us that there is hope and that there is a God in Heaven who loves us. Thank God that He doesn’t condemn us when He comes alongside us. I am grateful that He comes to us in grace and mercy offering hope, forgiveness and a new beginning to everyone who will place their faith in the blood shed of Christ.
C. He Lifts The Sheep - This shepherd doesn’t stop with a mere touch. He reaches down and lifts the sheep out of the place where he finds it. He removes it from the place of danger. (Ill. The Good Shepherd does the same for those He finds wandering the dark hills of sin. He comes alongside them, reaches out to them and when they respond to His touch, He lifts them out of their sin and removes them from the danger they were in. Thank God, when Jesus comes into a heart and life, He delivers us from all danger, Rom. 5:9.)
D. He Lugs The Sheep Home - the Bible says that this shepherd lifts the sheep and lays it upon his shoulders. I can picture him taking the front feet in one hand and the hind feet in another. This way, the sheep is draped around the neck of the shepherd and is absolutely safe and secure! Next, the Bible teaches us that the shepherd carries the sheep home. Notice that the sheep is not required to get there under its own power, but it goes there under the power of the shepherd. (Ill. This is a picture of our salvation. When Jesus comes to where we are and finds us in our sins, He places us securely on Himself and carries us home - None of us are going to Heaven in our own power, but if we go, we will go through Jesus and Him alone!
What happens once the dumb sheep are found by the Good Shephard?
1. There Is Rejoicing - When the shepherd returns home, he calls all the neighbors together and they all rejoice in the fact that the shepherd has had his sheep restored to the fold. (Again, this is a picture of what happens when a lost sheep comes into the fold of the Lord. According to verse 10 of this chapter, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels. Apparently, God the Father gets excited when a lost sheep is rescued. There is rejoicing in Heaven and there ought to be rejoicing on the earth. If there was ever anything to get excited over, it is the redemption of souls - Luke 10:20.)
2. There Is A Reason - The Sheep has been saved from:
a. Disuse - As long as it was lost, it was of no benefit to the shepherd. It is hard to steer a parked car.
b. Danger - Unless the shepherd had intervened, this sheep would have remained in serious danger. It could never have defended itself or rescued itself.
c. Death - If the shepherd had not come looking for the sheep, it would have most certainly died out there in the wilderness. But now, it lives only because the shepherd came looking to save a wayward sheep.
(Ill. The Bible tells us that "the wages of sin is death." Rom. 6:23. Without the intervention of the Good Shepherd the lost sinner has no hope and will eventually wind up in Hell. We need to understand very clearly that there is only one means of salvation for all men and that is the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Any other religion, any other method, any other system of belief, no matter how good, is doomed to fail. Only Jesus saves the human soul - Acts 4:12; John 14:6;
Conclusion: Isaiah 53:6 says, "All of us, like sheep, have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”
Jesus died a horrible death, because our sins deserved a horrible punishment, now we owe it to him to help find other lost sheep.
Max Lucado says, The sign of the saved is their love for the least."
Bill Hybels, pastor of one of the largest churches in America, says it this way, "We have never locked eyes with anyone that does not matter to God."
Charles Swindoll, that famous radio preacher, says, "You can tell a lot about a person by the way they treat those who can do nothing for them."
Jesus died for us when we could not save ourselves.
May we find that lost passion for Lost people.
A man was walking down a deserted Mexican beach at sunset. As he walked along, he began to see another man in the distance. As he grew nearer, he noticed that the local native kept leaning down, picking something up and throwing it out into the water. Time and again, he kept hurling things out into the ocean.
As the man approached even closer, he noticed that the man was picking up starfish that had been washed up on the beach and, one at a time, he was throwing them back into the water.
The man was puzzled. He approached the man and said, "Good evening, friend. I was wondering what you are doing."
"I’m throwing these starfish back into the ocean. You see, it’s low tide right now and all of these starfish have been washed up onto the shore. If I don’t throw them back into the sea, they’ll die up here from lack of oxygen."
"I understand," the man replied, "but there must be thousands of starfish on this beach. You can’t possibly get to all of them. There are simply too many. And don’t you realize this is probably happening on hundreds of beaches all up and down this coast. Can’t you see that you can’t possibly make a difference?"
The local native smiled, bent down and picked up yet another starfish, and as he threw it back into the sea, he replied, "Made a difference to that one!"
The world is filled with lost souls; people who need Jesus as their savior. Although we individually cannot get to everyone, we can start spreading the good news of Jesus with one person at a time.
TO THE READER: SO I CAN BETTER HELP YOU, IF THIS SERMON WAS NOT HELPFUL AND YOU CLICK "NO" BELOW, LET ME KNOW WHAT IT LACKED OR WHY IT DID NOT HELP. CONTACT ME AT NEWLIFE@NCKCN.COM ( I CAN TAKE CRITICISM :0) )
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