THE Cs OF SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE
JOHN 10:1-6
INTRODUCTION… Dr. Anderson, Freedom in Christ and Harvest House Publishers
A young pilot had just passed the point of no return when the weather changed for the worse. Visibility dropped to a matter of feet as fog descended to the earth. Putting total trust in the cockpit instruments was a new experience to him, for the ink was still wet on the certificate verifying that he was qualified for instrument flying.
The landing worried him the most. His destination was a crowded metropolitan airport he wasn’t familiar with. In a few minutes he would be in radio contact with the tower. Until then, he was alone with his thoughts. His instructor had practically forced him to memorize the rulebook. He didn’t care for it at the time, but now he was thankful.
Finally he heard the voice of the air traffic controller. "I’m going to put you on a holding pattern," the controller radioed. Great! thought the pilot. However, he knew that his safe landing was in the hands of this person. He had to draw upon his previous instructions and training, and trust the voice of an air traffic controller he couldn’t see. Aware that this was no time for pride, he informed the controller, "This is not a seasoned pro up here. I would appreciate any help you could give me."
"You’ve got it!" he heard back.
For the next 45 minutes, the controller gently guided the pilot through the blinding fog. As course and altitude corrections came periodically, the young pilot realized the controller was guiding him around obstacles and away from potential collisions. With the words of the rulebook firmly placed in his mind, and with the gentle voice of the controller, he landed safely at last.
The Holy Spirit guides us through the maze of life much like that air traffic controller. The controller assumed that the young pilot understood the instructions of the flight manual. His guidance was based on that. Such is the case with the Holy Spirit: He can guide us if we have a knowledge of God’s Word and His will established in our minds.
READ JOHN 10:1-6
Jesus’ parable of the sheep and the shepherd is a passage of Scripture full of meaning. As I looked at this passage, I found four or five messages just in these few verses. This is a teaching full of meaning. Each of these verses is well worth your time in personal study. I would like, today, to look at this passage in terms of its perspective on guidance.
In this wonderful passage, Jesus sets up a figure of speech for us to understand. Once you fully understand the figure of speech, the rest of the parable falls into place. The disciples, as we read in verse 6, did not understand the figure of speech. Jesus gives us this picture, it is a spiritual picture, of He and His followers. Jesus identifies Himself as the shepherd and us as the sheep.
Why does Jesus say He’s a shepherd? What is He implying and trying to get across about Himself? How does this parable apply to our life? A shepherd, we have to understand, was 100% responsible for: keeping the flock together, protecting the sheep against predators, leading them to fresh water and pasture, and watching out for the sick and the young. The job description would make it clear the role of a shepherd is a demanding one. He would be with his sheep around the clock in all sorts of weather and would leading them over difficult terrain under the heat of the sun and would listen in the dark for the sounds of danger.
Does that sound like a career you would choose for yourself? I doubt many of us had shepherd at the top of our job lists when we were younger. How much would they have to pay you to become a shepherd? Could you do the job well?
Jesus states clearly that He is the shepherd. What does that mean? It means He is in charge and knows where we are going and what life is all about. God is in charge. God is the caretaker of your soul. God takes you where you need to go.
Why does Jesus identify us as sheep? What is He implying and trying to get across about us and our relationship with Him? How does this parable apply to our life? If you were going to describe yourself as an animal, what sort of creature would you pick? I don’t think you would say sheep. In the Psalms, David describes himself as a sheep, dependent upon the care of another for health, for safety, for life. David confesses over and over again that he has a great and abiding need for God. The details of the shepherd’s job description take on great importance when we realize they are there to meet the needs of the sheep.
As I was reflecting on this relationship that we have with God, I came upon one more question: Why would the Lord want to be my shepherd? Can I be sure that He wants me within the shelter of his flock and wants a relationship with me? The prophet Isaiah gives us the answers to these questions and points us to God’s gracious and surprising love. He gives us the very opposite of what we have asked for and deserved. Let me explain.
READ ISAIAH 53:6
We wanted to be apart from him, yet in love the Lord has reclaimed us. We all, like sheep, have wandered away and God came to earth to be our shepherd and get us back. In the John 10, Jesus also identifies Himself as not merely "a" good shepherd, but as the as "the" Good Shepherd. Consider what that tells you about how much Jesus wants this job. Consider what this tells you about how far Jesus is willing to go to care for you.
APPLICATION
You might be wondering at this point what the point is! I want you sort of wondering and questioning. I want you to know this morning that you have a God who desires to lead you in your life. He wants to be the decision maker. He wants to lead you to greener pastures. He wants to keep you from physical, emotional, and spiritual harm. Jesus describes Himself as a shepherd who does those very things.
I would like to address one part of spiritual guidance this morning: decision-making. We as sheep sometimes don’t know which way to go. How as Christians, do we make decisions? I hope that you know that a Christian making a decision and a non-Christian making a decision go through a very different process. Decisions are part of life and we all must make them. We can rely on the Good Shepherd to steer us in the right direction… to show us the way… to keep us from the harmful paths. I would like to share three Cs of spiritual guidance with you this morning.
I. Commit your situation/decision to God in prayer
A. Talk to the shepherd and find out what He wants
B. As a sheep, you may not know the best way or the right decision
II. Consult Scripture
A. All Scripture is God breathed and useful in this life
B. Many times God has already given us the answer we are looking for
III. Conviction leads the way
A. Listen to the voice of the shepherd
B. Know that the way He has designed is the best
CONCLUSION… John Kennedy’s Final Flight
Shortly after John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife and an-other passenger died when he lost his bearings and flew his private plane into the Atlantic Ocean, the Chicago Tribune ran an article about flying. In it, amateur pilot Stephen Hedges writes about the difficulty of flying a plane by instruments alone. It’s a necessary skill if you want to survive while flying at night or in fog. Without the ability to fly by instruments the pilot will fall into an uncontrolled bank and crash.
During one instrument lesson, Hedges noted, "I flew the headings and turns as instructed, but even with 10 hours of instrument flying experience already in my log-book, I was amazed at how quickly the plane slid into a banking turn if I diverted my attention for just a few moments. The first time it happened, panic shot through me, a momentary fear that made it even more difficult to comprehend what the plane was doing."
But when he heard his instructor next to him calmly say, "Watch your instruments," he quickly leveled the plane.
Many times life forces us to fly in the fog or in the dark, when we can’t seem to get our bearings, we can’t see the horizon and can’t figure out how to fly straight and level. When life throws you into that kind of confusion its doubly important to keep your eyes fixed on God’s guiding instrument and listen to his calm guidance.
