Mr. Francis D'Souza
The year 2004 is here. Its come full of hopes, challenges, dreams and plans. There are also the accompanying tensions, worries, and anxieties. Against this backdrop we have an assurance and it is this good news that I want to share with you today.
The assurance is that God is alive and very much ruling the world and so we have nothing to fear this year.
A preacher was contacted by the printer for the topic of the convention. When the preacher told him that the topic would be "The Lord is my Shepherd" the printer asked him if that was all, to which the preacher replied - thats enough. Next morning when the advertisement came out it read like this "The Lord is my Shepherd - thats enough". It was a mistake no doubt but it was a mistake that set everybody thinking.
We can once again tell ourselves "THERE'S NOTHING TO FEAR THIS YEAR BECAUSE THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD - THATS ENOUGH."
From a study of Psalm 23 we can summarise the functions of the shepherd as follows:
Feeds: The shepherd feeds his sheep and this is a continuation of the work the eternal shepherd. God fed his people with the manna and the quails as they were marching towards the promised land.
In the New Testament Jesus continued this function by feeding the multitudes by the multiplication of loaves and fish on two occasions.
In John 6:35 Jesus says "I am the bread of life". Furthermore, we are fed even today with the body and blood of Jesus, at the mass, to satisfy our spiritual hunger and this will eventually lead us to be satisfied in everyway.
Leads: As the people were marching into the promised land their only guidance was the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. In the new testament Jesus is saying in John 8:12 "I am the light of the world" any one who walks in me will not stumble in the darkness or loose his way. He also says in John 14: 6 I am the way the truth and the life"
Accompanies: Some of the most touching words in the Bible are "... and the Lord was with him" (from the life of Joseph)
The pillar of cloud and pillar of fire never departed from the Israelites all the days of their journey. Exodus 40:38
Jesus continues in the New Testament in Matthew 28:20 "I will be with you all days even to the end of time"
Guards:David protected the sheep from the robbers, wild animals at the cost of his life.
Jesus says in John 10:11 I am the Good Shepherd and the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep.
From Luke 15 we know that Jesus the good shepherd is not happy even with 99% success he wants 100% safety of the sheep and that is why he goes in search of the one sheep.
More qualities of the good shepherd can be seen in
Ezekiel 34.
It is amply clear that we have the very best shepherd but inspite of it we are having so much of confusion and trouble. It is surely because of the sheep.
The expectation from the sheep can be put in the following format:
- Loyalty: Do we recognize and respond to our shepherd's voice or are we being led away by the other shepherds. Jesus says in
John 10:4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. (KJV)
- Obedience: The sheep must follow all the instructions of the shepherd. This will guarantee its safety, food supply etc.
- Submission: All authority has been instituted by God and not to submit to that authority is to disobey God. Romans 13:1,2
- Trust: The sheep believes that the shepherd knows everything. The vision, the way, the safety spots, the water spots, the pasture points. The way back home etc.
Some of the ways in which we go away from the good shepherd:
'Personality cult' 'Hero worship' 'Vicarious spirituality' as happened in the Church at Corinth 1 Corinthians 3:4 - where people were going around saying, "I am of Paul, I am of Apollos....."
Like in 2 Timothy 4:3 people do not want to hear sound doctrine or what is required for their growth but have ears for their pet topics and sessions and so they are gathering preachers and teachers who will satisfy this lust of their hearts.
- They are choosing their own shepherd
- Does the clay choose its potter?
- We are become more a panel of judging the speaker than of listeners of God's word.
- We tend to make the sheep our shepherd.
- The end result was that the flock was divided. This certainly was not the case of One Shepherd one flock.
In Matthew 24:23-26 Jesus is cautioning us against "Look he is or look he is there..."
People are in search of signs and wonders for the sake of the signs and wonders..
God has no favourite persons and has no favourite places
God is omnipresent (present everywhere), omnipotent (all powerful), omniscient (all knowing)
Hence we should understand where statements like nothing is happening here come there come from.
Also correct people making statements like "If that person was here I would be healed."
A little boy to the mother (pointing to the plane) : Mummy, how do we get into the plane.
Mother: We don't have to get to the plane but the plane comes to us.
In like manner our God comes to us. We don't have to go in search of God. He is searching for us and this is made clear by his incarnation.
In much the same way the sheep does not go in search of the shepherd it never would because once the sheep looses its way it becomes adamant and refuses to move even by the rescuer. For this reason Jesus says when the shepherd finds the lost sheep he carries it on his shoulder.
The most comforting thing about the shepherd sheep relationship is that the shepherd knows the sheep by name. It reminds us of the words of the eternal shepherd - I know the plans I have for you plans not for destruction but for your welfare Jeremiah 29:11, Your welfare is always
A mother was being asked by the census taker about her children. She began by saying there is John, Mary, Bernard and....The official at this point stops her saying don't worry about names just tell me the number (meaning to say the number of children). The mother indignantly says "Each of my children is known by a name and not by number."
So friends don't you worry about all that troubles you lets take a dose of Psalm 23 morning afternoon evening and night. In case you have forgotten the 1st verse this is how it goes "THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD THERE IS NOTHING I SHALL WANT"