Don't be led astray:

Isaiah 53:6-8

6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

Pray:

The word of God often refers to us as sheep. In this wonderful prophecy of the coming of Christ here we see that sheep tend to wander or to go astray.

You have often heard me quote John 10:27 which says,” My sheep hear my voice and I know them, and they follow me.” Which means if you aren’t hearing the voice of God then you aren’t His.

That doesn’t mean that we don’t wander off. Or even at times listen to the wrong voice. One great example of this is found in the New Testament. In Matthew 16:13

13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?

14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.

15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

20 Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.

21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.

22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.

23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.

This is a very telling passage of scripture. Here we find Peter listening to God and in the very next moment listening to Satan.

When Jesus asked who do you say that I am Peter answered, “Thou art the Christ.” And Jesus said you know this because my Father told you.

Then Satan whispered into Peter’s ear. But we aren’t going to let our savior be crucified now, are we? And Peter let Satan’s words come from his mouth.

22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.

So at times we can hear the voice of God. At times we listen to our own voice and go astray. And even worse, sometimes we listen to the devil and get even further off track. So how do we keep from going astray?

so how do we keep ourselves from going astray?

James 4:8

8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

Where are you this morning in your walk with God? Are you drawing near to him or are you wandering off?

The word of God tells us that Jesus left the 99 to pursue the one. And in Luke 15 Christ says:

4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?

5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

And then in the very same chapter Jesus gives us a parable. This parable is about the prodigal’s son.

Most of us know this story. But to sum it up. The prodigal’s son demands his inheritance. Wanting to enjoy a selfish life of women and drink and living it up. He demands his inheritance. He then moves far away and squanders it. Again, on women, strong drink, and good times.

Then the economy of the country crashes and the son finds himself broke and hungry in a country of people that are also broke and hungry.

He turns to being the servant of a pig farmer just to survive. Until he remembers that even his father’s servants have it better than he does.

So, he returns to his father’s house asking to be a servant. But the father celebrates and gives this wayward son an extravagant and loving welcome.

This is a great picture of how God brings a wandering sheep back into the fold. You see before this lost sheep came back, he had to get sick and tired of his situation. It finally dawned on him that being a servant for his father was far better than being a servant of self. Listening to his own voice and chasing the desires of the flesh led him to poverty and starvation. And that is an important lesson for us.

here we learn that sometimes for us to stop wandering away from God we must get sick of our sin.

John 12:25

25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

God wants a relationship with us. And our own selfishness often gets in the way. Is there a part of your life that you haven’t surrendered to God?

We often sing. I surrender all. I surrender all. All to Jesus, I surrender. I surrender all. Have you?

Because it could be that you are suffering because God is trying to get your attention.

I believe that God uses my pain to get my attention. For years I struggled with chronic pain. And I still do. The difference is I used to try to treat my pain with man’s medicine. But now when I begin to hurt, I see it as a text from God and I pray. Has God been texting you?

Jeremiah 29:13

13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

There is that word ALL again. Are we searching for God with ALL our heart. Or is the any part that you are keeping for your own wants.

If you really want to have an amazing friendship with God. Then know that God wants to have one with you. You cannot be a Sunday morning Christian and hope to have a great relationship with Jesus.

Living for God is not just a hobby.

After that the prodigal son confessed his sin. In verse 18 again in the 15thChapter of Luke.

18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,

He realized that he needed God in every part of his life. And sin will always cause a sheep to go astray. And when we fall into sin, we must confess that sin and ask for forgiveness. And that means giving up that sin for good.

Isaiah 59:2

2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

When you don’t feel like God is hearing your prayers it could be that you have made something else more important in your life than God.

Things like money. Material possessions.

God tells us to have no other gods before Him. Is your desire for material wealth more important to you than your relationship with God? If it is then you have gone astray.

All we like sheep have gone astray.

We need to own our sins and realize that if you aren’t close to God, it is your fault and not His.

God is always willing to cleanse us and draw closer to us.

Isaiah 1:18

18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

This is why the bible tells us to renew our minds. We can yield to the voice of self and when we do we often find ourselves in trouble. We can fall into the trap of listening to the voice of Satan. And once again fall into a life of problems and trouble. OR we can learn to hear the voice of God.

But how do we know the difference?

If it’s coming from God, then it will be consistent with the word of God.

You see it is not enough to pray every day. It is not enough to just read our bibles every day. If we really want to have a close relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, we must also develop the habit of meditating on His word.

I challenge everyone listening to this message this morning to try the following:

Every single day pick up your bible. Then read it until a passage of scripture catches your attention. Then read it repeatedly. After that write it down and put it in your pocket.

Then find a nice place a public park or wherever and enjoy a walk. And during that walk reflect on that verse. If you forget it, reach into your pocket, and read it again and then continue thinking about what that verse is saying to you. Now if you can’t go for a long walk, don’t worry. Just take the same steps and think about what that verse is saying to you throughout the course of your day.

That is what it means to meditate on Gods word. If you do this every single day, I guarantee you will grow closer to God. Soon you will start to discover parts of your life where you need work. And we all have those. It doesn’t make you a bad person. It just means God is still working on you and we can all say that.

Proverbs 3: 5

5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

There is that word ALL again. Getting there is a process. It can take a little time. Don’t compare yourself to other people. Compare yourself to Christ.

Let the word of God do a work in you. Let God chip away at what you want and replace it with what He wants for you.

Proverbs 10:17 tells us:

17 He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction: but he that refuseth reproof erreth.

People who refuse to allow the word of God to correct them go astray. So, it is very important to not only talk to God but to LISTEN to Him. And this is why we should not only read our bibles but meditate on it.

Proverbs 21:16

16 The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead.

Why are so many churches dead? Many of them have wandered from the word of God. You can be as close to God as you want to be. Or you can be a dead person in a dead church. Your choice.

There is no better way to keep from being led astray than making Jesus your best friend.

Romans 5:10 says:

10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

Think about that. We were the enemies of God. But now because of the work of Calvary we are reconciled meaning we are now friends of Christ.

How are you treating your friend? Is he your best friend?

This from scientific research on friendship:

What’s the difference between a true friend and just an acquaintance? Believe it or not, science has the answer. Behavioural scientists and psychologists describe a close friendship as a relationship that involves a long-lasting bond of sacrifice and shared moments. A true friend prioritises your happiness, never asks you to put your friendship before your principles, and you miss them when they’re gone.

Jesus sacrificed a great deal for us. What are we sacrificing for Him. This is part of true friendship.

2. Friendship is one of the very first things we learn about

In January 2014, the Journal of Experimental Psychology reported on research suggesting that babies as young as nine months old recognise that friends tend to have similar interests. Even before they can talk, it seems that babies still have expectations about the social world.

Similar interests. Draw close to Gods word and God will draw close to you, right? When we allow ourselves to be made over in the image of His word, we become more like Him.

John 1:1

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

How do we keep from going astray? Renew our minds to becoming more like Christ.

In the end we will become gentle, kind, loving, forgiving and we will want nothing to do with sin. We will understand that God wants what is best for us and that His commands are not grievous.

God didn’t save us from sin and hell for nothing. God wants a relationship with us. When we read for God so loved the world, we need to see that God is seeking a relationship with us. God wants a friendship.

Enoch walked with God. Adam talked with God in the garden. Abraham was considered a friend of Gods. Moses was so much a friend to God that it changed his appearance.

Exodus 34:29

29 And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.

There’s a skin care routine for you ladies.

When you spend so much time with God that your appearance changes its a good thing.

John 15:15

15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

That means we can have an intimate relationship with Christ. And this relationship is very important to God.

Listen to Exodus 34:14 14 For thou shalt worship no other god: for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:

The word jealous there can also be translated as passionate. Meaning that God is passionate about His relationship with us.

This is why we are told not to have other gods or false idols. God loves us and is passionate about having a friendship with us.

We are without excuse for not putting God first in our lives.

If you want to have a great friendship with God you MUST put HIM first.

Matthew 6:33 GB

But seke ye first the kingdome of God, and his righteousnes, & all these things shalbe ministred unto you.

Is there anything in your life that you put before God? If so you need to fix it. If you seek God with everything in you. If you desire to know Him more than anything else in your life. You will. It really is that simple. God says draw close to me and I will draw close to you. God doesn’t force a relationship on anyone. But instead God is delighted in us when we make the choice to get close to Him.

If at the end of every day of your life. You should be closer to God.

Philippians 3:8 GB

Yea, doutles I thinke all things but losse for the excellẽt knowledge sake of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whome I have coũted all things losse, and do judge them to be dongue, that I might winne Christ,

Paul said everything else in my life is garbage. Compared to my friendship with Christ.

Jeremiah 29:13 GB

And ye shal seke me and finde me, because ye shal seke me with all your heart.

There is that word ALL. How much of your heart is seeking God? Are you consumed with obsessed with my friendship with Christ?

You are as close to God as you want to be. Knowing and loving God is a privilege. And we often get so busy with our concerns in life that we forget this.

Jeremiah 9:23–24 GB

Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glorie in his wisdome, nor the strong man glorie in his strength, nether the riche man glorie in his riches. But let him that glorieth, glorie in this, that he understandeth, and knoweth me: for I am the Lord, which shewe mercie, judgement, and righteousnes in the earth: for in these things I delite, saith the Lord.

Matthew 6:28

28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

Jesus is asking why do you worry about things? Worry can be a sign that you may not be a Christian or that you are backslidding. Why? Because when we are close to God we have no reason to worry about anything.

1 John 1:7

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”

Pray:

Alter call.