In His Steps 4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lpMma_eHHQ Good Shepherd

Psalm 28 NIV

Of David. 1 To you, Lord, I call; you are my Rock, do not turn a deaf ear to me. For if you remain silent, I will be like those who go down to the pit. 2 Hear my cry for mercy as I call to you for help, as I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place. 3 Do not drag me away with the wicked, with those who do evil, who speak cordially with their neighbors but harbor malice in their hearts. 4 Repay them for their deeds and for their evil work; repay them for what their hands have done and bring back on them what they deserve. 5 Because they have no regard for the deeds of the Lord and what his hands have done, he will tear them down and never build them up again. 6 Praise be to the Lord, for he has heard my cry for mercy. 7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him. 8 The Lord is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one. 9 Save your people and bless your inheritance; be their shepherd and carry them forever.

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In His Steps

Earlier this week, I woke in the middle of the night and rolled over. Across the bed I saw this triangle-looking shape sticking up above the covers. It was an odd sight. At first, I thought, what is that? Then it occurred to me that sometimes when my dog is laying down, if she is laying just right, her ear stands straight up. Now, if you have ever seen my dog, (PPT PIC) you will know she has Pitbull ears that flop down. Well, I was curious even though it was the middle of the night. So, I reached over and touched it and, yes, it was my dogs ear sticking straight up in the air. Now, this may seem like a strange subject to begin a sermon with but let me talk with you for a moment about animal ears and then you will see how these ties in with my sermon.

Nearly all mammals have external ears. Whether it is an elephant, a deer, or a bear, they all have external ears that stick out, flop down, or protrude from their head. This is something that nearly every mammal has in common.

However, mammals do not all use their ears in the same way. Take a dog for instance: a dog will listen to anyone or anything most of the time. Usually, all a dog must hear is "here, boy!" and he will come running. It does not matter who is calling, a dog will listen. (Dogs listen especially well when there is the prospect of food!) Usually, if a person has a smile on their face and gives a friendly call, that is all a dog needs unless he or she has been mistreated.

Cats, on the other hand, listen to nobody but themselves. A cat will walk right past its owner if it wants to. We had a large male yellow tabby when I was a teenager. His name was Yost.

One day, I was sitting in a chair in the family room and Yost was across from me on the back of the couch. I called to him and his ear twitched, but aside from that twitch, you may have thought he didn’t hear me. I called again, and once again the ear twitched but there was no movement. I called a third and fourth time with the same results. So, I gave up. Within 2 minutes, Yost got up, stretched, and then sauntered over, jumped up on my lap and curled back up there. He had heard me, he just wanted me to know that he would come when he was good and ready to come and not a moment sooner. A cat chooses to listen to nobody but itself. If it suits the cat's needs in that moment, then it will listen to you. Otherwise, expect the cat to saunter right past you like you are invisible.

Sheep are different from both dogs and cats. While a dog will listen to anyone and a cat will listen to only to itself, sheep will listen only to the shepherd. Sheep have their ears tuned in to that one trusted voice. Every other voice may spell danger, but the voice of the shepherd is a voice of truth, safety, and care.

In our day and age, not everyone knows much about sheep. Many people in our culture live in places where they do not have much contact with sheep and sheep farming is a lot different today than it was in the days of old Israel.

Sheep were a major industry in Israel. They were important to Israel’s economy and wellbeing. They provided wool for clothing, meat for meals, and who can forget the many who were offered as sacrifices to God.

The idea of God as a shepherd to His people was a common analogy. Our opening Psalm is one such example. The job of the shepherd was to keep his sheep safe. Psalm 23 says, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” We find that God as our shepherd leads us to quiet, restful places. When we find ourselves in dangerous territory it says, “Your rod and Your staff comfort me.” We often think negative thoughts about rods, but the shepherd’s rod/staff, whichever way you wish to refer to it, was a comfort to sheep as it protected them. It gently guided them by tapping them on the side if they were headed in a wrong direction. The crook was used to gently loop around a sheep’s neck to pull it away from harm. The sheep became familiar with the shepherd’s presence and voice. Some would sing or play instruments, and this would also soothe the sheep.

Like any good shepherd, God wants what is best for His sheep. When we left off with what remained of the Jews last week, we find the southern kingdom of Judah being called to assemble and repent. They are in danger of a siege from an enemy because of their disobedience to God. They like sheep, have gone astray from God and His protection has been removed from their presence. However, today we see that this is not what God wants. God’s true desire is to give us wonderful things if we will just trust Him.

Today we return to Joel chapter 2, and we find God’s response to repentance. I must tell you that one of my favorite verses of the Bible are contained in this passage. Listen carefully and see if you can figure out which one it is.

Joel 2:18–27NASB95

18 Then the Lordwill be zealous for His land And will have pity on His people. 19The Lord will answer and say to His people, “Behold, I am going to send you grain, new wine and oil, And you will be satisfied in full with them; And I will never again make you a reproach among the nations. 20 “But I will remove the northern army far from you, And I will drive it into a parched and desolate land, And its vanguard into the eastern sea, And its rear guard into the western sea. And its stench will arise and its foul smell will come up, For it has done great things.” 21Do not fear, O land, rejoice and be glad, For the Lord has done great things. 22 Do not fear, beasts of the field, For the pastures of the wilderness have turned green, For the tree has borne its fruit, The fig tree and the vine have yielded in full. 23So rejoice, O sons of Zion, And be glad in the Lordyour God; For He has given you the early rain for your vindication. And He has poured down for you the rain, The early and latter rain as before. 24The threshing floors will be full of grain, And the vats will overflow with the new wine and oil. 25 “Then I will make up to you for the years That the swarming locust has eaten, The creeping locust, the stripping locust and the gnawing locust, My great army which I sent among you. 26 “You will have plenty to eat and be satisfied And praise the name of the Lord your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; Then My people will never be put to shame. 27 “Thus you will know that I am in the midst of Israel, And that I am the Lord your God, And there is no other; And My people will never be put to shame.

The Word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God!

Did you find my favorite verse? Hold on to that thought and when we get there, I will reveal it!...Today we are looking at…

Blessings Along the Way

Walking with God is always a good thing, even in a difficult world. As long as there is sin in this world, we will have struggles, but with God we also have many blessings. These blessings give us strength and encouragement to keep going. We also know that these blessings are small samplings of what God has for us later, IF we will just hang on for this time in life.

As we come into our fourth week of lent, I am sure you are really feeling the pinch of your fasting. At first it is an exciting challenge but as you continue on, it gets more challenging with each passing week to not cheat. However, you are on the downside of that hill and another two weeks will bring you to the home stretch. Remember your Sundays are “free days.” You are free from fasting on Sundays.

It is also difficult to spend this much time on self-examination. We do not like to dwell on our weaknesses. We want to be found righteous, but no matter how hard we try it seems we fail. Of course, that is why we needed Jesus to come and die on our behalf. But more on that in coming weeks. Right now, I want to give you some encouragement. Today we will focus on...

I. God’s Blessings in a Sinful World Joel 2:18-27; Psalm 23:1-2; John 10:3-11

We are told to pick up our cross daily and follow Christ. We are also told by Jesus that to follow Him is not easy and we need to count the cost. There are many pastors who try to downplay those passages, but there really is no way to avoid the truth. Sooner or later, you accept the reality of those hard passages, or you quit feeling deceived. It isn’t easy being a Christian in a sinful world. However, the flip side of that is that God blesses us even in this world. It is not all just a promise of things to come. There are many blessings to be enjoyed here and now. Plus the struggles we face have much better outcomes when we struggle over the right things, instead of suffer consequences of living without God.

Part of the reason God singled out Israel and set them aside from all other nations, was so He could demonstrate for all other nations what He could do and wanted to do for all people and all nations if they would just follow Him.

The very fact that Israel is a nation that has survived since early history, and her unique reorganization as such in 1948 speaks to God’s ability to sustain a nation of people. God could have completely abandoned Israel to her sin, but God did not. Today’s text is full of promises that God just longs to do for His people, and He is willing to do them if they repent. Let’s look at...

A. God’s Promised Restoration to Judah Joel 2:18-27

I love the first verse of this passage, but it is not my favorite. That is yet to come.

Joel 2:18NASB95

18 Then the Lordwill be zealous for His land And will have pity on His people.

The word zealous is sometimes translated as jealous. In Arabic it means “red” or “flushed in the face.” To me this speaks of passion or excitement. Because of Judah’s sin, the land promised by God has suffered as well as the animals. God is excited to restore His blessing on His people as well as bringing the beauty back to the land and the animals that live there. God never lost His desire for any of them, but God cannot bless those who turn their back on Him.

Then God lists all the wonderful things He will do for them when they repent.

1. God will provide them sustenance once again. Joel 2:19

Joel 2:19NIV

19 The Lordreplied to them: “I am sending you grain, new wine and olive oil, enough to satisfy you fully; never again will I make you an object of scorn to the nations.

The word “satisfy” is the same word satiate. That means “fully satisfied.” They will have as much as they need and more. No longer will they be a starved, haggard-looking bunch that others scoff at. Instead, they will be envied by others.

2. God will remove their enemies from their land. Joel 2:20

Joel 2:20NRSV

20 I will remove the northern army far from you, and drive it into a parched and desolate land, its front into the eastern sea, and its rear into the western sea; its stench and foul smell will rise up. Surely he has done great things!

Just as a mighty wind had blown the locusts to the Dead Sea to the east, and the Mediterranean sea to the west, God would remove this army from their gates. If this army is reference to the Assyrians as some say, God did exactly that without Judah lifting a finger. In one night, God killed 185,000 soldiers. (This may explain the remarks about the stench. Can you imagine 185,000 rotting corpses outside your city gates?) King Sennacherib who had stood before their gate declaring God had sent him to destroy Judah, went home in defeat and was assassinated not long after. The Psalm which has been identified as Israel’s response uses the same words used here in Joel which could possibly be because they are connected.

Psalm 126NIV

1 When the Lordrestored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dreamed. 2 Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The Lordhas done great things for them.” 3 The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. 4 Restore our fortunes, Lord, like streams in the Negev. 5 Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. 6 Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.

3. God will restore the land and bring a harvest . Joel 2:21-22

Joel 2:21–22NIV

21 Do not be afraid, land of Judah; be glad and rejoice. Surely the Lord has done great things! 22 Do not be afraid, you wild animals, for the pastures in the wilderness are becoming green. The trees are bearing their fruit; the fig tree and the vine yield their riches.

God promises a bumper crop that will fill their meal barrels once again. The animals will have food and be restored as well. God is creator of everything. He does not need us to sow to produce a crop because He has means beyond us. But the promises continue…

4. God will bring harvesting rains and fellowship offerings. Joel 2:23-24

Joel 2:23–24NIV

23 Be glad, people of Zion, rejoice in the Lord your God, for he has given you the autumn rains because he is faithful. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before. 24 The threshing floors will be filled with grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.

Remember that Judah was in a drought, but God is now lifting that drought and supplying rains in both spring and fall to give bountiful harvests. The grains, wine and oil were mentioned before but are mentioned again. This is significant because it speaks to the fellowship offering. In our Sunday school class, we spoke about this last week. Once a sin offering has been made and accepted, fellowship between God and man is restored. This is demonstrated through the peace offering which consisted of these elements of grain, wine, and oil.

And now we come to my favorite verse, if you were wondering about that. :-)

5. God will restore what was lost during the judgement years. Joel 2:25

Joel 2:25NIV

25 “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten— the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm— my great army that I sent among you.

If you ever have questioned God’s love, think on this verse. God has no desire to punish and only does so when it is necessary. However, when the lesson is learned, God provides blessings over and above to replace what we have lost. This always makes me think of Job. Job lost 7 sons, 3 daughters, 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 1,000 oxen, and 500 donkeys. He loses them all, but God then gives him 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 2,000 oxen, and 1,000 donkeys, as well as 7 more sons, 3 more daughters who were the most beautiful in the land and he lived to be 140 years old watching his children and their children to the fourth generation grow up.

But here is the kicker. Job was a righteous man, but Judah has not been righteous, yet God still promises to give back in kind.

Charles Spurgeon once wrote, “You cannot have back your time, but there is a strange and wonderful way in which God can give back to you the wasted blessings, the unripened fruits of years over which you mourned…It is a pity that they should have been locust-eaten by their folly and negligence; but if they have been so, be not hopeless concerning them.”

Perhaps there are years you feel were wasted. If so, do not despair. Seek God’s insight. Repent what needs repented. Offer the loss to Your God and He will restore it just as He did Israel. I have seen this restoration in many people’s lives.

I could almost end the sermon right there, but I will press on as there is more.

6. God will removethe shame. Joel 2:26-27

Joel 2:26–27NIV

26 You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the Lordyour God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed. 27 Then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am the Lord your God, and that there is no other; never again will my people be shamed.

When people repent, God removes the stigma and the shame. God had no desire to live in the past dwelling on Judah’s failures. He desired to live in the present with Judah in perfect fellowship where He could be a loving shepherd tending to His treasured flock.

However, all those promises of blessings and restoration were not just for Judah. God sent Jesus so that...

B. Jesus the Good Shepherd brings us restoration and blessings as well. Psalm 23:1-2; John 10:3-11

Just as God was the shepherd over the flock of Israel, Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and we (Christians) are his sheep:

John 10:3 (ESV) 3 ...The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

John 10:11ESV

11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

Psalm 23:3 tells us that Jesus leads us in “paths of righteousness" (Psalm 23:3): he has journeyed to the cross and to the tomb in order that we might be forgiven and made right with God through faith. Walking in his steps is walking in paths of righteousness. And Jesus makes us lie down in green pastures, just like we hear in Psalm 18:19:

Psalm 18:19NIV

19 He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.

In every way imaginable, the Good Shepherd has shown himself to speak words of truth, safety, and care. And this is why the sheep hear his voice. Since this Good Shepherd has laid down his life for the sheep, we journey through life as sheep-not dogs or cats.

However, in this world, we are tempted to live like dogs: there are many voices out there calling to us. There is the voice of fear telling us that nothing is safe or secure. There is the voice of failure telling us that we are only as good as our accomplishments. There is the voice of desire telling us that if we just get what we want, then we will be satisfied. Like dogs, we are tempted to chase after all these different voices and have many masters.

In this world, we are also tempted to live like cats: listening to nobody but ourselves. There is the voice within us that says, "I know what is best for me. I know what I want. I am going to serve myself." Like cats, we are tempted to listen only to "me, myself, and I."

Yet, the voice of the Good Shepherd, Jesus, continues to call after us saying,

John 10:4–5NIV

4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”

1. As the sheep follow Jesus, they encounter numerous blessings on the way:

• There is the blessing of knowing that Jesus would leave 99 others to save you bringing you back into the fold.

• There is the blessing of knowing that Jesus has given you the priceless treasure of the Gospel.

• There is the blessing of knowing that—even in the valley of the shadow of death-the Good Shepherd abides with you.

• There is the blessing of knowing that all condemnation has been canceled by the mercy of Jesus.

• And there is the blessing of knowing that the gifts that Jesus gives are just that— gifts! They are freely given to you not because of your dog-like obedience or cat-like cunning. Jesus gives you his gifts simply because you are a sheep of the Good Shepherd.

Conclusion

God gave you ears for a reason. Use your ears to listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd. This is the only way to keep from getting lost along the way of life. Follow in his steps and forget every other voice calling out to you. The days leading up to Easter-sometimes called the season of Lent—is an especially good time to retune our ears to the voice of the Good Shepherd. In the days ahead, we will hear the Good Shepherd say some of his most passion-filled words. The Good Shepherd will say,

Matthew 26:39 (NIV) 39...“My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

We will hear the Good Shepherd say,

Luke 23:34 (NIV) 34...“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

And, from the cross, we will hear our Good Shepherd cry out,

John 19:30 (NIV) 30...“It is finished.”

Jesus invites you to hear these words, to trust these words, and to walk in the newness of life that comes only through the words of the Good Shepherd, Jesus. He desires you to trust Him so He can restore to you all those things lost during the locust years, as well as speak promises to you regarding the years to come in eternity. He is the Good Shepherd and a good, good Father. If you have not yet fully trusted Him with your life, dreams, and desires, do so today. Do not wait. I promise you will not regret it.

This is a good place to say that our altar is always open for anyone to come when they desire. If you wish to respond to the Shepherd’s call today, please feel free to come forward as I pray and even as we sing. Part of obedience to God is being obedient even when others are watching. Do not allow that to hinder you. Come as you are.

Sing: Just as I Am

Prayer:

Jesus, you are the Good Shepherd. As we walk in the newness of life that can come only through you, let us hear your voice. You give us so many blessings along the way; let us never neglect or overlook these gifts. Help us to remember that it gets even better in eternity. Lead us, Good Shepherd, to follow you and to know your voice. Amen.

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