You Need A Shepherd!

INTRODUCTION:

I Love Advent. I love the fact that here at Abiding Savior, we can slow down from the hustle and bustle of this time of year and remember what is truly important, the birth of the Savior. I think sometimes we can overlook the significant details in the account because we have heard the story so many times. However, when we slow down and look at the details they can bring us so much hope. The truth is that God’s ways are not our ways. I am so relieved that this is true, because as Pastor Kirk said last week, “God uses the ordinary for the extraordinary.”

Tonight, we are going to be looking at the ordinary Shepherd and the extraordinary way God Chose to use these specific people to spread the news that the savior had been born in Bethlehem. The truth is that there are many here tonight who feel overlooked, alone, insignificant and that they have nothing to offer the world but that is simply not true. The hope of the Gospel in the Christmas story is, if you are the least important person according to the standards of the world, you are important to God. God sees you and He loves you. The truth of Scripture that we are going to discover tonight is that God has a very high view of the lowly shepherd, and that due to the nature of our sin we desperately need a shepherd to give us everything that we need and because of this hope we have a message to go and tell. (Would You Please Rise for the Scripture Text)

TEXT: LUKE 2:15-20

WHY THE SHEPHERDS?

Have you ever stopped and asked yourself. “Why the shepherds?” Out of any people in the world, God chose a small group of shepherds outside the city of Bethlehem to be the first recipients of the greatest news ever told, “The Savior of the World is here.” One truth that we can see is what I mentioned earlier. God uses the ordinary for His extraordinary purpose. That is what essentially what the shepherds were. Shepherding was an important job that had to be done and very few people wanted to do it. Sheep were essential for life and livelihood in the ancient near east. They were used for milk, meat, cheese and the wool for clothing. But Shepherding was often boring, the flock needed to be brought out to pasture every day. They needed to be supervised because they could not defend themselves from predators, they run off and get lost, and sometimes if a sheep gets too stressed out, they just give up and die. If it was not for the shepherd, sheep would not be able to live very long on their own. The sheep are dependent on the shepherd for their best chance to live an abundant life.

The truth is that Shepherding is not considered the noblest vocation in the eyes of the world, it would probably rank equitant to babysitting. It is a very humble job. This is why, I believe, God used them to be the first recipients of the great News that the Savior had been born. In fact, as we look at Scripture, we can see that the Bible holds Shepherds in a high view. It is almost as if, in God’s economy, the lowly shepherd, is the family business.

Just think about how many people in the Bible were Shepherds. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob all were shepherds. When Joseph moved the 70 members of his family to Egypt they were shepherds, and in fact they cared for the livestock for the Egyptians. When Moses fled Midian to escape Rameses, he became a Shepherd for Forty Years. It was David’s experience as a shepherd that gave him the courage to face Goliath.

The truth is that God obviously has a very high regard for shepherds and for sheep. In One of the greatest Scriptures ever written by King David gives a beautiful description of what an abundant life looks like when God is Our Shepherd. PSALM 23 - “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm 23 is the greatest description of a life under the care and control of Jesus Christ. In the same way that Sheep are dependent on the Shepherd to give them the best care for survival, we depend on Christ in the same way. This is why I think human beings are so often associated with sheep, in the Bible, because we are dependent on The Holy Spirit for our Spiritual survival. Without God leading us and guiding us to avoid the pitfalls and dangers of life we are just sheep without a shepherd. Trying to figure out how to live and survive. The truth is that we need a Shepherd. The fact is that we get to rejoice in the same good news that was shared over 2000 years-ago. “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord”. This message of hope for salvation is just as relevant and important as it was back then.

WE NEED A SHEPHERD

The truth is, as human beings, we are a lot more like sheep than we want to admit.

(I saw this video and I thought this is a very good visual representation of my life as a Christian. SHEPHERD SAVING SHEEP VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mz2WfBFdOAU)

Contrary to popular belief, sheep are fairly intelligent animals with great memories. Research has shown that sheep can recognize up to 50 other sheep faces and remember them for two years. They are even able to recognize human faces! Other studies have shown that sheep can remember how to navigate complex mazes. Sheep can experience a wide range of emotions, just as humans do. Many studies have highlighted the ability of sheep to feel afraid, angry, bored, sad, and happy. Not only can sheep feel basic emotions, but their feelings can be very complex. For example, scientific studies have shown that sheep can be pessimists or optimists! Sheep form strong bonds with one another, such as those between a mother and her lamb and other friendships. Forming these strong social relationships helps to keep the flock calm and safe. However, the truth is that humans, like sheep, have just enough intelligence, and hubris to be dangerous to ourselves.

The encouragement that we receive during Advent is that we remember the birth of the great Shepherd. In John 10 Jesus calls himself the Good Shepherd. He even gives the depiction that the truly greatest shepherds were willing to lay down their life for their sheep because that is how important they are. Jesus Christ has laid down his life for us, His flock. Jesus died on the cross for you and me. He provided the path to eternal life through His perfect life, and His innocent suffering and death. The Good News is that Jesus, your shepherd, has not left you. His eye is still on you. He is asking you to trust him to lead you to the best your life has to offer. As you spend time in THE WORD and praying to him you get to know his voice. You begin to trust that he truly wants what is best for you and he is going to lead you there. Eventually, Through faith in Him, He will lead you into your eternal home. Unfortunately, this is often easier said than done.

The truth is that we often want to control our own outcome. As the sheep, we want to take the lead and direct the shepherd where to go. We think that sometimes we know so much more about what we need. We often run head long into danger, that we never expect. Thinking that we can handle the situation only to find ourselves completely stuck in a hole unable to move or do anything on out own. The Joy that we have is that Jesus finds us in that hole, and he lifts us out. He sets our feet on the solid rock of his faithfulness and mercy.

One of favorite accounts in the Bible is when Jesus restores Peter on the shore of Sea of Galilee after he had denied Jesus three times. John 21:15-19, “15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these? ”He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep…And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.” As Christian’s Jesus is asking us to follow Him and trust him with our life. Not only that, He has commissioned us to tell others about the hope we have. That is the final truth in tonight’s message. We are called to be like the shepherds, we are to go and tell every person we know that, Jesus Christ will profoundly change their life!

GO AND TELL

The shepherds that witnessed the birth of the savior that night did not keep it to themselves. It says in Luke 2:17-18, “17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.” The truth is that what the shepherds experienced that night is just as exciting, just as hopeful, and just as relevant as it was in their day. Jesus Christ has come to this earth so that we can have life, abundant life. Every single person here tonight is under the curse of sin it is your nature. You need a savior. There is no number of good deeds, self-righteous acts, pious moral living that will be able to save you from the wrath of God that will be poured out on all mankind. The only way unto salvation is through faith in Jesus Christ. The only way you are guaranteed to have the hope and protection of the Good Shepherd is to willingly come under his authority and guidance. We seek His will; we continue His work, and we tell others about the source of our hope.

CONCLUSION:

I want to encourage you tonight if you are feeling tired, exhausted, lonely, overburdened, it might be because you are trying to live up to the ever-changing standard that the world is pushing on you. You have been trying to do it all on your own. Trying to make your own way for yourself has left you with nothing. If that is, you then I want you to know that this does not need to be your life anymore. Jesus Christ wants to lead you and guide you a life that is abundant and free. If you are here tonight and you feel like you have no one and that you are insignificant and nothing. I want to encourage you with the truth that God sees you and In His eyes you are perfect. You are humbly doing what he created you for, to do, His will and the share that same hope with others. In the same way that God used these Shepherds to be the first missionaries to the world announcing the savior’s birth, He calls us to do the same. However, you do not need to be a Bible Scholar, Theologian, Pastor, or Missionary, you just need to be the person that God created you to be. You just need to remember the hope you have in the power of Christ. God uses ordinary people to do His extraordinary Will.