Righteous Roads

Shepherd Me

“Righteous Roads”

July 28, 2019

Introduction

We are in the middle of a series entitled, “Shepherd Me.” In this series, we are looking at .

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Today, we are in verse 3, and we are looking at the phrase “He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Illustration: Wrong Way — Mercedes Parking Lot

Sometimes, in our spiritual journey, we take the wrong path. The phrase we are looking at today is about taking the right path.

(CSB) Carefully consider the path for your feet …

Today, we are talking about taking the right path, the righteous path.

1. Jesus leads the way.

Max Lucado said, “We need a shepherd. We don’t need a cowboy to herd us; we need a shepherd to lead us. Sheep need to be lead.

We need to be lead. Just as sheep are lead by a shepherd, we have a good shepherd who leads us: Jesus.

(NKJV) I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.

(NKJV) And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.

Illustration: Nashville: Hosts showing us around. Tour guides

Jesus lived on this earth. He has gone before us. Jesus leads the way for us. Jesus leads us down the right paths, the righteous paths.

Jesus showed the way of compassion. Leprosy was a terrible skin disease that caused people in Israel to be unclean. Lepers were separated from their families. They were barred from worshiping the community in the synagogues or temple. When someone got to close to a leper, the leper would have to shout out, “Unclean, Unclean.”

One day a leper approaches Jesus to be healed. I want you to see the compassion of Jesus.

(NKJV) Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

Jesus showed us the way of compassion. Jesus leads down the right paths, the righteous paths.

Jesus showed us the way of acceptance. In , Jesus comes to this region by boat and is greeted by a man. This man was demon possessed. He was a freak show. He wore no clothes. He lived in the cemetery. People tried to tie him up. He would break the rope or chains. He cut himself with stones. He cried out day and night.

Most of us if not all of us would have wanted absolutely nothing to do with this guy. But Jesus accepted. Jesus drove the demons out of the guy. The freak show became normal and became a child of God.

Jesus showed us the way of acceptance. Jesus leads us down the right path, the righteous paths.

Jesus showed us the way of humility and service. The disciples of Jesus constantly argued over who was the greatest among them.

(NKJV) Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all.

Then Jesus showed his disciples what it meant to be a humble servant. At the last supper, Jesus took on the form of a humble servant and washed the feet of his disciples.

Jesus showed us the way of humility and service. Jesus leads us down the right paths, the righteous paths.

Jesus showed us the way of love. Jesus showed unconditional love to his followers. The disciples messed up. The disciples were flawed. Jesus showed them unconditional love. We mess up. We are flawed. Jesus shows us unconditional love.

Jesus showed sacrificial love with his death on the cross. Jesus showed the way of love. Jesus leads us down the right paths, the righteous paths.

Jesus showed us the way of forgiveness. Roman soldiers beat Jesus to a pulp and nailed him to cross. People hurled insults at Jesus while he hung on the cross. Listen to Jesus’s words from the cross.

(NKJV) Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”

Jesus showed us the way of forgiveness. Jesus leads us down the right paths, the righteous paths.

When we study the life of Jesus, we see how Jesus led us down the right, the righteous path over and over again.

I also want to remind you that Jesus leads us down the right path to Father God.

(NKJV) Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Recap: We don’t need a cowboy to heard us. We need a shepherd to lead us. Sheep need to be lead. We need to be lead. Jesus is our shepherd. Jesus leads the way. Jesus leads us down the right paths, the righteous paths.

2. We must follow our leader.

Illustration: Game Follow the Leader

That’s what we must do with Jesus. We must follow our leader, our shepherd. We don’t need a cowboy to herd us. We need a shepherd to lead us. We must follow our shepherd.

(NKJV) To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.

Jesus goes before us. Jesus leads us. We must follow Jesus.

We get this. We understand this concept, this teaching.

Illustration: Stubborn — Image from Facebook

We know we should follow Jesus. But we stubbornly do things our way.

Isaiah 53:36 (NKJV) All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way …

Keller: We prefer to follow our own fancies and turn to our own ways. And this we do deliberately, repeatedly, even to our own disadvantage. There is something almost terrifying about the destructive self-determination of a human being. It is inexorably interlocked with personal pride and self-assertion. We insist we know what is best for us even though the disastrous results may be self-evident.

(NKJV) There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.

What’s it going to be for us? Is it going to God’s way or our way?

Are we going to follow after Jesus or do things our way? Our way leads to destruction. Jesus’s way leads us down the right path ultimately to our Father in Heaven.

What’s it going to be for us? God way or our way?

Conclusion

Illustration: Losing Larry in Nashville. After calling him, got me back on the right track