The Shepherd knows what to do.

Jesus Christ is leading us.

John 10:1–4 (NKJV)

1 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.

2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

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

The shepherd knows the sheep by name and leads them out.

They don’t lead themsleves out, he is the one that leads them.

He leads them out by going before them.

The sheep follow him because they know his voice.

The Lord has “lead us Out”

God has lead us out from the bondage of sin, from slavery.

God has lead us out from the darkness and brought us to his marvelous light.

God has lead us out from the bondage of the rudaments of this worl.d

The Lord know is leading us to the promise land

When he leads us he goes before us.

Where we are he has already been there, and where we are going he will arrive before us. He is with us wherever we are going.

The sheep must know his voice and follow him

To follow him, we have to trust him, we have to trust his voice. Why?

Because the lord will lead us where he wishes to for us to go, not where we wish to go.

Psalm 23:1–4 (NKJV)

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.

3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.

4 Yea, 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.

The lord is our shepherd.

The lord sometimes leads us to places where we thoroughly enjoy.

The green pastures

The still waters.

Yet the Lord will also lead us to places where we may not enjoy, where our understanding, our ability to cope are stretched. Where our trust in the leadership of our shepherd is tested.

The valley of the shadow of death.

What we have to do.

Wherever our shepherd leads us we have to trust him, we have to trust his voice.

We have to know and beleive that he know what he is doing, where he is leading us and in whatever circumstance he knows what to do.

Philip as an example

John 6:4–13 (NKJV)

4 Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near.

5 Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?”

6 But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.

7 Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.”

8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him,

9 “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?”

10 Then Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.

11 And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.

12 So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.”

13 Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.

Philip was the first man to whom the lord had said “follow me”

He had left everything to follow the voice of the shepherd.

The lord had led him through diffrent situation and circumstance.

This time the lord led him to a place where he was going to face a great problem together with the desciples.

John 6:5 (NKJV)

5 Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?”

Jesus lifted his eyes and saw the great problem that was coming toward’s him.

The Lord seas that great problem that will come towards you before you see it.

Notice: it says toward’s Him and not to to Philip, because he was the one leading and shepherding Philip.

The problem we face is the lord problem and not ours.

Having seen the problem he said to philip, paraphrase “where are we going to find the solution to resolve this problem”.

Jesus was the solution to the problem, yet he ask where are you going to find the solution (bread) to this problem to philip.

John 6:6 (NKJV)

6 But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.

Philip began to think and began to measure and draw out plans in his mind to find solution to this problem.

John 6:7 (NKJV)

7 Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.”

In other words, even if we try to put together all of our resources and our abilities, it would still not resolve this problem.

This was beyond the scope of what Philip could do. It was beyond his understanding.

He began to be in turmoil, and to be anxious. He realised he did not know what to do. Yet the one who knew what to do was next to him.

If only he had remembered how Exekiel had answered God at the valley of dry bones

Or if he had learned the lesson from the response of the Israelites when God led them to the Red sea.

The same God was leading him to this problem.

The Same God, the I am who led his people to the red sea is the one that is leading you and me, and so as he knew what to do at the red sea he knows what to do in your situation. Trust him, acknowedge that he knows what to do.

John 6:8–10 (NKJV)

8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him,

9 “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?”

10 Then Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.

Make the problem to sit still. There was so much commotion because of the problem.

Sometimes we allow a storm to build up in our mind that cause our mind to be restless because of the problem.

But you got to sit the problem down. In Jesus name calm the problem.

Philippians 4:6–7 NKJV

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Isaiah 26:3 NKJV

You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.

John 6:11–13 (NKJV)

11 And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.

12 So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.”

13 Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.

Jesus took the small lowves of bread and fishes and began to give thanks in the midst of the problem. As he gave thanks the bread multiplied.

We have got to find something no matter how small in the midst of our crisis to praise and give thanks to God.

Jesus had not oly enough to solve the problem, but there was some left over.

Jehosophat as an example

2 Chronicles 19, Jehosophat reforms Judah, he sents out priest throughout his kindom to teach the laws of God.

2 Chronicles 19:4–8 (NKJV)

4 So Jehoshaphat dwelt at Jerusalem; and he went out again among the people from Beersheba to the mountains of Ephraim, and brought them back to the Lord God of their fathers.

5 Then he set judges in the land throughout all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city,

6 and said to the judges, “Take heed to what you are doing, for you do not judge for man but for the Lord, who is with you in the judgment.

7 Now therefore, let the fear of the Lord be upon you; take care and do it, for there is no iniquity with the Lord our God, no partiality, nor taking of bribes.”

8 Moreover in Jerusalem, for the judgment of the Lord and for controversies, Jehoshaphat appointed some of the Levites and priests, and some of the chief fathers of Israel, when they returned to Jerusalem.

He was doing what was right in the sight of the lord

He was following the Lord and leading the people in the way of the Lord

Somethings happens to him and his people in Chapter 20

2 Chronicles 20:1–28 (NKJV)

1 It happened after this that the people of Moab with the people of Ammon, and others with them besides the Ammonites, came to battle against Jehoshaphat.

2 Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, from Syria; and they are in Hazazon Tamar” (which is En Gedi).

3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

4 So Judah gathered together to ask help from the Lord; and from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.

5 Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court,

6 and said: “O Lord God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You?

7 Are You not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and gave it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever?

8 And they dwell in it, and have built You a sanctuary in it for Your name, saying,

9 ‘If disaster comes upon us—sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine—we will stand before this temple and in Your presence (for Your name is in this temple), and cry out to You in our affliction, and You will hear and save.’

10 And now, here are the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir—whom You would not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them and did not destroy them—

11 here they are, rewarding us by coming to throw us out of Your possession which You have given us to inherit.

12 O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”

13 Now all Judah, with their little ones, their wives, and their children, stood before the Lord.

14 Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly.

15 And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude (Great problem), for the battle is not yours, but God’s.

16 Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel.

17 You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.”

18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the Lord, worshiping the Lord.

19 Then the Levites of the children of the Kohathites and of the children of the Korahites stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with voices loud and high.

20 So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.”

21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: “Praise the Lord, For His mercy endures forever.”

22 Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.

23 For the people of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to utterly kill and destroy them. And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another.

24 So when Judah came to a place overlooking the wilderness, they looked toward the multitude (great problem); and there were their dead bodies, fallen on the earth. No one had escaped.

25 When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away their spoil, they found among them an abundance of valuables on the dead bodies, and precious jewelry, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away; and they were three days gathering the spoil because there was so much.

26 And on the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berachah, for there they blessed the Lord; therefore the name of that place was called The Valley of Berachah until this day.

(God turned their valley of the shadow of death into a blessing)

The lord sometime will lead you to a valley of the shadow of death, so he can show you that he can turn it into the valley of berachah (blessing).

27 Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat in front of them, to go back to Jerusalem with joy, for the Lord had made them rejoice over their enemies.

28 So they came to Jerusalem, with stringed instruments and harps and trumpets, to the house of the Lord.

Conlcusion

Psalm 30:11–12 NKJV

11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, 12 To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.