The Sheep, The Shepherd, and The Fold.
The secret to happiness in life is not having what you want, but wanting what you have.
Jason Lehman put it well when he said . . .
It was spring. But it was summer I wanted - the warm days and the great outdoors.
It was summer. But it was fall I wanted - the colorful leaves and the cool, dry air.
It was fall. But it was winter I wanted - the beautiful snow and the joy of the holiday season.
It was winter. But it was spring I wanted - the warmth and the blossoming of nature.
I was a child. But it was adulthood I wanted - the freedom and the respect.
I was 20. But it was 30 I wanted - to be mature and sophisticated.
I was middle-aged. But it was 20 I wanted - the youth and the free spirit.
I was retired. But it was middle-age I wanted - the presence of mind, without limitations.
Then my life was over, and I never got what I wanted.
And consequently, there is a restlessness in our souls that robs us of so many of the good things in life that God wants to give us - like peace and joy and kindness and patience - and it also robs us of the very resources that God wants to release into our lives.
Most of the world lives thinking the green grass is on the other side of the fence - well I want you to know from the Word of God that the grass is greener where your Savior leads you. It does not matter how green the grass is on the other side - where you and I are it is greener still because He makes us to lie down in green pastures.
It may look like others are better off, and it may sometimes feel like others have a better deal - but I declare to you this morning from the Word of God - He always makes His children to lie down in the green grass - it is indeed, the green grass of home. You will never have to look across the fence and see greener grass - never. Why? Because our God never gives His children His second best. If you think God has given you something less than the best, then one of two things are happening. Either you are not looking correctly at what you have got, or you are not looking correctly at what is on the other side of the fence.
What I have to share with you this morning I hope will engage you intellectually, and, if you will put it into practice, satisfy you spiritually. No wonder Abraham Lincoln read Psalm 23 to cure his blues, and no wonder President Bush proclaimed it publicly after 9-11 to calm our nation’s fears.
Open your Bibles with me if you would like to this magnificent psalm - Psalm 23. I invite you to stand with me as we read all of it out aloud together with conviction, proclaiming its power over our lives with all the spiritual authority God has vested in it and in us.
23The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
“He makes me lie down in green pastures.” Sheep do not lie down unless their basic needs are met. A good shepherd sees his sheep lying down in green pastures and has a deep sense of satisfaction - he knows his sheep are fulfilled, satisfied, and content. Why is this? Because their four basic needs are met. Let’s look at these and we will see that God provides faithfully for His sheep.
First.
- The Need for Sufficiency.
Did you know that a sheep will not lie down until it has had a sufficient amount to eat? You see, if the shepherd led the sheep to a field that ran out before their hunger did, his sheep would just start wandering off to find other pastures. They would put their heads down and simply inch forward - even if danger lurked there. A good shepherd selects his field well, one that has a sufficient supply for all his sheep to eat their fill, and once having eaten, they would lie down. So, when the psalmist, who had himself spent many years tending the sheep in Palestine, says, "He makes me lie down in green pastures" he is speaking of the sheep’s need for sufficiency having been met.
Now listen to me friend - your God knows what you have need of. And it may look like He is running late - but God is always on time when a need of His child is on the line. He may not meet your need when you want Him to, and He may not meet your need the way you want Him to - but our God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory.
The second basic need of yours that God had promised to fulfill is this:
SECURITY.
- The Need for Security.
Another basic need of sheep is security. As a matter of fact, sheep will not lie down unless they have a complete sense of security. You need to understand that most animals have some sort of defensive system to protect themselves. Snakes and spiders may have poison. Lions roar and they have massive teeth. Elephants have brute strength and leopards have tremendous speed. Crocodiles have hard scaled skin with razor sharp teeth set in very powerful jaws. Chameleons camouflage themselves and birds fly away. Sheep cannot bite or sting or roar or fly or fight or do anything else to protect themselves. They cannot even run very well. Because of that a sheep will not lie down until it is sure that there is no danger lurking in the dark or in the bushes. A shepherd would take his sheep to a field and one of his responsibilities would be to ensure that there were no lurking dangers to prevent the sheep from eating and lying down.
If a sheep sensed that there was movement in the bush around the edge of the field where it ate, or if in the darkness of the winter nights the sheep were able to see sets of eyes peering at them reflecting the light of the fires, they simply would not lie down and sleep. One of their basic needs is security and if they do not have it, they will not lie down in green pastures. Yet the Bible says of the sheep of God, they lie down in green pastures, and the author of this Psalm knew that it did not matter what was out there but what was in here (his heart).
Precious child of God - your God is big enough. Listen to what He says in the tenth chapter of the gospel of John.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me.”
John 10:1-2, 10-14
Friend - our God is big enough.
Psalm 18:1-3 “I love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge.”
I want you to know and remember that our God meets our need for security.
We have looked at your need for SUFFICIENCY and your need for SECURITY.
3.Stability.
The need for Stability.
Sheep will not lie down in an unstable environment and nor will it eat or drink in an unstable environment? Where do I get that in this psalm? The rest of verse two says that “He leads me beside quiet waters.” Perhaps ‘quiet’ is a weak translation in this instance. It means ‘still,’ ‘not turbulent’ waters. As a matter of fact, a sheep will not drink from anything but stable, consistent, quiet waters. A good shepherd will never take his sheep to drink at the foot of a waterfall because sheep frighten easily, the noise and instability of the environment would put fear and panic in the hearts of the sheep. They need to be led to quiet or consistent or stable waters. You see, a sheep cannot drink from raging water - it must be calm - and a good shepherd knows that.
That is a basic need that you and I have as well. Children illustrate this principle for us. If a child grows up in a stable home, that child simply has a greater chance of being happy and whole. One of the great concerns with parents whose homes are unstable is the impact it is having on their children. It can be confusing and sometimes debilitating for a child in an inconsistent or unstable environment.
Listen again to that second verse of Psalm 23:
“He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside quiet waters.”
Did you notice that? I do not know the details of the circumstances in your life - but this I do know - your Shepherd wants to lead you, this morning, to quiet waters. What are those quiet waters? They are the refreshing streams of God’s consistent provision of your souls ongoing needs.
I don’t know what storm is tearing into your life right now - but this I know - your Shepherd wants to lead you beside quiet waters.
I don’t know what financial burden or relational breakdown or work-related stress has got you all churned up this morning - but this I know - your Shepherd wants to lead you beside quiet waters.
The Need for Sufficiency, The Need for Security, The Need for Stability, and.
Fourthly, this morning:
- The Need for Significance
Did you know that significance is one of the most basic primary needs of sheep?
In the East a Shepherd leads his sheep, he does not drive them as they do in many other places. To be specific, there is a wonderful relationship between the shepherd and his sheep that is founded on genuine love. To the shepherd, each sheep is significant. We have already said that he knows them by name. He also knows them by sight. You and I look at a bunch of sheep and all we see is wool, pot roasts and lamb chops. A shepherd sees each sheep as significant. The Bible says that a good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep, and again, no greater love has any man than this, that he lay down his life for a friend. You see, there is no greater love than that, there is no greater sense of significance than that.
Do you know how to tell the worth or the value of something? This is true whether you are talking about the value of a house, a rare painting, a vintage car, or anything else for that matter. This is how to tell the value or significance of your soul as well. There are five criteria that are used to determine value.
Who made it? (God)
How many were made? (You are unique)
How well was it made? (Fearfully and wonderfully made)
What condition is it in? (You are brand new - born again)
What is somebody willing to pay for it? (Blood of the Lamb)
When those sheep are walking along and one sheep hears his name being called, it does something for him. He feels that his shepherd really knows him and cares for him. And did you know that a sheep’s health, vitality, and obedience is largely dependent on that feeling of significance? If that sheep feels that he is not important to the shepherd, it will, the shepherds tell us, go into decline. Sheep have a need for significance.
Did you know that the loss of significance is the number one cause of suicide in our country? If you and I could go to the next 24 people in this country who are about to commit suicide and just ask them this question, "Tell me, do you have anybody who cares about you?" every one of them would tell you the same thing - "NO! Nobody cares about me."
And now for the good news. Listen to me. GOD THINKS YOU ARE SIGNIFICANT. That’s right. God thinks you are significant. He says that He knows every sheep by name. He knows where it hurts, and He knows when it hurts, and He knows why it hurts. God knows your deepest concerns and He cares. As a matter of fact, He cares so much that He sent Jesus to die for your sins.
You mean more to Jesus than words will ever tell. He knows when you hurt . . . and He hurts too. He knows when you wander, He sets out to bring you home. Our shepherd cares so much, He will leave the 100 just to bring you back. And when He does, it’s not the crook applied to your hind in discipline. No, He picks you up and places you around His neck, carries you and your cares back to where He wants you to be. Why? Because you are significant to Him - you are one of His sheep.
Your need for SUFFICIENCY, SECURITY, STABILITY and SIGNIFICANCE, is of the utmost importance to God!
Lastly, the basic need that you and I have, that is not common to sheep, is.
- The Need for Spirituality
Now a sheep does not have this need, but you and I do. Regardless of race, language or culture, all people have a basic intrinsic need for spirituality. That is why even in the most remote areas one finds tribal emblems of worship and spirituality. This is because man was made to worship God. The reason why you and I were created was that were to worship God. If we choose not to do that, we have a need to fill that worship instinct with something else. That is why people worship the sun and moon, and other creatures and things. That is why so many different new cults and religions are founded every day in the modern world. There is a need for spirituality.
All across America each and every Sunday many folks attend church not because they are saved but because they are looking to satisfy their need for spirituality. Even many folks who are brought up in Christian homes attend church - and are not saved. They may think they are saved - but they are not. They have confused spirituality with salvation and religion with the real thing, being baptized with being born again, having their name on a church membership list with having their names in the Lamb’s book of life.
Well, there is good news this morning, and with this good news we draw our service to a close. Jesus can and wants to meet your every need for spirituality.
John 10:9 “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.”
You see friends, it was Jesus who said these words, "You must be born again." It is not good enough to satisfy one’s spirituality by belonging to this or any other church. The matter is an urgent one. Your need is of Him. He has the solution to your spirituality, to save your soul. Now let me ask you a question if I may. Are you saved? Have you been born again? If you were to die tonight do you know for certain that you would spend your eternity in heaven with God? If you are not able to give a clear unhesitating "YES" in response to each of those questions, then I have some good news for you this morning. He cares for you - and He wants to meet your need for spirituality.
Would you pray with me please?
Sheep know their Shepherd and recognize his voice. Jesus tells us He is the Good Shepherd...He knows His sheep and His sheep know Him. We live in a world that has a lot of false shepherds knocking at the door. False shepherds look for ways to lead the sheep astray by distorting the truth in one way or another.
People are being misled by many who are teaching and preaching a false gospel. These false teachers know the scripture, but they don’t know the Shepherd.
(Story of thespian and preacher) A famous actor, well known for his theatrical voice, was scheduled to be the keynote speaker at a big fund-raising dinner. As he approached the podium to speak, he invited his audience to choose a poem for him to recite. There was a long silence until a retired clergyman raised his hand and asked for him to recite the 23rd Psalm. The actor was slightly taken back but agreed to read the Psalm with the condition that the pastor recite it after him. The old pastor reluctantly agreed. The actor began to recite the verses and spoke with such eloquence and grace and upon the conclusion, he received a great applause. Next the clergyman stood and recited the scripture and as he spoke, everyone was captured by his voice and by the time he was done, there was not a dry eye in the room as the crowd responded with a standing ovation.
Upon seeing the reaction from the crowd, the actor went over and laid his hand on the shoulder of the retired pastor and said to the guests “Do you know the difference between his version and mine? I know the 23rd Psalm; but this man of God standing before you tonight, knows the Shepherd.”
A good sheep doesn’t just talk about Christ, but truly walks with Christ. The true Shepherd knows His sheep and calls them by name...We must always listen for His voice. “The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognizes his voice and comes to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.” (John 10:3)
(Illustration) A man was accused of stealing a sheep he claimed was one of his own. When the case went to court, the judge was puzzled on how to decide the matter, so he asked for the sheep to be brought into the courtroom. Then he ordered the man’s accuser to step outside and call the animal. The sheep responded by raising its head with fright. The judge then instructed the defendant to go to the courtyard and call the sheep. When the accused man began to make his distinctive call, the sheep bounded toward the door. It recognized the familiar voice of his master. “His sheep knows him,” said the judge. “Case dismissed!”