Sheep
Good day to each of you reading this column on Jesus telling his disciple, Peter to feed my sheep.
Before we get into the column, let’s turn to some humor from https://southcountychurches.com/funnychurchhumorstories.html
The Thinner
There was a Scottish tradesman, a painter called Jack, who was very interested in making a pound where he could. So he often would thin down his paint to make it go a wee bit further. As it happened, he got away with this for some time.
Eventually, the Presbyterian Church decided to do a big restoration job on one of their biggest churches. Jack put in a painting bid and, because his price was so competitive, he got the job. And so he set to, with a right good will, erecting the trestles and putting up the planks, and buying the paint—and, yes, I am sorry to say, thinning it down with turpentine.
Well, Jack was up on the scaffolding, painting away, the job nearly done, when suddenly there was a horrendous clap of thunder. The sky opened and the rain poured down, washing the thin paint from all over the church and knocking Jack fair off the scaffold to land on the lawn.
Now, Jack was no fool. He knew this was a judgment from the Almighty, so he fell on his knees and cried, “Oh, God! Forgive me! What should I do?”
And from the thunder, a mighty voice spoke: “Repaint, you thinner, and go and thin no more!”Give Me a Break
A lifelong atheist was spending a peaceful day fishing when all of a sudden his boat was attacked by the Loch Ness Monster. The beast easily tossed him and his boat high in the air. Then it opened its mouth to swallow both.
As the man was flying through the air, he cried out, “Oh, God! Please help me!” Suddenly, the scene froze in place, and as the man hung there in midair, a voice boomed down from the clouds: “I thought you were an atheist and didn’t believe in Me!”
“Come on, God, give me a break!” the man cried out. “A minute ago, I didn’t believe in the Loch Ness Monster either!”In Sunday school, they were teaching how God created everything, including human beings. Little Johnny seemed especially intent when they told him how Eve was created out of one of Adam’s ribs.
Later in the week, his mother noticed him lying down as though he were ill and said, “Johnny, what is the matter?”
Little Johnny responded, “I have a pain in my side. I think I’m going to have a wife.”Six-year-old Angie and her four-year-old brother Joel were sitting together during church services. Joel giggled, sang, and talked out loud. Finally, his big sister had enough.
“You’re not supposed to talk out loud in church.”
“Why? Who’s going to stop me?” Joel asked.
Angie pointed to the back of the church and said, “See those two men standing by the door? They’re hushers.”And, A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five- and six-year-olds. After explaining the commandment to “honor thy father and thy mother,” she asked, “Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?”
Without missing a beat, one little boy, the oldest of a family, answered, “Thou shalt not kill.”
Wow! hope that makes you laugh for laughter is the best medicine.
Have you been reading your Bible? Do you take the time to speak to God? Have you placed God on the shelf and use him as needed?
God has never left you nor forsaken you so why run from God? This is a fair question to ask? This is what we are facing in our family for we had a family member who ran from God and only by prayer did he come full circle.
I see why God calls us sheep for when we wander away, then like the good shepherd, he leaves to find the lost one and the heavens rejoice when the lost sheep is found.
But why do we stray? Because it is easy to stray for Satan paints a “Rembrandt” picture of the beauty of life and everything that is so enticing.
This is why God said that we are full of darkness for we normally do evil things when it is dark and we feel that we can get away with it for no one sees. So, who are fooling, no one but ourselves, for God sees all.
Moments fleet, but the feeling, the rush, the excitement of thinking that we have pulled one over, gotten away with something or no one will think otherwise will pass but what about God? He sees all, hears all and knows all, so don’t fool yourself for our time on earth is short and one day we will all stand before the king and all will be examined.
Folks, we are all sinners—just read a few verses:
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; – Romans 3:23“
“As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one. – Romans 3:10“
“For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not. – Ecclesiastes 7:20“
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. – 1 John 1:8“
Yes, we are very similar to sheep in that we tend to stray and yet we have a father who never leaves us nor forsakes us.
Now think about this, what other religion can you think of speaks and shows that we have a sheep herder who cares about every sheep in the flock.
Here is something we need to tell those who are involved in other religions and provide them with the parable of the sheep and the master.
Psalm 23 shows us that the Lord is our shepherd and provides guidance to our family, but here are some more verses that we are his sheep and he is our shepherd. Psalm 78:52-53 (NIV)
But he brought his people out like a flock; he led them like sheep through the wilderness.53 He guided them safely, so they were unafraid; but the sea engulfed their enemies.
Matthew 18:12-14 (NIV) says 12 “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? 13 And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. 14 In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.
As we search the scriptures, we see that John chapter 10 goes into detail about the good shepherd and his sheep. Please get your Bible out and read verses 11-13 11 “I am the good shepherd.The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So, when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. as Jesus speaks He makes the definitive statement that he (Jesus) is the good shepherd in both verse 11 and in verse 14. Verses 14 & 15 say 14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. Notice that not only did Jesus lay his life down for each of us in verse 11 but also in verse 15.
Jesus did not stop at the point of just laying his life down but in verses 17 & 18, 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” Amen! Here Jesus is following the command from the Father where Jesus defeated sin and death for the sake of you and me as the sheep. And, Jesus defeated both sin and death and placed them both under his feet.
Isaiah 53:6 (KJV) says 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
I hope you let the above verse sink in for we have all gone astray and have turned from God’s ways to the ways of man for Satan can make things so enticing.
When this happens and it will, I ask that you turn to Luke 15:2-7 (NIV) and the parable of the lost sheep.
2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
Jesus is our shepherd, not a hired hand who abandons his sheep when he sees the wolf attacking the flock and scattering it. Jesus will never leave you nor forsake you in the good and in the bad times for Jesus will search for the one lost sheep until he finds the lost sheep and joyfully put it on his shoulders and goes home.
Jesus is not the hired hand that runs away and cares nothing for his sheep for he lays down his life for the sheep and when found what are his actions: Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
Fellow Christian, do you know of one sinner who has not yet repented? Do you know of sheep that have gone astray and nowhere to turn? Can’t you hear the rejoicing in Heaven of the sinner who repents for once he or she was lost and is now found.
Yes, we are all like sheep who have gone astray, but we know and without a doubt that we have a good shepherd who is watching over us, who will rescue us, who will give his life for us and who will never leave us nor forsake us for we are his sheep and he is our shepherd.
