Flock of God
"The Flock of God"
1 Peter 5:2-4
THESIS:When we examine the nature and character of sheep, we have a good picture of ourselves and the need of a shepherd.

The Scriptures refer to God's people in many ways, such as: a bride, children, servants, a soldier, a body and sheep, the flock of God, among others.
In our text Peter is instructed to "feed the flock of God." Isaiah 53 and 1Pet.2:25 refers to people as "sheep gone astray." I would like to explore why we are compared to sheep and what makes up a flock of sheep.

We are compared to sheep because:

  1. By their nature, sheep are ill-behaved, wayward, and incapable of caring for themself. The Word teaches us that we also are ill-behaved, rebellious, none good, none righteous. We tend to wander from the path quite frequently. We are, spiritually speaking, incapable of caring for ourselves and need proper leadeship.
  2. We tend to live for today and are not to concerned for tomorrow. Suffice it to say that God knows us better than we know ourselves. He indicates that we must be led by the Spirit.

THE FLOCK OF SHEEP

Within every flock of sheep we find three constants.
1. Shepherd
2. Sheep Dogs
3. Sheep

The SHEPHERD:

    The shepherd is one who cares for his sheep. He all but lives with them, sees to their well-being, insures they are fed, protected and well cared for.He is responsible for the flock, Eph 4:12 "for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ," 1 Pet 5:2-3 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock;. A distinction is made in John 10 between a shepherd and a hireling. Jesus is the Good Shepherd and is truly responsible for His flock.
    The shepherd must:
  1. Feed:John 21:15-17 So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of Jonah, 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." He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Tend My sheep. "He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, 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 all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Feed My sheep." If sheep are not properly fed, they will become weak and will not follow the shepherd.
  2. Gather:Mat 23:37 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! Isa 40:11 "He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm," The shepherd must gather and bring the flock together.
  3. Carry:Isa 40:11, "and carry them in his bosom," Sheep, especially new borns, are totally helpless and must be carried. The shepherd is concerned for his sheep and carries the young and weak to keep up with the flock. Gen 33:13 "And he said unto him, My lord knoweth that the children are tender, and the flocks and herds with young are with me: and if men should overdrive them one day, all the flock will die."
  4. Lead:Gen 33:14 "Please let my lord go on ahead before his servant. I will lead on slowly at a pace which the livestock that go before me, and the children, are able to endure," Psa 78:70-72 "He also chose David His servant, And took him from the sheepfolds; From following the ewes that had young He brought him, To shepherd Jacob His people, And Israel His inheritance. So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, And guided them by the skillfulness of his hands."
    Many are the responsibilities of the shepherd as he pastors the sheep. Jesus, our Shepherd feeds us the "Bread of Life and the Living Waters" so we will be strengthened. He gathers us together into one body, flock and protects us. He gave His life for the sheep. He carries us and leads us in the paths of righteousness for His namesake.

The SHEEPDOGS:

    The sheep dogs are to aid the shepherd as he oversees the flock. Num 11:16-17 So the LORD said to Moses: "Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them; bring them to the tabernacle of meeting, that they may stand there with you. "Then I will come down and talk with you there. I will take of the Spirit that is upon you and will put the same upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you may not bear it yourself alone." Acts 6:2-3 Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, "It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. "Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business;" Today, the sheepdogs are called Deacons. Their calling is to serve the body by assisting the Pastor in the business of the Church.
    The sheepdogs:
  1. Work closely with the shepherd. Shepherds in the Middle east usually have up to three dogs. each one is sensitive to a certain whistle. When the shepherd sounds the whistle, that particular dogs responds. Deacons are not the head of the local church but are servants to the Body and are to work closely with the Pastor as he ministers.
  2. Quick to bring in strays. As the shepherd oversees the flock, some sheep may wander from the fold. The sheepdogs are ready to go after the strays and bring them back safely. The mind-set today is that the Pastor should do it all and the Deacons can hire or fire the Pastor based on his performance. NOT. The Deacons are to be ready to go out and gather those who have strayed. Their office is very similar to that of a Pastor.
  3. Listen to the shepherd. As the sheepdogs were attentive to the shepherd, Deacons ought to listen to the Pastor. Eph 4:11-14 "And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting," The pastor has his calling and the deacons theirs.

The SHEEP

    The sheep are to follow their shepherd. John 10:27 "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:" The shepherd has a timeless, thankless calling as he cares for the sheep. The sheep are totally dependant on the shepherd for all their needs. They don't worry because they know the shepherd is their to protect them. But within every flock there are several kinds of sheep.
  1. Hermit Sheep: These are the loners. They refuse to blend in with others. They never cooperate with the shepherd. We find many like that within local churches. These tend to go off on their own. they may be shy and introverted and they really don't feel comfortable with the rest of the congregation. They constantly find fault. His goals are for himself and not the flock
  2. Fence Sheep:These stay close to the fence. They are always looking to the other side. If they find an opening, they go through the encloser. We also find these in our churches. These are emotionally unstable and insecure. They remain apart to avoid getting hurt. They walk close to the line and many often cross it. They nibble here and there and wont get involved. They feel things are "greener on the other side." They pose a serious problem in that their lambs or little ones tend to follow them. They are easy prey for the enemies of the sheep.
  3. Maverick Sheep: These are the independent ones. They are head strong and want to do their own thing. They tend to disagree most of the time. They tend to want to be leaders and lead small groups of other discontented sheep to attack the shepherd. It doesn't take long to pick them out of a flock.
  4. Contented Sheep: These trust the shepherd and remain in the middle of the fold. They know they are being properly fed. They also know they are safe within the fold. Their contentment is evident in their healthy growth. The contented ones eat the proper food, and mature more rapidly than the others. They also produce strong, healthy young ones.

As you can see, we are very similar to sheep and we truly need the guidance and leadership of the Good Shepherd of our soul.

Problems that Harass the Sheep:

  1. Wolves and wild beasts. These are the enemies of the sheep. Remember Satan as a roaring lion.
  2. Thieves and robbers. These are the imposters who try to steal and destroy the sheep and lead them astray with false teaching and such.
  3. Pest and insects: These are the personal problems encountered by the sheep. Some of these include:
    1. condemnation
    2. discontentment
    3. discouragement
    4. not spiritual enough
    5. bitterness
    6. insecurity

    These areas are all part of the responsibilities of the shepherd and must be dealt with. Remember, God is able and He has called us to Himself.
    As a Pastor, don't be discouraged, but the strengthened in the Lord.
    As a Deacon, you are called to serve not be served or to dictate. Trust the shepherd.
    As a Sheep within the fold, my prayer is that you are a contented one. If not, you can be by committing yourself to the Chief Shepherd. He will supply all our needs according to His riches in glory.

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