Sheep Without A Shepherd
Matthew 9
35. And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their
synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every
sickness and every disease among the people.
36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on
them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having
no shepherd.
37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous,
but the labourers are few;
38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth
labourers into his harvest.
1. Jesus had compassion on the crowds.
His love was not selective but was for everyone.
He didn't see crowds as crowds - He saw them as people - individual
lives with concerns, hurts and needs.
Do you know that people are hurting?
We see people as friendly or unfriendly, as helpful irritating, as
sociable or unsociable, but Jesus see the hearts and He knows what is
really going on inside.
That's the thing. We can't often see what is on the inside. Sometimes
the nicest and most confident on the outside are in turmoil and
tormented on the inside. Often the troublesome ones are miserable
with themselves.
2. Jesus saw them as having no shepherd.
Sheep without a shepherd are aimless and lost, hopeless and forsaken,
unprotected and vulnerable. They don't know where they are going and
don't know what to do. They live from event to event with no real
purpose. They are easy prey for the enemy.
I sat in a restaurant last night with a group of professional people.
Half of them were faithless and misguided, with no faith in God and
no hope of heaven.
The other half were people who attend church (a Bible believing, Bible
preaching, Spirit-filled church); they invite people to church, brag
on their pastor, talk openly about Bible Study and prayer, and yet
they sat there drinking alcohol, cursing and criticizing their
superiors.
I didn't know whether to feel angry at them or sorry for them.
But it grieved my heart. Here sat sheep who have no shepherd,
surrounded by sheep who won't follow their shepherd. Lord, what a
mess we make.
"The laborers are few", Jesus said. I wonder what Jesus would say
about the state of affairs today?
3. Mission Statement
After almost 7 years here, I have finally come to a mission statement
that I can live with - that is, a brief statement of purpose that is
concise enough to remember, definitive enough to give us a base to
work from, and broad enough to leave plenty of room for a diversity
of methods to accomplish our goals.
READ IT
4. Wanted!
What we need is more laborers for the harvest - people who will take
on the task of reaching the world for Jesus through their daily lives,
making the most of every contact, friendship and association to make
a mark for the Kingdom of God.
When I die, I want the world to know I've been here. I want to make
a difference!
Who will live for Jesus?
Who will stand for certain prescribed convictions?
Who will testify of His saving grace, His infinite love, and His
coming Judgment?
5. Equipped
Look at the equipment Jesus has given us -
Mt 10:1 And when he had called unto [him] his twelve disciples, he
gave them power [against] unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to
heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.
He gave them power = authority. We have the power of His name and
the power of the Holy Spirit.
Mt 10:7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at
hand.
Mt 10:8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out
devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
He gave them a command and a commission.
He said to -
Go - get moving; do something.
Preach - tell somebody.
Give life - Wake up the sleepers in and out of the church.
Give them a taste of reality; call the sinners to repentance
and the church to action.
Cleanse - not only healing but enlightenment. People who
don't truly repent are doomed to repeat.
To repent means to turn away from - to change. It does not
simply mean to be sorry. Most sinners are sorry for a
little while.
Deliver - whether their demons are actual evil spirits or just
the demons of their own minds and their own making, they
need to be brought out of the influence of these things and
changed. Some need spiritual deliverance; some just need a
change of thinking. Give whatever deliverance is needed.
Conclusion -
Does it bother you to see sheep without a shepherd?
Become a laborer in His fields.
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