THE SHEPHERD IS THE LORD

 [¶ A Psalm of David.] ¶ The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for His Name’s sake.
¶ Even 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.
¶ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Psalm 23:1-6

Of all the 150 Psalms, Psalm 23 is probably the most loved. As we read it we can easily imagine its author, the young shepherd-boy David, making the trek through a ravine where bandits, bears, and predators lurked as he led his small flock of sheep through to fresh water and green pastures. As he reflected on how he led and cared for his flock he must have pondered of how the LORD was like a shepherd to him. As easy as it is for us to imagine teenage David composing this beautiful Psalm, it is also easy to imagine how the God he describes as his shepherd in this Psalm is also a shepherd to us. God, as a shepherd, provides what we need (vs 1), restores our soul (vs 3), when we are unsure He leads on the right path (vs 3), He protects us from evil (vs 4), comforts us in times of distress (vs 4), strengthens us in our moments of weakness (vs 5), He gives us honour when our opponents attempt to bring us shame (vs 5), and He provides a place of belonging for us (vs 6). This is what a shepherd does, David tells us, and it is ultimately only found in the True Shepherd, the Lord Immanuel.

 

DAVID’S EXPERIENCE AS A SHEPHERD

But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father.
And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock,
I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth.
And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him.
Your servant has struck down both lions and bears,
and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them,
for he has defied the armies of the living God.”
First Samuel 17:34-36

David understood how important his role as a shepherd to his sheep was. He brought this understanding with him when he took on the Philistine giant and when he became king of Israel. He knew that a sheep – and especially a lamb – was doomed without the protective gaze of a shepherd. He also knew that people in his care were also doomed unless he acted like a shepherd to them (Acts 20:29).

He chose David His servant and took him from the sheepfolds;
from following the nursing ewes he brought him
to shepherd Jacob His people,
Israel His inheritance.
With upright heart he shepherded them
and guided them with his skilful hand.
Psalm 78:70-72

WHEN SHEEP ARE LEFT DEFENCELESS

Sheep without a shepherd are defenceless against predators – especially wolves (Jn. 10:12). This is something the Jesus stessed in John 10. Without the provision and leading of a shepherd they could also starve or die of thirst. When David became king of Israel, he understood his role as their king was just as critical as his role as a shepherd to his childhood flock of sheep and lambs.

THE SPIRITUAL PARALLELS OF SHEEP AND SHEPHERD

But we Your people, the sheep of Your pasture,
will give thanks to You forever;
from generation to generation we will recount Your praise.
Psalm 79:13

People are like sheep, the prophet tells us (Isa 53:6). who are easily led astray. Kim and I live next door to sheep, literally. In our morning walk Kim would often go up to the sheep and invite them to come over for a hello pat. It would usually only take one sheep to come over and then the others in the paddock would then join in. Similarly we would observe that if one sheep walked off in a direction the others were certain to follow. People are like sheep and the rise of social media, if there is such a thing, has arguably contributed to very ultra-sheepish behaviour which sociologists have referred to as social contagion. This social contagion has led to people, especially young people and particularly young girls, acting very irrationally en-masse. As Christians though we understand that this is not merely people acting like sheep, or the rise of social contagions, but an indication that we live in a world that is comprised of much more than just atoms.

We are all like sheep living in a spiritually dangerous world where there are predators who despise the Shepherd and would do anything to harm His sheep. In this world of wolves and predators the Shepherd offers protection within the fold. The fold is where the sheep are safe. The fold is where the sheep are fed. The fold is where the sheep are tended to by the Shepherd who binds up their wounds, removes the thorns and thistles that cling to fleece. We are all like sheep looking for a Shepherd and a fold where we can belong. The immaterial spiritual beings opposed to the Shepherd manipulate their minions to scoff at those who think that the Shepherd can protect them in such a pathetic fold as a “church”. What these manipulated minions do not know, but their dark evil overlords do know, is that the Shepherd’s fold, the Church, is not just a place comprised of a spiritual collection of sticks and bushes coupled together to form a makeshift flimsy fence! No. The church is a fully-armed, military unit equipped by the Shepherd with officers who regularly conduct rescue missions into enemy territory and bring lost sheep out of darkness into the light, shelter, and supplies of the Shepherd’s fold. It is a place, a relationship, where the gathered rescued sheep can say, The LORD is my Shepherd, I have all my wants taken care of by Him.

This is why we need realise that when David described himself as a sheep under that care of God as His Shepherd, he presenting a picture of a militant Shepherd! This is the kind of shepherd who used weapons against the foes of his sheep and would risk his own life in the face of such deadly threats. This is the kind of shepherd who would “kill lions and bears and wolves”! Shepherding is a military exercise! Consider the implications of this benediction in the Epistle to the Hebrews:

¶ Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus,
the Great Shepherd of the sheep,
by the blood of the eternal covenant,
equip you with everything good that you may do His will,
working in us that which is pleasing in His sight,
through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Hebrews 13:20

The spiritual reality of the Great Shepherd’s relationship with His sheep is that He equips sheep to become shepherds!  And He does this because He is not just the Shepherd — He does this because He is the LORD!

 

 

THE SHEPHERD WHO BECAME A LAMB TRANSFORMS HIS SHEEP INTO SHEPHERDS

¶ “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a Ruler
who will shepherd My people Israel.’”
Matthew 2:6

The LORD transforms His people from being defenceless sheep into being warriors of the Lamb! He, the Great Shepherd, The Commander of the Hosts of Heaven, The Almighty LORD of Heaven and Earth, became Lamb. In the closing book of the Bible, the Great Shepherd is described as “a Lion” and, in the same passage, as “a Lamb”.

And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that He can open the scroll and its seven seals.”
¶ And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.  And He went and took the scroll from the right hand of Him who was seated on the throne.  And when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
Revelation 5:5-8

Depending on your perspective, the apostle John reveals in his vision of heaven, Jesus was either a ferocious Lion or an apparently defenceless Lamb! As the revelation of who Jesus throughout the Book of Revelation becomes clearer we see that what initially appeared as a little Lamb was actually the military Rider of a white horse riding into battle against the Lord’s foes. The God who came as the babe of Bethlehem entered our world like a defenceless lamb. But in reality, He was the Great Shepherd, the Commander of the LORD’s Hosts, the One who could summon twelve legions of angels to do His bidding! What an amazing transformation! He, the LORD, became an arnion a defenceless little Lamb. And today, because the Lamb has conquered, He continues to transform His previously defenceless sheep into full equiped shepherds of His great flock. This is His mission for you child of God – to walk through the valley of the shadow of death with a rod and staff in your hand to bring healing and comfort to the lost and scattered defenceless sheep of this world. Our Shepherd is the LORD. 

Your Pastor,

Andrew

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ENGAGING IN GOD’S MISSION for the Church

 ENGAGING IN GOD’S MISSION for the Church

When you get to know God you come to realise that when John said God is love (1Jn 4:8, 16) – not, ‘God is loving’ – that God actually loves those He has created as His family (Eph. 3:14-15)! His love for His family is incomprehensible (Eph. 3:17-19). Considering this, we can see that when You are love, Your willingness to entrust others (whether they be heavenly or earthly) is a risk You’re ready to take. And take it GOD has. Within the 39 books of the Old Testament we read of the dramatic story of how GOD entrusted certain members of His heavenly family with divine mission to assist His earthly image bearers – and yet some of these more powerful heavenly members (who were also members of ‘the Divine Council’ referred to Psalm 82:1 and 89:7) chose to rebel and corrupted humankind. Yet GOD entrusted a man (Abraham) and his family-line who became a clan then a tribe which became twelve tribes which became a nation which became a kingdom (Acts 7:2-53). But GOD entrusted these people with a much bigger purpose. They were all called by GOD to carry out a mission. GOD’s mission for these people, Israel, was for them to be so close to Him that they delighted in His love, His presence and His Commands (Exo. 19:7), so that all of the other surrounding nations would long to also enjoy knowing and loving GOD just as Israel did (Isa. 42:6; 60:3). The union of GOD with Israel was to be like a marriage (Ezek. 16:8).

He says:“It is too light a thing that you should be My servant
to raise up the tribes of Jacob
and to bring back the preserved of Israel;
I will make you as a light for the nations,
that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”
Isaiah 49:6

But despite GOD entrusting the ‘patriarchs’ of Israel – Abraham, Isaac and Jacob’s descendants with this mission, they too rebelled. Their rebellion was depicted by the prophets as adultery and harlotry (Isa. 1:21; Jer. 2:20; Ezek. 16:15; Hos. 1:2). Yet, despite this grievous betrayal of those whom GOD loved as they rejected Him and His love, GOD declared through the prophet Hosea that –

¶ Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea,
which cannot be measured or numbered. And in the place where it was said to them,
“You are not My people,” it shall be said to them, “Children of the living God.”
Hosea 1:10

And in Paul’s letter to the Romans he refers to this prophecy by Hosea (and another by Isaiah) and says that this has now been fulfilled by those who have accepted Christ and become members of His Church – including both Jews and Gentiles –

As indeed He says in Hosea,“Those who were not My people I will call ‘My people,’
and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.’”
“And in the very place where it was said to them,
‘You are not My people,’there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’”
¶ And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel:
“Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea,
only a remnant of them will be saved.
Romans 9:25-27

After Christ had atoned for our sins as our Substitute, He commissioned His New Covenant disciples to take up the abandoned mission that had originally been given to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob — to be the light of the world (which He had already mentioned in Matt. 5:14) and to take the gospel into all the world and make disciples of all nations (just as ancient Israel was to do). But each of the four Gospel writers emphasize a different aspect of this Great Commission.

The Gospel of Matthew
A Teaching – Discipling Mission

“…teaching them to observe
all that I have commanded…”

And Jesus came and said to them,
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the Name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20

The Gospel of Mark
An Evangelistic Mission

“…proclaim the gospel to the
whole creation…”

And He said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons;
they will speak in new tongues;
they will pick up serpents with their hands;
and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them;
they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”.
And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Mark 16:15-18

The Gospel of Luke
A Prophetic Mission

“…and that repentance for the forgiveness
of sins should be proclaimed in His Name
to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem…”

And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself…
¶ Then He said to them, “These are My words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about
Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”  Then He opened their minds to understand
the Scriptures,  and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead,
and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of My Father upon you.
But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
Luke 24:27, 44-49

The Gospel of John
A Pastoral Mission

“…Feed My lambs…
Tend My Sheep…
Feed My Sheep…”

¶ When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter,“Simon, son of John, 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 a second time,
“Simon, son of John, 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 John, 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 everything; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him,
“Feed My sheep.”
John 21:15-17

GOD’S MISSION FOR THE CHURCH

Often we hear preachers who seem to suggest that Christ has only given Christians a very narrow mission (or purpose). I hope that what I have just drawn out of each Gospel’s closing commission from Christ, that Christians — or, I should more accurately say the Church — has been given a much broader mission than just “Go and evangelise!”

 

THE TEACHING MISSION

Matthew tells us that part of our mission is to teach. This mission is carried out in different ways depending on (i) the relationships involved, (ii) the context of the meeting, (iii) the ages of those being taught, and (iv) the content of what is being taught. For example, the relationship of a parent and child involves the parent teaching their young child or children the stories of the Bible over the dinner table / in the car on the way somewhere / as they take a walk together / or, as they holiday together. If their child or children are older (primary and high school age) the same contexts apply, but the parent also teaches their child or children to self-feed their soul through modelling and teaching them how to pray and deal with life’s problems prayerfully, and to model and teach them how to read and study the Bible. Parents are also responsible to teach their child or children how to worship privately and in church, fellowship with other church members, and to confidently share their faith in Christ. The ministries of a church supplement this parental mission – which is why the gatherings of a church take place corporately (all together) on a Sunday, and in small groups through the week, to further equip believers of all ages through teaching. It’s also why those who are teachers – particularly in Christian schools – are also ministering to young learners as a part of the Church’s mission.

 

THE EVANGELISTIC MISSION

Mark’s Gospel describes the Church’s mission as evangelistic which can be confirmed with supernatural evidences. This suggests that there is a strong role for prayer as we seek God to move in the hearts of non-believers with appropriate miraculous signs to confirm the gospel to those we are seeking to reach. Once again, the first mission field that parents have is their own child or children. Our evangelism is not merely an event, but a journey — even for parents with their child or children — which is why our evangelistic mission does not end with someone “praying a ‘sinner’s prayer’ (even our own child or children). One of the, if not the, most effective ways we can evangelise is to introduce a non-believer to a community of believers (your family, your church family, social gatherings of Christians such as: men’s breakfasts, women’s dinner parties, youth group outings, fishing trips, board games mornings, etc). Thus, our evangelism is not “one size fits all”. Evangelism can be our witness to one other person, such as, one person sharing Christ over coffee with another person.

Our evangelism can also be invitational (inviting someone to church or an outreach event). We cannot escape that Christ’s mission for the Church involves evangelism – with the aim of leading a lost sinner to the forgiveness of sins that can only come through accepting Christ as their Saviour. You do not need to be an evangelist to participate in evangelism. We can pray for God to use us in helping others to come to know Christ. We can also pray for others to be more effective in their evangelism.

And I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective
for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.
Philemon 6

 

THE PROPHETIC MISSION

Luke’s Gospel describes an aspect of the Church’s mission as prophetic. He refers to Christ commissioning His disciples to call people to repentance. This is what prophets did. Some people believe that we cannot call non-Christians to obey God. But Jesus did. Jesus also told His disciples in Matthew’s version of the Great Commission to “make disciples of all nations” and to “teach them to observe all that I have commanded” – and our prophetic mission involves confronting cultural ideas that are untrue, wrong, and dangerous. These ideas are promoted through the arts, media, celebrities, activists, and politicians. Our prophetic mission can be carried out each Sunday from our pulpit, in the school yard through the week, in the tea room at work, on the shop floor, or catching up with friends for coffee. I trust that you realise by ‘prophetic’ we are not suggesting that we to make predictions, rather we are calling people to repent and to surrender to Christ and accept His Word.

Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me,
“You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers
who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.”
For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
Revelation 19:10

 

THE PASTORAL MISSION

As I shared last Sunday, John’s Gospel concludes with Christ charging Simon-Peter to pastor Christ’s lambs and sheep. I suggested that this is recorded in John’s Gospel for our benefit as church leaders to appreciate that our divine mission is not just teaching, or evangelism, or to be prophetic, but to also pastor. Just as Jesus charged Peter to feed lambs, we too must care for our young and our young Christians. When Jesus told Peter to tend My sheep, we too must tend to people pastorally by encouraging and comforting them through life’s trials and triumphs. When Jesus called Simon-Peter to feed My sheep, He would have meant that Peter was to teach people how to not just know God’s Word – but how to apply God’s Word to their lives. We also must spiritually feed and nourish those who belong to Christ so that they too know how to apply God’s Word. Pastoring demands living as an example for others to follow. This example reflects each of the aspects of Christ’s mission for His people. That is, pastors must be able to teach, evangelise (2Tim. 4:5), be prophetic by calling people to repent and obey Christ, and to lead people into a close knowledge of and fellowship with God and His Word. We want to be a church that pastors well.

 

ENGAGING IN GOD’S MISSION FOR OUR CHURCH INVOLVES YOU AND YOUR GIFTS

Each of these broad categories of God’s mission for the church invites you to participate with your brothers and sisters as we do so together. Our church needs more teachers, more evangelists, more prophets, and more shepherds, in order for us to fulfil Christ’s mission. At the right time, Jesus will return. And when He does, He will have ensured that all of those His Father has predestined to be in His family will have been gathered. It amazes me that GOD has entrusted us – His earthly family – with such an important mission. But unlike ancient Israel under their Old Covenant, He has entrusted to us His abiding presence and power through the sending of the Holy Spirit. But even more amazing than this is the realisation that He has done so because He unconditionally loves us (Rom. 5:8) – and has enabled us to experience His love in a way that we can share it with with our world – which, quite frankly, could do with the knowledge and experience of some infinite, unconditional love at this time!

I urge you therefore to be a missionary and join with us in prayer, support, and service as we strive together to carry out this mission. It is my hope that our church will be a glimpse of what the fulfilled mission described in Revelation 7:9-10 looks like – 

¶ After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation,
from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb,
clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice,
“Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
Revelation 7:9-10

Pastor at Large,

Andrew

Let me know what you think below in the comment section and feel free to share this someone who might benefit from this Pastor’s Desk.