What do the following people have in common? Abraham, Jacob, David, Solomon, Samson, Peter. . . ? They are all people who loved God, but once fell away badly, then repented and got back in a good relationship with God. Maybe your name could be read. It is the nature of a sheep to wander away, but it is the nature of a shepherd to bring you back to the right path. The original Hebrew word means not only to refresh, but to REDIRECT or RESTORE someone.
In the past, if something was broken, it was repaired (e.g. shoes, TV, tape recorder, ...), but nowadays we prefer to buy a new one. Thank God the Lord is not following this trend. If you break something, He will not throw you out and replace you, but will restore your life if you trust in Him. Many times He has restored my life. He saved my life in an accident and restores what was damaged in the accident.
If you stray, God is the one who is looking for you and will do everything he can to restore the relationship. Have you ever strayed from God? Our hearts are such that we can easily wander. Adrian Rogers says there are 3 kinds of sheep. Today we'll talk about the ones the Lord restores. Two who stray and one who falls ill for some reason. Of course there are many more, but these three are typical.
"He restors my soul". Psalm 23:3a
The Lord will restore you
The pastor's ministry. The shepherd has three tools to restore the sheep: a club, a hooked stick, and oil. There are three kinds of sheep to be restored:
- Stubborn sheep. Do you know such stubborn sheep? Maybe you saw one in the mirror? The stubborn sheep is the one that is very difficult to lead, because it always follows its own lead, wanders off and needs to be put back on the right track.
- Lost sheep. This sheep does not go in a different direction on purpose, but simply gets lost. He too must be led back.
- Sick sheep. This sheep needs to be healed in order to move on.
How does the good shepherd restore the three kinds of sheep?
Stubborn lamb
The stubborn lamb is restored with the CLUB. The shepherd digs up a special shrub with its root, then cuts off the protruding side roots, leaving only the main root, which is a little bigger than his fist, like a club. Then he drives nails or other metal into it for weight. This gives him a very effective weapon to protect your sheep from robbers and wild animals.
But sometimes he had to use this stick on his own sheep. When a lamb is very stubborn and nothing else will help, the shepherd will do something very drastic: he will break one of the lamb's legs. Then he immediately bandages it. Until the lamb's leg is healed, he carries the sick animal he wounded on his shoulders. When the lamb is healed, he takes off the bandage and lets it run. And then a very interesting thing happens. The lamb does NOT RUN AWAY, but stays very close to the shepherd. Wherever the shepherd goes, this lamb always follows closely because he wants to stay close.
“Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.” Hosea 6:1 ESV
The Letter to the Hebrews says something similar:
“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” Hebrews 12:5-6 ESV
God disciplines because He loves. Sometimes discipline is very hard, the Lord chastens you. He doesn't just tell you not to do it again, He scourges you. This is what every parent experiences in raising children. Not literally, of course, we don't whip our child, but we punish them according to what they have done and what they can handle. Punishment has to be something that hurts, otherwise it is not punishment. Not like my son when Darius was younger he said he wouldn't play with me if I didn't do something. That was his way of punishing me. You can imagine how much punishment that was for me 🙂
God is doing all this to restore you and bring you back to the right path. If the Lord hurts you, He will heal you, unlike Satan. He wounds you to destroy and destroy you. But thank the Lord that He knows what He is doing and will work all things for your good.
What can the Lord use to break our stubbornness (not to be exhaustive)?
- Word. Have you ever experienced a word reaching into your heart and completely breaking it? It is a very blessed moment. It's hard, but it's good because it's the Lord's way of leading you back to the right path.
- A loving brotherly word. But it's important that it's out of love, not out of greed, and only if God leads. But there is room for a loving warning.
- If one does not listen to the Word and the brothers and sisters, God may use other means. He may allow trials in your life that may hurt. For example, financial, health, relationship difficulties. This is why we need to ASK THE LORD IN EVERY TRIAL whether this is discipline or just a training. Many people today teach that God is good, merciful, ... That is true, but God is also strong and loving. True love can discipline us so we don't stay on the wrong path.
After the discipline, the stubborn sheep stays close to the shepherd. So it is with us. Unfortunately, we then forget the discipline and may become stubborn again.
Do you want God not to break your legs? Then don't be stubborn.
Lost sheep
The shepherd also had a hooked stick, which he used for such sheep. When the lamb wanted to leave, he would simply pull it back with the hook. If a lamb got caught in a thorn bush or stuck in a swamp, he could use this stick to free it. When he had to cross a narrow place, he would put this stick on the shoulder of the lamb and guide it. The shepherd could use his hooked stick in many different ways. When a ewe forgot her lamb, the shepherd would use the stick to drive them back together.
„I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.” Psalm 40:1-2 ESV
We are often like that. We go through difficult situations in life. We get stuck in the bushes, drown in the mire, lost in the world, etc. How good it is to have a shepherd, Jesus, who can rescue us from the traps and bring us back to the right path.
What can the Lord use to help us when we get lost? Same with the Word, brothers and sisters, and trials, but the trials are not so drastic because we are not lost on purpose, but by accident, so to speak. Such believers are quick to switch, startled even by the sight of the shepherd's crook, and when they realize they are lost, they will bleat and call the good shepherd.
The good shepherd leaves the 99 to find the one. If you're lost, give a shout and the rescue mission is on. God doesn't need a google map to find you, because He knows all and sees all. He will find you and bring you back to the flock.
Sick sheep
Every night the shepherd would feed the lambs and count them. One by one he went through each lamb, called them by name and examined them carefully. He stuck his fingers into the wool, stroked them and looked for wounds on the lambs. If he found a wound, he would pour oil on it and heal it. He also mixed sulphur and various acids into the oil, which killed the flies that tried to land on the wounds.
What is this oil? The Holy Spirit. Where is the Holy Spirit? Wherever there are believing people. Especially when believers gather together and praise Him with a pure heart. Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. He lives in you and wants to work in you. It is not a question of how much of the Holy Spirit is in you, but HOW MUCH YOU GIVE HIM.
When we get injured, we often cover it up because if the doctor treats it, it can be painful. The longer we wait, the more it gets infected, but it will only heal if we show it to the doctor.
You may carry a lot of wounds in your soul. This life has not treated you very well, you have been wounded on your journey so far, you are full of thistles and parasites that keep sucking your blood. Show yourself to the doctor now. Let the Lord, the heavenly physician, examine you and heal you. Give him your wounds, and let the Holy Spirit move through and through your body and bandage them. Open to Jesus the part that hurts the most. There is a room in your heart, that's where you lock up your most painful memories. Open that room to Jesus. Let Him fully into your life. Tell Him your pain.
Staying on your feet
The shepherd leads. It is not enough to return to God, but to walk with Him. If this does not happen, the shepherd will have to restore you again and again. That is not the goal, because that is not the way to grow in faith. Remember, after the wounded lamb was healed, he wanted to stay close to the shepherd and followed him everywhere? That's how we should do it. We may stray from the right path, but we must not make a habit of it. How many times must you fall before you learn to follow the good shepherd?
Example: an American football coach once talked to a player about finding some new players for his team. The player asked: what kind of player are we looking for?
- You know, some people get pulled down and they can't get up, they lie there helpless. Now, we don't need that kind of person, do we? No, we don't.
- Then there are those who, if they are knocked down, get up, and if they are knocked down a second time, stay down. You don't want that either, do you? Right.
- Finally, there is one player who, no matter how many times he is knocked down, always gets up. Now that's the kind of person we're looking for, isn't it? No, we don't need that either.
- I want you to find the one person who will bring everyone down.
I am very thankful that God always sets me up when I fall. But wouldn't it be better if you didn't fall? Don't you wish you could fight and win over sin and Satan, instead of always falling and then God restoring you?
Personal application
Which sheep are you? Of course, everyone can have periods when they are stubborn, lost or sick, but one or the other is more typical for someone. I've been all three. If it wasn't for the shepherd restoring me, I would no longer be a believer. I have not kept myself, God has kept me to this day and He will keep me to the end.
ONLY because of the cross of Jesus do we have the possibility of restoration.
„He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” 1 Peter 2:24-25 ESV
Jesus did not die on the cross to lead us astray.
All that we have said today is only true if you are the Lamb of the Lord, if you are born again, if you belong to Him. Some people look like sheep, but they are not. Such people are not really born again, they are just trying to live a religious life out of habit or to ease their conscience. They believe for a while, but then they deviate and THEY WILL NEVER COME BACK. The Christian life is a road, a narrow road, which must be walked, because at the end there will be a proclamation of results. If you are not yet the Lamb of the Lord, today is the time to decide for God. Only if you do so will today's word be true for you.
Decision: come back to the narrow path, the path that leads to heaven, because many paths lead to hell, but only one leads to heaven.