Episode Transcript
Speaker 1 00:00:05 Good morning. Good morning. Good morning. Oh, spontaneous round of applause, Fantastics. Oh, hey. Lovely, lovely. Before I start, um, Jack, there's a video at the back that says Alta Cole. There's just something really beautiful. I'd like you to see. Just don't, don't press put, don't press play. Yet, people already have given their life to Jesus this morning, right? How, how wonderful and precious is that there's an image that that comes from. Um, there's a bit in the Bible in John 10 that says this. It's all in the context of Jesus, the shepherd. He calls his own sheep by name and he leads them out. Did the Shepherd hear his voice? And they know that it's him. Would you just play that video? It's just so beautiful Already. What's happened this morning is that people in this room, you turn the volume up a bit. They've heard the call of the Good
Speaker 2 00:01:07 Shepherd <unk>.
Speaker 1 00:01:18 We'll see more of this later on.
Speaker 1 00:01:21 Those of you who responded to his call this morning, who responded to the call of the Good Shepherd, may God bless you, and may his words inspire and direct you every day of your life, every single day of your life, on Amen. Right? Today's message, it's gonna be a little shorter than normal, but today's message is called the shepherd heart of God. And what I would love us to do is to see this in context of everything else we've been looking at. Last week, we really looked at prayer. We've been looking at the aest about all the different graces. And even if you don't particularly see yourself as a shepherd this morning, this book here, right, this Bible, it's not pick and mix. We don't pick the bits that we kinda like and the other bits that we don't, we take it all. Amen. We really do.
Speaker 1 00:02:14 We take it all. So I would inspire you to, to really be open to this this morning, and knowing the enemy, the way he works. Sometimes I'd like to diffuse a bomb before we start two, that as we develop through the next 20 minutes or so, you might get a whisper in your ear. If you've been badly shepherded in the past, if you've been hurt by maybe someone somewhere else, another church, maybe you've been, you've been hurt here, maybe you've been hurt by me. Uh, do not let the whisper of the enemy this morning stop you here in something that could beautifully enhance and mark the rest of your days as a Christian. All right? Is that okay? Yes. Thank you. Okay. Lord Jesus, we do love you and we celebrate so much what you've done in amongst us this morning. Would you bring your word alive so that we would walk outta this place different to how we walked in, uh, in your precious name, Jesus, on men.
Speaker 1 00:03:21 Amen. Okay, let's put this into context because God describes himself as a shepherd. If we go to Ezekiel 34, this is pretty clear. Verse 11 and 10 says this, for, this is what the sovereign Lord says, I myself will search for my sheep and look after them as a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them. So I will look after my sheep move to the new. Actually, don't move to the New Testament. Let's move to verse 34, if that's okay. There's a pretty straightforward verse. If we're not sure, if you're a little bit offended at being called a sheep, as for you, my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, you are men and women, and I am your God, declares the Lord. If you are offended this morning at being called a sheep, it runs all the way through scripture from, from Genesis all the way through. So yeah, get over it. <laugh>, right, here we go. Now there's a scripture that is dear, it is dear to, to so many of us. It's Psalm 23, and it's written by David. I I would love us to look at that as well as we set off on our journey this morning.
Speaker 1 00:04:39 And for me this week, as I've prepared, there are some key things about shepherds and shepherd and, and the Lord as our shepherd, right? That, not that I've looked at this like Disneyland in the past. I haven't, God's really touched me through this, but there are some key things we need to understand if this is gonna come alive in our life. Okay? Can we read it together? Is that all right? Yes. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul. He guides me in the path of righteousness for his namesake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you or with me. You are ro in your stuff. They comfort me. If at any point in your life that scriptures come alive to you, just give, give me a little wave if that's ever been a wow. Wow.
Speaker 1 00:05:50 Wow. Me too. Me too. But as I've been doing more pastoring and I've, I've been doing more in this pastoral role, and my role now is pastoral coordinator. Here are, I talk of that in a moment. But the chats, if I combine some of the wonder, the ones I do now and some of the chats over the years, and also how felt sometimes people say, do you know what though? Des these green pastures that the Bible tells me about, I don't, I don't feel like I'm in a green pasture. Where's these quiet waters? Why is my soul not feeling like it's restored at the minute? Well, there's an important thing about shepherdin that we need to understand today in the context of she the Bible. And I don't want to belittle anything that anyone's gone through. I want to encourage you on your journey because you see, the Bible never promised us that we were always gonna live in green pastures.
Speaker 1 00:07:01 In fact, he told us the opposite. He told us there were gonna be trials, and he told us that we had to stay alert and we had to stay firm. She say shepherd's in the Bible rather than being these contemporary 20, 23 farms. Brilliant. I've got some friends who are farmers and the, and they, they rotate the sheep through the fields. But shepherds in the Bible were quite nomadic folk. Most of them were very nomadic, which meant that they moved from place to place, looking for somewhere to graze. Can, can I impress you with some, you know, when you hear people doing sermons in the sea, this word comes from the Greek, which means something else. Can I give you one? Nomad comes from the Greek word, which which is translated means to grace. Thank you. You're welcome. You're welcome. So these shepherds were nomads and they walked through, actually Moses just, when Moses came to the Vernon bush, the Bible says that he, he'd just been leading his sheep through the wilderness.
Speaker 1 00:08:01 They hadn't been in green pastures. He'd been, they'd been following him because they trust him in the, they trusted his voice. But yeah, they'd just been in the wilderness. Now, <laugh>, let me just move forward slightly. We have a wonderful shepherd who is in our midst. No, he is not. His wife is in our midst, but Steven Dennis is not with us. Are we speaking to Steven today? So I was really thinking about this, how the Lord leads us through his words and by his spirit and through each other, how he leads us through the wilderness, you know, into these green pastures that he promises. What is a shepard and what does he do? So I called Steven and I said, could I borrow your Shepard's crook? And I've gotta be honest, I was expecting something quite impressive, right? I was expecting this kinda sea dividing <laugh> mo's.
Speaker 1 00:09:16 There we go. This is Steven Dennis's, the live legend Steven Dennis. This is his actual shepherd's crook. This is what he uses. Uh, um, Sue told me this morning, he's actually out laming this morning. Isn't he sue that? That's why he's not with us. So Steve, if you're watching on ketchup, thank you for the crook. That's super. So if we use the crook as an example, if the Lord calls himself a shepherd, we as his people, it's important that we know what a shepherd does, right? So here's the first thing that our wrote down that a shepherd does. Protecting and preserving the unity of the flock for, to protect and to preserve the unity.
Speaker 4 00:10:08 Yes,
Speaker 1 00:10:10 We need the Lord, right? We need each other as well. We really need each other. And this really inspires me. It really, really inspires me. And those of you who think shepherdin is a soft touch, read what David says to Saul. Can we go to Samuel, please? You read what David says to Saul when Saul questions whether he's ready or not. <laugh>, your servant was telling the father sheep when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock. I went out after him and I attacked him and rescued it from its mouth, checked this spit out when he rolls up against me, I seized him by his beard <laugh>, and struck him and killed him. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear <laugh>. So the shep's crook, one of the functions of a shep's crook was to preserve the unity and protect the sheep from whatever came. And the Bible promises that stops coming. Sometimes stuff comes from within. And we've got a, here's an example, here's an example for us as a church, if we put gossip in place of a lion and a bear, let's put gossip in there. I ceased gossip by its beard and I struck it <laugh> and I killed it. Wow. Could you imagine? Wow. What life would be like? And not just rediscover church in the church, if we kill gossip like that,
Speaker 1 00:11:59 Let's not stand for it. As shepherds, we look after each other. If one of our flock is being put down or being slandered, do not stand for it. Let's stick up for each other. Yes, right. There we go. Got a little bit cross there, but it's okay sometimes,
Speaker 5 00:12:15 Right? Yes.
Speaker 1 00:12:19 What have I got next? Correcting and guiding the, the Sheppard's crook would steady the shepard as he went, but it's, it's, it's for more than, uh, see on their own. The sheep get lost. We do get lost. Bible says we're all sheep. Like, like sheep. We've gone astray. We need the direction and sometimes the correction of the shepard,
Speaker 5 00:12:47 Oh, but what if it stings? Ooh.
Speaker 1 00:12:57 Oh, I like the nice cuddly shep at best,
Speaker 5 00:12:59 <laugh>. Well,
Speaker 1 00:13:02 I'm gonna give you a couple of examples, and I wanna put this into context that as well as claiming that he's the good shep at Jesus claimed that he was the way, the truth and the life on, on this planet. Right now, people are following some different shepherds, and one of them is my truth. I'm following my truth. Well, I just wanna suggest to you that you can't follow both all the time. You can't follow your truth and this truth unless it's the same. Hopefully it's the same <laugh>.
Speaker 5 00:13:35 Yeah.
Speaker 1 00:13:37 If your truth differs from this truth, one of them's wrong. Oh, that stings a bit. It stings me as well, but one of them's wrong. Yeah. Uh, I just wonder whether the good shepherd might be the one that we should follow. I've got an example. There's a scripture in, uh, in Proverbs 27, and it's one of the most misquoted scriptures in the Bible. People have used this scripture under the heading of Shepherdin and have said the most hideous and damaging things to one another. Yet it's in the Bible. One of the things I value hugely in my life are the people that I know. Just like I can trust the good shepherd, that I trust him to use people in my life. I've got my beautiful wife, Rachel. I trust her. There's many others. As I look round as Richard, there's Mark, there's Drew, there's al, there's so many people. There's wonderful Malcolm at the back. I give all these guys permission to speak into my life. I trust them.
Speaker 5 00:14:54 But what if it stings
Speaker 1 00:14:57 Rachel, Shep, it's me, something. It's cuz the sheep need a bit of a nudge.
Speaker 5 00:15:01 <laugh>,
Speaker 1 00:15:03 She says things to me like,
Speaker 5 00:15:06 Whoa.
Speaker 1 00:15:07 What sort of God you follow in this week, Des It's true. You're following Jesus or you're following New Castle, United <laugh>. It's true.
Speaker 5 00:15:20 Oh, oh, it stings.
Speaker 1 00:15:23 It stings.
Speaker 5 00:15:24 Oh,
Speaker 1 00:15:26 But it's faithful and it realigns my time management and where my focus is. I gave an example of Mark in the first service two, uh, years ago, a few years ago. Uh, my temper wasn't always as in control. It is now. And I was a lot quicker to speak and quicker to anger and less like what the word encourages us to be about slow to speaking, slow to anger. And there was a, there was one occasion in particular where I actually really let him down because I spoke very quickly and I wasn't speaking from the right heart. And <laugh>, he's like, yeah, that, that happened. That happens most weeks. That <laugh>, there was, there was a real, a real instance. But the Shep had in him, he had to get his crew out. It activated the pastor's crew. And the Shep had his crook. And he said things to me like, Des, is that really something that's serving you and honoring the Lord to the best of your ability is your ministry. These aren't his exact words, but this is what I was hearing. Is your ministry really gonna be going from strength to strength and the Lord using you mightly while Lord, things are still living it in your life?
Speaker 5 00:16:49 Oh, that stings, doesn't it? Oh,
Speaker 1 00:16:56 I was leading worship at the time. I was the worship leader at the church and I didn't come back to him and say, mark, did you not see me last week? Leading worship place went on as arms all over the place. Who do you think you are? Oh, it stung a bit. But the difference it's made in my life is fantastic. It really is the way that the Holy Spirit has been able to use me through the sting of the Shep ad. If you don't have anyone in your life that you trust enough that they can give you a godly loving nudge sometimes when you need it,
Speaker 5 00:17:33 Please
Speaker 1 00:17:33 Get that in place. Be vulnerable enough. Do you believe God is kind?
Speaker 5 00:17:44 Yes.
Speaker 1 00:17:45 Just think about it for a second. Do you believe that God is kind? Yes. Okay, because I wanna suggest to you that if you believe God is kind, if you truly, I'll put this down now,
Speaker 4 00:17:59 <laugh>,
Speaker 1 00:18:00 If you truly believe that God is kind, then his shep and in heart, the Shep at heart of God starts at the beginning of this and it's all the way through. Here's an example of 10 commandments. 10 commandments. You can read it two ways. Here's one way you can read it. You shall not, you shall not <laugh>. If you truly believe God is kind and he's your shepherd and he's a good shepherd. How about this, Roland, you shall not commit adultery. Des don't commit adultery. It'll damage your life. I've given you a treasure and I've given you two children. Don't commit adultery. Keep your family together and honor me through all you do. There's the shep at heart of God. You shall not cover it. Or did he say, don't cover other people's stuff. Be content with what I've given you so that in your life you can demonstrate that contentment and others will see me in you. Yes, the Shep at heart of God saturates this thing from cover to cover.
Speaker 4 00:19:14 Thank
Speaker 1 00:19:14 You. And I'm so sorry I'm running outta time. I just need to look at this and see what else I really believe the Lord wants to give. Okay.
Speaker 4 00:19:30 <laugh>,
Speaker 1 00:19:34 Let's move to work in progress, if that's all right.
Speaker 1 00:19:39 Cause we're all work in progress. If you've gotta be the finished article before you get up here, none of us will ever get up. Right. We're all work in progress. And these are things in which there's a, there's a part, there's a scripture in acts. That's the call for all of us. Just after, could he put that scripture on Jack? Sorry. Just as Paul is leaving the Ephesians, he's leaving people the, the Ephesians, he says this beyond God, yourselves and for all the flock among which the Holy Spirit made you oversee us to shepherd the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood. I know that after my departure, Savage wolves will come in among you. So that's our, that's our challenge beyond God for yourself and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirits made us oversee us work in progress.
Speaker 4 00:20:36 Well,
Speaker 1 00:20:38 As sheep
Speaker 4 00:20:39 <laugh>,
Speaker 1 00:20:39 We're fed, we're fed wiggly. Mark feeds us weekly, doesn't he? He comes in here, we come in here and he feeds us weekly. Sean, whoever else is here, us weekly. And the lead us through whether we're in the pasture at the minute or whether we're in the wilderness. That's one thing. We have a pastoral team. Harrah and you're all in it.
Speaker 4 00:21:02 <laugh>.
Speaker 1 00:21:04 Everybody's in it. Oh, not sure about that. Oh, hang on. Did that stinking. Oh, but it's true. That's right. We're all in it. We've got a pastoral team. Steve and Joy. Steve, would you be alright to stand? Would you mind? Joy's not here. Steve looks after the life groups. Fantastic. Leanna is here somewhere. Leanna Hira. Leanna is our family's pastor. Wonderful, wonderful. I am the pastoral coordinator, which means I do do want the ones you know, like as well as being a Christian. I'm a qualified counselor, I'm a teacher and I do do want the ones, and I love it doing that with you. But more of my heart as well as doing that is to equip all of us so that we're all doing it. I haven't got time to go through all of these things, but I would love to encourage us with this one B and B, not that the church has put a a guest house up, but in the context of us all having the mandate to be shepherds <unk> and the ba are two examples of shepherd in an action. It doesn't happen from a stage, but it, it happens Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. So many of you guys, when we meet together and Mike's fallen off, there we go.
Speaker 1 00:22:38 And, and maybe we spend time together time and time again. Oh yeah, that's what Diana said when she came to see me last week. Oh, that's what Anne and Beto came and did. That the impact that we all can have by being brave enough to just be a shepard in our own life is immeasurable. Whether it makes it on church news or not. So I'd like to leave us with a few questions. I dunno if Noah's here. He is here. Hi Noah. Would you, could you just join us for a second? We're just gonna take a breath. The, the Holy Spirit's been moving this morning and it doesn't matter that I haven't got through all this because he's here with us now and I believe he's just got some more things to settle with us as we end. Here are some questions for you as we live as shepherds, as Christians. How high in the, I wasn't gonna say this, but how high does cynicism or gossip or manipulation fit if we were to assess ourselves against the word shepherd? And I know that might sting a bit, but it's what I feel prompted. Now,
Speaker 1 00:24:51 If you looked at yourself, how high would cynicism, gossip and manipulation rate against the word shepherd in your life? That's not to make anyone feel guilty, but I wonder whether that's a call this morning from the good shepherd to say, put those things in order, church, grab them by the beard <laugh> like David did the lion and allow me to Shepard Shep threw you as I shepherd you. Here's the next question. Who in your life needs a shepherd? Who in your life needs a ship? If I'm being completely vulnerable now, I haven't been able to look in the third row cuz a really dear friend of mine sat there who I work with and I work with so many people who don't know Jesus at the moment. And so many dear friends, um, who in your life needs a shepherd? And what we gonna do about it?
Speaker 6 00:26:24 <laugh>
Speaker 1 00:26:25 Father, just as we settle and breathe, we just take a breath in. Is this a word that we've listened to and go on aand and falls to the ground like leaves in the autumn? Or is this a word that sparks something inside of us? Holy Spirit, would you provoke us? Would you provoke us Lord to be she Lord, I don't even know if that's a word, right? But Father, would you, would you make usable so we in turn could shep others? And that even if we're not in those green pastures now, it would have the faith to follow you. We don't wanna follow my truth, we wanna follow your truth. We really do. Do we need to forgive a previous shepherd? If we do, father, give us grace to forgive them by your Holy Spirit. I just wonder, Noah, if you could just keep playing. Okay. We could watch that video again. Just that video jack of of the good shepherd call an sheep.
Speaker 2 00:29:14 There
Speaker 1 00:29:15 Is no better place and safer place. A more purposeful place you could put your life than in the hands of the good shit with.
