Initially, I was thinking of using the title: “We Pour into Others, By Following Him!” I like the idea, because my hope is that we all get to a place in our lives where we learn to pour ourselves into other people. By doing so we really do begin to reflect our walk in and with our Lord, Jesus our Savoir forever. My only concern was how people walking along the street might take our pouring into other people. Hence this week’s second place title, wins out: Unto Others We Share, By Following Him!
The idea being that we are following our Good Shepherd’s voice of serving God by serving other people, as our Lord indeed has sacrificed all for you and me. We know the Good Shepherd’s voice through our relationship in and with Him and His family, augmented with God’s word in scripture.
We also have the examples given us by our church family, and indeed the early church sets a special example for us today. Being that this is the in between time of Easter thru Ascension Sunday, and Pentecost, some of our thoughts run deep on both the Lord’s examples of service and the early church’s responses to God. As an example, we have today’s Call to Worship read by Nena Brown from Acts 2:42-47;
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Living communally is not an idea that immediately comes to mind through our modern look at life, but the idea that a church family could be close enough to hold common ideas about their faith life, sharing sincerely their praises of God together, is a wonder. And with God, and only with God all things are possible!
But how do we get closer to our Lord, and also our Church family in the process? How do I contend with this messed up mind of mine that keeps interrupting good will for others with a non-resting, ever repeating, all-encompassing message of; my wants, my needs, my hopes? The battle royal that rages within many if not all of us, is nothing new. The people in God’s family have always struggled since we all have been fallen people in a fallen world.
Throughout all of humanity’s existence and struggles, our God’s message has been consistent. He wants a one-on-one relationship with each of you that is intimate, special, and forever. To back up my words, here is the Prophet Isaiah, a heavyweight spokesman for your God in any age. Reading from, Isaiah 54: 4-5;
4 “Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame.
Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated.
You will forget the shame of your youth
and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood.
*Please let me interrupt Isaiah to say; all of us have been married to sin in the form of our addictions to selfishness, jealousies, fears, angers, hatreds, and rage, plus our outright idolatry which seems to permeate our very beings at times. Our goal must be to become widows to our old marriage to sin. Killing off that unhealthy behavior each day at a time, makes our new marriage to God more honest, and deeper than our earthly understanding of what a real marriage is. Verse 5;
5 For your Maker is your husband –
the Lord Almighty is his name –
the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;
he is called the God of all the earth.
A real marriage is so far beyond the physical issues of our youth, with immature passions coupled with wants, needs, and issues of the moment. No! A real relationship taught to us by our Lord is durable, it rests in bedrock, forming into our reality of eternity. It instructs us how to be real husbands, wives, parents, siblings, and friends in this reality.
Our redeemer the Holy one of Israel, has showed through the example of His own earthly walk, what it means to pour oneself out into others. Through selfless examples, our God has instructed humanity what real care, compassion, and love really look like.
For confirmation, we have Peter’s first-hand account of our Lord’s ministry, not only validating my words, but in sync with what the prophets forecasted to happen. Reading 1 Peter 1:21-25;
21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
22 “He committed no sin,
and no deceit was found in his mouth.”
23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.
*Interrupting to Say; If we could only be as our Lord when we are under fire from the things of the world. Without counter attacking and threatening others, but just sticking to the business at hand. No retaliation, just proactive care for others. Now, verse 24;
24 “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” 25 For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
We indeed should follow in His steps because those steps of Christ were made with you and me in mind. While we were still enemies of God, steeped in our own sin, God chose to look at us as His sheep who had gone astray. And then He took all of our junk and carried it to the Cross. His very wounds have healed those who choose to be healed by the savoir of us all. Not only dying for us, but indeed living for us. That is what this time between Easter and Ascension / Pentecost is for. Christ raising up from death to share life eternal with us!
Our God loves His creation and is alive vibrant and a part of all that is good in this life. Of course. Everyone else, everything else, that claims, higher power, transformation, the perversions of equity, the delusions of prosperity, coupled with hopes of belonging, and self-discovery, … are all frauds in the extreme. Our Lord speaks of His genuineness as He instructs us about who He is in the Gospel of John. Here is our Lord’s own words for your edification and growth this morning. Reading from John 10:1-10;
1 “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber.
*Interrupting to say; If a pastor, religious leader, or self-proposed teacher of good, says he wants stuff, is going to get you stuff, the emphasis is material and not the Spirit of God that is speaking, and should raise the flags of caution. Aren’t they are entering our fold from another way as a robber would? Verse 2;
2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.
**Because many of the Pharisees were not shepherds, they were robbers. How do we know our Shepherds name? We have heard it in scripture, we have embraced it through the Holy Spirit as the Body of Christ, making Bible study both alone and in the company of Christians you trust essential for life! Verse 7;
7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.
***Interrupting again to say; There is only one Lord and Savior, and Jesus Christ lived His words, died for you to know the words of life, and lives again with a message of eternity. What I think is key here is embedded in this passage the Lord says in verse 9;
9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.
When we enter into a relationship in and with our Lord, we not only enter into the family of God, but we also go out and find pasture. The pasture is there for us to feed others looking for what we have, and by giving access to God’s greener pastures and still waters, we find plenty for our own needs as well! Hence today’s message title: Unto Others We Share, By Following Him! Now verse 10;
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.
So, what’s a good definition of a thief in this context? Any time we go our own way, take the offer of material stuff (the junk of worldly value at best), we are not only robbing from God, but we are also robbing God of His due!
Not to mention those that exist out there, claiming to represent the Lord, but only looking for personal gain through wealth, influence, and popularity. They are guilty of doing ungodly things in God’s name, and perhaps what is saddest of all, most of you can think of someone out there that fits that description. That’s because they are more interested in feeding themselves instead of caring for others.
Serving God, by being there for other people. As I said last week, putting the people of the world and their real needs above my projected wants, hopes, and dreams, by being the church in the sick society we find ourselves in at this time.
I can’t help it when I mention the sickness of our society, to add to that fact this thought. Again, that’s what it is, a thought. You are charged to do the real work of praying, studying, and deciding for yourself with God what is right. My thought is, as bad as things are, I would not trade this time for any other, beloved family of mine!
There has never been a better time than now. When a person can get a hold of a Bible (both hard and digital copies), find a Church actually praising, glorifying, and magnifying God’s precious name with worship and service, or to have the freedom in this country to worship your conscience.
We may be bedazzled with all kinds of glitz, blitz, and faux, but we also have the voice of our Lord available as mentioned earlier, through God’s word, the Holy Spirit, and the Body of Christ (your Church Family and beyond). How blessed is that! If you really want to hear and know the Good Shepherd’s voice, God makes it available. Knock and the door shall be opened!
As we become more in tune with our Lord’s voice, we become better at discernment in a myriad of life’s available choices. We know this through our Lord’s words from today’s Message Reading from John10:11-18;
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
*Jumping in just to say; I think it important to remember that when we are looking at anyone abandoning ship when it comes to serving others, needs to review our Lord’s comments here.
This passage is meant for more than just renegade Pastors, priests, and religious leaders. I think we all should look at ourselves when we sign on to help others, and more importantly, when we think about jumping ship. Is our service intended for the right reasons (God, and His creation, other people), or is it a means for attention and advertising our virtue? That’s often the difference of real shepherds and wolves on the attack, or mercenary hired help. Now verse 14;
14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me – 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father – and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.
**How wonderful is it to say; we get to be one of those other flocks that is adopted into the family of God! How blessed we are, and that is the Good News of the Gospel! On to verse 17;
17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life – only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
Our Lord not only has the authority to take up His life again, that’s what this time on our Church calendar is set aside to reflect upon. Now thru Ascension Sunday will focus on our special relationship into our Lord who lives for us.
May all of you this week find a moment to reflect on your incredible journey and faithwalk in the Lord. How is your pouring going? May all of you pour liberally of yourselves into the people God has placed in your lives.
Amen!