The Shepherd’s Voice

Pastor Nathan’s message today was entitled, “The Shepherd’s Voice.”  Have you ever watched sheep grazing in a field?  They seem so peaceful and unconcerned.  Cars may be racing by at 55 MPH, but they are happily in the field filling their bellies with grass.  They aren’t worried about the affairs of this world.  They leave the concerns in the shepherd’s capable hands.

God calls His children sheep, and Jesus is the Good Shepherd, but we also have shepherds or pastors of the local church.  It is the local church which God works through, and the Shepherd’s voice can be heard there.  In Zechariah 10:2, the prophet describes those who have no shepherd.  “The idols speak deceitfully, diviners see visions that lie; they tell dreams that are false, they give comfort in vain. Therefore, the people wander like sheep oppressed for lack of a shepherd.”  Pastor Nathan went on to share that while we may not have wooden idols sitting on our shelves, anything that captures our heart, the heart which is meant for God, can be considered an idol.  For some it may be sports or entertainment.  For others it may be money or earthly pleasures.  Anything which we chase after instead of God can become an idol to us.  What about false prophets?  We don’t see them standing on the street corners, but does the media try to predict our future?  Do so-called medical and scientific experts sometimes try to predict how our life will unfold?  

Satan is always seeking to put idols into our lives.  These idols often speak to us by competing for our attention.  They often come to us through our mind and our emotions.  Zechariah then likens those people to those who wander like lost sheep, for there is no security outside of God.  Matthew 9:36 says those who are without a shepherd are harassed and helpless.  They wander outside the range of the Shepherd’s voice.

We all need to be a part of the local church.  We all need a shepherd or a pastor.  In turn, we all can become an extension of that pastoral gift as we serve in our local church and serve each other.  Without a shepherd, we are easy prey for the devil.  We can become bewildered, harassed, dejected, and helpless.  It is at the local church that we are trained to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd.  It is where we receive confirmation of what God is speaking to us individually.  The local church is a place of safety.  It is where we learn to respond to God’s voice.  The world is full of strangers and strange voices, but if we learn to hear the Good Shepherd’s voice, we will be able to distinguish between the voice of the Good Shepherd and the voice of a stranger.

John chapter 10 tells us the many benefits of having this Good Shepherd.  Our good shepherd goes ahead of us.  The voice of our Good Shepherd brings us peace.  The enemy always comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but the Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.  May we each make it our goal to be living examples of John 10:27-28!  “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.”