The Making of a Shepherd - May 18, 2014

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SERMON:

In one of my favorite books, there is a story about a chipmunk who survives the great flood aboard Noah’s ark. The story is called, “How the Chipmunk Got His Stripes”, and it’s told from the perspective of one Jacob Chipmunk. Now, of course, Jacob’s story isn’t found in the Biblical account of the flood, but you’ll understand why I’m telling you about this little story in just a second.

In the story, the ark finally runs aground on Mt. Ararat. And Jacob Chipmunk finds that through his nervous chewing he has bored a hole clear through the ship to the outside world. And so, before the doors are opened, and the animals set loose, one lone chipmunk scampers down onto the soggy ground.

Jacob Chipmunk is, of course, ecstatic  to be on land again. But he notices that there’s still a big huge ocean of water surrounding the ark. And he realizes that this little bit of beach property won’t be big enough for all the animals.

So, the hyperactive chipmunk devises a plan to dry up the world. He runs to the water’s edge, soaks his tail full of water, and then runs back up the beach to wring it out. He figures that with enough trips, he can drain the sea away.

Back and forth the little chipmunk races, until all of the sudden a huge hand reaches down and scoops him up into the bright blue sky. It is, of course, the hand of God. And in the story, God goes on to explain how silly it is that Jacob chipmunk should try to dry up the whole world with his little chipmunk tail. This was God’s job, and God would do it. And so with a deep and fathomless breath, God breathes out over the waters and does in an instant, what Jacob couldn’t have done in a million years.

Now, here’s the part I wanted to share with you. As God sets the little chipmunk down on the newly dried land, the author writes…

“Just before the hand was withdrawn, however, the tips of the fingers brushed once, lightly, along Jacob’s head and back, leaving a most profound and mysterious impression upon the little Chipmunk. For somehow it seemed, this mystic stroke, to be a combination of two things, two things impossibly different: In one way , it was like the long-ago memory of his own mother’s tongue, licking him; but also it was like the claws of a great bird of prey raking through his flesh.

The pain, however, was only for a moment, while the delicious sensation of the tenderest of caresses remained forever. And along with it came four beautiful white stripes, embedded in the Chipmunk’s fur, running the length of his body and set like a crown on the top of his head: the sign of being stroked by the Almighty’s love” (How the Chipmunk God His Stripes, by Mike Mason).

The tale of how the chipmunk got his stripes is fiction of course. But that description of the Lord’s touch is sometimes quite truth. Sometimes God deals with us in this way. Sometimes his touch is both sharp and painful, and yet at the same time full of compassion and tenderness.

With his Law God rakes through our conscience laying bare the reality of our sin and guilt. He says, “Love me above all. Honor my Name. Take time for me. Honor your parents. Don’t murder. Don’t commit adultery. Don’t steal. Don’t lie. Don’t covet what isn’t yours to have.” And with his Law, God cuts deep down to our true motives, to our secrets sins. He reveals that in our arrogance and selfishness we have failed to live up to his standards time and time again.

And yet at the same time, through the message of Christ’s gift of forgiveness, God tenderly soothes and heals our deepest hurts. He restores our souls and cleanses our conscience through the fact that His Son suffered and died in our place, and now lives as our great Savior and King.

Yes, sometimes the touch of God is both painful, and utterly soothing.

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In our Scripture reading for today, Jesus applies both Law and Gospel to the apostle Peter. And Peter feels both the deep cut of the Lord’s rebuke, and the tender healing of his forgiveness.

John 21:15-17 (NASB)

  15   So 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, “Tend My lambs.”

  16   He said to him again 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, “Shepherd My sheep.”

  17   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 all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Tend My sheep.

This conversation between Peter and his Lord took place on a beach, on the Sea of Galilee. It took place after the crucifixion and after the resurrection of our Lord from the dead. John tells us this was the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples as a group. But our Lord’s words here, were directed not to the group, but to Simon Peter alone.

Jesus calls Peter by his given name, Simon. And he adds, “son of John”. I was curious about this. Why does Jesus adds this “last name” of sorts. So, I searched and found that Jesus only callsPeter the “son of John” on three occasions—all important ones. He called him “Simon, son of John” when they met for the first time, after Peter had confessed him as the Son of God, and on this occasion. It’s as if Jesus is adding weight to their interaction by calling Peter “Simon, son of John”. Kinda like when your mom or dad use your middle name.

I don’t know about you, but my mom would call me “Caleb John!” at two times. When I had done something particularly bad, or when she wished to express love. Perhaps Jesus was doing both when he called Peter, “Simon, son of John”.

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Peter had indeed done something particularly bad. We remember. When pressed into a tight corner, Peter had denied even knowing Jesus—three separate times. He even called down curses on himself to prove that he didn’t know Jesus.

And Peter had done this just hours after swearing to Jesus that even if all the other disciples abandoned Jesus, Peter would remain true. Peter would die before denying Jesus. Or so he had claimed. Sadly, the reality played out much differently.

And so, Jesus begins this conversation by asking, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” (John 21:15 NASB). That is to say, do you still claim your love for me is so much stronger than the love of these others?

Peter is humbled by the directness of Jesus. In his reply, Peter doesn’t even use the same word for love that Jesus does. Instead, he affirms his love for Christ with different word for love. Peter is through comparing himself with others. Peter is done claiming great powers of love for himself.

And with the first stroke of rebuke delivered, Jesus follows that blow with tenderness. He says to Peter, “Tend by lambs” (John 21:15 NASB). He means, of course, be a keeper of my people. An overseer of those who trust in me. And in this gracious assignment, Jesus expresses both his love and his forgiveness. For Jesus only calls those who have tasted his forgiveness to be purveyors of it.

Peter’s days of self-centered boasting were at an end. His life would now be one of serving his Savior, and serving his Savior’s people.

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But the rebuke was not at an end. And the deepest cut was yet to come.

Like the right hook that follows the left jab, Jesus’ next question hits Peter squarely in his pride. Jesus asks, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” (John 21:16 NASB). This time Jesus doesn’t ask if Peter love him MORE than the others do. This time Jesus asks Peter if he loves him at all.

It is all that Peter can do to reply. And he again uses a lesser word for love than Jesus does. Peter repeats his claim with the same simple words that he used the first time, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You” (John 21:16 NASB).

And with the second stroke of rebuke delivered, Jesus follows his blow with more tenderness. He says to Peter, “Shepherd My Sheep” (John 21:16 NASB). Note those words well. These are JESUS’ sheep that Peter is to shepherd. It is not PETER’s flock. He’s not the boss. He is but the under-shepherd of the Good Shepherd. And again, by repeating this gracious assignment, Jesus is expressing his forgiveness to Peter. For as odd as it may sound, in the Savior’s flock, all the under-shepherds are themselves sheep. They are stumbling, bumbling sheep, whom the Good Shepherd has claimed for eternity by his precious blood shed on the cross.

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This remarkable assignment from the Lord could have rekindled Peter’s pride. Think about it like this, if the resurrected Jesus appeared to YOU and said, “I want YOU to be a shepherd of My sheep” wouldn’t a tiny bit of you think, “Me? Well I guess I do have some suitable qualities. I mean, you thought of me for the job, right?” Pride dies hard, doesn’t it?

The reality is that none of us have anything to offer God that has not already been given to us by his hand. We cannot claim even a scrap of goodness apart from the Lord’s working in us through his Word.

As the Bible says,

“…no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except in the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:3 NASB).

And,

“…it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13 NKJV).

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And so Jesus asks Peter a third, and final question. One final cut, and the deepest of all. One final blow to knock Peter’s sinful pride to the ground. Jesus asks, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” (John 21:17 NASB). But this time Jesus exchanges his word of high love, for Peter’s lower word for love. In essence, Jesus says, “Peter, do you really love me, like you keep saying you do?”

And all that Peter can do is cling to the truth. He does love Jesus. And he knows that Jesus must know that, for Jesus knows all things. He is the divine Son of God, who after suffering and dying on the cross for the sins of all people, took up the full use of his divine powers once again. And so Peter says to Jesus, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You” (John 21:17 NASB).

And one more time, Jesus follows the blow of rebuke, with the tender embrace of forgiveness. He repeats the task he has given to Peter, his redeemed servant. He says, “Tend My Sheep” (John 21:17 NASB).

Three denials from Peter. Three questions from the Lord. Three blows of rebuke, which cut deep. And three assurances that Peter was truly, and completely forgiven. That is what we find here in this little exchange on the shores of Galilee’s lake.

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It’s easy to put ourselves in Peter’s shoes, isn’t it? Through arrogance and selfishness we too have failed to love God by the things we say and do.

And if we actually pick up the Bible to see what God has to say about it, we find that God has some rather serious words to say about our behavior. The Bible says…

“…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23 NIV).

“…the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23 NKJV).

“All we like sheep have gone astray;

We have turned, every one, to his own way;” (Isaiah 53:6 NKJV).

But you know how those passages end, don’t you?

“…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:23-24 NIV).

“…the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23 NKJV).

“All we like sheep have gone astray;

We have turned, every one, to his own way;

And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6 NKJV).

The raking claws of God’s Law are followed by the tender caress of his undeserved love and forgiveness. And on the heels of this complete forgiveness comes an assignment.

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No, we are not all called to be apostles like Peter. No, we are not all called to teach Bible Class on Sunday or proclaim the Gospel from a pulpit in church. But we are all called to shepherd God’s flock. For the shepherds are the sheep. The forgiven are the called.

And the calls is simple. Our Savior died for all. They need to know it. And the sheep that are in the fold already, they need to stay safely in the fold. And we need to tend them. You and me.

We need to keep each other from danger. Diligently watching each other with love. Being present in the lives of our fellow Christians. Praying for one another. Applying the rebuke of the Law when needed, and the tender embrace of the Gospel.

We need to keep each other well pastured and watered. Continually speaking the Word of the Almighty God to one another. With an email. With a post. With a phone call. With a text. And yes, even IN PERSON.

We need to bind up the wounds of our fellow sheep and nurse them to health with the powerful Word of God. Patiently bearing each other’s burdens. Exercising the compassion and wisdom that our divine Savior teaches.

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When God asked Cain where his brother was, the world’s first murderer replied, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9 NKJV).

Help us Holy Spirit, that this would NEVER be our response to the grace and mercy we have received in Christ. Let our response instead be, “I AM my brother’s keeper. I will go and find him. I will call him with your Word. Your power will do the work, but I will be your humble instrument. I will tend your sheep.”

Through God’s Law and Gospel, Peter was made a redeemed sinner, and a shepherd of his fellow sheep. God’s cutting Law, and healing Gospel has done the same for us. We are redeemed. Let us now be about the business of tending the Good Shepherd’s flock, together.

Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds, in Christ Jesus.

Shepherding is All About Grace - June 16, 2013

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SERMON:

2 Samuel 24:10-17 (NKJV)

 ¹⁰ And David’s heart condemned him after he had numbered the people. So David said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done; but now, I pray, O Lord, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly.”

¹¹ Now when David arose in the morning, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying, ¹² “Go and tell David, ‘Thus says the Lord: “I offer you three things; choose one of them for yourself, that I may do it to you.” ’ ” ¹³ So Gad came to David and told him; and he said to him, “Shall seven years of famine come to you in your land? Or shall you flee three months before your enemies, while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days’ plague in your land? Now consider and see what answer I should take back to Him who sent me.”

¹⁴ And David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Please let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for His mercies are great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man.”

¹⁵ So the Lord sent a plague upon Israel from the morning till the appointed time. From Dan to Beersheba seventy thousand men of the people died. ¹⁶ And when the angel stretched out His hand over Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented from the destruction, and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “It is enough; now restrain your hand.” And the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

¹⁷ Then David spoke to the Lord when he saw the angel who was striking the people, and said, “Surely I have sinned, and I have done wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray, be against me and against my father’s house.”

INI

In July of 2005, 1,500 sheep jumped off a cliff in the Van Province of eastern Turkey.  450 of them died.  The other 1,000 survived because the pile of sheep at the bottom broke their fall.  Why did they run off a cliff?  The shepherds said that one ran off first and the others just followed it.

In 2010, 67 sheep were hit by a train in Germany.  Apparently, they were fleeing from two dogs and ended up running head-on into a freight train.  It was good that they ran; it was too bad where they ended up.

There are stories of sheep crowding so tightly together that they suffocate each other; sheep getting stuck is unlikely places; stories of sheep doing all sorts of foolish things that sheep do.     

How would you feel about taking a sheep and making him a shepherd?   Who would ever do that?  God would.  That’s what He did when He called a tax collector to be a disciple and evangelist.  This is what He did when He took the church’s most notorious persecutor and turned him into the church’s most famous apostle.  This is the God who saw our wretchedness and still chose us to be His own and then called us to shepherd His people.  These actions are not the result of logic.  These are evidence of grace.

Whether you are a called worker in the public ministry, or whether you are engaged in your private calling as a child of God,  one thing is true about every person in this building, It’s all about grace…   1. It’s all about grace that is needed because of our sins 2. It’s all about grace that is provided because of our Savior.

1. For David, this was a time of introspection and sad regret.  It was day three, and he stood helplessly  by, watching the consequences of his sin ravage the people of Israel.  As each new report came in, the pit in David’s stomach grew larger.  Finally, he prayed:   ‘Behold, I have sinned and I have done wickedly. But these sheep, What have they done?  Please let Your hand be against me and against my father’s house.’”

It is a little surprising that these words came from this man at this time in his life.  This was not a rookie mistake.  David was a seasoned veteran.  He had weathered enough problems and temptations that he should have known better.  He was even warned by Joab, of all people, that numbering the troops was an extremely bad idea.  And yet, he did it anyway.  And that tells us something.  We never out-live our need for God’s grace.   About the time we think we’ve got one temptation figured out, the devil comes with a different one. Our weaknesses may change over time.  So, Satan finds just the right temptation to send us jumping off a cliff or lunging in front an oncoming train.

What was behind David’s desire to number the army?   Maybe he was trying to divide his trust between God and the size and strength of his military.  Or, maybe it was pride.  Three chapters earlier, David was banned from the battlefield because old age had robbed him of his quickness and agility.  It’s bad enough when you have to take the car keys away from a senior citizen.  What happens when a mighty warrior is told that he is no longer needed, and, in fact, is a liability and should stay home?  The devil tempts him accordingly.  

When our military took over Iraq in 2003, it didn’t take the insurgents long to identify a weakness.   Despite our high-tech weapons, the armor-plating on the bottom of some of our vehicles was dangerously thin.  The enemy exploited that vulnerability by planting roadside bombs.  They were detonated by cell phone as the vehicles passed over the top of them. 

Satan found David’s weakness.  Where will he find yours?  All of us have to deal with pride, don’t we?  How much we’d all prefer hearing praise about our work than hearing something honest and critical that was meant to help?  Maybe you battle the same temptation I do, to let sermon preparation get pushed back to the end of the week.  When crunch time hits, you’d rather do anything – mow the lawn, clean the office – anything rather than the hard work of producing  a fresh message from God to His people.  Maybe, we are the type who like to win every argument or control everything that happens in the church.   Perhaps, it’s a secret addiction to alcohol or prescription drugs.  Whatever the weakness, Satan will find it and exploit it.

David’s sin brought grim consequences – primarily to the people he was called to lead.  The number of casualties was horrific: 70,000 men died, roughly 23,000 a day.  And for what?  For the vanity of their leader?

There is no way David could have foreseen the hefty price his sin would command.  But that’s how it works, isn’t it?  The price of sin is never posted where you can see it.  The consequences are more like a bomb than a bullet.  It’s not just the person who sins that pays. There is collateral damage all around. 

Imagine that you were David, looking at the carnage your sin has caused.  Or imagine that you were Paul.  How would you feel if you had dedicated your life to choking off the Christian faith -- and then, one day, you realized that you were totally wrong?  How could you ever undo the damage that your sin had caused?  Suppose, in your effort to eliminate Christianity, you even coerced some people to abandon the faith?

The very last thing that any of us wants, is for our sins to impact our people.  But that is the ugly reality.  If we neglect our children because we are too busy in our calling, there is a price that they and we may have to pay. If we talk ourselves out of making the difficult pastoral calls, someone may pay a price.  If we neglect our ministry, even for the most seemingly pious of reasons, consequences follow, don’t they?   All of us can understand the sentiment David expressed:  “I have sinned; I, the shepherd, have done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done?” (NIV)

2.  Aren’t you glad that shepherding is not about getting what we deserve?  Shepherding is all about grace.  Grace that is desperately needed because of sin – and wonderfully provided because of Christ.

It’s amazing that God gave David a choice in his chastening.  He could choose 7 years of famine, 3 months on the run from his enemies,  or 3 days of plague from the Lord.  Why would God want David’s input? Because God was extending an invitation of grace.   Were it not for His mercy, the Lord would not bother to ask.  He would simply consume David and every other sinner in sight.  But He did ask, and David knew exactly what to do:  rely on the Lord’s mercy because God is the God of all grace.

David wished that the fallout of his sin could be charged to him and his family instead of letting it fall on his people.  And that is exactly what would happen.  A thousand years would pass, but the Lord would take the punishment for David’s sin and load it upon the shoulders of One from David’s line.   This time, instead of 70,000 paying the price of one man’s sin, one Man would pay the price of an entire world of sinners. 

David’s Son would be charged with the sin of numbering the army. He would be declared guilty of lust, adultery, murder, poor parenting -- of every mistake or deliberate sin that David had ever committed.  He would also be charged with pride, neglect of duty, addictions to alcohol or drugs or pornography.  Any sin that you can possibly name was charged to His account.  On the altar of His cross, He willingly bore the sins of every pastor, professor, teacher, or lay person.  When His grave was found empty on Easter morning, the message was powerfully clear: The payment has been accepted.  Because of Christ, you are hereby declared “Innocent of all charges!” by God above.

When we come face to face with the reality and magnitude of our sins,  then we begin to appreciate that shepherding is all about God’s grace.  This isn’t about how well we perform; this is about how well Jesus performed as our Savior.  Our ministry should not be driven by guilt or fear.  It should be driven by a message. The message is this: We have a Savior who loves us and pardons our iniquities.  God forgave the Church's most zealous persecutor and He's forgiven you and me, as well.  No  matter what we've done, God's grace is always larger and more abundant than our sin. We could never atone for a single misdeed, but Jesus already has atoned for them all!

The fact that God would choose sheep to be shepherds is a powerful testimony to His grace.  Paul described it in this way:  This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. ¹⁶ However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.

What about the fallout of our mistakes? God’s grace can take a really bad situation and turn it into a blessing.  That happened at the end of this chapter.  David purchased the threshing floor on which to build an altar to God.  That small chunk of land would become home to the temple – a landmark of grace.   David could have had the property, the altar, and the sacrifice for free, but he insisted on paying for them himself.  He wanted the altar and sacrifice to cost him something personally -- not because he had to make up for his wrong – but because his heart was touched by God’s grace.

That’s what shepherding is all about.  It’s how the Gospel has changed our lives eternally so that we want to share that message with everyone we can.   It is a great story-line that God rescues a sinner like David, or Matthew,  or me, or you, and then uses us to do His work.  But it’s more than that.  It’s the effect that grace has on all who taste its sweetness firsthand.

I once read that the oldest known picture of Jesus was found in the catacombs of Rome.  It showed Him as a young Man with a lamb cradled over His shoulders.  It must have brought comfort to Christians, who were suffering for their faith, to know that their Good Shepherd was watching over and protecting them.

That’s the blessing we have.  All of us are sheep who love to wander, who do dumb things.  Instead of giving us what we deserve, our Shepherd picks us up, forgives us completely, and allows us to share in the work of His eternal kingdom.  Our shepherding is not about us.  It’s all about His grace.  Amen.

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Sermon originally presented by Jim Albrecht, Pastor of St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church of Okabena, MN.