Living Sheepishly - Defiant Hope

When Jesus said, go into all the world and tell everybody about me, there were 300 million people on earth.

Today there are seven and a half billion 35 times the number of people to go and tell.

Thank God we have technology in our generation.

It makes it possible to put the gospel within the reach of people.

And that is what our heart is.

If we could just get it where they can reach it.

We thank the Lord in a thousand places across this country. and the foremost spoken languages on earth, I cannot thank God enough for the opportunity to share Jesus as he did through stories Our programs are all about the cross.

They're all about Jesus.

They're in non-religious language.

And I cannot tell you how moved I am and grateful to God that we are able to go to the ends of the earth with his good news. and that you have sent us there.

And if you've given to this ministry, I want to thank you for that.

And some of you who are going to help us get to the Arabic-speaking world next I can't think of a need that is greater.

And the stories will do an end run around the religion.

Because the stories just disarm people.

Thank God for that, even though my name is hard to say.

So I'm a little boy on the south side of Chicago.

I never heard about Jesus.

My parents were lost.

My dad was a machinist.

And um he uh They had somehow enough money to gamble because I remember the the gambler going on in our little apartment and the smoking and the liquor, but um we I didn't know about Jesus.

We were the lost Then my baby brother died.

I was four years old.

He was only six months.

I remember him always smiling.

It was always a happy little baby.

And I remember a lot of stress in our apartment one night And I remember a lot of confusion.

I didn't know what was going on.

I remember my grandmother coming over and scooping me up and I never saw my baby brother again.

He was gone by morning.

Doctors never knew.

They said really what the cause of death was.

Kidney, heart, they didn't know.

My dad was crushed.

He never really stopped grieving over the death of my baby brother.

All through his life.

The anniversaries would come and he would cry.

For some reason he thought what he should do is take his uh still one little son to church.

He didn't want to go.

There was a church three blocks from our house Which he had the opportunity to revisit only a few years ago.

And he took me there and dropped me off.

He would stay and he would read his Sunday paper Sit out in front of his machine as close, smoke a cigarette, and wait for his little boy to come out.

They had a cute they had a fantastic sandbox.

Now in those days that was the video games I mean they had a huge sandbox.

It took up like half the room.

And I mean it was like a little city with cars and all this stuff.

And man.

So I loved that the Sunday school there.

And then for the first time I heard about Jesus.

And I remember the first thing I knew about him, actually, which I'll tell you in a minute I do know that one Sunday I came running out and I told my daddy, Daddy, I accept Jesus.

I asked Jesus in my heart.

I'm not sure what he said.

I meant it was kind of like, well, that's probably not bad.

I'm so thankful for the man who came outside the church and invited my dad in, told him it didn't matter if he came in in his machine's clothes.

And Christmas Eve when I was in the Christmas thing that they did, he came because I was in it.

And he walked down that aisle and gave his heart to Jesus and I got a new daddy and I got a new mommy pretty soon after that.

And our home was never the same.

When I went to that church, having no impression of Jesus, not knowing anything about what he was like My first image of him was a picture.

A picture you have probably seen.

We have it here tonight.

In fact, it hangs on the wall in the great room in our house.

And this is what I knew Jesus as.

Jesus was a shepherd with sheep following him, and he had a little lamb in his arms.

And I said, well, that's me.

I know who I am.

I'm the little lamb in his arms.

Since that day, Jesus has been my shepherd, and you've been to our headquarters now.

You know our road is called Shepherd's Way.

You've seen the shepherd all over my office There is no picture of Jesus that means more to me than Jesus the shepherd.

Many times I have to say to myself, Me, sheep, him, shepherd, me, sheep, him, shepherd.

We now have some sheep.

Karen actually got us four sheep.

Now we have a little problem in our family with having sheep because Anna is a Navajo, and Navajos eat sheep.

See, there are herding people.

They can't grow really there in the desert.

And so uh and so Anna grew up around sheep and she will come and look out over the fence in the pasture and go Delicious.

I have to count our sheep every time Anna comes over.

She thinks it's dinner.

Well , I'm thrilled.

And Karen would see me looking out the window and staring sometimes in the morning.

She'd say, What are you doing?

And I'd say, I'm looking at me Because I see me and those sheep.

And I see Jesus to this day as my shepherd.

I want to tell you, in a world, and your notes say this, in a world that is increasingly highly unstable and very dangerous and very unpredictable.

The follower of Jesus Christ, you realize you are one of the most secure people on this planet because you belong to Jesus Christ.

And because of this cherished image of Jesus, that I'm pretty sure we don't understand, we go through all kinds of unnecessary anxiety and unnecessary fear and unnecessary stress.

Because we don't fully understand what it means to have Jesus as our shepherd.

I want to take a look at that in a few minutes here tonight.

Because you remember our definition of hope?

Hope is a buoyant confidence that acknowledges the challenge, but is anchored.

To an unseen but certain reality.

And that unseen and certain reality for me is that every moment I breathe on this planet, I am shepherded by Jesus.

And there are some guarantees that literally can take worry and stress and fear out of your life and inject a new level of hope If you understand what it means to have Jesus a shepherd, he is our shepherd.

Let's look at some scriptures here real quickly.

Colossians chapter 1, verse 27.

To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles.

That's us.

The glorious riches of this mystery, this this long unrevealed thing that God says, I'm about to unveil it when I send my son Which is, read these next words out loud with me.

Christ that was I know loud.

Out loud loud.

Not out not out.

Christ in you, the hope.

Oh, there's our word, the hope of glory.

So this means That if Christ lives in me, I literally have the possibility of seeing you as Christ sees you, of hearing what you say through Christ's ears. of having the heart of Jesus to feel what he feels, so I have this ultimate security of having the very Son of God living in me as the hope of future glory.

I love Hebrews 13, one of the great benedictions of the Bible.

Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant Brought back from the dead, our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him.

Through Jesus Christ to whom be glory forever and ever.

Amen.

That great shepherd of the sheep who will equip you with everything you need for doing his will.

For those of you who have I perhaps self-identified since our first talk as being perhaps one of the complacent ones who has settled for a status quo that you shouldn't be settling for.

Isn't it good to know that you can take some risks to move into new territory beyond what you have accepted as your place with Christ?

Which is far below what he wants you to do and what he wants to make you, because he will equip you with everything good for doing as well.

So Why not?

You don't have to have it.

He's got it.

And then I love John 10.

Of course, how could I not love this?

I am the Good Shepherd.

Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

And I give them security, I give them eternal life.

They shall never perish.

No one will snatch them out of my hand.

So you see in your notes what I said about living with this unnecessary anxiety and being anchored to the shepherd of the sheep.

And I will tell you that is the reason.

This shepherd, and I'm going to look at his guarantees on your life.

It's going to be, I think, very encouraging these next few minutes.

He is the reason for defiant hope.

That challenges despair and challenges fear and challenges anxiety and challenges worry and challenges our comfort zones.

This is a deeply personal.

You're not just one of a huge flock.

No, no, you're called by name, Jesus said in John 10.

My father-in-law actually worked as a shepherd as a little boy for a while, Karen 's dad, and he said, no, I would call them, and they only came when I called their name.

I don't know what your name sheep, but you know, but bumpy Fuzzy, fluffy, tubby, uh, hairy, I don't know what you call sheep.

But whatever they but they would answer to their name.

You're not just one of the flock.

Other people see a flock of sheep.

No, no.

He sees you.

And so this is a deeply personal relationship.

The Lord is my shepherd.

Hudson Taylor, the great um missionary, who after whom our Taylor, by the way, is named. um said and uh and I I can't wait to to find what he said because it's really good and if I I I don't have it.

Too much stuff Well, I'll share it with you tomorrow because the Lord will still be our shepherd tomorrow.

But I want to want to share with you are these these guarantees.

You ready?

Let's go for a fast trip.

Because in here is something that's going to give hope to somebody in this room.

I'm sure of it.

Number one, he makes sure you have what you need.

Guaranteed, the Lord is my shepherd, say it with me.

I, I shall not want Now, Psalm 23. 1, let's go to Philippians 4. 19, which says, and this same God who takes care of me will supply many of your needs.

Oh, wait, excuse me.

Will supply all of your needs You say, well, where's it going to come from?

I don't see any place where that need is going to be met.

From his, the Jesus fund in heaven, from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

When he says meet your needs, he's talking your material needs, your emotional needs, your mental needs, your social needs, your spiritual needs.

Somebody who needs encouragement, somebody who needs friends, somebody who needs wisdom.

How many times can you go to him as a parent and say, I am clueless as the right choice?

for my child.

You go to him and he has guaranteed if you ask him wisdom for wisdom, you can download his wisdom.

By the way, I thought this was interesting.

When Solomon asked for wisdom It says that God answered his prayer with two things, depth of insight and breadth of understanding.

I wrote this in my journal a couple weeks ago.

You know what that tells me?

That when you ask God for wisdom, when you've got a decision to make His answer is deep and wide.

Deep and why.

Deep.

Because he will give you depth of insight.

What that means is you will be able to see into that person that you're that is is part of your situation You will be able to insight, I will have sight into the situation, sight into the problem, sight into the person.

That's depth of wisdom.

And breadth of understanding means I'll be able to see the big picture and not get caught up in the little picture.

I love that.

So he will give me deep and wide wisdom.

Everything you need.

Hebrews 13, we already looked at where it says the great shepherd of the sheep. will equip you with everything good for doing his will.

By the way, what is the Lord asking you to do that you maybe have been hesitating because you you may feel inadequate?

Well, I don't it doesn't matter if you're inadequate.

I love the conversation between Moses and God at the burning bush.

Because Moses says, Oh well, um, who am I, Lord?

I can't talk straight.

I don't talk.

Well, I can't.

I'm obviously not the one.

Who am I, Lord?

And if I may paraphrase the conversation, God says, wrong question, Moses.

Who am I?

All that matters is who I am.

He will equip you with everything good for doing his will.

Jesus asked the disciples this question.

You got uh, guys, you have Luke chapter 22?

By the way, I want you to picture Jesus asking you this.

When I sent you out without purchasebag or sandals, here's this question.

Did you lack anything?

I look over a life where we haven't had much money.

And I say, Jesus says, Ron, did you lack anything?

I'll have to answer the same way they did.

Nothing.

No.

You've always come through.

Lisa coming up here.

I asked Lisa to share a life-changing incident from our home that illustrates The shepherd who keeps his promise to meet every need.

Come on, Princess.

So one November years ago, when I was a younger girl, I don't know the exact year But we my parents um sat us down to pray sometime close to Thanksgiving, maybe the week of, and just kinda said, you know, we just kinda gathered in the living room and they said we just don't have a whole lot this year.

We're not going to have a turkey and things like that, but we're still very thankful for how God has taken care of us this year.

So we just prayed together as a family.

I don't remember feeling like sad or anything necessarily, but we prayed together and went on our way.

And to me, from what I remember, it was like a couple hours later.

And we heard the doorbell ring and uh there were some people at the door who had a couple boxes of food.

To me it seemed massive, you know, just big and a turkey's big anyway, but They came with Thanksgiving dinner.

To me, um, that moment is really a defining linchpin in my faith to this day, seeing Prayer.

God doesn't always answer our prayer that way and that quickly, but praying as a family and wow, God answered this.

So these people come in and are carrying these boxes into our kitchen.

And a second lesson I learned from that, I wasn't so fond of yams. when I was a little girl and now I like them, but I remember seeing, you know, if you picture a box with a hole on it where you carry it, I remember seeing a a thing of yam sticking through there.

And I was like, ugh And to this day, I have um I I realize when we pray, God answers, but he might not always answer completely The way there's that little thing we're like, oh thanks God.

And we're like, really?

That little part, the little yams, you know, it's like yuck.

But I remember even as a little girl saying, I still have to thank God for the yams So those two linchpins of just seeing, I and to this day I I know God will provide no matter what whether it's my mom's home going, any other earth shattering, earth shaking situation, but that was a linchpin of seeing God answer prayer.

And even thanking God for the yams of life.

So in fact one of uh Lucia's favorite hymns now is Just As I Am.

Did you pay to get in?

It's okay.

Um I remember uh Karen and I uh had not been paid, we were six months behind on salary with Youth for Christ in Chicago and two years behind on having our expenses reimbursed.

We were pretty broke.

And we were running out of money, uh, running out of food actually.

We were down, I remember Karen uh was working as well and Uh we were about to both leave in the morning and we had a bottle of ketchup left.

Didn't even know any good ketchup recipes.

We we were uh we're having French fried, I don't know, of a c of souffle, whatever.

Well we all we had was ketchup And uh I said, well we both, we just prayed and we said, Lord, you're good for your promise.

We'll plant our feet on your promise.

The Lord is our shepherd we shall not want.

That night we got home and we didn't have any dinner and um this will sound familiar.

This is uh Lisa 's God as well The doorbell rang downstairs.

We were in a second floor apartment.

She was a baby at that time.

And all of a sudden, these ladies come marching up the stairs with bags of groceries.

It was like God was delivering groceries in our apartment.

I said, ladies, what is going on here?

They said, well, we were gonna roll bandages from missionaries at the Missionary Society tonight.

And somebody said, why don't we do a grocery shower, a pantry shower for the Hutchcrafts?

That's your shepherd.

But here's the deal.

Sometimes the usual way you get it will fail.

That's part of God's plan.

When um Lawrence of Arabia went to Paris.

He took, this is back in the early 1900s, he took some of the guys from the desert who had never seen running water before with them to Paris.

They are in the hotel playing with the bathtub.

He's going, he said, let me take you out to see the sites of Paris.

They're like, no, we want water.

They stayed in a hotel all day long to play with the bossets.

And when they got back, when they're ready to leave Paris, they said to Lawrence of Arabia, um, he came in and they were trying to unscrew the faucets to take back to the desert with them.

He said, no, no, the guys, no, the water doesn't come from the faucets.

It comes through the faucets.

See, there are reservoirs in the mountains around Paris, and that's where the water comes from.

So getting the faucet won't help.

See, sometimes the faucet will fail you.

Suddenly you don't have that paycheck.

Suddenly you don't have what you usually, where you the person that has been as Karen was for me.

Your anchor person is gone.

The place that has always met your need, the source is is is dried up.

But the reservoir is still full.

Your father, your shepherd, is a reservoir.

He is amazingly creative in the ways that he supplies.

So the the Jews for years live off Egyptian catering.

Right?

And they have leeks and garlics and they have all the food.

They have to be slaves, they have all the food they want.

They're out in the wilderness, and God says, Brend down.

This is the your God is the God who makes bread come from heaven, water come from rocks, shoes that never wear out, and feeds 5,000 people with one kid's lunch.

So just because the way you usually get it has failed you, your shepherd still keeps his promise.

He is infinitely creative He sends Elijah out all by himself by a stream.

Elijah's like, what am I going to eat out here in the wilderness?

God says, this is for the birds.

Watch what happens.

And the ravens come right on time.

They come with breakfast.

They come with dinner.

He's like, well, it's about dinner time.

Oh, God.

Do you know what the biggest miracle is?

The ravens didn't eat the food.

Did you ever think about that?

They show up and they every time God sends ravens, God sends manna, God, you are so secure Because the Lord is your shepherd and you shall not want.

Abby Townsend works with George Mueller.

George Mueller As many of you know, started orphanages all over England, is the legend of faith, has so much to teach us by living by faith.

And one day, Abby was working out in the garden.

It was early in the morning, and she said, George Mueller came to her and said, come, come see what our father will do.

She's like, well, I don't know what that's about.

Went in there and she saw all the children lined up as they were every morning at that time with their plates ready to have some food.

There was none.

There was no money.

There was no food.

George Mueller smiled and said, come see what your father will do There was a knock at the door, not very long after that, as the kids stood there at their place.

There was a baker who lived two blocks away.

He said, all I can tell you, Mr.

Mueller, is at 2 o'clock in the morning, I believe God woke me up and said, I'll bet they would enjoy some fresh bread over there at the orphanage.

So he said at 2 a. m.

I stayed up all night and I baked this bread and I wanted you to have it.

He said, children, look what our father has done He said, not only do we have bread, but we have fresh baked bread this morning.

Not long after that, a knock came at the door.

The milk truck had broken down in front of the orphanage.

And the guy with the milk said, well, this is gonna spoil and I gotta fix my wagon and I need to offload this to to get to fix the wagon.

Would you like some fresh milk?

They had a great breakfast that morning.

I love what George Mueller said.

And I don't know what you need right now, physically, emotionally, parentally, maritally.

But I believe God's invitation is.

Come see what your father can do.

God's at his best when you're at your most broke.

You can welcome this time.

Okay, now that's an important one because it afflicts affects a lot of the others.

Here's the second guarantee.

And this this um I've been living this stuff, so this is very real to me.

And that that second guarantee of the shepherd is that he will carry you when you have no strength to go on.

Deuteronomy chapter 1 verse 31, he says, In the wilderness you saw how the Lord your God carried you as a father carries his son all the way you went until you reach this place.

We go to Washington, D.

C.

Brad is three years old.

We're at the U.

S.

Capitol We are about to climb the steps.

Have you been there?

Have you climbed the steps to the US Capitol?

You've at least seen them on TV.

There's a lot of steps, honey.

Brad 's three years old.

That must have looked like this is not no I little legs, I know that feeling I have little legs.

How am I gonna he he is not gonna be Brad made it to the top of those stairs, tough little guy.

But it wasn't his strength.

His daddy carried him.

Let's hear it for E-Man here.

You see where he couldn't go by himself, his daddy carried him.

May 16th, 2016, and many days since, I didn't have it.

Many times in serving the Lord, I have been spent, depleted, empty.

And all I can tell you is my shepherd has never failed to pick me up and carry me where I could not walk.

I hope you reach for him at times like that.

And don't give up because you can't do it or try to tough it out on your own.

I love Isaiah 46, 3 and 4.

This is a cradle to grave security.

Let's start the middle of the verse.

I have upheld you since your birth.

So day one, God says, I was holding you up then, and I have carried you since the day you were born Even to your old age and gray hairs, or no hair in some cases, even to your old age and gray hairs.

I am he, I am he who will sustain you.

I have made you.

Again he says, and I will carry you, and when you get in trouble.

I will rescue you.

I love that verse.

His promise, twice repeated there, is to carry you.

And God can do the most when you're out of you.

I've been there many times.

So, here's the practical consideration.

Every situation in your life should be considered, not on the basis of what you can do.

But when God can do.

Don't make your decisions based on what you can do.

You're carried by an omnipotent shepherd.

So Hugh and Joyce, who cooked for us last summer, heard me speak at the Cove.

They heard me talk about Karen's homegoing.

And how crushing it was.

And they heard me talk about my shepherd.

And they gave me, I mean, I was overwhelmed right with the team there.

They came out of the, they called me into the kitchen and gave me this painting.

The lamb.

I had never seen it before.

And they had the artist put at the bottom what I have said is my testimony of the greatest broken heart of my life.

It says down there, the anchor holds.

Folks, when I was a five-year-old boy, the first thing I knew about Jesus and me was I was a lamb in his arms.

On May 16th, 2016, I was the lamb in his arms.

And tonight, I am still the little lamb in his arms.

And so are you.

Will you see yourself that way There's nowhere you can't go if he's carrying you.

Thirdly, he will restore you when your soul is drained dry Psalm 23 says again, The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes or In the old translations, he restores my soul.

I will tell you I know what it is to have a bullet-riddled soul.

And I realized this, and I told you this yesterday.

I read from my journal this morning, my grief journal this morning.

The only way I could have him restore my soul. was I was going to have to go to the quiet waters.

You can't keep running your life, busy, busy, busy, and have him restore your soul.

You meet him at the quiet waters, you stop and let him restore your soul.

So let's look at some scriptures.

Quickly, Psalm 4610.

Be still.

How many of you find that hard?

You seen me move around?

Pretty active.

You ever tried to uh when I walk, I walk fast?

My whole life is like that?

Be still, Ron.

And then you will know that I am God.

I'm God you're not.

Isaiah 40.

He gives strength to the weary.

What qualifies you to get a strength shot from God?

You've got to be really tired.

I'm there.

He increases the power of the weak.

Here I am.

Even youths grow tired and weary.

That's a comfort to me.

That even guys like us, us young guys, we grow tired and weary.

Young men stumble and fall.

Yes we do.

But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles.

They will run and not grow weary.

They will walk and not be faint.

I love it.

2 Corinthians chapter 4 and verse 16.

We looked at this our first night.

We do not look heart lose heart.

Outwardly, yeah, we're wasting away, but inwardly There is not a listen you can be paralyzed, but inwardly you are not paralyzed, you are being renewed day by day.

The work that he does is a daily restoration.

I love these words by Fanny Crosby.

She said, down in the human heart, crushed by the tempter.

Feelings lie buried that grace can restore.

Touched by a loving heart, wakened by kindness, chords that are broken will vibrate once more.

I pray for that healing work in somebody's heart tonight.

And then he will bring you back when you start to wander He will bring you back when you start to wander.

Here's what we here learn about the shepherd in Ezekiel 34.

You are my sheep, the sheep of my pasture.

I am your God, declares the sovereign Lord.

I will search for the lost.

I will bring back the strays.

You remember Jesus' own words that he will leave the 90 and 9 and go and find the lost sheep.

You might be wandering tonight and not even know it.

People say, Ron, if you can people uh uh get away from Jesus?

And be lost?

Here's all I know.

A relationship with Jesus is like a yo-yo.

When the yo-yo gets to the end of the string, it starts to come back up again, unless it's not attached, in which case it'll keep on going.

If you belong to Jesus, you can get away, but you can't stay away.

You can't stay away.

Unless you're not attached.

And he may, believe it or not, in this lovely Christian group of people, know there's a wandering heart in this room.

And he's actually brought you here because he's one looking for you here.

Remember that eclipse a few months ago?

I learned a new word.

Totality.

Totality.

All of a sudden it got dark, cause something came between the earth and the sun.

Feel a little cold?

Lou in the dark?

Have you considered that you might be in a spiritual eclipse right now?

Because something's come between you and the sun?

Tonight the shepherd has come looking for a wandering sheep right here.

Because sheep don't run away from the shepherd.

No, they don't run, they don't go.

How how soon can I get away from it?

Because they know they gotta have it.

They say, oh, look a butterfly.

Oh, look, what's over the hill?

Suddenly they look around, where's the shepherd?

What Where's the sheep?

They wander away.

Jesus said we wander away like sheep.

No one means to get away.

We wander away.

And they end up very lost.

I'll tell you what this has to do with somebody in this room.

Because there's someone here who has a son or daughter, or a grandson or a granddaughter, or a brother or a sister.

Who's a prodigal?

And it breaks your heart.

And you cry out to him in prayer.

I can assure you of this.

Tonight the shepherd who never leaves sheep lost. is this very night, as you are here honoring the Lord, is lovingly, skillfully, strategically Wisely and persuasively.

Going after your son.

Going after your daughter.

He does not leave people lost Can I stop and pray?

May I just ask you, you may or may not want to raise your hand.

How many of you have a burden like this on your heart tonight?

You got a name that goes with this.

Let's stop and pray for just a minute Lord, we thank you that you bring the lost sheep home.

Bible says you come home with them around your shoulders and Say, I found my sheep which is lost.

We pray, Lord, for that loved one.

That you will, you know how to get to them.

If you need to bring into their life somebody who they will listen to, who they will respect, their kind of person, do that.

If you need to make them maybe hit a wall so they realize they're lost without you.

Lord, we pray that you would restore hope as we pray tonight.

For a shepherd who brings back lost sheep.

And as long as there's breath, there's hope And this is a chapter.

This is not the book.

And it's a sad chapter.

We pray and we believe for a happy ending.

And that the seeds sown in their life.

Will come up in that one day they will love you more than the person who's praying for them right now.

We pray them home to you.

And we believe you for that.

In Jesus' name, amen.

He will bring back those who start to wander.

Many years ago, Irish Sankey, who was Billy Graham, or who was uh D.

O.

Moody 's Irish Sankey uh Beb Shea, wrote a song.

It goes like this, I will not sing There were ninety and nine that safely lay in the shelter of the fold, but one was out on the hills away, far off from the gates of gold.

Away on the mountains, wild and bare, and away from the tender shepherd's care.

This is about somebody you love.

Lord, thou hast two, thy ninety and nine, are they not enough for thee?

And the master made answer, This of mine has Wandered away from me.

And although the road be rough and steep, I go to the desert to find my sheep.

But none of the ransomed ever knew how deep were the waters crossed, or how dark was the night that the Lord passed through to find his sheep that was lost.

Out in the desert.

He heard the cry.

Sick and helpless.

And ready to die.

That may have been you.

This might be your story.

And off in the mountains, thunder ribbon.

When up from the rocky steep, there arose a glad cry to the gates of heaven, Rejoice, I have found my sheep.

And the angels echoed around the throne.

Rejoice, for the Lord brings back his own.

Get a shower of hope tonight, will you He brings them home.

Another guarantee from the shepherd.

Is he will always keep you safe, but he won't always keep you comfortable.

Safe from I in the hollow of his hand.

I know that.

Because he he has promised.

Micah chapter 5.

This is the prophecy of the coming king where it says he's going to be born in Bethlehem.

He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God, and they will live securely.

For then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.

I love those words.

They will live securely.

He will be our peace in whatever invades our lives.

He will raise up against them seven shepherds. even eight commanders.

So he has guaranteed we will be secure.

Deuteronomy 32 he says this.

In desert land he found him, in a barren and howling waste.

He shielded him.

He's talking about his people and cared for him.

He guarded him as the apple of his eye.

But notice this.

Like an eagle stirs up its nest and hovers over its young that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them aloft.

Listen, I grew up, I would have lived in New Jersey for 30 years.

What do I know about eagles?

I've been hanging out with Native Americans.

I know more about eagles now.

We are on Eagle's wings after all.

When I lived in New Jersey, the Eagles came and played the Giants twice a year.

That's what I knew about the Eagles.

Now, here's what I've learned That when those little baby eagles are in that nest, the mama puts all this nice bedding in there, finds all this foliage, and it's a nice, cushy, comfortable place for them to be in that nest.

But one day mama eagle comes in and she looks mad.

And she starts tearing all the the eagles are route walking around around the cliff there, the little eaglets, and she starts tearing all the soft stuff the the soft stuff out, and when that eaglet gets back in that nest, there's rocks and stones that are the foundation of the nest, and they're like, this is feel good anymore.

So they get out of that nest and at that point she kind of says to them, how would you like to try something new?

Get our mamas back.

And they get out and they do for the first time in their life, they touch the sky.

They fulfill their destiny.

Because eagles were not born to live in the nest.

They were born to fly.

So were you.

But until God stirs your nest and makes it uncomfortable, you'll stay in the nest.

And some of you have had your nest stirred recently, haven't you?

He's really good at stirring up your nest.

He said he did it for his ancient people.

He does it today.

He says, I will keep you safe, but I want you to fly.

And you're going to have to get out of that nest to do it.

And I'm not going to make that nest comfortable anymore.

That shakeup that's been taking place is to get you out of the nest and get you flying.

So he'll always keep you safe, but he won't always keep you comfortable.

Number six, he will walk with you through every fearful dark valley.

Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me You know what that talks about?

In those days, it was a deep gorge.

There was only two ways out.

You had either the way you came in or the way you go out.

And it was dark, it was there was no light most of the time, even in the bright part of the day It was a dark, deep valley.

But I will fear no evil.

I want to tell you this.

Some of us in this room make decisions based on fear.

A lot of our life.

We have decided what to do or not to do based because we were afraid.

There are some things I should have done in my life.

And I I regret, I have paid a price for not taking those steps.

And I didn't do them, and I got to face myself and go, it's because I was afraid.

I was afraid of people in one way or another.

I can guarantee you this, a decision made out of fear. is almost always a decision you will regret.

A decision made out of fear is almost always a decision you will regret.

Karen and I love the verse in Psalm 34, 4.

I sought the Lord and he answered me and delivered me.

I would like you to put your own fear in there.

What if I had a blank in there?

I should have done that.

He delivered me from my fear of.

Fill in the blank.

The Lord is my shepherd, even in the valley of the shepherd of a shadow of death.

I will fear no evil.

We were in Alaska with the Arn Eagles Wings team in Eskimo villages, very remote villages.

And we were flying with those fantastic missionary pilots who are like miracle workers.

And we were about to land in a very again 400 miles from a road village there.

And he said, now we're about to enter the dead zone.

Now When I'm in a little airplane, I'm not really interested in hearing words dead zone.

They're just not, that's a very , talk to me about that on land.

Don't talk to me about that in the air hanging out there.

He said we're about to enter a dead zone.

The dead zone means that there's no communication.

You can't hear anything.

Nobody can hear you.

If something happens, too bad.

You're on your own.

Finally, we a few minutes later he goes We're back now Thank you May I not be in the dead zone again with the Lord as your shepherd there will never be a dead zone in your life That will never be a dead zone.

The Lord is your shepherd.

Shame on you for making a decision out of fear.

Shame on me.

Number seven, he will lead you when you're clueless as to which way to go.

What's Psalm twenty-three three say?

He guides me along the right paths for his name's sake.

I'll tell you, um With Karen gone, I I think I really I really felt like um I had a I was on a road with no map.

I mean, I did life with her since I was 19.

It's always been Ron and Karen.

And in a moment she's just Ron.

She's in heaven.

I'm still here.

I got no map.

I don't know how this works.

I will guide you along the right paths.

And he said he will do that for his name's sake.

The um the Hebrew word here, nachra, means to guide on an unfamiliar path.

He has been very faithful and taking the little boy by the hand and giving me the most intimate, specific, hour by hour, minute by minute, I say, Lord, I don't even know what to do next.

He really keeps his promise.

When your world is spinning.

But you know what the key is?

You have to know what his voice sounds like Three times in John chapter 10 he says, My sheep know my voice.

And the key to knowing his will is knowing his voice.

Let me say this to you very clearly.

If you don't listen to his voice on a regular daily basis, you will not recognize his voice when you really need to know what to do.

The key to being his sheep is to know what he sounds like.

It's really funny when you're on the radio, all people know is your voice.

Then they see me.

I have to apologize to audiences where there are radio listeners.

Because I'll say, I I bet you have a mental image of what I look like.

And they start laughing.

Which is very unsettling to me.

Crushing.

And uh they'll say, and and and and and I sound sorry.

That's why I'm on radio But you know what?

Our kids wouldn't let me talk in Christian bookstores and stuff like that.

We were in a Christian bookstore one day and they're and and this lady three three aisles away goes, that voice, I know that voice!

They're like, stop talking, Dad.

Because they know that's going to be a big long conversation.

Seriously.

So I said, I don't have to stop talking.

I say, what kind of book would you like today, kids?

Nobody knew my voice But they heard my voice every day and they recognized it.

You are people who call you on the phone and they have to tell you right away their whole name and who they are and why they're calling.

Then you got people who call and just give you their first name.

And then you got people who call you and they just start talking.

They don't have to tell you who they are.

I could pick up Karen's voice in a room.

I knew her voice intimately You gotta know Jesus' voice, and if you are not making your time with him non-negotiable on a daily basis, you will not know his voice when you need to.

What does the sheep have to do?

You don't have to figure out where to go, but you do have to know what his voice sounds like.

That's the key to being a follower of your shepherd, to be his sheep.

You can't neglect your time with him and some of us need to get back to that because he's going to be thrown to the edge by a busy schedule And the way you do his will is you take a step and then you see a step.

Take a step?

Oh, okay.

See a step.

Oh, take a step?

Oh, see a step.

He doesn't give you the whole thing.

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.

Now, any of you here have an unmapped road ahead of you?

Any of you heading into a new season you've never done before in your life?

Have I got a promise for you?

Isaiah 42, 16, one of my favorites.

This was me.

I will lead the blind by ways they have not known.

You got an unfamiliar path ahead of you?

Along unfamiliar paths I will guide them.

I will turn the darkness into light in front of them and make the rough places smooth.

These are the things I will do I will not forsake them.

I've been exercising in the morning, and I've quoted that verse.

Lead them, you're going to lead me, but you promise, Lord, because I'm the blind right now.

I'm going on an unfamiliar path.

And you're going to light it up in front of me.

Number eight is wonderful.

I want to put up Isaiah 40, 11.

Just put up the verse, guys.

I'm gonna ask you to put a name in this verse.

He tends his flock like a shepherd.

He gathers the lambs in his arms.

My lambs are named Lisa.

Doug and Brad.

They're big lambs now.

He gathers Lisa in his arms, He gathers Doug in his arms.

He gathers Brad in his arms, my lambs, and carries them close to his heart.

You want to put some names in there?

And he gently leads.

Hello, mom.

Hello, Dad.

Those that have young.

I want to tell you that your children, wherever they are in this world right now, wherever they are spiritually, he is carrying your children close to his heart.

That boy, that girl.

It's being careful.

You can't be with them.

You wish you could.

You wish you could make their decisions for them.

All I can tell you is when they leave your presence they do not leave his and he is carrying that boy he is carrying that girl he is carrying that grandson or that granddaughter close to his heart Which means you don't have to nag them, you don't have to chase them.

Because the shepherd has them close to his heart.

I love that.

Last of all, He will go ahead of you into your unknown.

Karen and I often claimed John 10-4, which is what the truckers say when they're done communicating. 10-4, good buddy.

When he's brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them.

He goes on ahead of them.

I'll say it one more time.

He goes on ahead of them.

And the sheep follow him because there we go.

They know his voice.

Here's what F.

B.

Meyer, the great devotional writer, said.

The Oriental Shepherd was always ahead of his sheep.

He was down in front.

He is in the tomorrows.

It is tomorrow that fills men with dread.

Health, finances, children, marriage.

It is tomorrow that fills men with dread.

But God is there already.

Wherever he puts you, he's there before you get there.

You'll find the shepherd's footprint everywhere you're gonna go.

All the tomorrows of our life have to pass him before they can get to us.

Your shepherd is already in your tomorrow's.

I have I have sat in my car dreading to go in. to a meeting I had to go into.

And I remembered this verse and I'm like, the Lord is already in that meeting.

The Lord is already there ahead of me.

I've had conversations I have dreaded.

And I remembered my shepherd is already there getting this ready.

When we started RHM and had no money to start it with, and the only office was our house, and we were leaving behind all the security of the big national organization which I was a national leader.

I said the Lord's already there in the unknown that we got everything about this is unknown But the Lord was already ahead of us and has proven that over and over again.

I don't know what you've got ahead of you that looks uncertain and unmapped But I can tell you he is already there making a way, anticipating needs, and getting everything lined up for you, dealing with the dangers in advance.

You are so secure.

I want to leave you with the scene in heaven, which I find stunning.

Let's go to the book of Revelation.

Great place to end up, because there's no more books in the Bible except for the one called Concordance.

For the Lamb at the center of the throne.

Will be their shepherd.

This is heaven, baby.

He will lead them the springs of living water.

Guess what?

When you get to heaven Jesus is still going to be the shepherd.

This little lamb is going to be with his shepherd forever.

Still my shepherd.

The Lord will be my shepherd for all eternity.

But the shepherd is the lamb.

This is just mind-blowing.

The shepherd himself became the lamb.

When Abraham went to with the willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac, there's an extraordinary sentence that says this: God himself We'll provide a lamb.

Oh, he did.

Not just for Abraham For that was on Mount Moriah.

And just down the ridge on Mount Moriah, one day there would be a place called Gogotha, the place of the skull, skull hill.

And God Himself will provide a lamb.

And on Passover night, the only way that the angel of death would pass over your house is if the blood of the lamb was on your doorpost.

And as John the Baptist has the privilege of making the introduction of the Son of God on earth He doesn't say, behold, the King of Kings.

He doesn't say, behold, the God of the universe.

He says, behold God has a lamb.

You've seen there have been thousands upon thousands of lambs sacrificed on altars for the forgiveness of sin.

But God has a lamb.

God Himself has provided a lamb.

You're looking at God's Lamb, folks, and every one of those Jews knew what a Lamb was for.

For he will take away the sin of the world.

That would mean a sacrifice.

That's how he's introduced to the world as the Lamb of God.

And Isaiah 53 says, he will be led.

The precious Prince of Glory, the Son of God, be led like a lamb to be slaughtered.

For me.

And Paul will say Christ is our Passover sacrificed for us And in Revelation chapter twelve, we are told that they overcame the devil.

By the word of their testimony.

Do you know the rest of it?

And the blood of the lamb And then the great victory in heaven in Revelation chapter 7.

I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count from every nation, tribe. people and language standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.

And I love this.

The Bible says there are 10,000. times 10,000 angels.

I did the math on that and I think it's a hundred million.

Any one of those angels could incinerate the state of Missouri.

These awesome, powerful beings.

There are a hundred million of them.

Around the throne, singing a song, worthy, is the Lamb.

Get used to singing that.

Because heaven cannot get over that the Son of God, the Prince of Glory, came back with only one thing from earth. nail prints in his hands and feet.

And a scar in his side And so you follow him here as your shepherd.

Until you get to do what Karen is doing tonight.

Worship him forever as God's Lamb sacrificed for you In a world like ours, that is unraveling and increasingly dangerous.

It is only those who belong to Jesus can say these words.

I am safe.

Oh, are you safe The Lord is your shepherd.

And you have the lamb in his arms.

Let me pray.

Lord, thank you for imprinting my little soul, my little boy's soul, with a picture of a shepherd, and a lamb in his arms.

If I let it that image today removes any reason I have to be afraid, any reason I have to be anxious about the future.

If I realize and I accept the fact and embrace, I am the lamb in a shepherd's arms.

This shepherd, the great shepherd 's arms.

There is no need.

That I should sweat.

There is no future I should fear.

There is no place I should not go if you ask me to.

There is no wound that cannot be treated and healed by this shepherd.

I just pray tonight that the preciousness of this relationship Would dawn anew in my brothers and sisters and in my heart too.

Because we'll make our decisions differently.

For our hope is rooted.

And the great shepherd of the sheep, who became the lamb, slaughtered for us.

We love you, Jesus.

We love you a lot.

And we pray in your name.

Amen.