Matthew 9:36
Choose Jesus
Matt 9:36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was
moved with compassion on them, because they
fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep
having no shepherd.
The "he" here is Jesus. When Jesus saw the people, Jesus was moved
with compassion for them.
Did you know that sheep are mentioned more than 500 times in the
Bible. That is more than any other animal.
http://www.sheep101.info/sheepbible.html
Why does God mention sheep so often? I think it is because their
nature is so much like that of people. This morning, let us look at
some of the 500 Bible verses to see how sheep describe the human
race and its condition.
I. \\#Matt 9:36\\ People, like sheep, need a Shepherd.
A. Would you note that sheep wander when they have no
shepherd, and the wandering is not good for them.
1. The Bible describes the wandering nature of the sheep.
Eze 34:6 My sheep wandered through all the
mountains, and upon every high hill: yea,
my flock was scattered upon all the face of the
earth, and none did search or seek after them.
2. Sadly, wandering sheep do not live very long in the wild.
a. Sheep—and common sense—may be yeo of the best proofs
that evolution is false.
b. Evolution proclaims the survival of the fittest.
c. Sheep are certainly not fit for survival.
d. Sheep have absolutely no means of defense.
(1) They lack sharp teeth to bite with.
(2) They lack sharp claws to scratch with.
(3) They cannot run, swim, or fly.
(4) They do not camouflage or in any way blend into
their surroundings.
(5) To any and every other animal, sheep are dinner
in a hairy to-go bag.
(6) The truth is, God made sheep to be cared for.
(7) Without a care-giver, their days are limited at
best.
e. If evolution were true, the only place sheep would
live would be the artic regions of the world.
(1) Did you know sheep do not shed?
https://www.asas.org/taking-stock/blog-post/taking-stock/2014/07/14/
there-is-no-such-thing-as-humane-wool-when-it-is-left-on-the-sheep-
why-sheep-shearing-is-absolutely-necessary-for-sheep-welfare#:~:
text=Unlike%20other%20animals%2C%20most%20sheep,a%20number%20of
%20problems%20occur.&text=This%20can%20cause%20sheep%20to,flies
%2C%20maggots%20and%20other%20pests
(2) The only way their wool can be removed is by
being sheered.
(3) How long do you think sheep would live in hot
climates with all of that wool on them if they
did not have a shepherd to sheer them?
B. But people, like sheep, also need a Shepherd.
1. I have said many times before that man was not designed to
live as a sinner.
a. Man was not built to withstand sin’s temptations.
(1) We do not see sin’s dangers, it’s traps, or
it’s consequences.
(2) To be blunt, we are too simple minded to deal
with sin.
b. Neither man was built for to carry the consequences
of sin.
(1) He is miserable experiencing guilt, shame,
regret.
(2) Look at the soaring statistics of abandonment,
addictions, depression, and suicides.
2. Man, like sheep, need a Shepherd!
a. Jesus is our Shepherd.
b. Without Him, we are lost.
c. Choose Jesus!
C. We must be careful not to confuse having no shepherd with
having no master.
1. It is sad but true. This world and all that is on it
belongs to the devil.
a. \\#Ephesians 2:2\\ calls him the prince of the power
of the air.
b. \\#2Corinthians 4:4\\ calls him the god of this world.
c. \\#Luke 4:5\\ The devil offered Jesus all of the
kingdoms of this world,
2. The lost world does have a master, an owner, one to whom
they belong.
a. That is the devil, but the devil is no shepherd.
b. It takes more than ownership to be a shepherd.
c. Jesus gave us a parable to help us to see the unique
character of the shepherd.
John 10:11 I am the good shepherd: the good
shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
12 But he that is an hireling, and not the
shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth
the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and
fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and
scattereth the sheep.
13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an
hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
14 I am the good shepherd, and know my
sheep, and am known of mine.
d. What does the Shepherd do? In reverse order:
(1) \\#14\\ He knows the sheep.
(2) \\#13\\ He cares for the sheep.
(3) \\#12\\ He lays down His life for the sheep.
e. What does the devil do for the sheep?
Joh 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to
steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come
that they might have life, and that they might
have it more abundantly.
(1) He comes to steal…
(2) to kill..
(3) to destroy.
f. All of Ezekiel 34 describes how the devil treats
his sheep.
Eze 34:16 I will seek that which was lost, and
bring again that which was driven away, and will
bind up that which was broken, and will
strengthen that which was sick.
g. Again, in reverse order, the devil leaves his sheep:
(1) sick
(2) broken
(3) driven and scatter
(4) lost.
D. People, like sheep, need a Shepherd. Choose Jesus.
II. Some people, like sheep, have a Shepherd, the good Shepherd.
John 10:11 I am the good shepherd: the good
shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
A. Let there be no question, To belong to the good Shepherd
is the right choice.
1. While there are some similarities between sheep and
people, there are some things that do NOT fit.
a. Sheep have no choice about what flock they belong to
but people do.
b. Sheep are born to a flock and typically live all of
their lives under the same shepherd.
c. People can decide to join Jesus’ flock!
d. If you join Jesus’ flock, you will know what it is to
be loved and protected.
2. Choose Jesus!
B. However, let me fully disclose here.
1. Even belonging to a good shepherd did not mean the sheep
were completely free from danger.
2. Two dangers existed even when the sheep belong to a good
shepherd.
a. They can be stolen.
b. They can wander off.
3. Now the shepherd does his best to protect the sheep from
both of these.
a. I was listening to a message Adrian Rogers preached
years ago about the shepherd’s ability to protect
the sheep with his rod.
b. Psalm 23 mentions God’s rod and His staff.
(1) Most are familiar with the shepherd’s staff, with
the crook at the top of it to lift up and to
guide the sheep.
(2) But on the other end of the staff was a rod.
(3) Dr. Rogers said that some shepherds made their
rod separate from the staff to give it a wider
range of function.
(4) Either way, the rod would be the root ball of a
sapling, either attached to the staff or with a
shortened handle.
(5) That root ball would be smoothed out and weighted
down, usually by driving metal or rock into it.
(6) Then, like a hammer, the shepherd would learn how
to hurl it against any predators of the sheep.
(7) Many a thief paid with his life for trying to
steal the good shepherd’s sheep!
C. Jesus warned His sheep that thieves will try to steal us too!
Joh 10:1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He
that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold,
but climbed up some other way, the same is a
thief and a robber.
1. Who would be foolish enough to try to steal one of God’s
sheep? That would be the devil.
a. Again, let me point out there is a difference between
sheep and people.
b. People have to choose to be stolen!
c. Christians actually have to help the devil to steal
them by following the devil’s temptations!
d. The devil uses the same methods today to steal God’s
sheep that he used to steal Eve from God, temptation.
e. He finds something we like, something we think we
might want, and then he offers it with "strings
attached."
2. But Christians don’t have to be stolen.
a. We are capable of wandering back out into the
wilderness all by ourselves!
Ps 119:176 I have gone astray like a lost
sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget
thy commandments.
b. David prayed to the Lord and confessed that he had not
been stolen by the devil; but rather, he wandered
from God on his own!
3. It doesn’t really matter much whether the devil has a part
in it or not. Either way it still us that got us away
from the Shepherd and back into the wilderness of sin!
D. But the good thing is that we were ever part of God’s flock,
we still are and God does not give up on a lost sheep.
Matt 18:12 How think ye? if a man have an
hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray,
doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and
goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that
which is gone astray?
13 And if so be that he find it, verily I
say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep,
than of the ninety and nine which went not
astray.
14 Even so it is not the will of your Father
which is in heaven, that one of these little
ones should perish.
1. This parable gets applied to the unsaved, and it does have
great application to the lost.
2. However, this parable is about Jesus finding HIS sheep,
not the devil’s!
a. If you are God’s sheep, whether you wander off on your
own are allow the devil to run off with you, Jesus
never writes you off.
b. Jesus will spend the rest of your days looking for you
and trying to bring you back into the fold!
c. The good news to any Christian is that just like you
choose to pull yourself out of the flock, so you can
choose to put yourself back into the flock.
(1) The good Shepherd actually knows where you are.
(2) He has been following you since the day you left
the fold.
(3) He is just waiting for you to choose Jesus again!
1Jo 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins,
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
III. People, like sheep, can benefit from having a shepherd.
A. What are the perks to being one of God’s sheep?
B. Believe it or not, Psalm 23 is one of the best passages
to describe the blessedness of being one of God’s sheep.
1. Most associate Psalm 23 as a "death" psalm.
2. There is only reference \\Psalm 23:4\\ to death in the
whole psalm.
3. The remainder of the psalm talks about the good life that
God gives His sheep.
4. Psalm 23 then is a "life" psalm filled with God describing
the conditions of being one of His sheep!
Psalm 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not
want.
a. God’s sheep have no needs. God provides for them.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
b. God’s sheep can lay down and rest. Sheep in the wild
must be guarded at all times, even while they sleep,
for they are always in danger.
2. …he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 …he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
c. God’s sheep are lead.
(1) That is, they do have boundaries.
(2) These boundaries are not to keep us from enjoying
life’s pleasures.
(3) They are to keep us safe.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the
shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou
art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort
me.
d. There is the one verse that mentions death.
(1) Please notice that it is not even given to direct
our minds toward death.
(2) It only states that when the worst thing that can
happen to one of God’s sheep does happen, it
will not be a bad thing for our Shepherd will go
with us even in death!
5 …thou anointest my head with oil…
e. God’s sheep are protected.
(1) Oil poured on the sheep’s head is not for
medication.
(2) It is for prevention.
(3) It prevents the sun from causing a heat stroke
and keeps the parasites off the sheep’s head and
out of his ears.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence
of mine enemies… my cup runneth over
f. God’s sheep are well feed! While we enjoy a banquet
table, the good Shepherd deals with our enemies.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all
the days of my life: and I will dwell in the
house of the LORD for ever.
g. God’s sheep get God’s best all the days of our lives!
Oh, friend, would you choose Jesus today? Several times I have
pointed to the fact that sheep and people are different in one
respect. People have a choice. Today you can choose to be one of
Jesus’ sheep. I pray that you will.
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