 Needed…a few good shepherds.
Jesus is called The Good Shepherd and we are called to follow Jesus…so we too must be good shepherds to others. Let’s go to Matthew 9:35-38: Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Jesus used the analogy of himself as the shepherd. It is a popular theme today. It is on the window behind me here in the church….the loving, caring shepherd we want to know. Then we read these verses… ‘Jesus was in Galilee’…his home area…visiting the towns and villages…the Greek translation says cities and villages…and at the time the cities were protected places while the villages were open hamlets of shacks and tents. It would be sort of like the difference between Sumas with its boundaries and municipal jurisdiction and the unincorporated cluster of homes in over in Clearbrook…protected areas and open areas. So, it means he went everywhere. ‘Teaching in the places where people pray and meet." He preached the good news of the kingdom. Indeed, he spoke of himself and yet he spoke of the teachings of the Father…His Sermon on the Mount was likely taught over and over. And just like John the Baptist, he preached repentance that leads to forgiveness.
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A story of unexpected power: A man working the midnight shift walked home every night. One night he was in a hurry, so he took a short cut through the cemetery. Unfortunately, he fell into a freshly dug grave. He wasn’t hurt, but the hole was so deep he was unable to get out. Nobody heard him yell. He decided to wait till the morning so he huddled in a corner to try and sleep. An hour later he was awakened by the falling of a second man who stumbled into the grave. The first man watched as the second man frantically tried to climb out. After a few minutes, the first man felt obliged to comment, so he said, “You’ll never get out that way.” Guess what?/ He did. ////
The unexpected power of prayer. A supernatural strength. God is at work all the time. Prayer makes us aware. Prayer changes us. Prayer gives us a mindset of expectation. Prayer gives us a boldness. Prayer creates in us an attitude to not give up….  “All the world is full of suffering. It is also full of overcoming.” ~ Helen Keller
Luke 11 is about overcoming the suffering and discouragement of our present world… In the beginning of Luke Jesus enters the world as a baby, then is introduced to the world as a man. In Luke 5, Jesus invites disciples to learn from him and to be trained to carry on the ministry of Jesus Christ in the world. As Jesus spends time with his disciples and teaching them, a turning point comes in Luke 9…He sends out the disciples: “He gave them power and authority to drive out demons and to cure diseases and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick” (Luke 9:1-2). Jesus is preparing the disciples for the time when Jesus will ascend to heaven and leave the disciples to carry on the work of God. In the last chapter we studied several months ago, Luke 10, Jesus sends out even more disciples into the villages. We now come to Luke 11. After all this time with Jesus, he teaches his disciples about prayer. Why now? There must be a reason Jesus’ teaching on prayer does not come until late in the game.  Greetings, the text we are going to look at today comes from Luke chapter 9 verses 57-62. In it we find a story about three individuals who encountered Jesus and were given the opportunity to follow him. Imagine that for a moment. Imagine being able to see and talk with Jesus. What would you say? What do you think he would say to you? One of the great things about scripture is that when read it we are allowed to imagine ourselves in the story. It’s not against the rules. We can be King David or Esther, or John. We can be Moses or Ruth we can be Samson or Delilah, or we can be one of these three people in our text today. Luke actually encourages this. He tells us nothing about each of these people. He grants them anonymity. Matthew doesn't, he tells us that the first person to encounter Jesus is a “teacher of the law” and he tells us the 2nd character in our story was a disciple. He leaves the third character in our story, completely out. Luke leaves these details out. Why? Because he is inviting us in. We are allowed to see ourselves in the story. To imagine how we might have responded in their situations. Lets go.
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Carl Crouse, Pastor
At SACC we believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God. Every Sunday the worship service includes a message from the Bible. My words are an attempt to understand and apply the Bible to our daily living. I post weekly sermons and other biblical messages on this page. May you find meaning and hope as you read through each message and seek to hear God's voice. Leave a comment to ask questions or inspire others with your insights. Categories
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