Our Loving Protector

My text today comes once again from the 23^rd Psalm: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.”

 

Last week we spent time unpacking that that first clause – “The Lord is my Shepherd.” David didn’t know what we know of the Lord because God had not fully revealed Himself as a triune Being: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. According to the New Testament revelation, Jesus – the Son of God – is the Good Shepherd. He applied that title to Himself in the 10^th chapter of John’s gospel.

 

We also looked briefly at a few of our Shepherd’s characteristics, namely that He is our Creator, He is utterly holy, and He is abundantly merciful. I want to spend some more time today looking at only two additional characteristics of our Shepherd, specifically, the Shepherd is deeply and passionately in love with us; And the Shepherd is our personal protector.

 

First, let’s look at His intimate and very personal love for each of us. I think one of the most beautiful word pictures in the entire Bible is in Isaiah chapter 40:11 “He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; He gently leads those that have young.”

 

When our children were in cribs, sometimes I’d slip into their bedrooms while they slept, lift them into my arms, and hold them close, rocking from side to side as they slept. And I like to think that maybe once in a while – now this is “Richard Theology” what I am about to say – I like to think my Shepherd sometimes slips into the bedroom while I sleep, He lifts me into His arms – and hugs me.

 

And I wouldn’t be surprised that Jesus – YOUR Shepherd – does the same to you, too. But for most people – even those in pews and pulpits – for most people, God's love for them is insufficient reason to reciprocate their love to Him.

 

And so, the reasonable question is raised: Yes, He loves us; But WHY should we love Him? What should drive our love for Him?

 

Luke tells of a Pharisee who invited Jesus to his home for a meal. While they were eating, a harlot entered and approached Jesus to wet His feet with her tears and wipe them with her hair. The Pharisee said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner.” (Luke 7:39).

 

Listen now to the Lord’s response “A moneylender had two debtors: one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. So, which of them will love him more?” Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have judged correctly.” Turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet. You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume. For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.” (Luke 7:41-47)

 

I need to repeat part of this text. When Jesus asked the Pharisee: “Which of them will love him more?” Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.”

 

Simon’s answer is key to understand why the Christian – of all people – should yearn to reciprocate the Shepherd’s love. “The one who is forgiven much, loves much.”

 

I spoke last week about the sins in our mind such as greed, anger, lust, and so forth. I think we only begin to understand the depth of God’s love for us when we begin to grasp just how utterly sinful we truly are. In the warp and woof of our very being we are corrupted by our sin nature. We can’t turn there now, but I remind you of St Paul’s desperate cry in those last verses of Romans chapter seven where he mourned out loud his complete inability to stop sinning. And likewise, it is only when we grow in our understanding or our sin-saturated situation that we can begin to grow in our love for God who has completely erased our sins through our faith in the Good Shepherd who took on Himself the Father’s wrath for our sins. How can anyone not love the Shepherd so much when He has forgiven us so much?

 

God's love for us simply cannot be overstated. And yet, how often do we take his love for granted – for if we did not take His love for granted, we would GRIEVE over the things we so often do and say and think. The Lord Jesus said it plainly enough: “If you love Me, you will keep my commandments.” (John 14:15). And I am convinced that the degree of our love for Christ is directly related to our obedience to him.

 

Think about that for a while. The degree of our love for Christ is directly related to our obedience to Him. Does that cause you discomfort?  I hope so. It certainly causes ME discomfort.

 

So, how shall we face this challenge to obey Him more fully? I’ll tell you how I try to do it: I often ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to me my sins when I do something offensive to Him. And I ask Him to please change my heart day by day so that I may demonstrate more perfect obedience to Christ – obedience not out of fear, but out of love, out of a desire to please my Shepherd.

 

I ask the Holy Spirit for His supernatural aid because I know I am totally incapable of long-term obedience in and of my own strength. And neither are YOU capable of long-term obedience in and of your own strength. The apostle Paul said it quite well: “The mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so.” (Romans 8:7)

 

Long-term obedience and a deepening love for Christ is supernaturally driven. To think otherwise is to blind ourselves to the magnitude of the machinations and influence of the spirit world. St Paul was not speaking in hyperbole when he warned: (Ephesians 6:12) “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” 

 

And because of His great love for us, and because of the supernatural enemy who daily seeks to pull us from the narrow path of Christ, I now turn attention to the next characteristic of our Good Shepherd. His love naturally results in His divine protection of His sheep.

 

The Lord told His followers: “All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them . . . . The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” (John 10:8-11)

 

When scripture speaks of wolves in sheep clothing, it does not refer to literal wolves. He refers to predators far more dangerous. Literal wolves devour flesh. but the wolves God warns against devour souls.

 

Early in His ministry, the Good Shepherd warned his followers: “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” (Matthew 7:15)

 

Jude also warned about predators who’d already become part of their local church: “For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.” (Jude 1:4)

 

You and I must be keenly aware that the same kinds of predatory wolves who scattered and devoured the sheep of the first century are still active in the 21^st century. They are false teachers who stand behind pulpits and in front of seminary classrooms, who seduce unsuspecting Christians with ideas and philosophies that SOUND reasonable but are soul-destroying deceptions. Many even have a Bible tucked under their arm as they stand smiling at your door.

 

But it is not only those deceptive non-Christian groups that destroy souls. There are a growing number of Protestant and Catholic churches – even in this town – led by seminary-trained pastors and teachers who ALSO lead God's flock astray. I heard one false shepherd tell his congregation, “God doesn’t care if you’re gay or straight.” Another pastor actually taught a doctrine of Hinduism from the pulpit. Another member of the clergy in this town proudly spoke of her marriage to her lesbian partner. And I know of church leaders who tell their congregations that we can have a “reasonable hope that hell is empty.” Another high-ranking clergy teaches his massive flock ‘all religious roads lead to God.”

 

I’ve said these things before, and I repeat myself because the Good Shepherd Jesus knows very well how badly His sheep need His protection. That’s why He provided His Holy Spirit to guide us into His truth (See John 14:17, 26). But that begs the question: HOW does He guide us into His truth? That’s easy. He does so primarily through the Scriptures.

 

You might remember the story of Lazarus the beggar and the self-centered Rich Man. (Luke 16:24-31) When both died, the poor man was carried to Abraham’s bosom, The Rich Man, in the fiery torment of Hades, cried out ‘Father Abraham . . . I beg you, father, that you send [Lazarus] to my father’s house— for I have five brothers— in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ But he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’ But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”

 

Focus with me on those last words of Abraham to the Rich Man in agony: “They have Moses and the Prophets; Let the hear them.” Listen, my brothers and sisters here in this sanctuary: THAT is also a word of warning for you and me who are sheep of the Good Shepherd. God's Truths are all there between the covers of our Bible, and we must be convinced that no teaching, doctrine, or philosophy about God will EVER contradict the Scriptures. If anyone comes with a teaching from a source other than the Scriptures – that person is a false teacher.

 

Christian: Be aware. For good reason God told us through the prophet Isaiah: “To the Law and the testimony (i.e. of the prophets) “If they do not speak according to this word, it is because they have no light.” (Isaiah 8:20). In other words, those who contradict the Scriptures are walking in spiritual darkness – the blind leading the blind.

 

God uses His word to lead sheep into His kingdom. It is no wonder, then, that from the beginning, Satan mocks God's word and seduces others to do the same. You remember what he said to our First Mother: “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” And then he added: “You surely will not die! (Genesis 3:1-5)

 

Likewise, today’s predators mock the foundation of Christian faith by suggesting the Bible is not a reliable modern guide to life and holiness. They say it’s merely an archaic set laws and rules of an ancient people. They say we ought to get guidance about life and holiness from contemporary intellectuals, scientists and social philosophers.

 

Yet, Solomon warned: (Proverbs 22:28) ‘Do not move the ancient boundary which your fathers have set.” In other words, don’t move from the historic teachings of the Church which date to the first century. And God warned through the Psalmist: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you. Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding, whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check, otherwise they will not come near to you.” (Psalm 32:8-9)

 

The Psalmist also warned: “If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:3).

 

If you know your Old Testament history, it was BECAUSE the ancient boundaries were moved, and the foundations were destroyed that the populations of Judah and Jerusalem – and the Northern Kingdom of Israel more than a century earlier – that they ended their lives in horrible captivity.

 

Listen to what God told His stiff-necked Chosen People just before Jerusalem’s bloody exile – and listen to their response: (Jeremiah 6:16-17) “Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; And you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ “And I set watchmen over you, saying, ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’ But they said, ‘We will not listen.’

 

Did you ever wonder about the spiritual anemia running like a pandemic through so much of the Body of Christ? It’s because people in the pew AND the pulpit are simply unwilling to abide by the commandments of Scripture. Multitudes know what God says to them, but they respond the same way Israel did in Jeremiah’s day: “We will not walk in it. We will not listen to it.”

 

Those who want to live in sin find it easy to pick and choose what they like and what don’t like of God's commandments. And the result of picking and choosing? According to recent polls, 70% of Protestants and 85% of Catholics do not believe the Bible is literally true. Nearly 75% of self-identified Christians do not believe Jesus is the ONLY door to salvation.

 

Do you begin to grasp the importance of knowing – and obeying – what the Book says? The only way sin and false teachings can make headway in churches is when shepherds in the pulpits do not preach the full inerrancy and infallibility of Scripture, and when their congregations blindly follow their local shepherd. There is simply no other way for sexual perversions and immorality of all kinds, along with their attending heresies, to spread through churches.

 

And now a quick word of application: Are you and I listening to God speak to us through His word? Just because someone has academic letters after their name does not necessarily mean they are godly pastors or teachers. When the apostle Paul preached the gospel in Berea, Luke tells us, “They received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.”

 

I hope you caught that. The laity of Berea examined the Scriptures daily to verify what the great apostle Paul was telling them. And that is why EVERY person in this sanctuary not only has the right to examine what I and anyone else tells you about sin, righteousness, and judgment – you not only have the right to examine our words, but you have the responsibility to God do so. And one final word about this point: If any pastor tells you that you should NOT examine what they tell you, then run, don’t walk, out of their church.

 

The Lord Jesus is our Shepherd. The Father created us through Him and for Him. He is holy. He is merciful. He deeply and passionately loves us, hugs us to Himself, and calls us His own. And He protects us by His Holy Spirit through His infallible and fully inerrant Scriptures – but ONLY if we want to be protected.

 

The Lord is our Shepherd. By His help alone, we will hear His voice and obediently follow Him.

The Omnipotent Shepherd

 We are beginning a short series of messages from the 23^rd Psalm. Please read it along with me: The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

 

When David spoke of the Lord as his shepherd, he did not know what we today know – that the Lord is a triune Being Scripture reveals as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We also understand, based on our familiarity with the New Testament, that the Shepherd is the Lord Jesus, the second Person of the triune God. Listen to Jesus as recorded by the apostle John:

 

“I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. (John 10:11-15)

 

David knew what it was like to be a shepherd. Before he became king, he lived the life of a shepherd, and so it was quite natural for David to use that term in this psalm as he reflected on the Lord, his God. The Shepherd leads his flock. He calls them by name. He restores them to health when they are injured or ill. He guides them, protects them, comforts them, and so forth.

 

A person does not have to be a shepherd to understand that role. Parents know what it is like to ‘shepherd’ their children through youth and into adulthood. Pet owners also – whether of dogs or cats or some other animal –understand what it means to nurture and protect them. Which suddenly reminds me of that wonderful passage in Isaiah’s prophecy:

 

“But now, thus says the Lord, your Creator, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! . . .For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior . . . You are precious in My sight.” (Isaiah 43:1,3a, 4a)

 

It is the Good Shepherd, Jesus who restores those who belongs to Him by faith. It is the Good Shepherd, Jesus, who guides us, protects us, comforts us, nurtures us, calls us by name.  

 

And because we have heard this truth so often in our Christian lives it can be easy to gloss over this truth. But let’s face it – life can be very hard, confusing, tragic and painful. And no one reaches our age without some emotional scars and baggage. Like sheep gone astray, we’ve been cut by life’s brambles and twisted our ankles time and again on unsteady paths.

 

But we’re here, in this sanctuary. We’re still seeking to follow the One who still calls us by name. We’re still following the Good Shepherd who still promises that He “will not allow you to be tested beyond what you are able, but with the test will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)

 

Indeed, it is often by way of those very brambles and twisted ankles that the Good Shepherd strengthens our faith to such a degree that we will not fail Him or ourselves when and if harder times come.  We have the Shepherd’s promise about that. Listen to James, the brother of the Lord, say it: “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. (James 1:2-3)

 

And St Paul (Romans 5:3-5) “Tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

 

The Good Shepherd is a good shepherd because He loves His sheep. He even lays down His life for His sheep; And just to be clear – you and I are His sheep. (John 10:11)

 

Before we move any further in this message, I want to park here a while and explore a bit more deeply the identity of the Good Shepherd. I recognize what I am about to say will not be new to most of you. But I say what I am about to say because “I” need to be reminded of these truths from time to time. And the same might be true of you as well that you also can use a reminder from time to time about WHO our Shepherd truly is.

 

First, it is through our Shepherd that the universe exists – stars, planets, asteroids, and so forth. Before Genesis chapter one, even time itself did not exist, nor atoms and molecules. Before Genesis chapter one only the Triune God existed – three Persons in perfect unity, co-equal, and co-eternal.

 

I need to repeat that for emphasis. With His inconceivable power, the Triune God created the universe through the one David calls his Shepherd. Listen to Colossians 1:15-18, speaking specifically of Jesus in relation to the Father and the Holy Spirit: “He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”

 

Here also is John 1:1-3 which is reminiscent of those first verses in Genesis one: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.”

 

Of course, a slew of other scriptures tells the same thing about our Shepherd, Jesus, and I stop with these two only for the sake of time. The point of it all – Our Shepherd Jesus is omnipotent. His power is unequalled in all creation. What He opens, no one in all creation – including angels and fallen angels – can shut. What He shuts, no one can open. (See Revelation 3:7)

 

And that ought to provide great comfort to us who get stuck in brambles from time to time and who twist our ankles on unsteady ground. It ought to provide great comfort to those who belong to Him by their faith in His promises. The Shepherd not only holds the whole world in His hands, but He also holds you and me in those same omnipotent hands.

 

The Prophet was not speaking in hyperbole when he said: “Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket and are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales . . . All the nations are as nothing before Him, they are regarded by Him as less than nothing and meaningless.” (Isaiah 40:15a, 17)

 

Nor was the Psalmist exaggerating with he wrote: “The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, The world, and those who dwell in it.” Psalm 24:1

 

We must not – ‘I’ must not – gloss over this truth: It is THIS omnipotent Shepherd who is our guide, our protector, our nourisher, our comforter.

He created us. He knows us more intimately and entirely than we even know ourselves.

 

So then -- what else is this Creator-Shepherd? He is holy. I must repeat that: The Shepherd is not only our creator, He is also utterly holy.

 

I’m certain we do not fully understand that crucial point. I know that I, after more than 50 years walking with Christ, I myself do not fully appreciate that point. If I did – if we did – we would not be so cavalier about our sins – perhaps especially what we like to call our ‘small sins.’ Some use the term, ‘venial sins.’

 

No, we would not be careless about them. What ARE ‘little sins’ – as many like to call them? Here are only a few examples. You can surely think of others – so-called little sins like gossip, or telling “white” lies, or watching things we should not watch, or listening to things we should not listen to, or ignoring those around us who are in need. Yet ‘little sins’ can become quite dangerous if we don’t recognize them and actively try to stop committing them.

 

The Lord Jesus warned those with ears to hear: “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.” (Luke 16:10)

 

St. Augustine might have had that text in mind when he wrote: “Do not despise venial sins because they appear trifling … but fear them because they are numerous. Small animals in large numbers can kill a man. Grains of sand are very small, yet, if accumulated, they can sink a ship. Drops of water are very small, yet how often they become a mighty river, a raging torrent, sweeping everything before them!”

 

And I must remind myself, sins are not only committed with our hands. We also commit sins in our minds. Paul gives us a partial list in his letter to the Christians at Colossae. Think of how many of these are sins of the mind: “Immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry . . . anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.” (Colossians 3:5-8)

 

Yes, God is serious when He commands us to be holy as He is holy. “As obedient children,” the apostle Peter wrote: “be holy yourselves also in all your behavior..” (1 Peter 1:14-16)

 

Be holy – not just in deeds but also in our thoughts. Now THAT’S a challenge, isn’t it? And along that train of thought, I believe it was Martin Luther who said, “We cannot stop birds from flying over our head, but we can stop them from building a nest in our hair.”

 

When the Holy Spirit reveals to us our thoughts of lust, anger, greed, and so forth, then we must be alert enough to immediately repent, and with His help change our thoughts. It usually helps me to think of a memory verse, or a portion of a church hymn – or even what I plan to do for the rest of the day – ANYTHING to get my mind off of the wrong I was thinking.

 

Let’s move on with the idea of who and what our shepherd is. He is our creator. He is holy. AND, He is also merciful.

 

Oh – is that not a good word, ‘merciful’? Our holy God has mercy toward the penitent sinner. Listen again to David – the same David who slept with another man’s wife and, to cover his crime had her husband murdered. And although he paid dearly for his crimes in life – God forgave him and spared him eternal judgment when he repented. Here is what he wrote in Psalm 32: “Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them.” (Psalm 32:1-2)

 

David knew he was a sinner, yet He trusted God to be true to His word, and forgive his sins. THAT is why he also had confidence that his merciful Shepherd would make him lie down in green pastures, and lead him beside still waters, and restore his soul. He knew his Shepherd would lead him in paths of righteousness, and that though he walked through valleys of deep darkness – his Shepherd would walk with him step by step.

 

Application time: Do YOU have the confidence in your Good Shepherd as David had – confidence of His love and care and forgiveness? How often has He demonstrated to you His forgiveness and nurture and love?

 

As I prepared this sermon, as this point, I suddenly thought of the time when Jesus and His 12 were in the boat on the lake and they said to each other – “Hey, guys – we forgot to bring food with us.” You’ll find that conversation in the eighth chapter of Mark’s gospel.

 

But the important thing about their comment is that they’d just witnessed the Lord’s miraculous feeding of the 5,000 and then the 4,000. Mark records it this way: Jesus asked, “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” “Twelve,” they replied. “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” They answered, “Seven.” He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”

 

And so I wonder if the Good Shepherd asks us the same question: Do we still not understand? After demonstrating to us that NOTHING can separate us from His love or His mercy toward the penitent – even the one who falls short of His holiness – do we still question His love and forgiveness? Do we not remember the gospel message: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all”? (1 Timothy 1:15).

 

We gotta get this. David, who was guilty of murder and adultery, and Paul who was guilty of religious terrorism and murder, and a slew of other very human men and women in Scripture and in Church history – The Lord is our Good Shepherd, our Merciful Shepherd.

 

As the Psalmist also wrote – and please, once again, pay attention to God's unerring promise to us:

 

“The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness. He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.  For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust.” (Psalm 103:9-14)

 

Our Shepherd knows our frame. He knows we are dust. That is why the Father gave His Son to die on that cross as our substitute. It is why the Good Shepherd died on that Cross, to take on Himself the Father’s wrath against OUR sins.

 

Oh, the incomprehensible mercy, love, kindness, and compassion of our God. And that’s why this 23rd psalm is so applicable to our lives in 2025. And that is why it is equally incomprehensible that anyone would reject the Shepherd’s love. Yes, such love, such wondrous love that God should love a sinner such as I – how wonderful is love like this?”

 

Just this last week I spoke with a woman who had grown uncertain of her salvation and God's forgiveness. I came close to her, my Bible in hand, and read to her some of the same promises God has made to her – the same promises I’ve already read to you this afternoon.

 

Tears of relief came to her eyes. She knows once again that not only is she God's daughter, but she is His BELOVED daughter – forgiven and saved.

 

What about you? Do you believe the Holy and merciful Creator, when He promises you mercy and forgiveness of your sins? I so very much hope so. He is not lying when He says what He says. 

 

Be at peace. Christian: The omnipotent and merciful creator is YOUR Shepherd.

 

We’ll continue this series next week about the Lord, who is our Shepherd

Ashamed of the Gospel

 

February 2, 2025

Ashamed of the Gospel

 

My text this afternoon comes from the first chapter of Paul’s letter to the Christians in Rome. It’s a vitally important text for us especially in our religiously pluralistic culture: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Gentile.” (Romans 1:16)

 

One definition of ‘ashamed’ is to be reluctant or unwilling to do something because of embarrassment. Paul’s text here in Romans chapter one cuts to the heart of a growing problem facing many of today’s Christians in America. Television, Hollywood, the educational system, the courts, the marketplace, and even many churches have for many decades been slowly squeezing Christians into the mold called ‘religious pluralism.’ And that ought to frighten us because that mold reduces Jesus the Christ to just one of many religious teachers and prophets.

 

If you don’t know the term, ‘religious pluralism’ is the notion that states all religious worldviews are equally valid, equally true, and equally acceptable to God. Said simply, all religious roads lead to God.

 

Pope Francis, of all people, is only the latest influential clergy to promote that ancient heresy. He did so during his visit to Singapore in September of last year. But he is not alone in that false teaching. Those in pulpits and pews in a variety of Protestant denominations also believe many roads lead to heaven. In fact, according to a 2021 poll by Probe Ministries, nearly 70% of self-identifying Christians believe the same demonic lie that Jesus is NOT the only way to God.”*

 

I want to remind us of that conversation in the Garden of Eden of the dialogue between the Serpent and Eve that has had deadly and horrific consequences to this very day. It was there that Satan asked Eve, “Indeed, has God said?” (Genesis 3:1) And in so doing, the devil seduced her into doubting God's word and suspecting His motives were dishonest. Her doubts quickly led to her fatal disobedience, and Satan, having successfully deceived Eve to question God and His motives, uses the same tactic to this very moment.

 

I’ve said this before, and I say it again because the danger is so very great, a danger the apostles warned of time and again: “The Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons.” (1 Timothy 4:1)

 

And so I preach to you what every faithful follower of Christ has preached for 2,000 years: Anyone who dilutes the gospel message, anyone who preaches a different gospel than what the New Testament proclaims – they are false teachers in league with the devil – either intentionally or unintentionally.

 

Those are bold words, yes. And I make that statement without apology because I’m simply quoting the apostles. For example, listen to Paul in his letter to the Christians at Corinth: “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore, it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.”

 

And this from Jude: (1:4) “For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”

 

And again from Paul: (Galatians 1:8-9) But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! ⁹ As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!

Regarding religious pluralism, listen: There can only be ONE truth, not a half-dozen. The doctrines of Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism and other religions are not only totally diverse in their teaching about sin, righteousness, and judgment, but they are totally divergent in their understanding of the nature of God.

 

Bible-based Christian faith unequivocally declares that our sins can only be erased by faith in the sacrificial atoning death of Jesus on the cross and that He rose from death three days later. Only Christianity has the full and complete answer to the question about sin, forgiveness, eternal judgment, and eternal life. Only Christ is the road to eternal life. God's word has never been ambiguous about eternal Truth – and neither should we who are His faithful servants.

 

Christian! Do not be ashamed of the gospel. Christ Jesus was not speaking in riddles when He warned: “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” (Luke 9:26)

 

He was not being cryptic when He said: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” (John 14:6). And the apostle Peter was not confused when he warned the Jewish religious leaders: “There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

 

And because the gospel is absolutely and unalterably linked to eternal salvation, Jesus commands us to “go into all the world and preach the gospel to all nations.” (Mark 16:15) In fact, the first recorded words of the Lord were “Repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15) It is because of the exclusivity of the Christian gospel message that the word appears nearly 100 times in the New Testament – again and again, so no one can say they didn’t know what the Almighty Judge expects of us.

 

Please do not overlook this text, either: Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14)

 

We are all familiar with telephone area codes. My phone number is comprised of ten digits, starting with the area code of 360 – which is from the Pacific Northwest. The area code 212 identifies parts of New York City.

And also as everyone here has experiences, if we misdial a phone number by one digit, the call will not go through to the intended recipient. For example, if you want to dial someone in New York, and misdial 212 as 112 as I tried to do, you’ll get a recording which says, “The number you have called is not valid.”

 

And, please – we all must hear this and believe this: Eternal life and the complete forgiveness of our sins has only one working ‘phone number’ – to maintain the metaphor. And that number is JESUS. Any other number, any ‘misdialing’ of that number, takes us on the broad way that leads to destruction.

 

it is no wonder the apostle was not ashamed of the gospel. It alone is the power of God to rescue those who believe from the eternal disaster that faces all who reject the gospel.

 

Now, before moving any further, I need to make sure we all understand what the term, ‘the gospel’ is. The word ‘gospel’ comes from the Greek word meaning, ‘good news.’ Listen to the apostle Paul define the ‘good news’:

 

(1 Corinthians 15:1-3) “Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.”

 

Let me summarize what Paul wrote here about the gospel. First, Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. God's word, from Genesis through Revelation tells us that our human nature is utterly fallen. We are hopelessly and helplessly sin-diseased creatures, and without God’s intervention we can never be reconciled to our Creator. But the ‘gospel’ – the ‘good news’ – is this: God DID intervene in our otherwise hopeless situation, and that intervention forms the basis of the exclusiveness of the gospel.

 

Listen again to the Scriptures: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) And again: “The wages of sin is death. But the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

 

That prepositional phrase, ‘in Christ Jesus’ is critical, because it is only those who are IN Christ Jesus, who believe in Him and trust Him to be their substitutionary atonement for their sins – it is only those to whom God gives eternal life. No one else. Not Muslims. Not Hindus. No one. Not even Jews who reject their Messiah Jesus. Only true Christianity has the answer to the question: What can wash away my sins? What can make me whole again? And that answer is: Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

 

What does Scripture mean when it speaks of Jesus’ substitutionary atonement for our sins? It’s this: God’s utter holiness requires divine punishment for sin. There’s no wiggle room in the justice of God to overlook even what we might call minor sins. Justice REQUIRES wrath against sin. All sin. Any sin.

 

On the other hand, God’s mercy toward sinners calls for, well . . . mercy and compassion toward the sinner.

 

That tension between God's wrathful justice and God’s bountiful mercy was satisfied in the Old Testament through the Mosaic sacrificial system. The last half of Exodus, and the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy especially focus attention on the animal sacrifices which became the substitutionary punishment for the person who had sinned. When the Jewish priests laid their hands on the head of the sacrificial animal, the sins of the penitent sinner were transferred to the animal who then was slain.

 

Fast forward to Calvary’s mountain outside Jerusalem where ‘The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world’ was slain. The sacrifices under the Law of Moses were a picture – a foreshadow – of what God would fulfill centuries later on Calvary’s cross. Listen to God’s promise through Isaiah the prophet seven centuries earlier:

 

“He [the Messiah] was despised and rejected . . . . We turned our backs on him and looked the other way . . .. But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all.”  (Isaiah 53:3-6, NLT)

 

Jesus, the perfect and sinless Lamb of God, provides the only way for the penitent’s sinner to be perfectly cleansed from his or her sins. That means everyone who comes to Jesus for forgiveness will – without question – receive forgiveness.

 

No other religious faith meets God's unyielding requirement for the forgiveness of sins. When the penitent turns to Christ, God forgives those sins to such a degree as to consider those sins having never been committed. The theological terms for that divine reality are ‘justification,’ and the ‘remission of sins.’

 

On the other hand, everyone who rejects Christ and follows another faith – or no faith – they will not receive God's forgiveness, and will ultimately experience His eternal wrath for their sins.

 

THAT is the devilish danger of religious pluralism.

 

And that is part of Paul’s point when he wrote in that letter to the Corinthians, “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.” Which brings us to the second point he makes about the gospel: “[Christ] was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.”

 

Scripture repeats the message again and again – so we will not miss it. Jesus rose from the dead three days after His crucifixion. This is not an insignificant or debatable point. Eternal life and eternal damnation rest on that fundamental historical reality of Christ’s resurrection. Every other foundation is nothing but sand and will lead to eternal damnation.

Now admittedly, to insist that Jesus is the only road to God is not going to win many friends among those who want to live and let live, and who want to be tolerant of other religious ideas and expressions.

 

Well, so be it. As St. Paul wrote to the Christians at Galatia, “If I were trying to please men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.” And you and I, as disciples and followers of Jesus, we must decide every day if will we compromise with those who believe all roads lead to heaven, or will we stand unashamed with Christ and the history of all the martyrs who died for God’s eternal truth?

This is the gospel: God became Man through the Virgin’s womb. He lived a sinless life. He died as a substitutionary sacrifice for our sins and it is only through Christ can anyone be reconciled with the Father. Again, as Scripture tells us, “There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12)

 

Listen, if Jesus was not physically resurrected from death, then our Christian faith is no better than Buddhism, or Islam, or Hinduism – or any other false religion. Worse yet – if Jesus did not physically rise from death, then we are without hope whatsoever for eternal life and the forgiveness of our sins.

 

Let me repeat that crucial point which stands in direct opposition to the demonic lies of religious pluralism: Without the resurrection of Jesus Christ, everything the New Testament tells us about sin, forgiveness, and eternity is a puff of air and we are of all people most to be pitied because we live a lie.

 

Christian, listen! Please. You will be told by the media, Hollywood, educators and multitudes of clergy, theologians, and pastors – as well as the average person in and out of the pew – you’ll be told that there are many possible paths to God.

 

But I will say it uncompromisingly again as I have said it multiple times in this message: The Scriptures warn us that those educators, theologians, pastors and all the rest are ALL wrong. Every one of them. And Satan is using them to pass along the same lie that worked with Eve – “Indeed, has God REALLY said that Jesus alone is the way to eternal life?”

 

Christian! Faith in the full inerrancy, infallibility, and divine inspiration of God's word is an ‘all-or-nothing’ faith if we hope to face life AND death with a godly confidence.

 

When the same former Pharisee Paul wrote, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the [Gentile] – he was writing to a people steeped in religious pluralism. Rome and all Europe and Asia were known for their multiplicity of gods. But God sent Paul to tell them the truth about God's only plan of salvation – which is through Jesus the Christ, who alone is the ‘way, the truth, and the life. And no one comes to the Father except through Him.  

 

No one. No exceptions.

 

And just as the Father sent Paul to a religiously mixed-up world, even so God sends us. It’s called ‘The Great Commission’ which Jesus Himself commanded of us: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. (Mark 16:15)

 

But we cannot go as He commanded, unless we believe what God tells us about the true gospel. Please, believe God's word, and never compromise His truth to curry favor with others.

 

https://www.christianpost.com/news/nearly-70-percent-of-born-again-christians-dont-see-jesus-as-only-way.html