Feed My Sheep

Sermon Topic: "Feed My Sheep"

Processional Hymn: #28 O GOD, OUR HELP IN AGES PAST

INVOCATION:
Almighty God, who in thy providence hast made all ages a preparation for the kingdom of thy son: We beseech thee to make ready our hearts for the brightness of thy glory and the fullness of thy blessing in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER:
Almighty and most merciful father, we have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep. We have followed to much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against thy laws. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done, and we have done those things which we ought not to have done. But thou, O lord, have mercy upon us. Spare those who are penitent, according to thy promises declared unto mankind in Christ Jesus our Lord. And Grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake, that we may hereafter live a godly, righteous and sober life, to the glory of thy holy name. Amen.

RESPONSIVE READING: #599 THE GLORY OF THE LORD

SCRIPTURE TEXT: JOHN 21: 12-17

HYMN OF PREPARATION: #45 THIS IS MY FATHER'S WORLD

HYMN OF DEDICATION: #274 MASTER, SPEAK! THY SERVANT HEARETH

Feed My Sheep

There is in this vast, complex and rapidly changing world of ours a desire on the part of all people to be happy and successful.

The big question is how does one measure happiness and success. In trying to answer this question as simply as possible if we look into the word of God - The Bible - and examine the life of Jesus we would find our answers. His life demonstrated and his teachings showed that it is when we are working for the good of mankind that we really show our love for God and are happy and successful in all our undertakings. This is what life is all about, -- and if we don't plan our day's activities in the light of the commandments of Jesus we can not expect to be truly happy and successful.

Let me illustrate what I mean by a story that was in the July issue of Reader's Digest.

A young boy by the name of Sione was chosen from among many young people on the Polynesian kingdom of Tonga to be educated in the United States. After five very successful years of study he was now on his way home to Tonga. He didn't need to return because he had been a very successful student and had received many offers for fine positions in the United States. As much as he would have liked to stay he chose to return to Tonga where he plans to start a college for his people.

He knew he would miss books and libraries, films, plays, and concerts; the change of seasons, snow and the thrill of skiing, and most of all he would miss friends. He said he didn't think he would miss modern conveniences like television, hot baths and uncomfortable clothes, or the crowds, the noise, the polluted air, the traffic jams and the people who in their hurry always half run--half walk.

He explained his returning to Tonga by saying, "I have a goal; it is to give my people a deep apprectiation of what we have in Tonga--something you can only discover by going away. He said--we have nothing really buy yet we have so much. We have "Ofa". "Ofa" is a Tonga word meaning respect, kindness, sympathy, and love;--all the things of the heart. It is the most important word in our vocabulary. In America success is measured by what you produce or what you posses. In Tonga, success is measured only in terms of your relationship with other human beings.

In the text that I read this morning Jesus repeats his question to Peter three times and three times he tells Peter "Feed My Sheep". In the revised standard version I think that we get a better understanding of what jesus was telling Peter and us.

After his first question "do you love me?", and Peter answers, Jesus says to Peter, "Feed my Lambs". This seems to indicate that Jesus wants us to teach the young children at an early age, when their minds and hearts can be easily molded to the ways of christ that they might be committed to Christian life. Then after questioning Peter the second time Jesus says to him "Tend my sheep". I think that Jesus here is giving a message to the ministers of the Gospel to preach the word for God--for without the Word of God, which is our only hope, men cannot succeed. After the third time when Jesus Questioned Peter about his love of Christ--Jesus said to Peter "Feed my sheep".

Yes--Simon Peter the boastful disciple, the impetuous follower, the apostle who denied our Lord in the hour of greatest need stood before the Risen Christ to answer a very important question. "Simon, son of Jonas, do you love me?"

"Yes lord", he answered, "you know I love you". Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep." The Lord Jesus knew that Peter would be a pillar in the early Christian Church, and that he would write two epistles to instruct and encourage all Christians through the centuries, and that he would die a martyr's death and give honor to God. But Jesus didn't say to him, "Peter become a saint". Instead He gave a command of service, "Feed my sheep."

Every Christian has at some time stood at the summit of spiritual experience and in the light of it's inspiration, pledged his or her best to the service of the Lord. Peter was so swept up in the excitement of Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem that he promised more allegiance than he was prepared to give. Each of us has known similar situations. We confidently offer "all that we have" never expecting to be required to give our ambitions, our comfort, our time, our possessions to any great degree.

What a different world this would be if so many of the promises made by Christians in revival services, camp meeting, spiritual retreats, and church service hadn't collapsed on the way home. Commiting our lives to Jesus Christ is easy, even glamorous when we kneel at the carpet covered alter of a beautiful sanctuary. But it's the performance in the cold night air of the courtyard that determines how sincerely we love the Lord Jesus.

Too many Christians are content to pray a little, read a little, and surround themselves with other believers who enjoy discussing the things of God over a cup of coffee in meetings that we call "meaningful dialogue sessions". We rationalize this withdrawal from the core of life by humbly acknowledging our own personal limitations and surrender the privilege of soul-winning to leading laymen, pastors, and missionaries. This is a sad comentary on the Christian church today. We desperately need a revival of Christian zeal in the cause of soul winning.

Complacency in the life of a Christian usually indicates one of two things. Either he has an exaggerated idea of what God expects him to do or he has a poor concept of what calvary was all about.

Some people who surrender their lives to Christ mistakenly assume that a great, dramatic challenge will send them into a ministry that will rock the world, or at least astonish their friends. Really if their sacrifices and their service are to go unnoticed by others they really aren't interested in the surrendered life at all.

How foolish this is---If God can't trust us to visit the sick, feed the hungry, be faithful in prayer, accept responsibility in the local church, then what gives us the gaul to piously fold our hands and bow our proud head to wait for God to give us an angelic summons into martyrdom.

To refuse to obey Christ at any point in life is to deny him. There may be many beautiful promises in our past and noble intentions in our future, but it's our immediate obedience that he wants and needs if Christianity is to go forward.

Every Christian professes love for Christ, and all of us intend to serve Him later, but He needs workers to shepherd lambs now. He has too many people say, "My family responsibilities are so involved, my job is too demanding, my health isn't good; besides I can't compare to a man like Simon Peter. Christ doesn't expect me to tend the flock".

Yes, He does! If Jesus Christ has lifted us from the distress of a sinful life, if he has removed the bondage of fear and revealed himself with such reality as to enable us to believe in His power to save and His grace to sustain, how can we fail to love Him enough to obey.

If we love him, we are to fee his sheep.

He didn't say feed them if it's convenient, or, if you have been given a special talent, but He did say, "If you love me."

Consider your love for this Saviour. How far does it reach? Is it great enough to make you willing to clean the kitchen after a church supper while some one else attends the rest of the planned program? Do you love Christ enough to visit a shut-in when you'd rather go to a movie, play golf, or watch television? Do you love him enough to refuse to participate in activities that are not wholesome and moral? Have you made a prayer list and are you a faithful intercessor for others? Does God receive your tithe to support His Church?

Can you be content to let the light of Christ shine through your life without the praise of men? Are you concerned about the many crises' that are all about us today---famine---poverty---poor housing---poor education---segregation---lack of respect of law--and all the rest--, and if you are concerned, just how much do you love him?

We are surrounded by people who are hungry for peace that only comes from God. The mission fields are not all on foreign soil. Our own neighborhood is filled with people in spiritual poverty. If we have seen the Risen Lord, as Peter saw Him on Galilee's shore, we are responsible for a surrender that will allow Him to have his way that others might see Him in our lives. He had only one Simon Peter to serve him, but always remember that He has only one of you and one of me. Nobody else will or can do the job He sent us to do.

He calls to Us today "Do you love me?" if our answer is "yes Lord you know I do." than he says to us "feed my sheep".

Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel---heal the sick---feed the hungry---comfort the comfortless, educate the uneducated, do all these things and more then you will be feeding my sheep.

In Cleveland, Ohio as in the Polynesian Island Kingdom of Tonga success in life is measured only in terms of your relationships with other human beings....

Let Us Pray