"For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the
Shepherd and Bishop of your souls."--1 Peter ii. 25.
"Ye were as sheep going astray." This is evidently addressed to
believers. We were like sheep, blindly, willfully following an unwise
leader. Not only were we following ourselves, but we in our turn have
led others astray. This is true of all of us: "All we like sheep have
gone astray;" all equally foolish, "we have turned every one to his
own way." Our first though has been, "I like this," or "I don't like
that"; never thinking what the LORD would prefer, we have just
followed our own inclinations. So terribly astray were we that
nothing less than the life-blood of our good SHEPHERD could atone for
our sin, and save us from its power and its penalty. In Isaiah liii.,
we learn the substitutionary character of the death of CHRIST
unmistakably, as also in the verse before our text. The GOD of the
Bible is a GOD who punishes sin, and cannot pardon without atonement.
The substitution of the innocent victim for the guilty offerer is so
clearly taught from Genesis to Revelation, that he must be blind
indeed who does not see it. Praise GOD our KINSMAN-REDEEMER has paid
our debt; and "with His stripes we are healed."
II. "BUT ARE NOW RETURNED UNTO THE SHEPHERD AND BISHOP OF YOUR
SOULS." Far astray as we were, by His grace we have been brought back
again, and now we are "returned"--some of us scarcely returning so
much as being carried to the fold by our loving SHEPHERD. And it is
so blessed to realize that now we are not without a MASTER, a LEADER,
a HEAD. We were intended to be followers. We always do follow; but,
alas! We did not follow the right MASTER. Now the right MASTER has
found us; and instead of following our own foolish lead, we want to
follow His wise lead. And it is most restful to realize that we are
not left to live a life at the mercy of circumstances, or to walk in
our own wisdom. We can never foresee the future; we never fully
understand the present. How dangerous would be our position were we
left alone! But as believers we have been brought back; we "are now
returned unto the SHEPHERD and BISHOP of our souls."
III. How blessed it is to have such a SHEPHERD, BISHOP, OVERSEER, One
who is continually watching over us in order to provide and lead, to
sustain and deliver, to meet and supply our every need! All is found
in CHRIST JESUS; in His presence, in His power, in His love may we
more and more rest!
I have frequently thought of words I had the privilege of hearing
some years ago from Professor Charteris at a united Communion service
for students in Edinburgh. He said that there had been one life on
earth of steady, uninterrupted development from the cradle to the
Cross; but that there had only been one such life, for the true
Christian life always began where the life of CHRIST ended, at the
Cross; and that its true development is towards the cradle, until the
child of GOD in the child-like simplicity of faith can rest in the
omnipotent arms of infinite WISDOM and LOVE. Is not this the growth
and development we long for, in order that we may be among those to
whom GOD will reveal the things which are hidden from the wise and
prudent? The more we rest on this fact,--that we do not know the way
we are going, but that we have a GUIDE who does know; that we do not
know how to accomplish our service, but that He never leaves us to
devise our own service;--the more restful does our life become. Then
we find we have just to do this--to look to our SAVIOUR to be filled
with His perfections; not to be fretting and fuming as to how the
divine life shall manifest itself, but to leave the life to work
spontaneously through us. A heavy bunch of grapes on a tender shoot
would break it; but let the shoot abide in the vine it will grow
stronger, and as the fruit develops, the strength of the branch will
increase also, and the life left to its own natural and healthy
development will in due time be brought to perfection
As we look forward to the months of this year, we know not where the
close will find us; whether here or in the eternal Home. We know not
what burdens, perplexities, or difficulties it may bring; but we know
Him, whose we are, and whom we serve. HE knows all; this suffices for
us.
I have been looking at a few passages which bring out the care of our
LORD for His people:--
(1) 2 Tim. ii. 19, "The foundation of GOD standeth sure, having this
seal, The LORD knoweth them that are His."--The LORD knows every one
of His own. We may not know them. We may make mistakes if we judge of
others. Some may be His, and we may be unaware of it. The LORD knows
them that are His. This is a safe foundation. We, too, know in our
souls whether the LORD is indwelling us, whether His peace fills us,
sustains and blesses us.
(2) Nahum i. 7, "The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of
trouble; and He knoweth them that trust in Him."--He has a special
knowledge of those who put their trust in Him. Though our trust at
times is very poor, yet, if there be any trust at all in Him, we can
say, "Help thou mine unbelief." He knows we want to trust Him better.
(3) Psalm ciii. 14, "He knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are
dust."--Our SHEPHERD knows our weakness. He never lays more upon us
than we are able to bear.
(4) Psalm i. 6, "The LORD knoweth the way of the righteous."--There
may be difficulties in our path; we do not foresee them, but He knows
them; and when He puts forth His sheep He does not leave them to meet
difficulties as best they can, but He goes before them.
(5) Job said (xxiii. 10) "He knoweth the way that I take."--Job did
not understand the way the LORD was leading him. He was bewildered by
the LORD's dealings with him; but he had this comfort, "He knoweth
the way that I take." So when we cannot understand GOD'S dealings
with us we may rest on the same truth.
(6) Psalm xliv. 21, "He knoweth the secrets of the heart."--We are
often brought into circumstances of trial and misunderstanding.
People imagine that this or that discipline is the fruit of this or
that sin. The LORD knoweth the secrets of the heart. If we are
unjustly accused or suspected, if it is asserted that we have
forgotten the name of our GOD, GOD knows the secrets of our hearts.
Sometimes we have trials which we cannot put into prayer; the LORD
knows the secrets of our heart. There are things that affect us, and
yet we cannot understand how it is that we are so affected by them.
"He knoweth the secrets of the heart."
(7) 2 Peter ii. 9, "The LORD knoweth how to deliver the godly out of
temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be
punished."--Sometimes we are involved in trial because of our
connection with others. GOD knew how to punish the old world and save
Noah--how to punish Sodom and save Lot.
(8) Then we have many needs. We are like children, we need to be
helped continually, and our SAVIOUR reminds us (Matt. vi. 8, 32) that
our "heavenly FATHER knoweth what things" we "have need of"; and that
if we are only concerned to seek "first the Kingdom of GOD, and His
righteousness," "all these things shall be added unto" us. So that we
have no need to be anxious about to-morrow. It is quite sufficient
that we have a SHEPHERD, OVERSEER, FRIEND who undertakes to provide
for it all.
Nay, as he told us in Psalm lxxxiv. 11, He himself is a "sun" to give
us light in all times of darkness, and a "shield" to protect us in
danger. The "grace" that we need for His service now, and the "glory"
that shall soon crown it, are all in Him, and all for us; for, "No
good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly." Not, from
them that walk perfectly, or sinlessly--no on does that; not, from
them that are blameless--though we all should be that; but if we are
honestly and uprightly seeking to serve Him, no good thing will he
withhold. What a rich promise this is!
IV. In conclusion: Are we all enjoying this precious truth? Are we
all able to take this passage to ourselves and say, "I was a sheep
going astray, but I am returned"? Can we all feel it is true for
ourselves? If there be one who cannot do so, the SHEPHERD, the
BISHOP, is really present, though unseen; He is here ready to receive
those who will return now. "Come unto Me," is His word. If there is
one burdened with sin, He is ready to pardon. If there is one
burdened with care, He is present to receive your care. The LORD
JESUS is waiting: waiting to take every burden away, to accept every
deposit, to fulfil every trust we confide in Him. He will be faithful
to keep that which we commit to Him. We can entrust to Him the
keeping of our hearts, the ordering of our lives, the care of our
children, the converts whom GOD has given us, the word to which He
has called us. We may trust Him to keep us, in employments in which
we are brought into contact with the ungodly; yes, whatever we commit
to Him, He is able to keep.
If we have come to Him, with what blessedness may we go forward into
this year. We have not passed this way heretofore. We know not what
burdens the LORD has for us to bear, or what blessings in store. We
need not be afraid, if He gives great blessing that He will let us
become puffed up; or that great difficulties will be too much for us
while trusting in Him. That which was never meant for our strength
will be met by His strength. May we be a docile flock, willing to be
cared for by Him, and every blessing will then be ours!
Self-Denial versus Self-Assertion.
"If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his
cross daily, and follow Me.--LUKE ix. 23.
We might naturally have thought that if there was one thing in the
life of the LORD JESUS CHRIST which belonged to Him alone, it was His
cross-bearing. To guard against so natural a mistake, the HOLY GHOST
has taken care in gospel and in epistle to draw our special attention
to the oneness of the believer with CHRIST in cross-bearing; and also
to prevent misunderstanding as to the character of Christian
cross-bearing, and the constancy of its obligation. The LORD JESUS,
in the words we are considering, teaches us that if any man, no
matter who he may be, will be His disciple, he must--not he may--deny
himself and take up his cross daily and follow his LORD.
Is there not a needs-be for this exhortation? Are not self-indulgence
and self-assertion temptations to which we are ever exposed, and to
which we constantly give way, without even a thought of the
un-Christliness of such conduct? That we owe something to GOD all
Christians admit; and it may be hoped that the number of those is
increasing who recognise His claim to some proportionate part of
their income. But our MASTER claims much more than a part of our
property, of our time, of our affections. If we are saved at all, we
are not our own in any sense, we are bought with a price: our bodies
we must present to Him; our whole life must be for GOD.
Self-denial surely means something far greater than some slight
insignificant lessening of our self-indulgences! When Peter denied
CHRIST, he utterly disowned Him and disallowed His claims. In this
way we are called to deny self, and to do it daily, if we would be
CHRIST's disciples indeed. "I don't like this," or, "I do like that,"
must not be allowed; the only question must daily be, What would
JESUS like? And His mind and will, once ascertained, must
unhesitatingly be carried out.
As believers, we claim to have been crucified together with CHRIST;
and Paul understood this, not merely imputatively but practically.
That cross put the world to death as regards Paul, and put Paul to
death as regards the world. To the Apostle nothing could have been
more practical. He does not say, "I take up my cross daily," in the
light, modern sense of the expression; but puts it rather as dying
daily; and therefore, as one "in deaths oft," he was never surprised,
or stumbled by any hardship or danger involved in his work.
We wish, however, to draw attention to another aspect of self-denial
which is often overlooked, and perhaps we shall do this most
intelligibly by use of the antithetical expression, self-assertion.
What does the Word of GOD teach us about our rights, our claims, our
dues? Does it not teach us that condemnation, banishment, eternal
misery, are our own deserts? As unbelievers, we were condemned
criminals; as believers, we are pardoned criminals; and whatever of
good is found in us is but imparted, and to GOD alone is due the
praise. Can we, then, consistently with such a position, be
self-asserting and self-claimant?
It is clear that if we choose to remit a claim due to us by one who
is free and our equal, that may not invalidate or affect his claim on
his neighbour--no matter whether that claim be larger or smaller than
the one we remitted. But what did our SAVIOUR intend to teach us by
the parable of Matthew xviii. 23-35? There the King and Master and
Owner of a slave remits His claim in clemency and pity (and does so,
as our LORD elsewhere clearly shows, on express condition of His
servant's forgiving as he is forgiven--Matthew vi. 14, 15); can that
slave, under these circumstances, assert and claim his rights over
his fellow?
And is not this principle of non-assertion, this aspect of
self-denial, a far-reaching one? Did our LORD claim His rights before
Pilate's bar, and assert Himself; or did His self-denial and
cross-bearing go the length of waiting for His FATHER'S vindication
of His character and claims? And shall we, in the prosecution of our
work as ambassadors of Him whose kingdom is not of this world, be
jealous of our own honour and rights, as men and as citizens of
Western countries, and seek to assert the one and claim the
other,--when what our MASTER wants is witness to, and reflection of,
His own character and earthly life, and illustrations of the
forbearing grace of our GOD and FATHER?
May GOD work in us, and we work out in daily life, not self-assertion
but self-denial--not ease and honour-seeking and right-maintaining,
but right-abandoning and cross-taking--and this for the glory of His
own holy Name, and for the better forwarding of His interests,
whether among His own people or among the unsaved!