THE TELLTALE TRACKS OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD

I Peter 2:21-25

For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: "Who committed no sin, nor was guile found in His mouth"; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness - by whose stripes you were healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. In Christ Jesus, the Good Shepherd who gave His life for the sheep, Dear Fellow Redeemed, It was a cold November day some several years ago when a four year old boy disappeared from his rural New England home. For a few minutes his mother was distracted by a phone call, and that was just enough time for the little boy to wander into the nearby woods. His mother, of course, was frantic with fear; before long there were sheriff's deputies searching the miles of woodland that surrounded the home. All attempts to locate the boy failed. In desperation, they called in an expert tracker, a man who'd spent years reading the subtle signs of the woodland. To him, every broken twig told a story; every bent blade of grass, every overturned leaf spoke volumes. Where policemen and even bloodhounds had failed...the tracker succeeded. In a matter of hours, he had picked up the telltale tracks of the lost boy. He followed these clues - invisible to everyone else - to a distant hollow, where the toddler was found curled up and sleeping under a fallen tree. One thing was obvious to everyone: the tracker had a valuable skill; a skill that, in this case, meant the difference between life and death!

Today is "Good Shepherd Sunday." Every Christian knows that Jesus is the Good Shepherd. And every Christian knows that the believers are His sheep, who are supposed follow the Good Shepherd. What a lot of Christians don't realize is that following the tracks of the Good Shepherd doesn't come naturally - it's a skill. A skill that needs to be continually honed and practiced. With our text for today, the Apostle Peter's going to help us sharpen our spiritual tracking skill. This morning let's follow...

"THE TELLTALE TRACKS OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD"

I. See where they led Him for you...

II. See where they lead you for Him!

In his first epistle, Peter is writing to his fellow Christians in the five provinces of Asia Minor. These believers have evidently been going through some pretty severe persecutions because of their faith. They're suffering, and he wants to encourage them - inspire them to keep up the good fight. So Peter points them to the best source of inspiration there is: Jesus Christ. He puts them on the track of the Good Shepherd. "For you were like sheep going astray," he says, "but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls." Remember what your lives were like before you came to faith, he says, wandering around like sheep without a shepherd. Lives filled with aimlessness and uncertainty. Living for the pleasures of today, and trying not to think about tomorrow. Well, I don't think there are many of us here today who even know what it's like to live a life of total unbelief; I'm sure most of us have been taught to know Jesus since we were little kids. But we do know the temptation to wander, don't we? We have felt the tug of our sinful flesh from time to time, urging us to stray from our Good Shepherd...to strike out on our own...to sample some of the sinful pleasures we see displayed around us like candy in a store window.

After all (we reason), who's going to know if I keep a few dirty magazines hidden in the closet? What's the big deal if I get a little drunk once in a while? Who really cares if I spend some time gossiping about my neighbor? -The Lord cares! He cares very much when we abuse His grace, and run foolish risks with our faith. In Ezekiel God says, "'And as for you, O My flock, thus says the Lord God: Behold, I shall judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and goats. Is it too little for you to have eaten up the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the residue of your pasture - and to have drunk of the clear waters, that you must foul the residue with your feet?" -- Ez 34:17-18.

I don't know about you, but I see that failing only too often in my own sinful flesh. I know just the kind of guilt Paul was feeling when he cried, "O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" -- Rom 7:24. Who can give us relief for the guilt? Where can we find inspiration to help us keep going when the going is tough? Peter points us to the telltale tracks of the Good Shepherd. See where they led Him for you, he says, "Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness - by whose stripes you were healed." I once went on a tour of the Kellogg's cereal company in Battle Creek, Michigan. Throughout the length of the tour, there were yellow footprints painted on the floor as direction markers. The looked kind of funny; but they sure made it clear where we were supposed to go and what we were supposed to look at. You and I recently completed a tour like that - do you remember? During the Lenten Season, we followed the footprints of our Savior. Those telltale tracks led from the home of Mary and Martha to the upper room in Jerusalem, where Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper. We followed them to the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus sweated blood as He prayed over the coming sorrow. From there, the footprints led to the courtrooms of Caiaphas and Pontius Pilate, where He was humiliated, mocked and beaten. From the Pilate's court we traced the footprints - now mingled with blood - down the Via Dolorosa, the "Road of Sorrows." We arrived eventually at the dark hill of Golgotha, where Jesus endured the agony of crucifixion. All this He suffered...for you. Yes, for you! Those footprints are the tracks of Jesus' love for you. He knew that His death was the only way to guarantee your life; He knew that in order for you to go to heaven, He would have to endure hell on the cross. And He did it. He paid the price willingly. "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God." -- I Pet 8:18.

Was it enough? Could the suffering Jesus endured really pay for the sins of every person who ever lived? On Easter Sunday God answered that question with a resounding "Yes!" when Christ rose in triumph from the grave. Our guilt is gone. Our sins are blotted out, and our names, for Jesus' sake, are written in the book of life. As far as our salvation, the battle is over...and you and I are the winners! If you're like me, then Easter raises a burning question in your mind. If you've followed the agonized progress of Jesus through Lent, seen His love for you on the cross, and shared the Good News of His triumph over sin on Easter, then you're bound to ask yourself, "How shall I then live?" How can I express my joy at knowing I'll never have to bear the punishment for my sins? How can I say "thank you" to Jesus? How can I reflect, in some small way, the awesome love He's shown to me? Again, Peter points us to the telltale tracks of the Good Shepherd. See where they lead you for Him, he says. "Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps." Follow the footsteps of Christ, Peter says; not only with your eyes, but with your feet. For a Christian, it's not enough merely to know where they go...the love of our Good Shepherd compels us to go where they go! Have you ever watched a little boy following his father through the snow? It's touching to see him stretching out his strides, concentrating all his efforts to stay within the footprints of a much bigger person. That's how you Christians can show you belong to Jesus, Peter says. Let your whole walk through life be a walk in the footsteps of your Savior. And how did He walk? "He committed no sin, nor was guile found in His mouth." Jesus' made His life an example. Though He was tempted, He never gave in, because there were so many people depending on Him. How many people are depending on you? The truth is...you don't know! You don't know which of your co-workers on the job are watching your life to see what it really means to be a Christian. You don't know which of your relatives are listening to your conversation, perhaps searching for answers to their most important questions. You parents: you might not realize just how closely your kids are watching you, trying to figure out whether faith in God really is the most important thing in life or not. In short, there may be a lot of people depending on your example. So don't be a closet Christian - let your joy in the Good News show! "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good woks and glorify your Father in heaven." -- Matt 5:16.

"When Jesus was reviled, did not revile in return." When the innocent Son of God was on the cross, He refused to curse even the treacherous Jews who were mocking His agony. Rather, he prayed for them! Walk in His footsteps. When you hear people cutting someone down, instead of joining in, why not put in a good word? When someone uses the Lord's name in vain, why not tactfully let him know that the name of Jesus is something sacred to you? It may not make you popular, but I guarantee you'll get their attention! "When He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously." Conflict and injustice are a part of everyone's life. No one in history suffered more unfairly than Jesus Christ. Yet Jesus didn't go around "getting even" with His enemies. He left it to His heavenly Father to settle the score. Walk in the footsteps of your Good Shepherd. "Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord, I will repay." Jesus Himself told His disciples, "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two." -- Mat 5:40-42.

These are some things you can do if you want to show your gratitude to God for everything He's done for you. This is how you can say, "Thank you, Jesus. Thank you for the crown of thorns, and thank you for the cross. Thank you for building me a mansion in heaven, and keeping it ready for when I arrive!" I remember as a kid seeing ads in the comic books for a mechanical device called the "Instant Artist." The device had two pens connected with long, jointed arms. It would supposedly allow you to trace the outlines of any picture, reproducing it perfectly on your paper. Somehow, though, it never seemed to work out as well as they said it would. No young Rembrandts were ever created by the "Instant Artist." Likewise, our attempts to imitate the life of our Savior will never be perfect. There will be failures as we struggle to stay within the footsteps of our Good Shepherd. But we'll follow them anyway, relying on His forgiveness when we fall. With joy we've seen where those footsteps led Him for us, and by God's grace...we'll follow where they lead us for Him! AMEN.

ONE THING IS NEEDFUL

Lutheran Sermons for the Church Year by Pastor Paul Naumann