One of my favorite descriptions
of the Lord Jesus Christ is that of the shepherd. The shepherd. My soul, so much comfort and
instruction just in the words. The Lord is my shepherd. I want to read a couple of verses
Hebrews chapter 13 to begin where it depicts the Lord or states
the very fact that he is that great shepherd. But then I want
to bring those words to the miracle here that we read about in Mark's
Gospel chapter 5. But first of all Hebrews 13 verses
20 and 21. Now the God of peace that brought
again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, that great shepherd
of the sheep through the blood, through the blood, that means
according to the blood, because of the blood, as agreed to by
God Almighty to the Son before he ever entered this world. In
the covenant of God's grace that it speaks of here in these verses
and throughout the Word of God, God the Father promised the Son
that if he would fulfill all the stipulations of the covenant,
that he would honor him by raising him from the dead and giving
him every one for whom he shed his blood. That's what it means
here when it says, through the blood, as agreed to by God the
Father to God the Son. That great shepherd of the sheep,
through the blood, of the everlasting covenant. Make you perfect in
every good work to do his will. Working in you that which is
well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to whom be glory
forever and ever. The title of my message is taken
from verse 20. Those three precious words. That
Great Shepherd. Now take those words back to
Mark chapter 5 and use them, if you will, as a caption under
this glorious picture of the demonstration of that very fact,
the great shepherd seeking and finding and saving his sheep. That great shepherd. Someone
said that a picture is worth a thousand words. Oh, what a
picture we have here, as we do in many other places in the Word
of God. The great shepherd seeking his sheep and finding his sheep. and saving his sheep. He said
that's why he came. That's why the Father sent him
into this world. He came on purpose to do that
very thing. Isn't that in itself not a comfort? That great shepherd. Let's just
don't run by that too quick. That great shepherd. There's
only one. There's only one. Our Lord taught
in the last days that false Christ would arise and false prophets
claiming to be the shepherd and would deceive many. Sad to say,
sad to say we see that happening on every hand but there is only
one true shepherd. There is only one great shepherd
and as we read in verse 20 of Hebrews 13 it's the Lord Jesus
Christ and none else. I'm sure that when most people
hear words like election and particular redemption, irresistible
grace, effectual calling, and the perseverance or the preservation
of the sheep, they really don't have an idea what those words
mean. They're seldom used in most churches. You hardly ever hear those words
in most churches. And when you do, they're given
a different definition, which turns around and makes man have
the deciding factor in each of those very things. But the Word
of God says it's not so. And I think even believers, well
I know, until God by His grace saves us, we don't derive any
sweet benefits from those blessed truths until this happens, until
we experience it. I mean before God saved you,
did you ever give a lecture in a thought? Did you ever stand
in wonder and think, my soul, you mean God chose to save sinners
and He chose me? You never had a thought like
that until God Almighty brought you to the footstool of His Son
until He opened your eyes to behold the Lamb of God and my
soul. What a wonder it was to your
amazing heart to know that He loved me. He loved me. He came for me. He died for me. It was all on purpose. You've
heard me often ask the question because I realize so many people
oppose that, that God saves His people on purpose. Well, how
else could he do it? If someone asks you that or objects
to that, ask them, how else could he do it? I mean, how else can
God Almighty act, the infinite God, the all-wise God? I mean, does He do like me, wake
up in the morning and have an idea that I didn't have the night
before? Does God have a new idea? Does
He do something today that He didn't determine to do? I mean,
that's just foolish. That's just foolish. Oh no, love
with an everlasting love, as Bobby just said. Someone asked
Brother Scott Richardson, Dear Brother Scott, he's now in glory. Faithful, faithful man. Pastored
that church in Fairmont as long as Henry pastored there in Ashland,
Kentucky. Perhaps even a year or two longer
up to the time God took him home. But someone asked him one time
concerning a certain doctrine of God's Word. Brother Scott,
don't you believe that? That's so, isn't it, Brother
Scott? And Scott said, well, I don't know. I really don't
know. I can't say for sure because
I haven't experienced that yet. I haven't experienced that yet.
Oh, that's when we know for sure, when we experience God's grace. As my pastor, Brother Don puts
it, let's put this into shoe leather. Let's get some practical
use out of this. Let's put it into shoe leather,
walking around good. The parables were our Lord's
spoken lessons. His miracles are His acted lessons. His miracles give His parables
shoe leather, if you will. They combine to make His words
alive to us. His miracles were visual demonstrations
of His spoken lessons. I mean The disciples, I'm sure,
would confess if asked, do you believe that Jesus that you're
following is the Son of God? Oh, yes. Do you believe he's
from everlasting? Oh, yes. But when they saw him
stand on the deck of that ship and speak to the sea, peace be
still, and lie down at his feet, oh, he gave them a demonstration
that they wouldn't soon forget. Then they would say, what manner
of man is this? We've never seen anybody do this.
He surely must be the Son of God. You have an example of that
in Mark chapter 5. We see the blessed truth of God's
eternal election come to life. Really? How, Larry? How do you
see that in the text? Rather in this chapter. Because
that's exactly what we read in verse 35 of chapter 4. And the
same day when the evening was come, he said to them, that is,
that great shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ said to them, let
us pass over unto the other side. You know why he did it? Well,
of course we do. We read it. Because one of the
sheep that God the Father entrusted into his hands before the world
began was on the other side. So he went to the other side
to find that sheep. He said the very same thing himself. You know those verses very well.
John chapter 6, he said, I came down from heaven, verses 38 and
39, for I came down because I came down from heaven not to do my
own will, but the will of him that sent me, his heavenly father.
And this is the father's will which had sent me, that of all,
all, glory to his name that all which
he had given me I should lose none nothing but raise them up
again at the last day in chapter 10 of John's gospel verse 16
and other sheep I have I have And he goes on to tell us he
hasn't called them yet, but he still says they're my sheep.
Because God gave them to him. And other sheep I have which
are not of this fold, them also I must bring. Now, isn't that
encouraging? I must bring. I must bring. Listen, child of God, if Jesus
Christ lets you slip, if you slip through his hands, he will
lose more than you do. You'll lose your soul if you
should perish, but he will lose his glory. He will lose his honor. He will lose his dignity. He
will have to step down from the throne and cease to be God. You
see how foolish that is. Oh, how. How comforting to hear
the words of that great shepherd saying, them also I must bring. They're my sheep, the Father
gave them to me, and they will hear my voice, and there shall
be one foal and one shepherd. This demons possessed man was
one that the Father had given him, just as we just read in
John chapter 6. And that's why he passes over
into the other side. You remember what he said in
Luke's Gospel chapter 19? After he had found another of
his sheep that God had entrusted into his hands that he became
a surety for, On that occasion, on finding that lost sheep, he
said, for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that
which is lost. That's why you read these words
in John chapter 4. He must needs go through Samaria. Why? because there's a sheep
of his there. There is a certain woman there. Just like this demoniac was where
he was and that's why the Lord went to where he was at because
he couldn't come to him. The Lord said, you will not come
to me, you cannot come to me. Also he seeks as the faithful
shepherd every one of those God gave him to save. He passes over
into the other side for the same reason that he must go through
Samaria. for the very same reason that
he must go to Jericho, because like the demoniac, like that
poor woman at the well, that Samaritan woman, there's a poor
blind beggar sitting there, and he too was one that God had given
to the Son to save. So he goes to Jericho, and we
read in Luke 19 verse 5, and when Jesus came to the place,
that very place on that very day he looked up to that very
individual and saw him or rather to Jericho that poor blind beggar
is sitting there and Jesus makes himself manifest to him he said
in the dark but he heard Jesus is passing by Jesus is passing
by mmm he's not going to be here long he's just passing through
And that poor blind beggar had heard of Jesus. I know he did
because he said, Son of David, Son of David. He'd heard what
Jesus had done for other beggars, other blind people, so he cried
out like any sinner that knows their need will cry out, Jesus
don't pass me by. Oh, don't pass me by. Lord, please,
you don't have to do it, but please have mercy upon me. Don't
leave me. Don't leave me in my darkness.
Don't leave me in my depravity. Don't leave me clothed in the
rags of self-righteousness. Jesus, have mercy on me. Have
you ever done that in your life? Have you ever been by God's mighty
grace? To know what you are and who
you are. Have you ever had that experience?
Have you ever had that experience? I hear people say, well, I had
a religious experience. And for some reason they always
think that's a good thing. It may be the worst thing that
ever happened to you. Because it's only the experience
of grace. that can bring me out of darkness
into His marvelous light. It's only when the Great Shepherd
tells me, not the preacher, not the priest, but when He whispers
in my ear that I am His and He is mine, I'll take His word for
it. I won't take yours, but I'll take His. Oh, and that's what
the experience of grace does. The same reason that He went
on the other side, that He went through Samaria, that He went
to Jericho, and as He leaves Jericho, There's another sinner. There's another one the Father
gave to him, Zacchaeus. And the Lord comes to where he's
at, a certain place, a certain tree, a certain individual, and
he looks up. that great shepherding says that's
key is come down calls the day pretty please no today I must
up by a die house I come to seek and to say that which is lost
and whether Jesus is going into Jericho are going out of Jericho
he's the same today as he always was he's the same yesterday today
and forever coming in or going out. He's not lost any of his
power, any of his virtue, any of his ability or grace to save
to the uttermost. Now, how do you like that? How
do you like that? Is that encouraging? Isn't that
encouraging to know that Jesus Christ is the same? When we see
him saying to those demons, come out of the man, he's the same
today. He sets upon his throne as the
mighty God. He's the God-man. There is a
man in glory representing his people. He knows what you feel.
He knows what you're going through. He was made like unto his brethren.
That's what makes him such an effectual and caring high priest. He identifies with his people.
Well, what am I going to do about that? Just sit down? like an
armchair theologian and say, well, that's a nice doctrine,
and receive no good from it? Oh, no. Come to the throne of
grace, Larry. Come to the throne of grace to
find grace and mercy to help in your time of need. Because
you've got one sitting upon that throne of grace that is always
full of grace. There's never a time that the
Son of God is not overflowing with saving, reigning, sovereign
grace. It's just not going to happen.
I might feel empty, oh but the Son of God, he's always full. In this miracle of the demoniac,
we see also a demonstration of his effectual calling. Do we
not? Now can you read this? You read
it with me. I assume you read along with
me when we read it a moment ago, earlier. Does it seem that this poor man
was able to come to Christ on his own? Now this poor man would
have never come if Christ hadn't have come to him. He was neither
able or willing until Jesus Christ made him so. Verse 6, oh here's
the turning point, here's the turning point, but when he saw
Jesus, oh there's hope now, but God, but God. Saul of Tarsus,
what happened to you? I was a blasphemer. I was injurious. I had determined to spend my
whole life stamping out the name of Jesus of Nazareth. He was
an imposter. He was a deceiver. And I'm going
to slaughter everybody that says otherwise. And now you... Preach
that very gospel of the Son of God that you once labored to
destroy. What happened to you, Paul? But
when it pleased God to call me by His grace and reveal His Son
unto me, that's what I want, don't you? I want to taste the
preciousness of the Son of God. I don't want your experience.
I don't want a second-hand experience. I want to know for sure. I want
Him to speak to my heart that I am His and He is mine. Then
I can lie down. Then I can rest. Then I can have
peace with God because the Prince of Peace gives us peace with
God. Oh, what conquering mighty grace. He said unto him, verse 8, Come
out of the bank, thou unclean spirit, O my soul. Look at that
great shepherd. Look at that great shepherd.
Just as the winds and the waves obey His voice, every demon in
hell must obey His voice. Why? Because He's the mighty
God. He's the mighty God. He's the
everlasting Father. He's the Prince of Peace. Everything's
beneath His feet. He's in control of everything.
The wind flittering out there, that leaf on the tree, He's in
control of that. He's in control of all things. in heaven and in earth and in
hell. When he said, come out of the
man, they had no choice. They had to leave. There is no
such thing as an elect sinner who isn't called out of darkness
and translated into the kingdom of God's dear Son. There's no
such thing. As a matter of fact, that's the
only way that we can know that we are elect, until God calls
us. until He reveals His Son to us
and in us. This is what Paul said in 1 Thessalonians
1 verse 4. Knowing brethren, beloved, your
election of God. Well, how can you know that?
Well, they weren't around when God chose His people. They weren't
around before the world began. The Lamb wrote their names in
the Book of Life. How can you know? Knowing, brethren,
beloved, your election of God, for our gospel came not unto
you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost,
and in much assurance. And you became followers of us
and of the Lord." That's how Paul knew they were elect. God
opened their hearts when the gospel were preached. They didn't
snooze under it. They didn't take a 30-minute
nap. God Almighty turned the light on and they knew that they
were lost. And he also showed them not only
that they were lost, he showed them his Son and they believed
on the Son of God. And Paul said, hallelujah, I
know you're elect. And they said, hallelujah, Paul,
I believe we are. Thank God that's the only way
we can know. Again, referring to the song Bobby sang, love
with an everlasting love, led by grace that love to know. Oh my son, what a comfort, what
a comfort. Led by grace in time that love
to know, spirit breathing from above, you have taught me that
it is so. Oh, this full and perfect peace. Oh, this transport all divine
in a love which can never cease. I am his and he is mine. I don't know what tomorrow holds
for myself or for you, but bless God, Billy, I know who holds
tomorrow. I know whatever comes down the
pike. It cannot change or alter this. I am his and he is mine. Nothing can change that. Nobody
can change that. Larry Crisp's feelings can't
change that because they're up and they're down and they're
unstable as they can be. But that doesn't affect God's
love for me. He's loved me with an everlasting
love and as Paul said, nothing past, nothing present, nothing
to come can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ
Jesus. That's comforting. Isn't that
comforting? Did you notice the quote in today's
bulletin? by Brother Gene Harmon, he said,
only those who have experienced the miracle of the new birth
know the difference between professing Christ and possessing Christ. The Lord said in Jeremiah chapter
31, the Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, yea, I have
loved thee with an everlasting love. Therefore, therefore, Well,
if God loves us, there's a therefore that follows. Therefore, with
loving kindness have I drawn thee. I have loved you with an
everlasting love. Therefore, I'll ransom you. I'll send my son for you. Therefore,
I'll call you. I'll keep you. God saved me from
that so-called love that loves me today enough to send his son
to die for me and then cast me into hell tomorrow. God saved
me from such a love as that. Oh, but the love of God is not
so. Having loved his own which were
in the world, he'll love them until the end. And this miracle
as well. You have a demonstration of our
Savior's perseverance, the promise of every believer's preservation
because of the perseverance not of themselves but of their Savior.
Look at verse 18 and 19 again. And when he was come into the
ship, that is the Lord Jesus, he that had been possessed with
the devil prayed him that he might be with him. Howbeit Jesus
suffered him not, but said unto him, Go home to thy friends and
tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee. and
have had compassion on thee." There you see preservation in
that? Well, sure, sure. Because if
this man could be lost again, why bother to go home and tell
anybody about it? That's no big deal. What's great
about that? Oh, but God's salvation is a
great salvation. The Lord Jesus Christ knew that
that reclaimed sinner would be with him in glory. The salvation
of the Lord is an everlasting salvation. That great shepherd,
the Lord Jesus, made this claim. He made this claim, remember?
He said, my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow
me, and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
Oh, Larry, you don't know what I'm going through. But you'll
never perish, not if you're one of his sheep. They'll never perish,
neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand." Here's the sweet
thought of those words, the blessed teaching of those words from
that great shepherd is this. The salvation of the sheep is
his responsibility. It's his responsibility, Lester.
It's not their own. They can't keep themselves, but
their salvation is dependent not upon themselves, but upon
him. John chapter 17. Just before our Lord is arrested,
betrayed, and taken before Pilate, and afterwards crucified, he
spoke these words, lifted up his eyes to heaven and said,
Father, the hour has come. The hour has come. Glorify thy
son, that thy son may also glorify thee. As thou hast given him
power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as
many as thou hast given him. Verse 12. While I was with them
in the world, I kept them in thy name. Those that thou gavest
me I have kept, and none of them is lost but the son of perdition
that the scripture might be fulfilled. Verse 24. Father, I will also
that those whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, that
they may behold my glory. For thou lovest me before the
foundation of the world. Does anything give us more comfort
as we journey through this world than knowing that I belong to
Christ? Oh Lord, make it personal. Make
it personal. Refresh my heart with the ravaging
reality of your mighty grace. His forever, only His, Bobby
sang. Who the Lord and me shall part. Ah, with what a restful bliss
Christ can fill the loving hearts. Heaven and earth may fade and
flee, and they will. Firstborn light and gloom decline,
but while God and I shall be, I am His and He is mine. The Lord Jesus simply didn't
say, I am the Good Shepherd. He proved it. He demonstrated
again and again, as he does here, that he is that great shepherd. Verily, verily, he told the Pharisees,
who only claimed to be the shepherd. He said, I am the door of the
sheep, in John 10. You're not, I am. I'm the door,
by me, not you Pharisees. By me, if any man enter in, he
shall be saved, and shall go in and out and find pasture. I am the good shepherd. and know
my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even
so know I the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep. O child of God, no one, no one
has such a shepherd as we do. In Ezekiel chapter 37 we read
these words, and David my servant shall be king over them, and
they shall all have one shepherd. One shepherd, David's son and
David's God. And David himself wrote of that
great shepherd these words. Are there any more familiar words
in the Word of God? About everybody knows them. Psalm
23, the Lord is my shepherd. My shepherd. Like He is to none
other. my shepherd, like I'm the only
sheep. He can do that. Isaac Watts wrote a hymn along
that very line from the 23rd Psalm. He said, the Lord my shepherd
is, I shall be well supplied, since he is mine and I am his,
what can I want besides? He leads me to the place where
heavenly pasture grows, where living waters gently pass and
full salvation flows. If e'er I go astray, he will
my soul reclaim and guide me in his own right way for his
most holy name. If that great shepherd, the Lord
Jesus Christ, is my shepherd, then what David said is just
bound to follow. bound to be the consequence of
having such a shepherd as this. I shall not lack. I shall not
lack. Redemption? Oh, the great shepherd,
he's my redeemer. It was speaking of him that God
Almighty said, deliver the soul of his people from going down
to the pit. I found the ransom. It was that
great shepherd. Righteousness? God demands a
perfect righteousness. And my shepherd is the Lord our
righteousness. What about acceptance? I was about ready to say I would
venture to guess, but I don't think it's a guess. If I would
ask you here this morning, and I am, I'm asking each of you.
Do you want to be accepted before God Almighty? Do you? Do you
want to be accepted before God Almighty? When a few more days
are come and you leave this world, and you stand before a just and
holy God. What's your grounds of acceptance?
Why do you think God will accept you? What reason do you have,
me and you? What reason do we have to think
that we will hear God say, enter into the joy prepared for you?
The only grounds a sinner can have is in that great shepherd. Speaking of God, to the praise
of the glory of His grace wherein He had made us accepted. God
has made us accepted in the Beloved. Oh, man. In the Beloved, God's marvelous
grace calls me to dwell in this wonderful place. Listen, God
sees my Savior and then He sees me. In the Beloved, accepted
and free. That great shepherd, as I said,
here is a picture of him demonstrating that blessed truth. We were a
sheep going astray, but are now returned into the shepherd and
bishop of our souls. Who did the seeking? The shepherd
did. Who did the finding? The shepherd
did. Who did the saving? the shepherd
did. Everyone he seeks he finds. Isn't that what he said in Luke
15 to the Pharisees? He said, What man of you having
a hundred sheep, if he lose one, doth not leave the ninety and
the nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost until
he find it? And when he hath found it, he
layeth it on his shoulders rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth
together his friends and neighbors, saying, Rejoice with me, For
I have found my sheep which was lost, and it will never be lost
again. Rejoice with me. He will take
us all the way home. All that the shepherd seeks,
he finds, and every one he finds, he saves." Can you imagine the
Lord saying to Peter, well, that was a wasted trip. This man just
won't cooperate. He won't take the first step.
He just won't allow me to save him. Now religion talks that
way. The book of God never talks that
way. Never dishonors God that way.
The Son of God says to this man, well, if you'll open your heart,
I'll do something for you. Did you? No, of course not. Of
course not. That's not how God saves sinners.
The faithful shepherd seeks his sheep, and he keeps seeking until
he finds them, and when he finds them, blessed be his name, he
saves them. He's that great shepherd. Everybody
else had done what they could for this man, but it did no good. He just broke their fetters apart,
didn't he? They couldn't tame him. That's
a picture of what religion does. It just binds men. It deals with
the symptoms. It doesn't go to the heart of
the problem. Did you notice what our Lord
said? Come out of the man. You see, sin is not just what
you do. What we do, sin is what we are. We need a new heart. We need
a new nature. Now who's the soul winner that
can give me that? Oh, but look, look. The Son of
God, that Great Shepherd, arises with healing in His wings, and
He goes right to the root of the problem and says, come out! The problem's inside, come out! And everyone that's in Christ
Jesus, as this man proves, is a new creature. Old things are
passed away, behold, all things become new. Oh, as we said in
the reading, what a glorious before and after picture. This
man now, after being reclaimed, after experiencing the grace
of the great shepherd, he sets at his feet a testimony to and
a trophy of God's mighty grace. One hymn writer put it like this,
referring to this marriage, He said, from home and friends the
evil spirits drove him. Among the tombs he dwelt in misery. He cut himself as demon powers
possessed him. Then Jesus came and set the captive
free. When Jesus comes, the tempter's
power is broken. When Jesus comes, the tears are
wiped away. He takes the gloom and fills
the light with glory. For all is changed when Jesus
comes to stay. Amen. Now the God of peace that
brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, that great
shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting
covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will,
working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through
Jesus Christ to whom be glory forever and forever. Amen. God bless you.