As Sheep, So Sheep We Must Be

“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”-Isaiah 53:6

Sheep by nature have a tendency to stray.  They are fearful, stupid, and defenseless.  They require constant attention, and if abandoned, they will wonder in their own direction.  Without the protection of the Shepherd, they will certainly wonder right into their own destruction.  Jesus is our Shepherd and he gave his life for his sheep.

From the very beginning, God created man and desired a relationship with his creation.  We had perfect fellowship and communion in the Garden.  Fellowship between the Creator and the created.  The women was deceived and influenced the man to sin; mankind fell from that holy estate into sin and degradation.  We left our created nature and took on the carnal nature. The carnal nature, now grafted into the heart of man, manifests itself in continued willful disobedience against the holiness of God. Therefore the enmity and injustice remains between the righteousness of God and the unrighteousness of man.  Though we were/are bent towards destruction and bound for hell, the Creator, God himself, loved us enough to send us a Savior.  Like sheep we have gone astray, and in going we turned to our own way. From the beginning the going was to our own way, and yet today the carnal nature within, manifested in willful disobedience without, takes us down a path that is our own.  Satan would have us believe that we serve our own pleasures, our own lust, our own ambitions, and our own desires. We reject the notion of a Creator and exalt ourselves as God. This iniquity cannot be justifiable by the created, and therefore needed a justifier. A Savior. Jesus Christ. This man, that was God in the flesh, came down and became the penalty for those standing in condemnation. The innocent for the guilty, righteous for the unrighteous, holy for the sinful. Christ took the punishment, and brought salvation to the wayward sheep.  This was not done so that we might continue to be lost. True, we are born in sin and shapen in iniquity.  God is just, good, and holy; Christ is just, good, and holy, and they wanted to bring their creation back to full fellowship with themselves. Therefore, we must be just, good, and holy.  This we cannot be, while the carnal man remains in the flesh. We must put on the Spirit and become spiritual. We must leave off going astray, and going our own way.  How to do this?  How can someone bound in sin be set free?  How can someone that is lost be found? How can we live holy, in this life? 

As we are sheep, so sheep we must be. We must return to the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls.  Have the tough conversation, tell God you’re sorry, and resolve to never sin again, but don’t stop there.  Make the commitment to follow the Shepherd, to be in the flock.  Recognizing that without him you are hopeless, and you need a Savior. Then, ask for the Holy Spirit to live and reign in your heart.  The Holy Ghost will come in and sanctify you wholly.  The Holy Ghost will make you holy, and through its power you can live holy; with Christ as your Shepherd and with safely in the fold.