The Shepherd King

Well, good morning, church.

Christmastime is here.

The season is up and running.

!

We have a lot of that with all the finals and the papers and all the work to do.

But if you're not a student, well, December is also what?

It's the end of the work quarter, the end of the year.

So there are numbers to hit and reports to write and deadlines to manage.

We feel pulled in a million different directions.

We're very scattered.

Well, our sermon text today is Jeremiah 23.

That's page 609, 609 in the Pew Bible.

If you'd like to turn there with me.

And in this text, written in the 6th century B.C.,

Jeremiah speaks a message of hope and comfort to a scattered people.

He speaks of the coming Messiah, the coming King,

who will gather His scattered people and who will keep them secure.

So let me pray, and then I will read Jeremiah 23, verses 1 through 8.

Jeremiah 23:1–8

Father, as another Christmas season begins, we confess that our hearts are pulled in many directions.

We are scattered and preoccupied.

But in this moment here, this morning, by Your Spirit, allow us to hear Your message of truth, of hope, of comfort.

Let the eyes of our hearts see You and Your Son, Jesus Christ.

And would we receive Your Word by faith and live as people who know the true and living God.

Father, it is in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Amen.

All right, Jeremiah 23, 1 through 8, says this,

Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous branch,

and He shall reign as King and deal wisely and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.

In His days Judah will be saved and Israel will dwell securely.

And this is the name by which He will be called,

The Lord is our righteousness.

Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when they shall no longer say,

As the Lord lives, who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,

But as the Lord lives, who brought up and led the offspring of the house of Israel out of the north

country and out of all the countries where He had driven them, then they shall dwell in their own land.

So consider first in verses 1 through 4 the fact that God will gather His scattered people.

In verses 1 through 2 we see that the people are scattered,

and in verse 3 God promises that He will gather them back to their fold.

Now here in Jeremiah, why are the people scattered?

Well, they're scattered because they have shepherds who do not care for them,

shepherds who destroy and drive them away,

who don't attend to them or care for them as they should.

Now who are these shepherds that Jeremiah is talking about?

Well, in the Old Testament, the shepherd language was a common metaphor for kings and for leaders.

In 2 Samuel chapter 5 verse 2, the tribes of Israel say to David,

2 Samuel 5:2

In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was you who led out and brought in Israel.

And the Lord said to you,

You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over Israel.

So that's just one of many examples where kings and princes and leaders are called shepherds of the people.

And it's easy to see why kings and leaders would be described as shepherds, right?

Because God intended for those in authority to guide and care for and protect the people that they led,

just like an actual shepherd would do for their literal sheep.

They would protect them and care for them, and as Psalm 23 says,

guide them to still waters and make them lie down in green pastures.

We see God's ideal for kings and leaders a little earlier in Jeremiah chapter 22 verse 3,

Jeremiah 22:3

where God says,

Hear the word of the Lord, O King of Judah, who sits on the throne of David,

you and your servants and your people who enter these gates.

Thus says the Lord,

Do justice and righteousness,

and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed,

and do no wrong or violence to the resident alien,

the fatherless, and the widow,

nor shed innocent blood in this place.

So a king, a ruler, a prince,

someone in authority who upheld justice and righteousness,

who cared for the well-being of the most vulnerable in society.

That was God's ideal.

But sadly, this was not the case for the people in Jeremiah's day.

Those kings cared more about increasing their own wealth and comfort

than for promoting justice and righteousness in the land

and for caring for the best interest of the people.

And now, in the sixth century,

the looming Babylonian empire was going to come

and scatter the nation into exile.

But these sheep that are scattered,

Jeremiah says in this chapter,

God sees them.

And even though the exile comes

as part of God's judgment on wayward and rebellious Israel,

God says,

I will gather them.

I will be a shepherd to them.

I will bring them home.

They will be fruitful and multiply.

That is,

I will bring them home so that they can live into that

creational calling for which I have made humans

to flourish and thrive.

They shall fear no more, nor be dismayed.

Neither shall any be missing, declares the Lord.

Not one of his scattered sheep will be lost.

Not one will be missing, declares the Lord.

Now, I think we need to hear this promise today,

don't we?

Perhaps some of you know what it's like

to suffer under bad leadership.

Maybe you had parents who didn't care well for you.

Or maybe you've been in churches

where leadership has failed.

Or perhaps in your work,

you've buckled under the weight of bad management

or careless, unethical bosses.

Whatever it is,

corrupt politicians,

self-seeking civil servants,

harsh religious leaders,

absent, uncaring family members.

Maybe you know all too well

what it's like to be scattered

and even scarred

by bad shepherds.

But God, friends,

God is a God

who gathers.

God

is a shepherd who gathers.

Listen to how the other prophets speak

to this great truth

about the one true God.

Isaiah 40, verses 9 through 11 says,

Isaiah 40:9–11

Go up on a high mountain,

O Zion, herald of good news.

Lift up your voice with strength,

O Jerusalem, herald of good news.

Lift it up.

Fear not.

Say to the cities of Judah,

Behold your God.

Behold, the Lord God comes with might

and His arm rules for Him.

But then listen how this mighty

and strong God is described.

He will tend His flock like a shepherd.

He will gather the lambs in His arms.

He will carry them in His bosom

and gently lead those that are with young.

Or listen to Ezekiel 34, verses 11 through 16.

Ezekiel 34:11–16

Again, speaking in a similar time period

as Jeremiah where the leadership

had failed miserably.

The shepherds of the people

had been terrible shepherds.

But the Lord comes and says,

Behold, I,

I myself will search for my sheep

and will seek them out.

As a shepherd seeks out his flock

when he is among his sheep

that have been scattered,

so I will seek out my sheep

and I will rescue them

from all places

where they've been scattered

on a day of clouds and thick darkness.

And I will bring them out

from the peoples

and gather them from the countries

and will bring them into their own land.

And I will feed them

on the mountains of Israel

by the ravines

and in all the inhabited places

of the country.

I will feed them with good pasture.

And on the mountain heights of Israel

shall be their grazing land.

There they shall lie down

in good grazing land.

And on rich pasture

they shall feed

on the mountains of Israel.

I myself

will be the shepherd of my sheep.

And I myself

will make them lie down

declares the Lord God.

I will seek the lost.

I will bring back the strayed.

I will bind up the injured.

And I will strengthen the weak.

What a beautiful picture

of God

who gathers

in full assurance

that He will always

have your best in mind.

Now let's apply

these first few verses.

And first

I think these verses

tell us to

to beware actually

of false shepherds.

There are leaders

and rulers

and people in authority

who do not have

our best in mind.

Who are more concerned

with their own status

and wealth

than they are

with God's justice

and righteousness.

Who are more concerned

with catering

to the interests

of the powerful

and the wealthy

than for caring

for the vulnerable

and the least.

And Jeremiah is telling us

watch out for rulers

like that.

Their words

may sound appealing.

Their words

may even have

a religious ring to them.

You know,

the leaders in Jeremiah's day

were confident

that God would rescue them

from Babylon.

They were quoting

all sorts of promises

from the Bible

that said God

would never forsake

His people.

But you know,

those leaders

didn't care one bit

for obedience

to God's Word.

Nor did they care

about caring

for God's people.

So they were willing

to quote religious phrases

when it was convenient

for them

and their agenda.

But they did not

have God's heart

for His people.

So beware,

Jeremiah says.

But at the same time,

aren't these verses

also telling us

not to fret

over false shepherds?

Why?

Because Jeremiah says

God sees them

and God will bring them

to account.

At the end of verse 2,

there's this play on words.

The word attend

in the Hebrew

can be used

both positively

and negatively.

God says to the evil shepherds,

you've not attended

to My people,

so I'm going to attend

to you

in judgment.

It's sort of like

our phrase

take care of someone.

You know how that can be

sort of positive

and negative?

You know,

God says,

you didn't take care

of My people,

so I'm going to take care

of you.

So, brothers and sisters,

don't fret

over bad shepherds.

You don't have to grind away

in fear and anxiety

and worry

and bitterness

and hatred.

Why?

Because God sees.

God will call them

to account.

God will judge justly.

We can entrust

that judgment to Him.

And focus on living

righteously

and loving our neighbors

as ourself.

One more application

in these first few verses.

And I think it's this.

Pray for good

under shepherds.

In verse 4,

God says,

I will set shepherds

over them

who will care for them.

Now,

we see this promise

partially fulfilled

in the very Old Testament

itself.

God did fulfill

His promise

in a partial way

and brought back

the people of Judah

and Israel

from the Babylonian exile.

And when He brought them

back from the Babylonian exile,

He did raise up

good leaders

like Zerubbabel,

the governor,

like Joshua,

the priest at that time,

like Ezra,

the teacher of God's word,

like Nehemiah,

the builder

of Jerusalem's walls.

And the same is true today

as God continues

to gather His sheep

from every tribe

and every nation

through the proclamation

of the gospel.

God continues

to make good

on this promise

to raise up

good under shepherds

who can care well

for the people,

pastors and elders

and deacons

and small group leaders

who love and lead

and feed God's people

through the Scriptures.

And we should,

all of us,

pray for our leaders,

prayers,

pray that they would live

lives of holiness

and righteousness,

pray that they would

teach and understand

God's word rightly,

pray that they would have

wisdom and love

to care for God's people well.

But we should pray

not just for church leaders.

Paul in 1 Timothy says

we should pray

for leaders of all kinds.

In 1 Timothy chapter 2,

1 Timothy 2 · chapter mention

1 through 2,

Paul writes,

first of all then,

I urge that

supplications and prayers

and intercessions

and thanksgivings

be made for all people,

for kings

and all who are

in high positions,

that we may live

a peaceful and quiet life,

godly and dignified

in every way.

So we should pray

for our civil leaders

and we should pray

for our bosses

and our managers.

Children,

you should pray

for your parents.

Pray for these

under shepherds

that they would fear

and love God

and exercise

their authority

in a way that brings

blessing and care

and flourishing

to all those

that they serve.

So first,

God

gathers the scattered.

But second,

Jeremiah says,

God will keep

them secure.

They will dwell

in safety

and won't be scattered

again.

God will keep

them secure.

But how?

How?

How will God

accomplish this?

Well,

in verses 5 and 6,

Jeremiah tells

the people

that an even

better

shepherd

is coming.

The true shepherd

who will

reign as king

and deal wisely

and shall

execute

justice

and righteousness

in the land.

In other words,

this king,

this shepherd

will be righteous

through and through.

All of his ways

will be perfect

and just

and caring.

He will be

everything

that the former

kings and leaders

of Israel

and Judah

and every human

society

has failed to be.

Jeremiah says

he will be

a righteous

branch

out of the line

of David.

Now,

that word

branch,

right,

is obviously

a plant metaphor.

It's a tree

metaphor.

That word

in Hebrew

means a shoot.

It's new

growth

out of the old.

You know,

maybe you've

seen that

for yourself.

You have an old

plant that seems

like it's about dead.

Those are most

of the plants

in my life

at my home,

at my office.

I have a fake

tree in my office

so that I never

have to water.

It's brilliant.

But maybe you've

seen kind of

these old plants

of yours

about dead.

And then,

to your great

surprise,

a new stalk,

a new branch

grows out,

green and full

of life.

Isaiah uses

a very similar

metaphor as

Jeremiah.

In Isaiah

Isaiah 11:1

chapter 11,

verse 1,

Isaiah says,

there shall

come forth

a shoot

from the stump

of Jesse.

That's David's

house.

And a branch

from his roots,

from David's roots,

shall bear fruit.

Notice how

Isaiah describes

the house of David,

that royal house

in Israel.

He calls it

a stump.

It's cut down.

It's lifeless.

That's how Isaiah

and Jeremiah

talk about

the house

of David

and by implication,

all human rulers.

But,

you see,

through these

two prophets,

God is telling us

that merely

human authority,

merely human

rulers,

they will never

be the sort

of king,

the sort

of shepherd

that we need.

But he says,

out of something

dead,

God will bring

life.

out of the old,

he will bring

something new.

Out of something

that looks

seemingly impossible,

God will make

it possible.

And so,

out of the stump

of David,

God says,

a branch

will come,

a righteous

branch,

a new shepherd

who will always

do what is right.

And how did

God bring

this true

and better shepherd,

this righteous

branch

of new growth

into the world?

Well,

as we turn

to the pages

of the New Testament,

we see

that the Messiah,

the King,

the shepherd,

Jesus,

came into the world

conceived

by the Holy Spirit,

born of the

Virgin Mary.

Out of the old

comes new.

Out of the impossible,

comes the possible.

And as we follow

Jesus' life

in the Gospels,

what do we see?

How does Jesus

use His authority

and power?

Does He use it

to build His own

wealth and prestige?

Does He amass

an army?

Does He take over

territory?

Does He pillage

and plunder?

Not at all.

Rather,

Jesus,

the good shepherd

cares for the weak

and the vulnerable

and the poor.

And He calls

a group of followers

of disciples

and He tells them,

blessed are the meek

and the gentle

and the peacemakers.

Blessed are those

who hunger

and thirst

for righteousness.

And this true

and better shepherd,

He gathers.

He gathers

the lost sheep

back into the fold

of God.

In Matthew 11,

Jesus says,

Come to Me,

all who labor

and are heavy laden,

and I will give you rest.

Take My yoke upon you

and learn from Me,

for I am gentle

and lowly in heart,

and you will find rest

for your souls,

for My yoke is easy

and My burden is light.

Can you imagine that?

Yes, Jesus is a shepherd.

He's a king with authority,

but to come under

this king's authority,

it brings lightness

and ease.

Jesus says,

All you who have been

scattered and scarred

by uncaring,

unjust shepherds,

come.

Hear the words

of the true

and better shepherd,

the righteous branch,

the true king of David.

He says,

I'm gentle

and lowly in heart.

Come to Me

and I'll give you rest.

And Jesus says

that when you come to Him,

come under His loving authority,

He says,

you'll find rest

for your souls.

Rest for your souls.

Not scattered anymore,

not thrown and tossed

and burdened

and bruised

and preoccupied,

but rest for your souls.

But how does this

true and better shepherd

bring this rest?

Jeremiah tells us

in verse 6,

And this is the name

by which He will be called.

The Lord is our righteousness.

You see,

Jesus,

our true and better shepherd,

isn't just righteous

in Himself.

He is the righteous branch,

but He's more than that.

He has also become

our righteousness.

Our righteousness.

And friends,

this brings us

to the heart

of the gospel,

the central message

of the Scriptures.

The Scriptures tell us

that there's no one

who's righteous

before God.

Romans 3.23 says,

all of us have sinned

and fall short

of the glory of God.

To imagine that we can have

enough righteousness

within us

to be accepted by God

and to have true rest

for our souls

is to be deluded.

1 John 1.8 says,

If we say we have no sin,

we deceive ourselves

and the truth is not in us.

And so,

because of that,

we must look outside

of ourselves

to another.

We must look

to the righteousness

of another.

And there's only one person

who lived a life

of perfect righteousness.

Jesus Christ,

God the Son,

the second person

of the one triune God

who became flesh

and assumed

a fully human nature

so that His righteousness

could become,

as Jeremiah says,

our righteousness.

We don't find rest

for our souls

through trusting

in ourselves.

We only find it

by trusting

in Jesus Christ.

By the grace

of God,

the righteousness

that Jesus maintained

becomes ours

as we're united

to Him by faith.

And believers

have the righteousness

of Christ

imputed to them,

credit to them

as a gift.

And our record then,

because of the righteousness

of another,

our record then

becomes spotless

and clean

and perfect.

And that becomes

the basis

of our assurance.

And that is how

we can dwell

safely,

securely,

forever,

Jeremiah says.

That's how God

keeps us completely

and utterly secure.

God accepts us

on the grounds

of the perfect righteousness

of Christ,

received by faith alone.

Jesus,

the good shepherd,

is the Lord

our righteousness.

What a gift.

So two applications

then as we conclude.

First,

friends,

if you have not done so,

receive this true

and better shepherd.

He says,

come to me

and I'll give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you

and you'll find rest

for your souls.

He freely offers

His righteousness

to all who believe.

And if you haven't

done that,

what are you waiting for?

Are there questions

you need to resolve

about the truthfulness

and the historicity

of these things

that the Scriptures

say about Jesus?

Are there questions

you need to resolve?

Well then,

friend,

waste no time

in searching them out.

Or maybe it's simply

that you realize

that your life

will change

if you give your life

to this true

and better shepherd.

Do you fear

surrendering your life

to Him?

But friend,

what other shepherd

could you trust

more than Him?

Here's a shepherd

who left heaven

to come

and gather you

to Himself

and to gather you home.

Here's a shepherd

who promises

that not one

of His sheep

will go missing.

In a parable,

Jesus says that

He's like a shepherd

who would leave

the 99

to go search

after the one

far in the far country

and upon finding

that one

would put them

on His own shoulders

and rejoice

bringing them home

and all heaven

would rejoice.

Here's a shepherd

who not only

lived a perfect life

for you

but a shepherd

who laid down

His life for you.

You know,

when the wolves

of condemnation

and sin

and fear

came for the sheep,

Jesus stood firm

and He died

on a cross

so that no sin

and no condemnation

and no guilt

would ever be able

to stand against

His sheep

because He paid

that penalty

for them.

There is no greater shepherd

than the Lord Jesus.

In trusting Him,

you have nothing to fear

and everything to gain.

But lastly,

for those of us

who have come

to see Jesus

as our true

and greater shepherd,

remember

that He has a mission

for us.

Matthew 9 says,

Jesus went through

all the cities

and villages

teaching in their synagogues

and proclaiming

the gospel of the kingdom

and healing every disease

and every affliction.

Then it says,

when He saw the crowds,

He had compassion

on them

because they were harassed

and helpless

like sheep

without a shepherd.

Then He said

to His disciples,

the harvest is plentiful

but the laborers

are few.

Therefore,

pray earnestly

to the Lord

of the harvest

to send out laborers

into His harvest.

You see, friends,

we are being sent

by our great shepherd

into the world

to proclaim

His kingdom,

to care

for the vulnerable

and the afflicted,

to hunger

and thirst

for righteousness,

and to see

with His own eyes

the fields

that are ripe

for harvest.

There are still

so many

who are like sheep

without a shepherd.

Pray that God

might use us

as bearers

of good news

and that through

our labors

God might gather

yet more to Christ

our good shepherd,

that we might live

in such a way

that gives evidence

to the world

that there is

a better king

and there is

a better shepherd

to live under.

Now, why can we do

this work

with joy

and with confidence?

Well, again,

because God

has already promised

that not one

of His sheep

shall be missing.

He knows

all of His sheep

by name

and as we go forth

living

and proclaiming

this good news,

God promises

that His sheep

will surely hear

the shepherd's voice

and be saved.

Our part

is simply

to tell this good news

with all the joy

and wisdom

He gives

and God

will gather

His sheep

and they will find

rest for their souls

in the arms

of our great shepherd,

the Lord Jesus Christ.

Let's pray together.

Father,

we praise You

for giving us,

Jesus,

the shepherd we need

who is not just

righteous in Himself

but who provides

that much-needed

righteousness

for us

that we might

find rest

for our souls

and be right

with You,

our God.

So help us,

Father,

to live lives

worthy

of this good news.

Help us to take

Jesus' yoke upon us

and go forth

as laborers

into the harvest

seeking first

Your kingdom

and Your righteousness.

Father,

we pray that You

would do

this gathering work

in our midst.

Make good

on Your promise

that not one

shall be missing.

Father,

gather all of Your sheep

to Yourself.

It's in Jesus'

mighty name we pray.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.