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.
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,
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,
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,
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.
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 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
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.