Have you memorized Isaiah 53:66All 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)? “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” Let’s think about the word “astray” in the verse. Do you know what it means? Astray is to go off in the wrong direction. Have you ever gone astray? Our verse tells us that we have all gone astray and turned to our own way. But the Lord Jesus died for the sins of any boy or girl or grown-up who has accepted Him as Saviour. Have you accepted Him as your very own Saviour? If so, have you thanked Him for taking the punishment for your sins?
Let’s meet Rocky. He was a sheep that lived on a large sheep ranch in New Zealand, where there were many, many sheep. Every year the sheep on the ranch were rounded up and sheared. That means the fleece, or wool, was removed by cutting it off with sharp shears and clippers. Somehow, Rocky went astray and missed the yearly shearing for six years! He was eventually found living in a cave that was in high, rugged country, in a far away area of the ranch. The person who found Rocky did not recognize him as a sheep but called him a “shapeless bundle of legs.”
Rocky was a good example of what happens not only when sheep go astray, but also when any one of us goes astray and is weighed down with sins. If you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, He tells us in John 10:1414I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. (John 10:14) that He is the good shepherd and knows His sheep. So when we accept the Lord Jesus as our Saviour, we are one of His sheep. Even though Rocky’s shepherd may have known him before he went astray, I wonder if he would have recognized him after he was found.
Read the little story in Luke 15:4-74What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? 5And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. 7I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. (Luke 15:4‑7), and you will see how much the Lord Jesus loves you. Even though the shepherd had 100 sheep, when just one was lost, he searched until he found that one. What a good picture of how much the Lord Jesus loves sinners!
After Rocky was found, he had to be carried down the mountain, because he was so heavy and unsteady he could not walk. Normally, Rocky’s fleece would weigh about 10 pounds each year, but now he had about 60 pounds of fleece to carry around. What a heavy load! Rocky was sheared fairly quickly to relieve him of all that extra weight. He had to be turned upside down for the shearing so he would stay still, because it took a long time to cut off so much fleece.
Rocky really did not know he had gone astray, but what about you? In Ezekiel 33:1010Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel; Thus ye speak, saying, If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live? (Ezekiel 33:10), there is a question to think about. “If our transgressions and our sins [like Rocky’s heavy fleece] be upon us, and we pine away in them [feel sad], how should we then live?” How good that there are answers to that question! Psalm 103:1212As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. (Psalm 103:12) tells us that “as far as the east is from the west, so far hath He [the Lord Jesus] removed our [sins] from us.” Just as Rocky was relieved of his heavy weight of fleece by shearing, the Lord Jesus can relieve you of your weight of sin. He died for you and wants to free you from the weight of your sins. Have you asked Him to do that for you?
Rocky lived for several years after being found in the cave, and each year his coat of fleece was sheared. He would have had another heavy load of fleece again if it had been left to grow without shearing. How different with our sins! “I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand” (John 10:2828And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. (John 10:28)). Once we have accepted the Lord Jesus as Saviour, our sins are gone and they are gone forever! And the Lord Jesus says, “Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more” (Hebrews 10:1717And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. (Hebrews 10:17)).
ML-10/26/2014