Few metaphors in the Christian church have as much meaning as that of the shepherd and his sheep.  Old and New Testament stories tell us of God being the wise and protective shepherd who tenderly cares for his dear and fickle sheep.  The term, "pastor" is Latin for shepherd.  Bishops are appointed as overseers of the shepherds.  Jesus is our Good Shepherd who guides the wandering, gives pasture and water, seeks the lost, gathers them into the pens, and ultimately gives his life for them.  The shepherd holds the lives of the sheep in his hands.

          So it is doubly tragic when the pastor/shepherd errs and leads them astray.  If he leads sheep to dry pastures and brackish water, what kind of shepherd is he?  If he leads them off a cliff, he becomes a sheep killer.  If he considers his own desires before his sheep, how long can be remain a shepherd?  The shepherd who scatters his sheep is dangerously close to being no shepherd at all.

          In Old and New Testaments, shepherds always represent God.  The shepherd reflects what God says and does.  The shepherd teaches what God's Word teaches.  Therefore, it is serious when the shepherd goes astray and leads his sheep astray.  It is tragic when he substitutes his own words for God's, and guides sheep by his own standards, perverting God's commands to serve his own desires.  Bad shepherds have always been around, just not so visibly as today.

          This past week we have witnessed a step away from the Word of the Good Shepherd in the election of a gay bishop.  It's a public step within a small group who have bent biblical teachings to their own whims.  The United Church of Christ took the step 12 years ago, Reformed Judaism did it 13 years ago, and Unitarians 23 years ago.  Only two of the four groups are Christian, yet it's another step away from God.

          God's Word is very clear on this.  Romans 1 speaks of God's wrath over sexual perversion.  2 Timothy 3 speaks of the godless who gain control over the weak-willed.  Leviticus 18 condemns all forms of perversion outside the marriage bed.  2 Kings chapters 17-24 are filled with story after story of anointed kings and consecrated priests doing evil.  After divine deliverance and blessing, they still abandoned God's ways for their own.  So God finally abandoned them.  He let them go their own way, just as I believe He is letting part of His church go its own way today.

          But let's all be clear on this - it matters not a whit what public opinion may say when the Word of God is clear!  It matters not an iota what others may be doing - God's People must stand fast with the Word of God!  No matter if every other church body in the world voted to go against the Word of God, we must follow God, not man.

          Some here today will find these words judgmental, and they are.  Some will think the loving thing to do is to be inclusive of everyone else's lifestyle.  Some may think it unloving to judge another person's actions.  But you and I have no right to excuse or to rationalize what God's Word condemns.  Whatever believers say and do must be motivated by God's Word, and not by human words.  Following the Word of God is the real loving thing to do, no matter what others may say.

          And here is just a portion of what that Word says:  (1 Corinthians 6:9-10) "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God?  Do not be deceived:  Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders... will inherit the kingdom of God."  And, (Galatians 6:7-8) "Do not be deceived:  God cannot be mocked.  A man reaps what he sows.  The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction."  And, (Matthew 13:49) "The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous."  And again, (Romans 1:18) "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth."

          Now why, you may ask, does the church get so worked up over certain sins and not equally be concerned about all the other sins?  For one thing, our attitude towards sexual things is intimately connected with our Creator.  But the real issue here is about shepherds leading people astray.  Going against God's Word, and encouraging others to do the same is as serious a sin as Jesus ever spoke against.  He said, "But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a millstone hung around his neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea." (Matthew 18:6)

          Now that's being judgmental!  That's plain talk because it's God Himself talking.  To paraphrase, if a church leads its little ones down the wrong path, it may as well go jump into the lake - the lake of fire.  Though God is a God of love, His Word always condemns the one who knowingly leads others astray.

          Well then, if God's Word is so clear, why would the church or its leaders ever want to contradict it?  That's a good question.  How can church leaders approve a lifestyle in direct conflict with God's Word?  The plain, unvarnished Word of God is clearly judgmental of such sin.  When Jesus says, "Do not judge, or you, too, will be judged" (Matthew 7:1), He is not telling us be silent over evil, to look the other way when sin shows itself plainly.  We are not to second-guess people and their motives, but we must still call a sin a sin.  If a masked man with a gun comes running out of a bank, it is not judgmental to say he's a robber.  And if a church leader seeks approval of sexual acts contrary to the Bible, it's not being judgmental to condemn what he does.  It's just telling the truth!

          It is not easy being a Christian in today's world.  The world entices us to accept all manner of sin.  It would be easy to be silent on this, and that's what most churches are doing.  Satan's influence is felt in every corner where God's people gather.  The shepherds and the flock must continually be vigilant for wolves.  They can love the wolves, but they must not approve of or join in what they do.

          Jesus talked with the prostitutes and thieves.  He laughed and ate with them, and He didn't condemn them.  But He did not agree with what they did.  Rather, He called them to repentance, to change their ways.  He told the woman caught in sin, "Neither do I condemn you;  go and sin no more." (John 8:11)   He dined with Zacchaeus, a cheating tax collector, He forgave the thief on the cross, and He even forgave the Pharisees and Scribes who had Him nailed to the cross.  But He never approved of what they did.  God calls us to turn our backs on sin, even as he forgives the sinner.

          The world wants the church to hush up about this, but it cannot, indeed, it dare not.  Any Christian church body that approves of its members or leaders perverting God's Law is no longer Christian.  It has ceased being a church and has become a lackey of public opinion.  And that, my friends, is a fact.

          But it's also a fact that God forgives and loves.  All who repent and believe in His Son Jesus are saved.  We all know there's hardly a one among us here today who has not done terrible things, who does not deserve to have a millstone tied around his or her own neck.  But sin is not what condemns us;  it's approval of sin, and it's tacitly encouraging others to sin, led by leaders who should know better.  It's being shepherds who scatter rather than gather the lambs into God's bosom.

          God's mercy is able to cover all trespasses.  His love is new every morning.  I wish I could say there's a happy "Seabiscuit" ending to this story, but I don't see one.  In fact, I see only an ecclesiastical train wreck coming if the people of the church don't stop accepting every sinful thing the world promotes.

          The silence of God's people about evil has become a shameful thing.  God calls us to declare His truth, however harsh it may sound.  We cannot change His truth and we dare not neglect it.  May we always be ready to give reason for the hope we have in Jesus Christ, the only hope for all mankind.  Amen

Copyright © 2003 by Pastor Bob Tasler.  All rights reserved.