Sheep without a Shepherd

Jesus never says "Change your ways first and be good, and then I will accept you when you come." Like Zacchaeus, He called us to Himself in our sinful "dead in trespasses" state and fills us with His Spirit who transforms us to the image of His glory, from glory to glory (2 Cor. 3:18.)

Like Zacchaeus, we cannot come to Him unless He calls us. In John 6:44, He says: "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day." And there we were thinking "I decided by myself to follow Jesus," when the Sower (God the Father) was the one who scattered the seed (the Word-Jesus Christ) our way; He made fertile the ground (our hearts where the seed died,) made sure that Satan did not steal the seed and took care of the plant so that it became fruitful.

He raised the Vine (Christ raised from the dead and we the branches resurrected with Him.) He tends the Vine and makes sure that we the branches of the Vine bear fruit to Himself. Without Christ, we can do nothing. Our salvation has got nothing to do with what we did; it's all to do with what Christ has done.

By His grace, we understand Ephesians 2:8-9 "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast."

The word "saved" here is not just being saved to go to heaven. It encompasses deliverance from the power, pleasure and penalty of sin; deliverance from molestations by the enemy and deliverance from sickness and addiction. It encompasses justification from all the things from which we could not be justified by Law of Moses, as it is written in Acts 13:38-39 - 

"Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; 39 and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses."

When He causes us to realise this, it becomes difficult for us to condemn those who have not yet received their invite to His table. We realise that in Christ, the reason we are not wallowing in sin and doing the bad things that others are doing is because "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." Ephesians 2:8-9

With this realisation, instead of giving believers who are still struggling with sin more rules and regulations that they cannot keep and thinking that they are not trying hard enough to stop sinning and stay on the right path, like our Saviour Jesus in Matthew 9:36, we have compassion and pity on them-

"When He saw the crowds, He was moved with compassion and pity for them, because they were dispirited and distressed, like sheep without a shepherd."

You point these aimless and confused yet beloved of God to the Shepherd who loves them, because you realise that without the Shepherd, the sheep cannot stay on the right path (will continue to sin,) even you. Even as born-again Christians, we don't know the path of righteousness. Many think it is through law-keeping and doing good things to get right with God but these only serve to cut one off from Christ; according to Galatians 5:4-

"For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace."

This (trying to make yourself right with God by keeping the law,) is the wide road that leads to destruction and many are on it. It is rejecting the perfect work of Christ in making us righteous for our own human effort at attaining righteousness aka walking in the flesh. But the result is always "works of the flesh," just as it was with Peter who boasted in his flesh (human effort at doing right) but ended up denying Christ; three times.

The letter kills. By God's grace, let's not be found here. Romans 3:20 says "For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are."

The Lord our Shepherd leads us on the path of righteousness. He called us. Ask Him to open your eyes and rid your heart and mind of all false doctrines. He will help you. Know that "being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;" Philippians 1:6.

The Holy Spirit will teach you all things.

Believe Right and you will Live Right.