John 10:16 (NKJV) And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.
Every shepherd has a unique voice and his sheep will recognize that voice. Normally, the shepherd will call out to the sheep whenever it is time to move on especially after grazing at the green pastures. The sheep will not respond to the voice of another shepherd even though the other shepherd may be passing through with his herds nearby where they are grazing.
Numbers 27:16-18 (NKJV) “Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, who may go out before them and go in before them, who may lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the Lord may not be like sheep which have no shepherd.” And the Lord said to Moses: “Take Joshua the son of Nun with you, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him;
This passage talks about the expectation of God towards His under-shepherd whom He has appointed to lead His people. He expects the shepherd to go before the sheep to lead them. Likewise, God will lead and walk before us to pave the way for us as a Good Shepherd. The wonderful thing about being led by the shepherd is his gentleness and the use of his voice to lead us. God uses His Word, His voice or the voice of the Holy Spirit to lead us. This is contrary to many who believe that God uses hardship, calamities, chronic illnesses to discipline them for their waywardness. Often times, it is our own awakening or being shaken by our tribulations, that we begin to soften our stance, heart and attitude towards the Lordship of Christ.
God has always been speaking to our heart and that is the reason why He has taken away the heart of stone and given us a heart of flesh in the new creation. He draws us towards what He wants us to do. He leads us gently and continues to speak to us about the things He wants us to do. There will be an unrest in our heart until we tune in and listen to Him.
God is the Good Shepherd who wants to lead us to green pastures and let us rest beside still waters. And if it is the Lord who leads us, then we do not need to be afraid when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death because we are confident that the Lord is with us. He will lead us out of the valley and His presence will continue to be with us.
Are we following His lead or are we walking on our own without heeding His voice?
Sermon Series: Who Is Shepherding You?
领路的牧人
约翰福音10：16我另外有羊、不是这圈里的．我必须领他们来、他们也要听我的声音，并且要合成一群，归一个牧人了。
每个牧羊人都有独特的声音，他的羊会认出这把声音。通常情况下，转场的时间一到，尤其当羊群在青草地上吃饱了青草之后，牧羊人就会呼唤他的羊群。即使刚巧有另一个牧羊群从它们中间穿过，羊群也不会对另一个牧人的声音做出反应。
民数记27：16-18“愿耶和华万人之灵的 神、立一个人治理会众。可以在他们面前出入、也可以引导他们、免得耶和华的会众如同没有牧人的羊群一般。耶和华对摩西说、嫩的儿子约书亚、是心中有圣灵的、你将他领来按手在他头上。“
这段经文说的是神对祂手下的牧师们的期盼，祂委派他们去带领祂的子民。他希望牧人走在羊群前带领他们。同样，好牧人上帝将带领我们并走在我们前面，为我们铺平道路。被牧羊人带领的奇妙之处在于他的温柔和他用于引导我们的声音。上帝用祂的话语，祂的声音或圣灵的声音来引导我们。这与许多人以为上帝使用患难、灾祸和慢性疾病来惩罚那些任性的人是恰恰相反的。很多时候，是我们自身的觉醒或被所经历的患难所撼醒，我们才开始软化对待基督主权的立场、心态和态度。
上帝一直在对我们的内心说话，这就是为什么祂在新造物中拿走了石心，并赋予了我们一颗肉做的心。祂将我们引向祂希望我们做的事情。他温柔地引领着我们，并持续的告诉我们祂希望我们去做的事。我们内心会有一种不平安，直到我们调准频道收听祂的话。
上帝是好牧人，祂想带领我们到绿色的牧场，让我们在静水旁休息。如果是主带领我们，那么当我们走过死荫幽谷时，我们就不必担心，因为我们相信主与我们同在。祂将带领我们走出死荫幽谷，祂将一直与我们同在。
我们是跟随上帝的带领，还是不听祂的声音一意孤行？
讲章系列： 谁在牧养你？