Little Flock

Luke 12:32, "nFear not, olittle flock; for pit is your Father’s good pleasure to give you qthe kingdom." [1]

I.   Fear

     A. Little

     B. Large

II. Flock

     A. Litter

     B. Love

III. Father

     A. Lord

     B. Liking

Introduction:  This is not the message that I intended to bring today.  As we go through the context of Luke chapter twelve I see what is happening in my life just now.  We will read through that part today and if God wills we will expand on that part next time.  First God is taking us to a place where we become His church so we will go there today and backtrack later.

Love is a very strange thing.  We start out with a physical attraction and yes God uses that to bring you to where He has for you to go.  There is nothing wrong with a wife who longs to see her husband adorned in a way to bring the handsome man to the forefront.  She is proud of what God has given her and she wants everybody to see him the way she sees him.  It goes the other way too.  I’m waiting for that long blond hair but you know what, when I look at Rachael all I can see is that beautiful girl that I married.

Falling in love is a thing that starts the beginning.  Sanctification is also something that we sort of fall into.  But as with this thing called sanctification, love builds until there is no tomorrow on this planet and you find yourself in perfect peace with that one you love.  Notice here I said that one you love.  Now that is a little flock.  Two people, one marriage.  God works amazing things through only two.  More added to the marriage only serves to supplant the relationship.  We are not to be fearful.  John said in 1 John 4:18, “There is no fear in love; but sperfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth eis not made perfect in love.” [2]

As Christians we start out not quite sure that we can fully trust God.   The idea of a God that loves us so much that His Son, who was in perfect harmony with His Father, came here to rescue us; that truth is very attractive so we test the waters so to speak.  Yeah, I’ll call Jesus Lord but I’m not fully convinced yet.

When you say “I do” to your spouse in front of those witnessing, more often than not you are really saying “I’ll see.”  Time goes on and the relationship is tested over and over again until one day you wake up and know; I have nothing to fear anymore.  It takes a lifetime and unfortunately in this world today, most people never reach that place.

What has one to do with the other?  Do you remember last week’s language lesson?  This is a metaphor.  The Christian walk of faith is like marriage to a spouse.  There are other aspects of both relationships that affect other people involved.  The world is watching to see what is real.

Why did I go so long to finally stop resisting being the pastor of a church?  Why did it take so long to finally do what I knew God was telling me that I would do one day?  Other people saw it.  Ed Earp even saw it and I didn’t even know Ed Earp.  I was scared.  This congregation was scared too.  How many went through here as pastor only to leave?  In the past this flock was a larger flock.  Now this is a little flock.  Are you afraid in this big crazy world?  Don’t be!  God wants something so much more for us and from us than fear of the unknown.

Scripture:  The focal scripture today is Luke 12:32.  Please stand if you’re able.

Prayer:  Let us pray.  Be seated.

Message:  Back in verses 13-14 we find Jesus talking to a fearful brother who wanted Jesus to referee a fight so that he could get what he wanted from his brother.  The scripture we studied last Sunday was directed to that particular circumstance.  Jesus told him that he wasn’t here to referee.  Jesus explained that life is more than gathering an abundance of worldly stuff.

Look back now to Luke 12:22-31 and please follow as we read.  There is a shift in audience.  In this scripture Jesus has turned his attention to his follows.  I pray that is us.  He said to take no thought for your life.  There’s a lot more to life than food and clothes.  The birds don’t plant and gather they simply take what God has provided them.  The flowers are pretty and they grow without even having a brain.  Nobody can make themselves as beautiful as God makes nature.

If God does all that why do we worry and toil over temporary things?  Stop worrying!  That is what the rest of the world does but you are not of the world you are of God now.  Instead of seeking everything that the world says you must have to get ahead forget that.  Seek His kingdom!  If you do God will also give you all the things that you need.  The twelve tribes were in the wilderness for forty years and they wore the same clothes and the same shoes.  God knows what you need and He will certainly provide as He always has.

Keep you focus then on His prize.  When God asked Solomon what he wanted, Solomon said wisdom to lead God’s people.  Remember that?  God told Solomon that because He asked rightly he would also have the riches that he didn’t ask for.  Solomon was sincere in his request.

And there it is, “31 But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.” [3]  That is a sermon that has been preached countless times.  It was the sermon that I intended for today since it follows last Sunday’s text.  That is until God brought this little verse and this little flock which we are.  Fear not little flock.  Fear not Merry Oaks Baptist Church.

So what is fear?  In some places in the Bible we are told to fear God.  Here we are told not to fear.  What is it that we are not to fear?  As a student at a school with many large churches supporting the Baptist State Convention there would be speakers come and go.  Some had different ideas of what church growth meant.  Kenny Corn taught the course “Church Growth.”  It was a course in discipleship.  It was designed around making us larger in faith and not in numbers.  Sometimes God does bring new members and the numbers grow.  That’s OK, even good. 

Some of those speakers though talked about the plateaued church.  It is a church that has reached its potential and the numbers are actually decreasing instead of increasing.  Those speakers said the best that could happen to those plateaued churches was for them to close and the membership should go where they could help the numbers at some of the larger churches.  That always annoyed me.

Jesus here is specifically talking to a little flock.  How many original disciples were there?  Twelve!  That sure doesn’t sound much like a mega-church to me.  When Jesus wanted to draw a crowd He did.  Some came only came to be a part of something big.  There is nothing bigger than Jesus.  He is our reason.  If all it is for is to be part of a large number then that’s missing the purpose; at least that what this old chaplain believes.  Jesus loves me one on one.  He knows my name.  You don’t have to drop me down on a screen.  I’m here because Jesus is here.

Little flock!  What is a flock and how big or little must it be to be a flock.  Usually a flock is a group of birds maybe in the same general family.  They are said to flock together as birds of a feather.  They know each other intimately.  Like a litter of puppies.  A momma dog might even take on a kitten that is starving but she only delivers a litter of little dogs and she loves them.  Little flock large love!

We live in a society with demands.  Either accept me the way I am or you are a bad person to be ignored.  That is what the world is saying today.  There is that other parable that Jesus told about the landowner who had crops to harvest.  What was that all about?  Read Matthew 20:8-16.

This is all God’s vineyard.  None of this belongs to us.  God called us to harvest in His vineyard.  Most of the world expects to be treated with more than those who have contributed less in their eyes.  We forget that God is Lord of the vineyard.

We see in the last part of our focal verse today that it is our Father’s good pleasure to give us His kingdom.  It is His!  He is the Father!  We are the offspring!  It is not up to us to demand what we receive.  It is up to our Father in heaven to do whatever is in His liking.  If we fully trust Him, if we are faithful to God alone, then we will not murmur against Him and each other.  We will once and for all find contentment in that which God has given.

Prayer:

Invitation:  There is so much pressure on the church today.  It is no wonder that so many churches have closed their doors.  It is no wonder that so many churches are growing tired of their pastors and pastors are growing tired of their congregations.  We are being programmed to resist anything that might not divide us.  The church is the one organization that will last beyond this life.  It is the only marriage that will survive death and remain in eternity.  We are the bride of Christ.  We are His little flock.

For many years there has been a push within the denominations for growth in numbers because that seems to be where the money is.  Mega-pastors sell mega-books that bring in mega-bucks.  It is all about the bottom line.  If a church doesn’t produce then it is allowed to die and even encouraged to blend in with another mega-church. 

Remember the twelve who were sent into the Promised Land?  Do not be overwhelmed by even the other churches in the neighborhood that wonder why and even seem to wish for our demise here at Merry Oaks.  That would fit the narrative that there is only strength in numbers.  There were twelve who were sent into the Promised Land.  Caleb and Joshua were the only two who were faithful to God.  The other ten were doing all they could to distract from the truth that God wanted to give them better that they could get from anyone or anywhere else.

We are a little flock and we are His little flock.  Are we to stop trying to bring the lost in?  Absolutely not!  We are to harvest in His vineyard.  That is why we are here.  But we are to be content in the process and fear nothing when others attempt to persuade us that there is something wrong with a small gathering of Christians who love each other enough to be here for each other.  I can personally say that there is no place I would rather be than in His hands with His faithful few here who are Merry Oaks Baptist Church.

Let us sing…  Let us praise…  Let us give Him glory as He gives His little flock His kingdom.

n Isai. 41:10, 13, 14. & 43:5. & 42:2.
o Comp. Zech. 13:7. John 21:15–17. Acts 20:28. See Isai. 40:11.
p So Eph. 1:5, 9. Comp. Matt. 11:25, 26. ch. 10:21.
q See Matt. 25:34.
[1] The Holy Bible: King James Version (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Lk 12:32). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
s So Ecclus. 25:12. See Rom. 8:15.
e See ch. 2:5. So ver. 18.
[2] The Holy Bible: King James Version (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., 1 Jn 4:18). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[3] The Holy Bible: King James Version (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Lk 12:31). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.