Sheep Are Led
Christian ministers must cultivate their own souls and experience what they teach in order to effectively lead their flock.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes the importance of spiritual leadership, comparing Christians to sheep that are led rather than driven. He stresses that ministers must first cultivate their own hearts and experiences before attempting to guide others, as they can only lead their flock as far as they have personally gone. Tozer warns against the frustration of a shepherd who tries to drive his sheep without having experienced the truths he preaches. He encourages ministers to prioritize their spiritual growth over their public speaking skills, as true leadership stems from a deep relationship with God. The sermon concludes with a prayer for personal reflection and spiritual nurturing.
Text
Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For he is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand. --Psalm 95:6-7
Cattle are driven; sheep are led; and our Lord compares His people to sheep, not to cattle.
It is especially important that Christian ministers know the law of the leader--that he can lead others only as far as he himself has gone....
The minister must experience what he would teach or he will find himself in the impossible position of trying to drive sheep. For this reason he should seek to cultivate his own heart before he attempts to preach to the hearts of others....
If he tries to bring them into a heart knowledge of truth which he has not actually experienced he will surely fail. In his frustration he may attempt to drive them; and scarcely anything is so disheartening as the sight of a vexed and confused shepherd using the lash on his bewildered flock in a vain attempt to persuade them to go on beyond the point to which he himself has attained....
The law of the leader tells us who are preachers that it is better to cultivate our souls than our voices. It is better to polish our hearts than our pulpit manners, though if the first has been done well and successfully it may be profitable for us to do the second. We cannot take our people beyond where we ourselves have been, and it thus becomes vitally important that we be men of God in the last and highest sense of that term. The Price of Neglect, 151-153.
"Lord, today let me stop, step off the busy treadmill, and look to the condition of my soul. Help me to listen to You and be spiritually nurtured, to have my soul cultivated by You in silence and solitude. Amen."
Sermon Outline
- The Difference Between Cattle and Sheep
- The Law of the Leader
- The Importance of Spiritual Nourishment
- Polishing the heart over pulpit manners
- Taking people beyond one's own spiritual experience
- The consequences of neglecting one's own soul
Key Quotes
“Cattle are driven; sheep are led; and our Lord compares His people to sheep, not to cattle.” — A.W. Tozer
“It is better to cultivate our souls than our voices.” — A.W. Tozer
“Lord, today let me stop, step off the busy treadmill, and look to the condition of my soul.” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- As a Christian, I must prioritize cultivating my own soul and spiritual nourishment.
- I should focus on polishing my heart rather than just my pulpit manners.
- I must recognize the limitations of my own spiritual experience and not try to take others beyond where I have been.