Saved in Weakness
The sermon emphasizes the importance of surrendering to God and trusting in the Good Shepherd to save us from our self-reliant ways.
D.L. Moody shares a poignant illustration of sheep in the Scottish highlands that wander into dangerous places, emphasizing the foolishness of their actions and the necessity of the shepherd's intervention. He draws a parallel to humanity, highlighting how people often stray from God and only seek His help when they are in dire circumstances. Moody reassures wanderers that the Good Shepherd is ready to rescue them the moment they relinquish their attempts to save themselves and allow Him to guide them back. The message underscores the importance of surrendering to God's will and trusting in His saving grace.
Text
Doctor Andrew Bonar told me how, in the highlands of Scotland, often sheep would wander off into the rocks and get into places that they couldn't get out of.
The grass on these mountains is very sweet, and the sheep like it, and they will jump down ten or twelve feet, and then they can't jump back again, and the shepherd hears them bleating in distress.
They may be there for days, until they have eaten all the grass, and he will wait until they are so faint they cannot stand, and then they put a rope around him, and he will go over there and pull that sheep up out of the jaws of death. "Why don't they go down there when the sheep first gets there?" I asked. "Ah!" he said, "they are so very foolish they would dash right over the precipice and be killed if they did!" And that is the way with men; they won't go back to God till they have no friends and have lost everything.
If you are a wanderer I come to tell you that the Good Shepherd will bring you back the moment you have given up trying to save yourself, and are willing to let Him save you His own way.
Sermon Outline
- The Dangers of Self-Reliance
- The Good Shepherd's Rescue
- The Path to Salvation
- Letting go of self-reliance
- Trusting in the Good Shepherd
Key Quotes
“They won't go back to God till they have no friends and have lost everything.” — D.L. Moody
“If you are a wanderer I come to tell you that the Good Shepherd will bring you back the moment you have given up trying to save yourself, and are willing to let Him save you His own way.” — D.L. Moody
Application Points
- We must be willing to surrender our pride and self-reliance to God in order to be saved.
- The Good Shepherd is patient and loving, and will rescue us at the moment we surrender to Him.
- We are unable to save ourselves and need God's help and guidance to find our way back to Him.