Have you ever seen a lamb at a gospel meeting? That’s what was up front beside the preacher - a real, live, wooly lamb, noisily drinking milk out of a bottle!
The preacher owned the lamb, so he was its shepherd. He told us that this lamb was one of a set of triplets, but it was the weakest of the three. When its brother and sister pushed it out of the way so they could nurse, this little lamb grew weaker while they grew stronger, until the mother sheep rejected it also. Poor, helpless little lamb!
When the preacher told his family that he might have to kill the lamb, his children begged him to let them try to save it. Because the preacher belonged to the Good Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave up His life for His sheep, the preacher wanted to be kind like his Good Shepherd, so he decided to try to save the lamb.
At first the lamb seemed to improve with the children’s care, but then it became sick and didn’t seem to want to eat, or even to live. The children pleaded with their dad to try to help their lamb. Although he well knew that sick lambs die very quickly, he told his children he would do what he could.
It was already dark that evening and he was very tired, but he found his big flashlight and went out to the lamb’s pen. What he saw when he shone the light on the lamb almost made him sick. Its whole hind quarters were covered with little worms. Again he thought the very best thing to do was to kill the lamb and put it out of its misery. But then he remembered how the Lord Jesus had loved him enough to die for him when he was full of sin. So he got to work and removed as many worms as he could. But more kept coming out of the lamb’s fur. The poor little thing was dying on its feet.
What a picture to us of our sinful condition before God. Our hearts are as full of sin as that lamb was of worms. God tells us that without Christ we are “dead in trespasses and sins.” Ephesians 2:11And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; (Ephesians 2:1). We can’t help ourselves, and neither could that little lamb.
The shepherd carried the poor little lamb into his house and filled the kitchen sink with warm water. He gently put the lamb in the water, and soon the surface of the water was covered with floating worms. The shepherd washed them down the drain and filled the sink again and again with fresh, warm water. With each washing the lamb looked a little better. Soon she was willing to drink from her bottle.
About 3:00 in the morning the tired shepherd carried the lamb back to her pen, but she still needed lots of care. The worms had left her covered with open sores and she was very weak.
Our awful load of sins makes us just like that poor little lamb. We need to have them washed away, just like that little lamb needed to have all those awful worms washed away. We have a Good Shepherd who loves us and is able to wash us clean. He died on Calvary’s cross so that we might have every sin washed away in His precious blood. “The blood of Jesus Christ [God’s] Son cleanseth us from all sin.” 1 John 1:77But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:7).
Under the tender care of the shepherd, his family and friends, the little lamb grew strong and healthy. And that’s the lamb we saw at the gospel meeting. If you will let the Lord Jesus wash away your sins, you can have a happy, useful life that will please Him, and a home in heaven.
Will you come to the Good Shepherd right now and let Him wash you clean? “Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” Psalm 51:77Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. (Psalm 51:7).
ML-12/25/1994