You're #1!

This message was delivered by Sheila Schuller Coleman from the pulpit of the Crystal Cathedral. It was aired during the Hour of Power program on Hong Kong's ATV World Channel on 13 June 2010.

Well, first of all, I'm a mother and I have four sons. They were born within seven years time and those boys, today, have grown into big men. They range in height from about six-foot-one-and-one-half inches to just under six-foot-eight inches. So, one way to call them home is food. They know when food is being served. They especially know that Monday is my Sabbath and so the end of Monday, when the sun sets, I start cooking and I start baking. The phone starts ringing around three-thirty, four ‘o clock in the afternoon: "Mom, what's for dinner; what's for dessert?"

They come and they gather, these big boys - Jason's number one, and then there's Chris, and then there's Scott, and then there's Nick. Usually it's two roasts, ten pounds of potatoes, and two pies or two-dozen cupcakes. And they still fight over the food. They'll sit there and they'll say, "You know mom, we know that Nick's your favorite. You're always bragging about him. Everywhere we go, we all hear about how Nick's your favorite."

I say, "That's not true, that's not true. I don't have favorites."

"Well, Jason's your favorite because you made his favorite dessert. You didn't make mine."

Then the other one will say, "No, no, no, Chris is your favorite because he's going to be a pastor."

And they go back and forth: "Who's Mom's favorite? You're her favorite, right?"

Am I a bad mom or do any other mom's have that same kind of scenario where your kids accuse you of having favorites? Yes?

Well, the truth of it is we all know we don't have favorites. We love all our kids the same. All of our kids are favored; each of our kids is number one in our lives.

I really felt that God wanted you to hear, today, this message. He doesn't have favorites. You're all his favored children. You're all number one with God. He doesn't love me more than he does you. He doesn't love you more than he does me. He doesn't favor any of his children over another. Every one counts with God. Every one is of equal value to God. Every one is favored by God. All of his children are favored. Each of his children is his favorite. You're number one with God.

Some of you are saying: Sheila I don't believe you. I don't. If that were true, we'd all be equal. We would all have the same income, we would all have the same blessings, and I wouldn't be having more burdens and more challenges and more trials than this child would over here. So obviously, I think this child's your favorite, God, and not me.

Moreover, we do the very same thing with God that my boys do with me. We accuse him of having favorites when in reality his favor, our value, does not depend on what we do, how good we are, or whether we deserve it or not. And our circumstances are not a reflection of his favor on us. His favor is that he loves us all the same. We are all number one with God. Don't miscount that. You are number one with God.

John 10 tells us that we are sheep, you and me. That's not necessarily a flattering thing if you look at sheep, because sheep are slow and have no defense mechanisms - they don't have sharp teeth, they don't have sharp claws, and they have no camouflage to protect them. They are completely susceptible and because they're so susceptible to predators that can attack them and turn them into mincemeat, literally, they are very dependant because they're so vulnerable; they are dependant on their shepherd.

Therefore, we are the sheep. That's what John 10 tells us. You and me, we're sheep. However, God says, "I am the Shepherd." Jesus actually said it because Jesus was and is God. He rightly equated himself with God the Father. He said, "I am the Shepherd." Shepherds are strong, they're steadfast, and they're sure. You can count on your shepherd.

John 10 says that for us sheep, it's really important that we are able to recognize the voice of our Shepherd because we don't want to be following the wrong person. We don't want to be going down the road after the wrong shepherd and find ourselves lost. We want to make sure we're following the right Shepherd. Jesus says, "My sheep recognize my voice."

Do you know how to recognize the voice of your Good Shepherd? It's really simple. The Shepherd's voice gives you messages - and I've learned them from my dad - they're the positive messages I've heard my whole life. The voice of the Shepherd says: You can do it. Don't give up. You count, you're important, I love you, and I care about you.

That's the voice of the Shepherd.

Those other voices say: Don't even bother trying anymore. You've tried and tried and tried. Give up. Just give in to the depression. Give in to the discouragement.

Those words do not come from the voice of the Shepherd. Those are the voices of the liars - the liars who want to steal your life and take you away from your Shepherd.

So all of us sheep need to listen and pay attention to each voice and wonder: Is this the voice of the Shepherd or is this the voice of the thief? You will know the voice of the Shepherd because the voice of the Shepherd is a loving, caring, positive, powerful, faithful voice.

At the age of forty, I went back to become a schoolteacher. Part of being a schoolteacher is to, first, serve as a student teacher. You're put under the wings of a master teacher for a semester. Towards the end of my semester, my master teacher was in the teacher's lounge leaving me alone with the children more and more so that I could feel like I was the teacher.

One day, I was sitting in the classroom and feeling very far away - especially far away from my church because I'd always worked in the church. Now, here I was in a public school and I couldn't talk about God, I couldn't talk about Jesus, and I was just feeling discouraged. It was a lot of work. So, there I sat there at that teacher's desk thinking: Lord do you still care about me? Do you see me down here? I'm working for you and I just feel so discouraged. I don't see any results. I just feel hopeless and helpless and I'm just tired and I'm weary.

I had just prayed that prayer when little Jimmy came up to me, and he had a bell in his hand. He said, "Teacher, I noticed that the bell yesterday was broken," which was true. We teachers like our bells to get the kids attention and the clapper had fallen out of my bell the day before. "My mom thought you could use a new bell, so here's a new bell for you."

Now, this bell wasn't just any bell. Jimmy handed me this bell and I gulped because I had just prayed and said, "Lord help me." This bell was one of our Eagle's Club bells. God knew months earlier that Sheila was going to sit there in that classroom feeling really discouraged and God said: Okay, I'm going to make sure that one of these Eagle bells somehow gets to Sheila, maybe through a garage sale, but through Jimmy's mother to Sheila on that very day.

I had no sooner prayed that prayer that God answered that prayer. His voice was heard loud and clear through this bell. It said: Sheila I care about you so much that I made sure this bell got to you.

Of course, in public schools we're not allowed to read scripture or pray with the kids. Nevertheless, the children came up to me, huddled around my desk, and said, "Ms. Coleman, there're words on that bell. What do they say?" Well, even in public school, when students ask a teacher to read, we read. Because I knew very well what words were on this bell, I said, "Well children, it says this..." And the words were for these children as much as they were for me. "‘…They who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint,' Isaiah 40:31."

We just have to listen to the voice of the Shepherd and he will tell us and he will show us.

Many of us have been quite stressed these days. We've been discouraged, depressed, wondering, worrying, fretting. I've had my own moments. But, I have not been losing sleep as many of you have. I've been hearing about it: Sheila, I can't sleep. Sheila, I'm so worried I can't sleep. Sheila, I wake up in the middle of the night and I can't go back to sleep.

However, take comfort, the Shepherd provides. He provides.

The other day I was writing in my prayer journal: Lord, you know I'm really tired and I'm kind of worried about things.

He said: Silly daughter, silly sheep. When you fret and you get tired, that's because you're trying to do my job. Let me do my job. You just count on me to do my job. Can you count on me, Sheila, to do my job?

What a powerful statement. I wanted to share it with you today because, yes, God is there. He is doing his job. The sheep don't try to do the shepherd's job. Wouldn't they look silly with a staff running around trying to lead, trying to fight off bears? They'd have no chance against a bear. And we are the same. We just have to be sheep and count on the Shepherd to do his job, to provide for us.

I love this little song that was written years ago by Irving Berlin for the film "White Christmas," and Bing Crosby sang it. "When I'm worried and I can't sleep, I count my blessings instead of sheep, and I fall asleep counting my blessings. When my bankroll is getting small, and I think of when I had none at all, and I fall asleep counting my blessings."

Do you know that the Good Shepherd has branded you? He's put his brand on you, just like the cattle on the working ranch that was right behind our house when the boys were little. We used to watch the cattle being rounded up. The cattle did not like being branded, I guarantee you. But why did the rancher do that? Why did he brand those cattle? Because he didn't want anybody to steal them. It was his way of saying: They belong to me. Hands off everybody else - these are mine, these are my cattle.

As God's sheep, we are branded by him so that, if anybody comes and tries to steal us, the Shepherd says: Hands off, my sheep! Get away! I'm here. They're mine. Go!

Shepherds are not wimpy, little pastoral-type guys that we sometimes see in films or illustrations. Shepherds have to be especially strong dudes. They have to fight bears, wolves, and lions with bare hands. David, in the Bible, was a shepherd. He talked about how he had to fight to protect his sheep.

My son Scott is the tallest, just under six-foot-eight inches, and he's been through the police academy. Scott is definitely not a wimpy dude. I always feel really secure when I have Scott at my side. When Arnold Schwarzenegger came here a few years back, they asked for extra security. So, Scott volunteered and he stood out there with these guys, big dudes, in a ring to protect Arnold, the "governator."

After church, Scott came home and said, "That was the worst. That was the most difficult, the most horrible thing I've ever had to do. I'd rather handle all kinds of bad dudes. Don't ask me to do security at the Crystal Cathedral ever again. It was the worst, the hardest work I've ever done."

I looked at him, scratched my head, and said, "What? Why Scott, why?"

He said, "The little old ladies. We're in a ring and those little old ladies come up and they went with their elbows - boom, boom. And what are you supposed to do? You can't put a little old lady in a chokehold. You can't tackle her. You can't strong-arm a little old lady. They all got through!"

Well, God hedges us in and around - nothing gets through God.

I just want to ask you today: Do you need a champion? Is your life so hard, are you facing challenges that you can't handle alone? You need a Champion. I love the fact that I have a Champion.

Goliath, as described in the Bible, was a big old Philistine at nine feet tall, two feet taller than Shaquille O'Neal. And he had a javelin! He had a sword. He stood facing the Israelites and he said: I don't like the fact that all you Israelites are down here standing in line. We want this land, so we're going to get this land. Send me a champion. Send me a champion!

All the Israelites were just shaking in their boots. Day after day, Goliath came to them and posed the same challenge, and the Israelites just stood their ground, shaking in their boots, just shaking in their boots! Little David goes to the battleground to bring food to his big brothers when he overhears the challenge. David, very presumptuously, says: What's going on? How come you're letting this guy challenge us and nobody's standing up? Don't you get it? He's not challenging us; he's challenging our God. He's challenging the Lord. So, none of you is going to stand up for the Lord? I will. I'll stand up for the Lord because the Lord saves and the battle is the Lord's.

No armor, no javelin, just a little slingshot - you all know how the story ends - champion. David was the son of Jessie, a Bethlehemite, and the great, great, great, great, great, I don't know how many great grandfathers of Jesus, and a champion.

We need a champion. Sheep need a champion.

In a sheepfold, there are three short walls and a gate, which is really an opening, there's really not a gate there. So Jesus didn't say, "I'm the gatekeeper"; he said, "I'm the gate." He says this because he lays down his life at the gate and lets nobody over - nobody in, no thief in, no sheep out. He laid down his life for you and you and you and you because you're favored. You're his favorite. You're number one. You're number one with Jesus.

In fact, if you should get lost, if you should wander away, if you would say: I don't trust or feel I can count on the Shepherd so I'm going to go off on my own anyway - if you did that, he would leave all ninety-nine of the other sheep behind to look for you. He would, because he loves you that much.

Today, I encourage you to walk out of here hearing the message that God wants you to hear: You are favored. You're his favorite. You're number one with God.

I'm going to close with a prayer that I wrote that's in the "Power for Life Bible": Dear Lord, we come to you today in much the same way that sheep return to their shepherd. I have been stubborn in the past and wandered far from your care. I've gotten confused and lost my way and been thrust into thorns that cut me deep. But today I run to you with arms open wide. As a shepherd protects his sheep, so you will lift me, Lord, above the overwhelming times of life in your protective arms. As a shepherd guides his sheep, so you will lead me away from harm into the bountiful pastures with your words in the Bible. As the shepherd searches for his sheep, so you will seek for me high and low. And finding me, forgive me with a merciful hand. Thank you, dear Shepherd. I will love you and praise you forevermore. Amen.

© Copyright Hour of Power 2010. This message was delivered by Sheila Schuller Coleman from the pulpit of the Crystal Cathedral and aired on the Hour of Power, April 18, 2010