John 10:14-16 “ I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.”
Jesus is the Shepherd of the church. When we follow Him and submit to His voice, then Psalm 23 applies to us. If we want our life to be centered in His will (with all the benefits that come with His will), we must learn to hear and follow His voice.
Here’s where so many miss out: Jesus, according to 1 Peter 5:4, is the Chief Shepherd. There are other shepherds under His supervision. He has delegated the care and the direction of the flock to “under-shepherds.” These are men that are called to lead the flock as they follow Jesus. Paul said it this way in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “Be a follower of me as I am a follower of Christ.”
There are many believers in the church who claim to follow the Chief Shepherd but have no relationship with the shepherds that He delegates. How can you follow Him and refuse to follow the one He put in front of you? How we submit to the under-shepherd who God set in front of us displays how we submit to the Chief Shepherd. Do you realize this? Do you understand that God has made another person accountable for you?
Hebrews 13:7 says exactly that: “ Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct.” Evidently, while we follow the Good Shepherd - He’s going to give us an under-shepherd to follow.
In Peter’s first letter, he wrote to the people who were called to this position. His instruction can be found in 1 Peter 5:2-3, “Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.” God gave some people the responsibility to oversee His flock. Their responsibility is to set an example for the sheep to follow. Going back to Hebrews 13:7, we recognize that their example should be in faith.
Now we have a complication. These leaders are given the responsibility and accountability of leading the flock - but they are never told to dominate their sheep. In other words, they’re called to set the example and preach right and wrong, but it’s up to the sheep to submit themselves to their leadership. That’s why, after writing to the shepherds, Peter immediately says “Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders.” The responsibility to lead rests on the shepherds - the responsibility to follow rests on the sheep. God will hold both of them accountable for what He’s called them to do.
That’s why Hebrews 13:17 says, “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.” This isn’t about someone forcing their way on your life, it’s about submitting yourself to their doctrine and their example. In fact, the Greek word for “obey” (peitho) literally means to be convinced and to trust. So God’s command is for His sheep to actually trust their shepherds!
We can also see the reward of following an under-shepherd in Hebrews 13:17. It will be profitable on the day of accounting. I absolutely believe that God will bring to account how we treat the men and women He set in authority. The flipside is that it won’t be profitable for you to wander off or rebel. Can you see the encouragement together with the warning in this verse?
This isn’t a light matter. The people that are called to shepherd God’s flock have an enormous responsibility on their shoulder. Listen to this admonishment to them out of Acts 20:28-30: “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.”
These are sheep that Jesus died for! He loves every one of those precious people. And it’s important to realise that He’s entrusted them to the care of these under-shepherds...so can you see how important their job is? Do you see that it’s the shepherd’s responsibility to drive away wolfish people? Can you imagine that these under-shepherds would ever have problems with goats and pigs mingling with and upsetting the sheep? These people have an incredibly tough assignment and have to rely completely on the grace of God...why would any sheep want to make their job harder?
Showing posts with label Good Shepherd. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Good Shepherd. Show all posts
Friday, April 6, 2012
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Barnyard Basics 2 - Savage Wolves
Acts 20:29-30 “For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.”
In this passage, Paul is referring to a natural creature to describe a spiritual type of person. We’ve already learned what sheep are - now we’re going to find out about wolves.
Naturally speaking, wolves are one of the domestic sheep’s worst enemies. They are vicious and opportunistic predators. Wolf packs have a clear hierarchy and alpha wolves dominate by strength. Cooperating together with clear strategies, wolves try to separate the weak from the strong.
Paul calls this type of people savage. They don’t care about the sheep - all they're interested in is what they can take from them. They “speak perverse (twisted) things to draw away disciples.” Wolfish people are those who are directly and purposely opposed to God’s sheep - or more accurately, God's shepherds. After all, the spirits that drive these predators know this concept..."strike the shepherd and the flock scatters."
Some wolves hunt from outside the flock. They are the people you hear on the TV mocking and blaspheming our Shepherd. They’re heard every week in college classrooms as they ridicule the lone sheep who dared to stand out. They’re even attacking the flock from the podiums of our government, trying to shame believers out of their faith. These attacks are easily seen but still effective far too often.
Jesus knew that there were wolves in the world. He knew that there would be people that violently oppose and seek to prey on His flock. He warned us in Matthew 10:16 and Luke 10:3 that there would be times when His sheep would be surrounded by wolves! But according to John 10:12-14, our Shepherd will never leave us alone in those situations! Follow Him, and it will ultimately work out for your good!
There are other wolves that are more dangerous. Jesus describes them in Matthew 7:15, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.” According to Jesus, some wolves disguise themselves as sheep. They infiltrate the flock, often going unnoticed by the sheep. But listen to me - these people are not confused about their identity! These are not wayward believers, they’re not saints living in sin, and they’re not mistaken leadership. These are not sheep. They have no connection to the Shepherd at all!
You can hear the howling when a so-called “christian” professor wonders out loud if the book of Genesis is true or not. You know you’re dealing with a wolf when a preacher tries to distort God’s commands to give credibility to sin. You’re being attacked by a wolf when a congregation member tries everything they can to separate you from your flock! Don’t be deceived!
Their goal is the same as any other wolf, to “draw disciples after themselves.” Their method is also the same, “speaking perverted things.” The only difference between the wolves outside and the wolves inside is the sheep disguise. Wolves in sheepskin hide their fangs inside spiritually-sounding words.
Every sheep needs to understand something, wolves only want to eat! They don’t twist God’s Word by mistake. They are trying to scatter the flock (according to John 10 :12). They can be false religions and militant atheists attacking from the outside, or they can be liberal theologians and slick-sounding preachers on the inside - but they’re both trying to steal your very life.
Wolfish teachings must be openly opposed! You can’t play games with a wolf. You can’t sit down and talk with them, hoping that they mean well! If someone is twisting the gospel of Jesus Christ to draw people out of their flock, you cannot stay with them! Your spiritual life depends on staying with the Shepherd and following His voice!
In this passage, Paul is referring to a natural creature to describe a spiritual type of person. We’ve already learned what sheep are - now we’re going to find out about wolves.
Naturally speaking, wolves are one of the domestic sheep’s worst enemies. They are vicious and opportunistic predators. Wolf packs have a clear hierarchy and alpha wolves dominate by strength. Cooperating together with clear strategies, wolves try to separate the weak from the strong.
Paul calls this type of people savage. They don’t care about the sheep - all they're interested in is what they can take from them. They “speak perverse (twisted) things to draw away disciples.” Wolfish people are those who are directly and purposely opposed to God’s sheep - or more accurately, God's shepherds. After all, the spirits that drive these predators know this concept..."strike the shepherd and the flock scatters."
Some wolves hunt from outside the flock. They are the people you hear on the TV mocking and blaspheming our Shepherd. They’re heard every week in college classrooms as they ridicule the lone sheep who dared to stand out. They’re even attacking the flock from the podiums of our government, trying to shame believers out of their faith. These attacks are easily seen but still effective far too often.
Jesus knew that there were wolves in the world. He knew that there would be people that violently oppose and seek to prey on His flock. He warned us in Matthew 10:16 and Luke 10:3 that there would be times when His sheep would be surrounded by wolves! But according to John 10:12-14, our Shepherd will never leave us alone in those situations! Follow Him, and it will ultimately work out for your good!
There are other wolves that are more dangerous. Jesus describes them in Matthew 7:15, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.” According to Jesus, some wolves disguise themselves as sheep. They infiltrate the flock, often going unnoticed by the sheep. But listen to me - these people are not confused about their identity! These are not wayward believers, they’re not saints living in sin, and they’re not mistaken leadership. These are not sheep. They have no connection to the Shepherd at all!
You can hear the howling when a so-called “christian” professor wonders out loud if the book of Genesis is true or not. You know you’re dealing with a wolf when a preacher tries to distort God’s commands to give credibility to sin. You’re being attacked by a wolf when a congregation member tries everything they can to separate you from your flock! Don’t be deceived!
Their goal is the same as any other wolf, to “draw disciples after themselves.” Their method is also the same, “speaking perverted things.” The only difference between the wolves outside and the wolves inside is the sheep disguise. Wolves in sheepskin hide their fangs inside spiritually-sounding words.
Every sheep needs to understand something, wolves only want to eat! They don’t twist God’s Word by mistake. They are trying to scatter the flock (according to John 10 :12). They can be false religions and militant atheists attacking from the outside, or they can be liberal theologians and slick-sounding preachers on the inside - but they’re both trying to steal your very life.
Wolfish teachings must be openly opposed! You can’t play games with a wolf. You can’t sit down and talk with them, hoping that they mean well! If someone is twisting the gospel of Jesus Christ to draw people out of their flock, you cannot stay with them! Your spiritual life depends on staying with the Shepherd and following His voice!
Monday, April 2, 2012
Barnyard Basics 1 - Sheep And Goats
John 10:11-16 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.”
We all know that Jesus is the Good Shepherd. We recite Psalm 23 over and over again - “the LORD is my Shepherd, I shall not want...” Everyone claims that He is their Shepherd - but the Bible is very clear that not everyone is a sheep. In fact, Jesus teaches about some people who are sheep, some who are goats, some who are pigs, some who are dogs, and some who are wolves. These are five spiritual types of people - and they each have defining characteristics.
First of all, if you want to be one of His sheep, you have to line up with Leviticus 11:3. That is you have to have a split hoof and you have to chew the cud.
Remember, everything in the Old Testament is a picture of the New. And the Bible will interpret itself! So what does split hooves have to do with us? Every time the Bible talks about a person’s foot, it’s referencing their walk, their way of life and their destination. If you want to be one of Jesus’ sheep, you have to have a split hoof - that is, a separated walk. We call this salvation.
When you were saved, you were taken out of the world. Your life is now separated from this world’s system - divided, if you will. Now you have a different walk, a different way of life, and a different destination! If you were born again, congratulations! You are halfway to becoming one of Jesus’ sheep!
The other half is chewing the cud - this has to do with your diet. Every believer should have a diet of God’s Word. That is our only source of spiritual food! If you’re not feeding on God’s Word, you’re starving yourself!
You see, sheep have a very unique way of eating. I’ll spare you the details, but give you enough to illustrate the point! Sheep are constantly chewing their food. Whenever they have a moment of rest, they bring it back up to chew it over again! Disgusting? Sure! But there’s a valuable lesson here. Chewing the cud isn’t just reading God’s Word, it’s meditating on it! It’s thinking about it continually. Whenever you get a chance, your mind goes right to the Word of God! That’s what makes a person one of Jesus’ sheep!
But wait a minute! There’s another animal that Jesus talks about that has both of these characteristics! Goats have split hooves and chew the cud too! In fact, goats and sheep are nearly identical. They’re so similar to each other that casual observers often have problems sorting them out. But according to Matthew 25:31-33, you don’t want to be a goat. “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.” (a place of dishonor and rejection)
What’s the difference? What separated the sheep and the goats? Using the same symbolism, we can see that the goats are believers, as well as the sheep. They both have separated lives (split hooves), they both meditate in God’s Word (chew the cud) - what makes them different? In a word - behavior.
The dividing factor in Matthew 25 is their obedience. The sheep’s love for Jesus caused them to care for each other. The goats thought they were serving Jesus, but neglected their brothers and sisters. It was all about obedience. Every believer knows that we’re commanded to love each other. Rebellion is the sole reason that the goats in this story ignored their brothers and sisters.
I believe that Jesus was referring to goats again in Matthew 7. He said in verse 21-23, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” Can you see it? These are believers that call Jesus “Lord” but don’t do what He says!
That is the defining attribute of sheep and goats. John 10:27 repeats this concept; “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” When a shepherd took his sheep out for pasture, he would walk in front of them and talk and sing. The sheep would recognize the shepherd’s voice and follow along. That is the sheep’s nature, to follow!
Goats, on the other hand, have to be driven. You won’t see a goat herder walking in front of the goats. They have to go behind and drive them. Goats are rebellious and independent. They’re often running away and getting into trouble. The nature of goats is to do their own thing! Sound like anyone you know?
A lot of people claim to be one of Jesus’ sheep, but not everyone qualifies. First of all, they must be born again - that rules out those in the world. Then they have to meditate on God’s Word - that rules out worldly Christians! Most importantly, they have to submit and follow the Good Shepherd - that rules out rebellious believers!
Thankfully, if you’re not already, you can still become one of His sheep. Just follow Him! Just stay in His Word and do what He says. Then, and only then, does this passage apply to you:
The Lord is my shepherd;
I have all that I need.
He lets me rest in green meadows;
he leads me beside peaceful streams.
He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
bringing honor to his name.
Even when I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will not be afraid,
for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff
protect and comfort me.
You prepare a feast for me
in the presence of my enemies.
You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
My cup overflows with blessings.
Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord
forever.
Psalm 23 only applies to His sheep!
We all know that Jesus is the Good Shepherd. We recite Psalm 23 over and over again - “the LORD is my Shepherd, I shall not want...” Everyone claims that He is their Shepherd - but the Bible is very clear that not everyone is a sheep. In fact, Jesus teaches about some people who are sheep, some who are goats, some who are pigs, some who are dogs, and some who are wolves. These are five spiritual types of people - and they each have defining characteristics.
First of all, if you want to be one of His sheep, you have to line up with Leviticus 11:3. That is you have to have a split hoof and you have to chew the cud.
Remember, everything in the Old Testament is a picture of the New. And the Bible will interpret itself! So what does split hooves have to do with us? Every time the Bible talks about a person’s foot, it’s referencing their walk, their way of life and their destination. If you want to be one of Jesus’ sheep, you have to have a split hoof - that is, a separated walk. We call this salvation.
When you were saved, you were taken out of the world. Your life is now separated from this world’s system - divided, if you will. Now you have a different walk, a different way of life, and a different destination! If you were born again, congratulations! You are halfway to becoming one of Jesus’ sheep!
The other half is chewing the cud - this has to do with your diet. Every believer should have a diet of God’s Word. That is our only source of spiritual food! If you’re not feeding on God’s Word, you’re starving yourself!
You see, sheep have a very unique way of eating. I’ll spare you the details, but give you enough to illustrate the point! Sheep are constantly chewing their food. Whenever they have a moment of rest, they bring it back up to chew it over again! Disgusting? Sure! But there’s a valuable lesson here. Chewing the cud isn’t just reading God’s Word, it’s meditating on it! It’s thinking about it continually. Whenever you get a chance, your mind goes right to the Word of God! That’s what makes a person one of Jesus’ sheep!
But wait a minute! There’s another animal that Jesus talks about that has both of these characteristics! Goats have split hooves and chew the cud too! In fact, goats and sheep are nearly identical. They’re so similar to each other that casual observers often have problems sorting them out. But according to Matthew 25:31-33, you don’t want to be a goat. “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.” (a place of dishonor and rejection)
What’s the difference? What separated the sheep and the goats? Using the same symbolism, we can see that the goats are believers, as well as the sheep. They both have separated lives (split hooves), they both meditate in God’s Word (chew the cud) - what makes them different? In a word - behavior.
The dividing factor in Matthew 25 is their obedience. The sheep’s love for Jesus caused them to care for each other. The goats thought they were serving Jesus, but neglected their brothers and sisters. It was all about obedience. Every believer knows that we’re commanded to love each other. Rebellion is the sole reason that the goats in this story ignored their brothers and sisters.
I believe that Jesus was referring to goats again in Matthew 7. He said in verse 21-23, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” Can you see it? These are believers that call Jesus “Lord” but don’t do what He says!
That is the defining attribute of sheep and goats. John 10:27 repeats this concept; “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” When a shepherd took his sheep out for pasture, he would walk in front of them and talk and sing. The sheep would recognize the shepherd’s voice and follow along. That is the sheep’s nature, to follow!
Goats, on the other hand, have to be driven. You won’t see a goat herder walking in front of the goats. They have to go behind and drive them. Goats are rebellious and independent. They’re often running away and getting into trouble. The nature of goats is to do their own thing! Sound like anyone you know?
A lot of people claim to be one of Jesus’ sheep, but not everyone qualifies. First of all, they must be born again - that rules out those in the world. Then they have to meditate on God’s Word - that rules out worldly Christians! Most importantly, they have to submit and follow the Good Shepherd - that rules out rebellious believers!
Thankfully, if you’re not already, you can still become one of His sheep. Just follow Him! Just stay in His Word and do what He says. Then, and only then, does this passage apply to you:
The Lord is my shepherd;
I have all that I need.
He lets me rest in green meadows;
he leads me beside peaceful streams.
He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
bringing honor to his name.
Even when I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will not be afraid,
for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff
protect and comfort me.
You prepare a feast for me
in the presence of my enemies.
You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
My cup overflows with blessings.
Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord
forever.
Psalm 23 only applies to His sheep!
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