Psalms 23:1, The Lord is my shepherd, I have what I need, is probably one of the most famous verses and the chapter itself in the Bible. The Shepherd is Christ and we are his flock (Sheep). There are always threats to his flock, by the wolves and goats. We are going to see how the wolves and goats can scatter us away from our Shepherd. We will see how the Shepherd protects and guides us into the right path and what the commission of the flock is, when it comes to the Christian life.
First we are going to examine the wolves (Can read more about the wolves in previous post). Matthew 10:16, Look, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd (sharp powers of judgement) as serpents and as innocent as doves. Jesus spoke to his disciples warning them about the wolves that would be out in the world trying to disrupt their gospel of truth. Wolves are known to be cunning, deceptive, ferocious and stealthy. They have disguised themselves as servants of righteousness. 2 Corinthians 11:14-15, For Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no great surprise if his servants also disguise themselves are servants of righteousness. Their end will be according to their works. There is no limit or boundaries to Lucifer’s lies and we can see it daily. The wolves can have a multitude of sins inside of their hearts. They are well versed in the knowledge of the Bible and can confuse you with lies if you do not know the word of God.
The wolves don’t show signs of remorse or repentance. Their heart is full or pride and makes them believe they are above God’s laws. The wolves are teaching that you can live a lifestyle against the Word of God and still claim that you will enter the kingdom of heaven. They preach the false doctrine teachings that we can be like God. The same pride and belief, Lucifer continues to have even to this day. Isaiah 14:13-14, You said to yourself, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will set up my throne above the stars of God. I will sit on the mount of the god’s assembly, in the remotest parts of the North. I will ascend above the highest clouds; I will make myself like the most High.” No one can be like God in any way, shape or form. The wolves use God’s name to set the trap and once captured, distort the truth into their lies. We see wolves in churches who are preaching their own doctrine and so many are lost because they DO NOT READ the Bible! If you do not know the truth that is in the Bible and you rely only on those false servants, you won’t even realize you are lost.
Matthew 25:31-46, When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him and he will separate them one from another, just as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger and you took me in; I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me; I was in prison and you visited me. Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?” And the King will answer them, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Then he will also say to those on the left, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels! For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink; I was a stranger and you didn’t take me in; I was naked and you didn’t clothe me, sick and in prison and you didn’t take care of me.” Then they too will answer, “Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or without clothes, or sick, or in prison and not help you?” Then he will answer them, “I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.” And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Jesus speaks about goats and sheep in this chapter. One of the major characteristics of goats are that they are stubborn/hard headed. I think the reason why goats are mentioned in this passage is that unlike sheep that tend to group together in a flock, making it easier to herd them all together. Goats tend to go in every direction; independent of each other. They can also be very aggressive at times. The goats hear the message of Christ but still refuse to follow the Shepherd. That is why they remain as goats. They ignore the voice of the Shepherd and go their own path. Sometimes at the cost of the wolf devouring them. They may be lost forever. The goats are the politicians, celebrities, the social influencers, atheists and those who do not follow Christ. They believe that this the only life that they have and there is not eternity in heaven or hell. They live for the moment.
The goats can cause the sheep to stray away from the flock. The sheep see how the goats live on social media and think life would be fabulous if they lived that way. They become envious and jealous at a life that is not truly fulfilling. They don’t see behind the doors where there is addiction, depression, sin and loneliness. If we follow the goat, it will cause us to stray from the flock and the wolf can devour us in our sin. We will be distracted by the wolves and the goats, unable to hear our Shepherd calling. The sound may be drowned out by the wolves and the sheep that we can’t recognize our Shepherd’s voice. There is no excuse for the goats or anyone, saying that they do not know who Jesus is when judgement occurs. Jesus says in Matthew 24:14, before the end times “This good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in all the world as a testimony to all nations and then the end will come.” Atheists have heard the word of God and have made the decision to believe there is no God. We will not be able to use the excuse that we have never heard of Christ. The goats are led by the flesh. Galatians 5:19-21, Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing and anything similar. I am warning you about these things – as I warned you before – that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Sheep are much easier to herd and follow the Shepherd. The flock has the characteristics of its Shepherd who is Christ. They recognize and hear the voice of their Shepherd. To be part of his flock, Romans 8:14 – For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. We must position ourselves to hear from God. Remove distractions, read his word, pray, and continually search for him. We must continually seek out the Holy Spirit to guide us. It benefits us as parents to not only seek God in our lives but also to start our children on the path as early as possible. They must know the truth and the word of God to combat the world’s lies. Children are being lost and we must start their spiritually journey at home. From family prayer, reading the Bible, discussing about God and his truths, being a part of their lives and learning/teaching the stories in the Bible. The more we teach our children the better chances they will hear/recognize the Shepherd’s voice and not be lost to the wolves and follow the goats.
Jesus tells us when we don’t hear his voice and don’t recognize him that we should run away as fast as we can from that danger because most likely it is a wolf. We must rely on the Word of God and the Holy Spirit to help us recognize his voice. We as the sheep must always be in the light, so the world can see the light of Christ inside us. We are to imitate Christ to the world. John 3:19-20, The light has come into the world and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil, For everyone who does evil hates the light and avoids it, so that his deeds may not be exposed. But anyone who lives by the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be shown to be accomplished by God. The sheep live in the light and the wolves and goats hide in the darkness. As sheep we must love the light because we have nothing to fear with the truth. 2 Corinthians 4:1-6, Therefore, since we have this ministry because we were shown mercy, we do not give up. Instead, we have renounced secret and shameful things, not acting deceitfully or distorting the word of God, but commending ourselves before God to everyone’s conscience by an open display of the truth. But if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case, the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For WE ARE NOT PROCLAIMING OURSELVES but JESUS CHRIST as Lord and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’s sake. For God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ. The sheep will proclaim Christ and not themselves. We are to display the truth and be a light to those in darkness.
Jesus knows the Christian life will be difficult and that is why he gave us a flock to rely and lean on. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their efforts. For if either falls, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to lift him up. Matthew 18:20, For when two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there among them. When we gather together in the name of Jesus, he is in our presence and we can see the Spirit working among us. The flock is there to support each other and help when one of us falls. We are together not to judge each other but to rebuke with love. Our pastors, members, significant others, friends in Christ are a flock and one purpose to keep us on the path together. We fast, learn, pray and worship together as a flock to strengthen each of our spirits. As sheep we must live in the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-25, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. The law is not against such things. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.
When we think about sheep, we think warm, cuddly little animals. Jesus came as the Lamb not as the Lion like the Jews expected. They were looking for a Lion to become their king and rescue them from oppression. They’re eyes we blinded (Colt message) and did not see the true Messiah in front of them. But do not be fooled, when Christ returns, this time he will be coming as a Conqueror to destroy the wicked, once and for all! We as his sheep must be kind, meek, loving, all the qualities mentioned in Galatians. We will face persecution sooner or later in our lives for his name sake. All those disciples who went on to preach the Word of God after Christ ascended into heaven lived simple lives. Most if not all of them died due to persecution in some way or form for Christ. Yet they still did not worry about earthly needs, or what would happen to their lives because God took care of them. Just as we are his flock, we must focus only on heavenly things and God can and will take care of the rest. Our faith is in the Shepherd.
Our Shepherd has given us a mission as his flock. Matthew 28:18-20, speaks about The Great Commission, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always to the end of age.” The sheep are not weak and have power in the name of Jesus. It is not a physical strength we need to rely on but a spiritual one. We are the last hope for the lost souls. We must proclaim Jesus to the world before they are lost. The devil has found new ways now more than ever to blind the eyes of the lost from the truth. We must use our light and the truth and open their eyes to the wrath that is coming to those who do not hear the voice of Christ. The world does not fear God and now more than ever it needs the flock to guide them back to Jesus. 2 Chronicles 7:14, and my people, who bear my name, humble themselves, pray and seek my face and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin and heal their land. This is what we must emphasize and what the world needs to do today to receive healing.
We must give the world the choice by introducing them to Christ and let them decide – Joshua 24:15, But if it doesn’t please you to worship the Lord, choose for yourselves today: Which will you worship – the gods of your fathers worshipped beyond the Euphrates River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living? As for me and my family, we will worship the Lord. Just remember God is a jealous God and he will not share his worship with anyone. Isaiah 42:8, I am the Lord. That is my name and I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols.
As Matthew 25 mentions we will be all living together until the judgement day. As sheep our good works are a direct overflow of the traits mentioned in Galatians and the Holy Spirit will guide us. The Shepherd expects us to have these traits so that we can imitate him in our lives. These good works and traits will be as a result from our relationship with our Shepherd. We are servants to Christ and the only master is our Shepherd, Christ. We are to spread his light and truth to all the nations. The sheep are placed on Jesus’s right hand and are blessed and given an inheritance because they did the will of their Shepherd. Goats can indeed perform acts of kindness and charity, but their hearts are not right with God and their actions are not for the right purpose. They honor and worship other things rather than God. The goats are placed on Jesus’s left hand and are cursed with eternal hell-fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. They had an opportunity to minister to the Lord, but they did nothing as mentioned in verses 42-43.
The Lord is my Shepherd and he really is all that we need. John 10:1-2, Truly I tell you, anyone who doesn’t enter the sheep pen by the gate but climbs in some other way is a thief and robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. Jesus is not hiding and he is in plain sight. Those who want to build a relationship with him can easily find him à BIBLE! Start there and you will only grow daily with him. He is not like the wolf who climbs over the gate. There is only one way to the Father and that is through Christ. He is waiting for us to repent and follow him. It is as simple as that. John 10:3-5, The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought all his own outside, he goes ahead of them. The sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will never follow a stranger; instead they will run away from him, because they don’t know the voice of strangers. Jesus knows us all by our names, Isaiah 43:1, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; your mine. Jesus’s voice is recognizable by those sheep who truly know him and his truths. Those who truly believe will never follow a wolf or goat. We are his children.
John 10:7, He is the gate for the sheep and will only allow those sheep that are part of his flock. So we will be out in the world as sheep with the wolves and the goats. When the time comes, Jesus the Shepherd will only allow his sheep to enter into everlasting life. Those who are not part of his flock will be kept out and no one can sneak into paradise. John 10:8-10, All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them. I am the gate. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance. Jesus would leave the 99 to save the 1 lost sheep of his flock. John 10:11, I am the good shepherd. The good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. All the others after Christ are not willing to lay down their life because they are not the true Shepherd. He was sinless yet took upon himself all the sins of the world to give us salvation. John 10:12-17, The hired hand, since he is not the shepherd and doesn’t own the sheep, leaves them and runs away when he sees the wolf coming. The wolf then snatches and scatters them. This happens because he is a hired hand and doesn’t care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep. But I have other sheep that are not from this sheep pen; I must bring them also and they will listen to my voice. Then there will be one flock, one shepherd. This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life so that I may take it up again. Jesus wants everyone to be saved and create one flock in heaven. He is the gatekeeper and we must be able to recognize his voice.
As our Shepherd he wants us to only rely and trust in him. There is no one more loving and powerful than our Shepherd, Jesus. Jeremiah 17:5, Cursed is the person who trusts in mankind. He makes human flesh his strength and his heart turns from the Lord. Those sheep who put their trust in man, a person, a figure more than Christ himself, doom only awaits. John 14:6-7, Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” Once you know him and have that relationship you can decipher truth from lies. Psalms 23:4, Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger for you are with me; your rod and your staff – they comfort me. The rod is a short, heavy club like device that is usually used by the Shepherd to fight off wild animals and to count the sheep. The staff is long, thin with a hook or crook at one end. The Shepherd can exert his authority, gently or firmly sometimes to direct the sheep in the right direction with the staff. The crook is used to pull the sheep from harm. I can’t even imagine how many times Jesus has probably used that crook to pull me out of the fire or harm. When we surrender our will, it is much easier for the Shepherd to guide us. Some of us may need a little harder push than others. Either way, the rod and staff are held in the hand of Christ our Shepherd and he uses both to direct and protect us. Hebrews 13:20-21, the great Shepherd of the sheep – through the blood of the everlasting covenant, equip you with everything good to do his will, working in us what is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Acts 20:28-31, Be on guard yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood. I know that after my departure (Paul’s farewell speech to Ephesian’s elders) savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Men will rise up even from your own number and distort the truth to lure the disciples into following them. Therefore be on alert, remembering that night and day for three years I never stopped warning each one of you with tears. These events are happening even now, as we speak. The wolves and goats turn their hearts away from God. They follow the deceiver and do not stand in the truth. They hide in the darkness and avoid the light. The true flock must hear the shepherd’s voice and recognize him. We have a mission to be the light and spread the truth to the nations. We have each other in the flock to support each other in this walk of life. The sheep are believers of the truth and their hearts love God. The Shepherd is calling us with his voice to follow the path. He uses his rod and staff to protect and guide us in this spiritual battle. When we study the Bible, Pray, Fast, Repent, Love one another, Mourn, be Filled with Holy Spirit and make sure that the Church’s message is proclaiming Christ and not ourselves, the wolves cannot scatter the true flock and the Shepherd will allow us to enter into everlasting life.
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