JESUS AND HIS SHEEP….
by Keith Hunt
JESUS SAID HE HAD TO WORK THE WORKS OF GOD WHILE IT WAS DAY, FOR THE NIGHT WOULD COME WHEN NO MAN COULD WORK [JOHN 9:4].
SO IT IS FOR THE CHURCH OF GOD; SO IT IS FOR INDIVIDUALS DOING THE WORK OF GOD. WE HAVE TO KEEP A BURNING LAMP BURNING; NEVER LETTING THE FLAME OF LIGHT DIM. WE HAVE TO KEEP OUR ZEAL FOR DOING THE WORK OF GOD. WHILE WE HAVE FREEDOM TO PROCLAIM THE GOSPEL WE MUST DO SO; FOR THE TIME IS COMING THAT WILL BE NIGHT, A TIME WHEN THE WORK OF GOD WILL BE STOPPED, EXCEPT FOR TWO WITNESSES IN JERUSALEM DURING THE LAST 3 AND 1/2 YEARS OF THIS AGE, AS FORETOLD IN THE BOOK OF REVELATION.
JESUS DID COME IN PART TO JUDGMENT [ v. 39].
HE SAID HE CAME TO GIVE LIGHT TO SOME WHO COULD NOT SEE SPIRITUAL TRUTH IN ITS DEPTH; AND SOME WHO THOUGHT THEY HAD THE TRUTH AND LIGHT OF GOD, WOULD BE PROVED TO BE SPIRITUALLY BLIND. THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS OF THE DAY THOUGHT THEY WERE SERVING AND TEACHING THE TRUTHS OF GOD......THEY WERE OFF THE BULL-EYE MANY TIMES.
BUT A PEOPLE WOULD BE CALLED AND CHOSEN BY GOD THE FATHER, TO BE THE SHEEP OF JESUS' SHEPP-FOLD; THEY WERE NOT GREAT IN UNDERSTANDING SPIRITUAL TRUTHS, BUT THEY HAD THE RIGHT ATTITUDE, AND WOULD RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT FROM GOD, THAT WOULD GIVE THEM THE MIND TO SEE CLEARLY THE WORD OF THE LORD.
JESUS WENT ON TO SAY:
"Truly, truly, I say unto you, he that enters not by the door into the sheep-fold, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and robber. But he that enters in by the door, is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter opens: and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name, and leaders them out. When he puts forth his own sheep he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him, for they know not the voice of a stranger [John 10:1-5].
THE SHEEP-FOLD IS THE FAMILY OR KINGDOM OF GOD. THE PORTER IS GOD THE FATHER, THE LEADER OF THE SHEEP IS JESUS. THE SHEEP ARE THE SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF THE FATHER. THEIR LEADER [JESUS] LEADS THEM; THEY KNOW THE TRUE VOICE OF GOD. THEY CAN TELL THIS WHERE IT'S AT. THEY WILL NOT FOLLOW ANYONE BUT THE ONE WHO CAN LEAD THEM THROUGH THE DOOR TO THE SHEEP-FOLD.
JESUS WENT ON TO SAY HE WAS THE DOOR, THE ONLY WAY INTO THE SHEEP-FOLD. HIS SHEEP KNEW THE TRUE SOUND OF THE SHEPHERD, AND THE FALSE SHEPHERDS THEY JUST WILL NOT FOLLOW.
IT WAS BY KNOWING THE TRUE DOOR, WHICH WAS CHRIST, THE TRUE WAY INTO THE TRUE FOLD, THAT YOU COULD BE SAVED.
JESUS SAID: "THE THIEF COMES NOT BUT TO STEAL, TO KILL, TO DESTROY; I AM COME THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE LIFE; AND THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE IT MORE ABUNDANTLY" [verses 7-10].
BEING A CHRISTIAN, A TRUE FOLLOWER OF JESUS, MAKES LIFE MORE ABUNDANT!
KEEPING THE SABBATH MEANS YOU HAVE TO STEP AWAY SOMETIMES FROM CERTAIN ACTIVITIES THAT ARE HELD ON THE SABBATH. EXAMPLE: I'M A HORSEMAN, SOME EVENTS IN THE HORSE WORLD ARE DONE ON THE SABBATH, I CAN NOT ENTER THEM AND PARTAKE. BUT AS I LOOK BACK OVER MY LIFE, I SEE WHERE I AM BLESSED, HAVE BEEN GREATLY BLESSED, AND AM BEING BLESSED. THE LORD HAS BEEN GRACIOUS TO ME, IN GIVING ME IN MY OLDER AGE, THE HORSE OF MY CHILDHOOD DREAMS.....MY BEAUTIFUL, BRIGHT AND FAST, GOLDEN PALOMINO. I WAS ABLE TO LEARN THE SKILL AND TRADE OF ORTHOPAEDIC SHOEMAKING AND ORTHOTICS. I WAS ABLE TO TEACH THOUSANDS OVER 40 YEARS TO PLAY THE GUITAR, BANJO, MANDOLIN.
I HAVE KNOWN AND HAD PLENTY AND I'VE KNOWN TIMES OF LITTLE - THE UPS AND DOWNS OF LIFE, BUT OVERALL I'VE HAD AN ABUNDANT LIFE; ESPECIALLY IN DOING GOD'S WORK, PASTORING, AND HAVING THIS WEBSITE, THAT THOUSANDS USE EACH AND EVERY DAY ALL AROUND THE WORLD.
JESUS SAID, "I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD; THE GOOD SHEPHERD GIVES HIS LIFE FOR THE SHEEP. HE THAT IS AN HIRING AND NOT THE SHEPHERD....SEES THE WOLF COMING AND FLEES.....THE HIRING FLEES....AND CARES NOT FOR THE SHEEP. I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD, AND I KNOW MY SHEEP, AND THEY KNOW WHO I AM. I KNOW THE FATHER, AND HE KNOWS ME, AND I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR THE SHEEP" [John 10:11-15].
AS WE OBSERVE THE PASSOVER EACH YEAR, WE ARE REMINDED OF ALL THIS. JESUS IS THE GOOD SHEPHERD, WHO GAVE HIS LIFE FOR ALL WHO WILL KNOW HIM AS THE TRUE SHEPHERD THAT LEADS INTO THE FOLD OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
JESUS SAID HE HAD OTHER SHEEP NOT OF THE FOLD OF JUDAH TO WHOM HE CAME; HE HAD OTHERS FROM OUTSIDE OF JUDAH [WHO WERE JUDAH, LEVI, AND BENJAMIN]; HE HAD SHEEP FROM THE OTHER TRIBES OF ISRAEL AND FROM THE GENTILES. THEY WERE GOING TO HEAR HIS VOICE AND THERE WOULD BE ONE FOLD AND ONE SHEPHERD [John 19: 16].
THE LARGE AND POPULAR CHRISTIAN CHURCH AROUND THE WORLD OF MAYBE CLOSE TO 1.5 - 2.0 BILLION, WITH ALL THE DIFFERING SECTS WITHIN IT; THAT IS NOT WHERE CHRIST'S FOLD IS. JESUS' FLOCK WOULD BE AS JESUS SAID, "THE LITTLE LITTLE FLOCK" - A DOUBLE DIMINUTIVE IN THE GREEK; IT WOULD BE THE SALT OF THE EARTH SPRINKLED HERE AND THERE.
BUT ALL IN IT WOULD KNOW THE VOICE OF THE TRUE SHEPHERD.
THE TRUE SHEEP WOULD HEAR JESUS' VOICE; THOSE WHO DID NOT HEAR, WERE AND ARE AT PRESENT, NOT HIS SHEEP. THE TRUE SHEEP AND JESUS KNOW EACH OTHER.
JESUS WOULD GIVE HIS LIFE FOR HIS SHEEP, HE WOULD GIVE THEM ETERNAL LIFE; THEY WOULD NEVER PERISH FOREVER [AS WE HAVE SEEN THERE IS TO COME A RESURRECTION OF ALL TRUE SHEEP]; AND NO ONE WOULD BE ABLE TO PLUCK THEM OUT OF JESUS' HANDS.
HE WENT ON TO SAY, THE FATHER IS GREATER THAN ALL. AND SO NO MAN CAN CLUCK THEM OUT OF MY FATHER'S HANDS.
HE SAID, "I AND MY FATHER ARE ONE!" [verses 25-30].
WHAT DID JESUS MEAN? SOME STRANGE TRINITARIAN TEACHINGS HAVE GOD THE FATHER, JESUS, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT, ALL ONE KINDA MAGICAL "BLOB" - WHICH CAN BE ONE, OR TWO, OR THREE PERSONS. OTHER TRINITARIAN TEACHINGS HAVE THREE SEPARATE INDIVIDUALS AS "GOD" - FATHER, SON, AND SPIRIT - KINDA SITTING ON ONE THRONE IN HEAVEN. WELL IT GETS SO COMPLICATED, THEY TELL YOU NOT TO THINK ABOUT "GOD" FOR IT'S NOT POSSIBLE TO UNDERSTAND THE GODHEAD.
WELL NOBODY TOLD ME THAT AS A KID GROWING UP READING MY BIBLE.
SO I TOOK THE "THRONE OF GOD" AS GIVEN IN THE NEW TESTAMENT - GOD THE FATHER AS SUPREME; JESUS THE CHRIST SITTING ON HIS RIGHT HAND; AND THE HOLY SPIRIT AS THE POWER AND NATURE OF BOTH OF THEM, COMING FROM BOTH OF THEM, AND NOT AS AN INDIVIDUAL PERSON. I GO INTO IT ALL IN GREAT DETAIL UNDER "ALL ABOUT GOD, JESUS CHRIST, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT" ON THIS WEBSITE.
THEY - FATHER AND SON - ARE ONE IN EVERY WAY, EXECP IN AUTHORITY. WHATEVER THE FATHER HAS, SO DOES THE SON HAVE. BOTH ARE NAMED "GOD" IN THE NEW TESTAMENT. WHAT ONE HAS THE OTHER HAS IN EQUAL AMOUNT.
THEY ARE ONE IN EVERY WAY, ONLY IN AUTHORITY IS THE FATHER GREATER THAN THE SON. HENCE THAT IS WHY THE NEW TESTAMENT SAY JESUS SITS ON THE RIGHT HAND OF THE FATHER. NOT ON TOP OF HIM, OR INSIDE HIM, BUT ON HIS RIGHT HAND SIDE.
AH YES YOU CAN UNDERSTAND THE GODHEAD, IF YOU JUST BELIEVE WHAT IS WRITTEN ABOUT THEM IN THE NEW TESTAMENT.
THE JEWS KNEW EXACTLY WHAT JESUS WAS SAYING.....THEY TOOK UP STONES TO CAST AT HIM.....FOR AS THEY SAID, ".....BECAUSE THAT YOU, BEING A MAN, MAKE YOURSELF GOD" [verse 33].
AND THAT IS THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER. JESUS WAS GOD IN THE FLEXH.
YES JESUS WAS A PART OF THE GODHEAD, THAT WAS WILLING TO BECOME
FLESH AND BLOOD; WILLING TO COME AND DIE FOR THE SINS OF ANYONE WHO ACCEPTS HIM AS PERSONAL SAVIOR.
UPON REAL HUMBLE REPENTANCE YOU CAN BECOME A PART OF JESUS' SHEEP AND BE LED INTO HIS SHEEPFOLD.
Keith Hunt
....................
No comments:
Post a Comment