The Sheep and The Shepherd (Part The Second)

Posted on April 24, 2015by 
I didn’t intend to make the first message in the series to be on Psalm 23, but it just seemed to fit what I am attempting to share. You see, after we actually go through the tenth chapter of John, you will understand why I wanted you to remember the twenty-third Psalm. But also, remember that Psalm 23 is always referred to as the “The Psalm of the Great Shepherd,” which of course refers to our Lord and God. HE is our Shepherd, and WEare His sheep!
So, let’s get started with our look at the tenth chapter of John’s Gospel. Turn to the first two verses of John 10:
“I can guarantee this truth: The person who doesn’t enter the sheep penthrough the gate but climbs in somewhere else is a thief or a robber. But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd” (John 10:1-2)
The significance here comes when we understand that a sheep pen, or as other translations render it: sheepfold, was some type of enclosure where the sheep would spend the night. Kind of a sheep Holiday Inn. Many times these pens were permanent structures made of stone and topped with branches from thorn bushes, and if someone was going to steal the sheep, it might cost them a trip to the ER! Those thorns were meant  to discourage anyone from even attempting to break in.
These sheepfolds were large enough for several flocks of sheep to spend the night, and there was always one person who they referred to as an, “under-shepherd.” His job, among other things, was to guard the gate. To keep those who were unauthorized, from entering. But also, they protected the sheep from predators. Do remember what David said about himself? “I work as a shepherd for my father. Whenever a lion or a bear has come and attacked one of my lambs, I have gone after it and struck it down to rescue the lamb from the predator’s mouth; if it turned to attack me, I would take it by the chin, beat it, and kill it.” (He must not have been that little of a guy, as his brothers said).
In the morning, when the shepherds returned to gather the sheep, the “under-shepherd,” the “gatekeeper,” would open the gate and let them in. What amazes me is that the sheep, who aren’t really high on the intelligence scale, would actually recognize their shepherd’s voice when he called, and they would follow his voice. Not only that, the shepherd alsoknew his sheep!
Now, I would agree that we can presume the modern-day equivalent to the “sheepfold,” is a local church. And yes, maybe we can think of the Pastors of that church as being symbolic of the “under-shepherd.” I believe this is can be correct, and very much argue that point. There are certainly common traits to the role of a Pastor, and in fact, the term, “Pastor,” come from the Greek word “poimen,” which means “a shepherd” or a person who herds sheep. But within the Church, it is expanded and includes the idea of spiritual shepherds who oversee a flock of “sheep” or believers. So clearly, the term shepherd is used to describe a spiritual overseer of the Lord’s Church. But I also see the role of theHoly Spirit as being an appropriate representation of an “under-shepherd as well!”
The Holy Spirit was given to us to protect our hearts, to teach us and keep us in union with our Lord, the Great Shepherd. Now this is where we need to shut down our pride and try to understand everything. I say that because our Great Shepherd, operates through His Holy Spirit that was given to us. But He is also an entity of His own, and yes, united with our Lord and Father. You cannot separate them, but yet, they do function separately. See, as I have said before, you don’t necessarily have to understand, to believe.
But as I was explaining, the shepherd’s main occupation was taking care of a flock of sheep. If you remember, Abel was was said to be a “keeper of sheep.” Even Lot and Abraham had large “flocks,” “herds,” and “cattle.” And this certainly included sheep.
However, the kind of shepherd this passage was referring to was someone who had a permanent sheepfold where he would take the sheep to the pasture every morning and then back again in the evening. This responsibility fell to a son or daughter, or if they could afford it, a hired servant. The shepherd was usually held responsible for any loss of sheep unless he could prove it wasn’t his fault. As I was saying, we can see the symbolism in every aspect of this story and how each character can represent several different people. That is the wonder of parables. They are not concrete and set in stone.
As I already mentioned, several flocks could check in at the sheepfold. So, when the shepherd came for them in the morning, only the sheep who knew his voice would recognize it, get up, and follow him. The other sheep simply ignored him. This is why I proudly and emphatically declare that we can and should know the Voice of our Lord! We should never need to question, “Well, was that me, or the Lord?” We should learn to know and to follow His Voice! Each sheep who remains close to the shepherd is given a special name and are treated with special kindness.
The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep respond to his voice. He calls his sheep by name and leads them out of the pen (John 10:3)
I hold that this verse is promising that everyone of Yahweh’s sheep (i.e., those who are born again, that they not only can but do hear His voice. Yes, I realize that many born-again, Spirit-filled people doubt that this statement is true, but this only based on theirexperiences, and not on what the Scriptures declare! They don’t think they can hear their Father’s voice. But you see, the Word of God is true, and not their experiences (Go read Romans 3:4, again).
The harmony between what this verse says and what our experiences tell us is that it is our new, born-again spirits that hear God’s voice! Don’t look to your circumstances; don’t look to events that take place and certainly not the alignment of the stars or the tea leaves in your cup!
Our Lord speaks to our inner person, our spirit, and our inner person hears Him. The problem comes when we aren’t sensitive to or controlled by our spirits but are walking in the control and under the authority of our minds. Paul wrote, “I tell you and encourage you in the Lord’s name not to live any longer like other people in the world. Their minds are set on worthless things. They can’t understand because they are in the dark. They are excluded from the life that God approves of because of their ignorance and stubbornness.” The Bible calls this walking in the flesh, instead of the Spirit.
Prayer, Bible study, fasting, fellowship, and all of those kinds of things are ways ofrefocusing our attention away from the voice of this world and back to the voice of our Shepherd who is continually communicating with our spirits.
Obviously, being Born Again is absolutely essential if you hope to enter into the Kingdom of God. As Jesus told Nicodemus, this is not a second physical birth but a spiritual birth. Our inner, spiritual man became separated from God through sin. In the same way that we never accomplished our physical births, there is no way for us to produce this spiritual rebirth. We are totally incapable of saving ourselves. We need a Savior. We simply believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and we are saved. Faith is the only condition; it is the only thing that brings salvation! However, and take note of this, saving faith is never alone! As James stated, “faith by itself is dead if it doesn’t cause you to do any good things . . .” Your Salvation is not a reformation but rather a regeneration, a new birth, a new creation. Yes, I realize that is one of the cute phrases that Christians love to bandy about, but it is absolutely true  that your Salvation can only be accomplished by a creative miracle of the Holy Spirit!
Throughout Jesus’ earthly ministry, it was clear that all but a handful of people understood why He was there. The Jews continually looked for Him to establish a physical kingdom and deliver them from the oppression of the Romans. Which will indeed be accomplished at Jesus’ Second Coming! This is when the Kingdom of God will physically rule over the nations of the earth, but until then, Jesus establishes His rule spiritually through His Word and not with carnal weapons. Jesus said, “The kingdom of God does not come with signs to be observed or with a visible display, nor will people say, ‘Look! Here it is!’ or, ‘See, it is there!’ Because the kingdom of God is within you — in your hearts — andsurrounding you” (Luke 17:20-21).
Even Paul pointed out that we are already in the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is Christ’s “invisible church,” His body; it was begun during His earthly ministry and is still ruling the hearts of people today. To be a part of His church, we must be born again!
Nickolas
(I send out messages like this each morning in emails, and if you are interested in receiving them, send me your email address and I will add you to the list: Mail List)
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