The Mystery of Shepherd and Sheep
JOHN 21:15-16 (last chapter of the gospel of John – this is after Jesus public ministry had ended, this is him in his appearing ministry, we are in this same ministry of the son of man today)
15 ¶ So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.
16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
I PETER 2:24-25
24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls. (Bishop = overseer)
The Mystery of Shepherd and Sheep
The first thing that God did after Adam and Eve had sinned was to slay a lamb, because from the beginning and throughout the entire bible, God would begin to unfold this great mystery of Shepherd and Sheep.
***Abel (Adam’s Son) became a shepherd, he came to understand this mystery of the Shepherd and the sheep and that is why he offered a slain lamb as a sacrifice because he caught a revelation of the shepherd laying down his life for the sheep, the shepherd himself became the lamb and gave his life for the sheep, Abel caught that mystery of the Lamb of God that was to come and lay his life down for the sheep of his fold – that was at the beginning of the Old Testament.
Then at the beginning of the New Testament, we find that it began with shepherds watching their sheep by night, and by a message that came to them by the angels, that same mystery of Shepherd and sheep was revealed to them, that was at the first coming of the Lord.
The Mystery of redemption is shown to us in the mystery of the Shepherd and sheep.
David (in the middle of the Old Testament) was also a shepherd that understood this mystery of the Shepherd and sheep.
PSALM 23:1-6
1 ¶ A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death (that is the journey of this lifetime where there is deaths shadow at every corner), I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
The shepherd’s staff is a wooden poll with a loop on the end called a crook, it is used to rescue the lambs and sheep from precarious situations and to also keep the wild dogs away, it is also used for the guidance of the sheep in tight situations. It is used to protect and to rescue (Rod and staff), one instrument that could be used for two purposes – sometimes they are referred to as two separate instruments - the rod being more like a club.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
***David came to realise the vital importance of having a shepherd to lead him and to protect him, as the mystery of shepherd and sheep became clear to him he came to realise that man simply cannot lead himself; he has to have someone that is greater to lead him and to guide him because a man simply cannot see what lies ahead of him.
*That’s the biggest problem that we all have, we want to be autonomous (self-governing), we want our own way of what we think will be the best pathway for us instead of letting God lead us.
**When we are born, this desire of self-leadership laid very deep down in our spirits – that trait never came from the Lord, it came with the fallen nature that we were born with, and so throughout our lives God has to deal with us in such a way so that we will learn to completely doubt our own leadership and learn to completely trust in his leadership.
NUMBERS 27:16-17
16 Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation,
17 Which may go out before them, and which may go in before them, and which may lead them out, and which may bring them in; that the congregation of the LORD be not as sheep which have no shepherd.
God’s pattern was to raise men up that he could use and work through to lead His people, in the Old testament these were the prophets and the leaders like Moses and Joshua and others that God ordained for the purpose, they were never self-appointed men like Korah and Dathan, they were always God chosen and proven men.
In the New Testament these were the seven Church age messengers to the seven church ages, and God also used faithful men under their ministries.
ACTS 20:29-30 - This is Paul speaking, he is the first church age messenger vessel that God would use to lead his church in the first church age.
29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. (Once the shepherd is removed, then the wolves can have access)
30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
***Satan (knowing that man needed leadership) was going to get into the leadership roles and lead the people of God away from the truth of the word.
***Abraham (the father of Faith) was a shepherd; and through the observation of nature he came to understand the mystery of Shepherd and sheep and what it was to trust in the Lord with all your heart and to lean not to your own understanding.
Moses was a Shepherd; he also came to understand this great mystery of the leadership of God.
David was a shepherd – all these men knew about shepherd and sheep, and God called them to be leaders over God’s people because a shepherd is for the leadership of the flock to lead them and to feed them and to protect them.
We must understand for certain that we will be led by someone, that is the way God made you – to be led, but we need to make sure that that someone is a Godly person, because a good leader must first be a good follower of Christ.
Elvis Presley was a good leader when it came to rock and roll, but because he didn’t follow the Lord, he led a million souls to hell.
On the 13th of April 1957, Elvis Presley release a song called "All Shook Up" it was composed by a man called Otis Blackwell. The single topped the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 list, staying there for eight weeks.
Just over 7 weeks later on the 2nd of June 1957
LIFE_ JEFF.IN SUNDAY_ 57-0602
E-30 … I'll imagine Elvis Presley will be all shook up on that morning, sure enough. Yes, his record will be a reality when he hears the bleating of the millions of souls that he sent to hell.
MATTHEW 18:10-14
10 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. (***Your angel is your theophany which is in heaven right now beholding the Father’s face, so these “little ones” that he is talking about are the elect of God that are on earth in human bodies, but these also have a theophany body waiting for them on the other side, because a believer has two bodies existing at the same time (That is the scriptures – when this earthly tabernacle is dissolved, we have one waiting that is eternal in the heavens - 2nd Corinthians 5:1). So the spirit of Christ has to come to you here on earth in order to redeem you back because you came here in a fallen and lost condition.
11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.
(In other words, those that were a part of Him in his eternal thinking in the beginning and that came to earth and bypassed their theophany body, only those ones would be the ones who would hear his voice by responding to the revelation of the word for their day, only these were his sheep and had the capacity for redemption)
12 How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?
13 And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.
14 Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.
JOHN 10:11-16
11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.
16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
JOHN 10:26-28
26 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
(***The evidence that you are His sheep is proven by the ability for you to be able to hear the revelation of the word for your day – that is the only sure evidence.)
28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
152-2 SMYRNAEAN.CHURCH.AGE - CHURCH.AGE.BOOK CPT.4
Hold this carefully in mind. Now take the next step. Redeem means to buy back. It restores to the original owner. God, by His death, the shed blood BOUGHT BACK HIS OWN. He bought back the Spoken Word Seed Bride. "My sheep hear My voice (Word) and they follow Me." You always were a sheep. You never were a pig or a dog turned into a sheep. That is impossible for every kind of life produces the same kind and there is no change in specie. As we were in the thoughts of God and then expressed in flesh, there had to come a day when we would hear His voice (the Word), and hearing that voice become aware of our Father calling us, and recognize that we are the sons of God. We heard His voice and we cried out as did the prodigal son, "Save me, Oh, my Father. I am returning to Thee."
A son of God can go a long time before he recognizes that he is a son. In fact a lot of true Christians are like the story of the baby eagle that was hatched out under a hen. (He goes on to tell of the baby eaglet in the barnyard that didn’t know he was an eagle until he heard his mother’s scream).