Feeding Sheep, or Entertaining Goats?...the Wayfarer 1/10/16

Feeding Sheep, or Entertaining Goats?

 1/10/16

John 21:15-17King James Version (KJV)

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.

¹⁷ He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

Feed my sheep! This was and is a requirement given by Jesus, not only to Peter, but to all who would truly follow Him, all who would minister, all who would evangelize, all who would recognize the requirement given in the great commission to spread the gospel, and the requirements of that gospel throughout the very ends of the earth in preparation for the day that Christ returns, and the need for preaching that gospel no longer exists!

Who are those sheep?

Those who hear and believe!

John 10King James Version (KJV)

10 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.

² But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

³ To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.

⁴ And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.

⁵ And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.

⁶ This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.

⁷ Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.

⁸ All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.

⁹ I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

¹⁰ The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

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.

¹⁷ Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.

¹⁸ No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

¹⁹ There was a division therefore again among the Jews for these sayings.

²⁰ And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?

²¹ Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind?

²² And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter.

²³ And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch.

²⁴ Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.

²⁵ Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me.

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:

²⁸ And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

²⁹ My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

³⁰ I and my Father are one.

³¹ Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.

³² Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?

³³ The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.

³⁴ Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?

³⁵ If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;

³⁶ Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?

³⁷ If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.

³⁸ But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.

³⁹ Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand,

⁴⁰ And went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized; and there he abode.

⁴¹ And many resorted unto him, and said, John did no miracle: but all things that John spake of this man were true.

⁴² And many believed on him there.

Those who hear the voice of Christ Jesus, those who have heard and comprehend that which He spoke, that which He preached, that which He lived during his ministry, that work which HE did on the cross, and from the tomb, that work He did through the resurrection, that work He continues today at the throne as he makes intercession for all who believe… these are his sheep, and it is these that continue in the need of being fed!

All too often those sheep, pastured with the goats, follow the goats until that voice is once more heard, and the realization comes as well that there is a need to return to the flock, ignore the pasture that has been chosen by goats and their shepherd, flee from the shepherd that would willingly rob them of the pasture intended and the protection of the true Shepherd,  Christ Jesus.

There are many entering the sheepfold, promising better pasture, promising all the delights of the flesh, all the rewards of their stewardship.

They tout blessings of all the pleasures available, without reminding any of the cost of those “blessings”.

They ignore the message preached by Jesus from the Jordan to the throne, parsing the scriptures to give only the positive side to their teachings, never giving the warning given by that True Shepherd that echoes through the centuries, through the millenia, resounding the call for repentance that He gave.

The sheep are hungry for the voice of that Shepherd, and willingly listen as it is given.

The goats bleat in agreement with those thieves and robbers that attempt to breech the fold with warm fuzzy promises, concurrence with the teachings of men who promise so much on this earth, while denying the promise of eternal life by doing so.

The feel good, everything is acceptable if you are a part of this or that organization, denomination or clique within the walls of a structure claiming the appellation of a church is embraced, and welcomed by all who would refuse to hear the voice of that true Shepherd, lovingly and longingly calling to His own each moment, searching for them when they wander off on their own, to bring them back to the safety and security offered by His care.

Luke 15 King James Version (KJV)

15 Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him.

² And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.

³ And he spake this parable unto them, saying,

⁴ What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?

⁵ And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

⁶ And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.

The sheep that is the hungriest, is the one that is not with the flock! The sheep that is in the most danger is the one that needs to be found and returned to the safety of the Shepherd’s care.

That sheep will hear, and recognize the voice of that Shepherd.

The goats will be entertained by the voice of those promising the rewards of the pastures they are led to that must, and will give way to the barrenness that lies beneath them, ever creating the need to continue to follow the promise that leads only to more barrenness as it is consumed along the way.

The water evaporates, the truth reveals the wolves in waiting to tear them to bits, but escape is impossible as the pasture chosen lies outside the protection of the True Shepherd.

Politicians, motivational speakers, religious leaders that make the promises of something for nothing, that expound on those promises as being the solution to all thing

s physical, all things, that in the end are temporary, are willingly welcomed and followed as the goats are entertained.

The voice of the Shepherd continues to plead, continues to sound the warning, continues to grow ever closer to the sheep listening for it and ever more distant to the goats choosing to ignore it.

“Softly and tenderly, Jesus is calling, Calling for you and for me, see on the portals, He’s watching and waiting, waiting for you and for me. Come home, Come home, ye who are weary come home, Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling, Calling O sinner come home.”

These words echo the promise, and the voice of the Shepherd to his sheep, and will be heard and attended by them.

To the goats they remain but entertainment, a bit of lovely noise in the pastures they have chosen.

Like many of the invitational hymns, and songs of praise, this remains the prayer of this simple sinner saved by grace, through faith in that Shepherd, for all that are yet teachable and all that are yet reachable… the sheep who would hear His voice.

2 Timothy 1:12 King James Version (KJV)

¹² For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus,

Amen and Amen

the Wayfarer