MY SHEEP HEAR MY VOICE
At our last meeting, a certain gentleman who attends our meetings, told me that he regularly feeds bread to sheep in the field at the rear of his house. So, when he goes out to feed them, the sheep often spot him from a distance and come running to be fed.
He suggested once when he had visitors, that they should go out and feed thesheep; but to their disappointment when they did, there was no response from them.
In this case, it maybe wasn’t some much the “voice” they heard that they knew, but the hand that fed them.
Wild animals are able to roam the hills and forests and fend for themselves. If sheep were allowed the same freedom how long would they survive, considering the number of predators that would take advantage of their non-aggressive and quiet nature? Not very long I guess!
My Sheep Hear My Voice
They are domestic animals. They need someone to take care of them and protect them. They need a shepherd that will tend their needs. Sheep have an owner and therefore are someone’s possession.
Our sheep belong to a shepherd: and can’t you sense from the words of the shepherd the relationship he has with them? “My sheep hear my voice” says Jesus in John 10:27. He is the owner of the sheep, they belong to him. He is “the good shepherd”; and the sheep love him. They listen and look out for him; and delight to hear his voice. When Jesus taught throughout Palestine the people flocked to hear him. They came to hear the voice of the shepherd; “the good shepherd” that careth for the sheep: not like the hireling that “careth not for the sheep.” We read, “he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes” (Matthew 7:29). Yet some came, not so much to hear his words, but to destroy his ministry; and to destroy him too, if they could.
Not all in the crowd retained his word and acted upon it. They were content to be fed the physical food, when for instance he fed the four and five thousand; but rejected the spiritual food, the “bread which came down from heaven” (John 6:58), which was Christ “the bread of life”, which has eternal and life giving properties.
Jesus, nevertheless, was speaking to his own. As it says in John 1:11 “He came unto his own, and his own received him not.” Jesus’ mission was specifically to the house of Israel. Yet, he got such a poor reception, for his message often fell on deaf ears. Can you imagine how he would have been received today by countries that are not of Israel stock? Such as, for instance, Saudi Arabia, China, Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan? These are countries that reject the gospel of Christ en masse.
His sheep of the Israel nations more instinctively hear his voice, even though they may refuse commitment and obedience to him.
While reading through your Bible, singing hymns and listening to the preachers, have you noticed how often shepherds, sheep and lambs are mentioned? 1 guess you have. Throughout scripture they are mentioned from Genesis to Revelation; and in no small measure.
For example, at the beginning in Genesis 4:2 we read, “And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.”
Now Cain was the elder of the two and the firstborn of Adam and Eve; and I repeat, Cain was the firstborn of Adam and Eve. That is quite a basic statement, but something that is not believed by some Christians; including some that have regularly attended our meetings. All the more reason why I should mention this in passing and emphasise this point.
They believe that Cain was a direct descendant of Satan; holding to a belief in the so-called 2-seedline hypothesis. That is that Cain resulted from a relationship between Satan and Eve; rather than what is generally believed, a relationship between Adam and Eve. In other words, Cain’s father was Satan; and Cain was a child of the Devil.
I am not going to labour this point, but just to point out briefly a few important facts: In verse 1 of chapter 4 we read: “And Adam knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord. ” We are told here that it was Adam that “knew his wife; and she conceived. ” It was not Satan. Then when Cain was born, Eve said, “I have gotten a man from the Lord. ” Eve believed Cain had come from the Lord; not from Satan.
We read further on in the chapter from verse 3, without going into all the details, that Cain brought an offering to the Lord “of the fruit of the ground.”
Abel also “brought of the firstlings of the flock and of the fat.” Abel’s offering was accepted, but Cain’s was rejected, because of sin; and in verse 5 we read, “Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.” Listen now, to what the Lord said to Cain in verses 6 and 7: “Why art thou wroth? And why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? The point I am making here is: If Cain was a direct product of Satan, he could never be accepted. So, to make these verses say something other than what is plainly stated, is a denial of the truth of God’s word; and a serious offence.
Leaving that now, let us look briefly at the occupation of both these sons of Adam, which has previously been stated. Cain followed in his father’s footsteps; as “tiller of the ground.” Adam, his father, was “put in the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it” (Genesis 2:15). So the two, both Cain and his father Adam were husbandmen; the biblical term for agricultural farmer; or horticulturist, which is more to do with gardens.
Abel, we are told in chapter 4 verse 2 was a “keeper of sheep.” This is the first mention of sheep in the Bible; and there is surely something significant in this fact. He was not a keeper of pigs, like the prodigal son; or any other animals or fowls; but a keeper of sheep.
Note the offerings these brothers brought to the Lord: Cain’s, was “of the fruit of the ground”; and Abel’s, “of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat.”
Cain’s offering was rejected; and Abel’s accepted. There is an indication here that they knew what God required; even though it was a time long before the law was given through Moses. Abel’s offering was accepted because he brought of “the firstlings of his flock”, that is, of his sheep, which I assume he sacrificed; for he had to kill the animals to get the fat, which he also offered to the Lord.
Reading from Hebrews 9:22 it says, “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission”’, or in other words, no forgiveness. Hence, I presume, was the reason Cain’s offering was rejected. He did it his way; and it was the wrong way.
Offering of the fat, was a strange offering if Abel had not otherwise been instructed. It is not something we might think to give someone for a present, for instance. Can you imagine how pleased they would be on a special occasion, after undoing the ribbon and attractive paper they find a pound of beef dripping. Yet the offering of fat was commanded in God’s law.
Zondervan’s Pictorial Bible Dictionary states: “The subcutaneous (immediately under the skin) layer of fat around the kidneys and other viscera (internal parts), which, like the blood, was forbidden by the Mosaic law to be used for food, but was burned as an offering to Jehovah, for a sweet savour unto Him (Leviticus 4:31). So the fat of an animal is forbidden for human consumption, but “may be used in any other use” (Leviticus 7:23,24). The penalty for eating fat according to verse 25, is to be “cut off from his people. ” Yet, this instruction, so important as it is, is largely ignored by most Christians; as with the law in general.
The last mention concerning sheep is found in the final chapter of Revelation, chapter 22. Here it is in the form of the God/man, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. Reading from verse 3 it says: “And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him.”
We are reminded here of the words of John the Baptist in John 1:29, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. ” For this purpose he came, to die as a sacrifice, in offering up his own blood for our salvation.
Sheep, are such placid animals. They don’t normally have the same instinctive aggression as for example, goats. I have witnessed the slaughter of both pigs and sheep, horrible as it is. Pigs struggle and squeal their heads off, and for good reason; whereas sheep are so trusting; and though they may struggle, they easily submit to their fate.
This reminds me of my teenage years. When I was maybe about 12 years of age my brother Jim took a photograph of me in a farmers field with my arm around a ram. There was snow on the ground; and I was donned with hat, scarf, overcoat and Wellington boots. The farm is called Home Farm and is now part of Beamish Open Air Museum; and the picture, along with many others, can be found in a book called No Place. No Place is the name of an area of Beamish, where I was born, brought up and lived part of my married life until we moved to Durham City. The author of the book, Billy Lees, who had worked on the farm at the time, told me later that the ram was called Joe the Tup. So 1 don’t know if it is Joe that is now famous after having his photograph taken with me, or me famous having been taken with him.
Having spent all my working life in the coal mines, with the National Coal Board and 25 years as a service engineer for a mining company having as its original name Dowty Mining, 1 was very familiar with the miners strikes that took place in 1972 and 1984-85 that had a devastating impact upon the industry and personnel within it. The battle between miners and Government was fierce; and whole communities were divided. As to where the blame lay was variously assessed; but as for me, I could not and gave no support to help the the miners in their battle against pit closures during that year-long strike from 1984-85.
Under the leadership of the false shepherd, the National Union of Mineworkers leader Arthur Scargill, it is my opinion they were led astray like sheep. It was this wicked strike that caused division among miners and their families and caused the closure of coalmines more than anything that the then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher could possibly have achieved, even if she wanted to. Sheep they were, following an evil communistic shepherd, who had no thought for the sheep, but only for his own political ambitions and ego.
It was similar to that which Jesus talks about in John chapter 10 as regards the hireling that “careth not for the sheep” (verse 13). We could ask the question, why did they follow a man with such evil intent? A man who has since revealed his true nature; if it was not already clear at the time.
According to Wikipedia, Scargill was much doted on by his parents as their only child. His father Harold was a member of the Communist Party of Great Britain. Before joining the Labour Party in 1962, Scargill had been a member of the Young Communist League.
Now quoting direct from Wikipedia, it says: “Scargill has become more politically outspoken since stepping down from the NUM presidency, and has gone on record as a supporter of Josef Stalin, saying that the “ideas of Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin” explain the “real world”.”
So, is Arthur Scargill an example of the shepherds that we should be following? And why did he have such a following? Why was he even considered suitable for election as President of such a powerful union as the NUM, while having such godless values and ideals?
My answer to these questions is, because we are such a godless people. This generation has turned away from God. They don’t want to know. They are happy in their own selfish little world; for God would place too many restrictions upon them.
They want to be free to do what they like; to live life, and enjoy life to the full in their way. How true, we read in Isaiah 53:6, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way… ”
There is a price to pay when we depart from the Lord and do things our way; not giving thought to him; and refusing to give him thanks and adoration for his mercy and bountiful provision. Our generation lack appreciation; and refuse to acknowledge the goodness of our God who has given us all that we have. So the price that was paid after a year-long miner’s strike was: the end of the coal industry; strife and division within families; and mass unemployment. It was not the Government, but the Unions, the workers themselves that closed the mines. It was a judgement, not only on the miners, but also on the nation; one of the many that we are experiencing and suffering due to our departure from God; and the churches are largely responsible for that departure, for they preach another gospel and follow another shepherd. “For the time is come” says 1 Peter 4:17 “that judgement must begin at the house of God.”
We see vast changes in our world: wars and unrest in North Africa and the Middle East; floods in Queensland, Australia; an earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand; and an earthquake, tsunami and nuclear reactor disaster in Japan; to name but a few. Not to mention our own problems with terrorism, immigration and austerity measures to clear our national debt. God is pouring out his wrath upon the nations; and he is to pour it out in measure upon us, too. Listen to what the Lord is saying to Israel in the latter days, from Jeremiah 30:11: “For I am with thee, saith the LORD, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished. ”
Now let us return to our reading from John chapter 10. In this reading Jesus is portrayed as a shepherd; and not only a shepherd, but a Good Shepherd. He says inverse 14, “l am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.”
In metaphorical terms Jesus is depicted as: the door, the vine, the bread of life, the rock, the Passover Lamb and more. In this chapter of John’s Gospel, he is as previously mentioned, the “Good Shepherd.” So how good is this shepherd; and why is he any better than any other shepherd?
First of all in chapter 10 from verse 12, Jesus compares himself with that of an hireling. That is one who is paid to look after the sheep, but does not own them. So, when trouble ariseth, he flees his post and leaves the sheep in danger and to fend for themselves. In comparison to this, Jesus says in verse 11 “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. ”
Then there is the false shepherd mentioned in verse 1. They come with their own brand of religion; an alternative way of salvation; corrupt the pure teaching of scripture; poison the minds of the youth; while enjoying prestigious positions of control and excessive monetary enhancement. In essence, they neglect the real needs of those in their care to satisfy their own selfish and ungodly ambitions.
Jesus calls them “thieves and robbers.” He makes clear their intent in verse 10, to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” Yet, Jesus is altogether different, he came to benefit the sheep; and says, “ l am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. ”
In John chapter 21 there is an account of Jesus showing himself to his disciples for the third time following his resurrection. From verse 15 he asks Peter “lovest thou me more than these?” Then following this he asks twice more, “lovest thou me?” On the first occasion he charges Peter, “Feed my lambs”; and on the following two, “Feed my sheep.”
So what was he actually instructing Peter to do? Who are his sheep? The answer to this we find in Matthew 10:6; while addressing his twelve disciples and sending them forth, Jesus said, “Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” So Jesus’ sheep are those of Israel; and Peter’s commission to “Feed my lambs” and “Feed my sheep” was specifically to the house of Israel.
John chapter 10 is therefore directed primarily to the house of Israel; and verse 16 is an indication of the division that existed between the northern and southern houses, both Israel and Judah. For Jesus’ words were, “other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd” (John 10:16); thus indicating the future re-reuniting of both houses. This is confirmed in Ezekiel 37:22, “they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all. ”
The culminating point I want us to consider is the words of Jesus from John 10:27, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
Israel was never very obedient; called by the Lord a “stiffnecked people” in Exodus 39:9. Yet, broadly speaking is there a nation or nations today, following Jesus? We have had our moments of revival; but fall short at following Jesus en masse with a similar unashamed devotion to that we see in some Arab countries toward Allah. Still, an important identification mark to detect a “sheep” or Israelite nation is this very test: Do they hear the voice of Jesus’, and do they follow Jesus?
Where in effect are the sheep nations and where are the goat nations?
The sheep and goat nations are mentioned in Matthew chapter 25; from verse 31 to the end.
“When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:”
Before we go any further I want you to note: when Jesus comes to this earth he is to “sit upon the throne of his glory.” That throne is not in heaven, it is on the earth; the British throne, the throne of David, presently occupied by our Queen.
Let us continue from verse 32:
“And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw-we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”
As is demonstrated in this passage, God is dealing with nations, not only individuals. Certain individuals that have put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved regardless of nationality; but the Goat Nations that Christ will separate from the Sheep Nations, Christ will judge when he comes again.
Certain nations mentioned in the Bible have already received from God their prophetic sentence of condemnation and impending obliteration. One example of this is the nation of Edom mentioned in the book of Obadiah: an obvious goat nation. Here we read the case against Edom and the pending judgement for their crimes.
The nation of Edom originated from Esau, the brother of Jacob. During the lifetime of these two brothers there was continuous contention between them. That contention has continued through the ages between the descendants of Jacob-Israel and modern-day Jews who have been identified as descendants of Edom; therefore not of biblical Israel as is often assumed.
Listen to the judgement pronounced upon Edom from verse 10, “For thy violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever. ” Also, from verse 18, “And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph (Britain and America) a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the LORD hath spoken it. ” That is God’s judgement on the whole nation of Edom.
Without mentioning them by name we could easily identify many of today’s nations that would come under the category of goat nations. They are the Muslim, Atheist, false religion and Roman Catholic countries of the world. The Jews must come into this category, as Judaism is a false religion and Jews reject Christianity.
The sheep nations are the Christian-Israel nations of the world that know the “voice” of Jesus Christ. Not that all within these nations will be saved, but only those who are ‘born again’ of the spirit of God.
When I first gave this message, in London this year, it was Census Day, 27th March. I had filled in my questionnaire, in advance. One of the questions I had to answer was What is your religion? As you may have guessed, I ticked the box for Christian; and I would expect the vast majority in the country to do the same. If that question were asked in the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Holland, Denmark etc., I would expect the same result. So, I would assume, there is every possibility they are Israelite nations?
If we were to apply the same test on other nations of the world, say for example Japan, where they have only 1.0% professing Christians. Can you wonder then at the disasters that have recently befallen them, resulting from the tsunami. Was it the judgement of God? They have certainly removed themselves from his care and protection. It was thankfully reported in the British Church Newspaper that all the Christian organisations working within the country at the time, were safe. Some countries are predominantly Roman Catholic, which is a religion, Christian by name, yet far removed from anything we find in God’s word; which tends to distort our findings in our search for the total Christians within a nation.
While looking up a website called NationMaster.com I received the following information under the title Percentage Protestant, by Countries. Out of 163 countries mentioned, Vatican City, not unexpectedly, shared bottom place with Turkey and Tunisia, with 0% Protestant. Sharing the next lowest position was Israel (the Israeli State) along side Tajikistan and Iraq, with only 0.01% Protestant. This, regarding the inhabitants of the Israeli State, is quite revealing.
Further, I read that out of a population of 5.8 million Jews in Israel, there are only 10-20,000* so called Messianic Jews (Jews that have accepted the Christian faith). That in percentage terms is a mere 0.2-3%; or otherwise 2 to 3 per thousand.
With all the Christian world praying and the enormous efforts to evangelise them, that pathetically is all they can muster. They totally reject Jesus Christ as the true Messiah; so they neither know him, nor follow him. This is surely proof in itself that they are not the true Israel. Yet, most Christians misguidedly believe they are. If they are not the true Israel and I am fully convinced they are not, then which nation or nations is? Surely, we British stand a good chance on this evidence alone.
Today’s Jews totally reject Jesus Christ as the Son of God and as the Messiah; and they are enemies of those who hold to the Christian faith. In this respect they are on a par and are no better than Muslims who believe and practice the same. Are these His Sheep?
Alternatively, is it we the British and related Christian nations of the world who have for centuries supported and promoted the Christian faith in all parts of the globe? Is it not we that are His sheep?
“My sheep hear my voice, (says Jesus) and I know them, and they follow me. ”
Which nations are hearing his voice today, or have heard his voice in the past? Surely from these Christian nations alone can the true Israel be found. “Hear the word of the LORD, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock.”-Jeremiah 31:10. Amen
*The figure given by Christianity Today in 2005 was 10,000.
Message given at: Orange Street, 27 March 2011
