This simple statement of fact describes for us the most prominent characteristic of those who follow Christ. It’s not that they are inherently better than any other person, because the scriptures teach us that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. As a matter of fact, some of the people who comprise this category would make crime-stoppers cringe in their boots, for it is often the case when their life history is reviewed, that they have absolutely nothing to show to warrant the biblical designation of sheep.
On the contrary, the one characteristic that sets them apart from all others is their tendency to listen when The Master speaks. And it is this pre-eminent characteristic that leads to the next important one, they follow where Christ leads the way. If these two characteristics are to be found in any of us, a guarantee is then made by The Lord Jesus Christ, that is worthy of our most careful consideration. Let’s read:
John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any [man] pluck them out of my hand.
10:29 My Father, which gave [them] me, is greater than all; and no [man] is able to pluck [them] out of my Father's hand.
Now there are certain basic facts drawn from the school of nature pertaining to the rearing of sheep and goats that we should understand before we proceed, because a clear understanding of these fundamentals will shed great light on recent and current developments that are taking place with the “man of sin” as it pertains to the attempts to destroy the marriage institution as ordained by God. Sheep never ever become goats, and goats never ever become sheep. This basic fact has been debated in theological circles for centuries, but we must let the word of God and the evidences of
nature speak for themselves.
Let’s start with a scientific analysis. Sheep have 54 chromosomes, while goats have 60, and this fundamental genetic difference prevents them from ever becoming sheep. And even though many experimental efforts have been made in France, New Zealand and Botswana to mate the two species, their offspring are usually still-born, and those that have survived have been shown to have greatly altered sexual orientation.
If a farmer is rearing these two types of animals, he may permit them to mingle themselves with one another for many years, but one thing is certain, his goats will never become sheep. He may feed his goats sheep food, he may let them listen to sheep talk, he may even give them special sheep nutrition, in the vain hope of a transformation, but according to the bible they will never become sheep for the simple fact that they are a different breed altogether, and their inherent characteristics are entirely different. The same is true in the spiritual realm, goats never become sheep because of a basic, cultivated, innate characteristic; they do not listen, and because of this they do not follow. It’s just that simple.
The attitudes manifested when the truths of God’s word are brought home to our hearts, determine to a large extent whether or not our minds will be susceptible to the voice of God, and His leadership in our lives. If when God tells us in His word to do something or not to do something, we come up with excuses and reasons why we should walk contrary to His commands, then we are setting ourselves up to become spiritually tone deaf, to the point where God can be speaking audibly, but we will not hear nor understand His voice. Now it is true that some sheep take longer to hear and follow than others, but ultimately they do listen.
That’s why the following scriptures were given to us so that we may understand that there are many sheep now sitting in darkness, who are not familiar with present truth, and who are following God as best they know how, nevertheless they are still His sheep, because when the Master’s voice is heard in the final days of earth’s history, they will listen and they will follow, this is according to what is written in the scriptures. Let’s read:
John 10:16 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.
Revelation 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
This is the reason why, as proponents of present truth we should sow beside all waters, for we do not know who God’s sheep are, and therefore we are debarred by God from passing judgment on anyone who may overtly appear to be averse to the truths of God’s word. The experience of Paul in the city of Corinth was chronicled so that we may know that some sheep take longer to hear and follow than others, and may at times even manifest a stoical resistance to the gospel call. However we are not to be dissuaded by these manifestations. Let’s read:
Acts 18:5 And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews [that] Jesus [was] Christ.
18:6 And when they opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook [his] raiment, and said unto them, Your blood [be] upon your own heads; I [am] clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles.
18:9 Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace:
18:10 For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city.
18:11 And he continued [there] a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
However, the disposition to alter or nullify God’s word has become one of the prominent characteristics of modern Christianity, in that whatsoever The Lord says in His word, we are looking for ways and so-called valid reasons to avoid doing it. When the Lord defines marriage as between one man and one woman, efforts are then made to re-define it. If He gives us stipulations regarding our diet, we are looking for ways and means to circumvent the plainest teachings of scripture. And when He says to us that we should keep His commandments, there we go again, by exempting ourselves on various rational, theological, or even socially acceptable grounds.
The fact is that this earth contains only two types of people, those who listen and follow the Lamb, and those who don’t listen and do not follow the Lamb. Only two categories, and whatever the excuses and rationales may be for disobedience, it all boils down to this one fact, sheep listen while others don’t. This sobering fact was brought prominently to view when Rebekah was pregnant with un-identical twins. As her pregnancy wore on she noticed something strange, in that the two unborn children were constantly fighting each other inside of her womb, and as the struggles continued from day to day without relenting, she became perplexed and was at a loss for explanations, especially since her husband had prayed to God so that her womb could be opened.
Finally in despair she took the matter to God in prayer hoping for some answers, and she got what she went asking for. The Lord then revealed to her the cause of the daily disturbance within her womb, and what He said most likely startled her out of her wits. Let’s read:
Genesis 25:21 And Isaac entreated the LORD for his wife, because she [was] barren: and the LORD was entreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.
25:22 And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If [it be] so, why [am] I thus? And she went to inquire of the LORD.
25:23 And the LORD said unto her, Two nations [are] in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and [the one] people shall be stronger than [the other] people; and the elder shall serve the younger.
And as we review the history of the un-identical
twins, we see two different patterns of thought
emerging, which pertain to the issue of sheep and
goats, wheat and tares. Esau is observed to be a person governed by impulse and emotions, rather than by obedience to the word of God, and because of this, his relationship with God was always held in a subjective manner, meaning that his feelings and his own ideas and popular sentiment would take precedence over the instructions of God whenever the two were in conflict. He knew that the birthright included spiritual and temporal advantages, yet when he felt hungry one day, he readily bartered this most important treasure for a mere serving of beans. Let’s read:
Genesis 25:29 And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he [was] faint:
25:30 And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red [pottage]; for I [am] faint: therefore was his name called Edom.
25:31 And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.
25:32 And Esau said, Behold, I [am] at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?
25:33 And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.
25:34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised [his] birthright.
Again, when it was time to be married, he chose a different route than that which God had ordained for His people, because specific instructions have been given by God to govern marriage with those who are under a covenant relationship with The Lord. These instructions like all others were given to safeguard the marriage institution, and also to prevent His people’s temporal and eternal interests from being threatened. Let’s read:
Deuteronomy 7:2 And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee” …….. “thou shalt make no covenant with them” …. 7:3 Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.
7:4 For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods.
Genesis 27:46 And Rebekah said to Isaac, I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth: if Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these [which are] of the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me?
But as stated before, Esau is observed to be a person who is governed not by principle, but rather by feelings and emotions, and therefore when he felt badly that his parents did not approve of his marriages, he went out again and took a third wife, just so that he could have the approval of men. He did not listen the first time, by having two wives instead of one, and he did not listen the third time by having three, just for popularity sake. Let’s read:
Genesis 28:6 When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob, and sent him away to Padanaram, to take him a wife from thence; and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan;
28:7 And that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Padanaram;
28:8 And Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father;
28:9 Then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham's son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife.
Again we see the same pattern of behavior and the same mode of thought in the experiences of David and Saul. If we were to evaluate on their own merit, action for action and deed for deed, we may come to the conclusion that David’s sin against God and Bathsheba, and his consequent slaying of her husband was a crime much more horrendous than what Saul did in sparing some sheep for religious purposes, and saving the life of king Agag. But in the final analysis, the only difference is that when God spoke to them through His prophets, one listened and followed, whilst the other did not, and this is what constitutes the fundamental difference between sheep and goats. Let’s read:
1st Samuel 15:1 Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee [to be] king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD.
15:2 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember [that] which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid [wait] for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt.
15:3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not” …
15:9 But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all [that was] good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing [that was] vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.
15:10 Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying,
15:11 It repenteth me that I have set up Saul [to be] king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night.
Now let’s observe carefully the attitude of those
who like Esau do not listen when God speaks through His word or his prophets. It’s worthy of note that in the episode between Esau and Jacob, Esau cast the blame on Jacob for deceiving and stealing the birthright. In other words, it was not his fault. Let’s read:
Genesis 27:34 And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, [even] me also, O my father.
27:36 And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?
The same self-righteous attitude is now going to surface again in king Saul, who partially obeyed the commandments of God, but now tries to justify his actions with so-called valid reasons, whilst at the same time blaming the people under his jurisdiction for his own disobedience. Let’s read:
1st Samuel 15:13 And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed [be] thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD.
15:14 And Samuel said, What [meaneth] then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?
15:15 And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.
15:16 Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the LORD hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on.
15:17 And Samuel said, When thou [wast] little in thine own sight, [wast] thou not [made] the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel?
15:18 And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed.
15:19 Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD?
15:20 And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.
15:21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal.
15:22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD [as great] delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey [is] better than sacrifice, [and] to hearken than the fat of rams.
15:23 For rebellion [is as] the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness [is as] iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from [being] king.
Now let’s fast-forward to king David who has also disobeyed the commandments of the Lord, and a similar prophet of God is sent to him to rebuke him for his misdeeds, with the hope that he would listen and repent, just as Samuel had hoped would be the desired response from king Saul. Let’s read:
2nd Samuel 12:1 And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.
12:2 The rich [man] had exceeding many flocks and herds:
12:3 But the poor [man] had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter.
12:4 And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man's lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him.
12:5 And David's anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, [As] the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this [thing] shall surely die:
12:6 And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.
12:7 And Nathan said to David, Thou [art] the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;
12:9 Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife [to be] thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.
12:13 And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.
Two very serious instances of disobedience by two different kings of Israel, but with two entirely different responses to the Master’s voice, simply because as the Lord says “My sheep hear my voice and they follow me” whilst others do not listen and do not follow His instructions. Hence the reason why The Lord has uttered one of the most solemn prophecies pertaining to the final resolution of the issue of sheep and goats. Let’s read:
Matthew 25:31 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:
25:32 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:
25:33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
25:34 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.
25:41 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:
25:46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
Some of us may be wondering why such potent words are spoken by Christ, who desires that all men should come to repentance. Some of us may even be questioning ourselves as to our relationship with God and our attitude towards His word. The question is: Are we listening and are we following? Do we find ourselves conveniently modifying Gods instructions and his commandments to suit our own ideas, or do we take Him at His word even though it may at times step on our toes?
This past week another brazen effort was made to destroy or modify what God has plainly stated pertaining to marriage, and this is being promulgated by one of the world’s most prominent religious leaders. God has spoken time and time again in His word and by many different human agencies, against any effort to legalize immorality in marriage. He is speaking loud and clear through the many providences which he has permitted to afflict us with the hope that like David, we will readily or even finally acknowledge our sins individually, nationally, and internationally.
Yet like Esau, many prominent religious figures continue to confirm iniquity in those who are openly averse to God, and we have gone so far as to presume to re-define what sin is. God is now speaking authoritatively to our hearts, and if we repent, like David we will find pardon and peace with Him. But if we continue in rebellion by not listening to His gracious calls to repentance, we will be found on His left hand when Christ comes, and the sentence and experience of Esau will permanently become ours. Let’s read:
Hebrews 12: My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth” …
12:7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
12:12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;
12:13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.
12:16 Lest there [be] any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
12:17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.
It is our hope and earnest prayer that those who are in authority, and those of us who have taken the name of Christ will not succumb to popular demand by turning a deaf ear when God speaks to our souls. We therefore end with the first passage that confirms the promise of eternal life to all sheep who cultivate the habit of listening and following the Master’s voice. Let’s read:
John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any [man] pluck them out of my hand.
10:29 My Father, which gave [them] me, is greater than all; and no [man] is able to pluck [them] out of my Father's hand.
May God add His blessing to the study and doing of His every word, for the time is at hand. God bless!