Good day and welcome to your Kingdom Connection Devotional for Thursday! It is has been a wonderful week looking at SHEEP! Today as I looked for photos to insert for "Listening Sheep" it blew my mind! They really were listening. They were really giving their full attention to the the sound being made. Now we are used to this with dogs and even cats but to see soooo many pics of the sheep listening legitimizes the image from today's devotional passage found in John 10:1-5
1 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
2 But he who enters by the door is the
shepherd of the sheep.
3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and
leads them out.
4 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
5 Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”
It is most unfortunate that in America, the amount of Christians who literally believe is Satan is very small. While some may acknowledge that the Bible speaks of Satan and some may admit they they still believe in hell but the actions of the great majority will PROVE that Satan is not a real factor in their lives. They view their relationship with Christ as the saving and loving Messiah who is here to make life on earth better, tolerable or wonderful (depending on which spiritual Protestant camp you're in).
Yet, Christ utilizes multiple occasions to address an ENEMY. There are a plethora of names that Christ uses for him and in this passage, He refers to him as a thief and a robber. While God loves us, cares for us and want us to spend eternity with Him, He chooses, out of His sovereignty, for
opposition to exist and remain. We are in a constant spiritual battle for our eternal salvation until the day we die. It is only then, is our eternal presence with God secured. I don't make the rules but I am here to explain how they work and what you and I must do to endure until the end.
With that being said, Christ describes a scenario of:
1) sheep or sheepfold in a contained area
2) a door for proper entrance and exit to the fold
3) a fence, gate or wall to which the door connects
4) thieves and robbers
He begins his visual with who AIN'T supposed to be in the picture. That would be the thief/robber. That would be the person who does not:
1) come through the proper entrance
2) have the authority or responsibility to be with the sheep
3) truly care about the well being of the sheep
So there are thieves and robbers:
A. that will attempt to get a hold of you as a sheep.
B. who desire to lead you astray and to your demise.
C. who care nothing about your well being but wish to take advantage of you.
Believers must know that everyone that comes among the fold is not a good "shepherd" sent by our Father. There are false preachers and teachers along with cults and false doctrines. Sometimes they are right in the pulpits and other times they have their own "venue" but in any case Christ warns us that they do exist and they are to our detriment.
He lets us know that the "right" person comes through the door. How your "leader" was sent MATTERS! Did they get mad at their former pastor and start their own church? Did they wake up out of stupor and claim to be called by God? The Body of Christ is supposed to be of order. Christ called His 12 and then HE promoted them to Apostles. The Great Apostle Paul was affirmed by those 12.
The LISTENING SHEEP