Prayer Meeting (8th June, 2021)
Topic: Hearing and Following the Voice of the Shepherd
Ministering: Reverend Kayode Oyegoke
“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.” (John 10:1-5). One who is not a shepherd cannot come in through the door of the sheepfold because there is a specific key required to open that door which is only with the Shepherd.
Only Jesus has access to the sheepfold. The Porter tends to the sheep in the stead of the Shepherd and would not open the sheepfold to anyone but the Shepherd. This Porter is the Holy Ghost and He is bound to the Shepherd.
It takes some time for a sheep to really know the voice of the Shepherd. As such, one who is not yet a fully matured sheep cannot discern the voice of the Shepherd. When a sheep is still immature, it can be in the sheepfold and yet be unable to hear the voice of the Shepherd. This means it is not really yet a sheep.
“And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; [6] But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. [7] Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, [8] Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: [9] When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. [10] Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do always err in their heart, and they have not known my ways. [11] So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) [12] Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.” (Heb. 3:5-12). The purpose of the voice was to print God's way in their hearts as sheep. To print God’s way in their hearts is to give a sense for entrance. When the High Priest speaks to the sheepfold, it is not all the sheep but a particular set of sheep (mature sheep) that can hear Him. God did not lead Israel first, rather, He led Moses who He later used to lead Israel. God usually encounters a particular sheep who He then uses to lead the rest of the sheepfold because it is not all the sheep that can hear the voice of the High Priest.
The Shepherd being referred to in John 10 is a Shepherd of Eternal Life. Jesus might be leading a sheepfold and yet have some shepherds amidst that company who He leads the rest of the sheepfold through. Not all sheep will rise to possess the shepherdic strength, for some will lead while others follow (1 Pet. 5:3). Jesus has to raise men to be examples to the flock. This is a high honour, for it is not easy to show Jesus to the flock. This is why not all sheep can hear His voice.
“The voice” in Hebrews 3 does not refer to the voice in the realm of faith but is the voice of eternal life. Many sheep would have followed the voice of strangers if not for those the Lord has set up to lead them. “My sheep” in John 10:4 are sheep of the everlasting fold. These sheep must have been raised to discern when the Shepherd arrives. No stranger can go through the door of a sheepfold, for they will not respond to any strange voice.
“For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. [11] For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, [12] Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. [13] And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.” (Heb. 2:10-13). The members of the sheepfold are those He is not ashamed to call His brethren. As Christ, the shepherdic strength of Jesus is not fully unveiled. We have seen Jesus in different ways; we have seen Him as Christ, but He is presently being revealed in a higher way because our eyes have been opened to see Him.
“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, [12] Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world…” (Tit. 2:11-12). Christ lived soberly, righteously and godly and this is how He also wants us to live. The word of faith is the word of soberness. We need to live soberly so we do not live in wantonness or riotously. The systems of this world have been designed to prevent us from being prepared for the revelation of the Son of God.
“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ…” (Tit. 2:13). One who is not sober will not look for the blessed hope. Jesus will only come to save sheep after they have lived soberly and righteously in this present world.
It is not all sheep that are being kept by the power of God or that are being saved. The essence of salvation amidst the sheep is for them to hear the voice of the Shepherd. However, it is not everyone in the sheepfold that will hear the voice, as the sheep in the sheepfold are at different maturity levels. Some in the sheepfold are still lambs that are gradually being raised into sheep.
The One that died on the cross was a ram. Jesus had to obey the commandments of eternal life to be rewarded. He is referred to as a Lamb but to us, He is our Father and God. The Lamb of God was a ram of sacrifice. He was not killed for sacrifice when He was a little lamb and weak; He grew gradually without being harmed until He had fully matured and that was when He was killed. A Lamb is killed for sacrifice at a year old, so in the sight of the Father, Jesus was a year old when He was 33 years of age in the natural. He came into the stature qualified for sacrifice at 33 years of age. If the Son of God is a Lamb, then His Father must be a Lamb as well.
Jesus is a Lamb. A Lamb is a God outside the form of God. Jesus is God in human form. In the eternal past, Jesus was not subject to God but was equal with God (John 1:1); but now, Jesus is no longer as He used to be and is subject to God because of man (1 Cor. 15:28). God wants every man to come into this stature, so there will not arise another Lucifer. God offered His everlasting Son on the cross. He was offered before He entered glory and even after. All that God was doing in Jesus was to raise His own Lamb that He can offer.
“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. [6] In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE Lord OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. [7] Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that they shall no more say, The Lord liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; [8] But, The Lord liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.” (Jer. 23:5-8). “And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.” (Ezekiel 34:23). “David” spoken of here is Jesus. The shepherdic ministry of Jesus is emboldened more in the New Testament when He came into the season of everlasting life which is also the season of the saving the soul (1 Peter 1:9).
“Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ…” (1 Peter 1:13). You do not stop hoping until the grace has been brought and this grace is brought at the revelation of Jesus Christ. The purpose of the Shepherd is to lead the sheep to pasture which is why He needs to be revealed. The Shepherd will lead the sheep out for they need to be kept. Anyone who keeps any of his brethren has fought for and kept the sheep from the voice of the stranger.
Your love for the Lord can be determined by your love for pasture (spiritual meal). Shepherds suffer from being misunderstood and this is one assault that Satan has designed because he wants to devour the sheep. Some shepherds are also wolves who feed on the sheep. This is because so many people do not know the true essence of ministry, for they see it as an opportunity to glory.
The true Shepherd leads the sheep out and calls them by name. The sheep know the Shepherd and the Shepherd knows the sheep. To know Christ, we must have lived soberly, righteously, and godly. The Lord builds the door of the sheepfold through ministers. This is to keep the sheep and not expose them. No one can hear the Shepherd without first learning the doctrine of Christ. To lead the sheep out (John 10:3) is to take them from the realm of Christ to the realm of everlasting life.
“And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. [24] And I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the Lord have spoken it. [25] And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods.” (Ezek. 34:23-25). The landscape of Israel is everlasting. The geography of the land here is not physical but spiritual; it is the person of the Shepherd. His fullness is the salvation ingredient.
“I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel. [15] I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord God.” (Ezek. 34:14-15). To make the flock lie down is to sit them and feed them with judgment and this is everlasting life. To feed on the mountains is to feed the sheep with pastures of the heights so they can be raised. The sheep need to be raised highly and to do this is to deck them with meekness and lowliness. This is how to follow the Lamb. There are high places and low places and those who are oppressed will be raised high.
We have to humble ourselves under the hand of the shepherd (1 Pet. 5:6) to be fed. We are Jesus' flock and He wants to lead us to good pastures. The ultimate achievement for the sheep is to know the Shepherd but there is no way the sheep can know the Shepherd without food. The voice (teachings) and the feet (journey in the spirit) reveal the Shepherd to the sheep. The food is the person of the Shepherd which is why He gave His life for the sheep (John 10:11).
The relationship between the sheep and Shepherd is for them to know each other, just like Jesus and His Father know each other. If God is a Shepherd, then He must have also laid down His life. Every shepherd must not live for himself. Every shepherd should think very well and be careful before making decisions because of the sheep. Although the sheep may act wrongly towards the shepherd, the shepherd must never live for himself. Jesus laid down His life for us, yet we do not regard Him.
The man on the left side of the cross taunted Jesus and irrespective of that, He did not revile (Luke 23:39). The thief on the other side had a better attitude and Jesus granted Him a place with Him in paradise (Luke 23:43). The sheep should know the Shepherd just as the Shepherd knows the sheep (1 Cor. 13:12). The gain of life everlasting is to know the Shepherd and be known of Him. This is where the power of everlasting life is. Knowing is fellowship and life. The point where we are well known is the place of absolute salvation; for to be well known is to be well saved.
Message Ends