School of the Spirit (10th June 2021)
Topic: The Leading of God’s Sheep unto Eternal Life
Ministering: Reverend Kayode Oyegoke
Text: John 10:10
Jesus, while He was on earth, had the pasture to feed the Church. He has a great pasture that is encapsulated in the things that He said and taught. However, some of those things are yet to be really eaten by His flock; they remained as planted pastures until He left. Only after many years did the lambs which He raised grow into it. The Gospel of John should be greatly appreciated as it concentrates on the personality of the Son of God. The book of John is an unveiling of the High Priest who is seated at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
John, in writing about the Son of God, stated that “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him” (John 1:18). As at the time John wrote this verse, including the entire account of Jesus’ life, he still wrote in terms of Jesus’ present tense existence. The realm of the bosom of the Father is the final place we should all come into. This realm is where Jesus is now; not where He used to be or will be, but where He is presently. Thus, no one had seen God at any time but the only begotten of the Father - the only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father. It is important to note here that John was not just referring to Jesus the Son of God but Jesus as the begotten Son of God (Hebrews 1:5).
Jesus’ begotten experience came into place after His earthly journey had ended, that is, when the days of His flesh were finished. This ‘begotten Son’ estate was what Jesus raced into and the title of a Shepherd was conferred upon Him when He was begotten.
Jesus is the shepherd and bishop of our souls (1Peter 2:25). It was this great Shepherd of the sheep that was brought up from the dead through the blood of the everlasting covenant (Hebrews 13:20). We need a shepherd to help us administer the will of God. The will of God is the pasture of the sheep. The shepherd of the sheep does not only lead us to a pasture but also helps us to do God’s will (John 4:34). We need to follow the Shepherd to find the will. Only the Shepherd knows where to get the right pasture for the flock.
According to Revelation 7:17, the Shepherd performs two activities amongst the flock; He “leads them unto living fountains of water” and “wipes away all tears from their eyes” (Revelation 7:17). No one can resolve the issue of tears except the great Shepherd. Without the food that the Shepherd leads us unto and the living fountains of waters, there is no way we can stop shedding tears. Tears would not go until we are fed and led; both activities constitute the ministry of the great Shepherd. Both drinking and feeding cannot be accomplished without leading. No one can eat pasture without being led. The servant of God must also be led to find pasture for him to be able to teach it to the flock of God.
What does it really mean to lead a soul? And what does it mean to be led by the Spirit of God? There is a core leading being referred to in the statement, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God” (Romans 8:14). There are all manner of directions in which the Holy Ghost can lead a man. He can lead a soul regarding what business to do, who to marry, academics etc. A man can experience those leadings of the Holy Spirit and may not have been led.
There is a kind of leading that must occur in the soul of every believer and not all souls are usually led in this manner because God knows that certain souls would not submit to it. Thus, it is not in every soul that Jesus has fully commenced His ministry of a Shepherd; not all believers have Jesus as their shepherd. The statement, “the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want” (Ps. 23:1), does not take its course automatically in the life of a believer simply because he is born again. A believer may have the opportunity to be a sheep and be submissive to the shepherd, but refuse it.
There is a leading that the Shepherd seeks to place on every sheep but this does not happen automatically. This kind of leading is a leading against one's life, and for this reason, not every soul would give Jesus the opportunity as a Shepherd to lead their lives. Leading varies and it occurs according to the will of the sheep. We must reach a point where we are not forced to follow the leading of the Shepherd. The less we hold tightly to our will, the more His leading over us increases. Sometimes the leading of the Shepherd is contrary to our desires.
“And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” (Romans 8:27). The phrase, ‘will of God’ used in this Scripture actually refers to the leading of God. Thus, there is an intercession going on consistently in the spirit because the Holy Ghost watches the order of every saint in the spirit. The Holy Ghost takes stock of souls and reports to Jesus, and They pray for us in areas of need. One very important aspect of such prayers is that our own wills will become weak so that we can be submissive to Their leading. In order to prosper with Their leading, our hold on our lives must be weakened.
A weak man is a man that can submit to God’s will and the leading of the Shepherd. A weak man is a meek man. A humble man might not be meek. Humility is to bring oneself low. A man could bring himself low and yet not have trust to allow another’s leading. A meek man is one who has the strength to trust to the next level. One of the qualities of Jesus is that He is meek and lowly in heart (Matt. 11:29). This means that He is meek and humble, that is, He can be led and is also easily entreated. Meekness and humility work together.
When we have many believers in the church with the natures of meekness and humility, the church would run smoothly and advance speedily. What makes a sheep are these two characters. A sheep of high level in the spirit is one whose meekness level is high. Jesus as our High Priest is also a high Sheep; He was so meek that He was not only led by the Holy Ghost but was also led unto other levels of the Godhead. He allowed the Holy Ghost to grow out of Him such that He could fully express the seven spirits of God.
The Lamb was seen, “as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes” (Revelation 5:6). The seven horns and seven eyes are the seven spirits of God. Before the seven spirits could express themselves through the Lamb, He had to be slain. To be slain in biblical terms means that Jesus was not Himself anymore by reason of the level of His meekness. There are levels of obedience of meekness that a soul can carry out that would cause him to be regarded as slain.
Meekness and lowliness are like sacrifices and offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit and a contrite heart (Ps. 51:17). Thus, to be slain means to be of a broken spirit. A man can be broken in his body while his spirit is still intact. What God requires is a broken spirit. When one possesses a broken spirit, it is difficult for him to stand on his right. The Lamb of God is a breaker because He's got God’s ultimate sacrifice. By His sacrifice, Jesus offered Himself unto God without spot. To be able to sit and reign with God, one must have been broken. No proud soul can attain God's presence; God resists the proud (Jam. 4:6) but is attracted by the humble (Isa. 57:15).
A lowly man is not one who does not have money. Some men express humility because of their temporal condition so that when that condition changes for good, they become proud. God lives in eternity; He dwells in the high and holy place (Isa 57:15). The holy place referred to in this Scripture is the Most Holy. The phrase, ‘high and holy place’ implies that God is eternal and everlasting. Yet, He says He dwells in that place with one who is of a contrite and humble spirit. Therefore, the things God seeks for in a man are contriteness and humility. To be contrite is to be meek. Contriteness also speaks of a broken condition; thus, a contrite man is a broken man.
God leads us to break us. Some men are too tough for God to break; and even when broken of Him, they try to mend themselves together again. Sometimes God can lead us without our full knowledge of the implications. He arranges a situation and later on moves us to other places where He reveals the implications to us. Some souls turn back at this point. When the High God is upon some souls, He would lead them to break them. Many who might be counted worthy to partake of this kind of leading may withdraw interest from the arrangements of God and turn aside from the word of soberness and righteousness.
Heaven normally arranges situations to achieve brokenness in souls. We have not been broken yet, we must be broken till the brokenness runs deep in us. Brokenness is a working.
Why would David not be a broken man? Since birth, he was subjected to leadings in the desert and the learning of how to take care of sheep. He performed the task till He was known as a shepherd boy; he thought validation had come. At a time, he was sent by his father to give his brothers food who were in the battle ground and saw the demonstrations of Goliath. Goliath taunted Israel requesting for a man to fight with him. Saul, Israel’s king could not offer himself to fight Goliath, neither could anyone else. There was humility in the camp of the Israelites because of Goliath’s threats. When David appeared on the scene, he saw Goliath as an uncircumcised Philistine who defied the armies of God. David was a man of strength who had previously slew a bear and a lion (1 Sam. 17:36).
We must have the right posture of heart when we approach the Lord and seek His mercy. Some diseases require humility to receive healing for them; not arrogance or self-confidence. We must not have the attitude of being powerful in ourselves; rather, we should put on a humble posture of heart. God does permit healing through young ministers but we must be humble. Many have the gifts of miracles but are still immature. They may be arrogant because they do not have the word of God sufficient in them. Thus, sometimes, God arranges situations to bring such a soul to humility. If God leaves us the way we are, we may never learn.
Wisdom and stature is needed to carry some level of anointing. Due to lack of wisdom, many have been destroyed. David, by the continuous leading of God upon him, grew to become meek and humble. After his ordeal with Goliath and his fame spread throughout Israel, he encountered several more troubles. David suffered and was broken completely. In those experiences, he learnt to be humble. He lived like a fugitive for about 13 years, running for his life. God allowed it so that when he reached the throne, he would be meek. It was God’s arrangement to break him. A broken spirit is a meek spirit. When a man is being broken, They withhold his strength so that when God demands of him, he would easily submit.
God reviving the heart of the contrite ones is a blessing for them - it is to raise them (Isaiah 51:17). To raise them does not imply making them proud but to encourage them to continue in that kind of order and attitude. God who dwells in eternity says He dwells amidst broken and contrite men (Isa. 57:15). This is not referring to heaven. God does not dwell fully in the heavens, He only dwells there partially. If He fully dwelled there, He would not be looking for another abiding place. He temporarily dwells in heaven but desires a place of rest (Isa. 66:1). God dwells in eternity - that is His original home. Eternity is a higher realm than heaven.
God seeks souls that would tremble at His word, souls that are broken and of contrite spirits (Isa. 66:1-2. A contrite spirit is a spirit that will not defend himself. God is high and lofty. As holy as angels are, God does not dwell in them; instead He seeks a higher abode which is His dwelling place in man. The state of brokenness and contriteness are the raw materials for His dwelling place (Isa. 57:15). To revive them is to raise them up and make them as eternity; to make them conducive for God’s abode. An inhabitant is a dweller, one who has the habit of the habitation. Eternity is a high and holy (lofty) habitation.
There is no discipline of holiness if it is not mixed with meekness and contriteness. Some are so holy in their minds such that they are not malleable or flexible but they are not holy. They cannot accommodate anybody that is not like them. God is high and lofty; may God expand our judgement.
True holiness needs accurate judgement to allow us zero in on what and who is holy. Many people would miss persons who are holy probably because of their dressing. Kenneth Hagin used to dress well and encouraged women who dressed well also. Many people may receive his word but reject that part of his person. When we grow up, our perspectives about dressing will change. We all should endeavour to dress neatly and sharply; men and women alike. Living by faith is not an excuse to not dress well. We must dress well and handle the clothing we have well. Dressing well is not carnality; we must learn the balance by the help of the Holy Ghost.
Eternity is a realm of brokenness and contriteness; a realm of humbleness and lowliness. Jesus says, He and His Father would come and make Their abode in us (John 14:23). God Almighty is a high raising and that is why He is called the Most High or the Highest; high is also the place where He dwells. He who dwells in this height is also holy; He Himself is high and lofty. This loftiness is not an ugly pride. It is high but holy. We would not be adopted in some realms of the heavens if we are not low. If we do not have meekness, we can not even speak in some places. There are certain things that do not allow us to see our ugliness. When we are too justified in ourselves, it is not comely.
Many men grew up with some habits such as disdaining others. For example, many southern dwellers of the country naturally grow up with a disdain for the northerners. We were raised wrongly with such things which were placed in us to hinder us.
Humility is the rating for exaltation. The natural way of rating exaltation is different from the spiritual. Contriteness is eternity; thus, we must be contrite. Eternity is higher than heaven; it is meeker than heaven. We must be meek to be able to receive the engrafted word that can save our souls (James 1:21). The engrafted word is not the word of faith but it is the word that comes at the end of our faith.
The end of faith is the time of the trying of the faith (James 1:1-4). The purpose of the trial is to make us meek enough to receive the engrafted word that will save our souls. We must come into salvation which is a higher salvation than the one that angels have. We must be saved more than angels by the word which would be brought to us.
We must be meeker than creation. We should not boast that we are higher than anyone when we are not meeker than them. A meek man is a man of dread. A dreadful man is not one with weapons but one with meekness of character. The word "lowly" is a strong word in the Kingdom. We must grow to enjoy meekness and become childlike in meekness. Meekness delivers great things of God to us and will position us in certain places. When we arrive at a high place, we must not become too familiar with that place; we must remember to be meek. When we are granted the state of the throne, we must not assume that exaltation is our right. When we begin to do so, we are planning our fall. We must reach a point that acknowledges that without God, we cannot reach there. We should be ever thankful to God; we must never rub shoulders with the Almighty. We must settle it in our hearts to forever be under Jesus and be humble towards Him.
Tidings are secrets and no tiding can be received from God without meekness (Isaiah 61:1). The least of the tidings is a mystery. No ear should hear tidings if he is not meek; the criteria for hearing is meekness. We must be meek to hear good tidings. The broken-hearted is one who the Holy Ghost had led to break. Those who have been broken are those who have been held captive. We must be in a meek state because that is where They would begin to make us a sheep. The measure of the sheep nature in us is seen in the level of meekness we have attained. How well we are a sheep is how rich we are in meekness. It is only a sheep that God can bless. It is only a sheep that God will give all spiritual blessings in heavenly places to; these places are everlasting and eternity. God dwells in these two places but eternity is His home where He would finally stay. The intention of God is to put eternity in a man.
We need a condition of heart to house eternity and be a home for God. Eternity is meeker than everlasting life. God is breaking down to us what it means for us to be eternal. The meeker we become, the higher we go. The secret of God cannot be revealed to anyone except he is qualified by meekness. Revelation is meant for meekness. A meek spirit equals immortal power.
We must have commensurate meekness to carry eternity. These are the blessings for the sheep. This is what God wants to give a sheep because only a sheep is qualified for them. God is looking for a place where He would rest and the purpose of a sheep is to fulfil this need. God does not dwell amidst lions but amidst sheep. The sheepfold is His household.
God dwells amidst the contrite and the lowly. God does not dwell in a being that is not a sacrifice. We must be weaved with lowly obedience. Everytime we sacrifice, we become meeker. We must be a testimony to life and witness that these things are so. An opportunity to be meek is an opportunity to be raised.
The woman whose adorning is from within would learn to hide like the hidden man (1 Peter 3:4). She will not be easily discovered because she is not forward. A hidden man hides. What makes a meek man to hide is the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit.
We must challenge ourselves by meekness; we must be humble. Women must not be proud towards men. When we show humility, we become mysterious. Women should be humble. When a wife is humble, she would set her husband and push him to a higher responsibility. We must act wisely so that the husband will not spend time making corrections when he should be focusing on God. We must take our place under authority. A woman under authority wields power; that authority is not just your husband but Jesus Christ.
Husbands are the head; they have stature in the spirit. The husband of Joyce Meyer is her pastor; he pastors her with humility. He loves her dearly and wants her to succeed. A good man would want his wife to succeed and would never be jealous of his wife.
The leading of the sheep and the shepherd is a divine symbol for entrance into eternal life. We should pray to be submissive to journeying - that we will not derail from this path until we get to its end. The destiny of every sheep is the will of God. The purpose of the will of God is to bring the sheep to the outcome of more meekness and lowliness. Every sheep must get to meekness and lowliness. We must go about our vocation in meekness and lowliness. We shall not want by the leading of the shepherd. We must desire not to come lower than the statute of meekness and lowliness.
Let us ask for protection to come into the Promise, and for enough peace on earth. Let us pray for great peace on earth.
Message Ends.