One of the most powerful chapters in the Holy Bible is chapter ten of John’s Gospel. In this chapter, Christ labels His followers as sheep. Sheep are not particularly attractive, strong, or intelligent, but God compares us to sheep nevertheless. In this insightful broadcast, Carl shares some very interesting aspects of sheep and their strong bond with the shepherd. Sheep are vulnerable and tend to follow the herd, so our reliance on Christ is crucial considering the wolves which lie in wait. Join Carl now to find out who these wolves are and how to stay safe…
Here is a complete transcript of the broadcast (below)…
Friend, today we will continue our study of pertinent chapters in the Bible that really stand out, key chapters that you should know about, and one of these is John chapter 10. And I’m going to read some excerpts for you now. Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that enters not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that enters in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. Let’s stop right there. Friend, Satan is a usurper. He climbs up some other way. It is integral that you know that Jesus came through the birth canal. He came through the door of man. He came to this earth by the appropriate means, okay? Satan does not have a body. He has to possess or oppress people in order to influence them on this earth. Jesus, our God incarnate, came from heaven into the earth. He put aside his kingship and became a humble man and lived as a man who operated by the Holy Spirit during that time period. He did not climb up some other way, as Satan tried to do, but he came through the door. He is the shepherd of the sheep, and friend, he is the good shepherd. In fact, one of the great images of Jesus Christ is the good shepherd, which is mentioned in verse 11 of this passage.
He is the gate to the sheep pen, meaning that no one can enter the sheepfold through any other means except through Jesus himself. He is the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father except by him. Have you received him, friend? Only through Jesus Christ can we have right standing and eternal life with God. Now in verse 3, it says, “To him the porter opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.” Friend, this verse tells me that God speaks to his people. The sheep know his voice, and they hear his voice. Have you heard his voice lately? You can’t say God doesn’t talk to me. That’s unscriptural. The sheep hear his voice, friend. And then in verse 4, it says, When he puts forth his own sheep, he goes before them, he the shepherd, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Jesus speaks to you, and you should know his voice.
That still small voice on the inside of your spirit man, that is the voice of God. Verse 5, “And a stranger they will not follow, but will flee from him, for they know not the voice of strangers.” Satan is a stranger to us. We’re in the kingdom of God, and you should stop listening to him. He’s trying to climb up some other way. He’s trying to get into your life the wrong way. Right now put a stop to him in the name of Jesus Christ, and tell him to flee your life. Verse 6, it says, “This parable spake Jesus unto them, but they understood not what the things that they were spoken. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. And all that ever came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.” Friend, there were false prophets coming and saying, I’m this and I’m that, before Jesus even came. They were trying to lead the sheep astray, and we are sheep, friend. If you are born again, you are a sheep. Okay, you may not be too stoked about that, but at least you’re not a goat, right? And I’m going to give some attributes of sheep shortly. But in verse 9, Jesus said, “I am the door.”
By me, if any man enters in, he shall be saved, amen, and shall go in and out and find pasture. Verse 10, in contrast, “the thief cometh not but for to steal and to kill and to destroy. I am come that they might have life and have it more abundantly.” Friend, Jesus came to give you zoe, abundant life, nothing missing, nothing broken, peace on the inside, shalom, wholeness, deliverance. That word is multifaceted, that zoe life that is spoken of here in this chapter in the Greek. Friend, I want you to have every aspect of what God has provided for you. In 3rd John 2, it says, “beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in good health, even as your soul prospers.” That’s God’s will right there. That’s a part of the abundant life, that you be in health and that your soul prospers. God doesn’t want you sick, friend. That’s the enemy talking. That’s the thief. He’s coming to steal your health. He’s coming to steal those things from you, but you’ve got to be on guard. You’ve got to make sure that you use the word of God in your defense, as Jesus illustrated in Matthew 4, by speaking the rhema word to Satan and commanding him to flee.
You know, friend, sheep can be a little bit stupid, okay? I can’t say it any better, because they can wander off and start eating grass that is not good for them. They can eat shrubs and plants and it’ll kill them. They need to be guided into good pasture, amen? They need to be shown areas to eat and the choice meals to eat by the good shepherd. You know, if a sheep keeps straying, one of the loving aspects that the shepherd will do, if that sheep is always straying out and causing a problem, he will break the leg of the sheep and then he will wrap the sheep around his neck, over his shoulders, and then the sheep will become accustomed to the shepherd while the leg is healing. And in that process, the sheep gathers the scent of the shepherd and he knows that he is the good shepherd, and the time when that leg finally heals, that sheep is no longer going to stray, friend, okay? Now, I’m not saying God’s going around breaking legs, but I’m using an illustration here of the natural realm in the shepherding profession, that God is watching over you, okay? And he’s going to prevent you from going into danger, but you must listen to his spirit. He is the good shepherd that watches over the sheep.
And one of the aspects of the good shepherd is that he protects his flock, even to the point of death. But in contrast, there’s the hireling shepherd. A hireling shepherd doesn’t love the sheep. He just does it for the money. And Christ goes on to explain this further on in verse 11, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. But he that is a hireling and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf catches them and scatters the sheep. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and cares not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd and know my sheep and know of mine.” Do you have a pastor that’s a hireling shepherd? I pray not. He should be somebody who’s watching over you and cares for you, friend. That is my objective, is to watch over the flock and protect them from wolves. And what do wolves bring? They bring false doctrine.
False doctrines and lies about how you perceive God will devour the sheep unless it goes unchecked. The two main issues of contention I deal with as a pastor are, number one, false doctrines from wolves, and number two, personal discord or disputes that must be resolved, because if they’re not resolved, they cause division. And that’s the two things I’m watching over as a pastor. But friend, if you’re not connected, if you’re not in the sheepfold, then the shepherd can’t watch over you. Now, I’m just a shepherd on this earth, but God is the good shepherd. Jesus is the good shepherd, okay? I’m a type of that shepherd who watches over the sheep. And then later on, Jesus goes on to talk about laying his life down for the sheep. You have rights and dominion on this earth. God gave man dominion over this earth.
You’re the one with power and authority. If you’re in Christ Jesus, you have the power and authority to use the blessed name of Jesus, to use that name, to speak to circumstances and opposition from the spiritual realm. That is what God wants you to do. And because you have a physical body, because you were born through the birth canal, you didn’t come up some other way either, right? You have authority on this earth because you are a physical body. The spirits in the spirit realm do not have authority because they were not born in this earth in the sheepfold, okay? That’s why Jesus had authority on the earth as well, because he was born into the sheepfold, into humanity through the natural birth canal. But friend, sheep must have the right food.
Many animals are able to search out adequate nourishment by themselves, but sheep aren’t. They have to be led into the pastures. They can’t seek out food for themselves. Christ, our chief shepherd, has already provided the rich pastures of the scriptures for every believer, okay? He’s called pastors and teachers to help others. They’re under shepherds. Their responsibility is to provide the precise assistance which can enable you, the sheep, to come to spiritual care and meditate on God’s word effectively. And those sheep are defenseless. They have no way of protecting themselves. They can’t bite or kick or hide, okay? Just as we are defenseless in the spiritual realm without the blood of Christ, we can’t fight back unless we use the name. We don’t have power in and of ourselves. We are part of Satan’s kingdom if we’re not a part of God’s. There is no neutral ground in the spirit, friend.
And sheep are very sensitive to temperature. Even if their body temperature exceeds 103 degrees Fahrenheit, they will actually overheat. So they have to be led to rivers and places to drink, okay? Because they have very thick coats of wool, which will cause their bodies to overheat and they can actually die. So you had lions out there. You had bears. You had other coyotes and mountain lions and whatever else. And the shepherd has to watch over them as well. But how do the false prophets present themselves? They come in sheep’s clothing, right? In Matthew 7:15. And like I said, that’s what pastor’s doing. He’s watching over the wolves.
But the pastor has to discern the wolf from the sheep because the wolves are coming in sheep’s clothing. They’re coming dressed in wool, right? So they’re coming as a friend. That’s how the enemy comes. He comes as a friend. Let me add to God’s word. Let me take away from God’s word. Let me interpret God’s word based on my findings. These are the tricks of the enemy to get you off track and into false doctrine, friend. But you, friend, have to focus on the voice of the shepherd. You have to be attentive to the direction that the good shepherd is leading you. And right now, you may be in a position where you’re not listening. You may have difficulty or even suffering or pain right now and really struggling in life. And I would suggest that you’ve not listened to the shepherd. He’s trying to lead you in the good pastures. Amen? Remember Psalm 23, “The Lord is my shepherd. He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters and he restores my soul.” Friend, you need your soul restored, but you’ve got to be led by the shepherd. And that’s my challenge to you. Be led by the good shepherd. I’m just an under-shepherd. Okay? I’m not the good shepherd. But if you can come to Denver House of Prayer, I can shepherd you.
And if you’re listening to radio and you’re close by in this area, you should be under a shepherd. It doesn’t have to be me. Okay? There’s great pastures out there. All right? But just make sure you’re under a shepherd. And another aspect of sheep is that they can actually be irritated by insects and flies around their heads. And the shepherd would pour oil over their heads to prevent this source of irritation. Okay? It can be really bothersome to their head and their face. All right? And it’s that anointing oil that the Father puts on us that the good shepherd places upon us. All right? That oil of gladness is on our face and on our head as we seek him early in the morning.
And sheep feed early in the morning. Early will I seek thee is the scripture. We need to seek the Lord in the morning. And then he can put that oil on our face that we won’t be irritated by the cares of this world. That’s what the insects represent. All the stuff around our head is buzzing around. The cares and worries of this life. Let the Lord put that oil on you as he does his sheep. And then you will feel his sweet, calm presence of peace. And then you’ll be able to take on the day. And here’s one more aspect of sheep. It’s called casting.
If they eat too much and don’t exercise, they’ll get too fat. Layers of fat will build up. It could even affect the rumination process of digestion. And then they tip over. They cast. Oh, friend, here’s the analogy. Are you a doer of the word or a hearer only? We need to apply the word of God in our life. Not just meditate, meditate, meditate, keep eating and eating and get fatter and fatter. And just we can’t get out of our chairs. We don’t want to be that kind of Christian. We want to be doing what the word says, not just hearing only. And so there’s several analogies we can use to sheep. And here’s just a snippet today of some of them.
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