SOME THINGS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER - 13
God’s Sheep. The Beatitudes. Does God Speak Today?
GOD’S SHEEP
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27, KJV).
Loved ones, in current human terms, being called a sheep is considered derogatory. To be called a sheep is to be called someone who mindlessly follows or acts like someone else either to be part of a group, an ideology, or to be recognized. It is a term for someone who is a fool.
The origin of such slang comes from the Bible because those who are the children of God are called “the flock (human sheep) of my pasture” (Ezekiel 34:31). Naturally, those who think that God is just a myth think that those of us who know God are fools, blindly following a book written by men for nefarious means.
As a person who understands who and what God is (as far as can be understood), a Christian knows that the real fool is described in Psalms 14:1: “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good” (cf. Psalm 53:1).
Why does God call us sheep? The metaphor is used directly in over 40 verses in the Bible, and the idea of a sheep or lamb is used indirectly upwards of 500 times. There is no doubt that God has a meaning behind something referenced so frequently and from so many different angles.
Sheep are effectively defenseless against predators. They are not fast, do not have sharp claws, and their teeth are designed for eating grass right down to the ground — and nothing else. They are susceptible to stress and health issues like parasites. They tend to wander from the herd, which is their only protection, and will easily get hopelessly lost.
Why would God choose such a weak and stupid animal? Looking at sheep, it is a wonder they can survive on their own at all. The domesticated version cannot. The wild variant just tries to flee predators or perch on ground where predators cannot tread. An occasional strong one with curved horns might charge a predator, but typically only if cornered or protecting its young.
To understand, recall what Jesus said in His Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). Those who do not understand the spirit do not understand the analogy. We are not just physical beings; we have a spiritual side.
Given all the science and understanding of the physical world, there is something about human life and consciousness which cannot be explained. Our spirit exists within us. Once we die and the Day of Judgment comes, that spirit will be given a new body (1 Corinthians 15:51-52). We are more than the sum of our parts in this world.
Physically, we are strong creatures capable of commanding the earth to our bidding in so many ways. Yet, there are things which are stronger and more powerful than us. We cower in fear at lightning or the deepest depths of the oceans, but we are, truly, the apex creatures on the planet. Those who do not understand God only see this set of facts, but spiritually we are naked.
What spiritual defenses do we have? We are open to the predations of the devil. We cannot run away. We are susceptible to the wearing down of our soul, or to the latching on of demons for their own means like a parasite. We wander, spiritually, away from any level of safety into places deep and dark to which we cannot find our own way back. Spiritually, we are just a foolish animal which will be ruthlessly killed by that adversary who seeks someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).
The only defenses we have are the ones given to us by our Good Shepherd. We have the armor of God and the sword of the Spirit for protection (Ephesians 6:10-20). As social creatures of a flock, we help each other in the body of Christ.
We have been given the Word of God because: “16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). With those tools, we can have protection, but they all come from one source, God, and only through obedience can we discover and utilize them.
We do not understand the spiritual world, and do not naturally have ways to navigate, defend, attack, or survive. All we know is what has been told to us by the Great spiritual being on our side: God. He is our guide to a new realm of existence which we will one day enter.
As a shepherd, He guides us daily, and if we want to live, we will listen: “1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake” (Psalm 23:1-3).
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THE BEATITUDES
“And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: 2 and he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying….” (Matthew 5:1-2, KJV).
Loved ones, a whole person, a balanced person, a person as near what God can expect of a human, is described in the beginning statements of the Sermon on the Mount. The Beatitudes of Jesus could be used as a description of an ideal person. The eight qualities set forth by Jesus are beautiful and well do they merit the description: "The octave of kingdom music."
Self-inadequacy. "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (v. 3). The shaking, bony, nervous fingers extended from a beggar express a quality without which one cannot please God: he must be praying for spiritual help; he feels deeply his inadequacy. He has become conscious of his insufficiency, of his spiritual bankruptcy. The kingdom of heaven does not belong to the proud in spirit.
Sin-consciousness. "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted" (v. 4). When one mourns because he is a sinner, as did Saul of Tarsus for three days, delightful comfort God bestows in the remission of sins. But the mourning attendant upon one's recognition of his sinful condition is a healthy thing, and a basic element in one's becoming an ideal person.
Self-control. "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth" (v. 5). The meaning of weakness is not the Bible definition of meekness, for compare Moses and Jesus (Numbers 12:3; 2 Corinthians 10:1), than whom none was meeker and stronger. But the meaning submission to proper authority, self-discipline, self-control, fits all that is known about Bible meekness. Essential to a person's being whole and mature is such meekness, and a new heaven and a new earth will be his to enjoy.
Right-mindedness. "Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled" (v. 6). Everything that is right is righteousness. All God’s “commandments are righteousness" (Psalm 119:172). An avid appetite for right things Jesus promises will be satisfied. Holy examples of this nobility of spirit are climaxed by him who said: "I come to do thy will, O God" (Hebrews 10:7, 9). The only way to "fulfill all righteousness" (Matthew 3:15) is to do everything God has commanded.
Mercy. "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy" (v. 7). A sweet quality of graciousness as set over against a strict exaction of all obligations is seen in the prodigal's father as set over against the elder brother. "He shall have judgment without mercy who has shown no mercy" (James 2:13), but to him who extends compassion, mercy will be returned.
Purity. "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God" (v. 8). The impure heart, a Judas kissing Jesus, a cheat in business or in love, will see God, but he will only see an angry God in the day of God's wrath. The clean and sincere in heart are akin to God and his smile they will enjoy when his servants “shall see his face" (Revelation 22:4).
Peacefulness. "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God" (v. 9). Children of the devil are contentious, argumentative, and troublesome. But he whose disposition is such that God's peace is the referee, the ruler, in his heart, has a quality that belongs to deity: therefore he is called a son of God.
Self-sacrifice. "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (vs. 10-12). A devotion to Jesus that is so deep and true one willingly dies for Jesus' sake is one of the requisites of a kingdom-person.
The qualities that are to make up a person who possesses the kingdom of heaven are self-inadequacy, sin-consciousness, self-control, right-mindedness, mercy, purity, peacefulness, and self-sacrifice. To a person owning these qualities, the kingdom of God belongs.
It is the kingdom of the Son of His love, a kingdom not of this world, a rule of the heart, a sovereignty of the spirit, a kingdom within, a realm of spiritual and eternal values. A person reborn to have the qualities of the Beatitudes is translated into a divine kingdom, and it becomes his possession. Faithfulness in such a kingdom will guarantee his entrance into the everlasting kingdom.
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DOES GOD SPEAK TODAY?
“1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds” (Hebrews 1:1-2, KJV).
INTRODUCTION
Loved ones, YES, God speaks today! God has spoken in every period of time. He speaks to reveal His will for mankind to obey (cf. Matthew 7:21). But how does God speak and what does He say today?
DISCUSSION
Many are deceived concerning how God speaks today. He does NOT speak directly. He does NOT speak through dreams and visions. He does NOT speak through an angel.
As our above text plainly reveals, today God speaks through His Son. Saving faith comes by hearing the word (Romans 10:17). Jesus is the word (John 1:1-2); therefore, God speaks through the Word (John 1:14; 20:30-31; Luke 6:46), His only begotten Son (John 3:16).
Hearing God's word is important. He is giving mankind His Holy Spirit inspired truth (John 8:32; 14:6; 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:15-17). His word is perfect (James 1:25). We must not add to it, subtract from it, nor substitute for it (Revelation 22:18-19; Galatians 1:6-9). WARNING: One day we all will be judged by it (John 12:48; Hebrews 9:27).
With love, God says we are sinners (Romans 3:23). He tells us Christ is the Savior (Luke 19:10). He tells us what to do to be saved from our sins (Mark 16:15-16; Acts 2:38). He tells us about His church (Matthew 16:18-19; Ephesians 1:22-23; 5:23), and how to worship Him in His church (John 4:24). He tells us how to live the Christian life by His authority; i.e., in His name (Colossians 3:17). He tells us where the good and the bad will spend eternity (Matthew 25:46).
CONCLUSION
All mankind must hear and obey God’s word (Matthew 7:24-27; 17:5). We obey by DOING what God says (James 1:21-22; Acts 2:37-38, 41).
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Shared with you by Samuel A. Matthews, preaching with the Liberty NW church of Christ, meeting in Portland, Oregon, USA. The God of Heaven and Earth is so good, and His love reaches all. He is in control, so trust Him. We love you with the love of the Lord (John 13:34-35). 22 October 2026