Wednesday, April 1, 2015

What Does A Sheep Look Like?

What Does A Sheep Look Like?

      True prayer consists of more than simply requesting a laundry list of needs. True prayer begins with a look into the mirror of our souls and repenting of coming up short of the holiness required by God.The Hebrew word tefilah (תפלה) comes from the verb pallel (פלל), "to judge."' We use the reflexive verb lehitpallel ("to pray"), which also means "to judge oneself." With that said, all throughout scripture, a Disciple is presented as sheep and Christ the shepherd.  So I ask you this question, are you a sheep? Do you know what a sheep looks like?

     I don't want to give you an opinion but only scripture. See, we tend to judge others and ourselves based upon man's traditions. If I were to ask you to pick out "sheep" while standing at Wal Mart you'd probably choose the well dressed, polite, and clean cut. If we did the same at the church you would probably choose the tither, Sunday school teacher, or the Pastor. If we did the same at any place we would base our judgments upon what we've heard, been taught, and tend to believe when the reality is far from it.

     There are many clean cut, well dressed folks that pay tithes and go to church yet are far from being sheep. There are many Pastors, Sunday school teachers, polite people who are miles away from being a sheep. There is a stark reality that I see among contemporary "christianity" (emphasis on the lower case c, it's just a name not a reality) where if you praise God, sing a song, attend worship, don't do really bad stuff then you are a sheep. This is A LIE!

     There's great news though, Jesus himself gives a quiz to reveal your true identity, a sheep or a goat. Now salvation is through faith alone in grace alone but the results will shine forth in our deeds as faith without works is dead. It's not the works that gives us faith but faith that draws us to works.
   
     Jesus said, did you feed me when I was hungry? Did you give me water when I was thirsty? When I was a stranger did you take me in? Yea, he really asks that! Did you clothe me when I was naked? Did you visit me when I was sick? And no that's not the Pastor's job. Did you come to me when I was in prison? See, if you do it unto the least of these, you've done it unto Christ!

      If you can't say you practice these few and simple commands from the Lord, you are a GOAT! No excuses, no weaseling out, no retirement from it, no exceptions, no loop holes, no maybes, no I would if such and such, NO WAY AROUND IT!

     That's what a sheep looks like. The flock(the Church) has been over ran by a generation of selfish, self centered, self righteous goats. And by the way, sheep breed sheep, goats breed goats! So, judge yourself, look into the mirror of the words of Christ himself. What does a sheep look like?

Matthew 25:31-46King James Version (KJV)

31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.