"The Voice of the Good Shepherd"

“The Voice of the Good Shepherd”

 

 

“The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.  The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice.  He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”          John 10:2-5

 

This was a figure of speech used by Jesus to the Pharisees, who did not understand what he was saying, because they were not his of His flock of sheep. 

 

 The Sheep of different flocks were kept at night, behind a rock wall, with a gatekeeper, who guards the sheep and allows only the shepherds to enter the gate to the sheepfold.  The shepherd has a close relationship with his sheep and like we do with our pets, they named their sheep, and the sheep knew their names and they knew the sound of their shepherd’s voice, whenever the shepherd entered the sheepfold and called his sheep by name they would come to him and when ALL of his sheep were gathered around him, he would go in front of the flock and LEAD them to green pastures, and the sheep would FOLLOW the sound of the shepherds voice.

 

Should an unknown shepherd come into the sheepfold and try to get the sheep, they RUN AWAY, because they do not recognize the voice of the unknown shepherd, and would NEVER FOLLOW a stranger.

 

So it is with the TRUE BELIEVER of Jesus Christ, we are His sheep and He is our GOOD SHEPHERD.  He calls us by name and we follow Him.  When ALL of His sheep are brought into the sheepfold, when the very last person has received Christ as their Savior and Lord, and He comes to gather ALL of His sheep together, they will follow the sound of His voice, as He leads them to a greener pasture, Heaven, which will be their eternal home. 

 

His sheep experience such a unique relationship with the Good Shepherd that, they KNOW His voice and they KNOW their name, and will ONLY FOLLOW Him, because they KNOW Him and TRUST Him.  Should a different shepherd try calling them they will FLEE or RUN AWAY, because they don’t recognize the voice, and they don’t TRUST them.  Do you KNOW the Good Shepherd’s voice?  Should He come to the sheepfold for the last time, would you recognize His voice, and would you be able to FOLLOW HIM to Heaven, your eternal home?  Or would you be destined to be LEFT BEHIND and FOLLOWING a shepherd who will lead you to Hell for ALL of eternity? 

 

When Jesus, the GOOD SHEPHERD calls you to FOLLOW Him will you recognize His voice and follow Him to Heaven?  You can by: Coming to Him with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God, then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and be able to RECOGNIZE His voice and FOLLOW HIM to your ETERNAL HOME.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"The Will of Father God!"

“The Will of Father God!”

 

 

“For I have come down from heaven not to do My will, but to do the will of Him who sent Me.  And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I shall lose none of all those He has given Me, but raise them up at the last day.  For My Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”       John 6:38-40

 

In these Scriptures, Jesus reaffirms His purpose for coming down from Heaven.  He says it is; “NOT to do My will, but to do the will of Him who sent Me.”  Jesus came from Heaven to do the will of His Heavenly Father.

 

And the will of His Heavenly Father was for Him to reach a LOST and DYING world.  And those whom He rescued would be SECURE in His possession.  In other words, He would NOT LOSE any of them, but ALL would be SAFE until the LAST DAY or the RESURRECTION.  This is the ETERNAL SECURITY of the TRUE BELIEVER, those who have come to Christ for the SALVATION of their souls, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, ACCEPTING and BELIVEING with ALL their HEART that Jesus died for them, and has REDEEMED them from the condemnation and judgment, which was awaiting them.

 

It is the Father’s will that EVERYONE who LOOKS to the Son and BELIEVES in Him, would have ETERNAL LIFE, and be raised up or resurrected at the LAST DAY.  This is, for the TRUE BELIEVER, the HOPE that unfolds on that LAST DAY, and is available to them for ALL ETERNITY. 

 

Do you have the ASSURANCE that you have that HOPE?  You cannot possess it unless you have come to Father God, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in HEAVEN, making intercession for you, before God then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and DON’T keep REJECTING Jesus Christ, who is your ONLY HOPE for an ETERNITY in Heaven.  Do this NOW, while you still have the opportunity.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"The Result of the Testimony of One Sinful Woman"

“The Result of the Testimony of One Sinful Woman”

 

 

“Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did.  Could this be the Messiah?”  They came out of the town and made their way toward Him. 

Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.”          John 4:29, 30, 39

 

One day, Jesus and His disciples were travelling through Samaria, the disciples left Jesus to rest at a well, and made their way into a nearby town to get food. While Jesus was resting at the well, a Samaritan woman came to draw water.  This turned into a DIVINE ENCOUNTER.  Jesus got into a conversation with the Samaritan woman concerning her lost condition.  He told her things about her marital history that NO STRANGER would or could know.  He knew all about her sinful life and brought her sins into the light.   He told her about the LIVING WATER that ONLY He could give.  He told her that the LIVING WATER would become “a spring of water welling up to eternal life,” in those who accepted it.  The SINFUL, Samaritan woman asked Jesus for the LIVING WATER.   Then she left in such haste, she left her water jar and went back into town and said to everyone she met; “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did.  Could this be the Messiah?” 

 

Curious, as they were, the people came out of the town and made their way to Jesus.  And the RESULT of ONE SINFUL WOMAN’S TESTIMONY brought SALVATION to a whole town.   If you are a TRUE BELIEVER, you have a TESTIMONY concerning your DIVINE ENCOUNTER with Jesus Christ.  You have a STORY to tell and you NEED to be telling it to everyone you meet.  You could, like the Samaritan woman, be the SPIRITUAL LIFELINE to an ETERNITY in Heaven for a multitude of people.  So SHARE what Jesus has done for YOU! 

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, through Jesus Christ, then you are NOT a TRUE BELIEVER and you do NOT have a TESTIMONY, because you have not experienced a DIVINE ENCOUNTER with Him.  Instead you are LOST and headed for Hell.  You must come to Him with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God, then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, then you too will experience a DIVINE ENCOUNTER with Jesus, and you will be able to share your TESTIMONY with ALL the people you meet.  And may be instrumental in bringing a multitude of people to Jesus.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"We Have Found the Messiah!"

“We Have Found the Messiah!”

 

 

Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus.  The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ).  And he brought him to Jesus.          John 1:40-42a

 

This is the reason I do these devotions.  To let people know that, I have FOUND the MESSIAH! The ONE, TRUE MESSIAH, who is the KING of KINGS and the LORD of LORDS.  The ONE and ONLY ONE who can FORGIVE and TAKE AWAY the sins of mankind.  The ONLY HOPE for a lost and dying world.  Have YOU found the MESSIAH? 

 

Andrew, the brother to Simon Peter was with John the Baptist when John saw Jesus, and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.” Two of John’s disciples, one being Andrew, left John and followed Jesus. 

 

The FIRST THING Andrew did was to find his brother, Simon Peter, and tell him, “We have found the Messiah!”  Then Andrew didn’t leave it at that, but he BROUGHT Peter to Jesus.  Have YOU found the ONE and ONLY MESSIAH, the Lord Jesus Christ?  If you have then you should be bringing people to Him, so they too can tell others that, “they have FOUND the MESSIAH!”  This is also one BIG indication that your SALVATION is a HEART THING, and NOT just a MIND THING.  It MUST be a HEART THING!  “For with the HEART a person BELIEVES, resulting in RIGHTEOUSNESS.”  (Rom. 10:10) Andrew didn’t waste any time finding his brother to share the GOOD NEWS, and neither should we. 

 

If you have NOT FOUND the MESSIAH, then you are LOST and headed for a place called Hell, the place of perpetual torment, torture, pain, agony and despair for ALL of ETERNITY.  However, you NOW have the opportunity to change that destination, because I’m here to tell you that, “I have FOUND the MESSIAH,” and He wants me to tell you that He wants to SAVE you from your sins and for you to be rescued from the eternal flames of Hell.  In order for that to happen, you MUST come to Him with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him, and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God, then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION and be able to tell others; “I have FOUND the MESSIAH!”  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!”

 

 

 

 

 

"To Be or Not To Be!"

“To Be or Not To Be!”

 

 

“Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching.  My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.  Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching.  These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.                              John 14:23-24

 

Many people claim to be “Christian,” if you ask them they will tell you they are a “Christian.”  This can be TRUE or it may NOT be TRUE.  The opposite of a Christian is a HEATHEN, no one really wants to claim to be a HEATHEN, and so they will claim to be a Christian. 

 

In these verses of Scripture, Jesus is telling us what a TRUE CHRISTIAN is.  He says:  “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching.”  Who then loves Jesus, in verse 21, Jesus says:  “WHOEVER has my commands and keeps them is the ONE who loves me.”  One of His commands was that in order for a person to become a “Christian,” they MUST come through Him. He said:  “I am the way and the truth and the life.  NO ONE comes to the Father except through me.” (vs. 6)   You MUST come by way of the Cross. 

 

When you obey this teaching then you exemplify your love for Jesus and are TRULY and OFFICIALLY a “CHRISTIAN.”  NOT just by title only, but by being adopted into God’s Family. 

 

The one who comes to Father God, by way of the Cross of Jesus Christ, is the one God loves, and He and Jesus will make their home with them by way of the Holy Spirit, who indwells every TRUE CHRISTIAN. 

 

But the one who does NOT love Jesus and obeys His teaching, and does not come to Him by way of the Cross of Christ, is NOT a “TRUE CHRISTIAN” and will not be a part of God’s Family.  Instead they are really ENEMIES of God, and will face the Judgment Seat of the ETERNAL JUDGE of ALL the earth, and will be condemned to an eternity in Hell, the place of eternal heartache, torment, torture, pain, agony, and despair. 

 

Don’t depend on a title to get you into Heaven.  You MUST come by the way of the Cross, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to God, asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you before God, then ACCEPT His gift of Salvation, and BE a TRUE CHRISTIAN, one who TRULY LOVES Jesus and keeps His teaching.  Do it NOW while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"Who is the Liar?"

“Who is the Liar?”

 

 

Who is the liar?  It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ.  Such a person is the antichrist---denying the Father and the Son.  No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.       1 John 2:22-23

 

The question is:  “Who is the liar?”  John tells us who that person is.  He says it is the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ.  Such a person is the antichrist----denying the Father and the Son.  John was not saying that everyone who denies Jesus as the Christ, will become the antichrist of the Book of Revelations, but that ANYONE who denies that Jesus is the Christ, has the same mindset as the antichrist of the Book of Revelations. 

 

The word “antichrist” means anyone who is opposed to Christ.  The word ‘anti’ means; against; hostile to.  So an ANTICHRIST means one who operates against Christ.  They are hostile to Him and REJECT Him as the Messiah, Savior of mankind. 

 

John goes on to tell us that; “No one who denies the Son has the Father;” mainly because they are a package deal, the Lord Jesus Christ and Father God are one and the same.  Jesus said:  “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.”   He also said:  “Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me;” (John 14:9, 11)   

 

So if one denies the Son, they also deny the Father.  This means that you cannot have one without the other.  Some people believe in God, but they deny that Jesus is the ONE, TRUE MESSIAH that takes away the sins of ALL mankind.  He is the ONLY WAY to get to Heaven, and to be able to come into the presence of the Almighty God.  Jesus said:  “I am the WAY and the TRUTH, and the LIFE.  NO ONE comes to the Father except through me.”  (John 14:6)   He is the ONLY ANSWER to our sin problem.  Denying Jesus as Savior and Lord is the one sin that will send people to Hell.  ARE YOU DENYING JESUS AS SAVIOR AND LORD?        

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to Jesus Christ, then you are REJECTING Him.  You are operating AGAINST Him.   You cannot work or earn your way into Heaven, a part from JESUS CHRIST.  In many instances, people believe that as long as they believe in God, that belief will get them into Heaven, and therefore they are DENYING the fact that Jesus Christ is the ONLY WAY.  And they miss Heaven because of their DENIAL and REJECTION.  Who is the liar?  The one who denies that Jesus is the Christ, thus denying the Father and the SON.  Are YOU the liar?  God is giving you another opportunity to ACCEPT His Son, Jesus and receive your SALVATION.  You do that by; coming to Him with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God, then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and the HOPE of Heaven by ACCEPTING and NOT REJECTING or DENYING His Only Begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.   Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

 

"There is No God"

“There is No God”

 

 

In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek Him; all his thoughts are, “There is no God.”  He says in his heart, “I shall not be moved; throughout all generations I shall not meet adversity.”      Psalm 10:4, 6

 

The wicked in their PRIDE, does NOT seek after God because to them, THERE IS NO GOD!  He doesn’t exist, and therefore they are free to live their lives ANYWAY they want, because there is NO one to tell them any different.   They take PRIDE in their EVIL, WICKED SCHEMES and are determined to influence others to do the same. 

 

However, God sees it differently; Proverbs 16:18, 25, says that; “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall,” and “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” 

 

 The wicked, in their PRIDE and HAUGHTY spirit, believes that they are above reproach and can live anyway they want, they can be dishonest, partake in violence, cheat, steal, lie, and any other wicked schemes and plans they can conceive, and yet not be moved and not face adversity, but they can carry out their wicked and depraved actions and desires undisturbed by anyone, especially by a God that in their mind, does NOT exist. 

 

However, the Word of the Living God says; “I will declare my judgments against them, for ALL their EVIL in forsaking me.  They have made offerings to other gods and worshiped the works of their OWN hands.”  (Jeremiah 1:16)    The WICKED, ungodly will stand before the Lord, for Him “to execute judgment on ALL and to convict ALL the ungodly of ALL their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and ALL the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”  (Jude 1:15)    Their sentence will be to be thrown into the lake of fire.  “And if anyone’s name was NOT found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.  (Revelation 20:15)   

 

Those whose names are written in the Book of Life are those who have come to God, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART for the SALVATION of their soul, the TRUE BELIEVER.  If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God or if you believe that; “THERE IS NO GOD,” then you are on your way to the Judgment Throne of God and your ultimate destination is the LAKE of FIRE, because your name will NOT be in the BOOK of LIFE.  But God, in His infinite MERCY and GRACE, is offering you the opportunity NOW to change your destination by, coming to Him, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him, and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God, then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION and be assured that your name is written in the BOOK of LIFE.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!