Luke 2:8-12 KJV And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. (9) And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. (10) And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. (11) For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. (12) And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. We have been preaching about SHEEP entering the sheepfold of the KINGDOM lately.
Last Sunday we spoke about John 10 where it says HE KNOWS HIS SHEEP after reading in Matt 7 that he never knew those who called Him Lord and did not carry their crosses.
John
10:14 KJV I am the good shepherd, and know
my sheep, and am known of
mine.
John 10:27 KJV My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: John 10:10 KJV The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. Jesus came to give us LIFE. John
6:51 KJV I am the living bread
which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall
live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will
give for the life of the world.
Notice He spoke of living forever due to eat the BREAD OF LIFE which is His flesh.
God GAVE His only begotten son that we might be saved!
When he was speaking these things in John 6, the people were not grasping it. John
6:52-56 KJV The Jews therefore
strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to
eat? (53) Then Jesus said unto them, Verily,
verily, I say unto you,
Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have
no life in you. (54) Whoso eateth my flesh, and
drinketh my blood,
hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
(55) For
my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
(56) He that
eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
Notice he expands from speaking of HIS FLESH AS BREAD OF LIFE to speak about EATING HIS FLESH AND DRINKING HIS BLOOD to get life. The reference to eating his flesh and drinking his blood, with the thought of THE BREAD OF HIS FLESH is exactly the main focus IN THE LAST SUPPER. Matthew
26:26-29 KJV And as they were
eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to
the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.
(27) And he took
the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of
it; (28) For this is my blood of the new testament,
which is shed for
many for the remission of sins. (29) But I say unto
you, I will not
drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink
it new with you in my Father's kingdom.
Jesus continues to speak of HIS FLESH AND BLOOD in John 6, and the disciples continue to get confused: John
6:60-64 KJV Many therefore of his
disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who
can hear it? (61) When Jesus knew in himself that
his disciples
murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?
(62) What
and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was
before?
(63) It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth
nothing:
the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are
life.
(64) But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus
knew from
the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray
him.
Jesus finally explained here that HIS FLESH WAS NOT THE ACTUAL POINT.
Recall that Peter received the revelation of who Jesus was in Matt 16, but when Jesus proceeded to speak the additional revelation of taking up the cross and suffering, PETER REJECTED THAT WORD.
John
6:66 KJV From that time many of his disciples went back, and
walked no more with him.
Notice this reminds us of Matt 7, MANY WILL SAY TO ME LORD LORD and not enter the Kingdom because they will not hear his words and do them.
John
6:67-69 KJV Then said Jesus unto
the twelve, Will ye also go away? (68) Then Simon
Peter answered him,
Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal
life. (69)
And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the
living God.
When Jesus said eating his flesh and drinking his blood gave them eternal life, and explained that was a parable of hearing his words ABOUT THE CROSS and believing THEM gave them life, PETER CAUGHT IT and UNDERSTOOD THAT.
Notice SHEPHERDS watching over FLOCKS.
Jesus Christ’s sheep hear His voice and another they will not follow. HIS TEACHINGS ARE THE LIFE THEY FEED UPON. The beautiful thing about all of this is that the SHEPHERDS who LED SHEEP, would have a SIGN SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED FOR SHEPHERDS of THE MESSIAH WHOSE FLESH AND BLOOD WE MUST EAT AND DRINK, REPRESENTING HIS WORDS OF LIFE WE MUST BELIEVE, LYING IN A FEEDING TROUGH. Here we have the BREAD OF LIFE lying in a FEEDING TROUGH as though showing us WE MUST EAT THAT BREAD, and all of this is in the city of David, BETHLEHEM.
BETH-LEKHEM: LEKHEM means FOOD, ESPECIALLY BREAD. IN A FERTILE REGION.
Bethlehem was a CITY OF SHEPHERDS who kept sheep there due to all the fertile land for feeding. THIS GREAT SHEPHERD was born in the city of shepherds who fed their sheep there, and HE FEEDS THEM THE BREAD OF LIFE, HIS FLESH…. He feeds them His flesh and His blood. All of this spiritually speaks of the TRUTHS OF THE CROSS WE MUST FEED UPON.
When we take the sheep following Him to enter the sheepfold in John 10, the FEW who enter the KINGDOM because Jesus KNOWS THEM in Mat 7, because they hear his words AND DO THEM, help us understand this:
BETHLEHEM (HOUSE OF BREAD) was called EPHRATH which means FRUITFULNESS! AND NOTICE HE BRINGS IN THE CONCEPT OF THE KINGDOM!
Matt 26: (29) But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. COMPARE: John
10:14 KJV I am the good shepherd, and know
my sheep, and am known of
mine.
John 10:27 KJV My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: Matthew 7:23 KJV And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. COMPARE Matthew
7:15 KJV Beware of false prophets, which come to you in
sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Matthew 7:21 KJV Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. John 10:1 KJV Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. Matthew
25:33-34 KJV 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:
Jesus makes it clear upon comparison of John 10 with Matthew 7 that the false prophets are counterfeit sheep who do not enter the kingdom, do not do what Jesus said and are not known by Jesus. THIS KING KNOWS HIS SUBJECTS.
In the same sermon Matt 7 recorded where Jesus spoke of the house on the rock, Luke records these words: Luke
6:46 KJV And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the
things which I say?
We’ve learned that the THINGS JESUS SAID involved the CROSS.
Watch the context leading up to Christ’s note about WOLVES IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING. Matthew
7:13-15 KJV Enter ye in at the
strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth
to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
(14) Because
strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and
few there be that find it. (15) Beware of false
prophets, which come
to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening
wolves.
Matthew (16) Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men
gather grapes
of thorns, or figs of thistles?
A WAY LEADS TO LIFE.
This whole concept of the KINGDOM is a return of God’s people to the GARDEN DOMINION OVER EARTH status that Adam had.
Genesis
2:8-9 KJV And the LORD God
planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had
formed. (9) And out of the ground made the LORD God
to grow every
tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life
also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and
evil.
Genesis
2:16-17 KJV And the LORD God
commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest
freely eat: (17) But of the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil,
thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou
shalt surely die.
We read of the TREE OF LIFE, and warning against eating the FRUIT of the knowledge of good and evil.
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