Sheep - The Kingdom Key of Sheep & Goats

READ | John 10:1-18

“When Jesus saw the multitudes, he moved with compassion for them because they were weary and scattered like sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36).”

The most common way that God refers to God’s people is sheep. We are God’s people and the sheep of God’s pasture (Psalm 100:3). In the Old Testament, David identified God as Jehovah Rophi which means I AM that I AM, your shepherd. In the most popular psalm, Psalm 23, he painted a beautiful picture of the shepherd and sheep relationship along with the still waters and the green pastures.

Jesus, the Christ, who is a part of David’s lineage, built on this metaphor and decrees, “I AM the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd gives his life for the sheep (John 10:11).” As followers of Jesus Christ, we are also called to be Good Shepherds and we answer the call through our own declarative statements, “I AM the Good Shepherd.” A Good Shepherd knows how to deal with all the different types of personalities that can appear in a sheepfold such as lambs, sheep, goats, and wolves. There is no personality that the I AM cannot handle.

Lambs are sheep that are less than one year old. Jesus told Peter to feed his lambs and to feed his sheep (John 21:15-18). As Good Shepherds, the I AM empowers us to nurture new converts with love and care. The I AM also empowers us to feed the sheep with the principles and practices that will enable them to live holistically healthy, balanced, and well-rounded lives.

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