Are You a Sheep? or a Goat?

You know, one of the main things I find wrong with the Christian church today, is that they don't hear the voice of God. I cannot count how many times I've been asked how I know God told me certain things, or something along the lines of how do I know what God has said. It would frustrate me to no end, if it didn't also make me feel sad for the state of the church here in America.

How can those who are supposed to be children of God . . . not know the simplest and yet most important thing in their walk with God as is the very voice of God?!

The world has a saying:
"If you talk to God that makes you religious. If God talks back to you that makes you insane."
Sadly I've been mocked the same way by "Christians" who mock when I say that God told me something or that I hear what God says. Some scriptures sure come to mind at this thought: Job 12:4; Jude 18

I'm sorry. I was under the impression that God actually loved us. I was under the impression that God said He was the Father of those in Christ. I was under the impression that we were called the FRIENDS of GOD! . . . None of those things would be true if God never spoke to us. None of it would be true if God only gave us His Written Word as a means of communication and that once we had it, we no longer needed His Voice or His Spirit!

I used to wonder about this and how such a heartbreaking thing was so common here in America! How . . . just how could this be?

Then it hit me last night as a fellow brother in Christ reminded me of John 10:27 "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:"

Then the Holy Spirit reminded me: God's SHEEP hear His voice. So the question is: are you God's Sheep? Or . . . . Are you a GOAT?

You know, I've been seeing a lot of attacks against the word "sheep," especially as of late. People see "Sheep" as a bad thing. They see it as someone who can't think for themselves, that blindly follow without thought, that do nothing for themselves, that can't defend themselves or are scared ("sheepish"). I bet you that if you walked up to the typical Christian in America and said something like "You're such a sheep" they would be offended and deny it! That's because even in their own mind, many Christians see the term "sheep" as a negative thing.

Christians have become so worldly-minded that they refuse to even SEEK out the things of the Word of God such as that we BE the Sheep of His Pasture, and let Him be the Good Shepherd!

But the SHEEP know and hear His Voice and He knows them and they follow Him. But are you His Sheep? You who don't hear or know the voice of God, or believe God doesn't speak to us except ONLY through Scripture, or mock those who hear the voice of God: Are you His Sheep? . . . or are you a GOAT!?

Matthew 25:31-46
"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. 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: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 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: 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: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 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. 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: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 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. 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? 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. And these shall go away into ever lasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal."

This sounds awfully familiar with the following also:
Matthew 7:21-23
"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. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. "
Note that Jesus says that He didn't know them! Who is it Jesus knows? His Sheep! Take note also that these are people who KNEW that Jesus was the Son of God, yet they didn't actually choose to FOLLOW Him. Even the Devil knows that Jesus is the Son of God (James 2:19), doesn't mean the devil is saved, does it?

These GOATS are those who are Christians by word . . . not by life. They go to church, they say they love God, but they are as the Pharisees: "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me." (Matthew 15:8) This is why we are told to "work out" our salvation (Philippians 2:12), and that to be saved we must believe in our heart as well as confess with our mouths (Romans 10:9-10), and that while we are saved by grace through faith and not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9), faith without works is dead (James 2:20)! That may sound contradictory or confusing but Jesus sums it up VERY well in John 14:15 "If ye love me, keep my commandments." If you have trouble understanding that, then you need to learn or realize what love is. If you love someone, I mean truly love them, you'll do what they ask of you. You'll seek to please them and make them happy. It no longer becomes "what about me" and instead it becomes "what about them?" If you say you love someone, and yet don't put much care or attention to what they say or want or you figure YOU deserve to be pleased more than pleasing them . . . then you know what? You only love by your words alone (1 John 3:18 "My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.") and not in deed or truth!

So the question remains: Are you a sheep? or a goat? What do sheep do?
They rest in the shepherd. They trust in the shepherd to take care of them. They don't worry about trying to make it on their own because they realize that ultimately . . . it's the shepherd who is MUCH more capable of doing a better job. It's not that they can't think on their own, they simply realize that there's someone (the shepherd) who is MUCH more capable, and therefore will trust the one who is more capable. It's just like if you asked a professional electrician to do some work in your house. You do what he/she says, right? No problem, and you trust that person, right? Of course! Why? Because they know what they're doing!! It's the same with God! The sheep of God trust in God and do what He says because they have realized that the Creator of all things, actually knows what He's talking about. I use this example a lot: We are like someone on the street level, running away from something trying to kill us, while trying to navigate alleyways and streets. God, would be like someone in a helicopter who is looking down and sees the whole picture. We only see what's in front of us, the one in the helicopter can see what is around the corner we're about to take, how far away we are from something, and which way we should go to be safe and get out of the maze we're in. In much the same way, we trust and do what God says and follow God's directions because we can only see and know so much; however, God sees and knows the whole picture.

Let me be honest and blunt about this with you: If you seriously do not know the voice of God; if you believe God doesn't speak to us; if you have never heard from God to know His Will . . . then something is wrong and you'd better be a little worried for your own sake. Now I'm not talking about listening to the lies of the devil, making you always doubt whether something is God or not. I'm talking about if you go about your life and never hear from God. I'm talking especially to you who feel the pull to mock those who say they DO hear from God. You'd better start thinking and asking God and searching your life to see if you are even in the faith (saved)! 2 Corinthians 13:5; Titus 1:16 No I'm not trying to put fear in you. I'm trying to get you to realize that Christianity is NOT just about saying you are a Christian, and I'm trying to get you to realize that hearing from God is a part of Christianity that is being denied simply because so many are indeed becoming reprobates, hypocrites, Sunday Morning Christians, not even knowing what the Bible Says much less knowing the teachings of Christ---which is what a Christian is supposed to be: a follower of the teachings of Jesus Christ! How can you follow someone if you don't even know what He says! I'm not trying to scare you or make you doubt your salvation. I'm trying to move you out of complacency and into actually following Jesus, so that you can get into heaven isntead of dying and being as those who asked the Lord "Lord, didn't we claim Your name? Aren't we going to heaven," and are horrified when you don't make it in! There is no "try again" or "reset" button when it comes to death. There is no "I'm sorry! I thought I was doing good!" Instead do what 2 Corinthians 13:5 says, "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith;" And if after examining yourself, you know that the BIBLE says you are saved (examine yourself in light of the Word of God: 2 Timothy 3:16-17). I love you too much to NOT say this. I'd rather make you a bit uncomfortable and live, than be comfortable and die.

Now we've seen a bit of what a sheep does and how you see if you are a sheep. Now what about goats? Goats . . . do what they want and barely care about what others want. As the Bible explains those who think they will make it but then don't (Goats think they are part of the flock of sheep, but aren't): they live by their own lusts (and lust is not just sexual; to lust after something merely means to covet, to strongly desire, something . . . and mostly something that is not yours). They seek God's Will very rarely in life. They go about their lives, living life normally instead of asking every day "God, what is it that YOU want me to do?" They don't care about using their time here on earth wisely to try to help others and do the will of the Father, they simply are as said in 2 Timothy 3:4 "... lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;" They don't seek the things of God first, they seek their own things. The scriptures used throughout this article say just that, so I don't need to give another list of scripture to prove that.

So, are you a sheep? or a Goat?

In closing I'd also like to point out that being the sheep in the way the Bible says we should be, far from means anything weak. Look at Biblical examples of those who were "sheep" such as Moses the one who stood up to Pharoah and was used to bring judgment to Egypt, then put up with hundreds of thousands (or was it millions) of Hebrews for 40 years in the wilderness. Look at David the Giant-killer. Look at Elijah who had all the prophets of Baal beheaded. . . . Those who called down fire from heaven, who stood strong in the face of persecution. Hebrews 11 lists a handful of them alone! We are not called to be door mats. True love also corrects and stands strong, and isn't all "rainbows and fairies." If you ask me, standing strong in the Faith when the world says to do otherwise, when your own rebellious flesh (sinful nature, not actual skin) wants to do otherwise, when people attack you for it . . . and yet you stand and say "Not my will, but God's Will be done." That takes a LOT more strength than going with the flow.

Take care, God Bless you mightily, and I'll see you later! I love you with Godly, brotherly love,

~In Christ,
Michael