12-5-10 Sorrell AM: What Gods Sheep Do

What God’s Sheep Do

Text:    Isaiah 40:11 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

I.          Neotenic – Keep childlike traits even into adulthood

Luke 18:15-17 And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them. ¹⁶But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. ¹⁷Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.

II.        Sheep Chew the Cud – Eat in the morning and chew on it all day

Psalm 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

Psalm 119:97 O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.

III.       diurnal - Animals of the day.  Feed in day sleep at night. Duel life. Hidden life.

1 Thessalonians 5:4 -8 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. ⁵Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. ⁶Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. ⁷For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. ⁸But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.

IV.       Sheep overgraze therefore grazing ground they must be rotated

Isaiah 28:9-10 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. ¹⁰For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:

V.        Ideal food is a variety of different grasses.

Acts 20:26-27 Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. ²⁷For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.

VI.       They are raised and graze on a variety of different lands.  There is no place on Earth a Christian cannot thrive.

Mark 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

VII.     A constant source of drinkable water is a fundamental digestive requirement.

John 4:13-14 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: ¹⁴But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

1 Cor. 2:11For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

1 Cor. 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

1 John 2:27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

VIII.    You cannot raise them in confined animal feeding programs every day. DAILY!

Luke 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

IX.       Gregarious -  friendly, live communally and grow together

Ephesians 4:29-32 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. ³⁰And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. ³¹Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: ³²And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

X.        (Covered in XIII) Sheep congregate close together and move with others in a flock

John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

Ephesians 4:2-6 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; ³Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ⁴There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; ⁵One Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

XI.       Extremely food oriented – more easily let with a bucket of food than forcing movement through herding.  Whole life revolves around food.

Psalm 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Job 23:12 Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.

XII.     Sheep must be kept from foods that are toxic to their systems.  They will eat and die.

Proverbs 19:27 Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge.

2 Tim. 2:23 But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes.

The verse does not say dismiss it says don’t hear it.

XIII.    Flocking behavior is directly related to the threat of predators.  The more we get attacked, the tighter we will get.  The tighter we get, the more we can stand against attacks.

1 Corinthians 1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

• Idol Worship
• Fornication
• Suing each other
• Using gifts to glorify self
• Accusations about Paul’s credibility

XIV*.  Because they are prey animals, they typically hide any sign of illness.  This is instinctive.

1 John 1:5-7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

XV.     Generally though a sick sheep will eat less, vocalize more and become listless

The most common sheep disease is worms.  Sheep get them by inadvertently ingesting things with their food.

Ephesians 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;