“ As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. “

Let me say this concerning my previous study while it is on my mind - when the Bible warns against a pastor who “ scatters “ God’s sheep, this scattering of God’s sheep is not restricted to a church split, dividing a church congregation against itself or causing church attenders to leave a church. When I was a teenager I personally attended a church that resulted in a split…half the congregation got up and walked out. But this split was not over doctrinal issues.

Scattering God’s sheep has to do with church pastoral led and promoted spiritual decline even to the point of spiritual destruction by pastors willingly compromising the gospel of Jesus Christ, willfully changing the gospel of Jesus Christ to satisfy the lust of the “ itching ears “ of people who insatiably seek only what they want to hear in church sermons in today’s hard economic times, searching for pastors who willingly preach “ another gospel “, enticing church attenders to believe this “ other gospel “ rather than believe the true, one and only gospel of Jesus Christ.

Unfortunately here in America today, people generally do not seek for or even want to hear Biblical truth…only the fantasy of “ another gospel.”

Paul said to the Galatians;

“ I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:

Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. “   Galatians 1:6-8

It is interesting to me that Paul included himself in this warning;

“ But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you “

In other words, just as Peter who walked and lived with Jesus Christ for 3 years and listened to Jesus’ teaching and saw His miracles, left the gospel of Jesus Christ and returned to the Law, Paul knew it could just as easily happen to him.

And my friend, if it happened to Peter, Barnabas, and many followers of Jesus back in the first century, it for sure can and will happen to many of us in today’s modern 21^st century.

A church leader will scatter God’s sheep by compromising the gospel of Jesus Christ, changing the gospel of Jesus Christ, and willfully rejecting Bible verses that is deemed to be offensive in today’s modern evangelical society or is not considered good for business - that is, considered not to be encouraging enough by today’s standards to draw large crowds, especially in today’s troubled economic times.

My friend, if you care about the truth in the Holy Bible, stay with it, even if it is sometimes rough, cutting to the quick, and cage rattling.

The Holy Bible offers encouragement, hope and something to look forward to, but it also warns of the result of wrong doing, disobedience and lack of faith…especially for born again christian followers of Jesus Christ.

I would suggest that you reject a church pastor who leaves out of his sermons the Biblical truth of judgment, the Biblical truth of apostasy, the Biblical truth of reaping what we sow both good and bad, and the Biblical truth that born again christians will be judged for both the good and the bad we have done in this earthly body when we stand before Jesus Christ at the judgment seat of Christ!

The problem here in America is that no evangelical wants to hear these Biblical truths of the Bible they claim to believe in…only the positive verses that they want to hear.

There is no conviction in evangelicalism since the Holy Spirit is not allowed to convict anyone in evangelical church services nowadays.

We cannot be of “ the faith “ and only believe bits and pieces of it…what we only want to believe.

Let’s continue.

“ As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: “

Jesus said in His prayer to the Father;

“ And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. “   John 17:3

According to Jesus, eternal life is knowing God. The only way to know God is through Jesus His Son.

Jesus clearly said;

“ I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. “   John 14:6

We either believe Jesus when He said this or we don’t.

It is our choice.

No one can force us to believe this.

Jesus claimed to be with God the Father even before the world was created;

“  And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. “   John 17:5

Jesus even made this declaration;

“ I and my Father are one. “   John 10:30

“ and I lay down my life for the sheep. “

I know Jesus was murdered by evil people that just hated Him because of Him being Him.

Yes, there are human beings that are that perverted…and sick mindedly glory in their perversion.

However, Jesus made it clear to us that technically nobody took His life from Him.

Jesus declared that He willfully gave His life in death both in this statement in the verse of our study and in another place, which we will get to soon in our study of the book of John;

“ Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.

No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. “   John 10:17-18

Now listen up!

You can believe what you want but here is what the Holy Bible teaches about God.

God is one God…but somehow our one God is in 3 persons.

Jesus who is God came to earth and became a human being in the most literal sense, even becoming the flesh, blood and bones with soul, spirit and body as any human being has.

Through this part of God’s existence, as a human being Jesus became obedient unto God His Father, even obedient to the death on the cross.

Through His sacrificial death that God put Himself through in being His own Son Jesus for us, He became His own pleasing sacrifice and payment for the sins we as human beings commit.

This is why God’s only plan for our salvation is through His only begotten Son Jesus because through Jesus as God is God’s only way of justifying us enough to be able to enter Heaven when we physically die…but only in response to us resting our inner faith in Jesus as God’s Son, the only way to Heaven.

My friend, Jesus is incredible! He boggles my mind!

I will continue with verse 16 in the next study.

Wayne Brown