1 Peter 2:25
25 For [gar] ye were [en] as [hos] sheep [probaton] going astray [planao]; but [alla] are [epistrepho] now [nun] returned [epistrepho] unto [epi] the Shepherd [poimen] and [kai] Bishop [episkopos] of your [humon] souls [psuche]. KJV-Interlinear
25 For you were continually
straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of
your souls. NASB
The description of the
human race as sheep, is appropriate.The
sheep is a dumb creature, that could not find his way out of a paper bag if his
life depended on it.
Sheep are in need of a
shepherd, or bishop as it were.The
bishop is the one who looks out for and guards the best interests of the sheep.
Without a guide,
without an overseer, without someone who is wise to the ways of life, then
sheep are totally at the mercy of the jungle environment. Not knowing where they are, not knowing how
to find food, or drink, not knowing how to find shelter, not knowing when
danger is near, in effect not knowing anything, apart from their wise shepherd,
the sheep are totally lost and cannot survive.
The human race is
nothing more than a flock of sheep.And
despite our human intelligence, despite our human ingenuity, when viewed from
heaven, humanity is not very smart at all.
Isa. 53:6
6 All of us like sheep
have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused
the iniquity of us all To fall on Him. NASB
Therefore, not being
very smart, we, humanity, need someone who is both smart, and wise, and
trustworthy, to look out for our best interests.
In sin, we are hopeless
and helpless, and without any good destiny.
So, Christ went to the Cross in order to give us an opportunity, a
potential, for a great destiny of life in heaven. And this potential once provided by God, is
ours for the very small price of believing in Jesus Christ. The act of faith, or belief. takes you
probably all of a second (if not less) to think, I believe in Jesus Christ.
You are a living soul. And when you were created, at the moment of
your birth, your life was established forever.
Your physical body is only a temporary vessel, housing your soul. When you leave this world, you will be
leaving that physical body behind, until you receive your new resurrection body,
which you will receive at the moment of the Rapture.
And of course this only
applies to believers.All unbelievers,
when they leave this world, end up in Torments, where they will wait for the
Great White Throne, which will occur at the end of the Millennium, and then the
Lake of Fire.
The Lake of Fire, is
not a lake, nor a fire, but is a tremendously terrible place, where the
occupants will never see each other, but will hear only their own cries of
terror and horror, as they sit out all of eternity alone, and unprotected by
God.They rejected God, and that wish is
answered, as God leaves them to themselves, hopeless, helpless, and powerless,
totally alone except for the terror that will consume them.
And that is what awaits
humanity if God were not in the picture.
But God had a plan.Seeing that humanity
would stray, but also seeing that humanity would come back to God, if given the
opportunity, God set out a plan allowing humanity a path back to life. That plan is the plan of salvation.
And if you remember the
story of Lot, when Abraham tried to bargain with the Lord to spare the city if
only a few believers were there, and so the city was spared until Lot and his
family left, so too, in human history, you, you who have believed in Christ,
are the reason that God set out a plan.
You could have been the
only person who would have believed, and God would have set out His plan just
for you.But fortunately there will be
billions, perhaps trillions, of believers before human history is
completed.So we will not be alone in
heaven.
You have lived a life
on a very thin thread.All of life hangs
from a very thin thread.
Prior to your
salvation, you were an unbeliever and destined for the Lake of Fire. If you had died prior to faith, during your
adult and responsible years, then your life could have been vastly terrible,
and terrible forever.But luck you. You believed in Christ and changed all of
that.
Remember the economic
chaos of a couple of weeks ago?What if
the stock markets had all continued to crash?
What if the layoffs all over the world accelerated into a frenzy? What if starvation and famine and crime took
hold?What then? How would you conduct your life? How would it all be turned around?
No human being, has the
power or means to control his own life let alone the world, despite what all
the politicians and celebrities, and those in power believe.
Jesus Christ controls
history, despite what you may believe.
And God the Father, set out a plan for all of human history, which Jesus
Christ executes every detail of that plan.
Even the recent elections, which reveals that a little over half of the
population, for the first time, has shifted to the liberal viewpoint, will not
upset Gods plan.
We live in the
dispensation of the Church Age.We know
that at the end of our dispensation, the population of the world will be predominantly
unbelieving and rebellious believers, toward truth. So sooner or later the shift to the left is going
to occur.
This shift will likely
occur over the space of a generation or two, or perhaps more. And since World War II, that slippage has
been gradual, but shifting with ever increasing speed in these last few years,
as each succeeding generation grows up with less and less doctrine guiding them.
But not too worry. Our life is not destined for this world, but
for the next.Whatever transpires in the
next few years or decades, God is faithful to mature believers, and God holds
our lives in His very own hand.Whether
we are committed to a tremendous suffering because the world is going negative,
or whether God delivers us to some extent in this life, is really irrelevant.
Job was inflicted,
Daniel was thrown to the lions, and many folks throughout history have been
exposed to tremendous pressures, even to the point of their own death. But that is where spiritual growth comes into
play.
Without doctrine, your circumstances
and your fears will consume you. Similar
to the Lake of Fire, but not as dramatic of course.
But with doctrine in
your soul, with maximum doctrine, you will be prepared for the very worst that
this world can throw at you, and you will be able to endure it.
In this world we get
educations, we buy insurance, we tuck money away for a rainy day, just so we
can get through life a bit easier.But
in life our real savings is, or should be, Bible doctrine, which preserves us
through any type of disaster or pressure, that anyone can possibly face.
Again, Job faced unbelievable
disease and heartache. Daniel faced the jaws of lions. He could have ben ripped apart. Jesus went to the Cross under the most
horrendous of circumstances. They all had doctrine, and they all were in
fellowship, relying on the power of the Holy Spirit.
Alone we are nothing
dust, sheep.But with spiritual maturity,
Christ in us, Christ saturating us, we are in effect invincible, and we don t
really have to do anything but learn and grow up in our spiritual life.
So, forewarned. You may have a charmed life ahead of
you.You may have a dismal life ahead of
you.God has a specific plan for your
life, and even though it is in your best interest, your life is ultimately
there to glorify God.And in achieving
that, you will become the hero of your generation, celebrated by the angels.
That is something that
you will never be able to accomplish in this world, on your own.