Today, we are undertaking our next installment in the "You keep using that verse...." series. After the first post, it occurred to me that not every person who may read these posts will understand the reference to The Princess Bride and the particular play on words that I am using in the title of these posts. So, in the below link, is the scene from the movie....the source of the title for this series of posts:
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me (John 10:27)
The vast majority of those in the church today believe and teach that it should be the experience of every believer to "hear God speak" or "hear the voice of God". The best selling devotional book, since the day Noah finished building the ark, has been "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young. That entire book is based on the premise that "Jesus" is talking to Sarah Young during her quiet time. Ms. Young writes the book in the 1st person as if she were speaking for "Jesus". "Jesus" talks to Beth Moore more than her husband talks to her. At least that is the conclusion one would draw from the stories Beth Moore tells of how much "God" talks to her and tells her what to do, where to go, what He thinks. The problem for both of these women is that what they are being told by "Jesus" is not biblical. For the sake of time, I will provide one quick example from the Jesus Calling devotional and then ask you all to do a little research on your own about Ms. Young. I will also provide a short video of Ms. Moore claiming that "God" gave her a vision of how he sees the church....and it includes unity with the RCC (Roman Catholic Church). Again, do some research about Beth Moore on your own.
Ms. Young, for her August 1st entry, wrote these words that "Jesus" gave her:
Most of mankind's misery stems from feeling unloved.
Jesus Calling
2011 Hallmark Edition
August 1st
Page 224
The entire devotional sounds like this.....as if it was written by a middle aged woman, starved for attention from her boyfriend because, obviously, it's all about her. This is man-centered psychobabble. Mankind's biggest problem, the source of his misery, is SIN and the fact that he is separated from God because of his sin. Read Psalm 51. Is David crying out to God in misery because he felt unloved? Hardly. He is crying out to God because he is a sinner in need of forgiveness. He is in misery because of the guilt he is feeling, the conviction of the Holy Spirit he is under, for being an adulterer and murderer. Read Ephesians 2. Were we dead in misery and loneliness, needing to be loved? No. We were dead in trespasses and sins...Ephesians 2:1....and were by nature children of wrath....Ephesians 2:3. Our sin causes our misery, not being unloved. The thought is absolutely ridiculous. It makes my stomach turn.
Here is the video clip from Beth Moore. It is about 4 1/2 minutes long or so:
The RCC condemned the biblical gospel at the Council of Trent, which ran 25 different sessions from December 1545 to December 1563. It was an ecumenical council called in response to the Protestant Reformation and could be called a counter reformation. The RCC, in response to the Reformation, called the Council of Trent to pronounce anathemas (or curses) on the teachings of the Protestants and, at the same time, delineate the official teachings of the Catholic Church. The findings and pronouncements, or canons, that were reached at Trent are still binding in the Catholic Church today. These canons have never been overturned or revoked.
During the sixth session, in the fourth canon, the Catholic church said, in essence, that if anybody affirms that man's free will does not cooperate with God in justification, let that person be accursed. Basically, this is semi-Pelagianism. Semi-Pelagianism has been condemned as heresy by the early church. In the fifth canon, the church said that if anyone affirms since the fall of Adam that man's free will is lost or extinguished, let that person be accursed. This is saying that the teaching of Original Sin is anathema. In the eleventh canon, the church says that if anyone affirms the grace whereby we are justified is only the favor of God, let that person be anathema, or accursed. This is saying that we are not saved by grace alone. These canons fly in the face of Scripture. These canons fly in the face of the teachings of Christ and the apostles.
I tell you all of this to tell you this: these women have not heard from the Lord Jesus. And, after having taken a very scenic route, we come back to the verse of Scripture that doesn't mean what everybody thinks it means:
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me (John 10:27)
This is the go to verse for those who affirm that God speaks to people today, people who profess to be Christian, outside of the confines of His Word. The list of those who hold to this teaching is long. I would be hard pressed to list them all but here are a few:
Priscilla Shirer
Sarah Young
Beth Moore
Robert Morris
Rick Warren
Charles Stanley
TD Jakes
Joyce Meyer
Paula White
Bill Johnson
Rod Parsley
Steven Furtick
Brian Houston
Christine Caine
Louie Giglio
Francis Chan
Ken Copeland
Jesse Duplantis
Todd White
Ken Hagin
The reason why I have listed a few of the people who hold to this teaching is because they are extremely popular. They are doing the Word of God a huge disservice by claiming John 10:27 definitively teaches that God speaks to us through mystical, subjective means outside of His Word. That is a merciless torturing of the meaning of that verse. They must rip it from the surrounding verses, taking it completely out of context, to make it say what they want. If they do that, it shows a complete and utter inability to "accurately handle the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15). Why? Because the meaning of this verse CANNOT BE MISSED if it is read properly. It just can't. The meaning is plain to see. Not much explanation is needed when it is read in context:
The Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, "How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly." Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father's name, these testify of Me. But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one." (John 10:24-30)
Christ proclaimed His deity throughout the entirety of John 10. He made two of His "I AM" statements, which are unequivocal statements to His deity, in this chapter. He said, "I am the good shepherd" and "I am the door." In the context of chapter 10, these 2 "I AM" statements by Christ are salvation statements because, in context, chapter 10 is comparing and contrasting Jesus, the way the truth and the life, with the false teachers of the time.
I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief (false teacher) comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly. (John 10:9-10)
Jesus here is clearly speaking about salvation, showing that he is the "door" to salvation. Jesus is drawing a stark contrast here between Himself and the false teachers of the day.
I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand (false teacher), and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. I have other sheep, which are not of this fold (Gentiles); I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock (with the Jews) with one shepherd. (John 10:11-16)
Again, Jesus is clearly speaking about salvation here in these verses, contrasting Himself to the false teachers of the day. We can go back even further in John 10 and it will do us good to do that because it will provide even more context:
Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber (false teacher). But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. To him (the shepherd) the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his (the shepherd's) voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. A stranger they simply will not follow but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers. (John 10:1-5)
Jesus is using the very familiar story of a shepherd and sheep to his audience. They would immediately know what He is talking about when He states that the shepherd calls his own sheep and they follow him. Each shepherd has his own unique call for his flock. Each flock knows the shepherd's voice and his call to them. They will hear his voice and respond to him. Back to John 10:27 and the surrounding verses. Stay with me. This will not take long at all because it is plain to see when put into context.
The Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, "How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly." Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father's name, these testify of Me. But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one." (John 10:24-30)
In the book of John, when he uses the phrase "the Jews", he is talking about the leaders of the Jewish people....the Pharisees and Sadducees. They asked Him how long was He going to keep them in suspense? Tell us plainly if you are the Christ they said. He told them that He had already told them and they did not believe. Then He said this....please do not miss this:
But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow me
Notice that Christ did not say that they weren't His sheep because they didn't believe. He said they didn't believe because they weren't His sheep. He said My sheep hear My voice and I KNOW THEM. This is a very important distinction. This important section of Scripture is teaching the effectual call of the Holy Spirit unto salvation. When the gospel call goes forth, that is the general call to salvation. When Christ says My sheep hear My voice, He is talking about the application of the gospel call to the sinful heart of His sheep. "His sheep" are known by Him because "His sheep" are the ones that the Father "had given to Him". We see that in John 10:29. What a glorious truth and comfort to the sheep of the Shepherd. He knows His sheep, they know His voice and they follow Him.....in salvation. Also, please notice what else the Lord Jesus says. He says My sheep hear My voice, I know them, they follow Me "and I give them eternal life, and they will never perish". This is more context showing that John 10:27 is most clearly speaking about salvation and eternal life. It cannot be missed. To say differently shows one of two things: You either have the intelligence quotient of a corn stalk or you are purposefully missing the point of the passage to make a point that is not there. There's now way around it.
This beautiful verse, when taken in its context, absolutely does not teach "My sheep hear My voice", meaning that we hear God speaking to us in an audible voice, an inward impression, a sign in the clouds or some coincidental event. It teaches that "My sheep hear My voice" when He calls us to repentance and faith through the grace He lavishes on us that we do not deserve. Please, please, please.....do not fall for this false teaching. It belittles the greatness of our Lord and Savior by placing a ridiculous meaning to His words that He did not intend. In closing, I am going to share a short video that demonstrates the beautiful meaning of this verse..."My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me". May it bless you the way it did me.
Excellent teaching!
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