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The reason I am touching on this subject at this time
is because of the Easter season. It truly is ALL about the
LORD JESUS CHRIST and what He did for the world (Kos-mos). I
call it:
“Christ’s 100 Fold”
Today I will start on a triple lesson layout of three
parables which Christ spoke all together to define a picture of Heaven.
This group of three combined lessons is very important to understand for
a clear view of the importance of each individual person
here on earth. First, I would like to examine the parable of the
shepherd and the fold and specifically who is represented by the sheep.
Are the sheep the select few and/or the choice elect that
are chosen for salvation? Well, yes and no.
Let us briefly refer to our previous lesson where
Christ said to Peter three times, “ Feed
my Sheep” (John
21:15-17). Obviously, His sheep are very
important if He repeats His commandment to feed or take care of them
three times. So to whom is the Lord referring when he cites the sheep of
His fold? These are the righteous, right? The sheep are His faithful and
obedient followers, His chosen people.
Let’s go to Christ’s words in
John 3:16-21;
I underlined key words to focus on in this study.
John 3:16:
For God so loved
the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:17:
For God sent not his
Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world
through him might be saved.
John 3:18:
He that believeth
on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is
condemned already, because he hath not believed in the
name of the only begotten Son of God.
It starts with, “ God
so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son”
(John 3:16).
Who is it that the Lord gave His life for? It was “the world”, not a
“choice elect”. There are some who would have you believe that only a
few predetermined souls will be saved. They contend that the option for
eternal salvation is not an option that is open to all of us. But, have
you ever noticed that nobody makes this claim without including himself
as part of the “Chosen Few”. Doesn’t this sound like the pride of the
Pharisees that Christ spoke about? Making the claim that you are better
than everyone else is arrogant and unrighteous. There is not one example
in the scriptures where Christ, who certainly was better than any of us,
ever made that claim. In fact, the Lord made it clear that it is the
meek who shall inherit the earth, not the elite.
If we go to the Greek translation of the word “world”
we see that it referred indeed to the whole world. Let us look at the
Greek translation:
Greek word- Κόσμος
is pronounced as “kos'-mos”
which defines as such:
Kosmos : orderly
arrangement, that is, decoration; by implication the world (in a wide or
narrow sense, including its inhabitants, literally or figuratively
[morally]): - adorning, world.
When Jesus was talking about the “Kosmos”
(world), He was talking about all of mankind from the beginning of time
until the end of time.
Let us consider for a moment the crucifixion of Christ. For whom
did He die? Did He give His life for just a chosen few or did He die
for all mankind? And, if He died for all mankind, why can’t all
mankind have the possibility of being saved?
1Corinthians 15:21-22 reads:
Since by man came death, by man came
also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so
in Christ shall all be made alive.
By just one man (Adam) sin came to all mankind. It was also by
one Man (Jesus) that
justification and salvation became available to all mankind, if
they so chose to accept it. The Bible tells us that every man
was condemned by Adam’s transgression and became subject to physical
death and consequences of mortal sin. Only through the atoning
sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who willingly took upon himself the sins
of the world, can we be freed from the chains of death and hell and
rise again to our heavenly inheritance. Adam’s fall applies to
everyone today until we show our obedience and love for God by
repenting of our sins. Only then can we be purified and justified
through the Atonement of Christ Jesus. Only Christ could atone for
our sins because He is the only man who has ever lived a sinless
life.
The Lord said that whosoever believes and repents shall be saved. The
word “whosoever” is translated from the Greek as:
Greek word- πᾶς
pronounced as “pas”
and defines as such:
“pas”:
Including all the forms of declension; apparently a primary word; all,
any, every, the whole: - all (manner of, means) alway (-s), any (one), X
daily, + ever, every (one, way), as many as, + no (-thing), X throughly,
whatsoever, whole, whosoever.
The Greek word “pas” is all-inclusive—it encompasses all mankind.
God has also told us how we can be saved when He points to those who
believe and repent. The term “whosoever believeth” infers that choice
must be made. If one chooses to believe… this is the start of
repentance. We were all created the same (in the beginning) in God’s
eyes.
Romans 2:11: For there is no respect of persons with God.
We are all given the opportunity to choose to be obedient to God’s
commandments. One can choose to follow the world as the natural man
(Goats), or choose to follow the Lord as faithful stewards (Sheep). But
we were all born with the same opportunities. Remember, God is not
partial to any man, He loves us all. He loves me and He loves you. We
are all given the same chance to accept or deny the Lord’s offer. If we
choose not to accept the Lord’s offer of salvation, we automatically
deny it. It really is this simple. By requesting that His righteousness
be applied to us upon our repentance through godly sorrow we can become
His “Sheep” instead of the world’s “Goats”. The interesting point about
the term “Goat” is the fact that it is only used to label some of
mankind on the Day of Judgment.
Matthew 25:31:
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:
Matthew 25:32:
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:
Matthew 25:33:
And he shall set the
sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
All “Goats” are really “Lost Sheep”, because they still have a chance
to become follows of Christ until that great and glorious “Day of
Judgment”!
Why did the Lord choose to come down and die for us? He “so LOVED
the World” (each and every one of us) and we (all mankind) could not
be saved any other way. It says we were “condemned already”
( John 3:18)
and we needed a “propitiation” for our sin by nature. John “the
beloved” said: And He is the
propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the
sins of the whole world
(1John 2:2).
In this scripture the word “whole” is added to the word Kos-mos
“world” which we discussed previously., Let us look at the Greek word
used to translate into “whole” in “whole world”. (Holos Kosmos).
Greek word- ὅλος
is pronounced as: “hol'-os”
and defines as such:
“holos” meaning: A primary word; “whole” or “all”, that is, complete
(in extent, amount, time or degree), especially (neuter) as noun or
adverb: - all, altogether, every whit, + throughout, whole .
John was using the term “whole world” to emphasize that Christ
died for all mankind—every single one of us. And He will continue to
serve as our mediator with justice and take upon Himself all of our
sins for as long as the world shall be, for as Peter said,
But the word of the Lord endureth forever. And this is the word
which by the gospel is
preached unto you (1Peter 1:25).
With this background, let us look at the parable of
the “Lost Sheep” in Luke 15:4-7 and in Matthew 18:12-14.
Luke 15:4:
What man of you,
having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the
ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost,
until he find it?
Matthew 18:12:
What do you think? If a
man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave
the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is
straying?
The first thing I noticed was the number that our
Lord chose to use. I do not think the use of 100 sheep was a random
choice in this parable. In the Lost Sheep parable Christ started with,
“An Hundred” (100), a number which has more than a numeric value. It is
also used to represent totality or completeness as in 100%. In that
context, God is the Creator of ALL sheep, or all mankind. All mankind
has an opportunity to accept or reject the true Shepherd Jesus Christ,
and be a part of His fold. We are the sheep He is talking about in this
parable and sometimes we stray, just as one of the lambs in the story.
The Greek word for “gone astray” literally means:
“to roam away from (freely)”.
Greek word πλανάω
pronounced as “plan-ah'-o” defines as such:
planao ̄:
From G4106; to (properly cause to) roam (from safety, truth, or
virtue): - go astray, deceive, err, seduce, wander, be out of the way.
The lamb was not run off or forced to leave; it chose
to do so. What comes next is the lesson we must embrace to be followers
of Christ. Pay attention to the shepherd’s reaction. He did not say,
“That ungrateful animal, why should I go after him? I have plenty of
“good” sheep; I don’t need him. He’s not worth the trouble.” No, he left
the “90 and 9” and searched high and low until he found the lost sheep
and he could bring it back into the fold. What an example to follow! We
as followers of Christ should be searching high and low for those poor
Lost Sheep, to bring them to the Lord! Look what happens next…
Luke 15:5:
And when he hath found
it,
he layeth
it on
his shoulders,
rejoicing.
Luke 15:6:
And when he cometh home,
he calleth together his
friends and neighbours,
saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was
lost.
Matthew 18:13:
"And if he should
find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than
over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.
Luke 15:7:
I say unto you, that
likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more
than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
Our Father in Heaven not only rejoices and celebrates
when someone chooses to turn away from sin, but He carries them back on
His shoulders! Wow!!
The Jewish people referred to the Old
Testament for all of their laws and for their way of life. Moses
used sheep often in his lessons when teaching the children of
Israel. Moses used this because the value of sheep as property was
well known. In that day and age, as it was also in the time of
Christ, many people made their living off agriculture and livestock,
including sheep. It would be very easy for someone to see the
significant value of “one lost sheep”.
Ex 22:9: For all manner of trespass, whether
it be for ox, for ass, for sheep, for raiment, or for any manner of
lost thing, which another challengeth to be his, the cause of both
parties shall come before the judges; and whom the judges shall
condemn, he shall pay double unto his neighbour.
The Psalmist wrote that he was “a lost sheep”,
that had “gone astray”.
Psalms 119:176: I have gone astray like a
lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.
Isaiah the Prophet wrote that “We all” have been
led astray like lost sheep in Isaiah 53:6;
Isaiah 53:6: All we like sheep have
gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and
the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Notice that he clearly states that Everyone has
turned to his own way… “Selfishness” instead of “Selflessness”. The second part of this beautiful
verse is a picture of Christ Himself.
Jeremiah the Prophet prayed to the Lord calling
his people lost sheep many times.
Jeremiah 50:6: My people hath been
lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have
turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to
hill, they have forgotten their resting place.
{Hebrew meaning of “resting place” is: A place to lie down}
In this example by Jeremiah, the sheep did not wander off. They are
led astray by putting their trust in the wrong shepherd. Yes, they were
deceived by their leaders, but they still had that choice to accept or
deny their ways. In so they chose to follow an Idolatrous lifestyle
instead of God.
Mankind has to choose to turn to the Lord with a complete willingness
to be and do whatever the Lord desires, repenting of their sinful nature
and asking the Lord Jesus Christ to be the propitiation for them and He
will forgive them. It really is this simple.
Back to John; we learn that the Lord is the light and man is born in
darkness, being of the world by nature.
John 3:19:
And this is the
condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved
darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
John 3:20:
For every one that
doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his
deeds should be reproved.
John 3:21:
But he that doeth
truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that
they are wrought in God.
The number 100 denotes completeness or all inclusiveness. Christ is
the Lord of the whole world (Holos Kosmos), and wishes that all mankind
would turn from their sinful nature and follow His righteousness by
their choice. His will is that none should perish and He will seek,
lead, and persuade tirelessly in His efforts to return us back to the
safety, and salvation, in His fold. However, just as He did not force
Adam, He will not ever force anyone to obey. Christ said,
Even so it is not the will
of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should
perish (Matt 18:14).
Although we are subject to temptation and sins and will all err in
our journey through life, thus becoming subject to the darkness of
Satan’s influence, Jesus Christ will never give up in His efforts to
lead us back to the light, for Christ is the light of the world. He will
wash away our sins and bring us back! Even if it is only one lost
soul—even if it is our soul--Christ will never give up His mission to
have us back in His fold, until the Great Day of Judgment when He
separates the “Sheep from the Goats”. When the lost will be lost
forever!
My conclusion: As I opened this I wanted to express the important
message Christ was giving here. One can now see that this first of three
parables joined together was used to clarify the fullness of
“Christ’s 100 Fold”. You will start to see the beauty of these three
parables together. The fact that they each have such an important part
to play in the fullness of His True Complete Message given as we come to
a finish of the three lesson group. All mankind has the same opportunity
to repent and be saved by Christ Jesus. Who will do so is the real
question. I would like each of the people reading this to take into
consideration the numbers that the Lord our God chooses to use in each
great lesson. Remember, in this parable only one of all was lost. Yet
that one was of such great importance that the Shepherd left all others
to bring him back. What an example to follow! Next lesson we will
continue with the “Lost Coin” to gain an understanding of significant
value, bringing them together for Christ’s purpose.
I pray that everyone will take the time to study this out for
themselves, in prayer and submissive guidance from the Lord’s Holy
Spirit. I pray that each of us will allow God to bring us into the light
of Christ’s true message. I pray that each will be doing this by
accepting His truths and teachings. Let His Spirit be the director
without any personal bias interfering. I pray all these things in Jesus
Christ’s Holy name. Amen.
Your brother in Christ Jesus,
J. Charles Roberts
To God be/is the glory forever and ever. Amen.
A note for all who need: We can produce many scriptures that show the
connotative truths here, we would be glad to help out with your further
studies.
Just click the link “Contact us”.
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