mjrhealth said:
This part, ": my sheep "hear" my voice.
Peter was sent to feed our Lords sheep , not everyone who claims to be a christian are His sheep,
Joh_10:26 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
If you are not receiving revelation from God how can you say you are His sheep.
In all His Love
When Jesus spoke the words above He was speaking to His people, the Jews (see verse 6 below)
Matt 10:5-7 (NKJ)
5 These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans.
6 "But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
7 "And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'
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Matt 15:23-24 (NKJ)
23 But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, "Send her away, for she cries out after us."
24 But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
Jesus did not say this for, or to, the Gentiles. Under grace a child of God is a member of the body of Christ. We are not sheep.
What was it that the Jews did not believe? Wasn't it that Jesus was their Messiah and King? We are not saved under grace because we believe Jesus is OUR Messiah and King. We are saved because we believe in Jesus' work of sheading His blood on a cross to pay for our sins of the flesh. We are saved today because of our faith (trust, belief, confidence) in God's grace shown to us by Jesus' work on the cross.
Sheep? The children of God under grace are joint heirs with Christ. Since the scriptures tell us we are, then we are certainly not sheep.