KOZ MAR 2024

Lions and Tigers and Bears...

Matthew 7:15

“Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves.”

Our Verse today, is just a small part of Jesus’s teachings, known as the “Sermon on the Mount.”

Jesus is talking to His followers at the time, using the analogy of sheep and wolves.

He warns them that not everyone they meet claiming to have faith in God or claiming to be something special and therefore should be followed- We are to test these folks to determine whether or not they are full of God or full of something else.

What we need to determine is if their Heart is in the right place.

We can do that by seeing the “Fruits of their Labors”

Grapes produce grape Vines, Apple Trees produce Apples, Oranges produce Oranges.

Grapes do not produce Thistles and Apples cannot grow thorns or thistles...

We can know a tree branch or vine by the fruit it produces. Healthy Trees bear good fruit and Bad, diseased trees are cut down and made into firewood and kindling.

So we identify good or bad fruit or trees by what they produce. And we can do the same thing with people.

We have all known people who we thought were our friends, but turned their backs on us when we needed them, or those who we thought were cool to hangout with, but you kept getting in trouble when around them.

Its usually easier to identify the bad influences of other people…its harder to admit it when we are being influenced in the wrong direction…WHY IS THAT?

Jesus uses sheep and wolves as an example because it was a situation His listeners could connect with.

Raising sheep in those days was a big industry, everyone either had flocks of sheep or worked for those that owned the sheep.

When out in the fields, at night the wolves crouch low to the ground and slowly work their way into the midst of the flock.

Sheep have blind spots directly in front of them and behind them, but all they have to do is turn their heads slightly to cover those blind spots. Sheep also have very keen hearing and a very good sense of smell, but poor eyesight

Wolves know to stay out of a sheep’s blind spots, so they wont startle them. They move slowly, and at night can ease up to a small sheep or lamb and slowly nudge it away from the rest of the flock, where it can then kill it and eat it.

In Nature, there is always a balance between Predator and prey.

If there is not enough predators to control the populations of many species, including deer, turkey, rabbits and other ground vermin, would explode. Deer especially out populated areas and become diseased for lack of food sources and other things. Predators help keep that under control… How does that show that God is in control of everything?

So that’s in nature.

With the Human Race, it is much the same…God has a plan to keep everything balanced, but us humans rarely have followed Gods plan.

There are adults in this world that you guys, as kids should not trust. They dont care how you feel, nor do they care about you at all. Their very intent is to separate you out from the flock to devour you.

The Leaders here at KOZ are men you can trust. The leadership has been approved by the church leaders and each of us have been vetted- approved- Not just through background checks, but by careful observation of how we interact with other adults and other kids.

This is a safe, fun place and your KOZ leaders are here to help you.

Satan is our main adversary- He is the Predator looking to to pick off the weak ones in the flock or those that just arent paying attention. The Apostle Peter calls him a roaring lion, looking for whoever he can devour.

Romans 10:9 “... if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

There is nothing more important than asking Jesus into your heart and committing your life to Him.

He is the One true Guide that will lead you to men you can trust.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ro 10:9.