March 14, 2021
In John chapter ten, Jesus does some teaching about shepherds and sheep. Being a transplanted city boy, this country talk is interesting to me. Jesus, as he often does, uses common everyday imagery to teach spiritual truths. The message Jesus gives His followers is just as applicable to us today as it was to those in Jesus’ day. First of all, in verse eleven, Jesus makes one of His seven “I am” statements. Jesus says, “I am the Good Shepherd.” Jesus is letting everyone know that He is the Shepherd and everyone else is sheep. We would do well to remember that. Jesus is in charge and we are not. Jesus then states that he willingly lays down His life for His sheep. Jesus says next that He gives His sheep (followers) eternal life. These two statements are important. The first one tells us that our salvation comes from the Godhead. John 3:16 tells us God gave His Son and, here in our John passage, Jesus says he willingly laid down His life. Our salvation is totally a God thing. None of us can or will earn their salvation. The only thing we can do is receive it. The second statement is important because it lets us know that the life (salvation) Jesus gives is eternal. It is not temporary. You are not saved then suddenly unsaved. Eternal life is just that…eternal. As a born-again believer, you can rest assured that your salvation is secure in the hands of the Good Shepherd! I know someone is reading this and saying, “Preacher, you can’t preach eternal security, because that will just make folks want to go out and sin and just let God’s grace cover it.” Jesus answers that objection next when He states in verse 27 of John 10 that “His sheep hear His voice AND FOLLOW HIM”! A person who has been truly born again has a new heart and a new nature. He is going to want to follow the Good Shepherd and let the Holy Spirit change him to become more and more like Jesus. Finally, Jesus assures His followers (and us as well) of the fact that if we are indeed His Sheep, there is no one who can “snatch” them out of the protective hand of the Father. The term “no one” is all inclusive. Paul takes it a step farther in Romans 8:38-39 when he tells us that NOTHING can separate us from the love of God. Loved ones, if salvation is something we can gain and lose, gain and lose, gain and lose, then John’s words in I John 5:13 are null, void and useless. John tells us that he writes the things he writes so that we may KNOW (not guess or hope) that we have eternal life and that this knowledge will help us keep on keeping on. Keep going fellow sheep; we are safe in the hands of the Good Shepherd. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Be Blessed and Be a Blessing . . . Brother Andy
