John 10:27-29“My sheep hear My voice and I know them and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone 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 My Father’s hand.” Allow me to speak personally. If the Christian gospel of salvation were not of grace, I would need to be the first to abandon its hopeless invitation and its false presentation. I ask you today, dear brother or sister, how lost and godless were you before Jesus rescued you? The answer, just in case you’ve forgotten, is absolutely lost! You and I are as unable to keep ourselves saved as we were unable to save ourselves at the very beginning. In the mind of God, and thus in reality, you and I were dead in our sins and waywardness until the Holy Spirit awakened us. We were completely alienated from God and heaven. But listen carefully to what Jesus says, “My sheep hear My voice and I know them and they follow Me.” Jesus, by His grace, has called us and we, being His sheep, are to follow Him. I rejoice in the analogy that He is our Shepherd and we are His sheep, for sheep are completely dependent upon the protection and security of the shepherd from birth until death. In every way, Jesus has communicated to us that we are His. He even states, “I give them eternal life and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.”Jesus is the One who does the giving and Jesus is the One who does the keeping. Dear Christian, don’t let anyone trouble you with words like, “Now that you are saved, you must do all that you can to keep yourself saved.” Such thinking is hostile to the gospel of grace and to the work of Christ. Those who are in Christ know it. They grow happily under His care and blossom with confidence, becoming more eager to share His love with others. Rejoice little lamb! It’s called eternal life and it’s what He gives to all those who call upon Him in faith. Pastor Jack Have you been blessed by Pastor Jack’s Devotions? Email us now: CLICK HERE |
