Keep listening to Jesus, and then follow what He says.
John 10:22-30 (NIV)
22 Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. 24 The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”
25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”
Canons of Dordt
Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election
Index for Articles 1-8
Article 9 - Election Not Based on Foreseen Faith
Your election took place,
not
on the basis of foreseen faith,
of the obedience of faith, of holiness, or of any other good quality and disposition,
as though it were based on a prerequisite cause
or condition in the person to be chosen,
but rather
for the purpose of faith, of the obedience of faith, of holiness, and so on.
Accordingly, election is the source of every saving good.
Faith, holiness, and the other saving gifts, and at last eternal life itself, flow forth from election as its fruits and effects.
Summary
The idea of Jesus speaking of His sheep conjures up images of an idyllic scene, perhaps with a few little children sitting around Jesus, while He lovingly speaks of Him as being our shepherd. But this instance here in John 10 is nothing like that. Quite the opposite in fact.
Instead of little children surrounding Jesus and listening intently to what He says, Jesus here has been cornered by a group who want Jesus to tell them plainly is He is the Messiah. Lest you think that these folks are simply seeking spiritual truth, remember that their inquiry comes after all sorts of teachings and miracles which ought to have supplied an abundance of proof that Jesus was, in fact, the Messiah.
Jesus angrily rejects them, telling them that they do not believe because they were not His sheep. We'll likely come back to theses verses later this year and dive into the negative implications of this reply, but today we'll focus on the incredible positive truths Jesus' statement indicates about you.
First and foremost, Jesus helps us understand that there are two kinds of people in this world: those who are His sheep, and those who are not. If you believe that Jesus is the Messiah, your faith proves that you are His one of His sheep! This means that you were given to Jesus by our Father, who is greater than all.
Dig Deeper
Jesus' short, terse reply to these impatient people helps you understand five key things about yourself:
Jesus' sheep listen to His voice - Notice the ongoing aspect of the verb listen; it's not that you listened in the past, but that you continually listen to His voice, which, of course, we hear in His Word.
Jesus knows you - You may feel like nobody in this world understands you, and you might even be right about that. But as one of Christ's sheep, you can be assured that He truly knows who you are;
Jesus' sheep follow Him - You need to continue listening to your shepherd, but simply listening isn't sufficient. You need to understand what He's saying and follow Him.
Jesus gives His sheep eternal life - This means that you will never perish!
Jesus promises you that no one will snatch you out of His hand. This is certainly a verse we'll revisit later in the year as we continue to understand what it means that God's grace is stronger than you are!
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who is greater than all;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for the strength, wisdom and desire to continue listening to your Shepherd and to follow Him;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Acts 23
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