In Search of The Sheep



"For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even

 I, will both search My sheep, and seek them

 out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in

 the day that he is among his sheep that are

 scattered; so will I seek out My sheep, and

 WILL DELIVER THEM out of all places where

 they have been scattered in the cloudy and

 dark day."  

-Ezekiel 34:11-12 [KJV]
 

The Shepherd does not go forth in search of the lost sheep in order to make them His own. They are His already, therefore He refers to them as "My sheep." The Lord’s sheep were His before they became lost for they were given to Him by the Father in the election of grace. They remained His even when they became sinners due to Adam’s transgression. The good Shepherd said, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand" (John 10:27-28).

These did not suddenly become His sheep upon hearing His voice and following Him. The Shepherd called them unto Himself, they heard His voice and followed Him because they were already His sheep. 

On the other hand, those who die in unbelief do not become goats by their refusal to believe on Christ. Their unbelief is conclusive evidence that they were never His sheep:

"But ye believe not, because ye are not of My sheep, as I said unto you." -John 10:26 [KJV] 


-Gospel report by preacher Jim Byrd


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