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" (...