Encouragement in Christ Jesus - Great Shepherd of His Sheep!
The
Marked Sheep
by preacher D.G. Miles McKee
by preacher D.G. Miles McKee
Being
raised in rural Northern Ireland, I had occasion to notice how
shepherds took care of their sheep. One of the things they did was to
mark them with various coloured dyes. When I asked the reason for
this, I was informed that the sheep were marked to show to whom they
belonged. Apparently, a good shepherd marked His sheep.
The Lord Jesus Christ is our Good Shepherd, and in John 10:28, He puts three marks upon us.
The First mark is: He gives us eternal life.
The Second is: We shall never perish.
The Third is: No one shall pluck us out of His hand.
Jesus is the Shepherd, who, in love and compassion, came to seek and to save His lost sheep [see LUKE 19:10; EZEKIEL 34:12]. We, like sheep, had gone astray. We had all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. There was none of us righteous, no, not one [see ISAIAH 53:6; ROMANS 3:23; ROMANS 3:10-19]. But the Great Shepherd stepped in and saved us. It is the precious blood of Christ, the Great Shepherd, that alone cleanses from all sin and shelters us from all judgment.
Here’s a personal question, “Have you been found by the Great Shepherd? Have you been rescued and marked by Him?” No? Then listen carefully, He is still seeking, and saving the lost. He is still saying, "Come unto Me, all you that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" [MATTHEW 11:28]. You will be safe in His hands. He will never lose you [PHILIPPIANS 1:6].
The "Great Shepherd" gave His life for His sheep and we may depend upon it, He values and cares for us accordingly. Do we really think He will ever give us up or let us go? No, never! We have cost Him too much for that! He died and rose again for us. We have been marked.
We have "ETERNAL LIFE:"
We "SHALL NEVER PERISH:"
"NEITHER SHALL ANY MAN PLUCK US OUT OF HIS HAND."
In this life, we are either under the power of Satan, the wolf, who came to steal, kill and destroy [JOHN 10:10], or we are safe in the hands of the heavenly Shepherd who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood [REVELATION 1:5].
As sheep, we enjoy being saved. Jesus says to us, “I am the door; by Me if any man enters in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out and find pasture" [JOHN 10:9]. As His sheep, we can say with the Psalmist, “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures: he leads me beside the still waters” [PSALM 23:1-2]; and we can say with hymnwriter Thomas Kelly,
“We'll sing of the Shepherd that died,
That died for the sake of the flock;
His love to the utmost was tried,
But firmly endured as a rock.”
Jesus is seeking for His lost sheep. And here’s more good news, He always finds the ones He seeks, and saves them to the uttermost [HEBREWS 7:25].
He always finds,
He always saves, and
He always keeps.
An old-time preacher, John Brown of Haddington, Scotland visited a godly old woman who was on her deathbed. As they talked, the pastor asked, “Janet, what would you say if, after all He has done for you, God should let you drop into Hell?” “Even as He wills,” was the answer. “But, if He does” she continued, “He'll lose more than I will. I would lose my soul, but He would lose His character and faithfulness to His Word.”
Our Lord's promise stands unchanged: “I give unto My sheep eternal life and they shall never perish neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand.” We have been marked.
And that’s the Gospel Truth!
The Lord Jesus Christ is our Good Shepherd, and in John 10:28, He puts three marks upon us.
The First mark is: He gives us eternal life.
The Second is: We shall never perish.
The Third is: No one shall pluck us out of His hand.
Jesus is the Shepherd, who, in love and compassion, came to seek and to save His lost sheep [see LUKE 19:10; EZEKIEL 34:12]. We, like sheep, had gone astray. We had all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. There was none of us righteous, no, not one [see ISAIAH 53:6; ROMANS 3:23; ROMANS 3:10-19]. But the Great Shepherd stepped in and saved us. It is the precious blood of Christ, the Great Shepherd, that alone cleanses from all sin and shelters us from all judgment.
Here’s a personal question, “Have you been found by the Great Shepherd? Have you been rescued and marked by Him?” No? Then listen carefully, He is still seeking, and saving the lost. He is still saying, "Come unto Me, all you that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" [MATTHEW 11:28]. You will be safe in His hands. He will never lose you [PHILIPPIANS 1:6].
The "Great Shepherd" gave His life for His sheep and we may depend upon it, He values and cares for us accordingly. Do we really think He will ever give us up or let us go? No, never! We have cost Him too much for that! He died and rose again for us. We have been marked.
We have "ETERNAL LIFE:"
We "SHALL NEVER PERISH:"
"NEITHER SHALL ANY MAN PLUCK US OUT OF HIS HAND."
In this life, we are either under the power of Satan, the wolf, who came to steal, kill and destroy [JOHN 10:10], or we are safe in the hands of the heavenly Shepherd who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood [REVELATION 1:5].
As sheep, we enjoy being saved. Jesus says to us, “I am the door; by Me if any man enters in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out and find pasture" [JOHN 10:9]. As His sheep, we can say with the Psalmist, “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures: he leads me beside the still waters” [PSALM 23:1-2]; and we can say with hymnwriter Thomas Kelly,
“We'll sing of the Shepherd that died,
That died for the sake of the flock;
His love to the utmost was tried,
But firmly endured as a rock.”
Jesus is seeking for His lost sheep. And here’s more good news, He always finds the ones He seeks, and saves them to the uttermost [HEBREWS 7:25].
He always finds,
He always saves, and
He always keeps.
An old-time preacher, John Brown of Haddington, Scotland visited a godly old woman who was on her deathbed. As they talked, the pastor asked, “Janet, what would you say if, after all He has done for you, God should let you drop into Hell?” “Even as He wills,” was the answer. “But, if He does” she continued, “He'll lose more than I will. I would lose my soul, but He would lose His character and faithfulness to His Word.”
Our Lord's promise stands unchanged: “I give unto My sheep eternal life and they shall never perish neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand.” We have been marked.
And that’s the Gospel Truth!
NOTE: The Wednesday Word goes out to many pastors in Asia and Africa who in turn translate it into their native tongue and teach it to their congregations and pastors fellowships. Please pray for the continued and increased spread of the gospel through this medium.
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