Last week we learned something about how a person is saved from John 10:27. Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” From this, and earlier passages, we learn that they are given by the Father to the Son, they hear the voice of their Shepherd and awaken, they are known by their Shepherd, and they turn from their ways to follow him. But if this is how a person is saved, then what happens once they’re saved? What distinguishes them from those who are not Jesus’ sheep?
Jesus answers in John 10:28, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” I see three effects of salvation here. First, Jesus gives his sheep eternal life. Jesus’ promise here relates to what he said in John 10:10. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” In other words, Jesus came to lay down his life for the good of the sheep and the glory of his Father, and he has succeeded in doing so. He gives his own all that they need forever, so that they’ll live and be fully alive while they’re alive.
Second, on the other side of the coin, Jesus promises that his sheep will never perish, or put another way, that they will never be destroyed. As Jesus said in verse 10, the thief comes to use the sheep for his own purposes, and when he’s done with them, he destroys them. Jesus, on the other hand, cares so much for his own that he laid down his life for them and took it back again. And having done so, he now protects them forever from those who would destroy them. Of course, he will allow his sheep to endure all sorts of trials and temptations, but he will not allow such things to destroy them, in fact, he’ll use such things to mature and sanctify them and bring them all the closer to the abundant life he has provided for them.
Third, Jesus said that no one will be able to snatch his sheep out of his hand. In other words, Jesus’ sheep gain eternal life, eternal protection, and eternal security from him. This last promise relates to John 10:12 where Jesus said that the hired hand sees trouble coming, flees from the enemy, and leaves the sheep to be snatched and scattered. But Jesus is not like the hired hand, rather, when he sees trouble coming, he cares for his sheep, he protects the sheep, and he keeps the sheep from the evil plans of their foes. If anyone is stronger than Jesus, then they will be able to snatch his sheep from his hand. But since all things were created through him (John 1:3), no one is equal to him and no one can take his own from him. By the grace and strength of Jesus, his sheep gain eternal life, eternal protection, and eternal security in him.
These promises are awe-inspiring for those who know and follow Jesus. That said, they do raise another question: how can Jesus make such astounding promises? We’ll look at that next week, but for now, let’s give thanks and praise to the Shepherd who cares so deeply for his sheep!
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