Turning, if you will, back to
John's Gospel, Chapter 10, as has already been mentioned and
you're aware of, some of us here are going through some difficult
and trying times. And as your pastor, what's the
best thing that I could do for you? Pray for you, of course. Pray for you. Pray for God's
grace. Pray that God would prove the
sufficiency of His grace. and to remind you and myself
that we are upheld in God's mighty arms. Never a time, never a time,
regardless of what may appear to be contrary to it, there's
never a time that we're out of the love and the care of the
faithful shepherd of the sheep. When I thought about this last
night, I thought about when I was still a child at home. Do you
know I never recall one time, I never recall pacing the floor
at night, not being able to sleep, biting my nails wondering, well,
will there be food on the table tomorrow? Will I be clothed? Will I be
taken care of? I didn't think that way and neither
did you because We had the sweet assurance that those things were
the responsibility of our parents, a loving mother and father. They'll
take care of those things. That was their job. That was
their job. And our Heavenly Father tells
us, the Lord Jesus Christ rather said concerning our Heavenly
Father in Matthew chapter 6, therefore, therefore, because
your Heavenly Father knows. Therefore take no thought saying,
what shall we eat? Or what shall we drink? Or wherewithal
shall we be clothed? For after all these things do
the Gentiles seek. For your Heavenly Father knoweth. Your Heavenly Father knoweth
that you have need of all these things. Yes, there lies the reason
for not worrying. There lies the grounds of true
comfort. True comfort. Your heavenly Father
knows. Your Father knows. The eternal
God is thy refuge and underneath, always underneath are the everlasting
arms. And you will never be in a place,
there'll never be a circumstance when that's not so. Yes, we may
fall, but we'll never fall so far away, so deep, that this
won't be true. There will always be this blessed
promise underneath our everlasting arms. We can never be so far
fallen that the arms of omnipotence, the arms of omnipotence, the
arms of the mighty God are not underneath us. There's not a
pit. There's not a pit so deep that the arm of God's grace cannot
reach down and bring us back out. It's just not possible.
As the psalmist said, out of the depths, out of the depths,
oh those depths of depravity, those depths of being lost as
sinners apart from God, and strangers to the covenant of promise, without
hope and without God in the world. That was our condition at one
time. Out of those depths, by God's
mercy and grace, we were taught, being learned of God, God getting
us lost, brought us to that place where we cried, and blessed be
his name, he heard our voice. If he could lift us out of that
depth, Can He not left us out of every other? The psalmist
in Psalm 40 said this, I waited patiently for the Lord and He
inclined unto me and heard my cry. Isn't that amazing? And He brought me up also out
of a horrible pit, out of the murray clay, and set my feet
upon a rock. and established my goings, and
he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praising to our God. Many shall hear it in fear, and
shall trust in the Lord. My subject to you this morning
is this, sheep that never perish. Sheep that never perish. That's exactly what our Lord
taught here in John 10. He said it more than once. Remember,
Christ is talking to the religious Jews. And these people thought
they were God's people simply by pedigree. Remember they told
our Lord on one occasion, more than on one occasion, we don't
need you, we don't know who you are. Who do you think you are? We know who our father is. God's
our father and we have Abraham. We can trace our roots back to
Abraham. That makes us children of God. And our Lord tells them that
doesn't make you a true child of God. It takes something more
than that to make you a child of God. And when he said those
words, the religious folks were upset. They always are. Look again at verse 26 here in
John 10. Now this upset them and it still
does. It still does, especially religious
folks. But you believe not because you're
not my sheep. as I said unto you. Now most
places today teach that we become sheep when we believe. And the
very opposite is true. They've got the cart before the
horse. No, we believe because we're his sheep. We believe and
we hear his voice because we're his sheep. The sheep that the
father entrusted into the hands of the great shepherd before
he ever created the heavens and the earth. And when he said that,
It upset him. And if that wasn't bad enough,
he adds this. He tells them that there is a
difference between them and his true sheep. And it's a difference
that God has made. God makes a difference. And that
will really upset those who think they make themselves to differ.
Who make themselves to be believers. It's just not so. Verse 27. My
sheep, he says, my sheep hear my voice. Unlike you. Unlike you, you Pharisees who
claim to be gods, but you won't hear God's messenger. My sheep,
unlike you, hear my voice. And I know them. I know them. That means more than just a casual
acquaintance. I know them. I've loved them
with an everlasting love. I know all about them. And they
follow me. That's what makes a believer.
That's what makes a child of God. That's how one becomes a
Christian, by the grace of God. And that's all. Period. Nothing else can do it. Nothing
else can do it. It's not by man's will. It's
not by man's merit. It's not by man's worth. It's
all due to the sovereign grace of God. It's His unmerited favor
that makes That makes people believers. This is what Paul
asked those Corinthians who were puffed up. In 1 Corinthians,
Paul uses that expression to describe them several times. You're puffed up. You're puffed
up. Why are you puffed up? Why do you have the big head?
Why are you proud? And he asked them this question.
Who made you to differ from another? If you're a believer, God's made
the difference. And what have you got that you
didn't receive? If you believe, God's granted
you faith. If you live, God's given you life. Now if you did
receive it, why do you boast? Why are you puffed up as though
you have not received it? God spoke to Moses before the
children of Israel were brought out of Egypt that night. And
he said, against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move
his tongue. against man or beast, that you
may know, that you may know. And oh, how humbling is the knowledge
that you may know how that the Lord doth put a difference between
the Egyptians and Israel. Whose made you to differ from
another? Ask my mother of her five sons
who was the least likely, who she would have never dreamed
would be a preacher, and she would say that, This one that's
standing before you now, who's made me to differ from another? Grace. The grace of God that's
in Christ Jesus. Instead of boasting of man's
so-called free will, there is no such critter. There is no
such thing. Instead of boasting of a so-called
free will and putting the crown on man's head, we rejoice with
the psalmist to sing, not unto us, O Lord, not unto us. Oh, no. No, no, no. Not unto
us, but unto thy name give glory for thy mercy and for thy truth's
sake. And we're so thankful that our
salvation is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth,
but of God that showeth mercy. I thank God that that's so. I
thank God that coming to Christ wasn't left to my will. I thank
God that receiving grace is not dependent upon my will, because
I would never come to Christ unless he first came to me. Just
like he did this poor blind man, he sought him out. He's the good
shepherd, verse 11 again. The good shepherd lays down his
life for the sheep. The shepherd. Seems to be one
of those descriptions that our Lord enjoyed describing himself
as more than any other. The good shepherd. Oh, what a
picture of the divine love and care. In the Old Testament, the
23rd Psalm sets this forth most clearly. The whole Psalm speaks
of Christ as our shepherd. And then we come to the New Testament,
and the Lord said, I'm that shepherd. I'm the shepherd. I'm the good
shepherd of the sheep. When our Lord would reveal to
his friends the sweetest thoughts of his heart, toward them and
tell them what they are to him. He tells them, you're my sheep
and I'm the shepherd. The earthly shepherd. I have
a book at home. I have several actually, Manners
and Customs of the Bible. And the earthly shepherd, I've
read several of these and learned that the earthly shepherd lived
with his sheep. He lived with his sheep. And
if they are out in the storm, he didn't leave them. He didn't
flee like the Pharisees did. He stayed with them. Likewise,
Christ, he lives with these people. Because I live, he said, you
shall live also. In all their afflictions, he
was afflicted. He's with them in the storms.
When the storms of life are raging, precious, precious thought, good
hope, When the storms of life are raging, he, the good shepherd,
stands by me. He's touched. He identifies with
the feeling of our infirmities. The earthly shepherd, as we read
here, knows his sheep. He has a name for each of them,
and he calls them by their names. Christ knows each of those that
are his. With an intimate knowledge, a
personal knowledge, he knows our faults. He knows our wonderings
of heart. He knows that we're prone to
wonder. He knows our sins. And yet, knowing us as we really
are, knowing us as we really are, He loves us still. He never worries of us. Parents,
how often have you said concerning a hard-headed son? I used to
think, man, where do they get that stubbornness from? I know
where they got it from. their father, but have you ever
sometimes thought, man, I can't bear anymore. I can't take anymore. I need a break. I've got to have
a break from that hard-headed boy or girl. God Almighty never
talks that way. He never thinks that way. He
never says that is enough. I've got to have a break. Oh
no. Oh no. Underneath always are
the everlasting arms. The earthly shepherd is most
gentle with the sheep. He doesn't drive them. He leads
them along. He leads them. And when they
need rest, He makes them. Oh, by His sweet, constraining
grace, He makes them to lie down in green pastures beside the
still waters. Is there anything that is more
picturesque of serenity and peace and quietness than a rippling
brook. Just love the sound of it, don't
you? The good shepherd brings his
sheep to lie down in such a place. He loves the lambs and makes
room for them in his bosom. Whatever the need is, there is
something in the heart of the great shepherd that meets that
craving and supplies that lack. That's why the psalmist said,
the Lord is my shepherd. The Lord is my shepherd. And
with such a shepherd as that, with such a faithful, loving
shepherd as the Lord Jesus Christ, I shall not lack, I shall not
want, I shall not lack any good thing. God had made him to be
unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. I am complete in him and therefore
accepted and to be loved. An earthly shepherd, a literal
shepherd, defended his flock from all danger. And often he
had to risk his own safety to do so in protecting his sheep. And even so, the good shepherd
gives his life for his sheep. Christ's sheep are absolutely
safe in his coming, or rather in his keeping and care. Now
look at verse 28, our text. And I give them, that is my sheep,
my sheep, I give them eternal life. And that being the case,
they shall never perish if for any reason by any means they
could perish the life that he gives them would be eternal but
it is and therefore they shall never perish neither shall any
man pluck them out of my hand then at last he will bring them
all safely home is that not what he says in verse 16 and other
sheep I have which are not of this fold them also I must I
must, not that I might, but I must bring, and they shall hear my
voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd, sheep
that never perish." And here's the real comfort of our Lord's
words. If they teach us anything, they
certainly teach this. We are not able to keep ourselves. The sheep are not responsible
for themselves. Aren't you glad that that's so?
We're not responsible for our own keeping. The shepherd is. God doesn't look to me to answer
for my eternal salvation. He looks to that one who agreed
to be responsible for me and to keep me, to do everything
necessary to save me, to lay down his life for me, and eventually
to bring me back to God without a fault or a blemish or any such
thing. We cannot keep ourselves a strong
one, a mighty one, the mighty God. The Everlasting Father,
the Prince of Peace, holds us in his mighty grasp. We may be tossed like a leaf
at sea. We may be driven by wind and
wave, but we are yet in the divine keeping. Our security doesn't
depend upon our feeble, wavering faith, but upon the omnipotence,
the everlasting love, and the faithfulness of the unchanging,
eternal God. And while we trust in Him, we
can never sink away. No power, no power in the universe
can snatch us out of His hands. What did our Lord say? You're
in my hands. Can you picture that? You're
in the hands of the great shepherd. And you're in my father's hands.
There's double security. Now what? Who can ever pluck
us out? The psalmist again said, my help
comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth. He will not
allow your foot to be moved. He who keeps you will not slumber.
The Lord is your keeper. The Lord shall preserve you from
all evil. He shall preserve your soul.
The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in
from this time forth, even forevermore. An aged Christian was lying on
his deathbed in a state of extreme weakness. He was often entirely
unconscious, just drifting in and out of consciousness of everything
around him. And someone asked him when he
was awake, The reason or the cause of his perfect peace. And he replied this. He said,
when I'm able to think, I think of Jesus. And when I'm unable
to think of him, I know he is thinking of me. He is thinking
of me. Sheep that will never perish,
I give them eternal life. This is the blessed doctrine
of the believer's security in Christ. And being such, it always,
as it did with these religious folks, always draws a strong
response, doesn't it? The self-righteousness, how many
times I've heard, when we speak of our security in the hands
of the Great Shepherd, that we can't perish. Once saved, we're
saved forever. God saves his people not with
a temporary salvation, but an everlasting salvation. That he
that's begun a good work in you, that is God Almighty, will perform
it into the day of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the religionists,
those who are trusting their own work, they'll say, oh, that's
dangerous doctrine. You shouldn't preach that. You
shouldn't teach that. That'll lead men to sin. That'll
give people a license to sin. What foolishness. A license to
sin? Who needs a license to sin? We
sin without it. But the truth is, the very opposite
is true. The very opposite is true. Oh,
the Pharisee, yes to him. I can understand why he would
think that way. But not one to whom the Lord Jesus Christ has
revealed himself. Not one who has tasted that the
Lord is truly gracious. And precious, listen to what
John wrote in his first epistle, chapter 3. Behold, behold, what
manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should
be called the sons of God. Man, that's better than the son
of Rockefeller. Sons of God. Therefore the world
knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we
the sons of God, right now. And it doth not yet appear where
we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear we shall
be like him, for we shall see him as he is. And every man, every man that
has this hope in himself purifieth himself, even as he is pure. The mere professor of religion
will say, let us sin that grace may abound. All but the true
believer says, Oh, the depths of the riches both of the wisdom
and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are His judgments
and His ways past finding out. For of Him and through Him and
to Him are all things to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Christ is our shepherd. And all of God's sheep are absolutely
secure in his hand. It's not possible. It's not possible. I rejoice when I read it. I rejoice
to preach it. What a comforting doctrine. The
security of the sheep. It's not possible for any true
believer to perish because we're preserved by the grace of God
that's in Christ Jesus. One hymn writer put it this way.
If ever it should come to pass, that sheep of Christ should fall
away, my fickle, feeble soul at last would fall a thousand
times a day. That's just a fact. That's just
the truth. I'm telling you the truth. Apart
from the grace of God, I would leave him, as they say, in a
New York minute. I get it. That's pretty quick.
That's pretty fast. Accept God's grace. Keep me. Oh, walk away with the multitude. Oh, but bless his glorious name. He won't allow that. That's just
so. When Robin got up this morning
and cooked the meatloaves, put them in the oven that she had
she had prepared last night that we'll enjoy today. And man, they
smelled good. I woke up smelling them, smelled
good. And afterwards, before we came here, I said, let me
load these up. She said, oh, I hope they're
good. I said, oh, I'm sure they'll be good. She said, well, if they're
not, lie to me and tell me they're good. The great shepherd doesn't
lie to his sheep. Billy, the great shepherd doesn't
lie to his sheep. He tells them the truth, and
he says, I want you to know this. I want you to know this. I want
you to know that you're in my hand. I want you to know I love
you. I want you to know I laid down
my life for you, and I want you to know that nothing, nothing
in heaven and earth or hell can ever pluck one of my sheep out
of my hand. Thank God for the faithful and
great shepherd. We're absolutely secure in his
hands and that sweet assurance that Christ gives his own of
their security is one of those truths that gives the believer
a good hope. And the reason is because of
our safety is not our own responsibility as we've already said concerning
his sheep, Christ says, they're my sheep. Again, remember, he's
speaking to the Pharisees. He says, they're not your sheep.
They're not your sheep, and you're not my sheep. He said, that's
why you don't believe on me, but my sheep, oh, my sheep, they
believe. They'll hear, and when they hear
the voice of the great shepherd, they'll know it, and they'll
follow him. They're my sheep, and they're
in my hands. The Father gave them to me, and
I lay down my life for them. And the sheep are thankful that
it's so. Aren't you glad that you're kept
by the power of God? Aren't you glad, child of God,
that the responsibility of your being kept here and brought to
heaven hereafter doesn't rest with you but with Jesus Christ? Oh, what a comfort it is to know,
with David, just to lay down and know and sing in your heart,
the Lord is my shepherd. If that is so, then how secure
the sheep must be. Jude closes his epistle with
these words. Now unto him that is able. I'll tell you what, this sinner
needs an able Savior. This sinner doesn't need a Savior
who tries, but a Savior who succeeds. I need a Savior who doesn't try
to save, but who is mighty to save. And that is such a one
as we have in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now unto him that is
able to keep you from falling. Wow! Did we read that right? Unto him that is able to keep
you from falling. Man, what a power that must take. What grace that must take to
keep this sinner from falling. But oh, that's not all. That's
not all. And to present you faultless,
Faultless without fault before the presence of his glory with
exceeding joy to the only wise God and Savior Be glory and majesty
dominion and power both now and forever Amen, and we cannot for
a moment Have to guess who he's talking about to him that is
able Oh, it must be none other than Christ. He that has all
along preserved his church must be the same one that keeps her
from falling. And it is the special office
of the Lord Jesus Christ to present his church to himself. You don't
read in scripture of the father presenting the church. or the
Holy Spirit presenting the church. No, it is the office of Jesus
Christ, the one mediator between God and man to bring his bride
home adorned for her husband and to present her to himself. That's why you have that description
that Paul gives of the church in Ephesians chapter 5. Christ
loved the church, Paul wrote, and gave himself for it. that
he might sanctify it and cleanse it with the washing of water
by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church,
not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should
be holy and without blemish all along, from one eternity to another. It is Christ's charge and Christ's
care, and this scripture says he's exceeding joy to watch over
his church. which is a part of his self,
his body, and to keep her from falling as well as to present
her to himself finally and fully prepared by himself in body,
soul, and spirit as his everlasting spouse and companion and to run
the whole round of eternity with him in glory forever. Oh, that will be heaven for me.
We shall be presented faultless. Where there is no sin, there
can be no sorrow. No sorrow. Where there is the
perfection of holiness, there will be the perfection of joy.
Surely the God who can and will do this is worthy to have glory
and majesty, dominion, and power ascribed to him both now and
forever. And to this we may well add amen. Amen. So be it. Let it be so. Behold the security of the weakest
sheep of Christ's flock. The act of justification, not
guilty, God declares, once passed under the seal of the resurrection
of Jesus Christ who loved us and gave himself for us, can
never be revoked. The gifts and the calling of
God are without repentance. This doesn't speak of repentance
on your part, but on His part. once where He is, where He is
forever. And nothing, nothing from His
love can sever. Here is our safety. Here is the
ground of that challenge. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? God has justified. What can I
need more? What more can I ask if God, the
God of spotless purity, the God of inflexible righteousness justifies
me? Who is He that condemns me? It's
God that justifies. If God be for us, who can be
against us? Who dare condemn the soul whom
He justifies? How gloriously will this truth
shine forth in the great day of judgment. Every accuser will
be silenced. Nothing shall be laid to the
charge of God's elect. God himself shall pronounce them
fully and forever justified. And Paul in Romans 8 went on
to say, and those he justifies, he glorifies. There is no such
thing as a justified, unglorified saint. Everyone he justified,
everyone he laid down his life for, everyone for whom he was
made sin for will be made the righteousness of God in him.
And it will be the everlasting boast of the great shepherd of
the sheep, that of all that multitude that God gave him, that multitude
of sinners that he became surety for, it will be that his praise
and glory throughout eternity, when he presents them back to
himself without a spot or a blemish, he shall say and proclaim to
his everlasting praise, I lost none, they're all here. He's
the firstborn among many brethren. He's able. Him that is able. And that is such a one as I need,
don't you? Because I can't do it myself
and neither can you. Remember when those who were
jealous of Daniel because of the position that he had told
Darius that he was praying to a God that he wasn't supposed
to do? And Darius the king could not
change his law. It couldn't be changed. It was
already on the books. So they put Daniel in the lion's
den. And Darius spent the whole night
just tossing and turning. And the next morning he got up
and rushed to that den of lions. And he said, Daniel, was your
God able? Was he able? Was your God, is he that great? Is he that mighty? Is he that
powerful? Is he the God Daniel? Was he
able to keep you? Are you there? And Daniel said,
oh King, don't worry about it. Live forever, I'm here, I'm here.
My God shut the mouths of the lions and God shall deliver us
from every evil work and present us with him before the throne
of everlasting glory. He's able to keep He's able to
preserve, He's able to bring us all the way to heaven, and
to present us to follow us. Who else but the great shepherd
of the sheep could do that? The safety of those who really
belong to Christ, they're not only in His hand, and in the
Father's, because the Father and Him are one, but your life
is here with Christ in God, so that they shall never perish. I love that passage. Turn if
you will to Luke's Gospel, chapter 15. Oh, here is a picture of
the great, good, and faithful shepherd. Chapter 15. Again,
our Lord has an encounter with the religious folks, his most
fierce enemies. Then drew near, verse 1, unto
him, that is, unto Christ, all the publicans and sinners for
to hear him. I love that picture, don't you?
This man came to seek and to save the lost, sinners. And the
Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners,
and eateth with them. And he spake this parable unto
them, saying, What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he
should lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine
in the wilderness, and go after that one which is lost, until
he find it, until he find it? He searches until he finds it.
And when he hath found it, he laith it on his shoulders rejoicing.
And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors,
saying to them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep
which was lost, I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in
heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine
just persons which need no repentance. The good shepherd did it all,
didn't he? Did it all. I mean, he did the
seeking, the sheep didn't do it. He did the finding, the sheep
didn't do it. And the shepherd that sought
and found that sheep, he saves that sheep and brings it home. Brings it home. And he'll bring
it all the way home. All the way to the Father's house
because that's where he is. And that's where he wants his
bride to be. John chapter 17, verse 24. or
high priest praying his father, I will also that those whom thou
hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my
glory. Hebrews chapter 12, looking unto
Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy
that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame
and is set down, set down as the mighty conqueror that he
is, at the right hand of the majesty on high. For the joy
set before him, the joy of redeeming all those that the father gave
him, The joy of doing everything the Father sent him to do. The
joy of bringing many sons the glory. That was the joy set before
him. The sufferings of Christ and
the glory that should follow thereafter. One must follow the
other. He had something in view under
all his sufferings. He rejoiced to see that by his
suffering he should make satisfaction to the injured justice of God
and give security to his honor and government. that he should
make peace between God and man, that he should seal the covenant
of grace with his own blood, that he should open the way of
salvation for even the chief of sinners, and that he should
effectually save all those whom the Father had given him to save,
and himself be the firstborn among many brethren. That was
the joy set before him, and bless his name, he got the job done. He got the job done. Isaiah chapter
53. But he was wounded, the great
shepherd. Awake, O sword, against my fellow,
against the man who is my shepherd. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities.
The chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes
we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray.
We have turned everyone to his own way and the Lord has laid
on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and he was afflicted.
Yet he opened not his mouth. He was brought as a lamb to the
slaughter. And as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, he openedeth
not his mouth. He was taken from prison and
from judgment. Who shall declare his generation?
For he was cut off out of the land of the living. For the transgression
of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the
wicked. and with the rich in his death, because he had done
no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Oh my! And what was the outcome of all
that? What was the purpose of all that?
Christ trotting the winepress alone. being forsaken by God,
being made sin. Please, please tell me that wasn't
for a maybe. Surely he didn't suffer so. He
didn't endure the wrath of God for a perchance or a hope, so
surely that cannot be. And bless God it wasn't, because
Isaiah went on the right, yet it pleased the Lord to bruise
him. He had put him to grief. When thou shalt make his soul
an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, and he shall prolong
his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his
hand. He shall see it to develop his soul, and he shall be satisfied. He'll be satisfied because He
shall bring everyone to glory that God chose in Him and those
that He redeemed, they will be with Him where He is. That's
the joy that was set before Him and He shall be satisfied. By
His knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many for He shall
bear their iniquities. Now compare that to a verse in
John chapter 12, our Lord speaking, verse 24 of John 12. Barely,
barely, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the
ground and die, it abideth alone. But, but, if it dies, it bringeth
forth much more. Jesus is that pure single grain
of corn that fell into the ground and by dying brings forth much
fruit. A complete harvest and he will
gather them all finally in the garner of heaven itself. He that
goeth forth weeping, bearing precious seed, I think of this
as my Redeemer, especially it applies to him. He shall doubtless
come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. Let me
wrap this up. The only security the sheep have
is in their shepherd. If the shepherd is wise and good
and strong, they're safe. If the sheep survive, if they
live and flourish, the honor belongs to the shepherd. If the
sheep perish, if the sheep perish, the blame, likewise, belongs
to the shepherd. Because the sheep, after all,
are his responsibility. He shall give an account of them
to God. But glory to his name, he shall
not fail. My sheep hear my voice, and I
know them, and they follow me. And I give them eternal life,
and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them
out of my hand. What if they're tempted? There's
no if about that. They'll be tempted, but they'll
never perish. What if they're tried? They'll
be tried. Again, there's no if about it,
but they'll never perish. What if hell breaks loose upon
them? They'll never perish. What if they sin? They'll sin,
but they'll never perish. What if they sin again? They'll
never perish. What if they fall? They'll never
perish. What if they fall seven times
in a day? They'll never perish. What if they fall 70 times in
a day? They shall never perish. The grace of God will safely
bring them home to the great shepherds, into the great shepherds'
presence. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15,
and the grace of God which was given unto me was not in vain. God's grace never is. It never
returns void. It declares that by grace you
are saved. Not maybe you will be saved,
but saved. Not almost saved, but saved.
Not partly saved, but saved. Saved to the very uttermost.
Saved today. Saved tomorrow. Saved with an
everlasting salvation. Saved with an uttermost salvation.
Saved while living in this world. Saved when dying. Saved as eternity
rolls on. Glory to his name. Saved forever. Neither shall any man pluck them
out of my hand. You're in my hands, the great
shepherd said. And those are the hands that
were pierced to redeem us. Those are the hands of absolute
power. Those are the hands that hold
the reins of universal dominion. Those are the hands that hold
us in life. Those are the hands of God himself. And he says, you're in my hands
and ye shall never I like the hymn by old Augustus Toplady. It goes like this. Let me close
the message just by reading it to you, a couple of verses. The
work which God's goodness began, the arm of his strength will
complete, his promises yea and amen, and never will forfeit
it yet. Things future, nor things that
are now, nor not all things below nor above, can make him his purpose
forego or sever my soul from his love. My name from the palms
of his hands eternity will not erase. Impressed on his heart
it remains in marks of indelible grace. Yes, I to the end shall
endure as sure as the earnest is given, more happy but not
more secure, the glorified spirits in heaven. Amen. Amen. God bless you.