John 10:27
“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."
Be ye comforted, all you who are tried and buffeted with difficulties in your way towards heaven, difficulties from without and difficulties from within, difficulties abroad and difficulties at home, grief for your own sins and grief for the sins of others: the Good Shepherd Jesus knows you well, though you may not think it. You never shed a secret tear over your own corruption, you never breathed a single prayer for forgiveness and helping grace, you never made a single struggle against wickedness, which He did not remark and note down in the book of His remembrance.
You need not fear His not understanding your wants, you need not be afraid your prayers are too poor and unlearned to be attended to; He knows your particular necessities far better than you do yourselves, and your humble supplications are no sooner offered up than heard. You may sometimes sigh and mourn for want of Christian brethren, you may sometimes lament that you have not more around you with whom you might take sweet converse about salvation; but remember there is a Good Shepherd, who is ever about your path and about your bed, His eyes are on all your movements, and no husband, brother, father, mother, sister, friend, could take more tender interest in your soul’s welfare than He does.
If you transgress He will grieve, but He will chasten and bring you back; if you bear good fruit, He will rejoice and give more grace; if you sorrow He will bind up your broken heart and pour in balm; He is ever watching and observing and listening; none so humble and lowly but He is acquainted with all their ways.
Oh, what a blessed and comfortable thing to be known of Christ, known and marked as His friends, His relations, His dear children, His beloved family, His purchased possession! Here we are often cast down, often discouraged, often persecuted, often spoken against, often misunderstood, — but let us take courage, our Lord and Master knows all. A day shall come when we shall no longer see through a glass darkly, but face to face — a day when we shall know even as we are now known; for the union between us and our Redeemer, which we so often feel disposed to doubt, shall then be clearly seen, and we shall no more go out to battle.
True Christians shall never perish. Are they not Christ’s special property, the servants of His house, the members of His family, the children of His adoption? Then surely He will never let them be overthrown, He will watch them as tenderly as we watch over our own flesh and blood, He will guard them as we guard our valuable and precious possessions, He will cherish them as we cherish that which is most dear to our hearts; He never would have laid down His life for their sakes if He had intended to give them up.
“Never perish”! Kings of the earth and mighty men shall depart and be no more seen; thrones and dominions and principalities, rich men and honourable men shall be swept into the tomb, but the humblest Christian cottager shall never see death everlasting, and when the heavens shall pass away as a scroll, and earth with all its fair clothing shall be burned up, that man shall be found to have a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. That man may be poor in this world and lightly esteemed, but I see in him one who shall be a glorious saint, when those who perchance had more of this life’s good things shall be in torment; I am confident that nothing shall ever separate him from the love of Christ. He may have his doubts, but I know he is provided for, he shall never be lost.
The Lord Jesus says of His sheep, “I give unto them eternal life.” What is the portion which Jesus gives His people? “ETERNAL LIFE” — a perfect, never-ending happiness for that which is the most important part of a man, his immortal soul. They shall not be hurt of the second death, which alone is to be really feared. What greater things could our Lord bestow upon His people? Health and riches and honour and pleasures, houses and lands, and wives and children, what are they? how long do they last? — it is but threescore years and ten, and we must leave them all, and six paces of the vilest earth is room enough for us. Naked came we into the world, and naked must we return unto the dust, and carry nothing with us.
“I give,” He declares, “eternal life.” He does not speak after the fashion of the world; this world is cold, and calculating and heartless; there is little giving, — it is all bargaining and selling and paying what is the value of things. Blessed be God, the Lord Jesus does not deal with sinners as they deal with each other. He gives eternal lifefreely, and of grace, and for nothing, without money and without price; He does not give it because we are worthy or deserving, nor yet because we shall show ourselves worthy and deserving; but He gives it as a free gift, because He loves us and has set His affection upon us.
Jesus says of His sheep, “They shall never perish,” — they shall never be finally cast away, if they have once been sealed and numbered in my flock. They may have many a slip and many a fall, they may experience many a shortcoming and many a backsliding, but they shall never be lost eternally, they shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation. Where are those fearful Christians, who will have it they may be Christ’s sheep and yet come short at last? behold the assurance of Him who cannot lie, — “they shall never perish.”
“Never perish”! Kings of the earth and mighty men shall depart and be no more seen; thrones and dominions and principalities, rich men and honourable men shall be swept into the tomb, but the humblest Christian cottager shall never see death everlasting, and when the heavens shall pass away as a scroll, and earth with all its fair clothing shall be burned up, that man shall be found to have a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. That man may be poor in this world and lightly esteemed, but I see in him one who shall be a glorious saint, when those who perchance had more of this life’s good things shall be in torment; I am confident that nothing shall ever separate him from the love of Christ. He may have his doubts, but I know he is provided for, he shall never be lost.
Jesus adds, “Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” There is assurance upon assurance, that none may have an excuse for doubting. There is always something plucking at Christ’s sheep: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life, the devil, and the world are ever striving hard to destroy them; but they shall not succeed. Think you the devil will give up his kingdom without a mighty struggle? Oh no, he goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour; he wars a constant warfare with all who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ, but the word of God is pledged that he shall never prevail. Not all the powers of darkness shall avail to quench one single spark of real gospel faith.
Are ye indeed Christ’s sheep? Then beware of ever trusting to yourselves; nothing offends the Good Shepherd more than to see the members of His flock, forgetting that in Him alone is all their safety, and glorying in their own attainments and performances. Think not of your weak endeavours; think not to say, “I do very little, and therefore have very little hope, — by-and-by I trust I shall do much, and then I shall have much hope”; your best performances and attempts towards heaven are in themselves but broken reeds, and can bear no weight; they are precious as evidences of spiritual life, but they cannot justify. Think only of your Saviour Jesus Christ, trust Him entirely, love Him affectionately, look to Him continually: as long as you lean on Him you are strong and none can touch you, without Him and in your own might you are weak and unstable as water.
Are ye indeed Christ’s sheep? Then beware of wandering from the pasture He has provided. The devil and the old Adam would often persuade you there is no need for this diligence in using means of grace: “Surely,” they will say, “you are not such a babe but you can leave these fields for a short season; surely you need not keep so closely in your Shepherd’s sight.” Christian, take heed and beware of the charmer, charm he never so wisely: diligent private prayer, diligent Scripture searching, diligent gospel hearing, — these are the pastures in which Jesus feeds His flock, and if you turn aside, if you become slack in using them, be sure your soul will soon starve for want of its accustomed nourishment, and you will return to the fold weak and lame and lean and diseased.
Are ye indeed Christ’s sheep? then be sure you will have many a trial; where indeed would be the value of a Saviour, if there were not enemies to be saved from? Yes! you will have many a trial; Satan has great wrath with all who have escaped his snares, and he will bring every engine to bear against your peace; he will start many a doubt within your mind, he will stir up many a vile and blasphemous imagination within the chambers of your heart, many a horrid thought you once would have believed impossible; but still remember those words, “never perish.”
Yes! you will have many a trial: when did the world ever patronise and encourage a true Christian? Oh no, the world will mock and despise, and laugh and frighten, and misrepresent you, and spread false reports, and throw traps in your way, and if it dares it will persecute you; and then there is the flesh, sleepy and drowsy and fond of excuses, always trying to make you believe you have more difficulties than anybody else, deceitful, treacherous, needing constant watchfulness; but still the world and the flesh can never turn you back, except you are a graceless traitor; remember those blessed words “never perish.”
Christian, you may be perplexed, but you never need despair; you may be persecuted but you are not forsaken, cast down but not destroyed; you may have tribulation, but you shall not have condemnation; you shall be saved from your enemies and from the hand of all that hate you. Fear none of these things which ye shall suffer; be faithful unto death, and your Good Shepherd shall give you a crown of life. Verily He is gone before to prepare a place for those whom He knows, and where He is in glory there they shall be also.
“For I am persuaded,” says Paul,
“that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God,
which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
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