April 17, 2024
Daryel O'Barr, pastor/evangelist
Don't miss the main message of the Bible: God loves us! The relationship of the Shepherd to the Sheep is intended to be a depiction of the love of God.
As we compare people to sheep, it's not very complimentary, for it describes how needy we are, but at the same time, how loving God is to us, His sheep.
Sheep are dumb. Now, this isn't a commentary on our intellectual ability. It's a spiritual comparison. Until a man is sought by the Spirit of God, taught by the Word of God, and literally caught by the loving grasp of the Son of God, man is spiritually ignorant, and utterly unable to cross over to the other side (1 Corinthians 2:14).
But man, like a sheep, having been sought, taught, and caught, can be brought to greener pastures, and more good things can be wrought in him than he could ever find on his own.
Sheep are directionless. They have a tendency to wander aimlessly, and once they are lost, that's it. They have no sense of direction. Their only hope of getting back safely is if the shepherd goes out and finds them.
We can thank God for the direction God has given our lives. Before He found us, we wandered aimlessly. If you aren't saved, the Good Shepherd is looking for you and wants to bring you into His fold of greener pastures. Just as sheep don't look for their shepherd, humans, by nature, don't seek God.
Sheep are defenseless, utterly helpless, timid creatures. Attack a chicken and at least he can peck at you. A dog can bit, a cat can crawl. All a sheep can do is run, and not fast at all. On the other hand, "your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8.).
Everyone wants security. We want job security and a bank account securing us. We want 'social security' but many of us may never see it. We want national security. We want relationship security – the concept of being loved unconditionally and knowing our loved ones will be forever at our side.
But there's a type of security much more important than all of these: spiritual security. We each have a never-dying soul, and we need to know it is secure.
Psalm 23 is about security. The sheep in that psalm brags about the security he has in his shepherd. He needs rest and is made to lie down. He needs food and is led to green pastures. He needs water and is brought beside still waters. The wolves are all around, but he eats at a table in the presence of his enemies with no worries.
The sheep has a security outside of himself. And we want that too. We need to know what happens to our soul after this body quits working!
In verse 28 "never" is a double negative in the Greek. "Not never." In English it's bad grammar, but in the Greek it's just a stronger, more emphatic way of making clear the point that "it ain't ever gonna happen."
Eternal security is a clear and comforting doctrine. This is a major truth in God's Word, and it's always been amazing to me that some people debate it.
If you are saved, then you are safe and secure! I guess it is debated by some because of how so many professing Christians seem to "take advantage" of their soul security. I remind you that the Bible assures you that if that is your attitude, you've never been truly saved!
This doctrine of the Faithful Shepherd who secures us is all about His integrity and faithfulness, not ours.
In and of ourselves, we are insecure. Our security is provided by the Faithful Shepherd. He that saved us is the one who is faithful to keep us saved. How did we get salvation? By grace, as a gift, and not of ourselves.
How do we stay saved? The same way!
