John 10:27 - Who Is A Sheep?
John 10:27 - Who Is A Sheep?
John 10:27 (KJV) My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and
they follow me:
In vain do we hear his voice if we do not follow him. (Matthew
Henry's Commentary)
True disciples hear the Lord's voice and follow Him. They know
the security of being united with Him. They neither complain nor
rebel. They obey. Simply put, discipleship is total obedience to
Christ. [Disciple SB]
How do we recognize God's people? What are the marks of faith?
They believe in Jesus. They listen to Jesus' voice. They follow Him.
Confession, obedience, and allegiance are the marks of the true believer.
[Victor Bible Reader's Companion]
They hear His voice, which means they hear His Word and respond
to it. The unsaved have little or no interest in the Bible; true
sheep live in the Word. . . . They follow Christ, which speaks of
obedience. No one has a right to claim to be one of Christ's sheep if he or
she lives in willful, persistent, open disobedience, and refuses to
do something about it. . . . Sheep are a beautiful illustration of
Christians. Sheep are clean animals, and Christians have been cleansed from
their sin. Sheep flock together, and so do true believers. Sheep are
harmless, and Christians should be blameless and harmless. Sheep are given
to wandering--and so are we! Sheep need a shepherd for protection,
guidance, and food; and we need Christ for spiritual protection, daily
guidance, and spiritual food. Sheep are useful and productive; so are true
Christians. Finally, sheep were used for sacrifices; and Christians are
willing to yield themselves for Christ as "living sacrifices" (Rom.
12:1). [Wiersbe Expository Outlines]
We should follow our Lord as unhesitatingly as sheep follow
their shepherd, for he has a right to lead us wherever he pleases. We
are not our own, we are bought with a price--let us recognize the
rights of the redeeming blood. The soldier follows his captain, the
servant obeys his master, much more must we follow our Redeemer, to whom
we are a purchased possession. We are not true to our profession of
being Christians, if we question the bidding of our Leader and
Commander. Submission is our duty, cavilling is our folly. Often might our
Lord say to us as to Peter, "What is that to thee? Follow thou me."
Wherever Jesus may lead us, he goes before us. If we know not where we
go, we know with whom we go. With such a companion, who will dread
the perils of the road? The journey may be long, but his everlasting
arms will carry us to the end. The presence of Jesus is the assurance
of eternal salvation, because he lives, we shall live also. We
should follow Christ in simplicity and faith, because the paths in
which he leads us all end in glory and immortality. It is true they
may not be smooth paths--they may be covered with sharp flinty
trials, but they lead to the "city which hath foundations, whose builder
and maker is God." "All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth
unto such as keep his covenant." Let us put full trust in our Leader,
since we know that, come prosperity or adversity, sickness or health,
popularity or contempt, his purpose shall be worked out, and that purpose
shall be pure, unmingled good to every heir of mercy. We shall find it
sweet to go up the bleak side of the hill with Christ; and when rain
and snow blow into our faces, his dear love will make us far more
blest than those who sit at home and warm their hands at the world's
fire. To the top of Amana, to the dens of lions, or to the hills of
leopards, we will follow our Beloved. Precious Jesus, draw us, and we will
run after thee. [Morning and Evening by Charles H. Spurgeon]
When the mind dwells upon self, it is turned away from Christ,
the source of strength and life. Hence it is Satan's constant effort
to keep the attention diverted from the Saviour and thus prevent
the union and communion of the soul with Christ. The pleasures of
the world, life's cares and perplexities and sorrows, the faults of
others, or your own faults and imperfections--to any or all of these he
will seek to divert the mind. Do not be misled by his devices. Many
who are really conscientious, and who desire to live for God, he too
often leads to dwell upon their own faults and weaknesses, and thus by
separating them from Christ he hopes to gain the victory. We should not
make self the center and indulge anxiety and fear as to whether we
shall be saved. All this turns the soul away from the Source of our
strength. Commit the keeping of your soul to God, and trust in Him. Talk
and think of Jesus. Let self be lost in Him. Put away all doubt;
dismiss your fears. Say with the apostle Paul, "I live; yet not I, but
Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live
by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for
me." Galatians 2:20. Rest in God. He is able to keep that which you
have committed to Him. If you will leave yourself in His hands, He
will bring you off more than conqueror through Him that has loved
you.
When Christ took human nature upon Him, He bound humanity to
Himself by a tie of love that can never be broken by any power save the
choice of man himself. Satan will constantly present allurements to
induce us to break this tie--to choose to separate ourselves from
Christ. Here is where we need to watch, to strive, to pray, that nothing
may entice us to choose another master; for we are always free to do
this. But let us keep our eyes fixed upon Christ, and He will preserve
us. Looking unto Jesus, we are safe. Nothing can pluck us out of His
hand. In constantly beholding Him, we "are changed into the same image
from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." 2
Corinthians 3:18. SC71, 2
Jesus places mankind in two categories: those who follow Him
and those who do not. Those who follow Him are in the minority and
must struggle against the current of our time in order to be obedient
to Him. The Lord calls His followers to a life of selflessness;
the world encourages each to get all that he can. The Lord calls
His followers to a life of patient waiting; the world urges
immediate gratification. The Lord calls His followers to labor for the
kingdom; the world strives for bigger, better, and the most now. What do
you do more than others? Are you more selfless or selfish? Are you
waiting or striving? Does what you do have eternal or temporal
significance? Think about it! [In His Time; Walk With Wisdom]
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