John 10:26-27
There are a number of descriptions the Bible uses for Christians: Flock, Congregation, Elect, brethren. In fact, before believers were called Christians, they were called People of the way (Acts 9:2, 19:9).
In the text we read, there is one of the descriptions used for Christians: Sheep. “My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me” Jesus made this statement in the context of answering the Jews about his identity. They have seen him perform many miracles and they have heard him make some profound pronouncements. Who is this man? They needed answers. The text tells us they were divided about the identity of Jesus (vv.19-21). So rightly, they approached Jesus to ask him who are you (v.24). And it is in Jesus’ answer, that the text before us came up.
This morning I want us to consider for a title The Sheep of Christ. Notice how Jesus tells the Jews “…you are not among my sheep”. After that statement, he then speaks of who his sheep are: they hear his voice, he knows them, they follow him, he gives them eternal life. So who are the sheep of Christ? There are some descriptions we can glean from the text. (I) They Belong To Him (My sheep v.27 ), (ii) They Believe In Him (v.26), (iii) They Hear Him (v.27) , (iv) They Follow Him (v.27) and most importantly (v) They Are Known By Him
Motivation
What a great joy to be a sheep of Christ. In the a world filled with pain, sorrows, challenges and difficulties, it is indeed encouraging that we are Christ’ sheep. He cares for us. He provides for us. And so this morning let us receive these words with great comfort to our hearts.
The sheep belong to Christ
They Belong To Christ
“My sheep (v.27)
The first phrase of the verse “My Sheep” should not be glossed over. It is a possessive pronoun. The same phrase is in the verse 26. “My sheep” It means the sheep belongs to Jesus. He owns them. They are his. He has power and authority over them. You observe while we came to John 10 that Jesus in the earlier verses describes himself as The Good Shepherd (vv.11, 14).
Of course if he is a Shephered, then he must have a sheep. And anyone who is a sheep of Jesus belongs to him. Dear friends, Jesus owns us. He owns you. He owns me.
….do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
You are not your own. Let that sink in. In the words of the Psalmist, “we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture” (Psalm 100:3). What great encouraging words to belong to the God of the universe. Paul in his epistles often describes himself as a bondservant of Christ.
Who is a bondservant?
The word translated “bondservants” is a term for slaves used throughout the NT. These particular slaves are “under a yoke.” A literal yoke is a “frame used to control working animals The word appears here and elsewhere to describe the condition of slaves in the Roman world. Such slaves were the property of their masters and were required to do whatever their masters told them to do.
So when Paul used that word to describe himself, it meant that he was the property of Christ and is under new allegiance. How did Paul become the property of Christ? He was bought from sin and reconciled to God. Now today, the closest we can use to describe this relationship is the employer-employee relationship. For those in the corporate world, our bosses are in a sense our masters and we are to obey them.
Though this employer-employee relationship pales in comparison, the greater truth is that Jesus Christ is our master. He is our Lord. He is our God and sovereign. He is the one who bought us from the slave market of sin. He transferred us from the Kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of light (Colossians 1:13). Once you were slaves to Satan, but now you belong to Jesus. Do you belong to Jesus? Are you sure? One of the ways we can know is that you have believed in him. Those who belong to Christ
Believe In Him
“you do not believe because you are not among my sheep” (v.26)
See, the Christian life, a relationship with Jesus begins from the point of faith in Jesus. Faith in him as our only hope for salvation. Faith in him as the one who died on the cross to reconcile us to God. Notice carefully what Jesus told the Jews in vv. 25-26. They didn’t believe because they are not his sheep. This means that Jesus’ sheep will believe in him. So brethren, anyone who has believed in Jesus we can say is the sheep of Christ: you don’t believe because you are not among my sheep. This means his sheep will believe in him. Have you believed in Jesus? Then you are his sheep. And you should have that confidence and boldness that you have been reconciled to God. To believe is to trust. To believe is to depend on. To believe is to find our satisfaction and joy in Christ. Have you believed? Or you are still considering?
Dear friends you want to know you belong to Christ? Just believe. An old hymn says
“Look and live,”….
Look to Jesus now and live.
’Tis recorded in His Word, Hallelujah!
It is only that you “look and live.”
That’s all it takes brethren: Look and live. Look to Jesus. Some people find it too simple to embrace. You mean I should just believe in Jesus? Yes, friends, what else do you want to do? You want to work to pay for your sins? You want to earn your forgiveness? No, you can’t pay for anything. All you have to do is to believe: “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame” (Romans 10:9-11).
Now when we believe in Christ, we are brought into union with him. That is we enter a saving relationship with him. And in this relationship, as our Shepherd, he instructs us, he corrects us, he guides us, he leads us. Jesus is the Shepherd in Psalm 23: “He leads me beside still waters.”He leads me in paths of righteousness. To be instructed. To be guided and to be led simply then means those who are Jesus’ Sheep hear him
They hear him
My sheep hear my voice…”
“…my sheep hear my voice” Nowadays there is a lot of talk about hearing the voice of God. People offer techniques to hear the voice of God. They teach strategies to tune into the voice of God. Book shelves are filled with volumes about hearing the voice of God. Some say tune out all noises. Empty yourself. Listen within you. All these lead to dangerous grounds.
It is said that a Shepherd has a language for guiding and leading their sheep. It may be a sound. It may be a shout. But whatever it is a Shepherd speaks to his flock and they hear him. In the same way, Jesus speaks to his sheep and they hear him. But the big question is, how do they him him? We hear him through the written word—the Bible: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2Timothy 3:16).
Dear friends, if anyone tells you they have a word from God from you, it better be a Chapter, a verse, an encouragement from a proper interpretation of Scripture or a godly advice. Away with all these God told me, God said I should tell you mantra. Open your Bible and read and you will hear God speak to you in understanding and illumination of Scripture. God speaks and he speaks through Scripture. And that is the way the believer is going to hear from Jesus and have communion with him. Open your Bible and read.
Someone may ask, what about intuition, gut feelings, hunches etc? Answer, everyone feels them, but we cannot build our whole life directions on these. The only infallible means through which God speaks to us is through his word. You want to hear the voice of Jesus? Read your Bible. Listen to this
The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man’s salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of men. Nevertheless, we acknowledge the inward illumination of the Spirit of God to be necessary for the saving understanding of such things as are revealed in the Word: and that there are some circumstances concerning the worship of God, and government of the Church, common to human actions and societies, which are to be ordered by the light of nature, and Christian prudence, according to the general rules of the Word, which are always to be observed. ” – Westminster Confession of Faith 1.6
What’s the essence of hearing Jesus? That we may obey him. That we may live for him. That we will take his instructions. That we may follow him. The Sheep Of Jesus follows him
They Follow Him
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me”
To follow Jesus is to obey his words and his commands. It is to live our lives to please him. It is a life of sacrifice. “If you love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). This is a clear charge from Jesus. We are to follow him. We are to die to sin. We are to walk in a path of rigtheousness. Brethren, if you do an assessment of your life, are you following Jesus? Or you are living your life to please your selfish self. Will you be one who can be described as following Jesus? And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). Following Jesus is a life of self-denial. It is a life of sacrifice for the kingdom. Jesus leads. We follow. Will you consider your life as a life lived in self-denial and sacrifice? Consider your ways, are they pleasing to God? Are you following Jesus?
When Jesus saves us, he saves us to let go. And this is one of the reasons many people will not come to Jesus. They still want to have their own way. They still as we say, want to eat their cake and have it. But Jesus will have none of that. When he calls us, he calls us unto a whole hearted devotion.
Now finally,
Jesus Knows Those Who Are His
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me”
“I know them”…. “I know them” Dear believer, Jesus knows you. You are not just a random number. He knows you as an individual. Let’s look back at something in the verse 3. It speaks of the relationship between the sheep and the shepherd. Again a langugae of knowing: “…he calls his own sheep by name” Jesus knows his people by name. You are his sheep if you have believed in him. He died to save sinner from sin. He calls his sheep by name. This is intimate language. His call is directed at individuals. He calls by name. We can have moments of doubts and we all do sometimes about whether God loves us or not.
See, if you are a Christian, you can be sure of this, that God knows you: “Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.” (Isaiah 49:16).
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