Highfields Baptist Church

“Can the Sheep be Lost?” - John 10:28-30

We looked at the question, 'Who are the sheep?' Jesus answered it plainly: his sheep hear his voice and follow him. Not as a one-time event, but as an ongoing relationship. That may have raised a question: If the sheep are defined by ongoing hearing and following, then what do we do with what Jesus says next?
"I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone sn**ch them out of My hand."

Doesn't that settle it? Doesn't that mean that once you're in, you're permanently in, regardless of what happens next? For centuries Christians debated texts like these, and regardless of how they understand it they have all read those words and drawn enormous comfort from them. This is one of the most comforting promises Jesus ever gave.

But what exactly is being promised? Read those words carefully; carefully enough to feel their full weight, and to see precisely what they guarantee. We will look at what kind of threat Jesus is addressing. We will ask who the "they" of verse 28 refers to. And we will hold this passage alongside the other great security texts of the New Testament, to see how they fit together with the warning passages.

The goal is not to make you anxious. The goal is the opposite. John wrote his first letter so that believers could know they have eternal life, not hope nervously, but know. Genuine assurance is available and God wants you to have it, both the comfort and the call.

Hear Jesus say: "No one can sn**ch you from my hand". But also hear the warning that his sheep must abide in him. Both are true. Both are for you.

Blessings
Highfields Baptist Church

"Can The Sheep Be Lost?" - John 10:28-30 Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

"I Am The Door" - John 10:7-10

There is a moment in Exodus 33 that gives helpful background information. Israel has just committed one of the great acts of covenant betrayal in her history, the golden calf, and God's response is to move. The Tent of Meeting, which was meant to sit at the centre of the camp, is pitched outside, at a distance. And when Moses goes out to meet with God, the people watch from their own tent doors. They rise, they worship, but they do not follow.

Only one man crosses the threshold on their behalf. It is a picture of what sin does. It creates distance between a holy God and an unholy people. The door is there, but it is out of reach. That image hung over Israel for fifteen centuries. For over 500 years the second temple stood without the glory of God returning to fill it. For 400 of those years, not even a prophetic voice broke the silence. And into that silence, different groups offered their solutions, stricter regulation, wilderness separation, political revolution. Every one of them was making the same promise: our door is the only way. But Jesus makes a profound claim: I am the door. Not a gatekeeper, not someone who holds the key, the door itself.

We are now looking at four verses that carry the weight of the entire Old Testament behind them. John 10:7-10 is not simply Jesus claiming to be the best route to God among several options. It is the claim that the long exile is over, that the glory which left the camp has returned, not to a building, not through a system, but as a person. "I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture." John 10:9

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“The True Shepherd and the Sheep” – John 10: 1-6

Jesus speaks about a shepherd and his sheep. It is a simple picture, but it asks a very searching question: whose voice are we listening to?

Most of us know what it is like to live with lots of noise around us. We are surrounded by opinions, advice, and influence. Some of it is helpful, and some of it is not. Some voices sound convincing but can be deceptive. It can be hard to tell the difference at first.

Jesus uses an everyday image from the world of shepherds and sheep. At first, it may seem distant from our world, because not many of us have owned sheep, but it quickly becomes clear that He is speaking about something deeply personal. He is showing us the difference between a true shepherd and false ones, between a voice that can be trusted and voices that cannot. Jesus is speaking about Himself. He wants us to see who He is, how He relates to His people, and why hearing Him matters so much.

This passage also encourages us. Jesus does not speak of His people as if he doesn't know who they are. He speaks of a shepherd who knows his sheep, calls them, and leads them. That means the Christian faith is not mainly about going through religious motions or picking up spiritual ideas here and there. It is about knowing Christ, hearing His voice, and following Him.

At the same time, this part of John’s Gospel also gives us a warning. Not every voice should be trusted, not every spiritual guide is safe, and not everything that sounds impressive is true. Jesus helps us think carefully about who we are following and why. Ask God to help you hear Christ clearly in His Word. Ask Him to give you a heart that is ready to listen, ready to trust, and ready to follow.

"The True Shepherd and His Sheep" - John 10:1-6 Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.