John 10:26-29

26 But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.

27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 

28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 

29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.

“No One Can Snatch Us Away From Jesus”

“I’ve told you who I am. I’ve shown you who I am, but you do not believe me.” Jesus has provided witnesses. He has told them multiple times in multiple ways. He has done miracles that only God could perform. So why don’t they believe? Well…..Jesus gives a fairly simple answer to this question in verse 26. He says, “You don’t believe, because you are not My sheep.” This was not a failure on Jesus’ part. He had done everything possible to make them see who He was. He had done nothing except the will of God. This failure was on the heads of the Jewish leaders, scribes, Pharisees, and any other Jew who didn’t believe. These people thought they belonged to God. They thought they were the chosen of God. But they didn’t realize that if they didn’t belong to Jesus’ flock, then they didn’t belong to God’s flock, because they are the same. 

How do we know if we are a part of Jesus’ flock? Jesus tells us in verse 27. Again, it is a simple answer. To be a part of His flock, we must first hear His voice. He is the good Shepherd who has laid down His life for us. We should want to hear His voice. Of course, when Jesus says hear, He means listen, right? I can remember hearing the Word preached, but not really listening to what was being said. We have to intentionally listen and apply what He tells us to our lives. Next, Jesus has to know us, which He will if we are intentionally listening to His voice with an open heart. And last, we have to follow Him. Following Him means doing what He says for us to do. Doesn’t this sound fairly simple? 

So why was it so hard for the Jews back in the day? The Jews were looking for an earthly king, not a poor carpenter’s son from Nazareth. They wanted a Messiah who met their terms. They had a vision of what the Messiah would be like, and they would not have it any other way. They were God’s chosen people, the children of Abraham… they were too important to follow a man with no earthly status, no important family name, or no place to even call home. They couldn’t let this man threaten their positions in the temple as the spiritual leaders of Israel. And don’t you know they were judging the ones whom Jesus chose to be his twelve disciples? Can’t you just hear them? “And what about these mere fishermen that He has following after Him? Why would He choose these men? And look…..He even has a tax collector following Him!” These Jews were missing the point entirely. Jesus didn’t care about a person’s past. He didn’t and doesn’t care about a person’s job, hometown, or family. He cared back then and still cares now about a person’s heart, and that is all. He only cares about our hearts, and He knows if our hearts are right or not. Why is it so hard for us today? One word… distractions! Do we let the world distract us from God? I know that I’m guilty of being distracted by things that don’t matter at all!  Isn’t that what Satan wants? He wants to keep us distracted. He wants us to spend all our time scrolling on our phones on Facebook or TikTok and never opening God’s Word. He wants us to spend all our time binge-watching shows. Satan is so happy when he sees us choosing those things over God. Satan loves for us to be too busy in the world for God. He wants us to take on too much in the world so that spiritual things are rooted out of our lives. Satan wants us to spread ourselves so thin with worldly, meaningless things that we let the things that truly matter… the spiritual things… slide to the back burner. And eventually, Satan hopes that they slide off the stove completely. It is a slippery slope when we let the world lead us instead of Jesus. Satan knows he has us if he keeps us distracted from what is truly important. He knows that if we are so worn out by all the distractions we face every day that we might just let Jesus slip through the cracks of our lives. I don’t want to let that happen in my life anymore. We are human, and we fall short, but we can always do better… try harder… and be more diligent in our spiritual lives. Jesus deserves our time and very best effort! Let’s give it to Him! Let’s slow down. 

What are the blessings of hearing the voice of Jesus, having Him know us personally, and following Him? Again, another simple answer in verses 28 and 29. Jesus says that we will have eternal life, and we will never die. Then, he says the most comforting thing… ”no one can ever snatch my sheep out of my hand”. Isn’t that comforting? Jesus goes on to say that His Father has given His sheep to Him, and no one will ever snatch them out of His Father’s hand either. Jesus’ hand and His Father’s hand are the same. Why can no one snatch the sheep out of the Father’s hand? Because the Father is greater than all! Nothing can separate Jesus from His sheep. Listen to Paul’s words in Romans 8:38-39, “For I am persuaded 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 created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Who is the only person who can separate me from God? ME! And I know deep down if I am truly one of Jesus’ sheep or not. I just have to ask myself four questions and answer them honestly. Am I listening to Jesus? Does He know me? Have I obeyed Him? Am I faithfully following Him daily? In order for me to be able to say yes to these questions, Jesus has to be first in my life…..His church has to be first as well. I ask myself: Can I say yes to that? 

God’s Plan of Salvation

Below is the plan God has outlined in His Word for humankind to receive His grace, which leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. This plan is straight from the Bible. 

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17) 

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16) 

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32) 

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins.  (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)

Then, we must remain faithful until death or until Jesus returns, whichever comes first. (Rev. 2:10)

God means for everyone to learn what the Bible teaches about being saved. It only takes an open heart for Jesus and a willingness to put away what we’ve been taught in the past, and truly read what God’s Word says for ourselves… and then accept what it says and obey it. If I can help you in any way, I would love to! Are you walking in the light? Are you in Christ? Are you saved? If you aren’t, or if you’re not sure if you are, I’d love to help you. Are you a member of the Lord’s church, but are struggling spiritually in your walk with Christ? If you are… believe me, I’ve been there many times, and I’d love to help you. If you have any questions, please reach out. 

I love God’s Word. It challenges me to be better… to do more in His service. It is interesting and keeps me on the edge of my seat, wondering what will happen next. It gives me confidence and builds me up, and it brings me to my knees when my soul needs convicting! Thank you, Father, for the wonderful gift of Your Word!