29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one."
The sheep in Jesus’ pasture are secured by God’s power and protection. Weak as we are, those in the flock of our Lord shall all be saved – none lost or cast away. God, who is greater than all, has set His promise on it. What He has said that He will also do - this being a doctrine for the follower of Christ which is full of assurance, encouragement and consolation. Once a believer is truly converted, we are joined to Jesus and we will never be cut off from Him. Christ has said it and Christ cannot lie. Therefore we must take care that we belong to His flock, that we are the sheep of His pasture. We find the following Truths in Isaiah:
8 "Remember this, fix it in mind, take it to heart, you rebels. 9 Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. 10 I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. Isaiah 46:8-10 (NIV)
“Our salvation is certain, because it is in the hand of God. Our faith is weak, and we are prone to waver: but God, who hath taken us under His protection is sufficiently powerful to scatter with a breath all the power of our adversaries. It is of great importance to turn our eyes to this.” John Calvin
The enemy of our souls may be strong and mighty and certainly beyond our frail human power to battle yet he remains no match for our Savior who is ever mightier and through His power and strength we are able to stand our ground against Satan’s scheming attacks. We do not have to give the adversary an inch – he is a defeated foe albeit he remains fiercely battling for the souls of men. Paul tells us in Colossians the glorious truth that Christ has disarmed Satan’s power and authority over the believer by the cross making us alive with Christ:
13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. Col 2:13-15 (NIV)
This is why Scripture tells us we are able through Christ’s power to withstand all temptations:
13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. 1 Cor 10:13 (NIV)
If Satan cannot keep us from being saved, he certainly attempts to keep us from being used for kingdom work – works that are eternal in nature – works that are wheat rather than chaff. This is why Paul’s exhortation to believers in Ephesians to don the full armor of God is essential:
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Eph 6:10-18 (NIV)
“Want of trust is at the root of almost all our sins and all our weaknesses, and how shall we escape it but by looking to Him and observing His faithfulness. The man who holds God’s faithfulness will not be foolhardy or reckless, but will be ready for every emergency.” Hudson Taylor
Lastly, our Lord also states in our verses for today that He and the Father are One in essence, nature, dignity, power, will and operation. He who has the Son has the Father as well. They are in total unity – they are always working together. Their relationship is one of continuous love. To dishonor God the Son is to dishonor God the Father. Earlier in John Jesus states:
23 that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him. 24 "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. John 5:23-24 (NIV)
16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 1 John 4:16, 18 (NIV)