"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me" (John 10:27). The Lord's sheep are blessed with a preeminent Savior, a present salvation and a promise of future glory.
1. The sheep were known by Jehovah in old eternity. "I have loved thee with an everlasting love" (Jeremiah 31:3).
2. The sheep were chosen by the Father in Christ unto salvation before the foundation of the world. "All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me" (John 6:37).
3. The sheep were committed to the care of the Surety-Shepherd in the covenant of grace. "By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament" (Hebrews 7:22).4. The sheep were redeemed from the hands of divine justice by the blood of the Shepherd. "I am the good Shepherd; the good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep" (John 10:11).
5. The sheep are called by effectual grace to believe the Shepherd. They are made to "hear My voice," consequently, "they follow Me."
6. The sheep are acknowledged by the Shepherd as belonging to Him, therefore He calls us "My sheep." He is "not ashamed to call us brethren" (Hebrews 2:11).
7. The sheep follow the Shepherd, "they follow me." Not only do the sheep follow Christ in this life - believing Him, seeking His will and His glory - they also follow Him all the way to heaven where the Shepherd will be the eternal Object of their praise.