“To him the porter openeth and the sheep hear his voice; and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.” John 10:3
Dear Ones:
In this world, with an increasing number of people, we are apt to be “lost in the crowd.” Especially, if we are living in an urban area, and see the multitude of people around us, we are apt to believe that we are not significant, and that we are not particular, singular, of great value and importance to our Maker and Redeemer. Such was the attitude of Israel when Isaiah wrote: “But Zion said, ‘The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord HATH FORGOTTEN me.'” (Is. 49:14) It is then that the Lord asks the question to answer the nation, and the single soul: “Can a woman forget her nursing child that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb?” He goes on to declare: “Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.” (v. 15) Now, we might say that the Lord was addressing Israel, His chosen people. What about the individual? What about God’s attitude towards me, us?
In the book of Hebrews, we read of the Lord Jesus, “…that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man.” (2:9) All of a sudden, we are ushered into the reality of the value of a soul, the priceless worth that God has put upon every individual…indeed, “for every man.” We know that “God so loved the WORLD, that he gave His only begotten Son,…” to die for us all. But have we truly grasped how that gift has been designed, and the extent of the purpose of God? Christ not only came to live and die for ALL men, nations, etc. He came to die for ME, for YOU. This is one reason for which we read in John’s gospel: “…He calleth His own sheep BY NAME.”
There is a wonderful book, written by G.Campbell Morgan, entitled: The Great Physician. It is a compilation of meetings that Jesus had with individuals throughout the Bible. He deals with how the Lord, as the Great Physician, deals with the needs of the individual soul. We see the Lord Jesus sometimes in crowds of people, walking with them, talking with them, and then He will stop and address the cry of a blind beggar, or a woman whose life depends upon her touching the edge of his garment. We find Him confronting a demon-possessed man, who is out of his mind, and yet has a desire and will to come to Christ. We even see Jesus, just before He is crucified, in private counsel with Pilot, seeking to awaken in him enough interest and conviction that he too will come to believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and be saved. In all of these instances, and so many more, we see Jesus meeting the individual, in essence, calling them by their name. Has He changed in our day?
Many years after the death and ascension of the Lord Jesus, after the Gospel had spread throughout the then known world, groups of churches sprang up. In the book of the Revelation, Jesus addresses seven of these churches, which had different needs. His message to each would be addressed to the entire body of the church in the different localities, but He concluded every letter by saying this: “To him that overcometh…” Why does He say this? It is because of the abundant, sufficient, and wondrous grace of God given to all men, and in particular, to the “single soul.” The redemption of Christ is universal in its appeal. The essence, power, and life of the work of redemption, is a person, individual matter. Christ tasted death for every man, that every man should know the reality of His saving Life, His Power, and His Love. Thus, He has called us each by our names.
Dear Father, give us to understand the beauty, and wonder of this glorious gospel, by which we can know this marvelous gift of the grace of God. Anoint our eyes to see the wondrous blessing, and highest calling of fellowship with Thee, and the Lord Jesus, by the Spirit. Our eyes are upon Thee to lead each of us forth in this fellowship with Thee. We thank and praise Thee, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad