1220 – The Good Shepherd’s Desire Is for All to be Saved 好牧人愿人人都得救恩

John 10:16 (NKJV) And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.Jesus came to His people, namely the Jews through the Abrahamic covenant and they were the sheep in the sheepfold in this passage when Jesus spoke these words to His disciples. However, God’s love is for the whole world and God wants the Gentiles to receive salvation too. God had planned for missions to the Gentiles after the Pentecost and for their incorporation into the one church of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Gentiles are the “other sheep” that Jesus had in mind when He spoke these words. In truth, the Abrahamic covenant had already promised that all the families and nations of the world would be blessed!

Isaiah 53:6 (NKJV) All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

In the natural, sheep will not always be kept in the sheepfold because the shepherd has to bring them out in search of green pastures. At times, there will be hundreds of sheep under the care of a shepherd and not every sheep is following the shepherd in the wide-open terrain. There will be times when some sheep will fall off a cliff, wander away or lose their way.

Many of us are still wandering and doing what we like and have strayed away from the Creator. People are too busy trying to climb the corporate ladder or making their businesses work. God is not their priority until they encounter a major setback or crisis in their lives (e.g. a critical illness, marital problems, business failure etc). There are also many people trying all kinds of ways to look for peace. They might not be aware that religions, philosophy, material goods, worldly achievements or transcendental meditation cannot replace the emptiness in their hearts.

Jesus is looking for you if you are still lost without Him.

Matthew 18:12-13 (NKJV) What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.

You and I matter to God even though some of us might not think or believe it is true. He is searching for everyone who has not accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. You are priceless in the sight of God. He is pursuing you through different means and people. While the pandemic and economic crisis are not acts of God, they are definitely opportunities for God to reach out to everyone who has gone astray from Him by showing us the vulnerabilities, weaknesses and helplessness of man in the midst of it all.

He is pursuing us and nudging us to get to know Him because He loves the world and desires for none to perish without Him. Will you not come into the sheepfold of the loving Shepherd today?

Sermon Series: Who Is Shepherding You?


好牧人愿人人都得救恩

约翰福音 10:16 我 另 外 有 羊 , 不 是 这 圈 里 的 ; 我 必 须 领 他 们 来 , 他 们 也 要 听 我 的 声 音 , 并 且 要 合 成 一 群 , 归 一 个 牧 人 了 。

耶稣来到他的子民 – 即亚伯拉罕之约的犹太人—中间,这段经文中耶稣对祂的门徒所说的“圈里的羊”指的就是犹太人。 但是神的爱是给全世界的,神希望外邦人也能得到救赎。 神在五旬节之后计划了外邦人的事工,并将其纳入归于主耶稣基督的同一教会。外邦人正是耶稣讲这些话时心中所记挂着的“另外的羊”。实际上,亚伯拉罕盟约已经应许,世界上所有的家庭和民族都会得到祝福!

以 賽 亞 書 53:6 我 们 都 如 羊 走 迷 ; 各 人 偏 行 己 路 ; 耶 和 华 使 我 们 众 人 的 罪 孽 都 归 在 他 身 上 。

在自然界中,羊不会总是被关在羊圈中,因为牧羊人需将它们带出来寻找草场。 有时,牧人要独自照看数百只羊,但在广阔的地形中并不是所有羊都会乖乖地跟随牧羊人。 有时候,有些羊会掉下悬崖,离群或走丢。

我们中许多人仍在游荡漂流、按自己的喜好行事,却偏离了造物主。 人们忙于攀登职场阶梯或钻营生意之道。 不到遇到生活中的重大挫折或危机(例如重大疾病,婚姻问题,生意失败等)他们是不会将神列为优先考量的。 也有许多人想方设法地寻求平安。他们可能没有意识到的是,无论宗教,哲学,物质财富,世俗成就还是超验的冥想,都无法取代他们内心的空虚。

若你还处在无主的迷惘,耶稣正在寻找你。

馬 太 福 音 18:12-13一 个 人 若 有 一 百 只 羊 , 一 只 走 迷 了 路 , 你 们 的 意 思 如 何 ? 他 岂 不 撇 下 这 九 十 九 只 , 往 山 里 去 找 那 只 迷 路 的 羊 麽 ?若 是 找 着 了 , 我 实 在 告 诉 你 们 , 他 为 这 一 只 羊 欢 喜 , 比 为 那 没 有 迷 路 的 九 十 九 只 欢 喜 还 大 呢 !

你和我对神来说很重要,即使我们中有些人可能不这样认为或不相信这是真的。 祂正在寻找尚未接受耶稣基督为他们的救主的每个人。 在神的眼中你是无价之宝。 他通过不同的方式和人在追求你。尽管疫情和经济危机并非出于神,但是,藉此展示人类在其中的所呈现的脆弱、软弱及无助,上帝向每一个偏离了祂的人伸出了双手。

祂在追求我们,并鼓励我们来认识祂,因为祂爱世人,绝不想让任何人因为没有祂而灭亡。你还不赶快今天就进入慈爱牧人的羊圈里?

讲章系列:谁在牧养你?