Live in Certainty!

John 10:27-30 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one.”

A new year is always an exciting time, but it is also a time of uncertainty. When we look forward to the future, even if we have wonderful plans made, we still face the unknown. Looking at a new year, we are reminded of our own limitations-we cannot see what lies ahead. This can make us uncomfortable and even fearful, but the Lord has words of certainty for us as we start a new year. We know that Jesus spoke these words around December 22^nd because it was during the feast of dedication, and it was winter. (verse 22) I like to call this passage Jesus’ Christmas Message.

In verse 24, the unbelieving Jews asked the Lord Jesus to tell them for certain if He was “the Christ.” Repeatedly in Scripture, the Lord made His claim to be both the Messiah and God. We know that the Jews understood these claims because, as they did here, they rose up to kill Him for blasphemy in claiming to be God! They wanted certainty, but they did not have hearts to believe it when they heard it.

Let’s look at the secure words Christ gives to those that know Him: “I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.” Notice all of the absolute terms he uses: never, any, all, no man. Jesus’ words for us can bring us stability, even when we do not know everything that the future holds.

The truth is, the future is as secure as God is! No amount of time will ever exceed eternity-He is eternal. No power will ever exceed Him-He is all-powerful. Instead of worrying about everything we do not know, we ought to live in the light of Who and what we know for certain: Our Lord will never change, and His promises will never fail.

Instead of believing what the Lord said, the Jews resented what He said and “took up stones again to stone him.” (verse 31) Even today, the unbelieving world has not changed. They resent Christians who live with certainty. They resent anyone who lives by absolutes. Do not let the unbelieving world influence the way you live your life! Base your thoughts and choices on the certainty of God and His Word-He will never change.

I love the passage in Psalm 139 that says, “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.” As God’s children, we cannot go anywhere that God will not be! His presence with us is a certainty.