JOHN 10:11-18 – I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
THEME OF THE DAY. THE DANGER OF FAMILIARITY. It appears five times in today’s scripture. Three times it is explicitly stated with the words, “The good shepherd lays down his life, I lay down my life” and two times implicitly stated with the words “I lay it down.” Our Lord is placing great emphasis on His willing sacrifice of Himself for His sheep.
There is a danger in Him doing so. It is called “familiarity.” We know the Lord Jesus died for us. We know He willingly left heaven and gave Himself as our sin substitute. We know the Gospel. The question we must ask ourselves is, “Has the good news of the Gospel become ‘old news’ in our hearts?” What I want us to really think about is this . . . Is our familiarity with the truth that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” causing us to lose the wonder and awe over God’s incredible grace and gift? I fear this. For me, for you, for anyone in a Bible-believing church and daily reads their Bibles. Even as a pastor, I fear losing my sense of awe, gratitude, and praise for the sacrifice of the Son of God for me. So, what are some warning signs we may be drifting into a lukewarm spiritual condition due to familiarity with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus. Here are two . . .
First, a Christian with a heart growing cold due to “Gospel familiarity” will be a prayerless Christian. Oh, this believer will offer a quick, mindless, routine utterance of thanksgiving over a meal, but regular times of fervent prayer seeking the face of God for communion with Him will be absent. The desire to pray alone or with other believers doesn’t exist, or if it does, it is so weak that it doesn’t move the will to action. What is the reason for this prayerlessness? The Gospel is no longer renewing the mind, enflaming the heart, and moving the will. When the Gospel is alive and fresh in the heart of a believer, fervent prayer to know Him who is the Gospel is present.
Another warning sign that a heart has lost the “wow” factor over the fact Christ died for sinners is ease of missing church and opportunities to hear the Word of God, particularly, the Gospel, preached. Healthy, God-fearing, Gospel-thrilled Christians love to hear the Word preached. They know that God has ordained preaching as the primary means to proclaim His Gospel. Such awareness keeps them faithful to church and the preached Word. They will not allow anything but an emergency keep them from being in and under the Word preached. It is food for the soul and fuel to keep their hearts aflame with the Gospel. And it is the preached Word, anointed by the Spirit, that prevents familiarity with the Gospel.
Fellow believer be aware of the danger of familiarity. Guard the heart. Keep it in praying frame and a listening frame to the Word preached. These will safeguard us from being too familiar with the death of our glorious Savior.
PRAYER: “Father, may my life be a living sacrifice as I see more and more the Great Sacrifice of Your Son for me.”
QUOTE: “To give our life daily to the Lord is not only right and proper, but an act of praise for Him giving His life for us.”