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Message Preached at Northland Bible Church, Tomahawk, Wisconsin
by Pastor Paul Daniel from India
Sunday, October 2, 2016
The Lord calls us His sheep. It is not a flattering remark. Sheep cannot speak for themselves nor care for themselves. They need a shepherd. That’s where the Lord comes into our lives. The Holy Spirit is called “The Comforter” (John 14:16; 16:7). Do not misunderstand the title of “Comforter.” He is not one who is just trying to soothe you and make you feel better. The word for “Comforter” means “one who stands alongside of you and speaks for you.” Sheep cannot speak for themselves. They need an advocate. The Holy Spirit stands by us and speaks for us and fights for us!
Now we have three phrases in Scripture to describe the care that Christ has for His sheep:
- The Sheep on His Shoulder – Provision
- The Sheep in His Hand – Protection
- The Sheep in His Bosom – Presence
The Sheep on His Shoulder
Luke 15:1-7 describes a lost sheep that the shepherd must seek and find. When a sheep is found he puts it on his shoulder and carries it home. This shows Christ’s provision on the cross. He came for us and found us. He purchased our redemption so that He could take us to His home with His Father (John 14:1-6).
The Sheep in His Hand
John 10:27-30 tells us that we are in the hand of Christ, The Good Shepherd, and also in the hand of the Father. The Father and His Son hold us in their protective hand, nurturing us and also protecting us from enemies. God said, long ago, that we were engraved in the palms of His hands (Isaiah 49:16). Sometimes we write notes on our hands so that we remember things. But the ink will later wash off. When God engraves us in His hands, that will never wash away or wear out. That is His permanent commitment to always remember us.
The Sheep in His Bosom
Isaiah 40:11 tells us that our Lord will carry us in His bosom. This means that He keeps us close and intimate with Him. When we belong to Christ, we are put in the middle, between the Father and the Son (John 14:26). And where is the Holy Spirit? ...He is within us (John 14:16-18). How secure and intimate is that? Think of our union with the Triune God. When we pray, we begin by addressing the Father. We end in the name of His Son. The Holy Spirit gives us all the words in between! See John 14:13-20; 15:7, 16; 16:23, 26-27; Romans 8:26; Ephesians 6:18; Jude 20.
So, in summary,
When He puts us on His shoulder, we have transformation and salvation.
(II Corinthians 5:17)
When He keep us in His hand, we are able to resist the world and be transformed by a renewed mind. (Romans 12:2)
When He holds us in His bosom, we are able to behold the Lord and be transformed into His glorious image, from glory to glory. (II Corinthians 2:18) | 
