THE CODE 20 october 2025 www.goodnewsfl.org Good News • South Florida edition "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand” (John 10:27-28 NKJV). Laced through the verses of the tenth chapter of John's gospel are promises to us from our Lord related to how He cares for us like a shepherd cares for his own sheep. These words of Jesus are packed with principles and promises. He knows us - everything about us - past, present and future. He gives us eternal life, the greatest of all gifts. He promises that we shall never perish. And He reminds us that we are securely held in His strong hand, so much so that nothing and no one can snatch us from His grasp. This analogy of the shepherd and his sheep is not unique to the New Testament. Many millions through the ages have heard these words of the psalmist King David: "The LORD is my Shepherd" (Psalm 23:1). Along with the familiar John 3:16, these are the words whispered by many a soldier in a foxhole on a foreign battlefield on some star-filled night. These words of promise are the syllables often formed by the chapped lips of dying saints on their deathbeds of affliction. "The LORD is my Shepherd." David was not always a king. He got his start in the shepherds' fields of Bethlehem, tending sheep. Only a real shepherd could have penned the words we find in the six short verses of Psalm 23. In fact, the first five words - "The LORD is my shepherd" - hold the key to understanding Jesus' use of the shepherd-sheep analogy. The Lord is preeminent The Bible does not say, "A Lord is my shepherd." It says, "The LORD is my shepherd.” He is preeminent. There is no other Lord. He has no peer. His is the name that is "above every name" (Philippians 2:9). The word translated Lord in Psalm 23:1 Our Good Shepherd stands alone is the Hebrew word yahweh. The Jews above all others. regard this name as so holy they will not even speak of it audibly or write it on paper. Only God's record book in heaven has recorded how many martyrs of the church went to their deaths and laid down their lives because they insisted on these two words: "The Lord." In the early church, they would neither bow nor bend to confess that Caesar was Lord. They gave their lives because they were convinced there was only one Lord, and His sweet name is Jesus. The Lord is present But that is not all. David continued, "The LORD is my shepherd." He is not only preeminent, He is present. This is not past tense. He did not say, "The Lord was my shepherd." It is not future tense. He did not say, "The Lord will be my shepherd." This promise is for you and me right now. He is our Shepherd. He is with you to meet whatever need you may have this very moment as you read these words. Moses was another Bible shepherd who found himself one day tending sheep on the back side of a desert when God began to speak to him from a burning bush. Upon receiving instructions to return to Egypt to be the great emancipator of the Jews, he inquired about who he should say had sent him to lead such a task. God replied, "I AM WHO I AM… Thus you shall say...'I AM has sent me to you"' (Exodus 3:14). He is the Great I AM... not the Great I WAS, or the Great I WILL BE. No wonder David said, "The LORD is my shepherd." And no wonder Jesus often repeated, "1 am the Good Shepherd." The Lord is personal Next comes the promise that He is personal. David did not say, “The Lord is a shepherd." No! Look closely. "The LORD is my shepherd." That little two-letter, onesyllable possessive pronoun, my, makes a difference. We may get word that’s personal. This is someone's little child is deathly sick, and my Shepherd. We have compassion and feel sorrow. But what a difference it would make if it were my child. This is personal. This is my Shepherd. The awesome discovery that the God of this universe and of all created order is concerned about me personally gives purpose and meaning to my short sojourn on this speck of a planet in His vast expanse. Unfortunately, not everyone can say this and claim this promise. Jesus said "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life" (John 10:27-28). Christ's sheep know His voice, and they follow Him. He is personal. He is my Shepherd. The Lord is protective One thousand years after King David wrote this psalm, One appeared on the scene who said He was the One of whom David wrote. He said, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep" (John 10:11). Our shepherd is protective. This is the very nature of a shepherd. He is there to protect his sheep. Without him the sheep could not find their way to water and life's necessities. The shepherd keeps a constant vigil for wild animals or other dangers that could harm his sheep. Who can forget the story Jesus told of the shepherd in Luke 15 who left the fold to search out the one lost sheep until he found it and carried it back rejoicing all the way? And there is a final thought. If you have ever witnessed a shepherd at work, he is always in front of the flock. He, unlike a cattle rancher, is not found in the back of his stock driving and whipping them. A shepherd leads the flock. Jesus will never force you to follow. He will never drive you. But, like a shepherd, He is leading you - even now. His sheep hear His voice... they know Him... and they follow Him. And what a promise: "They shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand." Taken from The Promise Code by O.S. Hawkins. Copyright © 2022 by Dr. O.S. Hawkins. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson. O. S. Hawkins is the Legacy Pastor of First Baptist Church of Fort Lauderdale, chancellor of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and President Emeritus of GuideStone. He has served pastorates, including the First Baptist Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and the First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, for more than 25 years. A native of Fort Worth, Texas, he has a BBA from Texas Christian University and his MDiv and Ph.D. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. For almost a quarter of a century, he served as president of GuideStone Financial Resources, with assets under management of $20 billion, serving 250,000 pastors, church staff members, missionaries, doctors, university professors, and other workers in various Christian organizations with their investment, retirement and benefit service needs. He is the author of more than 40 books and regularly speaks to business groups and churches nationwide. All of the author’s royalties and proceeds from the Code series support Mission:Dignity. You can learn more about Mission:Dignity by visiting MissionDignity.org. - Dr. O.S. Hawkins - Chancellor, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary The Promise of Eternal Security
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