Pastor Marc Likins
John 10:28: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
This is one of the strongest verses in the Bible emphasizing the believer’s assurance of everlasting life in heaven. God’s promise of eternal life, and abundant life, for His sheep is that they shall never perish. As our Shepherd, God is someone who takes care of everything, not just a partner but completely in control. This promise of eternal life is manifested in security from death and most specifically spiritual death.
Death is a traumatic separation of the body and soul, yet spiritual death is the separation of the soul from God, the source of the soul. Physical death is nothing compared to the pain and misery of spiritual death.
The Bible has a vastly different definition of death than the modern, secular understanding. Often, people nowadays view death as natural, the next stage of growth. Yet, the Scriptures disagree. Death is an executioner and an enemy. When you have been in the presence of death, you know that an enemy was present. There is nothing natural about death, and your intuition is right when you feel death is a perversion and monstrosity that should not exist.
The only way to not fear death is through Jesus, because Jesus chose death to give us life. He was not the victim of death. Death has no claim on Jesus like it does for us. Death did not come to Christ; Christ came to death. His willing absorption of death made a way for His followers to have eternal life, and God promises to reunite our soul and body in resurrection one day.
Ask yourself—do you fear death? If you know Jesus as your Savior, you do not have to. Make sure you know for certain that when you physically die your soul will be with God in heaven. Once you place your trust in Him, there is no removing yourself from His hand because there is great security in Jesus.
John 10:29: My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
God takes the security a step further. His greatness and power are unmatched. No one is able to remove the sheep from His hand. The hand of God is an amazing thing in Scripture.
Psalm 8:3: When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
Creating the universe was the work of His fingers, not even the work of His hands or His arms. Our galaxy, our solar system, everything we know to be was crafted by His fingers, like his own version of playdough.
Max Lucado once noted that “the hand of God is an uncrackable safe, an impenetrable fortress. He cannot be scammed, robbed, or overpowered. All the forces of hell could be launched against the hand of God, but His grip would remain secure.” If you are His sheep, you are safe. You do not have to worry about life after death or heaven and hell—you are already promised eternal life in heaven with God.
You can lose your car keys. You can lose your health. You can lose your mind. But you cannot lose your salvation. The reason you cannot lose your salvation is because it is not up to you. The question is not: can I lose my salvation? But rather: can God lose one of His children? Those who belong to Jesus are perfectly secure.
And when you have a secure future, you can concentrate on your present. You can work from your salvation, not for your salvation. You can focus more on doing God’s will than worrying about what’s ahead. A secure future helps you move through each day more confidently and powerfully. We go to extreme measures to feel safe. We all work hard to get to positions of safety. Yet, the ultimate manifestation of safety—eternal security—is found in Jesus.
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