On visiting a Christian who had recently passed through a severe illness, I remarked to her,”What a blessing it is to know that in a little while we shall be with the Lord in glory, where there will be no more suffering or pain!” when, to my astonishment, she replied, “Yes, if I were but sure that I should get there.”
“You will be no safer in the glory than you are at the present moment,” I answered. “O! yes,” she exclaimed, “I shall be safe then, but I am not at all sure that I am now.” I quoted the words of the blessed Lord from John 10:27-2927My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. (John 10:27‑29), “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 or devil] pluck them out of My hand. My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to pluck them out of My Father’s hand.”
“Yes,” she quickly replied, “but He was speaking to Jews then.” I saw at once that Satan was seeking to undermine the faith of this weak child of God, and that nothing but the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, would put him to flight. Taking out my Testament, I turned to the Scripture referred to, and said, “Well, we will admit that the Lord was addressing Jews but who does He refer to in the 16th verse – “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice; and there shall be one flock, and one shepherd”? “O, they are Gentiles,” she answered, “but I am not at all sure that I am one of His sheep.”
Perceiving in this a further effort of the enemy, I exclaimed, “What! you a recognized believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, and not know whether you are one of His sheep?”
She replied, “I am certainly a believer in Him.”
I then asked, with some degree of warmth, Who are the sheep?” She appeared puzzled. “Listen to this,” I said, turning to verse 26, “But ye believe not, because ye are not of My sheep.” “Now, you see that ‘unbelievers are not His sheep, even though they may be religious persons like the Pharisees whom the Lord was addressing; there are those who do not enter by Jesus – who said, ‘I am the door of the sheep.’”
“I see it all now,’ she exclaimed. The enemy was completely routed, and she, poor soul, was rejoicing in the Lord, that “Great Shepherd of the sheep.”
Souls too often get occupied with their own thoughts and feelings, or the opinions of others, instead of getting God’s thoughts, which can only be known from His written word. A Christian said to me recently, “Were I to have the assurance of salvation, as you have, it would lead me to walk loosely, and I should get into all sorts of sin.” “Which, in plain English,” I said, “means, that God in the riches of His grace, has caused words to be written for the comfort and joy of His saints, which if you believe will lead you into all sorts of sin.” No! No! the aged Apostle John wrote in his first epistle (2:12), “I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake,” and in the first verse of the same chapter, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not.”