The LORD is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him. Nahum 1:7 NKJV
Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. James 1:17 NLT
Jesus declared Himself to be the Good Shepherd. Again this wasn't just some clever phrase or catchy saying. This was the Son revealing who He is and what He does.
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. John 10:11 MEV
We have seen two aspects of this Good Shepherd. First the Good Shepherd preserves the sheep. He dearly loves us so He sustains us. He began the work in the believer and He will see it through to the end.
He who started the work will be faithful to complete it. He who started the work, doesn't expect you to complete it. Salvation isn't God starts it we finish it. He preserves us.
This is where some that oppose Grace miss it. They erroneously label eternal security as Calvinism's fifth point, perseverance of the Saints. This is not a Grace view but in truth a works view. To persevere means to maintain and endure. That is man's doing. Preservation means God preserves us, not our works or performance.
The Good Shepherd preserves the sheep! He holds us and keeps us, we are not keeping ourselves. Next He is the Good Shepherd who protects the sheep. In our last study we saw how he protects us.
Today we want to see the third aspect of the Good Shepherd: He provides for His sheep. A good shepherd takes care of his flock. He doesn't allow his sheep to go hungry or remain sickly without care. He watches over them, tends to their needs, and provides what they need to flourish. So it is with our Good Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ. He cares for His flock, and He provides for them.
The Good Shepherd has provided peace. In a troubled world, anxiety and uncertainty attempt to assail our minds and cause many to stress and get over into worry. Jesus gave us His peace. Peace that surpasses understanding. Like a pressurized cabin in an airplane what we have inside insulates us from what is going on outside. Peace keeps us grounded in His Love and enables us to navigate through this world and any circumstance.
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, Romans 5:1 MEV
The Good Shepherd also provides for our material and financial needs. He knows we have responsibilities in this natural life. He knows we need food, clothing, shelter, and the resources necessary to fulfill the things He has called us to do. There is no shame in acknowledging that God is our provider in these areas. There is no reason to retreat from the goodness of God because religious people have criticized the teaching of prosperity or provision. The answer to error is not to deny what the Word reveals. Our Father is not opposed to our needs being met. He is not glorified by our lack. He is our provider, and His goodness extends into every area of our lives.
Let them shout for joy and rejoice, who favor my vindication and want what is right for me; Let them say continually, “Let the Lord be magnified, who delights and takes pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.” Psalm 35:27 AMP
But perhaps one of the greatest expressions of the Good Shepherd's provision is His provision of divine healing and health. Jesus did not merely tell us that God cares about us. He demonstrated it. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed of the devil. He touched the leper. He opened blind eyes. He caused the lame to walk. He healed all those who came to Him, and He never turned away the sick who sought His help.
These were not cold religious demonstrations performed merely to establish His credentials as the Jewish Messiah. They were expressions of His compassion. He saw people suffering, and He cared. He saw their pain, and He moved toward them. He saw their need, and He provided.
The religious mind often tries to separate the compassion of Jesus from the healing ministry of Jesus. It assigns His healing to a limited purpose in the past, as though He healed merely to prove who He was and then withdrew that provision from His people. But Jesus is the exact image of the Father. He said, “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.”
If we want to know what the Father is like, we look at Jesus. And when we look at Jesus, we see a Good Shepherd who cares for the sick, the suffering, and the afflicted. We see One who is moved with compassion. We see One who provides healing.
Healing is not merely something Jesus demonstrated during His earthly ministry. Healing is part of what He accomplished for us in the Finished Work. Isaiah declared that He was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities, and that with His stripes we are healed. Peter looked back at the cross and declared, “By whose stripes ye were healed.” The provision has been made. Jesus bore our sins, and He bore our sicknesses. He carried our pains. He did not merely provide forgiveness for our sins while leaving sickness as an unavoidable part of our inheritance. He provided redemption for the whole person.
The Good Shepherd does not provide healing because He is trying to prove something to us. He provided healing because He is Good. He provided healing because He cares for His sheep. He provided healing because He is moved with compassion. And He provides healing because the Finished Work has already made provision for it. Faith does not create the provision. Faith receives what Grace has provided. We do not have to persuade a reluctant Shepherd to care and provide for us. We come to the One who has already demonstrated His love, already made provision, and already declared His desire for us to walk in the fullness of His life.
The Good Shepherd provides peace. He provides for our needs. And He provides divine healing and health. He is not merely the Shepherd who watches over His sheep from a distance. He is the Shepherd who cares for them, provides for them, and gives His life for them. He is the Good Shepherd. And He is still Good.
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