An Expert Searcher
The Lord is a seeking Shepherd who will not lose any of His flock, and His promise is to seek and save all those given to Him.
C.H. Spurgeon emphasizes the Lord's unwavering commitment to seek and save His wandering sheep, illustrating how Jesus, as the Great Shepherd, actively searches for His elect who may stray into sin and despair. He reassures believers that even when they feel lost, God's grace will pursue them, ensuring that none of His chosen will perish. Spurgeon encourages the faithful to hold onto hope for those they pray for, as the Lord's searching love extends to all, regardless of their circumstances. The sermon highlights the promise of God's relentless pursuit and the assurance that He will not lose any of His flock.
Text
For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. (Ezekiel 34:11)
This He does at the first when His elect are like wandering sheep that know not the Shepherd or the fold. How wonderfully doth the Lord find out His chosen! Jesus is great as a seeking Shepherd as well as a saving Shepherd. Though many of those His Father gave Him have gone as near to hell-gate as they well can, yet the Lord by searching and seeking discovers them and draws nigh to them in grace. He has sought out us: let us have good hope for those who are laid upon our hearts in prayer, for He will find them out also.
The Lord repeats this process when any of His flock stray from the pastures of truth and holiness.
They may fall into gross error, sad sin, and grievous hardness; but yet the Lord, who has become a surety for them to His Father, will not suffer one of them to go so far as to perish. He will by providence and grace pursue them into foreign lands, into abodes of poverty, into dens of obscurity, into depths of despair; He will not lose one of all that the Father has given Him. It is a point of honor with Jesus to seek and to save all the flock, without a single exception. What a promise to plead, if at this hour I am compelled to cry, "I have gone astray like a lost sheep!"
Sermon Outline
- I. The Lord's Search for His Sheep
- A. He seeks out the elect when they are lost
- B. He finds them and draws near in grace
- II. The Lord's Pursuit of His Flock
- A. He chases them down through providence and grace
- B. He will not lose one of those given to Him
- III. The Lord's Honor in Seeking and Saving
- A. It is a point of honor with Jesus to save all
- B. He will not leave one behind
Key Quotes
“He has sought out us: let us have good hope for those who are laid upon our hearts in prayer, for He will find them out also.” — C.H. Spurgeon
“It is a point of honor with Jesus to seek and to save all the flock, without a single exception.” — C.H. Spurgeon
Application Points
- If you feel lost or astray, cry out to the Lord, and He will draw near to you in love and mercy.
- Have good hope for those who are laid upon your hearts in prayer, for the Lord will find them out also.
- Remember the Lord's promise to seek and save all His flock, without exception.