How do you get to be part of this flock? How do you get to be a part of any flock?
You have to be born a sheep. You can’t be a part of a flock of sheep if you’re a wolf. Or even something less sinister, like a salmon. You can’t be a part of the flock unless you’re born a sheep.
How are you born a sheep into this spiritual flock? Into a spiritual flock, you are born spiritually. Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3 that we need to be NOT ONLY born the first time, but born AGAIN. We need to be born of the water, of course, but also of the Spirit. If we’re going to be a part of a spiritual flock, then we need to be born a spiritual sheep.
Here’s how that happens. You realize that the Good Shepherd laid down his life for you. That’s what he said, “I am the Good Shepherd and I lay down my life for the sheep.”
Jesus did that for you. He saw your sin and he loved you anyway. In fact, he took your sin to the cross to die, the penalty required. That’s what he did when he died for your sin. He took your sin and its consequence. He took all that stuff, that dead stuff, and he took it to the grave where it belongs. Then he rose again out of the grave, leaving all of that behind for you and now he lives.
If you believe it, you will too. And when you believe it, you are born a sheep in his flock.