1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,700 You're listening to City Church Manchester. We are a church that invites 2 00:00:05,700 --> 00:00:11,880 everyone to enjoy Christ for the glory of God. If we can serve you in any way 3 00:00:11,880 --> 00:00:19,360 then visit our website at citychurchmanchester.org to find out more. 4 00:00:19,760 --> 00:00:25,360 Well for those of you who do have your Bibles we're going to be looking at the 5 00:00:25,360 --> 00:00:32,480 Gospel of John and we're going to be reading from John chapter 10 verses 1 6 00:00:32,480 --> 00:00:40,520 to 30. John chapter 10 verses 1 to 30. If you're reading from the Blue Church 7 00:00:40,520 --> 00:00:51,000 Bibles you can find John chapter 10 on page 1076. 1076 we're reading John 8 00:00:51,000 --> 00:01:00,200 chapter 10 verses 1 to 30. Thanks Katie. Great so let's go. Very truly I tell you 9 00:01:00,200 --> 00:01:06,180 Pharisees anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by 10 00:01:06,180 --> 00:01:11,920 some other way is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the 11 00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:16,800 shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him and the sheep 12 00:01:16,800 --> 00:01:22,000 listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 13 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:27,120 When he has brought out all his own he goes on ahead of them and his sheep 14 00:01:27,120 --> 00:01:32,040 follow him because they know his voice but they will never follow a stranger. In 15 00:01:32,040 --> 00:01:37,200 fact they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice. 16 00:01:37,200 --> 00:01:42,240 Jesus used this figure of speech but the Pharisees did not understand what he was 17 00:01:42,240 --> 00:01:48,760 telling them. Therefore Jesus said again very truly I tell you I am the gate for 18 00:01:48,760 --> 00:01:53,640 the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers but the sheep 19 00:01:53,640 --> 00:01:59,120 have not listened to them. I am the gate whoever enters through me will be saved. 20 00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:05,120 They will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal 21 00:02:05,120 --> 00:02:10,400 and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life and have it to the 22 00:02:10,400 --> 00:02:16,080 full. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the 23 00:02:16,080 --> 00:02:21,260 sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep so when he 24 00:02:21,260 --> 00:02:25,860 sees the wolf coming he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf 25 00:02:25,860 --> 00:02:30,920 attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand 26 00:02:30,920 --> 00:02:37,400 and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep and my 27 00:02:37,400 --> 00:02:43,120 sheep know me just as the father knows me and I know the father and I lay down 28 00:02:43,120 --> 00:02:49,080 my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheepfold. I must 29 00:02:49,080 --> 00:02:54,040 bring them also. They too will listen to my voice and there shall be one flock 30 00:02:54,040 --> 00:03:00,160 and one shepherd. The reason my father loves me is that I lay down my life only 31 00:03:00,160 --> 00:03:05,600 to take it up again. No one takes it from me but I lay it down of my own accord. I 32 00:03:05,600 --> 00:03:11,300 have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This 33 00:03:11,300 --> 00:03:16,760 command I received from my father. The Jews who heard these words were divided. 34 00:03:16,760 --> 00:03:23,660 Many of them said he is demon possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him? But 35 00:03:23,660 --> 00:03:28,380 others said these are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon 36 00:03:28,380 --> 00:03:34,680 open the eyes of the blind? Then came the festival of dedication at Jerusalem. It 37 00:03:34,680 --> 00:03:40,480 was winter and Jesus was in the temple court walking in Solomon's Colonnade. The 38 00:03:40,480 --> 00:03:44,880 Jews who were there gathered round him saying how long will you keep us in 39 00:03:44,880 --> 00:03:50,440 suspense? If you are the Messiah tell us plainly. Jesus answered I did tell you 40 00:03:50,440 --> 00:03:56,280 but you do not believe. The works I do in my father's name testify about me but 41 00:03:56,280 --> 00:04:02,200 you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice. I 42 00:04:02,200 --> 00:04:07,000 know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life and they shall never 43 00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:13,920 perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. My father who has given them to me 44 00:04:13,920 --> 00:04:21,000 is greater than all. No one can snatch them out of my father's hand and I and 45 00:04:21,000 --> 00:04:27,800 the father are one. My name is Ralph and I'm one of the pastors here at City 46 00:04:27,800 --> 00:04:31,240 Church and it's my privilege to be taking us through that passage we just 47 00:04:31,240 --> 00:04:37,240 had read John chapter 10 and thinking through more today about what it means 48 00:04:37,240 --> 00:04:43,080 for us to be a reformed church. Let me pray for us and then we're gonna dive in 49 00:04:43,080 --> 00:04:49,440 to think about that a little bit more. Let's pray. Father God thank you that you are 50 00:04:49,440 --> 00:04:59,840 the sovereign God who rules and reigns on high. You are above all things and you 51 00:04:59,840 --> 00:05:04,400 all things live and breathe and have their being and Lord we pray that as we 52 00:05:04,400 --> 00:05:07,960 think about who you are in relation to our salvation Lord would you open our 53 00:05:07,960 --> 00:05:14,520 minds? Would you help us to leave behind preconceived ideas and to be open to 54 00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:22,600 hearing what your word teaches us? Amen. Well I'd like you to imagine a scenario 55 00:05:22,600 --> 00:05:28,000 please. It's not very pleasant I'm afraid but bear with me on this one okay. So 56 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:32,720 imagine we finish our service you go out you grab another coffee you haven't 57 00:05:32,720 --> 00:05:36,760 had enough coffee yet you grab a cookie you're having a chat with one of your 58 00:05:36,760 --> 00:05:41,320 friends then you decide it's time to go you walk down the back staircase you go 59 00:05:41,320 --> 00:05:49,240 out of that exit onto Church Street and you step into the road without looking. 60 00:05:49,240 --> 00:05:59,240 Smash! You're hit by a bus and the very next moment you find yourself at the gates of 61 00:05:59,240 --> 00:06:08,360 heaven and God himself looks directly at you and he says why should I let you 62 00:06:08,360 --> 00:06:17,480 into my heaven? How would you respond? Well if you're a Muslim you might say 63 00:06:17,480 --> 00:06:25,480 well I've done my duty I've done the five pillars of Islam I've just finished 64 00:06:25,480 --> 00:06:31,800 fasting for Ramadan I've celebrated Eid on Friday I've even given my zakat this 65 00:06:31,800 --> 00:06:39,240 week that is why you should let me into heaven and according to the Bible 66 00:06:39,240 --> 00:06:46,680 God will say no or maybe you're here and you describe yourself as a kind of 67 00:06:46,680 --> 00:06:54,400 secular tolerant atheist and you'd say well well I've done my best I really 68 00:06:54,400 --> 00:07:01,080 have I've tried to be a decent person I've tried to defend and champion the 69 00:07:01,080 --> 00:07:09,480 rights of the oppressed women ethnic minorities transgender people I've given 70 00:07:09,480 --> 00:07:13,800 to children in need I've even been along to church several times in my life 71 00:07:13,800 --> 00:07:24,320 that's why you should let me in God and according to the Bible God will say no 72 00:07:24,320 --> 00:07:32,320 the only answer the only answer that the Bible gives is that we must point to 73 00:07:32,320 --> 00:07:45,600 Jesus and say because he died for me and said come and so I've come that's what 74 00:07:45,600 --> 00:07:51,080 the thief on the cross did on that night that he arrived in paradise according to 75 00:07:51,080 --> 00:08:00,160 Luke 23 the only ground to be welcomed into God's eternal presence is Christ 76 00:08:00,160 --> 00:08:08,040 and Christ's work you know there's been another answer that's being given down 77 00:08:08,040 --> 00:08:14,360 through history in the church it's similar to that answer is very similar 78 00:08:14,360 --> 00:08:21,200 so similar you might not even notice a difference but it is different this is 79 00:08:21,200 --> 00:08:29,800 it well I heard the good news about Jesus at church 20 25 years ago I thought 80 00:08:29,800 --> 00:08:35,520 it was the very best news in the world and that Sunday I decided that I was 81 00:08:35,520 --> 00:08:44,360 gonna follow Jesus so here I am now you hear that and that sounds awfully good 82 00:08:44,360 --> 00:08:54,520 doesn't it that sounds incredibly close to the gospel but it is different in a 83 00:08:54,520 --> 00:09:07,080 crucial in a fundamental way it makes salvation dependent on us on my decision 84 00:09:07,080 --> 00:09:15,000 to follow Jesus we're week two in a four-week series looking at what it means 85 00:09:15,000 --> 00:09:20,600 for us as a church to be reformed so last week we looked at how God speaks to 86 00:09:20,600 --> 00:09:27,920 us he speaks to us through his his authoritative word the Bible this week 87 00:09:27,920 --> 00:09:35,760 we are thinking about how God saves us and the reformed answer is he saves us 88 00:09:35,760 --> 00:09:43,360 through his sovereign grace alone this is the great debate between what is 89 00:09:43,360 --> 00:09:50,120 sometimes called Calvinism on the one side and our minionism on the other side 90 00:09:50,120 --> 00:09:55,120 now you might be sat here thinking boy this all sounds a little bit abstract a 91 00:09:55,120 --> 00:09:58,520 little bit intellectual a little bit academic not sure I'm really that 92 00:09:58,520 --> 00:10:02,840 interested in these sort of distinctions might might switch off for the next 93 00:10:02,840 --> 00:10:07,480 half hour or so might catch up on my emails if you're thinking that can I 94 00:10:07,480 --> 00:10:12,800 urge you don't don't do that please because what we are talking about this 95 00:10:12,800 --> 00:10:24,560 afternoon is nothing less than the very heart of the gospel in a nutshell it's 96 00:10:24,560 --> 00:10:34,440 the simple question did Jesus's death on the cross save us or did it merely make 97 00:10:34,440 --> 00:10:42,720 salvation possible did it actually say or did it just make salvation possible 98 00:10:42,720 --> 00:10:47,760 but what we're talking about is not obscure and intricate points of 99 00:10:47,760 --> 00:10:55,880 theology they were talking about competing worldviews one worldview has 100 00:10:55,880 --> 00:11:03,400 God at the center absolutely and squarely at the center the other worldview has us 101 00:11:03,400 --> 00:11:09,500 there as well it is about competing understandings about how we become a 102 00:11:09,500 --> 00:11:19,400 Christian one sees it as entirely the free and unmerited gift of God the other 103 00:11:19,400 --> 00:11:25,640 says that it's something that we decide upon ourselves and it's a fundamentally 104 00:11:25,640 --> 00:11:33,400 different view about the future one view says that we are secure in God's hands 105 00:11:33,400 --> 00:11:40,520 and nothing and no one can ever snatch us out from them the other says that if 106 00:11:40,520 --> 00:11:48,080 you're a Christian actually you you can fall away so you better watch out this 107 00:11:48,080 --> 00:11:52,560 friends this is not some obscure theological discussion this is a big 108 00:11:52,560 --> 00:11:59,920 deal and as a church leadership we adopt the former position what is sometimes 109 00:11:59,920 --> 00:12:07,000 called Calvinism now I think that's a really unfortunate label for this view 110 00:12:07,000 --> 00:12:12,400 because it didn't originate with John Calvin in the 16th century in fact it's 111 00:12:12,400 --> 00:12:16,360 a view that's been believed right from the very earliest times in the church 112 00:12:16,360 --> 00:12:21,760 and the sort of formulation of it that we're talking about actually wasn't 113 00:12:21,760 --> 00:12:27,760 written down by Calvin it wasn't written down until 50 years after Calvin's death 114 00:12:27,760 --> 00:12:34,640 in 1618 by the Synod of Dort now the Synod just refers to a meeting a meeting 115 00:12:34,640 --> 00:12:42,760 of 84 members of Dutch clergy they met together in Dort in order to provide a 116 00:12:42,760 --> 00:12:50,080 response to a Dutch theologian called Jacob Arminius from whom we get the term 117 00:12:50,080 --> 00:12:54,920 Arminianism okay now don't make the mistake that I made when I first heard 118 00:12:54,920 --> 00:12:58,920 that term Arminianism I assumed it referred to people from the country of 119 00:12:58,920 --> 00:13:04,800 Armenia but it doesn't okay not all people from Armenia are Arminians and 120 00:13:04,800 --> 00:13:11,280 not all Arminians are from Armenia they are different things anyway Arminius 121 00:13:11,280 --> 00:13:18,520 Arminius the theologian taught that people have free will to respond to God 122 00:13:18,520 --> 00:13:26,360 with faith he insisted that the God's election of people for salvation was 123 00:13:26,360 --> 00:13:32,160 based on his foreknowledge of their future faith he said that Christ's death 124 00:13:32,160 --> 00:13:36,960 on the cross wasn't for a specific group of people but for the whole world he 125 00:13:36,960 --> 00:13:40,560 said that human beings were able to resist the work of the Holy Spirit 126 00:13:40,560 --> 00:13:44,880 bringing them to faith and he said that once you become a Christian once you've 127 00:13:44,880 --> 00:13:51,840 been born again it's possible for you to fall away and lose your salvation in 128 00:13:51,840 --> 00:13:57,960 response the Synod of Dort came up with a set of statements to counter his 129 00:13:57,960 --> 00:14:01,320 position those statements were known as the 130 00:14:01,320 --> 00:14:07,120 cannons of Dort now it's springtime I was looking out in my neighbor's garden 131 00:14:07,120 --> 00:14:13,880 earlier today and I saw some beautiful tulips in his garden and tulip is a 132 00:14:13,880 --> 00:14:20,280 great way to understand and remember what the cannons of Dort were there were 133 00:14:20,280 --> 00:14:27,040 five statements that you can remember through the acronym of tulip says T 134 00:14:27,040 --> 00:14:33,320 stands for total depravity we are dead in our sin and we are unable to submit 135 00:14:33,320 --> 00:14:43,840 to God you is for unconditional election God chose or or he elected us out of his 136 00:14:43,840 --> 00:14:48,640 love it had nothing to do with any goodness he saw in us nothing to do with 137 00:14:48,640 --> 00:14:55,960 any faith that he saw we would one day have the L stands for limited atonement 138 00:14:55,960 --> 00:15:05,000 Jesus death only saved those whom he had chosen I is for irresistible grace that 139 00:15:05,000 --> 00:15:09,560 Holy Spirit overcomes all of our opposition to him in bringing us to 140 00:15:09,560 --> 00:15:17,080 faith and the P is for the perseverance of the Saints of those who are truly 141 00:15:17,080 --> 00:15:22,680 Christ those are truest Christ they cannot ever be lost but that's what 142 00:15:22,680 --> 00:15:28,680 tulip stands for that is what we believe as a church leadership here at City it's 143 00:15:28,680 --> 00:15:33,000 important to say not everyone believes that here and a members can be members 144 00:15:33,000 --> 00:15:36,760 of church without holding to that position but it is the position of the 145 00:15:36,760 --> 00:15:42,960 leadership and it will always be the position taught from the front here from 146 00:15:42,960 --> 00:15:50,360 beginning to end we believe that salvation is a work of God and only a 147 00:15:50,360 --> 00:15:58,280 work of God I'm conscious that is a very long introduction thank you for bearing 148 00:15:58,280 --> 00:16:03,560 with me I promise we're gonna speed up but what I wanted to do at the start was 149 00:16:03,560 --> 00:16:09,560 to give you the big picture of what we're talking about today and then we're 150 00:16:09,560 --> 00:16:14,560 gonna get into the detail of it by seeing how it's a position that is taught 151 00:16:14,560 --> 00:16:19,640 in the Bible now we could have turned to lots and lots and lots of passages in 152 00:16:19,640 --> 00:16:23,840 the Bible to look at this today but I wanted to focus on just one because I 153 00:16:23,840 --> 00:16:28,360 think just one actually demonstrates all five things so we're looking at John 154 00:16:28,360 --> 00:16:35,760 chapter 10 verses 1 to 30 John 10 follows on from Jesus healing a man who 155 00:16:35,760 --> 00:16:41,800 was born blind in John chapter 9 and John chapter 10 gives us what John 156 00:16:41,800 --> 00:16:50,160 describes in verse 6 is a figure of speech it is a picture that Jesus uses 157 00:16:50,160 --> 00:16:56,080 to illustrate to us important things about salvation and the figure that the 158 00:16:56,080 --> 00:17:04,080 picture he gives is of a shepherd with his sheep now that would have been 159 00:17:04,080 --> 00:17:12,000 incredibly evocative for Jesus's first century Jewish hearers you see in Ezekiel 160 00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:20,320 chapter 34 the Lord speaks to to Israel in exile and says to them your leaders 161 00:17:20,320 --> 00:17:27,040 they've been bad leaders they have been bad shepherds and then Ezekiel 34 the 162 00:17:27,040 --> 00:17:34,840 Lord promises that he himself will come and be for them a good shepherd verse 163 00:17:34,840 --> 00:17:39,800 11 of Ezekiel 34 I myself will search my sheep and look after them verse 12 I 164 00:17:39,800 --> 00:17:47,280 will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered now back in 165 00:17:47,280 --> 00:17:53,480 John chapter 10 verse 19 do you see why why the Jews were so angry at Jesus 166 00:17:53,480 --> 00:18:00,520 saying I am the good shepherd they realized that he was saying that he 167 00:18:00,520 --> 00:18:08,480 himself is God the true good shepherd now I don't have time to unpack all the 168 00:18:08,480 --> 00:18:13,400 details of that here today but what I want to do is show how each of the five 169 00:18:13,400 --> 00:18:21,320 points of tulip are taught here in John chapter 10 so first up we see here in 170 00:18:21,320 --> 00:18:30,880 John 10 that we are helpless sheep that's total depravity verse 14 Jesus 171 00:18:30,880 --> 00:18:41,880 says I am the good shepherd I know my sheep and my sheep know me I think we 172 00:18:41,880 --> 00:18:47,000 have a problem when we come to a passage like this today because we have an 173 00:18:47,000 --> 00:18:53,720 over sentimentalized view of sheep I think so we used to singing Mary had a 174 00:18:53,720 --> 00:18:57,160 little lamb when we were growing up and we used those beautiful little pictures 175 00:18:57,160 --> 00:19:02,640 of lambs leaping around in springtime aren't we so for us lambs just cute 176 00:19:02,640 --> 00:19:06,600 little beautiful things and we think frankly shepherds they're pretty lucky 177 00:19:06,600 --> 00:19:09,880 people because they get to spend all their day just cutting up the little 178 00:19:09,880 --> 00:19:13,400 sheep and stroking them okay that's that's what we think when we hear about 179 00:19:13,400 --> 00:19:20,280 the good shepherd and his sheep but that's a load of nonsense the reality is 180 00:19:20,280 --> 00:19:30,680 that sheep sheep are dirty smelly stupid obstinate creatures that's what sheep are 181 00:19:30,680 --> 00:19:37,400 what's more sheep are utterly dependent if you were to go out to the peaks 182 00:19:37,400 --> 00:19:44,400 yesterday and join the rain in the peak district you may well have seen you may 183 00:19:44,400 --> 00:19:50,760 have seen wild deer running around you might have even seen wild rabbits and 184 00:19:50,760 --> 00:19:54,920 wild foxes if you went down to the new forest you would see wild horses down 185 00:19:54,920 --> 00:20:04,040 there but you will never see wild sheep why well because sheep can't survive on 186 00:20:04,040 --> 00:20:11,360 their own left to their own devices sheep will overeat or under eat they will 187 00:20:11,360 --> 00:20:17,480 fall off cliff edges they'll get run over by cars they'll fall over and not 188 00:20:17,480 --> 00:20:24,880 be able to get up sheep are needy dependent creatures and they look to one 189 00:20:24,880 --> 00:20:35,040 person to provide everything that they need they look to the shepherd now what 190 00:20:35,040 --> 00:20:40,600 picture what what figure of speech does Jesus choose to describe a Christian's 191 00:20:40,600 --> 00:20:51,440 relationship to him we are sheep in need of a good shepherd if our problem was 192 00:20:51,440 --> 00:20:56,080 simply a lack of knowledge Jesus would have said you are the pupils I am the 193 00:20:56,080 --> 00:21:02,600 teacher if our problem was a lack of wisdom Jesus would have said you are the 194 00:21:02,600 --> 00:21:09,240 followers I am the guru if what we really needed was just to kind of pull 195 00:21:09,240 --> 00:21:13,640 up our socks and try a little bit harder Jesus would have said I am the good life 196 00:21:13,640 --> 00:21:26,360 coach but he says you are sheep you are needy dependent helpless people totally 197 00:21:26,360 --> 00:21:31,920 depraved now that does not mean that we're as bad as we possibly can be we're 198 00:21:31,920 --> 00:21:37,360 not but it does mean that we are lost in our sin it does mean that we are 199 00:21:37,360 --> 00:21:45,160 helpless and utterly dependent just like the blind man in John chapter 9 we are 200 00:21:45,160 --> 00:21:51,200 spiritually blind in need of having our eyes open just like Lazarus in John 201 00:21:51,200 --> 00:21:55,840 chapter 10 we are dead we are spiritually dead we don't need someone to 202 00:21:55,840 --> 00:22:00,080 come along and merely shake us to wake us up we need someone to come and give 203 00:22:00,080 --> 00:22:10,800 life to the dead we are helpless sheep and Jesus is the good shepherd 204 00:22:10,800 --> 00:22:17,480 secondly we see here in John 10 that we are chosen sheep that is 205 00:22:17,480 --> 00:22:27,440 unconditional election in the ancient Near East verse 2 shows us this verse 2 206 00:22:27,440 --> 00:22:32,440 in the ancient Near East sheep when they were being kept overnight they were kept 207 00:22:32,440 --> 00:22:38,160 in in shared communal pens that the shepherd didn't have their own pen but 208 00:22:38,160 --> 00:22:44,000 they put all of their sheep into the same pen overnight now look at a second 209 00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:55,760 sentence in verse 3 and see what the shepherd does the the morning comes the 210 00:22:55,760 --> 00:23:03,880 gatekeeper opens the gate and each shepherd takes out their flock and look 211 00:23:03,880 --> 00:23:13,440 at verse 3 the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out he 212 00:23:13,440 --> 00:23:21,800 calls them by name now in biblical language a name is really really 213 00:23:21,800 --> 00:23:27,880 important it's not so important for us for us it's just a label so my name is 214 00:23:27,880 --> 00:23:34,800 Ralph okay it's a way for you to distinguish me from my co-pastor Matt 215 00:23:34,800 --> 00:23:41,560 okay I am Ralph he is Matt okay people confuse us all the time but we are 216 00:23:41,560 --> 00:23:46,240 different people okay and the way you know we're different is I am Ralph and 217 00:23:46,240 --> 00:23:55,200 Matt is Matt okay names are simply labels to help us to distinguish but in 218 00:23:55,200 --> 00:24:03,280 the ancient Near East a name meant so much more a name was who a person was 219 00:24:03,280 --> 00:24:10,680 at the deepest most profound level so when Jesus says that he knows each of 220 00:24:10,680 --> 00:24:19,000 his sheep by name well he's saying that he knows them at the deepest most 221 00:24:19,000 --> 00:24:27,080 profound level we know how to keep up appearances don't we I mean it's written 222 00:24:27,080 --> 00:24:31,320 to British etiquette keeping up appearances in it so you know you come 223 00:24:31,320 --> 00:24:38,120 into church on Sunday I say how you doing you say all right your your arm 224 00:24:38,120 --> 00:24:42,320 might be hanging off having been severed outside and you would still say I'm 225 00:24:42,320 --> 00:24:47,360 alright that's just what we do we keep up appearances don't we we use makeup 226 00:24:47,360 --> 00:24:54,320 and we use concealer we use Instagram filters to project that we're something 227 00:24:54,320 --> 00:25:03,960 that we aren't truly but what verse 3 says is that Jesus looks down to the 228 00:25:03,960 --> 00:25:11,520 very depths of who we are he sees us truly with all the Instagram filters 229 00:25:11,520 --> 00:25:17,400 removed he sees behind the facade he sees behind our attempts to look good 230 00:25:17,400 --> 00:25:28,800 and godly he sees us in all of our sin and mess and he says you're mine you're 231 00:25:28,800 --> 00:25:36,120 mine listen this point is so important that Jesus repeats it a second time in 232 00:25:36,120 --> 00:25:40,600 this passage verse 14 he says I am the good shepherd I know my sheep and my 233 00:25:40,600 --> 00:25:47,400 sheep know me he knows us he knows us inside out back to front he knows 234 00:25:47,400 --> 00:25:56,720 exactly what we're like and yet he's chosen us we're his sheep now our 235 00:25:56,720 --> 00:26:02,760 minneas and his followers they taught that the God chose us in eternity because 236 00:26:02,760 --> 00:26:11,560 he foresaw that one day we would have faith faith in Jesus but that's not how 237 00:26:11,560 --> 00:26:16,160 it worked here in John chapter 10 verse 4 the people aren't his sheep because 238 00:26:16,160 --> 00:26:24,120 they follow Jesus rather they followed Jesus because they are his sheep it's 239 00:26:24,120 --> 00:26:32,800 unconditional election the Arminian say I owe my election to my faith the 240 00:26:32,800 --> 00:26:39,360 Calvinist says I owe my face to my election I follow Jesus because I am one 241 00:26:39,360 --> 00:26:47,000 of his sheep so I guess that begs the question well why did God choose some to 242 00:26:47,000 --> 00:26:53,240 be his sheep when the Old Testament the people of God are asking exactly the 243 00:26:53,240 --> 00:26:57,600 same question and just as they're about to enter the promised land Moses gives 244 00:26:57,600 --> 00:27:04,040 the answer in Deuteronomy chapter 7 verse 7 he says the Lord did not set his 245 00:27:04,040 --> 00:27:07,120 affection on you and choose you because you are more numerous than other 246 00:27:07,120 --> 00:27:14,800 peoples for you were the fewest of all peoples in other words God didn't choose 247 00:27:14,800 --> 00:27:19,840 you because you are bigger or better or smarter or more godly than the other 248 00:27:19,840 --> 00:27:30,280 people no verse 8 Deuteronomy 7 it was because the Lord loved you and kept the 249 00:27:30,280 --> 00:27:36,600 oath he swore to your ancestors that he brought you out with a mighty hand I 250 00:27:36,600 --> 00:27:42,760 remember the first time that I realized that my wife Anna truly loved me we've 251 00:27:42,760 --> 00:27:48,440 been on a trip to France together with some my old school friends we were going 252 00:27:48,440 --> 00:27:54,440 to visit a mutual friend of ours who was on a gap year and I had a great friend 253 00:27:54,440 --> 00:27:57,880 great time with my old school friends we we were having a hoot we were going 254 00:27:57,880 --> 00:28:03,240 around acting like complete idiots okay all of our silly French accents and 255 00:28:03,240 --> 00:28:08,560 saying silly French things and Anna was utterly embarrassed by her boyfriend's 256 00:28:08,560 --> 00:28:14,560 conduct and when we got back I remember in Waterloo station Anna confronting me 257 00:28:14,560 --> 00:28:20,680 about it and saying you just acted like a fool that whole weekend I was 258 00:28:20,680 --> 00:28:29,600 devastated but she said she still loved me and that's when I knew that she really 259 00:28:29,600 --> 00:28:34,480 loved me she didn't simply love things about me she didn't simply love things I 260 00:28:34,480 --> 00:28:45,400 did she loved me you see God chooses people not because he sees potential in 261 00:28:45,400 --> 00:28:54,760 them not because he sees good but because he loves the love is within 262 00:28:54,760 --> 00:28:59,440 himself in fact did you notice did he notice where the love was in this 263 00:28:59,440 --> 00:29:06,800 passage just look at verse 29 look on in the passage verse 29 tells us that we 264 00:29:06,800 --> 00:29:15,480 his sheep we are a love gift from God the Father to God the Son we are chosen 265 00:29:15,480 --> 00:29:26,600 sheep unconditional election out of God's love within himself thirdly Jesus died 266 00:29:26,600 --> 00:29:33,000 for the sheep now here are minions really differ from what we believe here 267 00:29:33,000 --> 00:29:39,880 at City Church you see they see the cross as merely having removed an 268 00:29:39,880 --> 00:29:47,120 obstacle that stood in the way of God forgiving us they see the cross as 269 00:29:47,120 --> 00:29:53,960 simply having satisfied the unsatisfied claims of God's justice but in a broad 270 00:29:53,960 --> 00:29:59,120 and general way it was a display of God's justice they say that it didn't 271 00:29:59,120 --> 00:30:05,680 deal specifically with any individual specific personal sin it just made 272 00:30:05,680 --> 00:30:16,320 saving faith possible we believe that on the cross Jesus died in the place of 273 00:30:16,320 --> 00:30:25,760 sinners substituting for us taking the punishment we deserve in our place and 274 00:30:25,760 --> 00:30:29,360 the reason that we believe that is because it's taught throughout the Bible 275 00:30:29,360 --> 00:30:35,080 so in Romans chapter 3 verse 25 we read that God presented him that's Christ as 276 00:30:35,080 --> 00:30:43,080 a sacrifice of atonement that means a substitutionary sacrifice through the 277 00:30:43,080 --> 00:30:48,600 shedding of his blood in Isaiah chapter 53 verse 5 which which Chris took us 278 00:30:48,600 --> 00:30:52,840 through several weeks back we read that he Jesus was pierced for our 279 00:30:52,840 --> 00:30:57,480 transgressions he was crushed for our iniquities the punishment that brought us 280 00:30:57,480 --> 00:31:05,680 peace was on him and by his wounds we are healed it's the language of 281 00:31:05,680 --> 00:31:14,760 substitution he was punished he was wounded in our place and that's what we 282 00:31:14,760 --> 00:31:21,160 have right here in John chapter 10 verse 11 we read I am the good shepherd the 283 00:31:21,160 --> 00:31:30,040 good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep now now that word translated for 284 00:31:30,040 --> 00:31:36,800 is the Greek word hyper and we don't really have a good English equivalent 285 00:31:36,800 --> 00:31:46,560 for it the closest we would get is on behalf of so Jesus laid down his life on 286 00:31:46,560 --> 00:31:57,960 behalf of the sheep in their place a few weeks back I was speaking at a 287 00:31:57,960 --> 00:32:03,800 conference for international Baptist Church pastors in Lisbon Portugal it was 288 00:32:03,800 --> 00:32:08,640 great fun time and on the final night one of the pastors he was the pastor of 289 00:32:08,640 --> 00:32:13,760 a new church plant in Scandinavia said I'd love to go out for dinner with you 290 00:32:13,760 --> 00:32:16,960 tonight I've got loads of questions to ask I'll tell you what I will pay for 291 00:32:16,960 --> 00:32:20,760 the dinner will you come for dinner with me and I said yeah of course I will but 292 00:32:20,760 --> 00:32:24,640 but as we started to speak it became clear that he was the pastor of a very 293 00:32:24,640 --> 00:32:29,840 small church that only just started he was on a very very low salary and I 294 00:32:29,840 --> 00:32:35,200 thought this this shouldn't be on you so just before we finished a meal I went 295 00:32:35,200 --> 00:32:42,320 up to the bar and I paid the bill both for me and for him which means that when 296 00:32:42,320 --> 00:32:48,560 he got up at the end and went over to pay the waiter the waiter said well no 297 00:32:48,560 --> 00:33:00,080 it's already paid and that's what we believe about the cross no it's already 298 00:33:00,080 --> 00:33:10,600 been paid at the cross Jesus took on himself the punishment for all the sin 299 00:33:10,600 --> 00:33:21,840 of Christians past present future he didn't deal with sin in some kind of 300 00:33:21,840 --> 00:33:30,040 abstract general way it was specific he was nailed to the cross for the prideful 301 00:33:30,040 --> 00:33:36,840 thought I had this morning he was nailed to the cross for the bitter thought I 302 00:33:36,840 --> 00:33:46,200 have tonight it was specific but because the cross was specific because it really 303 00:33:46,200 --> 00:33:52,760 paid for my sins that means it could only really pay for the sins of the 304 00:33:52,760 --> 00:34:03,560 elect those God has chosen before creation because if it paid for more but 305 00:34:03,560 --> 00:34:07,880 it would be double payment wouldn't it it would be double punishment for the 306 00:34:07,880 --> 00:34:13,080 sins of unbelievers their sin would have been punished on the cross but then 307 00:34:13,080 --> 00:34:20,720 punished on them in final judgments as well and that will be unjust and God is 308 00:34:20,720 --> 00:34:27,640 never unjust now our minions say that we have too smaller view of the atonement 309 00:34:27,640 --> 00:34:34,480 they say it's limited at home and after all but actually it's far bigger than 310 00:34:34,480 --> 00:34:41,520 their view you see what our minions claim to be unlimited at home that Jesus 311 00:34:41,520 --> 00:34:49,520 died for the sins of all the world is actually very limited indeed because it 312 00:34:49,520 --> 00:34:56,800 means the cross didn't actually save anyone it just made salvation possible 313 00:34:56,800 --> 00:35:07,080 for anyone we believe that the cross really did save absolutely fully finally 314 00:35:07,080 --> 00:35:14,400 it saved all of those who God and his love has chosen in eternity to die for 315 00:35:14,400 --> 00:35:23,480 fourthly having died for us Christians will follow his voice our minions teach 316 00:35:23,480 --> 00:35:27,440 that people are able to resist the Holy Spirit when he starts to bring them to 317 00:35:27,440 --> 00:35:36,240 salvation we can stop it but look at what we read here in John chapter 10 the 318 00:35:36,240 --> 00:35:45,200 shepherd calls and the sheep come verse 3 not some of them not most of them all 319 00:35:45,200 --> 00:35:54,200 of them because verse 4 they know his voice they listen verse 27 and they 320 00:35:54,200 --> 00:36:03,840 follow him Jesus uses a double metaphor in this passage it contains two I am 321 00:36:03,840 --> 00:36:10,000 saying so in verse 7 he says I am the gate and then in verse 9 he says I am 322 00:36:10,000 --> 00:36:14,200 the good shepherd and I think Jesus point his reason for using these two 323 00:36:14,200 --> 00:36:20,000 different metaphors he to I am saying is he's saying that he's both the way to 324 00:36:20,000 --> 00:36:27,320 eternal life through his death but also the one who will lead us to eternal life 325 00:36:27,320 --> 00:36:32,680 he does it all he hasn't just made it possible he has brought us through to 326 00:36:32,680 --> 00:36:39,960 eternal life itself gifting us faith he is the good shepherd it is irresistible 327 00:36:39,960 --> 00:36:49,400 I mean that's not surprising is it I mean a dead person cannot bring themselves 328 00:36:49,400 --> 00:36:59,040 back to life they're dead a sheep cannot stop themselves from being led by the 329 00:36:59,040 --> 00:37:04,760 shepherd the shepherd will win the battle of wills every single time the 330 00:37:04,760 --> 00:37:10,280 grace by which we're saved is irresistible and understand what this 331 00:37:10,280 --> 00:37:17,040 means it means that there is no heart too hard to be soft there's no mind too 332 00:37:17,040 --> 00:37:24,360 made up to be changed there's no life too damaged to be redeemed there is no 333 00:37:24,360 --> 00:37:33,400 history to blot it to be turned around God saving grace is powerful and it is 334 00:37:33,400 --> 00:37:38,360 irresistible and that is great news for a city that has turned its back on God 335 00:37:38,360 --> 00:37:43,800 as we hold out the good news of the gospel to the city of Manchester we 336 00:37:43,800 --> 00:37:49,580 should have great confidence that we will see salvation happen because his 337 00:37:49,580 --> 00:37:57,840 grace is irresistible and finally Jesus will never let go of his sheep look at 338 00:37:57,840 --> 00:38:03,160 verse 27 he says my sheep listen to my voice I know them and they follow me I 339 00:38:03,160 --> 00:38:09,440 give them eternal life and they shall never perish no one will snatch them out 340 00:38:09,440 --> 00:38:16,120 of my hands this is one of the most wonderful promises in the whole Bible 341 00:38:16,120 --> 00:38:24,560 Christians are safe because we are in Jesus it is firmly gripped and he will 342 00:38:24,560 --> 00:38:31,680 never let us go now we need to be clear what this does not mean it is not once 343 00:38:31,680 --> 00:38:35,920 saved always saved in the sense that if you went to the front at the end of a 344 00:38:35,920 --> 00:38:40,280 meeting 20 years ago you're saved forevermore no matter what happens in 345 00:38:40,280 --> 00:38:44,960 the rest of your life it doesn't mean that but it does mean that if we have 346 00:38:44,960 --> 00:38:50,240 truly believed if we've truly been born again of the Holy Spirit then nothing no 347 00:38:50,240 --> 00:38:57,420 one no power no authority can ever take us away from Jesus and that is so so 348 00:38:57,420 --> 00:39:05,760 encouraging that the Christian life can be hard the name of this doctrine it's 349 00:39:05,760 --> 00:39:10,840 the perseverance of the Saints not the holiday of the Holy the Christian life 350 00:39:10,840 --> 00:39:20,880 is tough but this doctrine means we're safe we may lose our health in this life 351 00:39:20,880 --> 00:39:29,640 but we will never lose eternal life we may lose our job in this life but we 352 00:39:29,640 --> 00:39:34,280 will never lose the one who worked for us and laid down his life in our place 353 00:39:34,280 --> 00:39:41,800 we may lose our smile in this life but we will never lose the joy of the one 354 00:39:41,800 --> 00:39:49,440 who takes joy in us we may lose our loved ones in this life but we will 355 00:39:49,440 --> 00:39:56,560 never lose the one who is supremely loved us that's the promise Christ will 356 00:39:56,560 --> 00:40:02,440 hold us to the end so that's what we believe about how God saves it is his 357 00:40:02,440 --> 00:40:09,000 work from beginning to end and it is to be received as a free gift God's sovereign 358 00:40:09,000 --> 00:40:18,280 grace now it is possible to believe all these things in your head it's possible 359 00:40:18,280 --> 00:40:22,960 to score top marks on a test on Calvinism and still to go straight to 360 00:40:22,960 --> 00:40:28,840 hell but we're not saved on the basis of our knowledge we're saved on the basis 361 00:40:28,840 --> 00:40:34,900 of Christ and all he has done but if we get this if we really get this not just 362 00:40:34,900 --> 00:40:38,480 in our heads but in our hearts as well then it will change everything in our 363 00:40:38,480 --> 00:40:45,200 life we'll be secure in who we are 364 00:40:45,200 --> 00:40:51,800 knowing that we're dearly loved children of God not because of who we are but 365 00:40:51,800 --> 00:40:59,600 because of who he is we will be free to live a radically transformed life knowing 366 00:40:59,600 --> 00:41:05,160 that God will equip us for everything he calls us to be as his holy people we 367 00:41:05,160 --> 00:41:10,680 will be bold in our evangelism knowing that no heart is too hard for God to 368 00:41:10,680 --> 00:41:19,000 soften it and we will be confident about the future knowing that nothing and no 369 00:41:19,000 --> 00:41:30,040 one can ever snatch us out of his hands all we need is Christ all we have is 370 00:41:30,040 --> 00:41:37,200 Christ let me pray for us Lord Jesus thinking that you are supreme and 371 00:41:37,200 --> 00:41:43,440 sovereign in all things thinking that you are the one who is saved from first 372 00:41:43,440 --> 00:41:48,880 to last we were dead in our transgressions and sins but through your 373 00:41:48,880 --> 00:41:53,120 death and resurrection you have made us alive you have raised us up with 374 00:41:53,120 --> 00:41:59,440 yourself and you have promised that you hold us in your hands the love gift from 375 00:41:59,440 --> 00:42:09,120 the father to the son and nothing can ever snatch us from that safe place