WEBVTT 00:00:00.839 --> 00:00:03.160 And thank you, praise team. Don't they always 00:00:03.160 --> 00:00:06.719 do a great job? Amen? They do. I don't know if 00:00:06.719 --> 00:00:08.919 you realize, we are blessed with Josiah and our 00:00:08.919 --> 00:00:12.660 team up here, and that song, the shepherd, the 00:00:12.660 --> 00:00:14.759 good shepherd, and he leads me and he's all I 00:00:14.759 --> 00:00:18.039 ever need, it's like that is an absolutely perfect 00:00:18.039 --> 00:00:21.320 song for our text this morning, and so thank 00:00:21.320 --> 00:00:25.019 you. My name's Bob Davis. Forgive me if some 00:00:25.019 --> 00:00:26.820 of you are like, who is this guy up here? Because 00:00:26.820 --> 00:00:29.699 I've been gone most of the summer. Just a... 00:00:30.039 --> 00:00:32.719 quick word of explanation. My wife and I work 00:00:32.719 --> 00:00:36.060 for a ministry called Operation Heal Our Patriots, 00:00:36.119 --> 00:00:39.780 which is about 17 weeks in Port Allsworth. So 00:00:39.780 --> 00:00:42.979 all summer long, we're back in and out, in and 00:00:42.979 --> 00:00:47.299 out for weeks at a time, leading couples in a 00:00:47.299 --> 00:00:49.799 marriage event that's looking to restore and 00:00:49.799 --> 00:00:53.079 redeem their marriages. And so many coming to 00:00:53.079 --> 00:00:56.640 Christ, many being baptized, many couples renewing 00:00:56.640 --> 00:01:00.060 their marriage vows. And so for the summer. Alaska 00:01:00.060 --> 00:01:03.079 summers are already busy, right? So this takes 00:01:03.079 --> 00:01:06.359 us away for quite a while. So anyway, that's 00:01:06.359 --> 00:01:08.640 who I am. And welcome. We're glad that you're 00:01:08.640 --> 00:01:11.900 here this morning. And we're picking up in John 00:01:11.900 --> 00:01:15.500 chapter 10. And there's a little piece here that 00:01:15.500 --> 00:01:17.379 we didn't have up on the screen. That was 19, 00:01:17.459 --> 00:01:20.000 20, 21. It's kind of a little transition piece 00:01:20.000 --> 00:01:23.379 that we'll get into for just a moment. But we're 00:01:23.379 --> 00:01:28.430 wrapping up a significant portion of John over 00:01:28.430 --> 00:01:30.950 this week and next. Whether you realize it or 00:01:30.950 --> 00:01:35.989 not, these first 10 or 11 chapters of John have 00:01:35.989 --> 00:01:39.090 been really like going fast, right? If you listen 00:01:39.090 --> 00:01:42.370 to an audio book, it's at like 1 .52, right? 00:01:42.450 --> 00:01:44.290 Times the normal speed, meaning that this is 00:01:44.290 --> 00:01:47.829 like three years of Jesus's life and ministry, 00:01:47.950 --> 00:01:50.730 right? These first 11 chapters. And it's about 00:01:50.730 --> 00:01:54.790 ready to go. And slow way down, and we're going 00:01:54.790 --> 00:01:59.510 to zoom in as we come to Jesus' questioning and 00:01:59.510 --> 00:02:02.390 his arrest and the Passion Week and his crucifixion 00:02:02.390 --> 00:02:05.510 and so forth, right? Like the whole second half 00:02:05.510 --> 00:02:08.330 of the book is basically two weeks, right? The 00:02:08.330 --> 00:02:10.669 first half of the book is three years, right? 00:02:10.729 --> 00:02:14.389 So whether you realize that or not, in our text 00:02:14.389 --> 00:02:17.650 today, we're going to hear the final rejection 00:02:17.650 --> 00:02:22.360 of Jesus by the Jewish leadership. So at this 00:02:22.360 --> 00:02:27.340 time, in John chapter 10, Jesus has been unpacking 00:02:27.340 --> 00:02:30.800 what John calls a figure of speech, right? So 00:02:30.800 --> 00:02:33.319 we heard this last week, and if you look in verse 00:02:33.319 --> 00:02:36.639 6, it says, this figure of speech Jesus used 00:02:36.639 --> 00:02:39.599 with them, and that figure of speech is all about 00:02:39.599 --> 00:02:43.889 the shepherd and his sheep. In this word picture 00:02:43.889 --> 00:02:46.870 that Jesus paints, there's a sheepfold, of course, 00:02:46.969 --> 00:02:49.969 which is a flock, and Jesus is the door, the 00:02:49.969 --> 00:02:53.789 entry into that sheepfold. And in verse 11, he 00:02:53.789 --> 00:02:55.830 tells us that he is the good shepherd, and there 00:02:55.830 --> 00:02:58.409 are both Jewish sheep and some other sheep outside 00:02:58.409 --> 00:03:00.849 of this flock, right, that are a part of his 00:03:00.849 --> 00:03:04.090 flock. And Jesus' words that his mission given 00:03:04.090 --> 00:03:07.870 to him by the Father is to lay down his life 00:03:07.870 --> 00:03:10.840 for his sheep. Now, that would have absolutely 00:03:10.840 --> 00:03:13.599 resonated with this culture, right? These guys, 00:03:13.639 --> 00:03:15.379 they would have known, right? They would have 00:03:15.379 --> 00:03:17.780 understood what it means for the shepherd, right, 00:03:17.860 --> 00:03:20.080 to stand up. You know, David talked about a bear 00:03:20.080 --> 00:03:22.180 and a wolf or this or that, right? So predators, 00:03:22.400 --> 00:03:24.699 things, you know, the thief, if you will, right, 00:03:24.780 --> 00:03:26.479 trying to come in. Well, he's going to stand 00:03:26.479 --> 00:03:30.060 up and fight them off to protective sheep. But 00:03:30.060 --> 00:03:32.620 the challenging piece that he said, not only 00:03:32.620 --> 00:03:35.759 will I lay my life down, but I have the power 00:03:35.759 --> 00:03:39.590 to take it up again. And so in verse 19, where 00:03:39.590 --> 00:03:42.210 this transition piece we pick up, it says that 00:03:42.210 --> 00:03:45.569 there was again a division among the Jews because 00:03:45.569 --> 00:03:49.729 of these words. Many said of him, he has a demon 00:03:49.729 --> 00:03:52.030 or he's insane. Why would we listen to this guy? 00:03:52.430 --> 00:03:54.810 Others said, these are not the words of one who 00:03:54.810 --> 00:03:58.030 is oppressed by a demon. Can a demon open the 00:03:58.030 --> 00:04:01.840 eyes of the blind? It's these words preceding 00:04:01.840 --> 00:04:04.219 the text that has caused them to answer this 00:04:04.219 --> 00:04:07.759 way. I am the good shepherd. I lay down my life 00:04:07.759 --> 00:04:10.000 for my sheep. I have other sheep I will bring, 00:04:10.099 --> 00:04:12.159 and for this reason the Father loves me because 00:04:12.159 --> 00:04:14.340 I lay it down and I take up my life again, right? 00:04:14.460 --> 00:04:18.399 So no one takes it from me, but I lay it down, 00:04:18.459 --> 00:04:20.300 and I have the authority to lay it down and the 00:04:20.300 --> 00:04:21.860 authority to pick it up again. These are the 00:04:21.860 --> 00:04:25.560 words that are sparking this response by this 00:04:25.560 --> 00:04:29.920 crew, right? Now, some of his... listeners obviously 00:04:29.920 --> 00:04:33.980 think Jesus has gone crazy. This is not normal 00:04:33.980 --> 00:04:36.360 language, right? I mean, we can resonate with 00:04:36.360 --> 00:04:38.699 the idea of laying down. No greater love than 00:04:38.699 --> 00:04:41.180 to lay down your life for a brother, right? I 00:04:41.180 --> 00:04:43.680 mean, from the military, we get that deeply. 00:04:44.139 --> 00:04:48.500 And military or not, you understand that. But 00:04:48.500 --> 00:04:51.899 dead people don't take their lives up again. 00:04:52.040 --> 00:04:54.180 He said, I have the authority to take it up again, 00:04:54.399 --> 00:04:57.519 right? If there's a resurrection, They're not 00:04:57.519 --> 00:04:59.939 doubting that, right? At the end time, they think 00:04:59.939 --> 00:05:02.040 that, you know, at least part of them think there 00:05:02.040 --> 00:05:05.220 will be a resurrection, but God does that. Not 00:05:05.220 --> 00:05:09.480 a dead person to himself, right? And obviously, 00:05:09.579 --> 00:05:12.339 therein lies the point. This isn't just some 00:05:12.339 --> 00:05:15.120 random person. This is Jesus that we're talking 00:05:15.120 --> 00:05:20.120 about here. And so, we come to verse 22, and 00:05:20.120 --> 00:05:24.350 John is very intentional. about letting us know 00:05:24.350 --> 00:05:27.089 that the Feast of Dedication was taking place 00:05:27.089 --> 00:05:30.810 in Jerusalem, and it was winter, right? He just 00:05:30.810 --> 00:05:32.970 like drops those little tidbits in there along 00:05:32.970 --> 00:05:35.810 the way, right? And it was winter. And that'll 00:05:35.810 --> 00:05:38.769 be somewhat important as we jump into the text 00:05:38.769 --> 00:05:42.959 today. Interestingly, The feast of dedication 00:05:42.959 --> 00:05:46.040 that you see there is not one of the three major 00:05:46.040 --> 00:05:49.399 biblical feasts that we read about in Scripture. 00:05:49.680 --> 00:05:51.560 So, meaning you're not going to go look through 00:05:51.560 --> 00:05:53.720 the Old Testament and see explicit instruction 00:05:53.720 --> 00:05:57.100 of how this feast was to be conducted or observed, 00:05:57.300 --> 00:06:00.660 right? It's just not there. The three different 00:06:00.660 --> 00:06:04.459 biblical feasts or festivals are Passover. The 00:06:04.459 --> 00:06:07.500 Feast of Weeks and the Feast of the Tabernacle, 00:06:07.540 --> 00:06:09.079 right? So we don't have time to get into all 00:06:09.079 --> 00:06:12.279 of them, but John uses them as chronological 00:06:12.279 --> 00:06:16.350 markers throughout the gospel. And so we know 00:06:16.350 --> 00:06:18.269 that the Feast of the Tabernacle or Feast of 00:06:18.269 --> 00:06:19.850 Booths, right? You remember this, the little 00:06:19.850 --> 00:06:23.350 shelters, right? This happens in the previous 00:06:23.350 --> 00:06:25.769 chapters where we just went through. And it happens 00:06:25.769 --> 00:06:28.350 each year in September, October, right? In that 00:06:28.350 --> 00:06:30.750 time frame. And the Feast of Dedication takes 00:06:30.750 --> 00:06:33.149 place in November, December. So that's where 00:06:33.149 --> 00:06:36.029 we find ourselves right now. So from last week's 00:06:36.029 --> 00:06:38.769 text to this week's text, you know, weeks, maybe 00:06:38.769 --> 00:06:41.050 a couple months have gone by, right? There's 00:06:41.050 --> 00:06:43.689 a little bit of time in here. And so that's where 00:06:43.689 --> 00:06:46.009 we find ourselves right now. So what exactly 00:06:46.009 --> 00:06:48.750 is the Feast of Dedication and why is John talking 00:06:48.750 --> 00:06:52.829 about it? So you've probably heard the term Hanukkah 00:06:52.829 --> 00:06:56.529 before, right? Hanukkah, yeah? It's not just 00:06:56.529 --> 00:06:59.129 Jewish Christmas, right? That's not a thing, 00:06:59.310 --> 00:07:04.089 right? Hanukkah is an eight -day winter festival 00:07:04.089 --> 00:07:07.350 that commemorates the cleansing and the rededication 00:07:07.350 --> 00:07:10.699 of the second temple in Jerusalem. After it had 00:07:10.699 --> 00:07:14.180 been defiled by the Syrian Greek king Antiochus 00:07:14.180 --> 00:07:16.879 IV, right? So this guy comes in, they overthrow, 00:07:17.199 --> 00:07:19.740 they take over the temple. He goes as far as 00:07:19.740 --> 00:07:22.959 to take all the stuff down that points to Yahweh, 00:07:23.100 --> 00:07:25.600 right? And he builds his own altars and they 00:07:25.600 --> 00:07:29.420 sacrifice pigs upon them. They discourage or 00:07:29.420 --> 00:07:33.800 disallow circumcision. They absolutely, their 00:07:33.800 --> 00:07:37.680 way of life is disrupted and plagued by this 00:07:37.680 --> 00:07:40.949 king. And it goes on for a few years, right? 00:07:41.110 --> 00:07:44.069 And maybe you've heard of the Maccabean Revolution. 00:07:44.230 --> 00:07:47.990 So a guy by the name of Judas Maccabeus leads 00:07:47.990 --> 00:07:51.269 the charge to overrun this pagan king and restore 00:07:51.269 --> 00:07:54.589 the temple. And after the first sacrifice is 00:07:54.589 --> 00:07:57.290 made to Yahweh in the restored and reclaimed 00:07:57.290 --> 00:08:01.149 temple, right? Purified and in right order again, 00:08:01.329 --> 00:08:05.209 the Jews begin to meet each year after that. 00:08:05.370 --> 00:08:08.459 And they assemble in their homes. and they light 00:08:08.459 --> 00:08:11.839 candles to remember how God delivered them from 00:08:11.839 --> 00:08:14.199 darkness and oppression and how the temple was 00:08:14.199 --> 00:08:17.300 restored. So I want you to see the irony here 00:08:17.300 --> 00:08:20.860 as we start into this that John is telling us 00:08:20.860 --> 00:08:25.360 that it's during this time when things were renewed 00:08:25.360 --> 00:08:29.600 and restored that Jesus, the great deliverer 00:08:29.600 --> 00:08:32.720 and purifier of the temple, he's the great one 00:08:32.720 --> 00:08:35.940 that does this, is walking in the covered porch 00:08:35.940 --> 00:08:39.299 section. of the temple. It's called Solomon's 00:08:39.299 --> 00:08:42.320 colonnade, right? So think big pillars and it's 00:08:42.320 --> 00:08:44.220 just, you know, it's a side. It's not the inside, 00:08:44.360 --> 00:08:46.240 the main. It's the porch, if you will. And he's 00:08:46.240 --> 00:08:50.379 walking along and he would not be received. He 00:08:50.379 --> 00:08:53.740 would not be recognized as the one who truly 00:08:53.740 --> 00:08:56.899 is cleansing and purifying and renewing. And 00:08:56.899 --> 00:09:00.250 so, As we jump in, let me try to give you a big 00:09:00.250 --> 00:09:02.870 picture of what's happening in these verses that 00:09:02.870 --> 00:09:04.230 we're going to go through this morning, and then 00:09:04.230 --> 00:09:07.889 we'll unpack it in some detail. So, Jesus is 00:09:07.889 --> 00:09:09.649 walking in the temple, and according to verse 00:09:09.649 --> 00:09:12.809 24, the Jews gathered around him and said to 00:09:12.809 --> 00:09:16.549 him, how long will you keep us in suspense? If 00:09:16.549 --> 00:09:19.549 you are the Christ, just think about that for 00:09:19.549 --> 00:09:23.149 a moment, if you're the Messiah, the long -hoped 00:09:23.149 --> 00:09:25.429 -for one who would bring the kingdom of God to 00:09:25.429 --> 00:09:29.450 pass, tell us, In other words, the figure of 00:09:29.450 --> 00:09:31.909 speech that you've been using with all the talk 00:09:31.909 --> 00:09:34.230 about sheep and the shepherd and the door and 00:09:34.230 --> 00:09:37.070 all that stuff, it's not plain enough. We want 00:09:37.070 --> 00:09:41.070 some plain speech, Jesus. Are you or are you 00:09:41.070 --> 00:09:44.470 not the Messiah? And what happens then is that 00:09:44.470 --> 00:09:48.110 Jesus answers them way beyond what they expect. 00:09:48.549 --> 00:09:51.029 They're on the brink of killing him for blasphemy. 00:09:51.110 --> 00:09:54.649 And to defuse this crisis because it's not yet 00:09:54.649 --> 00:09:57.879 time for his death, He deflects their rage with 00:09:57.879 --> 00:10:00.860 a very particular biblical maneuver that he pulls. 00:10:01.019 --> 00:10:03.440 And in that little time that this buys him before 00:10:03.440 --> 00:10:07.080 they try to seize him, he offers one more invitation. 00:10:07.820 --> 00:10:11.240 One more attempt at winning them over and accepting 00:10:11.240 --> 00:10:13.799 who he is. And then John transports us across 00:10:13.799 --> 00:10:16.320 the Jordan for a closing scene which contains 00:10:16.320 --> 00:10:19.779 a key to faith. And so that's kind of the 50 00:10:19.779 --> 00:10:22.159 ,000 meter view of the map. Now we're going to 00:10:22.159 --> 00:10:26.179 pull in a little bit. And so... In verse 24, 00:10:26.379 --> 00:10:28.399 if you look with me, if you don't have a Bible, 00:10:28.519 --> 00:10:31.080 they're back here. We have these books of John. 00:10:31.159 --> 00:10:33.080 They're great because you can write notes and 00:10:33.080 --> 00:10:35.379 stuff in here. And so if you're new here and 00:10:35.379 --> 00:10:37.220 you didn't bring it, like there's one back there 00:10:37.220 --> 00:10:40.440 for you, we want you to take it, right? So here 00:10:40.440 --> 00:10:43.299 in verse 24, we see that the Jews gather around 00:10:43.299 --> 00:10:45.759 them and they say, how long are you going to 00:10:45.759 --> 00:10:48.299 keep us in suspense? If you're the Messiah, tell 00:10:48.299 --> 00:10:52.710 us. This phrase can actually, this question can 00:10:52.710 --> 00:10:55.350 be interpreted a couple of different ways, right? 00:10:56.049 --> 00:10:58.929 How long will you plague us, right? I want you 00:10:58.929 --> 00:11:02.570 to think of Antiochus IV. He literally plagued, 00:11:02.570 --> 00:11:05.470 like the Jews, a little differently, obviously, 00:11:05.610 --> 00:11:07.409 a lot differently, but this idea that he was 00:11:07.409 --> 00:11:09.730 a thorn to them, like we can't wait for him to 00:11:09.730 --> 00:11:13.210 leave because he's disrupting our way of life. 00:11:13.509 --> 00:11:17.090 Why are you trying to take away our way of life? 00:11:17.759 --> 00:11:21.100 And I wonder, are they more concerned about their 00:11:21.100 --> 00:11:24.399 traditions and their way of life, so much so 00:11:24.399 --> 00:11:27.600 that they're literally missing Jesus, right? 00:11:27.779 --> 00:11:30.059 You know the scriptures, Jesus tells them, but 00:11:30.059 --> 00:11:32.100 I'm the one they're pointing to, and yet you 00:11:32.100 --> 00:11:36.100 don't know me, right? So he's basically saying 00:11:36.100 --> 00:11:39.980 that their previous way of worship, because Jesus 00:11:39.980 --> 00:11:42.120 is about to disrupt everything, right? Their 00:11:42.120 --> 00:11:46.750 focus, their purpose. Their lifestyle was about 00:11:46.750 --> 00:11:49.409 to be rendered useless, right? The old temple 00:11:49.409 --> 00:11:52.649 practices, like that's not going to do it anymore, 00:11:52.850 --> 00:11:54.950 right? That's not what this is about. He was 00:11:54.950 --> 00:11:59.289 ushering in an absolute change to their way of 00:11:59.289 --> 00:12:03.210 life, what they orbited around. And so here they 00:12:03.210 --> 00:12:06.009 are. John paints this picture. They are at this 00:12:06.009 --> 00:12:09.450 feast celebrating the good old days returned, 00:12:09.909 --> 00:12:12.350 right? They're celebrating the good old days 00:12:12.350 --> 00:12:14.690 brought back, and Jesus is going to tell them, 00:12:14.730 --> 00:12:17.289 yeah, that's all going away. I'm replacing all 00:12:17.289 --> 00:12:20.450 of that. And so they're irritated. And they say 00:12:20.450 --> 00:12:23.450 to him, this is not a genuine curiosity kind 00:12:23.450 --> 00:12:26.470 of thing. They are irritated with him. Tell us 00:12:26.470 --> 00:12:31.159 plainly. No more stories. And I love... what 00:12:31.159 --> 00:12:37.299 Jesus says. He says, I told you. I told you. 00:12:37.360 --> 00:12:41.279 I gave you an answer. I told you, and you don't 00:12:41.279 --> 00:12:44.960 believe. He's really saying that that's what 00:12:44.960 --> 00:12:47.360 the figure of speech that he's been using is 00:12:47.360 --> 00:12:50.600 all about. The door, the shepherd, the laying 00:12:50.600 --> 00:12:53.700 down of his life. Think Isaiah 53, right? He's 00:12:53.700 --> 00:12:57.399 literally using their scriptures. And painting 00:12:57.399 --> 00:13:01.279 this picture of who he is, the one who has invincible 00:13:01.279 --> 00:13:05.039 supernatural authority to take back his own life 00:13:05.039 --> 00:13:07.620 and is gathering a people to live forever in 00:13:07.620 --> 00:13:11.320 joy. I told you that's my answer. But not only 00:13:11.320 --> 00:13:14.460 have I told you, but I've shown you. Look in 00:13:14.460 --> 00:13:19.669 verse 25. In verse 25, he says, I tell you and 00:13:19.669 --> 00:13:21.649 you don't believe. Jesus answered them, the works 00:13:21.649 --> 00:13:24.350 that I do in my Father's name testify about me, 00:13:24.389 --> 00:13:28.330 but you don't believe. Why? Because you're not 00:13:28.330 --> 00:13:32.429 one of my sheep. My sheep hear my voice and I 00:13:32.429 --> 00:13:35.809 know them and they follow me. Now folks, this 00:13:35.809 --> 00:13:39.470 is the way Jesus always operates. Not only is 00:13:39.470 --> 00:13:41.970 he going to tell you in his word, but he's going 00:13:41.970 --> 00:13:45.840 to show you. And he's done that. His words and 00:13:45.840 --> 00:13:49.240 his deeds clearly reveal his Messiahship. And 00:13:49.240 --> 00:13:52.139 I think it's worth this sidebar discussion real 00:13:52.139 --> 00:13:54.879 fast of what the folks are expecting by Messiahship. 00:13:54.899 --> 00:13:58.279 You probably already know this, right? But historically, 00:13:58.379 --> 00:14:01.320 the idea of Messiah was one who would come to 00:14:01.320 --> 00:14:04.779 purge Jerusalem from the Gentiles who have trampled 00:14:04.779 --> 00:14:07.559 her to destruction. So think the Messiah, the 00:14:07.559 --> 00:14:11.240 Christ, is going to be a guy like Judas Maccabeus. 00:14:11.720 --> 00:14:15.000 Who will come and set them free from their physical 00:14:15.000 --> 00:14:17.620 enemies. They're looking for someone to overthrow 00:14:17.620 --> 00:14:19.840 Rome, right? I mean, they're under the thumb 00:14:19.840 --> 00:14:22.179 right now. They're oppressed right now. They're 00:14:22.179 --> 00:14:25.220 being plagued by Rome. They're looking for someone 00:14:25.220 --> 00:14:29.039 to overthrow that. And they're frustrated. So 00:14:29.039 --> 00:14:32.379 they're not asking with hopeful anticipation 00:14:32.379 --> 00:14:36.139 here. And it seems that they're past the point 00:14:36.139 --> 00:14:39.580 of genuine concern. They want Jesus to plainly 00:14:39.580 --> 00:14:43.299 dismiss. this crazy idea that he's the Messiah 00:14:43.299 --> 00:14:46.639 so that they can be done with him. Or, please, 00:14:46.779 --> 00:14:49.500 please, Jesus, let us catch you blaspheming, 00:14:49.500 --> 00:14:51.799 right? Let us catch you saying more than that 00:14:51.799 --> 00:14:53.360 because we all think you're saying something 00:14:53.360 --> 00:14:55.139 more than that. And if you're saying what we 00:14:55.139 --> 00:14:57.639 think you're saying, yeah, well, we're going 00:14:57.639 --> 00:15:00.159 to end that. We're going to stone you. And so 00:15:00.159 --> 00:15:03.580 now Jesus is going to go way beyond plain speech. 00:15:04.320 --> 00:15:06.919 Verse 25, I've told you and I've shown you, you 00:15:06.919 --> 00:15:08.899 don't believe because you're not of my sheep. 00:15:09.120 --> 00:15:12.039 My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they 00:15:12.039 --> 00:15:15.440 follow me. So Jesus, he's making it clear. Their 00:15:15.440 --> 00:15:18.159 unbelief is not a lack of evidence, right? It's 00:15:18.159 --> 00:15:20.740 not a result of that. It's not because they haven't 00:15:20.740 --> 00:15:23.259 seen enough, right? Nor is it a result of an 00:15:23.259 --> 00:15:25.200 unclear message. The question that they're asking 00:15:25.200 --> 00:15:30.039 Jesus is rooted in a hard and unbelieving heart. 00:15:31.389 --> 00:15:33.929 They do not believe because they are not among 00:15:33.929 --> 00:15:37.230 his sheep. I don't know about you, but that makes 00:15:37.230 --> 00:15:39.610 me go, well, what did Jesus' sheep look like, 00:15:39.669 --> 00:15:41.529 right? Like, how do you know? How do I know if 00:15:41.529 --> 00:15:44.830 I'm one, right? And he tells us, he tells us, 00:15:44.850 --> 00:15:47.429 my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they 00:15:47.429 --> 00:15:52.629 follow me. Jesus' sheep follow him. They know 00:15:52.629 --> 00:15:55.110 the voice of the good shepherd and they follow. 00:15:55.860 --> 00:15:58.799 Last week, Caleb mentioned, you know, deployed 00:15:58.799 --> 00:16:01.620 a lot of times combat deployments overseas, Middle 00:16:01.620 --> 00:16:03.379 East, and you get to see all kinds of stuff whether 00:16:03.379 --> 00:16:05.620 you want to or not. And I just happened to be 00:16:05.620 --> 00:16:08.019 at this place where there's a wadi, right, where 00:16:08.019 --> 00:16:10.740 there's this collection of water and the hills 00:16:10.740 --> 00:16:13.980 and a lot of these shepherds, and most of them 00:16:13.980 --> 00:16:15.779 are pretty young, right? They're young, they're 00:16:15.779 --> 00:16:18.240 boys, right? The boys and their families leading 00:16:18.240 --> 00:16:22.519 these flocks of sheep. And it's not very... pretty, 00:16:22.580 --> 00:16:24.399 actually, when you look at it. Like, they're 00:16:24.399 --> 00:16:27.639 kind of ratty looking. They're not the sheep 00:16:27.639 --> 00:16:29.740 that you see at the fair here this week, right? 00:16:29.799 --> 00:16:31.779 When you go in and look at, like, they're kind 00:16:31.779 --> 00:16:35.500 of dirty, and they got clumps of crap all over 00:16:35.500 --> 00:16:37.940 them, and they've been, I mean, it's a sight 00:16:37.940 --> 00:16:40.220 to see, and it smells. There's flies everywhere, 00:16:40.539 --> 00:16:43.659 right? I mean, it's, and these sheep, they all 00:16:43.659 --> 00:16:47.860 gathered at this waterhole, and The sheep intermingle 00:16:47.860 --> 00:16:50.080 like four, five, six, I don't know how many shepherds 00:16:50.080 --> 00:16:51.960 were there watering their sheep at that time 00:16:51.960 --> 00:16:54.820 of the morning, right? And after they were done, 00:16:54.860 --> 00:16:57.059 when the shepherd was satisfied that his sheep 00:16:57.059 --> 00:17:00.039 had had enough water, he makes his own peculiar 00:17:00.039 --> 00:17:03.840 call, and he begins walking away. He's just walking 00:17:03.840 --> 00:17:06.460 away, making his call, and guess what happens? 00:17:06.619 --> 00:17:09.019 All of the sheep that were intermingled, his 00:17:09.019 --> 00:17:12.460 sheep separate, and they walk out, and they're 00:17:12.460 --> 00:17:15.700 just following this boy. Kind of cool looking 00:17:15.700 --> 00:17:18.119 to see it happen, right? Why didn't any of the 00:17:18.119 --> 00:17:21.279 other sheep follow? They weren't a part of his 00:17:21.279 --> 00:17:24.200 flock. They didn't know his voice, right? Why 00:17:24.200 --> 00:17:25.980 would they follow? I don't know that dude. They 00:17:25.980 --> 00:17:29.440 don't follow him, right? Only his sheep followed. 00:17:30.559 --> 00:17:35.039 If you are following Jesus, if you know his voice, 00:17:35.119 --> 00:17:37.799 I've got great news for you this morning. You 00:17:37.799 --> 00:17:43.099 are a part of his fold. You are one of his sheep. 00:17:44.009 --> 00:17:46.210 And that's going to get really important and 00:17:46.210 --> 00:17:48.769 really good here just in the next couple of verses 00:17:48.769 --> 00:17:52.950 why that's important, right? So they do not recognize 00:17:52.950 --> 00:17:56.049 his voice. Therefore, they don't follow him. 00:17:56.380 --> 00:17:59.119 Their rejection of Jesus is proving they do not 00:17:59.119 --> 00:18:02.240 belong to Jesus. And I get the feeling that they 00:18:02.240 --> 00:18:04.200 probably didn't care a whole lot about it, right? 00:18:04.599 --> 00:18:07.940 Like, oh boy, I don't belong to your metaphorical 00:18:07.940 --> 00:18:10.720 sheepfold, Jesus, big whoop. Like, you think 00:18:10.720 --> 00:18:13.099 they were bothered by it? No, they're irritated, 00:18:13.299 --> 00:18:15.960 right? They're ticked off at him. But look at 00:18:15.960 --> 00:18:21.920 verse 28 and 29. I give them eternal life, and 00:18:21.920 --> 00:18:27.380 they will never perish. No one. Let that sink 00:18:27.380 --> 00:18:31.180 for a second. No one will snatch them out of 00:18:31.180 --> 00:18:35.700 my hand, Jesus says. My Father who has given 00:18:35.700 --> 00:18:40.460 them to me is greater than all. No one is able 00:18:40.460 --> 00:18:44.140 to snatch them out of the Father's hand. It's 00:18:44.140 --> 00:18:47.619 only those who belong to Jesus to hear his call 00:18:47.619 --> 00:18:50.779 to come and believe and who respond in obedience 00:18:50.779 --> 00:18:54.920 that will be given eternal life. Eternal life 00:18:54.920 --> 00:18:57.900 is not something that one can earn. It's freely 00:18:57.900 --> 00:19:00.299 given, right? You guys know Ephesians chapter 00:19:00.299 --> 00:19:03.079 2. We are saved by grace through faith, and this 00:19:03.079 --> 00:19:06.220 is not of your doing. It is the gift of God, 00:19:06.359 --> 00:19:09.180 not a result of works so that no one may boast. 00:19:09.420 --> 00:19:12.140 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ 00:19:12.140 --> 00:19:15.299 Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand 00:19:15.299 --> 00:19:20.650 that we should walk in them. We must always understand 00:19:20.650 --> 00:19:24.690 and remember that eternal life is a gift. You 00:19:24.690 --> 00:19:27.329 bring nothing to the table. You realize that, 00:19:27.410 --> 00:19:30.230 right? You got nothing to offer. There's no trade. 00:19:30.269 --> 00:19:33.109 There's no barter, right? So the lowest of the 00:19:33.109 --> 00:19:36.329 low to the guy or the gal that you think is the 00:19:36.329 --> 00:19:39.029 most saintliest person, it's all level at the 00:19:39.029 --> 00:19:41.569 foot of the cross. We bring nothing. Paul says 00:19:41.569 --> 00:19:45.809 we are all but filthy rags. You got nothing. 00:19:47.069 --> 00:19:49.609 Except the gift that Jesus gives you. And when 00:19:49.609 --> 00:19:52.210 does the gift become your gift? When you receive 00:19:52.210 --> 00:19:54.849 it, right? Until that point, it's just a gift, 00:19:55.029 --> 00:19:57.430 right? But when we receive the gift that Christ 00:19:57.430 --> 00:20:00.630 offers, when we receive it, it becomes ours. 00:20:01.849 --> 00:20:07.369 And it sounds simple, but it's not simplistic. 00:20:10.410 --> 00:20:14.349 The hope of eternal life does not rest on your 00:20:14.349 --> 00:20:18.029 shoulders. It rests upon the shoulders of Jesus. 00:20:18.609 --> 00:20:22.230 If your faith resides in Jesus, rest in the fact 00:20:22.230 --> 00:20:25.799 that no one... will ever be able to snatch you 00:20:25.799 --> 00:20:28.279 out of his hand. And how do we know that no one 00:20:28.279 --> 00:20:30.119 will be able to snatch you out of his hand? We 00:20:30.119 --> 00:20:32.339 know this to be true because of verse 29. My 00:20:32.339 --> 00:20:34.579 father who has given them to me is greater than 00:20:34.579 --> 00:20:37.220 all, and no one is able to snatch them out of 00:20:37.220 --> 00:20:39.559 the father's hand. So I want you to notice three 00:20:39.559 --> 00:20:41.880 things here as we go through this. First, when 00:20:41.880 --> 00:20:45.180 the father gives his sheep into the omnipotent 00:20:45.180 --> 00:20:49.200 hand of the son, right? When the father gives 00:20:49.200 --> 00:20:52.220 them to the son, they are still in the father's 00:20:52.220 --> 00:20:56.529 hand. Verse 29 says, My Father who has given 00:20:56.529 --> 00:20:58.630 them to me is greater than all, and no one is 00:20:58.630 --> 00:21:00.089 able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. 00:21:00.170 --> 00:21:02.769 So even though they are in the Father's hand, 00:21:03.009 --> 00:21:06.269 he has put them into the Son's hand, and they 00:21:06.269 --> 00:21:09.910 are still in the Father's hand. This is hard 00:21:09.910 --> 00:21:12.549 to get, right? How can they be in both hands 00:21:12.549 --> 00:21:15.609 at the same time? It's kind of like he's got 00:21:15.609 --> 00:21:20.589 you. Like you're here. You're not just sitting 00:21:20.589 --> 00:21:23.490 here like a sitting duck. Literally, the Father 00:21:23.490 --> 00:21:29.190 and the Son, they've got you. You can't get in 00:21:29.190 --> 00:21:31.849 here. No one can pluck them out. So what does 00:21:31.849 --> 00:21:34.390 this imply? This is the second thing. Look with 00:21:34.390 --> 00:21:38.829 me in verse 30. In verse 30. Verse 30 is the 00:21:38.829 --> 00:21:41.250 equivalent of the Bruce Lee one -inch punch, 00:21:41.490 --> 00:21:43.829 right, to these Jews. If you know, you know what 00:21:43.829 --> 00:21:46.029 I'm talking about, right? Like the ha, like it 00:21:46.029 --> 00:21:49.029 is the, it's just this little thing, and the 00:21:49.029 --> 00:21:52.970 result is way, like it's, this is huge. As a 00:21:52.970 --> 00:21:56.789 matter of fact, he gives the clearest statement, 00:21:56.829 --> 00:22:00.640 Jesus, of his own identity. anywhere in Scripture. 00:22:00.960 --> 00:22:03.440 So if you want to say, ah, well, did Jesus ever 00:22:03.440 --> 00:22:06.740 say he's God? Like literally right here, John 00:22:06.740 --> 00:22:09.220 chapter 10, verse 30, the clearest statement 00:22:09.220 --> 00:22:12.000 of Jesus' divinity from his own lips, he says, 00:22:12.119 --> 00:22:16.680 I and the Father are one. Right? So he's trying 00:22:16.680 --> 00:22:19.240 to talk about this idea still of you're in his 00:22:19.240 --> 00:22:21.619 hand, but you're in my hand, and you're here. 00:22:21.720 --> 00:22:24.460 I and the Father are one. And his final answer 00:22:24.460 --> 00:22:27.579 about his identity is way beyond Messiahship. 00:22:28.019 --> 00:22:32.420 Right? Way beyond what they're expecting. It's 00:22:32.420 --> 00:22:37.500 about oneness with God the Father. And the third 00:22:37.500 --> 00:22:40.200 piece here, notice that Jesus takes us to this 00:22:40.200 --> 00:22:43.099 answer by showing us how this oneness serves 00:22:43.099 --> 00:22:46.920 our salvation, our eternal joy, our safety. The 00:22:46.920 --> 00:22:52.940 Father and I are one. No one can take you. From 00:22:52.940 --> 00:22:55.099 my father, because my father is stronger than 00:22:55.099 --> 00:22:56.980 all. And when you're in my hand, you're in his 00:22:56.980 --> 00:22:58.779 hand. And when you're in his hand, you're in 00:22:58.779 --> 00:23:04.039 my hand. His omnipotence, our unity is your safety, 00:23:04.099 --> 00:23:07.480 your salvation. And so this lesson here, right 00:23:07.480 --> 00:23:10.099 out driving it home, Jesus takes us to the heights 00:23:10.099 --> 00:23:14.440 of doctrinal truth about himself. He is one with 00:23:14.440 --> 00:23:17.059 the father. In the beginning, this is all of 00:23:17.059 --> 00:23:18.880 John, he tells us this, right? In the beginning 00:23:18.880 --> 00:23:21.359 was the Word, and the Word was with God, and 00:23:21.359 --> 00:23:23.420 the Word was God, and the Word became flesh. 00:23:24.559 --> 00:23:27.420 But he does it by showing us the immediate application 00:23:27.420 --> 00:23:31.200 for our lives. No one can snatch you from my 00:23:31.200 --> 00:23:35.160 hand or the Father's hand. Which are one hand. 00:23:35.859 --> 00:23:38.640 Have I beaten that enough yet? Like, are you 00:23:38.640 --> 00:23:40.859 picking this up? Are you getting it, right? In 00:23:40.859 --> 00:23:44.619 other words, doctrine, theology, biblical propositions 00:23:44.619 --> 00:23:46.920 like I and the Father want are always related 00:23:46.920 --> 00:23:49.980 to the implication for human life. Don't be afraid 00:23:49.980 --> 00:23:52.359 of doctrine. Just be afraid of disconnected doctrine 00:23:52.359 --> 00:23:55.980 that has no bearing, right? That doesn't make 00:23:55.980 --> 00:23:58.319 a difference for life or eternity. So Jesus' 00:23:58.519 --> 00:24:02.930 answer to the question in verse 24 is yes. I 00:24:02.930 --> 00:24:07.069 am the Messiah and infinitely more. And all of 00:24:07.069 --> 00:24:09.690 this is absolutely relevant for your eternal 00:24:09.690 --> 00:24:13.650 safety. And so what's their response? What do 00:24:13.650 --> 00:24:17.970 you think? What's their response? They're going 00:24:17.970 --> 00:24:21.839 to execute him here and now, right? The Jews 00:24:21.839 --> 00:24:25.140 picked up stones again to stone him. And Jesus 00:24:25.140 --> 00:24:27.740 answered them, I've shown you many good works 00:24:27.740 --> 00:24:30.019 from the Father, right? Here they are. They're 00:24:30.019 --> 00:24:32.180 like, this is it. Like, he just said it. Let's 00:24:32.180 --> 00:24:33.900 go, right? And they all pick them. They're not, 00:24:33.920 --> 00:24:35.420 you know, they're not out there getting some 00:24:35.420 --> 00:24:38.000 pea gravel. Like, Jesus, here you're like, they're 00:24:38.000 --> 00:24:40.539 picking up weapons, right? They're picking up 00:24:40.539 --> 00:24:43.660 rocks. They're going to stone him for what he 00:24:43.660 --> 00:24:46.720 said. And he says, I've shown you many good works 00:24:46.720 --> 00:24:50.400 from the Father, right? In verse 31. For which 00:24:50.400 --> 00:24:55.420 of them are you going to stone me? He says, it's 00:24:55.420 --> 00:24:57.480 not because of good works that we're going to 00:24:57.480 --> 00:25:00.259 be stoned, but for your blasphemy. Because you 00:25:00.259 --> 00:25:03.700 being a man, make yourself God. So what's clear 00:25:03.700 --> 00:25:06.559 here is that the Jewish leaders understood verse 00:25:06.559 --> 00:25:08.740 30, where Jesus said, I am the Father of what? 00:25:08.819 --> 00:25:12.079 They heard blasphemy. And verse 33, blasphemy 00:25:12.079 --> 00:25:14.700 because you being a man, make yourself God. They 00:25:14.700 --> 00:25:18.029 heard that he's claiming to be deity. This is 00:25:18.029 --> 00:25:19.690 what they're hearing. And this is not the first 00:25:19.690 --> 00:25:22.190 time they've accused Jesus of this. Back in John 00:25:22.190 --> 00:25:25.630 5, listen to verse 18. This was why the Jews 00:25:25.630 --> 00:25:27.329 were seeking all the more to kill him, because 00:25:27.329 --> 00:25:29.829 not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he 00:25:29.829 --> 00:25:31.930 was even calling God his own father, making himself 00:25:31.930 --> 00:25:34.190 equal with God. So they're not just saying in 00:25:34.190 --> 00:25:37.190 10 .33, you're acting like a god, a little g. 00:25:37.589 --> 00:25:41.210 They are saying you are making yourself equal 00:25:41.210 --> 00:25:46.119 with God. The same as God. And so their response 00:25:46.119 --> 00:25:49.640 in Jewish culture is understandable, right? It's 00:25:49.640 --> 00:25:52.319 blasphemy, which is punishable by execution, 00:25:52.660 --> 00:25:56.059 a man claiming to be God. So the question is, 00:25:56.079 --> 00:26:00.119 were they right? Were they right? Because I think 00:26:00.119 --> 00:26:02.799 we all know that we could read this differently, 00:26:03.039 --> 00:26:07.880 right? I could say Caleb and I are one, right? 00:26:08.440 --> 00:26:11.519 We're of one heart, one mind, right? We're on 00:26:11.519 --> 00:26:15.259 the same page. Jesus could be saying one in purpose, 00:26:15.380 --> 00:26:18.599 one in action, one in affection, but that's not 00:26:18.599 --> 00:26:21.759 what he was saying. It was something far greater 00:26:21.759 --> 00:26:23.579 than that, and they understood it. They were 00:26:23.579 --> 00:26:25.220 right, and Jesus knew they were right because 00:26:25.220 --> 00:26:28.759 the whole context of the gospel of John is saying 00:26:28.759 --> 00:26:31.779 Jesus is saying what he's saying, right? That 00:26:31.779 --> 00:26:35.490 they were right. Listen, quickly, very quickly, 00:26:35.589 --> 00:26:37.670 six passages. We already talked about John's 00:26:37.670 --> 00:26:39.210 prologue. In the beginning was the Word, and 00:26:39.210 --> 00:26:41.730 the Word was with God, and the Word became God, 00:26:41.849 --> 00:26:43.549 right? Or excuse me, the Word became flesh and 00:26:43.549 --> 00:26:47.410 dwelt among us. John chapter 5, truly I say to 00:26:47.410 --> 00:26:49.730 you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, 00:26:49.829 --> 00:26:51.690 but whatever he sees the Father doing, for whatever 00:26:51.690 --> 00:26:54.470 the Father does, that the Son does likewise. 00:26:55.230 --> 00:26:58.970 No human can say all that the Father does, right? 00:26:59.170 --> 00:27:03.559 I do. John 8. Jesus says to them, truly, truly, 00:27:03.619 --> 00:27:07.619 I say to you, before Abraham was, I am. The ego 00:27:07.619 --> 00:27:11.140 of me, right? The very name of Yahweh, the name 00:27:11.140 --> 00:27:14.220 of God himself. He's saying this very intentionally. 00:27:15.359 --> 00:27:17.779 John 10, we just read, I have authority to lay 00:27:17.779 --> 00:27:20.059 my life down and take it up again. No mere human 00:27:20.059 --> 00:27:23.339 can take up their life when he's dead. John 12, 00:27:23.519 --> 00:27:26.160 Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory 00:27:26.160 --> 00:27:28.920 and spoke of him. And John considers the glory 00:27:28.920 --> 00:27:31.400 of God that Isaiah saw to be the glory of Jesus. 00:27:31.920 --> 00:27:34.099 And later in John chapter 20, we're going to 00:27:34.099 --> 00:27:36.920 read, Thomas answered him, my Lord and my God. 00:27:37.000 --> 00:27:39.839 And how did Jesus receive that? As truth and 00:27:39.839 --> 00:27:43.519 as worship and called it faith. So we know that 00:27:43.519 --> 00:27:46.480 the charge of blasphemy in John 10, 33 is based 00:27:46.480 --> 00:27:49.839 on something that Jesus' adversaries were seeing 00:27:49.839 --> 00:27:53.200 correctly. He was claiming to be equal with God, 00:27:53.259 --> 00:27:55.559 and for that they were about to kill him. And 00:27:55.559 --> 00:27:57.680 so in verse 31, it says they picked up stones. 00:27:58.440 --> 00:28:01.619 What will Jesus do to diffuse this explosive 00:28:01.619 --> 00:28:03.799 moment? Because it's not yet his hour to die, 00:28:03.880 --> 00:28:07.339 right? I mean... Nowhere in the gospel story 00:28:07.339 --> 00:28:09.579 is it that, yep, and Jesus got stoned to death 00:28:09.579 --> 00:28:11.880 and the story ended that day, right? Obviously 00:28:11.880 --> 00:28:14.920 not. And so this is not the way it was planned 00:28:14.920 --> 00:28:17.680 by the Father. And so what he does to divert 00:28:17.680 --> 00:28:20.539 their hostility here is this exegetical maneuver. 00:28:20.819 --> 00:28:23.200 And I owe this to John Piper. This is all Piper 00:28:23.200 --> 00:28:25.740 right here about this idea of a maneuver, right? 00:28:25.819 --> 00:28:29.279 The Heisman, right? He's slipping away. He's 00:28:29.279 --> 00:28:31.960 diverting them, right? He says, is it not written 00:28:31.960 --> 00:28:35.900 in your law? That I said, you are gods with a 00:28:35.900 --> 00:28:38.460 little g. If he called them gods to whom the 00:28:38.460 --> 00:28:40.599 word of God came, the scripture cannot be broken. 00:28:40.619 --> 00:28:42.640 Do you say of him whom the Father consecrated 00:28:42.640 --> 00:28:45.019 and sent into the world, you are blaspheming 00:28:45.019 --> 00:28:48.099 because I said I'm the son of God? So the reason... 00:28:48.349 --> 00:28:50.829 that we call this a maneuver, is because there's 00:28:50.829 --> 00:28:53.450 nothing conclusive here, right? He's hearkening 00:28:53.450 --> 00:28:56.089 back to a psalm. He's hearkening back to, you 00:28:56.089 --> 00:29:00.230 know, their own scriptures where God used the 00:29:00.230 --> 00:29:03.049 term little g, God, somewhere along the way for 00:29:03.049 --> 00:29:06.190 one of his prophets, his teachers, right? And 00:29:06.190 --> 00:29:09.470 so he's saying if God used that term to refer 00:29:09.470 --> 00:29:12.009 to a lesser being who the recipients of his word, 00:29:12.230 --> 00:29:16.490 can he not use it for me? So it's almost like 00:29:16.490 --> 00:29:20.869 this, like I said, exegetical maneuver. It's 00:29:20.869 --> 00:29:23.029 not a conclusive argument. It's a deflection. 00:29:24.589 --> 00:29:27.650 A diversion. It doesn't settle the issue. It's 00:29:27.650 --> 00:29:31.490 a maneuver. But it is true. And so a valid pointer 00:29:31.490 --> 00:29:33.829 to a certain openness of language, but it's not 00:29:33.829 --> 00:29:36.930 conclusive. But what the maneuver did was it 00:29:36.930 --> 00:29:41.009 stopped the rocks from flying. It took the heat 00:29:41.009 --> 00:29:43.289 out of the kitchen for a moment and bought Jesus 00:29:43.289 --> 00:29:46.720 some time. And so they are just about to seize 00:29:46.720 --> 00:29:49.819 him in verse 39. But he gives one more plea. 00:29:50.000 --> 00:29:53.980 And folks, don't miss this. Because if there 00:29:53.980 --> 00:29:57.200 was still a chance for them, there's a chance 00:29:57.200 --> 00:30:03.359 for you. He says in verses 37 and 38, If I'm 00:30:03.359 --> 00:30:07.099 not doing the works of my Father, then do not 00:30:07.099 --> 00:30:09.119 believe me. But if I do them, even though you 00:30:09.119 --> 00:30:11.640 do not believe me, believe the works that you 00:30:11.640 --> 00:30:14.339 may know and understand. And that word know and 00:30:14.339 --> 00:30:16.819 understand is the same word. It's just a past 00:30:16.819 --> 00:30:19.480 tense and a present tense of the word gnosko, 00:30:19.579 --> 00:30:22.960 which means to know, to really know, right? So 00:30:22.960 --> 00:30:27.119 it's a, I now know and I continue growing to 00:30:27.119 --> 00:30:29.859 know, growing in knowledge, right? So it's this 00:30:29.859 --> 00:30:31.980 ongoing thing. This is what Jesus is inviting 00:30:31.980 --> 00:30:35.480 them to, that you might know and know me more. 00:30:36.109 --> 00:30:38.589 That the Father is in me and I am in the Father. 00:30:38.789 --> 00:30:42.509 And again, they sought to arrest him, but he 00:30:42.509 --> 00:30:46.150 escaped from their hands. So in the face of opposition 00:30:46.150 --> 00:30:51.349 and rejection, Jesus continues to offer the invitation 00:30:51.349 --> 00:30:53.230 to come and believe. What a picture of grace. 00:30:53.750 --> 00:30:58.349 They've got rocks to pummel him. Have you ever 00:30:58.349 --> 00:31:01.750 been hit by a rock, right? I mean, have you literally, 00:31:01.849 --> 00:31:04.190 could you, Craig, could you imagine, dude, if 00:31:04.190 --> 00:31:07.869 I got close to you and not just me, but how about 00:31:07.869 --> 00:31:09.490 all the dudes that are going to be at Steak and 00:31:09.490 --> 00:31:11.789 Stogie's on Friday night, right? Look, shameless 00:31:11.789 --> 00:31:14.630 plug, right? There it is, right? Imagine, like. 00:31:15.599 --> 00:31:18.859 Craig's blaspheming, and 25 dudes standing around 00:31:18.859 --> 00:31:23.440 you with intent, boy, I'm going to get him. When 00:31:23.440 --> 00:31:26.019 I was a kid, I grew up in South Florida for a 00:31:26.019 --> 00:31:27.859 couple of years, and my sister and I used to 00:31:27.859 --> 00:31:30.519 have to walk about a half a mile to school. And 00:31:30.519 --> 00:31:33.200 we literally would walk, and I'm talking kindergarten 00:31:33.200 --> 00:31:35.930 and second grade. It was like that back then, 00:31:36.029 --> 00:31:38.869 right? Both ways uphill in the snow. Wait, it 00:31:38.869 --> 00:31:42.150 was Florida, no snow. And so on the way home 00:31:42.150 --> 00:31:44.049 every day, the fifth and sixth graders got out 00:31:44.049 --> 00:31:46.329 of school before us. And there were these three 00:31:46.329 --> 00:31:49.289 or four boys that would hide in the woods. They'd 00:31:49.289 --> 00:31:50.950 hide in the bushes. There ain't no woods in South 00:31:50.950 --> 00:31:52.589 Florida, whatever that is down there, right? 00:31:52.690 --> 00:31:54.769 They'd hide and they'd wait for my sister and 00:31:54.769 --> 00:31:56.750 I to come walking by. And it didn't take very 00:31:56.750 --> 00:31:59.910 long every day when we walked home, like we were 00:31:59.910 --> 00:32:01.839 just, we were scared to death. We're looking 00:32:01.839 --> 00:32:03.500 because these boys had come out and they had 00:32:03.500 --> 00:32:06.400 rocks. Thank God they didn't have rocks like 00:32:06.400 --> 00:32:08.940 this. They had, you know, little skipping kind 00:32:08.940 --> 00:32:11.180 of rocks, right? And they would come out with 00:32:11.180 --> 00:32:13.940 a handful and just chase us and pelt us with 00:32:13.940 --> 00:32:16.779 these rocks. And I mean, I remember my head bleeding 00:32:16.779 --> 00:32:20.079 and running home screaming and these boys tore, 00:32:20.200 --> 00:32:22.819 right? That's nothing compared to what they're 00:32:22.819 --> 00:32:25.849 about to do to Jesus. Right? They literally, 00:32:25.990 --> 00:32:30.329 they want to take his life from him. And in the 00:32:30.329 --> 00:32:33.849 middle of that threat, Jesus is still thinking, 00:32:34.069 --> 00:32:37.069 they don't know. They don't know what they're 00:32:37.069 --> 00:32:40.849 doing. Father, how can I penetrate their hardness? 00:32:41.069 --> 00:32:44.190 How can I get to their heart? How can I extend 00:32:44.190 --> 00:32:48.130 this invitation to them again? In the middle 00:32:48.130 --> 00:32:52.099 of that threat, Jesus is still offering. Have 00:32:52.099 --> 00:32:55.240 you continually rejected Jesus your whole life? 00:32:56.640 --> 00:32:59.059 Folks, I got to tell you, when Jesus calls, right, 00:32:59.160 --> 00:33:01.839 when he's walking away from the water hole and 00:33:01.839 --> 00:33:04.720 you stay at the water hole and you don't follow, 00:33:05.000 --> 00:33:09.220 you might not think that's rejection, but you're 00:33:09.220 --> 00:33:11.680 not following. And there's only two kinds of 00:33:11.680 --> 00:33:14.299 people. Those who stay at the water hole, keep 00:33:14.299 --> 00:33:17.119 on drinking after he left, or those who pick 00:33:17.119 --> 00:33:21.609 up and go and follow, right? There's no in -between, 00:33:21.730 --> 00:33:25.769 like, no, you're either, nah, I'm good, I'm going 00:33:25.769 --> 00:33:28.190 to do my own thing, or you're following him. 00:33:29.690 --> 00:33:33.329 So if you've not been following Jesus, the invitation 00:33:33.329 --> 00:33:37.369 to come and believe is not yet off the table. 00:33:38.470 --> 00:33:41.309 That's incredible to me. How about this? Do you 00:33:41.309 --> 00:33:44.970 know someone who this describes? Don't give up 00:33:44.970 --> 00:33:47.980 praying for them. Don't give up just continually 00:33:47.980 --> 00:33:50.420 pointing and talking and sharing the hope of 00:33:50.420 --> 00:33:53.519 the gospel just like Jesus. Because if Jesus 00:33:53.519 --> 00:33:56.700 continues to love, offer hope to those who are 00:33:56.700 --> 00:34:00.240 seeking to kill him, man, what a remarkable picture 00:34:00.240 --> 00:34:01.859 of loving your enemies, right? In the middle 00:34:01.859 --> 00:34:04.460 of that, he's still doing this. If Jesus continues 00:34:04.460 --> 00:34:07.200 to do that to folks who are ready to kill him, 00:34:07.319 --> 00:34:11.719 I think we can probably extend love and grace 00:34:11.719 --> 00:34:15.059 and hope to those who wrong us. And you would 00:34:15.059 --> 00:34:17.840 think that the story's over, that it ends with 00:34:17.840 --> 00:34:20.219 opposition and unbelief. And John could have 00:34:20.219 --> 00:34:23.840 stopped right here and turned, right, to chapter 00:34:23.840 --> 00:34:26.119 11, Lazarus, but he didn't. And for some reason, 00:34:26.159 --> 00:34:28.659 he gives us another snapshot of Jesus across 00:34:28.659 --> 00:34:30.840 the Jordan to the northeast where many believed. 00:34:31.340 --> 00:34:34.380 Why is it that he wraps up chapter 10 this way? 00:34:35.179 --> 00:34:37.960 So he departed again across the Jordan to the 00:34:37.960 --> 00:34:40.239 place where John had been baptizing earlier and 00:34:40.239 --> 00:34:43.400 he remained there. Many came to him and... and 00:34:43.400 --> 00:34:47.340 said, they said this to Jesus, John never did 00:34:47.340 --> 00:34:49.980 a sign, but everything John said about this man 00:34:49.980 --> 00:34:52.380 was true, and many believed in him there. Is 00:34:52.380 --> 00:34:56.010 there a key there for us? A key maybe to the 00:34:56.010 --> 00:34:58.230 kind of soil in which faith springs up and grows 00:34:58.230 --> 00:35:00.969 because so much of this passage that we've just 00:35:00.969 --> 00:35:03.469 read has been about the words and the works of 00:35:03.469 --> 00:35:06.730 Jesus, so it is doubly important, as I close 00:35:06.730 --> 00:35:09.289 with this, if the team wants to prepare to come 00:35:09.289 --> 00:35:11.849 forward here again to lead us in response, so 00:35:11.849 --> 00:35:14.489 it's doubly important here for us to see that 00:35:14.489 --> 00:35:19.030 John did no work. John did no sign, and yet many 00:35:19.030 --> 00:35:22.449 believed in him there. Folks, that... That is 00:35:22.449 --> 00:35:26.070 phenomenally encouraging to me. And it should 00:35:26.070 --> 00:35:33.130 be to you as well. Why? John did no sign. And 00:35:33.130 --> 00:35:38.150 yet many believed in Jesus. Why? Because John... 00:35:38.559 --> 00:35:41.300 consistently pointed to Jesus. He threw the spotlight 00:35:41.300 --> 00:35:44.960 utterly on Jesus. His very life orbited around 00:35:44.960 --> 00:35:48.679 Jesus. When we live our lives in this way, following 00:35:48.679 --> 00:35:52.139 the shepherd, knowing his voice, pointing consistently 00:35:52.139 --> 00:35:55.199 to him when we interact in our daily walk and 00:35:55.199 --> 00:35:59.099 talk in our circles of influence, Jesus will 00:35:59.099 --> 00:36:04.019 do the rest. He'll do the rest. We are simply 00:36:04.019 --> 00:36:06.380 called to be faithful followers, and you might 00:36:06.380 --> 00:36:08.559 doubt, I don't know, I don't know if I got any 00:36:08.559 --> 00:36:11.659 impact for the kingdom or not. Let me ask you 00:36:11.659 --> 00:36:16.119 this. Can you follow Jesus? Can you point to 00:36:16.119 --> 00:36:19.099 him? If that's not true for you today, come talk 00:36:19.099 --> 00:36:23.460 to one of us. The offer's still there, but if 00:36:23.460 --> 00:36:25.820 the answer's yes, then you know his voice, you're 00:36:25.820 --> 00:36:28.179 a part of his fold, and he has you in his hand. 00:36:28.420 --> 00:36:32.239 Amen? As we've heard probably a couple times 00:36:32.239 --> 00:36:35.179 already today, this is the center of our DNA 00:36:35.179 --> 00:36:39.489 here at Radiant Church. We follow Jesus. We are 00:36:39.489 --> 00:36:43.650 a family of missionary disciples following Jesus, 00:36:43.989 --> 00:36:47.909 pointing to Jesus, doing life together, encouraging 00:36:47.909 --> 00:36:50.110 one another, especially when we're not doing 00:36:50.110 --> 00:36:53.250 a great job at following. Come on, man, let's 00:36:53.250 --> 00:36:57.110 go. This is how we live. We do this together. 00:36:57.550 --> 00:36:59.969 He's doing the miracles. He's the one that's 00:36:59.969 --> 00:37:02.530 redeeming hearts and minds and changing lives. 00:37:02.650 --> 00:37:07.550 We're just pointing to him along the way. Telling 00:37:07.550 --> 00:37:10.150 our stories about how Jesus has changed us. And 00:37:10.150 --> 00:37:14.429 that sounds just like John the Baptist's legacy. 00:37:15.210 --> 00:37:18.929 Following and pointing to Jesus. You remember 00:37:18.929 --> 00:37:23.070 what John said? He must increase. I must decrease. 00:37:23.530 --> 00:37:27.050 No signs. Nothing miraculous like that. I'm just 00:37:27.050 --> 00:37:29.849 pointing to him. Following him. Humble faithfulness. 00:37:30.329 --> 00:37:33.800 And so as we move to a time of response. We have 00:37:33.800 --> 00:37:35.739 the opportunity to receive the bread and the 00:37:35.739 --> 00:37:38.920 cup, the work of Jesus this morning. We don't 00:37:38.920 --> 00:37:42.960 earn that. He gave it freely. And yet it came 00:37:42.960 --> 00:37:46.539 at the greatest cost, His body broken, His blood 00:37:46.539 --> 00:37:50.059 shed, that you and I might be free and secure 00:37:50.059 --> 00:37:54.159 in our relationship with Him for eternity. That 00:37:54.159 --> 00:37:57.199 is good news, folks. So as we stand together, 00:37:57.360 --> 00:37:59.780 as we get ready for the team to lead us in worship 00:37:59.780 --> 00:38:01.539 and response, I just want you to think about 00:38:01.539 --> 00:38:04.739 that gift that the Lord has given you. And how 00:38:04.739 --> 00:38:08.420 are you doing at following him and pointing to 00:38:08.420 --> 00:38:11.059 others, right? How are you doing? What's that 00:38:11.059 --> 00:38:12.980 look like in your life? Because that's what he 00:38:12.980 --> 00:38:16.559 calls us to. Amen? What a gift.