WEBVTT 00:00:01.229 --> 00:00:08.830 Call that after that healing he was Thrown out 00:00:08.830 --> 00:00:11.570 of the fellowship excommunicated I suppose would 00:00:11.570 --> 00:00:14.509 be a way to say it of the religious community 00:00:14.509 --> 00:00:17.789 of the Jews Because of what he confessed about 00:00:17.789 --> 00:00:21.190 Jesus. He didn't know much about him, but he 00:00:21.190 --> 00:00:26.750 did Affirm that this one had healed him and that 00:00:26.750 --> 00:00:30.980 whereas he was blind now he could see And so, 00:00:31.280 --> 00:00:34.880 as a result of his confession, these Jewish leaders 00:00:34.880 --> 00:00:38.320 who were so antagonistic and hostile toward Jesus 00:00:38.320 --> 00:00:41.939 caused him to be thrown out of their fellowship 00:00:41.939 --> 00:00:47.020 of the Jews. And you may recall that that sign 00:00:47.020 --> 00:00:49.820 of our Lord, of the healing of that blind man, 00:00:50.560 --> 00:00:53.399 was one of the signs that John pointed to in 00:00:53.399 --> 00:00:57.640 his writing of the Gospel to authenticate. Jesus 00:00:57.640 --> 00:01:01.560 claimed to be the Son of God. And that through 00:01:01.560 --> 00:01:04.379 that, then, people might be brought to faith 00:01:04.379 --> 00:01:09.420 that they might have life through His name. Well, 00:01:09.420 --> 00:01:13.859 then there is a gap of time from verse 18 and 00:01:13.859 --> 00:01:16.420 on. You'll notice in verse 22, several months 00:01:16.420 --> 00:01:20.000 later, that the time of the Feast of the Dedication 00:01:20.000 --> 00:01:23.540 took place at Jerusalem. That Feast of Dedication 00:01:23.540 --> 00:01:27.010 was not one of the Feasts of Jehovah. established 00:01:27.010 --> 00:01:30.870 by the Lord and recorded in Leviticus. But the 00:01:30.870 --> 00:01:33.870 Feast of Dedication was a cultural feast of the 00:01:33.870 --> 00:01:37.870 Jews that went back to the Maccabean War and 00:01:37.870 --> 00:01:41.469 to the time of Antiochus Epiphanes, whom we studied 00:01:41.469 --> 00:01:45.409 about in the book of Daniel. And it was winter 00:01:45.409 --> 00:01:48.930 time and Jesus was again in the city of Jerusalem 00:01:48.930 --> 00:01:52.629 in the Temple Mount when he picked up again this 00:01:52.629 --> 00:01:55.510 teaching regarding the shepherd and the sheep. 00:01:55.799 --> 00:02:00.219 John says in verse 6 that it's a figure of speech, 00:02:01.079 --> 00:02:04.500 a figure of speech that Jesus was using. The 00:02:04.500 --> 00:02:08.439 idea is it was an extended metaphor. It involved 00:02:08.439 --> 00:02:11.840 an implied comparison. Jesus said over here, 00:02:12.340 --> 00:02:16.080 I am the door of the sheep in verse 7. Obviously 00:02:16.080 --> 00:02:18.699 Jesus wasn't saying that he was literally a door, 00:02:19.219 --> 00:02:21.580 but there is an implied comparison here. It's 00:02:21.580 --> 00:02:25.680 a metaphor. He is the entrance. He is the way 00:02:25.680 --> 00:02:29.680 in for the sheep is the idea. He calls himself 00:02:29.680 --> 00:02:34.539 a shepherd. And again, his vocation in life was 00:02:34.539 --> 00:02:37.120 not that of a shepherd. And yet, there is an 00:02:37.120 --> 00:02:40.240 implied comparison here, you see. Because he 00:02:40.240 --> 00:02:43.680 acted like a shepherd, caring for the flock of 00:02:43.680 --> 00:02:47.159 God. This metaphor is one that was used in the 00:02:47.159 --> 00:02:52.020 Old Testament. David, in Psalm 23, 1, said, the 00:02:52.020 --> 00:02:57.419 Lord is my shepherd. Talking about the way that 00:02:57.419 --> 00:03:01.379 he saw his relationship to God, there's an implied 00:03:01.379 --> 00:03:04.280 comparison there. The Lord is like a shepherd 00:03:04.280 --> 00:03:09.939 to the believer. In Psalm 80 and verse 1, the 00:03:09.939 --> 00:03:12.939 Lord is called the shepherd of his people Israel. 00:03:13.680 --> 00:03:17.180 And so of the whole nation of Israel, God was 00:03:17.180 --> 00:03:20.629 the shepherd. In the book of Ezekiel, I don't 00:03:20.629 --> 00:03:22.669 know if Mark has gotten there yet in his study 00:03:22.669 --> 00:03:26.169 of the book of Ezekiel, but in the 34th chapter 00:03:26.169 --> 00:03:28.930 of Ezekiel, in the first part of that chapter, 00:03:28.969 --> 00:03:32.169 there's a warning through Ezekiel the prophet 00:03:32.169 --> 00:03:37.150 to the false shepherds of Israel, the religious 00:03:37.150 --> 00:03:41.389 leaders. They were exploiting the people of God. 00:03:41.469 --> 00:03:44.550 They were not sincerely interested in their welfare, 00:03:44.650 --> 00:03:48.530 but only their own welfare. And so there is a 00:03:48.530 --> 00:03:52.729 condemnation of the false shepherds. And then 00:03:52.729 --> 00:03:55.750 later in the chapter, God says, I am going to 00:03:55.750 --> 00:03:58.889 shepherd my people like sheep. And he says, I 00:03:58.889 --> 00:04:02.689 am going to send David to shepherd them. That's 00:04:02.689 --> 00:04:06.430 an interesting statement because David had died 00:04:06.430 --> 00:04:09.710 hundreds of years before this. And God says, 00:04:09.810 --> 00:04:13.009 I'm going to send David to be the shepherd of 00:04:13.009 --> 00:04:16.459 the sheep, the people of Israel. Well, the reference 00:04:16.459 --> 00:04:20.439 is to the Messiah, the greater Son of David, 00:04:20.879 --> 00:04:24.680 who will one day shepherd the reunited and believing 00:04:24.680 --> 00:04:30.300 remnant of Israel and Judah. When interpreting 00:04:30.300 --> 00:04:34.019 a biblical allegory, it's important to keep in 00:04:34.019 --> 00:04:36.540 mind some very basic and simple rules. In the 00:04:36.540 --> 00:04:39.720 first place, we must be careful not to press 00:04:39.720 --> 00:04:45.050 meaning into every feature of the symbol. That 00:04:45.050 --> 00:04:48.949 is true here in the text of the shepherd. It's 00:04:48.949 --> 00:04:51.970 true in chapter 15 regarding the vine. Whenever 00:04:51.970 --> 00:04:55.569 you see an allegory in the Bible, be careful 00:04:55.569 --> 00:04:59.629 of not trying to press it too far. To make everything 00:04:59.629 --> 00:05:03.850 about that symbol mean something. Normally there 00:05:03.850 --> 00:05:08.990 is a central primary thought in that allegory 00:05:08.990 --> 00:05:12.029 and that's what we're to focus on. Furthermore, 00:05:12.149 --> 00:05:15.360 we need to realize that What may be impossible 00:05:15.360 --> 00:05:19.579 in terms of the symbol is often true and reasonable 00:05:19.579 --> 00:05:23.920 with regard to its reality. For example, here 00:05:23.920 --> 00:05:27.959 Jesus calls himself the door of the sheep and 00:05:27.959 --> 00:05:32.879 the shepherd. Well, a door can't be a shepherd, 00:05:34.459 --> 00:05:38.819 but in fact our Savior can be both. What is often 00:05:38.819 --> 00:05:42.120 impossible in terms of the symbol is often true 00:05:42.120 --> 00:05:44.980 and reasonable with regard to its reality. The 00:05:44.980 --> 00:05:48.160 main point here is that Jesus Christ is the Good 00:05:48.160 --> 00:05:51.639 Shepherd. The Good Shepherd in contrast to the 00:05:51.639 --> 00:05:55.600 hirelings, the thieves, the robbers who exploited 00:05:55.600 --> 00:05:59.600 the sheep of Israel even in Jesus' time. As the 00:05:59.600 --> 00:06:02.379 Good Shepherd, he laid down his life on behalf 00:06:02.379 --> 00:06:05.629 of the sheep and then took it up again. so that 00:06:05.629 --> 00:06:09.769 he might call out his own sheep to follow him. 00:06:10.829 --> 00:06:12.769 Now with that background in mind, let's look 00:06:12.769 --> 00:06:15.870 closer at our text and the particular promise 00:06:15.870 --> 00:06:18.029 that is in view as we think about the precious 00:06:18.029 --> 00:06:21.350 promises of the Bible. Tonight the promise of 00:06:21.350 --> 00:06:26.629 security. Jesus promised safekeeping to his sheep. 00:06:28.269 --> 00:06:32.579 He said, I give eternal life to them. They shall 00:06:32.579 --> 00:06:36.279 never perish, and no one shall snatch them out 00:06:36.279 --> 00:06:41.680 of my hand." I think as we consider this idea 00:06:41.680 --> 00:06:44.540 of the security of the sheep of our Lord, we 00:06:44.540 --> 00:06:46.879 need to think about first the identity of the 00:06:46.879 --> 00:06:50.240 sheep. Who are these sheep that he has in mind? 00:06:51.339 --> 00:06:55.199 Are they all of the Jews? Are they all of the 00:06:55.199 --> 00:06:58.500 people in the world? Who are these sheep that 00:06:58.500 --> 00:07:02.699 Jesus says, hear his voice, and whom he knows, 00:07:03.220 --> 00:07:06.620 and who then follow him, and to whom he makes 00:07:06.620 --> 00:07:10.220 this promise of security? Well, the answer in 00:07:10.220 --> 00:07:13.000 the context of this chapter in verse 9 is that 00:07:13.000 --> 00:07:14.980 they are the ones who come through the door. 00:07:15.519 --> 00:07:18.240 He says, I am the door. If anyone enters through 00:07:18.240 --> 00:07:21.379 me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out 00:07:21.379 --> 00:07:25.040 and find pasture. Now here's a case where some 00:07:25.040 --> 00:07:28.019 people try to press the image too far, this going 00:07:28.019 --> 00:07:30.899 in and going out. There are some who try to say, 00:07:31.019 --> 00:07:34.240 well, you see, we can come in to be saved and 00:07:34.240 --> 00:07:36.660 we can go out and lose our salvation. Then we 00:07:36.660 --> 00:07:39.379 can come back in again and go out again. Well, 00:07:39.379 --> 00:07:42.620 that's silly. That's pressing the details of 00:07:42.620 --> 00:07:45.279 the image here too far. Jesus was simply saying 00:07:45.279 --> 00:07:49.300 that when you use the door and you become one 00:07:49.300 --> 00:07:51.459 of His own, you have the right of being His sheep. 00:07:52.069 --> 00:07:54.529 And he cares for your needs, going in and out 00:07:54.529 --> 00:07:56.870 and finding pasture like sheep did in that day. 00:07:56.970 --> 00:07:59.329 They didn't always stay in the fold. The shepherd 00:07:59.329 --> 00:08:01.269 took them out to pasture, then would bring them 00:08:01.269 --> 00:08:04.410 back to the fold at night. So he's simply using 00:08:04.410 --> 00:08:08.350 the idea here that those who come through the 00:08:08.350 --> 00:08:12.310 door, and he is the door, those who believe on 00:08:12.310 --> 00:08:15.329 him are saved, and then really belong to him. 00:08:15.370 --> 00:08:19.220 They become his sheep. Furthermore, he says in 00:08:19.220 --> 00:08:22.120 our text in verse 29 that his sheep are those 00:08:22.120 --> 00:08:27.519 who are given to him by the Father. They are 00:08:27.519 --> 00:08:32.879 God's gift to the Son. My Father who has given 00:08:32.879 --> 00:08:37.379 them to me, he says, is greater than all. Well, 00:08:37.379 --> 00:08:39.419 we could look at other verses in the Gospel of 00:08:39.419 --> 00:08:42.539 John and see that unless, in fact, the Father 00:08:42.539 --> 00:08:47.980 draws us, we will not come to the Son. Our sin 00:08:47.980 --> 00:08:54.360 is such that we will rebel. We will not come 00:08:54.360 --> 00:08:57.519 voluntarily and willingly to the Lord unless 00:08:57.519 --> 00:09:03.480 we are drawn. But God draws and we respond. Those 00:09:03.480 --> 00:09:07.080 who are given to Jesus by the Father are his 00:09:07.080 --> 00:09:11.159 sheep. Or to say it another way, his sheep are 00:09:11.159 --> 00:09:14.360 those who give evidence of being his sheep because 00:09:14.360 --> 00:09:19.200 they believe. Verse 26 says that, you do not 00:09:19.200 --> 00:09:22.279 believe, he says, you're not my sheep. So by 00:09:22.279 --> 00:09:24.899 implication, and going again to verse 9, those 00:09:24.899 --> 00:09:29.279 who believe are his sheep. Who are Jesus' sheep? 00:09:29.399 --> 00:09:31.960 Well, they are those who give evidence by their 00:09:31.960 --> 00:09:35.980 belief that they belong to him. They are those 00:09:35.980 --> 00:09:40.480 who, in verse 27, hear his voice. They do not 00:09:40.480 --> 00:09:44.779 recognize the voice of a hireling, a false shepherd. 00:09:45.259 --> 00:09:49.519 but they know the voice of the Savior. And as 00:09:49.519 --> 00:09:52.679 a result of that, he says, they follow him. Again 00:09:52.679 --> 00:09:58.460 in verse 27, they turn away from strangers. And 00:09:58.460 --> 00:10:00.960 verse 4 says, when he puts forth all his own, 00:10:01.059 --> 00:10:03.879 he goes before them, the shepherd, and the sheep 00:10:03.879 --> 00:10:06.500 follow him because they know his voice, and a 00:10:06.500 --> 00:10:09.960 stranger they simply will not follow, but will 00:10:09.960 --> 00:10:12.860 flee from him because they do not know the voice 00:10:12.860 --> 00:10:17.669 of strangers. We might not understand that relationship 00:10:17.669 --> 00:10:20.149 that exists between a shepherd and his sheep. 00:10:21.889 --> 00:10:25.789 It is a relationship between a human being and 00:10:25.789 --> 00:10:30.409 animals, but it is a relationship, and it is 00:10:30.409 --> 00:10:34.210 a familiar relationship. The shepherd knows his 00:10:34.210 --> 00:10:37.970 sheep, he recognizes them, and they know him 00:10:37.970 --> 00:10:41.779 by his voice. And others can come along who are 00:10:41.779 --> 00:10:43.899 also shepherds. They can speak to the sheep. 00:10:43.980 --> 00:10:46.759 They can call the sheep. They can try to woo 00:10:46.759 --> 00:10:48.940 the sheep, but the sheep will not respond to 00:10:48.940 --> 00:10:52.019 that voice because they know the voice of their 00:10:52.019 --> 00:10:56.360 shepherd. So who are the sheep? Well, the sheep 00:10:56.360 --> 00:10:59.100 are identified as those who have entered by the 00:10:59.100 --> 00:11:03.759 door and who are thus saved. That is, those who 00:11:03.759 --> 00:11:09.110 have been given to Jesus by the Father. Those 00:11:09.110 --> 00:11:11.450 who give evidence of being his sheep because 00:11:11.450 --> 00:11:14.509 they believe and they know the voice of the shepherd 00:11:14.509 --> 00:11:19.529 and they follow him You see the proof of one 00:11:19.529 --> 00:11:24.950 being a sheep of the Lord is found in his continuance 00:11:24.950 --> 00:11:30.110 in following the shepherd It is the continuance 00:11:30.110 --> 00:11:32.990 it doesn't mean that he won't have times of straying 00:11:32.990 --> 00:11:35.529 It doesn't mean that there won't be times when 00:11:35.529 --> 00:11:38.730 he will stumble But the general direction of 00:11:38.730 --> 00:11:41.490 the Lord's sheep is that he follows the Savior, 00:11:41.909 --> 00:11:44.730 he follows the Shepherd, and that is evidence 00:11:44.730 --> 00:11:48.950 and proof of his genuineness. Well, let's think 00:11:48.950 --> 00:11:50.750 about the security of the sheep for a moment. 00:11:50.850 --> 00:11:53.269 It seems to me that in our text here it is fixed 00:11:53.269 --> 00:11:57.389 upon four thoughts. These are words from Jesus. 00:11:57.450 --> 00:12:00.009 He says, first of all, regarding those who are 00:12:00.009 --> 00:12:06.080 his sheep, I give eternal life to them. Eternal 00:12:06.080 --> 00:12:08.860 life is the same thing as abundant life back 00:12:08.860 --> 00:12:12.360 in verse 10. I came that they might have life 00:12:12.360 --> 00:12:16.480 and have it abundantly. It's the same thing as 00:12:16.480 --> 00:12:20.460 eternal life. Let's think about the nature of 00:12:20.460 --> 00:12:24.759 the giving here, this act. Jesus says, I give 00:12:24.759 --> 00:12:29.279 eternal life to them. This verb is a present 00:12:29.279 --> 00:12:32.860 tense verb. It implies that it's a an action 00:12:32.860 --> 00:12:37.279 on his part, he keeps on giving eternal life 00:12:37.279 --> 00:12:41.159 to them. It is a present possession that his 00:12:41.159 --> 00:12:44.779 sheep have right now and which our Lord continues 00:12:44.779 --> 00:12:49.620 to give them right on in to eternity. It is the 00:12:49.620 --> 00:12:53.539 wonderful privilege of the child of God to enjoy 00:12:53.539 --> 00:12:59.940 this abundant eternal life right now. Even before 00:12:59.940 --> 00:13:04.110 we enter heaven, to enter into the essence of 00:13:04.110 --> 00:13:07.330 the life of heaven because it is the life of 00:13:07.330 --> 00:13:12.269 God. And keep in mind that giving implies an 00:13:12.269 --> 00:13:17.870 act of grace. Jesus doesn't say, I dole out wages 00:13:17.870 --> 00:13:22.450 of eternal life to them. He says, I give eternal 00:13:22.450 --> 00:13:26.509 life to them. And so this act on our Lord's part 00:13:26.509 --> 00:13:31.440 is an act of grace. So as we receive eternal 00:13:31.440 --> 00:13:35.580 life as a gift, apart from any works on our part, 00:13:36.820 --> 00:13:40.820 so we continue to receive eternal life from Him. 00:13:41.799 --> 00:13:46.440 Apart from any works on our part. There are those 00:13:46.440 --> 00:13:48.860 who say, well yes, we get saved by grace, but 00:13:48.860 --> 00:13:52.200 we can lose it by works. Not so. That's illogical. 00:13:53.559 --> 00:13:56.919 We are saved by the grace of God and we are kept 00:13:56.919 --> 00:14:00.820 saved by the grace of God. It is an act of giving 00:14:00.820 --> 00:14:05.480 on our Lord's part. And then I think of the nature 00:14:05.480 --> 00:14:08.639 of the gift itself. It is called eternal life. 00:14:09.279 --> 00:14:13.080 Eternal life. That is existence that is both 00:14:13.080 --> 00:14:17.360 rooted in the eternal God and which also pertains 00:14:17.360 --> 00:14:21.139 to a yet future age. It's eternal life. It's 00:14:21.139 --> 00:14:24.980 life that brings union with God Himself and fellowship 00:14:24.980 --> 00:14:28.490 with Him. Jesus speaks about this life later 00:14:28.490 --> 00:14:34.350 as he prays to the Father. He says, Glorify thy 00:14:34.350 --> 00:14:37.509 son that the Son may glorify thee even as thou 00:14:37.509 --> 00:14:41.450 gavest him authority over all mankind, that to 00:14:41.450 --> 00:14:47.590 all whom thou hast given him, he may give eternal 00:14:47.590 --> 00:14:51.470 life. And this is eternal life that they may 00:14:51.470 --> 00:14:55.549 know thee, the only true God in Jesus Christ. 00:14:55.789 --> 00:15:00.110 whom thou hast sent." Eternal life is a matter 00:15:00.110 --> 00:15:04.450 of union between the one who believes and the 00:15:04.450 --> 00:15:09.370 eternal God. And God shares with that one his 00:15:09.370 --> 00:15:13.289 own life. It doesn't mean that the believer somehow 00:15:13.289 --> 00:15:16.990 becomes God, but it does mean that he shares 00:15:16.990 --> 00:15:21.649 in the very life of the eternal one. It is a 00:15:21.649 --> 00:15:26.379 gift. And it's a quality of life that is distinct 00:15:26.379 --> 00:15:29.919 from that which is known in the world. It's the 00:15:29.919 --> 00:15:33.019 kind of life that lasts forever, eternal life. 00:15:33.600 --> 00:15:36.580 It's a basis of a relationship. This is eternal 00:15:36.580 --> 00:15:41.460 life that they might know thee, it says. It's 00:15:41.460 --> 00:15:43.659 not this is eternal life that they might take 00:15:43.659 --> 00:15:46.399 the ordinances. This is eternal life that they 00:15:46.399 --> 00:15:49.840 might belong to the church. But this is eternal 00:15:49.840 --> 00:15:54.990 life that they might know thee. One of the persons 00:15:54.990 --> 00:15:58.049 who shared a testimony this afternoon indicated 00:15:58.049 --> 00:16:00.649 earlier on the phone to me today that she had 00:16:00.649 --> 00:16:04.649 been raised in a certain church all of her early 00:16:04.649 --> 00:16:08.549 years and that there she heard about Jesus and 00:16:08.549 --> 00:16:11.429 God and His death on the cross and so on, but 00:16:11.429 --> 00:16:15.669 it was all kind of institutional. It was related 00:16:15.669 --> 00:16:21.409 to the church. It was only in the last few months 00:16:21.409 --> 00:16:23.870 after coming into contact with one of the families 00:16:23.870 --> 00:16:28.490 of our church that she came to understand that 00:16:28.490 --> 00:16:31.129 really, eternal life comes not as the result 00:16:31.129 --> 00:16:35.669 of being in a church, but as the result of knowing 00:16:35.669 --> 00:16:42.230 God personally. It's a relationship. Jesus said, 00:16:42.509 --> 00:16:47.730 I give eternal life to them. And then he says, 00:16:48.409 --> 00:16:50.750 secondly, the second thought upon which our security 00:16:50.750 --> 00:16:57.649 is fixed, they shall never perish. Perish. That's 00:16:57.649 --> 00:17:01.809 a term Jesus uses in John 3 .16. Shall not perish, 00:17:02.470 --> 00:17:06.450 but have everlasting life. The very same verb 00:17:06.450 --> 00:17:10.450 is in view here. The idea is to be ruined or 00:17:10.450 --> 00:17:14.420 to be lost. It's the same word as used back in 00:17:14.420 --> 00:17:17.339 verse 10 where Jesus says the thief comes only 00:17:17.339 --> 00:17:24.420 to kill, to steal and kill and to ruin, to destroy. 00:17:25.720 --> 00:17:29.779 There's the word perish, same word. Here, however, 00:17:29.839 --> 00:17:34.119 Jesus ties that verb together with another negative 00:17:34.119 --> 00:17:38.369 so that there's a double negative. Literally, 00:17:38.710 --> 00:17:41.970 it would say this, and they shall not never perish. 00:17:43.150 --> 00:17:45.450 That's awful English, isn't it? It's terrific 00:17:45.450 --> 00:17:48.809 Greek. Because what it means is that they shall 00:17:48.809 --> 00:17:55.809 not by any means perish. When the Greek wrote 00:17:55.809 --> 00:17:58.470 out his sentences and he put two negatives together, 00:17:58.609 --> 00:18:00.390 it wasn't like the English where that equals 00:18:00.390 --> 00:18:03.900 a positive. It meant, I am underscoring, I am 00:18:03.900 --> 00:18:06.900 underlining, I am emphasizing the impossibility 00:18:06.900 --> 00:18:11.079 of this. And so as John records these words of 00:18:11.079 --> 00:18:14.519 our Lord, he says, and they shall not perish 00:18:14.519 --> 00:18:21.740 by any means unto the age. That is, ever. They 00:18:21.740 --> 00:18:26.220 shall never perish, he says. That's wonderful 00:18:26.220 --> 00:18:31.680 news, folks. That means that When we pass from 00:18:31.680 --> 00:18:36.339 death to life, it's a one -way passage. The door 00:18:36.339 --> 00:18:39.059 never opens again. We don't go back through it. 00:18:39.579 --> 00:18:42.359 The door opens one way to life. It slams shut. 00:18:42.359 --> 00:18:46.839 That's it. And it's impossible for us again to 00:18:46.839 --> 00:18:51.039 go back to death, to go back to a state of being 00:18:51.039 --> 00:18:57.200 ruined, to perish. Jesus said, I give to them 00:18:57.200 --> 00:19:02.400 eternal life. and they shall never by any means 00:19:02.400 --> 00:19:08.359 perish." And then he says, no one shall snatch 00:19:08.359 --> 00:19:12.200 them out of my hand. Now that's an interesting 00:19:12.200 --> 00:19:16.980 image, isn't it? The implication is that that 00:19:16.980 --> 00:19:21.480 is where we have been placed as his sheep. If 00:19:21.480 --> 00:19:23.579 you give a gift to someone, you don't throw it 00:19:23.579 --> 00:19:27.599 at his feet. You hand it to that other individual. 00:19:28.750 --> 00:19:31.529 That seems to be in Jesus' mind here. He says, 00:19:31.789 --> 00:19:34.430 no one is able to snatch them out of my hand 00:19:34.430 --> 00:19:38.309 where we have been placed by the Father as a 00:19:38.309 --> 00:19:43.650 gift to the Son. This idea here of snatching 00:19:43.650 --> 00:19:51.710 means to seize, to carry off by force. It means 00:19:51.710 --> 00:19:56.970 to drag away. It means to take away suddenly 00:19:56.970 --> 00:20:00.269 and forcefully. It is the word used in verse 00:20:00.269 --> 00:20:05.049 12 where it speaks about the wolves who snatched 00:20:05.049 --> 00:20:10.769 the sheep. We used to raise some sheep on the 00:20:10.769 --> 00:20:13.869 farm and I saw the result of some coyotes, not 00:20:13.869 --> 00:20:18.650 wolves, but coyotes who did exactly what Jesus 00:20:18.650 --> 00:20:21.670 talked about here. Who out there in the field 00:20:21.670 --> 00:20:25.269 seized a little lamb and as a result of that 00:20:25.269 --> 00:20:30.119 dragged the lamb away. and then killed it and 00:20:30.119 --> 00:20:35.660 ate it. Jesus says here that no one is able to 00:20:35.660 --> 00:20:39.779 snatch us, to drag us away from Him. This is 00:20:39.779 --> 00:20:42.160 the same word that's used, by the way, in the 00:20:42.160 --> 00:20:45.839 rapture passage of 1 Thessalonians 4, about our 00:20:45.839 --> 00:20:49.400 being caught up to be with the Lord, snatched 00:20:49.400 --> 00:20:52.779 away. Here it's used in a different context. 00:20:52.880 --> 00:20:55.619 Jesus says no one can snatch us away from Him. 00:20:55.980 --> 00:21:00.160 It is wonderful to know that our security rests 00:21:00.160 --> 00:21:04.380 upon the ability of the shepherd to keep us and 00:21:04.380 --> 00:21:08.799 not upon our frailty, our inability to keep ourselves. 00:21:10.740 --> 00:21:15.319 Our security rests upon the power of our shepherd 00:21:15.319 --> 00:21:19.900 to keep us. And he says, no one is able to snatch 00:21:19.900 --> 00:21:23.460 them out of my hand. But he doesn't stop there. 00:21:23.480 --> 00:21:26.970 He goes on with one more. thought upon which 00:21:26.970 --> 00:21:31.210 our security is fixed. He says, my Father who 00:21:31.210 --> 00:21:33.430 has given them to me is greater than all, and 00:21:33.430 --> 00:21:37.849 no one is able to snatch them out of my Father's 00:21:37.849 --> 00:21:41.789 hand. No one, he says, is able to snatch them 00:21:41.789 --> 00:21:49.380 out of my Father's hand. The better reading perhaps 00:21:49.380 --> 00:21:52.759 of this first part of verse 29, there is a dispute 00:21:52.759 --> 00:21:57.579 here as to exactly what the best manuscripts 00:21:57.579 --> 00:22:01.299 say. There is an alternative reading that intrigues 00:22:01.299 --> 00:22:05.599 me and I rather like. I'm not enough of a Greek 00:22:05.599 --> 00:22:08.900 scholar to know whether it's in fact pre -preferred 00:22:08.900 --> 00:22:12.420 or not, but the other reading says this, what 00:22:12.420 --> 00:22:16.500 my father has given to me is greater than all. 00:22:18.859 --> 00:22:23.779 I can tell you that the oldest of the manuscripts 00:22:23.779 --> 00:22:27.279 that we have of the Greek text from John say 00:22:27.279 --> 00:22:29.900 that that is the rendering of it. And it fits 00:22:29.900 --> 00:22:32.359 wonderfully with the whole context here. What 00:22:32.359 --> 00:22:35.859 my Father has given to me is greater than all 00:22:35.859 --> 00:22:39.299 and no one is able to snatch that out of my Father's 00:22:39.299 --> 00:22:46.440 hand. In other words, we May very well be what 00:22:46.440 --> 00:22:48.880 Jesus had in mind here when he said this we are 00:22:48.880 --> 00:22:52.440 the ones Who have been given to him by the father 00:22:52.440 --> 00:22:56.099 and he says what the father has given to me is 00:22:56.099 --> 00:23:02.140 more excellent more precious than anything and 00:23:02.140 --> 00:23:04.559 The the picture seems to be that what the father 00:23:04.559 --> 00:23:08.859 gives to his son he himself still holds secure 00:23:08.859 --> 00:23:13.839 Because of its precious value And so our Lord 00:23:13.839 --> 00:23:16.819 is saying here it seems that we have been given 00:23:16.819 --> 00:23:21.279 by the Father to the Son, and we are more precious 00:23:21.279 --> 00:23:24.039 to Him than anything. There is nothing of greater 00:23:24.039 --> 00:23:27.900 value than we who are the sheep of the Savior. 00:23:29.099 --> 00:23:32.980 And we are so precious that He Himself keeps 00:23:32.980 --> 00:23:36.720 His hand upon us so that we have double security. 00:23:38.000 --> 00:23:41.240 The same idea is found in Colossians 3 .3 where 00:23:41.240 --> 00:23:44.119 Paul writes, your life is hidden with Christ 00:23:44.119 --> 00:23:49.099 in God. The picture there again is double security. 00:23:49.220 --> 00:23:53.700 We are hidden with Christ and in God. To be hidden 00:23:53.700 --> 00:23:56.900 is a wonderful thought. It means to conceal something. 00:23:57.980 --> 00:24:01.920 The Greek word gives us an English word, cryptic. 00:24:02.940 --> 00:24:08.289 The cryptic writing of the author. It means the 00:24:08.289 --> 00:24:13.490 hidden, concealed truth there. Or we use the 00:24:13.490 --> 00:24:18.049 word crypt, where we hide or conceal the bodies 00:24:18.049 --> 00:24:22.769 of dead ones. The crypt. Here the thought is 00:24:22.769 --> 00:24:27.809 that our life is crypted away with Christ in 00:24:27.809 --> 00:24:33.170 God. It suggests secrecy. We who know Jesus Christ 00:24:33.170 --> 00:24:36.190 are nurtured by secret springs that the world 00:24:36.190 --> 00:24:42.309 knows not of. But it also implies safety because 00:24:42.309 --> 00:24:45.769 of the double protection that is here. Your life 00:24:45.769 --> 00:24:50.769 is hid, he says, with Christ in God. No one is 00:24:50.769 --> 00:24:53.589 able to snatch them out of my Father's hand. 00:24:54.789 --> 00:24:57.329 I want to say to you that these four thoughts 00:24:57.930 --> 00:25:03.789 form a firm foundation for the security of the 00:25:03.789 --> 00:25:08.690 believer. I give eternal life to them. They shall 00:25:08.690 --> 00:25:13.289 never by any means perish. No one shall snatch 00:25:13.289 --> 00:25:17.609 them out of my hand. No one is able to snatch 00:25:17.609 --> 00:25:23.029 them out of my Father's hand. Then Jesus says, 00:25:23.130 --> 00:25:27.599 I and the Father are one. Oh, this is quite a 00:25:27.599 --> 00:25:30.000 statement, and the Jews understood exactly what 00:25:30.000 --> 00:25:32.720 he was implying by it, that he and the Father 00:25:32.720 --> 00:25:35.700 were equal. That's why they took up stones to 00:25:35.700 --> 00:25:38.140 stone him. This is one of the verses I use with 00:25:38.140 --> 00:25:42.180 Jehovah's Witnesses, because Jesus here very 00:25:42.180 --> 00:25:44.539 clearly is claiming blasphemy, and even if they 00:25:44.539 --> 00:25:46.980 can't understand that, the Jews in that day understood 00:25:46.980 --> 00:25:51.079 it, that he was claiming to be equal with the 00:25:51.079 --> 00:25:53.960 Father. That's why they picked up the stones. 00:25:54.680 --> 00:25:58.779 I and the Father are one. In other words, the 00:25:58.779 --> 00:26:02.279 safekeeping that he's talked about is their common 00:26:02.279 --> 00:26:06.859 purpose. It is the will, it is the activity of 00:26:06.859 --> 00:26:10.559 the Father and the Son to keep us safe. The Father 00:26:10.559 --> 00:26:13.220 and the Son do not have an argument over us. 00:26:14.259 --> 00:26:16.480 They do not take a vote saying, shall we keep 00:26:16.480 --> 00:26:20.480 him or not? I'm glad for that. The Father and 00:26:20.480 --> 00:26:25.410 the Son are one. and they are united in purpose 00:26:25.410 --> 00:26:30.809 that we will be kept secure. F. F. Bruce says, 00:26:31.369 --> 00:26:33.809 where the eternal well -being of true believers 00:26:33.809 --> 00:26:37.369 is concerned, the Son's determination and pledge 00:26:37.369 --> 00:26:40.769 to guard them from harm is endorsed by the Father's 00:26:40.769 --> 00:26:44.289 Word and confirmed by the Father's all -powerful 00:26:44.289 --> 00:26:48.380 act. This is the will of Him who sent me. Jesus 00:26:48.380 --> 00:26:51.519 has already said, that I should lose nothing 00:26:51.519 --> 00:26:54.980 of all that he has given me, but raise it up 00:26:54.980 --> 00:26:59.140 at the last day. John 6 .39. In guarding his 00:26:59.140 --> 00:27:01.640 people, he is obedient to the Father's will. 00:27:02.140 --> 00:27:05.119 What wonder then, if they are simultaneously 00:27:05.119 --> 00:27:09.819 guarded by the Father himself? What the Father 00:27:09.819 --> 00:27:13.900 has given to the Son, he himself protects and 00:27:13.900 --> 00:27:20.880 secures by his own omnipotence. It is possible 00:27:20.880 --> 00:27:24.880 to go to heaven without understanding this promise 00:27:24.880 --> 00:27:27.599 we've looked at tonight. There are many people 00:27:27.599 --> 00:27:30.460 in heaven tonight who may be a little surprised 00:27:30.460 --> 00:27:33.720 they're there because they didn't understand 00:27:33.720 --> 00:27:37.880 this promise. That's all right. But to grasp 00:27:37.880 --> 00:27:42.220 it brings heaven even now to the heart of the 00:27:42.220 --> 00:27:46.609 child of God. One can go through life without 00:27:46.609 --> 00:27:52.769 this assurance of being kept by God. One can 00:27:52.769 --> 00:27:55.529 have the ups and downs, the roller coaster rides 00:27:55.529 --> 00:27:58.390 of the Christian life that that produces. I know 00:27:58.390 --> 00:28:01.650 what I'm talking about as a young person. I experience 00:28:01.650 --> 00:28:07.049 that. But oh, the assurance, the glory that fills 00:28:07.049 --> 00:28:10.930 the heart when one finally understands and accepts 00:28:10.930 --> 00:28:14.509 the promise that is given here. I think that 00:28:14.509 --> 00:28:18.910 was Fanny Crosby's assurance as she wrote those 00:28:18.910 --> 00:28:22.890 words. Blessed assurance. Jesus is mine. Oh, 00:28:22.990 --> 00:28:27.869 what a foretaste of glory divine. She understood 00:28:27.869 --> 00:28:31.650 the promise that is made here. Herbert Lockyer 00:28:31.650 --> 00:28:36.450 suggests that the communion that we have with 00:28:36.450 --> 00:28:39.910 our Savior may be ruptured, but our union with 00:28:39.910 --> 00:28:45.039 Him can never be severed. All who are the Lord's 00:28:45.039 --> 00:28:49.319 are being kept and will one day be raised up. 00:28:50.619 --> 00:28:53.779 The important question of course is, are you 00:28:53.779 --> 00:28:58.160 among the number given by the Father to the Son? 00:28:59.680 --> 00:29:01.980 You say, well I'm not sure, I don't know. How 00:29:01.980 --> 00:29:07.500 can I know? Well, do you believe? Will you believe? 00:29:08.279 --> 00:29:13.930 If you will believe, you are one. Do you hear 00:29:13.930 --> 00:29:19.569 His voice? Are you following Him? If so, you're 00:29:19.569 --> 00:29:25.650 one of His sheep. How wonderful to be His sheep 00:29:25.650 --> 00:29:28.630 and to know this promise that the Shepherd keeps 00:29:28.630 --> 00:29:34.250 us. Let's pray. Father, I pray if there's someone 00:29:34.250 --> 00:29:37.230 here tonight who is struggling with this matter 00:29:37.230 --> 00:29:44.259 of assurance. that there will be this evening 00:29:44.259 --> 00:29:48.880 a settling of that issue in the heart and that 00:29:48.880 --> 00:29:53.579 based upon the promises of your word, sweet and 00:29:53.579 --> 00:30:00.440 blessed assurance may rest in that heart. Thank 00:30:00.440 --> 00:30:02.900 you for the promise of safekeeping that Jesus 00:30:02.900 --> 00:30:06.700 made to us. It is precious indeed and brings 00:30:06.700 --> 00:30:09.890 peace to our soul. We thank you that one day 00:30:09.890 --> 00:30:12.009 you are going to bring us to heaven, but even 00:30:12.009 --> 00:30:14.930 now you've brought heaven to us because of this 00:30:14.930 --> 00:30:21.490 promise. And we're grateful. Amen. I'd like for 00:30:21.490 --> 00:30:28.369 us to sing together a brief hymn number 327, 00:30:31.950 --> 00:30:36.410 a Swedish hymn, Children of the Heavenly Father. 00:30:36.569 --> 00:30:40.589 And the words of it express so beautifully this 00:30:40.589 --> 00:30:43.609 whole idea of our safekeeping. Let's stand as 00:30:43.609 --> 00:31:00.670 we sing in closing. Children of the Heavenly 00:31:00.670 --> 00:31:10.200 Father, safely In His bosom gather Nestling burden 00:31:10.200 --> 00:31:20.880 or star in heaven, Such a refuge ere was given. 00:31:22.259 --> 00:31:30.960 God His own doth tend and nourish, In His holy 00:31:30.960 --> 00:31:46.079 courts they flourish, In His mighty arms He bears 00:31:46.079 --> 00:31:55.759 them. Neither life nor death shall ever From 00:31:55.759 --> 00:32:05.450 the Lord His children sever Unto them His He 00:32:05.450 --> 00:32:17.170 showeth, and their sorrows all He knoweth. Though 00:32:17.170 --> 00:32:26.569 He giveth or He taketh, God His children ne 'er 00:32:26.569 --> 00:32:37.640 forsaketh, His the loving purpose to preserve 00:32:37.640 --> 00:32:47.099 them pure and holy. Oh, those are great words. 00:32:47.440 --> 00:32:50.640 Thank you, Father, for that assurance, of which 00:32:50.640 --> 00:32:53.559 we have sung and studied tonight from your Word. 00:32:54.819 --> 00:32:57.160 Father, I pray that you will encourage us as 00:32:57.160 --> 00:33:02.410 we go our way, that your eye is upon us. that 00:33:02.410 --> 00:33:07.410 you delight in our lives, that you wish to give 00:33:07.410 --> 00:33:11.369 us the fullness of all that you are in our daily 00:33:11.369 --> 00:33:14.269 experience. May we find that you are all that 00:33:14.269 --> 00:33:20.210 we need. Fathers, we depart from this place tonight. 00:33:21.130 --> 00:33:27.150 Our minds go to our friends in Indonesia, John 00:33:27.150 --> 00:33:30.619 and Melody and Tom. We pray for that team that 00:33:30.619 --> 00:33:32.799 you will keep your hand on them this week as 00:33:32.799 --> 00:33:36.420 they finish their work and return the first of 00:33:36.420 --> 00:33:40.680 next week. And grant that their hearts will overflow 00:33:40.680 --> 00:33:43.799 with the joy of seeing what you've done through 00:33:43.799 --> 00:33:46.940 them during these weeks they've invested there. 00:33:48.460 --> 00:33:52.619 In Jesus' name we pray, amen, and good night.