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INTRODUCTION
ILLUS: A number of us attended the Gaither Homecoming Concert on Friday night, what a blessed experience that was. I enjoyed the
new Gaither Vocal Band, and soloist Russ Taff who in the 1970’s sang with the Imperials. One of the running themes of gospel
musicians is: “they are simply sinners saved by grace.”
TODAY’s TEXT. Message Part 2. READ: 10:22-23
- Only reference Feast of Dedication or Festival of Lights - Hanukkah,
- Instituted in 165 BC, started by Judas Maccabeus after the Temple was defiled by Antiochus Epiphanes. Tragic events
turned to Jewish triumph.
- Text is during the winter a few months before Christ’s passion - our month of December. Winter according to the
calendar, also winter in many people’s hearts - sadly as John has unfolded, many people, especially the religious
leaders were cold to God.
1. One more time, who are you? Shepherd, Savior. vs. 24-29
- v. 24 After nearly three years of ministry, the Jews still couldn’t/didn’t want to figure Jesus
out. He told them repeatedly who He was, and showed them repeatedly what divine powers He had. He was the Son of God
proven by His words and works.
- For those three years: Jesus traveled up and down and all across Palestine, plainly and publicly preaching the gospel
and calling for repentance and belief, personally instructing the disciples, powerfully confronting hypocritical
religion, and performing many miracles - plenty of words and plenty of works. They should plainly know who Jesus is.
- The problem was not a lack of knowledge, but a lack of belief - 3 times “you do not believe” 25, 26, 38
- They had a narrow window of faith, confined by their legalism and self-righteousness. They were probably more
interested in gathering evidence against Jesus to get rid of Him, than seeking the truth.
- One more time Jesus explains Himself in the image of the shepherd and the sheep. vs. 27-29 = 7 characteristics
of Jesus’ sheep.
- Called - “My sheep”
- Responsive - “hear my voice”
- Fellowship - “I know them”
- Obedience - “They follow Me”
- Life - “I give them eternal life”
- Assurance - “They shall never perish”
- Security - “No one shall snatch them out of My hand” and “no one is able to snatch them out
of the Father’s hand.”
- Jesus promises - eternal security, not conditional on our behavior, dependent solely on God. We cannot be lost by
oversight or error on God’s part. No sheep will spend eternity in hell. Since we did nothing to earn it, we can
do nothing to loose it.
- We live a holy life not out of fear of losing our salvation, but in gratitude of having it - the Good Shepherd who gave
His life for us - vs. 10-11
- By grace and in gratitude we are to truly obey our Creator and Savior.
QUOTE: Deitrich Bonhoeffer, German pastor who died at hand of the Nazi’s “Only he would believes is
obedient, Only he who is obedience believes.”
- John 14:15 “If you love Me you will keep my commandments.”
- vs. 28-29 “My hand” the same hand that created the world, that sustains this universe, holds us
securely. Two fold guarantee: Christ’s hand & Father’s hand.
ILLUS: Eternal Life Time Warranty, no fine print, no expiration date. Better than your electronics warranty at Best
Buy, better than the Craftsman tool warranty at Sears, better than your 10 year 100,000 mile warranty of your
Japanese car.
- Is your name in the Lamb’s Book of Life? You don’t need a receipt, your baptism certificate, church
membership card - if you have believed in Jesus, just give them your name. Rev. 20:15, 21:27
- However, if you are not a believer, not one of His sheep now, you do not hear His voice, “you do not
believe” like the Jews who questioned Jesus — you are alienated from God, have no fellowship with God,
you are living in rebellion because you do not follow Jesus, you are not in the Father’s hand, you will perish.
- Please understand, sinner, each day you live without Christ in your life is one day closer to spending eternity in
hell. Rev. 20:15 “And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into
the lake of fire.” READ - John 5:24
- One more time, who is Jesus to you? Do you believe in Him?
2. There is no way that’s who you can be! Deity, Divinity. vs. 30- 38
- v. 30 “I and the Father are one.” One in power, equal in every way.
- v. 31 The response of the Jewish leaders was immediate, this is the 4th time in John the people tried to kill
Jesus (5:18; 7:1; 8:59)
- v. 32 Which works troubled them? “works” - up to this point about 30 recorded miracles, there were
more: over sickness, nature, demoniacs, time and distance, even death. Previous miracle healing man born blind.
- v. 33 Jesus’ works were not the problem, His words were. For He a man claimed to be God - the charge of
blasphemy. Impossible!
- Technically: His claim was the reverse, He was not a man claiming to be God, but that He was God who humbled Himself to
be man.
- The Jews clearly understood what Jesus was claiming deity, divinity.
- One of the funny things throughout history is unbelievers often say Jesus didn’t claim to be God, He was just a
moral teacher. Liberals really like to deny the deity of Christ. He was just a great religious man.
- Or other unbelievers become Pantheists - Hinduism, New Age - where everyone is God. Yet to them there is no way Jesus
is the divine Son of God. Funny - everyone gets to be God except - God.
- But the unbelievers then knew He claimed to be God. Twice already in John He is charged with blasphemy to point of
trying to stone Him. At His trial, that is the charge that stuck in the Jewish court - Matt. 26:63-66 “Are
You the Son of God? He has blasphemed...He deserves death.”
- Like always Jesus did not back down from His claim, and to prove His claim He takes a verse from the OT Psalm 82:6
where the writer Asaph in writing about the unrightous judges of Israel called said “You are gods.”
- vs. 34-36 That meant they were to represent God on earth, act on behalf of god. But the context was not a
compliment, rather a condemnation of the evil judges who in the name of God “they do not know nor do they
understand, they walk about in darkness...and you will die like men”
- Jesus uses that one phrase to argue His point, He argues from the lesser to the greater and says: If Scripture cannot
be broken (He affirmed inspiration and infallibility of Scripture) which says men are gods, then why can’t I say
“I am the Son of God?”
- If the bad guys who were to speak for God could be called “god,” why couldn’t the one who
really was God be called God?
- How could He blaspheme when He speaks and does the truth? He speaks truth because He was sanctified by the Father and
sent into the world by the Father - He is the Son of God.
- vs. 37-38 Plus He does the works of the Father - many miracles. If the people couldn’t understand the
concept expressed in words at least believe in Him because of the divine works He does - they couldn’t do that
either.
- How about you???
3. What do you believe about Jesus? vs. 19-21, 39-42
- Jesus was proving that He was entitled to the title in the fullest divine sense. He is setting Himself apart from mere
men
- People need to follow the evidence to its logical conclusion, not to their prejudiced opinion.
- Text offers three views of Jesus:
- Menace - demon possessed vs. 19-20, to be stoned v. 31, 39
- MacArthur “Their minds were made up, and their love for sin held them captive to Satan, death,
and judgment.” (444)
- There is none so blind as He who will not see - Our Daily Bread.
- Miracle Worker - v. 21
- More than an ordinary man.
- Yet, the devil can do tricks.
ILLUS: Have you seen the TV show “Magic Revealed”? Shows the illusions behind magic
tricks.
- Messiah - vs. 40-42
- Jesus returns to where He began to where John first baptized, beyond the Jordon River. There many
people believed in Him.
- What is your view of Jesus? What have you done about it?
CONCLUSION
ILLUS: I mentioned at beginning the music group The Imperials. Before Russ Taff time, back in the ’60s they sang back up for
Elvis Presley. I saw at Sam’s Club a multi CD set of “The Gospel Music of Elvis.” The running theme of much of
Elvis’ gospel music, was the same theme: “I am just a sinner saved by grace.”
Maybe today there is someone here who is just a sinner - you haven’t been saved by grace yet. I invite you to the cross of
Christ. Repent of your sin and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior.
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