In the Hands of God

Introduction

“Daddy's hands were soft and kind when I was cryin' Daddy's hands were hard as steel when I'd done wrong Daddy's hands weren't always gentle but I've come to understand There was always love in daddy's hands” (Holly Dunn, “Daddy’s Hands”, 1986)

Admittedly, I was never crazy about this song, but it was on the radio a lot.

However, it does demonstrate something important about how parents interact with children. A parent wants to be gentle and encouraging to their children, but a parent must also be willing to be hard and exhorting when the time comes.

Sadly, I think that some in the world have lost sight of that in our time. This is a tough, hard, world; if we do not teach our kids to harden up some when they need correction, then they are not going to be prepared for the world.

I’m not saying you need to name your boy “Sue” necessarily, but our kids need to learn about comfort and consequences.

Just as we talk about the hands of our parents in this figurative way, so does the Scripture with regard to God, our Father in Heaven.

This is a specific type of figure called “Synecdoche” where a part of something is used to represent the whole. The hands of the parent are used to represent the demeanor of the entire person.

In our text this morning, Jesus talks about His own hands and the hand of the Father.

Let’s take a minute and look at this section in John 10.

The book of John is written to be a foundation of faith for those that do not believe or are doubting that Jesus was who He was. As a result, the focus of the book is on the miracles of Jesus.

However, for many chapters in the early part of the book, Jesus is speaking with the Jewish leadership to try and get through to them who He is.

On this occasion in this chapter, it is in Jerusalem for the Feast of Dedication.

The Feast of Dedication is what we call Hanukkah commonly today.

It was a feast in commemoration of Jewish deliverance during the period of the Maccabees.

John 10:22–24 “22 At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem; 23 it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in the portico of Solomon. 24 The Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.”

The Jews want Him to plainly state that He is the Christ, however, Jesus has been clear with them many times before.

John 10:25–26 “25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me. 26 “But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep.”

It is not a problem with Jesus not communicating it properly, it is a problem with hard hearts and disbelief.

There is one main problem, they are not of His sheep. John 10:27–30 “27 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29 “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 “I and the Father are one.””

His sheep are believers.

His sheep recognize his voice.

His sheep follow Him.

The Father gave Jesus His sheep. They are the ones who are believing.

I would point out here that as we have been looking at in Hebrews, obedience and belief are often used interchangeably. They are unable to be taken apart.

For instance, Hebrews 3:18–19 “18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? 19 So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.”

The ones given to the Son are the ones that believe in Him and obey. Or as the text says, hears His voice and follows.

Keep this in mind for the next point that Jesus makes.

No one can snatch them out of His or the Father’s hands!

There is nothing in this world that can take us out of the Father’s and the Son’s hands. No government. No wicked person. No family member. Absolutely No one!

However… bear in mind that the text says that this benefit is based on belief and obedience (hearing His voice, recognizing it, and following it).

As long as I am in this state, I am in the protection of the Father and no one can remove me. However, if I abandon this state and refuse to believe and/or obey, then there is no hope for me. I have turned my back on Him, which multiple passages say is possible. Such as…

Galatians 5:4 “4 You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.”

Hebrews 6:4–6 “4 For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.”

Hebrews 10:26–27 “26 For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries.”

…To name just a few.

Let’s take just a few moments to consider being “In the Hands of God” this morning.

In the Hands of God

The hands of God are a protection and comfort.

Repeatedly in Scripture we see examples that are similar to the text from this morning. God’s hands are used as a figure of protection.

Isaiah 41:10 “10 ‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’”

Psalm 139:10 “10 Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me.”

Deuteronomy 33:27 “27 “The eternal God is a dwelling place, And underneath are the everlasting arms; And He drove out the enemy from before you, And said, ‘Destroy!’”

Isaiah 49:16 “16 “Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me.”

A particularly helpful text is Psalm 91:1–4 “1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!” 3 For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper And from the deadly pestilence. 4 He will cover you with His pinions, And under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.”

This text pictures His protective wings.

This is similar to the words of Jesus in Matthew 23:37 “37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.”

Our Father seeks to protect us with His mighty hands and so does Jesus.

Absolutely nothing can ruin that, if we will be careful not to let it.

Nothing can happen against our will to ruin the protection of the Father.

Early Christians were slaughtered by wicked men, but that could not destroy the protection of the Father.

This was unlike any other religion.

Rather than fight back as though their future depended on it, they laid down their lives willingly knowing that their future was secure!

The early people’s thought that these folks were insane!

However, they simply knew that there was nothing that could be done to them that would ruin what they have.

We need to develop this same sense of being. That regardless of what happens in this life, we are in the protective hands of the Father and the Son, and we have nothing to fear.

The hands of God are also a source of correction and wrath.

The picture of the hands of God is a beautiful one. However, it is only half the picture.

Consider with me the following text…

Hebrews 10:26–31 “26 For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” 31 It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

In this text, the writer is warning the Hebrew Christians against shrinking back into their previous ways. They have tasted of the good things as explained in Hebrews 6. If they shrink back, they will be lost as they will have abandoned the long awaited Messiah and there is not another coming.

He concludes with a frightening thought. It is a terrifying think to fall into the hands of the living God.

Just as protective as His hands can be, they can also be terrifying!

The Jewish people had done similarly before.

Consider the following text…

Hebrews 8:9 “9 Not like the covenant which I made with their fathers On the day when I took them by the hand To lead them out of the land of Egypt; For they did not continue in My covenant, And I did not care for them, says the Lord.”

Our loving Father led them by the hand out of Egypt and they forsook Him and ended up being cursed.

On the one hand is the beautiful picture of God’s leading, but then it is offset with falling into the terrifying wrathful hand of God.

No one can bless as completely and perfectly as the Father. And no one can judge and condemn as perfectly and completely as Him either.

Conclusion

We must always remember that our Father loves us and will keep us. We must also keep in mind that Heaven and Hell are in the balance. If we forsake Him, then it is a terrifying thing to fall into His hands.

Whatever we entrust to His powerful hands will be kept for us. Paul states in 2 Timothy 1:12 “12 For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.”

Let’s put our trust in God and His mighty, protective hands.

As we sing…

No power of hell, no scheme of man Can ever pluck me from His hand Till He returns or calls me home Here in the power of Christ I'll stand