Spiritually Entitled | John 10:30-42 (BBC Stillwater)

Spiritually Entitled | John 10:30-42

Opening Remarks:

Back in John 10, exchange between Jesus and the religious leaders

During feast of dedication, Hanukkah, which takes place in December

Two months since Jesus had exposed them as bad shepherds, and they’re not happy

He returns to the Temple and they surround Him, demanding that He tell them if He’s the Messiah

So He spends vs. 25-30 claiming to be the Son of God and talking about how He and His Father hold onto believers for eternity

READ Vs. 30-42

Jesus came offering eternal life. All they had to do was believe. Instead, they picked up stones.

I’m going to revisit a truth that I’ve dealt with out of this passage before, but it’s one that needs our attention. We often enjoy the benefits that Jesus offers, but we don’t like the submission He demands.

When our mentality says, “I’ll enjoy the good things, but I don’t want to submit to the hard things,” then we have officially become Spiritually Entitled.

TITLE Spiritually Entitled

PRAY

INTRODUCTION

Entitlement is running rampant. Entitlement is “the belief that one is inherently deserving of privileges or special treatment.”

The key word is “inherently.” Meaning not based on merit. It’s the though that privileges or special treatment are deserved simply because.

Now, there are certain rights that every person has because they’re human or American.

Every person has the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. God grants those rights to us, not our government, by the way.

A person has the right to live freely and make their own choices, as long as those choices don’t infringe on someone else’s rights.

A person has the right to be free, unless they do something illegal to terminate that right.

There are some rights people have simply for existing. But understand, not special rights. Not different treatment than everyone else.

At some point, people began to expect special rights and privileges whether or not they were earned.

That’s called Entitlement.

Some people want the paycheck, but don’t want to do the job required.

Some people want good grades, but don’t want to do the work.

Some people want their bills to be paid, but don’t feel like they should be the ones to pay the.

That’s not the way the world used to work, but now it’s almost rampant.

People want benefits, but they don’t want demands.

2/7/19 - Like the man named Raphael who, in 2019 as a 27 year old, decided to sue his parents, claiming he didn’t give them explicit consent to bring him into the world. He said, “If we are born without our consent, we should be maintained for our life. We should be paid by our parents to live.”

That is entitlement at its core. It’s ridiculous, and it’s grieving to see it becoming so commonplace.

But it can also happen spiritually.

Jesus is dealing with an entitled crowd in John 10

They’ve surrounded Him and demanded that He tells them whether or not He’s the Messiah.

He says, “My words and my works are all the evidence you need to come to the right conclusion. But even now, I’ve told you and you believed not. No matter what I say or do, you have already decided to reject me. You are not real sheep.”

And then He goes into the doctrine of eternal security. He says, “As the Good Shepherd, a genuine believer is safely in my hands for good. Not only that, my Father’s hands secure every believer. We keep our sheep for eternity. Never lost one!”

If we have placed our faith in Jesus Christ, we are eternally secure in the hands of Jesus and the Father. A genuine believer can’t possibly be lost or plucked from the from the sheepfold because the Shepherd keeps the sheep.

So Jesus and the Father secure our souls for eternity. Then Jesus says, “I and my Father are one.”

That doesn’t just mean they’re in agreement or they work together. It means Jesus is of the same essence as the Father. Jesus is divine, just like God the Father.

To the Christian, these words give us comfort and confidence that Jesus is God.

But to the religious leaders, these words were like a knife to their conscience.

They simply cannot believe this man, even with all the evidence, would dare to claim to be God.

But they don’t just refuse to believe, they pick up stones. Look at Vs. 31.

They want Him dead. On the Temple Grounds. During a feast. A time of celebration. They’re about to kill Him.

So, let’s revisit their original statement, “If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.”

He does. But they don’t like His answer. So they want Him dead.

So Jesus asks a question in Vs. 32.

Jesus had performed miracles that they had witnessed. I would submit to you that they knew people that had benefitted from the miracles. So Jesus asks a question that corners them, “Which miracle did I perform that upset you?”

Look at their answer in Vs. 33 - They were okay with the works. They even repeat His description and call His works “Good.” Some of these men may have even benefitted from Jesus’ works.

Jesus could have said, “Simeon, I healed your sister of that awful disease last summer. Are you mad about that?” Simeon says, “No, I’m not upset about that.”

Jesus could have looked at Jacob and said, “Jake, your nephew couldn’t walk until I touched his legs last month. Are you upset about that?” Jacob, “No, I’m glad he can walk.”

“Levi, that blind man I healed was your best friend’s son, right? Did that not sit well with you?”“No, Jesus, that’s not the problem.”

“So what is the problem?”

“It’s not the good works that you’ve done. The problem is you’re claiming to be the Son of God, which is saying you are equal with God. That’s what we don’t like. In fact, that’s blasphemy, and everyone knows that the consequence for blasphemy is death by stoning.”

It’s the third time in John that they’ve picked up stones to take Jesus’ life. And it’s not because they don’t see the benefit of the miracles. It’s because Jesus, who they view to be just a man, has put Himself on equal footing with God.

So Jesus uses an argument that we won’t spend as much time on in Vs. 34-36.

Psalm 82 actually calls human judges “gods,” not in the sense that they are divine, but in the sense that they are appointed to represent God in making important decisions.

So Jesus is simply saying, “If men are called gods in the OT scripture, which is God’s Word, then you can’t justifiably stone me for blasphemy for calling myself the Son of God.”

He says, “I’m under divine orders from God and have been sent into the world to do His work, just like human judges.”

“But rather than stone me, come to a conclusion based on my works. If I’m from God, it should be obvious. If I’m not, just ignore me.”

Vs. 37-38 - “In the end, if I’m doing works that you can only attribute to God the Father, how can you ignore that?”

Anyone without an agenda could have looked at Jesus’ works and said, “He has to be God. That’s the only explanation.”

But the Pharisees refused to see it. Why?

Understand this: When they came to Jesus saying, “Are you the Christ?” they were using a political and military term. We talked about it last week.

Messiah means anointed one. King. They wanted a warrior king to wipe out Rome and set up an earthly Kingdom. That was their expectation for the Messiah.

But Jesus came as the Son of God offering something greater than a Kingdom. He came offering eternal life. But that didn’t meet their expectations. So Jesus came differently than they wanted.

Now, they were okay with some of the things He did.

They didn’t mind the healing, especially if it benefitted them. They expected the Messiah to come and help them. They like benefits.

But admitting that Jesus is the Son of God, is different.

If Jesus was God, that means they had to submit to Him.

If Jesus is God, they had to obey His words.

If Jesus is God, they had to loosen their control on religion and let Him be in charge.

If Jesus is God, they had to start doing what He said.

They were willing to enjoy the benefits, but they weren’t willing to submit to the demands.

What demands?

Jesus came saying, “Change the way you do religion. It’s not outward, it’s inward. It’s a relationship with God.” They didn’t like that.

“Have inward righteousness that involved the heart, not just outward works the body.” They wanted none of that.

“Love each other. Show mercy. Don’t put up with sin, but expose it with truth and love. They didn’t like that.

“Serve instead of demanding to be served. Humble yourselves.” No way that was going to happen.

You know what Jesus was demanding? Discipleship.

He came saying, “Follow me. Look at my word and attitudes and actions and pattern your life after them. Say no to self and follow me.”

That’s discipleship. That’s all Jesus asked. Submission to Him. The God of Heaven. But they weren’t having it.

They were okay with benefits, but they weren’t okay with demands that didn’t meet their expectations.

When we’re happy with the benefits, but won’t submit to demands, we become entitled Christians.

I wonder, in an average church full of normal everyday people like us, how many might be entitled Christians?

Remember, entitlement is the belief that one deserves privileges or special treatment without earning it. To enjoy the benefits without submitting to the demands.

And we roll our eyes at a teenager who sues his parents because they ask him to clean his room.

We think it’s ridiculous that someone who has health problems sues a fast food company for all the fries they’ve eaten.

We get upset at an employee who demands a pay raise when they don’t show up to work on time.

Entitled people enjoy the benefits, but won’t submit to the demands.

But I wonder if that doesn’t describe countless of believers:

Who has more benefits than a child of God?

We have eternal life.

We have eternal security.

We have a Good Shepherd who meets our greatest needs.

He cares about each of us personally.

He died on the cross for our sin.

He intercedes on our behalf to the Father.

He provides grace in our times of loss.

Help in our times of weakness.

And He never leaves or forsakes us.

He bought us with a price.

We enjoy eternally incredible benefits.

But what happens when He comes along and says:

“Be ye holy, as I am holy.”

“Wait, wait, wait. That’s outdated. Holiness is for a bygone era.”

Last I checked, holiness is still in the Bible, which is a timeless book that applies to every generation. But the trend in modern Christianity is a blurred line between worldliness and godliness. If you can hardly tell the difference based on how we speak and where we go and how we’re entertained and how we present ourselves, is that holiness?

If we happily receive the benefit of eternal life, the One who gave it to us ought to have a say in how our lives look. Don’t be a Christian that accepts the benefits but refuses the demands.

“Forsake all and follow me.”

“Hold up. I have plans. I have friends. I have to maintain this lifestyle.”

Does the One who died for us not have a right to ask us to put Him first? To seek Him above everything else? Generations of believers who have gone before us lived first for Christ, not simply fitting Him into our lives in a compartment that’s equal to “Work” and “Spending Time With Friends.”

Where are the disciples that clearly put Christ first in their lives? And before we think that’s extreme, when we put Him first, He prioritizes our needs, according to Matthew 6:33. He takes extra care of those that put Him first.

He doesn’t deserve to be one spoke of the wheel. He deserves to be on the Hub.

“Ye shall be witnesses unto in all the world.”

“Now you’re meddling. I only have one day off and I’m not going to spend it on visitation.”

Okay, so when will we start making time to spread the Gospel, which is not a suggestion, but a commission? A mission. A command. Does the One who came to earth for us not get to dictate to His people that we go into the world for Him?

Who else is going to tell your co-workers about Christ? Do we expect someone else to give the Gospel to your neighbors? Let’s not be a community of believers that gladly accepts and enjoys the benefits of Jesus but refuses to submit to the demands of discipleship.

This mindset can help us a church family too. For many, they view the church as a vending machine to meet my needs.

Kids program? Check.

Quality music? Check.

Something for our teens? Check.

Stage of life classes specific to our needs? Check.

Practical preaching that’s over by noon so the kids can get their Sunday afternoon naps? Check.

We all have expectations. I get it.

But understand, every benefit that you enjoy from a church exists because someone else submitted to the demands to make it happen.

There’s no magic box that gets shaken and out pops a good choir song. One song represents hours of work by singers and musicians - not professionals, by the way - who give times every Sunday morning and afternoon to help it happen.

The reason we have kids classes is because Sunday School teachers prepare.

The reason we have bus kids is because workers and drivers leave early on Sunday morning to pick them up.

The reason we have a breakfast every Sunday morning at MPM is because ladies wake up early to fix it.

The reason we have this building is because, for years, faithful members have given offerings and to a building fund to help pay for it.

The reason we have missionaries is because of the faithful giving and heart of members to give to missions every week.

The reason we have services three times a week is because a group of people a long time ago said, “It’s not always easy, but we’re committed to the church that Jesus loved so much that He died for it and we’re going no matter what. It’s not even a question. If the church is meeting, we’re there.”

The same thing is true in any organization that experiences any level of success. It exists and benefits us because somebody somewhere along the way submitted to the demands.

No One Appreciates a Free Loader.

Someone who just comes in and enjoys what is offered but won’t contribute.

We don’t respect people who dine and dash. They enjoy the food but won’t pay for it.

We don’t look favorably on someone who can work but won’t work and expects to be provided for.

We don’t get excited if a player on a team wants the credit in games but won’t put in effort at practice.

So don’t treat God’s Church like a Dine and Dasher. If you enjoy the benefits, contribute by submitting to the demands.

THREE APPLICATIONS 

1. If you’ve gained any benefit from Christ, submit to His demands as a disciple.

Paul said in Rom 12 that sacrifice for God is “reasonable service.”

If He saved you, there’s no reasonable explanation not to submit to Him.

“Once one realizes they are entitled to nothing, they become grateful for everything.” Art Rainer

2.    The things which are most beneficial require the most demands.

The most valuable things usually cost the most (house, car, insurance, medical care). Those are demanding. But it’s because they have the greatest value.

Sometimes we think investing in our spiritual lives is too demanding, but the return on investing in your spiritual life is greater than in any other area of life.

It’s demanding to know God through Bible reading and prayer, but it’s the most beneficial exercise of your day.

It’s demanding to invest in a local church, but the benefits to your life and the life of your family are worth it. The church is God’s plan to help us grow to be like Christ, according to Ephesians 4.

Relationships are demanding, but what is more important than people? Invest spiritually in your marriage. Raise your children for the Lord. Reach lost souls.

The only thing around the throne for eternity are people. People can be demanding, but they’re worth it.

The things with greatest value have the highest demands.

And before you think it’s not fair to have to work so hard in those areas, consider Jesus.

3. Jesus saw the value of your soul and was willing to submit to the demands laid on Him.

He agonized in a Garden about the cross, but He looked ahead and saw billions of souls being saved and thought, “It’s worth the demands.”

He saw His Father’s pleasure in His sacrifice and said, “It’s worth the demands.”

That’s the kind of God He is for us. So what kind of disciples are we for Him?

CONCLUSION:

Every person submits to the demands of something:

Job

Playing sports

Education

Money

All of those things have benefits. But none of them have benefitted you like Jesus.

So be as willing to submit to His demands as you are to those things that bring less value to your life.

If you’ll submit to Christ first, He brings benefits both here and in eternity.

Read Vs. 39-41

It took a time of reflection for some people to finally see that Jesus was worth submitting to.

Only the Son of God could do what He’d done. So the only appropriate response would be to believe and submit.

If you value the benefits of Christ, submit to His demands.

Why? Because Jesus valued you enough to submit to the cross.

What greater reason do we need?