Worthy of the Name

Praise and Prayer

If you brought your bibles turn with me over to the gospel of John chapter ten, the gospel of John chapter ten and in a moment we are going to read verses 31-39 of the gospel of John chapter ten.

Why are people so offended by the name of Jesus? The name of Jesus speaks of the authority of God and calls for repentance and a change in life. It calls for accountability to God and calls men sinners.

Last week we saw Jesus confronted by the Jewish leaders in the temple and their attempts to get Him to proclaim, “He is the Messiah.”

Which He does in Vs. 30, He said, “I and the Father are one.” He couldn’t be any more clearer than that!! They did that so they can arrest Him and kill Him.

Today we see their plan unfold and they attempt to seize Him and stone Him. Meanwhile Jesus boldly proclaims who He is.

He defends His identity and His mission in the world, and He does that by calling into question the Jewish leaders understanding of scripture.

What we learn from this passage is; as Christians we are to stand firm in our faith, In spite of the opposition and misunderstanding of the world.

This passage should remind us of how important it is to recognize and proclaim Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

The Point; Believing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, gives us courage to stand up for our faith and boldly proclaim His name.

John 10:31–39 NASB95

The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, “I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?” The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.” Jesus answered them, “Has it not been written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? “If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? “If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.” Therefore they were seeking again to seize Him, and He eluded their grasp.

Our passage this morning teaches us that recognizing Jesus as the Son of God is foundational to our faith.

True faith comes with a willingness to accept His authority in our life, and His mission in the world.

That is the overall narrative of the bible and we find it right here in this passage. Jesus is God in the flesh. He is the Messiah that all of Old Testament scripture pointed to.

The Jewish leaders in this story are an example of the way the world responds to Him; with wickedness and hostility. They refuse to surrender.

The Point; Believing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, gives us courage to stand up for our faith and boldly proclaim His name.

1. Confrontation with Courage Vs. 31-32

Here we see Jesus is confronted with violence in the heart of the Jewish leaders.

Notice Vs. 31 “The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him.

The word “again” reminds us this has already happened once in the gospel of John. In John 8:59 They were going to stone Him for saying, “before Abraham was “I am.”

Now they want to stone Him again and that proves the point. He has already told them He is the Messiah.

Notice Vs. 32 “Jesus answered them, “I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?””

He is questioning their anger and hostility. He already knows where it comes from. It comes from the pits of hell; Satan himself.

The name Satan means adversary, and that’s what these Jewish leaders have become, Christ’s adversaries, (because)

John, Volumes 1 & 2 Refuting the Charge

His words had already been backed up by His works? For example, in John’s Gospel Jesus has; healed the sick, cast out demons, cured lepers, fed the hungry, and gave sight to the blind. In the next chapter, we will even see Jesus raising the dead to life.

So, what this teaches us is; there will never be enough evidence for someone who is determined to reject Christ, and that’s what we see in this passage.

(Rich man and Lazarus)

Notice Jesus always points to the work He has done and He always associates it with The Father. vs. 32, “I showed you many good works from the Father;

He never takes credit for it. He came to do the will of the Father and He gives glory to God for everything He accomplishes.

Do you do that in your life? When something good happens do you stop and recognize that every good and perfect gift comes down from above?

What impresses me is the way Jesus responds to the Jewish leaders with truth and reason.

Remember this is God in the flesh but Jesus shows us this incredible humility. This is the one who can heal the sick and still the storm. He doesn’t have to submit to their authority. He could call out and the earth would swallow them whole.

He is submitted to a higher authority; the Authority of the Father and He willingly follows the plan of God!!

How can we as Christians respond to hostility with truth and grace? We draw our strength from Christ the Son of God we believe in. Don’t hesitate to quote scripture!!

I am reminded of Charlie Kirk. When asked what he wanted his legacy to be he said, That I had courage for my faith!!

Let me ask you this, what do you want your legacy to be? I want my legacy to be that I stood with Christ and I stood up for what I believe and I did it with love and grace!!

2. Challenge Misunderstandings Boldly Vs. 33-36

Here Jesus points to the scripture to validate His identity. And He challenges their understanding of what the scripture says, and what it means to be a child of God.

Notice Vs. 33 “The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.”

What are the two things the Jews say they are stoning Him for? They are essentially the same thing.

What is blaspheme?  Is to slander God. It is the denial of God's authority and His covenant. The Jews thought of it as an attack on God’s holiness.

Historically, both Islamic and Judaic religions have severe punishments for blasphemy. Leviticus 24:16 “‘Moreover, the one who blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death; all the congregation shall certainly stone him.”

In Christianity, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is considered an unpardonable sin, and is interpreted as the willful and persistent resistance of Jesus Christ. To deny Jesus! Mark 3:28-29.

There are still blasphemy laws that exist in some countries today, Mostly the Islamic fundamentalist.

Notice Vs. 34-36, “Jesus answered them, “Has it not been written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? “If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?”

First notice how Jesus appeals to the Word of God when He is threatened here, He says, “Has it not been written in your law.”

The Law usually refers to the first five books of the bible. The books written by Moses called the Pentateuch or the Torah!!

But here Jesus teaches us the Jews thought of all of Old Testament scripture as law.

Because He quotes Psalm 82, and this is one of the most difficult interpretations in the bible.

When Jesus says, I said, “you are Gods.” it is a quote from Psalm 82 and it is important to understand He is referring back to a time when their ancestors, who were judges over Israel were called gods (little g).

Psalm 82 speaks of God as the true judge, and these men as being appointed rulers by God to judge the people, and in Psalm 82 they were failing. This is in no way speaking of there being a divine nature of man.

What Jesus is saying is; if some of the rulers of Israel were called gods

9b/c they received the Word of God to judge) in the past, and that was not blaspheme, why is it blaspheme for me to say, I’m God’s son?

He is arguing and reasoning with them from the scripture. But don’t mistake Jesus as backing down here because notice He ends verse 36 with a three-fold claim of deity.

He says, “I’m the one the Father sanctified, I’m the one the Father sent, and I am the Son of God!!

What is more important for us, is when Jesus is confronted, He appeals to scripture, and that reminds me of the wilderness of temptation when confronted by the devil.

What did Jesus do when He was confronted by the enemy? Jesus quoted scripture. He said, “man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”

This teaches us we need to have an elevated view of scripture. Especially when it comes to defending our faith and standing up to skepticism.

I think one of the greatest challenges we face as Christians today is we are not grounded in the Word. 1 Peter 3:15 “but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;”

How can we grow to become more grounded in the scriptures and elevate the Word in our life?

3. Conviction through Works Vs. 37-39

Look at Vs. 37-38 ““If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.”

Here we see Jesus inviting them to believe on the evidence of His works rather than His words. In other words, if you don’t believe what I say, believe what I do.

This is a picture of Jesus pleading with the unbeliever. He says, “Believe the works, so that you may know and understand! The works proved the presence of God with in Him, but they still rejected Him.

The lesson in this for us is our faith is not only based on the teachings of Jesus and applying what He said to our life, But His actions or works, are an example for us to follow as well.

The way that He lived and treated others with humility and grace. The way He forgave others for their mistakes, yet didn’t condone their actions. Those are all lessons for us to follow. (WWJD)

The life of Jesus revealed God to the world so we have to ask ourselves does my life reveal Christ to the world? Do my actions testify that I am a Christian?

Notice John 10:39 “Therefore they were seeking again to seize Him, and He eluded their grasp.”

The Jewish leaders have had enough of Jesus and want to carry out the wicked evil in their hearts, but they can’t stone Him in the temple so they have to seize Him and take Him somewhere outside of the temple to stone Him, and while that is taking place Jesus manages to escape.

That takes us back to the sovereignty of God. Nothing was going to happen to Jesus until His time was fulfilled. That is why the Jews were not able to capture Him and stone Him because He was destined for a cross, to satisfy the wrath of God and die for the sin of the world.

These wicked Jewish leaders were being used as pawns by Satan, but they were truly carrying out the will and purposes of God in the world.

Romans 8:28 “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

Jesus would eventually be killed by these Jewish leaders but it would be for our good and for the called according to His purpose.

Conclusion

The Jewish leaders in this story are an example of the way the world responds to Him; with wickedness and hostility.

The Point; Believing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, gives us courage to stand up for our faith and boldly proclaim His name.

How important do you think scripture is when it comes to witnessing to an unbeliever?