Never lets you go

Sermon Style Sheet

Write that down in your formation Journal

Illustration

Sermon Text

Sermon Text: Scripture

Call to Worship

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Psalm 145:3–4 CSB

3 The Lord is great and is highly praised; his greatness is unsearchable. 4 One generation will declare your works to the next and will proclaim your mighty acts.

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Passage:

Formation Journal Page Number: 11:30-12:23 1:21-2:06

John 10:22–42 CSB

22 Then the Festival of Dedication took place in Jerusalem, and it was winter. 23 Jesus was walking in the temple in Solomon’s Colonnade. 24 The Jews surrounded him and asked, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” 25 “I did tell you and you don’t believe,” Jesus answered them. “The works that I do in my Father’s name testify about me. 26 But you don’t believe because you are not of my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.” 31 Again the Jews picked up rocks to stone him. 32 Jesus replied, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these works are you stoning me?” 33 “We aren’t stoning you for a good work,” the Jews answered, “but for blasphemy, because you—being a man—make yourself God.” 34 Jesus answered them, “Isn’t it written in your law, I said, you are gods? 35 If he called those to whom the word of God came ‘gods’—and the Scripture cannot be broken—36 do you say, ‘You are blaspheming’ to the one the Father set apart and sent into the world, because I said: I am the Son of God? 37 If I am not doing my Father’s works, don’t believe me. 38 But if I am doing them and you don’t believe me, believe the works. This way you will know and understand that the Father is in me and I in the Father.” 39 Then they were trying again to seize him, but he escaped their grasp. 40 So he departed again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing earlier, and he remained there. 41 Many came to him and said, “John never did a sign, but everything John said about this man was true.” 42 And many believed in him there.

Opening Illustration:

Atari vs Nintendo

[We overvalue our IDEAS but undervalue God’s PLAN]

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Getting into the Sermon

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John 1-5 Jesus is getting

John 6-8 -

John 9 - he doubles down

John 10 - Himself as the shepherd contrasting himself with the pharisess who didn’t care

John 10:22 CSB

22 Then the Festival of Dedication took place in Jerusalem, and it was winter.

Explanation of Hanaukah and the feast of dedication.  Big crowd.

JPreistly - Macabees

[Even when God is SILENT, he’s still FAITHFUL]

John 10:23–24 CSB

23 Jesus was walking in the temple in Solomon’s Colonnade. 24 The Jews surrounded him and asked, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”

How long?  Jesus has shown himself and proven himself but they want something more concrete.

John 10:25–26 CSB

25 “I did tell you and you don’t believe,” Jesus answered them. “The works that I do in my Father’s name testify about me. 26 But you don’t believe because you are not of my sheep.

So some people want something super explicit.  But jesus doesn’t follow their demands.  

[Jesus was being clear but not EXPLICIT]

Why not?  If he said he was the messiah very publicly and clearly - they may riot and start a war

They overvalue their idea the messiah was a military/political leader and they undervalue god’s plan for

[Dying on the cross was the PLAN]

He was bidding his time because he wanted to teach them that the Messiah came to day.  Liberation has to come through death. 

It’s the plan because it’s the only way - we can’t undo our sins. There a debt that is owed. There’s a penalty that has to be paid. Someone has to pay.

God knew what he was doing.  He was waiting until he could do what he set out to do.

John 10:27–30 CSB

27 My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”

God teaches us that we are secure.  A relationship with God existed before we existed.  

[They won’t respond UNTIL they hear the gospel]

ANd here’s the thing - no one will snatch you from his hand.

This is the lie of the devil

Does this mean that you can live however you want to?

I think it reveals our tendency to view salvation as a set of rules rather than a relationship with God.

Imagine you are talking a husband

“It is a very different thing to break a rule than it is to cheat on a lover.”

You see, God is about transformation and he paid a price for that.

If the only thing keeping you from going off and living in in sin, if you desire sin but only fear hell but have no love for God you don’t need to be worried about losing your salvation because you were never saved to begin with.

[Salvation is TRANSFORMATION]

{ABC’s of Repentance}

But that’s not where most christians sit.  Most christians feel hope.

When christians especially if something bad happens they can start to believe that God has left them.

Sometimes you may realize “I’ve just been horrible to everyone.  I’ve been selfish and rude - does God still love me?”  You’ve fought pornography and then you fell back into it “is this it for me?”

If you sin and then something bad happens.

Because even when he is silent, he is still faithful. 

This is why it is so important to know your security.

 [A christian can fall into sin but not out of GRACE.]

A lot of sin is complex and will take years to fight.

[BESETTING Sins - the sins we struggle with our whole lives]

No one can steal you from God’s hand.  Are you someone?  Then you can’t either and that’s a place of extreme security and love.

Listen, even when you are faithless God is still what?

His steadfast love  endures _______? Forever

Why does God want you so confident in his faithfulness and love -

His salvation is greater than you think, his love is greater than you think.

We have our idea of God’s love - conditional God has his plan to say I’ll never let you go

We over value our idea and undervalue his plan - that the spirit saves us and the spirit keeps us.

Here’s the deal we know that it isn’t just Jesus but God the father tolerates us.

Going back to the story - he said he and the father are one IT was good news to us offensive to the jews.

John 10:31–32 CSB

31 Again the Jews picked up rocks to stone him. 32 Jesus replied, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these works are you stoning me?”

He’s turning the tables a little bit

John 10:33–39 CSB

33 “We aren’t stoning you for a good work,” the Jews answered, “but for blasphemy, because you—being a man—make yourself God.” 34 Jesus answered them, “Isn’t it written in your law, I said, you are gods? 35 If he called those to whom the word of God came ‘gods’—and the Scripture cannot be broken—36 do you say, ‘You are blaspheming’ to the one the Father set apart and sent into the world, because I said: I am the Son of God? 37 If I am not doing my Father’s works, don’t believe me. 38 But if I am doing them and you don’t believe me, believe the works. This way you will know and understand that the Father is in me and I in the Father.” 39 Then they were trying again to seize him, but he escaped their grasp.

Psalm 82

They understood - they want to kill him

They are over valuing their idea of authority but undervaluing God’s clear authority

They would rather live by the whims of men than the authority of God

John 10:40–42 CSB

40 So he departed again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing earlier, and he remained there. 41 Many came to him and said, “John never did a sign, but everything John said about this man was true.” 42 And many believed in him there.

There’s only two team If you have never made a decision

But if you are a believer we have the hope that God’s sheep will respond when they hear his voice but they won’t respond until they hear and what greater motivation do we have than the love of Christ that secures us in his love even when we sin- we can fall into sin but not out of grace.

Let’s make that love of the joy our mission together

Lord’s Supper:

On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 

Benediction:

The LORD bless you and keep you;

the LORD makes his face shine upon you and be gracious to you:

The LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.