Christ's Constant Which Comforts - part 1

(NASB95)

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. 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.

We have been making our way through John’s 10th chapter on the Good Shepherd.

We have been outlining the 2nd part of the chapter along these lines:

The Cultural Context vv.22-23

The Crooked Con-Job v.24

The Confounding Counter vv.25-27

The Constant which Comforts vv.28-30

The Conspiracy of Coercion v.31 etc.

The Cover-Up Confronted vv.32-39

Walking with Jesus: Daily Inspiration from the Gospel of John 37. Breakfast with Jesus

Philippians 4:19

By 7:00 p.m. on October 20, 1968, only a few thousand spectators remained in the Olympic stadium in Mexico City. It was almost dark, and the last of the marathon runners were stumbling across the finish line. Finally, the spectators heard the wail of sirens from the police cars. As eyes turned to the gate, a lone runner, wearing the colors of Tanzania, staggered into the stadium. His name was John Stephen Akhwari, and he was the last of the seventy-four competitors. With a deep cut on his knee and a dislocated joint that was caused by a fall earlier in the race, he hobbled the final lap around the track. The spectators rose and applauded as though he were the winner of the race. Afterward, someone asked him why he had kept running. His now famous reply was “My country did not send me seven thousand miles away to start the race. They sent me seven thousand miles to finish it.”

The Bible often compares the Christian life to running a race. The apostle Paul spoke of it on several occasions. Toward the end of his life, he concluded, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4:7). And to the believers at Corinth, he posed this challenge:

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

1 Corinthians 9:24–25

THE GOOD RACE

It’s not always easy to finish a race. But any good runner will tell you that the only way to make it through a long run is to take it one mile at a time. To think of the whole race feels overwhelming. If you’ve ever read a passage from the Bible that just didn’t seem to make any sense, or had a time in your life when it seemed as though God didn’t come through for you, or were tempted to just give up trying to follow Jesus, you know that feeling. We might wonder how we’ll ever hold on to our faith in the midst of all the complexities of life.

What we’ve read so far in is not the whole of Christ’s answer to the deceptive demand, the con-job, that He speak plainly.

The first part of Christ’s first answer, as we have seen, is that He HAD already spoken plainly.

He had spoken more than enough of what needed to be said.

Also, He had done more than enough of what needed to be seen.

If they had not believed by this time, the problem lay with them

…not with His supposedly not speaking plainly enough ! ! !

But seeing as they had dishonestly demanded Him to speak plainly… He went on...

…to give a second part to His COUNTER.

It’s a dangerous thing to critically demand that Christ to speak plainly,

for when He speaks plainly He really speaks plainly.

He really tells it like it is!

So, in the verses that follow, Jesus gives the most highly condensed statements of the doctrines of grace in the entire Gospel record:

He says that in and of themselves, without the enablement of the Holy Spirit,

men and women are unable to properly believe upon Christ,

And further He says that: those who DO properly believe, only do so because God acts in grace to lovingly choose them and carry them into the company of His people.

And in the main focus of our Bible reading today, vv.27-28,

Christ further teaches that: ALL whom God elects, DO come & that not one of THOSE who come is EVER lost.

These are the central doctrines of the reformation’s understanding of the gospel;

and this is just as it was first expressed by Jesus, and later by Paul.

In the early church this was also the considered studious verdict of Augustine and a host of others.

If you want it expressed plainly & succinctly, this is it in vv.27-28.

At the same time as saying this, we must always add that the doctrines of grace can never be properly used as an excuse to escape responsibility.

It is true that we cannot choose God unless he first chooses us, doing a miracle in our hearts by which we understand these things and respond to him.

BUT we are, nevertheless, responsible for the things we do choose and for the way in which we respond to His revelation.

What about Christ’s words? What about His unique works? You cannot escape them.

If they are true—and what possible legitimate reason can you produce to doubt them (?) — except perhaps that someone else has told you at one time or another that the Bible is just not true, that it is only a collection of stories, and that you believe them without evidence—and reject Christ’s claims upon your life!

And if Christ’s claims are in the least bit credible, then wisdom and simple honesty demand that you drop all your foolish lesser loyalties and follow Jesus.

If Christ’s claims are in the least bit credible, then wisdom and simple honesty demand that you drop all your foolish lesser loyalties and follow Jesus.

This is what he calls us to: He says,

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow Me.” v.27

So, listen! Really listen! And follow Jesus!

Now perhaps you already are a disciple of Christ.

The Crooked Con-Job v.24

And you say, “I already believe that Jesus is God and that His words are truthful.

I don’t have any good reason to doubt that what the Bible teaches must be true.”

Good!

But that is not in itself the full definition of those who have been called to be Christ’s sheep by the Father.

Jesus Christ says that those who are His sheep both hear His voice and follow Him.

So, do you hear? Do you really hear? And do you follow?

If you are going your own way, what makes you think that you are one of His true sheep?

If you will not listen to God’s truth, what right do you have to think that you belong to him?

In the eleventh chapter of Hebrews we’re told about some of Christ’s sheep and of what they did when they heard the voice of their Shepherd and followed Him:

The Confounding Counter vv.25-27

Abel heard and offered a better sacrifice.

Enoch heard and pleased God.

Noah heard and built an ark.

Abraham heard and obeyed ...practically ...afterwards

Isaac blessed Jacob concerning things to come.

Jacob blessed the sons of Joseph in accord with God’s promises.

Joseph gave instructions about returning his bones to the promised land.

Moses chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.

Rahab heard and received the spies in peace.

Others, we are told conquered kingdoms, administered justice, gained what was promised, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, escaped the edge of the sword, had weakness turned to strength, became powerful in battle, routed foreign armies.

Women received back their dead raised to life again.

Others were tortured and refused to be released so that they might gain a better resurrection (vv.33–35).

In each of these cases, life wsa subsequently different because the one involved not only heard God’s call and they actually followed His leading.

Do we hear? Yes? BUT Do we actually follow?

God grant that your following might be increasingly faithful, for Jesus’ sake.

Jesus solemnly testifies: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”

God’s chosen are called quite irrespective of any personal merit they might have thought they had.

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” The elect will heed Christ’s call to salvation and continue in faith and obedience to eternal glory (cf. ).

God’s calling, His election are unmerited!

It’s called unconditional election.

This is one of the key doctrines of grace!

[Later on we will see that His called elect will heed Christ’s call to salvation and continue in faith and obedience to eternal glory (cf. ).]

So Jesus affirms: “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me” (v. 27).

He says that it is a mark of the sheep that they both hear and follow their shepherd.

In the Puritan era it was the habit of many preachers to play on these two characteristics, calling them the marks of Christ’s sheep.

In their day when there were many flocks of sheep it was necessary to mark the sheep to distinguish them.

In our day, at least on cattle, this is done by branding.

But in their day, on sheep, this identifying mark was often achieved by cutting a small mark into the sheep’s ear.

“Well,” said the Puritans, “each of Christ’s sheep has a double mark—on his ear and on his foot.

The mark on his ear is that he hears Christ. The mark on his foot is that he follows him.”

This is true, of course. It reminds us to ask ourselves, “Do I hear? Do I really follow?”

How many of those who come to public church worship services on a typical Lord’s Day… …how many, really hear the voice of Christ or have ever heard it?

They hear the voice of the preacher perhaps; they hear the voices of the members of the choir. But do they actually hear Christ?

If they do, why are they so critical of what they hear?

Why are their comments afterward so much more about the Lord’s servant rather than the Lord?

Those who are Christ’s hear Christ. And they follow Him.

But how many who come to church are really following?

Most seem to want to make themselves good leaders—in their own cause—but they are poor followers.

They make good critics—of Bible ministry and of Christ’s people—but they are poor disciples.

They might even make respectable wolves, for they ravage the flock, but they do not show the traits of the sheep and would even be contemptuous of them if they had an understanding of what those traits are.

Jesus first described the nature of true believers.

They are characterized by the following: (Merril C. Tenney)

Sensitivity they “hear my voice” v.27

Fellowship “I know them” v.27

Obedience “They follow me” out of devotion v.27

Life “I give unto them eternal life” v.28

Assured “They shall never perish” v.28

Protected “No one shall snatch them out of my hand” v.28

These are characteristics well worth contemplating carefully.

These are the qualities that distinguish believers from unbelievers;

and they are both things that lead to belief and things which the result of belief.[1]

[1] Merrill C. Tenney, John: The Gospel of Belief, The New International Commentary on the Old and New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1976), 167.

We shall come back to these last two characteristics next week...

Do not simply presume upon your relationship to Christ.

SO whatever you do....

Do not simply presume upon your relationship to Christ.

Consider it carefully in the light of your need of grace.

You are not Christ’s unless you hear His voice and follow Him.

Jesus said, “If you love me, keep My commandments” ().

John 14:15 NASB95

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

He said, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” ().

The Lord continued by articulating the wonderful truth that those who are His sheep need never fear being lost. “I give eternal life to them,” Jesus declared, “and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 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.” Nowhere in Scripture is there a stronger affirmation of the absolute eternal security of all true Christians. Jesus plainly taught that the security of the believer in salvation does not depend on human effort, but is grounded in the gracious, sovereign election, promise, and power of God. [John F. MacArthur Comm]

Christ’s words reveal seven realities that bind every true Christian forever to God.

First, believers are His sheep, and it is the duty of the Good Shepherd to protect His flock. “This is the will of Him who sent Me,” Jesus said, “that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day” (6:39). To insist that a true Christian can somehow be lost is to deny the truth of that statement. It is also to defame the character of the Lord Jesus Christ—making Him out to be an incompetent shepherd, unable to hold on to those entrusted to Him by the Father.

Second, Christ’s sheep hear only His voice and follow only Him. Since they will not listen to or follow a stranger (10:5), they could not possibly wander away from Him and be eternally lost.

Third, Christ’s sheep have eternal life. To speak of eternal life ending is a contradiction in terms.

Fourth, Christ gives eternal life to His sheep. Since they did nothing to earn it, they can do nothing to lose it.

Fifth, Christ promised that His sheep will never perish. Were even one to do so, it would make Him a liar.

Sixth, no one—not false shepherds (the thieves and robbers of v. 1), or false prophets (symbolized by the wolf of v. 12), nor even the Devil himself—is powerful enough to snatch Christ’s sheep out of His hand.

Finally, Christ’s sheep are held not only in His hand, but also in the hand of the Father, who is greater than all; and thus no one is able to snatch them out of His hand either. Infinitely secure, the believer’s “life is hidden with Christ in God” ().

[John F. MacArthur Comm]

Walking with Jesus: Daily Inspiration from the Gospel of John 37. Breakfast with Jesus

By 7:00 p.m. on October 20, 1968, only a few thousand spectators remained in the Olympic stadium in Mexico City. It was almost dark, and the last of the marathon runners were stumbling across the finish line. Finally, the spectators heard the wail of sirens from the police cars. As eyes turned to the gate, a lone runner, wearing the colors of Tanzania, staggered into the stadium. His name was John Stephen Akhwari, and he was the last of the seventy-four competitors. With a deep cut on his knee and a dislocated joint that was caused by a fall earlier in the race, he hobbled the final lap around the track. The spectators rose and applauded as though he were the winner of the race. Afterward, someone asked him why he had kept running. His now famous reply was “My country did not send me seven thousand miles away to start the race. They sent me seven thousand miles to finish it.”

The Bible often compares the Christian life to running a race. The apostle Paul spoke of it on several occasions. Toward the end of his life, he concluded, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (). And to the believers at Corinth, he posed this challenge:

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

THE GOOD RACE

It’s not always easy to finish a race. But any good runner will tell you that the only way to make it through a long run is to take it one mile at a time. To think of the whole race feels overwhelming. If you’ve ever read a passage from the Bible that just didn’t seem to make any sense, or had a time in your life when it seemed as though God didn’t come through for you, or were tempted to just give up trying to follow Jesus, you know that feeling. We might wonder how we’ll ever hold on to our faith in the midst of all the complexities of life.