Sermon for 5/8/22 "Tribute To Mothers That Help Us Follow Jesus" "Are We Truly Jesus' Sheep?" 16 Minutes

John 10:22-30

This morning I'll be reading John chapter 10 verses 22 through 30. And I'll be reading from the Holman Christian Standard Bible. John 10:22–30 In these verses,,, Jesus has come to Jerusalem to attend the Festival of Dedication,,, and the Jews surround Him to try to get answers from Him about whether He is the Messiah. John 10:22–30 (HCSB) — 22 Then the Festival of Dedication took place in Jerusalem, and it was winter. 23 Jesus was walking in the temple complex in Solomon’s Colonnade. 24 Then 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 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 —ever! 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 The Father and I are one.” God bless the reading and the hearing of your word this morning. Let us pray: Dear Lord,,, as we begin this morning,,, with everyone here today and all that are listening and watching by video,,, we ask that you open our ears to hear and our hearts and minds to receive the message that you have for us today,,, In Jesus' name I pray,,, Amen. -----------------------------------------------------------

Today is Mothers Day and these verses will hopefully help you to see the way that mothers are instrumental in having their family attend church.

Not in every family of course,,, but it happens to many times to ignore,,, especially today.

So,,, for all of you,,, “Happy Mother’s Day to each of you”!

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Last Sunday we looked at Revelation 5:11-14 and the fact that Jesus is worthy and deserves our praise and glory every day because He was shown to be the only one worthy to open the scroll.

He is also worthy because of the love that He showed for us when He gave His all by going willingly to the cross to die for our sins.

This morning we will look at these verses in John as we see how they will help us in our walk with God this week.

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

The Festival of Dedication was a festival that was once also called the Feast of the Maccabees,,, and was an eight-day winter festival celebrated by the Jews in the month of December or sometimes late November,,, depending on when it fell in the lunisolar Jewish calendar.

Today,,, this festival is called Hanukkah,,, or the Festival of Lights.

Eerdmans Bible Dictionary says this was,,, “A Jewish festival commemorating the purification and reconstruction of the Jerusalem temple and the dedication of the new altar by Judas Maccabeus in 165/164 B.C.,,, three years to the very day (25 Chislev [Nov.–Dec.]) after Antiochus IV Epiphanes had desecrated it by offering pagan sacrifices there (1 Macc. 4:52–59; 2 Macc. 10:5).

The original Feast of Dedication involved a miracle, according to rabbinic tradition,,, After the Seleucids,,, or Syrians as they are called,,, had been defeated,,, the Jews had to clean and rededicate the temple.

When the Jews re-entered the temple they could only find one small,,, sealed jug of olive oil that had not been profaned,,, or contaminated by the Seleucids.

This was oil that was used to burn the eternal flame of God,,, and it was supposed to stay lit,,, burning continuously,,, signifying God’s continuous presence.

It would also take approximately 7 days to make more oil that could be used in the temple.

So even though the oil was only enough to last one day,,, they through faith,,, went ahead and and lit the flame,,, and,,, it miraculously lasted eight days—time for them to prepare more oil.

This miracle is the reason Hanukkah lasts for eight days.

----------------------------------------------------------- Verse 23 says: 23 Jesus was walking in the temple complex in Solomon’s Colonnade.

Solomon's Colonnade was a long covered walkway on the east side of the temple.

Two months had elapsed since Jesus’ last confrontation with the Jews according to my Bible Knowledge Commentary.

But as we see in the next verse,,, that’s going to change.

----------------------------------------------------------- Verse 24 says: 24 Then the Jews surrounded Him and asked, “How long are You going to keep us in suspense? If You are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”

It says that the Jews surrounded Him,,, and they did surround Him,,, they closed in on Him so that He would have to answer them.

They were determined to pin Him down and find something that they could charge Him with.

And as they closed in around Him,,, they asked Him,,, “How long are You going to keep us in suspense? If You are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”

And we see His reply in the next verse.

----------------------------------------------------------- Verse 25 says: 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.

Jesus’ reply to them was I’ve told you and you don’t believe.

And,,, “The works that I do in My Father’s name testify about Me.

The healing of the sick,,, healing the lame so that they can walk,,, raising the dead to life,,, removing evil spirits,,, curing the blind so that they can see,,, causing the mute to speak,,, all of these things should have been enough for them to know exactly who He was,,, but they were blind,,, and could not see.

We have those today,,, that still cannot see the great things that Jesus has done.

If you spend the time in the Bible searching,,, you will find the evidence that you need to convince you that Jesus is the only way to heaven,,, and He is the narrow gate,,, and no one comes unto the Father,,, except through Him.

The answers are in God’s word,,, if you just put forth the effort and spend the time needed to find them.

The Jews that are questioning Jesus,,, lack spiritual perception and faith.

And we see why they are having such a hard time believing when we look at the next few verses.

----------------------------------------------------------- Verses 26 and 27 say: 26 But you don’t believe because you are not My sheep. 27 My sheep hear My voice, I know them, and they follow Me.

This statement from Jesus is a simple explanation of their disbelief.

It also reminds us of the ultimate mystery of God’s election as seen in John 6:37 that says: “Everyone the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will never cast out.”

Even before we realize that we are searching for God,,, God is there beside us through the Holy Spirit,,, continuously available to us,,, guiding us,,, helping us to see that we need God,,, and once we realize that need,,, He continues to guide us to choose Jesus Christ as our Savior,,, He is never forced upon us,,, but He’s always there,,, waiting for us to choose Him.

Then once we have chosen Him,,, we learn through our prayer time,,, Bible study,,, Sunday school,,, worship service,,, all of the things that we do to strengthen our relationship,,, all of these things helps us to listen to the Holy Spirit as He guides us through our day to day life.

The more that we do the things that strengthen our relationship,,, the easier it is to hear,,, and be guided by,,, the Spirit,,, each and every day.

When we do these things,,, we can hear God’s voice,,, and follow Him,,, so much easier than if we ignore them.

----------------------------------------------------------- Verses 28 and 29 say: 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish —ever! 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.

Jesus Christ gives eternal life that will never perish,,, and nothing,,, or no one can snatch them out of His hand.

And that’s true,,, as long as you keep the words of verse 27 in mind.

Remember these words,,, 27 My sheep hear My voice, I know them, and they “follow” Me.

Remember “they follow me”!

We are saved by faith,,, but it is possible to be led astray by satan if we don’t continue in our relationship with God,,, and continue to “follow” Him.

This verse doesn’t mean that you can accept Christ and continue to live the same as you were either.

There must be a change when you meet Christ,,, your life will never stay the same.

This is another example of why it’s so important to study your Bible and the context surrounding verses so that you aren’t led astray by just reading and believing one verse.

There are other verses where Paul,,, Peter,,, even Jesus,,, speaks of being careful in the way that we live our life.

So remember the words of verse 27 and be sure that you are always following Him,,, and then,,, just as Jesus says in this verse,,, No one will snatch them out of My hand.

----------------------------------------------------------- Verse 30 says: 30 The Father and I are one.”

The Jews have their answer,,, and if you read the next verse you see that they have picked up stones to try to stone Jesus again,,, because they understand what Jesus is saying,,, and they try to seize Him after He is finished talking to them,,, but we aren’t told how He escapes,,, but He does,,, simply because it’s not His time.

----------------------------------------------------------- So we can see from these verses that we must follow Jesus,,, and if we continue with the things that strengthen our relationship with God,,, nothing can snatch us out of His hand.

And how many of us are here because of our “mothers,,, our grandmothers,,, our wives,,, our sisters,,, or our friends even.

Women in the church have always been a key component to growth in every congregation.

So be sure that if,,, like me,,, you have a woman,,, or women,,, to thank,,, for the fact that you are here in church today,,, don’t forget to do that today,,, if you can.

But,,, as I said,,, we must remember to “follow” Jesus to stay in our relationship with Him,,, because it’s that relationship that allows the Holy Spirit to guide us and help us each and every day.

We don’t want to be like the Jews in these verses continuing to hunt for a reason to believe Jesus.

Just open your Bibles,,, begin to read and allow God’s word to convince you that Jesus Christ is,,, the way,,, the truth,,, and the life,,, and then to continue to follow Jesus,,, so that you can spend eternity together,,, as God intended for us,,, all along.

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