No Reason to not Believe

If you have your bibles this morning please open them up to John chapter 10. I have titled the message, “No Reason to not Believe” If you would pray with me…

One of the great things about working through books of the bible as a church is you see God’s plan unfold right before your very own eyes, and you see the authors argument really clarified as you continue studying the book. It should give you motivation to take up your own bible, and dig into the word of God for yourselves. Now as I have dug deeper into studying the gospel of John over the past 7 months, I have seen a lot of same things, and many of Jesus teachings come together so well to prove that he is the Christ, that he is God, and as we dive into todays message I believe we will for ourselves see that there is in fact no reason to not believe in Christ, despite the constant attacks from those who personally tried to discredit Jesus, and all those try to this day to do so.

And what I want you to see today as the main idea is this.. Jesus sheep believe in the words, and works of Christ that proclaim that Jesus is the Christ and God.

Verses 22-23 give us the context to what is going on. It says this.. John 10:22-23

John 10:22–23 ESV

22 At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon.

This took place during the time of feast of Dedication we know it as Hanukkah. And during this time of year it would be colder and Solomons porch would be a great place to go because it would be protected from the elements, now that we know a little bit about the context…

the 1st point for us this morning is this…

Jesus words and works prove Jesus is the Christ and God.

John 10:24–25 ESV

24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me,

Jesus in this book has said some powerful statements. He uses his words is such a way that prove he is not like anyone else. He has said multiple times in his book that he has descended from heaven. He calls God his father, and he does so in such a way making himself equal with God. He claims to be sent by God. He has testified that the scriptures speak about him, including the prophets that are so loved by those who are opposing him. He makes bold claims such as being the bread of life and he has made claims that his words bring life. He proclaims that he is the light of the world. He claims to be the I Am. He claims to be before Abraham. He claims that he is going to lay down his life for his sheep. and these are but a few statements and a few important claims he has already made about himself in the gospel of John.

And what you just saw in the text was that the Jews were surrounding him, and asking him why are you keeping us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly… Its hard for me to have read this book and seen the words of Christ for myself and not see that Jesus is the Christ, but they don’t want him to tell them he is the Christ so they can worship him and honor him after denying them after all this time. They want him to tell them he is the Christ so they can kill him. They want the next words to come out of Jesus mouth to say, I AM THE CHRIST, because in their own minds if Jesus made such as claim he would be committing blasphemy against God for making such a radical claim.

And as I read you a few of the things he has said in the gospel, John its pretty clear that Jesus has told them already that he is the Christ, and he is God, and we see it even more in the text today.

Not only do his words speak to the fact he is the Christ and is God, but so does his works.. He argues to them that his works testify that he is from the Father.. And the works he does certainly testifies to that very thing. Just as reminder to you, here are just few things he has done so far that we have seen in the book of John. He has turned water into wine, he told the samaritan women of all of her sins, he healed the lame man, he fed the 5000, he walked on water, and like we saw a few weeks ago he healed the man blind from birth.

The words and the works of Jesus should be enough for them to be Christ’s sheep, he makes a strong case by what he says and does that he is that very thing, but its not enough for them, they still don’t believe in Jesus after all this time, and Jesus tells them why this is the case.

2nd point this morning is this..

Jesus sheep are secure because he calls them.

John 10:26–30 ESV

26 but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, 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. 30 I and the Father are one.”

Jesus says something to them that may be a surprise to them, he says but you do not believe, BECAUSE you are not among my sheep. They do not belong to the Shepherd who is Christ. Only God can call out his sheep. Only God can save. Salvation belongs to the Lord, and In the next verse he tells them my sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me. So there is a progression. Jesus sheep hear him, because Christ knows them, and as a result they follow him. This connects so well to a few verses we covered last week. Let me read them to you as a reminder. John 10:3-4 it said

John 10:3–4 ESV

3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.

We learned the Father opened the door so Jesus could call out all the sheep who were given to him. and in John 10:14

John 10:14 ESV

14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,

Jesus knows his sheep he calls them by name, and his sheep know him as their shepherd. and in John 10:16

John 10:16 ESV

16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

There are sheep that Jesus calls that are not apart of the fold the gentiles who he calls as well.

And what Jesus does for his sheep is incredible. Last week we saw he lays down his life for his sheep, and this week we see that again, and the promises found in God’s word today shows us that he gives them eternal life. He gives his sheep eternal life, he takes care of his sheep for all of eternity, not just on occasion, but as the good shepherd he gives them eternal life. Not only does he give eternal life, he tells them some thing incredible they will never perish. Death does not reign in the believers life. But even more than that… No One will snatch Christ’s sheep from his hands… Not a wolf, not a thieve, not a robber, not anyone can snatch someone from Jesus, and Jesus re emphasizes that point again in verse 29.

My Father gives me my sheep. (they are mine because he gives them to me) The Father they claimed to believe in gave these sheep to Christ. Its for whom Christ died for..

In John 6:37

John 6:37 ESV

All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.

And the one who is giving them to the Son is greater than all, nothing and no one is greater than God, and because he is greater than them all no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.

Need more proof of his love for his sheep? Listen to these words of Scripture...

Romans 8:35–39 ESV

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The love God has for us, is more powerful than the enemies hatred of us. and because of his love for us as he has called us we are secure in Christ.

and all this can happen because the Father and the Son are one. They are not at odd with one another, and they are one in essence. This is what Jesus has been saying to them all along. My Father and I are on the same page, dont miss me because you don’t believe. Our focus of the month was the Trinity if you want to know more about that visit our website.

But a good way to think about eternal security is this illustration I found.. A strong father is walking with his three-year-old son beside a dangerous railroad track. There are two ways the father can protect the son. He can reach out his hand and say to the little boy, “Now listen, son, hold on tightly to my hand, because if you let go you could fall onto the tracks and be killed.” Or the father can say, “Son, give me your hand,” and he takes the boy’s hand and holds on to him. Thus, the father holds on to the son rather than the son holding on to the father. Which is the surer method?

Jesus said no one can snatch His sheep out of His hand. We are secure, not because we hold tightly to Jesus, but because He holds tightly to us. Jesus said: “Every one of My sheep is going to have eternal life. They will never perish—I’m going to see to it. I give them eternal life, and nobody will snatch them out of My hand.” This is a tremendous promise that affords great comfort, but it is a promise only God could make.

Jesus does not lose one of his sheep, And his sheep are secure because he calls them.

Third point this morning is this…

Jesus exposes those who are not his sheep.

John 10:31–39 ESV

31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. 32 Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” 33 The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.” 34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? 35 If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken— 36 do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 37 If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; 38 but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” 39 Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands.

In the text we see that the Jews were quite upset that that Jesus was making the claims he was making. Saying he was God, and saying they are not his sheep, so they wanted to take matters into their own hands. The text says they picked up stones to stone Jesus. If you remember a few sermons ago, I mentioned to the fact that in their minds Jesus was breaking the law by equating himself with God, and they had according to the law every right to execute judgment if they were right on the matter, though they were clearly wrong, and i also mentioned that because they were under Roman judgement they were not allowed to execute justice without first going to Roman authority to do so, but before they could attempt to stone him. they were at the boiling point with Jesus wanting him dead. But before they could stone him Jesus says something to them…

He says I have shown many good works from the Father for which of them are you going to stone me? Jesus is challenging them to name what work from the father they want to condemn him, and I reminded you earlier of what some of those works were, remember Jesus works testify he is God.

but rather than them answering Jesus they say something entirely different. They don’t even get into the works because they know those works are incredible acts of some sort of higher power, they tell him its not for the good works ( notice they did not even call them bad) that we are going to stone you, but for blasphemy, because you being a man, you make yourself out to be God.

Jesus statement back in verse 30, saying I and the Father are one is what they are judging Christ for. Jesus equates himself with God, this is what they wanted when they asked him tell us plainly who you are, Jesus tells him I am God. I am the messiah and my words and my works testify that truth, testify of that very thing. And the real reason they want to kill Jesus is because Jesus is exposing them for not being his sheep. He is exposing their lack of unbelief, and Jesus is going to go after that very thing in this text.

He quotes Psalm 82 and adds commentary to it, when he says, It Is it not written in your law, I said you are gods, if he called them gods to whom the word of God came and scripture cannot be broken. do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world you are blaspheming because I said I am the Son of God.

Most scholars believe he is quoting specifically 3 verses which reads in Psalm 82:5-7 this way.

Psalm 82:5–7 ESV

5 They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. 6 I said, “You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you; 7 nevertheless, like men you shall die, and fall like any prince.”

I really like what one scholar had to say about what Jesus says here in the text he says, “The relevance of the passage is striking. The absence of knowledge and understanding is a fitting description of Jesus’ audience. They do not know the shepherd’s voice. But the single point Jesus is making centers on Psalm 82:6. Rabbinic interpretation argued that this psalm was addressed to Israel’s tribes as they received the law at Mount Sinai.It recalled Exodus 4:22–23, “Israel is my firstborn son, and I told you, ‘Let my son go, so he may worship me.’ ” If the word “god” can be applied to those other than God himself in the Scriptures—if someone can be called a “son of God” here in God’s unbreakable word—why are Jesus’ words blasphemy? In John 10:36 Jesus calls himself “God’s Son,” and this is surely an echo of this historic context.

Moreover, Jesus is the one whom God “sanctified” and sent into the world. This points to the meaning of Hanukkah itself. Recall that Judas Maccabeus had reclaimed the temple after he conquered his Greek oppressors. In 1 Maccabees 4:48 we read, “They also rebuilt the sanctuary and the interior of the temple, and consecrated the courts.” Jesus, then, is the object of Hanukkah’s interest. He is the “sanctified place,” the “holy place,” the “temple” of God celebrated in this season. Not only is his title “Son of God” justified by Psalm 82, but his identity as the locus of God’s presence, as the divine courier from heaven, gives him an incomparable status.

I love that… Because as the Son of God he sanctifying the world, by his work on the cross, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, but being the fact that Jesus was saying these things during Hanukkah is quite powerful. What is thought to have happened during Hanukkah was this.. According to the Talmud, one of Judaism’s most central texts, Judah Maccabee and the other Jews who took part in the rededication of the Second Temple witnessed what they believed to be a miracle. Even though there was only enough untainted olive oil to keep the menorah’s candles burning for a single day, the flames continued flickering for eight nights, leaving them time to find a fresh supply. This wondrous event inspired the Jewish sages to proclaim a yearly eight-day festival. (The first Book of the Maccabees tells another version of the story, describing an eight-day celebration that followed the rededication but making no reference to the miracle of the oil.)

But either way the temple that they were celebrating this event that took place, would one day no longer be around but because of the work of Jesus no temple is needed to worship Jesus, if you remember John 4.. Trent talked about that in more detail where one day like today we can worship God in Spirit and Truth..

Despite him reasoning with the jews he tells them look at my works, look and see all that I have done, consider the fact that I am the Christ, and I am God, who else could do what I can? He urges them to look at the evidence that is presented by Jesus. ( He is exposing them to the truth, and yet they don’t believe )

He tells them believe in my works, the first point I had today was Jesus works and words prove he is the Christ. Jesus tells them that by believing that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father, like I already said before, the father and the son are of the same essence, and because they are of the same essence, the Jews should believe in Christ because he is God!

Jesus telling them what they needed to hear only exposes them even more, because after Jesus plainly tells them, look I am God, I do all these works, and say all these things only God says and still you won’t believe in me. My works, my testimony is true, and if I am who I say I am, I have exposed you as the wolves and thieves and robbers you have truly been when you should have been shepherds, and faithful servants of me like I asked you to be.

So still they did not believe, and sought to arrest him. And they did not get him because it was not yet his time. But despite all that had taken place between Jesus and the Jews many believed in him..

forth point this morning is this.

Jesus sheep believe that Christ is Lord and God.

John 10:40–42 ESV

40 He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing at first, and there he remained. 41 And many came to him. And they said, “John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.” 42 And many believed in him there.

last week I told you true believers follow Christ, and they follow him because they believe. ( why else would you follow Jesus if you did not believe in him ) True believers will follow Jesus, and in this text Jesus departed from where he was, the text says he went to the place John was baptizing at first, and there he remained.

And those who followed him to that place say... John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true, and many believed in him.

John as we have learned in this book was a forerunner, to tell all about what Jesus was going to do, we are to tell all what he has done.

One of our missions as a Church is to evangelize the sinner. John the Baptist faithfully proclaimed that Jesus Christ was the one who came to take away the sins of the world, and proclaimed that Jesus is the very Son of God, and so if John the Baptist proclaimed this message, and people believed than why don’t you do the same thing?? ( you may do that very thing, but do you do it enough ) Do you do it every time Jesus calls you to?

Jesus is calling his sheep to himself, but he uses you, and me, and so many others to proclaim the same message John had, that Jesus came to take away the sin of the world, believe in him and you can be forgiven, you can know him, and as we saw last week you can have this abundant life in Christ, but you can only have that if you know you need him, and he calls. Jesus may be calling someone here today to eternal life, he may be calling someone you know personally to himself.

I want to encourage you ( another core value of our church ) to not stop pursuing those who don’t know Christ. Everyone knows people personally who don’t know the Lord, in a world drifting away from the Lord, Be like John Baptist, who proclaimed about Christ, and when the people you know and love one day come to know Jesus, because he can save them, be encouraged when they say I now know this Christ whom you told me about.

The good shepherd is still calling his sheep, do you believe today?

The Good shepherd came for his sheep, and he laid his life down for his sheep, and those who are his sheep here his voice, and believe in his word, and his works, and have this life where the enemy cannot steal, kill, or destroy them, and that shepherd who is Christ saves his sheep, and his sheep follow and believe in him.

I asked the question last week and will ask it again? Are you one of his sheep? have you responded to his voice by faith? If not is he calling you right now to believe, if so trust in him you can have eternal life, I ran through some amazing works and words he has said and done thus far in the gospel of John, but greater than that he went to the cross, and died the death you and I deserve he truly laid down his life for his sheep, repent of your sin, trust in him, and have eternal life like many did on that day!

Respond to the word as he leads…

Pray with me!