Thanks very much, Naomi. Good morning, everyone.
Whether you're here in the church or online, I'm delighted to welcome you.
As we've been reflecting, this has been a week when we have been weeping with those who weep as a church.
Under these circumstances, there are two great resources that we have.
One we've used already this morning, it is praying for one another,
and particularly praying for those who are mourning,
and I'm sure the McLaren family will be very much still in our prayers over the coming weeks.
And the second great resource is God's Word, the Bible.
And we go to it for comfort and for strength, and sometimes for challenge in times like this.
And so this morning, we want to look at what God has to say to us through his Word,
and particularly what God has to say to us about Jesus,
and how Jesus can be with us even in the most difficult of times.
Let me begin with one of my favourite Christian quotations.
It is by the Swiss theologian Carol Barth.
Carol Barth was widely recognised as one of the foremost Christian thinkers of the 20th century,
and you may well be familiar with the quotation.
Barth went on a lecture tour in the United States in the early 1960s,
and as often happens with these things, he invited questions at the end of his lectures.
And one of the students said to him,
Professor Barth, are you able to summarise in one sentence the whole of your life's work in theology?
So I'm going to challenge that.
Summarise in one sentence the whole of his life's work.
And Carol Barth said,
Isn't that powerful?
This great intellect, this man who studied in much more depth than any of us will ever be able to,
God's Word.
And yet when it came down to it, all boiled down to this,
Jesus loves me.
I was thinking also of the Apostle Paul,
Paul who wrote almost half the books of the New Testament,
whose theology particularly of what it means that Christ died for us,
is by God's divine inspiration the basis for much of what we as Christians believe.
Paul was in Philippi with his companion Silas.
They were put in prison, and there was a great earthquake in the night.
And the jailer ran in, and he was suicidal.
And he said, what must I do to be saved?
No time for Paul to explain the doctrine of justification by faith
or any of the other things that we read in his letters.
Very simply he said, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,
and you will be saved.
See, there are many difficult things in our Bibles.
Many things we don't understand.
But the basis of Christian faith,
our trust in the Lord Jesus,
is very simple.
Jesus loves me.
Jesus went to the cross and died for me.
And if I believe in him,
I can be forgiven for my sins.
When we come to John's gospel,
which we've been in for quite a while now,
again, there's a lot of complexity.
You may have come across some of that in your growth groups
over the last few weeks.
A lot of things that are difficult for us to understand.
But very simply,
John is just trying to present to us Jesus
and to help us to come to belief in him.
To believe that Jesus is the Son of God,
that Jesus is the Messiah,
that Jesus can be our Savior.
Summed up, perhaps,
very well for many of us in John 3, 16,
God so loved the world
that he gave his one and only Son
that whoever believes in him
shall not perish,
but have eternal life.
And as I've been studying in John 10 this week,
I've been very struck
by the basic simplicity that there is there,
even though there's a lot of complexity.
There are some things in this passage,
and we won't be able to do more
and scratch the surface of them.
There are some things in this passage
that keep people like Carol Barth
occupied all their professional life.
But very simply,
there are two lessons
which I have taken from it this morning.
One is that we have to consider
who Jesus is.
There are two groups of people.
There are some who believe in Jesus,
and there are some who don't.
We'll see that as we go through the passage.
And John is saying to us,
Jesus is saying to us in this passage,
just look at the evidence.
Look at who I am
and what I've done
and believe.
And that's one thing
we would want all of us
to get to this morning,
to look at the evidence of Jesus,
to see him as he is,
and to believe in him.
The other is just one verse,
one verse which,
in the circumstances of this week,
it really stood out to me.
If you've got your Bibles,
verse 28,
where Jesus is talking about his sheep,
and he says,
I give them eternal life,
and they shall never perish.
No one will snatch them out of my hand.
What a wonderful truth that is,
that if we trust the Lord Jesus,
if our faith is in him,
if we are following him,
if he is our shepherd,
then there is nothing
that can separate us from him.
We can never be snatched away
in good times or bad times,
in health,
in sickness,
in life,
in death.
Our good shepherd is there for us,
giving life that can never be taken away.
And those who leave this world through death,
if they know the Lord Jesus,
they go to somewhere much better,
and they have joy
unconfined with their sufferings behind them.
And that truth must be a great comfort to us this week.
So, I want very simply to look through this passage.
We'll divide it into three sections,
and we'll draw some conclusions at the end
about our faith in the Lord Jesus.
Let's begin, though, with a bit of background.
I think it's always good
if we understand a passage
in its original context.
So, for the last couple of months or so,
we've been going through a section of John's Gospel
which runs from chapter 5
through to chapter 10,
and is built around the feasts,
the festivals of the Jews.
And this section is broadly made up of three things.
There are miracles,
there are what we might call monologues,
Jesus' teaching,
and there is dialogue,
largely Jesus debating
with the religious leaders.
And John's purpose,
and it has in all of his Gospel,
is to demonstrate to us
that Jesus is the Messiah,
the Son of God.
Over the last few weeks,
we've been at the Feast of Tabernacles,
which takes place around September time.
Today, we've moved on,
and we're at the Feast of Dedication.
So, we're about three months
before the death of the Lord Jesus
in December.
The Feast of Dedication
is probably better known
to most of us today
as Hanukkah,
one of the Jewish festivals
which is reasonably well known
and certainly is taught
in many schools in our country.
The Feast of Dedication
remembered a time of the Jews
which we won't find in our Bibles.
It happened between the Old
and the New Testament.
And in that period,
the nation was ruled
by Greek Hellenic rulers,
descendants or successors
of Alexander the Great.
And one of these
was Antiochus Epiphanes.
And he was a very cruel
and uncaring ruler.
One of the things he did
was to say
the Jewish religion is banned.
You can no longer worship
as you should.
He desecrated the temple.
He took away a lot
of the religious objects
and he forced the people
to use pigs
in their sacrifice
which would be horrific
for Jews.
Now sadly,
most of the priests
at that time
went along with them.
They were more interested
in saving their skin
than they were
in keeping true
to God's faith.
But there was one priest
called Mattathias
and his sons
who set up
a kind of grill operation
against the rulers
of the time.
And the best known
of these
is Judas Maccabeus.
And Judas Maccabeus
eventually recaptured Jerusalem.
And when he did,
he rededicated the temple
to God.
And that's what
is being remembered
in this Feast of Dedications
or Hanukkah.
Now it's relevant
to this passage
because as you go through it,
and we won't spend
a lot of time
looking at that,
but as you go through it,
there are reflections,
there are things
which are specific
to this particular feast.
For example,
in verse 36,
the Lord Jesus talks
about being set apart
by God.
The word really
is dedicated.
It's the same word
that was used
when the temple
was restored.
And the Lord Jesus
maybe is there
giving echoes
of in chapter 2
when he talks about
the temple
by which he meant
his body being destroyed
and built again
in three days.
Also,
during this festival,
one of the readings
was from Ezekiel chapter 34.
Graham referred to that
last week.
It's a chapter
about the leaders of Israel,
the shepherds of Israel,
and how they have failed God.
And so Jesus presents himself here
as the good shepherd,
as the shepherd
who won't fail us.
But perhaps most powerful of all,
the Feast of Dedications
was a time
when the Jews looked back
to one of their great heroes,
to Judas Maccabeus
who had freed them
from the grip
of the Greek army.
And the Jews
in first century Israel
were looking for another hero,
someone who would release them
from the Romans,
the one who would be
the Messiah promised
in the Old Testament.
And perhaps that's why
as Jesus is walking
through the temple courts,
the people said to him,
how long will you
keep us in suspense
if you are the Messiah?
Tell us plainly.
Now I don't think
this was just a kind of
positive question
they were asking.
It was very much
a loaded one.
The language that's used
that Jesus is walking
through the temple,
they surround him,
and they I think
are being quite hostile
and are looking for a reason
to condemn him.
So it's not a straightforward
question,
but it's a very relevant
one for them
and for us.
Is Jesus the Messiah?
Is Jesus the Son of God?
And so Jesus answers,
he answers again
slightly obliquely,
but in a way that makes
it very clear
that yes,
he is the Son of God,
yes,
he is the Messiah.
And so in the opening
verses of the passage,
we have the sheep
and the shepherd
brought before us.
Now you remember
we hear last week
that Graham talked
in some detail
about the sheep
and the shepherd.
That's very much
the theme
of the first part
of John 10.
The Lord Jesus
returns to it here.
And he says
two things.
He says,
my sheep
listen to my voice
and I give them
eternal life.
My sheep
listen to
my voice.
Those who are
Jesus' sheep
who recognise
his voice
and they respond
to it.
Let's have a little
diversion just for a second
and I want to talk
about empire penguins.
Empire penguins,
of course,
live in the Antarctic
and they tend to live
in big colonies
that stick together
by and large.
But each empire penguin
has a mate,
they have one mate
and after the female
lays the eggs,
the male stands
and incubates the eggs
for the chick
to hatch
while the female
goes out to sea
and gathers food
for the chick.
Now we're not talking
about going out
and coming back
the same day,
it could easily be
a couple of months
or more.
And the female penguin
arrives back
and you've got
this big pack of ice
and lots of penguins
who all look the same.
I think even to penguins
they all look
pretty similar.
How is she going
to find her mate?
How is she going
to find her chick?
And the amazing thing is
that the female empire penguin
is able to call out
in a way that is unique
to her
and the male,
her mate,
can respond to it.
He's been listening
for her voice
as he's hashed the chick
and when the female
comes back
above all the noise
round about
he hears her voice
and he responds to it
and the family
are reunited.
I think that's a great picture
of what Jesus
is telling us here.
There are lots of noises
in our world today.
Lots of things
that would distract us
and draw us away
from God.
But Jesus says
those who are my sheep
they hear my voice
they recognize it
they trust in me
and they follow me
because they know
that they can have
confidence in me.
My sheep
listen to my voice
I know them
and they follow me.
Then there's a verse
that I highlighted
at the beginning
the eternal life
that Jesus gives us.
I give them eternal life
and they shall never perish
no one
will snatch them
from my hand.
Paul put it slightly differently.
Nothing in all creation
will be able to separate us
from the love of God
that is in Christ Jesus
our Lord.
What a wonderful blessing
that is
for those who know
and love the Lord Jesus
that whatever happens
whatever goes on
in our lives
whether there's happiness
whether there's sadness
whether there's sickness
whether there are
all sorts of problems
even when it comes to death
we have the protection
of the shepherd
and we know
that we will go
to be with him
when we leave
this life.
But that's the blessing
of the sheep
there's a little bit more
about the shepherd
in this bit as well
and this is where it gets
really quite difficult
and I'm going to cover this
very briefly.
So the Lord Jesus says
in verse 29
my father
has given them to me
who has given them to me
it's greater than all
no one can snatch them
out of my father's hands.
Now when I'm speaking to you
I'm saying to you
you have a decision
to make about Jesus
will you trust in him
or not?
And yet here Jesus is saying
that actually the sheep
are given to him
by the father.
The father is the one
who chooses us
to belong to Jesus
and to follow him.
And this apparent contradiction
is one that's exercised Christians
I think throughout
the whole of Christianity.
On the one hand
we need to choose
and we do need to choose
to follow Jesus.
on the other hand
we are only going to make
that decision
among the hubbub
of the voices
and the distractions
around about us
if God works in us
and draws us to Jesus
and enables us
to make that right choice.
And the truth is not
somewhere in the middle
it's at both ends.
We need to choose
and yet at the same time
God chooses us.
And I don't understand it fully
I'm sure you probably
don't either
but it's a wonderful truth.
In the words of
a great modern hymn
loved before the dawn of time
chosen by my maker
hidden in my saviour
I am his
and he is mine
cherished
for eternity.
So that's the first difficult
but wonderful thing
in these verses.
Then as we go on
into verse 31
sorry 30 it is
Jesus says
I and the Father
are one.
And that brings us
to another great
and very difficult
truth.
How can it be
there is one God
but there are two
actually three
if we include the Holy Spirit
three persons.
What does the Lord Jesus
mean when he says
I and the Father
are one?
Well if I can be
a little bit technical
the word that's used
for Jesus talking about
being one
is neuter
in the original Greek
so that means
that it's not saying
me and I
and the Father
are the same person.
It is saying
we have the same purpose
that the Lord Jesus
came to fulfil
the Father's purpose
in his life
and we see that clearly
as we go through John.
But I think it's clear
from the passage
that it's more than that.
If that had been
all the Lord Jesus
had been saying
and the people
had understood
then they wouldn't
have reacted
so strongly
against him.
And the Lord Jesus
is saying I believe
that he and the Father
although distinct
persons
they are in essence
the same
they are one in nature
that he is
truly God.
And again
the mystery of the Trinity
is something that we will
never probably fully
understand
in this slide
but isn't it wonderful
that God
the Son of God
truly God himself
came into our world
and lived
among us.
We beheld his glory
says John
the glory of the one
and only Son
of the Father.
Now I've skated over
that very quickly
if you want to talk
about it later
please do
but two wonderful
but difficult truths.
Let's move on
through the passage
though
because our time
is going
and we'll look at
verses 31 to 39
which I've given
the heading
the words
and the works.
So the Jews
recognising
that rightly
that Jesus
has claimed to be God
in verse 30
they react strongly
against that
and they try
to stone him
and then again
at the end
they try
to seize him.
And then in the middle
we have
a slightly
strange conversation
I think
it probably
doesn't mean
as much
to us
in our culture
as it would have
then.
But very simply
what Jesus says
quoting from
Psalm 82
is that in that
Psalm
God calls
the people
who actually
were corrupt leaders
he calls them
gods
he calls them
sons of the most high
and Jesus says
well if he says that
about these people
who you could look at
and think
they were nothing
like God
why couldn't he
say it about me
when I'm his son
after all
that I've done.
But he backs
that up
with evidence
and his evidence
is the works
that he has
done.
The lame
walk
that was John 5
the hangrier
fed
that's John 6
the storm
is still
John 6 again
the blind
see
John 9
and Jesus says
look at all
these things
that I've done
are they not
evidence
that I am God
that I am
the son
of God
the blind man
we met
in John 9
said something
similar
how could he
do these things
if he wasn't
from God
and Jesus
says
what he has done
these signs
that he has given
they are the evidence
if they won't
listen to his words
and they won't
give him a fair
hearing
these signs
that he has done
are the evidence
that he truly
is God
and for us today
if you are wondering
who is Jesus
if you are unsure
about him
then go to the Bible
go to the Gospels
John's Gospel
or Luke
or any of the others
read them
with an open mind
looking for truth
and the Lord Jesus
will jump out at you
from the pages
and you will see
that what he said
here is true
that he is the one
who came from God
who spoke the most
marvellous words
and who did
the most amazing things
culminating
in his own
resurrection
then the third part
of the section
Jesus moves away
from Jerusalem
this will be
the last time
he's in Jerusalem
before he comes
on Palm Sunday
and moves towards
his crucifixion
and where he goes
to is something
very significant
he goes to where
it all started
in John's Gospel
he goes to the place
where John the Baptist
was baptising
that most likely
was in the vicinity
of Jericho
in the Jordan
not too far
from Jericho
you remember
when Jesus came back
to Jerusalem
he came back
through Jericho
and the reception
here is
very different
the people here
remember
what John said
they remember
how John had
pointed to Jesus
the one that's coming
is greater
than I am
I'm not even worthy
to untie
his shoes
he said
here is the one
who is the Lamb of God
who takes away
the sin of the world
he says
he must increase
and I must
decrease
and these people
who had heard John
and who had believed
what John said
they can now
look at Jesus
and say
yes this was the one
who John
talked about
we see the evidence
we see the signs
John always calls
the miracle signs
we see the signs
and we know
the truth
what a contrast
from those in Jerusalem
the ones in Jerusalem
mainly the Jewish
religious leaders
they had totally
closed minds
they weren't willing
to consider fairly
Jesus claims
in this place
in the desert
far away from
the metropolis
here are the people
who really trust in him
and who see
yes there's authenticity
here
and we believe
in him
but as we look
at the signs
let's not forget
the signpost
John's teaching
is really important
in this
John pointed
the people
towards
Jesus
so that when
they met Jesus
when they found out
more about him
they were able
to recognise him
and to come
to trust
in him
and can I say
that all of us
if we are Christians
if our trust
is in the Lord Jesus
we too
are signposts
we should be those
who direct
people to Jesus
not that we're
going to save them
not that we're even
going to convince them
by ourselves
but point them
to Jesus
help them to understand
what they need
and help them
to see
that in Jesus
these needs
can be met
if God
will open their hearts
then through our witness
they may come
to know
the Lord Jesus
going back to
Carol Barth
to finish
Carol Barth
had a picture
or painting
of the crucifixion
on his wall
by an artist
called
Matthias Grunwald
and in this painting
it's Jesus
on the cross
on one side
you have
John
his disciple
with Mary
the Lord's mother
and also Mary Magdalene
and on the other side
you have
John the Baptist
now this isn't
intended to be
historically accurate
because John the Baptist
was martyred
quite a long time
before Jesus
was crucified
but the significant
of John the Baptist
well there's a
lamb standing
at his feet
but the really
significant thing
is that his index finger
I think it's
slightly exaggerated
is pointing
towards Jesus
his duty
John knew
was to point
people to Jesus
and when people
came to visit
Carol Barth
and they maybe
commented
on the painting
Carol Barth
would say
I want to be
that finger
I want to be
someone
who points
people to Jesus
and helps them
to see him
as the one
who died
for their sins
and that for us
if we're Christians
that should be
our ambition
as well
and that's been
my job today
to point you
to Jesus
to talk about
what the Bible
says about him
about the way
in which he
demonstrated
so clearly
that he was God
and that he was
the Messiah
who had been
promised
that in some
ways is simple
but each of us
has to make
our own
decision
we can point
but we can't
make people
decide
for Jesus
so the question
today for all of us
is what is
our attitude
towards Jesus
are we like
the Jews
in Jerusalem
the religious leaders
who wanted
nothing to do
with him
just wanted
to be rid
of him
or are we
like the people
in the desert
there
who looked
at the evidence
who remembered
what had been
taught to them
and had trusted
in Jesus
we don't need
to understand
everything
to believe
we never will
understand everything
but the basics
of our Christian
faith
are very simple
and if today
you're grieving
find your comfort
in Jesus
if you're troubled
in heart
find your peace
in Jesus
if you're apprehensive
about the future
find your hope
in Jesus
if you're feeling
the weight of your sin
find forgiveness
in Jesus
whatever your circumstances
find in Jesus
true love
Jesus loves me
this I know
for the Bible
tells me so
let's pray together
our Father
we thank you
for the Lord
Jesus
we thank you
for the way
in which he
came into our world
as your son
lived among us
as God
with men
a perfect life
showed us
what God is like
did such
wonderful things
and taught in such
wonderful ways
and then ultimately
went to the cross
and died for our sins
but arose again
triumphantly
and today
we look to him
and we point to him
and we say
he is the one
whom all of us
need
whatever our circumstances
he is the one
who can meet
our needs
and we pray
that all of us
will come to that
trust in him
to be those
who hear
the shepherd's voice
and who respond
and who follow
and again
we would lovingly
commit to you
those who are
particularly sad
this morning
we pray for Fraser
and Ross
and Jack
for Lynn and Fraser's
parents
and other family members
and we ask that you
will be very near to them
and that they will know
the comfort
that can only come
through Jesus
and the confidence
the hope
we have in him
we thank you
for our time together
and we commit ourselves
to you
in Jesus name
Amen