WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.280 Well, thank you all very, very much for such a warm welcome. 00:00:03.280 --> 00:00:07.520 It's such a joy for me and my family to be back with you today, 00:00:07.520 --> 00:00:09.679 and it's so good to see so many of you here. 00:00:10.240 --> 00:00:13.519 It's wonderful because many of you are very familiar faces. 00:00:13.519 --> 00:00:16.559 We have so many dear friends in this congregation, 00:00:16.559 --> 00:00:19.679 but many of you are faces that I don't know. 00:00:19.679 --> 00:00:24.960 And that is also wonderful because it just shows the way the Lord is building his church 00:00:25.519 --> 00:00:28.960 over the past number of years. 00:00:28.960 --> 00:00:32.640 For those of you who have not met before, 00:00:33.280 --> 00:00:38.079 I am the less good-looking, less intelligent version of Kori. 00:00:39.600 --> 00:00:46.480 So I was here as assistant pastor to Derrick from 2018 to 2021, 00:00:48.320 --> 00:00:50.640 three years that we loved so much, 00:00:50.640 --> 00:00:57.840 and we were so blessed to be here and to enjoy such a precious time with you. 00:00:57.840 --> 00:01:01.680 Since 2021, I've been back serving on the Isle of Lewis 00:01:01.680 --> 00:01:02.960 in the congregation of Carlaway, 00:01:02.960 --> 00:01:06.640 and I bring the warmest greetings of the congregation there. 00:01:06.640 --> 00:01:10.240 And I do just want to take a moment to say that for us in Carlaway, 00:01:10.960 --> 00:01:15.040 and really for the whole free church across the Highlands and Islands, 00:01:15.040 --> 00:01:20.560 I want to say this, Sincis is a massive inspiration to us. 00:01:20.560 --> 00:01:27.359 We live in communities where populations are going down, 00:01:28.320 --> 00:01:30.640 churches are getting older and smaller, 00:01:31.200 --> 00:01:35.439 and we're facing a huge challenge to get the people on our doorstep 00:01:35.439 --> 00:01:37.200 to see that the gospel is relevant. 00:01:37.840 --> 00:01:44.079 And the congregation here in Sincis is a massive inspiration for us. 00:01:45.599 --> 00:01:48.159 For many reasons, one, because it's a reminder for us 00:01:48.159 --> 00:01:52.239 that right in the heart of our capital city, we have a huge crowd gathering 00:01:52.879 --> 00:01:55.359 to meet in the name of Jesus and to praise his name. 00:01:56.079 --> 00:01:59.120 And also because of the community and ministries 00:01:59.120 --> 00:02:00.959 that you have built up here over the years, 00:02:00.959 --> 00:02:04.879 has been such a positive model of what Jesus wants his church to look like. 00:02:04.879 --> 00:02:09.359 It was a massive privilege for us to be part of that for those three years, 00:02:09.359 --> 00:02:12.800 and we're so thankful to Corey, to the leadership here, 00:02:12.800 --> 00:02:17.120 to everybody who serves, and to you all for being part of such a wonderful congregation. 00:02:17.120 --> 00:02:19.680 So thank you for all that you do, not just for yourselves, 00:02:19.680 --> 00:02:22.240 but for the wider church and for our whole nation. 00:02:22.240 --> 00:02:25.680 You probably don't know this, but you're a massive inspiration to us all. 00:02:27.200 --> 00:02:30.000 We're going to turn back together to the passage that Lewis read for us, 00:02:30.000 --> 00:02:34.400 and I want us just to focus in on verses 27 to 30. 00:02:34.400 --> 00:02:36.240 I didn't tell them at the back, but it would be amazing 00:02:36.240 --> 00:02:43.840 if we could put 27 to 30 on the screens behind us as we go through these verses today. 00:02:43.840 --> 00:02:47.759 Let me read them again, John 10, 27, when Jesus said, 00:02:47.759 --> 00:02:52.240 My sheep hear my voice, I know them and they follow me. 00:02:52.240 --> 00:02:55.599 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, 00:02:55.599 --> 00:02:58.080 and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 00:02:58.080 --> 00:03:01.280 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, 00:03:02.080 --> 00:03:06.240 and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. 00:03:06.240 --> 00:03:08.800 I and the Father are one. 00:03:08.800 --> 00:03:16.000 These words are spoken by Jesus in the context of ongoing tension that's really been running through 00:03:16.000 --> 00:03:19.760 chapters 5 through to 10 in John's Gospel. 00:03:19.760 --> 00:03:26.080 Throughout these chapters, Jesus is revealing who he is in both his words and his actions, 00:03:26.800 --> 00:03:30.400 but there's a section of the religious leaders of the Jewish community 00:03:30.400 --> 00:03:37.920 who are just resolutely opposed to accepting that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. 00:03:37.919 --> 00:03:41.039 And the tensions building as we go through these chapters, 00:03:41.039 --> 00:03:43.839 it comes to a bit of a head in this chapter in verse 24, 00:03:43.839 --> 00:03:46.719 when the leader said to Jesus, Tell us plainly, who are you? 00:03:47.279 --> 00:03:48.639 And Jesus says, I have. 00:03:50.079 --> 00:03:51.279 And that's true. 00:03:51.279 --> 00:03:54.799 Jesus has told them who he is. 00:03:54.799 --> 00:04:03.599 His words and his miracles are repeatedly revealing and verifying his identity. 00:04:03.599 --> 00:04:08.319 But the leaders don't and won't believe. 00:04:08.319 --> 00:04:15.919 And at this stage, a key part of the reason for that is because they are not part of his flock. 00:04:15.919 --> 00:04:21.759 They refuse to accept that Jesus is the good shepherd. 00:04:21.759 --> 00:04:27.360 And then in contrast to that, we have this description in the verses on the screen 00:04:27.360 --> 00:04:30.639 where Jesus describes those who do believe, 00:04:30.639 --> 00:04:34.240 and those who are part of his flock. 00:04:34.240 --> 00:04:39.039 And that means that for us today, if you are a Christian or if you become one, 00:04:39.759 --> 00:04:43.759 these words are talking about you. 00:04:44.639 --> 00:04:49.279 And what I want us to see today is that what Jesus says in these few sentences 00:04:49.279 --> 00:04:50.479 is utterly amazing. 00:04:50.479 --> 00:04:56.879 In fact, in one tiny passage, we find 10 amazing truths. 00:04:56.879 --> 00:04:57.839 And that's our title. 00:04:57.839 --> 00:05:00.719 And that means it's a 10-point sermon. 00:05:00.719 --> 00:05:02.159 So the holidays have not started yet. 00:05:02.159 --> 00:05:02.879 Sleeves up. 00:05:02.879 --> 00:05:04.000 Let's go. 00:05:05.039 --> 00:05:06.159 Okay, first thing. 00:05:06.159 --> 00:05:10.000 Number one, Jesus says, my sheep hear my voice. 00:05:10.000 --> 00:05:15.359 This is pointing us to an extremely important theological point that's very, very easy to miss, 00:05:15.359 --> 00:05:18.079 but it's one that runs right through the whole of Scripture. 00:05:18.079 --> 00:05:24.719 It's teaching us that the tool that the shepherd uses to lead his sheep is his voice. 00:05:24.720 --> 00:05:29.200 And as I say, that is a crucial theological point because right through the Bible, 00:05:29.200 --> 00:05:34.480 you discover that God accomplishes his purposes by using his voice. 00:05:34.480 --> 00:05:37.200 You see that in creation at the very beginning of the Bible. 00:05:37.200 --> 00:05:40.320 God spoke and the universe was created. 00:05:40.320 --> 00:05:42.320 You see it all through the Old Testament. 00:05:42.320 --> 00:05:46.160 God speaks, whether it's to Abraham, to Moses, to David, 00:05:46.160 --> 00:05:50.480 whether it's directly in terms of confronting people and speaking to them, 00:05:50.480 --> 00:05:54.160 or whether it's through the Prophets, to the Prophets, 00:05:54.160 --> 00:05:58.080 through the Prophets who functioned as God's spokesman. 00:05:58.880 --> 00:06:02.640 God speaks and his purposes are accomplished. 00:06:02.640 --> 00:06:05.280 And you see all of that culminating, most of all, in Jesus. 00:06:06.080 --> 00:06:09.280 As John tells us at the very start of the Gospel, 00:06:09.280 --> 00:06:12.240 at this Gospel, Jesus is the Word. 00:06:12.240 --> 00:06:14.640 And that's a very, very rich theological term. 00:06:14.640 --> 00:06:20.160 Part of what it's conveying is the fact that Jesus is the one who communicates 00:06:20.160 --> 00:06:23.040 and reveals God to us. 00:06:23.040 --> 00:06:28.080 And as he comes, he comes to fulfill God's saving plan. 00:06:28.080 --> 00:06:31.600 He does it through his death and resurrection. 00:06:31.600 --> 00:06:33.760 And the end result of it all is what? 00:06:35.680 --> 00:06:36.879 A message. 00:06:38.160 --> 00:06:41.680 Words that need to be proclaimed. 00:06:41.680 --> 00:06:43.759 A message of good news. 00:06:43.759 --> 00:06:47.200 It's the words of eternal life. 00:06:47.200 --> 00:06:50.879 And everyone who is saved by Jesus 00:06:50.879 --> 00:06:54.399 is saved because we hear his voice. 00:06:54.399 --> 00:06:56.719 Now, when I say hear his voice, 00:06:56.719 --> 00:07:00.319 I don't mean like weird mystical voices where, you know, 00:07:00.319 --> 00:07:01.839 you're walking down the road and you hear, 00:07:01.839 --> 00:07:04.000 Thomas, I don't mean that. 00:07:04.000 --> 00:07:06.000 I don't mean that kind of thing. 00:07:06.000 --> 00:07:09.839 Maybe there are times when God will meet with people in that way 00:07:09.839 --> 00:07:11.600 in similar ways to what we see in Scripture, 00:07:11.600 --> 00:07:17.199 but that's not the emphasis at all that we have in the Christian Gospel. 00:07:17.199 --> 00:07:20.079 What we have is an emphasis on the message 00:07:20.079 --> 00:07:24.079 that Jesus gave to his followers 00:07:24.079 --> 00:07:26.719 and that is now proclaimed throughout the world, 00:07:26.719 --> 00:07:30.479 that message that's contained here in the Bible. 00:07:30.479 --> 00:07:33.680 And through the Bible, we hear Jesus' voice. 00:07:33.680 --> 00:07:37.680 We hear him calling us, teaching us, making promises to us. 00:07:37.680 --> 00:07:39.039 And if you are here today, 00:07:39.039 --> 00:07:42.240 and if you're going to become a Christian today, 00:07:42.240 --> 00:07:45.680 it's because you hear his voice calling you. 00:07:45.680 --> 00:07:48.000 And that's the experience that everybody who has come to faith 00:07:48.000 --> 00:07:55.279 has had, has been, you've been drawn by this message that you've heard. 00:07:55.279 --> 00:07:56.800 And as we think about that, 00:07:56.800 --> 00:07:59.680 there's such an important point to think about for anybody here, 00:07:59.680 --> 00:08:02.879 especially who's maybe not sure about the claims of the Gospel. 00:08:02.879 --> 00:08:05.839 And as Lewis said at the start, we do come here today, 00:08:05.839 --> 00:08:09.600 and many of you may be here today with questions, uncertainties, 00:08:09.600 --> 00:08:13.199 hesitations, maybe doubts, maybe skepticism. 00:08:13.199 --> 00:08:16.160 And maybe as I talk about that call, 00:08:16.160 --> 00:08:18.640 you're kind of resisting it, thinking, 00:08:18.640 --> 00:08:22.640 I am not sure that it's for me. 00:08:22.640 --> 00:08:26.640 Maybe you feel a bit reluctant about the Gospel. 00:08:26.640 --> 00:08:30.560 Maybe, maybe you do want it, 00:08:30.560 --> 00:08:32.560 but you feel like something's missing. 00:08:32.560 --> 00:08:34.560 Maybe you feel like you're not ready for this. 00:08:34.560 --> 00:08:36.560 Maybe you feel like it's for later in life. 00:08:36.560 --> 00:08:39.360 Maybe you feel like you're not good enough, 00:08:39.360 --> 00:08:41.360 or you don't understand enough. 00:08:41.360 --> 00:08:42.639 So maybe you're sitting here thinking, 00:08:42.639 --> 00:08:43.840 I can hear this message, 00:08:43.840 --> 00:08:49.440 I can hear the message of the Gospel, but I'm just not sure I want it. 00:08:49.440 --> 00:08:55.519 Now, if that's you, you've got to recognize something massive. 00:08:55.519 --> 00:08:59.120 If you are hearing Jesus' call, 00:08:59.120 --> 00:09:04.080 even if you're reluctant or stumbling or hesitant, 00:09:04.080 --> 00:09:07.200 if you're hearing His call, what's it telling you? 00:09:07.200 --> 00:09:08.320 What is it telling you? 00:09:08.320 --> 00:09:10.320 Is it telling you that you're not ready? 00:09:10.320 --> 00:09:12.320 Is it telling you that you're not ready? 00:09:12.320 --> 00:09:14.320 Is it telling you that you're not good enough? 00:09:14.320 --> 00:09:18.320 Is it telling you that you're not suitable? 00:09:18.320 --> 00:09:20.320 No. 00:09:20.320 --> 00:09:28.320 It's telling you that you can hear. 00:09:28.320 --> 00:09:32.320 And if you can hear Jesus calling you, 00:09:32.320 --> 00:09:36.320 what does that tell you? 00:09:36.320 --> 00:09:38.320 My sheep hear my voice. 00:09:38.320 --> 00:09:40.320 He wants you in His flock. 00:09:40.320 --> 00:09:41.320 He is calling you. 00:09:41.320 --> 00:09:43.320 He is drawing you. 00:09:43.320 --> 00:09:49.320 And today is the opportunity to respond and to come and step into that family, 00:09:49.320 --> 00:09:50.320 into that flock. 00:09:50.320 --> 00:09:52.320 Just go for it. 00:09:52.320 --> 00:09:57.320 Say, Lord, I hear you and I want to follow you. 00:09:57.320 --> 00:09:58.320 My sheep hear my voice. 00:09:58.320 --> 00:09:59.320 That's number one. 00:09:59.320 --> 00:10:02.320 Number two, and I know them. 00:10:02.320 --> 00:10:06.320 These are three words that are just outstanding. 00:10:06.320 --> 00:10:08.320 I know them. 00:10:08.320 --> 00:10:13.320 They're spoken by Jesus about you. 00:10:13.320 --> 00:10:17.320 Spoken by Jesus about you. 00:10:17.320 --> 00:10:19.320 Jesus knows us. 00:10:19.320 --> 00:10:22.320 Jesus knows you. 00:10:22.320 --> 00:10:25.320 And that we phrase, that three-word phrase, 00:10:25.320 --> 00:10:27.320 tells you two massive things. 00:10:27.320 --> 00:10:32.320 When Jesus says, I know them, it speaks about knowledge. 00:10:32.320 --> 00:10:35.320 And that's a crucial point about Jesus. 00:10:35.320 --> 00:10:38.320 Jesus knows each individual. 00:10:38.320 --> 00:10:41.320 He knows every one of you here. 00:10:41.320 --> 00:10:45.320 And that knowledge that Jesus has of you is comprehensive. 00:10:45.320 --> 00:10:48.320 He knows every detail of your life, everything that you're going through, 00:10:48.320 --> 00:10:49.320 everything you need. 00:10:49.320 --> 00:10:50.320 As Lewis prayed with the children, 00:10:50.320 --> 00:10:53.320 he knows the number of hairs on our head. 00:10:53.320 --> 00:10:56.320 But that knowledge of you is also careful. 00:10:56.320 --> 00:11:00.320 Knowledge of a person is a little bit like a nuclear reactor. 00:11:00.320 --> 00:11:03.320 The deeper you go, the more dangerous it gets. 00:11:03.320 --> 00:11:08.320 And that's why people who know really private things about us and our lives, 00:11:08.320 --> 00:11:14.320 people like teachers and doctors and lawyers and accountants, 00:11:14.320 --> 00:11:19.320 they have to be really careful with the knowledge that they have of people. 00:11:19.320 --> 00:11:24.320 Jesus knows everything about you, 00:11:24.320 --> 00:11:27.320 and he's careful with that knowledge. 00:11:27.320 --> 00:11:32.320 He's never going to use that knowledge to be cruel. 00:11:32.320 --> 00:11:35.320 And that's so crucial because so often in our society today, 00:11:35.320 --> 00:11:38.320 people will use knowledge about somebody to be cruel 00:11:38.320 --> 00:11:41.320 or to exploit the fact that they know that. 00:11:41.320 --> 00:11:42.320 Jesus is not like that. 00:11:42.320 --> 00:11:45.320 There's no media leaks from heaven. 00:11:45.320 --> 00:11:54.320 Instead, Jesus is the one before whom you can be completely exposed 00:11:54.320 --> 00:11:59.320 and completely safe. 00:11:59.320 --> 00:12:03.320 And that's because this knowledge of you is not just comprehensive and careful. 00:12:03.320 --> 00:12:05.320 It's also compassionate. 00:12:05.320 --> 00:12:11.320 Jesus knows you, but that knowledge of you is never separated from his abundant compassion. 00:12:11.320 --> 00:12:15.320 In other words, what he sees in you doesn't repel him. 00:12:15.320 --> 00:12:20.320 It actually draws him towards you in love and mercy. 00:12:20.320 --> 00:12:23.320 The good shepherd doesn't say like, oh, sheep, go away. 00:12:23.320 --> 00:12:25.320 No. 00:12:25.320 --> 00:12:30.320 He moves towards his sheep, calling them full of compassion. 00:12:30.320 --> 00:12:32.320 So I know them, speaks of knowledge. 00:12:32.320 --> 00:12:36.320 But when you speak that language of I know them, knowledge in Scripture, 00:12:36.320 --> 00:12:38.320 it's always just more than knowledge. 00:12:38.320 --> 00:12:41.320 It also speaks of relationship. 00:12:41.320 --> 00:12:46.320 And so that's the language that's what's been conveyed in the Bible's language of relationship. 00:12:46.320 --> 00:12:47.320 And we do the same. 00:12:47.320 --> 00:12:49.320 And in fact, I have a really interesting experience of it right now 00:12:49.320 --> 00:12:52.320 because half of you, I can say, I know you. 00:12:52.320 --> 00:12:58.320 Because your friends that we've known during our time here, half of you, I don't know you yet. 00:12:58.320 --> 00:13:01.320 Because you're new to me. 00:13:01.320 --> 00:13:05.320 And so when we say, I know somebody, I know them, 00:13:05.320 --> 00:13:09.320 that doesn't just mean we have a knowledge of their name or address or whatever. 00:13:09.320 --> 00:13:11.320 It actually means that they're our friend. 00:13:11.320 --> 00:13:15.320 And there's a relationship in our lives together. 00:13:15.320 --> 00:13:21.320 Jesus is saying that about you. 00:13:21.320 --> 00:13:27.320 If you are a follower of Jesus, or if you become one, Jesus looks at you and says, 00:13:27.320 --> 00:13:30.320 I know them. 00:13:30.320 --> 00:13:33.320 And that speaks of the deepest relationship. 00:13:33.320 --> 00:13:36.320 And that's true of us as individual believers. 00:13:36.320 --> 00:13:40.320 And it's also true of us as a collective flock together. 00:13:40.320 --> 00:13:42.320 Together we are His. 00:13:42.320 --> 00:13:43.320 He knows us. 00:13:43.320 --> 00:13:46.320 We share in that relationship together. 00:13:46.320 --> 00:13:49.320 Number three, and they follow me. 00:13:49.320 --> 00:13:52.320 Now, I want you to notice the order here. 00:13:52.320 --> 00:13:56.320 Jesus knows us and we follow Him. 00:13:56.320 --> 00:13:58.320 Jesus knows us and we follow Him. 00:13:58.320 --> 00:14:03.320 And that order is really important to recognize because we can get it the wrong way around. 00:14:03.320 --> 00:14:10.320 It's not the case that the more we follow Jesus and the better we follow Jesus, 00:14:10.320 --> 00:14:12.320 the more He gets to know us. 00:14:12.320 --> 00:14:16.320 The better we are at following Him, the better our relationship with Him becomes. 00:14:16.320 --> 00:14:20.320 And the better we do in our following, the more He likes us. 00:14:20.320 --> 00:14:23.320 And the stronger our relationship becomes. 00:14:23.320 --> 00:14:27.320 It's so easy to think like that, to think that they're really committed Christians. 00:14:27.320 --> 00:14:33.320 They're the ones that have a real and a proper relationship with Him. 00:14:33.320 --> 00:14:38.320 They're the ones that really know Him and that He really knows. 00:14:38.320 --> 00:14:41.320 Not through. 00:14:41.320 --> 00:14:45.320 That's a theological mistake, a big theological mistake. 00:14:45.320 --> 00:14:47.320 It's not true. 00:14:47.320 --> 00:14:51.320 We follow Him because He knows us. 00:14:51.320 --> 00:14:54.320 Not the other way around. 00:14:54.320 --> 00:15:02.320 And that means that when you took your very first step as a disciple of Jesus, 00:15:02.320 --> 00:15:06.320 or when you take that step, if you've not taken it already, 00:15:06.320 --> 00:15:16.320 at that moment Jesus knows you completely and loves you entirely. 00:15:16.320 --> 00:15:21.320 In other words, you are utterly His from step one. 00:15:21.320 --> 00:15:23.320 And there's no promotion from there. 00:15:23.320 --> 00:15:27.320 You are just His beloved sheep. 00:15:27.320 --> 00:15:30.320 And it's reminding us that in the Christian, the life of discipleship, 00:15:30.320 --> 00:15:37.320 the starting point is always His astonishing commitment towards us. 00:15:37.320 --> 00:15:42.320 And then from that starting point, we follow Him. 00:15:42.320 --> 00:15:45.320 And that means listening to Him as He speaks to us in His Word, 00:15:45.320 --> 00:15:52.320 talking to Him day by day in prayer, striving to apply His Word to our lives. 00:15:52.320 --> 00:15:56.320 And that's just a very obvious and sensible thing to do. 00:15:56.320 --> 00:16:00.320 We hear someone and we respond. 00:16:00.320 --> 00:16:04.320 And to not respond is stupid, and yet we do it all the time. 00:16:04.320 --> 00:16:06.320 My wife has lost count of the amount of time. 00:16:06.320 --> 00:16:08.320 She says, oh, can you do this? Yes. 00:16:08.320 --> 00:16:11.320 And then I don't do it. I forget. 00:16:11.320 --> 00:16:14.320 And as Christians, we can so easily do the same. 00:16:14.320 --> 00:16:19.320 That's why day by day, day by day, we want to recommit to listening to Jesus, 00:16:19.320 --> 00:16:24.320 seeking to follow Him and for His Word to shape every part of our lives. 00:16:24.320 --> 00:16:27.320 That does not mean that we're perfect. 00:16:27.320 --> 00:16:30.320 We are always stumbling followers. 00:16:30.320 --> 00:16:34.320 But it's a reminder that a key part of our day-to-day lives as Christians 00:16:34.320 --> 00:16:40.320 is just that recommitting ourselves each morning to follow Jesus today. 00:16:40.320 --> 00:16:44.320 I read a brilliant book by a friend of mine called Michael Broutigam. 00:16:44.320 --> 00:16:46.320 He lived in Edinburgh for a number of years. 00:16:46.320 --> 00:16:48.320 Some of you may know him. 00:16:48.320 --> 00:16:50.320 He now is a lecturer in Australia. 00:16:50.320 --> 00:16:56.320 In fact, he's coming to Edinburgh this summer, so if you see Michael tell him, I said, hi. 00:16:56.320 --> 00:16:59.320 He wrote a book about discipleship. 00:16:59.320 --> 00:17:01.320 He said something I thought was brilliant in that book. 00:17:01.320 --> 00:17:05.320 He said, we spend so much time talking about leadership in the church, 00:17:05.320 --> 00:17:06.320 and that's a good thing to talk about. 00:17:06.320 --> 00:17:08.320 Leadership is a crucial part of the church. 00:17:08.320 --> 00:17:11.320 It's a crucial part of your lives as well and work. 00:17:11.320 --> 00:17:14.320 And at home, leadership is a crucial topic. 00:17:14.319 --> 00:17:20.319 But he said, really, our focus should be on followership. 00:17:20.319 --> 00:17:23.319 I thought that was really perceptive, 00:17:23.319 --> 00:17:26.319 because before, whatever leaders were followers, 00:17:26.319 --> 00:17:31.319 followers of Jesus, and that's what we need to always give our attention to. 00:17:31.319 --> 00:17:37.319 One more point to highlight here is that this also reminds us, 00:17:37.319 --> 00:17:43.319 that word follow also reminds us that being a Christian is never about standing still. 00:17:43.319 --> 00:17:46.319 It's so easy to think like that, 00:17:46.319 --> 00:17:48.319 and I think so many people perceive Christianity like that. 00:17:48.319 --> 00:17:50.319 They think that by becoming a Christian, 00:17:50.319 --> 00:17:54.319 you're kind of locking yourself in a time warp and never changing. 00:17:54.319 --> 00:17:55.319 That's not true. 00:17:55.319 --> 00:17:58.319 At the heart of discipleship are two key things, 00:17:58.319 --> 00:18:00.319 repentance and learning. 00:18:00.319 --> 00:18:04.319 Both of them are impossible if you stand still and never change. 00:18:04.319 --> 00:18:10.319 The truth is, following Jesus takes you on an amazing journey. 00:18:10.319 --> 00:18:13.319 A journey of growth where we learn and mature. 00:18:13.319 --> 00:18:18.319 That's why we come each week together to start a new week learning from God's word. 00:18:18.319 --> 00:18:23.319 A journey of serving where we do things for Him on our own and together. 00:18:23.319 --> 00:18:27.319 And it's an amazing journey of discovery as we get to know our church family, 00:18:27.319 --> 00:18:29.319 as we get to know ourselves better, 00:18:29.319 --> 00:18:33.319 and as we get to know Jesus more and more deeply. 00:18:33.319 --> 00:18:38.319 And that's part of what makes being a Christian so brilliant. 00:18:38.319 --> 00:18:45.319 Because you're on this amazing pathway of learning and growing and thriving, 00:18:45.319 --> 00:18:52.319 where God the Holy Spirit day by day makes us more and more into the people that we were created to be. 00:18:52.319 --> 00:18:56.319 Number four, I give them eternal life. 00:18:56.319 --> 00:18:59.319 There's three amazing words in that statement. 00:18:59.319 --> 00:19:01.319 Key word, give. 00:19:01.319 --> 00:19:06.319 So it's not earned. 00:19:06.319 --> 00:19:12.319 It's not about you getting up to God's standard. 00:19:12.319 --> 00:19:14.319 It's all grace. 00:19:14.319 --> 00:19:17.319 Key word, life. 00:19:17.319 --> 00:19:20.319 Life and not death. 00:19:20.319 --> 00:19:23.319 Through Jesus, death has been defeated. 00:19:23.319 --> 00:19:26.319 John's Gospel is building up towards the cross all the time. 00:19:26.319 --> 00:19:32.319 That's at the heart of his mission to bring life. 00:19:32.319 --> 00:19:38.319 And the key word to describe it is the word eternal. 00:19:38.319 --> 00:19:40.319 That's what Jesus has come to give. 00:19:40.319 --> 00:19:42.319 Eternal life. 00:19:42.319 --> 00:19:45.319 Nothing below the maximum. 00:19:45.319 --> 00:19:49.319 Nothing less than abundance. 00:19:49.319 --> 00:19:55.319 Nothing short of forever. 00:19:55.319 --> 00:19:59.319 That's what Jesus has come to give us. 00:19:59.319 --> 00:20:01.319 Number five, and they'll never perish. 00:20:01.319 --> 00:20:05.319 That's the corresponding truth of the gift of eternal life. 00:20:05.319 --> 00:20:08.319 All those who trust in Jesus will never perish. 00:20:08.319 --> 00:20:11.319 Just think about the stuff that lies behind that word perish. 00:20:11.319 --> 00:20:14.319 You can kind of just, we can expand on that in our minds. 00:20:14.319 --> 00:20:22.319 You think about fragility, the fact that we are vulnerable, exposed, weak. 00:20:22.319 --> 00:20:26.319 And all of us are aging. 00:20:26.319 --> 00:20:32.319 And we rightly put a lot of effort into prolonging death, 00:20:32.319 --> 00:20:34.319 preserving our lives and the lives of one another. 00:20:34.319 --> 00:20:36.319 That's such an important thing to do. 00:20:36.319 --> 00:20:40.319 But although we can maybe prolong death, we can never escape it. 00:20:40.319 --> 00:20:43.319 We're all fragile. 00:20:43.319 --> 00:20:46.319 Behind the word perish is also pain. 00:20:46.319 --> 00:20:50.319 Physical pain of aging, illness, suffering. 00:20:50.319 --> 00:20:55.319 And the emotional pain of hurt and loss and ultimately the separation 00:20:55.319 --> 00:21:00.319 that death brings and that causes so much agony in our lives. 00:21:00.319 --> 00:21:04.319 And there's fear, fragility, pain, fear. 00:21:04.319 --> 00:21:10.319 Fear of dying, fear of losing what loved ones, 00:21:10.319 --> 00:21:14.319 fear of eternity in hell, 00:21:14.319 --> 00:21:24.319 fear of all the vulnerability that our sinful state has exposed us to. 00:21:24.319 --> 00:21:28.319 And so you look at that word perish and all this stuff lies behind it. 00:21:28.319 --> 00:21:30.319 Fragility, pain, fear. 00:21:30.319 --> 00:21:34.319 If you are a Christian or if you become one, 00:21:34.319 --> 00:21:38.319 you can take all of those things and you can stamp the words, 00:21:38.319 --> 00:21:43.319 never perish over all of it. 00:21:43.319 --> 00:21:45.319 So yes, your fragility is real. 00:21:45.319 --> 00:21:46.319 Your pain is hard. 00:21:46.319 --> 00:21:48.319 Death is a horrible enemy, 00:21:48.319 --> 00:21:51.319 but you will never perish if you're trusting in Jesus. 00:21:51.319 --> 00:21:54.319 You will never be lost. 00:21:54.319 --> 00:22:00.319 Illness and suffering and aging can be hard things to face, 00:22:00.319 --> 00:22:04.319 but all of them are just taking you closer and closer and closer 00:22:04.319 --> 00:22:08.319 to the day when the good shepherd takes you home. 00:22:08.319 --> 00:22:12.319 And that's why in the Gospel, the day that the whole world fears, 00:22:12.319 --> 00:22:17.319 the day that we die for us becomes the doorway to paradise. 00:22:17.319 --> 00:22:21.319 And that's what the Gospel is about. 00:22:21.319 --> 00:22:24.319 That is what the resurrection of Jesus has accomplished 00:22:24.319 --> 00:22:26.319 for everyone who trusts in Him. 00:22:26.319 --> 00:22:32.319 That great stamp of never perish is tattooed onto your life. 00:22:32.319 --> 00:22:34.319 It cannot be taken away. 00:22:34.319 --> 00:22:36.319 You think, well, why is that possible? 00:22:36.319 --> 00:22:41.319 Because of point number six, no one will snatch them out of my hand. 00:22:41.319 --> 00:22:45.319 That is such a beautiful description of security. 00:22:45.319 --> 00:22:48.319 If you are a Christian or if you become a Christian, 00:22:48.319 --> 00:22:51.319 you are in His hands. 00:22:51.319 --> 00:22:54.319 And I want you just to take a moment to dwell on that truth. 00:22:54.319 --> 00:22:57.319 Sometimes, you know, you reach passages in Scripture, 00:22:57.319 --> 00:22:59.319 particularly in John's Gospel, and you read it, 00:22:59.319 --> 00:23:03.319 and you really have to stretch your mind to think what John is describing. 00:23:03.319 --> 00:23:07.319 You go to John chapter one, and there's a lot that you have to really think a lot about. 00:23:07.319 --> 00:23:09.319 But sometimes John is so beautifully simple. 00:23:09.319 --> 00:23:12.319 You come to that verse, no one will snatch them out of my hands. 00:23:12.319 --> 00:23:16.319 You just need to look down at your own hands. 00:23:16.319 --> 00:23:23.319 And think about how Jesus is holding you. 00:23:23.319 --> 00:23:27.319 And the amazing truth is the fact that He is holding you, 00:23:27.319 --> 00:23:30.319 and that is never changing. 00:23:30.319 --> 00:23:32.319 No one will snatch you out of His hands. 00:23:32.319 --> 00:23:37.319 And that's because His hands are what nail holds in them. 00:23:37.319 --> 00:23:45.319 And I mean that figuratively, in that the cross has defeated death, 00:23:45.319 --> 00:23:48.319 united you to Jesus, 00:23:48.319 --> 00:23:51.319 and the hands that were nailed to that cross 00:23:51.319 --> 00:23:58.319 are the hands that now will never, ever let you go. 00:23:58.319 --> 00:24:00.319 Number seven takes us into verse 29. 00:24:00.319 --> 00:24:04.319 My Father, who has given them to me. 00:24:04.319 --> 00:24:06.319 It just gets even more amazing as we get into this verse. 00:24:06.319 --> 00:24:09.319 Jesus starts talking about His Father, 00:24:09.319 --> 00:24:12.319 and He says something utterly astonishing. 00:24:12.319 --> 00:24:19.319 He says that you have been given by God the Father to God the Son. 00:24:19.319 --> 00:24:22.319 That word given is amazing. 00:24:22.319 --> 00:24:27.319 You are a gift from the Father to the Son. 00:24:27.319 --> 00:24:32.319 Now, we often think of that word given in different terms. 00:24:32.319 --> 00:24:34.319 We think of the fact that the Son was given for us. 00:24:34.319 --> 00:24:39.319 So you think of John 3.16, that the Father gave His Son, 00:24:39.319 --> 00:24:40.319 so that we might be saved. 00:24:40.319 --> 00:24:42.319 And that's a beautiful gospel truth. 00:24:42.319 --> 00:24:47.319 How often do you ever think about the fact that you have been given? 00:24:47.319 --> 00:24:54.319 How often do you think about the fact that you are a gift? 00:24:54.319 --> 00:24:56.319 And I want you to think about it, 00:24:56.319 --> 00:24:58.319 because it's such a beautiful thing to consider. 00:24:58.319 --> 00:25:02.319 Often we can take huge comfort from the fact that we can say, 00:25:02.319 --> 00:25:04.319 Jesus is mine, He's my Saviour, 00:25:04.319 --> 00:25:09.319 but you can also take huge comfort from the fact that you can say, 00:25:09.319 --> 00:25:13.319 I am His. 00:25:13.319 --> 00:25:21.319 You've been given to Him, you are His. 00:25:21.319 --> 00:25:24.319 And this is so, so, so important, 00:25:24.319 --> 00:25:33.319 because sometimes we can, in our Christian lives, 00:25:33.319 --> 00:25:36.319 we can look at ourselves and we feel like we are failing, 00:25:36.319 --> 00:25:38.319 that we are struggling, that we are rubbish, 00:25:38.319 --> 00:25:40.319 that we are a disappointment, that we are a failure, 00:25:40.319 --> 00:25:44.319 that we are so far from where we should be, 00:25:44.319 --> 00:25:55.319 and we can heal all of that by reminding us that we are His. 00:25:55.319 --> 00:25:59.319 You are given by the Father to the Son, 00:25:59.319 --> 00:26:06.319 and do you know what Jesus' response to that gift is? 00:26:06.319 --> 00:26:10.319 He's absolutely delighted. 00:26:10.319 --> 00:26:17.319 Absolutely delighted that you are His. 00:26:17.319 --> 00:26:20.319 Number eight, my Father is greater than all. 00:26:20.319 --> 00:26:24.319 Jesus says you just have to kind of jump across that bit in the commas. 00:26:24.319 --> 00:26:27.319 My Father is greater than all. 00:26:27.319 --> 00:26:29.319 God is greater than all. 00:26:29.319 --> 00:26:30.319 Whose flock are you in? 00:26:30.319 --> 00:26:33.319 The greatest of all's flock. 00:26:33.319 --> 00:26:36.319 And I want you to think about that phrase, greater than all. 00:26:36.319 --> 00:26:38.319 That's such a good phrase for us to think about it. 00:26:38.319 --> 00:26:40.319 What's the greatest of all? 00:26:40.319 --> 00:26:42.319 In other words, what's ultimate reality? 00:26:42.319 --> 00:26:44.319 And this is the question that every single person in Scotland 00:26:44.319 --> 00:26:46.319 has got to think about more. 00:26:46.319 --> 00:26:48.319 What is ultimate reality? 00:26:48.319 --> 00:26:51.319 What is the foundation of everything that exists? 00:26:51.319 --> 00:26:53.319 What's the destiny to which we're all moving? 00:26:53.319 --> 00:26:56.319 And what's the purpose and explanation for life 00:26:56.319 --> 00:26:58.319 as we go through day to day? 00:26:58.319 --> 00:27:01.319 What is your greatest of all? 00:27:01.319 --> 00:27:06.319 What's everyone out there's greatest of all? 00:27:06.319 --> 00:27:10.319 And the culture around us today 00:27:10.319 --> 00:27:14.319 offers us a lot of depressing answers. 00:27:14.319 --> 00:27:19.319 Chance, fate, science, a force, something. 00:27:19.319 --> 00:27:22.319 The gospel is so much better. 00:27:22.319 --> 00:27:26.319 The gospel tells us that ultimate reality is the God who is wise 00:27:26.319 --> 00:27:30.319 and pure and good and strong and loving. 00:27:30.319 --> 00:27:33.319 He is the greatest of all. 00:27:33.319 --> 00:27:35.319 He is ultimate reality. 00:27:35.319 --> 00:27:38.319 He is the explanation of everything, 00:27:38.319 --> 00:27:43.319 and he's doing something. 00:27:43.319 --> 00:27:46.319 He's holding you. 00:27:46.319 --> 00:27:48.319 Which is point number nine. 00:27:48.319 --> 00:27:53.319 No one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hands. 00:27:53.319 --> 00:27:56.319 I love how in these verses Jesus repeats himself, 00:27:56.319 --> 00:27:59.319 but he actually says something more the second time 00:27:59.319 --> 00:28:04.319 because this truth in verse 29 is the same as the truth in verse 28, 00:28:04.319 --> 00:28:07.319 two pieces of information are added. 00:28:07.319 --> 00:28:10.319 First, Jesus is now talking about the Father's hands. 00:28:10.319 --> 00:28:13.319 So in 28 Jesus talks about His hands. 00:28:13.319 --> 00:28:15.319 29 He talks about the Father's hands. 00:28:15.319 --> 00:28:17.319 Whose hands is it? Whose hands are holding us? 00:28:17.319 --> 00:28:20.319 Is it Jesus' hands? Is it the Father's hands? 00:28:20.319 --> 00:28:23.319 It's both. It's double hands. 00:28:23.319 --> 00:28:27.319 How cool is that? 00:28:27.319 --> 00:28:33.319 And the second truth that's added is no one is able. 00:28:33.319 --> 00:28:38.319 That word able that just adds just a deeper dimension to the truth 00:28:38.319 --> 00:28:40.319 that's been conveyed here. 00:28:40.319 --> 00:28:42.319 I love that phrase. 00:28:42.319 --> 00:28:46.319 In terms of your security in the divine double hands that are holding you, 00:28:46.319 --> 00:28:49.319 no one is able to snatch you out. 00:28:49.319 --> 00:28:51.319 No one has the ability to do that. 00:28:51.319 --> 00:28:53.319 No one is strong enough. 00:28:53.319 --> 00:28:54.319 No one is capable. 00:28:54.319 --> 00:28:56.319 It's not possible. 00:28:56.319 --> 00:28:59.319 No one can do it. 00:28:59.319 --> 00:29:03.319 Not even yourself. 00:29:03.319 --> 00:29:05.319 And that's probably the most important thing to remember 00:29:05.319 --> 00:29:09.319 because we can so easily think that we can stuff it up. 00:29:09.319 --> 00:29:11.319 You actually can't. 00:29:11.319 --> 00:29:14.319 You actually can't. 00:29:14.319 --> 00:29:17.319 Because your salvation never depends on you. 00:29:17.319 --> 00:29:19.319 It depends entirely on Jesus. 00:29:19.319 --> 00:29:21.319 Your security never depends on you. 00:29:21.319 --> 00:29:25.319 It depends on the fact that the Son and the Father's hands 00:29:25.319 --> 00:29:28.319 are holding you. 00:29:28.319 --> 00:29:33.319 And it's all reinforced by the tenth and final point. 00:29:33.319 --> 00:29:37.319 I and the Father are one. 00:29:37.319 --> 00:29:41.319 This is one of the deepest theological truths that lies at the heart of the Gospel. 00:29:41.319 --> 00:29:45.319 You have the distinction between the Father and the Son, 00:29:45.319 --> 00:29:53.319 and yet the simple, beautiful unity, Father and Son are one. 00:29:53.319 --> 00:29:57.319 And that's one of the great truths of the foundation of the Christian Gospel. 00:29:57.319 --> 00:29:59.319 The unity of God, one God. 00:29:59.319 --> 00:30:02.319 John's emphasized this already in chapter one, 00:30:02.319 --> 00:30:07.319 and it just runs as a foundation running through his whole Gospel. 00:30:07.319 --> 00:30:11.319 That one God, that united Father and Son, 00:30:11.319 --> 00:30:13.319 has a unity of will. 00:30:13.319 --> 00:30:15.319 Father and Son want the same things. 00:30:15.319 --> 00:30:20.319 Unity of power, Father and Son, same power, 00:30:20.319 --> 00:30:23.319 Father and Son, same glory. 00:30:23.319 --> 00:30:26.319 And God the Father and God the Son, 00:30:26.319 --> 00:30:33.319 and as they send God the Holy Spirit to accomplish God's purposes, 00:30:33.319 --> 00:30:35.319 are all united together. 00:30:35.319 --> 00:30:40.319 And John will go on in chapter 14, 16 to tell us more 00:30:40.319 --> 00:30:45.319 about the work of the Holy Spirit as Father, Son and Spirit works together 00:30:45.319 --> 00:30:47.319 to accomplish God's purposes. 00:30:47.319 --> 00:30:50.319 Together they're doing something. 00:30:50.319 --> 00:30:54.319 What are they doing? 00:30:54.319 --> 00:31:05.319 Saving you, holding you, loving you. 00:31:05.319 --> 00:31:11.319 And if you, I don't know if this is theologically appropriate, 00:31:11.319 --> 00:31:15.319 I'm going back to Lewis anyway shortly, so it'll be fine. 00:31:15.319 --> 00:31:24.319 I want you to think that you can go round the Trinity, 00:31:24.319 --> 00:31:29.319 come into the Father and to the Son and to the Spirit, 00:31:29.319 --> 00:31:32.319 and you come to the Father and he says, I love you, holding you. 00:31:32.319 --> 00:31:38.319 You come to the Son, I love you too, and I'm holding you as well. 00:31:38.319 --> 00:31:41.319 And you come to the Holy Spirit and he says, I love you too, 00:31:41.319 --> 00:31:46.319 and I'm coming to dwell in you and never leaving. 00:31:46.319 --> 00:31:49.319 And you just go round the Trinity, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, 00:31:49.319 --> 00:31:53.319 and you just see this beautiful, repeated, re-emphasized, 00:31:53.319 --> 00:32:00.319 unending commitment to save you and to save all the flock of Jesus 00:32:00.319 --> 00:32:06.319 across the ages of history, across the nations of the world. 00:32:06.319 --> 00:32:16.319 One tiny statement gives us 10 amazing truths. 00:32:16.319 --> 00:32:22.319 Do you know what happened next? 00:32:22.319 --> 00:32:32.319 The Jewish leaders picked up stones to kill him. 00:32:32.319 --> 00:32:36.319 They didn't want to, they did not want to accept what Jesus was saying. 00:32:36.319 --> 00:32:41.319 They did not want to recognize him as the Messiah and the Son of God. 00:32:41.319 --> 00:32:43.319 In fact, they wanted to destroy him. 00:32:43.319 --> 00:32:51.319 Now, I'm pretty sure that there's nobody in here who wants to stone Jesus. 00:32:51.319 --> 00:32:58.319 But maybe you're tempted not to bother with him. 00:32:58.319 --> 00:33:02.319 Maybe you're tempted to put these words and all the other words 00:33:02.319 --> 00:33:07.319 that the Bible reveals to one side. 00:33:07.319 --> 00:33:15.319 And maybe you're tempted to think, I just want to get on with the rest of my week. 00:33:15.319 --> 00:33:18.319 Please don't do that. 00:33:18.319 --> 00:33:25.319 Instead, I hope everyone here is a sheep who hears his voice 00:33:25.319 --> 00:33:28.319 and follows him. 00:33:28.319 --> 00:33:29.319 Amen. 00:33:29.319 --> 00:33:33.319 Let us pray. 00:33:33.319 --> 00:33:38.319 Lord Jesus, we thank you for these magnificent words 00:33:38.319 --> 00:33:41.319 and for the glorious truths that they reveal. 00:33:41.319 --> 00:33:43.319 We thank you that you are the good shepherd. 00:33:43.319 --> 00:33:47.319 We thank you for your incredible love and commitment towards us. 00:33:47.319 --> 00:33:53.319 And for all of us here, whatever stage we are at in our path of discipleship, 00:33:53.319 --> 00:33:56.319 we want to follow you, Father Lord Jesus. 00:33:56.319 --> 00:33:58.319 We want to keep our eyes on you, Holy Spirit. 00:33:58.319 --> 00:34:01.319 We want to be led and directed by you. 00:34:01.319 --> 00:34:07.319 We want to go into this new week and into the rest of our lives following you. 00:34:07.319 --> 00:34:24.319 Amen.