Bible's open to John 10.
John 10 verses 22 to 42.
!
John 10 verses 22.
It was winter and Jesus is walking around the edge of the temple in the colonnade of Solomon.
It stretches around the perimeter of the temple.
It would be very busy, particularly at festival time.
That's where this argument takes place.
And the argument is about what lies right at the heart of John's Gospel.
That is Jesus' identity.
So do you remember what John's purpose is in writing this Gospel?
We've talked about it many times, haven't we?
You can see Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, but they're not written in this book.
But John says these are written for the express purpose that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that by believing you might have life in his name.
And so the central question, right at the heart of John's Gospel, is Jesus' identity, who he is, and faith in him.
And that is what this argument is all about.
We don't know actually if voices were raised, but if you look at verse 31, it certainly seems it's about to get violent.
His Jewish opponents pick up bricks.
They pick up stones to stone him.
Verse 39, they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands.
And at the very end of this passage, Jesus gets out of Jerusalem very wisely,
where people are trying to kill him, and he crosses over to the River Jordan.
And verse 42, many people believed in him there.
And what I want to do is very quickly go through the passage, and then kind of step back and see what issues are at stake.
The argument kicks off in verse 24.
The Jews gathered round him, they said to him,
How long will you keep us in suspense?
If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.
We're nearly halfway through John's Gospel.
For nine and a half chapters, Jesus has been teaching about himself and the miracles.
And they still think his identity is a bit of a mystery.
As recently as verse 14 of chapter 10, Jesus said,
I am the good shepherd, I know my own and my own know me.
So Jesus' response to them, to ask and tell us plainly,
Jesus says in verse 25,
I told you, and you don't believe.
The works that I do in my Father's name, bear witness about me.
Not only have I told you on numerous occasions who I am,
but all my works, by which he means his miracles,
surely they're a big clue as to who I am.
You see, it's not that you haven't had the question answered,
or that my identity has been hidden,
it's just you haven't liked what you've heard.
And you haven't liked what you've seen.
I've just told you, I am the good shepherd.
My sheep know me and I know them.
And the only reason that you're still asking this question is because
you're not my sheep.
You're not one of my people.
You're not one of the people that God, my Father,
has given to me to belong to me forever.
Look at verse 28.
I give them eternal life.
And they will never perish,
and no one will snatch them out of my hand.
But then he says,
I'm not the only one who's keeping them safe.
My Father who's given them to me is greater than all,
and no one is able to snatch them out of my Father's hands.
Jesus is saying,
he and I,
my Father and I,
work so closely together
in looking after the sheep,
the only conclusion that you can come to
is verse 30,
I and the Father are one.
Is that plain enough for you?
The temperature rises,
verse 31,
the Jews pick up stones again to stone him.
They did it in verse,
in chapter 8,
and Jesus gives them the slip then,
and he does again.
He deflects that anger,
he avoids getting stoned.
Jesus tries a different tactic.
He asks the question,
verse 32,
I've shown you many good works,
beautiful works,
from the Father,
for which of them are you going to stone me?
Those stones which you've got in your hands,
for which of my many miracles
are you going to kill me for?
Maybe it's the healing
of the man of his blindness in chapter 9.
Maybe it's for feeding 5,000 people
in the wilderness in chapter 6.
Maybe it's for healing a man
who's been paralyzed for 38 years,
chapter 5,
or bringing a boy back
from the verge of death,
chapter 5.
Those terrible things I've done.
Take your pick.
Which of the beautiful things
that I have done
deserve death,
Jesus asks.
Verse 33,
the Jews answer him,
it is not for a good work
that we're going to stone you,
but for blasphemy,
because you,
being a man,
make yourself God.
Can you see that the plainness
of what Jesus said
in verse 30
has been understood?
They had registered,
they'd got what Jesus was saying,
even if they hadn't liked it
or accepted it,
they understood it.
The next bit
is a little bit complicated,
but basically Jesus says,
let me give you two reasons
why you shouldn't stone me
for equating myself with God,
for claiming to be equal with God.
The first reason
is that the Bible itself
calls humans
both gods and his sons.
Seems strange to us.
The Bible calls humans
both gods and his sons.
It may seem strange to us,
especially the first bit,
but Jesus quotes Psalm 82
to back that up.
See, he says,
if you want to stone me
for blasphemy,
for calling myself God's son,
if you want to be consistent,
you have to accuse God himself
of blasphemy
because he called
other humans his sons.
And I guess that's a bit
of a problem for you,
for you to accuse God
of blasphemy.
He then gives them
a second reason
not to stone him.
If you have a problem
with me and me a man
calling himself God,
well, I'm undeniably
doing the things
that only God could do.
So again,
the only conclusion
that you could come to
is at the end of verse 38,
that the Father is in me
and I am in the Father.
Again,
they sought to arrest him,
but he escaped
from their hands.
That's the argument.
They are the contentious issues
of John chapter 10.
And what I want to do
in the rest of our time
is dig just into the imagery
that Jesus uses
in verse 14.
And so there's three points.
My sheep is point number one.
Not my sheep is point number two.
And then the shepherd
is point number three.
First, his sheep.
There are five hallmarks
of people who are his sheep.
That's very helpful
for us tonight.
There are five marks
of every sheep
that belongs to Jesus
who have him as their shepherd.
The first mark
of being one of Jesus' sheep
is verse 27.
They listen to my voice.
It's not that they
just can hear,
but they listen.
They listen to him.
Being one of Jesus' sheep
means that you listen
to his authoritative voice
in Scripture.
First of all,
they listen to him.
The second mark
of his sheep of Jesus
is that they're known by him.
Verse 27.
My sheep hear my voice
and I know them.
I think that's really important
for you and I
to grasp about Christianity.
Christianity is about,
listen to this,
knowing Jesus
and more importantly,
being known by him.
Christianity is a two-way relationship.
We know him
and he knows us
as those who belong to him.
The third mark
of one of Jesus' sheep,
they hear my voice,
I know them
and they follow me.
So when they hear Jesus speak
with authority in their lives
and when they see
where Jesus is leading them
and what he's calling them to
in their lives,
they follow him.
They obey him
because he is their shepherd.
Their obedience is patchy,
to say the least.
Sometimes the sheep
are willfully disobedient.
But we still remain
his sheep after all
because over all,
sheep who belong to Jesus
want to do what he says
in their lives
because they trust him.
They trust that he is
their good shepherd.
Their good shepherd
who has laid down his life
for them
and so they follow him.
And that is how fourthly
he is able
to give them eternal life.
Verse 28,
I give them eternal life
and they shall perish
and no one will be able
to snatch them
out of my hands.
Because Jesus died
and rose again
defeating death,
he can give his sheep
eternal life.
Eternal life
that only he has to give.
All humans
have souls
which are immortal.
but only his sheep
have eternal life.
Not just eternal existence.
They have eternal life
as a gift.
And that means
that they,
his sheep,
they and they alone
will never perish.
The fifth mark
of Jesus' sheep
is that those sheep
are given,
are not only given
the gift of eternal life.
But they themselves
are a gift
given by God the Father
to God the Son.
Just look with me
what Jesus says
in verse 28.
It's not only
that they are given
eternal life,
but they themselves,
the sheep,
are a gift
given by God the Father
to God the Son.
Look at how Jesus
puts it in verse 28.
I give them eternal life
and they shall never perish.
And no one will snatch
them out of my hand.
It's wonderful.
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.
And we know,
don't we,
we talk about the gift
that goes on giving.
We say that expression,
don't we?
But here,
you have a giver
who never quite
lets go of the gift.
Can you see that?
the Father gives
to Jesus
the sheep
to keep safe
as their good shepherd
forever.
But safe as they are
in Jesus' hands,
it's as if they never
really leave
the Father's hands
in the first place.
He is the giver
who never,
quite,
never quite lets go
of the sheep.
How about that
for security?
When you go home
tonight,
most of us
on our doors
before we go to bed
will have two locks
on our front door.
Two locks
on the front door,
why?
Why isn't one lock
enough?
Two locks
to keep you safe.
In our homes,
there will be
a double security.
Well,
the sheep
who belong to Jesus
have this same thing
forever,
double security.
His hand
wrapped around them
for all eternity.
And the Father's hand
doing
the same thing.
So before you go
to bed tonight,
before you go
up the stairs,
remember that when
you double lock
the door tonight,
there's this beautiful
picture,
there's this double security.
You are in Jesus' hands,
you're in the Father's hands.
And so his sheep
hear him,
know him,
follow him.
He gives them
eternal life
and he gives them
to Jesus
to keep safe
forever.
Do you recognize
yourself as one
of those sheep?
Does that resonate
with you?
If you do,
there are five reasons
there,
aren't there,
for you to thank
Jesus that he is
your good shepherd.
But if you don't,
if you don't recognize
yourself tonight
as one of Jesus'
sheep,
you might recognize
yourself in the group
he describes next.
Secondly,
not his sheep.
And it's clear
from the way
that Jesus is speaking
that people
who are not
his sheep
are the opposite
of those who are.
It's very simple.
So,
they don't listen
to him
and they don't
know him
and they are not
known by him
as belonging to him.
They don't follow him.
They don't want
to do what
he tells them
to do.
It's just not
interesting,
it's not relevant
for them,
it's not that
they're necessarily
ignorant of him.
And the people
who Jesus first
said these words
to,
they had seen
exactly the same
thing as the
sheep had seen.
They had heard
exactly the same
thing as what
the sheep had
heard from him.
but they just
didn't believe
what they'd seen
and heard from
Jesus.
And so the
question is
why not?
And the answer
to that question
is the surprise
of the passage.
The question,
the answer to that
question is not
what we expect,
it's not what we
want to hear.
Have a look at
verse 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.
You have
heard,
you have
seen,
what everyone
else has
seen and
heard.
But verse 26,
what's the
reason?
You do not
believe because
you are not
among my
sheep.
Jesus does
not say what
we would be a
whole lot more
comfortable with.
He doesn't
say you
don't believe
you are not
one of my
sheep.
you don't
believe you
are not
one of my
sheep.
He says
because you
are not
one of my
sheep,
you don't
believe.
Being a
sheep or
not determines
whether you
believe or
not.
Does that
make sense?
You're looking
at me a little
bit puzzled.
Does it?
Let me just
repeat it.
Okay.
He doesn't
say you
don't
believe you
are not
one of my
sheep.
He says
because you
are not
one of my
sheep,
you don't
believe.
Being a
sheep or
not is
what determines
whether you
believe or
not.
Not the other
way around,
which begs the
question,
how does
someone become
one of his
sheep?
if you
have to be
one in the
first place
to believe in
him,
and the
answer to
that question
is implied
in John
chapter 10,
but I think
it's clearer
maybe in
John chapter 6.
Do you
remember that?
Jesus said
to them,
I am the
bread of
life.
He changes
the metaphor.
He's using
a different
picture there
to explain
his identity.
I am the
bread of
life.
Whoever
comes to
me shall
not hunger
and whoever
believes in
me shall
never thirst.
So coming
to
Jesus,
believing
in
Jesus,
they are
the same
thing.
And then
John 6
verse 38
says,
all that
the Father
gives me
will come
to me,
and whoever
comes to
me I
will never
cast out.
And then
verse 44,
no one
can come
to me
unless the
Father
draws them,
and I
will raise
them up
on the
last day.
So how
do you
come to
Jesus?
How do
you believe
in Jesus?
Well first,
the Father
has to
draw you
to him.
Switch back
to the
shepherd and
the sheep
analogy.
The Father
has to
make you
one of
his sheep.
And if
he does
that to
you,
if he
draws you
to Jesus
and makes
you one
of his
sheep,
then you
will come
to him,
you will
believe in
him,
you will
listen to
his voice,
and you
will know
him and
you will
be secured
in his
hands
forever.
But if
he doesn't
do that
for you,
you won't
be any
of those
things.
No one
can come
to me
unless the
Father draws
them.
Now we
like to
think of
it being
the other
way around
because that
puts us
in charge,
doesn't it?
it puts
us in
control,
whether we
choose to
believe in
Jesus or
not,
whether or
not we
come to
him.
The way
Jesus puts
it in
John 6
and in
our
passage
today,
John 10,
puts the
Father in
charge.
He is
in control
of who
believes in
Jesus or
not,
of who
is a
sheep or
not,
and
instinctively
when we
hear that,
we don't
like it.
But it
gets worse
if you come
back to
John 10.
if not
being his
sheep is
the opposite
of being
one of
his sheep,
not only
do we
not listen
to him
and are
not known
by him
and not
follow him,
we are
not given
to him
by the
Father.
And we
are not
given
eternal
life.
We are
not safe
in his
hands and
the Father's
hands
forever.
We will
exist
forever
beyond
this body
and life
on this
earth
but not
in a
way that
you could
call
life
in any
way.
What Jesus
calls it
here,
he calls
it
perishing.
That's how
you will
exist.
And so
again,
let me say
tonight,
if you
recognise
yourself
as not
being one
of Jesus'
sheep,
that may
well offend
you,
mightn't it?
And that
might well
provoke you.
Why can't
you be the
one who
decides
whether or
not you
are one
of his
sheep?
And if
you can't
be the
one,
then why
do you
seem to
be responsible
for that?
Facing the
prospect of
eternal
perishing
rather than
eternal
life.
And if
that is
something that
troubles you
or confuses
you or
irritates
you,
please,
ask a
question of
me or
one of
the elders
afterwards.
But can I
also say
this?
If you
recognise
yourself as
not one
of Jesus'
sheep
tonight,
and your
main reaction
as you
recognise
that,
it makes
you really
sad,
because you
would actually
rather like
to be one
of his
sheep.
You would
really like
to be one
of his
sheep.
has it
ever
occurred to
you that
that in
itself might
be the
clearest
indicator that
you've had
that the
father is
right now
through the
words of
John 10,
as God's
word is
preached,
it is
drawing you.
He is
drawing you.
He is
drawing you
to his
son.
He is
making you
into something
that you
are not
yet,
but may
well be
by becoming
one of
his
sheep.
The
sheep,
not his
sheep,
and then
finally the
shepherd.
Again,
there are
five things
that he
says one
himself,
and all
of them
are massive.
First of
all,
Jesus
performs
miracles.
It's one
of the
things that
Jesus is
well known
for doing,
isn't it?
But the
fact is,
he still
did them.
He healed
a blind
man,
a paralyzed
man.
He fed
5,000
people in
the next
chapter.
He will
actually raise
a dead
man back
to life.
And those
arguing with
him in
this passage
don't dispute
that he did
any of
those things.
They don't
say you
never did
those things,
you can't
do them.
They just
don't like
his assertion
that he
can only
do it
because God
the Father
is doing
it through
him.
The
miracles
of
Jesus,
what do
you make
of them?
What
conclusion
do they
bring you
to about
him?
The second
thing that
Jesus says
about himself
is that
he and
the Father
are one.
Verse 30,
we've seen
it already,
I and the
Father are
one.
And there's
something very
similar at
the end
of verse 38,
the Father
is in me
and I
in the
Father.
that is
the only
conclusion
Jesus says
that you
should come
to about
his miracles.
Not that
he and
the Father
are the
same person,
but they
are about
the same
thing.
He and
the Father
are on
the same
page.
They are
eternally
synchronised
and united
in their
purpose and
intention.
That is a
huge claim
for anyone
to make
about God.
I and
the Father
are one.
And that
is why
they actually
want to
kill him.
Which
means that
for today
all those
who object
and there's
lots of
ways,
different ways
to object
to that
claim,
they are
wrong if
Jesus is
right.
If he
and the
Father
are one,
totally
united in
purpose
and in
intention.
And so
that means
Muslims
are wrong
about
Allah
if
Jesus
is
right.
It means
that
atheists
are wrong
about
God's
existence
because
there was
once a
human
being
who
walked
this
earth
in
history
2000
years
ago
whose
existence
was
fully
attested
who
did
what
only
God
can
do.
It
means
Buddhists
are
wrong
and
Hindus
are
wrong
if
Jesus
is
right.
He
and the
Father
are
one.
He
is
ruling
out
all
other
alternatives.
The
third
thing
is
he
is
God's
Son.
He
is
not
the
same
person
as
the
Father.
He
is
the
Son
of
God
the
Father.
But
he
is
just
as
much
God
as
the
Father.
the
fourth
thing
he
is
the
good
shepherd.
Sheep
need
a
shepherd
to
thrive
and
survive.
In
fact
all
sheep
need
a
shepherd
regardless
of how
robust
and
self
sufficient
they
are
regardless
of
whether
they
believe
in
the
existence
of
a
shepherd.
They
need
one.
And
how
good
it
is
to
know
that
the
shepherd
that
God
the
Father
has
provided
is
a
good
shepherd.
one
who
lays
down
his
life
for
the
sheep.
And
the
fifth
thing
the
last
thing
Jesus
says
about
himself
is
he
is
the
giver
of
eternal
life.
Because
he
voluntarily
laid
down
his
life
he
was
able
to
take
it
up
again.
Have
a look
at
verse
18.
Jesus
says
no
one
takes
it
from
me
but
I
lay
it
down
of
my
own
accord.
I
have
authority
to
lay
it
down
and
I
have
the
authority
to
take
it
up
again.
Because
Jesus
had
the
authority
to
take
up
his
life
again
authority
over
death
he
has
through
that
victory
eternal
life
to
give.
His
resurrection
is not
just
good news
for
him
it
is
good
news
for
others
only
because
he
is
generous
to
share
with
others
what
he
himself
has.
verse
28
I
give
them
eternal
life
and
they
will
never
perish
and
no one
will
snatch
them
out
of
my
hand
my
father
who
has
given
them
to
me
is
greater
than
all
and
no
one
is
able
to
snatch
them
out of
the
father's
hand
!
Jesus
gives
us
eternal
life
it's
not
that
he
gives
us
our
own
private
personalized
existence
but
he
draws
us
into
his
eternal
life
to
the
full
which
makes
him
not
just
a
good
shepherd
or
the
good
shepherd
but
makes
him
the
best
shepherd
that
anyone
can
have
and
that
leaves
us
with
this
one
question
doesn't
it
from
John
10
is
he
your
good
shepherd
are
you
one
of
his
sheep
or
not
let's
pray
some
Thank you.