2017.03.19                                    John 10: 22-42

           I am the Good Shepherd Part 2

                I and the Father are One

Good Morning…. I am glad to be with you this morning… I have Good News for You! His name is Jesus… We are on a great adventure… We are Experiencing the Life and ministry of Jesus… Once again this morning we are studying the Gospel of John… Turn in your Bible to John chapter 10… 

As we begin today… I want you to watch for the wonderful way that Jesus unpacks our understand of God and who He… Jesus… Is… He is showing Grace to His hearers… and teaching us solid theology… I would like for us to notice these things as we learn about God this morning…

1 Who is Jesus? We learn more about Him with every word and event…  Last week we saw Jesus identify Himself as the Good Shepherd…. That idea shows us a lot about His way of taking care of His flock… Can we know him even more than we already do? What do we see when we study the scriptures and  listen with our ears…? How does who He is define the way he loves and cares us? If you don´t already know Him as Lord and Savior…  Is there still time for you? Or Is it too late?  Is there a key to being a person who can believe in Jesus? Jesus says something about all these questions. In our text today…

2 What does it mean for us when He says I and the Father are one? How does this truth affect our daily lives…

3 How does he reveal Himself… His greatness? He reveals His greatness in the way He loves his enemies…  and we can clearly see His Awesome Power in the way that He loves us too… We see His greatness in His love and Patience with the religious leaders and Pharisees… Again He calls for genuine repentance and faith from them… He gives them another chance…

Jesus is still trying to shake the religious leaders…. He wants them to see the truth… Repent and come to Him… They are false Shepherds… They are blind… They are failing to point the people to Jesus… let´s dig in… John 10… v22…

John 10: 22-42                           NKJV   slt 2000

22 Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. 23 And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon’s porch. 24 Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, “How long do You keep us in doubt? 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, they bear witness of Me. 26 But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. 27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone 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 My Father’s hand. 30 I and My Father are one.”31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. 32 Jesus answered them, “Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?”33 The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and 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 the Scripture cannot be broken), 36 do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 37 If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; 38 but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.” 39 Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand. 40 And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed. 41 Then many came to Him and said, “John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true.” 42 And many believed in Him there.

22 Es fand aber in Jerusalem das Fest der Tempelweihe statt; und es war Winter.

23 Und Jesus ging im Tempel in der Halle Salomos6 umher.

24 Da umringten ihn die Juden und sprachen zu ihm: Wie lange hältst du unsere Seele im Zweifel? Bist du der Christus, so sage es uns frei heraus!

25 Jesus antwortete ihnen: Ich habe es euch gesagt, und ihr glaubt nicht. Die Werke, die ich tue im Namen meines Vaters, diese geben Zeugnis von mir;

26 aber ihr glaubt nicht, denn ihr seid nicht von meinen Schafen, wie ich euch gesagt habe.

27 Meine Schafe hören meine Stimme, und ich kenne sie, und sie folgen mir nach;

28 und ich gebe ihnen ewiges Leben, und sie werden in Ewigkeit nicht verlorengehen, und niemand wird sie aus meiner Hand reißen.

29 Mein Vater, der sie mir gegeben hat, ist größer als alle, und niemand kann sie aus der Hand meines Vaters reißen.

30 Ich und der Vater sind eins.

31 Da hoben die Juden wiederum Steine auf, um ihn zu steinigen.

32 Jesus antwortete ihnen: Viele gute Werke habe ich euch gezeigt von meinem Vater; um welches dieser Werke willen wollt ihr mich steinigen?

33 Die Juden antworteten ihm und sprachen: Nicht wegen eines guten Werkes wollen wir dich steinigen, sondern wegen Gotteslästerung, und zwar weil du, der du ein Mensch bist, dich selbst zu Gott machst!

34 Jesus antwortete ihnen: Steht nicht in eurem Gesetz geschrieben: »Ich habe gesagt: Ihr seid Götter«?

35 Wenn es diejenigen Götter nennt, an die das Wort Gottes erging — und die Schrift kann doch nicht außer Kraft gesetzt werden —,

36 wieso sagt ihr dann zu dem, den der Vater geheiligt und in die Welt gesandt hat: Du lästerst!, weil ich gesagt habe: Ich bin Gottes Sohn?

37 Wenn ich nicht die Werke meines Vaters tue, so glaubt mir nicht!

38 Tue ich sie aber, so glaubt doch den Werken, wenn ihr auch mir nicht glaubt, damit ihr erkennt und glaubt, daß der Vater in mir ist und ich in ihm!

39 Da suchten sie ihn wiederum zu ergreifen; doch er entging ihren Händen.

40 Und er zog wieder jenseits des Jordan an den Ort, wo Johannes zuerst getauft hatte, und blieb dort.

41 Und viele kamen zu ihm und sprachen: Johannes hat zwar kein Zeichen getan; aber alles, was Johannes von diesem gesagt hat, ist wahr!

42 Und es glaubten dort viele an ihn.

v22… It was the Feast of Dedication and it was winter… A few weeks have passed between v 21 and v22… We have moved from Tabernacles and the fall feasts to winter… The Feast of Dedication… This feast is also known as Hanukkah… Hanukkah Celebrated the cleansing and re-dedication of the temple after three years of defilement by Antiochus Epiphanes…. The pagan king of Syria… This was the historical time of the Maccabees164 B.C…

Again Jesus is walking in the Temple during the feast…

v24... ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ … tell us plainly… Are you the Messiah?

Jesus answers them way beyond what they expected… They are on the brink of killing him for blasphemy…   Jesus offers them one more invitation to repent and believe…  Scroll down to the next section…v 25-30…

They say at the end of verse 24, “If you are the Christ [the Messiah], tell us plainly.” And

v25a … I told you, and you do not believe.

Jesus continues His Word picture of Himself as the true and Good Shepherd…

When I said I am The door… The good shepherd… I am showing myself to be the Messiah… The one who lays down his life… Isaiah 53… Look at the miracles that I have done… I have the power to take back my own life from death… I am the one who is gathering a people to live forever… you ask… Am I the Messiah? Yes…. It is just like I told you...  

25b… The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me Jesus answers (verse 25): “I told you.”

Not only have I told you... I have shown you… Jesus  Words of life…  and the Miracles should  make his messiahship clear... But I will spell it out for you…. Not only am I the Messiah… scroll down Verses 26–30…

v26… But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you…

Jesus goes back to the example of the Good Shepherd and his sheep… slide

The Good Shepherd and His Sheep

1 All genuine believers are His sheep… v26

Jews and Gentiles… We are all one flock… It is the duty of the Good Shepherd to protect His flock… ”

Jesus will not lose any of His sheep… He promises resurrection from death and eternal life for every one of His true sheep…  Jesus leads and feeds His sheep… He binds up our wounds… He comforts us in our sorrows…. He will never leave us…. He will never forsake us… He protects them forever…

2 Christ’s sheep hear only His voice and follow only Him… v27 Since they will not listen to or follow a stranger John 10:5… they could not possibly wander away from Him and become lost…

3 Christ’s sheep have eternal life… v28a We are talking forever… Joyful in the presence of our Redeemer… To speak of eternal life ending is a contradiction in terms… To insist that a true Christian can somehow be lost is to deny the truth of that statement… It is also to defame the character of the Lord Jesus Christ—making Him out to be an incompetent shepherd… unable to hold on to those entrusted to Him by the Father…

4 Christ gives eternal life to His sheep… v28a It is Jesus Himself who gives this gift to His sheep… Since they did nothing to earn it… they can do nothing to lose it…

5 Christ promised that His sheep will never perish… v28a

Were even one to do so, it would make Him a liar.

6 No one is able to snatch them out of My hand… v28b

no one… not false shepherds… Not false prophets… No not even the Devil himself… is powerful enough to snatch the Lord’s sheep out of His hand…

7 no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand, who is greater than all… v29

Jesus says and not only I hold on to my sheep… But so does the Father…. And no one is able to snatch them out of the Fathers Hand… That means that we are  Infinitely secure.. Paul reminds us that the believer’s “life is hidden with Christ in God” Col. 3:3... The Father and the Son together guarantee the eternal security of believers… Perfect oneness and perfect unity… That is why Jesus declared, “I and the Father are one” John 10: 30… scroll down…

Notice even though the Father has put them into the Son’s hand…  they are still also in the Father’s hand…

Jesus explains this with the words of v30… “I and the Father are one… His final answer about his identity is way beyond Messiahship... It is His perfect Oneness with God the Father…

When you are in my hands… you are in his hands… and when you are in his hands…  you are in my hands… We together provide for your eternal Salvation…

Jesus is showing how this Oneness serves our salvation… The perfect oneness between Jesus and the Father promises our eternal salvation and joy... The Father and I are one… No one can take you from me…   And no one can take you from my Father… This is heavy truth…. It explains so much about their unbelief… It also shows them their pride in thinking that they are earning God´s blessings…. They are Certain that God is pleased with them… But they are refusing to repent… Blind shepherds who refuse to see the truth… And in their blindness they are blocking the only path the Life… Because of His unfailing love and grace…

Jesus takes His enemies to the mountain top of doctrinal truth about himself... He is one with the Father… This reminds of the Beginning of John´s Gospel… “In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. . . . And the Word became flesh” (John 1:1, 14).

Jesus shows us the practical applications for our lives… You are my sheep… I chose you… The Father has you…. I have you…. No one can take you from us… Eternal Security is revealed in these verses…   These deep theological truths have direct application to our lives… The more we learn about our Good Shepherd…. The better we are prepared to face real life…. We know that we are safe In His hands…  He will never leave us… He will never forsake us… scroll down…

So Jesus’ answer to the question in v24 is yes… I told you…

v 27… My sheep hear my voice… “I am the Messiah and infinitely more… We see Jesus love and patience in the offer that He makes to his enemies… We also see very important truths in these verses…  And all of this is important for our lives and salvation…

Let´s look for a minute at how the Jewish leaders understood v 30…

v 30… I and My Father are one.” Remember they have refused to repent and believe the gospel… Perhaps some have finally understood Jesus this time… Maybe they saw with their ears the powerful truth from Jesus own lips…. But sadly some did not… Scroll down for the next section… v31-33

v31… Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him… Again their reaction to Jesus loving attempt to lead them to repentance is hatred and anger… They are determined to shut Him up…

v32… Many good works I have shown you from My Father… For which of those works do you stone Me?

v33… Blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God…

You are not equal with God… You are a liar… Blasphemy… Stone Him to death…

Jesus was telling them That He is indeed God come in the flesh… God with men… Immanuel… This is the Scarlett thread of Redemption that runs through the Word of God… This is the Good News… God has revealed Himself… Now He has shown Himself to us in the Lord Jesus Christ…

The whole context of the Gospel of John Proclaims that Jesus is the Messiah and therefore God in the flesh…

John 1:1, 14: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . . . And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”

Scroll down to the next section… v 34-39…

Jesus is quoting  Psalm 82… Verse 6 says that God uses the term “gods” to refer to Judges who stand as representatives of God to the people… They were in this position in Israel… He is saying you guys are judges in Israel and in some sense “gods”… scroll down to the next section…

They are ready to seize him v39… but he gives one more pleafor them to see with their ears and repent… Think about this… Since there was still a chance for them… there is a chance for you today… It is not to late for any of you…

v37… If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me;

v38… 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”

What mercy and grace…

If you refuse to believe my words… then at least believe my deeds… Why? Because He is their only hope… This was Jesus’ last public offer to these leaders...

v39… Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.

It was not yet His time… And He escaped from their hands… The Jerusalem account ends with anger and unbelief… And so Jesus last public ministry ends with opposition and unbelief… It now only a few weeks before the cross… Scroll down please…

John could have stopped here and gone directly to the miracle of the Resurrection of Lazarus… Instead he gives us an account of Jesus last few weeks ministering His Words of Life in the countryside beyond the Jordan…

v40… He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing at first, and there he remained.

v41… And many came to him. And they said, “John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.”

v42… And many believed in him there… Despite the power and influence of the Pharisees who were blind John 9…  and were false shepherds… John 10…  Many people still came to Jesus… They saw Him… They saw His miracles… They saw His Words of Life with their ears… They came to Jesus…  He is the Good Shepherd… He is the one who said…. I will never leave you… And I will never forsake you… God said this in Deuteronomy 31… and it is quoted of Jesus in Hebrews 13: 5,6… In that text…  we are being given a life application… Homework if you want it… I want to close by reading from Romans ch8… We will unpack them another day…  But for now I will just read them… ( home group Danny story)(CITA First Pastors)They are a simple application and encouragement from Paul to the persecuted Church in Rome…

Romans 8: 26-39                    NLT   Neues Leben

26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. 27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. 28 And we know that God causes everything to work together[m] for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn[n] among many brothers and sisters. 30 And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.

31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? 33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. 34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. 38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

26 Der Heilige Geist hilft uns in unserer Schwäche. Denn wir wissen ja nicht einmal, worum oder wie wir beten sollen. Doch der Heilige Geist betet für uns mit einem Seufzen, das sich nicht in Worte fassen lässt.

27 Und der Vater, der alle Herzen kennt, weiß, was der Geist sagt, denn der Geist bittet für die, die zu Gott gehören, wie es dem Willen Gottes entspricht.

28 Und wir wissen, dass für die, die Gott lieben und nach seinem Willen zu ihm gehören, alles zum Guten führt6.

29 Denn Gott hat sie schon vor Beginn der Zeit auserwählt und hat sie vorbestimmt, seinem Sohn gleich zu werden, damit sein Sohn der Erstgeborene unter vielen Geschwistern werde.

30 Und da er sie erwählt hat, hat er sie auch berufen, zu ihm zu kommen. Er hat sie gerecht gesprochen und hat ihnen Anteil an seiner Herrlichkeit gegeben.

31 Was kann man dazu noch sagen? Wenn Gott für uns ist, wer kann da noch gegen uns sein?

32 Gott hat nicht einmal seinen eigenen Sohn verschont, sondern hat ihn für uns alle gegeben. Und wenn Gott uns Christus gab, wird er uns mit ihm dann nicht auch alles andere schenken?

33 Wer wagt es, gegen die Anklage zu erheben, die von Gott auserwählt wurden? Gott selbst ist ja der, der sie gerecht spricht.

34 Wer sollte uns verurteilen? Christus Jesus selbst ist ja für uns gestorben. Mehr noch, er ist der Auferstandene. Er sitzt auf dem Ehrenplatz zur rechten Seite Gottes und tritt für uns ein.

35 Kann uns noch irgendetwas von der Liebe Christi trennen? Wenn wir vielleicht in Not oder Angst geraten, verfolgt werden, hungern, frieren, in Gefahr sind oder sogar vom Tod bedroht werden?

36 Schon in der Schrift heißt es: »Weil wir an dir festhalten, werden wir jeden Tag getötet, wir werden geschlachtet wie Schafe.«

37 Aber trotz all dem tragen wir einen überwältigenden Sieg davon durch Christus, der uns geliebt hat.

38 Ich bin überzeugt: Nichts kann uns von seiner Liebe trennen. Weder Tod noch Leben, weder Engel noch Mächte, weder unsere Ängste in der Gegenwart noch unsere Sorgen um die Zukunft, ja nicht einmal die Mächte der Hölle können uns von der Liebe Gottes trennen.

39 Und wären wir hoch über dem Himmel oder befänden uns in den tiefsten Tiefen des Ozeans9, nichts und niemand in der ganzen Schöpfung kann uns von der Liebe Gottes trennen, die in Christus Jesus, unserem Herrn, erschienen ist.

Would you like the key to the joyful Christian life? Listen to the Good Shepherd… See Jesus with your ears… Memorize Romans 8 and hide the Word of God in your hearts… Let´s pray…