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You can turn with me in your 
Bibles to the book of John. We're working our way through 
John's gospel, coming to the end of chapter 10. So our focus 
this morning will be verses 31 to 32, I'm sorry, 42, but I'll 
read beginning in verse 22. So John's Gospel, beginning in 
chapter 10 at verse 22. Now it was the Feast of Dedication 
in Jerusalem, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple 
in Solomon's porch. 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. 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, but you do not believe because you 
are not of my sheep. As I said to you, my sheep hear 
my voice and I know them and they follow me and I give them 
eternal life and they shall never perish. Neither shall anyone 
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 my father's hand. I and my father are one." Then 
the Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered 
them, many good works I have shown you from my father, for 
which of those works do you stone me? The Jews answered him, saying, 
for good work we do not stone you, but for blasphemy, and because 
you, being a man, make yourself God. Jesus answered them, Is 
it not written in your law, I said, you are gods? If he called them 
gods, to whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot 
be broken, 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? If I do not do the works of my 
Father, do not believe me. 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.' Therefore they sought 
again to seize him, but he escaped out of their hand. And he went 
away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing 
at first. And there he stayed. Then many 
came to him and said, John performed no sign. But all the things that 
John spoke about this man were true. And many believed in him 
there. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our 
gracious God and our Holy Father, we thank you for this Lord's 
Day. We thank you for the house of God and for the privilege 
to gather with the people of God to worship you. As we come 
to the Father through the Son and the power of the Holy Spirit, 
we pray that you would be exalted and glorified and praised. And 
as we look at your holy scriptures now, as we consider the life 
and ministry of our blessed Savior, may the Spirit guide us and direct 
us, may we learn wondrous things from your truth. And may you 
help us, Lord God, to appreciate afresh the Savior King, that 
one who is altogether lovely and chief among ten thousand, 
that one in whom there is forgiveness and a righteousness that avails 
with you. And God, for any and all who've come here this morning, 
dead in their trespasses and sins, we pray that you would 
awaken them, that the Holy Spirit would cause them to be alive, 
cause them to be regenerated, cause them to believe on the 
Lord Jesus Christ, that they may have everlasting life. Forgive 
us now for all of our sin and all of our unrighteousness, and 
we pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. As I said, 
as we come to the end of this particular chapter, we'll remember 
that Jesus uses two figures of speech to teach concerning his 
person. He highlights the fact that he 
is the door of the sheep. No one comes into that fold except 
through him. And then he highlights the fact 
that he is the good shepherd. And when he does that, he is 
not devoid of a context. When Jesus speaks about being 
the good shepherd, It ought to cause us to reflect upon those 
shepherd passages in the Old Testament. Psalm 23, for instance, 
the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. The promise through 
the prophet Jeremiah and then the prophet Ezekiel that God 
would send a Davidic shepherd to save his people from their 
sins. And so, as we follow through 
the narrative, we see that the religious leaders in Jerusalem, 
the religious leaders here in the Holy City, they resist Him. 
They reject Him every step of the way. He emphasizes His unique 
relation to the Father, and instead of them bowing down and confessing 
Him as Lord and Savior, they pick up stones to throw at Him. 
And that is precisely the context that we're in now, beginning 
in verses 31 to 42. I want to look first at the revelation 
of His glory, just a reminder of verse 30. Secondly, the attempted 
murder by the Jews in verses 31 to 39. And then finally, His 
ministry in the Transjordan in verses 40 to 42. But by way of 
review, with reference to the revelation of His glory, look 
back for just a moment in verse 25. I told you and you do not 
believe, they asked him the question in verse 24, how long do you 
keep us in doubt? If you are the Christ, tell us 
plainly. He then asserts the fact that he had told them plainly, 
he had told them clearly, and not only had he told them and 
shared with them the unique relation that he bore to his father, but 
also the good works that he did, the signs, the wonders, the miracles, 
the fact that he healed this man in chapter 9 who had been 
born blind. And then as he continues down 
this particular section, he highlights the fact that though they reject, 
there are nevertheless those who receive. We see that in our 
section this morning. But notice what he says in verse 
26. You do not believe because you are not of my sheep, as I 
said to you. It's very important that we get 
that. He is highlighting the absolute sovereignty of God. 
He's not saying, you're not my sheep because you don't believe. 
You don't believe because you're not my sheep. In Acts 13, 48, 
we see as many as had been appointed to eternal life believe the things 
that were spoken. by the Apostle Paul in the synagogue 
in Pisidian Antioch. So the Lord Christ understands 
and acknowledges and finds great comfort in the fact that the 
Father is sovereign over these things. So they resist, they 
reject because they're not of his sheep. But then notice in 
verse 27, my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow 
me, and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. 
Neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand. And then he says, 
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. And 
then he makes this glorious declaration in verse 30, I and my father 
are one. Now they obviously understood 
what he was saying because they pick up stones to throw at him 
for what they perceive to be the crime of blasphemy. Now, 
when he says that I and my father are one, he's not simply suggesting 
that they're one in purpose. that they're one in function, 
that they're one in terms of holding on to the elect saved 
sinner. But rather, as Cyril says with 
the word one, he is referring to the identity of substance. 
And Matthew Poole says not only in counsel and will, but in nature, 
power, and essence. So he is claiming to be the son 
of God in a unique way. So that's the basis or the context 
for which we then see the attempted murder by the Jews in verses 
31 to 39. Notice verse 31. It says, then the Jews took up 
stones again to stone him. This was a capital offense in 
Israel. Leviticus chapter 24, specifically 
at verses 10 and following indicate that this was a capital crime. To commit blasphemy in Old Covenant 
Israel was to engage not only in the sin of idolatry or the 
sin of rejection of the lawful authority of Yahweh, but it was 
an act of treason. To disown, as it were, the living 
and the true God in that particular body politic was sedition, and 
therefore it was a criminal offense and it was punished by stoning. 
But notice what these men don't do. They don't engage in due 
process. So the same Torah, the same Old 
Testament, the same Pentateuch of the same law that demands 
the execution of a blasphemer also demands due process. It 
demands two or three witnesses. It demands a particular procedure. 
And they have descended from that, and they've engaged in 
mob violence. Now, these are probably representatives 
of the Sanhedrin. Well, just because they're with 
the Sanhedrin doesn't mean that they can disregard the lawful 
process that is involved and encompassed by God in terms of 
justice. These men have descended to the 
level of mob violence. They take up stones to throw 
at Him. And then notice what John tells us here in verse 31. 
Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. This wasn't 
their first rodeo. Go back to John chapter five, 
after Jesus healed that man at the pool of Bethesda. We notice 
in 5.16, for this reason, the Jews persecuted Jesus and sought 
to kill him because he had done these things on the Sabbath. 
Again, another capital offense. But Jesus answered them, my father 
has been working until now and I have been working. Therefore, 
the Jews sought all the more to kill him, because he not only 
broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was his father, making 
himself equal with God. So as far as they were concerned, 
Sabbath-breaking and blasphemy. This assertion that he himself 
was equal with God demanded that they execute him with stones. 
Again, brethren, you search the Old Testament in vain to just 
see the descent into mob violence. You see the emphasis. Deuteronomy 
17, Deuteronomy 19. There is a demand for two or 
three witnesses, especially in a capital offense. In a capital 
crime, you can't just pick up stones and throw them at people. 
What they do in Stephen's case, in Acts chapter 7, is a great 
breach of the law of God. You can't do this. Just because 
you're convinced that something is right, you have Bible verses 
to prove it, you need to engage in due process. And these men 
have descended to the level of mob violence. Notice in John 
7, there's a hesitancy on the part of the Savior about going 
to the feast because of the fact that they want to kill Him. Notice 
in John 7, 1, after these things, Jesus walked in Galilee, for 
He did not want to walk in Judea because the Jews sought to kill 
Him. When he does eventually arrive, notice what he says in 
verse 19. Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you 
keeps the law? Why do you seek to kill me? These men were outraged 
at the claims made by the Lord Jesus Christ. You see it at the 
end of John chapter 8 as well. When he claims, or when he asserts 
the reality that your father Abraham, verse 56, rejoiced to 
see my day, he sought and was glad. Then the Jews said to him, 
you are not yet 50 years old, and have you seen Abraham? Jesus 
said to them, Most assuredly I say to you, before Abraham 
was, I am. Then they took up stones to throw 
at him. But Jesus hid himself and went 
out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed 
by. So in John 10.31, again, this 
isn't the first attempt. This isn't the first try. This 
isn't the first effort on their part to eradicate or to eliminate 
the Son of God. Now notice the question concerning 
the motive of the Jews posed by our Lord. Verse 32, He addresses 
them specifically. Why are you doing what you're 
doing? This is unrighteous, this is ungodly, this is unholy. You're 
claiming to be those who are upholding the law of God and 
all the while trashing the law of God. And I think he guides 
them by the hand, as it were, throughout the remainder of this 
section, to underscore the authority of Scripture, the relevance of 
Scripture, the abiding sufficiency of Scripture in all matters. 
So he asks them in verse 32, many good works I have shown 
you from my Father. For which of those works do you 
stone me? That's a good question. And we 
see in John's gospel the evidentiary value of the signs. Remember, 
the gospel ends on that note. These things are written so that 
you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and 
that believing in his name, you may have everlasting life. So 
the signs are given as causes, or rather effects, to lead us 
to the cause. If he is able to do these things 
that are unique to God, then he is uniquely God. He is God's 
Son. He is the sent one from the Father. 
Now notice how they answer this. They don't deny his works. Notice 
in verse 33, the Jews answered him saying, for good work we 
do not stone you. They couldn't. He really did 
heal that man that was born blind. Remember, there's an inextricable 
link between chapters nine and 10. We're not supposed to forget 
what happens in chapter nine. There was a man born blind and 
Jesus heals him. There were other signs and wonders 
that Jesus undertook in John's gospel, seven of them in total. The synoptics record many more. 
In fact, John says that in John 20, many other signs Jesus did, 
but these are written for a particular purpose. So we notice specifically 
that they cannot deny his works. Notice what charge they level. For a good work we do not stone 
you, but for blasphemy. Again, Leviticus 24.10 demands 
the execution of those who blaspheme in terms of the body politic. 
And then notice the rationale they give. But for blasphemy, 
and because you being a man, make yourself God. So the rejection 
of the Old Testament that prophesied a divine Messiah. I mentioned 
last week, brethren, you cannot deny at the literary level that 
the Old Covenant or the Old Testament scriptures promise a divine Messiah. Yahweh said to my Lord, sit at 
my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool. No creature 
sits at the right hand of Yahweh. Psalm 45, we have that ascription 
concerning the Son of God, and it says, My God. You have the 
emphasis in the prophet Isaiah in chapter 9, verses 6 and 7, 
concerning the coming King and His kingdom, and it calls Him 
Everlasting Father. It calls Him Prince of Peace. 
It calls Him Mighty God. You have that statement concerning 
him in Micah 5, 2, that his goings forth are from of old, from everlasting. That does not define, describe, 
or characterize a creature. So the Old Testament Scriptures 
prophesied a divine Messiah. The divine Messiah has come to 
them. He has taken on our humanity. We know that. John 1.1. In the 
beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was 
God. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. He's come. He's 
arrived. The time is now at this particular 
juncture, and yet they resist that. They reject that. So they 
don't hold to the old covenant scriptures, but they also don't 
go by the witness of their own eyes. He's done these works, 
he's done these signs, he's made these claims, and yet they resist 
him, and they reject him, and they assert rather that he's 
committing blasphemy, and they pick up stones to throw at him. 
Now notice the refutation of the Jews by our Lord in verses 
34 to 38. There's three things we ought 
to consider here. First, the appeal to Scripture. 
Second, the argument from Scripture. And then finally, the application 
in this context. And this is where we're going 
to spend most of our time this morning. Notice the appeal to 
Scripture. Verse 33, "...for a good work 
we do not stone you, but for blasphemy, and because you, being 
a man, make yourself God." Jesus answered them. Now he appeals 
to the scripture. They think they're acting in 
accordance with scripture. They think that they're the righteous 
ones, that they're the holy ones. Remember when we looked at the 
previous part of this particular chapter, when Jesus describes 
these men as thieves and as robbers and as those who kill and destroy. They nevertheless parade themselves 
under the guise of sanctimony. It's kind of like what you see 
today, the self-righteous people, the ones that are engaged in 
great lawlessness, nevertheless are characterized by a great 
deal of sanctimony as they lecture the rest of us. That is indicative 
of these men. And so when Jesus appeals to 
the authority of Scripture here, he is doing them a service. He 
is teaching the religious leadership in Israel how they're supposed 
to function in terms of the authoritative Word of God. And he is as well 
establishing the reality that for all matters of faith and 
practice, the Word of God is sufficient. So notice this appeal, 
or rather the authority of Scripture in terms of the appeal. He says 
in verse 34, "'Is it not written in your law, I said, you are 
gods?' Now the reference here is to Psalm 82, verse 6. Our brother read this at the 
outset of worship, and it's on the interpretation of this particular 
psalm that this particular section is hinged. So notice, in the 
In the context, is it not written in your law? Now, law there used 
reference to the Old Testament. The Old Testament is made up 
of the law proper, the five books of Moses, and then you have the 
prophets, and then you have the writings. But it's not uncommon 
to refer to the Old Testament in its entirety as the law. So 
even though it's a psalm, that is appropriate to refer to it 
as law. So he appeals to Psalm 82.6. Is it not written in your law? 
I said, you are gods. Now, before we get to the actual 
interpretation as Christ leads them, I just want to point out 
a few things. In this particular psalm, the 
eye that is speaking is Yahweh. The eye that is speaking is the 
Most High. It is God Almighty. And the eye 
that is speaking says what he says here in verse 34. I said, 
you are gods. Now, I take this as a definition 
of earthly judges. There are some who suggest that 
the gods, the Elohim, in Psalm 82, are angelic powers. They 
suggest that what God is doing, according to Psalm 82, is that 
He's with this angelic power host, and He's addressing them. 
But the nature of the psalm indicates that he is dealing with earthly 
judges. He is dealing with the defense of the fatherless and 
the widow. He is castigating them for their 
bad conduct in terms of living as judges in this particular 
earthly realm. The first two verses indicate 
this. In fact, you can turn there, 
to Psalm 86, just to see what the context is in terms of our 
Lord's appeal to this particular passage. Psalm 82, I'm sorry, 
Psalm 86, Psalm 82, verse 1. Notice, Psalm of Asaph, God stands 
in the congregation of the mighty. He judges among the gods, or 
the Elohim. And then notice what he says. 
How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? 
Selah. Defend the poor and fatherless. 
Do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy. Free them from the hand of the 
wicked. They do not know, nor do they understand. They walk 
about in darkness. All the foundations of the earth 
are unstable. I said, you are gods, and all 
of you are children of the Most High, but you shall die like 
men and fall like one of the princes. Arise, O God, judge 
the earth, for you shall inherit all nations." Now, in terms of 
the context, God stands in the congregation of the mighty. He 
judges among the gods. Again, he's not talking about 
the angelic host. He's talking about earthly judges. 
He's talking about earthly magistrates. He's talking about the men who 
have been given the task of carrying out justice for the downtrodden 
and poor in the civil polity. Notice in verses 6 and 7, I said, 
you are gods and all of you are children of the Most High, but 
you shall die like men. The angels don't die like men. And in this instance, they are 
going to die, but like normal men. They have a prestigious 
power. They're earthly magistrates. 
They're earthly judges. They are called Elohim. They 
are called gods. But because they are deficient 
in the way that they carry that out, because of the way they 
sin, because of the way that they jeopardize the defenseless, 
they're going to die like ordinary men. There's no prestige in their 
grave. There's no prestige at their 
funeral. They're going to be cast away just like normal men. 
You shall die like men and fall like one of the princes. Now 
go back to the book of Exodus. The book of Exodus, specifically 
in chapter 22. We've been working our way through. We finished 
the book of Exodus in our Wednesday night study. And one of the things 
we saw in the study of the judicial laws of Moses is in Exodus chapter 
22, specifically at verse seven. You can turn there. Exodus chapter 
22 verse 7. We'll not get into all the particulars 
in terms of the property damage and what's happening in terms 
of legislation, but something unique or interesting. If a man 
delivers to his neighbor money or articles to keep, and it is 
stolen out of the man's house, if the thief is found, he shall 
pay double. If the thief is not found, then the master of the 
house shall be brought to the Elohim, to the gods. to the judges to see whether 
he has put his hand into his neighbor's goods. So they might 
say, or some might say, well, it just means that in the presence 
of Yahweh, they're going to adjudicate this particular case. No, based 
on scripture, interpreting scripture, we see that God Most High calls 
earthly judges, civil magistrates, Elohim. He calls them gods. Let every soul be subject to 
the governing authority, for there is no authority except 
from whom? Except from God. Jesus speaking his wisdom in 
Proverbs 8 says, By me kings reign. That doesn't mean that 
they are autonomous men. They are under his lead. Notice 
as well, verse 9, for any kind of trespass, whether it concerns 
an ox, a donkey, a sheep, or clothing, or for any other kind 
of lost thing, which another claims to be his, the cause of 
both parties shall come before the Elohim, the gods, and whomever 
the gods or the Elohim condemn shall pay double to his neighbor. 
So when we go back to the book of John, specifically in chapter 
10, and Jesus appeals to this particular verse, I think he's 
doing two things. I think in the first place, he 
is showing how the charge of blasphemy doesn't fit. The charge 
of blasphemy doesn't fit. The fact that he says that he 
is the son of God is not enough to wage the war against him in 
terms of the crime of blasphemy. Now, secondly, I think he is 
showing that in their particular context, they have fallen prey 
to the same sorts of sin or the same sorts of crime that the 
Elohim in Psalm 82 had. Remember, these are men from 
the Sanhedrin, the highest religious and political court in Israel. 
Certainly, there's other things they could go after. Certainly, 
there are defenseless ones like widows and orphans in the first 
century that they could tend to. Certainly, they could use 
their time a little bit more profitably in light of God's 
holy scriptures than to bandy about the charge of blasphemy 
against the only begotten Son of God. So in many respects, 
this is not only an interpretation of Psalm 82, but it's also an 
application of Psalm 82. You're like those Elohim. You're like those earthly judges. You're like those men that have 
a high place in government in Israel. You've been given great 
authority from God Most High, and you're squandering it. You're 
wasting it. You are losing it. You are not 
engaged in what you ought to be doing. So the Lord Christ 
is taking them by the hand to a passage that would hopefully 
convict them and bring them to repentance and faith. Don't miss 
that in this passage. Christ is still showing that 
belief in Him means everlasting life. Brethren, I would have 
been done with these guys a long time ago. I'd have been like, 
forget it. The first attempt, when they 
picked up stones to throw at me, would have been enough for 
me to say, that's it. I'm going to wipe off the dust from my 
feet, and I'm never coming back to this holy city. I'd have been 
peaced out. I would have been like, gone. 
No more. No mas. No mas for Tomas. And yet, the 
Lord Christ, in the midst of these men, nevertheless says, 
Believe that I am in my Father, and my Father is in me. Believe. He's showing them the Scripture. 
He's showing them their sin. He's showing them that they do 
not have lawful authority to pick up stones and to throw at 
Him for the crime of blasphemy. Now, notice his particular argument. 
Well, before that, look at the statement he says concerning 
the authority of Scripture. Notice in verse 34, I'm sorry, 
verse 35, "...if he called them gods, to whom the word of God 
came." And the Scripture cannot be broken, cannot be rendered 
null and void. It's sufficient and efficient 
for all matters of faith and practice. It's not something 
we put on the shelf and forget. It's something that cannot be 
broken. It is accurate. It is authoritative. It is infallible. It is inerrant. 
It is all that the Scripture claims to be because it comes 
from God, the author thereof. So he appeals to the Scripture, 
he underscores the authority of the Scripture, and then notice 
that he argues from the Scripture in verse 35. So if He called 
them gods to whom the Word of God came, and the Scripture cannot 
be broken, 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? The type of argument that Jesus 
employs is a lesser to the greater argument. We argue from the lesser 
to something to the greater in something, and that's precisely 
what He's doing. The nature of the argument employed by our 
Lord Jesus Christ is quite simple. If God is all right, and He is, 
with calling these earthly judges Elohim, and He has, then are 
you really going to pick up stones to throw at the man that He sanctified 
and sent? If these earthly Elohim have 
the title gods, then the Son of God, the only begotten Son, 
who has come from the bosom of the Father, who, no, rather is 
in the bosom of the Father, how are you going to pick up stones 
to throw at Him? And notice how he describes himself here. He's 
not just the earthly gods, the Elohim. Notice what he says in 
verse 36. Does that mean sanctified? It 
means that Jesus was set apart. Some interpret this relative 
to his humanity, in terms of his human nature. They'd look 
at chapter 8 and paragraph 3 in our confession. He was sanctified 
or set apart for the work that God had entrusted to him as the 
mediator of the new covenant. I take it and I link it with 
chapter 8 paragraph 1. Chapter 8 paragraph 1 tells us 
this concerning the son. It pleased God in His eternal 
purpose to choose and ordain the Lord Jesus, His only begotten 
Son, according to the covenant made between them both, to be 
the mediator between God and man, the prophet, priest, and 
king, head and savior of the church, the heir of all things, 
and judge of the world, unto whom He did from all eternity 
give a people to be His seed, and to be by Him in time redeemed, 
called, justified, sanctified, and glorified. In other words, 
this is covenant redemption language. So you get the argument from 
lesser to the greater. If God Most High is okay calling earthly 
judges Elohim, you're going to take up stones to throw at Jesus 
because he says, I am the Son of God? Again, brethren, there's 
a lot more that Jesus could say. There's a lot more that Jesus 
could argue. There's a lot more that Jesus 
could bring to bear upon these people. But if the simple allegation 
is that you are a blasphemer because you being a man make 
yourself out to be God, then what do you do with those earthly 
Elohim? And then notice as well, the sending of the Son refers 
to the Incarnation, the John 1 14 reality. The Word became 
flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory. So you see 
the unique difference between Jesus and those earthly Elohim. You see the unique difference 
between Jesus and those men who had fallen prey to the judgment 
and fury of God because they didn't defend the weak. They 
didn't defend the fatherless and the widow. Cyril says he 
teaches that there is a great difference between those who 
are called gods and him who is God by nature. And so if it is 
appropriate for the Father to refer to earthly judges as God, 
then it is certainly appropriate for the Father and for everybody 
else to refer to the Lord Jesus as God. We know that He's God 
from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten, 
not made, one in being with the Father, through whom all things 
were made. Now, before we proceed, one of 
the emphases that we have been trying to bring out as we move 
our way through the Gospel of John is this unique relation 
between the Father and the Son. Brethren, it is not an exaggeration 
to say that this unique relation has been called into question 
over the last several years. There's something called the 
eternal functional subordination of the Son. Now, we would argue 
that Christ submits and subordinates to the Father in the work of 
redemption. The Lamb of God who takes away 
the sin of the world always does what is pleasing to His Father. 
But in terms of theology, the relations between Father, Son, 
and Holy Spirit, there's no gradation. Jesus isn't a little g-god. There 
is one glorious God, divine and infinite being, and then there 
are three subsistences, the Father, the Word, or Son, and the Holy 
Spirit. The Father is unbegotten, the 
Son is begotten by the Father, and the Spirit proceeds from 
the Father and the Son. In other words, what we find 
in John's Gospel is codified at the Council of Nicaea. It's 
codified later in the Council at Chalcedon. It's codified in 
the writings of the Church Fathers and through the medieval era 
and up until the time of the Reformation. But as I said, in 
the last few years, it has fallen on hard times. In fact, we might 
step back from the debate concerning the functional subordination 
of the Son even a bit further, a generation or so. Well, the 
whole idea of the doctrine of the Trinity has fallen on hard 
times. We don't think biblically. We 
don't think properly. We don't think correctly. We 
don't think God's thoughts after Him in the subject or the topic 
that is most important. It's interesting, the church 
wants to have all these principles and helps on how to be a better 
me. Well, we need to first stop and bask in the glory of God 
Most High. When Jesus gets to the high priestly 
prayer in John 17 3, he says, this is eternal life, that they 
may find realization, that they may find achievement, that they 
might find a better man. No, this is eternal life, that 
they may know thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom 
thou has sent. If that is descriptive of the 
age to come, what should we be busy with in this age? It ought 
to be the study of our God. It ought to be to understand 
the relation that obtains between the Father and the Son. So that 
when the Son says, I and my Father are one, instead of picking up 
stones to throw at Him, or trying to explain that away, because 
it's just too hard, It's just too difficult. We can't understand 
that. We stand in awe at the glory 
of our triune God. We stand in awe, and we worship, 
and we praise, and we adore, and we understand that to know 
Him is the very essence of everlasting life. Theology proper, Christology, 
these ought to be the pursuits of the people of God at every 
level. I'm not suggesting you go home and read Augustine on 
the Trinity this afternoon. That's a bit of a tough sled, 
you know, over the course of an afternoon to be sure, over 
the course of several afternoons to be sure, but there ought to 
be this desire on the part of God's people to know God. And in this particular section, 
He is the Good Shepherd. He is the One that has come to 
save us from our sins. He has the power to lay down 
His life and to take it up again. He is the One in whom there is 
forgiveness. He is the one in whom there is 
a righteousness by which we may enter into God's presence. He 
is the one who says to needy sinners, come to me, all you 
who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. He 
is the one that uniquely reveals the Father. John 1.18, no one 
has seen God at any time, but the only begotten Son, who is 
in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. And today the 
church doesn't listen. Today the church would rather 
have five principles on being a better me, five principles 
on being a better employer or employee or both. Not that those 
are wrong, and Paul deals with that. We're going to see it as 
we move through our exposition of Ephesians in the evening services. 
But what comes first before being a better you? It's understanding 
who God is. It's getting a glimpse of the 
divine being. It's getting a glimpse of the 
Holy One of Israel, the Most High, the One who is from everlasting 
to everlasting, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Now notice the 
application that Jesus brings to bear upon them. Lesser to 
the greater, if He calls them Elohim, you've got a problem 
with me? You're gonna throw a stone at me? You're gonna call me a 
blasphemer? Now notice in verse 37, if I do not do the works 
of my Father, do not believe me. Good, right? If I don't do the works of my 
father, then don't believe me. You're off the hook, as it were. 
He's already pointed to the evidentiary value of his works in verse 25, 
and again, in this present context. But he says, if I have not done 
those works, then of course don't believe me. I'm a fake. I'm a 
sham. I'm a charlatan. I'm just trying 
to pull one over your eyes. If I haven't done these things, 
like healing this man that was born blind. If I hadn't done 
these things, like multiplying the fish and the loaves, if I 
hadn't done these things, like changing water into wine, if 
I hadn't done these things that show my lordship and sovereignty 
over the created order, if I hadn't done these things, then of course 
don't believe. But if I have in fact done these 
things, even if you don't believe me for my sake, even if you don't 
believe me for my word's sake, believe the works themselves. 
In other words, there's all these signs that are out there that 
Christ has done, all these signs that affirm who he is, all these 
signs that confirm that he is, in fact, that one who's come 
from the Father and bears a unique and special relation to him. Believe. Notice, this is what 
he says to these wretches. If I do not do the works of my 
Father, do not believe me. 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. Poole says proper effects 
give testimony to the proper cause. He who does those things 
which none but God can do must needs be God or empowered by 
God to do that. As I said, notice in verse 25, 
I told you and you do not believe the works that I do in my Father's 
name. They bear witness of me. several 
other places in John's gospel, he refers to the evidentiary 
value of the signs that have been done. And they are there, 
not so you can say, wow, that was nice. Wow, that was great. That was impressive. Like you 
went to a magic show at some club and you were dazzled by 
the way the guy pulled the queen of hearts from behind your ear. 
That was amazing. That's not how these signs are 
supposed to function. They have evidentiary value as 
effect pointing to the cause. If it's something that none but 
God can do, and Jesus does them, what's the clear implication? 
That he must be none but God. God from God, light from light, 
true God from true God, begotten not made, one in being with the 
Father, through whom all things were made. That's his point. That's his emphasis. And then 
notice how he ends this section very similarly as he does in 
verse 30. He says, but if I do, 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. Intriguing. He already knows 
how they responded to his statement that I and my father are one. 
They go find stones to throw at him and to bash his skull 
in. Let's not, you know, sort of 
dance around here. That's what they wanted to do. 
That's what they did to Stephen. You know, we see this language 
in the Bible about stoning this criminal offender to death. And 
we're so far removed. We are so far removed even from 
the concept of justice in the civil sphere. I just read that 
another state in the U.S. outlawed the death penalty. May 
I just say to you that no civil government has the right to overturn 
God's law, God's rule, God's will relative to the punishment 
of criminal offenders? When you don't execute a murderer, 
you bring blood guiltiness upon your land. It's just that simple. When you don't execute a murderer, 
you bring blood guiltiness upon your land. Think about those 
lands that celebrate abortion. Imagine how much blood guiltiness 
is upon our land, or that celebrate euthanasia for just about any 
cause. Think how much blood guiltiness 
is upon our land. When it comes to this reality, 
the execution of criminal offenders, we ought to be 100% behind it. 
But when it's done in this manner, when it's done in this kind of 
a road sense, when it's degenerated to mob mentality, when it's no 
better than the beasts of the field trying to eat one another 
because one of them did something wrong. I don't even know if they 
do that. They don't do that kind of thing, I don't think. They 
only eat things that they need to eat with or for nutrition. But relative to this. They wanted 
to take up stones to throw at the Lord of Glory. Think about 
that, right? And again, going back just a 
few moments in the sermon, if it were me, I'd probably be like, 
that's it. You know, I've tried, I've been patient, you know, 
this overture, this constant emphasis, but you know, you've 
worn out, you're welcome at this point. Brethren, this is the 
nature of our God. I'm always surprised and a bit 
shocked and a little bit concerned when I talk to people, and not 
anyone here, of course, but, oh, the Old Testament, so full 
of blood and wrath and fury and guts and devastation. I mean, 
God commanded the children of Israel to go into the land of 
Canaan and to dispossess that land of the Canaanites. He didn't 
command them to do so by, you know, invitations, you know, 
we want you to go to this other place, it's so much nicer, but 
by killing them and by breaking things. People have this animus 
to the Old Testament because they think that Yahweh is this 
vengeful, vindictive, capricious God that's just out there barking 
at Israel to go and kill poor innocent Canaanites. Brethren, 
the poor innocent Canaanites were wretches. They were vile. They were vicious. So God uses 
none too righteous Israel to deal with the Canaanites. Now 
when Israel takes the occupation of the land and they live like 
the Canaanites, God uses the Assyrians and He uses the Babylonians 
to deal with them in like manner. There's no capriciousness there. There's no arbitrariness there. 
But behind the scenes is God's patience, God's long-suffering. Do you know how many times He 
bore with them? Do you know how much he continued 
with them? There's that bit in 1 Kings 21 
when Ahab wants Naboth's vineyard. And he does so. He uses Jezebel, 
that wretched mother of the year, woman of the year, Jezebel. She 
goes in and concocts these charges and has Naboth put to death for 
blasphemy, interestingly enough. So Elijah the Tishbite comes 
on the scene. He reproves Ahab. And then Ahab, 
the chronicler makes it sound even more better. But at least 
in the Kings, we see there's this at least brokenness about 
what he had done. There's this sort of pang of 
conscience that Ahab, again, Ahab was not a righteous man 
by any stretch of the imagination. But he made a movement in the 
right direction. And it's almost like Yahweh sort 
of nudges Elijah and says, do you see that? There was something 
to be encouraged about there. There was something there that 
was a movement in the right direction. I mentioned last time in the 
book of Exodus, the man Moses, that man of God says, show me 
your glory. And God says, I'll put you in 
the cleft of the rock and I'll cause all my goodness to pass 
by you. What's the goodness that is revealed? The goodness that 
is revealed is His grace. It is His mercy. It is His long-loving, 
long-suffering. And then it is His forgiveness 
of sin, transgression, and iniquity. So when we consider these things, 
we ought to appreciate the patience of our God. And if you are not 
a believer here this morning, you need to appreciate the patience 
of our God. Because you have done enough, 
along with the rest of us, to merit God's wrath and curse, 
both in this life and that which is to come. And yet, because 
of God's goodness and His patience, His long-suffering and His kindness, 
we're not in hell. And by God's grace, He opens 
the eyes of some that they may behold their own sin, their own 
wickedness, their own transgression, and that they might behold the 
Son of God who takes away the sin of the world. So do not test 
or try the patience of God. It's long-suffering to be sure, 
but it's not never-ending. There is a day coming, the day 
of judgment, wherein Christ will judge the living and the dead, 
the righteous will go into eternal bliss, and the wicked will be 
cast off into eternal punishment, eternal woe. So don't test or 
try the patience of the long-suffering of God. If you're a young person 
or a child, you'll say, well, you know, when I'm 25, I'll make 
my peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Don't do that. 
There is no better time than right now to look on to the Lord 
Jesus Christ. Behold, now is the acceptable 
time. Today is the day of salvation. Don't tarry. Don't resist. Don't reject. Don't say, well, 
you know, there's just not enough there. What more could you possibly 
want? The word became flesh and dwelt 
among us. And he did this so that we could 
behold his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, 
full of what? Full of grace and truth. This whole emphasis on not coming 
to Jesus, vis-a-vis hyper-Calvinism, it makes no sense of the Bible. 
It makes no sense whatsoever. It makes no sense of Luke 15 
when that prodigal is seen by the father, and the father runs 
to him, and the father falls on him. Not to throw blows at 
him, not to rebuff him, not to rebuke him, but to receive him. Don't tarry, don't wait, don't 
resist, but rather look on to this one. If he is saying these 
words to a mob of men that are ready to kill him for no reason, 
then listen. Listen to what he has to say 
here. But if I do, though you do not 
believe me, and I would just suggest there's every reason 
why you should believe him, believe the works that you may know and 
believe that the Father is in me and I in him. So he doubles 
down on that reality that I and my Father are one. So what do 
they do? Finally see it the light bulb 
goes off over their head off. Yeah, he is all together lovely 
He is chief among 10,000. No, remember these are thieves. 
These are robbers These are the kind of men that like to kill 
and destroy These are the kind of men that are supposed to be 
defending the the the downtrodden and poor They're supposed to 
be helping those who are widows and orphans in Israel, but they're 
badgering this man who is wholly harmless and undefiled They don't 
see it They continue to resist it, they continue to reject it, 
and they live in light of that reality. Notice, the attempt 
to arrest Jesus. Therefore, they sought again 
to seize Him. I think the language here, some 
translations actually have it to arrest Him. I think that's 
probably the way to go with the interpretation here. They're 
not conquered. They're not concerned. They don't 
care. The signs don't do anything for 
them. The words don't do anything for 
them. The appeal to Psalm 82, the argument 
from lesser to the greater, doesn't do anything for them. These men 
are not His sheep. These men are resistant. These 
men are rejecters. These men are despisers. So they 
want to arrest Him, and they want to formalize this process. And then when it says, but he 
escaped out of their hand, I don't know what all that means, but 
he was able to evade that. Some of the commentators get 
a little bit wild at things like this, so I don't want to get 
wild at interpretation. Whatever we can say, we can say 
this. He escaped out of their hand. They were not able to arrest 
him. They were not able to seize him. And the reason why he escaped 
from them is because it was not yet his time to die. He knew 
that he was going to die. He knew the plan and purpose 
of God the Father. He knew the obligations of the 
covenant placed upon him. He was most happy to carry these 
things out. I always do that, which is pleasing 
to my Father, but this was not yet his time. So he evades them, 
and then that brings us to the Transjordan. Notice, the ministry 
in the Transjordan, that simply means on the other side of the 
River Jordan. on the other side, sort of the 
eastern side of Jordan, you've got Jerusalem, you've got the 
bulk of Israel on the western side of Jordan, but you've got 
now Jesus go away to this place, notice in verse 40, and he went 
away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing 
at first, and there he stayed. This is where the public ministry 
according to John's gospel begins. 1.28. In fact, you can turn there, 
because I think this is important. Chapter 1, verse 28. After the 
prologue, verses 1 to 18, we see the economy. We see the work 
of redemption. We see the Son, who is God, one 
with God, and yet distinct from the Father, come into this world 
sinners to save. And notice in verse 28, these 
things were done in Bethabara, beyond the Jordan. That means 
Transjordan, eastern side, where John was baptizing. The next 
day, John saw Jesus coming toward him. What's the obvious implication? Jesus is in the Transjordan. 
Jesus is there where John is. So he saw Jesus coming toward 
him and said, Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin 
of the world. Going back to chapter 10, I think we have the end, 
the formal end of his public ministry. Not that the events 
that occur in chapters 11 and 12 are private, but in terms 
of his public ministry, His interaction with the various sorts of foes 
that he faces there in Israel in this first century context, 
he's come full circle. He started in the Transjordan, 
he now ends back in the Transjordan. And then notice what we see in 
verse 41. Then many came to him. See, here's what John, I think, 
wants you to get. If you followed the story up 
until this part, you might be tempted to say, what a miserable 
failure. Not Jesus, but this ministry. I mean, everywhere he goes, he 
makes enemies. Everywhere he goes, they want 
to kill him. Everywhere he goes, they want 
to destroy him. That just doesn't seem like what 
we'd expect in terms of God's glory manifested in the world. Notice the many, the hoi polloi. I think John is doing some theology 
here for us. The once holy city is now devoid 
of any true religion. The once holy city is only worthy 
for judgment. The once holy city is basically 
being cast off. I mentioned to the brethren yesterday, 
if you look back in the book of Ezekiel, around chapters 8 
to 11, you see the departure of the glory of God from the 
temple. You see the departure of the glory of God from the 
temple. I'm not saying that Jesus doesn't come back to Jerusalem. 
I'm not saying that Jesus doesn't come again into that holy city. 
He must come back. He must be tried. He must be 
executed. And he must be raised again from 
the dead. But I think John is taking us by the hand and showing 
us something. That while the many in Jerusalem 
despise him and reject him and resist him and forsake him and 
want to kill him, that doesn't mean that many elsewhere are 
going to receive him the same way. The many elsewhere see him 
as altogether lovely and chief among 10,000. Remember, he's 
made the delineation between my sheep and you guys. You're 
not my sheep. See, we can get very discouraged 
as the people of God, thinking, you know, this is it. This is 
it. I hope we don't do that with 
our small group here. But, you know, we see the people 
of God as a whole, and we see the wretched, you know, godless. 
They seem to be winning at times, don't they? I mean, let's be 
honest, at times it seems that they're winning. I mean, we have 
to change our language, we have to change the way that we think, 
we have to change the way that we do, we have to move in their 
particular directions, and we might throw up our hands at times, 
well, wait a minute, God's on high. Christ is enthroned at 
the right hand. You see, God does not work in 
a manner to satisfy what we think ought to be. In other words, 
Jesus says, I will build my church and the gates of Hades shall 
not prevail against it. We focus on the build my church, 
and well, we should, but we need to remember the gates of Hades 
certainly tries to stop that. The gates of Hades certainly 
tries to resist that. The gates of Hades tries to stop 
up the progress of the kingdom of Jesus. See, brethren, there's 
going to be difficulties. There's going to be hardships. 
The Savior set forth the example. Hebrews 5.8 tells us that the 
Son of God learned obedience through what? Through suffering. 
This triumphalistic spirit, this mindset that, you know what? 
We're children of the King, and therefore, everybody better just 
knuckle under. That's simply not what you should 
expect in terms of God's holy word. Now, I believe the gospel 
is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes, to 
the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in that gospel, the 
righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, that as 
it is written, the just shall live by faith. I believe, according 
to the book of Revelation, there'll be a great multitude that no 
man can number, from every tribe, every tongue, every people, and 
every nation. But I also believe that between 
A and Z, there's going to be a lot of heartache, and a lot 
of hardship, and a lot of trial, and a lot of affliction for the 
people of God. When you look at the history 
of the church, that's what the experience was. When you look 
at the pages of the New Testament, that's what we're taught to expect. Jesus says in the upper room 
in this world you will have tribulation, doesn't he? He does say that, 
brethren. So when we have tribulation now, 
when we have trial or affliction now, instead of saying, God, 
where are you? We ought to say, all the promises 
of God are yea and amen in our Lord Jesus Christ. He promised 
this. I'm not saying we abdicate. I'm 
not saying we retreat. I'm not saying we go live out, 
you know, on the top of Mount Shem. Let's all go, you know, 
pitch our tents up there and just wait for Jesus to come. 
There's got to be a way that the people of God can still be 
lights shining in the midst of darkness, can still be lights 
in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, and still 
hold forth that word of truth even when it is bleak, even when 
it is difficult, even when it is a trial. And with reference 
to our blessed Savior, He moves from the holy city of Jerusalem 
where He's rejected and resisted. He goes transjordan, and what 
happens? Many come to Him. And what do the many say? They 
acknowledge John the Baptist didn't do any works. John the 
Baptist wasn't out there transjordan doing, you know, wondrous things. 
He wasn't healing people. He wasn't raising the dead. He 
wasn't multiplying the loaves and the fish. He wasn't doing 
that. But what did they conclude or 
what did they come to understand according to the Baptist testimony? 
Notice in verse 41, then many came to him and said, John performed 
no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this man were 
true. All the things that John spoke 
about this man were true. Listen to the commentator, Edward 
Klink. He says, by returning to the Baptist, the reader is 
reminded of the message of the Baptist to hear afresh his witness 
and titles for Jesus that emerged at the gospel start from the 
Baptist ministry. Let me just repeat that. Listen 
to what he says. This is important. By returning to the Baptist, 
John 1.28, Jesus goes, 1.29, to John, transjordan, Bethabara. Now we have him here, and many 
are coming, and many are saying, John didn't do anything, signs, 
wonders, miracles, he didn't have that, wasn't an Elijah in 
that regard, wasn't an Elisha in that regard, didn't have that 
power that God gave to Moses, he didn't have that. But everything 
that he spoke about this man were true. And now notice, he 
says, by returning to the Baptist, the reader is reminded of the 
message of the Baptist to hear afresh his witness and the titles 
for Jesus that emerged at the gospel start from the Baptist 
ministry. Lamb of God, John 129. Behold the Lamb of God who takes 
away the sin of the world. I think Klink is right. It's 
kind of bringing us full swing here. Whatever discouragement 
we may have seen along the way in the temple, whatever discouragement 
you may have seen along the way with the religious leadership, 
whatever discouragement you may have borne along the way, be 
encouraged, be refreshed, be helped. So he says, Lamb of God, 
129. Messiah, 141. Son of God and 
King of Israel, 148. It is not what the Baptist did, 
no sign, but what he said that was important. Jesus would do 
the signs. The Baptist merely pointed to 
Jesus. In many ways, the gospel itself, 
like the Baptist, is to be remembered by the reader as simply pointing 
to Jesus and his signs. What do we do if we're going 
to follow the Savior? I don't want to moralize, I don't 
want to get all therapeutic here, but I think there is a paradigm 
for us. We live in a day and age where 
the religious leadership, and even within the professing walls 
of Christianity, the civil state, to be sure, there's lots of opposition 
against us. It's very easy to get discouraged. 
It's very easy to get downcast. But who's Jesus? He's the Lamb 
of God. Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus 
is the one in whom there is forgiveness. We don't get beaten down. We 
don't get battered. We don't get to the point where 
we're rendered ineffective or where we retreat. We do what 
Paul says in Philippians 2, and we shine as lights in a crooked 
and perverse generation, and we point to Jesus and his signs. 
That, in the final analysis, is what you and I do in the midst 
of a day and age that looks more like the so-called Holy City 
than the Transjordan. Are there times of revival in 
the history of the Church? Absolutely. Should we pray for 
times of revival in the history of the Church? Absolutely. Should 
we always expect it? Not necessarily. I mean, Kerry 
was right, you know, ask great things and expect great things 
of God. But expectation, brethren, if it's going to bring you to 
the point of despair, well, you know, I've prayed this five times 
and God hasn't answered. That's not the way you're supposed 
to act or think. God's not Baal. There's no formulaic 
response or approach to God. We just put in a few units of 
prayer and out we get the blessings. He's not a vending machine. He's 
not, you know, number A2 and you get your chips because you 
put in your dollar. No, you've got to be patient 
and persevering and understand that while the so-called Holy 
City wants to kill him, there's people out in the Transjordan 
that are coming to him. I was quite encouraged last night 
at that concert to hear that Kenya, 82% of people in Kenya 
profess to be believers in Jesus. I didn't know that number was 
that high. That made me happy. Now, I'm not suggesting that 
every single one of those 82% are all necessarily saved. But man, do you think there's 
82% of the 36 million in Canada that would profess to be believers 
in Jesus Christ? I doubt it. I doubt the numbers 
would be anywhere near there. So while we see what we see in 
terms of a rejection approach, there's great things going on 
elsewhere. There's great things that God 
is doing. He will not be frustrated. He 
will not be thwarted. He will not be stopped. The gates 
of hell may pose their defense, but that kingdom of Jesus Christ 
will plunder it, just like the strongman plunders that invader. And notice how the passage ends, 
and many believed in him there. John performed no sign, but all 
the things that John spoke about this man were true, and many 
believed in him there. The cursory reader may suspect 
along the way that Jesus is met with futility and rejection and 
only heartache. No, Jesus is in control. Jesus knows what's happening. 
Jesus is fully conscious, fully submissive to His Father according 
to His humanity, doing the will of the Father so that He can 
save His people from their sin, so that He can fetch the sheep. 
And I think probably there's a bit of an emblem here. in terms 
of Gentile inclusion in the covenant promises of God. He's already 
hinted at that. Well, not hinted, look at 1016. 
1016, and other sheep I have which 
are not of this fold, them also I must bring, and they will hear 
my voice, and there will be one flock and one shepherd. So where 
does he go? He goes to Transjordan. What 
does he do there? He preaches, and he teaches, 
and many believe in him there. What's that symptomatic of? From 
every tribe, every tongue, every people, and every nation. Well, 
in conclusion, we should appreciate in the first place the wretchedness 
of these leaders. Brethren, when the religious 
leadership in any given institution devolves like these did, that's 
when you blow up the institution. I'm speaking metaphorically. 
C4, you know, C on the other side. I'm not saying that, especially 
if it happens here, don't blow me up. I mean, you can just ask 
me to leave or throw me out. Prefer that than blowing me up. 
Actually, I don't know. Jesus, even so, come Lord Jesus. Send us all to the other side. 
But this is a bad, bad thing. Jesus indicts them in chapter 
10, verse 10. The thief does not come except 
to steal and to kill and to destroy. And they demonstrate that very 
activity by the way that they treat the Son of God, by the 
way that they treat the One who has come in fulfillment of the 
prophetic word, that One who is altogether lovely and chief 
among ten thousand. They, of course, have the appearance 
of functioning according to the law. You can't blaspheme Leviticus 
24. But they're sanctimonious, they're 
false, they're irreligious, they're godless men. The reality of rejecting 
the law, they don't even pretend to engage in due process. See, 
I'm convinced that's another thing we're losing today. Slowly 
but surely, we've lost the whole idea of justice. And when you 
lose justice, that breaks the back of the people. That breaks 
the back of the body politic. When there's two tiers of justice, 
when one group can get away with murder and the others can't get 
away with anything, not that I'm suggesting we should be able 
to get away with anything, but there is a problem when justice 
is gone. There is a problem when justice 
has been adulterated. There is a problem when justice 
has been thrown aside. This is a discouraging thing, 
but it's not something unique to us. We see it right here in 
the first century. As well, their ignorance concerning 
the Old Testament. The Messiah prophesied a divine 
Messiah. And the rejection of the Son 
of God who clearly set forth his identity. Verses 30 and again 
in verse 39, that the Father is in me and I in him. Gill explains 
this this way, that they are one in nature, distinct in person, 
equal in power, and have a mutual inhabitation and communion in 
the divine essence, all which is manifest by doing the same 
works and which are out of the reach and power of any mere creature. 
No creature can say what Jesus says, that the Father is in me 
and I in him. In this divine and infinite being, 
there are three subsistences. We're not one of them. That's 
just not going to happen. We're creature. He's creator. 
We're finite. He's infinite. The claims that 
Jesus makes here is a claim or claim that only the Son of God 
by nature could make. As well, the authority of Scripture. 
The Lord Jesus appeals in this context with religious leaders 
to the Scripture. Oh, you want to execute me for 
blasphemy? Let's just vet this. Let's just 
investigate this. Let's just see if what you're 
saying is right. I've claimed to be the Son of 
God. Okay, what about the gods, the Elohim, in Psalm 82? Would 
you have stood there? Would you have picked up stones 
there? Would you have cast them into that congregation of men? 
How about the Elohim in Exodus 22? How about the Elohim in Exodus 
21? How about the reality that God 
calls these men Elohim, and there's no violation, there's no blasphemy, 
there's no cause for stoning? They don't understand their own 
scripture. They don't understand theology. He argues from the 
lesser to the greater. The implication is that their 
judgeship ultimately mirrors the guilty ones in Psalm 82. And I think as well, I want to 
extend it one bit, one jot and tittle further, that the implication 
is that what Psalm 82.8 tells us is going to happen. It's going 
to happen. Psalm 82, 8, I'm sorry, "'Arise, 
O God, judge the earth, for you shall inherit all nations.'" 
Whatever's going to happen in Jerusalem, whatever's going to 
happen in the so-called Holy City, they're going to be cut 
off, but God Most High is going to send forth His gospel, conquering 
and to conquer, all throughout the earth. And then the final 
observation is the typology in the passage. Think way back to 
last Sunday. Way back. This is Hanukkah. It's the Feast of Lights, the 
Feast of Dedication. What's it a commemoration of? 
Judas Maccabeus, the defender of the temple. The anti-type 
is here. The reason for the temple is 
here. What was prophesied concerning 
temple, tabernacle, as dwelling place of God with men is realized 
in our blessed Savior. He became flesh and dwelt among 
us. We, the sheep, beheld His glory. The goats didn't, so they picked 
up stones to throw at Him. But Judas Maccabeus was the hero 
at that time in redemptive history. The hero is now standing in their 
midst, and they want to kill him. Jesus Christ is that one 
that the Bible prophesies is the hero for needy sinners. If 
you haven't seen him as your hero by grace, look to him in 
faith. Why do we as God's people see 
him as a hero? Because we believe in him. It's 
not because we're better. It's not because we're holier. It's not because we're more sanctified 
or we just live the pure life. Our parents were great. Some 
of us had miserable parents. Some of us had miserable upbringing. 
Some of us had no religion. Some of us had no guidance. Some 
of us had no direction. But God in His grace revealed 
Himself to us. God in His grace rose us from 
the dead, spiritually speaking. God in His grace gave us the 
gifts of faith and repentance so that we may look upon Jesus 
Christ as the one in whom There is salvation, and that Christ 
is still there. That Christ is still present, 
and that Christ is still saving all, all who come to Him in faith. Well, let us pray. Our Father 
in heaven, we thank You for Your Word. We thank You that Jesus 
Christ throughout the Bible, Old to New Testament, is the 
hero of Scripture. We see good and godly men in 
Moses and in David. We see good and godly men in 
the prophets and in the apostles. But all those men had sin. All 
those men had their defilement. but our Lord Jesus is holy, harmless, 
and undefiled, that one who is separate from sinners, and that 
one who, by grace, receives them unto himself. Bless the gospel 
today, Lord God, as it goes forth, and may many come to a saving 
knowledge of our blessed Savior. And we pray in Jesus' name, amen. 
We'll close with a brief, actually singing 568 in our hymnals, 568, 
the doxology of praise to our triune God. You can stand with 
me and we'll sing. ♪ Praise God on whom all blessings flow ♪ Raise him above ye heavenly host. 
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ 
and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you 
all. Amen. Father, go with us now. May your 
face shine upon us. May you keep us by your strength 
and power. And may you be glorified today as we call the Sabbath 
of delight. And we pray through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. 
Well, please be seated for a brief time of meditation.