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Well, you can turn with me in 
your Bibles to the Gospel of John as we continue to work our 
way through this fourth gospel. We find ourselves in John 10, 
and our focus tonight will be verses 22 to 30, but I did want 
to begin reading, or I'll read beginning in verse 22 to the 
end of the chapter. Actually, we'll back up to verse 
19. So John chapter 10 beginning 
in verse 19, therefore there was a division again among the 
Jews because of these sayings. And many of them said, he has 
a demon and is mad. Why do you listen to him? Others 
said, these are not the words of one who has a demon. Can a 
demon open the eyes of the blind? 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 a good work we do not stone you, but for blasphemy, 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 God and 
our Father, we thank you for this day. We thank you that you 
are the God of heaven and earth, the God who has made the world 
and all things in it, and we thank you for redemption, for 
saving your elect out of the world, and bringing us together 
on the Sabbath day to praise and to glorify and to honor you. 
We ask that you would guide us by the Holy Spirit as we consider 
this passage of Scripture, as we see this rising continual 
animosity and enmity against our Our blessed Savior, may we 
stand in awe at the way that He silences these people, the 
way that He affirms His unity with the Father. We ask that 
You would forgive us for all sin and unrighteousness and cleanse 
us in the precious blood of the Lamb. And we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, in this section in 
John 10, Jesus uses two figures, two illustrations, two figures 
of speech to demonstrate something concerning his identity. He speaks of being the door for 
the sheep, and then he speaks of being the good shepherd, and 
how the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. Now, 
obviously, they don't receive that. Obviously, they continue 
to resist him. Obviously, they continue to reject 
him. And then they press him further on his identity. As we've 
seen through John's Gospel, there are several questions, many times, 
that they ask him. Who are you? Who do you say that 
you are? By what authority do you do these things? So he had 
told them, he had affirmed it, he had confirmed it, yet they 
continue to resist and they continue to reject. Well it comes to a 
crescendo here in verse 30 when he identifies that I and my father 
are one. He affirms what would later be 
encapsulated in the Nicene Creed. He is 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. So Christ 
is explaining. Christ is answering. Christ is 
identifying. himself and underscoring his 
authority, they just won't listen. And if you're like them, I would 
bid you this morning to listen, to pay attention to who Jesus 
Christ is. He says in John 10 at verse 10, 
be I came that they may have life and they may have it abundantly. He comes to give everlasting 
life. He comes to confer justification 
upon needy sinners. He forgives us, and He gives 
us a righteousness by which we may enter into the presence of 
God Almighty. Christ is the bringer of good 
things. Christ is the bringer of salvation. If you're not saved, I invite 
you to listen to how Christ says that this comes to pass. And 
for the people of God, we ought to rejoice once again in who 
the beloved Savior is. He is the darling of heaven, 
the chief among ten thousand, the altogether lovely, who for 
us men and for our salvation came down from heaven. He took 
on our humanity. John 1.14 tells us that. The 
Word became flesh and dwelt among us. And he did that so that he 
could live for us, so that he could die for us, and so that 
he could be raised again for us. We saw that last week, Romans 
4.25. Jesus was delivered up because 
of our offenses, and he was raised for our justification. So let's 
look at this section in verses 22 to 30, backing up just a bit, 
because we didn't quite hit on this division among the Jews 
in verses 19 to 21. So we'll look at that first. 
And then secondly, the identity of the shepherd, 22 to 30. So 
he's illustrated his mission in verses 1 to 6. He's explained 
his mission in verses 7 to 21. There's been this division among 
the Jews based on what he has said. and then he drills down 
deeper to tell them who in fact he is and by what authority he 
does what he does. But notice in terms of this division, 
verse 19, therefore there was a division again among the Jews 
because of these sayings. So notice that Jesus doesn't 
sort of look at the crowd and say, well this is going to cause 
some offense, this is going to bother some people, this is going 
to hurt them, I'm not going to go down that road, I'm going 
to keep my mouth shut. We don't see that in the life 
and the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ. And in John 6, 
when he's teaching in that synagogue in Capernaum, we see that these 
people fall away because these are hard sayings. Jesus doesn't 
sort of recalibrate or retool and say, well, let me soften 
it up. Let me Let me preach Arminianism or Pelagianism to you. No, he 
drills down deep and he says that you cannot come to me unless 
the Father who sent me draws you. And so in the same manner 
here, he knows that these things are divisive. He knows that there 
is this division. He sees the rising enmity. They've 
already expressed their desire to kill him. It's going to culminate 
in that again here in chapter 10, but he continues to press 
the truth. In other words, the context, 
or the audience, or the recipients, whether they receive it or not, 
does not dictate the message. The message is the message, and 
we preach the message. We preach the truth as it is 
in Jesus, not shrinking back from declaring the whole counsel 
of God. In fact, in this very passage, he says, You don't believe 
because you're not my sheep. What's he doing then? He's pressing 
predestination and the absolute sovereignty of God. You're not 
my sheep because you believe. Rather, you don't believe because 
you're not my sheep. The Father hasn't given you to 
me. John 6, 37, all that the Father gives me will come to 
me. And the one who comes to me, I will certainly not cast 
out. So I've said, they thought that was a hard saying. Well, 
he doubles down in this particular passage. care, and I don't mean 
that in a sinful, sick, twisted way, it isn't care whether you're 
upset, or you're offended, or your sensitivities are triggered 
by any teaching concerning the doctrine of God. Now notice this 
division. There are two responses. First 
the negative in verse 20. Many of them said, he has a demon 
and is mad, why do you listen to him? This isn't the only place 
they do this. You see it in 720, you see it 
in 848, and then again in 852. One commentator says, the charge 
that Jesus has a demon and is insane is not two but one charge. Insanity was regarded as symptomatic 
of demon possession. So they think he's out of his 
mind. They think he's nuts. That's what many believed at 
that particular time. But then notice in verse 21, 
there's this positive. Others said, these are not the 
words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of 
the blind? Remember, this chapter is connected to chapter nine. Jesus had healed that man that 
had been born blind. And this comes on the heels of 
that, this whole debate or discussion with these religious leaders, 
and it's in that context. And so they say that a demon-possessed 
man doesn't have the wherewithal or the ability to do that. In 
fact, they sound very much, at least in briefer form, like that 
man that was healed. Notice in John 9 at verse 28. Then they, the religious leaders, 
the hirelings, the thieves, the murderers, the destroyers, the 
ones that Jesus condemns in the first part of chapter 10, they 
reviled him and said, you are his disciple, but we are Moses' 
disciples. We know that God spoke to Moses. 
As for this fellow, we do not know where he is from. The man 
answered and said to them, Why, this is a marvelous thing that 
you do not know where he is from, yet he has opened my eyes. Now 
we know that God does not hear sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper 
of God and does his will, he hears him. Since the world began, 
it has been unheard of that anyone open the eyes of one who was 
born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing. 
They take the same tack. They take the same approach in 
this statement in verse 21. Can a demon open the eyes of 
the blind? Well, you see, it's the same 
matter of fact. You see, it's the same result. Look at how 
they respond to the man born blind in John 9 at verse 34. They answered and said to him, 
you were completely born in sins. And are you teaching us? And 
they cast him out. You're just a wretch, you're 
polluted, you're foul, and are you going to rise up and teach 
us theology proper? Well, they have the same response, 
not specifically spoken here, but as we move through chapter 
10, that is precisely how they continue to respond. Any claims 
of Jesus' messiahship is met with rejection and resistance 
to the point where they want to kill him. They want to exterminate 
him. So let's look now at the identity 
of the shepherd in verses 22 to 30. Three things we're going 
to look at here. First, the setting of his ministry, 
verses 22 and 23. Secondly, the question concerning 
his identity in verse 24. And then where we'll spend most 
of our time is the revelation of his identity in verses 25 
to 30. But in terms of the setting, notice in verse 22, it was the 
Feast of Dedication. So in John 6, we saw an allusion 
to the Passover. John 7, we see the Feast of Tabernacles. And now we see the Feast of Dedication. 
This all takes place in a year. You've got spring, you've got 
summer, and now you've got the winter. We see that specifically 
stated. Now, what is the Feast of Dedication? 
I'm just going to read a commentary here that I think satisfactorily 
explains this. This was the commemoration of 
the rededication of the temple by Judas Maccabeus in 165 BC. This was in response to the assault 
on the Jews and Judaism in 167 by the Syrian king Antiochus 
Epiphanes. He claimed to be a deity. He 
called himself God Manifest. He attacked Jerusalem and polluted 
the temple, ultimately sacrificing swine on the temple altar to 
a pagan god. In response, the people, led 
by Maccabeus, overthrew their oppressor, recaptured the temple, 
and rededicated it to God on 25 Kislev. So we see it's winter, 
we see it's this commemoration ceremony. It's also referred 
to as the Feast of Lights, or we commonly refer to it today 
as Hanukkah. So that's the feast that's in 
play at this particular time. And then notice the location. 
Jesus is in the temple. Whenever we read in John's Gospel, 
Jesus walked in the temple, we should read it in light of John 
1.14. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld 
His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, 
full of grace and truth. What's the context, or the definition 
rather, of temple or of tabernacle? It means to dwell. When God tells 
the children of Israel to build the tabernacle, it's so that 
God can dwell in their midst and meet with them after the 
sacrifices. When he tells Solomon to build 
the temple, it's the same concept. God dwelling in the midst of 
his people. Well, now you've got God incarnate 
walking in the midst of the temple, and they're so foolish, and they 
are so sinful, and they are so ignorant that they miss it by 
a mile. They have the Son of God, the 
one prophesied in the Old Testament, walking in their midst, and they 
want to pick up stones to throw at Him. That's how destitute 
of saving religion 1st century Judaism was. Now notice, secondly, 
the question concerning his identity in verse 24. Then the Jews surrounded 
him. That's pretty menacing language. They surrounded him. And I think 
it's supposed to be menacing. I think there's possibly allusion 
here to Psalm 118. Psalm 118 is a passage applied 
by gospel writers in the life and ministry of Jesus. Psalm 
118, 11, they surrounded me. Yes, they surrounded me, but 
in the name of the Lord, I will destroy them. Verse 22, the stone 
which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. 
And then verse 27, God is the Lord and he has given us light. 
Remember, it's the feast of light. but bind the sacrifice with cords 
to the horns of the altar. So they are surrounding him. 
And again, I don't think it's, you know, that, hey, just tell 
us more about who you are. We just love to dote on every 
word that comes from your mouth. They're surrounding him in a 
menacing, persecuting sort of a way. They are opposed to him. This language is very suggestive 
as to what's been going on in the narrative up to this point. 
So the Jews surround him, according to verse 24, and they say to 
him, how long do you keep us in doubt? If you are the Christ, 
tell us plainly. Now this question, as I've said, 
has come up a lot. Nicodemus wasn't some hapless 
soul that just fell upon Jesus in John 3. Nicodemus ends up 
well, but he was initially dispatched by the Sanhedrin to try to figure 
out who Jesus was, John 3, 2. As well, Jesus in Capernaum in 
the synagogue in John 6, 30. They're asking him, who are you? We see it in the Feast of Tabernacles 
in John 7. And then we see it in that day 
after the Feast of Tabernacles in John 8. This is the perennial 
question they continue to ask him. Who do you think you are? 
And where did you think to get this authority that you are undergoing? They understand the ramifications 
of his claim. They understand the theology 
behind his claim. They hear him saying, my father, 
the father who sent me. They understand that he is saying 
this, but they resist him, and they reject him, and they ultimately 
despise him as a result. because he, being a man, made 
himself equal with God. They picked up rocks to throw 
at him to try and end his life on that particular basis. So 
it's not that he hadn't answered them. It's that they hadn't listened 
to him. And in this passage, he does 
the same thing. He affirms very clearly that 
he has been faithful and that he has been answering. So notice, 
in terms of the revelation of his identity in verses 25 to 
30, we've got five things that we're gonna look at here. Five 
things. First, the declaration that he is the Christ. Second, 
the confirmation that he is the Christ. Third, the rejection 
that he is the Christ. Fourth, the recognition that 
he is the Christ. And then finally, the affirmation 
that he is the Christ. And as I said, that affirmation 
in verse 30 silences that. You don't come back from what 
he says there. I and my father are one. Either 
you bow in worship and praise and adoration, or you take up 
stones to throw at him. He's either, in the language 
of C.S. Lewis, a liar, a lunatic, or he's telling the truth. He's 
actually the son of God. And so they are faced or confronted 
with this. And they take the wrong response. They take up stones to throw 
at Him. I'm going to suggest you embrace the right response 
and look unto the One who's altogether lovely and chief among 10,000. 
That One who has come that they may have life and may have it 
abundantly. That One who has the power to 
forgive sin. And that One who does confer 
His righteousness upon needy sinners through the doctrine 
of imputation. But notice the declaration that he is the Christ 
in 25a. Jesus answered them, I told you 
and you do not believe. Again, this wasn't just a simple 
exchange in terms of information. I've told you. I've told you 
numerous times. I've told you recurringly. I've 
told you repetitively. I have told you as clearly as 
I can possibly tell you. No, it's not like He tells the 
woman at the well. Turn back to John 4 for just 
a moment. John 4, specifically at verse 25, the woman said to 
Him, I know that Messiah is coming who is called Christ. When He 
comes, He will tell us all things. Jesus said to her, I who speak 
to you, am He. In other words, I am the one 
prophesied in the Old Testament who would come in the name of 
God Most High to save His people from their sins. So when we ask 
the question, up to this point, John 10, is He that clear with 
them? I would say, yes, He's absolutely 
that clear with them. And we see it through His works. 
He emphasizes that in this passage as well. If you're not going 
to believe me, at least believe the works, because they confirm 
that I have come from my Father. Secondly, it is through His doctrine. 
John 5, 19-47 is one of the clearest explanations of the divinity 
of our blessed Savior in terms of His earthly ministry. We have 
the prologue. We already know the who and the 
what in terms of Jesus. In the beginning was the Word, 
the Word was with God, and the Word was God. That Word became 
flesh and dwelt among us. In John 5, 19 to 47, on the heels 
of them wanting to stone him then for blasphemy and for Sabbath 
breaking, he declares his essential unity with the Father. He does 
it beautifully and clearly, and remember in the Old Testament, 
The statement concerning Messiah was that he would be, in fact, 
divine. I think I mentioned to you that 
old radio show. It was Dennis Prager. Everybody 
knows Dennis Prager nowadays. In the 80s, he had a radio show, 
and he had three men on. He had a Jew, a Jewish rabbi, 
a Roman Catholic, and a Protestant pastor. And I know that sounds 
like the beginning of a joke. I get it. So this Protestant, 
this Catholic, and this Jew, they walk into this bar. No, 
that's not what it was. But he asks them, what's the 
non-negotiable element in terms of your religious faith? What 
does somebody have to believe in order to be a Jew, or in order 
to be a Catholic, or in order to be a Protestant? Well, the 
Protestant happened to be a ringer. His name was Greg Bonson, and 
he was no dummy. And Greg Bonson basically preached 
Romans 5.8. God commends his own love toward 
us, and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 
But in the midst of the discussion, the Jew discounted the divinity 
of the coming Messiah. And as Bonson says, you may dismiss 
that on theological grounds, but you cannot dismiss it on 
literary grounds. In other words, does the text 
of Scripture demand that the coming Messiah be divine? Yes, 
it does. Everlasting Father, Prince of 
Peace, Mighty God, Isaiah 9.6. whose goings forth are from of 
old, or from the ancient one, even unto eternity. Micah 5. You've got Yahweh said to my 
Lord, sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool. 
Who sits at the right hand of Yahweh but one who has the same 
nature as Yahweh? And so the divineness, or the 
divinity, rather, of the Messiah was in fact prophesied. So every 
time that Christ is underscoring his divinity, he's answering 
the question, who are you? I'm the Messiah that was prophesied 
in the Old Covenant. I'm here. So it's through his 
works, it's through his doctrine, and as well, it is through his 
continual emphasis on his relation to the Father. My Father. Now, God is our Father, but by 
creation and by adoption. When we survey John's Gospel, 
the sonship of Jesus to the Father God is not by creation, because 
in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and 
the Word was God. Everything came into being because 
of the Word. The Word didn't make Himself. 
He didn't come into being as a result of the Word. He's also 
not Son by adoption. We are by grace through faith 
in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Son by nature. And when the Son by nature continues 
to highlight, I am the one sent by my Father, He's answering 
their question. They just didn't like the answer. 
They just didn't like the theology. They didn't like the identification 
that this Jesus had been prophesied by Moses. Remember He says that 
to them? You search the Scriptures, for 
in them you think you have eternal life, but these are they which 
testify of me." And then later on he says, if you would have 
received Moses' testimony, you would have received my testimony 
as well. So he answers very clearly and 
very repetitiously their question as to what his identity is. Now notice secondly the confirmation 
that he is the Christ in 25b. I told you and you do not believe. 
The works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me." 
Now, I think there is this sort of an approach to the signs and 
the miracles in the gospel records. You know, you really shouldn't 
just believe because of that. Well, no, you probably shouldn't 
just believe because of that, but those are part of it. The one who has power to forgive 
sin on earth, the one who is lord of nature, the one who walks 
on the water, the one who is the ruler over the waves, the 
one who's able to multiply fish and loaves, certainly demands 
a bit more hearing than a schmuck like me. I mean, come on, the 
signs confirm that he is in fact God from God, light from light, 
true God from true God. And so he points to those signs 
as he does in several places in this gospel. So he says, the 
works that I do, notice, in my Father's name. Even in this, 
he's underscoring and highlighting the special relationship that 
he bears to the Father. The works that I do in my Father's 
name, they bear witness of me. They authenticate who he is. Turn back for just a moment to 
John 5. John 5, verse 36. You see this emphasis on the 
signs in John's gospel in terms of helping us to acknowledge 
and appreciate who Jesus is, such that we believe and enjoy 
abundant life. 536, but I have a greater witness 
than John's. For the works which the Father 
has given me to finish, the very works that I do, bear witness 
of me. Notice, that the Father has sent 
me. Now, it's at places like this 
that people say, well, Elijah did miraculous things, Elisha. In fact, I think there's more 
consistency in terms of Elisha and Jesus than even Elijah and 
Jesus. But he did a lot of things. He 
did mighty, powerful works. But he never claimed to be God. 
He never claimed to do it as God, from God, light from light, 
God from true God. He never claimed to be the Messiah. Now, when Jesus does these works 
in his father's name, they aren't to underscore his identity and 
his authority. And he points to that in several 
instances in John's gospel. Look at John 12, John 12, specifically 
at verse 37. But although he had done so many 
signs before them, they did not believe in him, that the word 
of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke, Lord, 
who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the 
Lord been revealed? See, all these signs. Now, John records 
seven. When you go to the synoptics, 
there's other miracles that Jesus did that aren't recorded in John's 
gospel. But John, in John 20, and the 
purpose for writing, 30 and 31, says that the ones that were 
written were written so that you would know that this is, 
in fact, the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing in 
his name, you might have everlasting life. So back to our passage 
in John 10, he declares that he is the Christ, I told you, 
and you do not believe. He confirms that he is the Christ 
by virtue of the fact that he does divine things. He engages 
in miraculous deeds. But then notice thirdly, the 
rejection that he is the Christ in verse 26. But you do not believe 
because you are not of my sheep, as I said to you. He knows what 
he's dealing with. You know, this idea that sort 
of Jesus is just bouncing around the countryside. He's not real 
sure what he's doing. You know, he's drinking tea along 
the way, and he's just kind of doing his thing. Jesus knew precisely 
what he was doing. He came to do the will of the 
Father who sent him. He was on a mission. He understood 
the nature of that mission. He understood the terms. He understood 
who was friendly and who was opposed to him. So he calls them 
out, again, right here, in very plain and very clear language. 
He says, you do not believe because you are not of my sheep, as I 
said to you. The emphasis here is on the sovereignty 
of God. The emphasis is like Paul's in 
Romans chapter 9. We dealt with this a little bit 
in our confession study this morning. Romans chapter 9. What 
shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with 
God? May it never be. God is sovereign. God is glorious. God is a predestinating God. God is an electing God. God is 
the God from whom, to whom, and of whom, and through whom, and 
to whom are all things, to whom be glory forever. And so Jesus 
does this in his discourse here. He says, you do not believe because 
you are not of my sheep, as I said to you. Listen to Gil. He says, 
because you are not of my sheep, they were not among the sheep 
given him by his father. Were they, they would have come 
to him, that is have believed in him. According to John 6 37, 
they were not the chosen of God predestinated unto eternal life 
for as many as are ordained of God to eternal happiness do believe 
in God's own In other words, we affirm Reformed theology here, 
and we affirm the reality that what Jesus says here is not the 
opposite. It's not the contrast, as I mentioned 
earlier. He doesn't say, you're not my 
sheep because you don't believe. You don't believe because you're 
not my sheep. Turn to John 6. The Gil quote calls us to consider 
that. John 6 at verse 37. All that the Father gives me 
will come to me. That's definite. That's not a 
hypothetical. That's not a potential. If they're 
prevailed upon and they interpret things rightly, then, no, all 
that the Father gives to me will come to me. There's a definiteness 
about our redemption. It's not a hypothetical. It's 
not a possibly, if the stars align, Jesus comes to save his 
people from their sins. That's his purpose. That's his 
function. That's his role as the mediator, 
as the prophet, priest, and king. So all that the Father gives 
me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will by no 
means cast out. Look at John 8. He uses a similar 
tactic in that setting, the day after the Feast of Tabernacles. 
He's in the temple and he's discoursing again or speaking with these 
religious leaders. And notice in John 8 at verse 
47, he who is of God hears God's words. Therefore, you do not 
hear because you are not of God. So, you know, the confession 
that we subscribe in our church talks about predestination. It 
talks about handling it judiciously. It talks about handling it wisely. 
There's a caution, a sort of built-in to the handling of this 
high doctrine of predestination. We don't use it cavalierly. We 
don't use it in a willy-nilly sort of a fashion. We don't use 
it, as I sort of jokingly alluded to this morning, just to carpet 
bomb Jehovah's Witnesses and Arminians. I mean, it does work 
that way, Romans 9, but that's not typically the way we're supposed 
to approach it. But in instances like this, we're 
dealing with people that are at enmity with God Most High. 
When people are rejecting the Lord Christ, they're engaged 
right here in the sin against the Holy Spirit. They are committing 
the unpardonable sin. They see the glory of Jesus Christ. 
They see the person and the work of Jesus Christ. And they're 
denying that, and they're denouncing that, and they're taking up stones 
to throw at Him. It is perfectly legitimate for Him to capitalize 
now on the sovereignty of God. You don't believe because you're 
not my sheep. My sheep, they hear my voice. 
My sheep, they follow me. My sheep, they respond to me. 
My sheep have been purposed by God most high to hear the voice 
of the shepherd, to believe the voice of the shepherd, to follow 
the shepherd. Wasn't that a beautiful description 
there in Revelation chapter 14? I hope you remember Revelation 
13, because there's a great contrast in movement from 13 to 14. 13 
shows us the world. 13 shows us the beast from the 
sea. 13 shows us the beast from the 
land. 13 shows us everybody willy-nilly 
following the beast, getting the mark of the beast. And then 
Revelation 14 shows us the lamb on Mount Zion, the lamb in all 
his glory, the lamb flanked by his people. And one of the descriptors 
of his people in Revelation 14 is that they follow the lamb 
wherever he goes. They don't say we don't want 
to follow. We don't like the law. We don't want to do that 
They follow the lamb wherever he goes and so Christ knows these 
persons by their fruit that they're not cheap These are goats. These are hirelings. These are 
the sorts of men that are that are simply there to check off 
a box and to make a check and Now notice fourthly, he doesn't 
stop at the rejection, he notices the recognition that he is the 
Christ. The sheep understand, the sheep know, the sheep see 
him. Notice in verses 27 to 29. He is picking up on data that 
he's already presented. My sheep hear my voice, and I 
know them, and they follow me. They know the voice of Christ. 
Brethren, that is something that is given by God. When Peter confesses, 
thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God, Jesus doesn't 
pat Peter on the back. Good for you, Peter, you listened 
in Sunday school. Good for you, Peter, you went 
to sermon audio to find out who I am. No, blessed are you, Simon 
Barjona, for flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but 
my Father is in heaven. See, in Adam, we don't see spiritual 
truth. In Adam, we are dead in our trespasses 
and sins. In Adam, we don't function appropriately 
and accordingly. And yet in Christ, we hear the 
voice of the shepherd. We hear the voice of the Son 
of God. It doesn't mean we understand every single jot and tittle of 
all that we find in Scripture, but we know His voice. We understand, 
we recognize the voice of the good shepherd who's come that 
they may have life and that they may have it abundantly. We recognize 
the voice of the shepherd when he says, come to me, all you 
who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. We 
recognize the voice of the shepherd on that last great day of the 
feast in John 7, 37, when he dresses sinful people, weary 
people, thirsty sinners, and he calls them to come and to 
drink from him. We recognize that because God 
is sovereign. We recognize that because God 
chose us in Him before the foundation of the world. God affectionately 
calls us unto Himself. He gives us ears to hear and 
hearts to receive, and that grace of faith will lay hold of the 
Savior. So notice, the intimacy that Christ bears with the sheep. 
I used to look at this particular section, 25 to 30. In fact, I 
changed the title. It was gonna be The Security 
of the Sheep. That's secondary. It's the power of the shepherd 
that's in view. It's the identity and authority 
of Christ that's in view. The accent is not upon the sheep 
being kept, though that's there, blessed be God. The accent is 
upon the shepherd that keeps them. the one who is God from 
God, light from light, true God from true God. And he describes 
that intimacy that he bears with the sheep as he's done in verse 
14. Notice in 14, I am the good shepherd 
and I know my sheep and am known by my own. He rehearses that 
in verse 27. My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they 
follow me. Verse 14, he's speaking to the same audience, he's speaking 
to the same crowd, he's speaking to the same religious leaders. 
But now he's speaking to them when they've expressed their 
enmity, their frustration, their hostility, and their accusation 
that he's mad and that he has a demon. So he doesn't shrink 
back from declaring to them, you're not my sheep. You are 
not. You don't believe because you're not my sheep. My sheep, 
conversely, and by way of contrast, they hear my voice, and I know 
that. And the knowledge there is intimacy. The knowledge there is love. 
The way the Father loves, or the Father knows the Son, and 
the Son knows the Father. Remember, Christ is using that 
by way of analogy. The knowledge that obtains between 
father and son that is intimate and grounded in love is the same 
sort of knowledge that obtains between the sheep and the shepherd. 
It is that intimacy, it is that love, it is that relationship 
that we now bear. So he says, my sheep, they hear 
my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. But then notice 
he underscores the eternal life of the she. Go back for just 
a moment to chapter 10, verse 10. The thief does not come except 
to steal and to kill and to destroy. In the context, the thief is 
the religious leaders that displayed themselves as thieves in John 
9. The sorts of fellows that would take a man who had been 
born blind and castigate him and ridicule him and insult him 
and then cast him out of the synagogue. Chapter 10 begins 
where chapter 9 lets off and it continues that same theme. 
So Jesus in verse 10 says, the thief does not come except to 
steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come that they may have 
life and that they may have it more abundantly. Now look at 
verse 28. I give them eternal life and 
they shall never perish. So the shepherd not only gives 
life to the sheep, But he gives the kind of life that makes sure 
that the sheep doesn't perish. There's some debate about whether, 
you know, a truly saved person can lose their salvation. Probably 
the dumbest debate that ever presented itself in theology. 
What do you mean? Jesus comes from on high, assumes 
our humanity, lives for us, dies for us, is raised again for us 
in accordance with the purpose and plan of the Father that was 
orchestrated before the foundation of the world. He's going to come 
and He's going to rescue us. He's going to redeem us. He's 
going to give us ears to hear His voice. He's going to give 
us a desire to follow Him. And then He's going to let us 
go. He's not going to accomplish the task. He's not going to save 
His people from their sins. He's not going to bring them 
into that heavenly Jerusalem again. It's a debate that should 
have never been. The very idea of God saving his 
people from their sins ensures an eternal salvation, an eternal 
redemption. Would you want the kind of salvation 
that you could have today and lose tomorrow? Brethren, I think 
it was MacArthur, if we could lose our salvation, we would 
lose our salvation, without a doubt. If we could, we would. We have 
enough remaining corruption in us, enough proneness to wander, 
and enough proneness to leave the God that we love, to lose, 
to forfeit, to get rid of that forever. You see, it's ultimately 
not about us. I mean, it is because we're the 
object of His mercy and His grace, but it's about our champion. 
It's about that Isaiah 49.6 man. It's about the one to whom the 
father said, it's too small for you just to go after those tribes 
of Jacob. I'm gonna give you as a light unto the Gentiles. 
You see that built into this text, John 10, 16. I have other 
sheep that are not of this fold. I have to go get them too. What's 
the purpose and plan of God most high? It is to save from every 
tribe and tongue and people and nation, not so that they could 
unsave themselves or so they can introduce some rupture into 
the whole divine plan, What's Paul say in Romans chapter eight? 
There is nothing that shall separate us from the love of God, which 
is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Brethren, it's probably okay 
at this point to smile, because this is great stuff. This is 
wonderful stuff. I give them life and they shall 
never perish. There is nobody out there that 
can snatch them out of my hand. There is nobody bigger and stronger 
and more powerful, including they themselves that can snatch 
themselves out of the hand of God most high. This is what has 
been called eternal security. Now, as Calvinists of Reform, 
we prefer perseverance of the saints because eternal security 
can be abused. Yeah, it can be, but it can also 
encapsulate a glorious truth. We're eternally secure in the 
Beloved. We're eternally secure in the 
Son of God who loved us and who gave himself for us. There's 
nobody that's going to snatch us out of his hand. There's nobody 
that's going to disrupt this blessed plan. There's nobody 
who can thwart it. There's nobody who can stay it. 
There's nobody who can say, what doest thou? The God who is purposed 
to save sent the Son of God to save, and he will not be frustrated. Notice in the context, I give 
them eternal life. They shall never perish, neither 
shall anyone snatch them out of my hand. It's probably a side 
glance to the hirelings that he's already condemned in verses 
12 and 13. What's the hireling do when he 
sees the wolf? The hireling runs. The hireling 
hides. The hireling abandons. Why? Because 
he has no skin in the game. He's not interested. He's not 
vested. They're not his people. He's 
simply a hired man for the day to provide a particular service. When the wolf comes, the hireling's 
not going to give his life for the wolf. The hireling's not 
going to lay down his life for the wolf. And again, in the context, 
Jesus isn't simply saying, if need be, If it is the case that 
I have to die for these sheep, I... No, he says it as one who 
is going to give his life for the sheep, that they may have 
life and have it abundantly. So the hireling flees because 
he doesn't care. The Lord Jesus doesn't flee, 
and therefore he's able to resist and thwart the attempt by the 
wolf. Who's the wolf? Well, the wolf is the false prophet, 
the wolf is the civil tyrant, and the wolf is the devil. It 
is a multi-formed enemy that the people of God face. And just 
before we depart from this head, consider that the wolf still 
tries. I will build my church, Jesus 
says, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 
We've got the promise of triumph, I will build my church, and we 
have the promise of hardship. The gates of Hades aren't gonna 
go quietly. They're not gonna say, oh, well, 
you're Christians, go ahead and live it up in society, just do 
your thing, worship how you want. No, there's gonna be resistance. 
The same token, they're not gonna, the wolf's not gonna snatch us 
out of his hand, but I suspect the wolf will try I suspect that 
the devil is a roaming lion. It goes about like a roaming 
lion seeking who may devour. There are certainly false prophets, 
men that will teach you or tell you things that are not consistent 
with the Word of God. And there's certainly civil tyranny. 
We've seen that in our own generation. You see it not just in the last 
few years, but look at the 20th century. banner century for civil 
tyrants, you had Stalin, and you had Pol Pot, and you had 
the various attempts to be as God on this earth. So when Jesus says, there's no 
one that'll snatch you out of my hand, he's giving us a blessed 
promise. It is wonderful. And then notice, 
he says as well, in terms of the security of the sheep, it's 
grounded not only upon him, but upon his father. Verse 29, my 
father who has given them to me. Notice, Gandil from before 
the foundation of the earth or world. is greater than all, and 
no one is able to snatch them out of my Father's hand." What 
does he mean by greater than all? I would suggest that we 
pair this with John 14, when Jesus says that the Father is 
greater. I think there's two ways to understand these references, 
and the only way I'm gonna suggest at this point, we'll wait till 
John 14, is that Jesus means, according to his humanity, as 
the mediator, as the prophet, priest, and king, the Father 
is greater than all. So Jesus says that it's not only 
the Son of God that has you in His grip, but it's the Father 
of the Son of God who has you in His grip. And I ask you, practically, 
if that's the case, who can snatch you out of his hand? Who can 
stop you from entering into heaven? Again, Paul does this in Romans 
8 at the end, but he offers up a series of challenges. Who is it that shall condemn 
the elect of God? Who is it that questions the 
reality or the veracity that you're heaven-bound? It's in 
that context where he says, if God is for us, what can man do? We know the converse. If man 
is for us, what can God do? I mean, God can do everything. But in that context, if God is 
for us, what can man do? And that's when he issues the 
challenge. And that's when he says, there is nothing that shall 
separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, 
our Lord. Now, brethren, this is for believers. This is for 
people who have professed faith in Christ. These are for God's 
people. This is for Christians. As Christians, 
you ought to be encouraged that you're in a safe and secure place 
because of the champion of our salvation. And then that brings 
us finally to the affirmation that he is the Christ in verse 
30, a crescendo, a pinnacle, a summit, if you will. He says, 
I and my father are one. I and my father are one. Now 
there's an attempt to explain this away as, well, it's just 
a unity of purpose. They both have the same purpose 
in terms of securing the elect. Well, that might be okay, and 
I do agree they have the same purpose, but there's more going 
on than just a unity of purpose. We've got the rest of John's 
gospel. Remember, in the beginning was the Word, the Word was with 
God, and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and dwelt 
among us. No one has seen God at any time, 
but the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, 
has declared Him. There's more going on in John's 
gospel than a unity of purpose between the Father and the Son. When Jesus says, I and the Father 
are one, it is as scandalous to these unbelieving Jews as 
it appears. because He, being a man, is making 
Himself out to be God. Our confession in 2nd chapter, 
paragraph 3, talks about in this divine and infinite being there 
are three subsistences or persons, the Father, the Word or Son, 
and the Spirit. Each has the entire essence. Each possesses everything true 
of divinity. All three persons have that divinity. So when Jesus says, I and my 
Father are one, He really is saying what He's really saying 
here. Listen to Gil. Not in person. He's not saying, 
I and the Father are the same person. God is one in one sense 
at the level of substance or essence. He's three in another 
sense at the level of person or subsistence. You have a contradiction 
if you say he's one in one sense and he's three in the same sense. 
You don't have a contradiction if he's one in one sense and 
three in another sense. In this divine and infinite being, 
There are three subsistences. That's good theology. John Gill, 
good theologian. Not in person. When he says, 
I and my Father are one, he's not saying that Sibelius was 
true. He's not saying that there is 
no distinction among the persons of the Godhead. So not in person. For the Father must be a distinct 
person from the Son, and the Son a distinct person from the 
Father. We're taught that in John 1.1, in the beginning was 
the word, the word was with God. There's distinction among the 
persons. He goes on to say, that is in 
nature and essence and perfections, particularly in power, since 
Christ is speaking of the impossibility of plucking any of the sheep 
out of his own and his father's hands, giving this as a reason 
for it, their unity of nature and equality of power. Poole 
agrees. He says the same thing, not only 
in counsel and will, but in nature, power, and essence. This is the 
point. This is why in verse 31, the 
Jews took up stones again to stone him. They got it, they 
understood, they didn't reckon, oh, he's just talking about unity 
of person. No, he is saying that he has 
a union with the Father at the level of divinity. I and my Father 
are one. This confirms, this affirms, 
this shows and demonstrates that he is the Messiah of God, that 
he is the one who came for us men and for our salvation. Another 
theologian makes this a good observation by a unity of essence, 
for the Father and the Son are the same in nature. And then 
he says the statement rejects two errors, that of Arius, who 
distinguished the essence, and that of Sibelius, who did not 
distinguish the persons. Now, you might not know who Arius 
and Sibelius are, but they were heretics that had problems with 
who Jesus Christ is. And this fellow is right on. He is saying the language used 
by our Lord counters both those heretics. Along with John 1.1, 
it counters those heresies and it affirms for us what our confession 
encapsulates. In this divine and infinite being, 
there are three subsistences. It is a most blessed testimony 
of the Christian religion that our God, the living and true 
God, is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Father unbegotten, 
the Son begotten by the Father, and the Spirit proceeding from 
the Father and the Son. from everlasting to everlasting. This one true living God, who 
exists eternally in three persons, created the world, governed the 
world, and redeemed the elect out of the world. And in this 
particular context, to the question, tell us plainly if you are the 
Christ, there is no plainer language that he could have used. There 
is no plainer form that he could have communicated to them. I 
and my father are one. As I said, they understood it, 
they knew what he was saying, and they picked up stones to 
throw at him and to kill him. So in conclusion, I would suggest 
you see the wretchedness of the opposition. The wretchedness 
of the opposition. I don't do this to pick on first 
century Jews. I do this to pick on man in general. 
We got a problem with God. We have a problem with the divinity. 
We have a problem with the one who comes to save his people 
from their sins. The same sort of tactics that 
are engaged in here are the same sort of tactics that you see 
engaged in today. There's this refusal and a rejection 
and a resistance of who Jesus Christ is. Brethren, when you 
sort of boil down society and you see the enmity that exists, 
it's getting increasingly clearer that it's not just, you know, 
one political party versus another political party. It seems to 
be articulating in such a way that it's almost just good and 
evil. And the evil don't like the good, and they want to exterminate 
the good. They want to get rid of Christ. 
They want to get him out of schools. They want to get him out of government. 
They want to get him out of everything. Why? Because we're just neutral 
people and we just want to respect everybody's rationality. No, 
why do the nations rage and the people plot of vain things? They 
take their stand against Yahweh and against His Christ. That's 
what we are witnessing today. It wasn't Dr. Seuss that they 
want to eradicate. It's the scriptures of both the 
Old and the New Testaments. It's not just prayer in a certain 
place. They want to get rid of prayer altogether. It's not just 
these Christian values. They want to eradicate that. 
Why is that? Because they're thieves that 
are seeking to kill and destroy. They propagate misery. It's an 
unfortunate thing, but that's what we're witnessing. So don't 
pick on these guys as first century Jews because of any other reason 
than that they are representative of man. I believe they engage 
in the unpardonable sin. Burkhoff says it is not so much 
a sin against the person of the Spirit as a sin against his official 
work in revealing both objectively and subjectively the grace and 
glory of God in Christ. How do you do that more profoundly 
or powerfully than standing in the presence of the Son of God, 
who just healed a man that was born blind, when everybody around 
you is saying, demons don't do that. And yet they do that. They continue to resist Him. 
They continue to show their animosity for Him. The religious leaders 
commit the unpardonable sin in this passage. And as I preach 
not too long ago, was it last Sunday night or was it the Sunday 
night before the, The apostasy passage from Hebrews 10, that's 
a good Lord's Supper meditation. I hope it was. As far as I can 
tell, it's the people of God that have sensitive consciences 
that are the ones who fear whether they committed the unpardonable 
sin or apostasy. They're not the ones that have 
committed the unpardonable sin or apostasy. The person who commits 
the unpardonable sin or apostasy doesn't care. In fact, he not 
only doesn't care, he throws off any thought whatsoever. The 
more sin, the better. The more rejection of the divinity, 
the better. The more, you know, wickedness to engage in, the 
better. The people of God that have a bruised conscience because 
of some remaining corruption in their hearts, repent, forsake, 
seek forgiveness from God most high, but don't put yourself 
in the category of adversary vis-a-vis Hebrews 10, 26. You're 
not an adversary, you're a saint that means the grace of God in 
Jesus Christ. Secondly, as we sort of survey 
the larger context here, quickly, in terms of the work of the shepherd. 
The work of the shepherd, his authority, or rather his identity 
and his authority, come to full expression here in 22 to 30. 
But taking the rest into consideration, what do we learn about the work 
of the shepherd? We learn first that it was voluntarily entered 
into. The shepherd went about this task willingly. We speak 
of this in theology as a covenant of redemption. The son takes 
upon himself that role of mediator or surety to live, to die, and 
to rise again. He does it voluntarily. As well, 
the work consisted in his life, death, and resurrection. Tried 
to share this on several occasions, and I think it bears sharing. 
We need not just his death. We need that for the forgiveness 
of sins. But we need his life. for a righteousness by which 
we can enter into the presence of God. God made him Christ who 
knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness 
of God in him. To obey is better than to sacrifice. God has never relaxed that requirement. God has never said, well, it's 
okay, you've done your best. No, we need a righteousness that 
avails with God, and it's imputed to us, and it's received by faith 
alone. But we need the death as well 
to cleanse us from our sin, and we need that resurrection. As 
we saw last week, Paul attaches that to our justification. The 
work was redemptive in nature. It was to give life to the sheep. That assumes and supposes that 
they were dead and they stand in need of life. It's a work 
of atonement. It's a work of atonement that 
was particular and it was a work of atonement that was efficacious. 
He doesn't lay down his life for the sheep just perhaps so 
the sheep can choose for Jesus someday. No, he saves his people 
from their sins. That's the nature of the atoning 
work of our blessed Savior. The work benefited both Jews 
and Gentiles. That's the reference in verse 
16. Other sheep I have which are not of this fold. He's talking 
about Gentile inclusion in the covenant promises of God. And 
as well, the work resulted in one flock and one shepherd. Isaiah 
40, 11. He will feed his flock like a 
shepherd. He will gather the lambs with his arm and carry 
them in his bosom and gently lead those who are with young. 
Revelation 7, 17. I love this turn of phrase that 
the apostle uses there. For the lamb who is in the midst 
of the throne will shepherd them. the lamb shepherds. We don't 
usually think that way, do we? We don't usually think that the 
lion of the tribe of Judah is a lamb either. But the lamb who 
is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them 
to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every 
tear from their eyes. And this brings to sort of culmination, 
or fruition, or application, or fulfillment, all those shepherd 
promises in the Old Testament. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall 
not want. The promise of the prophet Ezekiel, 
34 and 37, that he will provide that Davidic shepherd in whom 
all the peoples of God will be united. The blessed promise that 
God shepherds his people are brought to fruition, they are 
yea and amen in the Savior. And this Savior came not so that 
you could continue in death, not so that you could continue 
in rebellion, not so that you could continue to reject Him, 
but He came that you may have life and you may have it abundantly. What's the way of salvation? 
The emphasis is clear from John 1, 12 to John 20, 30 to 31. It is belief in Christ. It is faith in the Redeemer. 
It is looking unto Him and living. It is not a reformational, I'm 
gonna go out and be a better me. I'm gonna go stop doing this, 
and I'm gonna go start doing that. Now, brethren, that may 
follow up, that might be the fruit and lively evidences of 
a heart committed to Jesus through faith, but it's belief in Jesus 
Christ for salvation. This is why the Bible emphasizes 
it everywhere. Sirs, what must I do to be saved? The Philippian jailer asks Paul 
and Barnabas. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall 
be saved. It's faith in Him that is the 
mechanism. It is faith in Him that is the 
instrument. It is faith in Him that brings 
us into saving union with the Son of God, who loved us and 
who gave His life for us. Well, let us pray. Our gracious 
God and Holy Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you 
for this section in the gospel of John and for what Jesus says 
concerning his identity and his authority. We thank you that 
you are so good and so gracious to us and that you sent the son 
of your love on this mission to save his people from their 
sins. May you encourage us and may you strengthen us and may 
you build us up in our most holy faith. And God, may you indeed 
draw sinners unto yourself. And we pray this through Christ 
our Lord. Amen. You can take your hymn book and 
turn to 568. 568 will sing the doxology of praise unto our God 
as we close our service this morning. You may stand, please. is is The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ 
and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you 
all. Amen. Thank you, Father, for your wondrous 
gift. Thank you that you so loved the world that you gave your 
only begotten son. Thank you for the grace of faith 
and repentance to close with him. And we ask that you would 
go with us now, help us to call this day a delight and cause 
us to reflect upon your goodness and your mercy and your grace. 
And we pray through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. Well, please 
be seated for a brief time of meditation.