Contact: David Parham 940-322-4343
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John Chapter 10:22-42
Memory verse for this week: Eph 4:10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)
Introduction: Last week we saw the teaching on how Jesus came to deliver the
Jews from the law. He was able to live up to the law, and performed every jot and tittle
and was sinless. But even though Jesus was the door to the sheepfold, the vast majority of
the Jews refused to accept Him as the true Messiah. John 10:22 And it was at Jerusalem the
feast of the dedication, and it was winter. John 10:23 And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch. John 10:24 Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou
make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. John 10:25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in
my Father's name, they bear witness of me.
The vast majority of the Jews never truly believed that Jesus was the true Christ. Even today, there is a veil over their eye of understanding, and few have found Jesus as Savior that are Jews. Here, they question Christ as to His Deity. Christ had told them who he was before, and they believed him not.
John 5:17 But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.
John 5:18 Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.
John 5:19 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.
John 5:20 For the Father loveth the Son, and showeth him all things that himself doeth: and he will show him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.
John 5:21 For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.
John 5:22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:
John 5:23 That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.
John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
John 5:25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.
John 5:26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;
John 5:27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
Not only had Jesus told them who He was, (God in the flesh), but He did many great works in God’s name, yet they rejected Him.
John 6:36 But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.
John 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
John 6:38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
John 6:39 And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
John 6:40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
John 6:41 The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.
John 6:42 And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?
John 6:43 Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves.
John 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
John 6:45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.
John 6:46 Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.
John 10:26 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
Jesus tells them that the reason that they believed not is because they were not his sheep. And if we are the true sheep of the Lord, we will show it in our lives. Our lives will be patterned after Jesus Christ, and their will be fruits.
Mat 7:18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Mat 7:19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Mat 7:20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
Last week we talked about how the shepherds would leave their sheep in the sheepfold overnight with the other various flocks, and then the next morning that shepherd would call out his sheep. Only his sheep came out, because they knew their master’s voice. When we know the Lord as our Savior, we hear His voice and follow his call.
John Calvin in his commentary on John said this about verse 27. "Christ uses two contrasting arguments to show that they are not his "sheep because they do not obey the gospel. For God effectually calls those whom He has elected, so that Christ’s "sheep" are proved by their faith. Indeed, believers are called "sheep" because they surrender themselves to God to be ruled by the hand of the head Shepherd and putting away their original fierceness, becomes meek and teachable. It is a great comfort to godly teachers that although most people in the world do not listen to Christ, he has his "sheep" whom He knows and by whom He is also known."
- We need to remember that the believer is Christ’s sheep, not his own or someone else’s sheep.
- The believer hears Christ’s voice, not another’s.
- The believer is under Christ’s knowledge, not his own thinking about the matter or some other’s.
- The believer has been given eternal life, Christ’s gift to all who will believe.
- The believer has been given Christ’s Promise that he will never perish, and his promises are always true.
John 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
John 10:29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
John 10:30 I and my Father are one.
How can anyone doubt the security of our souls if they read verse 28. Jesus never did anything part of the way. I see no record of someone coming to him blind in two eyes and getting partial sight in his eyes or only getting one eye healed. When Jesus did something, He did it totally, and He needed no one else to help Him. If Jesus promises eternal life to all those who will believe in Him as Savior, who are we to think we can change that. It is not in our works that we are saved, but in the shed blood of our Savior. Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith, and we are sealed unto the day of redemption of the Holy Spirit. Praise the Lord for verse 29… NO MAN is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. That means no one, not even ourselves. We may be unfaithful to Jesus, but He, who can not lie, will never forsake one of his true sheep.
Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Eph 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
I really enjoyed what J. Vernon McGee said about the security of the believer. He said "And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish." Friend, when He gives to them eternal life, that means they don’t earn it and they don’t work for it. He gives it to them. Note that it is eternal life… it is forever. If it plays out in a week or in a year or until they sin, life does not last forever. The sheep may be in danger, but the Shepherd will protect them. They may be scattered, but He will gather them up again. They shall never perish. May they backslide? Yes. Will they perish? No. The sheep may get into a pigpen, but there has never yet been a sheep in a pigpen that stayed in a pigpen. Sheep and pigs do not live together. The sheep is always a sheep. No man can pluck that sheep out of the Savior’s hand. This is wonderful. No created thing can take the sheep out of His hand. " We should realize as a saved child of the Lord that we are in Christ’s hand, and there is no one or any power that can remove us from His hand. We are a Gift to Christ from the all-powerful Father. We didn’t give ourselves to Christ, God selected and gave us to the Son.
John 10:31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.
John 10:32 Jesus answered them, Many good works have I showed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?
John 10:33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
We see that Christ makes it clear that He is the Son of God. He and the Father are one, and the Jews refuse to accept this. They take up stones to stone him. Jesus’ works were undeniable. His miracles were seen by literally thousands of people. And he asks, of which of these good works do ye stone me? They came back and said it was not for the good works, but because he blasphemed God in making Himself equal to God. But His Words were true.
John 10:34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?
John 10:35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;
John 10:36 Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?
John 10:37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.
John 10:38 But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.
Jesus tells them the scriptures can not be broken, and that is so true. And the Word of God does not contradict itself either. Jesus tried to make them know that He was doing the Works of God, and because of that, had to be from the Father. Looking back, it is hard to believe that they could not see the truth. But most likely, had we have been there, and ingrained with the law the way they were, neither would we have believed.
John 10:39 Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand,
John 10:40 And went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized; and there he abode.
As had been the case so many other times, they intended to stop him, to put him to death, but he escaped. And why was that? Because His time was not yet come. Remember when they were going to take hold on the Lord earlier, and he walked right past them. God had a perfect time for Jesus to be born, and he had a time to die on Calvary. No one would stay those appointed times.
John 10:41 And many resorted unto him, and said, John did no miracle: but all things that John spake of this man were true.
John 10:42 And many believed on him there.
It is interesting to see Jesus return to the place where John the Baptist first preached and baptized. It says that many resorted to hi, and John did no miracle. Think it is important to realize that John came preaching the Gospel, but did no miracles. In the book, "Exploring the Gospels" by John Phillips, he notes "People remembered how John had identified with Jesus. "John" they said "Did no miracle." That was part of the greatness of John. God never places much premium on miracles. In only a few transitional periods are miracles evident in Scripture. There were miracles to get Israel out of Egypt, through the wilderness, and into Canaan; then they stopped. There were miracles in the days of Elijah and Elisha, as protest against the apostasy that would lay both Israel and Judah in the dust; then they stopped. There was a brief flurry of miracles in the days of Daniel, marking the transition of Judah from a monarchy into a dependency; then they stopped. There were miracles during the days of Christ and his apostles, to accredit both him and the church; then they stopped. The greater part of time has been marked by lack of miracles. For, when all is said and done, miracles are a sign to unbelief. "John did no miracle." People simply took him at his word. It is worth noting that after each of the above brief periods when miracles were in evidence, they were always replaced by God’s written word. The miracles of Moses and Joshua gave way to the Pentateuch, the early histories, the psalms of David, the wisdom books of Solomon. The miracles of Elijah and Elisha gave way to the writing prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, and their colleagues. The miracles performed in Babylon were replaced by the writings of the postexilic prophets. The miracles of Jesus and the apostles were replaced by the gospels and epistles. How powerful and effective has been the world of Christ. God’s ideal is to bring people to faith rests not on miracles but on his word. "John did no miracle: but all things that John spake of this man were true." John, being dead, yet spoke. "
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Prov 4:18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
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