Amen is right. That song is awesome. There was a few who were wondering last week why it wasn’t in the service, because we’ve been doing it so consistently. So I figured I’d get it back in there before I got too many more complaints. But it is an amazing song. Even though this is a Baptist church, it just might make you want to raise your hands while we sing. And that’s just fine.

Well, turn with me in your Bibles to John chapter 10. John chapter 10 is an incredible chapter of the Bible. One of my favorites. One of my many favorites. And it is filled with wonderful truths about who Jesus Christ is. And it revolves around Jesus’ identity as the good shepherd here in John chapter 10.

That’s what he begins with, and that’s how the rest of the chapter proceeds to explain how he is the good shepherd. And there is just so much rich theological depth in this chapter. It tells us so much about Jesus, and you really cannot understand who Jesus is fully without John chapter 10. And I cannot wait to preach all of it. But that is not our goal today. We are continuing in our series on the Son of God, and we find another occurrence of that name here in chapter 10 this morning.

We’ve seen several already throughout John’s gospel. We saw it a couple times in chapter one, again in chapter three, and then the last two weeks we’ve been focusing on chapter five. And there we saw the equality of the son with the father, and we talked about all that that means. And then because of his equality with the son, we saw that he has been given authority. And so we talked about the authority of the Son last week, that he has authority not only to give life because of who he is, that he has life in himself and therefore can give it, but we also saw that it’s been given to him the authority to judge. And we saw also that it was in John chapter 5 that Jesus began to use that name, the Son of God, for himself. And that led to all kinds of trouble. That really began the persecution and really the murder trial of Jesus.

Although we don’t see the specific trial till later on, this is what got the ball rolling in that direction, is that in John chapter five, the Pharisees begin to seek to kill him. They reacted strongly to Jesus calling himself the Son of God because they knew what he meant. They knew what he meant When he called himself the son of God, we read in John 5, verse 18, for this reason, therefore, the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him. Because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was also calling God his own father, making himself equal with God. And again, that’s really what begins the persecution narrative that only increases as you go through the gospel of John. That’s really how John portrays Christ. But after chapter five, we don’t see this name, the Son of God, at least in this form, the full Son of God phrase until here in John chapter 10. And by the time we get to John 10, John’s narrative has hit a point of crisis.

Things have gotten bad between the Jews and Jesus. The Jews surrounding him begin to demand clarity on exactly who he claims to be. And as we’ll see here in our passage, Jesus responds with another controversial claim, at least to them. He points to the works that he’s done and the witness to him and his relationship with the Father. And ultimately, in verse 30, he says that I and the Father are one. Again, this is a theme he continues, as we saw as I read John 17 earlier. But he and the Father are one. And it’s really at this point in John’s narrative, in John’s gospel, that we see the end of this public ministry of Jesus. From here on out, he’s in more private settings and around more of the disciples, and then we get to his trial. But from here on out, it’s mainly Jesus and his disciples in secluded places. And at this point, for more than three years, Jesus had traveled all around Israel. preaching the gospel and calling sinners to repentance, confronting the hypocritical Pharisees, teaching his disciples, performing signs and wonders. And all of this was to reveal who he was. It confirmed that he was the Messiah they’d been waiting for.

Through both his words and his works, Jesus was revealing his deity and his equality with God. And you’d think after three years of this, Jesus would have amassed a huge following and begun this monumental movement that couldn’t be stopped. And in a sense, that was true. But he didn’t have a huge following at this point. In fact, at this point in Jesus’s life, He was more known by his opposition, by those who opposed him, than by his crowds. And that is because the Jewish leaders had done a good job of convincing Israel to reject their Messiah. Yes, there were big crowds early on. We saw that as we read through the narrative with John the Baptist, and his followers were concerned because so many people were going away from John and towards Jesus. But we saw the rejection begin in chapter five, as the Jewish leaders sought all the more to kill him.

And then you come to chapter six, where there’s still big crowds, but even they begin to reject as in John chapter six, Jesus teaches them difficult things. That God is sovereign over your salvation. And that he is the bread of life. And near the end of John chapter six, verses 64 through 66, this is how John characterizes, by quoting Jesus’ words, but how the crowds were responding at this point. Jesus says, but there are some of you who do not believe. For Jesus knew from the beginning who it was who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him. And he was saying, for this reason I have said to you that no one can come to me unless it has been granted to him by the Father. And this is what John says in John six, verse 66. As a result of this, as a result of his teaching, that you can’t come to him unless it’s been granted by the Father. As a result of this, many of his disciples went away and were not walking with him anymore. A lot of people hate the sovereignty of God. Many went away.

And then as John’s account continues in John chapter 7, we see not even his brothers were believing in him. And John chapter 8, the last verse of John chapter 8, is that they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple. There’s a pattern here. It’s getting worse. And while there were some who were believing in him and following him, the opposition only continued to build more and more as we come to John chapter 10. We’re going to be in John 10 verses 22 and following this morning, but just before this passage in John 10 verses 19 to 21, we read that a division occurred again among the Jews because of these words. And many were saying about him, he has a demon and he’s insane. Why do you listen to him? And others were saying, these are not the words of someone demon possessed. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind? That’s the setting we step into in our text this morning. They are debating whether Jesus is demon-possessed and insane, or if he can actually heal the blind. But either way, they’re completely confused about who he is.

In our text this morning, we see Jesus explain to them another reality about who he is as the Son of God. And in our text, we see four divisions in this dialogue between Jesus and the Jews. First, we see the confrontation. In verses 22 to 24, we see this confrontation once again between him and the Jews. Secondly, we see the claim that Jesus makes in verses 25 to 30. And because of that, number three, we see the charge against him. the charge in verses 31 to 33. And lastly, number four, the consequences. The consequences of this dialogue and the things Jesus reveals. All seas for you note takers. Actually, I got a lot of the ideas for this from the way John MacArthur structured it, although I changed it a little bit. But we’ll move pretty quickly through the structure of this text, because we have a lot to cover this morning.

But allow me to read our passage this morning. John chapter 10, verses 22 through 38. This is the word of the Lord. At that time, the Feast of Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. The Jews then gather around him and were saying to him, how long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us openly. And Jesus answered them, I told you and you do not believe. The works that I do in my father’s name, these bear witness of me. But you do not believe because you are not of my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish, ever, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one. The Jews picked up stones again to stone him, and Jesus answered them, I showed you many good works from the Father, for which of them are you going to stone me?” The Jews answered him, for a good work we do not stone you, but for blasphemy, and because you being a man make yourself God. Jesus answered them, has it not been written in your law, I said you are gods? If you 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 were blaspheming? Because I said I’m the Son of God? If I do the works of my Father, or if I do not do the works of my Father, do not believe me. But if I do them, though you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may know and continue knowing that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.

Once again, this passage begins here in verse 22 with the setting, and it is the confrontation that he faces between the Jews and himself. You see there, at that time, the Feast of Dedication took place in Jerusalem in the winter. Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. So we have the, as John usually does, the background information, the time and place, verifiable details. For those he was writing to would know exactly where and when this happened. The Feast of Dedication, or today is called Hanukkah. It’s in the winter. We know when this is. And it commemorates the rededication of the temple.

So it’s the Feast of Dedication. after it was destroyed under Antioch, Epiphanes. And that was about 200 years before this. That happened in 164 BC. So it was in the time between the Old Testament and the New Testament. And we learn about the details of this from outside the Bible, since the Bible was silent during those years. But that’s the time and the place that this happened. And in Jesus’ day, this feast of dedication, it was celebrated with lights and singing and this nationalistic excitement. They were celebrating their deliverance from oppression. It was sort of like their Independence Day. And the whole nation celebrated it. And this is the setting for us. And it shows us their expectation of a deliverer. They were celebrating being delivered, yet looking forward to God sending a true deliverer. But they didn’t just want a spiritual teacher to follow. They had that right in front of them.

They wanted a political leader. who would restore Israel’s fortunes, who would conquer the Romans and give them back their power. It’s against this backdrop that Jesus’ claim of unity with the Father is even more controversial and unwanted, because he’s not just a political leader. He is the eternal son of God. And John tells us he is not only here at this time of year, he is in the temple. And he’s in Solomon’s portico, which was a covered porch where they did a lot of teaching and public debate.

In verse 24, the Jews surround Jesus. It says, the Jews then gathered around him. And we’re saying to him, how long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us openly. This word gathered around him, it means they surrounded or encircled him. It’s got hostile intent to it. They weren’t just gathering around like a bunch of friends, fellowshipping. They were pinning him in, they were trapping him. Here, we’re gonna get him. We’re gonna make him confess what we think is going on here. It’s not just an innocent question. It’s a demand. Tell us, openly, if you are the Christ. They’re not genuinely asking, are you the Messiah? They’re saying, say it out loud so we can put you on trial for it. They wanted a clear declaration from Him that they could use as evidence, as testimony against Him. And that’s the confrontation we find here, to begin this section in John chapter 10, which sets the stage for what the Son of God is about to reveal to them. Just like in John chapter five, when they push him and try to persecute him, he reveals more of his glory and reveals their blindness to it.

So secondly, we have the claim. Verse 25, Jesus answered them, I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name, these bear witness of me. He’s talking about John 5 where we were last week. I told you who I am, and I told you to look at the works that I’ve done. This is exactly what he did in John 5. I told you this, and you don’t believe. These works that he’s done, these are the signs that point to who he is. Works and signs in John’s gospel are revealing acts, not just cool tricks. They point to who Jesus is. The works that Jesus had done were done in the Father’s name, and they bear witness to who He is. They’re putting Him on trial. He says, believe the witness. Believe the witness that tells you who I am. And he continues, but you do not believe because you are not of my sheep. You do not believe because you’re not of my sheep. This is a tremendous revelation. by Jesus here. This is as clear of a statement of the process of our salvation as there is in scripture.

Note the logical order in Jesus’ words here. It’s not that they’re not his sheep because they don’t believe. It’s not that, well, if you would just believe, then you would be my sheep. No, he says, you don’t believe because you’re not my sheep. My sheep believe. And they believe because they’re my sheep. This verse reveals the doctrines of election and the effectual call that’s given to the elect. As John Calvin comments on this verse, we must observe Christ’s design. He affirms that the gift of believing is a special gift. Indeed, before men know God, they must first be known by Him. As Paul says in Galatians 4.9, you do not believe because you’re not my sheep. There’s cause and effect here. The unity of the Son and the Father is revealed in their salvation purpose. The Father elects the sheep. He chooses them. He knows them. Before the foundation of the world, He knows all the sheep. And the Son redeems them. The very same sheep.

This is what we read about in Ephesians chapter 1. as Paul lays out the triune work of salvation. The Father chooses before the foundation of the world, Ephesians 1:4. Then the Son redeems those ones, and the Spirit seals those ones. All the same purpose for all the same people. We read about how Jesus knew from the beginning who it was who would believe in Him. The Father chose them before the foundation of the world, and it’s not as though the Son is saying, well, I hope this is one of the elect. He saves the same ones God chose. Those whom the Father gives the Son are those for whom the Son lays down His life. This is the sovereignty of God in our salvation. This is exactly why people left Jesus in John 6. You cannot come to him unless it’s been given to you by the Father. Jesus explains more about what he means here.

Verse 26, he says, you don’t believe because you’re not of my sheep. And 27, he continues, my sheep hear my voice. and I know them, and they follow me, and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish ever, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” Again, just a soteriologically rich passage of Scripture, just so much there about how it is that we’re saved. And we’ll return to this passage when we get to John chapter 10 in our verse-by-verse study and dig even deeper into these things, but that could be a few years, honestly. The sheep hear his voice. My sheep hear my voice. Again, this is the effectual call of salvation.

When the gospel is preached, why isn’t it that everyone doesn’t come forward? and is saved. Because the sheep hear his voice, and those who are not the sheep don’t hear it. So he does not know them, and they do not follow him. Again, there’s a logical order here. His sheep are His before they even hear Him. Now that doesn’t mean that they’re saved before they express faith, but they’re chosen as His sheep, and His sheep hear His voice. They don’t hear and then, all of a sudden, now they’re the elect. No, the sheep hear His voice. They hear because they are His sheep. And He says, not only do His sheep hear them, but He gives them eternal life. Again, He has given them. It is theirs. It is not something we wait for, although we do wait for. It is something we have now. We have eternal life. Our eternal life has begun. We saw in John 5 that the Son gives life, and He gives it sovereignly. It’s according to His will.

And another salvation doctrine we see here is that of eternal security. No one will snatch them out of my hand. They will never perish, ever. Once you’re a sheep, you can’t be unsheeped. You can’t perish, ever. Once you’re His, you’re His. No one will snatch them out of my hand. The security of the sheep depends on the one who keeps them, not on the sheep. Sheep are very, very dumb animals. They need a shepherd to keep them alive. That’s us. We are the sheep. We need a shepherd. This is shepherding 101. That’s why he calls himself the good shepherd. Christ is the one who keeps his sheep. And that is why we are eternally secure. He goes on to strengthen this eternal security.

In verse 29, he says, my father who has given them to me is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the father’s hand. The father gives them to him. This is what we were just talking about. They were the father’s before the foundation of the world. He’s now given them to the Son, the same group he chose. And they’ve been in the Father’s hand, and now they’ve been given to the Son. And Jesus says, you can’t snatch them out of my hand, and you can’t snatch them out of the Father’s hand. That’s double assurance. And again, this emphasizes the absolute security of the believer. Listen to what John Calvin explains about the security of believers. He says this, the salvation of all the elect is no less certain than the power of God is invincible.

The salvation of the elect is no less certain than the power of God is invincible. As powerful as God is, that’s how secure you are. The security of your salvation does not depend on if you feel saved. There are many days where you don’t feel saved. But it’s not about how you feel. If you’re his sheep, you’re secure. If you believe in him, game over. You can’t lose. It depends on if God is able to keep you, and He is able. And then we come to verse 30, the climactic declaration in this passage. It keeps building. And you get to verse 30, I and the Father are one. Jesus and the Father, the Son and the Father are one. They are united in will and in action. This is why we’re secure. They’re not one person. They’re different persons. We see that because He says, I and the Father. That’s two. But they’re one God with one purpose in our salvation. Everything that Jesus does, the Father does.

This is why He said, Last or two weeks ago in John 5.19, truly, truly, I say to you, the son can do nothing from himself unless it is something he sees the father doing. For whatever the father does, these things the son also does in the same manner. And if that’s too confusing, he says here in John 10.30, I and the father are one, period. Simplify it for you. These Jewish leaders that can’t seem to get it. He says, okay, I’m gonna put it as simply as I can for you. I and the Father are one, period. We are in the Son’s hands and the Father’s hands. They’re the same hands. Our salvation is secure. Not because of our hold on Christ, but because of the divine purpose of the Father and the Son that will hold us and keep us. If the Father has chosen them, then just as surely the Son will keep them. They truly are one in their saving purposes.

There’s really not a lot to explain about verse 30. It’s so simple. And he’s been building to this in all of the gospel. I and the Father are one.” This is just an absolutely tremendous claim that Jesus makes here. And that is the second division of our text. And thirdly, we see the charge. Verses 31 to 33 describe the Jews’ reaction to this. as if Jesus couldn’t make it any simpler for them, any easier to see and understand. The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. And Jesus answered them, I showed you many good works from the Father. For which of them are you going to stone me? And Jesus answered him. The Jews answered him, for a good work we do not stone you but for blasphemy because you being a man make yourself God. This one really got him. They are furious at his claim and they pick up stones to stone him again.

“Again” refers back to John 8.59 where they tried to stone him there and he got away. And again, their response shows that they understood Him. They understood what He meant. It wasn’t as though they were missing it. They knew what He meant. They can’t claim ignorance. If it was false like they thought, it was blasphemy. But if they correctly understood him, they saw it was a claim to deity. And that’s exactly what they say. And so Jesus responds to their picking up stones.

They have stones in their hand ready to throw them at him. And he says, I showed you many good works. Which one? Which one are you going to stone me for? The guy I healed? At the pool in Bethesda? That work? The water turned into wine? How about that one? You want to stone me for that? Which work are you going to stone me for?” He doesn’t back down. He doesn’t run away. He doesn’t walk his words back as though, well, I didn’t mean … No. He stands there and says, which one are you going to stone me for? Look at what I’ve done. Prove that I’m not the son of God.

And with this simple response, Jesus is not just claiming to do the very works of God, although he is doing that, but he’s challenging their disbelief. And he’s calling them to look at the truth right before your eyes. You guys have seen it. Why aren’t you believing it? Look at what I’ve done and prove to me that this is not true. If they had eyes to see, they had all the proof they needed. But they don’t.

And no one, absolutely nobody in the history of mankind had more reason to believe in Jesus than these Jews did. They saw him. They touched him. They saw what he did. They heard him. They asked every question that you ever would. And still, they refused to believe in what was right before their eyes. So don’t think that someone who just refuses to believe would believe if you could just give them more evidence. No, they wouldn’t. They didn’t. They don’t believe because they’re not his sheep. Jesus is proving the words he just said. And in their stubborn unbelief, The Jews respond by saying, for a good work we do not stone you, but for blasphemy, because you being a man make yourself God.

No, no, Jesus, stop distracting us with facts and evidence. We want to kill you for your hurtful words. Sound familiar? There’s nothing new under the sun. Stop bringing facts into the equation here. We know what we’ve seen. We don’t wanna talk about that. We wanna talk about what you said. And Jesus is not making himself God. He is God. By nature, and their spiritual blindness only serves to condemn them further. This highlights the total depravity of man. If man had any ability in themself to believe, these guys would believe, but they’re not his sheep. They have not been given ears to hear and eyes to see.

As Paul says in Romans chapter 1, they suppress the truth in unrighteousness, the truth that’s right before their eyes. and they charge him with blasphemy. That is the charge. And lastly, we see the consequences. The consequences of their confrontation, the consequences of his claim, the consequences of their charge against him. Verse 34, Jesus answers them, has it not been written in your law that I said you are gods. He mentions your law, even though it’s his law. But he’s patronizing them for a minute.

And he quotes Psalm 82, verse 6, which says, I said you are gods. And this psalm addresses the unjust Israelite judges and rulers who are God’s representatives. And the psalm calls them gods. I said you are gods. And he continues, if he called them gods, by 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 scripture, which cannot be broken, can call other people gods, other people who have not done everything that Jesus has done before their eyes, then how could they kill the one who has clearly been sent by God and who is the Son of God? If God’s applies to mere men in their own scriptures, then how much more appropriate is it to call Jesus God?

And this is where we see the name, the Son of God, appear in this passage and he’s using it to defend himself against their accusations and their aim to kill him. And he argues that because he is sent and set apart by the Father, because he’s united with the Father, he’s even more deserving. to be called the Son of God than any of those in the Old Testament who bore the name.” Jesus is using their own scriptures, which they thought themselves experts in. He’s using that against them. One thing not to miss in this text is Jesus’ declaration that scripture cannot be broken. That’s just an assumption. That’s the perspective. They all believe that. Even these spiritually blind Jewish leaders couldn’t deny that Scripture cannot be broken. This is one of the strongest arguments for the inerrancy and authority of Scripture. Scripture cannot be broken, which means it cannot be wrong. It is without error in every way. And lastly, Jesus points to, once again, what they’ve seen.

He says in verses 37 to 38, if I do not do the works of my Father, do not believe me. But if I do them, though you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may know and continue knowing that the Father is in me. and I am in the Father.” He puts himself on trial before them. Proof is in the pudding, guys. The evidence speaks for itself. You explain to me how I can heal the sick and the lame and the blind. Go ahead, explain it to me. Has there ever been a time in Israel when there’s been so many works and wonders done by one man? Look at my works.” But they hate evidence and they hate truth. Unbelievers hate Him and they hate us because we are of Him. This passage very clearly explains the world that we live in. Jesus rebukes their refusal to believe in his word. And he calls them to at least believe their eyes. Believe what you’ve seen. And if they could only listen to his words, they would see and understand who he is. But if they can’t listen to the words, at least see the works and believe. And if they did, He says, you would see that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.

This is what it points to. This is the only conclusion that you can come to if you just open your eyes. And with this final admonition publicly to these Jews, he alludes their grasp in verse 39. He got away. They tried to kill him and they got away. And this episode ends. But Jesus leaves these Jews with a call to believe in Him. And to believe in the works that He has been performing. That He reveals that He is from the Father. That He and the Father are one. And that the Father is in Him, and He in the Father.

These are the clearest claims in scripture to not only Jesus’ unity and equality with the Father, but to his deity. He’s God. Prove it otherwise. This passage is a tremendous passage and it has so many implications for what we believe, how we think, how we respond to Him. And in our worship, these words of Jesus that I and the Father are one, they urge us to worship Him as the true God. So worship that does not focus on the glory of Christ falls short. This is why we cannot worship with any groups that say Jesus is not God, or that Jesus has not been God since eternity.

True biblical worship is worship in truth. And in our worship, we are led by the Spirit into the communion between the Father and the Son. That’s what we read earlier in John 17 in his high priestly prayer. John 17 verses 20 and 21, Jesus says, I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for all those who believe in me through their word. That’s us. We believe in Jesus because of the word of his apostles. that they may all be one, even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you sent me. This is Jesus’ desire for us, and this is our aim in worship. Our worship must be focused on Christ and proclaim who he is, And our worship is driven by our confidence in him. No one will snatch them out of my hand. We gather confidently because of who he has made us to be. And we respond to the voice of the shepherd in obedient worship.

And as we bring The good news, the gospel to the world around us. Jesus says, you do not believe because you are not my sheep. This doesn’t mean we’re complacent in worship because God will save who he will. This guarantees the effectiveness of our evangelism. He’s got sheep out there. And they will hear his voice if we proclaim it. And faithfulness in sharing the gospel is not measured by the amount of conversions, but the faithfulness of our witness. And so, our evangelism depends on His purposes and not our persuasion.

And lastly, to follow Christ is to listen to His voice. We are His sheep. We hear His voice. We know Him. And we follow Him. We follow the Good Shepherd and our lives must reflect knowing Him. We must look like Him because we know Him.

So, do you know Him? Are you following Him? If not, you need to come to Him today. You need to trust in the good shepherd who laid his life down for his sheep. You need to hear his voice and believe. And if you do believe already, do you stand for him? In the face of opposition like he did, knowing that we are safe in his hands, So live your life for Him in everything. Live as though all you have is Christ.

Let’s stand and close in a word of prayer. Our God, we thank you for who you are. We thank you for what your word reveals to us in a chapter like John 10. It blows us away to see what Jesus reveals as the good shepherd. He tells us so plainly how it is that he saves us and keeps us. Lord, help us to hear his voice, to follow him, to live our lives as though we have a good shepherd. and that we are his sheep. We pray all of this in Jesus’ name, amen.