WEBVTT 00:00:00.633 --> 00:00:02.966 Someday I'm going to jump around on the stage like Isaac. 00:00:02.966 --> 00:00:04.033 I promise. 00:00:04.033 --> 00:00:06.299 I'm going to threaten right now. 00:00:06.299 --> 00:00:07.466 Not yet. 00:00:07.466 --> 00:00:08.733 We'll get there. 00:00:08.733 --> 00:00:12.999 I do have something exciting to celebrate, though, that is worth jumping around about. 00:00:12.999 --> 00:00:18.966 Wednesday night we had our Awana celebration, our awards night, our family fun night. 00:00:18.966 --> 00:00:21.565 In fact, we got a picture to throw up on the screen. 00:00:21.565 --> 00:00:29.966 I got to tell you, there's something like 70 kids who have been working hard all year memorizing scripture up here on Wednesday nights. 00:00:29.966 --> 00:00:34.399 And it is so amazing to come together, celebrate that, to have them come up on stage. 00:00:34.399 --> 00:00:43.999 That's just a snippet of one group, have them come up on stage and say, Hey, let's celebrate the fact that these kids are given their time to memorize scripture. 00:00:43.999 --> 00:00:45.265 It's super inspiring. 00:00:45.265 --> 00:00:46.966 So it was an awesome night. 00:00:49.198 --> 00:00:56.698 Maybe gets me pumped up watching them work so hard and it gets me pumped up thinking about vibes coming up here in just a couple of weeks. 00:00:56.698 --> 00:01:02.698 It is a really rich time of just reaching out to our community and investing in our community. 00:01:02.698 --> 00:01:04.965 So be praying for that. 00:01:04.965 --> 00:01:06.933 We're going to continue in our study of the book. 00:01:06.933 --> 00:01:16.498 And Jon, today we're in Jon chapter ten and as I was preparing for today, a story came to mind and you may have read, in fact, two of my history lovers in the room. 00:01:16.498 --> 00:01:17.933 Let me see your hands. 00:01:17.933 --> 00:01:18.533 Okay, good. 00:01:18.533 --> 00:01:19.832 I was getting a little worried there for a second. 00:01:19.832 --> 00:01:22.799 I see enough hands. 00:01:22.799 --> 00:01:29.132 In fact, the story in particular that came to mind, I love one of my favorite things to do is to read history. 00:01:29.132 --> 00:01:33.465 The story that came to mind was the story of the building of the Panama Canal. 00:01:33.465 --> 00:01:36.132 In fact, there's this great book written by David McCullough. 00:01:36.132 --> 00:01:39.599 If you want a lot more detail, because I'm going to go to a real high level here. 00:01:40.799 --> 00:01:44.698 But the building of the Panama Canal was really interesting because actually the U.S. 00:01:44.698 --> 00:01:50.132 built it, oversaw it for many years, but we weren't the first to try to build it. 00:01:50.132 --> 00:01:59.632 France actually was the first country to say we need we're going to build a canal across Panama because they had built the Suez Canal and they had actually become quite wealthy from it. 00:01:59.632 --> 00:02:03.266 It was a big payout for them to build this canal. 00:02:03.266 --> 00:02:10.765 They come to Panama, though, and the problem was they came with the same mindset as in Suez, which is we're going to build this canal at sea level. 00:02:10.765 --> 00:02:11.466 That worked for us. 00:02:11.466 --> 00:02:14.399 They're certain to work for us here. 00:02:14.399 --> 00:02:16.932 We're going to come with a big payout from this as well. 00:02:18.066 --> 00:02:22.998 The problem is Panama is a very different country, very mountainous in between the two seas. 00:02:22.998 --> 00:02:28.832 And so what happened was they mixed up the reality of we've got a goal with the method. 00:02:28.832 --> 00:02:32.466 The goal is simply to get one boat from one ocean over to the other. 00:02:32.466 --> 00:02:34.199 That's the goal. 00:02:34.199 --> 00:02:38.633 But the method in their mind had to be a sea level canal. 00:02:38.633 --> 00:02:42.299 So as they started to try to dig out the sea level canal, there was just too much dirt. 00:02:42.299 --> 00:02:43.633 They didn't know where to put it. 00:02:43.633 --> 00:02:48.498 And the thing that should have been a part of the project all along became their biggest hindrance. 00:02:48.498 --> 00:02:49.932 So they gave up. 00:02:49.932 --> 00:02:55.498 In fact many of the people who were involved with it went bankrupt. As a result, the U.S. 00:02:55.498 --> 00:02:58.998 comes in and taken back with a fresh set of eyes. 00:02:58.998 --> 00:03:01.498 They go, There's no way we can build a sea level canal. 00:03:01.498 --> 00:03:03.832 There's too much dirt to move. 00:03:03.832 --> 00:03:07.832 So instead of the dirt being our biggest problem, let's make it part of the solution. 00:03:07.832 --> 00:03:17.299 And so they piled up that dirt and built a lake and used locks to get up to the lake and go across the country, across the lake, down another set of logs. 00:03:17.299 --> 00:03:19.932 The thing that should have been that was your big problem became the solution. 00:03:19.932 --> 00:03:21.332 Now, here's how all this applies to John. 00:03:21.332 --> 00:03:30.498 Chapter ten France when they came into this, were so tied to their methods that they lost sight of the goal. 00:03:30.498 --> 00:03:31.998 The goal wasn't a sea level canal. 00:03:31.998 --> 00:03:34.066 The goal was getting ships from one side or the other. 00:03:35.399 --> 00:03:42.498 And look, we're all susceptible to that, become too married to our method, our goal and our method. 00:03:42.498 --> 00:03:46.966 Maybe our traditions or maybe our religion. 00:03:46.966 --> 00:03:49.199 And we lose sight of the goal. 00:03:49.199 --> 00:03:52.432 We lose sight of the much bigger thing at play. 00:03:52.432 --> 00:03:56.133 And we're going to see that in today's passage in John Chapter ten. 00:03:56.133 --> 00:04:01.498 We're covered in the second half of John Chapter two, and we're going to finish up John Chapter ten. 00:04:01.498 --> 00:04:05.332 And if you look at versus 22 through 42, that's where we're going to be today. 00:04:05.332 --> 00:04:13.598 In fact, let's just read these first couple of verses in John chapter ten, verse 22, to kind of get our bearings to create the setting. 00:04:13.598 --> 00:04:19.865 John Chapter 1022 At the time, the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. 00:04:19.865 --> 00:04:24.533 It was winter and Jesus was walking in the temple in the colonnade of Solomon. 00:04:25.533 --> 00:04:36.598 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, How long will you keep us in suspense if you are the Christ, tell us plainly. 00:04:36.598 --> 00:04:40.499 So a couple of things to set up here to give us the context. 00:04:40.499 --> 00:04:52.432 We in the first part of Chapter ten that we covered last week, that really ended a big section, Chapter seven, eight, nine, ten, huge section of this continuous conversation. 00:04:52.432 --> 00:04:56.333 Jesus was having with many of the Jewish leaders. 00:04:56.365 --> 00:05:01.233 Now we're kind of turning the corner because it mentions a new feast, the feast of dedication. 00:05:01.233 --> 00:05:06.333 We had been kind of under the umbrella of the Feast of Births, he said to his brothers, who said, Go up to the feast. 00:05:06.333 --> 00:05:07.333 And he said, I'm not going. 00:05:07.333 --> 00:05:08.365 But then he does go up. 00:05:08.365 --> 00:05:10.733 That kind of governance, that whole previous section. 00:05:10.733 --> 00:05:13.899 But now he mentions the feast of dedication. 00:05:13.899 --> 00:05:18.533 Now that's a feast that may not be as familiar to you because it doesn't show up in the Old Testament. 00:05:18.533 --> 00:05:23.399 It's not one of the ones in the Old Testament that were given for them to follow it came later. 00:05:23.399 --> 00:05:27.499 In fact, you've probably heard of it, though it's often called more popularly called Hanukkah. 00:05:28.899 --> 00:05:32.733 And it goes back to the time in between the testament. 00:05:32.733 --> 00:05:42.999 So you may or may not know there's about a 400 year period between the closing of the Old Testament and the start of the New Testament, where we don't have any written scripture, what we considered to be Scripture. 00:05:42.999 --> 00:05:48.466 If you grew up Catholic, you might have some books in your Catholic Bible that cover that period. 00:05:48.466 --> 00:05:52.699 In fact, I'd encourage everyone to take time to read them because some of them are so fascinating. 00:05:52.699 --> 00:05:59.365 Two books in particular that I'm going to reference today are first and second Maccabees that cover this period in between. 00:05:59.365 --> 00:06:07.732 All of this is important because this gives the context for where Jesus was teaching in the temple, the Feast of dedication, the Feast of Hanukkah. 00:06:07.732 --> 00:06:13.766 This was a moment of remembrance of the last big Jewish revolt prior to Jesus coming on the scene. 00:06:14.865 --> 00:06:17.932 So 167 or so B.C. 00:06:18.499 --> 00:06:31.466 What happened was the Assyrians had coming in and taking over the area and the leader at the time, his name was Antiochus Epiphanies, which by the way, Epiphany wasn't his given last name. 00:06:31.466 --> 00:06:38.865 If you think of Epiphany manifest, in fact, the reason he named himself that not his mom, his mom knew better. 00:06:38.865 --> 00:06:44.298 The manifestation of God was the implication and not just the implication. 00:06:44.298 --> 00:06:46.266 In fact, throw this picture up on the screen. 00:06:46.266 --> 00:06:50.399 This is a coin from the time that's him. Antioch Epiphanies. 00:06:50.399 --> 00:06:53.699 And if you look closer, look at the next screen. 00:06:53.699 --> 00:06:56.065 You can see I've got it labeled number one, two and three. 00:06:56.065 --> 00:06:57.298 Number one is Antioch. 00:06:57.298 --> 00:06:58.732 That's his name. Antiochus. 00:06:58.732 --> 00:07:01.266 Number three is Epiphanies. 00:07:01.266 --> 00:07:05.932 But in between is the word famous or three on God. 00:07:05.932 --> 00:07:08.466 Same way we get the word theology study of God. 00:07:08.466 --> 00:07:14.632 Various Antioch God manifest printed on the coins. 00:07:14.632 --> 00:07:16.798 There's no doubt about the claim he's making. 00:07:17.798 --> 00:07:36.165 And so when he overtakes, you know, he's a descendant of roughly of Alexander and he's all of Alexander's estates were conquests were vivid out he wants all the places he rules over to to worship one God I don't want all of these different religions divided up. 00:07:36.165 --> 00:07:38.798 We're all going to worship one God and we're going to worship Zus. 00:07:38.798 --> 00:07:40.531 By the way, that's me. 00:07:40.531 --> 00:07:42.266 That's what he's saying. 00:07:42.266 --> 00:07:43.732 God manifest. 00:07:43.732 --> 00:07:45.665 I'm him. 00:07:45.665 --> 00:07:50.132 So he comes to every area he's over and says it's time to start worshiping me. 00:07:50.132 --> 00:07:57.098 Now, of course, the Jews didn't like that and they wouldn't follow. 00:07:57.098 --> 00:08:15.798 So what Antiochus Epiphanies does is he actually comes into the temple, goes into the holy of holies and builds an altar, designs on top of the altar to God and sacrifices a pig on top of the altar, which could you could not get more offensive to a Jew. 00:08:16.699 --> 00:08:19.298 And what this did was this stirred up the Jews. 00:08:19.298 --> 00:08:21.999 In fact, there was a family, in particular, the Maccabees. 00:08:21.999 --> 00:08:25.598 And so that's where they get the name of those books first and second Maccabees. 00:08:25.598 --> 00:08:33.566 Ironically, the guy who really started the revolt was Maccabees, and they drove out the Syrians. 00:08:33.566 --> 00:08:35.198 They drove out Antiochus epiphanies. 00:08:35.198 --> 00:08:39.432 They drove them out reconquering the land. 00:08:39.432 --> 00:08:41.966 In fact, here's how Hanukkah came about. 00:08:41.966 --> 00:08:54.599 As a result, on the very day that and how conspirators had set up the temple, sacrifice the pig three years later, they come in to cleanse the temple and they want to light the lamps to see where they are. 00:08:54.599 --> 00:09:01.432 They find only enough oil to light the lamps to last about a day because all the other oil had been desecrated. 00:09:01.432 --> 00:09:02.865 They wanted only concentrated oil. 00:09:02.865 --> 00:09:03.331 They found a way. 00:09:03.331 --> 00:09:09.999 They light the lamps to last about a day, but the lamps burn for eight days continuously. 00:09:09.999 --> 00:09:13.066 That's the reason they still celebrate Hanukkah for eight, eight days. 00:09:13.066 --> 00:09:16.032 Now it's often called the Festival of Lights. 00:09:16.032 --> 00:09:16.599 All right. 00:09:16.599 --> 00:09:40.032 Bringing all of this back into giving us this context, Jesus is standing in the temple at the Feast of Dedication, which is meant to concentrate re concentrate the altar, the place where sacrifices are given, which is meant to celebrate the fact that a deliverer came and drove out the evil rulers, which is the context for a messiah like figure. 00:09:40.032 --> 00:09:58.099 And here they ask him this question Look back at the past year verse 24 How long will you keep us in suspense if you are the Christ the Messiah, the one who will deliver us because we were under the Syrians rule? 00:09:58.099 --> 00:10:00.499 Judas Maccabee is driven out about 100 years later. 00:10:00.499 --> 00:10:01.198 The Romans come in. 00:10:01.198 --> 00:10:02.631 Now we're oppressed again. 00:10:02.631 --> 00:10:03.831 Are you the Christ? 00:10:03.831 --> 00:10:05.231 Are you the Messiah? 00:10:05.231 --> 00:10:09.999 Are you the one who can do what the very thing we're celebrating today did 100 years ago? 00:10:09.999 --> 00:10:13.432 Are you the one who can do that now? 00:10:14.032 --> 00:10:17.666 And you may think, actually, this would have been more like 200 years ago for them. 00:10:17.666 --> 00:10:19.399 You may think, gosh, that's a long time ago. 00:10:19.399 --> 00:10:20.831 They're really still dwelling on this. 00:10:20.831 --> 00:10:28.198 Well, does the Civil War still affect the way we view the world today here in the U.S.? 00:10:28.198 --> 00:10:38.999 That sounds like, you know, I'm 175 years ago, distant, distant history, and yet it still shapes the way so much of our culture is shaped today. 00:10:38.999 --> 00:10:39.999 Same here. 00:10:39.999 --> 00:10:42.599 They're still hoping for a messiah to come. 00:10:42.599 --> 00:10:44.365 Another deliverer to come. 00:10:44.365 --> 00:10:47.131 How long will you keep us in suspense? 00:10:47.131 --> 00:10:56.032 In fact, the Greek here is the literal translation of it is something like how long will you torture our souls? 00:10:57.899 --> 00:10:59.466 Now it's idiomatic. 00:10:59.466 --> 00:11:01.432 So all the major translations agree. 00:11:01.432 --> 00:11:03.532 It's along the lines of how it's translated here. 00:11:03.532 --> 00:11:05.231 How long will you keep us in suspense? 00:11:05.231 --> 00:11:08.032 How long will you torture us with not giving us an answer? 00:11:08.032 --> 00:11:09.731 How long will you hold this over us? 00:11:09.731 --> 00:11:10.865 Will you speak clearly? 00:11:10.865 --> 00:11:13.865 You're killing us here. 00:11:14.932 --> 00:11:18.264 But there's a reason why he doesn't say clearly to them. 00:11:18.264 --> 00:11:19.899 I am the Messiah. 00:11:19.899 --> 00:11:21.432 I am the Christ. 00:11:21.432 --> 00:11:24.032 He doesn't do that openly and publicly. 00:11:24.032 --> 00:11:25.298 He only does that privately. 00:11:25.298 --> 00:11:26.465 Like with the woman at the. 00:11:26.465 --> 00:11:28.198 Well, I'm him. 00:11:28.198 --> 00:11:30.465 I'm the Christ. 00:11:30.465 --> 00:11:34.131 There's a reason why he doesn't do it publicly. 00:11:34.499 --> 00:11:36.899 And there's a great quote I ran across by Don Carson. 00:11:36.899 --> 00:11:37.599 Not going to read to you. 00:11:37.599 --> 00:11:38.731 It's going to be up on the screen. 00:11:38.731 --> 00:11:40.731 Go ahead and flash that up. 00:11:40.731 --> 00:11:49.264 This sums up why he doesn't just openly say to them the term Messiah or Christ had too many political and military connotations. 00:11:49.264 --> 00:11:57.532 Had he Jesus spoken plainly, they would have misunderstood him for the notions of Messiah. 00:11:57.532 --> 00:12:04.731 You could not embrace a suffering servant or a kingdom that was not immediately political and military. 00:12:04.731 --> 00:12:07.599 Now this happens all the time with us. 00:12:07.599 --> 00:12:14.198 You use a word and you have a meaning of what it means, but someone else sees it and thinks of it differently. 00:12:14.198 --> 00:12:29.399 I remember hearing a friend of mine told the story of Cal Thomas, who's a well-known reporter Christian, but has worked mostly in secular news, and he was covering the Jimmy Carter presidency as he was running for president. 00:12:29.399 --> 00:12:34.664 And Jimmy Carter was very clear about being a born again Christian. 00:12:34.664 --> 00:12:37.065 And that was a weird thing to hear in the news. 00:12:37.065 --> 00:12:40.231 What does that mean, born again Christian, you're Christian or you're not. 00:12:40.231 --> 00:12:45.365 What's this new concept, this new subset of Christianity that you're born again? 00:12:45.365 --> 00:12:47.465 And so lots of people are asking questions about this. 00:12:47.465 --> 00:12:49.298 And someone knew he was a Christian. 00:12:49.298 --> 00:12:53.231 They came up to him, a fellow reporter, and said, Are you one of those born again Christians? 00:12:54.865 --> 00:12:58.032 So Cal Thomas goes, What do you mean by that? 00:12:58.032 --> 00:13:00.698 What do you mean by born again? 00:13:00.698 --> 00:13:05.131 Well, you know, born again, you know, born again. 00:13:05.131 --> 00:13:06.999 I know what born Again means. 00:13:06.999 --> 00:13:09.999 What do you mean by born again? 00:13:10.164 --> 00:13:13.164 Well, well, you know, born again. 00:13:13.231 --> 00:13:13.831 I don't know. 00:13:13.831 --> 00:13:14.999 Fundamental grammatical. 00:13:14.999 --> 00:13:15.698 Born again. 00:13:15.698 --> 00:13:17.865 You know, he's like, No, no, no. 00:13:17.865 --> 00:13:20.264 Let me tell you what I believe. 00:13:20.264 --> 00:13:23.099 Born again means. 00:13:23.099 --> 00:13:28.331 And we encounter this all the time. And look, we're guilty of it, too. 00:13:28.331 --> 00:13:36.198 By the way, let me use a label applied to someone well, and that way I don't have to take the time to listen to them. 00:13:36.198 --> 00:13:38.099 I don't have to take the time to really get to know them. 00:13:38.099 --> 00:13:40.599 I don't have to take the time to understand them. 00:13:42.764 --> 00:13:52.131 And so here what we have is this If I call myself Messiah, you don't even know what Messiah really is meant to be. 00:13:52.131 --> 00:13:55.532 You've already decided what Messiah is. 00:13:55.532 --> 00:13:59.698 And I four chapter after chapter after chapter, I'm Jesus. 00:13:59.698 --> 00:14:06.198 For months now I have been trying to tell you what the Messiah, who He really is, what he's really like. 00:14:06.198 --> 00:14:12.731 It's not what you think, but they don't want to hear it. 00:14:12.731 --> 00:14:15.731 Their ears are close to it. 00:14:16.099 --> 00:14:24.432 They don't really want to think of a messiah any other way than how how they have already preconceived him. 00:14:25.465 --> 00:14:30.032 So here's how their interaction continues in the midst of this. 00:14:30.032 --> 00:14:31.999 Look at verse 25. 00:14:31.999 --> 00:14:34.999 Here's how he responds to them. 00:14:35.264 --> 00:14:44.565 I told you, and you do not believe the works that I do in my father's name bear witness about me. 00:14:44.565 --> 00:14:49.164 But you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. 00:14:51.899 --> 00:14:55.298 I didn't have ears to hear. 00:14:55.599 --> 00:14:58.198 And I think this is a warning for all of us. 00:14:58.198 --> 00:15:01.099 Really? 00:15:01.099 --> 00:15:03.465 Do I really, truly have ears to hear? 00:15:03.465 --> 00:15:06.399 Lord, what is it you want me to hear about you? 00:15:06.399 --> 00:15:17.065 Not my preconceived notions of who you are, not what I've decided you can or cannot do in the world or in my life. 00:15:17.065 --> 00:15:34.298 But am I truly listening carefully, hoping to hear from you like your sheep who just willingly, lovingly follow you wherever he goes on to describe some of the situation. 00:15:34.298 --> 00:15:37.298 Look at verse 28. 00:15:37.365 --> 00:15:39.198 I give them eternal life. 00:15:39.198 --> 00:15:51.231 Speaking of his sheep, I give them eternal life and they will never perish and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 00:15:51.231 --> 00:15:55.565 My father, who has given them to me, is greater than all and no one is able. 00:15:55.565 --> 00:15:59.599 Here it is again to snatch them out of the father's hand. 00:16:01.599 --> 00:16:03.032 This is a powerful section. 00:16:03.032 --> 00:16:06.899 The statements he makes here speaking about his sheep. 00:16:06.899 --> 00:16:11.399 You know, there's a doctrine behind this with this phrase No one will snatch them out of my hand. 00:16:11.399 --> 00:16:16.698 It's one that you may have heard referenced like eternal security. 00:16:17.565 --> 00:16:19.698 It's a powerful doctrine. 00:16:19.698 --> 00:16:23.099 And I think it's one that's essential to the Christian war. 00:16:23.099 --> 00:16:28.965 When you are his, nothing can separate you from neither death nor life. 00:16:28.965 --> 00:16:34.731 Persecution, nor peril, nor anything else in all of creation can separate us from the love of God that we have in Christ Jesus. 00:16:34.731 --> 00:16:37.499 Nothing ever can separate us in Him. 00:16:37.499 --> 00:16:38.999 He cannot snatch you. 00:16:38.999 --> 00:16:41.998 Nothing out of his hand. 00:16:42.498 --> 00:16:52.498 It's a powerful doctrine, often misunderstood, and I think many have struggled with Am I really saved or not? 00:16:53.764 --> 00:16:59.065 If I'm really saved what I have done, that would I have acted like that? 00:16:59.932 --> 00:17:05.231 And look, by the way, many of us in this room have struggled with that. 00:17:05.231 --> 00:17:06.698 It's okay. 00:17:06.698 --> 00:17:08.698 That's okay. 00:17:08.698 --> 00:17:10.932 But here's what I want you to hear today. 00:17:10.932 --> 00:17:12.498 Your security. 00:17:12.498 --> 00:17:18.632 Our security is not based on how strongly I feel about the gospel. 00:17:18.632 --> 00:17:23.731 It's not how strongly I feel about what I have or haven't done. 00:17:23.731 --> 00:17:25.932 It's not based on the strength of my feeling. 00:17:25.932 --> 00:17:28.932 It's based on how strong he is. 00:17:30.964 --> 00:17:33.932 In fact, I heard Tim Keller talk about this this week. 00:17:33.932 --> 00:17:42.565 I mentioned in the midweek update that Tim Keller passed last week in 72 years old, died of cancer, hugely influential in my life. 00:17:42.565 --> 00:17:45.597 His sermons, his writings are incredible. 00:17:45.597 --> 00:17:49.097 And I was looking back at one of the talks he gave at Google. 00:17:49.097 --> 00:17:51.632 They invited him in to talk about God. 00:17:51.632 --> 00:17:53.065 Can you come and give us? 00:17:53.065 --> 00:17:55.298 In fact, he had written a book, Reason for God. 00:17:55.298 --> 00:17:58.097 Can you come and talk about your book, State Your Case? 00:17:58.097 --> 00:18:00.198 Why do you think there is a God or not? 00:18:00.198 --> 00:18:06.632 In fact, they said it was the biggest turnout they had ever had, even more than the lady who came to talk about sex education. Right. 00:18:06.632 --> 00:18:10.164 He said that's that strong company right there. Big turnout for that. 00:18:11.332 --> 00:18:16.531 But he gets up and he says, here's here's where faith matters. 00:18:16.798 --> 00:18:17.765 And he gave the analogy. 00:18:17.765 --> 00:18:24.897 Imagine that you were sliding off the edge of a cliff and your one hope was to grab for a branch you see poking out from the side of the cliff. 00:18:24.897 --> 00:18:33.932 And you think to yourself, I'm not sure if that branch is strong enough to hold me or not, but you grab it and you're saved. 00:18:33.932 --> 00:18:35.065 It is. 00:18:35.065 --> 00:18:38.065 And you're saved. 00:18:38.164 --> 00:18:44.698 Conversely, if you're sliding off the cliff and you think I know that branch is strong enough to hold me, it is incredibly strong. 00:18:44.698 --> 00:18:47.698 It can hold me through anything. 00:18:47.998 --> 00:18:49.798 And yet you don't grab for it. 00:18:49.798 --> 00:18:51.597 You're not saved. 00:18:51.597 --> 00:18:53.865 And so here's how he summarized that, that illustration. 00:18:53.865 --> 00:18:55.798 Look at his quote on the screen. 00:18:55.798 --> 00:19:05.365 Weak faith in a strong object is infinitely better than strong faith in a weak object. 00:19:06.332 --> 00:19:15.798 You know, the basis, the strength of your internal security is not in how strongly you feel about it. 00:19:15.798 --> 00:19:18.397 It's in the object of your faith. 00:19:18.397 --> 00:19:19.865 He's the one that brings the strength. 00:19:19.865 --> 00:19:21.164 Now, how strong is that? 00:19:21.164 --> 00:19:22.031 Look at verse 30. 00:19:22.031 --> 00:19:25.031 Look at what he says in verse 30. 00:19:25.397 --> 00:19:28.798 I and the father are one. 00:19:30.932 --> 00:19:33.698 How secure is your salvation? 00:19:33.698 --> 00:19:36.265 How strong is your salvation? 00:19:36.265 --> 00:19:41.432 It is as strong as the relationship between the son and the father. 00:19:41.498 --> 00:19:44.065 And how strong is that? 00:19:44.065 --> 00:19:58.432 There is no bond stronger in all of the universe, if that can be broken, then your relationship in him can be broken and it can't. 00:19:58.432 --> 00:20:00.765 There's nothing stronger. 00:20:00.765 --> 00:20:11.865 There is no stronger bond that we can lean on The father and the son and their unity and their love for one another is as strong as anything that's out there. 00:20:11.865 --> 00:20:15.897 And let me just mention, by the way, I know, as I said, it's okay. 00:20:15.897 --> 00:20:19.031 Many have struggled with am I saved or not through a picture? 00:20:19.031 --> 00:20:21.932 This book I'm holding up, as you can see, is a very small book. 00:20:21.932 --> 00:20:26.565 It's maybe 50 pages, but it's called How Can I Be Sure I'm Saved? 00:20:26.565 --> 00:20:32.597 This is a great resource and I don't have any here today, but I've ordered 20 copies. 00:20:32.597 --> 00:20:36.632 If you want one stop in the connection corner, they'll jot your name down. 00:20:36.632 --> 00:20:39.332 I'll have them available for you, hopefully next week. 00:20:39.332 --> 00:20:53.132 It's a short book, but it's just chock full of scripture, all emphasizing this reality that it's not about how strongly I feel about what Christ had done for me, but it's just believing in the strength of who He is as a powerful work. 00:20:53.132 --> 00:20:55.597 And it's a great thing if you're wrestling there. 00:20:55.597 --> 00:21:01.832 And even if you're not, I've found it hugely rich, enriching and encouraging. 00:21:01.832 --> 00:21:03.031 So he makes this statement. 00:21:03.031 --> 00:21:05.397 I am the father of one. 00:21:05.397 --> 00:21:07.932 Let's look at how the Jews respond to this. 00:21:07.932 --> 00:21:18.632 And by Jews, I've said many weeks that's often referring to the religious leaders, the Pharisees in particular in this setting, the Jews picked up stones again to stone him. 00:21:18.632 --> 00:21:20.932 Jesus answered them. 00:21:20.932 --> 00:21:23.164 I have shown you many good works from the Father. 00:21:23.164 --> 00:21:27.065 For which of them are you going to stone me? 00:21:28.464 --> 00:21:29.365 The Jews answered him. 00:21:29.365 --> 00:21:32.798 It is not for good works that we are going to stone you, but for blasphemy. 00:21:32.798 --> 00:21:35.998 Because you being a man, make yourself God. 00:21:38.031 --> 00:21:44.432 And if you ever hear someone say Jesus never claimed to be God, take him here. 00:21:44.432 --> 00:21:46.731 Just like we looked at in 858. 00:21:46.731 --> 00:21:48.765 They knew what he was saying. 00:21:48.765 --> 00:21:55.632 He didn't have to spell it out so clearly or as they asked, be plain about it. 00:21:55.632 --> 00:21:56.765 They knew what he meant. 00:21:56.765 --> 00:21:58.531 They knew what he was saying. 00:21:58.531 --> 00:22:00.731 You are claiming to be God. 00:22:00.731 --> 00:22:04.097 You are making yourself equal with God. 00:22:04.097 --> 00:22:08.498 You can take him here and say, Now look, this is what's happening. 00:22:08.498 --> 00:22:13.931 Jesus clearly knew what he was saying and they knew what he was saying. 00:22:13.931 --> 00:22:19.730 Look at how he responds to their their response to him. 00:22:19.730 --> 00:22:23.597 Jesus answered in verse 34, Is it not written in your law? 00:22:23.597 --> 00:22:25.998 I said, You are gods. 00:22:25.998 --> 00:22:31.365 If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came and Scripture cannot be broken. 00:22:31.365 --> 00:22:35.464 Do you say of Him whom the Father consecrated sin into the world you are blaspheming? 00:22:35.464 --> 00:22:37.464 Because I said, I am the Son of God. 00:22:38.798 --> 00:22:40.431 Okay, this is a difficult section. 00:22:40.431 --> 00:22:42.931 Let me just acknowledge this on the front end. 00:22:42.931 --> 00:22:50.265 In fact, one of the more difficult things to unpack in Scripture are how the New Testament quotes the Old Testament. 00:22:50.265 --> 00:22:51.565 And that's what's happening here. 00:22:51.565 --> 00:23:00.230 Jesus is quoting Psalm 82 to make his case against them about why they shouldn't be upset about the claim he's making. 00:23:00.230 --> 00:23:04.664 And we're going to turn to Psalm 82 and just take a minute to look at this. 00:23:04.664 --> 00:23:06.265 Why is this relevant? 00:23:06.265 --> 00:23:17.265 One of the first important things to do if you want to understand why how the New Testament quotes the Old Testament is to go back to the Old Testament and read all around it, read the context, try to get an understanding of that verse and its context. 00:23:17.265 --> 00:23:18.631 So turn to Psalm 82. 00:23:18.631 --> 00:23:23.964 If you have a church Bible that's on page 461, those church Bibles are out in the connection corner as well. 00:23:23.964 --> 00:23:26.664 Those are free for you if you don't have a Bible for free to go out and get one. 00:23:26.664 --> 00:23:30.998 Any time I'm turning into for 61 in my Bible, it's not the same. 00:23:32.065 --> 00:23:37.164 I thought you'd find that humorous, but it wasn't as funny as I thought it was. 00:23:37.164 --> 00:23:38.765 Mine's on 546. 00:23:38.765 --> 00:23:50.730 In case you're wondering, Psalm 82 saw Mary two was written as an encouragement to those who were suffering under unjust rulers that ever happened before. 00:23:50.730 --> 00:23:54.664 Maybe here are some comments you might feel that way and. 00:23:54.664 --> 00:24:01.030 Differences in seasons depending on who's over you politically or at work or whatever, suffering under unjust rulers. 00:24:01.030 --> 00:24:03.798 And it's got two parts and an indictment. 00:24:03.798 --> 00:24:06.198 Here's what went wrong and then a judgment. 00:24:06.198 --> 00:24:08.998 So look at verses one through four. 00:24:08.998 --> 00:24:16.365 God has taken his place in the Divine counsel in the midst of the gods, He holds judgment. 00:24:16.365 --> 00:24:31.365 So whoever here he's referring to as God's was ever in this setting, how long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked, give justice to the weak and the fatherless, maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. 00:24:31.365 --> 00:24:33.164 Rescue the weak and the needy. 00:24:33.164 --> 00:24:35.131 Deliver them from the hand of the wicked. 00:24:36.798 --> 00:24:41.464 And so whoever this is, there's debate about who are the gods that he's in the midst of. 00:24:41.464 --> 00:24:55.397 Some think it may be angelic being, some think it's referencing to Israel as a nation who was given the word of God, who was called to deliver the word of God a great responsibility, a God like right could be just and many. 00:24:55.397 --> 00:25:09.631 And I think probably where it lands is just human judges who are not caring for their responsibility rightly, like we looked at last week, the shepherds in Israel, 34, who had become the wolves, they weren't the shepherds. 00:25:09.631 --> 00:25:13.897 God had called them to be human judges who aren't judging rightly. 00:25:13.897 --> 00:25:15.897 They're taking advantage of their situation. 00:25:15.897 --> 00:25:18.365 They're not serving the people that are called to serve. 00:25:18.365 --> 00:25:24.131 You've been given the divine right to judge like a God, and yet you're not. 00:25:24.131 --> 00:25:25.830 You're not doing it. 00:25:25.830 --> 00:25:28.830 What's the indictment to those? 00:25:29.631 --> 00:25:30.798 Look at verse five. 00:25:30.798 --> 00:25:32.765 They have neither knowledge nor understanding. 00:25:32.765 --> 00:25:34.230 They walk about in darkness. 00:25:34.230 --> 00:25:36.330 All the foundations of the earth are shaken. 00:25:36.330 --> 00:25:42.631 I said, You are God's sons are the most high, all of you. 00:25:42.631 --> 00:25:50.464 And yet, nevertheless, like men, you shall die and fall Like any prince. 00:25:50.464 --> 00:25:51.798 I said, You're a God. 00:25:51.798 --> 00:25:55.230 I said, You should be acting like a God. 00:25:55.565 --> 00:26:00.698 And yet your men, you have not handled the Word of God well. 00:26:00.698 --> 00:26:03.097 You have not handled your responsibility well. 00:26:03.097 --> 00:26:06.964 This is Psalm 82, a judgment upon unjust human judges. 00:26:06.964 --> 00:26:19.530 Okay, so flip back to John chapter ten, and look now at when Jesus quotes that because two things are going on here, is it not written in your law? 00:26:19.530 --> 00:26:21.030 I said you are gods. 00:26:21.030 --> 00:26:29.664 If he called them gods to whom the Word of God came and Scripture cannot be broken, do you say of Him meaning himself, whom the Father consecrated, send into the world you are blaspheming? 00:26:29.664 --> 00:26:31.464 Because I said I am the Son of God. 00:26:31.464 --> 00:26:32.397 Two things are going on here. 00:26:32.397 --> 00:26:37.431 First noticed, he says in verse 24, It is written in your law. 00:26:39.030 --> 00:26:43.397 So the first thing he does is appeal to them on their own basis. 00:26:43.464 --> 00:26:45.065 This is your law. 00:26:45.065 --> 00:26:47.464 This is the thing you claim to follow. 00:26:47.464 --> 00:26:49.830 I'm not just picking something out of the air. 00:26:49.830 --> 00:26:52.397 I'm going back to the Old Testament. 00:26:52.397 --> 00:26:56.565 I'm going back to what you claim to follow. 00:26:56.631 --> 00:27:14.431 And by the way, side note, that's a really powerful approach to take when you are witnessing to someone, when you're dialoging with them about the gospel, when you're trying to make a case for Christianity, We can argue all day long about what we believe, but it's also really helpful, helpful to go, Tell me what you believe. 00:27:14.431 --> 00:27:16.030 Let me hear what you follow. 00:27:16.030 --> 00:27:17.865 Let's talk about that. 00:27:17.865 --> 00:27:31.830 In fact, Francis Schaeffer, author, teacher, speaker, seventies and eighties, one of the things he said that's always been helpful for me to remember, he says, let the weight of someone's own worldview collapse under itself. 00:27:33.131 --> 00:27:37.964 I just keep asking them questions about, their own worldview. 00:27:37.964 --> 00:27:48.097 That's built on a pretty flimsy scaffolding often, and that's not to crush them under the weight, but it's to expose them to the need for Christ. 00:27:48.097 --> 00:27:54.364 And you want to do it in a winsome, caring, concerned, genuine, interested way. 00:27:54.364 --> 00:27:57.097 And so he says, here, look, your law says this. 00:27:57.097 --> 00:28:01.230 I'm referencing your own law to you, okay? 00:28:01.230 --> 00:28:08.730 Your law says in there God calls someone a God. 00:28:08.730 --> 00:28:19.730 In fact, what he's doing here is basically saying it's no contradiction here for me to reference myself this way, because your own word has done that. 00:28:19.730 --> 00:28:26.498 In fact, one commentator, I thought, summed it up in a way that was real helpful, kind of paraphrasing what he thought Jesus meant in this place. 00:28:26.498 --> 00:28:29.230 Look on the screen, I'll toss this quote in here. 00:28:29.230 --> 00:28:43.864 If Scripture calls corrupt human judges God's, since they represent God with delegated authority, how can I, meaning Jesus, be guilty of blasphemy when I call myself Son of God? 00:28:44.163 --> 00:28:50.298 If God can do that, if that can be done in Scripture, how can I be guilty of blasphemy? 00:28:50.298 --> 00:28:50.498 Now? 00:28:50.498 --> 00:28:52.397 He doesn't leave it here. 00:28:52.397 --> 00:28:55.963 And part of the confusing part is, does that mean then that we can call ourselves gods? 00:28:55.963 --> 00:28:58.931 And no, because he doesn't leave it here. 00:28:58.931 --> 00:28:59.830 Here's what he does. 00:28:59.830 --> 00:29:01.931 Look at what he does to follow this up. 00:29:01.931 --> 00:29:04.931 Look at verse 37 and 39, do 39. 00:29:05.998 --> 00:29:11.463 If I am not doing the works of my father, then do not believe me. 00:29:11.463 --> 00:29:23.798 But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works that you may know and understand that the father is in me and I am in the father again. 00:29:23.798 --> 00:29:26.530 They sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands. 00:29:27.498 --> 00:29:31.230 So it's interesting the way he follows this up. 00:29:31.230 --> 00:29:37.931 It's not just your law says, but he appeals to the works he's done. 00:29:37.931 --> 00:29:46.631 It's interesting because there's in other places where he almost chastises the people who are seeking him for being overly focused on his miracles. 00:29:46.631 --> 00:29:50.763 I know you're just coming because you want to see another parlor trick. 00:29:50.763 --> 00:29:53.730 I know you're just coming because you want to get something out of me. 00:29:53.730 --> 00:30:02.030 You want your bellies filled with bread You want Maybe I'll make more watered down or you want to be healed. 00:30:02.030 --> 00:30:06.030 But Jesus says, Here you've seen the works that I've done. 00:30:06.030 --> 00:30:06.631 Turn water. 00:30:06.631 --> 00:30:11.564 Divine healed the blind man healed the man fed the 5000. 00:30:11.963 --> 00:30:13.963 Which of these do you really have a problem with? 00:30:17.330 --> 00:30:21.131 And he appeals to the works In this moment. 00:30:21.298 --> 00:30:24.298 He Who else could do this? 00:30:25.798 --> 00:30:27.698 But again, they didn't want to hear it. 00:30:27.698 --> 00:30:44.163 And what happens is Jesus leaves and the way he leaves and where he goes bookends This whole passage in a really powerful way that ties it all together into this reality of us being overly focused on methods, religion, tradition, rather than the goals they represent. 00:30:44.163 --> 00:31:01.530 So look at these last couple of verses verse 40, he went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing at first, and there he remained and many came to him and they said John did no sign. 00:31:02.163 --> 00:31:07.798 But everything that John said about this man was true and many believed in him. There. 00:31:08.998 --> 00:31:10.097 And so here's what I want you to see. 00:31:10.097 --> 00:31:18.163 I want you to see the contrast between between the two groups, between the two locations here, because this is where it all ties together. 00:31:18.163 --> 00:31:25.463 If you look back at verse 24 with how this all started, so the Jews gathered around him. 00:31:26.163 --> 00:31:40.263 So the first place he was was with Jews gathered around him in the temple, in the colonnade at the Festival of Hanukkah, the most religious, the most holy place with the most holy people all together. 00:31:40.263 --> 00:31:43.030 And they wanted to kill him. 00:31:43.030 --> 00:31:48.230 And the contrast here is he goes across the Jordan, he goes to where John the Baptist had been baptizing. 00:31:48.230 --> 00:31:52.431 And in contrast, many believed in him there. 00:31:53.097 --> 00:32:03.131 And as I look at this passage and think about what it means for us today, I think it's it's a warning. 00:32:03.698 --> 00:32:20.463 Who is most likely to take practices, to take traditions, to take methods is to take religion and make it more important than the one it represents. 00:32:20.463 --> 00:32:22.230 Who is most likely to do that? 00:32:22.230 --> 00:32:27.631 According to this passage, it's those and the official places of worship. 00:32:27.631 --> 00:32:39.198 The religious leaders, the people most likely to show up on the holiest days, which is us. 00:32:39.198 --> 00:32:41.530 In fact, I could get even more specific. 00:32:41.530 --> 00:32:50.530 Maybe it's me most likely to take for granted to miss the reality of how great Christ is God. 00:32:50.530 --> 00:32:59.463 Actual God manifest right in front of him and be more focused on the traditions. 00:32:59.463 --> 00:33:00.830 It's a warning to us. 00:33:00.830 --> 00:33:17.798 We are the ones most likely to be become atrophied, to become too comfortable, to become more worried about secondaries than the greater ultimate goal of knowing Christ. 00:33:18.663 --> 00:33:25.963 And so my hope today, as we study this passage, there's some difficult parts to it. 00:33:25.963 --> 00:33:28.963 Even the warning falls heavy on me as I think about it. 00:33:28.963 --> 00:33:30.230 And here's the take for me. 00:33:30.230 --> 00:33:38.730 My prayer is coming out of here is today as I leave and every morning to wake up, God help me not to replace who you are with. 00:33:39.297 --> 00:33:44.463 My traditions shake up the ground of all my traditions. 00:33:44.463 --> 00:33:45.997 I love them when we sing that song. 00:33:45.997 --> 00:33:47.963 I love it and I don't love it. 00:33:47.963 --> 00:33:49.330 Do I really want that? 00:33:49.330 --> 00:33:50.963 That sounds uncomfortable. 00:33:50.963 --> 00:33:52.730 Shake up the ground of all my traditions. 00:33:52.730 --> 00:33:57.596 Break down the walls of all my religion, and by religion I mean empty religion. 00:33:57.596 --> 00:34:05.997 Religion isn't inherently bad, but if it replaces truly worshiping Christ, that's a bad place to be. 00:34:05.997 --> 00:34:10.831 Break up the fallow ground of all my traditions. 00:34:12.030 --> 00:34:13.931 Wake me up to who you are. 00:34:13.931 --> 00:34:15.697 That's my prayer. 00:34:15.697 --> 00:34:18.097 That's my prayer from my own heart. 00:34:18.097 --> 00:34:28.996 And I would encourage you to just pray that every day this week as you wake up, Lord, help me never to replace relationship with religion, with empty religion. 00:34:28.996 --> 00:34:34.331 Help me every day to long hear from you in a fresh, new way. 00:34:34.331 --> 00:34:35.963 That's my prayer for us today. 00:34:35.963 --> 00:34:38.963 In fact, let's pray now together. 00:34:43.097 --> 00:34:54.396 Lord, I know that in my own heart it is so easy to think and believe that the effort I put forth is what saves me. 00:34:54.630 --> 00:34:55.896 I read this much Bible. 00:34:55.896 --> 00:34:59.797 I prayed this much, I served this many people. 00:34:59.797 --> 00:35:01.463 I've memorized this much Scripture. 00:35:02.996 --> 00:35:05.996 Therefore, God will accept me. 00:35:06.396 --> 00:35:09.931 And that is opposite of the Gospel. 00:35:09.931 --> 00:35:29.396 And I pray today our one burden would be simply to lean on you more and more, to become more dependent on you every day, to become more aware of how strong you are, of how great you are. 00:35:30.664 --> 00:35:48.864 And I prayed today that no matter how we may have felt at various times in life about our standing with you, I pray that everyone today would here fully, overwhelmingly confident in the great strength of who you are. 00:35:51.097 --> 00:35:54.797 Lord, I pray that we would experience your peace as we walk this way. 00:35:54.797 --> 00:36:00.931 We will experience a depth and richness of walking with you like we have never before. 00:36:01.364 --> 00:36:04.063 God, thank you that we can gather together today. We love you. 00:36:05.264 --> 00:36:05.697 A man