John 11:17-27 I Am The Resurrection And The Life: Finding The Answer In The Midst Of Bad Circumstances

04.10.09 John 11:17-27 (NASB)

Audio Sermon File: Not Available

Going Deeper: Study Guide

I Am The Resurrection And The Life: Finding The Answer In The Midst Of Bad Circumstances

When we studied the first section of chapter 11 we found that Jesus’ dear friend Lazarus was sick. Jesus was notified by a messenger, sent by Martha and Mary, that their brother was sick. In a seemingly strange response, Jesus didn’t come to His friends rescue, but instead He stayed where He was for 2 days before heading out. He did however respond to the message from these sisters that Lazarus’ sickness was not unto death, but it was to bring glory to God through the Son of God (v.4). Through this statement and delay, Jesus was teaching and preparing His disciples for the miracle to come - that Jesus would raise Lazarus from the dead. As we left off last time we found out that at the appointed time Jesus gathers His disciples and begins to head back into Judea to the village of Bethany.

Today we continue in the account as we find that the Apostle John tells us that Jesus comes into the vicinity of Lazarus’ village and Martha goes out to meet Him. As we now walk through our passage we will unfold:

The Arrival Of The Savior (v.17-19)
The Faith Of A Sister (v.20-22)
The Answer In The Midst Of Bad Circumstances (v.23-27)

Here is our inspired account from the Gospel of John:

17 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off; 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary, to console them concerning [their] brother. 20 Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him, but Mary stayed at the house. 21 Martha then said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 "Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You." 23 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." 24 Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day." 25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?" 27 She said to Him, "Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, [even] He who comes into the world."

The Arrival Of The Savior (v.17-19)

v.17 - Jesus comes to the village of Bethany which is significant because he once again had entered into enemy territory. So it is with humility that Jesus entered this village, so that He could be with His friends, and carry out God’s sovereign will. Jesus the Christ, the Messiah, the Saviour, the Lord of Creation went to meet the needs of two women - can you imagine the depth of love that Jesus has - in that He as the Son of God humbles Himself and comes to us. When Jesus’ came to the village of Bethany, we are told by the Apostle John, that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. In Jesus’ time a body would be not be placed ‘six feet under’ - in the ground as we do. They would have placed the dead in a tomb which was a chamber cut into rock or it would be a small naturally present cave. Jerusalem is a very rock rich place. The opening of the tomb would be sealed by rolling a rock to cover the entrance so that robbers could not easily enter the tomb and loot it. Another reason, a large rock would seal the entrance, is to prohibit animals from being able to enter.

There is no indication as to the time frame of Lazarus’ time of death in relation to Jesus’ journey to Bethany, but we could assume that it was a very narrow window of time. Because of the climate and custom of the Jews it was normal that even on the day of death that the burial would take place (we find this same practice with Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-10 - that when they died some men came - wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him). Such a speedy burial was needed because the Jews did not embalm bodies, but they prepared the body by washing, anointing with perfumes, and then wrapped it in white cloth.

Now I wanted to find out what happens to a human body after it dies as it relates to its decomposition and this what I found from the internet. I must warn you that it is an explicit description….Through modern science we know that once a person’s heart stops beating, the tissues and cells begin to die (though white skin cells can live for up to 24 hours after death and in that time still grow normally in a laboratory petri dish). The brain cells start to die within 3-7 minutes. ‘The intestines are packed with millions of micro-organisms that don’t die with the person. These organisms start to break down the dead cells of the intestines, while some, especially bacteria called clostridia and coliforms, start to invade other parts of the body. At the same time the body undergoes its own intrinsic breakdown…. The decomposing tissues release green substances and gas, which make the skin green/blue and blistered, starting on the abdomen. The front of the body swells, the tongue may protrude, and fluid from the lungs oozes out of the mouth and nostrils. This unpleasant sight is added to by a terrible smell as gases such as hydrogen sulphide (rotten egg smell), methane and traces of mercaptans are released. This stage is reached in temperate countries after about 4-6 days, much faster in the tropics… (from Yahoo! answers).

This leads us back to our text which we find that Lazarus - had already been in the tomb four days. It is interesting to note that the Jews had kind-of-a superstitious belief - that a dead person’s soul would hover around the deceased body for 3 days, with the hopes of going back into the body. So now after four days, Lazarus’ body was already decomposing (cf. v.39), it was time for the soul to depart since death would now be considered as irreversible. So that is the Jewish thinking - which is not Biblically based. So the Apostle John’s note here in v.17 may serve to emphasize to the Jewish leaders, that Jesus’ 7th and final sign of this gospel - that of raising to life a dead man, as we later find in this chapter, was undeniably a genuine act of miraculous power - and not that Lazarus was somehow resuscitated. Nothing else could account for it - that Jesus the Son of God without a shadow of a doubt had the power over death. So Jesus’ arrival at Bethany was to deal with the physical death of Lazarus, but of a greater magnitude it pointed to the reality that Jesus has - come that they may have life, and have it to the full (Jn. 10:10).

v.18 - Once again the village of Bethany is mentioned and geographically identified as being near Jerusalem, about two miles off (In roman measurement it would be the equivalent of about 15 stadia, which is near 1.72 miles).

v.19 - Because of the close proximity of the village to the large population of the city of Jerusalem, this allowed for many - that is a large number of Jews to go to console Lazarus’ sisters Martha and Mary in their loss of [their] brother. Because there were many of the Jews going to comfort the family - it could also be an indicator that Lazarus was a well known and respected person. All of these visitations would have taken place before Jesus’ arrival. It also once again underscores the danger that Jesus was exposed to in light of the Jews desire to kill Him. In addition, and looking ahead in this account, because of the many that were present, this would provide a body of witnesses which would be able to testify to the miracle that would take place. Therefore the Jews would have no way to discount this miracle.

In these Biblical times, the official grieving process for the Jews lasted 30 days. And within this time period there was to be no work done for the first 3 days. And in addition, that during the first week of death, it was set aside for weeping, mourning, and lamenting. So it was common that the many mourners would stay with the family for a week, coming along side the family to comfort and share the burden of grief. That is why the mourners are still with the family after four days.

Imagine what would happen to our church - the transformation that would take place in us if we would do this same thing in increasing measure, for those we know who go through the experience of loss. So often in our day and age we are so wrapped up in ourselves that once the funeral service is over so is the care and compassion. With Jesus’ arrival it leads us to discover…

The Faith Of A Sister (v.20-22)

v.20 - When the word got to Martha that Jesus was nearby, she went out to meet him. Now her sister Mary did not go with her to greet Jesus but instead she stayed at the house, which could be due to her grief (cf. v.31-33). In this we are able to see the way that God created different character and personality in these 2 sisters. It was not unlike the time that Jesus had visited them as recorded in Luke 10:38-42 which states: 38 Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord's feet, listening to His word. 40 But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up [to Him] and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me." 41 But the Lord answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; 42 but [only] one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her."

So we find that Martha was the active type - she was all busy with the worries related to hospitality. And Mary who was the quieter contemplative type - had the proper focus for the circumstances - that she was more laid back having sat with Jesus, listening to Him.
Jewish custom had it that in times of mourning the loss of a loved one - the family would remain seated and the others present who were there as comforters, would be the ones who would stand or move about. The same thing takes place here in John 11 as Luke 10 which I just read. That Martha should be sitting, but true to her stronger personality goes to show hospitality in welcoming Jesus, as Mary sat at home as custom dictated. Yet in this incident it was Martha that is to be commended above her sister.

v.21 - When Martha met Jesus she said - Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. This was most likely the continuous thought that was on these two sister’s minds for at least a couple of days - from the time that she had sent word to Jesus that their brother was sick (cf. v.3) to the point of the arrival of the Savior. It was probably like when we are waiting and waiting for something to take place we keep looking at our watches. For them they perhaps kept looking out their window to see if Jesus were coming.

Imagine if you were in this situation - you know that your brother is dying, you send a message to Jesus. You know that Jesus can take care of the problem so you wait. But after a reasonable amount of time Jesus is still not there, and Lazarus is getting worse. You pray and there seems to be no answer…things continue to deteriorate. You find yourself looking out the window more and more.…. What’s going on here? It seems that you can’t concentrate on anything else except replay those what ifs and where is’s…if Jesus had been here, my brother would be OK… where is Jesus …is Jesus coming or not? …what if my brother dies. So you can’t sleep and it consumes you since your thoughts are fixated on the imminent situation. Martha’s thoughts extend beyond what the Word of God states… when Jesus got the message - this is what Jesus’ response was in verse 4 - When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death.
The final stages of sickness set in and death comes upon the household. What happened? ….Then Jesus arrives and find the faith of a sister. And this is Martha’s response - Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. In Martha’s words - we don’t find a rebuke against Jesus, but these are words of deep regret. Her words were also a sign of her faith, so we must give her some due credit. We see Martha’s faith because she had the trust that Jesus could have prevented her brother from dying by healing him. However, we can also see in the background, that all her emotions and worry could not change the sovereign purposes of God. So in her faith there was still room for it to grow.

In the times when things get turned upside down in our lives - that is when we find out the measure and depth of our faith. We can easily become like Martha who’s doubts rise to the surface when things are not the way that she had imagined.

v.22 - Yet despite the doubts and the possible anxiety, we see Martha’s faith because she did cling on to the facts. She acknowledges that she does know that God will give to Jesus whatever He ask of the Father. Her understanding of God was greater than her emotions. Jesus had made this known through out His ministry that He was sent by the Father - and sent to do His will.
It is not made clear in the NIV but God is referred to twice in verse 22, as in the NASB, emphasizing Martha’s trust in God’s power through Jesus ("Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You."). But it should be noted that while Martha knew that Jesus could have healed her brother - she did not yet know that Jesus could raise Him from the dead in light of what she says in the following verses (cf. v. 39).

Martha knew of the power of prayer between Jesus and God. It is not clear how much Martha relied upon her own prayers to God, but she did have confidence that whatever Jesus asked from the Father - God the Father would answer according to His will. With The Arrival Of The Savior (v.17-19), and growing Faith Of A Sister (v.20-22), Jesus provides…

The Answer In The Midst Of Bad Circumstances (v.23-27)

v.23 - Jesus responds and focuses Martha’s attention on the topic of resurrection - that is that her brother will rise again - will come back to life. At this point Jesus is not going to reveal to Martha that He has the power to raise Lazarus from the dead.

v.24 - Now that Martha is thinking about the resurrection she affirms her own beliefs. She says - I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day. In regard to her brother, Martha’s faith lay only in the future. She may have even taken Jesus’ words as words of comfort in a time of grief, but did not think of them as something that she would witness in just a matter of moments. Martha had a firm belief in the future reality of those who trust in God - that God would raise them back to life.

The resurrection is a doctrine which is taught through out the OT as something that would take place - on the last day - the period of time before the eternal state. Martha’s words set the stage for what Jesus is about to reveal. In terms of Martha’s thoughts they were now fixed on something which was true. Yet it was in the future and it served her no good right now, but it should have. She needed to deal with the present and make the connection with what she believed in the present. Martha didn’t worry about the future in regards to Lazarus’ resurrection, but she did become pessimistic about what Jesus could do in the present.
If we put ourselves in her shoes - some of the questions we might ask, in the context of our passage, are these….

Do we really believe that in the future God will resurrect His people? Do we really believe that one day we will be in heaven with Christ forever? If you answered yes, then you believe in God’s power for taking care of us in the future. But do you also believe that God can take care of us right now? Doesn’t that make sense? It DOES make sense because what happens on a day to day basis is what really points to and underwrites the reality of our future.

Isn’t it like us - we claim to be Christians, but then we live our lives as if God were powerless and aloof. In our minds we can come to the mental ascent that God can raise the dead - He sovereignly and providentially takes care of us, but our life on a day to day basis, and even a moment to moment basis is full of the lack of trust. Have you found yourself saying I have a great God who is worthy to be praised on Sunday… then as you leave the church building, you find your selves full of the worries and distractions of life?

As we get closer to another time of fellowship, a Bible study, Sunday worship we might find ourselves saying - There is no way that I can make it to church this week because if I do go I might wind up, behind in my work or _____________; or I need to work and make a living or _____________; or I will not be able to … (you fill in the blank with the life distraction which is oh so familiar to you). Our church has been around for 3 years now and I would ask you to ask yourself this question - in these past three years - have I become more committed to Christ, His ways, His Church?

If you do get yourself to church, then you may find yourself saying - OK, I’ll make it to church this week, but I have to skip fellowship, or I’ll cut out prayer meetings…. The distractions of life will take your mind off of the things that please God and cause you to compromise your spiritual privileges and responsibilities.

In order to resist the stumbling blocks of life - we are to what? We are to think or fix our minds on things which please God. Make plans about specific things you can do to enable yourself to fix your mind and life actions upon what pleases God. Set your spiritual priorities first and then fit in the rest into that schedule.

v.25 - In response to Martha, Jesus through His grace therefore says to her - I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies. This statement is the 5th I AM statement (out of 7) which Jesus makes in the gospel. The 5th time that Jesus makes a definitive declaration of Deity. Jesus doesn’t say in His statement that He is able to perform a resurrection and able to grant life, but He says that He IS the resurrection and the life. Jesus doesn’t reveal to Martha that the resurrection is in the future but it is right now - right in front of you. There were no limitations of time, for Jesus is the resurrection and the life - the resurrection and life is within His person of Deity, it is not something which exists apart from Him. Only in Jesus Christ is the fullness of this blessing possible. Outside of Jesus Chris whether it be Mohammed, Buddha, Allah, Dahli Lama (and I could go on with this list of religious and spiritual leaders) there is no resurrection and no life in them, because they are spiritual frauds. Only in the person of Christ is there the resurrection and the life - in the past, present, and future. In this verse Jesus deals with the resurrection - that is the physical aspect of life after an earthly death.

v.26 - But now Jesus balances this off with the spiritual aspects of life - which is the spiritual rebirth or regeneration of our souls leading us into eternal life in Christ. Jesus Christ is the life. It is both simple and profound that everyone who lives and believes in Christ shall be born again. If we are truly to live a meaningful life, a life of faith, then it must be rooted in Christ. Jesus is the only One who can by His power sustain us and complete us in our original purpose of bringing glory to God.

Though each day we are decaying or wasting away because of our increasing frailty, those in Christ are drawing closer to eternal life - and will never die. If we are born again - we do not lose heart - as the Apostle Paul writes... Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day (2 Cor. 4:16). A physical death for the person who believes in Christ is our deliverance from the slavery of sin. Death opens the door for us to the completion of our sanctification. And with the completion of our sanctification we will be glorified and will never die. This is the life.

After Jesus reveals this powerful declaration, He seeks a response from Martha. Do you believe this? And this is the entry key to dealing with the circumstances. It comes before anything I have asked you to consider so far - and that is Jesus’ question - Do you believe this? Do you have eternal life in Christ?

If you don’t know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior then you need to get to know Him. Without Him you have no one to turn to, to help you overcome your circumstances. In fact you have the greatest crisis in life - which is your eternal destination after you die - and if you think about that long and hard - you are not going to have peace - that is why so many people don’t want to think about it.

Eph. 2:13-14a says this - But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace….

He is going to guard our hearts and minds. And the key is that it is based upon trusting in Christ.
v.27 - Martha’s declaration is strong - Yes, Lord. She continues and firmly expresses her personal conviction of faith - I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, [even] He who comes into the world. Martha makes known her understanding that Jesus is the Christ, her Saviour, her King. Jesus is the Son of God - a confession of His Deity - the One that she and her people have been looking for. He is the One spoken of who comes into the world - foretold of by the godly prophets of old - the great Messianic expectation now fulfilled.

Martha’s faith grew that day…. and her uncertainties shrank. It was now her firm belief in Christ that would help her understand the glory of power that Jesus was going to display in raising Lazarus from the dead. It was her firm belief in the person of Jesus that would help and guide her in living her life right. She rediscovered and met again The Peace in the midst of turmoil - Jesus Christ - He would help settle all her past, present, and future circumstances. God is going to be with you… did you catch that? God is going to be with you…awesome isn’t it? He is already present - indwelling you through His Spirit, but God promises that He is going to be with you through the living of a consistent life of righteous living. Jesus wants you to walk with Him. He wants you to follow in the footsteps of those who have mastered the ropes of Christian living - those who love the Lord and follow Him.

Take a look at your life again. Make a note of the areas of your life that do not match up to the responsibilities that God has given to you. That is identify them and then bring it to Him in prayer - confess to Him your sins and commit these areas to Him. Turn to the Word of God and fix your mind upon the things that please God - His goodness - His character - His promises - His principles for life and godliness. Place your complete trust in Christ to be Lord and Savior of your life. And continue to walk close to Christ by consistent Bible reading and study - putting off unrighteous living and putting on righteous living.

Jesus said - I am the resurrection and the life. He is the Christ, the Son of God, [even] He who comes into the world. In Him is the victory.



www.GraceToYou.ca www.gty.org www.CornerstoneCommunityChurch.ca

John 11:1-16 Glorifying God In Sickness - Part 2

13.09.09 John 11:1-16

Audio Sermon File: John 11:1-16, part 2

Going Deeper: Study Guide

Glorifying God In Sickness - Part 2

Last time we began to look at the topic of Glorifying God In Sickness. Sickness, no matter what it may be - no matter how simple or complex - how benign or malignant strikes each one of us.

So let us once again turn to John 11:1-16 which tells us:
11:1 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. 3 So the sisters sent [word] to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick." 4 But when Jesus heard [this], He said, "This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it." 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days [longer] in the place where He was. 7 Then after this He ^said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again." 8 The disciples ^said to Him, "Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone You, and are You going there again?" 9 Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 "But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him." 11 This He said, and after that He ^said to them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him out of sleep." 12 The disciples then said to Him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover." 13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking of literal sleep. 14 So Jesus then said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead, 15 and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let us go to him." 16 Therefore Thomas, who is called Didymus, said to [his] fellow disciples, "Let us also go, so that we may die with Him."

When we consider the issue of sickness, we can come to at least 5 reasons to be thankful:
last time:

1. We Can Glorify God In Sickness Because He Is Sovereign Over Sickness
2. We Can Glorify God In Sickness Because He Still Loves Us

this time:
3. We Can Glorify God In Sickness Because He Teaches Us To Trust Him
4. We Can Glorify God In Sickness Because He Teaches Us To Be Humble and Dependent Upon Him
5. We Can Glorify God In Sickness Because He Teaches Us To Care For One Another

Jesus has all along in our gospel been claiming to be God. And now on the heals of His last declaration of Deity, Jesus will prepare Himself to perform the 7th sign, which vindicates all of Jesus’ claims - and we can begin to see that Jesus is God because He can resurrect the dead. Jesus has power over sickness that leads to death. As we begin our passage we learn that …..

3. We Can Glorify God In Sickness Because He Teaches Us To Trust Him

v.6 - When Jesus heard about Lazarus’ condition, He didn’t pack up and start heading south to the village of Bethany but instead - He then stayed two days [longer] in the place where He was in Perea. For us it would be natural to think that if Jesus loved these friends so much why did He delay - and for two whole days at that - it would be plausible that Lazarus would not live that long? Didn’t Jesus care? And even the disciples must have been wondering what was more important than to save Jesus’ friend? But this helps us to think why? It just goes to show that God’s grace is poured out at the right time. God’s love is not gauged according to time, but often it is gauged according to our trust in Him. God’s help is not always dispensed according to the seeming urgency of the situation, yet His love is present. Jesus’ sovereign knowledge of events is the driving force behind the exact time to act - so we need to trust Him even with the timing to an answer to prayer.

When we are faced with impatience with God in our request - it is at that time that we should understand His timing - asking for patience and increased faith, and obedience to Him in prayer. For us, we should then learn to put aside our wants and lean upon Jesus even if He seems to be delaying in coming to help us. Yes Jesus delayed His trip by two more days, but He never forgets His friends - and like wise He doesn’t forget about each of you too.

Sickness has a great way of developing in us patience. It certainly is no fun to have to sit out of things that we enjoy, to be barred from foods that delight us, to be held away from friends that we can talk with. Sickness is very taxing on the body. To feel weak and unable to do anything makes us feel useless. What about the irritability, anger, and impatience that can well up? To be able to endure the dread of continuous pain and tiredness calls us to trust Him more. In these times we cannot go on by our own strength, but must come to the Lord for sanctification and sustaining grace. It drives us to the Lord with utter trust - to depend upon Him in prayer and to walk by His side closely.

Through sickness God can test the foundation of our beliefs. In sickness some people will question their faith asking - Do I belong to the right religion? Where is Jesus - why isn’t He coming to help me? Maybe I should try another religion and another god. Therefore illness often exposes the depths of our depravity. In health Satan will buffet us when we are strong…. but how much more are we susceptible to his assaults when we are down - he will desire to put doubt upon your mind and questions regarding the kindness of our God.

In these times we should remember that we need to trust Him more. We can trust God because we know that His Son Jesus Christ, has suffered like us but is without sin. He is our great High Priest whom we can turn to in the hour of need. He knows pain and suffering and even death. Often our trust in God will grow the most when we are suffering. So We Can Glorify God - in sickness - Because He Teaches Us To Trust Him.

v.7 - After the two days Jesus begins to show the concern for Jesus that others thought He should have when He had received the news. So now Jesus gathers His disciples, and says to them - Let us go to Judea again. So off they were to go - back across the Jordan and south to Judea.

4. We Can Glorify God In Sickness Because He Teaches Us To Be Humble And Dependent Upon Him

Often God teaches us through sickness to focus our minds on Him. When we are healthy we think we will live forever. But if we are sick and humble, then an illness can focus our thoughts on the purpose of life. When we think upon this we should be drawn to thoughts on God. Our souls are challenged to think long and hard of death. In the face of imminent death and eternal damnation - we can be humbled. God can use this to steer our wayward souls back to Him. A hardened heart can be softened. An open door to the gospel can be unlocked. Our fixation on earthly treasures can be shattered and instead we can think and begin to desire heavenly treasures. Suddenly our cars, homes, hobbies, food, and trinkets and toys of every sort lose their luster, and we discover that they are not to be the end goal of our earthly life.

v.8 - Now the thought of going back to Judea was of some concern to the disciples. They say - Rabbi, - the word Rabbi is a respectful term for a teacher. So they said - the Jews were just now seeking to stone You, and are You going there again? After enjoying a more civilized pace in Perea they perhaps were stunned that Jesus would want to return - since the Jews had been seeking to stone Jesus a number of times. If Jesus wasn’t fearful, these disciples certainly sensed danger by the possibility of having to be going there again. It appeared to be a mistake, a suicide mission, to undertake a return to that area.

v.9 - Because of the disciples concerns for personal safety - Jesus uses this as an opportunity to teach His disciples a lesson on dependance. Jesus answers their concern with a rhetorical question - Are there not twelve hours in a day? The answer expected would be yes, because both the Romans and Jews acknowledged a day was a period of twelve hours. But what Jesus is driving at was that - If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble. The word stumble literally can be translated as ‘cut against.’ It is obvious that when we are going about our business in the day, we will be able to see and avoid any obstacles that we may be ‘cut against.’ We are enabled to move about like that because we can clearly see everything simply by the light of this world - the sunshine.

This served to reassure the disciples that a day cannot be shortened, and likewise their lives cannot be shortened - or even lengthened, for that matter - they are fixed by God - so don’t worry. When it’s your time - it is your time. This is also something important to understand if you don’t know Christ. No one’s life can be extended beyond God’s bounds, which means if you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour then you only have a limited time to respond. Once your time has expired there is no time turning the hands of time back and a missed opportunity becomes locked into eternity.

v.10 - I don’t know if you have ever tried this, but quite often as I prepare to go upstairs at night - I would turn off all the lights on the main floor without turning any lights on upstairs - so I would be fumbling my way around in the dark for a while - and I have got some very minor injuries before. Jesus is making a contrast between darkness and light. It ties in with one of the running themes of the gospel which is spiritual blindness or darkness. Jesus’ point is that if we follow God’s will and do not depart from it - we will be guided by His strength and protection. It is like having a light on - a night light to get us upstairs, instead of fumbling in the dark. That is why Jesus can face the seemingly insane move to go back into enemy territory - because He is within the Father’s will. This is a similar principle as that of what Jesus said back in John 9:4 - We must work the works of Him who sent Me, as long as it is day; night is coming, when no man can work. "While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." When we are surrounded even by sickness leading to death, we can have the courage to move forward with God as our guide. John Calvin summarized these two verses by making this application - "God’s eyes are always watching over those who are attentive to His will. Once again we see that whenever people allow themselves to neglect and overlook God’s Word and do what they please, their whole lives are cursed by God, and vengeance on their rashness and blind passion is always imminent."

Sickness has a great way of humbling us. When we are stared in the face with illness we cannot help but to think that our bodies are frail. When we stare into the coffin of a loved family member or friend we cannot be so proud to think that we are going to escape the same destination of death. When Paul suffered because of an ailment, he learned this and wrote:
2 Cor. 12:7-10 - 7 Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me--to keep me from exalting myself! 8 Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. 9 And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong. We can glorify God because He teaches us to be humble and dependent upon Him.

v.11 - After Jesus had made these comments Jesus said to them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep. Jesus had already said back in verse 4, This sickness is not to end in death. In preparation for His and the disciples arrival, Jesus fills them in on what has taken place with Lazarus. This time Jesus is more explicit and tells His disciples that Lazarus has fallen asleep - which is a euphemism for the word died. Jesus also reveals the very purpose that He must now go to Bethany, which is to awaken Lazarus out of sleep - that is to bring him back to life. Here we have a glimpse of the coming great display of power that Jesus possesses. We also realize that Jesus is the Lord over sickness leading to death.

v.12 - Verse 12 reveals the ignorance of the disciples - for they think that Jesus is referring to actual sleeping. In this line of thinking the disciples surmise that all Lazarus needs is some R&R, and then he will recover after this. There was probably some selfish hopes in the disciples comments - hoping that if Jesus said that Lazarus was going to wake up - then maybe they didn’t need to go back into enemy stomping grounds.

5. We Can Glorify God In Sickness Because He Teaches Us to Care For One Another

v.13 - For the benefit of the reader, the Apostle John delineates what Jesus was really talking about and what the disciples were thinking - that Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking of literal sleep.

V.14 - Knowing that the disciples are not thinking in terms of heavenly realities, Jesus comes out and states plainly, "Lazarus is dead." The confusion in the disciples minds is now given focus. (As a side note - we see here Jesus’ omniscience - He had the ability to know the outcome of Lazarus’ death without being told or being present).

v.15 - Jesus goes on to express that He was glad - for His disciples sakes - that He was not there when Lazarus died. It was in Christ’s plan that He delayed His trip to Bethany for the sake of His disciples, in order that they may believe. If Jesus had gone right away to heal Lazarus, then they would have missed an opportunity for Jesus to perform this last sign of the gospel. The coming act of raising Lazarus from the dead after he had been in the tomb for 4 days would certainly be a more powerful testimony about Jesus’ power over death - than rushing over to the man and restoring his health.

The nature of the sign - the raising up of Lazarus, that was to be performed later in the chapter, would now be better understood by the disciples. There would be no doubt that the sign was beyond human remedy. It would then serve to grow their faith deeper in the knowledge of God. A purpose of this sign is that Jesus is preparing His disciples for the cross which He will bear. When the disciples understand that Jesus indeed can give life, they will be comforted that Jesus will be resurrected 3 days after He dies. At this point the cross is only about 3 months away. With this cleared up, Jesus summons His disciples with these words - but let us go to him. Now is the right time to go to Lazarus who is now dead.

In this we find that sickness gave the opportunity for Jesus and His disciples to do some ministry. So like wise when we as Christians discover that someone is sick it is also a call to us to minister to others. I think that at any given time frame, we know of someone who is sick. It therefore gives us the opportunity to go and minister these people - whether for the gospel of for encouragement or edification. In these times we can make a phone call that we often should have but never did, we can send a note a card, we can make a visit, help in some daily tasks - cooking, cleaning. We can bring a gift that will cheer. Or we can just ignore the need and focus back on ourselves.

James gives us the principle to follow - James 2:14-16 - 14 What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and be filled," and yet you do not give them what is necessary for [their] body, what use is that?

The ministry of compassion and care often softens peoples hearts, and builds closer bonds of fellowship. It brings a church out from a dead orthodoxy to a living and active faith - if we carry each others burdens (Gal. 6:2), and be kind to each other (Eph. 4:32). Even if others do not respond to your ministry - you will find yourself blessed for doing the Lord’s will, in the context of sickness. If someone is sick and you don’t care it becomes a really good test as to our own selfishness. We need to walk in the paths of righteousness and live responsively to our duty to our Saviour.

v.16 - As we end our passage we have Thomas, who is called Didymus which was his Greek name which means ‘twin.’ So as a side note Thomas probably had a twin sibling somewhere. At first - not only Thomas, but even the rest of the disciples were anxious about returning to Judea - and they were trying to give reasons to Jesus not to do so. But now Thomas is ready to accompany Jesus - saying - Let us also go, so that we may die with Him - risking his life to follow His Lord back into the enemies nest.

Thomas possessed great love for His Lord - a love which despite the cost, drove him to back to Judea, but his faith was a little shaky. We know this because when Jesus did go to the cross Thomas didn’t stay and die with Jesus, but instead he fled. Are you willing like Thomas to die for Jesus? It may be hard to say that you would, but when we look at our lives, do we find that we don’t even live for Him in stable conditions. Instead do you find yourself in a death defying battle with self.

So let us forsake our selves and in the context of sickness may we:
Glorify God In Sickness Because He Is Sovereign Over Sickness
Glorify God In Sickness Because He Still Loves Us (Whether Sick Or Well)
Glorify God In Sickness Because He Teaches Us To Trust Him
Glorify God In Sickness Because He Teaches Us To Be Humble and Dependent Upon Him
Glorify God In Sickness Because He Teaches Us To Care For One Another

All these lessons will allow us to be a testimony of God’s grace. That we are able to display the fruit of the Spirit in our lives without a single word - may we suffer in sickness gracefully… and when we aren’t sick ourselves (and even when we are sick - may we bring glory to God as we minister to those who are sick.


www.GraceToYou.ca www.gty.org www.CornerstoneCommunityChurch.ca www.deathisnotdying.com

John 11:1-16 Glorifying God In Sickness - Part1

06.09.09 John 11:1-16 (NASB)

Audio Sermon File: John 11:1-16, Part 1

Going Deeper: Study Guide

Glorifying God In Sickness - Part1

Once upon a time there was a chicken egg farmer, that seemed to always to be sick. One day as the chicken egg farmer was rummaging through his old and forgotten tools, he found a small box at the back of his barn. When he opened the box he discovered something strange. Inside the box he found 3 eggs. And underneath the eggs was a stack of bills that totaled $1,000.00. His wife hearing the commotion inside the barn went in to investigate. When she got to the barn her husband asked her if she knew anything about this box. She sheepishly replied - Yes dear. Soon after we got married I realized that you got sick a lot, so I decided that every time you got sick and moaned and groaned and complained about your sickness, I would put an egg into the box. The husband had a smile of pride on his face - and he thought to himself - after 25 years of marriage there are only 3 eggs in the box….. I guess I really didn’t moan, groan, or complain too much about all my sicknesses. He turned again to his wife and asked…. Honey, what about this thousand bucks? She replied - well every time I got a dozen eggs I sold them…..
(Guy McGraw - ‘Hardship of Life’)

Today we are going to look at the topic of Glorifying God In Sickness. Sickness, whether it be a stroke, arthritis, a back that is injured, a hernia, the common cold or flu, migraines, breast cancer, kidney disease, Alzheimer’s, or even terminal cancer…. sickness is realized by all. It doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor, it doesn’t matter where you live, no position or status will exempt you, it does not discriminate on the basis of age, colour, gender, there is no amount of money that can be paid to rid ourselves of it. We have experienced, or are currently experiencing the forgoing personally, or have someone who is close to you suffering in one of these ways.

11:1 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. 3 So the sisters sent [word] to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick." 4 But when Jesus heard [this], He said, "This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it." 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days [longer] in the place where He was. 7 Then after this He ^said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again." 8 The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone You, and are You going there again?" 9 Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 "But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him." 11 This He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him out of sleep." 12 The disciples then said to Him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover." 13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking of literal sleep. 14 So Jesus then said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead, 15 and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let us go to him." 16 Therefore Thomas, who is called Didymus, said to [his] fellow disciples, "Let us also go, so that we may die with Him."

When we consider the issue of sickness, we can come to at least 5 reasons to be thankful:

We Can Glorify God In Sickness Because He Is Sovereign Over Sickness

We Can Glorify God In Sickness Because He Still Loves Us

Next time:

We Can Glorify God In Sickness Because He Teaches Us To Trust Him

We Can Glorify God In Sickness Because He Teaches Us To Be Humble and Dependent Upon Him

We Can Glorify God In Sickness Because He Teaches Us To Care For One Another

Jesus has all along in our gospel been claiming to be God. And now on the heals of His last declaration of Deity, Jesus will prepare Himself to perform the 7th sign, which vindicates all of Jesus’ claims - and we can begin to see that Jesus is God because He can resurrect the dead. Jesus has power over sickness that leads to death.

As we begin our passage …..

1. We Can Glorify God In Sickness Because He Is Sovereign Over Sickness

v.1 - We are introduced to a certain man, from the small village of Lazarus of Bethany. His name means ‘one whom God helps’ - and that is certainly going to happen. In God’s sovereignty even the man’s name is fitting to what God will do in the life of Lazarus. Now if you remember back to chapter 1 and even at the end of Chapter 10 - a place named Bethany is also mentioned. This is not the same village as the one Lazarus resides at. This other village of Bethany, where Lazarus lived, was about 2 miles south east of Jerusalem on the eastern slopes of the Mount of Olives. As we are told, Lazarus is sick. It is very important to note that our chapter begins with the emphasis on the sickness and not on the man. (We know this because the word order and structure of the original language places the word sick before Lazarus is even mentioned). God is going to sovereignly use the sickness so that it becomes the vehicle which will bring glory to God.
The big question is why do people get sick? Why do we and millions of people have to suffer and often in pain? How do you give an answer to your child who can’t play today because he is sidelined in bed with an illness? How is it that after toiling years and building up our families and careers, that we are faced with terminal cancer? If our perfect God created all things and declared it good and even very good, then why is there sickness?

The answer to these questions must be found in God’s Word. The answer must be found in the realm that in a perfect creation - what has caused this perfect world to spin into this element of chaos? God’s gives us a one word reply - SIN. Romans 5:12 expresses this answer well - Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned. SIN causes all pain and suffering, disease, and sickness. If man did not fall then the world would have remained perfect….very good. But the reality of sin can be seen in the face of sickness. Since God allowed sickness into the world we should believe that He can be glorified through it. Yes, sickness can be a curse, but in the hands of a sovereign God, it can be turned into blessing.

There are some other details that we are given. Lazarus has 2 sisters - Mary and Martha. These two women were faithful believers who had welcomed and opened up their home to Jesus a number of times (Lk. 10:38-39). For this reason Lazarus, Martha, and Mary were close friends of the Lord. Out of the two sisters it seems that Martha was the older of the two for her name usually appears first in the other Gospel passages which mention her name.

Sickness reminds us that we are mortal and that God is immortal. In the face of sickness we can see through our selves and through others that we are not as strong as we may think that we are. Our lives here on earth are limited. When we are young we often think that we are invincible and would do things that older more mature people would not do. Even if we are older, we sometimes think that our lives will go on for ever and that there is no need to think about God, Christ, and the eternal nature of our souls.

We keep living for today, without a care for eternity. That is why so many people are in shock when a person suddenly dies from a heart attack or something else. People can be heard saying - I can’t believe that she is dead….why? Are we so naive that we think that we are masters over the days of our lives? God can use sickness to wake us up to the reality that we are going to die one day… and we don’t know when. We Can Glorify God Because He Is Sovereign Over Sickness

v.2 - Since there are a number of persons named, Mary, in the Gospels, the Apostle John, makes a distinction as to which Mary he was writing about. John specifically identifies Mary by using the word this, and once again connects her with her brother Lazarus who was sick; and John then further goes on to state that this Mary was the same one who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair. This act of anointing by Mary will be seen in chapter 12. Now that Mary and her siblings are firmly identified….

v.3 - We find that the sisters are quite concerned about their brother that they sent [word] to Jesus of the situation. Jesus at this time is in Perea, the area across the Jordan river (cf. 10:40). It is interesting to note the fact that these 2 sisters either knew how to find Jesus or they knew where to find Him, so that they could send their message to Jesus. This could underscore the depth of their friendship. Anyway, when the message is sent, they don’t relay a lengthy one, but they simply have their messenger deliver these words - Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick. They don’t include in their message instructions for Jesus as to how to respond - like come right now - but they have a measure of confidence that Jesus would do what was best. Jesus as they address Him is Lord, after all. With these words they had hoped that Jesus would go to them to help a beloved friend. Yet we also see that these 2 sisters had a high level of faith in Jesus.

2. We Can Glorify God In Sickness Because He Loves Us

The phrase he whom You love is sick, speaks of a close relationship - friendship. In the Greek language there are a few words that are translated as love in English. The word, love, in Greek in verse 3 of our passage is - phileo - which indicates brotherly love, affectionate love, or to have deep feeling for. The city of Philadelphia in the book of Revelation, and even the US city, derives it name from this particular word and is known as the city of brotherly love. It is here that we can realize that Jesus does love His own. We see into the heart of Jesus, that He has feelings toward people - which sheds light on Jesus’ humanity, and is magnified by His Deity.

We should be thankful that Jesus understood the necessity of love between people. Jesus loved his friend who was sick. Jesus demonstrates a love at a human level. Jesus offered love and He also welcomed the love in return, as part of His humanity. In this we then know that Jesus understands our need for love. When we are lonely, or don’t feel that we are loved, or think we have no one to love - Jesus understands. We know for sure that Jesus will provide this basic need for you because God protects and provides for those who are His righteous people. Psalm 84:11 states this reality - For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. We Can Glorify God Because He Loves Us

v.4 - When Jesus heard [this], Jesus gives this return response to the messenger to take back to Mary and Martha - This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it. This message was as much for the sisters, as it was for Jesus’ disciples who were with Him when He received the message. It was to reassure the hearer that Jesus was concerned and that He knew the outcome. The word no has a strong emphasis in the sentence to highlight the positive outcome of what is to take place in Lazarus’ life. The outcome is not to end in death - what is meant by this statement, as we will discover later in this chapter, is that the ultimate result of this sickness and situation for Lazarus, will not be a permanent death. The Great Physician, Jesus Christ, will instead use this situation for the glory of God. This sickness was the vehicle that would bring glory to God. It should go without saying that not all sicknesses are for the purpose of bringing glory to God. Sometimes sickness is directly related to sin. Sometimes God will not heal sickness, in order to strengthen His servant.

We find the example of the Apostle Paul, who had some kind of affliction. In 2 Corinthians it reveals the situation of this - there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me--to keep me from exalting myself! 8 Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. 9 And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong (NASB). So the result of such a trial was that the purpose of God might be magnified through the outworking of His grace. So the purpose of this ‘thorn’ was to cause Paul to utterly depend upon God for strength.

Jesus was sent by God to do His will and in all of the signs in the Gospel of John, it was not through threats but through demonstrations of power associated with compassion and care. After all Jesus did not come to destroy life, but He came so that we may have life, and have it to the full (cf. 10:10 - I came that they may have life, and have [it] abundantly). In this way God is given the full honour and glory which is rightly his. Yet God desires this glory to come to Him through the person of the Son.

This in turn will be the 7th and final sign of our Gospel, in order that Jesus - the Son of God may be glorified by it. As I had mentioned before - Jesus’ death is on the horizon, and in light of the what Jesus does for Lazarus, it will lay down the principles of eternal life through Christ, in a way which is very tangible and real.

v.5 - John adds a comment of Jesus’ love for His friends. This time the word for loved is from agape - a Divine supernatural unconditional love, and the tense indicates an ongoing love (in this case the choice agapao over phileis is possibly interchangeable). So it was that Jesus had an ongoing love for Martha and her sister and Lazarus. It is necessary to understand that Jesus does love his three friends, in light of Jesus’ immediate response.

Isn’t it good to know that Jesus doesn’t merely save us, but when He does that…. He loves us, He does not abandon us - as we learned from Jesus’ own declaration from John 10:27-28: My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. So we see from the Scripture that the Apostle John takes note that - Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus - and from this we can draw out the reality that Jesus loves His own - you and I with no end.

We should be thankful today that Jesus does not respond to us based upon our love for Him. If that were the case we would be in big trouble because our love at best, is imperfect - selfish, and wavering. Instead Jesus operates in the realm of His vast measure of love for us. And as we look at the love of Jesus from the Scripture we find that - Jesus initiates that love - 1 John 4:10 - In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son [to be] the propitiation for our sins. 1 John 4:19 - We love, because He first loved us. Jesus loves us when we love Him - John 14:23 - If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. And He loves us when we don’t deserve it - Rom. 5:8 - But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

And even when we are sinning He loves us through discipline - For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. 4 You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; 5 and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, Nor faint when you are reproved by Him; 6 For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He scourges every son whom He receives (Heb. 12:3-6).

Not only does God use sickness to remind us of His love but, He often also uses it to remind us of death and then that of judgment when we meet God face to face. Sickness makes us ask our selves this question - Are you prepared to meet God? I think most people if asked if they were ready to meet God right now and seriously reflected upon it - I think most would include in their answer that they would be at least a bit fearful of meeting God. If they were given the opportunity to get things in order first - people would choose this option. Only those who are in a vital and active, intimate personal relationship with Christ have no fear of meeting Him face to face for our sins are forgiven. Romans 8:1 - there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

So as we close this first section of this passage, may we have been reminded that at least within the context of sickness may we: Glorify God Because He Is Sovereign Over Sickness; and may we - whether sick or well …Glorify God Because He Still Loves Us. The remembrance of these Biblical foundations will give us the perseverance through such trial and all these lessons will allow us to be a testimony of God’s grace.

　

www.GraceToYou.ca www.gty.org www.CornerstoneCommunityChurch.ca www.deathisnotdying.com

John 10: 30-42 - A Claim To Be God! - Part 2

30.08.09 John 10: 30-42 (NASB)

Audio Sermon File: John 10:30-42, Part 2

Going Deeper: Study Guide

A Claim To Be God! - Part 2

Our setting as we continue this passage is towards the end of Jesus’ public ministry, in the Gospel of John. It is also Jesus’ last offer of salvation to the hard hearted Jewish religious authorities, during the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem (v.22), about 3.5 months before Jesus’ crucifixion. It was here that the Jews encircled Jesus or surrounded Him, out to get something out of Jesus. What the Jews were after was an answer to their question - If you are the Christ, tell us plainly (v.24), in order to get Jesus to outright publicly declare that He is God. This would in their twisted thinking substantiate a charge of blasphemy, giving them reason to kill Jesus.

The answer to who Jesus is - is the whole focus of the Gospel of John - and it will help us to understand whether Jesus is God in human flesh or not. Last time we began to unfold the answer by using CS Lewis’ popular challenge concerning Jesus…that either Jesus is a LIAR, LUNATIC, OR LORD.

The people are faced once again with a decision about who this guy Jesus is. Jesus is making all these claims, so who is He? We also need to answer that question for our selves and decide one of two things:

Accept Jesus as God who will save you from your sins
OR
2. Out right reject Jesus as God and look for any other way to get to heaven.

Here is our inspired text this day: 30 "I and the Father are one." 31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him. 32 Jesus answered them, "I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?" 33 The Jews answered Him, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out [to be] God." 34 Jesus answered them, "Has it not been written in your Law, `I said, you are gods'? 35 "If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), 36 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'? 37 "If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; 38 but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father." 39 Therefore they were seeking again to seize Him, and He eluded their grasp. 40 And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was first baptizing, and He was staying there. 41 Many came to Him and were saying, "While John performed no sign, yet everything John said about this man was true." 42 Many believed in Him there.

Today we continue to examine these three questions. And with the answers we will need to come to a decision our self about Jesus’ CLAIM TO BE GOD - these are the 3 questions:

Is Jesus A Liar?
Is Jesus A Lunatic?
Or Is Jesus The Lord?

As I go through the passage I will be asking these 3 questions repeatedly returning to each question as it pertains to the verses of today’s passage. So let us continue from where we left off, picking up at verse 34.

Is Jesus A Lunatic?

Now as we continue the flow of the discourse here - we began seeing Jesus’ intellectual genius in His crystal clear, logical, and valid defense. As to the charge of blasphemy (v.33) it is not valid. If Jesus were - as the Jews also stated - being a man (v.33) - then yes it would be blasphemy for declaring unity of essence and nature with the Father. But, it is not blasphemy because Jesus is God. And being God, He cannot be taking away any honour, glory, or majesty from Himself - He is who He is - in other words as He declared I AM (Jn. 8:58).

v.34 - As we enter into verse 34 we should recall that these rabbinical Jews were the religious elite, so they loved the Law of God. And so it was also that they were skilled in debate, the premier thinkers of their time, and well versed in the art of logic. So Jesus engages them with their own tactics and uses logic to stump the Jews, by launching the argument from their own claim to love the Law - Has it not been written in your Law, `I said, you are gods'? The word Law is used to refer to the totality of the Scriptures and not just the Psalms. Jesus quotes from their Law, Psalm 82:6. Psalm 82:6 states this - "I said, `You are "gods"; you are all sons of the Most High.' In this Psalm and in the Law - appointed ministers of God were given a title of honour - being called gods (little g). This Psalm is a plea for justice in the midst of the kings and judges - earthly rulers who were abusing their office - pretty much like the Pharisees who were doing the same thing at present in this passage, in Israel. These earthly rulers were supposed to be God’s representatives since they are delegated authority by Him, but God reproves them for dishonouring His name and not following His ways.

v.35 - Jesus uses this portion of Scripture to substantiate His claim. What Jesus is saying is that if human beings could be quote unquote be called ‘gods’ (little g) by God through His revealed word, and it is clearly recorded in the Scripture… then how could they go against Scripture? Even the Jews would agree, that the Scripture cannot be broken - it has absolute binding authority, it cannot be undone, untied, or destroyed - it is inerrant. This also gives us Jesus’ view of the Bible - now if Jesus were a lunatic could He have such a sound judgement about the Scriptures?. The Jews charge of blasphemy is now muddied because of the truth that the Scripture cannot be broken.

v.36 - So Jesus uses a play on words and an argument from the lesser to the greater - to say that if mere men - the unjust judges - can be called gods (little g), then how much more can Jesus the Messiah be called God (capital G). After all He is whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world. The reality of who Jesus is - is magnified because He is sanctified - that is ‘set apart’ as holy….consecrated by the Father - that Jesus is God’s means of demonstrating to the world His power and majesty. Jesus is the One that as it was stated in John 6:27 - On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval. So Jesus is God’s very own, which He sent into the world - for the very purpose that He would reveal and offer God’s means of salvation from our sins. Being sanctified and sent by the Father, are the basis of Jesus’ demonstration that the term God (capital G) is a fitting description of Himself. To drive the point deeper, Jesus asks a rhetorical question - of why He is being accused of blaspheming because He said I am the Son of God? Logically back to the argument from Psalm 82 - it should go without saying that Jesus’ own claim is fully justified by the Scripture to be the Son of God. In other words if mere humans - granted that they are placed into their positions by God - if even they can be called sons of the Most High (Ps. 82:6), then all the more Jesus should be justified in calling Himself the Son of God. Jesus is after all of unity in essence and nature with the Father. Therefore he should not and cannot be charged with blaspheming. In Jesus’ argument, He is setting Himself apart from the unjust earthly judges. As one commentator states of one who is ‘with greater dignity, greater importance, and significance than any mere judge, one ‘whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world.’

Jesus used the Pharisees own games of logic and turned it upon them so that they would be at a loss for words. Jesus appeals to the Old Testament so that the Jews would have a Scriptural reason to consider - objective evidence. Could a lunatic be able to articulate and defend Scripture with Scripture so well?

Is Jesus A Liar?

v.37 - Jesus continues and draws the focus not on Himself, but back to the works that the Father does through Him. In other words, what Jesus says in verse 37 is this - if you reject My authority (which is real), you can judge Me for who I claim to be based on My works (which are verifiable). If - I and the Father are one (and we are) - if I don’t do the same things as My Father does (and Jesus does) - If I don’t act in unity with the Father (and Jesus does) - then you should cease to believe Me… don’t believe Me….then you can reject Me outright.

This doesn’t seem to be the kind a thing a liar would say - would it? Basically a liar lies in order to get people to believe their lies - and not dismantle oneself. What Jesus does here in effect is that He calls upon God’s deeds to verify whether He is lying or not - and challenges the Jews to take the objective evidence.

Is Jesus The Lord?

v.38 - Now here is the flip side of Jesus’ challenge. But…. if I do carry out the works of the Father (which Jesus does) - and you still continue in refusing to believe Me, then you should believe the works (and they are real) - because if you deny those - then you are openly rejecting God. If you don’t posses the faith to believe, but you need the evidence - then you should analyze the works. By doing so these unbelieving Jews would then have to come to terms with the relationship that exists between Jesus and God. So Jesus says all this for the purpose that the Jews would know and understand who Jesus is. The two words know and understand in the Greek are the same word but with different tenses. We can translate, paraphrase, and expand this part of the verse in this way - I want you to come to the point where you know who I am, and then because you have the knowledge of saving faith - you will keep on knowing as a true disciple of Mine, saved by grace and that faith, alone. This knowledge is that - the Father is in Me, and I in the Father …. Jesus is claiming to be Lord. He is saying - I am the great God and Saviour - Immanuel, God in human flesh (Jn. 1:14, Matt. 1:23) - who can do miracles and is the source of them.

In this verse we have Jesus’ last appeal to the unbelieving Jews to be reconciled to God. His last offer of eternal life - as these Jews are standing on the brink of hell because of their rejection of Christ. Even though they have all the knowledge that they need to know Christ - they hang by a fraying rope of faithlessness, dangling over the fires of hell, as the rope strands snap one by one - under the burden of their deep spiritual blindness. Under the weight of their magnitude of sin and unbelief - and they precariously wait until they will plunge themselves into eternal condemnation.

Jesus repeats His claims to Deity and Sonship and through this we see Jesus’ deep love shown for the pinnacle of creation, mankind - even to those who have declared themselves to be His enemies. Even as they are clenching in their fists the very stones to kill the Christ, Jesus is a friend of sinners. What an immensely wonderful Saviour. What a powerful God.

v.39 - Well in closing this confrontation - we have a picture of utter depravity - absolute unbelief. The Jews do not objectively analyze the objective evidence but rather - they were seeking again to seize Him. It seems that the Jews may have wanted to grab Jesus, drag Him outside the temple precinct and then stone Jesus. Or they were wanting to arrest Jesus and take Him to be tried before the Sanhedrin. But He eluded their grasp (the word seize in Greek tells us it is a repeated attempt). Jesus’ death in God’s sovereign will, has not come, so He eluded their grasp (and it is reasonable to conclude that this in itself was a miracle).

Is Jesus A Liar?

v.40 - John closes off chapter 10 with a note on Jesus’ ministry. That Jesus went away again beyond the Jordan, which is probably in a region known as Perea. It was on the east side of the Jordan and it was known as the place where John was first baptizing. John the Baptist began his ministry here and this is where Jesus was now staying. Perea was under the jurisdiction of Herod Antipus, so the Jews had no power in that area. There would have been less resistance to Jesus’ ministry so He would enjoy a quieter, less distracting, and less life threatening ministry.

v.41 - In a strong contrast between the Jews of Judea, we find that the people hear that Jesus is in the area and many came to Him. They were more responsive and welcoming of Jesus. It was here that because of John the Baptist’s ministry and witness, that many people were prepared in their faith and readied in seeing the Christ that John had pointed to. These people came to trust John the Baptist and therefore people were repeatedly saying that - While John performed no sign, yet everything John said about this man was true. Once again there is a contrast where these people believed with faith and didn’t need the miracles, as compared to the Jews who had all the signs but still did not believe.

So we go back to the question - Is Jesus a Liar? John the Baptist certainly didn’t think so. And those close to John also knew that what he said about Jesus was true. This is what John the Baptist said about Jesus in John 1:34 - I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God. John knew this because God revealed it to him.

Is Jesus The Lord?

v.42 - The final contrast is that in Perea many believed in Jesus compared to the many who did not believe in Judea. There are many other people who were not Pereans, who were close to Christ who also believed Jesus’ claim to be God.

We can call upon the Apostle Paul - who in Colossians 2:8-9 states - See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. 9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.

We can call upon Thomas who said to Jesus after He appeared to him after Jesus died and rose again, like He said He would - Thomas says in John 20:28: "My Lord and my God!" - In the following verse - it is interesting what Jesus says - 20:29 Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
We can call upon the Apostle John who wrote this Gospel and in 1 John 5:20, he states: We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true--even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life (NIV).

Well….Is Jesus A Liar? or Is Jesus A Lunatic? or Is Jesus The Lord?

For all of us who profess to be Christians, we would all be wasting our time by coming here today if Jesus were a liar. If Jesus were a liar He would be the quote unquote (I say this with sarcastically to those who think Jesus is a liar) - then Jesus would be "the most reliable ‘liar’ " that I know of - because everything that He "lied about" would happen to Him, does happen - including His death and resurrection.

We all would be fools if Jesus were a lunatic - because there is overwhelming testimony from the Bible that all His mental faculties were in place and in fact they were sharper than any man before or after Him. He took on the toughest of His critics the Jews. Now if you are fools because Jesus is a lunatic, then I would be the greatest of fools here today because I have committed my work, my life, my all to Christ.

Allow me to close by reading something that I got from my study Bible (MSB) - The Glories of Christ
　
One of the great tenets of Scripture is the claim that Jesus Christ is completely sufficient for all matters of life and godliness (2 Pet. 1:3, 4)! He is sufficient for creation (Col. 1:16, 17), salvation (Heb. 10:1012), sanctification (Eph. 5:26, 27), and glorification (Rom. 8:30). So pure is He that there is no blemish, stain, spot of sin, defilement, lying, deception, corruption, error, or imperfection (1 Pet. 1:1820).

So complete is He that there is no other God besides Him (Is. 45:5); He is the only begotten Son (John 1:14, 18); all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are in Him (Col. 2:3); the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily in Him (Col. 2:9); He is heir of all things (Heb. 1:2); He created all things and all things were made by Him, through Him, and for Him (Col. 1:16); He upholds all things by the word of His power (Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:3); He is the firstborn of all creation (Col. 1:15); He is the exact representation of God (Heb. 1:3).

He is the only Mediator between God and man; He is the Sun that enlightens; the Physician that heals; the Wall of Fire that defends; the Friend that comforts; the Pearl that enriches; the Ark that supports; and the Rock to sustain under the heaviest of pressures; He is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty on high (Heb. 1:3; 8:1); He is better than the angels (Heb. 1:414); better than Moses; better than Aaron; better than Joshua; better than Melchizedek; better than all the prophets; greater than Satan (Luke 4:112); and stronger than death (1 Cor. 15:55).

He has no beginning and no end (Rev. 1:17, 18); He is the spotless Lamb of God; He is our Peace (Eph. 2:14); He is our Hope (1 Tim. 1:1); He is our Life (Col. 3:4); He is the living and true Way (John 14:6); He is the Strength of Israel (1 Sam. 15:29); He is the Root and Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star (Rev. 22:16); He is Faithful and True (Rev. 19:11); He is the Author and Finisher of our faith (Heb. 12:1, 2); He is the Captain of our Salvation (Heb. 2:10); He is the Champion; He is the Elect One (Is. 42:1); He is the Apostle and High-Priest of our confession (Heb. 3:1); He is the Righteous Servant (Is. 53:11).

He is the Lord of Hosts, the Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the God of the whole earth (Is. 54:5); He is the Man of Sorrows (Is. 53:3); He is the Light; He is the Son of Man (Matt. 20:28); He is the Vine; He is the Bread of Life; He is the Door; He is Lord (Phil. 2:1013); He is Prophet, Priest and King (Heb. 1:13); He is our Sabbath rest (Heb. 4:9); He is our Righteousness (Jer. 23:6); He is the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace (Is. 9:6); He is the Chief Shepherd (1 Pet. 5:4); He is Lord God of hosts; He is Lord of the nations; He is the Lion of Judah; the Living Word; the Rock of Salvation; the Eternal Spirit; He is the Ancient of Days; Creator and Comforter; Messiah; and He is the great I AM (John 8:58)!

These titles of Christ form a powerful testimony from God’s Word….. therefore I come to no other conclusion than the truth - which is…. Jesus is the LORD. Jesus is God and I willingly submit everything to Him….what about you?

John 10: 30-42 A Claim To Be God!

23.08.09 John 10: 30-42 (NASB)

Audio SermonFile: John 10:30-42, Part 1

Going Deeper: Study Guide

A Claim To Be God!

If you remember from last time beginning in verse 22 of chapter 10 - Jesus’ public ministry, in the Gospel of John, begins to come to a close. It is also to be Jesus’ last offer of salvation to the hard hearted Jewish religious authorities. All this takes place during the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem (v.22), about 3.5 months before Jesus’ crucifixion. It was here that the Jews encircled Jesus or surrounded Him, out to get something out of Jesus.

What the Jews were after was an answer to their question - If you are the Christ, tell us plainly (v.24). The dark underlying reason behind this question by the Jewish authorities was that they wanted Jesus to outright publicly declare that He is God. This would in their twisted thinking substantiate a charge of blasphemy, justifying their murderous hatred towards Him, and therefore be able to kill Jesus.

The answer to who Jesus is - is the whole focus of the Gospel of John, and it will help us to understand whether Jesus is God in human flesh or not. Today in our passage we can settle that issue in our minds also. The truth of who Jesus really is - is clearly presented, and it is up to you to receive it in faith or to outright reject it. What ever your conclusion is, the truth of this passage is unchangeable.

The well know author C.S. Lewis in his popular book Mere Christianity wrote these words: "A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic--on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg--or he would be the devil of hell. You must take your choice. Either this was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us."

Through this work of CS Lewis, the argument of a claim to be God by Jesus was crystallized into this popular challenge concerning Jesus…and many of you may have heard someone say this before - Either Jesus is a LIAR, LUNATIC, OR LORD.

And this is what we, like the Jews in our passage are faced with. The push of this passage is a life or death situation.

The people are faced once again with a decision about who this guy Jesus is. Jesus is making all these claims, so who is He? We also need to answer that question for our selves and decide one of two things:

1. Accept Jesus as God who will save you from your sins
OR
2. Out right reject Jesus as God and look for any other way to get to heaven.

Our passage states: 30 "I and the Father are one." 31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him. 32 Jesus answered them, "I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?" 33 The Jews answered Him, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out [to be] God." 34 Jesus answered them, "Has it not been written in your Law, `I said, you are gods'? 35 "If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), 36 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'? 37 "If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; 38 but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father." 39 Therefore they were seeking again to seize Him, and He eluded their grasp. 40 And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was first baptizing, and He was staying there. 41 Many came to Him and were saying, "While John performed no sign, yet everything John said about this man was true." 42 Many believed in Him there.

Today we are going to examine these three questions. And with the answers we will need to come to a decision our self about Jesus’ CLAIM TO BE GOD - these are the 3 questions:

Is Jesus A Liar?
Is Jesus A Lunatic?
Or Is Jesus The Lord?

As I go through the passage I will be asking these 3 questions. We will be covering only the first 4 verses (so down to and including verse 33) and we will finish the rest next week. So we are going to have a bit shorter sermon, as I try to go slower, so you can understand this very important passage. As we go through our 3 questions - I am not going to be dealing with each question completely one by one, but I am going to return to each question as it pertains to the verses of today’s passage. So As I go through the passage I will be asking the 3 questions several times. Let's begin.

Is Jesus A Liar?

v.30 - As we open in verse 30 Jesus makes a very deep and very powerful statement. It is the culmination and the pinnacle of all that has been revealed by Jesus through out this Gospel, and in the direct context of the verses before this one in chapter 10. And having stated that, we must understand that as Jesus spoke of our salvation, that it is firmly in His grip… and so also He is the guarantor of our salvation.

Therefore as we get into our passage today we now may ask our first question - IS JESUS A LIAR? Jesus says - I and the Father are one. In order to determine if what Jesus had just said is a lie or not, we should try to understand what Jesus is actually saying. Once again we need to keep the immediate context of the passage back in verses 28-29 in focus. It is also important to keep this in context with what is said in the broader context of chapter 10 and even the whole Gospel to come to a sound conclusion. In 10:28-29, what Jesus was saying about His sheep, is that no one would be able to snatch them out of His hand, or the Father’s hand - that this is a work that is of both the Father and the Son. They equally share in this.

So in verse 30 - Jesus is not saying that He and the Father are one person - because an examination of the word one in verse 30 - tells us that the word one is gender specific in Greek. In this case it is neuter and not masculine. Why is this important to understand? If the word one was masculine then it would be that Jesus is the same person as God the Father. Therefore what Jesus is claiming is to be equal in mind, purpose, and action as the Father. Yet Jesus’ statement presupposes His unity in both nature and essence with the Father, as we will discover when we get down to verse 33.

So Jesus is not claiming to be God the Father, which would be wrong because when we look at the Bible and understand the nature of the One true God we understand that there are three persons to the godhead. This is what theologian Paul Enns states: "While there is one God, there are three eternally distinct and equal persons in the godhead, existing as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each is distinct from the other, yet the three are united as one God. The term Triunity may best express the idea."

The full depth of what is presented in the Bible is affirmed by it, but for our finite minds it is impossible to grasp this unique unity of the one true God.

Jesus is God the Son.

If Jesus was one and the same as God the Father, then that would go against what the Apostle John was inspired to declare in his own gospel, back in chapter 1. John 1:1-2 clearly states this - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. So in order for Jesus the Word, to be with God in the beginning - then it should be apparent that Jesus is not the same person as God the Father. Later on in verse 14 we find this: 1:14 - The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

So what Jesus is saying to the Jews is that He and the Father share a common bond of unity, and oneness in purpose. And that is a serious statement to make. This doesn’t mean that Jesus is not claiming to be God. It certainly doesn’t mean that Jesus is another ‘god’ - as at least a couple of the cults claim. This should be clear from the overall context of our Gospel. If we try to answer the question was Jesus a liar? We can look at what Jesus asked of the Jews: 8:46 Can any of you prove me guilty of sin?

Jesus challenged anyone to prove that He was a sinner. Now if He were a liar then He would be guilty of sin, and everything that He said in His life would be open to question. But no one brought forth any legitimate charge against Him of sin. Therefore Jesus is not a liar. Back to the passage…. what Jesus does say is not misinterpreted by the Jews. Jesus’ truthful response is in answer to the Jews desire from Jesus to tell them plainly, whether He is the Christ or not (v.24) - so He did. They fully understand that Jesus is declaring unity of essence and nature with the Father and therefore He is claiming Deity.

So the question is raised - when Jesus claims to have the attributes of God - is He lying? Allow me to suggest to you the answer NO - because Jesus is without sin, so His statement cannot be a lie. On top of this, is the reason from the text later in verse 33 - of why the Jews want to stone Jesus. Well then ….

Is Jesus A Lunatic?

v.31 - Because of Jesus’ concise declaration, the Jews are instantly stirred into an uncontrollable rage - the plain truth was intolerable to them. So they picked up stones again to stone Him. This was not the first time and if you remember back to chapter 8 - where Jesus made Himself equal to God - He at that point said before Abraham was born, I am! (8:58), using the very own words that God used to identify Himself to Moses. In that incident the Jews attempted to stone Jesus, but He slipped away because it was not according to the will of God. Ha… so Jesus must be a lunatic! Was He? Was Jesus such a lunatic that He risked His life just to make a statement?

v.32 - Now, the same thing as in chapter 8 is emerging. We should note how Jesus lines up His defense, drawing His opponents back to the signs that He performed. Jesus doesn’t back down and cower at the assassination attempt. He doesn’t back down on His clear declaration of equality with God. But Jesus goes forward a notch and pushes His opponents to take a hard look at His many good works which were performed at the bidding of the Father. What I want you to keep in the back of your mind as we go through this passage, is this - would a lunatic be able to have the kind of intellect that Jesus demonstrates in countering His opponents? So we need to ask - Is Jesus A Lunatic?

So Jesus refers to the many good works from the Father that Jesus showed them. Once again there is a close intimation of relationship with the Father through whom the miracles proceed out of. It is interesting to note that Jesus says that these were good works /miracles. It underscored the Pharisees hidden ingratitude not only to Christ who did the miracles, but their hypocritical profession of God as their Father (8:41). These works demonstrated clearly, by offering undeniable proof of what Jesus stated in verse 30 - I and the Father are one. Jesus said back in John 5:36 - But the testimony which I have is greater than [the testimony of] John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish--the very works that I do--testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me. So Jesus response was to extinguish the false charges of blasphemy against Him.

In Jesus’ response He raises the question to His assailants - for which of them are you stoning Me? So in other words…for what miracle are you wanting to stone me for….and in between the lines as we expand this verse…. since when does the Law prescribe stoning for good works? Of course they would not be able to give an answer to that. Remember that the Jews had the stones in their hands, they probably even had their arms raised ready to pelt the Messiah with as much violent force that they could muster to satisfy their sinful rage. So what we find here is that the Jews, in going against Christ they are reviling God - in fact they are the real blasphemers.

Is Jesus A Liar?

v.33 - So the only thing that the Jewish leaders could say is - For a good work we do not stone You. But this was a denial of the facts - an outright lie - Jesus wasn’t a liar, they were - for that was why they wanted to stone Jesus when He healed the blind man on the Sabbath and made the declaration in chapter 8:58 - "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" Knowing that they couldn’t go down that avenue, they need to come up with something else. Therefore they had to try the tactic of a charge of blasphemy.

What is Blasphemy? It is an insult, irreverence, or contempt towards God, or anything that takes His honour, glory, or majesty away - like saying, I and the Father are one, which is the act of claiming attributes which only belong to God. The Jew’s claim that they knew exactly what Jesus was proclaiming - that He was God - which would be in the Jew’s minds blasphemy, since He was as they state and assume, a man - and the OT penalty was death by stoning if a man were to claim to be equal to, or claim to be God. Therefore in His statement of verse 30 - Jesus does in fact implicitly make [Himself] out [to be] God. Jesus does claim to be God.

So was Jesus a Liar? Well I think it is clear from this passage - and the very words of the Jews spoke - that the Jews took Jesus’ declarations to be true. As an important side note - Jesus claimed Deity…not divinity. Deity is a claim to being God, and divinity is a claim to being God like - there is a big difference between these two words.

Is Jesus A Lunatic?

Now if Jesus was not claiming that He is God - just think about this - and remember the stones…the Jews got their fingers on the trigger - so why doesn’t Jesus say hey wait a moment…wait a moment…please put those stones down…hey you guys got it all wrong …. I’m not saying that I am God…let me clear up this misunderstanding? He doesn’t say anything because, Jesus does - as the Jews state - make Yourself out [to be] God. Jesus acknowledges the claim to be God - as true, because it is.

Now we really begin to see Jesus’ intellectual genius in His crystal clear, logical, and valid defense. As to the charge of blasphemy, it is not valid. If Jesus were - as the Jews also stated - being a man - then yes it would be blasphemy for declaring unity of essence and nature with the Father. But, it is not blasphemy because Jesus is God. And being God, He cannot be taking away any honour, glory, or majesty from Himself - He is who He is - in other words as He declared I AM.

Well we are going to leave this passage at this point, and there is much to digest in understanding what Jesus is stating and claiming. And their is an immense depth of impact of the truth contained here, if rightly understood and believed.

John 10:22-29 Firmly In The Grip Of The Saviour

16.08.09 John 10:22-29 (NASB)

Audio Sermon File: John 10:22-29

Going Deeper: Study Guide

Firmly In The Grip Of The Saviour

This is a letter that a Christian wrote to his pastor that I read from a book:

I’ve been attending [this church] for several years. As a result of a growing conviction in my heart, your preaching, and my seeming powerlessness against the temptations which arise in my heart and which I constantly succumb to, my growing doubts have led me to believe that I'm not saved.

How sad it is, [Pastor], for me not to be able to enter in because of the sin which clings to me and from which I long to be free. How bizarre for one who has had advanced biblical training and who teaches in Sunday School with heartfelt conviction! So many times I have determined in my heart to repent, to shake loose my desire to sin, to forsake all for Jesus, only to find myself doing the sin I don't want to do and not doing the good I want to do.

After my fiancee and I broke up, I memorized Ephesians as part of an all-out effort against sin, only to find myself weaker and more painfully aware of my sinfulness, more prone to sin than ever before, and grabbing cheap thrills to push back the pain of lost love. This occurs mostly in the heart, …. but that's where it counts and that's where we live. I sin because I'm a sinner. I'm like a soldier without armor running across a battlefield getting shot up by fiery darts from the enemy.

I couldn't leave the church if I wanted to. I love the people, and I'm enthralled by the Gospel of the beautiful Messiah. But I'm a pile of manure on the white marble floor of Christ, a mongrel dog that sneaked in the back door of the King’s banquet to lick the crumbs off the floor, and by being close to Christians who are rich in the blessings of Christ, I get some of the overflow and ask you to pray for me as you think best. (from the intro to Saved Without A Doubt - J. MacArthur)

What a gripping letter of the reality that exists in Christians - isn’t it? And perhaps it is a reflection of the way that some of you may be feeling at this moment, or this week, or recently. Have you often wondered, even if you have been a Christian for a long time, why your emotions on the issue of your salvation is like a ship in a storm - tossed here and there? Have you often wrestled with how it is possible that you could be so unsettled in your faith, when you sincerely were drawn to Christ and then came to Him in genuine repentance, but now you are lacking a firm assurance of that faith?

Well it is utterly important to understand that the way that we live our life as a Christian - is tied in directly to the reality of our salvation. If we are wavering in the assurance of our eternal security we will be constantly living in doubt and fear. Our lives will not be as productive as the Lord would desire and we would always be battling the "spiritual blues." So today we are going to examine and focus on that very issue - eternal security. And I want you to see and understand, and apply the truth of this passage to your life. I want you to know that we as genuine Christians are - Firmly In The Grip Of The Saviour. Please open up your Bibles to today’s passage from John 10:22-29.

22 At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem; 23 it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in the portico of Solomon. 24 The Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, "How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly." 25 Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father's name, these testify of Me. 26 "But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. 27 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29 "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.

Jesus’ public ministry, in the Gospel of John, begins to close from here to the end of chapter 10. In addition our passage begins, what turns out to be, Jesus’ last offer of salvation to the hard hearted Jewish religious authorities.

v.22 - Our passage opens at the time of the Feast of the Dedication at Jerusalem. This would mark this section in terms of time frame, to take place possibly about three months later - which would be about 3.5 months before Jesus’ crucifixion. This feast was a remembrance of the rededication of the temple. Israel for many years had been under the Syrian persecution of Antiochus Epiphanes. Antiochus had pillaged and desecrated the Jewish Temple, in around 170 BC, by setting up pagan altars and sacrificing pigs on it. There was a total sense of violation - it would be like this church being broken into - and completely vandalized - and an occult set up their practices here. Therefore the Jewish people began a revolt, led by a man named, Judas Maccabaeus. It was in about November/December in our calendar, of the year 164 BC that the temple was set free, therefore restoring the worship of God once again. In remembrance, the Feast of the Dedication or what many you may identify with is Hanukkah was established. It is quite possible that the Apostle John mentions the Feast, hinting that Jesus fulfills the hopes of deliverance for the Jews.

It was winter, which would have been the wet and windy season.
v.23 - This may explain why Jesus was walking on the east side of the temple, in an area known as the portico of Solomon. This area was covered and afforded protection from the weather.

v.24 - While Jesus was walking through this area, the Jews gathered around Him - that is they literally encircled Jesus or surrounded Him. These Jews were out to get something out of Jesus and they didn’t want Him to leave without giving an answer. They were held in suspense since the last time they were with Jesus, back in the first half of chapter 10. Jesus had on several occasions made reference to His identity, yet they could not understand it properly, largely due to their own spiritual blindness and rejection of Christ. What the Jews were after was an answer to their question - If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.

They were wrestling with a seemingly unending dilemma in their minds. Most of them were engaged in rejecting the messianic claims of Jesus, but… what if? What if…. Jesus was really the Messiah that was long ago promised to Israel? So it appears that some of them - you could say that they were losing sleep over this issue - therefore they want a clear and definite answer from Jesus - whether He is the Christ OR He is not the Christ - Yes OR No. (And I am going to develop this aspect of this passage more next time).

Yet the dark underlying reason why the Jewish authorities wanted to plainly know, which was the predominate reason, was that they wanted Jesus to outright publicly declare that He is God. This would in their twisted thinking substantiate a charge of blasphemy, justifying their murderous hatred towards Him, and therefore be able to kill Jesus.

The answer to this question is the whole focus of the Gospel of John - to present aspects of Jesus’ life, so that we may believe that He is the Son of God (cf. 20:31).

v.25 - Well let us see what Jesus says. Jesus replies - I told you - who He was, but the Jews do not believe. We know that Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well when she asked about the Messiah - there Jesus said I who speak to you am He. Jesus also revealed Himself to the man born blind in chapter 9 - there Jesus asked if the man believed in the Son of Man - and Jesus responded by saying - You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you (9:37). But to the Jews, Jesus never made any clear and unmistakable statements like these - but He did speak with strong implied statements, like back in 8:58 - where Jesus said - before Abraham was born, I am! - so He told them already. In addition Jesus had already given them the answer through the works He did in the Father’s name. It is these works of Jesus that demonstrated Jesus as being the Messiah. Yet because of their faithlessness - they reject Jesus’ words and works - and therefore they did not allow the miracles to testify of Jesus.

v.26 - So the conclusion that Jesus clearly emphasizes is that these Jews are not Jesus’ sheep due to their failure to believe. In fact in chapter 8:44 Jesus clearly stated this to them - You belong to your father, the devil. Now Jesus goes on to elaborate that these hardened Jews were not of His flock. They believed that they were secure in their God, but in reality Jesus is saying - no you are not. Jesus does this by speaking about His real sheep. This is what we are going to focus upon today - that we as Jesus’ flock are Firmly In The Grip Of The Saviour.

Do you remember the Peanuts cartoon character Linus, who had to take his blanket everywhere he goes. Today I am going to offer you a security blanket, which is a better understanding of the nature of our salvation in Jesus Christ. That our eternal security - or can I say - ‘eternal security blanket’ is found in our almighty God. Our text states:

27 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29 "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. We will examine verses 27-29 by looking at these realities:

We Are Secure Because We Are Christ’s Sheep (v.27)
We Are Secure Because The Lord Has Decreed It (v.28)
We Are Secure Because We Have A Powerful God (v.29)

1. We Are Secure Because We Are Christ’s Sheep (v.27)

v.27 - Jesus continues and says - My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. In the context of chapter 10 - this was the point made to them back in the first part of chapter 10 also - that Jesus’ sheep know His voice and they love and obey the Shepherd. To make the point stronger Jesus says - I know them - emphasizing the fact that Jesus as the Shepherd and owner - He can identify the sheep in His flock. There is an intimate relationship so Jesus’ sheep will follow Him. It is interesting to note that the Greek tense of the word follow, indicates a continuous habitual pattern of following - the implications are that the true sheep will never depart from Jesus (this is developed in the next verse).

Do you find yourself often with DOUBT? Foremost make sure that you are saved. The Apostle Paul was concerned about this reality in the Corinthian church - 2 Cor. 13:5 - Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith ; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you--unless, of course, you fail the test?

A summary test is to see if there is to examine yourself to see if there is an accompanying holiness to your confession. Ask yourself this question - Is there a continuing and present work of the Holy Spirit in your life? If there is not you have reason to question your assurance. A good place to put yourself under examination is in 1 John. If you pass all the tests that the Apostle John presents then you have good reason to rejoice in your eternal security. After testing yourself against Scripture to see if you are a true sheep, it should go without saying that we should realize that our faith is not dependent upon good works. I bring this up often because when we were saved were came out of a works based society. Even institutions like the Roman Catholic Church place their assurance in faith plus works and NOT in faith alone and in Christ alone. So we need to be on guard for this enemy.

Yes it is true that we are to do good works - that is our purpose in Christ, but our relationship to Christ is what undergirds our works. Works and good deeds are done in response to our salvation. We are saved unto good works and NOT that good works save us. If you are counting on your good deeds to keep you in God’s flock you better think again - that is what the Pharisees were doing. Many Christians can think this way too. Imagine if this is what our salvation depended upon. This would mean that your salvation is only as secure as your lack of faith - and that would be quite insecure, wouldn’t it? You would have little sense of security because if you are not faithful then you would feel that Jesus is going to take back eternal life from you. So what this kind of thinking does is it drives you into a vicious cycle of despair - you serve God with a wrong attitude - you falsely believe that if Jesus is going to take back eternal life, then you want to break free from this pattern, you all the more through human effort do only what Christ’s power can accomplish - that is to set you free from works based righteousness. You would have a miserable and unfulfilled life, because you can never merit eternal life on your own.

We should also note that the other extreme may be true too. That we know that we are secure in Christ, so we don’t bother to grow, we don’t bother to get to know Christ better, we don’t bother to serve Christ and His church, and we maybe even will intentionally sin counting upon our grace (cf. Rom. 6:1). Both these extremes are unBiblical.

Do you find yourself often with DOUBT? Make sure that you hear the Shepherd’s voice. That is submit yourself to Biblical and God centered teaching and serious study. Teaching that is geared towards man will tickle your ears. It will cause you to leave the worship only feeling good - and you might be thinking well that is what I want - what is wrong with that? I need to feel good.
Yes we want to be assured and rejoice, but the issue is not how do we feel about our self, but the issue is how does The Shepherd see us. God centered teaching will provide a balance that we can grow under, so in many cases it may be hard to swallow, because Spirit driven teaching will not flatter our soul, nor soothe our conscience, but it will convict with power from on high. Therefore we are assured in the areas we are pleasing God, and we will be unsettled, in the areas we need to conform to Christ.

Listen to what it says in Eph. 1:18-20 - I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might 20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places (NASB).

This passage clearly tells us that our security is not at all dependent upon how we feel, or what we do - but instead it is solely based on (v. 19 beginning) - the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. So our security comes from the objective truth of God’s Word and not of our own feelings. Our hope is not founded upon our faithfulness, but it is founded upon God’s faithfulness - (v. 19 end - 20) - it is the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ. If you feel a little shaky in your faith, then go to God’s Word and read it, believe it, follow it, and you will be assured.

2. We Are Secure Because The Lord Has Decreed It (v.28)

v.28 - Jesus gives His sheep the free gift of eternal life with Him. This begins here on earth as the Father draws a person to Him; then grants faith to that person to believe in, and understand who He is and who Christ is; we hear the gospel; the belief blossoms into recognition that we are sinners; we come to a point were we understand God’s wrath for sin; we understand that God sent Christ to die for our sins so that we could be forgiven; we count the cost of following Christ as God continues to draw us; we sincerely confess and repent of our sin to the Lord; and we are forgiven of all our sin and through Jesus we are granted eternal life - we are a part of God’s family so we have the Holy Spirit living in us to make all those changes which will bring glory to God.

Jesus provides eternal life and it continues on into an unending future. Eternal life speaks of infinite time but we should also remember that it speaks about the quality of that time. It is a quality that we right now can only partly comprehend as revealed through the Bible and then experience through daily living. Though our grasp of what eternal life is limited right now - we know that it will be an absolute blessing - since we will be in the presence of, and in unending fellowship with the Lord in the future.

Christians will never perish. The Greek words translated as never, is a double negative - two "no’s" side by side, which is the strongest and most definitive way to express impossibility. No one will snatch them out of My hand. - that means if a wolf comes, a thief, robber, or even a hired hand - not even Satan - if any desires to take us out of the fold, it will be impossible, because we are guarded by Jesus. So we can be encouraged and comforted that when Jesus calls us to be His sheep, it is immutable (that declaration is unchangeable). He has us in His grip - we are eternally secure. We are eternally His and it is not dependent upon us.

Those who have made that profession for Christ and may have even lived like a Christian, yet later fall away - and some of you may have seen this - and they deny Christ and never want anything to do with Him anymore - based on a passage as this, we must seriously consider that their profession was never genuine in the first place - you could say that they were playing Christian, but were never part of the true flock. If Christ saves it is permanent. Salvation - eternal security is guaranteed through Christ’s personal pledge - His decree. Jesus will protect His sheep.

Do you find yourself often with DOUBT? This despite the Lord’s decree, could arise out of an uncertainty to the time of our salvation. Too much emphasis in our day and age by the notion that we have to know the exact time we were saved. Modern evangelist make the act of raising a hand, signing a commitment card, coming forward to the altar, reciting a prayer - the end all, of salvation. Now if that were the acid test, then if you didn’t remember your natural birth date - would that mean that you would wonder if your alive - of course not.

In verse 28, salvation is in the power of Christ who grants eternal life - and Jesus gives that, often in a way were we can’t always pinpoint. This may be particularly true for you, especially if you grew up in the church - we can’t be certain if it was the prayer as a child, or was it the time that I felt really convicted of sin because I did something really bad, or was it through the teaching, or was it ____??

We don’t need to have a specific moment to make our salvation real, but for some of us it may be the case. Our assurance of salvation should come not from the past, but more importantly from the present. Look at the pattern of your life - do you live a holy and righteous life? Do you adorn the attitudes of Christ-likeness? Do posses true Christian character?

Eph. 1:13-14 - is a classic statement assuring us that our faith is secure if we are in Christ - And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his glory. The indwelling Holy Spirit is the seal that Christians have which guarantees us our heavenly inheritance. Do you experience the life changing work of the Holy Spirit in your life? Is the fruit of the Spirit evident in your life?

3. We Are Secure Because We Have A Powerful God (v.29)

v.29 - The Father protects the destiny of the sheep through His vast and infinite resources. The sheep are granted eternal life, it is not something which the sheep gained for themselves, it was given as a free gift - unmerited and undeserved. So as it is that the Father entrusts or has given the sheep to the Great Shepherd, Jesus Christ. We as sheep are weak, our faith is often weak, and we are ever inclined to waver in our faith, but God has us in His invincible grip - no one can snatch us out of the Father’s hand.

Think about this….if it were remotely possible to remove one’s salvation - to lose eternal life, then what needs to be done first? It would necessitate that whether it is Satan or anyone one else - that God Himself must be overpowered first in order for that to take place. So can God be overcome? Can anyone steal something from God? Is anyone more powerful than our great God and Saviour? NO.

Do you find yourself often with DOUBT? Then you should make sure that you understand God’s grace and mercy. One reason we doubt our salvation is that we don’t really understand the concept of forgiveness. We may have sinned and we don’t think God is powerful enough to forgive us - so we end up on this emotional roller coaster. We all have a conscience and God has given us that to convict us of sin and to bring guilt to bear upon our life - so that we can change. But we need to realize that our conscience does not know anything about grace and mercy.
So if we don’t balance what our conscience is telling us with the understanding of forgiveness - that God has forgiven us completely in Christ - that we have and will continue to receive His grace and mercy as His sheep, then we will be un-necessarily burdened by guilt, which leads to a lack of assurance.

This is very important to comprehend because many Christians live in the fear of temptation. They live their lives fearing the fear of sin. Or we fear the reality that we will sin, until we are glorified in Christ. If sin overcomes you, it is at that point which you will most likely feel the lack of assurance. Fear amputates the growth and maturity that God want for us. We will end up re-hashing over and over again the questions of - Was I sorry enough for my sin? Did I repent enough? What’s wrong with my faith - is it enough?

So in order to counter this kind of fear, it will help us if we understand that we have a powerful God. Jesus is all sufficient for us in all things, He is all powerful…. then we can live in the light of His power and grace and we will not be overwhelmed, but rather our minds will be renewed, and our lives transformed.

We can live in full assurance of our eternal destination, as Paul wrote to the Romans about this issue - Romans 5:1-11 - Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. 6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! 10 For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

The truth that we are held firmly in God’s powerful grip is marked out by six aspects of our binding relationship in Christ, as extracted from the passage I just read. These are:

The peace we have with God in Christ (v.1)
The grace we now stand in the light of Christ (v.2)
The hope of glory of God (v. 2-5)
The outpouring and receipt of God’s love through Jesus (v.5-8)
The certain deliverance from God’s wrath against sin (v.9-10)
The joy we have in God through Christ (v.11)

There are many more passages that speak to the issue of our eternal security, and I have barely scratched the surface. But in today’s passage we have the strongest passage on this reality. So we can leave any doubt behind since:

We Are Secure Because We Are Christ’s Sheep (v.27)
We Are Secure Because The Lord Has Decreed It (v.28)
We Are Secure Because We Have A Powerful God (v.29)

When we understand objectively that we are secure in Christ we will be able to live out a fruitful and productive life for the Lord. We will not need to suffer the unnecessary misery of not knowing, and we will live in the newness of life which Christ has granted to His sheep.

The impact of assurance is far reaching as it will give you a right response in worship, grant joy in your life, stir you to faithful service, create a deep passion in prayer, guard you against false teachers, increase your love for Christ, spur you on to true fellowship, help you endure and persevere, and you will look forward to the day that you see Christ and to receive from Him an unfading crown of glory (1 Pet. 5:4).