John 10:22-42 “The Sheep”

1:11But as we zoom out from our lives and we think about the scope of history, we remember that there are these clear moments, defining moments that shape us as a people, as a nation. Just this month, earlier this month, we celebrated Independence Day. Day, that day in 1776 celebrates and commemorates the formation of the United Independent States of America from Britain. John Adams, one of the leaders of the American Revolution, founding fathers and second president of the United States, is said to have written this letter looking back on that day or talking about that day during that time. Now, here's a picture. You're not going to be able to read it, but old documents are meaningful, helpful, and amazing to consider how old this is. Pastor Chris would agree, archivist, George Bush Library. There you go. So, you can't read this, but here's what it says.

2:18This day will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the Great Anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows and games and sports and guns. That's for Texans. Bells, bonfires, and illuminations from one end of the continent to the other, from this time forward forevermore.

3:01Of course, Adams was right in a sense. Everything changed from that point on. Deliverance, freedom, devotion to God, celebration from that time on and forevermore. What did you do this July 4th? Maybe you saw fireworks, maybe you celebrated. I know that you saw people who posted about it. Right? Posting your videos of fireworks. Well, friends, as we approach our text this morning, we must know that what we are reading, what we are witnessing from the hand of John, represents another defining moment.

3:48An even greater moment in the history of the world than Independence Day. When the author and founder of life itself declared freedom, deliverance, and victory over sin. And so at the end of chapter 10, what we see are Jesus' last words. This is a final scene, if you will, of Jesus' earthly ministry. This is the final discourse between Jesus, the crowds, and the leaders of Jerusalem recorded in Scripture. It serves as a bookend to chapter 1, where we learn that John the Baptist came. As a witness about all that Jesus said and did.

4:34This serves as a bookend, chapter 10. And so we would do well as John's hearers, we would do well as John's readers to pay attention. What John wants us to know and feel as we enter this text is that there are weighty issues, there are weighty matters to be dealt with. And so I believe the call to you and to me by Jesus through this text is to hear and see the truth, heed its warnings, and respond in faith.

5:16So a few things to note as we get started in verses 22 and 23 that help us understand the greater story of the Gospel of John. This is happening at the end, rather, several months after the Feast of Tabernacles. The official Jewish celebrations have ended, and this celebration is about to begin. We know that it's cold, it's winter time, so Jewish celebrations in the fall, it's winter now, and we're looking ahead to the spring when the Passover will happen. Verse 22 tells us it's cold, it's winter. People are taking cover under Solomon's colonnade or Solomon's porch. This is said to be one of the original parts of the previously destroyed temple. It still remained.

6:07In Acts 3 and Acts 5, we see that the first Christians met there as well. Some think that John even uses winter to refer to, as an allusion, referring to the spiritual climate. In other words, there is a frigid spirit among John's hearers, and we see that throughout John's book. Specifically, we learn that the Feast of Dedication or Lights, also known as Hanukkah, was a celebration, remember, not an official celebration, but it's really important for our purposes here this morning.

6:47Not every Jew would be going to the festival, as was expected with the Jewish festivals, but Jesus still uses this festival to highlight really significant truths about who he was, who he is, and what he came to do. He's going to capitalize on every opportunity. And as we said, this is the final discourse. So this is the final opportunity. And Jesus is going to take advantage of it. Well, this feast takes place during the intertestamental period. I'm sorry, it looks back to what happens during the intertestamental period. That is, the 400 years or so between the Old Testament and New Testament.

7:30And what happened during that period? Well, the temple was profaned with a pagan altar and pigs sacrificed to a false god. Antiochus IV, or Epiphanes, as you will most likely see him in the scripture, and his tribe came to Hellenize Judea, that is, to make it Greek. And part of that process was establishing uniformity of worship to false gods throughout the empire and in the temple. Well, the Jewish priest, Judas Maccabeus, his name means the hammer. Anyone?

8:08How about your nickname? Is it awesome like that? Judas, the hammer, fought to restore and rededicate the temple by leading an eight-day revolt, and it succeeded. Hanukkah then looks back on this event and it celebrates the restoration of temple worship to the one true God. But not only that, John 10, this is significant, it looks back and mourns the failed leadership of Israel. That Israel's leaders failed to preserve, protect, and provide for God's people. That's what this celebration commemorates. That's what it remembers. And that's why Jesus brings it up here, because he's going to capitalize on this opportunity to. Teach about his kingdom.

9:03So we saw in the first section of chapter 10 all of John's language about shepherd and sheep, and he's contrasting faithful versus false leadership in God's kingdom. And he used images that John's audience would understand. They would understand this shepherd and sheep imagery. And so John is addressing in the first part what shepherds are, what they are like, and ultimately he's looking forward to the good shepherd, Jesus Christ, and his church. And then in the latter half, our text this morning is a sort of application of the first half of the book. And it's focusing in on the sheep. So first part, shepherds, second part, sheep. It's not completely separated, but that's kind of the idea here that John is going for.

9:58All right. So we've learned beginning in chapter five that there is lots of turmoil, lots of tension between Jesus and the crowd and religious leaders. It's not just disagreement, but it's adamant opposition. It's hatred for, even persecution of Jesus. They want to kill him. So we can't forget that. Verse 24 of our text says they gather around him, they encircle him. And they ask him this question, how long will you keep us in suspense? Most think that a better translation of that question is this: How long do you intend to annoy us?

10:44So get the picture. They've encircled him, and they're saying, How long are you going to keep annoying us? And despite the next statement, the next question, their words and their actions suggest that they are antagonistic, and they're ready to judge Jesus if he answers or says anything that is opposed to what they want and what they believe. Verse 24. If you are the Christ, tell us plainly. Now, I know that seems innocent, and you may be thinking the same thing. Seriously, Jesus, this conflict, I mean, for us, it's only been going on for five chapters, but this thing has been carrying on long enough. Why don't you just tell them?

11:36But it's not that innocent, as we have seen. They encircle him. They're annoyed by him. They want to know. There's a number of reasons that you need to remember. We need to remember as we consider the question: why doesn't Jesus just tell them? Number one, to simply state that he is the Messiah would have political implications. Implications. Remember, most expected a conquering king to come, one with military might and power, to come with an iron fist and rule.

12:14They weren't expecting a suffering servant. Jesus doesn't state plainly who he is and why he came because he doesn't want there to be any confusion about who he is and why he came. Do you see the irony there? He doesn't want it to be political because it's not. Number two, Jesus said, and he said multiple times, his time has not yet come. So were he to announce his identity as clearly as they wanted, he would have surely been killed, and his time had not yet come. Number three, Jesus was on a mission to show how he was the fulfillment of all that God's people had been longing for and looking for since the beginning of creation. In other words, he was the fulfillment of all the Old Testament promises.

13:13Therefore, had he made his identity known, he would not have completed or accomplished fulfilling those promises. But most importantly, he wants to show his origin and connection to the Father. And so, both in word and in works, he continues to expose his hearers and now his readers, us, of his divine origins and his unity with the Father, that he is both Messiah and the Son of God. Okay, so those are the reasons why he doesn't come out and just say, I am God in the flesh. So, look at Jesus' response, verse 25.

14:03I have told you. I have told you, both with my word, by his word, he has told them. Look at this long list. We'll run through quickly. I have told you that I am the one who came from heaven. Whoever believes in me has eternal life. I am the unique Son of God. I will judge all humanity. All should honor me just as they honor God the Father. The Hebrew scriptures all speak of me. I perfectly reveal God the Father. I always please God and never sin. I am uniquely sent from God. Before Abraham was, I am. I am the Son of Man prophesied by Daniel. I will raise myself from the dead. I am the bread of life. I am the light of the world. I am the door. I am the good. Shepherd. Ultimately, verse 30, he's going to say that he and the Father are one.

15:09And friends, this was not only a problem in John's day, but it has been a problem ever since. The long and ongoing debate is the nature of Christ, Christology, His humanity, and His divinity. And so, for our purposes this morning, we're looking at the deity of Jesus. It's what Jesus, through John's account, has been circling in on this entire time: that Jesus is God in the flesh. It's not that they are one and the same in the sense that there is only one being, because the testimony of the scripture says differently. We see clearly throughout that it's two separate persons working in unison to accomplish one mission. We see evidence of the three-in-one nature of God throughout. God expressing Himself in three distinct persons: God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God the Father and Jesus the Son are unified in purpose and in will. Together, they will lead, guide, and protect the sheep.

16:28What John means here. Is that the Father and the Son are one in essence? What does that mean? John 14, 9, listen to this. Anyone who has seen me, Jesus says, has seen the Father. They are one and the same in terms of their divinity, their will, and yet they are separate in being. We get this sense also when we look at John 17. Jesus praying to the Father that he and the Father are one and praying that we would be one in them as well. What a mystery. What does that even mean? But this is the idea that Jesus is getting at. Listen to this, or look at this on the screen. Jesus is the vehicle of divine revelation and salvation. He is God's agent in the world, not merely a righteous man or a divine spokesman. So he has told them with his words, but he has also shown them with his works.

17:30Jesus says everything that the Father tells him to do when he tells him to do it. In this sense, Jesus is perfectly obedient. Throughout John's Gospel, we've seen the works of Jesus. And what are the points of Jesus' works? To show that he and the Father are one. His works and his miracles are signs that point to his identity, who he is, and what he is about. Remember, Jesus is from God. He speaks for God. He was going to God and He's one with God. And this is what John's letter even opens with. Remember back in John chapter 1.

18:18The issue is not that they hadn't been told or they hadn't seen. Rather, they did not believe. They did not believe because they were not his sheep. Don't miss it. The issue was not that they hadn't been told or they hadn't seen. Jesus had done both. The issue was that they didn't believe, and they didn't believe because they weren't his sheep. We've seen that many came to believe in Jesus. So it wasn't as if Jesus failed to clearly communicate.

19:01It wasn't as if he was unwilling or unable to reveal himself that was the problem. It was their determined disbelief that made his claims obscure to them. The problem was not that Jesus had been unclear. Rather, the issue was his hearers had hearts of unbelief. As we learned last week, Only those who are Jesus' sheep can understand what he says and does. All others can't understand his voice. They don't know him and they don't follow him. So from a human perspective, we become his sheep by believing. From a divine perspective, we believe because we are his sheep. I think we get this backwards. I think we get it backwards often. But remember, 1 Corinthians 2:14, the natural man cannot discern the things of God. Apart from repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, one cannot hear, see, and know the supernatural works of God.

20:14That is, apart from Christ in you, you do not yet have God's Spirit working inside of you to help you understand and know the things of God, to know God through his word. And that's what he's telling these leaders here. Listen, you know the history and you know the facts, but you don't fully know as you ought because you do not believe. So if the Jewish leaders failed to see and understand who Jesus was because of their disbelief, how is there any hope for anyone?

20:52How is there any hope for anyone? Asking it a different way, the other side of that. Who are you? Those who have believed. Who are those who have believed? Well, praise be to God for His Word because He hasn't left us wondering. So, we find a number of characteristics here of those who have believed. The sheep, Christ's sheep. Now, we have to keep in mind the context here. It's easy for us to read flat words on a page and forget everything that's happening, everything that's going on around the situation. So, remember, there is true danger outside the faithful care of the shepherd. There is true danger outside the sheepfold as we think about sheep and shepherds. Under the loving care of the shepherd, there is protection, provision.

21:53The shepherd will die for the sheep, but those who remain outside the fold are in danger. They are exposed. And Jesus is the good shepherd, and he is gathering all those who are his, whom the Father has given him. We learned that in verse 29. And so, those who are Christ's sheep, we see some characteristics here. Number one, they hear his voice, they hear his word, and they respond to it. There is this picture of intimacy here between God and man, and this is made possible through Christ, the mediator.

22:30By faith. So, number one, they hear his voice. Number two, the sheep know Christ and are known by him. Biblically, the stamp of approval for being known by God is receiving the Son. And how do you receive the Son? Through repentance and faith. Number three, they follow Christ. The sheep follow Christ. That is, they seek to obey Jesus. Jesus says, if you love me, you will obey my commands. And number four, they have eternal life and they are secure. Not because of their works, but because of the Father and His works, for He is greater than all.

23:18And I want to be clear what we're talking about with security. This is not saying that the believer is secure from all of the bad things that may happen in life. No. This is saying that the believer is secure. His soul is secure. His standing in God is secure, no matter what happens in life. God is eternal. This world is temporary. God's security through faith doesn't protect us from the temporary, but it protects our soul for eternity. The language is strong here. The word snatch that's used is used previously in. John chapter 6, it's used as the word kidnap. When they seek to kidnap Jesus, it's the same word. And so the idea here is that those who are his sheep cannot be kidnapped, they cannot be taken away, they cannot be lost and never found because they are made secure by the awesome and limitless power of the Son, by the will of the Father.

24:32We must notice, have to notice, the dance between God's sovereignty, His rule and reign over all things, and man's responsibility. God is always working, and man is given, provided the opportunity to respond to His work and to His Word. Second thing I want you to notice: it's important to note here that assurance is possible. Assurance is possible. So, are you doubting your standing with God? Well, friends, you can know. Are you overwhelmed by the circumstances, the situation of your life?

25:25There is hope. Are you looking for rescue? Escape. You can try your way and you can experiment with the world's ways, but there is a better way that you can know. Jesus is that way. Well, they encircle him and they demand a response, and Jesus has given them one. But will it be the response that they want? Verse 31. They pick up stones to stone him. Now, again, these are words on a page, but as you review this later, I encourage you to go back to Acts chapter 7, read the end of Acts chapter 7. Our dear brother Stephen is stoned for preaching about Jesus.

26:22And that's what they're seeking to do to Jesus. They weren't taking his claims lightly. They were taking it very seriously. Jesus asked them the reason that they're seeking to stone him. For the works or for the words? And the Jews reply here, not for the works, but for the words. They accuse him of blasphemy. That is, an act or an action that shows disrespect, contempt, a lack of reverence towards God. And so, to those who would claim that Jesus never claimed, To be the divine Son of God, here is your proof.

27:07The Jewish leaders were seeking to kill Jesus here because that was the proper punishment for someone who blasphemed according to the law. Everybody in the room, everybody in the group, so to speak, knew exactly what was happening here. So, how will Jesus defend himself? Ultimately, his defense is God's word. Just as he did when tempted in the wilderness, he looks back to the Old Testament. For the scripture cannot be broken, we learn in verse 35. So, here in verses 34 to 36, Jesus is going to employ Psalm 82. Now, this is a little bit confusing, so I'm going to try to just make the statement plainly, and then you can look at it later and dig through it. But here's what I think Jesus is saying through Psalm 82: If you call human judges gods, little G, how much more should you call me God, big G, the Son of God, whom the Father clearly sent into the world as evident by my words and my works?

28:27In other words, look at this. Jesus is arguing that. If the title has some relevance to mere men in the Old Testament period, it can hardly be thought too exalted a title for him whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent him into the world. Jesus is the one whom the Father has dedicated from all eternity as the meeting place of God and humanity, the sanctuary in and through whom the living God may be approached and worshipped.

29:01And not only is Jesus making an argument about himself, but he's also affirming the unity, the authority, and the inerrancy of the scripture. And so that's his defense, but in his defense, we find this final plea. What is his final plea? I think it's something like this: If there is a possibility based on what you've seen that I am doing the works of the Father, then you should believe so that you may know that I and the Father are one.

29:44If there's any possibility that I am doing the works of the Father, then you should believe. And then I think we could insert John's purpose statement for the book, John 20, 30, and 31, that by believing, That Jesus is the Son of God, you may have life in His name. Friends, the issue for them and for us is the same issue, the same discussion that we've been having since the beginning of creation. It's an issue of life and death. The issue is life and death. And what does believing that Jesus is one with the Father have to do with life?

30:28Only God the Father has authority to give life. And Jesus is in the Father. And He gave up His life so that those who would believe in Him would have life. Do you see that? The great exchange. It's the great exchange. Friends, it's so beautiful, so wonderful to see how all of this comes together, how God's purpose and plan has been orchestrated since the foundation of the world to draw men and women like you and like me to Himself.

31:04But the sad reality, as we have seen throughout John's Gospel, we see again in verse 39: some cannot and some will not be convinced. Here they seek to arrest Jesus, but he escapes because it's not yet his time. And the scene closes. The bookend falls into place, if you will. With the conclusion of Jesus' earthly ministry in these last couple of verses, verses 40 to 42. Verse 40 explains that he went away across the Jordan. The religious leaders would have no authority to bring judgment upon him there.

31:53I believe he also needed time with the Father. We see this pattern throughout his ministry. It points to his humanity. Even Jesus needed time away with the Father. And if Jesus did, then maybe we do too. There's also an important mention here of John the Baptist. Though he never performed any signs or miracles, he pointed to the one who would. There's something here of the importance of seemingly ordinary faithfulness to God as we seek to bear witness about him. I wonder if that could be said of us.

32:37But what is striking here is the sense as these verses close that time is up. You get that sense? The time is coming to a close when one no longer has the opportunity to respond to Jesus. And so as we consider all That we've seen in John chapter 10, the second part, what would God have for us to learn and apply from this passage? Well, in the first part of John 10, we learn how to recognize true shepherds. In this second part, we see the application of this as we consider Jesus' words and works in his final discourse of how to recognize true sheep and how to know when one truly belongs to the flock of God.

33:33Again, remember the context of the ancient Near East. Wilderness and desert. Many of the writers in the scriptures throughout, you see this desert motif. During much of the year, the desert was an inhospitable place for life. Water was scarce, food was rare, and danger was everywhere. The desert was a desolate place. And having that understanding informs our application, informs what John's trying to get across to us. Our world, too, is a dangerous and desperate place. Of course, it's dangerous because of the things that might naturally and quickly come to your mind. Illicit sexuality, pressures to conform to the culture. And the ways of the world, the moral revolution that's seeking to redefine marriage and gender, and the list goes on and on and on, right?

34:41But in the midst of this moral chaos in our life-threatening desert, my friends, I think there is another question that begs to be answered: whose voice, which shepherd are you following in times of tragedy, in desperation, in great need, in the good times, where will you turn? Where do you turn? Do you turn to television shows to find your answers? Do you turn to news and celebrities? Self-help? Do you turn to yourself to understand, to know, create your own methods, retail therapy, gathering possessions around yourself?

35:47Do you turn to substances, ungodly relationships? My friends, in the world, there are so many so-called shepherds. They offer a way out, they offer guidance, they offer protection, they offer security. But those who are his sheep, they hear his voice, they follow, and they are forever secure. Whose voice are you following? But I think related to that, only those human leaders who lead according to Jesus' teaching and example, as seen in the word, have the credentials to lead others.

36:41We saw this more in the first part of chapter 10, but this, I think, is the problem that Jesus is exposing the people to. This is the problem he has with the Jewish leaders, whom he's calling false shepherds. They claim to lead the people to God and for God, and yet they fail to see, know, and acknowledge the very one whom God sent into the world. You see that? Jesus is the true shepherd, and he is the only one who can endorse others who will lead the sheep. The final test of a shepherd's credentials is his or her fidelity to the leadership of Jesus. My friends, there is only one true shepherd that can lead. You and I from the deserts that we find ourselves in. And it's Jesus, the Good Shepherd.

37:37And only those under shepherds who lead and serve according to His will and His way are qualified to lead God's people. Whose voice, which shepherd? Well, the second thing is: I think we need to understand the greatness and sheer power of God, His sovereignty, His rule and reign over all things, and our role, our participation with Him, our responsibility. Now, if you know me, you know I'm not a musician. That's why I turned my mic off during the doxology. I know a musician and someone who sings is different, but still. But I think we kind of get a picture of this when we think about a child who's learning to play a piano.

38:29We get a glimpse of God's sovereignty over all things and man's responsibility as the child learns to play the piano note by note under the guidance, the guiding hand of an experienced artist. So, in the beginning, the expert, the artist, plays the melody, inviting the child to observe and maybe even rest their hands on his. But eventually, the child learns to play. With the guidance and under the direction of the artist, there but slightly removed. The point here is that God continues to work in powerful ways, but his work always invites, even demands our participation. So, in John chapter 10, Jesus' sheep are those whom God has given into his hand, and they are also sheep who have decided to believe. We see both. God is always working, and he has given man the capacity to believe.

39:40Friends, each of us has an opportunity to respond to the work and the word of God. What is your response? Finally, we must address the ominous tone of verses 40 and 42. Is it true that once Jesus has completed the work of the Father, that he removes himself, seemingly limiting or removing the opportunity to respond? It seems that that's what appears here. Also, in verses, I'm sorry, chapters 11 and 12, we see something similar at the end of those chapters. Can a nation or a city become so godless?

40:30So ungodly in its repudiation of the gospel that God removes his presence from a place? Well, to be sure, these are hard questions to answer. But I think there's at least one very important application here based on these verses, and that is this: in the grand scope of our lives, there are a limited number of opportunities to hear and respond to the gospel. And this is why the writers of scripture proclaim today is the day of salvation. This is why the Bible and pastors present the word with urgency, urging one to respond, because nothing is guaranteed, not a moment. If we learned anything from the pandemic, we cannot forget the hard lessons we learned: that life is fragile, nothing is guaranteed.

41:41This is why we share our lives with others, that they may see the hope that we have, showing and telling them the good news of Jesus. And so, if you've seen his works through the Son and you've heard his voice through the word, then respond. And how should one respond? Don't miss this because some teach contrary. Romans 10 says that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

42:21What does that look like? Remember Jesus' first sermon: The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel. This is the testimony of the entire Bible. Repent and believe. They are inseparable. They go together. God has come near in and through the person and work of Christ. And so our response is to repent or to turn from sin, turn from self-dependence, turn from our natural way of thinking, turn from ways that are common to us, maybe. Turn from trusting in yourself and your old ways. Repent and believe. To trust the one who came to set you free and has given you true life, abundant life.

43:20Have faith in the supernatural work of God. Trust that he knows better than you and he's working all things together. Those who love him and are called according to his purpose, and live a life that seeks to prove your repentance. In this repentance and faith, it happens the first time in salvation when one confesses that Jesus is Lord and Savior, and it happens in an ongoing way as we evaluate ourselves before God and one another, just as we'll do here in a moment with the supper. The Lord's Supper is an ongoing meal of remembrance where we're doing that heart work and we're doing it together as you observe and evaluate your life and are made aware of the ways in which you're failing to trust him.

44:17Confess that to him. He's faithful and just to forgive you all your sins. Friends, there are a lot of defining moments in history, but given the life and death implications of John chapter 10, we would do well to listen and respond to Jesus in faith. And so let's pray together to that end. God, we praise you for your life-giving word. We thank you that it doesn't leave us wondering the state of our own souls, the assurance we can have in and through Christ.

45:32The scriptures remind us that the trajectory of our world is that things get worse and worse. And I believe we're seeing a glimpse of that. God, I believe that it's provided us this opportunity to think deeply, to consider carefully the state of our own souls. And so this chapter, John chapter 10, has been so helpful that we may know and discern what true shepherds are, who they are, what they're like. It's been helpful to show us what it is, what it means to be true sheep.

46:28We recognize. That we can't save ourselves. And we celebrate that while we were dead in our sin, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Messiah, came to offer his life in place of ours, to shed his body, his blood, and his body for us. That the power of sin would be broken, and that we would be released from its penalty through faith. God, in a world that inundates us with information, that tries to show us the way to happiness, contentment, we need a better way.

47:24Thank you for showing us the way through Jesus. It's in His name that we pray. Amen. Thank you for listening to the sermon audio from New Life Baptist Church in College Station, Texas. For more information or to support our ministry, visit us online at newlifecs.net.