well I invite you to turn this morning uh in your bibles if you have your bibles in front of you to john chapter 10 as we're continuing our study in the gospel of john and we come to chapter 10 this morning uh at verse 22 we'll read to the end of the chapter this great uh chapter john 10 uh to also say up front again this is um we're coming out of the soon we'll be ending the book of signs as they call it, as has been designated when we get to chapter 12. Next week is Lazarus, Jesus raises Lazarus. But you'll notice along the way that John keeps hitting the same themes and really showing us the ugliness of unbelief and how awful unbelief is and how hypocritical unbelief is. And this is one of those texts that really confronts that strongly as Jesus, again, you'll notice our Lord does not back down from anything here. He continues to call people to faith and to warn and to give them the truth that they need to hear. So beginning at verse 22, at that time, the feast of dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter and Jesus was walking in the temple and the colonnade of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, how long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you. and you don't believe the works that i do in my father's name bear witness about me but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep my sheep hear my voice and i know them and they follow me i give them eternal life and they will never perish and no one will snatch them out of my hand my father who has given them to me is greater than all and no one is able to snatch them out of my father's hand i and the father are one the jews picked up stones again to stone him jesus answered them i have shown you many good works from the father for which of them are you going to stone me the jews answered him it is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy because you being a man make yourself god jesus answered them is it not written in your law I said you are gods if he called them gods to whom the word of God came and the scripture cannot be broken do you say of him whom the father consecrated and sent into the world you are blaspheming because I said I am the son of God if I am not doing the works of my father then do not believe me but if I do them even though you do not believe me believe the works that you may know and understand that the father is in me and i in the father again they sought to arrest him but he escaped from their hands he went away across the jordan to the place where john had been baptizing at first and there he remained many came to him they said john did no sign but everything that john said about this man was true and many believed in him there there is the reading of god's word well remember the context here jesus has uh healed a blind man uh what a passage that was in uh chapter nine and uh that man had been set free from years of of being unable to see remember how jesus did it he gave a illustration a walking illustration of blindness of israel's own blindness and their need for for washing and in the rest of that chapter remember we studied the pharisees had essentially excommunicated that man for being healed and refusing to deny jesus it's really an awful chapter in chapter nine of what they did to this poor sheep i mean it's just really heartbreaking if you think about it they didn't care about him they didn't love that man they didn't love the sheep in israel they were they ruled them harshly they browbeat them they forced them into submission i said last time they were just in straitjackets they felt that they couldn't move they were the worst kind of authoritarians they were brutal and what we're finding here as we're continuing to go is that the reason and this is one of the big issues in our day that the big hot button topic is abuse and there is real abuse there is no doubt but um the issue with abuse here what we're finding is that abuse in the ministry is really fueled by hatred for Jesus and unbelief in Jesus. That's what that unbelief and hatred for him really does produce abuse among the sheep. And that is exactly what John is now showing us how bad the unbelief and abuse was of the shepherds in Israel. It's challenging for us and helpful because it's the heart of the issue that john is using the the shepherds of israel to say let me show you how bad this is and let me show you number one if you wanted if you want notes for today you want a somewhat of an outline today let me show you how absurd their unbelief is let me show you how hypocritical their unbelief is and then thirdly let me show you how impossible their belief is that's how you could break this down that's exactly what this passage is intending to show us today uh you can't read john's gospel and not be pressed to understand what true life in jesus looks like you heard from the the um the forum we must be be born again and baptism signifies that need for a washing of the heart to have life implanted there or you're just dead in all of this you're just dead and this is something that that that john is constantly showing us he's not going to let us leave this gospel without understanding what life looks like in somebody and what it doesn't and that's why this this passage is um is is helpful this morning so you'll notice here as we pick up we're going to begin here with the absurdity of their unbelief you'll notice here in verse 22 that as we begin this section we read at the time the feast of dedication took place at jerusalem it was it was winter we are told that he has come to solomon's portico here and this would be a very important spot for the future but we read here in verse 24 that he was really surrounded and accosted by the jews who are now challenging him particularly with something that i found very interesting in their challenge is they ask him this important question. They gathered to him, around him, and they said to him, how long will you keep us in suspense? So what you should say, really? He's kept them in suspense as to who he is? And this is not a sincere question. This is a really surprising thing that they would say to him. If you are the Christ, would you just tell us plainly? would you just come out with it? Just say it. Just say it. Now, you know this is not sincere. What they want from Jesus, what they're trying to get from Jesus, is him to simply say it in such a way that they can either pick up the stones, as is done in this passage, or they can tell on Rome that this guy has come and we can get him put out. This is not a sincere question, and I think it really helps us to understand here what they are trying to do and why Jesus at times did not just plainly come out and say it so openly. Sure, he did say it to certain people, didn't he? Did you notice he said it in the last chapter to the blind man? Did you notice he said it to the woman at the well? What kind of people are those? Very sincere people. Cheap. With these people, he's not just giving it to them. Which is an interesting thing here when you think about it, what particularly that he is doing. In very clear ways, he was saying these things to the needy, but since they were not sincere and they had one goal to destroy him, Jesus here says something fascinating in answer, I told you, but the issue here is you don't believe. Now, I think this is such an important point in the Gospel of John. I think it's something that you have to stop and give a moment to. It's not that people are standing back. This is what this is saying here. And understand this. This is really important for our Christianity in America today. It is not that people are standing back and confused about Jesus. As if they're saying, we're really confused about who Jesus is and the claims that he makes. And therefore, we're really just not sure whether we should believe in this Jesus. We're really not sure whether we should. What John keeps showing us over and over and over about unbelief is, is that unbelief is a closing of the eyes to the clear evidence. Unbelief is a closing of the eyes, a hardening of the heart to the clear evidence. I mean, think about it right now in this world. How many people refuse to get up this morning and to come to worship the Lord and to come to worship Jesus. And when you stop and you ask that question, why? What is it? Did you notice what happened in the last chapter? When the blind man was saved, that's exactly what happened in his life. He fell at his feet. He worshiped Jesus. That was the priority of his life. That was the evidence that life had been given to him. And that's what was shown to us with the blind man of somebody who had truly been given life and the attitude and the heart that was changed. He loved the Lord. He had learned who the Lord was. He saw what the Lord had done for him. And he responded in faith. And he believed the promises. But what we're seeing here is, is not that with the people who refused to believe, things were unclear and that things were not evident to them. Why are you keeping us in suspense? That's a charge. Why are you being deceptive? Why are you holding back? You ever feel that way about Jesus? Maybe in our Christianity that he holds back from really showing himself? I mean, that's our big struggle. We'll look at here in a moment that we always want a little more from Jesus, don't we? We always want a little more. We're always a little dissatisfied with Jesus. And I want you to notice here, that's the single issue that's coming out here about Jesus, the frustration with him about his lack of giving them more. But is that true? Is that true? If Jesus is who he says he is, what do people need? Why don't they take him seriously? Why do people refuse his worship? Why do people refuse to come, as Thomas will later in this book, and say, my Lord and my God and worship Jesus? John has been teaching us something the whole time about the human heart that is very important here. And it's not that people were simply unsure about Jesus. John is telling us that the human heart can't see Jesus. The human heart is hostile to Jesus. They have closed hearts as to what is clear about Jesus. Why are you keeping us in suspense? Why are you keeping us in doubt? Are you really the Messiah? I just can't figure this out. No, no, no, no, no. That's not the issue. Listen, that's never the issue. I just can't figure this out. That's not the issue. That's the kind of, in the Gospel of John, playing games with Jesus that he doesn't allow to happen. And it's a big point in the Gospel of John. Do people sit around today and really thinking about Jesus? Are they really thinking about Jesus? And are they really sitting out there right now and saying, I just wish I could figure this out. I wish I could understand. I wish I could see him. I wish he would show himself. Are people really doing that? I think you know the answer to that question. Many people just don't care. But for those whom Jesus makes absolutely, you might say, no impact in their life, does the evidence lack? That's the question I'm going with. Does the evidence lack? I think this is today why we sit back and think that Christianity is hard. This is why we think that Christianity is hard, because if Jesus were here, wouldn't he show himself more? Wouldn't Jesus give us more? Wouldn't Jesus make himself, and won't he do that for us? Why won't he do that for us if he's real? Won't he make himself more openly known? And we struggle with this. This is the heart of the problem with the church today. This is why we want more entertainment. This is why we want to feel something more. This is why we're in search for something more. If Jesus would do things more in broad daylight for us so that we could see and make this easier to believe, then it would be all easier for us and we wouldn't have all these problems and the place would be packed, right? Might I add that this is why it's really hard to be reformed today? Because our faith says that we should be satisfied with his word in a Christian environment that has decided they want to see Jesus their way. Proof? Well, forget the sign of the covenant this morning. I mean, really. Forget the sign of initiation into the household of God. You just put a few water drops on heads. It's not very exciting, is it? Well, that depends. That depends. Where's Jesus? How do you see Jesus? Is there evidence? This is a really important point because we're always looking for a better experience. It is in us to always want something more than what we've received. It is in us to be dissatisfied with what Jesus has done. It is built into us in the human heart to dislike this. Do you know that? That's why it's a fight. Why do you think we're reading a fight constantly on the pages of Scripture? You're in it. And for many of us, that's the same attitude as the Pharisees. There's lots of Pharisees. And guess what? I'm one. It's built in. We're never quite satisfied with what he's done. That's the human heart. That's the problem. So Jesus answers that, doesn't he? He answers that here and he says, listen, I've told you and you do not believe the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me. They just saw him, by the way, heal a man who had been bedridden for 38 years. That's pretty remarkable. That's a pretty remarkable work that he just did on the Sabbath, didn't he? And then on the Sabbath again, last time he healed a man who had been born blind from birth. Remember what the blind man said? When since the beginning of the world has anyone ever seen that? When has anyone ever seen that? In the next chapter, guess what he's going to do? Raise the dead. Benny Hinn's never done that, by the way. Did you know that? Only Jesus and his power. God has preached his word to us all our life. Many of you have been raised in the church all your life. Marvelous works are recorded for you in an inspired word. I mean, just marvelous works. How much time has God given you to study in these minds that he put in your skulls? We're going to start education year to study him, to learn him, to know him. All his marvelous works, all his marvelous ways. And we have all these real testimonies of people. I mean, just read John in 1 John 1. Listen, we touched, we handled, we saw. All these marvelous testimonies. 500 people at the resurrection saying, oh, it's all true. It's all true. These promises are true. Everything that you've studied, everything that you... Listen, the cloud of witnesses, they're not rooting us on. They're testifying in Hebrews 11 saying, you need to know it's true. That's what they're saying. Here's my point this morning. No amount of evidence will ever convince the human heart to believe. And no amount of excitement will ever produce it. You'll never be satisfied. It's a human heart issue. And it's not really about evidence. What we're finding in John is, is that what the people are doing with the evidence are closing their hearts to the evidence even when they saw a resurrection. You see how absurd unbelief is. You tell me, if it's not evident by now that God has answered us, that we were made and formed into the image of God, And that we're in this mess that nobody can solve. That the world is spinning crazily, it seems to us, out of control. We believe in God's control. But the Lord tests us with these things and shows us these things. They have no answers. They're all searching. They're all struggling. They're all empty. Nobody's finding. And God has announced for thousands and thousands of years that he gave his only begotten son. And all these people in this world have bumped into Jesus and they are worshiping him for thousands and thousands of years. and they believed him and they've trusted and they've gone to their deathbeds and they've been burned at the stake and they've had nooses put around their necks and they believe this unto death. You tell me if the evidence isn't in front of you. We get up early at 8 a.m. to worship the Lord. The evidence is everywhere. That there is still a church in this world that gathers around a world, a word, in a technological environment where nobody really sits and listens even to a lecture anymore. How boring, you know? It's not about evidence. Unbelief displays the absurdity of people hardening their hearts to Jesus. Remember the story of Lazarus and the rich man? Lazarus didn't have much in life. He died and he went to heaven. The rich man never took Jesus seriously. He had all the good things of life. Never really worshipped, never gave his attention to all the good things that mattered. Well, one day he died, and in the worst story ever told, he ended up in hell. Just a dreadful story, isn't it? Remember what he said to Father Abraham wasn't even trusting his heavenly Father? He was trusting everything else. As he was in hellfire, he begged Father Abraham, Father, would you please send Lazarus to my father's house because I have five brothers. I don't want them to come here. I didn't take any of this seriously in life. I didn't believe. I played fast and loose with the whole thing. I made every excuse not to worship. It was not in my heart and I really, really made the greatest mistake and I landed up in hell. Please don't let any of my family come here. Wouldn't it be awful to think of one of our family members who died and went to hell and is thinking that about us? Abraham says, they've had preachers all their life. They've heard. Well, no, no, no. But, but, but, if they see one rise from the dead, then they'll repent. Well, said Abraham, they're not listening to preachers. No amount of evidence. Even if one rise from the dead. Will make them believe. What do you want the greatest show? You want the greatest display that makes you feel great today? You think that's going to give you faith? Unbelief is absurd. But then second. Unbelief, says Jesus. is hypocritical i want you to notice how jesus handles this verse 32 they want to stone him look at all the rage look at all the anger look at all the hatred it's just it's just everywhere in our society there's pharisees everywhere jesus says many good works i've shown you from my father for which of these do you want to stone me i came and i healed and i i set free an adulteress i i made a man whole after 38 years i gave a man uh sight who was blind. I'm going to raise the dead. What do you want to stone me for? Would you just tell me what you really want to stone me for? And don't miss the connection. They say, we don't want to stone you for a good work, but you're a blasphemer because you being a man, make yourself God. Don't miss that. Anyone who wants to question whether Jesus is God, the Jews believed it. They knew exactly what he was claiming, at least. You're absolutely right. It's a really amazing moment. They're absolutely right. They've drawn the right conclusion to the matter. The works have displayed it. And that those works have testified clearly. He's God. What's shocking about it is, they still refuse to see it. Jesus says, the works that my father does, I do. Remember? And I say to you, the son can do nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father do for whatever he does, the Son does. Jesus was teaching this the whole time. But I want you to think again of that blind man who would say, who has ever done this from the beginning of the world? Who's ever opened the eyes of the blind? But I think Jesus does something now that I found so perplexing and really startling in this particular passage that that's why I had us sing Psalm 82. I want you to notice his answer to this in using Psalm 82. Listen to what he says there. when he answers them, when he says in verse 34, Jesus answered them, is it not written in your law? I said you are gods. If he called them gods to whom the word of God came in the scripture cannot be broken, do you say of him whom the father consecrated and sent into the world, you're blaspheming because I said I am the son of God? That is a remarkable use. I want you all just to listen to Psalm 82 read for a moment. In this context, abusive shepherds, abusing the sheep, and here is Jesus standing in front of them, and he's raising Psalm 82. That's the context. You want to understand what justice is? You want to understand what abuse is? Here it all comes together. Listen to Psalm 82 for a moment. God stands in the congregation of the mighty. He judges among the gods. I said you are gods. And all of your children, and all of you are children of the Most High. Now I want you to keep, I want to keep going with that just for a minute. As a matter of fact, listen to the rest of the words that it says there. How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked, Selah. Defend the poor and fatherless. Do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy. Free them from the hand of the wicked. They do not know, nor do they understand. They walk about in darkness. All the foundations of the earth are unstable. I said, you are gods. and all of you are the children of the Most High, but you shall die like men and fall like one of the princes. Arise, O God, judge the earth, for you shall inherit the nations. Who? Jesus just said, that's me. Which is really pretty scary, isn't it? See, Jesus just said to the Pharisees, you are acting like gods, and guess what? God even gave you that title. When you've done nothing but abuse the sheep. I have come, and I am the son of God. My works have delivered the poor, the needy from the hand of you. And I have set my people free. And I'm judging in the congregation. I'm judging in the congregation. See, at the end of the day, this is why I said, Unbelief is full of hypocrisy. Because if you refuse Jesus, then think about what you're refusing. Think about how the Pharisees acted. Think of the hypocrisy of this. How did they act? Hold this thought for a second. How about this? What did Jesus say of them? The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you, but do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. Everything they do is done for people to see. They make their phylacteries wide and their tassels on their garments long. They love the places of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues. They love to be greeted with respect in the marketplace and to be called rabbi by others. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth father, for you have one father, for he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. So they acted like gods, but they didn't act like God. You understand that point. They acted like they were gods, but they didn't act like God. And Jesus here is confronting the whole thing and saying, you guys are the ones who were given this great role, given this great title, were even called gods by the God of Scripture. And now God has come among you to rescue the sheep from your abuse. See, unbelief is hypocritical. That's why I said it, is that if you have refused the one who is sent to you, What we essentially do in life then is do what Eve did. We define and become gods on our terms. And that's why unbelief is hypocritical. If you won't believe in Jesus, you have made a sovereign determination. You've made a sovereign decision that you will guide life and rule life your way. And that is the most self-serving thing you could ever do. This is the explanation Jesus is giving here of unbelief and the absurdity and the hypocrisy of it. But I want to, this is not just a bad news sermon. I want you to know that. There's a really good news coming here, okay? I promise you. That's what I told you. These are fights. Jesus says one more thing about the impossibility of belief that makes belief here for you something that should make you marvel. there's one section i i come back to as we uh get to the end of this sermon and i want you to think about verse 25 they come to him and they ask that question and he says i have told you don't believe but now listen to this reasoning you do not believe because you are not of my sheep so why don't you believe in me jesus says really clearly you're not my sheep now i want you to notice he did not say because you do not believe i mean that's how i think it should be someone becomes a not sheep because they make a conscious choice in their mind not to be one that's not really how jesus is saying it here this is a judgment statement what jesus is saying here is you do not believe because you're not my sheep that's a totally different thing. In other words, all unbelief we see in the world, the reason is because they're not sheep. That's a really powerful point that Jesus is making here. The reason they are committed to not hear him, to not worship him, to stay away from him, to have terrible attitudes to him, to have nothing to do but except serving themselves is because they're not sheep. Remember Jesus said, no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him now that has never made us fatalists i thought here as i was working on this sermon this week that this is exactly what the canons say though people seriously desire to be turned to god to please him only and to be delivered from the body of death a merciful god has promised that he will not quench a smoking flax nor break the bruised reed that's from our canons But, this doctrine of election and reprobation is justly terrible to those who regardless of God and of the Savior Jesus Christ have wholly given themselves up to the cares of the world and the pleasures of the flesh so long as they are not seriously converted to God. What it's saying is, this teaching should have a certain effect on those who are not sheep. It should be something that everyone stops and says, that's terrible. I think people need to understand this today, that unbelief, rejection of the Lord is an indicator. Notice what he's saying here. They've never come to faith that they're not sheep. Now, I said there's good message. There's good news here. Do you believe? Think about this world right now that sits in darkness and that hates the Lord. Look at all of it. Look at all the terrible things we're witnessing and the awful things that are said. And today you've gathered. You love him. In this world of such darkness, you've gathered around his word and you've believed what he said. And you've trusted him for salvation. And you're going to go to your deathbeds believing this. And you're not going to let that go. Do you understand today what Jesus is saying to you? Jesus is saying, I just gave you the greatest gift ever. Your belief is a divine sovereign action of the Lord, and I will not let you go. This is the opposite effect of this passage. Jesus says it openly here. Look at what he says in verse 28. I give them eternal life. It's a gift for my hand. I delight to give it to them. They shall never perish. Neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand. Did you hear that? You can't be snatched. You can't be taken. Believing the gospel is evidence you're a sheep. You belong and salvation's yours. It's the best news that could be given in verse 37. All that the Father gives me. Remember he said in John 6. All the Father gives me will come to me and the one who comes to me I will by no means cast out. i think that's the most positive truth in the bible that is the most positive truth in the bible and as i look at a world today and i look at all that's happening i i have become so thankful for the doctrine of election if god had not taken the sovereign initiative if god had not looked down and loved you if god had not looked down and said i'm giving my son for you this is what you are this is what we're being taught this is the human heart who doesn't believe that looking at the world Jesus is telling you the best news ever through this mess that's what I love about it you are my sheep I have come to seek and save that which is lost I have come to lay down my life for my sheep I have come My sheep hear my voice. Listen, my sheep will hear my voice. And I know them. And they know me. And they will follow me. This is not up for a question. This is certainty he's given to you. This is perseverance of the saints. My sheep will never come into judgment. My sheep will never face wrath. My sheep will only know my love. My sheep will be kept. My sheep will never be snatched from my hand. Ever. my Father who has given them to me is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one. It's beautiful. Faith, belief in Jesus today, I want you to know, is a divine gift to you. Belief is a divine gift to you. What it means is believing you have life in his name. you have everything that you need you are completely satisfied you are completely full and this takes our frowns this takes the anger that's built up in our hearts this takes the bitterness this puts the stones down and it turns our hearts to joy this is what dr godfrey was preaching the other night he was talking about the sabbath sabbath is a day with god not a day of burden not a day of what what can i get away with what it's a day of joy with god it's a day of worship it's a day of happiness it's a day in our hearts it's a day because we get to learn him and know him and our bitterness is put away this is the good news in the darkest places where unbelief is exposed that's why i love the gospel of john in the darkest places where unbelief is exposed. Jesus showcases the greatest work of divine grace. In a messed up world, if ever the doctrine of election makes sense, it does right now. The evidence is in front of you, but that's not the issue. Unbelief must be overcome by the good shepherd who gives life. And when it has overcome. Look at John 9. We come, we worship, we bow down, and we praise the God of our salvation who is Jesus. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you. Thank you for showing us this and for helping us to understand this. We pray, oh Lord, that we would always be thankful for it's easy to take for granted this gift. By grace we've been saved through faith and that not of ourselves. Well, the grace we have and the faith that we've been given is not of ourselves. It's a gift from You. Thank You for bringing us and calling us Your sheep. Thank You for bringing us out of this darkness. Let no one ever, Lord, who hears these words, who truly believe, doubt Your good word to them. That No, nobody will be able to snatch your sheep from your hand. And yet let it be a warning to those, Lord, who refuse you and hate you and won't worship you and make every excuse to stay away from you. May all of us come today in both believing hearts as still that call sounds out to the ends of the earth that you gave. Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Give us all rest and thank you, O Lord, for loving us and showing us that in the sign of baptism this morning. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.