Old Testament Reading: Psalm 82

“God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment: ‘How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.’ They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. I said, ‘You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you; nevertheless, like men you shall die, and fall like any prince.’ Arise, O God, judge the earth; for you shall inherit all the nations!” (Psalm 82:1–8, ESV)

New Testament Reading: John 10:30-42

Jesus said to them… “‘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 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 am in the Father.’ Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands. He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing at first, and there he remained. And many came to him. And they said, ‘John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.’ And many believed in him there.” (John 10:30–42, ESV)

Introduction

Jesus is important to us.  We worship him. We pray in his name. We trust in him,  and we proclaim him. We even take his name when we call ourselves Christians, which means “little Christ’s”. It is not to much to say that Jesus Christ is the central figure of our faith. It’s true that we live to give glory to God the Father, but we do it through the Son, and by the Spirit. Without Jesus we would be hopelessly lost. Jesus is everything to us. He is our greatest love, and our only hope for eternal life.

We talk about Jesus often, but do we know who he is? Do we understand him? Do we grasp the significance of his person to the point that we would be able to explain to others why it is that he is so important to us – so central to our faith?

You’ve noticed that John’s Gospel is very much concerned to answer the question, who is Jesus? And there is good reason for this. For the way that you answer this question reveals whether or not you are in fact a follower of Christ. The one who receives Jesus’ revelation covering himself is a follower of Christ; the one who rejects Jesus’ revelation covering himself is not a follower of Christ.

And so John’s Gospel is largely devoted to the task of answering the question, who is Jesus? 

Notice that this question can actually be referring to two things. First of all, we could ask who is he? in respect to the significance of his person. What did he come to do? What did he accomplish? What role did he play in human history? What was his task? But we can ask the question in another way. The question, who is he? can also be seeking answers to questions pertaining to his nature, or “what-ness”. What is he? What was and is his nature like? Who is he in his essence?

We can actually speak this way concerning any person. The answer to the question, who is she? could be, she is a mother, or teacher, or wife. Or the answer could begin with the reply, she is a human. When we say, she is human, we are speaking of her essential nature. When we say, she is a mother, we are referring to her role, or position, in life.

I say this because it is helpful to keep this distinction in mind as we seek to properly understand John’s Gospel. Sometimes the text is concerned to reveal to us what Jesus was and is; and at other times the text is concerned to reveal to us who he was and is – the position he held, or the role he played within God’s eternal plan. 

I’d like to ease into our text for today by considering what the Gospel of John as a whole has to say in response to the question, who is Jesus?

Jesus of Nazareth Was and Is Divine

First of all, we must confess that Jesus of Nazareth was and is divine. This, of course, has to do with his essential nature, or substance. You and I are human – that is all that can be said. But with Jesus of Nazareth the scriptures compel us to say that he was and is divine. He is God. He is made up of the stuff of deity, to speak in a rather rough and fleshy way.

Remember that his was name was Immanuel, which means, God with us, according to Matthew 1:23.

Listen to the way that Paul speaks concerning Jesus, saying, “For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily…” (Colossians 2:9, ESV)

Notice that John’s Gospel begins and ends with powerful statements concerning the deity of Christ.

The opening words say this: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” It is in 1:14 that we read, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” So the Word existed in the begging. The Word, we are told, was with God. More than that, the Word was God. The meaning is this – the word was and is divine; what God was, the Word was. And it was the Word – the eternal Son of God, the second person of the Trinity – that took on human flesh and came to us in the person of Jesus Christ. This is how John’s Gospel begins.

Also, consider how it ends. At the conclusion of the Gospel we encounter this confession from the lips of doubting Thomas: “Thomas answered [Jesus], ‘My Lord and my God!’” (John 20:28, ESV)

And so from beginning to end, John’s Gospel reveals that Jesus of Nazareth was divine. When we answer the question who is Jesus one of things that we must say is, he was God come in the flesh.

This is precisely what our confession of faith articulates so beautifully in 8.2:

“The Son of God, the second person in the Holy Trinity, being very and eternal God, the brightness of the Father’s glory, of one substance and equal with him who made the world, who upholdeth and governeth all things he hath made did, when the fullness of time was come, take upon him man’s nature…”

To deny the full deity of Christ is to reject Jesus’ revelation concerning himself.

Jesus of Nazareth Was and Is Human

Secondly, when we speak of Jesus of Nazareth, we must confess that he was and is human. This too has to do with his essential nature. That he is divine is clear. But we must not forget that he was and is also fully man.

Paul puts it this way in Galatians 4:4: “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” (Galatians 4:4–5, ESV)

And again, in 1 Timothy 2:5 Paul says, “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,” (1 Timothy 2:5, ESV)

Here is how John puts it in 1:14: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14, ESV)

Listen to the language of our confession on this point. Picking up where we left off in 8.2:

“The Son of God…did, when the fullness of time was come, take upon him man’s nature, with all the essential properties and common infirmities thereof, yet without sin; being conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary, the Holy Spirit coming down upon her: and the power of the Most High overshadowing her; and so was made of a woman of the tribe of Judah, of the seed of Abraham and David according to the Scriptures; so that two whole, perfect, and distinct natures were inseparably joined together in one person, without conversion, composition, or confusion; which person is very God and very man, yet one Christ, the only mediator between God and man. (John 1:14; Galatians 4;4; Romans 8:3; Hebrews 2:14, 16, 17; Hebrews 4:15; Matthew 1:22, 23; Luke 1:27, 31, 35; Romans 9:5; 1 Timothy 2:5)

The language is technical, I know. It’s technical because it is seeking to be precise. Jesus, in his essential nature, was and is fully divine, and he was and is fully human. These two natures are inseparably joined in one person – Jesus of Nazareth. But notice that the confession says that these two natures were joined in one person without conversion, composition, or confusion. This is important. This is a wonderful summery of the teaching of scripture. These words – without conversion, composition, or confusion – guard against the error of thinking that Jesus was somehow a mixture of God and man. It is tempting, when we consider the Biblical teaching that Jesus possessed both a divine and human nature, to imagine that the two natures were somehow thrown together in Jesus and stirred up, making him into some new thing. If this were the case – if the divine nature and the human nature were mixed up within Jesus, then we would have to consider him to be neither God nor man, but a third thing. He would be less than God and more than man. He would be something like the superheroes we read about in comic books and watch on the big screen. No, these two natures – the divine and human – were united in the person of Jesus without conversion (change), composition (mixture), or confusion (unsureness). The end result is that we must confess that Jesus is both fully God and fully man, in one person forever.  Though difficult to comprehend, this is the clear teaching of scripture.

To deny the full humanity of Jesus is to reject the scripture’s revelation concerning him.

Jesus of Nazareth Was and Is The Only Mediator Between God And Man 

Thirdly, when we think of Jesus of Nazareth, we are to think of the only mediator between God and man.

Noticed that I have now transitioned from talking about Jesus’ essence (his “what-ness”, if you will), to speaking of who he is in regard to his position, or role, or function. When it comes to his essence we must confess that he is the eternal Son of God come in human flesh – God incarnate. But when it comes to his role or function as it pertains to the plan of God for salvation we must say that he is the only mediator between God and man.

When I say that he is the only mediator I mean that he is the middleman; he is the go-between; he is the one through whom we must go to get to God, and to have eternal life.

Paul puts it this way in 1 Timothy 2:5-6: “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.” (1 Timothy 2:5–6, ESV)

The same truth is communicated in John’s Gospel: “So Jesus again said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.’” (John 10:7, ESV) Again “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6, ESV)

Jesus Christ, as the God-man, is the only mediator between God and man. He is the only way to the Father. He alone can reconcile us to God. It is through faith in him alone that we can enter into life eternal.

Notice a few things about Jesus as our mediator:

One, it is because of who Jesus is in his essence that he is able to fulfill the role or function of mediator between God and man. Another way to say it is that the accomplishment of the salvation of sinful men required the incarnation. On the one hand, only God himself could live a sinless life, bear the sins of the human beings, and have the power to rise from the dead, conquering sin and Satan and death forever. Only God – that is, something other than a human – could accomplish these things. No mere man could do it! But on the other hand, the Savior had to be a man. He had to be the second Adam. He had keep the law for us and in our place. He rose from the dead, not only as God, but as a man, making a way for you and I to have eternal life. Immanuel, God with us, had the right stuff to get this utterly unique job done. His unique essence made it possible for him to fulfill his unique role.

Think of it this way: One of  the most fundamental prerequisites for fulling the role of Pastor is that a person be human.  It takes a human to fulfill the role of Pastor. A dog cannot be a Pastor. It does not have the right stuff to get the job done. A dog cannot reason or speak or empathize. A human can. A Pastor must first be human. In the same way it was necessary that Jesus be both God and man in order for him to fulfill the role of savior, redeemer, mediator between God and man.

Two, notice this about Jesus as our mediator: though Jesus of Nazareth (the God-man) did not exist prior to his birth to the virgin Mary some 2,000 years ago, the decision to save a particular people in this way – through the mediation of the Christ – was made by the Triune God in eternity past, that is, before creation. Theologians call this decision made by the Triune God in eternity past the Intra-Trinitarian Covenant of Redemption. The word Intra-Trinitarian is used to communicate the idea that this decision was made within (intra) the Triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is called a covenant in order to communicate the truth that an agreement was made between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Father determined to send the Son, the Son agreed to go in obedience to the Father, and the Son would send the Spirit to empower the work that he had accomplished. The word redemption is used to rightly communicate that this covenant had as it’s mission the redemption or salvation of a particular people. The point here is that the decision to save, or redeem, sinners in this way was made by the Triune God before the world was created. John’s Gospel is abundantly clear on this point. I will not read it again, but this truth is obviously present in John 17 in Jesus’ high priestly prayer.

Three, notice that when Jesus of Nazareth was born of a virgin some 2,000 years ago, and having lived and died and rose again, it was the culmination, the execution, the final accomplishment of that plan made by God in eternity past. The covenant of redemption was made within the Triune God before creation. After the fall this plan of salvation was announced in human history to Adam and Eve by way of promise (Genesis 3:15). The promise of God to redeem was reiterated and clarified and developed throughout Old Testament times. The promise was given to and through Abraham, Moses, and David. The prophets spoke often of this promise. This promise to save had the cross of Christ in view from the beginning. The plan was made in eternity past by the Triune God. The plan was executed in human history by the giving of a promise, the making of covenants, and ultimately through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus the Christ, the only mediator between God and man.

Listen again to our confession on this point. LBC 8:1:

“It pleased God, in His eternal purpose, to choose and ordain the Lord Jesus, his only begotten Son, according to the covenant made between them both, to be the mediator between God and man; the prophet, priest, and king; head and saviour of the church, the heir of all things, and judge of the world; unto whom he did from all eternity give a people to be his seed [his sheep, the elect] and to be by him in time [in human history] redeemed, called, justified, sanctified, and glorified.” (Isaiah 42:1; 1 Peter 1:19, 20; Acts 3:22; Hebrews 5:5, 6; Psalms 2:6; Luke 1:33; Ephesians 1:22, 23; Hebrews 1:2; Acts 17:31; Isaiah 53:10; John 17:6; Romans 8:30)

So tell me Church (and be careful how you answer this): has Jesus of Nazareth always existed? In other words, was Jesus of Nazareth with God in the beginning, before the universe was created? The answer is no! Jesus the Christ was born of a virgin some 2,000 years ago.

Now answer me this: Has the Word of God – the Son of God – the second person of the Trinity always existed? In other words, was the Word with God in the beginning before the universe was created? The answer is certainly yes! John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:1,14, ESV)

The eternal Son of God became man for the purpose of redeeming us – saving us – from sin and death as the only possible mediator between God and man. When we think of Jesus of Nazareth we must think of him as the only possible mediator between God and man. He is the Messiah, the Savior of the world.

Jesus of Nazareth Was and Is One With The Father

And this brings us to our last point, and to the sermon text for today (don’t worry, this will be brief).  When we think of Jesus of Nazareth we must think of one who was and is one with the Father.

In verse 30 Jesus says to the unbelieving Jews, “I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30, ESV) I mentioned last week that Christians often use this verse as proof that Jesus was divine – of one essence with the Father. I think this it is a mistake to interpret this particular verse in that way. That Jesus is divine is abundantly clear in other passage of scripture. But here the point seems to be that Jesus and the Father are united in purpose – that they have the same mind. The rest of the passage doesn’t make much sense if we see it the other way.

Notice in verse 31 that the Jews “picked up stones again to stone him.” The word “again” is significant because it reminds us that this wasn’t the first time they tried to kill him. They wanted to stone him to death in 8:59. We’re told that they sought to kill him in 5:18. In each instance they wanted to kill him because he claimed to be God.

Listen to their accusation here in 10:33: “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.’” (John 10:33, ESV)

Notice three things: One, they rightly understood that Jesus was claiming to be God. They heard him say, for example, in 8:58, “Before Abraham was, I Am.” They knew what he was claiming, and so they picked up stones to stone him. They rightly understood that he was claiming to be God – that he was claiming to be divine. Two, they only considered him to be a man. Verse 33: “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.” They understood his claims, but they rejected them, thinking of Jesus as only a man. Three, notice that they, therefore, thought that Jesus was making himself God. In other words, this was something that Jesus fabricated. It was something that he made up. He was only a man, but he was making himself divine.

It is at this point that Jesus quoted from Psalm 82 in order to defend himself.

Look at 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—and 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’?” (John 10:34–36, ESV)

This passage can be very confusing to Christians. It becomes almost impossible to understand if we approach it with the idea that what Jesus meant in 10:30 when he said, “I and the Father are one”, was that he and the Father were one in essence. But when we rightly understand that Jesus was speaking here of he and the Father being one in purpose – on the same page, if you will – then this quotation of Psalm 82 makes perfect sense.

I read Psalm 82 at the beginning of the sermon. The Psalm is all about God holding judgment over unjust judges or kings. These human judges or kings are reprimanded by God: “How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked?” (Psalm 82:2, ESV) They are exhorted by God: “Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.” (Psalm 82:3, ESV) And they are warned by God:  “…like men you shall die, and fall like any prince.” (Psalm 82:7, ESV) Psalm 82 is a vision of God rebuking unjust human rulers and kings.

The interesting thing is that these human rulers are called “gods”. God himself calls them “gods”. 82:6: God says to them, “You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you…” (Psalm 82:6, ESV) Why does God call them “gods”? Is he saying that these kings or judges were divine? Certainly not! He immediately warns that they will die like men! But they were call gods, or Sons of the Most High, for these reasons. One, they were given, or entrusted with, the word of God. And two, they were given, as kings and judges, the authority to judge as God judges. They were entrusted with the word of God and were appointed as kings and judges to represent God’s justice on earth. They were rebuked and threatened by God because they were arrogant – they disregarded God and his holy word – they forsook justice – they abused the weak and neglected the needy.

Here is the reasoning that Jesus uses: If it was right for God himself to call men “gods” in Psalm 82 due to the fact that they had received the word of God and were given a position of authority on earth that they might serve as God’s just representatives (think Romans 13), how much more appropriate is it for Jesus, who is the Word, who is God come in the flesh, who is the one true mediator between God and man, consecrated by God and sent into the world, to claim to be the Son of God.

The argument seems complex to us, but is sound. Jesus is reasoning with the unbelieving Jews, urging them to not jump to conclusions the moment they they here Jesus say, “I am the Son of God”, or “Before Abraham was I Am”, or “I and the Father are One”. He’s urging them to slow down and to consider these things carefully. If the scriptures (the scriptures which they loved) could use this language of mere men – sinful, fallen and unjust men – how much more appropriate is it for Jesus to call himself the Son of God given his true identity.

He again points to the works that he has been preforming as evidence concerning his claims. Verse 37: “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 am in the Father.” (John 10:37–38, ESV)

Conclusion

These are difficult teachings, I know. I’m not quite sure what else to do with a passage like this except teach through it. And I think it is of great importance that these things are taught. We say we love Jesus above all else, but do we know him? Do we know who he was and is?

He is the eternal Son of God come in the flesh. He is the mediator between God and man. He was more than man, but not less. He did not make himself God, but was in fact divine. He was not claiming to be a God separate from, and in competition with the Father – he and the Father are one. They are of one purpose, one mission, one mind. The Father sent the Son, the Son came in perfect obedience to the Father, and the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son to convict the world of sin and to help those who are in Christ.

The end result of understanding these things is that we ought love Jesus all the more! We should be all the more eager to worship him, to pray to him, and to proclaim him, because truly “…there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12, ESV)

 

Old Testament Reading: Ezekiel 34:22-31

“I will rescue my flock; they shall no longer be a prey. And I will judge between sheep and sheep. And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them. I am the Lord; I have spoken. I will make with them a covenant of peace and banish wild beasts from the land, so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. And I will make them and the places all around my hill a blessing, and I will send down the showers in their season; they shall be showers of blessing. And the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield its increase, and they shall be secure in their land. And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I break the bars of their yoke, and deliver them from the hand of those who enslaved them. They shall no more be a prey to the nations, nor shall the beasts of the land devour them. They shall dwell securely, and none shall make them afraid. And I will provide for them renowned plantations so that they shall no more be consumed with hunger in the land, and no longer suffer the reproach of the nations. And they shall know that I am the Lord their God with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, declares the Lord God. And you are my sheep, human sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, declares the Lord God.” (Ezekiel 34:22–31, ESV)

New Testament Reading: John 10:22-30

“At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in 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 do not 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 the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.’” (John 10:22–30, ESV)

Introduction

That Jesus was and is the eternal Son of God come in the flesh is something that all Christians believe. And that he came to deal with the problem of sin and death is also something that all Christians agree upon – he lived his life in full and perfect obedience to the law of God, and yet he died the death of a sinner in order to pay the price for sins – he atoned for sin – he appeased the wrath of God – he defeated sin and death for us. All true Christians believe these things.

But there exists is a significant disagreement over the question, who did Jesus come to save, exactly? Who did he come to rescue? Who’s sins did he come to die for?

Some see it this way: Jesus, the eternal Son of God, came to make salvation possible for all. He lived and died and rose again for all people. When he paid the price for sins, he paid for all sins – every sin that has ever been committed in the history of the world. When he bore the wrath of God, he stood in everyones place. But it is only those who choose to believe who benefit from the redemption accomplished by Christ for all people everywhere.

In this view, God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirt had every person who has lived in mind when the Christ was sent to hang on that cross. Jesus took upon himself the sins of all people without exception, and paid for them in full, saying, “It is finished”.  And now God, having accomplished salvation for all through the cross of Christ, applies the benefits of that salvation to the ones who choose to believe in the Son. This is how many Christians in our day picture salvation working.

But there is, as you know, another way of seeing things. There are others who believe that Jesus, the eternal Son of God, came to accomplish salvation for some. He did not merely make salvation possible. He actually accomplished it – he earned it, completed it, and finished it.  And he did not do it for all – leaving it ultimately up to the individual to believe or disbelieve – he came to accomplish salvation for a particular people in order to give those particular people eternal life.

In this view God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirt had particular people in mind when the Christ was sent to hang on that cross. Jesus took upon himself the sins of those people, and paid for them in full, saying, “It is finished”. And now God, having accomplished salvation for them through the cross of Christ, is active in bringing those particular people to salvation through faith in Christ, by the proclamation of the gospel, and the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit.

This second view is our view.

I hold to this second view (what has come to be known as the Reformed position, or the Calvinistic position) because I believe it is what the scriptures clearly teach. I would not hold this view if unaided human reason were my final authority for truth. And I would not hold this view if my emotions were my final authority for truth. It is because the Holy Scriptures are my final authority for truth (and I believe that they abundantly clear on this point) that I am moved to view Christ’s atoning work in this way.

Jesus came in order to save those who are his. He came to save those who were given to him by the Father in eternity past. These were chosen, elected, predestined by God the Father and they were given to the Son so that he would save them by dying for their sins. They were chosen, mind you, not because of anything deserving in them – not because of any good or redeeming quality foreseen by God within them – but by pure unconditional, unmerited, undeserved grace. These are the ones that the Good Shepherd has laid down is his life for.

Truthfully, there are very many passages of scripture that we could point to to prove these things. But I really cannot think of a book in the Bible that presents these truths more consistently, more clearly, and more powerfully than the Gospel of John. And it here in chapter 10 that these truths are brought to the forefront.

The Gospel of John reveals that some people have been given to the Son by the Father from before creation.

First of all, notice how the Gospel of John reveals, time and again, that some people have been given to the Son by the Father from before creation.

This is most clear in the prayer of Jesus found in John 17.

Verses 1-3:

“When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, ‘Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” (John 17:1–3, ESV)

In verse 6 Jesus says,  “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.” (John 17:6, ESV)

In verse 9 Jesus says, “I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.” (John 17:9, ESV)

This same truth – the truth that some have been given to the Son by the Father from before creation – is also clearly articulated here in John 10. Jesus uses the image of a sheepfold to communicate this truth to us. He is the Good Shepherd, and he is also the door of the sheep. The sheepfold contains many sheep – at first we are only told of one sheepfold which represents all of the people of Israel – later we are told of another sheepfold, representing all of the peoples of the earth. Both sheepfolds house sheep – some who belong to the Good Shepherd, and some who do not. Jesus the Good Shepherd knows his sheep and they know him. He calls them by name and they recognize his voice and follow him. All of this was clearly set forth in verses 1-21of chapter 10.

The teaching is clear. A distinction is made between sheep and sheep – some belong to the Good Shepherd and others do not. The sheep who belong to the Good Shepherd represent the elect. They represent those who were given to the Son by the Father in eternity past. These sheep represent the same people that Jesus would later pray for in his high priestly prayer, saying, “I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.” (John 17:9, ESV)

This is the doctrine of unconditional election.

The Gospel of John reveals that those not given to the Son by the Father are unable to believe. 

Secondly, notice how the Gospel of John reveals that those not given to the Son by the Father are unable to believe.

This truth is stated in a number of places in John, but we will limit our attention to the passage before us here in John 10:22-30, since it is at the heart of the text.

Notice that we have now experienced a change of scenery in John’s Gospel. From the beginning of chapter 7 all the way to 10:21 we hear about Jesus’ activities in and around the temple in Jerusalem during the Feast of Booths. Now we read in verse 22, “At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon.” (John 10:22–23, ESV)

The Feast of Dedication was not a feast instituted by God and recorded in the Hebrew Scriptures. It began in 167 B.C. The Syrian leader Antiochus Epiphanes had overrun Jerusalem. He had polluted the temple by setting up a pagan altar to displace the altar of Israel’s God. Israel suffered for a time under the oppression of Antiochus until many of the Jews began to revolt. They eventually developed the fine art of guerrilla warfare and grew strong enough to overthrow their oppressor. This all happened under the leadership of Judas Maccabaeus (Judas the Hammer). They eventually recaptured the temple and reconsecrated it to God on 25 Kislev (the lunar month that approximately coincides with December), 164 B.C. The people celebrated the rededication of the temple for eight days, and it was decreed that a similar eight-day Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah) should be held every year, beginning on 25 Kislev (cf. 1 Macc. 4:36–59; 2 Macc. 1:9, 18; 10:1–8).

Jesus was in Jerusalem for this feast and was walking in the colonnade of Solomon (also called Solomon’s Porch), which was a covered patio located to the east of the temple serving as boundary to the temple platform. Interestingly we hear of this place again in the book of Acts because the early Christians would gather there to preach the gospel. Peter and John would heal a man in this same location.

But it was here under the colonnade of Solomon that (verse 24)  the “Jews gathered around [Jesus] and said to him, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.’” (John 10:24, ESV)

It is interesting that Jesus rarely, if ever, spoke before the religious leaders of the Jews in an explicate or direct way concerning his being the Christ – the Messiah of Israel. He spoke with the woman at the well directly, saying, “I who speak to you am he”(John 4:26, ESV), but his answers were always less direct – more elaborate and involved – when he spoke with the Jews in general, and especially with the religious leaders. The reason is simple. People had in their minds all kinds of expectations concerning what the Messiah would be like. If when asked, are you the Christ?, Jesus simply said, yes!, he would have been saying yes to all that was in their minds, and not necessarily the truth. So although he never said yes, in a direct or explicit way, he had already said yes dozens of times before in other ways.

They wanted a simple yes or no. But Jesus responds to them saying,  “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me…” (John 10:25, ESV) I’ve already told you, he says. I’ve told you in word, and I’ve shown you by my deeds. Jesus was always pointing to the miracles that the he preformed as proof that he was indeed the Christ. But they did not believe.

But I want you to notice something very significant. Jesus reveals here in verse 26 why it was that these men did not believe. He said to them, “you do not believe because you are not among my sheep.” (John 10:26, ESV) The Arminian, or the anti-Calvinist – whatever you want to call them – turns this statement on its head. They insist that a person is free to believe if he so choose; and that a person is made into one of Christ’s sheep because they choose to believe. But Jesus says exactly the opposite. You do not become a sheep of the Good Shepherd’s the moment that you believe. No, you believe because you are one of Christ’s sheep. Those who are not Christ’s sheep – not one of the elect – are not able to believe. Christ does not know them, and they do not know Christ They do not hear his voice. They do not follow his voice. Why? Because they were not among those given by the Father to the Son in eternity past. “You do not believe because you are not among my sheep”, Jesus says.

This is the doctrine of total depravity, or total inability.

The Gospel of John reveals that those given to the Son by the Father will certainly believe.

Thirdly, notice how the Gospel of John reveals that those given to the Son by the Father will certainly believe.

Listen to John 6:35:

“Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.’” (John 6:35–37, ESV)

Notice the same teaching in 10:27 when Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” This is in contrast to what Jesus said to the non-believing Jews. They did not believe because they were not Christ’s sheep, but those who are Christ’s sheep hear the voice of the Good Shepherd; he knows them; and they follow him.

This is the doctrine of irresistible grace, or effectual calling.

The Gospel of John reveals that those given to the Son by the Father will never be lost.

Fourthly, notice how the Gospel of John reveals that those given to the Son by the Father will never be lost.

In verse 27 Jesus says,

“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 the Father’s hand.” (John 10:27–29, ESV)

I cannot think of a more clear statement in scripture concerning the security of the believer.  There are other clear statements indeed, but this is rather powerful. The teaching is this: If a person has been set apart by the electing purposes of God Father, and that persons sins have been paid for by the death of the Son, and if that person has been brought to faith in the Son through the effectual calling of the Holy Spirit, then that person cannot be lost. He cannot be lost because he has been saved, not on the basis of something within himself, but by God. God has saved him through Christ and by the Spirit. Christ holds his sheep in his hand. More than that, the Father holds those who are his in his hand. Who could possibly snatch them away?

Christians struggle with this concept because they have seen some who profess to believe in Christ for a time and then walk away from Christ in the end. It can be difficult to know how to explain that phenomenon. The Biblical way to talk about that is to say that though they claimed to know Christ, they in fact never knew him. This is what John himself says in his epistle: “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.” (1 John 2:19, ESV)

What we see here in John10:27-29 is the doctrine of the preservation of the saints. Those who truly belong to Christ will persevere to the end. Better yet, they will be preserved until the end, being kept by the Father and the Son.

The Gospel of John reveals that those given to the Son by the Father are the ones for whom Christ died.

Fifthly, notice how the Gospel of John reveals that those given to the Son by the Father are the ones for whom Christ died.

Let us look back into chapter 10 for a moment. Jesus says in verse 11,

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11, ESV) Also look at verse 14: “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.” (John 10:14–15, ESV)

So for whom did Christ die, according to John? He died for his sheep. He died for the ones given to him by the Father. These are the ones that he laid his life down for. He payed for their sins and gives them eternal life.

Look also at 10:30. Jesus concluded this entire conversation with the unbelieving Jews by saying,  “I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30, ESV) We will look more closely at this well known and often quoted text next week as we pick up with verse 30 and move on. This verse is most often used as a proof that Jesus was divine. “I and the Father are one” is taken to mean, I am divine just as the Father is divine. Truthfully, I do not think that this is the most accurate understanding of Jesus words here. There are other texts in scripture – other texts in John – that clearly refer to Jesus’ deity. The context here seems to be more about the unity of purpose that the Son has with the Father. I’m not saying that this verse has nothing to do with Jesus deity. I’m only saying that the statement, “I and the Father are one” has more to do with the unity of purpose, or the unity of mission shared between the Father and Son. There will be more on that next week.

What I want you to see today is that Jesus claimed to be one with the Father. He was perfectly in sync with the Father. They were about the same purpose – the same mission. The Father decreed in eternity past to send the Son into the world to save the elect, and it was the elect that Jesus came to save. He knows his sheep and he calls his sheep. He died for his sheep in order to give his sheep eternal life. He gives them eternal life and he holds on to them. Jesus keeps his sheep by holding them in his hand. And the Father also holds them in his hand, the end result being that no one is able to snatch them away.

This oneness that exists between the Father and Son supports the doctrine of limited atonement.

Not only do the scriptures explicitly say that Jesus came to lay down his life for the sheep, they also say that there exists a unity between the Father and Son. The Father’s purposes are the Son’s purposes. The Father’s mission, is the Son’s mission. If the Father sent the Son into the world to save those whom he had given to the Son (the elect), then it should be no surprise to us that the Son came to lay down his life for them. He came to pay for their sins. He came to earn salvation for them. And is it they that he draws to himself by calling them by name. They are at the ones who follow the Good Shepherd because they are his, having been set apart from all eternity.

Application 

Have you ever wondered why it is that God has chosen to reveal these difficult things to us in his word. He could have left it unstated. He could have relegated this to the realm of mystery. But he did not. He speaks plainly concerning these things in his word. Why?

The reason is that these truths, when rightly understood, have a significant impact upon the people of God. These truths transform.

First of all, these truths are the ground out which true humility springs. If I were to ask you, why are you in Christ? Why are you a part of his flock? Why is he your shepherd? The answer must ultimately be, because God has been gracious to me.

Secondly, these truths are the firm foundation of our assurance in Christ. If you Christ’s then you you will be Christ’s to the end because he holds on to you! This does not do away with the need for exhortation or effort. It is good for us to say to one another, hold on to Christ until the end! But we hold on to Christ – we strive after him, and labor in our obedience to him – knowing that he is the one who holds on to us!

Thirdly, these truths provide a firm footing that we might have confidence in evangelism. It is because of these truths that we are able to confidently proclaim, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, ESV) We offer the gospel freely to all who will hear knowing that the Good Shepherd will draw his sheep to himself in his time and in his way.