Now, the text, as I mentioned, is in John chapter 10, the last several verses from John chapter 10, especially from verse 31 onwards. John chapter 10 is one of the most theologically significant chapters in the Gospels, and indeed, in the Bible. It occurred in the final six months in the earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus. He had earlier gone up to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles. While he was there, he healed a man born blind on a Sabbath day. This provoked the Jews to anger. The Lord then left Jerusalem and went across the river to Perea. There he preached a series of parables related to shepherding. Then he returned to Jerusalem for the Feast of Dedication in winter. As soon as the Jews found him, they confronted him and accused him of being ambivalent of whether he is truly the Messiah. The Lord not only refuted the accusation, but makes it clear that he and his father are one. We see that in verse 30. This really infuriated the Jews. We are told in our text, verse 31, they took up stones again to stone the Lord. The previous time, they wanted to stone him when he declared, before Abraham was, I am. Now it's the same. They are charging him for blasphemy. For the good work which thou didst not, but for blasphemy, and because that thou being a man makest thyself God, exclaims the Jews, verse 33. The Lord's reply is a bit surprising. He says, verse 34, it is written, or is it not written, in your law I said ye are gods? The Lord is quoting from Psalm 82 and verse 6, which reads, I have said, ye are gods, and all of you are children of the Most High. Now those who deny the deity of Christ will jump at what the Lord says here and claim victory. There you have it. The Lord himself is this claiming deity. The Jews have jumped to the wrong conclusion. Claiming to be equal with the Father and claiming to be the Son of God is not the same as claiming to be God, they say. But is this what the Lord is saying? Well, no, not at all. Our Lord is not disclaiming deity or the whole passage will make no sense. In fact, it will make our Lord guilty of double talk. No, no. If you think about it carefully, you realize that what the Lord is really telling the Jews is that they ought not to stone Him merely for nearly for what he says for words can be easily misunderstood they should rather consider what he is doing So he adds in verse 37, if I do not the works of my father, believe me not. But if I do, though you believe not me, believe the works that ye may know and believe that the father is in me and I in him. The other Jews are not persuaded. In fact, they try again to detain him, but his time was not yet. So we are told he escaped out of their hand, verse 39. The Lord then went again to Perea, beyond Jordan, at Bathabara. where John at first baptized. We don't know how long he stayed there. Apparently he stayed there until Lazarus' death, recorded in Chapter 11, which time he then headed to Patani. But while at Bhattabara, many came to him to hear him preach. Many were impressed with his ministry. John had introduced him to the people, and now they are able to see him and hear him in person. John did no miracle, but all things that John spake of this man were true, they say, verse 41, and thus many believe on him there. Now this is the account, but what would the Lord have us take away from it? With the Lord helping us, we want to consider three thoughts from this passage. First of all, the wickedness of the wicked. Secondly, the importance of scripture. Thirdly, the purpose of miracles. All these three points seem to be unrelated to one another. And it doesn't even seem to be related to the title of the message, the blasphemous and the blaspheme. But life is like that, isn't it? Oftentimes, when the Lord will give us lessons in life, there are different portions of lessons that we must learn and draw different things, even not related to the direct circumstance on hand. How do we draw these lessons from this passage? Well, consider these, first of all, the wickedness of the wicked. Our text begins with the Jews taking up stones to stone the Lord. Now, anyone who has read the Gospels will be familiar with the scene. But is it not true that we really take time to consider the significance of what is really happening? For what we have here is really the epitome of wickedness. If you like, it is a glaring display of the heart and attitude of all such as are hardened in unbelief. Such are in a state of wickedness. Indeed it is clear that, it is clear in the scripture that all such as remain in unbelief and fear not God are wicked in the eyes of God. Thus Paul writing to the Thessalonians urged them to pray that he and his fellow workers may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men. For all men have not faith, he adds. 2 Thessalonians 3 verse 2. Those who have faith are covered by the righteousness of Christ and are indwelled by the Spirit so that they are being changed and transformed from within. But those who have no faith remain guilty in Adam and are motivated by the same corrupt nature that we receive from him. That corrupt nature is what makes man fundamentally wicked. Let us therefore consider for a moment what are some characteristics of the wicked as may be derived from this episode. Consider these six characteristics. First, the wicked are quick to blame others for their plight. This is what Adam and Eve did as soon as they fell into sin. Adam blamed Eve and God who gave her to him. And Eve blamed the serpent. In our text we see the Jews angry with Christ and blaming Him for their not believing Him. Notice how they accuse Him of stoking their unbelief. Verse 24, How long dost thou make us to doubt if thou be the Christ? Tell us plainly. That is a problem with the wicked, isn't it? It is always someone else's fault. God did not reveal himself clearly enough. The preacher is not interesting enough. The church is not warm enough and attractive enough for me. My father was too harsh. My mother did not set a good example. It is never I'm truly wicked and love sin and the world. So this is the first thing. The wicked always blame someone else. Secondly, the wicked hate God. The wicked Jews wanted to kill Christ, the Son of God. What more need we say? Psalm 2 makes it very clear. They rage against God and His anointed. Or as the Puritans of old used to say, the wicked will kill God if only they can catch hold of Him. Since they cannot get hold of God, they demonstrated their hatred of God by seeking to kill His Son. and make no mistake. The problem is not that they love God and wanted to kill Christ because they did not believe that He is the Son of God. The real problem is that the God they love is an idol of their own imagination. For if they loved the living and true God, they would recognize His Son both by His words and by His deeds. The fact is, they really hate God. But sadly, the wicked refused the truth. Again, this is clear from our text, isn't it? The Lord Jesus had made it clear that He is the Son of God. He and His Father are one. And He has done many notable miracles to support His claim. But the Jews simply refused to believe. Job is right, isn't he? When he says in Job 21, We do not want to know you. We do not want to know your ways. in the polite society that we are in, the wicked may listen to the truth politely, but in their heart, they hate it. they would rather not listen to it. I know what it's like because I was wicked in the way of the world once. Someone comes to share the gospel, politely listen, I'm hoping that you get away. In fact, when a man finally say, oh, if you believe these things, pray with me. I said, okay, I'll just do it so that I'll get rid of him. The wicked. He does not love the truth, is not interested to know, until God changes the heart. Fourthly, the wicked refuse righteous logic. Now this is related to the previous point, but notice how the Lord appeals to logic when He asked the Jews, verse 37. What is their response? What's the response of the Jews? Well, they seek to kill him again, verse 39. The wicked will not accept sound reasons to come to a righteous, logical conclusion. They have made up their minds. This is why apologetics, which is the art and science of defending the faith, seldom work when speaking to unbelievers. Rather than argue with those who remain in unbelief, the thing to do is to encourage them to continue to come hear the Word of God or to attend a Bible study with you, to study the Word together. For faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. The wicked, until their heart is changed, will not accept logic. Logical conclusion just fall by the side. Fifthly, the wicked justify their wickedness. Is this not what the Jews are doing when they tell the Lord, for the good work we stone thee not, but for blasphemy, and because that thou being a man makest thyself God. Verse 33. See, they needed a reason to murder Christ. They claim that is to do the will of God. Is this not the case too with wickedness that are committed in the name of religion in the world throughout the ages? The wicked always have a justification for their wickedness. The Muslim terrorists who flew the planes into the Twin Towers justified that those in the towers were infidels. Hitler justified the Holocaust by claiming that the Jews were of an inferior race. Pro-choice people justify their murder of unborn babies by the human rights of their mothers, and that their babies are little more than unwanted tumors. Those who engage in homosexuality justify themselves by saying that God made them thus. Wicked will always justify their sin. But finally, the wicked will murder to get their way if necessary. We have already seen that in a previous study. But this is what the Jews, the unbelieving Jews, were attempting to do and eventually did. There is no fear of God in the eyes of the wicked. So long as they can find justification for their actions, they will do whatever it takes to get what they want. In the present case, it's to get rid of the Christ who preach against them and did good works in a way that embarrassed them. But what is the point of talking about all these things? Is it so that we may gloat against the wicked? No, no. It is important to talk about these things because sin is deceitful. It is possible for one who is truly wicked to be so self-deluded that he fails to recognize that his own portrait is being painted in graphic strokes. Or you fail to receive that there is a portrait of him just because it's ugly. Indeed, it is entirely possible. that because of the remnant of corruption, a degree of some of the characteristics of the wicked reside in a believer's heart. It is not just possible. It is the case. That a degree of what we have painted is in each one of our hearts, isn't it? Therefore, may I urge you not to look at this list as having nothing to do with you, as if you are just describing some others. Rather, let us check ourselves and ask the Spirit to reveal our hearts unto us. Ask the Spirit to search your heart that you may know what is in your heart. Are you quick to blame others for your failures and sin? Do you hate God and His laws? Are you disinterested in the truth and think that ignorance is bliss? Have you a lazy attitude? Have you been lazy in refusing to exercise your mind when it comes to spiritual things? Are you quick to justify your sin? Do you hate those who point out your faults in your life? Isn't it true that we often dislike being told that we are wrong? Sometimes it happens, isn't it? We're told that we are wrong and we dissociate ourselves with the person. Or dissociate with the Church when the Church tells you you're wrong, you have sinned. We just leave. We need to go before the Lord honestly to confess our sin. Acknowledge how easily you give in to your pride and wickedness and pray that the Holy Spirit will change you. Otherwise, you'll be walking as a blasphemer because you bear the name of Christ. But now consider, secondly, the importance of Scripture. And we see this in our Lord's rejoinder to the Jews who are about to stone him. He says to them, in verse 34, is it not written in your law, I said, ye are gods, if he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came and the scripture cannot be broken, say ye of him whom the Father hath sanctified and sent into the world, thou blasphemous, because I said, I am the Son of God, As I mentioned, the Lord is quoting from Psalm 82 and verse 6, which read, I have said, ye are gods, and all of you are children of the Most High. Now the I in this verse is the king of kings, the judge of judges, who appoints all the judges and magistrates in this world. Why does he call these judges or magistrates gods? Well, it is not because they are divine or deified. Rather, it is simply because they are appointed as representatives of God, so that they are known also as the children of the Most High God. And they are vested with great power. And this is what the Hebrew word Elohim alludes to. But this same word is translated God's and may be translated as God, capital G-O-D. Why does the Lord Jesus quote this verse? Well, let us understand in the first place that he's not denying his deity. He's not telling the Jews, ah, you misunderstood me. When I say I'm the son of God, that is what I meant. I meant to say that I'm a rabbi. I'm a representative of God. I'm not claiming deity at all. No, no. If the Lord meant that, as I mentioned, He'll be guilty of double talk. For He has just claimed, verse 30, I and my Father are one. But notice what He's doing. He's telling the Jews, is He not, that they must pay more attention to the Word of God if they claim to be faithful followers of God. This is why he prefaces his question with the words, is it not written in your law? The words he quotes are from the Psalms, from Psalm 82. But for the Jews, regardless of whether it's from the Torah, the law, or from the Nebiyim, the prophets, or the Ketuvim, the writings, it is part of the Tanakh, and therefore law to them. The Lord is certainly not telling them that it is wrong for them to pay so much attention to the letter of the law. On the contrary, He's telling them that they need to be more consistent in their application of Scripture. If they're going to charge him for blasphemy on the basis of his words alone, without any regard to his words, then they must make sure that what he says is indeed a violation of their law. But that is clearly not the case in Psalm 82, verse 6 addresses ordinary men as gods and children of God. The judges of the land and the kings and princes, they are all ordinary men, men of like passion. They are called gods. So our Lord's statement is an indictment of the wickedness of the Jews who were making unjust charges against Him. but the Lord's statement is at the same time a testimony of the importance of scripture, even the letter of scripture. Indeed, we may infer from our Lord's use of the scripture at least five ways in which the scripture is important. First, it is the basis of our knowledge of God. The scripture is the word of God. The Lord implies in verse 35 that this is God's word. When he quotes from Psalm 82, God is transcendent and incomprehensible. except He chooses to reveal Himself in His Word, there is no way for us to know Him. This is why Christ came. This is why He's known as the Word. It is to reveal God unto us. Scripture is the Word of Christ. It is revelation to us. Secondly, It speaks even to those who are not directly addressed. The word of God, scripture, speaks even to those who are not directly addressed. The Lord's quoting from Psalm 82, verse six, when he says, is it not written in your law, I said, ye are gods? Who is the Lord addressing when he says, ye are God? As we saw, he's addressing the magistrates in the land. In other words, it is not directly addressing the Jews that the Lord is speaking to. Yet it is clear that it has a message for them. The message for them, according to the Lord, is that they must not condemn anyone for claiming to be the Son of God solely on the basis of His Word. They must also see His works. This is the nature of the Word of God. He has something for everyone who reads it, even when the message is not directly and originally for him. Think of the epistles in the New Testament. They are addressed to different churches and people, to the church in Galatia, to the church in Ephesus, in Philippi, and addressed to different persons, Timothy, Philemon, et cetera. And yet, every verse has something to teach us. Every verse is God speaking to us. No verse in the Bible is irrelevant to us. There is something for everyone who reads. All scripture, not most of scripture, not some scripture, is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that a man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. So even the parts of scripture that you may not fully understand today, like what we read in Ezekiel 48, something to teach us, every verse. You don't fully understand it today doesn't mean it's nothing. But the Lord will reveal in due time. We've only had an earnest of our inheritance, a part, or as it were, a portion of what we can have. We can enjoy God only a little today by the earnest of inheritance. What would it be when the fullness of the Spirit is given unto us and we enjoy our inheritance fully? So wait and we shall receive everything in clear. But thirdly, the scripture cannot be broken. That is, it is true and consistent. It cannot be set aside. It cannot be invalidated. It is infallible. This is the property of scripture that the Lord is appealing to. If he's quoting from human writings, the Jews could say, oh, that's an error, or that's no longer valid, that is written a thousand years ago, it's no longer valid. But this is the Word of God. So what it teaches is always true. And that's why the Lord can appeal to it and say the scripture cannot be broken. So fourthly, and related to the previous point, the scripture is in Aaron. Every word is correct. This is why the Lord could appeal to the use of the word Elohim in Psalm 82, 6. Elohim does not necessarily mean gods. It can mean judges. It can be translated as judges as in Genesis 21, verse 6, or 22, verse 8 or 9. It can also be translated as mighty, in Genesis 23, 6, and elsewhere. But it's the word itself that the Lord appeals to. So not only is its meaning and spirit important, but even the choice of words are important. The scripture is in Aaron. There is no mistake in the word choices. Thus the Lord says elsewhere, for verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tither shall in no wise pass from the Lord till all be fulfilled. That is in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew chapter five. The jot. or the yod is the smallest letter of the Hebrew alphabet corresponding to our letter Y. The tita is that little protrusion that makes the difference between the Hebrew kaf and Hebrew beth. The beth has a little protrusion, kaf doesn't have. The letter makes the difference. It's quite fashionable in our days for some Christian to think that only the letter of the law is important. Sorry, only the spirit of the law is important. They think that the letter of the law is not important. I remember talking to someone who's in a ministry in a certain church. And he talks about the practices of the church. And I said, this is what the word of God says. And he says, it's a letter of the law. You should only be interested in the spirit of the law. You're legalistic, he says, by looking at the word itself and doing things according to the word, rather than just simply taking the meaning. You're legalistic. So some of us who have this experience, isn't it? When we quote the scripture to justify a certain decision that we made, whether in business or whether in relationship, and they say, you're a legalist, you should be open-minded. You don't need to have that rough estimate of what the Word of God says. Our Lord shows indeed that the letter of the law is important. He refers to that one word in order to disprove the Jews. That's what Paul did too, isn't it? To prove the doctrine of the covenant. Galatians 3.16 appealed to that one word, see, so that the promise is made not only to the descendants of Abraham, but to Christ and all united to him. Words, letters are important. But finally, the scripture judges the rightness or wrongness of our actions. The Lord Jesus appeals to a single verse in the Old Testament to question the action of the Jews in condemning him. This makes it very clear that the rightness or wrongness of our action must be judged against the scriptures. The Jews assume that they will write based on their own reasoning and their tradition. But by a single verse, the Lord demolishes their argument. Only scripture is absolute. Our beloved brethren and children, this is why we must know the scripture well. If your attitude towards the scripture is flippant and careless, or you feel that it is the meaning and the spirit that's important, whereas the words are not important, then you're of a different spirit from the Lord. Because the meaning is to be derived from the words. The spirit is to be derived from the word. If you think that a Bible translation that use dynamic equivalence is good enough, whether it's NIV or the Living Translation, the Good News Bible, or any such translation is good enough, then you're of a different spirit from the Lord. Of course, we're not saying that all translations should use a wooden literal equivalence. That would make it very, very difficult to read. What we're saying is that a good translation should reflect the original words as much as possible, rather than simply conveying the meaning. This is one of the reasons why we use the King James Version. It's not perfect. The password could be translated better. The phrase, God forbid, doesn't have God in it. It was a phrase that was used in those days. But the original doesn't have the word God. Simply, absolutely not. But because the translators could not find a stronger word a stronger phrase to translate that the Greek, meganito, they translate it as God forbid. But it should be footnoted in that sense. In any case, the Bible should reflect the original words as much as possible. And the KJV serves our purpose well. But finally, let us consider the purpose of miracles. The Lord is no doubt referring to his miracles when he says, verse 37, if I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works that ye may know and believe that the Father is in me and I in him. Now, earlier on, the Jews ask him, how long does thou make us to doubt if thou be the Christ? Tell us plainly. What was the Lord's reply? Well, he says, I told you and you believed not. The works that I do in my father's name, they bear witness of me. Verse 25, what are these works? Well, the Lord himself speaks of them as mighty works in Matthew 11, 20. Nicodemus, who came to the Lord by night, said to him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God, for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. John 3, verse 2. The Apostle John would later, in chapter 12, lament that though the Lord Jesus had done so many miracles before, the Jews yet believe him not. Note also that, note also what those who resorted to the Lord in Bethabara says concerning the Lord in verse 41 in our text. John did no miracle, but all things that John spake of this man were true. And so many believed on him there at Bethabara. Now it's clear that the contrast between John, John the Baptist, and the Lord is that the Lord did miracles whereas John did not do miracles. He preached but he didn't do any miracles. It's clear therefore that the Lord is referring to miracles when he speaks of the works of the Father in verses 37 to 38. He's speaking about how he opened the eyes of the blind, unstopped the years of the deaf, unloosened the tongue of the dumb, how he made the lame to walk, cast out demons, raised the dead. He's also talking about how he changed water into wine, how he fed the thousands with a few loaves and fishes, how he calmed the storm, et cetera. What is the purpose of all these miracles? where it's clear that it has multiple purposes. Apart from doing good to those in need, one of the main purposes of these miracles is clearly to testify of the deity of Christ and His oneness with His Father. Verse 27, 37 again, if I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works that ye may know and believe that the Father is in me and I in Him. What did the Jews in Bethabara believe about the Lord because of His miracles? John did no miracles, but all things that John spake of this man were true, and many believed on him there. What did they believe? Well, essentially, they believed that he's the Christ, the Messiah. Remember how the Jews had earlier challenged him, verse 24, if thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. Thus, the miracles of the Lord serve an extremely important purpose. They authenticate his claim to be the Christ, the Son of God. Likewise, the miracles that the apostles would do later would authenticate that they are sent by Christ. They are apostles sent once. If this is so, then there are three things that we may say about the miracles of the Lord. Firstly, those who do not believe in miracles, such as the liberals, really do not believe in the Christ of the Bible. Liberalism is not Christianity, as John Gresham Machen will make it very clear. The Christ of the Bible is the Son of God who has power to do miracles and to confirm by these miracles that He is indeed the Christ. Secondly, miracles were not designed to draw the crowds to hear the preaching of the word. In fact, the Lord Jesus would often move away from the crowds rather than toward the crowds so that he could preach to them rather than do miracles. We read in Mark how many people sought him out without to receive healing from his hand. But what did the Lord do? He tells the disciples, let us go into the next towns that I may preach there also. For therefore came I forth. I came, many to preach. That's in Mark 1.38. You see, miracles were not for the purpose of drawing the crowds. This is directly contrary to the way that some modern evangelists have sought to use their so-called miracles. Thirdly, because of the purpose of his miracles, which is to leave man without doubt as to his deity, the Lord's miracles are always notable rather than dubious. This contrasts sharply with the so-called miracles of today's charismatic preachers. Those who believe in the miracles of charismatic preachers today tend to have very high credulity level. They tend to see a miracle in everything. They're ready to attribute every slight improvement to the power of the preacher when it could simply be the immune system of the body fighting back. Of course we can thank God for every healing because our immune system will not work if God doesn't heal us. But to attribute everything to a miracle is to be credulous. What a contrast from the miracles of Christ and his apostles. No one could simply say, he just suddenly became, he was able to see because his body just fought back. No, it's impossible. The fact is, because of the special purpose of miracles to authenticate the deity of Christ and the authority of the apostles, the power to perform miracles has been withdrawn. The Bible is completed. There is no more need to authenticate the deity of Christ or the authority of apostles. Of course, God can still work miracles today, And he sometimes does, he works miracles in our new birth, in regeneration. Every day he's regenerating those who are born again, experiencing a miracle. Sometimes he may still work miracle through extraordinary means to heal someone who is unwell and so on. But no one since the days of the apostles have been given the power to do miracles. This privilege has been withdrawn. The gift of healing has been withdrawn because it serves its purpose. Well, we must conclude. What do we say to these things? Well, we considered three things this morning. First, the wickedness of the wicked. We noted several characteristics of the wicked. Why did we do so? Partly so that we may recognize the remnant of corruption in us, that we may repent of them. Did you examine yourself? Will you not spend some time to examine yourself today? Secondly, we consider the importance of scripture. We saw how the Lord's retort to the Jews indicates his attitude towards the written word of God. He is not only concerned with the spirit of the law, but also with the letter of the law. As believers, we must not only be interested in what the scripture has to say in a general way, we must be interested in actual words used too. This is why we ought to study the Bible. That's why we have Bible study. That's why we ought to read the Bible. Thirdly, we consider the purpose of miracles. We noted how the main purpose of miracles of our Lord was to authenticate that He is indeed a Christ, the Son of God. We saw also the implication of that doctrine, namely that we must believe that Christ did many miracles, but we must not allow ourselves to be too credulous when it comes to claims of miracles in a modern context, especially when it is miracles done by this particular anointed person or that anointed person. In any case, these three things appear to be totally unrelated, isn't it? But are they? These three things that we talk about this morning. Well, consider the fact that we may know Christ only through his word. Therefore, true Christianity may only be discovered through the word, even the letter, and not just the spirit of the word. It's when the church begin to think that the letter of the word is not important that the church begins to backslide and eventually slide into liberalism. Therefore, let none of us despise the Scripture or try to do things and judge things according to traditions or according to the whims and fancies of men like the unbelieving Jews. Therefore, let us believe the miracles recorded in God's Word, but refuse to be so credulous in regard to claims of miracles today. Let us be content to trust the Lord that His word is true, and therefore let us believe Him and submit ourselves to Him, to be obedient sons and daughters of God that are united to Him. Let us recognise how the Jews, by their unbelief, actually blaspheme Christ. let us refuse to blaspheme his name. Instead, let us see to it that we be salt of the earth and light of the world, according to the way that our Savior has taught us in his word and example. and let us repent where we have failed in this way and turn to Christ and know that there's forgiveness in Him and also the power of the Spirit to live the Christian life as a testimony unto the world. Amen.