Well, in opening our Bibles today to the second half of the 10th chapter of John's Gospel, we are taken from the events of the last few chapters, which took place during and immediately following the Feast of the Tabernacles, to another event, which took place a few months later at another feast, the Feast of Dedication. Though between verses 21 and 22, a few months pass and you don't know it, unless you take into account the events, the theme remains the same, Jesus is the good shepherd who cares for his sheep. Further, we read as our Lord is again challenged by the antagonistic ruling authoritarians, here in order to charge him with blasphemy that they might kill him and have their way and kill him, they ask him if he is the Christ. and he responds in the affirmative, but in such a way that he ministers the gospel. Though the exchange is confrontational, at least on the part of his enemies, Jesus responds so as to minister truth to them. Jesus is not insecure and on the defensive. but he knows who he is, and he knows that he will lay his life down at the appointed time. They will not take his life from him, he will lay it down. So he does not here argue so as to defend himself, but he reasons so as to show them that they are lost, spiritually blind, and in need of saving faith. Again, Jesus does not defend himself, but commends himself to them that they might come to believe in him. And I think it's important to realize that so that we read the text rightly. Sometimes when I hear what other people say about it, or I read what commentators say, they say this big confrontation where Jesus is defending himself. Jesus is not defending himself. He doesn't have to. He's the Son of God. He's ministering the truth. He's speaking what is right, and he knows that for some it will be salvation, for others it will be judgment. So here, Jesus ministered to truth of who he is to these false shepherds for one last time before he goes away to the land beyond the Jordan. When he returns, he will in fact lay down his life as his enemies will have him crucified. As recorded by John the Beloved, as the Holy Spirit breathed out the word, we are greatly benefited by this exchange between our Lord and these false shepherds of Israel. For in it, we who believe in Jesus learn of the security we possess in him. As the good shepherd, he grants us eternal life while promising to never lose us. He who saves us, keeps us. Thanks be to God. And the church said, amen. Well, let us open our Bibles to John chapter 10, reading verses 22 through 30. And of course, I ask you to please stand and devote your full attention to the word of the Lord. Here are words of comforting assurance. John chapter 10, 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 portico of Solomon. The Jews, therefore, gathered around him and were saying 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, these bear witness of me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish, and no one shall 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. That ends our reading, let's bow our heads in prayer. Lord, as we come before you today, we want to first acknowledge you as Lord. There is only one God, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. And we bow before you in praise and worship, for you alone are worthy of all praise and worship. And you're not worthy of praise and worship simply because of what you've done for us, but foremost because of who you are. We bow before you because you are Lord and God, and there is no other. Now, Lord, as we open to your word, we ask, Father, that your word would be open to us, that we would hear from you, and that we would leave this place glorifying you. Thank you, Lord Jesus, that you laid down your life for us. Thank you, Heavenly Father, that you gave your Son for us. Thank you, Holy Spirit, that you now dwell in us. And we thank you for the salvation you have granted us, for the assurance that you will keep us. Lord, let us leave this place glorifying you, assured of who you are, assured then of our position in you. We thank you, Lord, for your word. In the name of Christ, I pray, amen. May the Lord bless you. You may be seated. For our outline, we have two headings. Number one, Jesus is questioned, and then secondly, Jesus responds. Jesus saves and secures his sheep with eternal life. No one will snatch his sheep away for he and his father are one. So Jesus is questioning. The scripture says, John 10, 22, at that time, the feast of dedication took place at Jerusalem. The time in which the feast of dedication took place at Jerusalem was and still is according to the Jewish calendar on the 25th day of Kislev. which on our calendar may occur anytime from late November to late December. The feast is also known as the Feast of Lights or Hanukkah, which means dedication. At that time, at the time of Jesus, the Feast of Dedication was a relatively new holiday that originated during the intertestament period It was held in celebration of the rededication of the temple, the second temple. The history of the holiday is rather intriguing. The Syrian King Antiochus Epiphanes overthrew Jerusalem in 1070 BC, between the close of the Old Testament and the opening of the New Testament. In an effort to abolish Judaism, he desecrated the temple by sacrificing a pig on the altar, and he had the priests to eat pork He further defiled the entire temple by sprinkling it with the water that was used to boil the pig. Subsequently, he set up a statue of the pagan god Jupiter Olympus, or Zeus, set that statue up in the Holy of Holies, dedicating the temple to Zeus. Antiochus brutally oppressed the Jewish peoples by requiring them to offer pagan sacrifices while refusing them the right to observe the religious practices, including the observance of the Sabbath. He forbid the possession and reading of the scripture. He also required they take four days a year, days that had been established as days of prayer in which the people would stay home to pray, to instead they had to go out by his order and formally present themselves to worship him as a God. Under the direction of the priest named Mattathias, and his sons, the Jews then began a revolt three years later in 167 BC. After three years of guerrilla warfare and a battle led by Judas Maccabeus, a son of Mattathias, the Jews took Jerusalem back. On the 25th of Chesleb, 164 BC, the Jewish victors then rededicated the temple and established that day as a national holiday, calling it the Feast of Dedication, Hanukkah. The Feast of Dedication Hanukkah is observed for eight days. It is also called the Feast of Lights because they light the temple with lamps in their homes with the menorah. An important part of the celebration commemorates the fact that in the original celebration they only had a meager amount of oil only enough oil to light the lamp for one night, but it miraculously lasted for all eight days. In celebration of the miracle of oil, they light the menorah one at a time for eight days, and they also eat food fried in oils. In celebration of the oil, and they eat such thing as potato latkes, right, and fried jelly rolls, and that sounds like my kind of celebration. To this day, many of the Jewish people celebrate this holiday in much the same way. This was the feast of John 10, 22, the Feast of Lights. At that time, the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem, verse 23, it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in the portico of Solomon. Now, it's unclear why John tells us it was winter, for Kislev is a winter month. Perhaps it's something John tells us that it was winter so as to explain why Jesus was walking within the temple complex in the portico of Solomon in a covered area. Others think that John uses the word winter in a metaphoric sense, expressing the coldness of the Jewish hearts toward Jesus. Gerald Borchardt writes, the thoughtful reader of the gospel understands that time and temperature notations in John are reflections of the spiritual condition of the persons in the stories. Well, okay, that's an interesting thought. Maybe that is the case. But to me, one significance, and John pointing out that it was winter, is found in that his is an eyewitness account. Eyewitnesses point out details that are not necessary to the account, but stand out in the mind of the witnesses are details that only an eyewitness would bring out. Perhaps, John simply remembers that it was a cold day, assuring us that what we read is true and accurate, the testimony of an eyewitness. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple complex in the portico of Solomon. The porch of Solomon is located on the east side of the temple complex, overlooking the Kidron Valley. It would offer a measure of protection from the elements as it was covered, supported by pillars. The Jews now have Jesus in an enclosed area where there is not a huge public audience of witnesses. Verse 24, the Jews therefore gathered around him and we're saying to him, how long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly. The Jews, therefore, since Jesus was in the portico of Solomon, the Jewish lady that gathered around him, let us take in the scene. Church, Jesus is not out in the open or out amongst the people, but in a somewhat confined space where the Jews literally surrounded him, encompassing him in more of a private setting. The translation, the Jews therefore gathered around him sounds rather benign. Perhaps they meant to intimidate him though, or try to get him to speak to them more freely with a sense of privacy and confidentiality. Nevertheless, this was not a nice group of curious men who wondered about the truth of Jesus. but having surrounded, or as the expression goes, having him cornered, they intended to entrap him, to do him harm. They wanted him to say certain things so they could say, we must crucify him for blasphemy. And so they were saying, the word saying is in the continuous active. It means that they kept on repeatedly saying, as in they were badgering him. They were getting after him, verbally pushing on him, getting in his face. As I indicated earlier, Jesus is not and cannot be intimidated. He does not fear for his life. He is confident in who he is. This enables him then to speak clearly in love for the good of all who hear. While they intend to press him, he will minister truth for the Father's glory and for their highest good. They were saying to him, how long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly. As if Jesus' life, teaching and miraculous works had not been open enough for them, they were saying, how long will you keep us in suspense? If they would have believed, they wouldn't have been in any suspense, would they? Their unbelief is the basis for their feigned suspense. It is the way of those who refuse to believe in Jesus to insist that he prove what he has already proven, to state again what he has already made plain. Those who refuse to believe in Jesus want to claim that their unbelief is due to the failure of His to state and prove His case. But when you don't want to be convinced, nothing will convince you. The reason they do not believe is because they do not believe. The onus is on them, not on Jesus. How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly. The Jews demanded that Jesus tell them plainly, that is to announce that he is Messiah, the Christ. We already know that their motive is corrupt, for as has been previously revealed, they were looking for an excuse to kill him. So number two, Jesus responds, and we have point A, his works testify of him, that's verse 25. Jesus answered them, I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name, these bear witness of me. For three years, Jesus has obviously plainly and publicly revealed himself to be the Christ. Did they not hear? and understand when he said in chapter five, verse 17, my father is working until now, and I myself am working? Well, yes, they heard and they understood, for in response they were seeking all the more to kill him, because he was not only breaking the Sabbath, but was also calling God his father, making himself equal with God. They heard, they understood the implication of what he said. Did they not plainly understand when he cried out in the temple in chapter seven, Verses 28 through 30, you both know me and know where I am from. And I have not come of myself, but he who sent me is true, whom you do not know. I know him because I am from him. And he sent me, well, the answer is yes, they understood what he said. They understood the implications because the scripture there says, they were seeking therefore to seize him. They heard Jesus plainly in chapter eight, verse 42, when he said, if God were your father, you would love me. For I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on my own initiative, but he sent me. And verse 58, Jesus said to them, truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am. They clearly understood what Jesus expressed concerning himself, for verse 59 says, therefore they picked up stones to throw at him. For three years, Jesus plainly and publicly told them who he was. The problem wasn't that Jesus had not been clear enough, nor that he had held them in suspense, but they simply did not believe, and they simply wanted him to say, I am the Christ, so they could say, ah, we can kill him. The only suspense they experienced was in their desire to kill him. It was their blind hatred and sinful, conniving desire that brought them to oppress Jesus with this question. And so it is today, right now. If one does not believe in Jesus, that he is the Christ, it is not because there is a lack of sufficient evidence, or that the evidence is merely circumstantial, or that His word is not plain enough and that they simply, but the issue is that they simply will not believe. It is because they are spiritually blind and remain in their sin. That's the problem. The problem is not with Jesus, the problem is with the people. While many blame Christ for failing to give them the evidence they claim would convince them, they actually have no one to blame but themselves. Jesus can say to an unbeliever today what he said to those religious leaders then. I told you and you do not believe. I remember there was a woman who was testifying out on the streets, witnessing, and a man kept arguing with her. And he kept asking question after question. He said, well, I've already answered that. Well, it's insufficient. So he would ask the question again. And she said, you keep asking the same question. And he said, you have to explain this to me. And she said, I am done explaining, I'm only proclaiming. There comes a time that we proclaim, and either one believes or they don't, period. Because if one has convinced themselves, or they've determined not to believe, then why should we cast our pearls before the swan? We can blame Christ for failing to give the evidence, but he has given the evidence. We can say the word is not plain enough, but the word is plain enough. Jesus can say to those who do not believe today what he said to them, I told you, and you do not believe. So look here, we have the written word, amen? Everything we need for faith, life, and godliness is right here in our hand. The burden to believe what he made abundantly clear is on the individual. Therefore, on that great day, we will come before him without excuse, even the heavens are declaring the glories of God. On that great day, every knee will bow, and some confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of the Father. Now, not only had Jesus already told them that he is the Christ, the Son of God, but he showed them as well. Jesus said to him, the works that I do in my Father's name, these bear witness of me. Do you recall? that the Jews were always seeking for a sign? How merciful of the Lord Jesus then to give them an abundance of miraculous signs. He gave them so many signs that John writes what in the 20th, the end of the 20th or the 21st chapter, sorry, 20th or 21st chapter, John writes, if all the works that he did, if all the miracles he worked were written down, I suppose that not all the volumes of the earth could hold them. They were so many. They're always seeking signs and the Lord is gracious to have given them signs. The Lord miraculously and publicly turned the water into wine. He healed vast multitudes out on the Judean hills. He fed the thousands upon thousands by miraculously multiplying the five loaves and two fish. He worked so many signs in Jerusalem that many believed in his name. Even Nicodemus came saying, no one can work the signs that he worked unless God be with him. Jesus worked so many signs in Jerusalem proper that many were saying, when the Christ shall come, he will not perform more signs than those which this man has, will he? And what of the healing of the lame man at the pool of Bethesda? And what of the man born blind whom Jesus healed just two months before this confrontation? And Jesus worked these miracles in his Father's name, glorifying the Heavenly Father in them all. The works that Jesus worked in the name of his Father bore witness of him that he is from God. Even the Jews were arguing that. He can't be a demon-possessed man. Only someone from God could do these works. Of course, they saw and heard the works Jesus worked in His Father's name. These are without excuse. They had both heard and seen. How could they claim that Jesus was keeping them in suspense, demanding that He tell them plainly what even a blind man could comprehend? As MacArthur put it, the problem was not due to any ambiguity in the revelation of the truth, but rather to their spiritual blindness. They lacked understanding not because they lacked information, but because they lacked repentance and faith. Their unbelief was not due to insufficient exposure to the truth, but to their hatred of the truth, end quote. Jesus told the Jews that he had already told them and showed them that he is the Christ. He also told them plainly that the reason they did not hear him or see his works was because they of their willful self-will, the self-determined desire were filled with unbelief. They were spiritually blind. That's what he's pointing out. You're spiritually blind. I've said it to you. You have ears that don't hear. I've worked it before you. You have eyes that don't see. Seeing, you are blind. Why was it that they had ears that could not hear and though they had eyes that they could not see the truth? Why? Jesus said, verse 26, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. He's explaining to them the issue and the problem. These are words of love. If you go into a dark room and people are stumbling about, it's kind to turn on the light. He's turning on the light. Here's the problem with you guys. You're not my sheep. That's the problem. The phrase, but you do not believe, again, puts the responsibility squarely upon the back of the individual. They and they alone are responsible for their unbelief. As I like to put it, they will not believe because they cannot believe, and they cannot believe because they will not believe. The non-believing are responsible for not believing. Why did they not believe? Jesus said, because you are not my sheep. They did not belong to him, therefore they did not believe in him. That's the issue. Using the terminology of the first of this chapter, when Jesus entered through the door into the Jewish fold and a sheep heard his voice, they came to him. Why did these come to him in faith believing? Why weren't they coming out of the fold of Judaism? Because they're not a sheep, The sheep hear the voice of their master. Since Jesus was not their master, they didn't hear his voice. They didn't come to him. Jesus told them, you do not believe in me because you do not belong to me. You remain in your sin. Who did they belong to? Well, we go back to John 8, 43 and 45. where Jesus said, why do you not understand what I'm saying? It is because you cannot hear my word. You are of your father, the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand at the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I speak the truth, you do not believe me. If Jesus came lying, which is impossible, but if Jesus came lying, they would have believed him. But because they speak the truth, they will not. Being of their father, the devil, they did not belong to Jesus and the proof of it was that they did not hear his voice. They would not believe in him. I tell you, As confrontational as this situation may be, Jesus is kindly telling them they are blind and dead in their sin. So as a further minister to them, he contrasts them as non-sheep with his sheep. So we have point B, his sheep hear and follow him. In contrast to those who do not belong to Jesus, and therefore who do not hear his voice, Jesus said, verse 27, my sheep. We could almost say, but my sheep. He's contrasting them. You are not my sheep, but my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. Again, Jesus emphasizes their lostness, their blindness. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. If they would be his sheep, they would hear his voice with understanding. They would know that he knows them, that he loves them, and they would begin to follow him. They wouldn't be standing there arguing with him, desiring to kill him. And the phrase, my sheep hear my voice, the word hear involves more than a mere hearing of multiple sounds, I think you all know that. It carries the idea of hearing and obeying, which includes then the faith to believe. That's why his sheep follow, because they believe in, have faith in their master. They know their master because their master knows them. Because they are his, they follow him in the obedience of faith. His sheep hear His voice and He knows them. Remember what we talked about, that word know. Last week, the term translated know refers to knowing intimately, loving dearly. This is why his sheep follow him, because he loves them. They follow him because he loved them first. As Jesus said in verse 14, I am the good shepherd, I know my own, and my own know me. And he said just before that, I am the good shepherd, the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. Because Jesus knows his sheep, having loved them to the point that he gave his life in exchange for them, his sheep hear his voice, and in loving return, they follow him. The leaders who opposed Jesus proved that they did not belong to him because they would not hear him, and not hearing, they would not follow him. But his sheep, his sheep, they hear. They hear what he's been saying all along. They follow him. And he loves them, and they know it. His sheep respond to his love by following him, not by questioning him and trying to entrap him, but by following him. What a vast difference between those who are not His sheep and those who are. And the Lord continued to express the blessings of being one of His sheep, verse 28. And I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish. And no one shall snatch them out of My hand. See, His sheep are saved and secured by Him. Well I ask, why is Jesus telling them this? Well they just asked him to plainly tell them that he is the Christ. And here at church, as we read, he answers them plainly. Because he says he gives his sheep eternal life. That him who has ears to hear, hear. Who but Christ can give eternal life? Here now the benefits of belonging to the good shepherd, amen. Here we find great reason to rejoice and glorify our Lord as he said, I give them life eternal. Jesus gives eternal life to his sheep and note, he did not say I will give them eternal life, but I give them eternal life. That word give is in the present indicative active which means that Jesus is presently, constantly, actively giving eternal life to a sheep, and here he asserts this as fact. Eternal life is not something a sheep will one day possess in the sweet by-and-by, but it's something they possess even now. We have eternal life now. Oh, this body will die. Thanks be to God. But I tell you, The closing of these eyes is the opening of those eyes that see Jesus face to face. One preacher put it this way about eternal life. Well, there's pie in the sky in the sweet by and by. There's also steak on the plate right here while we wait. Eternal life is now, church. We have a foretaste of the glory to come. Jesus said, I will give eternal life to them and they shall never perish. I give them eternal life and they shall never perish. It is impossible for the sheep whom he gives everlasting life to perish. They will not perish. Or let me put it into the positive. Those whom Christ has given eternal life will live forever life without end, quality of life without diminishing. You know, I have to say this, when we talk about eternal life, we're not just talking merely about length of time, but moreover and more so, we're talking about the quality of life. It is eternal in quality. There is no perishing. There is no diminishing of life for his sheep. But what can this mean except that those who are not his sheep? will perish. He's showing them you're lost. You're gonna perish in your sin. But my sheep, I save them. I grant them eternal life and they will never perish. And let's talk about their perishing. Those who are not of Christ. Those whom he has not granted eternal life. Their perishing. is a perishing without end, a forever nonstop perishing. We could illustrate it this way. If I were to burn my hand severely, it could be burned so bad that it goes away and is done away with. But in this kind of perishing, it is a burning that never ends. It's terrible. It's beyond what I can even express. And by the way, I really don't want to express it. It is not a perishing until non-existence, but a continual perishing. How sad this is, and I tell you, I don't want to talk about it. It is so terrible, but it is true. Oh then, church, how good it is to be known by Jesus. to be called and saved by this shepherd, for he is good, ever good. How good it is to be one of his sheep, for to them he gives eternal life of eternal equality, and they shall never perish, but shall enjoy this life forever and ever without end, always upward. Okay, but how do we know his sheep will not perish? Jesus said, I will give eternal life to them and they shall never perish and no one shall snatch them out of my hand. His sheep, that's you and me for us who believe, amen, will not perish because his sheep, you and I, are in his hand. And the Lord Jesus is not weak. His hand is eternal and strong. Tell me, of the Lord's sheep, how many will be snatched out of His hand? How many of His sheep who by definition know His voice and follow Him, how many of them will be snatched out of His hand and cast into hell? Not a one. How many will fall out of His hand of grace and then perish? None. How many of his sheep who know his voice and follow him can and will snatch themselves out of his hand and then perish? None. I can't even take myself out of my father's hand. When I was a little boy and we were across the street, my dad would hold my hand. And I tried to take my hand away, and he had a grip on there that wouldn't let go. The stronger one prevailed. And let me tell you, if I could mess my Christian life up, I would, and I sure have tried. But he who holds me by the hand is the stronger, and the greater, and the more secure. How can those whom he's given eternal life have that life cut short? It can't happen. Here is the power in the nature of God, the good shepherd, Jesus Christ. He who calls us out from the world unto himself will keep us unto himself. As William Hendrickson wrote, the basis of man's salvation rests forever in God, not in man. And the church said, amen. That point is not so grasped by those who teach that man is able, after all, to tear himself loose from the power of God. What, you're greater than God? Thus, in essence, God is dethroned by them, and comfort and assurance of salvation is lost by them. But such is not the case in truth. The sheep who are of the good shepherd are in the good shepherd's hand. The good shepherd saves and keeps them. Nothing nor anyone, trial nor temptation, no man nor adversary, no devil, demon or angel can snatch Jesus' sheep out of His hand. So suppose that His sheep can be snatched out of His hand is an insult. What kind of a weak, powerless, uncaring shepherd do you think Jesus is? Know this, He is the Good Shepherd, and the Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. He grants them eternal life, and they shall never perish. He will not lose a one, no, not one. I have no confidence in myself. I have all confidence in my Savior. I think about it. Do you, when I breathe my last, I could look back on my life and sometimes I do and I, oh my goodness. I'll put it gently. What a dope. Oh, my sins have been great. But what a great savior. And I think about those days, that time, whatever, maybe it'll blink an eye, it'd be a blink of an eye and I won't even have time to think about it, I don't know. But I think about that and I have such confidence in my Lord Jesus Christ. No confidence in myself, none. But in him, oh, he's the good shepherd. Hypocrites. False professors will fall away proving that they never truly were of the faith. Those who are of the faith will never truly fall away. His sheep may stumble and fall, but he will pick them up. His sheep may wander off, but he will find them and carry them back. His sheep may momentarily race away from him, but he will win the race and turn them about. They may be prodigals, but they will come home because they are sons. Not a one of the sheep will become a goat. No, sheep don't become goats. Nothing but nothing will separate a sheep from his love. Men may kill his sheep, They may persecute them to death, but they will rise again for Christ gives them everlasting life and they shall not perish. Men may throw his sheep in prison, but their souls run free for Christ has given them everlasting life. Man may persecute and torture his sheep, but even then, his sheep hear his voice and they follow him even unto the point of death, for his sheep know that it is those who endure unto the end that shall be saved. He causes and enables his sheep to endure, they shall not perish. Beloved, what fear have we to die when to die means we close these eyes to see our Lord and Savior face to face? Now I confess, the process of dying seems pretty unseemly. True, true. It is a great enemy, but it is a great enemy that has been defeated by our Lord Jesus Christ. What fear have we to die when mortal death is the portal through which we are ushered into the eternal presence of our Savior, the Good One, the Shepherd, I tell you, the good shepherd, this one who gives his life for the sheep, who called you by name into his marvelous kingdom, will lead you even in death, for the scripture says, Psalm 116.15, precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his godly ones. What a day, glorious day will be when we pass from this life, for then our Jesus, our good shepherd, we will see. We will see. Jesus said, John 6, 37 through 40, this is the will of Him who sent me, that of all He has given me, I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who beholds a son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I myself will raise him up on the last day. Amen. Church, his sheep are secure sheep, for they are in his hand. He will not lose a one, not even one. No one will snatch them out of his hand. Family, be comforted in this. Jesus is the unfailing Good Shepherd. He gives us life for the sheep. He gives his sheep eternal life, and they shall not perish. No one will snatch his sheep out of his hand. How good it is to be the sheep of the Good Shepherd." And the church said, Amen. Well, D, his father, in here one. Jesus said, and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand. And Jesus then followed his statement with this, verse 29. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch him out of my Father's hand. Here Jesus identifies himself with the Heavenly Father. Thus saying in effect, reiterating and clarifying, the fact that he is himself the Christ. The father has given us as gifts to his only begotten son. Family, find comfort and security in this. The sheep who belong to the good shepherd were given him by his father. Just as a human sheep herding father would give his son a flock, an inheritance the heavenly father determined before the foundation of the world to give his only begotten son a flock of his own. Just as in those days a loving father chose and gave a dowry for a bride for his son, God the father gave the church to Christ to be his bride. Can you believe it? We are gifts given Christ Jesus from his heavenly father. And remember what Jesus said, John 6, 37 through 40. All that the Father gives me shall come to me, and the one who comes to me I will certainly not cast out. Why won't Jesus cast us out? Because the Father gave us to him. He won't reject what the Father has given him. Now this raises our security to another level. because it has to do with Christ's relationship with his Father. And that's above and beyond us, that's outside of us. All that the Father gives me shall come to me, and the one who comes to me I will certainly not cast out. For I come down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that of all that he has given me, I lose nothing but raise it up on the last day. Again, for this is the will of my Father, that everyone beholds the Son, and believes in Him, may have eternal life, and I myself will raise Him up on the last day. Amen, church. Blessed assurance, we belong to Jesus, given Him from the Father. And as I was saying a moment ago, here is where the great assurance is found. Not only in Christ Jesus' love for us, amen, but in His love for His Father. and in His Father's love for Him. Our security is secured in the eternal relationship between the Father and the Son. And I can't mess that relationship up. The guarantee of our security exists totally outside of us and is found in the relationship of the Father and the Son. Further, as gifts given His Son by the Father, we are also in the mighty hand of God the Father, who is greater than all. He is the Almighty One. Being the Almighty greater than all, no one is able to snatch the Son's sheep out of the Father's hand. If God has given us to his son, do you think God's gonna let somebody else snatch us away so that his gift to his son won't go to his son? That's simply not going to happen. Will God the Father lose the bride he chose for his son? Will he let her go away? Will the son lose the bride given him by his father? How secure we are in our Lord and God, that nothing but nothing shall separate us from the love of God. And so we come to the last verse of our study this morning, and Jesus said, verse 30, I and the Father are one. In completing his answers to the Jews' question, Jesus announced himself to be one with the Father, as it were, announcing again in perfectly plain, he is the Christ. Again, it's just as saying, let him who has ears hear. Jesus and the Father are one. Here the term one appears in not a masculine form, but in a neutral form, which means Jesus was not saying that he and the Father are one in person, but one in essence, nature, and substance. The word one here is an ordinal number used as an adjective noun, thus the number is used to express order rather than quantity. In other words, Jesus expressing his divinity, that he is divine with the Father, for he and they are one, and if the Father is God, then he himself is God. They are one. A.W. Pink writes, I and the Father are one affirms their unity of nature or essence, one in every divine perfection. And Dr. John Brown wrote, harmony of will and design is not the thing spoken of here, but harmony, our union of power and operation. What the father is, that the son is. What the work of the father is, that the work of the son is. As the father is almighty, so the son is likewise. So then church, we reason. that if Christ will not let us go, the Father will not let us go. The plain meaning of this, our Lord's statement was not lost to the Jews. It wasn't lost to them. They plainly understood what he meant when he said, I am the father of one. That his opposition understood, his statement is clear by the following verse, which Lord willing, we'll examine in the next Lord's Day. I thought we'd get it today, but no. Verse 31 says, the Jews took up stones again to stone him. They understood what he was saying. They understood that he was saying he was the Christ. They got it. And if they could have, they would charge him with blasphemy, they would stone him. Their question was answered. They heard it, they didn't like it, because they're not his sheep. As we end our study, let us now understand what this means to us. Again, Arthur Pink writes to the believers saying, It is most blessed to observe the connection between this declaration and what had preceded it. All the diligent care and tender devotion of the shepherd for the sheep, but expresses the mind and heart of the owner toward the flock. The shepherd and the owner are one, one in their relation and attitude toward the flock, one both in power and in their loving care for the sheep. Immutably secure then is the believer. Oh, what confidence we have in our Lord. Finally then, we who are Christ Jesus' sheep are given him from the Father and thus we are kept ever securely by God Almighty, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We are kept and secured in and by all the eternal strength and glory of the triune God. Again, Jesus said, John 6, 39 and 40. I think this is the third time I'm reading it in the sermon, so I hope you get it. This is the will of him who sent me that of all he has given me, I lose nothing but raise it up. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I myself will raise him up on the last day. These are his words. This is his promise. Do you know that you are of his flock? Do you believe in him? Or are you like the Jews and you want to question over and over and over? As the old song says, what more can he say than he has said to you? What more can he do than he has done for you? You have both heard his words and read of his miraculous works, now believe. And if you will believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as one who belongs to him, You will follow him because he gives you everlasting life and you will never perish. Let's bow our heads in prayer. Oh Lord, what strong words are in your word. And they are strong because they are your word. I would pray for this congregation here at Redeemer Bible Church, and for any who might hear this message, that they would consider these words. And whoever has doubted Jesus, that you are the Christ, that today they would hear and believe, and they would follow after you with the assurance that you have granted them eternal life and that you will not perish, and that no one will snatch you out of his hand. And for us, Lord, who have known you, May we go away rejoicing for the security we have in you. And Lord, to know that the eternal covenant is between you and the Father and the Spirit, totally outside of us, that you have agreed to save us, and you have agreed to keep us, and so it is done. We might be waiting for time and space to pass by, but it is done, it is accomplished, your will will be done. So may we live in the confidence of who you are and in that confidence follow you. Thank you, Lord, for your word. Have your way in us in the name of Christ Jesus, I pray, amen. Well, as always, let's stand to our feet and let's worship our Lord together through song before we go our way.