Matt Mitchell - Hot Orthodoxy

Sunday, April 21, 2024

“Expensive” [Matt's Messages]

4/21/2024 10:45:00 AM Life in Jesus' Name, Matt's Messages, Resurrection, The Gospel of John 0 comments

“Expensive”

Life in Jesus’ Name - The Gospel of John

Lanse Evangelical Free Church

April 21, 2024 :: John 11:54-12:11

So, one day, you go to the bank.

Maybe tomorrow. You pull in. You go up to the teller, and you say, “Good morning. I’d like to make a withdrawal from my savings account.”

“Ok. I can help you with that. How much do you want to take out?”

And you say, “I’d like to take out $40,000. I’ve been saving up. That’s approximately a year’s wages for me. And that should close out my account.” [For some of you, this may be stretch! You don’t have that much saved up. You don’t make that much. Or, on the flipside, that isn’t even close to a year’s wages for you or how much you have saved up. Bear with me in this story. Let’s make it $40,000 for today.]

And the teller says, “Oh. Okay. We can do that. I’ll have to get the branch manager. She may have a question or two. I’ll be right back.”

And the teller goes back in the back room and the branch manager comes out and says, “We’re going to get that check for you. I was just wondering if you were dissatisfied with our service or our rates here? That’s a big withdrawl. You say that’s an entire year’s wages for you? Are you taking your business somewhere else?”

And you say, “No, I’ve been perfectly satisfied with the service and the rates here. Thank you. No, I’m just going to use the money today. All of it.”

“Oh, I see. Are you buying a house? Or a piece of equipment?”

“No, I’m buying some perfume.”

“Oh, I see. An investment in a perfume company?”

“No, just one vial of perfume. It’s worth a year’s wages.”

“Oh, I see. That’s going to be quite an expensive vial of perfume! Are you going to put it in vault or will it get used?”

“Oh, I’m going to use it today. Yes, it is expensive. It’s only about 11 ounces. So that’s like $3600 an ounce. And I’m going to use it all up today. I’m going to pour it out. I’m going to pour it all out on one Person today.”

And she says, “Who could be worthy of that expense?” ...

You and I have an answer to that question.

Maybe not in that story going the bank tomorrow, but in this story when Mary of Bethany poured out this expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet.

That word “expensive” jumped out at me again and again as I read this passage for this message this week.

This perfume that Mary poured out on Jesus’ feet was incredibly expensive. The in-house appraiser, Judas, estimated the cost of this exotic pint of pure nard as 300 denarii which was the equivalent in that day of a year’s wages for a laborer.

That’s a big chunk of change! An entire year’s worth of wages in one little jar. And she just pours it out on Jesus’ feet.

Expensive.

To understand what this truly means, we need to back up and get a sense of the situation. We should actually back up all the way to verse 54 of chapter 11. That’s where we left off last week.

This spot marks a new section in the Gospel of John. From here on out we’re entering into the crucial events directly leading up to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. We’ve reached the critical moments of the “endgame.” Jesus has raised Lazarus from the dead. He was “four days late” and still on time.

And while some people put their faith in Him and began to follow Jesus, others ran to the Jewish Religious Authority to get Jesus into trouble.

And they have decided to arrest and kill Him. Jesus is now “a wanted man.” They have put His picture up on wanted posters around town. Look at verse 54.

“Therefore Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the Jews. Instead he withdrew to a region near the desert, to a village called Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples. When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, many went up from the country to Jerusalem for their ceremonial cleansing before the Passover.

They kept looking for Jesus, and as they stood in the temple area they asked one another, ‘What do you think? Isn't he coming to the Feast at all?’ But the chief priests and Pharisees had given orders that if anyone found out where Jesus was, he should report it so that they might arrest him” (vv.54-57).

What do you think? Do you think Jesus will show His face in Jerusalem?

The high priest Caiaphas has met with the Sanhedrin and said that they must kill Jesus or they are going to lose their nation and their place in that nation. So Jesus must die for the nation.

And John has said that’s a prophecy. Jesus is going to die for the nation and not just for the nation but “also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one” (John 11:52). That’s us.

What do you think? Do you think Jesus will show His face in Jerusalem? Or will He stay far away?

It turns out that He will come, in this story, as close as Bethany. Remember, that’s just two miles away from Jerusalem! He’s not scared. He’s strategic, but He’s not scared.

In fact, He’s in the suburbs at a public party! On day before He rides in on the donkey. Palm Sunday Eve. Chapter 12, verse 1.

“Six days before the Passover [Palm Sunday Eve], Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus' honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him” (vv.1-2).

Can you imagine what that dinner party must have been like? It’s in Jesus’ honor. Everything is centered around Him. Martha is serving. Which we know she loves to do. Making sure everybody’s glasses are filled. Everybody’s got enough to eat. Martha is the one who said last week, “Yes, Lord, I believe!” And here she is bustling around, serving everybody and smiling from ear to ear at her brother Lazarus who is reclining at the table with Jesus.

Lazarus is alive! He’s telling stories. Maybe he’s saying what it was like to stumble out of the tomb wrapped in all of that graveclothes. And how the kids gathered around to see what his face looked like when they took the headcovering off of him. Was it all green and grey and decomposed?

No! He isn’t a zombie. He’s alive! Fully alive and filling his belly.

Everybody is rejoicing. Jesus is the resurrection and the life. And Lazarus is the proof. Look at him there reclining there with Jesus. Not that long ago, Lazarus was dead.

And Jesus knows that, not that long from now, He will be dead Himself.

But the mood right here is festive. Lazarus is alive!

Now, it says “reclining” because in that day and place, they often lay on benches or mats facing out from a small table in the center like spokes on a wheel. So Jesus is reclining too. His head towards the table, and His feet towards the outer wall of the room.

And at some point in the banquet, the other sister, Mary, enters the room with an expensive perfume. Look at verse 3.

This was a calculated move. This was a decision she was making. It’s very intentional. Verse 3.

“Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume” (v.3).

I really can’t imagine what this was like, but it was clearly a dramatic moment. This nard was bought from India. It was an exotic import from a faraway land. It was about 11 ounces or half a liter of an “expensive” perfume. The King James says, “costly.”

This was perhaps their family’s greatest heirloom, their most prized possession. It might have represented their most important asset. We don’t know how rich they were, but this was by any measure an expensive act.

She poured it on Jesus’ feet.

The whole thing. The other gospels tell us that she broke the container. There was no turning back. And they also tell us that she covered Jesus from head to feet with this oil.

John emphasizes the feet, probably to emphasize the humility of Mary as she unbinds her hair and uses her hair wipe the nard all over His feet.

This is a picture of abject humility and unashamed intimacy as Mary pours it all out on Jesus and wipes His feet with her hair.

“And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume” (v.3c).

You can just about smell it.

I don’t have a great sense of smell. I broke my nose in junior high wrestling in gym class. But I can still smell a strong smell:

Bacon frying in a pan.

A skunk goes off in the yard.

Somebody’s perfume bottle breaks in their purse.

The fresh mown grass.

Wood-smoke from a fire.

“And the house was filled with the fragrance of the [expensive] perfume.”

The smell of sacrifice.

The smell of worship. Right? This is worship. Our English word “worship” is short for “worth-ship.” Worship is saying that something is worthy. And that’s what Mary was saying.

She was deeming Jesus as worthy of her expensive sacrifice.

She was so thankful for what Jesus had done in raising her brother from the dead that she filled the house with the fragrance of worship.

She was treating Jesus as a King, wasn’t she? This kind of anointing is something you see in the Old Testament for royalty. Priests and Kings get this kind of anointment treatment. And that on the national dime not just out of a family’s household wealth.

But here she is treating Jesus like a Messianic (anointed) King!

She is saying with her expensive sacrifice, “This one is worthy!”

But not everybody saw it that way. The gospels tell us that the other disciples objected to Mary’s actions. John tells us that Judas was the ringleader. Look at verse 4.

“But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, ‘Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages.’ He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it” (vv.4-6).

John told us back in chapter 6 that Judas was going to betray Jesus. He reminds us of that again here.

Judas was trusted with the money bag. He was the treasurer, but he was a thief. So it wasn’t a legitimate concern for him to bring up the poor. He didn’t care about the poor! He wanted a piece of that 300 denarii for himself.

And what he is basically saying is that Jesus is not worth what Mary just did.

The expensive sacrifice was wasted.

“Good job, Mary. You just wasted a year’s wages. Gone like that. It could have gone to a good cause. A worthy cause. And you just poured it all out at once. What were you thinking?”

And that’s when Jesus speaks. And He says, “Leave her alone!” Look at verse 7.

“‘Leave her alone,’ Jesus replied. ‘ It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.’”

That’s amazing to me. Probably the most amazing thing is what Jesus does not say.

Jesus does not say, “Oh, Mary, Mary, stop. Not so much. Don’t pour out all of your wealth on Me. Keep some of that for yourself. Keep some of that for your family. Judas has a point. Sell that and give some of it, at least, to the poor. I really care about the poor, too. Don’t waste your expensive sacrifice on me.”

He doesn’t say any of that. He doesn’t stop her.

He stops Judas. “Leave her alone.”

“You are saying that this is a waste. I am saying that I am worth it.”

Nobody cares more about the poor than Jesus. Verse 8 is not saying that we should neglect the poor. The rest of the Bible says that we should have compassion and meet needs and relieve poverty.

But Jesus says, “You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

There He goes again making everything about Him! (Maybe because everything is about Him?!)

Jesus was saying that Mary was right. He is worth it.

Two points of application from this story. Here’s the first one:

#1. VALUE JESUS AS WORTHY OF EXPENSIVE SACRIFICE.

In other words, we should be like Mary.

We should be willing to pour out our worship on Jesus. We should recognize the infinite worth of Jesus and act accordingly.

Now, of course, it’s going to look different for us than it did for Mary. She was present with Jesus in the flesh on Palm Sunday Eve. So her expensive worship looked a certain way, and ours will look differently, but it’s the same Jesus that we are valuing.

What in your life shows the value of Jesus to you?

What do you do with your money, your time, your reputation, your energy to say to Jesus that He is worthy?

It could actually be what you do for the poor! Jesus tells us in other places that we do for the “least of these [His] siblings” we are doing for Him (see Matthew 25).

What we put in the offering plate for missions in places troubled by poverty (like Haiti or Malawi) is one way of valuing Jesus as worthy.

But it’s not just our money. We aren’t like Judas just always counting the money.

How about our time? We worship with our time, don’t we?

What you give your time to is what you worship. Randy was saying yesterday when he gave his testimony that a temptation for many in his circles is to make racing your addiction. It consume them. All of their discretionary money and all of their extra time.

Sports can be like that. Work can be like that. Family can be like that. Travel can be like that.

All of those are good things! But do we put Jesus first in our time over all of those things?

Or do we think, “Oh, time for Jesus? I don’t want to overdo that! That would be a waste.”

What in your life shows that you truly value Jesus?

How about reputation? Mary put her reputation on the line. She was willing to be thought of as crazy because of her actions.

What are you and I doing for Jesus that other people would shake their heads at and say, “I think that’s bit much.” ?

I don’t know about you, but I would love it, if I could hear King Jesus say to others about me, “Leave him alone.” “Leave Matt alone.”

“He’s doing that for me. And I am worth it.”

I’m not trying to put a guilt trip on us today. I’m trying to help us all to see just how worthy our Lord Jesus is so that we act accordingly.

Some of you may be called soon into full time missionary service.

That seems like a big waste of time and money and energy to many people in our world.

“You are so gifted. You are so talented. That’s such a lot of money. Why would you do that?”

Because Jesus is worthy. Pour it out.

A number of years ago, I preached this passage, and I passed out little pieces of paper that kind of looked like checks. And I encouraged everybody to write down something that they thought the Lord was calling them to pour out like Mary did. It wasn’t necessarily money.

What would you put in that blank right now? Hopefully, you could put everything or anything. But what is it that you think you be being called to pour out soon in worship of Jesus?

For some of you, it means volunteering your time. Maybe showing up on Saturday for the workday here on our campus. Your one day of the week to do something fun and you’re going to pour it out for Jesus with shovel and a rake.

It might be something completely different for you. Maybe it’s establishing an early morning devotional time. You are going to get up and read your Bible and pray. You haven’t prioritized that, but you’re going to start doing it now.

I don’t know what it might be.

I just know that Jesus worth it.

Pour it out.

One last thing before the choir comes to sing to us.

Notice that Jesus connects this anointing with His burial. I don’t know that Mary did. She was just expressing her love for Jesus. Her thankfulness for His power in Lazarus’ life. She was treating Him like the king that He is.

But Jesus saw her as preparing Him for burial. Look again at verse 7.

“‘Leave her alone,’ Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.’”

Do you feel the ominousness of that statement? “You will not always have me.” In other words, “I’m going away. I’m going to be taken from you. I’m going to die. This expensive perfume has been saved for my burial. This perfume prefigures and anticipates and prepares Me to be buried."

Jesus knew what was coming. By this time next week, He was going to be His tomb.

And we know why He was going to do that. Out of love, Jesus was going to give His life for you and for me. Application point number two:

#2. PRAISE JESUS FOR MAKING HIS EXPENSIVE SACRIFICE.

Because the One Who was worthy of all of this worship turns around and gives up His life for us, His sheep!

Talk about an expensive sacrifice. The One Who is:

The Bread of Life

The Light of the World

The Gate for the Sheep

The Good Shepherd

The Resurrection and the Life.

The Word of God

The One and Only Son of God

One with the Father.

That Worthy One died for you and me.

The Prophet Isaiah predicted that the Messiah would poured out his life unto death, and be numbered with the transgressors. “For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors” (Isa. 53:12 NIVO).

“Poured out His life,” like a vial of expensive perfume.

Do you believe this? His sacrifice was greater than any we could ever make. And He invites us to believe.

Verses 9 through 11 tell us that many more people were believing at that time. V.9

“Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and putting their faith in him” (vv.9-11).

Poor Lazarus! He just came back from the dead once. Now, he’s got people gunning to kill him again just to keep people from hearing about his resurrection and believing in Jesus.

As if that could stop Jesus! Jesus could have just raised Lazarus again, I believe.

But you can see how things are heating up. Because Jesus is clearly being seen and known as the Resurrection and the Life, and many are putting their faith in Him.

How about you? Have you put your faith and trust in Jesus? If you do, then you will have life. Life now and life forevermore.

Because of Jesus’ expensive sacrifice.

Praise Him!

Trust Him!

And Worship Him.

Pour out your worship on Him like Mary did with that expensive perfume.

Let’s fill our houses, and workplaces, and our neighborhoods, and our world and our church with the fragrance of extravagant worship.

Because we know Someone that is worth it all.

***

Messages in this Series

01. "That You May Believe" - John 20:30-31
02. "In The Beginning Was the Word" - John 1:1-18
03. "John's Testimony" - John 1:19-34
04. "Come and See" - John 1:35-51
05. "The First of His Miraculous Signs" - John 2:1-11
06. "This Temple" - John 2:12-25
07. "You Must Be Born Again" - John 3:1-15
08. "God So Loved The World" - John 3:16-21
09. "Above All" - John 3:22-36
10. "Living Water" - John 4:1-26
11. "Ripe for the Harvest" - John 4:27-42
12. "Your Son Will Live" - John 4:43-54
13. "Pick Up Your Mat and Walk" - John 5:1-18
14. "To Your Amazement" - John 5:19-30
15. "Testimony About Me" - John 5:31-47
Christmas Eve Bonus: "The Astonishing Gift" - John 3:16 Again
Christmas Eve Bonus: "We Have Seen His Glory" - John 1:1-18 Again
16. "Enough Bread" - John 6:1-15
17. "You Are Looking for Me" - John 6:16-36
18. "I Am the Bread of Life" - John 6:35-71
Vision Meeting Bonus: "As I Have Loved You" - John 13:34-35
19. "At the Feast" - John 7:1-52
20. "I Am the Light of the World" - John 8:12-30
21. "Your Father" - John 8:31-59
22. "Now I See" - John 9:1-41
23. "I Am The Gate" - John 10:1-13
24. "I Am the Good Shepherd" - John 10:14-21
25. "I And The Father Are One" - John 10:22-42
26. "I Am the Resurrection and the Life" - John 11:1-53

“I Am the Resurrection and the Life” [Matt's Messages]

4/14/2024 10:45:00 AM Life in Jesus' Name, Matt's Messages, Resurrection, The Gospel of John 0 comments

“I Am the Resurrection and the Life”

Life in Jesus’ Name - The Gospel of John

Lanse Evangelical Free Church

April 14, 2024 :: John 11:1-53

We’ve reached chapter 11, which tells the story of Jesus’ last major public miracle in the Gospel of John before His arrest.

And it’s a doozy!

This is probably a story that you know, at least for many of us. Many of you have known it all of your life and heard it told many many times. I’ve preached it at many a funeral over the years.

But try, if you can, to read this with fresh eyes. Listen to this story as if all you know about Jesus is what you’ve read so far in the first ten chapters of John.

And then you read this. John chapter 11, verse 1.

“Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. So the sisters sent word to Jesus, ‘Lord, the one you love is sick.’” (vv.1-3).

What do you think is going to happen? Knowing Jesus, what do you think is going to happen?

So, what do you think is going to happen?

This man, Lazarus, was sick. We don’t know what ailment he had. My guess is maybe cancer? Maybe it was something else. A virus?

Whatever it was, it was serious. His family was worried. He had two sisters, Mary and Martha, and all 3 siblings were friends with Jesus. Mary and Martha get mentioned in the other gospels, Lazarus, only here. Mary (v.2 says) is going to figure prominently in a story in chapter 12, tune in next week for that. They lived a couple miles outside of Jerusalem in a town called “Bethany.”

Lazarus was sick, and the sisters knew that Jesus would care, so they sent him an email (or a text message) or actually probably a courier of some kind with the message, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”

What do you think Jesus is going to do?

Well, from what we’ve read so far in the Gospel of John, I expect Jesus to heal him! Maybe from a distance. Maybe with some creative application of mud. Maybe with just a word. But I expect Jesus to heal Lazarus. And that’s what it sounds like He’s going to do according to verse 4.

“When he heard this, Jesus said, ‘This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it.’” (v.4).

Familiar themes! This sickness is not for death. It is for God’s glory. Like the man born blind. And not just God’s glory, but for the glory of God’s beloved Son! The monogenays. God’s One and Only Son is going to get ultimate glory from this healing.

And the one who is sick is not just some random person who applies to Jesus for help, but someone that Jesus already knows and loves. He loves the whole family. Verse 5.

“Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.”

What? Did I read that right? "Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days."

Huh. Many translations are even stronger. They say, “So...he stayed where he was two more days.” Or “therefore.”

I don’t get it. It says that Lazarus is sick. It says that Jesus loves Lazarus. But then Jesus does not rush to Lazarus’ side.

Maybe Jesus knows that He’s not really that sick. Or maybe Jesus is scared to go because they want Him dead down in Jerusalem? No, that doesn’t sound right either. And in verse 7, Jesus says, “Ok. Now, let’s go.” V.7

“Then [after the two days] he said to his disciples, ‘Let us go back to Judea.’ ‘But Rabbi,’ they said, ‘a short while ago the Jews tried to stone you, and yet you are going back there?’

Jesus answered, ‘Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world's light. It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light’” (vv.7-10).

So Jesus is not scared. (We didn’t really think He was.) He says, in effect, “Now is the time to go. Today’s the day. It’s daylight now. Let’s go; I’m on a mission. Because I am the ‘Light of the World.’”

“And nobody can kill me when it’s not my time to go.” Jesus is not scared. He’s going to go and heal Lazarus!

Except that Lazarus has already died. V.11

“After he had said this, he went on to tell them, ‘Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.’ His disciples replied, ‘Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.’ Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. [They are so prone to misunderstanding.] So then he told them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him’” (vv.11-16).

The goal of this sermon today is to awaken and to strengthen your faith in Jesus.

That is, of course, the goal of all of my sermons, especially these ones on the Gospel of John because that’s the whole point of this whole book. John said he wrote it so “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (Jn. 20:31).

But today, I especially want to awaken and to strengthen your faith in Jesus in three big ways.

After studying John 11 today, I want you to believe like you’ve never believed before that Jesus loves you.

#1. BELIEVE THAT JESUS LOVES YOU.

I want you to come away from today’s message more convinced than ever before that Jesus loves you.

Even when it does not seem like it.

Because it probably didn’t feel like it to this grieving family.

I was struck this week as I meditated on this passage how many times and how many ways John insists that Jesus loved Lazarus, Martha, and Mary.

We’re only up to verse 11 and how many times have we seen it so far?

Verse 3. “Lord, the one you love is sick.”

Verse 5. “Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.”

Verse 11. “Our friend [same word for love, our loved one] Lazarus has fallen asleep.”

Jesus loved Lazarus.

And yet He did not rush to His side. He did not heal him from nearby or from afar.

Was it because He couldn’t heal him?

This must have been so hard for them. Sometimes it really seems like Jesus does not care. You might be going through a season like that right now. You feel like your prayers are hitting the ceiling and bouncing back down. Where is Jesus? It seems like He’s holding back.

This is especially true when we encounter sickness and death.

There is a pernicious lie going around that if Jesus loves you then you will only experience health, wealth, and prosperity.

That’s a lie.

Tell that to Job.

Tell that to Paul.

Tell that to Lazarus, Mary, and Martha.

Jesus loved them, and Lazarus still got sick and died.

Heather and I are empty-nesters this weekend. All of our kids are either living and working out West or visiting those who are living and working out West. So we came to church by ourselves today. Thankfully my folks are nearby and Dad’s sister is visiting them this weekend, so we have some kinfolk around the table for family dinner.

But 25 years ago this month, we came to church then without any kids because our oldest child, a daughter, was stillborn at 6 months gestation. It’s still pretty much the hardest thing that has happened to me yet. I feel it in my bones every time April rolls around.

Death. Grief. Pain. Sorrow. Heartache. Death in the womb.

Where was Jesus?

Heather and I believed then, and we believe now, that Jesus loves us.

But to believe that, we have to believe that Jesus loves us in a way that is deeper than we can truly understand. We must believe that Jesus cares more about our faith than our health and even our very lives.

So that Jesus stayed back those two days for a reason, and it was not indifference. It was love.

And see what He said in verse 15. He said, “Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you believe.”

He doesn’t mean that He’s glad that Lazarus died. We will see that very clearly in just a few verses! But He is glad he missed the death itself because He cares about something even greater than our health and life.

He cares about our faith. “So that you may believe.”

Jesus wants us to trust Him even to the brink of death and then beyond. Jesus wants us to believe like never before that He loves us. That He is our Good Shepherd. That He knows us. That He calls us by name. That He wants good things for us. That He cares. And that He knows what He’s doing.

Jesus loves you. Do you know that? Jesus loves you.

And then He says, “But let us go to him” (v.15). “Let’s go to Lazarus.” As if Lazarus would care if he had visitors!

Look at verse 16. “Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, ‘Let us also go, that we may die with him.’”

Thomas may be more famous for doubting but he should be famous for his courage. He knows how unpopular Jesus is with the authorities, but he’s like, “Oh well, let’s go die with Jesus! Let’s run towards the trouble.” And he was right, they are going to get Jesus before too long, though (spoiler alert), he isn’t going to die with Him. So they head down to Bethany. V.17

“On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.”

In this time period, the Jews mourned for at least a month. They are still in the first week of that. Lazarus has been dead and buried for four days.

He was long gone before Jesus arrived. And everybody is grieving and grieving hard.

One of the sisters, Martha, hears that Jesus is coming (finally), and she goes out to greet Him. Verse 20.

“When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. ‘Lord,’ Martha said to Jesus, ‘if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.’”

Do you feel her grief? It’s not quite a rebuke. She doesn’t say, “Where were you?!” But she is feeling it. “If you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”

I don’t think she’s expecting Jesus to heal Lazarus now, she’s just saying, “I still believe You are powerful. I still believe in You even though I don’t understand You. And I don’t understand why You let this happen. I still believe you love us.” Verse 23.

“Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ [Does the hair on the back of your neck stand up when you hear that? ‘Your brother will rise again. He doesn’t say when. Martha thinks she knows when. V.24] Martha answered, ‘I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.’ [She believes her Bible. She knows her eschatology. She has read Daniel chapter 12. But Jesus is talking about something much bigger and much nearer! He’s talking about Himself. Verse 25.]

Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’”

There’s our title for today and it’s also the fifth “I Am” statement of Jesus in the Gospel of John.

Jesus said:

“I am the Bread of Life.

I am the Light of the World.

I am the Gate for the Sheep.

I am the Good Shepherd.

I am the Resurrection and the Life.”

What an amazing thing to say!

Notice that He doesn’t just say that He gives people life. He says that He is the Resurrection and the Life. Personally! Himself! In Himself.

It’s another claim to deity. It’s like saying, “I and the Father are One.”

“Before Abraham was I am.”

“I am the Resurrection and the Life.” He is the thing itself. “He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’”

Here’s the second of three things that I want you to believe today like you’ve never believed before:

#2. BELIEVE THAT JESUS WILL RAISE YOU FROM THE DEAD.

Believe that Jesus loves you even when it really doesn’t seem like it.

And believe that Jesus will give you life again even if you die.

You see Jesus is the cure for death.

Jesus promises to kill death and to give new resurrection life to those who believe in Him (see Revelation 21:4). I think verse 25 is talking about resurrection to physical life and verse 26 is talking about spiritual life.

“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies [that’s resurrection] and whoever lives and believes in me will never die [that’s spiritual life, eternal abundant life, life that never ever ever ever ends].”

“Do you believe this?”

That’s a big question. That’s a big question that Jesus asks Martha. He has made a bold claim, and He asks her very simply, “Do you believe this?” What is your answer?

A lot rides on it. Have you heard the phrase, YOLO? “You Only Live Once.” People who believe that often take risks but it’s because they think this is their one shot to really live. But Jesus says that if you believe in Him, you live twice. And that will change the kind of risks you take in this first life. You will take risks that affect the life to come.

You will live for Jesus’ Kingdom instead your own.

You will head out to Kansas City on a Challenge Trip.

You will jump a plane for Malawi.

You will talk to your neighbor or your co-worker about Jesus.

You will grieve over your dead loved ones because they’re gone for now, but you grieve with hope.

You will lean on the “everlasting arms.” And your anchor holds. Your “anchor holds.”

You really believe that Jesus really loves you and that one day He will really raise you from the dead.

We should be fearless.

“I am the resurrection and the life...[Martha,] Do you believe this?”

Matthew, do you believe this?

“Do you believe this?”

Look at verse 27.

“‘Yes, Lord,’ she told him, ‘I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.’”

Woohoo! Way to go, Martha! That is THE right answer. That’s John 3:16. That’s the way to life in Jesus’ name (20:31). That’s faith.

“‘Yes, Lord,’ she told him, ‘I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.’” That's John 1:9, “The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.”

“Yes, Lord, I believe.”

“I believe like never before that you love me and that you will raise me from the dead.”

That’s not a metaphor. I expect to die and to be buried in some way, and then, one day, for Jesus to bring me back to life.

Remember what Jesus said in chapter 5?

“I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man. Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out...” (Vv.25-28).

“Yes, Lord, I believe.”

And with that, Martha goes and fetches Mary. V.28.

“And after she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. ‘The Teacher is here,’ she said, ‘and is asking for you.’ When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him” (vv.28-29).

These two sisters are very different in some ways and very similar in others. They both were grieving really hard. V.30

“Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there. [“Oh, we’re going to the graveside to mourn with Mary at the tomb.”] When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’”

Same thing as Martha said. Same grief. Same bewilderment. Same belief in the power of Jesus to heal. Same sorrow. She’s weeping away.

And then Jesus starts to get emotional! V.33

“When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.”

Those words are hard to translate into English to really get the sense of hem

The King James says, he “groaned in spirit.” The Greek word is “embrimaomai” and it comes from the sound that a horse makes when it’s angry. It’s almost a snort of indignation. It’s a release of air from the body in such a way that expresses extreme outrage and emotion. And the word for “troubled” has the idea of his body shaking with it. Jesus was rip-snorting-mad and distressed at...what?

He wasn’t mad at these people. He was mad at death. Jesus hates death. Death is an enemy. Don’t let anyone tell you differently.

Jesus loved Lazarus. And Jesus loved Martha. And Jesus loved Mary. So Jesus hated this death. He hated that they were grieving. He hated that they were ripped apart as a family. It made him cry and shake to see them weeping like this.

And so now He’s going to do something about it. And He’s going to prove that He is the Resurrection and the Life. V.34.

“‘Where have you laid him?’ he asked. ‘Come and see, Lord,’ they replied. Jesus wept.”

Shortest verse in the Bible, but so meaningful.

“Jesus wept.” In those words, we see how human Jesus was. He was really human. And He was as manly as they come, and He cried. And He was full of compassion. And He was full of grief. And He was a man of sorrow. He shows us how to live as a fully human person, not afraid of our emotions.

Men, don’t be afraid to cry. Ladies, don’t be ashamed of tears. Don’t be afraid to cry when you love someone and they die. Verse 36.

“Then the Jews said, ‘See how he loved him!’”

And He loves you! Jesus loves you. This is how He would feel at your graveside. Or the graveside of the one you love. V.37

“But some of them said, ‘Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?’”

They don’t believe. Yes, He could have done that. He’s not crying because He couldn’t heal Lazarus. He’s crying because His friend is dead, and because He hates death. And because loves these people so much. Here’s that word again. Verse 38.

“Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.

‘Take away the stone,’ he said. ‘But, Lord,’ said Martha, the sister of the dead man, ‘by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.’

Then Jesus said, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?’

So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, ‘Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.’

When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’”

I believe that if Jesus had not specified Lazarus, then there would have been people coming out of their graves all around the world!

Jesus had told the disciples in verse 11 that He was going to wake up Lazarus, and now Lazarus awakes. Verse 44.

“The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, ‘Take off the grave clothes and let him go.’”

He’s alive!

Lazarus is alive! He was dead. Totally dead. And now he’s back.

Jesus is the resurrection and the life!

Oh, the questions we have! I wonder all kinds of things like if Lazarus was disappointed that He had been brought back (only to die again another day down the road).

But we don’t get to ask those questions yet.

We just have to sit with the question Jesus asked Martha in verse 26.

“Do you believe this?”

Because not everybody did. Even people who were there did not believe in Jesus after that! Look at verse 45.

“Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.”

They even saw the miracle and they just wanted to get Jesus in trouble.

And He did get into trouble. I told Jenni we’d stop at verse 46, but look what happens next. V.47

“Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. ‘What are we accomplishing?’ they asked. ‘Here is this man performing many miraculous signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.’”

Oh, how terrible it would be if they believed in Him. V.49

“Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, ‘You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.’ [We’re going to have to kill him.]

He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. So from that day on they plotted to take his life.”

Here’s the third and last thing I want you to believe like you’ve never believed before:

#3. BELIEVE THAT JESUS DIED FOR YOU.

Caiaphas had it all wrong, and he had it all right. Jesus did have to die for the nation. Just not like Caiaphas thought. And Jesus had to die not just for the Jewish nation but for (v.52) “the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one.”

That’s Gentiles like you and me. The other flock that Jesus was talking about last chapter.

Jesus had to died for you and me. The Good Shepherd had to lay down His life for His sheep only to take it up again.

Jesus had to die for you even though you did not deserve it.

Jesus had to died for you and me.

So that He could give us forgiveness.

And so that He could give us new life.

Do you believe this?

I do. You know why? Because Lazarus walked out of His tomb.

"Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the resurrection and the life."

***

“I And The Father Are One” [Matt's Messages]

4/07/2024 06:50:00 PM Life in Jesus' Name, Matt's Messages, The Gospel of John 0 comments

“I And The Father Are One”

Life in Jesus’ Name - The Gospel of John

Lanse Evangelical Free Church

April 7, 2024 :: John 10:22-42

What would you do if you were surrounded by a big group of angry men who were picking up rocks to throw at you?

What would you do if an antagonistic group of men had encircled you and were so enraged by your words enough to pick up stones to kill you with them?

In today’s story, that’s exactly what happened to our Lord Jesus. And here’s what He said right before they picked up those stones:

“I and the Father are one.”

That’s what Jesus said, and it’s what made them so angry and what can make us so happy forever.

This story took place during Hanukkah. Also known as the “Feast of Dedication.” Let’s start again in verse 22.

“Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon's Colonnade.”

The Feast of Dedication was a newer festival. It wasn’t one of the ones that was prescribed in the Law of Moses. It was created in the time between the testaments, between the Old Testament and the New Testament, during the time of Maccabean Revolt. The Jews had surprisingly defeated their Greek oppressors and had rededicated the temple which had been desecrated by Antiochus IV. This was about 165 BC.

So for about 200 years, the Jews had been celebrating this Feast of Dedication right around the time of year we that we celebrate Christmas. And the Hebrew word for dedication is “Hanukkah.”

And at this same time was the Festival of Lights. With the menorah and everything.

So here we have the Light of the World during the Festival of Lights walking through the rededicated temple (which also points to Him) during the eight-day festival to celebrate the great heroes and saviors of Israel. And He’s the Hero and Savior of Israel!

But the leaders of Israel do not believe it. Instead, they gang up on Him. Look at verse 24.

“The Jews gathered around him, saying, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.’”

Do you see how they have surrounded Him? That really jumped out at me this week in my study. They have encircled Jesus. They may feel, in fact, like they have Jesus trapped.

For some time now, they have been sparring with Jesus in a war of words. And a few times (we saw in chapter 5, and chapter 7, and chapter 8), they have tried to grab Him and kill Him.

Last week, a bunch of them were saying that Jesus was insane or a had demon possessing Him because He was claiming to be the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep (His people) only to take it back up again–resurrection.

Here, they are trying to get Him to unambiguously incriminate Himself. They want Jesus to say something about Himself that really gets Him in trouble once and for all.

“If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” “Enough of these metaphors.”

“I am the bread of life.”

“I am the light of the world.”

“I am the gate for the sheep.”

“I am the good shepherd.”

“No more metaphors! Tell us straight up, who are you?”

But, remember, they do not actually want know. This circle of impatient men has already heard enough to clearly know Who Jesus believes He is. And they have seen enough, too. Verse 25.

“Jesus answered, ‘I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep” (vv.25-26).

Jesus says that He has given them all of the evidence they need. His message about Himself has been consistent, and His deeds, His works, His miracles say all the same things, too.

Water into wine. Time to celebrate.

Healing the official’s son long-distance with just a word. “Your son will live.”

Healing the lame man who had been paralyzed for thirty-eight years. “Pick up your mat and walk.”

Feeding the five thousand men with a happy meal of loaves and fish. With twelve baskets left over!

Walking on the water. “It is I; don’t be afraid.”

Healing the man born blind. “I was blind but now I see.”

All of these miracles say the same thing about Who Jesus is.

They are signs. They point! And they all point to the same thing. John says that’s the big reason for this whole gospel. These miraculous signs are written here...“that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (Jn. 20:30-31 NIVO).

Jesus says, “The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me...” Notice that Jesus does the miracles, but He does them in His Father’s name. By His Father’s authority. They are working together in unity.

And the greatest miracle was yet to come. The Good Shepherd was going to lay down His life for the sheep only to take it back up again. And the Father was going to love Him for it!

All of these miracles point towards Jesus being the Christ. The question that this gang of men is asking Jesus to answer once again. But these guys do not believe what the signs are saying. V.25 again. “Jesus answered, ‘I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep” (vv.25-26).

What scary words to hear! I pray that no one within the sound of my voice ever hears Jesus say those words to them.

“You are not my sheep.” It was clear that these men were not His sheep because they didn’t want to be His sheep. They didn’t want to believe what the miracles said. They didn’t want to believe what Jesus said. They didn’t want to belong to Jesus as their Good Shepherd. So they were getting what they wanted. But I want the exact opposite for me and for you.

Because look what you get when you are His sheep! Verse 27.

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one.”

There’s our title for today. Our mind-blowing title. “I and the Father are one.”

You know that those are big strong words because in the very next verse, this circle of men picks up big stones to kill Jesus with.

“I and the Father are one.” What does He mean?

Well, He doesn’t mean that they are one Person. There is clearly two Persons mentioned here. “I” and “the Father.” The Son and the Father. But there is also unity here. “I and the Father are ONE.”

That’s One in essence. One in substance. “We are one thing (the thing we call ‘God.’)” There is only one God. And the Son is that one God, and the Father is that one God. (And when we get to chapters 14, 15, and 16, we’ll learn that the Spirit is that one God, too.)

You know, by now in the Gospel of John, these ideas should sound kind of familiar.

They will always be mind-blowing, but they should also be familiar, because this is just chapter 1, verse 1, isn’t it?

What does John 1:1 say? “In the beginning was the Word [that’s another name for the Son], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (Jn. 1:1 NIVO).

The Son was with God. He has with-ness. “I and the Father” Two Persons different yet intimately related. And the Son was God. He has was-ness and oneness. “I and the Father are ONE.”

The Son has everything it means to be God.

And the Father has everything that it means to be God.

So the Son and the Father are the One God.

And their unity of essence leads to a unity of action. Everything they do, they do perfectly together. You can’t divide these two. In their essence or in their works.

And that is such good news for you me!

Let me show you. I’ve only got two points to summarize the implications of this message this morning, but they are both such good news!

Here’s the first one. What it means for Jesus (and for us) when Jesus says, “I and the Father are one.”

#1. MY SHEEP ARE SAFE.

Jesus says that because He and His Father are one, His sheep are utterly and completely and totally and eternally safe.

Isn’t that good news?! Look back up at verse 27. And revel in the first two words, “My sheep.”

Jesus has sheep that are His that He knows. We’ve emphasized that the last few weeks. He knows His sheep. He doesn’t just know about them. He doesn’t just have a database or names in a binder somewhere.

He knows them. V.27 “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”

If you want to know if you are His sheep, that’s a good place to start. Listen to His voice. Follow His lead. Do what Jesus says. But this passage is not mostly about what we do but what He does.

He knows us. And He gives us eternal life. Verse 28.

“I give them eternal life...” It’s a gift! You can’t earn it. You can’t buy it. You can’t become worthy of it. It’s all by grace. The Good Shepherd won it for us by laying down His life for the sheep only to take it up again.

“He lives! He lives! Salvation to impart.”

“I give them eternal life...(v.28) and they shall never perish...” Same word as from John 3:16. “They shall never perish.”

Now that is taking shepherding to a whole other level!

These sheep become undying sheep!

Imperishable sheep.

Indestructible sheep.

And un-snatchable sheep. V.28

“...no one can snatch them out of my hand.”

Jesus, our Good Shepherd, holds onto us in such a way that no force on Earth can grab us and wrench us out of His safe hands.

If you belong to Jesus, then you are safe as safe can be.

By grace through faith He gives you eternal life, and you will never perish. You will never die the eternal death of Hell. And you are safe in Jesus’ hand.

“No one can snatch them out of my hand.”

Can it get any better than that?!

Yes, it actually can! Because Jesus and His Father are ONE.

So there isn’t just verse 28, there is also verse 29! Jesus says, “My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.” Isn’t that wonderful?! Look at it again. V.29

“My Father...” Isn’t it wonderful?! He isn’t just a Shepherd that has sheep. He’s a Son that Has a Father. He says it over and over again. “My Father.”

“My Father, who has given them to me...” Who is that? That’s the sheep. That’s us. The sheep are the Father’s gift to the Son. The Son gives the Sheep eternal life. We go through Him as the Gate and we get the life. The Son gives us life.

But the Father gives us to the Son. So the Father values us and gives us as a present to the Son. And He protects His gift! And there is no one who can take it away from Him.

“My Father...is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.”

Whose hand are these sheep in? Are we in Jesus’ hand or the Father’s hand? Both, right? Because, “I and the Father are one.”

This is you. If you belong to Jesus, if you are His sheep, you are safe in His hand. And no one can grab you out of it. I’d like to see anybody try.

But there’s another hand, inseparably operating, at the very same time with the very same omnipotent power. The Father’s hand! And there’s no one stronger than the Father. “No one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.” No one!

“[N]either death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:38-39 NIVO).

Because “I and the Father are one.” “My sheep are safe.”

By the way, that safety means that we are safe to follow the Good Shepherd wherever He leads. We are not safe to disobey Him. We’re safe to obey Him. Because that’s what His sheep do. We listen to His voice and we follow Him. Don’t take this safety as a license to sin but as freedom to follow the Shepherd wherever He leads.

But feel safe. Feel utterly, totally, completely, eternally safe in these hands because Jesus says, “I and the Father are one.”

That should make us so happy! But it made these men so mad. They understood exactly what this meant, and they picked up some sharp stones to do something about it. V.31

“Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, ‘I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?’” (vv.31-32).

He’s not scared at all, is He? He’s spunky in the face of this stoning. “I’ve done these great miracles from the Father...[notice that it’s from the Father, they are one in their miracles.]...For which of these great miracles do you guys want to stone me? V.33

“‘We are not stoning you for any of these,’ replied the Jews, ‘but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.’”

It’s in the law. Leviticus 24:16 says, “[A]nyone who blasphemes the name of the LORD must be put to death. The entire assembly must stone him. Whether an alien or native-born, when he blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death” (Lev. 24:16 NIVO).

“You have just said that you are and God are the same being. Therefore it is time for the jagged rocks to come out.”

What would you do if you were surrounded by a big group of angry men who were picking up rocks to throw at you?

Well, if you were Jesus at Hanukkah, you would calmly show them all where they were wrong and walk right out of there.

Jesus makes an interesting argument from the lesser to the greater from Psalm 82, verse 6. Look at our verse 34. “Jesus answered them, ‘Is it not written in your Law, 'I have said you are gods'?”

That’s Psalm 82, verse 6, where God calls the leaders of Israel “gods” with a small “g.” He doesn’t mean that they have super powers, but that they super responsibilities to “Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked” (Ps. 82:3-4 NIVO).

These men have been raised up to a level to dispese god-like justice, so He calls them “gods” (small “g”) in Psalm 86 which is God’s Word.

So Jesus carries that logic through in verse 35. “If he called them 'gods,' to whom the word of God came–and the Scripture cannot be broken–what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, 'I am God's Son'?” (vv.35-36).

Do you follow His logic? “If these guys were legitimately called ‘gods’ (in some true sense), and they were just men, then what should you call someone Who is like me?!”

I and the Father ARE ONE!

And that means:

#2. I AM SET APART AND SENT.

I am set apart by God the Father and sent by God the Father into the world!

In other words: It’s not blasphemy if it’s true.

“Those guys in Psalm 82 are called “gods,” small “g.” But you know what, guys, I don’t care if you have sharp rocks in your hands. I and the Father are one.” The titles don’t matter as much as the realities do.

“I and the Father are one.” Do your worst.

“I and the Father are one.” Go ahead, if you dare.

“I and the Father are one.” I invite you to believe. I invite you to become one of my sheep. V.37

“Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.’”

Their unity is so perfect, their operations so inseparable, their oneness so absolute, that they are said to be “in” each other.

“The Father is in me, and I in the Father.” We’re going to revel in that even more when we get to the Upper Room in chapters 14, 15, 16. And then we’ll get the Holy Spirit in the mix, too.

Think about Who Jesus says that He is. He is One with the Father, in the Father, and set apart by the Father and sent by the Father into the world.

Those words “set apart” could be translated “sanctified” or “made holy.” What it means is that the Father has considered the Son His Special Son who has been set apart as special for a special mission.

The Father loves the Son, and that’s why He sent the Son.

He didn’t send the Son because He was disappointed in the Son. He didn’t send Him into exile or to redeem Himself. “That’ll teach Jesus a lesson.”

No, the Father sent the Son because the Son was special to Him and He had special mission for Him.

And we know what it was, right?

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only [beloved] Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish [never perish, never be snatched out of His hand] but have eternal life [“I give them eternal life.”] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (Jn. 3:16-17 NIVO).

The Son is set apart and sent...to save.

V.39 “Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp. Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. Here he stayed and many people came to him. They said, ‘Though John never performed a miraculous sign, all that John said about this man was true.’ And in that place many believed in Jesus.”

And were saved! If you believe in Jesus, you get life. Life in His name.

Do you believe in Jesus?

Come through the Gate and into the abundant life He offers.

Because if you are His sheep, then you have everything.

You are safe as safe can be.

Because the Son and the Father are One.

***

"I Am The Good Shepherd" [Matt's Messages]

3/31/2024 10:45:00 AM Life in Jesus' Name, Matt's Messages, Resurrection, The Gospel of John 0 comments

“I Am The Good Shepherd”

Life in Jesus’ Name - The Gospel of John

Resurrection Sunday :: Lanse Evangelical Free Church

March 31, 2024 :: John 10:14-21

What did He say to get that kind of a reaction?

What did Jesus say to get the people around Him thinking that He must be insane? That he was stark raving mad. That He must have a demon inside of Him!

Verse 19 says, “At these words the Jews were again divided.”

Some thought that Jesus made a lot of sense and was a great miracle-worker. He had just given sight to a man who had been born blind.

But others heard these words that Jesus said about Himself and thought, “This guy is ‘Cukoo for Cocopuffs.’ This guy is not playing with a full deck. This guy is bonkers.”

What did Jesus say to get that kind of a reaction?

This is what He said. It’s in verse 14.

“I am the good shepherd.”

Now, obviously, that might sound weird but not crazy to us today.

Jesus likened Himself to a shepherd, a person who takes care of sheep. Jesus already said that in verse 11. We looked it together last Sunday.

And He meant it as a criticism of the religious leaders of His day. They were supposed to be good shepherds, taking good care of God’s good flock (the people of God), but they were miserable failures and had done a horrific job of it.

Jesus likened their shepherding to being a hired hand who doesn’t care one whit about the sheep. They wouldn’t lift a finger to help the sheep if the flock was attacked. They’d just run away.

And that’s on their best day. On other days, they were like thieves and robbers who steal, kill, and destroy the sheep. Steal, kill, and destroy.

They were bad shepherds, but Jesus said that He was the Good Shepherd.

Now that word translated “good” doesn’t just mean “good.” Like 3 stars out of 5. “Not bad.” That’s not good enough.

The Greek word can also be translated, “beautiful” or “noble” or “true.”

It’s hard to get across, but it’s more like the “Perfect Shepherd.” Or the “Wonderful Shepherd.” Or the “Real Deal Shepherd.” “The Shepherd Par Excellence.”

Maybe, “The Goodest Shepherd?”

Is that a word? It is now!

This is the Shepherd that fulfills and embodies all of what a shepherd is supposed to be. “10/10 No Notes.”

If you’ve ever read the Twenty-third Psalm, “The LORD is my Shepherd / I shall not be in want,” and you see how King David felt about His Shepherd, that’s what Jesus is claiming to be here for His people.

Because if He’s the Shepherd, then we are the sheep.

Today, Landen, Treiton, Keagan, Maria, and Katie are all going to get up on this platform and declare that they are Jesus’ sheep and that Jesus is their Good Shepherd.

It takes some humility to admit you are like a sheep. Because, as we said last Sunday and as I shared with the Egg Hunt families yesterday, sheep are kind of dumb. They are clueless and helpless and needy. It takes humility to admit that you are a sheep and you need someone to care for you, provide for you, protect you, lead you, and guide you and keep you from true harm.

But it’s true, right? We are needy, as people. We are spiritually helpless. We are clueless and need a good Shepherd to guide us.

And that’s what Jesus says that He is.

Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd.”

And in this passage (verses 14-17), Jesus says three big things about what that means for us, that He is the good shepherd. How He takes shepherding to a whole new level. Here’s the first one:

#1. THE GOOD SHEPHERD KNOWS HIS SHEEP.

We heard that last Sunday, too, up in verse 3, 4, and 5. Jesus said that His sheep will hear His voice as He calls to them by name, and that they won’t follow a stranger’s voice.

Now look how He says in verse 14 and 15: “‘I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me–just as the Father knows me and I know the Father...”

Isn’t that wonderful?! Jesus says that He knows His sheep. That means personally. He doesn’t just know that He has some sheep on a hillside somewhere. He knows our names. He knows our lives. He knows our hearts. He knows our hurts. He knows our joys. He knows our sorrows. He knows our needs.

He knows our sins.

If you are Jesus’ sheep, then Jesus knows you. He knows you intimately. And He knows what’s going on in your life that is hard right now. He knows what you’re struggling with. He is your good shepherd.

In that day, a lot sheep were kept for wool. Some were for sacrifice and some for mutton, but most were just for wool. So the sheep might live a long time and have the same shepherd that knew them inside and out for their whole life.

If you are Jesus’ sheep, then Jesus knows you.

And you know Jesus! This is an invitation to become intimately acquainted with your Savior, with your Shepherd. To know Jesus.

And look at how deeply we can know Him! Verse 15 says, “just as the Father knows me and I know the Father!” That’s an unbelievable amount of knowing! That we could know Jesus in some way like God the Father knows God the Son and God the Son knows God the Father. That is just mind-blowing!

The Good Shepherd knows His sheep.

He knows Landen, Treiton, Keagan, Maria, and Katie.

And today, they proclaim that they know Him!

Do you know Him?

Jesus is the good shepherd.

#2. THE GOOD SHEPHERD LAYS DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS SHEEP.

He doesn’t just know them. He loves them. And here’s how much He loves them. He sacrifices Himself for them. Look at verse 15.

“‘I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me–just as the Father knows me and I know the Father–and I lay down my life for the sheep.”

Now, that is taking shepherding to a whole other level. And you can begin to see why it sounds a little crazy. Because a sheep is worth far less than a shepherd. Shepherds could take some risks to protect the flock. They were valuable. But if the choice is save the sheep or save your life, “Goodbye, Sheepie!”

But Jesus says that as our Good Shepherd, He plans to “lay down” his life “for the sheep.”

What’s He talking about? He’s talking about the Cross. He’s talking about how He was going to be nailed to a piece of wood and hung up on pole. And struggle to breathe for three hours and then die.

Why? He was laying down His life for His sheep.

The Bible says that, He “was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isa. 53:5-6 NIVO).

The Good Shepherd saves His sheep by laying down His life for them, in the place of His sheep.

That’s what brings us into life!

Last week, Jesus said that He is “the Gate,” that is, He is the way into life, eternal life, life to the fullest.

And we get that life by believing in Him, by putting our trust in Him as our way in.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son [who laid down His life for the sheep], that whoever [sheep] believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (Jn. 3:16 NIVO).

Is that you? Jesus is on the hunt for new sheep to be in His sheepfold. Look at verse 16.

“I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.” [That’s Him! See also Ezekiel 34 for more on that promise!]

I love this verse, because you and I are in it. Jesus is talking about us.

"I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. [Meaning of the Jews. Jesus has other sheep that are Gentiles. That are not the group in front of Him that day.] I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd."

There’s a sheep pen over here in Israel in the year 0033 or whatever. And there’s another over here in central Pennsylvania in the year 2024.

And Jesus says, “I’m not content with just these sheep. I’m looking for a bigger flock. Other sheep. “I must bring them also.”

That’s us! Like I told the families at the Egg Hunt, Jesus isn’t just searching for eggs. He’s looking for lost sheep to bring them into His sheepfold and give them life to full. And He will rejoice over them when they come. “Rejoice with me!”

Verse 16. “They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.”

Today, Landen, Treiton, Keagan, Maria, and Katie, are proclaiming that they have listened to Jesus’ voice and been brought into His one sheepfold.

How about you?

He has laid down His life for you! And the Father loves Him for it. Look at verse 17.

“The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life...”

Now, that doesn’t mean it’s the only reason why the Father loves the Son. He loves the Son just because He’s the Son.

But He is such a good Son! The Father always looks at Jesus and says, “Oh how pleased I am with my beloved Son!

Look how obedient He is!

Look how submissive He is!

Look how He accomplishes His mission!

I am so pleased with Him.

Look at Him lay down His life for those sheep we love!"

Sometimes we can get the idea that the Father and the Son were in conflict with one another about our salvation. Like the Father hated us but the Son stepped in the way to save us from His meanness. But that’s not quite right. Remember John 3:16 says that God so loved the world that He gave His Son. He sent His Son. They were working in perfect unity to save us from the just wrath of God. And so at the very same time as the Son in His humanity was feeling the hot righteous anger of God poured out upon Him on the Cross, the Father was also saying, “That’s my boy!”

“The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life–only to take it up again.”

Now that is taking shepherding to yet another level!

It’s one thing for a shepherd to take a risk for a sheep.

It’s another thing for a shepherd to die for a sheep.

But this shepherd says that He is going to come back from the dead for His sheep!

#3. THE GOOD SHEPHERD TAKES UP HIS LIFE AGAIN FOR HIS SHEEP.

Here’s the idea: A dead shepherd is not a good shepherd.

What good is it to have a dead shepherd? If the shepherd is dead, where does that leave the flock? The sheep are in trouble if the shepherd is dead.

How would Psalm 23 read?

“My shepherd is dead. I will never have what I need.

I can’t find the green pastures. I can’t find the quiet waters.

My soul is destroyed.

I’m lost. I can’t find the paths of righteousness.

I’m all alone in the valley of the shadow of death.

I fear every evil.

I have no comfort.

I have no blessings.

I can’t eat. My enemies are after me.

My head is cracked and dry.

My cup is empty.

Surely evil and disloyal hatred will chase me all of the days of my life, and I’m headed to Hell forever.

Because my shepherd is dead.”

That’s what would happen to us if Jesus stayed dead.

But Jesus said that He would lay down His life “only to take it up again.” That could be translated, “so that” He would take it up again. He died in such a way as to earn a victorious resurrection. Jesus claimed that He had the authority to do this.

No one was doing it to Him. V.18 “No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord [willingly]. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

Yes, the Jews put Him to death. Yes, the Romans put Him to death. Yes, it was our sin that held Him there. But in the end, it was His choice and no other human’s. He had the right to lay it down and the right to take it up again.

And He did both! On the third day, He rose again.

Christ is risen!

He is risen indeed!

He is no longer a dead shepherd. He is a living shepherd. An unstoppably living shepherd. He has conquered death.

The choir sang, “Death is conquered! We are free! Christ has won the victory!”

The kids sang, “Alive! Alive!”

Our good shepherd is alive again and forever.

That, I think, is what they thought was crazy. That this guy was claiming to be the kind of good shepherd that not only dies for His sheep but comes back to life. “At these words the Jews were again divided. Many of them said, ‘He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?’ But others said, ‘These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?’”

What do you think? Which side are you on? Do you think He’s crazy? Or are you listening to Him?

Landen, Treiton, Keagan, Maria, and Katie have decided that they believe that Jesus is the Good Shepherd who knows them, laid down His life for them, and took up His life again for them, so they have listened to His voice and come into His one flock, by faith.

Praise God!

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