If you turn again in your bibles
please to the passage we read. John chapter 10. I refer your
attention to verse 27 and 28. John 10 27. My sheep hear my
voice and I know them and they follow me and I give unto them
eternal life and they shall never perish neither shall any man
pluck them out of my hand My father which gave them me is
greater than all and no man is able to pluck them out of my
father's hand. I and my father are one. My sheep hear my voice and I
know them and they follow me and I give them eternal life
and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them
out of my hand. John's gospel of the four gospels is such a unique revelation of
the person of the Son of God. The four gospels all set forth
Christ in a different light. We have four gospels not because
we have four men who were led to write, each to give corroboration
of various facts, but God moved four men to write in different
ways, recording events in different orders, leaving out certain events,
including other events, in order to each present Christ in a unique
light. Matthew's gospel was written
to present Christ as the Messiah, speaks of the kingdom of God
and the Messiah. Mark's gospel presents Christ
as a servant, an apostle, the messenger of the gospel. Luke's
gospel presents Christ as the savior who brings the grace of
God and each of these gospels is ordered in such a way to present
this in this light. And John's gospel presents Christ
as the Son of God. Now you may say but surely the
other three gospels present Christ as the Son of God too, they certainly
do. But if you were to read through
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John you will read the phrase the
Son of Man far more times than you will read the phrase the
Son of God. In John's gospel the order is reversed. There
are far more occurrences of Christ speaking of himself as the Son
of God in John's gospel than he refers to himself as the Son
of Man. And this is intentional because John's express purpose
is to set before us the divinity of Christ. The whole of the gospel
is written to this end. has a very very different feel
to the other three gospels. It is ordered and it is structured
as seven signs. There are various miracles recorded
in John's gospel there are actually about eight miracles I believe
and very often one of the signs encompasses a miracle but it
is not that there are eight miracles and eight signs there are seven
signs in John sign may include a miracle it may include two
miracles but it is ordered and structured in signs. There are
six signs from chapters 1 until the end of chapter 12. Then there is an interlude from
chapter 13 through to chapter 20 where we read of the progress
leading up to the crucifixion and the events surrounding the
crucifixion. We read of Christ's teaching to his disciples at
the last supper and so on and then the account of the crucifixion.
And then at the end of the gospel we read of the resurrection which
is the seventh and concluding sign in John. John chapter 20 verse 30 says
and many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his
disciples which are not written in this book but these these
seven are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ
the Son of God and that believing ye might have life through his
name. Now we've read from John chapter
10 That is actually the second half of the 5th sign in John.
The 5th sign commences at the beginning of chapter 9 encompasses
all the teaching in chapter 9 and also the 10th chapter. I'm not
going to go into each sign, what each sign means. But I've preached
on another occasion about the 7 signs in John. So I'm not going
to go over that again today. But this is the 5th sign. The
teaching recorded in these two chapters, chapter 10 is uniquely
joined to chapter 9, chapter 9 is uniquely joined to chapter
10, it should be taken as a whole. We're going to look at what's
written in chapter 10 but as a whole they convey a particular
truth with respect to the Sonship of Jesus Christ. John would have us see that Christ
is the Son of God. Indeed, he would have us see
that as the Son of God, he is God himself. He opens with these words in
chapter one. In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was
in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him,
and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was
life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shined
if in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not. In the beginning was the Word.
The Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in
the beginning with God. All things were made by him. The word is Christ. When God speaks, he speaks through
Jesus Christ, his son. If you are ever to hear the voice
of God, you will hear it through Christ. When God spake in the
beginning and created the heavens and the earth he spake through
Jesus Christ. In the beginning God created
the heaven and the earth and the earth was without form and
void and darkness was upon the face of the deep and the spirit
of God moved upon the face of the waters and God said let there
be light and there was light. That voice, those words are the
words of the Son of God. He spake and it was. Have you heard his voice? Has he spoken in the darkness
of your soul? Let there be light. did light shine in at his command. My sheep hear my voice, and I
know them, and they follow me. If you've ever believed on Jesus
Christ, if you ever know him, then you must, you will hear
his voice. The same voice that spake in
the beginning and brought the world into being. The same voice
that spake and created the heavens and the earth in six days. The same voice that spake and
brought forth man out of the dust. The same voice that said,
let there be light. And there was light, where hitherto
there was darkness. that voice all things were made
by him and without him was not anything made that was made in
him was life and the life was the light of men and the light
shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehended it not. The opening chapter of John is
tremendous in this respect. It essentially paints the picture
that before the coming of Christ as a man into this world, before
Christ the light of God entered, all there was was darkness. In him was life and the life
was the light of man and the light shineth in darkness and
the darkness comprehended it not. He came, the light entered
this world when Christ entered and the darkness comprehended
it not. They didn't know him, they didn't
recognize him, they didn't receive him. You may say, what of the thousands
of years before Christ came? In comparison with the coming
of Christ into this world, it was darkness. That's not to say
that the light did not shine in former days, of course it
did. God spake by the prophets. He spake of the coming of Christ. He had his people from the day
in which he made the world, he had his people, he had those
who he brought to believe on Jesus Christ through the gospel
as fore-prophesied. They heard, David believed, Abraham
believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousness. These
patriarchs, these saints of old, heard the gospel, they looked
for the coming of Christ, they believed the truth as it was
delivered unto them by God through the mouths of the prophets, in
the law and the prophets, in the Psalms, in the scriptures. They heard God's speech and they
believed. A few. Many didn't. But in comparison to that which
Christ would bring in when God himself entered this world as
a man it was dark. There were as it were shafts
of light shining in from here and there but all below was darkness. And yet when Christ came, the
light entered. The light shone in the darkness,
not merely into it, but in it. And the darkness comprehended
it not. John's Gospel continues in chapter
1 as I mentioned this morning, as all the other Gospels do.
with the ministry of John the Baptist, who prepared the way
for the coming of the Son of God. There was a man sent from
God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness to
bear witness of the light, that all men through him might believe.
He was not that light, but was sent to bear witness of that
light. That was the true light, which lighteth every man that
cometh into the world. He was in the world and the world
was made by him, and the world knew him not. Christ came unto
his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received
him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even
to them which believe on his name, which were born not of
blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man,
but of God. And the word was made flesh,
and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the
only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John
bear witness of him and cried saying this was he of whom I
spake he that cometh after me is preferred before me for he
was before me and of his fullness have all we received and grace
for grace for the law was given by Moses but grace and truth
came by Jesus Christ. Further down verse 23 John says,
I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, make straight
the way of the Lord as said the prophet Isaiah. And they which
were sent were of the Pharisees to him and they asked him and
said unto him why baptizes thou then if thou be not that Christ
nor Elias neither that prophet? John answered them saying, I
baptize with water, but there standeth one among you whom you
know not. He it is who coming after me has preferred before
me, whose shoes latch it I am not worthy to unloose. These
things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan where John was
baptized. So here as in the other three gospels, the way of Christ's
coming is prepared by the message of John. the voice crying in
the wilderness. And the gospel always begins
with the preparatory work of the voice crying in the wilderness
of the darkness of this world and the darkness of your soul. John's gospel continues to present
before us many, many glorious truths. We read of course in
chapter 3 of the need to be born again. We read of Moses lifting
up the serpent in the wilderness. as that picture of Christ being
lifted up upon the cross to die in the place of his people that
whosoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
We read the well quoted verse for God so loved the world that
he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him
should not perish but have everlasting life. But John does not present that
verse. at the beginning of his gospel. He presents the voice crying
in the wilderness. And you'll never look at the
one lifted up upon the cross and believe on him until you've
heard a voice crying in the wilderness in the darkness of your soul
that tells you your state before God and your need to be born
again and your need for a savior, a need for a redeemer, a need
for salvation from the one whose love was so great that he gave
his only son that whosoever believes on him should not perish but
have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into
the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him
might be saved. He that believeth on him is not
condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already. because he hath not believed
in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation,
that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather
than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone that
doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light,
lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh
to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they
are wrought in God. You see we're in a state of condemnation
before Christ ever came. We're already in the darkness.
We've already rejected and we'll never receive until God shines
a light in our hearts. And God shines the light in the
hearts of his people through the utterance of a voice. In the beginning God said let
there be light and there was light. When a voice utters let
there be light in the soul of this one or that one then there
is light and not until. We need to hear that voice speak
We need to hear that voice speak unto us. We need to hear the
voice speak, let there be light. My sheep hear my voice and I
know them and they follow me and I give unto them eternal
life. Have you heard it? Have you heard that voice? Has
he spake unto you? he has then you can say of a
truth and of a certainty that you are one of his sheep. But there are those who never
hear who never believe and the reason they don't believe is
not because they hear the voice and reject it But they believe not as Christ
said to the Pharisees in verse 26 of John 10. They believe not
because they are not of my sheep as I said unto you. You're either
one of his sheep who will hear or you're not. You don't become
a sheep when you hear and believe. you believe because you are one
of his sheep and his sheep will in time at the appointed hour
they will hear his voice and he knows them and they follow
him and he gives unto them eternal life. Christ elsewhere in the
scripture speaks of the sheep and the goats, speaks of that
last day when he will divide the sheep from the goats He has
a company of people called the sheep. They are a people whom
he says in verse 29, his father gave them me. They're a people,
a named people, a company whom his father gave to his son, laid
them upon his heart and said, go into this world of darkness
and deliver them. He came for the sheep. am the
good shepherd and know my sheep and unknown of mine as the father
knoweth me even so know I the father and I laid down my life
for the sheep he came to save his people and everyone for whom
he laid down his life come to hear his voice crying out to
them in the wilderness of the darkness of this world follow
me. No man took Christ's life from
him. No man. We know that wicked men
nailed him to a cross. We know that they raised him
up in the midday sun. We know that they spat upon him
and jeered at him. They mocked and scoffed at him
whilst he suffered a horrible death of crucifixion. We know
that in the end they thrust a spear in his side, but only when his
life had already gone. When the centurions, when the
soldiers came to break his legs, as was their want with those
who were crucified, to finish them off in the end, they broke
the legs of the one, they broke the legs of the other, but they
found, with Christ at their amazement, that he was dead already. They
never took his life from him. He laid it down of his own power. He laid it down because the father
gave him commandment to go and lay down his life for the sheep. Go save my people. Go deliver
them. That people for whom he suffered,
whose sins he washed away, whose sins he blotted out, never to
be remembered before, never to be brought into the years or
the sight of his father again, world without end. That people
whom he saved with a salvation which none can prevent, a mighty
salvation, a glorious salvation, an invincible salvation, that
people whom he saved to the uttermost, though they may be the worst
of sinners and the hardest of hearts, the most rebellious,
the most dark and the most corrupt, the most evil, every one for
whom he died, he saved to the uttermost. And because he saved
them, because he took their sins away, every last one, and because
he took their evil heart, their nature, their sin in their flesh
away and destroyed it in his own body, his own flesh upon
the tree, because he took what they are away, on the third day
when he rose, They rose with him because nothing could keep
them in the grave. They rose mighty and victorious
over sin, death and hell because he was mighty and victorious
over sin, death and hell. And it is just a matter of time
for them to hear the message of what he did then for them. And when they hear, and when
they hear his voice, they believe with a certainty. And believe
him, they follow him. Have you heard? Have you heard? Of course there were those for
whom he died who lived before his coming. And they heard his
voice before he ever died for them. But they knew of a certainty
that salvation would be wrought on their behalf. There were those,
the apostles, the disciples, who looked on and saw him die
in their stead in their lifetime and saw him taking their sins
away. They'd heard his voice, they'd
heard his speech as a man. But they believed because they
heard his voice by the Spirit speaking within their hearts.
They heard more than just the voice of the man Jesus Christ. But they heard the voice of the
Son of God speaking in their dark hearts. And when they heard,
they lived. And they could say, we know.
We know that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God. And all for whom Christ died
will hear. because he will be satisfied. He laid down his life for a great
number, the many, the great multitude whom his father gave him. And
today he reigns on high, sending forth his gospel in power, speaking,
speaking today, speaking at this hour, sending forth his spirit
by the mouths of those men whom he sends with his gospel, declaring
this truth, declaring unto them in their hearts, I have loved
thee with an everlasting love. You are mine. You are one of
my sheep. I laid down my life for you. Your sins are blotted out, they
are forgiven. Take up thy bed and walk. Follow
me." Is that the voice you've heard?
Have you heard him utter your name? When Christ died, he didn't
die with some general salvation for whoever might lay claim to
it. He came with names upon his heart. He knew for whom he suffered.
He suffered for their particular sins. Those particular deeds
you've done this week, those wicked thoughts you've had, he
suffered for those actions in particular. He knew them, he
knows his sheep. His love for his own is so great
because he knows everything they fought, everything they've done,
he suffered for them. If you're his, he suffered for
you. He knows his sheep inside out. Have you heard his voice? My sheep hear my voice and they
follow me. They follow me. They don't consider it. They
don't think about it. They don't say I may. They don't
go one day and stay another, they follow him. He comes to
them where they are in their darkness. He says rise, live,
follow me. And irresistibly they're drawn
and they follow. We read from the opening chapter,
following the account of John, John having seen Christ come
to him one day and seen him baptised in verse 35 of chapter 1 it says
again the next day after John stood and two of his disciples
those who had been under that ministry those who had heard
the voice crying in the wilderness those who awaited the coming
of the one of whom John spake and John says to them Looking
upon Jesus as he walked he says behold the Lamb of God and the
two disciples heard him speak and they followed Jesus. Then
Jesus turned and saw them following and saith unto them what seek
ye? They said unto him rabbi which is to say being interpreted
master where dwellest thou? He saith unto them come and see
And they came and saw where he dwelt and abode with him that
day for it was about the tenth hour. They followed him. He came to them in the darkness
in which they dwelt. They heard his voice and they
rose and they followed. Is this the God? Is this the
Savior who you follow? One whose voice speaks and it
is done. One who commands life and the
dead come out of the graves and live. One who can speak and the
worlds are created out of the darkness and nothingness which
existed before. One who can speak to the dead
soul and it lives. It lives. it lives. My sheep hear my voice and I
know them and they follow me and I give unto them eternal
life and they shall never perish neither shall any man pluck them
out of my hand. Eternal life It's tremendous that God spake
and breathed life into Adam the first man. The first creation
of man was a tremendous event. But that man had a beginning. Until God breathed, he had no
life. His life was of a certain order.
He's of the earth earthly. all his descendants you me included
are of the earth earthy. We have a life which we've inherited
from our father Adam but it's a life which is bound by time,
bound by senses, bound by this world and it's a life which having
rebelled against its maker plunged itself into ruin and death. what
we've inherited from our father is sin and corruption in our
bodies. We've inherited death. Death
is that certainty which awaits us in our natural frame and it
doesn't just await us but it dwells within us for our cells
are dying daily and our understanding is darkened, we are spiritually
dead, we're blind and deaf to the things of God. dead. And yet when we heard this voice,
when we heard the voice of the Son of God crying out to those
who are dead, we follow and he gives unto us
eternal life. This is not an extension of the
life we have from Adam It does not mean that when we go from
this world that we will go into a future eternity and never die
again. That's immortality. We're all
immortal. If we don't believe on this son
of God who spake, then we will be plunged into darkness, into
the desperation of hell. Our soul will never die. We had
a beginning, we will have no end. We will have endless torment. That's immortality. God does
not grant his people immortality, he grants them eternal life.
A life which has no beginning and no end. A different order
of life. You may say, well what does that
mean? In my experience I had a beginning if I believe on Christ
and go to glory I'll have no end. What does it mean to say
that I had no beginning? It means that the life you have
when you heard the voice of the Son of God is his life. He who is the Alpha and the Omega. He who is the life of his people. We dwell in him. We are united
with him. We have that which is without
beginning and that which is without end. We are of the last Adam,
the second man. We're born of God. We're his
offspring. We have a different quality of
life. It's tremendous. It's unbelievable. It's unbelievable that God should
forgive the sins of such a rebellious people and spare them from judgment
to come. But it's quite beyond our comprehension
that he makes us the righteousness of God in his Son and he gives
us the eternal life in his Son and looks upon us as if we are
equal righteousness to his Son. Not that he looks on us as we
are his son for he there's only one Son of God but united to
him we are sons of God we are children of God we share his
life we share his righteousness we're one with him and God looks
upon us as his children in Christ And as he looks upon him and
is well pleased in Christ, he's well pleased with his people
in him. They have eternal life. And none
shall pluck them from his hand. They shall never perish, neither
shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father which gave
them me is greater than all. no man is able to pluck them
out of my father's hand. I am my father, I am one. Now if you need some hope as
you leave this meeting this night, if you face troubles in your
pathway, if you find life hard for whatever reason, temporary
troubles, illness, opposition of men, opposition to the gospel,
rejection from others and you need something to lift you up
then oh believer, child of God, you sheep of his pasture who've
heard his voice Rejoice that not only has he plucked you out
of oblivion, not only has he shone the light into the darkness
of your soul and cleansed you, washed you clean in his blood,
renewed you, put a new spirit in your heart, saved you with
an almighty salvation, made the righteousness of God yours, washed
away all your sins, given you eternal life, But no matter what
happens, no matter what opposition comes, no matter what men do,
none shall ever ever pluck you out of his hand and none shall
ever pluck you out of his father's hand. There are two hands gripping
his people and there's no force on earth, even Satan's mightiest
armies will never pluck God's sheep. from the hands of the
Son of God and from his Father's hand. They're his. They're his. I and my Father
are one. If you ever want a passage of
scripture to demonstrate the unity of a triune God, One God
in three persons, yet one God. The Son of God, the Holy Spirit,
the Father, One. Here you have it. I and my Father are One. He is
God. As God, he is Almighty. As the Almighty, all his sheep
whom he saved will never be plucked from his hands. Stone him if
you like. Stone his messengers if you like. None shall pluck the sheep from
his hands. because God chose them. God gave
them to his son. The son died for them. He called
them, he rose again with them. He calls them by his grace, he
saved them and he keeps them. He keeps them forever, they are
his. He's by an eternal divine election. He's by the gift of his father. He's because he died for them.
He's because he loved them from all eternity. they are his and
because they are his sheep they hear his voice and they and he
knows them and they follow me. Have you heard it? Have you heard
his voice? Have you followed him? Do you
know this life and do you know that double grip around you to
grant you that assurance that whatever men may do, whatever
men may say, you're safe in the hands of Jesus Christ and his
father. My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow
me and I give unto them eternal life. and they shall never, never,
never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. Praise God, Amen.