Sounded like a bunch of his sheep
were singing. Let's turn, if you will, tonight
again to John chapter 10. John chapter 10, verse 22. And it was at Jerusalem,
the feast of the dedication, and it was winter. Jesus walked
in the temple in Solomon's porch. Then came the Jews round about
him and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If
thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you,
and you believe not. The works that I do in my Father's
name, they bear witness of me. But you believe not, because
you are not of my sheep. As I said unto you, 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. I believe I brought three or
four messages on the first 21 verses of this chapter, and tonight
we're looking at a few more verses where the Lord Jesus Christ,
as the good shepherd, speaks about the sheep, Matthew Henry,
in his commentary, began his comments on this passage, these
verses which I've just read, with these words, and I quote,
We have here another encounter between Christ and the Jews in
the temple, in which it is hard to say which is more strange,
the gracious words that came out of his mouth or the spiteful
ones that came out of theirs. That's going to serve as our
outline tonight. I see three points there, don't
you? First, the place and time of this encounter between Christ
and the Jews. The place was a part of the temple,
here referred to as Solomon's porch. This was on the eastern
side of the temple, and it was somewhat like we grew up calling
a veranda. It was an open porch, but it
was covered. And we see the time, so that's
the place, Solomon's porch, on the eastern side of the temple.
And the time was the Feast of the Dedication. This feast was not part of the
law which God gave unto Moses. It was not one of the feasts
that was commanded to be observed by God. It was not incorporated
into the law of God. And it was certainly not one
of the three feasts that the law required every Jewish male
to attend in Jerusalem. Now when God gave the law, remember
this, They were in the wilderness, and God had not as yet chosen
a place as far as revealing it. Of course, we know in His mind
He had chosen the place, but He had not given them the place
where He would record His name. And it was only after David came
to the throne that Mount Zion was captured, which was a part
of Jerusalem, actually there were two hilltops. And on one
hilltop, the temple was built. And on the other hilltop, the
palace of the king, David, was constructed. But this feast,
it's here called the Feast of Dedication. Those three feasts,
if you read Leviticus chapter 23, where the feasts are given
unto us, actually was given unto the Israelites, there were several
other feasts besides these three annual feasts. But the three
annual feasts, in fact, every Sabbath day was a feast day. Every Sabbath, the seventh day
was a feast day according to the law that God gave to the
nation of Israel. Now, the three annual feasts,
and they have, most of these feasts have more than one name. But the first feast, of course,
was the Feast of Unleavened Bread. You had the Feast of Passover,
which was actually just one day. And the next day began, seven
days, the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And then the next one
of these three feasts was the Feast of Weeks. And we know that
as the Feast of Pentecost because they would count seven Sabbaths
and then the next day, which would be the 50th day after they
waived an offering, after the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and
they'd have the Feast of Pentecost. And then there was a final feast
that they had to attend and it was, of course, called the Feast
of Tabernacles and sometimes we call it the Feast of Booths.
B-O-O-T-H-S. Booths. And, you know, they would
make those booths, those little lean-to's or whatever you want
to call them. And they would all stay in those
places for a week. And during that time, it was
to commemorate the 40 years that their nation had spent in the
wilderness when God supplied their needs. He supplied their
needs, didn't he? He gave them water. You have
to have water. And they're in the middle of a wilderness. And
God gave them water out of the rock. And that rock is Christ. That rock is Christ. God supplies
our needs. He supplies the water of life.
How? Out of the rock. Out of Christ. And God gave them manna. He gave
them bread, didn't He? And the Lord Jesus Christ, He
was pictured by that manna. He's the bread of life. Now, this feast, the Feast of
Dedication, it also has two names. It's sometimes called the Feast
of Lights. This feast was instituted, not
by God, but during the 400 years from Malachi to the birth of
Christ. During that 400 year space, the Greeks and Syrians controlled
Palestine. And there was a ruler that came
to the throne and his name was Antichus Epiphanes. And he was a hater of God and
he desecrated the temple. In fact, I believe I've read
that he actually offered a hog, a pig, upon the altar in the
temple, or at the temple in Jerusalem. Desecrated the temple. And there was a family of priests
by the name of the Maccabees. The Maccabees, they came and
they drove that man and his forces out. And they rededicated the
temple. I believe they actually had a
new altar. And the man who instituted this
feast His name was Judas Maccabees. Now this feast, as I said, is
also called the Feast of Lights, the Feast of Dedication. Today
it's known as Hanukkah. Hanukkah. And they have the Minerva. And it has eight lights, right? Four on each side and that one
light in the middle. That one candle in the middle.
But that candle is used to light the four candles on this side
and the four candles on this side. And they light a different
candle each day for seven days. And this feast is celebrated
in winter, as the scripture here says, in the month of December. Just in case any of you are interested,
I checked earlier, and Hanukkah is going to begin on the 17th
day of December this year. That's a beautiful ceremony,
I guess you'd call it, a beautiful rite. I mean, to see those candles
lit, and every day they burn for 30 minutes, and they light
one the first day, and then the next day they come back and they
light the one next to it, and then the one that lit the night
before, and so forth and so on, till they come all the way across.
The Feast of Lights. That was the place. the porch
of Solomon's, and that was the time, wintertime. Now, second,
Matthew Henry said, we have here another encounter. That's the
encounter. Where did it take place? When
did it take place? And then he went on to say, it
is hard to say which is more strange. And we're going to look
first at the spiteful words of the Jews. the spiteful words
of the Jews. And I would just remind us that
in the Gospel of John, when John says the Jews, now you read that
you just think, well the people of Israel, the nation of Israel.
And that is true, they were Jews, but in the Gospel of John it
almost always refers to the Jewish leaders. The Jewish religious
leaders, the scribes and the Pharisees, and the great Sanhedrin. And we see that in John chapter
1, when they sent a delegation down to John the Baptist and
asked him, who are you? Who are you? The Jews, they're
the ones who came to the Lord now at this time. And they asked him, if thou be
the Christ, tell us plainly. Think about that question. On
the face, it sounds like a good question, doesn't it? If thou
be the Christ, tell us plainly. But what did these Jewish leaders
understand by Christ? Were they talking about the Christ
of God, the one who is anointed of God, the one mediator between
God and man? Is that who they are asking?
Are you that Christ who would come into this world and be a
sacrifice for our sins? Are you the Christ? Or are they
asking, are you the Christ that they had over a period of time
come to expect a Christ who would be a sovereign king and would
overthrow the yoke of Rome and make their nation once again
the head and not the tail, that they would be a nation of great
power. Are you the Christ? Now tell
us plainly. Had they asked, are you the Christ,
as we understand what that term means, maybe his answer would
have been different. But they asked him, and remember
what was in their mind, the Christ. The Christ is going to be a king,
and he's going to overthrow Rome. Art thou the Christ? Remember
later when they arrested the Lord and carried him to Pilate. Now Pilate was the governor. He was the Roman authority there
in Jerusalem. The Bible is very clear that
Pilate was a weak man, a very weak man. And for a man like
Pilate to be in the position he was in was an awful, awful
place. Because the scripture says this
about Pilate, he sought to release Jesus. He saw through the religious
leaders. He saw that they had brought
Jesus to him because they were jealous. Because those religious
rulers viewed the Lord Jesus Christ as a threat to their authority. And Pilate was willing. In fact, the scripture says he
sought to release him. But he was warned, you remember,
by his wife. She told him, she said, I had
a dream concerning this man. He said, just me. Don't have
anything to do with him. When he brought the basin of
water out there and soap, I guess, and washed his hands and he said,
You know, I'm turning him over to you. He sought to release
him. But when he did, this is what
the same people who came to him here and asked him, if thou be
the Christ, tell us plainly, this is what they said to Pilate.
The Jews cried out, saying, if thou let this man go, thou art
not Caesar's friend. Whosoever maketh himself a king
speaketh against Caesar. Art thou the Christ? How long
do you keep us in suspense? How long do you cause us to doubt?
But what Christ were they asking him? Art thou that king that
we've been taught to expect, that we're looking for? Or are
you the Christ who has come into this world anointed of God to
save His people from their sins. And our Lord in His answer, you
notice, He said, I've told you, I've told you, and you believe not. Our Lord
had told them through the miracles that He had wrought Even Nicodemus,
who was one of these members of the Sanhedrin, he came to
our Lord and, you know, he said, no man can do these miracles
which thou doest, except God be with him. I mean, he recognized. These miracles testified. They testified that he is the
Christ, but not the Christ they were expecting. But the Christ
that God had promised, the Christ who would come into this world
and open the eyes of the blind, would give strength to the lame,
would heal those that were deaf, would unloose the tongues of
those who couldn't speak. All of these miracles that cleansed
the lepers, all of these things that were foretold of the Christ,
He had done in their sight, in their plain view. He had told them. Yes, He was
the Christ. If you turn back with me to Isaiah,
just a moment. Isaiah chapter 35. Here we have
a prophecy of the Christ, the one who was promised by God to
come. In Isaiah chapter 35, Verse 3, we read, strengthen
you the weak hands and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them
that are of a fearful heart, be strong, fear not. Behold, your God will come with
vengeance. He did come, their God did come. In fact, He was speaking to them.
Your God shall come with vengeance. You say, what does that mean?
Christ took vengeance upon our enemies, didn't He? Upon Satan,
upon sin, upon death, upon hell, destroying each and every one
of these enemies of His people. Yes, He took vengeance. Even
God with a recompense. He will come and save you. Then
the eyes of the blind shall be opened. Remember, the chapter
preceding the 10th chapter of John, we've got the eyes of a
man who was born blind, open. The eyes of the blind shall be
open. The ears of the deaf shall be
unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap
as in heart, and the tongue of the dumb sing. For in the wilderness
shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. and the parched
ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water,
and the habitation of dragons, where each lay shall be grass
with reeds and rushes, and a highway shall be there and away, and
it shall be called the way of holiness. The unclean shall not
pass over it. But it shall be for those the
wayfaring man, though fools, shall not err therein. The way of life, the way of salvation,
is made manifest, isn't it, by the coming of the Lord Jesus
Christ. And it is so plain and so clear
that even a fool cannot misunderstand that the Lord Jesus Christ is
the only way to the Father. You don't have to have a degree
in theology to understand that, do you? I am the way, the truth,
and the life, and no man cometh unto the Father but by me. Believe
it or die in your sins. Now, let's go back to our text. Matthew Henry said, the gracious
words that come out of Christ's mouth. We sing a hymn sometimes, and
one line of that hymn is, majestic sweetness sits enthroned upon
the Savior's brow, his head with radiant glories crowned, his
lips with grace or flow. His lips with grace or flow. What we see here in our Lord's
gracious words we see five gracious words that Christ spoke concerning
his sheep. Number one, his sheep hear his
voice. Notice that in verse 27, my sheep
hear my voice. They hear his voice in the gospel. The gospel is preached and it's
preached to everyone. Go into all the world and preach
the gospel to every creature. And some people it's just like
water off a duck's back. Some people it's like seeds sown
on the stony ground, isn't it? It's sown and the fowls come
along quickly and it's gone. But there are some who hear the
gospel. My sheep, who are they? He said,
my sheep hear my voice. The lines of that hymn, I hope
I can quote it halfway right. Why was I made to enter while
there's room when thousands make a wretched choice and rather
starve than come? T'was the same grace that spread
the feast that gently caused me to enter, else I too would
still refuse to enter. My sheep hear my voice." We hear his voice, his sheep
do, we hear his voice as the gospel is proclaimed. We hear his voice. I'm not talking
about an audible voice, you know that. But when the gospel, that's
how Paul told the Thessalonians that he knew their election of
God. Why? Because the gospel came
to them, not in word only. It did come in word, but in power
and demonstration of the Spirit. Number two, his sheep hear his
voice. Number two, his sheep are known
by him. Well, you say, well, he knows
everything. Granted, he's God. He's omniscient. He does know
everything. There's no doubt about that.
But this knowledge, when he says, I know my she, this knowledge
is like that knowledge that God expressed to the nation of Israel
in the book of Amos, that minor prophet Amos. God said unto them,
you only. You only have I known of all
the families of the earth. Now you think of all the families,
the Hittites, the Jebusites, I mean you just go on through
that Old Testament, all those different Hites, the Canaanites,
Philistines and so forth and so on. And yet God said you only. Now God knew all those other
people. He knew their names, He knew when they were born,
He knew everything about them. But he only knew this one family,
the family of Israel. And that tells us more than just
knowledge, knowing. It tells us something about his
love. His love. When the scripture
here says, when our Lord says, rather, I know my sheep. As one
writer said, he knows his sheep with approbation. Complacency,
love, and interest. I know my sheep. Or as the Apostle
Paul said, for whom he did foreknow, them he also did predestinate
to be conformed to the image of his Son. I know my sheep. They were all given to me by
my Father. I know them. I know everything
about them. And if you, tonight, are one
of his sheep, he knows you. He's loved you from before there
was ever a star in the sky. I have loved thee with an everlasting
love, the scripture says. Therefore, have I called thee
with the bands of a man. He calls us, doesn't he? I know
my sheep. And number three, his sheep hear
his voice, his sheep are known by him, his sheep are given eternal
life. Notice what he says in verse
28. And I give unto them eternal life. In John chapter 17 in verse
3 in his prayer he said this is life eternal. that they might
know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast
sent. He gives his sheep eternal life,
bringing them to know God. We are brought to know God through
Christ, who is the one mediator between God and us. And notice he says, I give unto
them eternal life. In Romans chapter six, the apostle
Paul said, the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is
eternal life. Do you see that? Paul says the
gift of God is eternal life. The Lord Jesus said, I give unto
my sheep eternal life. He is God. That's what he says
in verse 30, isn't it? I and my father are one. This verse refutes two errors. This one verse, verse 30, I and
my Father are one. This verse refutes two errors
that has cropped up in the church through the history since the
Lord Jesus Christ was here in the flesh. There are those who
deny the Trinity. They deny that there are three
persons in the Godhead. But this verse clearly says,
I and my Father. There's two persons. I and my
Father are one. It refutes that era that sometimes
He's the Father, sometimes He's the Son, sometimes He's the Holy
Spirit. Same person, but different name. No, no. Same God, same essence. but they're three persons. I
and my Father are one. And it also refutes the error
of those who deny the deity of Christ. I and my Father are one,
of one essence. Number four. These are gracious
words, are they not? His sheep hear His voice. His
sheep are known by Him. His sheep are given eternal life. And number four, His sheep shall
never perish. Isn't that what He said? Look
at the second part of verse 28. And they shall never perish.
I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish. You know, it never ceases to
amaze me at the lengths men will go to deny this very plain, clear
statement of the Lord Jesus Christ. I read this past week one man,
and men, they hate this doctrine. Religious men hate this doctrine
of the perseverance of the saints. I give them eternal life and
they shall never perish. But one man, he made this gloss
on that statement. He said, they shall never perish
through any defect on my part, though they may fall away by
their own fault. How foolish is that? We need
to be saved from ourselves, don't we? That's part of salvation. No, I give unto them eternal
life and they shall never perish. The scriptures declare this about
our high priest. It says that he, by his blood,
entered into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption
for us. Eternal redemption. And you know
it was for us. Having obtained eternal redemption
for us, for his sheep, it was for us he came into this world.
It was for us He was made a curse. It was for us He endured the
judgment of God upon Himself while hanging upon the cross.
It was for us He obtained eternal redemption. They shall never
perish. And number five, His sheep are
in His and His Father's hands. One of the preachers who preached
here recently in the conference, I believe he called this double-fisted
security. Double-fisted security in the
hand of Christ, in the hand of God. And no man, no man shall
pluck one of them out of my hand. My Father which gave them me
is greater than all. No man shall pluck them out of
my Father's hand. To every sheep of Christ here
tonight, no matter how low sometimes God may let you sink. And sometimes
we do sink low, don't we? Sometimes we know discouragement.
Sometimes we know depression. Sometimes we just feel like There's
no way we could even be one of his sheep. But remember this,
we're in his hands. And underneath are the everlasting
arms. No matter how low we may sink,
we're not going to sink so low that we're not still in his hands. I give unto them eternal life
and they shall never perish. Neither shall any man pluck them
out of my hand." I pray that the Lord would bless these words
to all of us. Nothing new, but the gospel's
not new, is it? It's old. It's old. Tell me the old, old story of
Jesus and his love. Amen?