04-17-16 John 10:22-42

Pastor Dan Denning

Turning Point Wesleyan Church

The Unbelief of the Jews

“It was now winter, and Jesus was in Jerusalem at the time of Hanukkah, the Festival of Dedication. He was in the Temple, walking through the section known as Solomon’s Colonnade. The people surrounded him and asked, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”

Jesus replied, “I have already told you, and you don’t believe me. The proof is the work I do in my Father’s name. But you don’t believe me because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.”

Once again the people picked up stones to kill him. Jesus said, “At my Father’s direction I have done many good works. For which one are you going to stone me?”

They replied, “We’re stoning you not for any good work, but for blasphemy! You, a mere man, claim to be God.”

Jesus replied, “It is written in your own Scriptures that God said to certain leaders of the people, ‘I say, you are gods!’ And you know that the Scriptures cannot be altered. So if those people who received God’s message were called ‘gods,’ why do you call it blasphemy when I say, ‘I am the Son of God’? After all, the Father set me apart and sent me into the world. Don’t believe me unless I carry out my Father’s work. But if I do his work, believe in the evidence of the miraculous works I have done, even if you don’t believe me. Then you will know and understand that the Father is in me, and I am in the Father.”

Once again they tried to arrest him, but he got away and left them. He went beyond the Jordan River near the place where John was first baptizing and stayed there awhile. And many followed him. “John didn’t perform miraculous signs,” they remarked to one another, “but everything he said about this man has come true.” And many who were there believed in Jesus.

It is reported that during World War II, a young bomber pilot, just before taking off on a critical mission, this man lit a match in the presence of the chaplain, and, after having blown it out, asked him, "Now, tell me, man to man, what happens to us when we die?"

This question is as old as Job and even from those before him, "If a person dies, can they live again?"

·        What is life all about?

·        What happens to us after death?

·        And, indeed, what is the meaning of our existence?

These can be tough questions for which the:

·        Answers can come hard,

·        Assurances are most often shallow and,

·        All too often, we are still left with that question burning within our minds as we bury a father, or mother, or our spouse, or dear friend –

·        "Is this all there really is?"

Us American’s - Living as we do:

·        In this land of wealth,

·        Where most of us are left wanting for very little,

·        Instead of needing,

·        We feel compelled to develop programs that will SECURE our FUTURES.

With our usual resourcefulness, we have designed Insurance Programs that covers almost everything that we ever think of and even some that we can't.

We have Insurance Programs which cover our

·        Health

·        Life

·        Vehicle

·        Home Mortgage and other loans

·        House Insurance

·        Earth quake Insurance

·        Flood

·        Businesses

·        We buy Insurance Policies to cover our Pets

·        Some have it to cover their rear-ends

·        Some for their teeth

·        To their chests

·        To their hands and feet.

·        It seems as if some circles, it isn’t of value to them unless they pay for insurance to cover it.

We FEAR our FUTURES:

·        What will become of me,

·        Where will I live,

·        What is life all about anyway?

But not only do we Fear of the Future, but we FEAR IN LIVING.  

·        So we build fancy

·        And elaborate security systems around ourselves

·        And around all of our possessions.

·        Alarms, guard dogs, and security people.

It can be a tragic and sad life if all we see is here and now.

And our lives are consumed by and into protecting our "stuff" which we have accumulate around us.

Unfortunately, many people fail to understand that Life Insurance Policies can never REALLY answer the basic necessary questions that most of us wrestle with at some time or another during our lives.

HOWEVER - there is Good News for us.

Believe it or not, there is a Life Insurance Program available for you and me that is more all-inclusive than any plan you could ever buy from any agent.

There is a plan available for us that is written so simple and clear, that even a child can grasp the meaning of it.

In fact, the children often understand it and accept it long before the adults ever do.

And the best News about it is that – it is free!

As many of us have done, standing before the open grave, in a windblown cemetery, under the green canopy, and on the AstroTurf, we have heard the Words of Christ:

"Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord ... I am the Resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die." (John 11:25-26)

·        A Life-Insurance Plan that guarantees that Life Never Ends.

·        A Life-Insurance Plan that offers more Security than you and I can ever imagine.

·        A Life-Insurance Plan which offers such a fantastic Peace of Mind.

·        Here is the Good News for us.

·        Our God loves us, you and me so much that He sent His Son, Jesus the Christ, who died on the cross for us and rose to a new life only three days later so that we, you and I might have a new life now and in the future – for forever.

·        The life insurance plan is Free for us: the premium has already been paid by Jesus with his own life!

·        It is written in a Plain, Clear and Simple language and does not contain any small print or misleading words.

·        It is not a cheap plan.

·        It is not a plan of little to no value.

·        And it is a plan without faults.

·        IT IS A Complete and an All-Inclusive, Free Gift and it is being offered to ALL OF US.

So going back to that soldier’s question "Is this all there is?"

As for me,

·        I have accepted this Gift from God.

·        I live my life under God's Life Insurance Plan,

·        I don’t do this just because it is free and all free things are good.

·        But I do this because God gave it to me –

·        It is signed, sealed, and delivered to me by Jesus the Christ Himself.

I have to admit, I do have trouble understanding why there are some who choose not to "Totally Buy into" this plan for their lives.

And I am not just talking about those:

·        Who don’t grace us with their presence within our churches,

·        Those who we call ‘The Lost’,

·        And those who just seem to be too busy.

No. Sadly,

·        If we are truthful

·        It is not only those outside

·        But we must also include many of us who are here, inside of the walls our churches as well.

·        But who is responsible for their non-acceptance?

·        Where does the blame rest upon for them not choosing God’s Plan?

·        Is it with them?

Wait a moment.

Maybe we are all too fast in answering that question.

·        Maybe it's more our fault than theirs.

·        Maybe we haven't told the story clearly and plainly enough,

·        Or maybe not often enough.

·        Maybe we haven't lived out this story we tell.

·        They see us talk of love and fellowship and caring for one another,

·        But then they see us fight over what is wrong with our churches.

·        Or we fight over who is in and who is out of the Kingdom of God – Like as if that is our decision to make.

·        Or they see us fighting over whether we like the pastor and his messages or not.

Maybe we haven't lived the story we tell –

·        We talk of love - And live in hate.

·        We talk of trust - And live in quiet solitude.

·        We talk of unity - And live in division.

But shouldn’t this be understandable to us?

·        We are all sinners!

·        And won’t our lives, our fellowship indeed reflect that from time to time.

·        This is why we must work hard at our forgiveness and on our offering of grace to others.

·        God tells us that unless we forgive others, we are not of nor are we with Him.

·        Did we understand that?

·        If we hold on to the memories of us being done wrongly, then we are not with God.

And Let Me be clear.

When I said earlier that I have trouble understanding why so many of us don't "Totally Buy into" God’s Plan for our lives.

·        My problem is not with those out there for whom the Gospel, the Good News, is unclear.

No

·        My problem is with those who have heard and yet fail or refuse to understand the message.

·        I am talking about those who heard yet still want to write their own life insurance plans because they can't or won't accept the one which God offers to us through and in Christ.

To so many, the Good News can't be received as the Good News.

I have trouble understanding why anyone refuse God’s Plan but rather want to try to work out their own salvation.

·        To fight the Lord’s Way but to work and sweat and struggle and fret in their way to get into the kingdom of God.

We are saved by what Jesus has done, not by what we try to do!

It is God's:

·        Grace,

·        His unconditional love for us,

·        That is our life insurance plan.

·        And all we have to do to have it is accept it as the gift it was meant to be.

Well. Maybe that is our problem:

We don't know how to accept gifts.

Somewhere along the way, we have taught ourselves that it's not polite to accept gifts without putting up some type of fuss.

Have you ever heard yourself with this type of responses?

·        "Oh, no, I couldn't accept that.

·        And “You shouldn't have."

All the while, we are asking:

·        "Why is He doing this?

·        Why am I getting this gift?

·        What does He want from me?

·        I'd better be careful here, there's got to be a string attached in here somewhere.

·        And our selfish reasons and distrusts go on and on.

Why can't we be like children?

·        Have you ever seen a child accept a gift?

·        Their eyes light up as if a thousand lights had been turned on in the head;

·        Their smiles stretch farther than the limitations of face and ears would seem to allow;

·        Through the True Expression of Love, They reach out and immediately accept their gift.

·        There are No complications.

·        There is No internal wrestling.

·        There is No guilt.

= = = = 

You know, after reading our Gospel lesson from John 10 several times, I discovered that people back in Jesus' day also had this same trouble with accepting who Jesus was.

Here Jesus was walking around on Solomon's porch in the temple at Jerusalem on the day of the Feast of Dedication.

At this festive occasion, called the Festival of Lights, Jesus was standing in this entrance of the east side of the temple.

People of that day were trying to find a Life Insurance Program which they liked and by which they were willing to live by.

They came to Jesus and asked Him over and over about whether He was truly the Messiah or not.

“If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”

It was not a question asked in honest sincerity or Truth. He had been showing them all along and they still came and wanted more proof and more proof before they would begin to think about accepting if they would accept it or not.

They wanted to find a way to have it all

but to also enjoy what they wanted.

And Jesus answered them: “I have already told you, and you don’t believe me. The proof is the work I do in my Father’s name. But you don’t believe me because you are not my sheep.”  

And there lies the tragedy which is unbelief: “I have already told you, and you don’t believe me.”

Jesus had announced the Good News:

·        In Word and in Action,

·        In Miracles and in Teachings,

·        On the hillside and in the Temple,

·        And still, people could / would not believe.

So back to the bomber pilot’s question: “Tell me, man to man, what happens to us when we die?"

If we accept this Gift from God, this Gift of Salvation, what happens next?

How do we accept this Gift?

1.   First, God wants us to Trust in His Son as Savior and Lord.

Philippians 2:9-11 (NLT)

“Therefore, God elevated Him to the place of highest honor and gave Him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

For many of us, we accept Jesus, doing the first part of the first step but then we grow impatient, as if we expect to see a change immediately.

 2 Peter 3:9 tells us:  “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.

We come to know who Jesus is through our repenting of our sin and most of the time, repenting for our way of life. We begin to know who Jesus is through our repentance.

When the disciples asked Jesus to show them the Father, He replied, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9)

God wants us to know Him and we can only know Him through Jesus.

2.   Next, God wants us to “become conformed to the image of His Son.” (Romans 8:29)

The Father wants all of His children to be like Jesus. He brings situations into our lives to refine us and chip away those flawed areas that are in the way of becoming who He designed us to be. (Hebrews 12:7 & James 1:12)

As Jesus was obedient to the Father in everything, so the goal of every child of God should also be to obey our Heavenly Father (John 8:29). 1 Peter 1:14-15 says: “So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is Holy.”

When we surrender ourselves totally to Him, His Holy Spirit empowers us to love God fully and serve Him from the right motive. True service and holiness are simply the outworking of the Spirit, the overflowing of a life dedicated to the glory of God.

When our focus is on LOVING God rather than simply SERVING Him, we end up doing both. If we skip the relationship, our service is of no use and benefits nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:1-2).

God’s desire for us is very simple.

People complicate things, tacking on rules and man-made laws that ensure frustration and kill the Joy in following Christ. (2 Corinthians 3:6)

God wants us to love Him with all our hearts and let our obedience stem from a heartfelt desire to be pleasing in His sight.

So what do you say?

We have all heard the Good News time and time again from this pulpit and within this church.

So What do you say?

God’s Gift of Salvation is there for you and me.

It is Pure.

It is Free.

It is Holy.

1) Jesus loves me, this I know

For the Bible tells me so;
Little ones to Him belong,
They are weak but He is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.

2) Jesus loves me! He who died,
Heaven's gate to open wide;
He will wash away my sin,
Let His little child come in.
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.

3) Jesus loves me! loves me still,
When I'm very weak and ill;
From His shining throne on high,
Comes to watch me where I lie.
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.

4) Jesus loves me! He will stay,
Close beside me all the way;
He's prepared a home for me,
And some day His face I'll see.

5) Jesus loves me, this I know

For the Bible tells me so;
Little ones to Him belong,
They are weak but He is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!