I and the Father Are One, Part 1

Why don't people believe it's not because there's not evidence it's because they hate the light because the light exposes their sin. Jesus says that the world hates me because I testify of it that it needs are that question will get many answers. Some would say Jesus is the most influential teacher in history, or the perfect example of love or simply a person like anyone else. But what does the Bible say about him and what do you need to know about Jesus. If you truly want to honor servant love him find out today as John MacArthur continues his study rediscovering the Christ of Scripture. But before the lesson John we started a new month of broadcasts today and there's much look forward to in March including a brand-new series. So tell our listeners what they'll hear if they tune into grace to you in the days ahead. Well thank you Phil, here's a quick glimpse of what's coming today through Friday were going to continue our study from the Gospel of John chapter 9 and 10 on rediscovering the Christ of Scripture, fascinating look, obviously the most wondrous, compelling person, past, present and future, the Lord Jesus Christ and in the next Monday, March 8 organist start a study taken from Luke 11 and it's called don't be afraid to ask the subtitle God surprising desire to answer bold prayers. That's a great subtitle God surprising desire to answer bold prayers this series by the way, had a significant impact on the congregation of our church and I think you'll see why as you listen to it. Don't be surprised if your view of prayer changes in a profound way and then March 11 all the way through April 2. Were going to be focusing on the resurrection so it's going to be a new study. The divine drama of redemption. This is something we have never aired before on Grace to you and as we start closing in on resurrection Sunday were going to launch a brand-new study and this one is based on Mark's account of the resurrection which of course is the turning point of redemptive history from the upper room to Gethsemane to our large trial, execution, and resurrection, you're going to see it all from Mark's viewpoint. The inspired writer of that gospel of the title. Again, the divine drama of redemption. While Mark does cover the entire story of the resurrection to get through the narrative, and fewer verses than the other writers.

Mark delivers us the the fast account but it's inspired by God for our edification. So go ahead all that rich content in the next three weeks leading up to resurrection Sunday gray days ahead.

Stay with us. Yes friend, I hope you can tune in all this month with studies on the person of Christ prayer and the cross and resurrection these next weeks are packed with practical biblical truth that will help you fight sin and know God's glorious love in a deeper more meaningful way. And so with that, let's get back to our current study titled rediscovering the Christ of Scripture. And here's John in John chapter 1 verse 49 Nathaniel says Rabbi you are the son of God.

This is how clearly Jesus had declared who he was. It was absolutely unmistakable. So we come to chapter 10 were not at all surprised that this has become a huge issue. Verse 31 Jesus makes the most clear, precise declaration I and the father are one verse 31 the Jews pick up stones again to stone him. Jesus stops them. He answered and said I showed you many good works from the father, for which of them are you stoning me the Jews answered him for a good work we do not stone you, but for blasphemy and because you being a man make yourself out to be God. They had no doubt what he was going absolutely no doubt it was for blasphemy really in the end that these leaders of Israel had dogged his steps and eventually got him to a Roman cross. It was blasphemy, the constant rejection of the leaders and the people has been chronicled in every chapter of John in chapter 1 came unto his own his own received him not. In chapter 2 is a massive conflict between him and the leaders of Israel when he goes in and assaults the corruption of the temple.

We we see the same hostility in chapter 3 we see it again and for we see it in five received in 678 910 1112 and 12 is the last chapter before the upper room discourse. So at the very end of public encounters during passion week the same hateful hostility exists. It culminates here in chapter 10, so that in verses 22 to 42. This final section, we really see John summing up the rejection of the son of God, the Messiah, by the people of Israel there five scenes here and I don't want to rush through them there so much profound theological truth here. The first scene is confrontational. Just call will give some CDs as we go confrontation and confrontation happened all the time all the time that the leaders of Israel confronted Jesus frequently you see that in Matthew, Mark, and Luke as well as John and they they like to confront him with a question so will say this is confrontation by means of an inquiry that that they would come and ask a question. Now you might say will that's a good thing except for the fact they had such corrupt motives. They had no desire for information they had no desire for clarification. They only wanted to put him in a public situation where he would say something that was so blasphemous, they would be justified in taking his life pattern then is familiar. They confront him. They propose a question. He answers the question reiterates his claim to be the son of God to be the Messiah. They react with unbelief, fury, anger, seek to grab him killing him on the spot and he escapes chapter 10 for the fourth time and it happened that these feasts and the reason they they made issues out of these feasts and John makes issues out of them is because that would be a place where they could get some public outcry going, they could manipulate the crowd so let's look at the setting verse 22. At that time it was the feast of Dedication Took Pl. in Jerusalem, all the great feasts took place there. This is the last annual feast each year. If you go by our calendar that the Jews celebrate.

It has another name is also called feast of lights and the Jewish contemporary Jewish word for that is Hanukkah.

We all know about Hanukkah, why did they call it the feast of lights because the way they celebrated it was to light candles and lamps in all their houses as a symbol of their celebration. It always happens on the Jewish calendar 25th day of Kislev, which is a November December calendar time 25th day of Kislev. While it's not an Old Testament feast that has a very interesting tradition that predates the New Testament.

You do remember that between the Old Testament and the New Testament. There's a 400 year.

That was 400 very very difficult years for the Jews very difficult. They were apostate rejected God went through lots of judgment. Lots of suffering, but sort of reached an ethical level around 170 years before Christ.

So 160 to 170 BC a man came along Assyrian monarch very powerful Syrian monarch Siri is not a new enemy to Israel this Syrian monarch was named Antiochus and he was like all of them. He was a narcissistic self-promoting madman.

So this Syrian ruler Antiochus powerful ruler the devoting of Greek culture and he wants power over Israel. He wants what the modern Syrians want with a modern Middle Eastern Arabic world wants. He wants Israel in the 167 BC he made a law and he imposed that law on everybody and it was a law that was essentially called Hellenization from the Greek word Elaine a, which means Greek or nations or Gentiles. He wanted a Hellenized everybody wanted to standardize everybody in the Jews wouldn't accept pagan religion, so he entered Jerusalem with a mighty force in 170 BC and he conquered the temple and immediately went inside the temple into the holy of holies and slaughtered a pig in the holy of holies. Then he erected a statue of Zeus, there. That was the start of a systematic effort to stamp out Judaism. He was brutal in his impression of the Jews and by the way, as they always do. They clung tenaciously to their religion under his direction. There were slaughtered, they were required to make sacrifices to pagan gods or die, that they were not allowed to a read or possess any portion of Old Testament Scripture savage persecution because the pious Jews.

The revolt as you would expect fight back and they were led by a priest named Matta Sias and met her thighs had sons, one of his sons was a man named Judas Maccabeus and under the leadership of this really effective powerful warrior leader Judas Maccabeus.

They retook the Jews retook Jerusalem and interestingly enough, it was on the 25th of Kislev that they liberated the temple rededicated it and establish the feast of dedication to commemorate the liberation of the temple.

The rededication of the Temple and the some historical information that Antiochus did what he did on the 25th of Kislev, and they liberated it on the 25th of Kislev. Years later, to that date became an important date.

Alice go back to John. It is then the 25th of Kislev in the feast of dedication is being celebrated at Jerusalem commemorating this great deliverance, the feast of lights Hanukkah and then verse 23 says this it was winter's first dark it was winter here. I read that earlier in the week.

I just can't stop there and thought about it. It was winter, not only on the calendar November December, but it was winter spiritually.

Son of righteousness who had arisen with healing in his beams had run his orbit and faded back to blackness. It was winter on the calendar. It was winter in the hearts of the Jews because it was winter. Jesus was walking in the temple in the portico of Solomon.

I told you in our study of Access mentioned in acts four and five when the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem 586 they destroyed the temple, but they didn't destroy that back wall on the eastern side.

The 600 feet of the retaining wall that was left from the original Solomonic temple console was called the porch of Solomon in front of that wall of day. They built a great patio porch put 40 foot high colonnades and a roof and that's where people would need to go when they came to the template that was winter and in the winter and is really can rain it can become very cold and snow in Jerusalem at the altitude winter becomes a little bit of a of a metaphor of the spiritual reality. So Jesus is walking in that part of the temple which is all that was left of the massive glorious temple of Solomon. This is his final public appearance. The rest is going to be private. Verse 46 says.

After this he went away he went away and he went away for three months and when he came back it was raise Lazarus come into the city. A week later crucifixion and resurrection. This is a very significant moment.

It really is winter so they are celebrating. They are celebrating their great human deliverer while murdering their Savior. Amazing confrontation is a set begins with a question. Verse 24. The Jews then gathered around him and were saying to him how long will you keep us in suspense. If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly know that is just so hypocritical. How long will you keep us in suspense. Wait a minute that already tried to kill him three times when he said, before Abraham was, I am the picked up stones to throw at him snuff out his life. They knew exactly who he claimed to be, but again this is all pretense to extract a blasphemous declaration by which they can enact their violence along with you. Keep us in suspense just rips with sarcasm. If you're the Messiah, tell us clean. By the way he's been gone for two months between verse 21 and 22 is two months from the prior feast to this one. We've gone from September October November December and all it takes is for him to show up, and their hate is initially activated. It's as if they they they held onto that hated such a fever pitch that just the sight of him activated the confrontation. How deep is their hatred that after two months, or desire to kill him. This is completely activated by just the sight of him. He had made claims to being God to being the son of God over and over and over and over. We've read them in chapter 5. We've seen them in chapter 6 we seen them in chapter 8, there were constant calling himself the son of God constantly through him. His whole ministry.

So there question is really a fraud is no integrity. So the first scene here then is the confrontation and that confrontation is marked by an inquiry. The second scene then comes in verse 25 and following. It's the claim that's the pattern that a question he makes a claim. The claim is deity.

The claim is deity. But before he makes that claim six explicitly in verse 30. Let's just while were at a time.

But that's that's all right. Look at verse 25 Jesus answered them, I told you I told you you don't believe that's the problem.

You don't believe I told you you don't believe and not only did I tell you, but the works that I do in my father's name. These testify of me.

But you do not believe stop right there. At that point in verse 26 I told you you don't believe the works that I do testify, but you don't believe this is the point folks they don't believe why say well all that evidence all that all those miracles. Nicodemus, you know, no man can do what you do except God be with him your teacher sent from God, why don't they believe let's go back. John three will close on this principle. John 316 for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Okay, believe that that's what John wrote this gospel of it that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ the son of God and that believing you might have eternal life in his name. Okay, so if you believe you have eternal life. Verse 17 God didn't send the son into the world to judge the world that the world might be saved through him. He who believes in him is not judged here does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten son of God. It's clear who is it's clear who you claim to be.

He is God in human flesh. He has the same nature as God, believe that this is the judgment that the light has come into the world and here's why they don't believe men loved darkness rather than light, for their deeds were evil, and everyone who does evil hates the light and doesn't come to the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. Why don't people believe it's not because there's not evidence it's because they hate the light because the light exposes their sin. Why are people angry with Christian why do people persecute Christians for the very same reason that they persecuted Jesus. Jesus says this, the world hates me because I testify of it that it's deeds are evil. John seven said that is a definitive statement you want to know why the world is hostile toward us, because we testify that the deeds of the world are evil. They don't want to hear that adulterers don't want to hear that homosexuals don't want to hear that liars, thieves want to hear that corrupt people don't want to hear that. Why because they love the darkness. There deeds are evil. They love their sin. It is the love of sin that produces unbelief and you can unload evidence, but unless the heart is turned to hate sin, there's nothing to be anything these Jewish people like all people love sin. On the other hand, Jesus said this in John 717 if anyone is willing to do God's will, he will know of the teaching whether it's of God, or whether I speak for myself what makes a difference if you love your sin, you will hate the gospel. If you desire to do the will of God, which means you hunger for righteousness. You will know the truth and you will believe it was you can talk about apologetics all you want, you can talk about defenses of the faith all you want. It's a sin issue.

The evidence is in the evidence is clear the life of Christ manifestly declared that he is God in human flesh. There is no other explanation man love sin and they hate righteousness, and they hate anyone who testifies about their sin.

Why, in our culture are people so angry at Christianity because we testify that there deeds are evil will have a choice and until they accept that testimony, they will not run into the arms of God. You don't believe you hate me because I tell you what you have to hear what you must hear what you hate to hear the one thing Christianity can't do is change its message. Stop being offensive. We are the most offensive people on the planet with the most outrageously offensive message that's ever been given by any we testify to people that there deeds are evil, that they love their sin and their darkness and that judgment will take them to hell. That's our message. It is the love of sin and the hatred of righteousness that produces unbelief even when all the evidence is there for the hearts are certainly moved by the truth. It comes across… With such clarity and such power. Such urgency that it's it's is not possible really to think about these things without reverence without a sense of holy fear. The seriousness of matters that relate to the soul. I I can only pray Lord that this message this truth her today or any other time in the future will be useful to the spirit of God to alarm sinners alarm the unconverted terrify those who are in the darkness, and love the darkness. The light has come, the son of righteousness arise with healing in his dreams, the son of righteousness ran a magnificent blazing brilliant orbit of light around Israel and men chose the darkness and then it was winter and the light was gone. Even Jesus himself said the light would go out where we look at the world around us and we thank you that your grace is still extended to sinners has been to us. We asked the light would shine again brightly in our world that the people of the light would be faithful to the hard message as well as to the compassionate message of grace that comes behind it. We ask that you would be glorified by opening the hearts of sinners, shattering the darkness bringing in the light. May the light of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ shine in the hearts of many, dispelling the darkness, the love of sin and replacing with the love of righteousness with forgiveness and eternal life.

Thank you for lifting us up or elevating us of the mundane.

Bless every life irreversible and accomplish your will through each one to the praise of your glory.

Christ's name that's grace to you with John MacArthur. He's the pastor of Grace Community Church he's chancellor of the Masters University in seminary and today he continued his study from John chapter 9 and 10 titled rediscovering the Christ of Scripture. Now this is a study that you're going to benefit from over and over again as you go through it at your own pace with your new believer or seasoned in the faith, knowing what Scripture reveals about the person of Christ will invigorate your worship. Increase your love for others and help you grow in holiness. So to get a copy of rediscovering the Christ of Scripture, or to download it. Contact us today. This HCD album is reasonably priced. You can order it by calling 855 grace where you can order online@jidety.org that's our website and that's where you can go. If you'd like to download every lesson in rediscovering the Christ of Scripture, free of charge and remember those lessons are a handful of the sermons in our archive. John has breached through the entire New Testament in many parts of the Old Testament 3500 messages available now@tty.org. Take advantage of. And thanks to for remembering that we are listener supported.

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