I and the Father Are One, Part 3

I am the father are one is claiming to be the divine Savior God of very God, I am involved in redemption and the salvation of God's chosen sheep at the same level as God himself the father of many of those books raise questions, but give no answers or or worse, they cast page after page of doubt on who Jesus is and what he taught to truly understand who Jesus is. You have to turn to the pages of God's unchanging word John MacArthur takes you there today on grace to you in a study that will strengthen your faith if you're Christian and challenge your beliefs and give you hope. If you're not, it's all about rediscovering the Christ of Scripture. With that, here's the lesson. Open your Bible if you will, to the 10th chapter of John's Gospel were looking at John 10 verses 22 to 42. Let me read it to you starting in verse 22. At that time, the feast of the Dedication Took Pl. in Jerusalem. It was winter and Jesus was walking in the temple in the portico of Solomon.

The Jews then gathered around him and were saying to him how long will you keep us in suspense. If you are the Christ or the Messiah, tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you, and you do not believe the works that I do in my father's name.

These testify of me.

But you do not believe because you're not of my sheep my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me and I give eternal life to them and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My father, who has given them to me, is greater than all and no one is able to snatch them out of the father's hand, I and the father are one. The Jews picked up stones again to stone him.

Jesus answered them, I showed you many good works from the father, for which of them are you stoning me 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. Jesus answered them, has it not been written in your law. I said you are God's.

If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came in the Scripture cannot be broken. Do you say of him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world.

You are blaspheming because I said I am the son of God. If I do not do the works of my father do not believe me but if I do them, though you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the father is in me and I in the father. Therefore, they were seeking again to seize him, and he alluded their grasp, and he went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was first baptizing, and he was staying there. Many came to him and were saying. While John performed no sign it.

Everything John said about this man was true.

Many believed in him there. This is the final public declaration by the Lord Jesus of his deity. This is also the final invitation in the temple in the face of the Jewish leaders before he leaves for three months of isolation across the Jordan with his disciples and those who came to him there is noted at the end of the chapter.

As far as John's Gospel is concerned. Here is John's final record of Christ declaring himself to be God and calling on people to believe and he's doing it at the feast of dedication which was their celebration of the great Maccabean revolt that throughout Antiochus the Syrian invaders in the period between the Testaments the Jews today celebrated under the name Hanukkah.

It was in that event in the winter that Jesus declared this final declaration of his deity in the temple to the Jewish leaders and the people gathered there or celebration of this great feast and as I said, it becomes for John. The final invitation as at the end, Jesus says, believe in me believes in me since the beginning of the gospel of John. The same emphasis has been made.

Jesus is God. That's how it started in the beginning was the word the word was with God and the Word was God. That is John's point in this gospel as he says at the end. These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the son of God and that believing you may have life in his name, eternal life believing that Jesus is God is necessary for eternal life. If you do not believe that you will enter into eternal death and the punishment of everlasting torment in hell that is the message of the gospel. That's the message of the New Testament is not a noble teacher only he is not a religious leader, only he's not a highly moral man is not someone with unusual wisdom alone. Although all of those things are true. He is God, and anything less than that is blasphemy against him against him now needs to be stated that the Jews had made a different conclusion isn't that they by this time, with only three months to go before his death and resurrection, it isn't. By this time that they were still in process now. They had made their decision long before this months before this and it's recorded but when Jesus was still in Galilee you remember in chapter 12. They rendered their final verdict on Jesus. They said he does what he does by the power of BL's a bull. They couldn't explain his works, his miracles as natural or human.

So they knew there was a supernatural power behind him. They then declared that it was Satan that is power came from hell that he was demonic at the highest level. He was literally indwelt by Satan himself. That was there fixed conclusion and because it was a fixed conclusion. Jesus said, you will not be forgiven. There's no way out of that. If that's your final verdict. There is no possibility of salvation and in a very interesting transition, the end of chapter 12 and Matthew records that he declared them beyond salvation because they'd made a final conclusion that he was satanic and starting immediately. In chapter 13 he began to speak in parables.

I just want to make a point for you. There is an assumption today that Jesus spoke in parables to make things clear to unbelievers that you hear people say we need to talk in parables, we need to be storytellers like Jesus we wait. We need to get away from doctrine and propositional truth, and we need to be storytellers. This is just rampant, even among evangelicals and I want to make something very clear. Jesus did not speak in parables in order to make things clear to unbelievers.

He spoke in parables as a judgment so they would not understand this was a judgment. It was a judgment tempered with mercy, he said, caring. They will not hear as prophesied by Isaiah 6. Seeing they will not see, and they will not understand. That's why I'm talking in parables, but he said to his disciples to you.

It has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom and how did they know them. He explained the parables to the disciples. Mark actually says. From that point onward. He he spoke only in parables that was a judgment that was a judgment so we are at that point and we been at that point for a long time with the Jews. The Jewish leaders, Sadducees, Pharisees, scribes we been there for a long time for many months, but there's even grace in this final session before Jesus disappears for three months in that one last time in his public ministry before his passion week, he calls on them to believe. So we've been looking at this encounter. There's a lot here.

The first thing we saw here. There are five scenes that unfold was the confrontation in verses 22 to 24 where the people gather around the Jews.

That phrase by John refers most often to the leaders and then the people are with them as well.

Their followers, and of course there were tens of thousands of them gathered at the feast in the temple at that time and they asked the question how long will you keep us in suspense.

If you're the Messiah, tell us plainly while he stole them again and again and again and again and he told them so clearly that is not only the Messiah. He's also told him that he is God, because up to this point. They tried to stone him three times since chapter 5 so he's told that this is a hypocritical thing only reason they asked the question, is to to expose him to saying something blasphemous so that they can stone him on the spot if you're the Messiah, tell us plainly. Jesus answers in verse 25 and we go to the claim. He reiterates the claim. I told you, you do not believe you do not believe in.

Even though the works that I do in my father's name. These testify of me.

But you do not believe we spent a lot of time talking about that about the human responsibility and salvation.

To believe there's also a divine side.

Verse 26 you are not all of my sheep verse 27 my sheep here my voice. I know them, they follow me. I give eternal life to them, they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand and he gives the divine side you don't believe in your responsible for that unbelief. But then, on the other hand, mysteriously you are not my sheep. If you were my sheep chosen by the father, you would hear my voice, you would follow me, I would receive you, I would protect you. You would never perish. No one would ever snatch you out of my hand, and no one would ever snatch you out of the father's hand. Verse 29 then he sums it up by saying I am the father are one. In other words, we are one in this divine operation of redemption.

I am involved in redemption and the salvation of God's chosen sheep at the same level as God himself is claiming to be the divine Savior the divine Redeemer God of very God. I am the father are one. And of course their responses we saw last time they picked up stones again to stone Temple was always under construction. Plenty of stones and they grabbed their stones for the fourth time the John records in the last few chapters ready to stone him for claiming to be one with God.

In essence, and the work of salvation I call people to salvation.

I draw people to myself.

I give eternal life to them.

You remember back in chapter 5 he says is the father has life in himself, so the son has life in himself, that's God. Whoever does not receive life is God.

Whoever is the source of life that everything that lives receives from is God.

When Jesus says I give eternal life. He is saying I am the source of life. Therefore, the eternal God. They didn't mistake his claims. They knew he was claiming deity. They knew he was claiming to be equal with God and so immediately we go from his claim. At the end of verse 31. They pick up stones in verse 32 times their charge against him versus 32 and 33. This is the blasphemy section. Jesus answered them, verse 32. Stopping them in their tracks with the stones in their hands they pick them up there holding them there, ready to knock them over and crush out his life in a furious hail of rocks. I showed you many good works from the father.

Which of them are you stoning me the majestic com here is really amazing, unflinching, unruffled. He he stops them dead in their violent tracks not surprising because he evacuated the temple of the beginning of his ministry will do it at the end and it was full of tens of thousands of people who fled this fast as they could simply at the threat that he posed.

When they came to arrest in the temple police came back without him and they said well why don't you have him and they said never a man spoke like this man just his words stopped the action, and as violent as they were as out-of-control as their anger was.

He stopped them with his words their arms are lowered. Apparently in verse 33 because they speak, they say for a good work we do not stone you, but for blasphemy and because you being a man make yourself out to be God. Just complete calm, subdued the violence.

His statement is sensible, reasonable, rational. I showed you many good works from the father, for which of them are you stoning me from the father is the key phrase so for which of the good work from the father. Do you stone me this just stops them. They have an answer they said for good work we do not stone you, but for blasphemy and because you being a man make yourself out to be God or stoning you for blasphemy and that based on the Mosaic law that a blasphemer was to be stone.

They thought they were carrying out their righteous duty you being a man. Let me just make the point. There are people who have denied the humanity of Christ to have said that he was some kind of a phantom in their minds.

Clearly he was a man. This is not debatable. This is not open to question. Everyone knew he was a man verse John says if you deny that the son of God, the Messiah has come in the flesh you're judged by God.

He is a man. He was born the way men are born.

He lived as a child and a young man fully human in every sense. So you are a blasphemer because you being a man, which is not in question.

Make yourself out to be God, which, in their minds is the ultimate in the extreme blasphemy so they feel their religious duty to crush out his life at that very moment with the stones maybe still in their hands, but for whatever reason. No stone is thrown and it has to be the very divine restraint imposed on them by the son of God himself any causes them to have to think and he does it really interesting thing with their own law.

Look at verse 34 let's be rational. Stop the violence. Let's be rational.

Jesus answered them, has it not been written in your law.

I said you are God's. If he called them God's, to whom the word of God came in the Scripture cannot be broken. Do you say of him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world. You are blaspheming because I said I am the son of God.

This is just such an interesting thing. This is could you just be objective for a minute. Can you just think with me for a moment you set aside your fury, the emotion, the hate stop and consider the Old Testament why are you so inflamed that I am calling myself God when in your own Scripture man are called God's well this is this shows the mental alacrity of Jesus which would be unparalleled in a human being will relive to scour in an instant the Old Testament and pluck out an obscure section. Not even from the law and the prophets, but the songs go back to Psalm 82 because that's what he quoted Psalm 82 and Psalm 82 is a judgment by God on the rulers of Israel. Verse one God takes his stand in his own congregation. God shows up in Israel and he's not happy. He judges in the midst of the rulers over talk about rulers and by the way, rulers were judges. That's essentially what they did. They were judges. They adjudicated issues, solve problems, says to the judges. How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked your corrupt you are partial to the wicked because of your corruption.

You have an affinity for the corrupt vindicate the week in fatherless you're supposed to be their protectors do justice to the afflicted and the destitute, the plaintiffs rescue the weak and the needy implied from the oppression deliver them out of the hand of the wicked. That's what you're supposed to do, but they do not know, nor do they understand they walk about in darkness all the foundations of the earth are shaken.

Listen, everything that holds together society is rattling loose because there is no justice. Verse six. I said you are God's. And all of you are sons of the most high. What is he mean means look small G you are gods because you are the representatives of the one true God.

You are God's agents in the world.

You are the sons of the most high is delegated authority to you and he you receive his word. That's what it says over in John 10. If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came that they were the ones who were to teach and apply and uphold the word of God.

Nevertheless, you will die like men when there's there's some irony in some sarcasm and use of God's you you you may be saying and you you think you are God's. You think you are more than you really are, but you will die like men and fall like any one of the princes rise.

Oh God judge the earth or is you who possess the nations in the Old Testament. Jesus says corrupt judges were called gods, maybe sarcastically, maybe. Ironically, but the word was used for them because they received the word of God, and they were the instruments of God and the agents of God and is a sense in which that's true with a small G well if those corrupt judges could be called God's if he called them gods, God himself in Scripture called them gods, to whom the word of God came do you say of him whom the father set apart and sent into the world. You are blaspheming because I said I am the son of God. You see, the analogy making comparisons. If I do not the works of my father.

Don't believe me but if I do them, though you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the father is in me and I in the father. This is an amazing argument goes right into the Old Testament to make his case. Certainly, if the term gods could be applied to corrupt rulers. It's not a stretch for the un-corruptible perfect sinless righteous son of God, to be called God think what you're doing before you start throwing stones think what you're doing. This is grace to you with John MacArthur.

Thanks for being with us. His current study is looking at critical truths about Jesus that you may never have heard or maybe you simply forgotten them. It's titled rediscovering the Christ of Scripture John today. You showed how brilliantly Jesus made use of the Scriptures to assert his deity, and of course it was the Old Testament, the Jesus quoted which was the only Scripture that existed while he was here, so I'm wondering can Christians fully know and understand Christ if they don't have a deep grasp of the Old Testament. How important is the Old Testament for knowing and loving Christ. Well, I think the best way to approach that is to say that when you come into the Old Testament. You don't get past the third chapter of the first book of Genesis before all of a sudden, you are confronted with the fact that there's going to be a man who's going to come into the world and crush Satan's head ELA were still in the third chapter of Genesis. It's not long in Genesis before you find out that Abraham is about to kill his son, and God stops him and provides a lamb and you see a picture of God providing a substitute for human sacrifice, and all of those reality just continue through the whole of the Old Testament to get more refined and refined to get into the prophets, and they get specific like Isaiah 53. Details about Christ's life so you can know about Christ from the New Testament, and clearly that's where the full revelation of God in Christ is given, but you cannot know the reality and truth of the fullness of Christ unless you know how he was presented in the Old Testament. It fills up the picture completely, so you can have the Old Testament and you wouldn't have the full revelation of God because God has in these last days spoken unto us by his son.

That's the clearest revelation of God but the Old Testament is in perfect accord in perfect harmony and it predicts all the things that were true of Christ and everything that he fulfilled one of the reasons that I'm talk about this today is to remind you about the MacArthur study Bible. All of this that I've said to you just in the last few minutes is in the footnotes of the MacArthur study Bible.

If you have a study Bible you go to the Old Testament every passage it relates to Christ in our point that out to you and help you to understand exactly how it does connect with Christ. So if you don't have a MacArthur study Bible, new American Standard new King James ESV Spanish, French, Russian, German, Italian, Chinese, Portuguese, Arabic, lots of different versions affordably priced and available from Grace to you right and whenever you come across a verse and wonder what does that mean what that's where these footnotes come in and they cover nearly every verse to help you get a fuller picture of Christ and to know all of Scripture better order a MacArthur study Bible today. You can call us toll-free at 855 grace or go online to TTY.org in addition to the 25,000 footnotes.

The MacArthur study Bible also comes with dozens of maps and charts detailed introductions to each book thousands of cross-references. It's an all-in-one resource for unlocking the meaning of God's word.

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That's letters@tty.org or you can mail a letter to Grace to you. Box 4000 panorama city, CA 91412 now for John MacArthur. I'm Phil Johnson. Thanks for making this broadcast part of your day and be here tomorrow when John wraps up his study, rediscovering the Christ of Scripture with another 30 minutes of unleashing God's truth one verse at a time on grace to