Morning Message Text: John 10: 22-30
Further Conflict Over Jesus’ Claims
22 Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter,
23 and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade.
24 The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”
25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me,
26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep.
27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.
29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all ; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.
30 I and the Father are one.”
Morning Message:
In my devotional this week, I was reminded of the story of Enoch. Genesis 5: 24 simply says, Enoch walked with God. When I used to walk long distances and I was losing a lot of weight, I remember a person after church saying to me, “What do you focus on while you walk?” I said, mostly I pray and try to focus on God. She said, “You are losing so much weight” to which I responded, “I’m trying to be like Enoch.” She didn’t quite understand my sense of humor, but then got it when I said, “Enoch walked with God and then he was no more.” My devotional asked the question: “What does it mean to walk with God?” There is a clue in Hebrews 11: 5: “By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, ‘and was not found, because God had taken him’; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God.” To walk with God is to please God; we please God by trusting Him with our troubles. Hebrews 11: 6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” How well must Enoch have known God? How well do we know God? For the most part we take very little time to get to know the God we serve. As Christians we have that wonderful opportunity to get to know the God who created all things, but we fail to take full advantage of this opportunity. By coming to know Him better, we learn to trust Him more. By trusting Him more, we please Him. By pleasing Him, we walk with Him as Enoch did.
I bring up this story of Enoch to focus on the insecurity that many of us display in our walk with Jesus. It is very important for those who believe in Jesus and have accepted him as Lord and Savior to have confidence and feel secure in their faith. Can a Christian lose his or her salvation? This subject is critically important for one simple reason: we all sin. What happens when believers sin, or backslide? Can a person’s sins or failures result in the loss of salvation? In verse 28 of today’s scripture Jesus says, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.” Jesus makes the same promise in two different ways: believers will not perish, and no one can take eternal life from them. The doctrine of the believer’s security does not rest just on Christ’s words in this one passage. Hebrews 10: 10 tells us that it was by God’s will, and we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. The word of the Father reinforces Christ’s words and work: “For God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable” (Rom. 11: 29), and the inheritance he gives us “can never perish, spoil or fade” (1 Peter 1: 3-5). There are many other scriptures that I could point to in order to ensure you that once you accept Jesus, your salvation is secure, and nothing can take that away. Just take notice of that one requirement: once you accept Jesus.
Some critics have said that this doctrine is dangerous because it means that Christians can go out and live any way they want—even willfully sinning—without fear of the ramifications. But anyone who treats the security of the believer as an insurance policy so they can sin without consequence probably does not know the Lord to begin with. That is simply not the heart of a born-again follower of Christ. As Paul said, “We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? “ (Romans 6:2) Or in James’ words, “Faith without deeds is dead.” (James 2:26) True faith results in a transformed life. Those who have truly known the forgiveness of their sins and who are in the habit of thanking God for His love will not use their forgiveness and salvation as a license to sin. True believers in Christ look for ways to please Him every day, not loopholes by which to exploit their promised salvation.
The proof of eternal life. Verse 27 gave rise among Puritan theologians to the two marks of Christ’s sheep: the mark on the ear (“My sheep listen to my voice”) and the mark on the foot (“they follow me”). Just as cattle are branded today to identify their owner, so followers of Jesus are “branded” by those two traits. A true Christian is one who listens to the words of Jesus and who follows Him. Practically speaking, that means when we read the Word of God a spirit of agreement and affirmation will well up in our hearts. We will embrace what we read, not resist it. We will affirm its truth and look for ways to apply it in our lives. We will want to follow Him. And when we fail, we will want to repent and seek forgiveness. No true believer will be comfortable unless he or she is following Jesus. Last week I told you that the command of Jesus to Christians was to follow him. You can only do that if you can hear his voice. If you belong to Jesus you will understand this and respond. If you do not feel the urge to respond and feel like you are not hearing the voice of Jesus directing your life, then Houston, we have a problem and it’s an eternal problem that needs your immediate attention. Remember two marks: hearing and following. Can you sing the next hymn with confidence?
In Christ’s Love and Peace
Pastor Bob
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