The Shepherd And His Father

What a time of worship.

As we've come this morning, really at the feet of the cross, as we've come to behold our

At least there should be. The reality of knowing Christ, seeing Him for who He is, really should

lead us to what we have just done, and that is worship.

Several months ago, I was driving home from Illinois with my family, and we were about

the Lafayette area. We were coming from Illinois down to southern Ohio, and we were making

our way, and there was major construction there right there in Lafayette. And of course,

my GPS is telling me to get off. It kind of foresees the impending construction issues,

and it encouraged me to get off. I said, get off. Hey, I'll be fine. I can handle a little

bit of a delay. No problem. So I passed the exit, and you kind of think, well, is it just

asking me to get off so I can get back on? I'm kind of short-cutting the system, kind

of cutting in line. I don't want to be one of those people, and in my heart, I'm spurning

all the people who are getting off and thinking, there they are. They're just cutting in line,

those cheaters. And so I drive another hundred yards, and it takes me ten minutes, and I get

to this little turnaround spot. You know, the one where it says, do not U-turn? And I'm thinking

to myself, here's my opportunity. The crossroads, you know, this is an opportunity for me to kind

shortcut the system to turn around and do what I was encouraged to do a hundred yards

ago, ten minutes ago, but traffic seemed to be picking up, and I'm like, okay, I can handle

this. It's okay. I'll just keep moving. A hundred yards later, ten more minutes, and I am absolutely

kicking myself. What in the world was I thinking? And I noticed that they actually took the sign

down, that was said, no U-turn right there, because they anticipated that people would do

that, and they were actually kind of giving them permission. And so the regret, you're like,

ah! And thirty minutes later, I've only gone about 200 yards. It just, this is going to take

forever. This is already the middle of a trip, and I've already got four more hours to go.

I can't afford an hour delay here in Lafayette. You ever been in crossroads of life? You ever

been at those points of decision in life, and you look back on those points of decision, those

intersections of life, and you think, boy, I sure wish I would have made a different decision.

Or maybe you look back on those crossroads, and you say, praise you, Lord, for helping

to make the right decision. Well, in our passage in John chapter 10 this morning, we come to

John 10 · chapter mention

one of those crossroads, one of those intersections of life, one of those points of decision, those

points of meeting, those watershed moments of life where we are called to make a decision,

what will you do with this? And here, Jesus is answering a challenge, as we will find in

our passage this morning, John chapter 10, beginning in verse 22. There's a challenge that's coming

John 10 · chapter mention

from the Jews, this group of religious leaders, and they're challenging Jesus. Make it plain,

Jesus. Tell us once and for all, in clear speech, who you really are. And what we'll find this

morning is we'll find Jesus helping to definitively and clearly tell them, once and for all, here is who I am.

What will you do with me? We're all faced with that same crossroad today. As we're going to come and

hopefully this morning look at 10 characteristics that we'll see in just these 12 verses, 10 characteristics

of Christ that help us to understand definitively that He is the Messiah, that He is the one who came

as not only a representative from God to fulfill the work of God, but that He is God in the flesh.

He has come to carry out the work of God on the earth. Now, some have said that less is more.

And this morning, I'm going to try to go against that and say more is better.

So this could be an absolute fail, but my hope is, my prayer is that as I give you more to process,

that you'll be able to just together marvel at the wonder of our God.

So what I'm going to do is we've got 18 slides this morning. And if any of you are feeling frustrated,

like I can't keep up and there's too many references, what I've done is I've got a half sheet here

that I can give to anybody at the end of the service so you don't get frustrated. They have all the

passages and all the fill in the blanks right here, okay? So hopefully more is better, not less is more.

But we have a challenge before us this morning. In just 12 verses that are so packed with theological

content, we could spend months developing any number of 10 or 11 different theological themes.

We could talk about the inerrancy of Scripture. We could talk about the depravity of man.

We could talk about sanctification and regeneration and illumination and soteriology and election and

foreknowledge. We could talk about eternal security. We could talk about the deity of Christ. We could

talk about the oneness of God in the Trinity and the unity of the Godhead. But what we're going to try

to do this morning is focus on one question. One of these themes that Jesus responds to directly

because it is my conviction, and I believe Scripture bears this out, that if we come to know Jesus,

then everything else will begin to come into focus. As we begin to understand and love and know our

Savior, Jesus Christ, and come to enjoy the sweetness of Him, then everything else will just fall into place.

And so this morning, we're going to look at these 10 evidences, some that are definitive and some that

are implied through our passage today, and we'll see that indeed Jesus is God.

And here He is, standing in their presence. Here He is, showing up in flesh and blood. Here He is,

the proof that God has come to man. Here He is, theology wrapped up in humanity. Here He is,

the tangible has come to make the glory of God. So this morning I'd like to look at this,

and I'll begin just with reading the first few verses. We'll take this a piece at a time.

Just beginning with verses 22 to 25, and we'll begin with the fact that Jesus

claims to be God because He speaks the words of God. We find that here in verses 22 to 25.

It says this,

At that time, the feast of the dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was the winter,

and Jesus was walking in the temple in the colonnade of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around Him and said

to Him, How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.

Jesus answered them, I told you and you do not believe. Jesus speaks the words from God. That's our

first point this morning. He speaks the words from God, and here it shows up, I told you and you do not

believe. We might ask ourselves the questions we've been going through this study in the gospel of

John. When did Jesus tell them that He was the Son of God? When did He make it very clear? When was it

definitive? How did it show up in His ministry? How should they have known? And why are they now asking

this question at this time? Notice here in verse 22 it says, It was at the time of the feast of

dedication. Now we have transitioned now, and there's been two months that have occurred between

verses 21 and 22. The feast of the tabernacles was kind of the context, the setting for chapters 7

through 10 up to verse 21, and now two months have transpired. And look at this, the conversation

continues. Jesus is picking up this theme again, as we'll see, about the shepherd and the sheep. But now,

as He's dealing with being a shepherd and speaking directly to the fact that He is the shepherd and

talking about His relationship with the Father. The feast of dedication would have been not a

mosaic feast, not a feast that was spelled out in the book of the law, but it was a feast that

happened during the intertestament period, the time between the Old and the New Testament.

What had happened in about 165 BC was Antiochus, I think his name Antiochus Epiphanes, who was a ruler,

thought that he would impose his Hellenistic ideas on the empire and on the world. And so he comes

marching into Israel, and he seeks to stamp out anything Jewish, anything distinctively Jewish,

or that had any overtones of the law, anything that wasn't distinctly Hellenistic. And so he

marched into the temple, and in order to desecrate the temple, he offered a pig as a sacrifice on the

temple. Not only a forbidden animal, but a forbidden person performing these ceremonial duties,

leaving the temple utterly worthless in terms of being able to be useful in any way in worship of God.

He also set up his own gods in the temple, which was a desecration to the temple, keeping any of the

Jews from being able to worship there. He also made sure that anyone who was reading a copy of the Old

Testament was punished, and that any copy that he found was destroyed. It was his intention to make

sure that anything that would resemble worship to anything but his God was stamped out. But in 165 BC,

a man by the name of Judas Maccabees led a revolt and was able to retake Jerusalem on the 25th of

Kislev in 164 BC, liberating the temple, rededicating it, making it sanctified again, so that worship could

begin to take place. And so we have the Feast of Dedication, the Festival of Lights, or today is known

as Hanukkah, that has continued to be celebrated by the Jewish people. This celebration of rekindling the

worship that was happening in Jerusalem, restoring what was broken and allowing the people to worship

God once again. And so you can imagine that during this season of time, during this festival, there was

a heightened awareness of the Messiah who would come, who would set the world straight, who would right

all of the wrongs, who would reestablish the nation of Israel, who would liberate them from any

oppression, who would restore the nation, not only to its previous glory nationally, but its previous

glory in terms of religion and worship of God. And so here they come. We find not only the Feast of

Dedication, we find that Jesus is in the temple. He's in the temple walking in a place known as the

colonnade of Solomon. This would have been a portico, a location that was supported by pillars and kind of

had this awning so that people could be protected from the elements. And Jesus is there, and the Jews

gather, and they challenge him with this statement. If you are the Christ, tell us plainly. Let us know.

Stop speaking in figurative language. Make it clear to us who you really are. Now, of course, their intention

wasn't to have information. Their intention wasn't really to know the facts so they could respond to those facts.

They wanted an excuse to hang him. They wanted a reason to put him to death. They wanted something definitive so

they could say, this one is blaspheming. And there they stood at the intersection of fact and faith, and they

are rejecting the very one who will lead them into worship. The very one who will lead them into

relationship with God the Father. Throughout Jesus' ministry, his words were distinctive. And certainly we

don't have time to go through all the passages, but I'm going to put a few of them up here for you, not only

in the Gospel of John, but also in the Gospel of Luke. I had the privilege of preaching through Luke

when I was at Tabernacle, and so a lot of these verses are fresh and familiar to me. So I wanted to

give you some correlation between the synoptic Gospels and also the Gospel of John to help you see

that Jesus spoke with the words of God. They were distinctive. They were separate. They stood apart

from the words of the other religious leaders. They carried authority. There was depth and insight,

understanding into the Scripture. He spoke with his own authority and not with the authority of those

who had come before. But there was grace in his words. There was wisdom in his words. There was

boldness that cut to the heart and got to the matter that was at stake. His words alone, through his words

alone, Jesus demonstrated that he was from God. In John chapter 4 verse 42,

John 4:42

those who had come from this Samaritan village and had heard the words of this woman who Jesus had

encountered, they say this, they said to the woman, it is no longer because of what you said that we

believe. For we have heard for ourselves and we know that this indeed is the Savior of the world.

We have heard him for ourselves and it is distinctive and we know that he is the Savior of the world.

In John chapter 6 verse 68, Simon Peter answers the Lord and says,

John 6:68

Lord, you alone have the words of life.

The words from God. In John chapter 7

John 7:14–16

verses 14 to 16 it says,

Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught and the Jews

marveled at his words.

John 7

40 and 41,

Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, truly this is the prophet.

And a quick study through the gospel of Luke will help you to see the same things.

That when Jesus teaches, there was distinctiveness.

People marveled.

They recognized his authority.

Not only authority to teach from the scriptures,

but authority to speak and to declare victory and power over the demons.

There was power in his words.

So that in Luke chapter 5, early in Jesus' ministry, it says,

Luke 5 · chapter mention

As the multitude pressed about him, why?

To hear his words.

There was something about the words of Christ that set themselves apart from the world.

And as Jesus calls these group of Jews to just recall and remember his words,

he calls them to the point of intersection.

The intersection of fact and faith and to consider,

Who am I?

What will you do with Jesus?

He proves he is God because he speaks the words of God.

But notice moving on in verse 25, he says,

I told you and you do not believe,

The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me.

He not only speaks the words of God, but he does the works of God.

He performs the works that God has given him to perform.

The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness of me, he says.

Jesus' life in ministry was punctuated by working,

was punctuated by miracles.

It was the exclamation point that said,

You are who you say you are.

You are from God.

And anyone who would have observed and seen and witnessed these miracles

should have come to the point of saying,

Truly, this is the Son of God.

Look at what he has done.

They prove unquestionably.

They prove with definitive evidence,

substance that helps to set him apart as one who is from God.

Miracles that spanned the gamut.

Miracles that demonstrated power over demons,

power over disease,

power over death,

power over blindness,

power to restore limbs,

power to make clean,

power to create the bread and the fish

and the feeding of the 5,000,

power over nature to gather the fish

and to walk on water,

power to calm the wind and the waves.

There was power in miracles

and evidence that he is God.

And Jesus calls the attention of these Jews

and says,

Look at my works.

They're the difference maker.

They provide the substance.

Just look at them.

And through John's gospel,

we see the same.

We see in John 2, verse 11,

John 2:11

this,

the first of his signs in Cana,

where he turned the water into wine.

And he says,

He manifested his glory,

and because of it,

his disciples believed.

When Jesus did his works,

people were saved.

People were converted.

Faith came.

It was the intersection of fact and faith

as they saw the evidence of Christ

showing up in his working

and manifesting that he was from God.

In chapter 2, verse 23, it says,

Now when he was in Jerusalem,

at the Passover feast,

many believed in his name

when they saw the signs that he was doing.

And then jumping over to chapter 4,

I love what Nicodemus says.

He says,

actually chapter 3,

This man came to Jesus by night

and said to him,

Rabbi,

we know that you are a teacher

come from God.

Why?

For no one can do the signs

that you do

unless God is with him.

There is evidence.

We are a society of evidence.

We are a society that demands proof.

Jesus was about evidence.

Fact and faith meet

at the intersection of Jesus Christ

and he demands a response.

What will you do with me?

What will you do

with the evidence

that I am from God?

Jesus moves on

in his argument.

In verse 26,

he says,

he says,

but you do not believe

because you are not part

of my flock.

You do not believe

because you are not part of my flock.

Jesus possesses

the knowledge of God.

Jesus shows up on the scene

and understands

and perceives

and knows the heart of men.

He is looking at these Jews.

He is understanding

the skepticism.

He sees their heart.

He knows their end.

But he is still here

answering their question.

You do not believe

because you are not my sheep.

I know your heart.

You would like to conceal

your true identity,

but I know who you really are.

I know you fully.

And I know why

you are asking me

this question.

Not so that you can be

drawn into worship,

but you are asking me

this question

because you want

a reason

to indict me.

This is another

clear evidence

of his deity.

His ability to perceive,

his ability to know

the knowledge of God

that was coming through

the ministry of Christ.

From start to finish,

we see it

showing up

in the Gospel of John.

In John 1,

47-49,

Jesus is encountering

Nathanael.

And in his

announcement to Nathanael,

in his welcome

to Nathanael,

he says this,

Behold,

an Israelite

in whom

there is no deceit.

How did Jesus know that?

Well, he knew

because he knew

Nathanael.

Nathanael is

enamored by this

and he's just,

How did you know

who I was?

And Jesus says,

I saw you

when you were standing

by that fig tree

over there.

And Nathanael says,

Because of the knowledge

of God,

he says,

You truly are

the Messiah.

And Jesus is like,

Yes, Nathanael,

but you're going to see

greater things than this.

There is better

things to witness

than even this.

Just hold on

to your seat,

Nathanael.

We've got a ride

in store.

I'm going to show you

that I am

the person

that you have just

stated me to be.

In John chapter 2,

John 2 · chapter mention

22 to 24,

23 to 24,

it says,

Now when he was

in Jerusalem

at the Passover,

during the feast,

many believed

in his name

when they saw

the signs

that he did.

But,

Jesus did not

commit himself

to them

because he knew

all men.

In chapter 4,

verse 39,

the woman

at the well

and the moment

for her

in understanding

the person

of Christ

and who he really

was,

this is summed up

in this statement

as she is going

back and telling

the people

in her village.

She says,

He told me all

that I ever did

and many more

believed

because of his word.

And as we run

through the gospel

of Luke,

we see the same

kinds of things.

We see that Jesus

is perceiving

the thoughts

of those

who he is

teaching to.

We see that Jesus

knows exactly

what they're thinking

in Luke chapter 6.

Luke 6 · chapter mention

We see that

a Pharisee

is having a conversation

in his own mind

and Jesus picks up

on that

and responds to it.

And on three occasions,

Jesus tells

his disciples

definitively

and clearly

and specifically

what will happen

on the cross.

He knew

the who.

He knew

the what.

He knew

the when.

He knew

the how.

But he also knew

the resurrection

was coming.

Jesus had

the knowledge

of God.

That

should also

have been enough.

Who can do

this but God?

God.

And what amazes me

is not only

the evidence

of divinity

showing up

in the knowledge,

this divine knowledge

that is coming

through in Jesus Christ,

but what I am

so amazed at

is the divine love

that comes through.

Because,

let me tell you,

when I know

what people

are going to do,

when I know

what people

have done,

it changes,

or at least

tries to change

everything

about my posture

with those people.

And yet,

Jesus went

to their homes.

Jesus raised

their kids

from the dead.

Jesus healed

their diseases.

He speaks

the truth

to them.

He loves them.

He goes to their house

and eats dinner

with them.

He knows

it's all a setup,

but he does it

because of

divine love.

He is

one who has

divine knowledge.

But in that

divine knowledge,

there's also

divine love.

Oh, the wonder

of our God

and Jesus

helping them

to see,

I possess

divine knowledge.

What will you do

at the intersection

of fact

and faith?

What will you do

with Jesus?

Jesus moves on

in his argument.

He helps him

to understand

that there is

more to be said.

He says here

in verse 27,

he says,

my sheep

hear my voice

and I know them

and they follow me.

In this

little phrase,

I see that he

exercises

the authority

of God.

My sheep

hear my voice

and I know them

and they follow me.

Jesus alone

has the right

to command

your obedience.

We saw that

in previous weeks.

We saw that

he alone

has the authority

from God.

He alone

can demand

my obedience.

He has exclusive

rights

as Messiah

over my life.

He alone

is the good shepherd.

Throughout his ministry,

Jesus again

establishes

that he has

the sole authority

to lead God's people.

And we see

his authority

show up

in the book

of the gospel

of John

and also

in the gospels

themselves,

the synoptic gospels.

We see

his authority

established.

And this

certainly cannot

be a comprehensive

study.

But here are

some ideas,

here are some ways

that Jesus

shows up

in his authority.

He shows up

as an authority

over the law

in John

John 1:17

chapter 1

verse 17.

It says,

for the law

was given

through Moses

but grace

and truth

came through

Jesus Christ.

Jesus is

greater

than the law.

There is only

one

greater than

the law.

And the law

was something

that was

cherished

and loved

and revered

and almost

worshipped

by the people

of the Jews.

And Jesus

shows up

to say,

I am

greater than

the law.

Of course,

he didn't come

to abolish

the law

as we find

in Matthew

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

chapter 5

17.

Don't think

that I came

to destroy

the law

but I

came

to fulfill

it.

And then

on the

Sermon on the

Mount

we find

that Jesus

is authority

of the law

over the law

is coming

front and center

where on

at least

five occasions

Jesus says,

you have heard

it said

but I

say to you

I

am the

authority

listen to me

I

am

the authority

over

the law.

we also

see that

he is

the authority

over the

temple

and Jesus

comes

into Jerusalem

at the very

onset of his

ministry

in John

John 2:13–15

chapter 2

verses 13

to 15

Jesus

goes up

to Jerusalem

and what

does he do?

He cleans

the place

out

this

is to be

a house

of prayer

but you

have made

it a den

of thieves

Jesus

exerts his

authority

over the

temple

and cleans

house

cross

he does

it at the

beginning

of his

ministry

he does

it at the

end of his

ministry

in the

final week

leading up

to the

cross

to establish

I am

the one

who has

authority

over the

temple

he has

authority

over the

temple

and also

authority

over sin

he shows

this authority

by forgiving

sin

in John

John 1:29

chapter 1

verse 29

it says

John the

Baptist

says

behold

the

Lamb

of God

who

takes

away

the

sin

of

the

world

and in

John

John 5:14

chapter 5

verse 14

Jesus

finds this

one

he has

just

healed

in the

temple

and he

tells him

and commands

him

go and

sin

no more

and throughout

the gospel

of Luke

I think

where this

really comes

front and

center

is in

Luke

Luke 5 · chapter mention

chapter 5

where

Jesus

heals

the

paralytic

and he

tells that

paralyzed

man

he says

your sins

are forgiven

and then it

says that the

Jews grumble

in their

hearts

who is

such a

one

as can

forgive

sins

only

God

can

forgive

sins

and

Jesus

capitalizing

on that

moment

says

yes

I am

he

I will

forgive

sins

and I

will heal

this man

and you

will see

that I

have

authority

on earth

to forgive

sins

and to

heal

I

am

God

authority

over

sin

that's

me

he

has

authority

over

Moses

John

speaks

more

of

Moses

than

any

other

gospel

because

John

wants

his

readers

to

understand

that

Jesus

is

better

than

this

great

leader

Moses

John

John 5:46

chapter 5

verses

46

and 47

Jesus

says

if you

believed

in

Moses

you

would

believe

in

me

for

he

wrote

about

me

but

if

you

do

not

believe

in

his

writings

how

will

you

believe

in

my

words

of

course

Jesus

also

has

authority

over

Abraham

John's

gospel

addresses

Abraham

11

times

to help

us

understand

time

and time

again

Jesus

has

the

authority

that

comes

from

God

alone

Jesus

is

God

and so

these

Jews

standing

at the

intersection

of

fact

and

faith

are

coming

to the

point

of

decision

what

will

you

do

with

Jesus

but

Jesus

isn't

done

he

continues

to

move

in

verse

28

we

find

him

here

we

find

that

in

verse

28

it

says

I

give

them

eternal

life

and

they

will

never

perish

I

give

them

eternal

life

and

they

will

never

perish

he

is

the

one

who

gives

life

from

God

only

God

can

give

life

and

Jesus

as

God

gives

life

to

his

sheep

we

saw

that

in

the

weeks

in

the

past

and

so

we

need

to

continue

to

move

but

we

looked

at

the

life

giving

shepherd

that

all

those

who

are

imposters

all

they

can

do

those

thieves

and robbers

they

only

come

to

kill

to

steal

and

destroy

but

God

has

come

to

give

life

and

to

give

it

abundantly

he

is not

only

the

author

of

physical

life

we

find

through

the book

of

Genesis

we

find

in

the book

of

Colossians

that

all

things

came

through

him

also

at

the

beginning

of

this

gospel

in

John

John 1:3

chapter

1

verse

3

all

things

were

made

through

him

without

him

was

not

anything

made

that

was

made

in

him

was

life

and

the

life

was

the

light

of

men

he's

not

only

the

author

of

physical

life

but

he's

the

author

of

spiritual

life

physical

and

spiritual

life

are

given

through

Jesus

Christ

establishing

him

as

God

so

here

again

the

Jews

are

standing

at

the

intersection

of

fact

and

faith

what

will

they

do

with

Jesus

he

has

shown

up

as

one

who

speaks

the

word

he

has

shown

up

as

one

who

does

the

works

of

God

he

has

the

knowledge

of

God

he

has

the

authority

of

God

he

gives

the

life

of

God

what

else

could

they

ask

for

Jesus

moves

on

he

says

I

give

them

life

and

they

will

never

perish

and

no

one

will

snatch

them

out

of

my

hand

Jesus

wields

the

power

of

God

no

one

shall

pluck

them

out

of

my

hand

I

am

the

all

powerful

one

no

power

in

heaven

or

earth

can

overcome

my

power

I

have

the

power

of

God

I

am

!

and

throughout

his

ministry

he

wielded

that

divine

power

power

over

nature

power

over

demons

power

over

sickness

power

over

human

authorities

and

perhaps

the

the

the

what do

I say

the

story

that I

like

the best

is right

there

at the

garden

of

Gethsemane

this

power

over

human

authority

and

they

show up

in

force

they

show up

with

swords

and

they

show up

with

torches

and

they

show up

with

numbers

and

they

say

where's

Jesus

and

Jesus

says

I

am

he

and

what

happens

they

fall

flat

because

of the

power

of

God

flowing

through

Jesus

Christ

helping

us to

understand

definitively

categorically

that he

is

who

he

claimed

to

be

he

is

Messiah

he

is

God

moving

to

verse

29

it

continues

to

build

on

itself

it

says

my

father

who

has

given

them

to

me

is

greater

than

all

and

no

one

is

able

to

snatch

them

out

of

my

father's

hand

and

in

this

statement

Jesus

is

identifying

himself

with

the

father

and

says

essentially

he

is

equal

with

God

my

father

who

has

given

them

to

me

is

greater

than

all

and

I

am

equal

with

him

it

comes

front

and

center

in

John

John 5:16

chapter

5

verse

16

and

17

Jesus

has

done

a

miracle

in

the

temple

on

the

Sabbath

day

and

the

Jews

again

are

grumbling

it

says

for

this

reason

the

Jews

persecuted

Jesus

and

sought

to

kill

him

because

he

had

done

these

things

on

the

!

big deal!

Well

not to

the

Jews

therefore

it says

the Jews

sought all the

more to

kill him

because he

not only

broke the

Sabbath

but also

said that

God was

his

father

making

himself

equal

with

God

by

aligning

himself

relationally

to

God

the

father

saying

he

has

come

from

heaven

is

to

say

that

he

is

God

now

we

in

our

day

and age

we

see

snapshots

of

time

but

in

the

Middle

Eastern

culture

they

saw

the

end

picture

they

understood

that

a

son

would

inherit

his

father's

legacy

they

understood

that

a

son

would

rise

to

his

father's

position

would

obtain

the

father's

inheritance

would

exercise

the

father's

authority

was

possessed

and

had

the

father's

genetic

code

they

understood

that

a

son

was a

carbon

copy

of the

father

and so

Jesus

in

associating

himself

with

the

father

in

heaven

was

suggesting

and

saying

I

am

of

the

father

I

am

God

so

for

Christ

to

claim

that

he

was

from

above

was

to

say

definitively

I

am

just

like

him

and

of

course

they

stood

at

the

intersection

of

fact

and

faith

there

they

were

looking

at

Jesus

there

they

were

seeing

the

evidence

but

what

would

they

do

with

Jesus

moving

to

verse

30

Jesus

continues

his

arguments

and

says

I

and

the

father

are

one

I

and

the

father

are

one

he

is

one

with

God

the

oneness

of

God

is

a

profound

mystery

we

could

spend

weeks

trying

to

unravel

the

mystery

of

the

trinity

and

I

am

not

even

going

to

attempt

that

but

what

I

want

to

do

this

morning

is

I

want

you

to

understand

that

oneness

has

some

dimension

to

it

oneness

we find

throughout

the

gospel

of

John

we

find

that

Jesus

is

one

with

the

father

in

so

many

ways

we

find

that

he

is

one

in

purpose

one

in

doctrine

and

message

one

in

quality

and

essence

one

in

authority

one

in

fellowship

one

in

glory

and

just

on

this

last

one

one

in

glory

in

John

John 1:14

chapter

1

verse

14

it

says

the

word

became

flesh

and

dwelt

among

us

and

we

beheld

his

what

church

his

glory

where

did that

glory

come

from

John

expounds

on it

he

says

the

glory

as

of

the

only

begotten

of

the

father

full

of

grace

and

truth

God

does

not

share

glory

with

anyone

but

Jesus

shows

up

in

glory

and

without

shame

in

the

prayer

to

the

father

in

John

John 17 · chapter mention

chapter

17

Jesus

says

and

now

oh

father

glorify

me

together

with

yourself

with

the

glory

with

which

I

had

before

the

world

began

Jesus

was

not

ashamed

to

ask

for

the

glory

that

belonged

to

him

it

was

a