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oh beautiful exalted Lord Jesus thank you that you are Shepherd who guides us all our lives and you bring us to yourself but Shepherd we need to hear your voice we need to be fed from your word so God help me to be able to speak it and help all of us Lord be able to hear it and to put it into practice in Jesus name amen please open your Bibles to John chap 10 John chapter 10 we’re looking at verses 22 to 42 Page 172 if you’re using the few Bibles we’re returning to the account of Jesus confrontation with the Jews during the Feast of dedication also known as Hanukkah and remember that Hanukkah is a commemoration of the Jews victory over Antiochus IV epiphany that Greek king from Syria who had attempted single-handedly to Stamp Out Judaism and force all of the Jews to become Greeks specifically Hanukkah celebrates Judas macabus liberation of Jerusalem from Antiochus and the cleansing and rededication of God’s Temple now I mentioned to you last time that antus self-given epithet epip it means god manif EST that is Antiochus declared himself to be the Incarnation or human manifestation of the god Zeus to us no doubt epiphanies strikes us as an extremely arrogant and deluded title and it is but realize that Antiochus IV was not the only ruler in the ancient world to make such a hubristic claim actually if you study the cultures of the ancient world you will discover that it was quite common for rulers to claim some kind of divine status these rulers were allegedly the Incarnation of a God or The Descendant the son of a God we see this among Israel’s neighbors Egypt with its pharaohs Mesopotamia and Persia as well but not just around Israel across the world you see this even as far as Peru and Japan ruler claim that they were Gods but coming back to the Middle East after Alexander the Great claimed that he was the son of Zeus Amon and began to accept worship from his many conquered subjects well his successors followed suit the Greek rulers who came after Alexander also began to style themselves as gods and tius IV was only one of those rulers and when the Romans finally gained control of all the Greek territories including Judea and when Rome transitioned from a republic to an Empire well guess who else started to assert that he was a God and deserved Divine honor even worship the Roman Emperor even starting with Augustus with the temples to him and people across the Empire worshiping his genius or even worshiping himself now certainly these different rulers these ancient rulers they were mightily impressive from an ex etal human only perspective these rulers ruled many peoples they commanded vast armies they amassed hordes of wealth they dressed resplendently they enjoyed elaborate feasts and entertainments that the common people could only dream of enjoying these rulers seem like they could do or have anything they wanted their will was Supreme their Glory undeniable their very words carrying life or death truly these were Gods Among the mere creatures of Earth except that that was only these rulers outward appearance and attitude for even these great men they turned out to be only men in the end with all the limitations and frustrations that come with being a man and not a god frequently the will of these God Kings was not done on the earth especially when these rulers died and stayed dead like any other human being even a slave or a prisoner who dies how silly then was and is the claim of any man any mere man to be God not only how silly but how foolishly arrogant and provocatively blasphemous for these claims are not made in a vacuum there is only one God who made the universe and everything and everyone in it this holy Creator will not give his deserved glory to another but rather will hold every person to account the true God will punish forever everyone who exalts himself or herself rather than obeys the worship obeys and worships the true God that is truth clear from the scriptures so what then should one do with the claims of the man Jesus this first century Builder Carpenter turned itinerant Rabbi this man Jesus he wasn’t born in Majesty or even in a royal City he instead grew up in nowhere’s Ville Galilee he had no stately appearance he only commanded the Loyalty of about a disciples yet he not only claimed to be a son of a God but the son of the god and more than once Jesus even makes the claim in this passage John 10 during the Feast of dedication which remember is a feast that is celebrating the downfall of a sacrilegious wannabe God man what is this Jesus guy diluted is he insane is his claim part of some diabolical scheme or is Jesus in fact the God man different than all the god men who came before or since indeed instead of a religious knee-jerk reaction to dismiss or even destroy this Blasphemous Jesus do you also need to slow down and consider more carefully the claim and the implication of the claim that Jesus is God lest you be proven the blasphemer who seeks to exalt himself rather than the one God who is these the the questions that are raised by our passage today and they’re the questions that I want to investigate together with you the title of today’s message is as you see on the screen God men versus the God man God men versus the god men and I trust you’re already at the passage now we’re focusing on verses 31 to 42 today in John 10 but I’d like you to appreciate the context let’s read the whole section once again John 10: 22-42 at that time the Feast of the dedication took place 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 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 are 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 the Jews answered him for 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 Gods if you called them Gods to whom the word of God came and 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 eluded their grasp and he went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was first baptizing and was staying there he was staying there many came to him and were saying while John performed no sign yet everything John said about this man was true many believed in him there so here we are again in Jerusalem about 3 months before Jesus crucifixion and here we again see an attempt made on Jesus life by the Jews that is the religious leaders of Israel the enemies of Jesus who are ethnically Jewish now though hostility against Jesus has been been steady steadily building from John 5 you may have noticed as we work our way to this gospel nothing seems to spike angry hatred against Jesus like when Jesus claims equality with God we saw this in John 58 5:18 if you remember John 5:18 the verses there say or this verse says for this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him because he Not only was breaking the Sabbath according to their tradition but also was calling God his own father making himself equal with God we saw this more recently though in the Feast of Boos in John 8:58 to 59 John 858 to 59 those verses read Jesus said to them the Jews truly truly I say to you before Abraham was born I am therefore they picked up stones to throw at him but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple we see again extreme hostility to Jesus Unleashed and on display In this passage yet notice here in John 10 when the stones appear in the hands of the Jews rather than Jesus merely trying to escape murder Jesus confronts the Jews with a fundamental inconsistency in their condemning him for blasphemy Jesus even cites the Old Testament to get the Jews to think more carefully about Jesus assertion of deity Jesus words therefore not only serve as a defense and invitation to his original hearers to believe in him as the Son of God and be saved but also to all the hearers and readers of John’s gospel including us today so here’s the main idea of this passage again I gave this to you last time here’s what summarizes the thrust of this entire section John reports Jesus interaction with the Jews at Hanukkah so that you will investigate Beyond Pious appearances believe in Jesus as the Son of God and become eternally saved and safe as I said last time this passage breaks down into five main parts today we’ll review the first two parts that we’ve already seen and then we’ll begin investigating the other three parts in verses 2 2 to 24 we first saw number one the forboding demand the forboding demand in the ominous poor weather of Winter the Jews ambushed Jesus in the temple and demand him to tell them plainly once and for all whether he is the Christ that is God’s promised Messiah ostensively these Jews make this demand so that they might freely believe in him believe in Jesus but we’ve seen enough of the Jews by now and the outcome of this pass message also makes clear that these Jews they are not coming with Innocent intentions but only with a desire to entrap Jesus and do away with him Jesus response to the Jews in verses 25 to 30 is therefore astonishing we saw there secondly number two the plain declaration the plain declaration in a sense Jesus gives them what they ask for though not in the way they ask it Jesus first calls the Jews for their inexcusable unbelief in Jesus messiahship considering all of Jesus clearly Divine words and works Jesus then explains what their inability to grasp the plain evidence really demonstrates about them that despite all their religiosity they do not know God and are not part of his chosen sheep Jesus then clarifies again that all God’s sheep recognize who Jesus truly is and that Jesus is himself the one who saves and keeps safe those persons Forever This security and you know that we looked at this at length comes not merely because the father has given the chosen sheep to Jesus but because Jesus himself holds the sheep with the very hand and strength of the father for Jesus himself says in verse 30 I and the father are one this is a plain declaration not only of messiahship but of deity of equality with God for the father and son to hold the sheep together as Jesus says they must be one they must be the same being sharing the same Essence though different persons this is an amazing Revelation it is a glorious assertion but it provokes a reaction from the Jews which is what we see as we proceed into the third part of our passage and our first new part of study today vers 31- 33 we see number three the murderous sacrilege the murderous sacr attempted by the Jews against the Son of God as we investigate this let’s just start by looking first at verse 31 the Jews picked up stones again to Stone him the implications of Jesus declaration were not lost on a group of Jesus of the Jewish listeners in accordance with Leviticus 24:16 which prescribes stoning for anyone who blasphemes the name of Yahweh the Jews here pick up stones to throw at Jesus and crush him to death you may ask well where did they find the stones aren’t they in the middle of the temple where did they find the stones for stoning well remember the Temple’s ongoing has ongoing beautification projects there’s probably Construction materials lying around so they picked up some of those piles of stones or piles of debris and they want to kill Jesus with them now there’s the word again in verse 31 with this word John our author is drawing attention to the fact that this is not the first time the Jews have tried to Stone Jesus in fact John 8:59 was the most recent previous occurrence actually these attempted lynchings of God special Messiah are becoming a pattern and what does that say about the spiritual state of the Jews and their religious leadership by the way do notice that this is an attempted lynching that is an illegal mob killing or murder though Leviticus 24:16 does command stoning for blasphemers that punishment is only to be administered after a thorough investigation and an objective trial an unprejudiced trial thus in instantly seeking to Stone Jesus the Jews are actually violating God’s law they are violating God’s law and their alleged effort to uphold God’s honor but this is standard practice for self-righteous religious Hypocrites we’ve seen this before in the Gospel of John with the Jews and we’re going to see it again especially Jesus crucifixion but Jesus does not stand idly by as the Jews prepare to throw rock missiles at him he momentarily halts their murderous Purpose with a point of question in verse 32 look there Jesus answered them I showed you many good works from the father for which of them are you stoning me this is a profound question Jesus asks for which of the many good works accomplished from the father that is for which compassionate Miracle which holy act authorized and energized by God himself he asks the Jews do you now seek to Stone me to death of course Jesus is not oblivious he knows that they are not stoning him specifically for his good works any good work but he asked this question of the Jews to point out a serious inconsistency and their zealous but plainly ignorant thinking how can Jesus be blaspheming in what he says proving himself a sinner of the highest magnitude if he at the same time lives a perfectly holy life and constantly demonstrates God’s approval and Power in many miracles those things shouldn’t go together he’s pointing that out to the Jews this observation via question it should stop the Jews in their tracks but does it look at verse 33 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 H okay so Jesus question doesn’t totally stop their action but it does delay the stoning long enough that Jesus and the Jews can have a short conversation notice in verse 33 that the Jews Totally Miss or consciously ignore the point that Jesus is making in verse 32 the Jews densely deny that they are stoning Jesus for performing a good work or Miracle they claim instead that they are putting Jesus to death for blasphemy the Jews even spell out their charge specifically for Jesus at the end of verse 33 what could be more obvious blasphemy than a man making himself out to be God that’s what we see you doing that’s obviously Blas me you deserve to die this is a very simple line of reasoning isn’t it we we can break it down into different premises premise one no man can be God premise two claiming to be God when you are not is blasphemy that deserves death premise three Jesus a man claims to be God conclusion Jesus is blaspheming and deserves death to the Jews this situation seems like a very open and shut case no question about it blasphemy you deserve death we love God so that’s why we’re going to do it but Jesus quickly throws a monkey wrench into their thinking with an unexpected citation of scripture and a simple argument of his own we move now to the fourth part of the account verses 34- 38 where we see number four the insurmountable defense the insurmountable defense look at verses 34 to 36 together Jesus answered them has it not been written in your law I said you are Gods if he called them Gods to whom the word of God came and the scripture cannot be broken do you save him whom the father sanc IFI and send into the world you are blaspheming because I said I am the Son of God now this part of Jesus answer is very interesting but a little puzzling I don’t know how many times in my Bible reading over the years I got to this section and scratched my head why does Jesus say this what is exactly is he saying there’s a fair amount of debate among Bible interpreters as to what exactly is going on but before we wade into all that and we will try a little bit let’s note what is relatively clear in Jesus reply to the Jews in these Verses first Jesus accurately cites for the Jews Psalm 826a in which God says I said you are Gods Jesus quotes that exactly second Jesus affirms a key principle in faithful Bible interpretation that is scripture cannot be broken what that means is as the perfect authoritative inherent God breathed word the Bible in its original autographs makes no mistakes in what it says or how it says it those original autographs have been copied Faithfully up to Jesus day and our own which means that no scripture can be broken or uned or set aside just because it doesn’t make sense to you or you don’t like it or you don’t think it’s reasonable scripture cannot be broken third Jesus uses Psalm 826 to punch a hole through the Jews assumption that no man rightly can be called God for as we’ll see a little bit more in a moment God himself speaks to men in the psalm and tells them you are gods fourth Jesus establishes both a similarity and a dissimilarity between himself and the men called gods in Psalm 826 the similarity is that just as the men of Psalm 826 can justly be called Gods so can Jesus justly claim for himself the title of God and the Son of God that’s the similarity the dissimilarity though is whatever the men of Psalm 826 were Jesus is different and that the father actually Sanctified Jesus in heaven that is the father dedicated Jesus set him apart marked him as special and holy and then sent Jesus into the world in other words there’s something special about Jesus and his background that makes the title God uniquely appropriate for him Fifth and finally Jesus equates his statement from verse 30 I and the father are one with the rephrase expression in verse 36 I am the Son of God don’t be confused to claim that you are the Son of God doesn’t mean like oh I’m just kind of divine I’m like slightly less below God no Son of God equals God this is the way the Jews understood it in fact we already saw this in John 5:18 right he calls god father they said you’re making yourself equal with God if you say that you are the Son of God and that he is your father to be the Son of God the Son of God means that you are equal to God and therefore are God so in summary just thinking looking broadly here Jesus uses Psalm 82 to hopefully force the Jews to put down their rocks and think more carefully about whether a man calling himself God automatically equals blasphemy or alternatively whether there could be some way in which that title is both accurate and appropriate even for a man all right I hope you’re all still with me you’re tracking with me though we can understand even without further investigation broadly what Jesus is doing in verses 34 to 36 surely you have questions surely some questions come into your minds as probably happened with the Jews when they originally heard these words from Jesus does God in Psalm 82 really call men Gods if so why and how could that designation ever be accurate and not Blasphemous well let’s see if we can answer those questions please keep your finger or a bookmark in John 10 and take your Bibles and turn to Psalm 82 page 601 if you’re using the Pew Bibles we read Psalm 82 earlier in the service in The New American Standard 95 translation I like to read the psalm again with you but I’m going to read the ESV translation I’m picking the ESV because it translates some of the Hebrew words and phrases a little bit more literally so here’s Psalm 82 veres 1 to8 in the ESV please follow along in your own Bibles a Psalm of Asaf God takes his stand in his own congregation I’m sorry that’s the nasp God has taken his place in the Divine councel in the midst of the Gods he holds judgment how long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked give Justice to the weak and the fatherless maintain the right of The Afflicted and the destitute rescue the weak and the needy deliver them from the hand of the wicked they have neither knowledge nor understanding they walk about in darkness all the foundations of the Earth are shaken I said you are Gods sons of the most high all of you nevertheless like men you shall die and fall like any Prince arise oh God judge the Earth for you shall inherit all the nations now we don’t have time today for a thorough analysis of this Psalm but notice a few things with me first notice the poetic scene that is painted in verse one we have as it were God himself holding Council among a Pantheon of gods a council of gods and he pronounces judgment on many or even all the attending gods for committing some evil what is that evil what is the specific evils that the gods have done well we see those explaining in verses 3 and 4 these gods are not ruling justly rather than protecting the weak and bringing Justice and rescue to the righteous oppressed these gods are helping the wicked get away with sin and are showing the wicked favor this failure to judge justly thus represents a fundamental sinful failure in rule verse 5 articulates for us both the cause and effect of this failure the cause is these high and mighty gods have no real knowledge or understanding they are fools who walk about and even love the darkness and the effect of their misrule is that the very foundations of the Earth are shaken their domains are greatly weakened and thrown into chaos now in verses 6 and 7 God pronounces a fearful word of judgment on these Gods he says on the one hand I myself previously pronounced all of you to be Gods even sons of the most high by the way those are equivalent expressions to be a son of the most high means you are a God on the other hand verse 7 despite your exalted status as Gods you will die like a man literally you will die like Adam the Hebrew word that can be translated as man Humanity or simply Adam you shall die like a Dom you shall fall like any Prince God says the psalm concludes though with a change of speaker because the gods fail to rule or judge the world rightly what does the psalmist plead arise oh God and judge the Earth yourself do what these Gods totally fail to do for after all the psalmist points out you shall inherit the Nations that is to say all the nations were already yours you delegated them to be ruled by these failing gods well it’s time for you to take back possession you’re going to receive them one day take back Rule now and rule in righteousness oh God okay so now hopefully we have a sense of Psalm 82 and what’s being said there but we come back to our question does God Like Jesus in John 10 seems to suggest really call men gods in 82 some Bible interpreters would say no he doesn’t actually this Psalm is not about men at all this is about God’s judgment on Wicked spiritual potentates that is the evil spirits the demons who function as gods for the nations of the world and lead them astray into chaos you can probably see the line of reasoning from from the text but I don’t believe that this interpretation is best for at least three reasons number one demons are never specifically Commission in the Bible to rule men let alone rule men justly or rescue the oppressed though this charge is given to human rulers frequently throughout the Bible number two demons though they will experience Eternal judgment alongside unrepentant Humanity they do not in fact die like man or fall like any Prince as Spirit beings demons do not experience physical death and three taking Gods to mean Wicked or Wicked or failing spiritual Powers makes Jesus citation of this Psalm in John 10 nonsensical since Jesus is specifically responding to the charge of blasphemy that he a mere man can call himself God so I don’t believe we should take Gods to mean spiritual rulers and Powers so if they’re not demons if they’re not spiritual potentates then what are the gods of Psalm 82 they must be men they must be human rulers thus this Psalm is an indictment against unjust human rule as well as a prayer for and proclamation of God’s coming judgment on these rulers but again The crucial question if Psalm 82 is talking about human rulers how how can God himself call these human rulers gods and Sons of the most high that is not an easy question to answer the answer of many conservative Evangelical commentators and solid Bible teachers is that God calls human rulers Gods as a gracious honorific title because of how these rulers have been commissioned to stand in for God himself after all human rulers as Paul teaches in Romans 13 they receive delegated authority from God as Psalm 82 itself indicates these rulers are also accountable before God for how they rule and whether they rule justly and genuinely care for the people who are placed under them in the Kingdom of Israel this rule would have included both the proclamation and enforcement of God’s law they were Ministers of God’s word standing in for God that way and for this weighty god-given job of ruling and administering Justice human rulers they are to be given by their people submission and reverence even as to a god or to God himself that would be the idea of this interpretation notably Exodus 22:28 Exodus 2228 does put two commands poignantly side by side you shall not revile God nor curse a ruler of your people hm those seem to be connected if this answer I’ve been describing to you is correct then in Psalm 82 God would be reproving these human rulers given Godlike highly honored roles for not carrying them out as the rulers were commanded and as their titles deserve God thus reminds these rulers that despite the Divine Honors that God has bestowed on them graciously these honors will disappear and these rulers will die like mere Dishonored men consequently in citing this Psalm in John 10 Jesus would be establishing an argument from the Lesser to the greater if any human ruler ordained on God’s behalf to minister God’s justice and declare God word can be called God without such constituting blasphemy how much more should the Eternal Word made flesh specially sent to rule as God’s Messiah and declare God’s revelation rightly claim the name Son of God without such being blasphemy now again we can see the logic of this answer we can see the value of this answer as it attempts to respond to a difficult question but I don’t believe that this is the best view of Psalm 82 or John 10 either because as much as the Bible does command submission to and reverence for human rulers in no other place does God call no other place in the Bible does God call human rulers gods in a positive sense rather every other instance in the Bible of gods in the plural is decidedly negative these Gods this term usually describes demons false gods and Idols indeed throughout the Torah the first five books of the Bible the people of Israel are warned again and again about following or reverencing any other God besides Yahweh their God you see this right in the beginning of the Ten Commandments Exodus 20: 2 and 3 Exodus 20: 2 and 3 God says I am Yahweh your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt out of the house of slavery you shall have no other other gods before me furthermore the view of the Gods as an honoring title for God’s ruling Representatives it seems to ignore the fact that many rulers in the ancient worlds indeed called themselves gods and acted like Gods thus I would argue that Psalm 82 is not teaching that human rulers can be called gods in some good sense but rather Psalm 82 who is presenting a mocking poic against human rulers who exalt themselves as Gods how so well to use a limited but hopefully clarifying analogy think of the title primadana primadana have you ever heard of that title Primadonna is a title that describes the chief female singer in an opera or Opera Company the chief female singer in an opera Opera Company is called a primadana now to be a primadana is a huge honor only someone with great skill and experience can obtain or be given the position Primadonna but that’s not the only way the title can be given the title primadana can also refer to a wannabe star even someone shamefully temperamental and with an overinflated view of her own Talent OR importance you do not want to be called Primadonna in this second sense because if you are if you live the lifestyle that earns you that title you will soon ruin yourself now imagine you have a bunch of opera singers all wanting to be called padas when they aren’t really they all say I’m the best I’m Primadonna everybody should listen to and idolize me here’s a question are these wannabe singers padas yes and no they aren’t padas in the op honorable sense they’ve not earned that number one position in the Opera company but they are padas in the dishonorable sense and they will soon face the consequences of their own pride and immaturity so it is I would argue with the term gods in Psalm 82 all these human rulers who are not gods in an honorable sense they prove themselves gods in a dishonorable sense and that they act like gods they insist that they are gods and they demand Divine treatment so the true God says to these wannabes you are God’s all right but not in the Good Sense there I will judge and humiliate you like any upstart God who exalts himself before me by the way Psalm 82 is not the only place in the Bible or even the Old Testament in which God mocks and Promises judgment on a human ruler who exalts himself as a God we don’t have time now but sometime after service I encourage you read Isaiah 14: 3-23 Isaiah 14: 3-23 which is is a taunt against the king of Babylon and read Ezekiel 28: 1-19 Ezekiel 28 1-19 which is a mocking lament composed for the ruler of Ty you will be surprised I think at the Divine type descriptions that are given to those rulers but you will also see how God says I will judge you in short Psalm 82 teaches that you can know who deserves to be called God by the way he acts but woe to the man who earns that title from God through Pride through selfishness and sin now you may justly ask well if that’s all true Pastor Dave why does Jesus cite Psalm 82 in John 10 I mean doesn’t your interpretation undermine Jesus argument to the Jews there isn’t he categorizing himself with a Wann toe Gods well like I said going back to the analogy there are many who earn the primadana title by dishonor but for one in the Opera Company primadana is an appropriate title of Honor how do you know which person in the company that is well by action by the one who actually sings and performs at such a consummate level it’s not that nobody ever ever can have the title Primadonna or that the only people who can have it are bad rather it’s that while many earn the title by Folly one earns the title by true Excellence so it is I’m arguing with the title God by citing Psalm 826 Jesus proves that some men indeed do deserve the title of God God himself gives that title but while many only deserve while many men only deserve this title in a negative sense which is a prophecy of their judgment and they deserve this title as proven by their proud and ultimately impotent works there is one there is one man who deserves the title God in a positive sense as proven by that one’s honorable and Supernatural Works which is what do you know exactly where Jesus goes next and his reply to the Jews so now please take your Bibles and go back to John chapter 10 PE Bible page 172 John 10: 31-42 look at the next two verses John 10: 37-38 Jesus continues 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 do you see Jesus returns to the point he was beginning to make in verse 32 Jesus Works prove that he does not blaspheme when he calls himself the Son of God and notice how Jesus States the cas both negatively and positively in the these verses Jesus says if I claim equality with the father but do not display the power and Holiness of the father’s Works in my life don’t believe me that’s only logical but if I do the father’s Works compassionate holy miraculous works that only God the father that only God could do then even if you don’t believe my words you don’t believe me in my words even though you should because they are the words of God at least believe the works which have no other explanation recognize the plain evidence of what I do of my actions and come to a sound conclusion we noted the simple argument that the Jews used to condemn Jesus well Jesus has a simple argument of his own and again we can note the premises in the conclusion premise one only God can accomplish abundant holy and miraculous Works premise two Jesus accomplishes abundant holy and miraculous Works conclusion Jesus Is God it’s that simple notice how Jesus describes the outcome of recognizing and believing in Jesus divine Works he says so that you may know and understand or more literally so that you may come to know and be knowing it’s actually the same Greek word used twice but in different tenses you come to a fundamental realization but you also have an ongoing knowledge and what is it that you should come to know and continue knowing by just paying attention to Jesus Works end of verse 38 that the father is in me and I in the father this isn’t even plainer statement of divine Oneness than what Jesus said in verse 30 if God the father is in Jesus and if Jesus is in the father and what are they they are one they are one in essence and being though different in person Greg was talking about the Trinity a little bit earlier in our service but it truly is a majestic mystery one that’s clearly presented in the Bible even here but truly wondrous there is one God who exists in three persons Christians do not believe in three Gods nor in one God who just changes masks or forms no rather each member is in each other member so that each person in the godhead is fully God it’s not like there’s onethird God in the father one third God in the spirit one third God in the son and they combine and it’s boom you have 100% God no each one is 100% fully the true God how can that be well the father and the spirit are in the Son and the spirit and the son are in the father and the father and the son are in the spirit there is nothing like that in our universe there’s no just analogy to what the the Trinity is who God is we can only begin to understand it but we can adequately understand it because the Bible presents it to us we can believe it because that’s how God presents self even here in this passage so Jesus lays before the Jews and us a simple but insurmountable argument the scriptures themselves testify that a man can prove to be God if he has appropriate works if human rulers can prove by their evil Works to be God’s ripe for humiliating judgment how much more can the one specially Sanctified and sent into the world prove that he is God worthy of all glory faith and obedience by his clearly Divine works and these are the very works that John our writer records for us in this gospel we should take a moment to consider our own response to this argument from Jesus how do you respond do you believe that Jesus is God do you submit to worship and Obey him accordingly are you somehow still hiding behind a Pious seeming But ultimately ignorant religious Shield that says nope nope no man can ever be God don’t don’t even talk to me about that listen to Jesus simple argument look at the scripture he cites are you ready to acknowledge both by Jesus words and works that he is the Christ and he is God yes even the God man the one worthy of you giving up all your sins your self-righteous attempts to earn God’s favor and yes even your own life give up all of yourself to him so that he may be your lord and savior amen he’s God he’s worthy of it the evidence is before you the argument is insurmountable how are you going to respond you know there’s something poiny and I’ve not yet pointed out to you something pointy that Jesus includes in his citation of Psalm 826 if you look back at verse 35 Jesus says in his explanation if he that’s God called them Gods to whom the word of God came that phrase to whom the word of God came is instructive for that is an idiom in the Bible it’s a it’s a stocked phrase it’s an expression that the Bible often uses to describe those who receive a prophetic word from God to pass it on to others you’ll see this all throughout the scriptures the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the word of the Lord came to John in the wilderness Jesus says the word of the the word of God the word of the Lord came to those who heard this Psalm ask yourselves now which rulers does that accurately describe which rulers ever received a prophetic word from God to pass on to others was it the Gentile leaders among the Nations not usually so who it’s the rulers of Israel it’s even the religious leaders of Israel and what does Jesus say God called these rulers of Israel even through the words of Psalm 82 I said you are Gods but not in the good sense you see lest the Jews or even we think that Psalm 82 is just an indictment of the Antiochus epiphanies out there you need to remember that you don’t have to say out loud I am a God for God to recognize you as such and Mark you for judgment no indeed you can be one of the most outwardly religious persons you can seem so holy and so humble before everyone else well in your heart you exalt yourself like a God because friends and Brethren isn’t this what sin ultimately is at its for it is a determined Rebellion with the goal of self-exaltation sin is the heart saying to God you are my holy Creator you are the only true God you’ve commanded me to live your way in dependence on you and obedience to you and in total worship of you but I’m going to live how I want to live because I’m God I don’t have to pay attention to you really these notorious God Kings God Queens in the past all they’re doing is acting out more obviously what each one of us does in our hearts by sin every day and and fundamentally if we do not know Jesus Christ we are saying we are testifying in our hearts I am King I am God my will be done and that can be a pleasant delusion to live in yes sin self-deification it can feel pretty good for a while that’s why the world that’s why we ourselves before coming to Christ that’s why we are addicted to it boy when you feel like you’re God or you think you’re God everything revolves around you wow you feel pretty good about yourself but remember Psalm 82 I said you are Gods you are sons of the most high but you will die like Adam you will fall like any of the princes your little God delusion it’s not going to last actually throughout your life there’s there’s testimonies all around you when your will is not being done your reference to satisfy yourself with sin or with the Treasures of the world it’s not working out and you get so frustrated and depressed that’s God testifying to you you’re not really God stop treating yourself like you’re God it’s not going to work out of course when you die you will see that most clearly so what should you do you should get off that Godlike Throne that you’ve constructed yourself in your heart and put the real God there put the God man there repent of your sins repent of your own way your determination to live for yourself and say no it all belongs to him now he’s God he’s the only God life is not found in pretending I’m God and fulfilling my own desires life is found in confessing that he’s God repenting of my sins giving them up for him believing in him to be the only one who can save me from my sins from the wrath of God and then living according to his will following the Good Shepherd my Divine Shepherd that’s that’s the only rational biblically informed that’s the only rational response to the truths that we’re looking at here today don’t pretend to be God oh God will confess that you are God if you persist in that but it’s just going to mean judgment acknowledge the one who’s truly God in the right sense in The Honorable sense who proved it by his words and works this is a another merciful word It’s actually an explicit invitation from Jesus to his original hearers and to us but how did his original hearers respond we find out as we look at the last section now in verses 39 to 42 number five the mixed outcome the mixed outcome look at verse 39 therefore they were seeking again to seases him and he eluded their grasp this is sad notice the verse begins with the word therefore that term indicates that rather than halting their deadly Blasphemous design on Jesus rather than repenting and believing in Jesus what did the Jews do based on Jesus words his clear Arguments for deity his invitation that they would believe in him what did they do in response they redouble their efforts to seize him and kill him they won’t listen to the scripture they won’t consider Jesus divine Works they won’t humble their own Hearts rather they will hide their self idolatry in religion and pretend to be serving God by killing him this is what every human heart committed to its own deity this is the ultimate outcome of that rebellion and in the last days when Jesus come back why will the world why will so many people of the world fight against God when it’s so obvious that he’s God he’s he’s come from Heaven he’s there with his armies because they’re still committed to I’m God I’m God I’m God no I must kill him he’s not letting me be God that’s their intent Jesus delayed their intents but didn’t ultimately stop it but it doesn’t prove successful their attempt to kill him doesn’t prove successful God won’t let that happen yet for now Jesus eludes their continual grasping their continual attempts to kill him but even when God does allow that to happen it will be to bring about a victory that none of his enemies could have foreseen yet not all the outcome here is depressing for look at the final verses versus 40 to 42 and he that’s Jesus went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was first baptized baptizing and he was staying there many came to him and were saying while John performed no sign yet everything John said about this man was true many believed in him there fittingly here we see jesus’ public Ministry to the Jews essentially come to an end where it started in the wilderness by the Jordan River where John the Baptist had been first baptizing of course the baptizer himself is long gone at this point but his faithful testimony outlives his own death even when Jesus goes there behold people are still coming out to see Jesus based on John’s testimony a testimony notice that did not include any Miracles and I think we’re meant to notice a contrast here right the pious the pious Jews of Jerusalem they won’t believe even with plain Miracle set before them but these seekers in the wilderness they will recognize God’s son even without Miracles it’s just as Jesus said my sheep hear my voice I know them and they follow me so it seems appropriate again as we know in verse 42 that many believed in Jesus there in the wilderness to ask you to ask ourselves again where do you see yourself at the end of this account what is your stance what best describes your stance toward God are you figuratively speaking still hanging out with the throng of the religious self- idolators in the places of power and pleasure and acceptance these people who think they’re serving God but they’re only exalting themselves and storing up judgment are you still with them in the religious system everybody affirming you yes yes yes yes you’re a very very good Christian when really you’re still idolatrous in heart or have you left that fold have you been called out by the Shepherd have you journeyed to become an outcast with fellow outcasts in the wilderness because that’s where the shepherd is a Shepherd who actually cares for his sheep saves his sheep and will never lose them remember what Jesus says in Luke 9:23 If any man seeks to come after me he must first deny himself take up his cross and follow me if you want Jesus it is the end of yourself it is the end of your self deifying efforts but what do you get as a result you get the Son of God you get God and you get eternal life with him this church is just another expression of the outcast of God’s flock we are those who have been called out from the flocks of prestige and acceptance in the world but we’ve gained something so much better amen and let’s encourage one another to continue to follow after our God man the Divine Shepherd until he comes to get us let’s close in prayer Lord God lord Jesus Jesus you are God oh God it is a beautiful reality so clearly taught in the Bible it’s so beautiful to affirm lovely to affirm you are God and thank you Jesus you are our god thank you for being our Good Shepherd thank you God for doing what none of us could ever do for ourselves we needed a man we needed one of our own to save us but no man could ever save us he who was a mere man because we are weak we are born in sin our records and our hearts are corrupt from conception but the God man you Jesus who were born a man yet Who Came From Heaven not with sinful corruption but with the Holiness of God himself Jesus you did what we could never do you lived the perfectly righteous life that none of us could ever live and and you suffered the death you suffered the Eternal Wrath of Hell on the cross for all those who believe in you but you didn’t just suffer and die and stay dead if you had you would have proven yourself to be no better than the false gods the god men God Kings God queens of the world but you rose from the dead which is something only God could do that’s because you’re the god of life thank you for being our god of life thank you that you are alive and that you are in heaven waiting for the Nations to be brought before you as an inheritance thank you God that you’ve given us a place there we who have no no claim no merit of our own to say oh yeah I deserve a place there too no it has been all you Jesus thank you you are God you deserve the praise all power honor wealth glory be given to you for you were slain as a lamb to save your people but you have risen again in power Lord help us to walk in true reverence of you true obedience and worship of you as we ought for being the special the only the amazing God man